Reviews: Viscera, Semblant, Red\\Shift, Elixir (Paul H, Matt & Simon)

Viscera: Obsidian (Unique Leader Records) [Paul Hutchings]

Featuring former members of Heart Of A Coward, Abhorrent Decimation, Martyr Defiled, Nervecell and Surfaces, Viscera formed in 2019. Obsidian is their screamingly brutal debut release, following their first single Lamb To The Slaughter which arrived last October. It’s clear from the raging opening of Delilah that Viscera have drawn deep on influences such as Pantera, Meshuggah, At The Gates, The Black Dahlia Murder and Killswitch Engage, combining them with a modern technical death and deathcore style. This is intensity in the extreme, leaving little room to catch the breath. Immersed in Ire and the punishing Lamb utilise tight syncopation, blisteringly fast blastbeats and razor-sharp guitar work battering away underneath the visceral roar of vocalist Jamie Graham. Whilst Viscera stick closely to the blueprint, there is plenty of variation within the 37-minute attack. Carpe Noctem contains synths which expand the soundscape but doesn’t in any way dilute the power or passion. Second single and title track Obsidian allows the pulsing bass of David Archer to drive the track with a vibrancy and energy that is unrelenting, Graham’s soaring cleans reminiscent of one Howard Jones. Viscera are part of the Faces Of Death tour which is due to hit the UK in the next week with Decapitated, Beyond Creation, Ingested and Lorna Shore also on the bill. If they can pull the fire displayed here in the live arena, Viscera could be the surprise package of a seriously ferocious bill. 7/10

Semblant: Obscura (Frontiers Records) [Matt Bladen]

Semblant is the latest 'heavy metal' signing for Frontiers Records and this one is particularly heavy offering mixing death, black, doom and thrash influences throughout. Semblant were formed in Brazil 2006 by singer Sergio Mazul and keyboardist J. Augusto in time they added Mizuho Lin (female vocals), Juliano Ribeiro (guitar), Welyntom "Thor" Sikora (drums), and Johann Piper (bass) and the sound developed into a melodic metal act with Sergio and Mizuho's vocals working in tandem as he moves between Dani Filth-like screams and roars and she brings the more operatic melodic style, think Epica. Obscura is their first album since 2014 so they have something to prove due to it being a debut on a new label. Happily there are very few signs of the label influencing a lighter direction, Obscura is just as bombastic and heavy as their previous releases perhaps even moreso, check out Wallachia with it's black metal tremolo picking, dual vocal assault and thundering blast beats it's as heavy as any Arch Enemy song, while Insomnia is a stomping rocker, Murder Of Crows a face melting modern thrasher and Left Behind a definite pit strater. However they aren't all explosive heaviness, Daydream Tragedy is a gothic ballad highlighting the more melodic sound of this band. Two of the tracks here continue the Legacy Of Blood storyline from their previous records and both ramp up the symphonic sound. A strong addition to the Frontiers roster, it's great to see them taking a risk on a band like Semblant, great melodic death metal with wider aspirations. 8/10

Red\\Shift: Grow.Decay. Reform (Self-Released) [Simon Black]

Regular readers on here will be aware of the frustration that I have with some bands’ inability to understand the basics of self-promotion. You know, these guys and gals go to all the hassle of writing a whole bunch of songs, booking a studio and recording them, getting someone to engineer, produce and mix them, create a cover and a packaging content and then physically release something. All of this being completely wasted effort when there is absolutely no web site or web presence for them to get people interested in their work. Guys you need to fix this. This is a damn shame, because this is one of the most interesting prog metal albums to land on my platter, but it took ages to find a damned thing on t’interweb to tell me about who made it or where they are from, because, as sadly they are not the only band out there using this name (or very close variants of it). So, this trio hail from Minneapolis in Minnesota, and the first thing that will strike you when listening is that this an incredible feat of technical accomplishment for just 3 guys.

This is a long and highly complex beast, which goes one step beyond subtly varying the style between tracks, instead opting to go wildly careening through about 6 sub-genres in its 78 minutes. Take some Mastodon, pour on a liberal dose of King Crimson, a bucket load of experimentation and mix in a blender, and you are about there. Not only does the genre change, but the vocal style is equally variable, from full on screaming death to clean harmonics, both between and within the tracks. The band also throw in a few purely instrumental parts, a move guaranteed to divide the audience (although this hack thinks that if you can play it and carry it off, go right ahead). The production doesn’t move as much as the direction, and is nice and consistent with a tight clean rhythm sound and some down and dirty guitar work and vocals you can hear nice and clearly, which step back into the mix when they turn on the death, to make them feel like another instrument in the mix. The only criticism I have is that for a debut record they probably should have picked a particular angle and stuck with it, as this record takes you in so many directions that you are not sure what you just listened to. Nevertheless a promising start. 6/10

Elixir: Voyage Of The Eagle (Dissonance Productions) [Paul Hutchings]

One of the better bands to emerge from the haze of NWOBHM, Elixir formed in 1983, releasing the well-regarded Son of Odin in 1986 before succumbing to the inevitable changes of the metal world and splitting in 1990. A further stint between 2001-12 spawned additional albums and now the band are back, with four of the original line-up onboard once more, with Voyage Of The Eagle, a nautical themed record which is better than much of the old NWOBHM bands still doing the rounds. Son of Odin is widely regarded as one of the all-time seminal power metal albums. Dare I say it, but Voyage Of The Eagle is close to that album in quality. A double dose of solid metal opens the album in Drink To The Devil and the powerful Pressganged, both fiery tracks that show plenty of life left yet. The smouldering, moody The Siren’s Song is possibly the crown of the album at over seven minutes in length. The bewitching vocals of Katie Alys Barton, doom and stoner combining with flavours of Candlemass, Crowbar and Corrosion of Conformity. Sail On continues with the slower feel before a dose of classic heavy metal arrives in the shape of Onwards Through The Storm.

The music is tight, the songs well-constructed and there is little wrong at all here. New bassist Luke Fabian, who replaced founder Kevin Dobbs, has everything locked down and combines solidly with Nigel Dobbs. The duel guitars of Phil Denton and Norman Gordon work superbly whilst Paul Taylor’s honest vocals (which often sound a little like Biff) fit the sound neatly. The bluesy UFO style of Almost There links to the band’s influences and provides Taylor with a moment to show his quality. Whisper On The Breeze slows the pace with some delicious acoustic work before the album closes with the dark and emotional Evermore. There is plenty to enjoy on this album so why not grab a beer, pull up a seat and enjoy a classic slab from one of the UK’s true metal survivors. 7/10