Reviews: Killswitch Engage, Horseburner, Finsterforst, Wormed (Liam, Matt, Rich & Paul S)

Killswitch Engage: Atonement (Metal Blade Records) [Liam True]

They are the masters. They are the foundation. They are the reason Metalcore exists today. And with this endurance comes the American Metalcore monsters 8th studio album. It’s their most ferocious, heaviest and heartfelt record to date. Coming off the back of singles I Am Broken Too & Unleashed, you already knew it was a diverse record as Unleashed was a slow but heavy ‘ballad’ by the band, where as I Am Broken Too is a riff driven fury. The full record itself however, is just as devastating. With Unleashed being the opener it sets the mood. But all eyes are on the second song, Signal By Fire featuring the animal known as Howard Jones, former Killswitch front-man and current Light The Torch voice box. This one track was so nice I had to play it back to back twice. It’s the top notch of the record and a symphony of both Jones’ & Leach’s deepest growls and soaring highs and will no doubt be a crowd favorite with or without both vocalist's present. Plus it is easily the heaviest song Killswitch have produced. Period.

The rest of the album does not slow in its effort with none other than Testament vocalist Chuck Billy making an explosive appearance on The Crownless King. Alongwith Know Your Enemy and Us Against The World, this album is just a Metalcore dream. And with a full UK tour coming up in later this year, they’ve dropped this album at the right time. Sure, it’s competing with the new Slipknot record right now,but it sure as hell is as equal of riffs and singalongs. And as harsh as this sounds, as they are in no matter bad songs, the two released singles are the weakest on the album, but they’re still amazing. The record in it’s entirety proves that KSE have crafted their most perfect and delectable effort to date. And if you have any arguments, you know where to find me. 9/10

Horseburner: The Thief (Ripple Music/Hellmistress Records) [Matt Bladen]

Crawling out of the filthy underground of West Virginia are Horseburner a sludge, prog, stoner metal (call it what you will) who owe a debt to Mastodon and Baroness with swaggering chunky riffs, slow bludgeoning parts and some more clean, jangly ambient textures. They have progressive tendencies which shift the songs between numerous parts and as the run times increase they shift keeping you guessing with large instrumental sections. Jack Thomas and Matt Strobel play some Lizzy-like twin leads over the heavier rhythms from Adam Nohe and Seth Bostick. The songs featured here are groovy, with the band paying particular attention to not only the heaviness but infusing them all with melody. The tracks bleed into one another, which is not a bad thing for this kind of music as it means it's more like one long jam session that moves between stoner riffs on Drowning Bird, jangly psych on The Fisherman's Vow which evolves into doom metal highlighting the dual vocals of Adam and Jack who both trade off much like Mastodon adding an extra level to this release. It's been a bloody good year for this kind of prog/sludge and you can add The Thief to the lost of top releases of this style, it's got some great songs on it, a really welcoming vibe and also it's wrapped in a gorgeous album cover. One to play on vinyl loudly to really enjoy. 8/10 

Finsterforst: Zerfall (Napalm Records) [Rich Oliver]

Finsterforst are another in a whole host of unappreciated folk metal bands. Bands such as Korpiklaani, Eluveitie and Finntroll seem to get most of the attention due to the fun and jaunty style of folk metal that they play. I vastly prefer the style that bands such as Moonsorrow, Falkenbach and Finsterforst play which is a far more atmospheric and epic style with roots firmly laid in black metal. It is a style that is ably brought to fruition by Finsterforst on their fifth album Zerfall. Although only comprised of five songs Zerfall is a mammoth album running to almost 80 minutes in length with one song Ecce Homo taking up over 36 of those minutes though despite its lengthy duration the album doesn’t run out of steam and managed to hold my interest from start to finish. It’s a heady mix of doomy soundscapes, black metal riffing, traditional folky passages and epic orchestral leanings. It is cold and harsh whilst equally being huge and majestic. 

One of the key driving factors in the variations of sound throughout the album is vocalist Oliver Berlin who employs a mix of harsh screams, ferocious roars and rousing clean vocals. He is also responsible for the choirs heard throughout the album. Each song is lengthy with the shortest running to just over 8 minutes but each one takes you on a journey of soundscapes and emotions. Even though I have seen Finsterforst live before at a festival this was the first full album of theirs I had listened to and impressed me it certainly did. If you like your folk metal epic and atmospheric with harsh black metal undertones then this album will certainly float your boat. 8/10

Wormed: Metaportal (Season Of Mist) [Paul Scoble]

Spanish technical death metal titans Wormed have been active since 1998, in that time the band has only released 3 albums, so recorded material is in short supply for this band. Which makes the 4 tracks on this new EP rare and valuable, but are they any good? Well, in my opinion, yes. The tracks on offer here are achingly technical, something we have come to expect from Wormed. The EP kicks off with Remote Void, which blasts off with some very technical drums before beating the crap out of the audience with some great dense technical riffs with ultra guttural vocals. The track then goes into some fantastic flowing, syncopated riffing, before switching into a staccato lurching section. Cryptoubiquity starts with a very aggressive blasting, before the song settles down to more mid-paced, measured feel. Bionic Relic is a simpler song, fast and staccato but with less complexity than the other material. 

The track sounds and feels more direct. The EP comes to a close with the track E-Xystem://CE. This track opens with some very slow and discordant riffs, the track does speed up and gets more complex, but the discordance stays. The riffs on this track remind me a little of Gorguts or Dysrhythmia. The other thing to mention about this track is how horrifically nasty the guttural vocals are, really, really unpleasant (which is great). Metaportal is a great little EP. It’s beautifully well written and played, even though there is only 4 tracks, and 17 minutes, there is lots of variation and different moods. Hopefully there is going to be an album coming soon after, but until that arrives, this EP should keep Wormed fans happy. 8/10