The Abbey - Word Of Sin (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]
If you compare the Ghost of Opus Eponymous to the Ghost of Impera you get two very different bands, since their debut album the Swedish band have shifted to a more pop-infected sound, using the occult themes but doing away with the doom stoner riffs of their debut for more hard rock and 80's synthpop. However if you want band who sound like Ghost did back then, please welcome The Abbey.
The gloomy doomy moods of Pentagram and Cathedral are fused with the occult rock riffs of Blue Oyster Cult and keening vocals of Ghost on this Finnish bands debut album. Inspired by Aleister Crowley's Abbey Of Thelema, it was the hedonistic playground of "The Great Beast" in Sicily, the study and mastery of Magick at it's strongest here, marred in controversy and ultimately closed by Mussolini it is definitely the right sort of lyrical inspiration for a doom band like The Abbey.
Jesse Heikkinen (guitars/keys/percussion/vocals) and co-vocalist Natalie Koskinen draw from the mysticism and majesty of Crowley's teachings and ethos on every one of these cinematic, progressive doom driven heavy rock tracks, that reminds me of Lowen, Huntsmen, The Devils Blood and hell I also heard a lot of influence from Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds record. Conjuring bewitching soundscapes such as the slow burning Starless, the use of both sets of vocals having a glorious choral effect that is matched by the huge sounding riffs coming from Heikkinen's keys, and of course organ, as his guitars are joined by bassist Henri Arvola and fellow guitarist Janne Markus.
The songs taking on a jam-like feel, sort of like doom Gov't Mule as I can hear that there will be plenty of room for improvisation live. Even shorter, more direct tracks such as Desert Temple feel like they could go in another direction at any moment, getting bolder and longer. Much of this due to the fantastic drumming of Vesa Ranta who served his time in The Man-Eating Tree and Finnish goth/gloom legends Sentenced (who I love and miss dearly as a band), he has that galloping power on Desert Temple but then the slow, dreary half beat on Widow's Sill to bring the gothic touches of Sentenced and Type O Negative.
There's so much happening on Word Of Sin that you need to listen to it a few times, to hear everything they are doing on each track, considering that it's 53 minutes, that's a lot of commitment but completely worth it as I think this album is absolutely brilliant. Jesse Heikkinen has said he's influenced vocally by John Wetton as well as E.L.O and Queen which you can hear in the harmonies, Natalie Koskinen's voice in sync perfectly as the ethereal counterpoint to Heikkinen's Tobias Forge-esque delivery. Also featuring guest musicians that bring additional guitars, keys, lute and percussion, this collaborative, improvisational, dark record has instantly made it's way into my top ten of the year.
As Crowley himself put it "The joy of life consists in the exercise of one's energies, continual growth, constant change, the enjoyment of every new experience" the energies are exercised here and all the experiences deserve to be enjoyed by as many as it can be. 10/10
Winds Of Tragedy - Hating Life (Meuse Music/Tragedy Records) [GC]
Before I even get going I can tell this review is going to be shall we say, difficult?? Certainly not a lighthearted romp of an album, today I have Winds Of Tragedy’s second album Hating Life, if a title tells the story of an album then I am bracing myself, I’m going in………
It all floats into your ears on an acoustic and light guitar that lulls you in to a false sense of security before exploding into a brooding and atmospheric black metal beating, the vocal from the mastermind behind Winds Of Tragedy, Sergio González Catalán, probably wasn’t what I was expecting, its more death metal than black metal but it fits in nicely and doesn’t take away form anything and at about 3 minutes in this song really takes off and combines some groove into the all out attack and really fills the song out nicely for until it gets to another acoustic section that is made to again lull you into that false sense of safety before continuing to drag you down to hell, nicely done!
I feel that starting with the longest song on the album was probably a bold choice, but I imagine it was deliberate, so you can suffer as much as Sergio has, and I don’t mean this in a disparaging sense! I Chose To Die then drops the pace significantly and feels like a funeral march, it has grandiose guitars and thunderous drumming form collaborator Emidio Alexandre and it all suffocates you and drenches you in a sense of suffering and sadness, it really remarkably beautiful and then just as you give up it grabs you by the throat and throttles you with a sublime savage and outro section.
