Reviews: Volbeat, In Mourning, The Browning, High Fighter (Reviews By Matt Bladen & Matt Cook)

Volbeat - Servant Of The Mind (Universal Music Group) [Matt Bladen]

On their eighth album, Danish band Volbeat have opened up their style a bit more than they ever have previously. If you e listened to the band before then their style of metal meets rockabilly will be familiar to you, on some previous efforts they have adopted some heavier sounds in order to win over more of the metal crowd but on Servant Of The Mind, Michael Poulson settled down and wrote this album in 3 months by himself making for a more retrospective offering, bringing in that bouncy sound of their first few records albeit with lyrics that become a bit deeper. 

Step Into The Light for example has echoed, surf rock flavour, Wait A Minute Girl meanwhile is classic Volbeat, as is Shotgun Blues. That's not to say this record is a rehash of previous albums, Becoming goes full on thrash Poulson and Rob Caggiano unleashing some ferocious riffs, Caggiano also gets a chance to pay homage to Metallica on Say No More and Lasse's Birgitta bringing some tasty solos and lead work. Where it's heavy, it's a mass of grunting riffs and wild solos. Where it's melodic there are big choruses built for Poulson's distinctive voice and those rockabilly throwbacks. 

They do shift things around a little with, adding some doom to Sacred Stones, the addition of Stine Bramsen from Alphabeat on duet Dagen Før, it's telling really that the one guest on this record is from the pop sphere rather than the metal one as, like I've said Servant Of Mind feels more like the earlier Volbeat records where melody was balanced well with the heavier metal styles. After having a couple of albums that seemed to be striving for something different Servant Of Mind is Volbeat falling back into their comfort zone however like a pair of old slippers it feels good. 7/10

In Mourning - The Bleeding Veil (Dalapop) [Matt Cook]

Tobias Netzell has an exceptional vocal range, and they let it be known loud and clear. Swedish progressive/melodic death metal outfit In Mourning demonstrated the ability of Netzell’s singing, growling and wailing, on the latest release, The Bleeding Veil (Dalapop). Netzell masters a groovy vocal line to open Sovereign, but sprinkled into that and the likes of At The Behest Of Night, Solitude And Silence and Thornwalker, is beautiful clean singing that at times forces the listener to remember this is in fact a death metal album. 

Bjorn Pettersson and Tim Nedergard equally shine with their luscious melodies (Sovereign, Lights On The Mire) and galloping riffs (Solitude And Silence). Most impressive is the ability for In Mourning to so fluidly segway from hard and heavy to more mellow and softer at the drop of a dime. The pacing is spot-on and allows for a wider listening audience to be reached. The highlight of the album, personally, was on the aforementioned Solitude, where Netzell growls over the slower lead guitar, creating an agonizingly attractive atmosphere. 8/10

The Browning - End Of Existence (Spinefarm Records) [Matt Bladen]

Unfortunately not a metal band dedicated to every Northerners condiment of choice, gravy. The Browning are a Kansas City based collective that is essentially the vision of Jonny McBee, blending EDM, industrial and deathcore. Now I'm not particularly enamoured with either of those genres but on End Of Existence I have to commend Bobby as the record was written, played and recorded by him alone in the midst of the pandemic having built a house for his wife and child, he focussed on making this album the most 'true' version of The Browning sound. 

The electronic elements are very well done throughout never too intrusive ,but making tracks such as Torment sound like Fear Factory, Destroyer more NiN while Chaos Reigns has some huge metalcore breakdowns as does the thumping No Man Can Become A God, while Death Wrap has some crazy synths throughout. This record isn't going to win me over to deathcore but it's an impressive feat of nothing else. 6/10

High Fighter - Live At WDR Rockpalast (Argonauta Records) [Matt Cook]

It’s no secret 2020 was the scourge of our lifetimes, filled with complete uncertainty and adapting. High Fighter channeled this energy and used their time to create one of the more unique experiences to come out of this (hopefully-soon-ending) pandemic. Live At WDR Rockpalast (Argonauta Records) is eight songs recorded in August 2020 in front of no crowd and it took place at the Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord in Germany, an industrial setting and an iconic location for live music in the country, albeit on a much stranger scale. It being the sludge metal band’s first ever live release makes it even more special. 

The production quality is mint; the drums and guitars sound as clean and tight as could be; and Mona Miluski’s vocals echo throughout in a scintillating delivery, making it literally sound like you were at a concert arena. Miluski’s abrasive, rough-around-the-edges howls add to the collective spirit of the album, and is equally a commentary on the last two or so years. Their anguish and distress easily fit into most of our collective psyches. The one take aspect gives further credibility to the band as a whole. Here’s to hoping High Fighter can get back on the road sooner rather than later, and perform in front of live fans, because from the sounds of it, they are a sight to be seen. 7/10