If you don’t know who Light The Torch is then you clearly been living under a rock for the past three years when it comes to the metal community. The band are a super group that consist of members Howard Jones (Ex-Killswitch Engage), Francesco Artusato (All Shall Perish) and Ryan Wombacher (Bleeding Through). The band have released three albums previously (two under their former band name The Devil You Know) The Beauty Of Destruction and They Bled Red before they released Revival and their upcoming album You Will Be The Death Of Me under their current band name.
Listening through this album I can easily say that if you are big riffs and big choruses…you are not going to be disappointed. For instance the opening track More Than Dreaming pummels you with Francesco's groovy guitar riffs accompanied with the drums that are provided by Alex Rudinger (according to Wikipedia) topped with some of the best vocal harmonies and choruses that are on this album. Let Me Fall Apart provided us with classic metalcore pedal tone riffage that is accompanied with a tom groove in the verses before it comes in with female choirs in the chorus that keeps things fresh. It’s the End Of The World shows off Howard's Southern-tinged vocal melodies backed by 6/8 guitars and drum grooves. Wilting In The Light lets you hear the electronic elements put forward in the mix as well hearing Alex Rudinger use of ghost notes filled drum beats in the verse sections. Death Of Me (personally) is one of the highlights on the album and shows how good this band is when it comes to song-writing, this song combines vocal melodies and dynamics to tie in each section, allowing this song the flow perfectly.
Living With A Ghost takes ode to classic balls to wall metalcore. With the song featuring the classic bad cop good cop sung vocal patterns and the chuggy riffs in the verse which transcend into strummed chords in the chorus which would please any old school Metalcore fans including the Howard-era Killswitch Engage fans. Become The Martyr tones down pace as relies on the electronic elements to centre stage in the verses before it elevates us with the chorus and also surprises us with a Alice In Chains sounding bridge. Something Deep Inside channels the bands hard rock inspirations with the simple foot pounding 2/4 down beat that companies those meat and potatoes riffs and that rock sounding guitar solo.
The last three original tracks on this album the emotional I Hate Myself to the heavy laid Denying The Sin and the Post-Hardcore jangly Come Back To The Quicksand, sound great before it closes with Sign Your Name which was originally wrote by Sananda Maitreya. Comparing the original to their adaptation I got to give Light The Torch the credit that they have gave the song some new life, but I felt a bit of a weak album closer and it would of help up better a stand alone single.
Overall this is a great album, and an awesome follow up to their previous album Revival. The quality in their song-writing continues to escalate tying in the awesome production quality. If you like big riffs, huge choruses and massive sounding drums this album is defiantly for you. 9/10.
Bossk - Migration (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Migration is Bossk's first release since 2016 and it's a step forward for the band who have always been a leading light in the UK's post-metal scene. If you want a broad scope of what this album sounds like I would say to check out the two closing pieces Lira and Unberth, at 9 and 8 minutes respectively they categorise all that Bossk are known for while also adding newer tricks. Soaring, atmospheric guitar melodies are met with a spacial rhythm section breathing air into these lengthy compositions, ther fritter of synths adding a lushness while the additional noise manipulation of Taro Aiko and Etsuo Nagura bring a disconcerting, industrial feel to these final two numbers especially. The couple of minutes of near silence with just some wittering machinery and white noise that ends the wonderfully powerful Lira before becoming loud again for the bright Unberth are one of numerous moments in the record where you are drawn into it.
Overall this is a great album, and an awesome follow up to their previous album Revival. The quality in their song-writing continues to escalate tying in the awesome production quality. If you like big riffs, huge choruses and massive sounding drums this album is defiantly for you. 9/10.
