Vancouver’s resident speed demons are back with their 4th full length Bleed The Future; short and sweet, it clocks in at 32 minutes over 8 tracks. The band have consistently offered up impressively swift music, with their 2017 release Relentless Mutation setting the bar exceptionally high. Exceeding this marker would be no easy feat, and yet somehow they managed it. Case in point, Drone Corpse Aviator is blisteringly fast from the get go. Technically outstanding as always, the frantic energy is second to none. There’s a moment to breathe in the middle 8 section, before being catapulted into the groove ridden chorus where Oli furiously chants the title. The stage is set, they’ve well and truly thrown down the gauntlet.
Rising to the technical challenge, Abandon The Linear does just that. As laid back as 300 bpm can feel while also breaking the sound barrier, long legato lines from Tobi and Dean’s guitars show off their melodic chops against the maelstrom of rhythm underneath, courtesy of Spencer. Jared’s tone is absolutely jaw dropping, with sections of exposed bass adding additional textures.The most chaotic track, Drain Of Incarnation, has a whirlwind of clashing riffs that balance against each other on a knife’s edge. Acrid Canon has a catchy, multi-layered and multi-tempo approach that is a fantastic example of subdividing the beat, and Reverie On The Onyx plays with time giving us a 3/4 waltz section that’s impossible not to headbang to.
Golden Mouth Of Ruin muscles it’s way into the record with an all consuming swagger. So much bravado, and a confident air of well-earned arrogance. Insane melodic layering comes through with absolute clarity, a testament to both the band’s aptitude for songwriting and producer Dave Otero’s masterful mixing skills. Along similar lines, Bleed The Future has groove for days with memorable guitar phrasing, and A.U.M. certainly brings back “the fucking danger in the music” as the track’s opening sample requests, with laser precision and unyielding ferocity - even the clean section is fast, but you’d expect that by now!
Like an adept author steers the reader through a literary opus, Archspire expertly utilise instrumentation as vocabulary, punctuating the phrases as you're guided through a musical narrative. The anthemic atmosphere throughout the record is a welcome addition compared to past material, making this album sound even more grandiose. Fast, frantic, yet incredibly memorable. 9/10
Aexylium - The Fifth Season (Rockshots Records) [Simon Black]
Italian Symphonic Folk Metal bands don’t come across my desk every day. Having watched the birth of this genre with Skyclad from the ashes of Sabbat way back in the day, I’m always curious to see how a new act handles the melding of the Folk and the Metal, as despite the many followers in the genre now out there, few rarely achieve the originality and impact of those progenitors. That act were original because they melded Metal with Folk sentiment (although not really fully until their second album) and the contrast that came from the use of a vocalist whose background was more Progressive Thrash. Aexylium have many things in common with that, but the more Symphonic Orchestral elements give them an interesting edge. However, there’s a lot of people in this act, which means reproducing this kind of complex sound live seems eminently achievable and the Folk musicians are present in equal numbers to the more traditional Metal ones.
Opening with the frenetic The Bridge, this is Metal first and foremost and vocally opts for an extreme vocal style which jars slightly with the more Melodic elements of the sound, although this first piece is about fast and furious delivery and certainly grabs the attention well. Mountains is way more Symphonic in tone, slower and more classical in pace at the outset, with clean vocals from guest Arianna Bellinaso providing a contrast to Steven Merani’s Extreme style. The contrast of the two in duet works way better than the opening track and although no less frenetic when it gets going, melds the folk harmonies in far better than the more overtly Metal starting point of the album. Atlas Pain’s Samuele Faulisi also crops up as a guest on Battle Of Tettenhall and once again I am struck by the fact that this band work best with a range of vocal styles in the mix. Musically the song-writing works really well, with some superbly crafted songs and melodic structures, that make the record positively fly by with foot tapping energy and enthusiasm. None more so than the centrepiece of the record Skål, which is clearly going to work an absolute treat live and is the only point where the Alestorm comparisons become unavoidable.
The style bounces between these points throughout the remainder of the record, but for me the songs where the Folk is in the lead and the Symphonic elements are allowed to underscore it work best. Even the more ‘pure’ Metal song moments feel like they are there to provide credibility. The extreme vocal style again works best when contrasting and complimenting the Folk - even better with a complimentary guest vocalist in the mix and with eight musicians already in the fold, this is clearly going to be an interesting and fun live act to watch. With a wide ensemble cast already in the mix, adding one more vocal presences as a permanent fixture does not seem an unreasonable step in the future and one that will make this act really quite formidable. 8/10
Last Hounds – Burden (Venn Records) [Zak Skane]
Established in 2013 Last Hounds, are a Midlands based Hardcore band, that meld influences combining the fearless energy of the likes of Gallows and Comeback Kid, the earworm style songwriting of Letlive. with the swagger of Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes. Recent years has seen the band hone their song writing craft and tour the UK, supporting the likes of Bullets & Octane and Skindred, developing a steady and loyal fan base throughout the country.
This album just oozes with classic British glazed hardcore, from the opening track Balaclava kicks in with this bouncy twangy guitar riff that takes reminisces to bands like Vanna and TRC, before the upbeat 2/4 drum pattern comes in to confirm it’s hardcore punk influences. The groovy momentum carries on into their second track Breed with the vocalist snarling through the track with his London swagger chatting the chorus. Throughout Burden the band also explore classic punk influences like the high tempo versed Extraordinary and Incinerate as well experimenting with shorter song structures like the catchy Innocence, which only last for 53 seconds but still holds as much punch and snarl as their 3 minute ones.
Overall this is a great slice of British Hardcore/Punk the guitars have clarity but yet still sound gritty and punchy, bass sounds gnarly, drums are energetic and vocals have that classic London snarl to them. Even these guys are not reinventing the wheel they wear their influences on their sleeve well, 7/10.
Elkapath – Black Spiders (Symmetric Records) [Paul Hutchings]
Classed as synthetic gothic metal, Elkapath hail from Gloucester and comprise Carla Elkapath, Trevor England, Marios Karaisaridis and Chris Jones. With several years’ experience behind them, this is no green outfit despite having only been together in their current form since 2019. Black Spiders consists of ten tracks which have elements of punk, pop, gothic, and modern rock. Their influences are wide ranging and include The Prodigy, The Birthday Massacre, Nine Inch Nails and Korn. Kicking off with the sinister pop rock of Creepy Little Dolls that suggests the likes of The Breeders, there’s a punchy feel to the release, with the songs short, sharp and like a punch to the solar plexus.
Dirty Whore Mouth sees Elkapath open the full range of her spiky vocal range, from yawning roars to more saccharine coated delivery. Each track brings something different, with the variation one of the refreshing elements of this record. With a quality production thanks to Bob Katsionis (ex Firewind, Outloud), Black Spiders is something a little different to the normal fare on offer here, but should you wish to mix your musical tastes a little, then this is a band who will do just that. 8/10
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