Migration is Bossk's first release since 2016 and it's a step forward for the band who have always been a leading light in the UK's post-metal scene. If you want a broad scope of what this album sounds like I would say to check out the two closing pieces Lira and Unberth, at 9 and 8 minutes respectively they categorise all that Bossk are known for while also adding newer tricks. Soaring, atmospheric guitar melodies are met with a spacial rhythm section breathing air into these lengthy compositions, ther fritter of synths adding a lushness while the additional noise manipulation of Taro Aiko and Etsuo Nagura bring a disconcerting, industrial feel to these final two numbers especially. The couple of minutes of near silence with just some wittering machinery and white noise that ends the wonderfully powerful Lira before becoming loud again for the bright Unberth are one of numerous moments in the record where you are drawn into it.
The anticipation something that both excites and unnerves. It's these additions to the record that firmly establish Bossk as not just a post metal band but more a post-everything band, rallying against all musical norms to become something much more experimental. Predominantly built around this five pieces' instrumental prowess, the mastery of this album comes when they dive into different styles. The crushing sludge of Menhir (which features Cult Of Luna's Johannes Persson) shifts by way of hallucinatory interludes into the thumping prog sound of HTV-3 which features Palm Readers Josh McKeown. Migration is an impressive musical exploration from this Kent based band, a very welcome return for Bossk! 8/10
Fractal Universe - The Impassable Horizon (Metal Blade Records) [Paul Hutchings]
Fractal Universe - The Impassable Horizon (Metal Blade Records) [Paul Hutchings]
It was 2019's Rhizomes Of Insanity which first drew my attention to the progressive and complex music of France's Fractal Universe. An album I said “challenges, consumes and absorbs”. Well, the good news is that The Impassable Horizon is here, the worthy successor and another delicious fusion of progressive metal, blistering death metal, lounge music, jazz and funk – you’ll probably find many more genres nestled under the wings of this release. You’d be bemused by that description after listening to the opening minutes of Autopoiesis. The sledgehammer blast beats, choppy staccato riffs and angular time changes lead more towards technical death metal. Yet, the harmonised clean singing and crystal-clear guitar work hints at much more to come.
The use of subtle yet full on keyboards provides a richness which evolves organically as the album progresses. Fans of Opeth will find this opening track resonates strongly, the interplay and switches in tempo as well as the sheer technicality that saw the band pair with Obscura just prior to the pandemic for some European dates. At times, the musicianship is insane, the irregular and shifting time signatures suggest this is a band whose creative well never runs dry. It’s incredibly good if you like your music delivered in a progressive and challenging manner. There are death growls a plenty, as heard on second song A Clockwork Expectation. This track also sees vocalist/guitarist/saxophonist Vince Wilquin let loose with his single-reed woodwind instrument for the first time, a sound which strangely enhances rather than inhibits the song. “We wanted to keep developing our musical personality and the natural sound we managed to get on 'Rhizomes'," commented drummer Clément Denys.
There’s certainly plenty of organic and natural development on offer on The Impassable Horizon. You can see and hear the continuation of their musical voyage throughout. Withering Snowdrops for example, is a song full of contrasts and right turns. Instant diversions from blistering blastbeats to jazz-soaked explorations. Black Sails Of Melancholia stands as another incredibly impressive song, soaring highs, djent style elements fusing with melodic passages, the contrasting rough and clean singing all combining in a cacophony of majestic heaviness. Technically as exciting as any band I’ve heard for years, Fractal Universe can combine their talent without becoming overindulgent – except for penultimate song Godless Machinists, no song pushes much past the five-minute barrier. This is an album that will frighten those who struggle with variation and progressive soundscapes; but for those who enjoy expanding the grey matter, The Impassable Horizon should be on your must-listen to list. 8/10
After eight studio albums there’s always the risk that things are going to start to get a little stale, but the new blood has brought new life and energy to the proceedings and there’s a freshness there that’s positively tangible. The tunage on here is dark and moody in the main, with a generally apocalyptic feel to help cheer us up after eighteen months of global pandemic with strong tension between Progressive and Melodic Metal elements with a surprisingly modern feel to it. In point of fact, for a Progressive act there’s a surprising amount of technical restraint on display here. So often in this genre the band members display unrestrained virtuosity whenever allowed, but this record feels more restrained so that it doesn’t not alienate ears less inclined to excessive fret and key wankery. It’s there, but it’s not dominating the proceedings with a focus on rounded song delivery and accessible catchiness, although I can’t see a song with a title like The Glorious Clusterfuck making it onto a mainstream radio playlist no matter how catchy the melody.
Generally the songs all work quite well in and of themselves, with one stand out moment being the opener The Freedom Paradox, which has an energy and passionate dark streak that stand out above many of the more accessible and melodic moments on the record. The more technically bass-driven groove of Disillusion is also one of the more progressive moments on the disk, where the technical elements of rhythm interplay work on the surface but raise an eyebrow the more you listen to them and realise how tight the playing had to be to achieve that sound. When The Wolves Have Eaten Everything takes that accessibility and catchiness to a more open level whilst retaining the Prog tropes with plenty of complex time structures hidden under a deceptively simple melody line. It’s the kind of song that’s going to widen your audience, but it is a bit isolated on the record, but you can see it being a hit live. The remainder of the album largely brings the more progressive elements back to the fore, but whilst keeping the catchy elements in play.
Loch Vostok - Opus Ferox: The Great Escape (Black Lodge Records) [Simon Black]
It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from these Swedish Progressive Metallers and there have been a fair few changes under the hood since 2017’s Strife album. Most immediately visible is band leader Teddy Möller’s decision to step back from lead vocal duties and focus on guitar, although he’s still providing the backing growls. There’s a new Bass player in the form of Patrik Janson and the arrival of Jonas Radehorn on Vocals. He’s best known for being in Priest tribute act Metal Gods and has a notably higher range than Möller, but there’s a breadth of vocal delivery styles in there, which creates a great ensemble effect when you add Möller’s grunts to the mix.After eight studio albums there’s always the risk that things are going to start to get a little stale, but the new blood has brought new life and energy to the proceedings and there’s a freshness there that’s positively tangible. The tunage on here is dark and moody in the main, with a generally apocalyptic feel to help cheer us up after eighteen months of global pandemic with strong tension between Progressive and Melodic Metal elements with a surprisingly modern feel to it. In point of fact, for a Progressive act there’s a surprising amount of technical restraint on display here. So often in this genre the band members display unrestrained virtuosity whenever allowed, but this record feels more restrained so that it doesn’t not alienate ears less inclined to excessive fret and key wankery. It’s there, but it’s not dominating the proceedings with a focus on rounded song delivery and accessible catchiness, although I can’t see a song with a title like The Glorious Clusterfuck making it onto a mainstream radio playlist no matter how catchy the melody.
Generally the songs all work quite well in and of themselves, with one stand out moment being the opener The Freedom Paradox, which has an energy and passionate dark streak that stand out above many of the more accessible and melodic moments on the record. The more technically bass-driven groove of Disillusion is also one of the more progressive moments on the disk, where the technical elements of rhythm interplay work on the surface but raise an eyebrow the more you listen to them and realise how tight the playing had to be to achieve that sound. When The Wolves Have Eaten Everything takes that accessibility and catchiness to a more open level whilst retaining the Prog tropes with plenty of complex time structures hidden under a deceptively simple melody line. It’s the kind of song that’s going to widen your audience, but it is a bit isolated on the record, but you can see it being a hit live. The remainder of the album largely brings the more progressive elements back to the fore, but whilst keeping the catchy elements in play.
If I have a criticism it’s that the album feels like it needs a little more thought to take accessibility to the next level, which means it’s in danger of leaving the Prog fans behind without expanding the envelope too far. It sounds great mix wise and it’s heading in the right direction, but it doesn’t quite produce enough phone-light wavers to get a crowd of new fans going live. Nevertheless like all good Prog it rewards the patient and repetitive listener. 8/10
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