Title track Hating Life doesn’t let up in any way and is probably the most nailed on black metal track so far, its chaotic drums and buzzsaw guitars are both relentless and punishing and again there is a breakdown filled with a groove not many black metal bands would use and its nice to have that mix in sounds that keeps everything fresh and interesting.
Changing up the temp and vibe completely is the haunting and atmospheric No Reason To Go On, this song take you away with is violin filled beginning that cascades into a sombre and melodic symphonic sounding song that then of course doesn’t let you just wallow in the pity, it then adds in the anger and misery before again being in the sublime guitars, this song is a beautiful piece of work. Wake Me Up From This Act compared to everything else so far is actually a bit more straight forward metal.
66Crusher - Limbo (Gymnocal Industries) [Mark Young]
Norwegian progressive thrash metal band 66Crusher have returned with their fourth album, their first since 2015. Looking at online information for them is that their hallmark is technical thrash which is where the progressive tag comes from. They have all the right influences In their music but look to take the thrash blueprint and stamp it into their own image.
The songs are not short by any stretch, averaging over 6 minutes but they do them so well, so they do not become dull or make you go for the skip button. They are content not just to batter you over the head with multiple riff changes and 100 mph drums and are comfortable in going quiet so that the loud bit really hits home.
I really picked up a Megadeth vibe on here, again I struggled to find any real information on them online, their website is under construction at this point, but the way the riffs land at sometimes what feels like a right angle to the song played just moments earlier. There is a lot of stuff on here that I would play and get a buzz from doing so. It’s like they picked the best parts of thrash and technical music and built this album from the ground up.
The songs themselves are not faster than light for the sake of showing just how fast they can play and each one just seems to have the right tempo. Its crisp, but heavy and they know when to thrash and when to dial back. Its technical when it needs to be and is one of the best I’ve heard in a while, and I would recommend you get onto it quickly.
I only hope that they continue in this vein and develop further as this is a strong effort that deserves so much more attention from the metal loving public. 8/10
Starspawn Of Cthulhu - The Cursed Vision (Talheim Records) [David G]
This curiosity from Italian duo Starspawn Of Cthulhu is an interesting one. Naturally inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and specialising in a rather somber blend of dark/doom metal, SOC provide a short but mostly sweet five-track album in The Cursed Vision.
With an acoustic intro Iranon is a solid opener that displays one facet of the band’s approach. The main body of the song leans towards the Candlemass style; pairing morose, flat vocals with slowly staggering backing, however the arcing guitar melody that runs underneath the “singing” creates an unusual and slightly off-kilter effect.
The Last Rift opens with another gentle acoustic lilt, that sounds practically nursery rhyme-worthy. There’s a slight twang of Swedish stalwarts Lake Of Tears in this one, more maudlin and adding clean guitar motifs over a chunky, distorted rhythm. By the end it starts to go a bit strange with guitars feeling like they are pushing each other to arms-length and the effect seems to make things more discordant.
Standout Black Lotus is built around a wonderfully melancholic lead part delivered over slow, chugging chords. The track leans more into that Gothic/dark metal style that relies on the sentimental, creating an aching feeling out of its melody. It’s also the first song where the vocals, which if we’re being honest are not the most adept, feel too flat, coming across as matter of fact and detached in what is a more emotionally impactful track.
Blind God introduces harsher vocals which befits the musical approach, chords left to hang in the air before piercing, dissonant notes serve to contrast their density. Towards the end of the track the pace picks up the pace to a chug, with little tendrils escaping the surface. Finally ...But Now I’m Suffering closes out the album, beginning with twanging bass before opening into a more landscaped sound than evident on previous tracks. Here we find the resonance filling out the stage as the chords hang out with the crash cymbals. The laboured drumming really emphasises the point here, it has a lethargic quality that underscores the music really well and holds it slightly in check.
The Cursed Vision sounds a bit out of time and place; its production is unpolished and the approach has a bit of a dated feel. With that said, I keep coming back to the word curiosity; it is a bit out of place but that is part of its charm, and it is quite easy to engage with despite its little eccentricities, or perhaps because of them. 7/10
Winds Of Tragedy - Hating Life (Meuse Music/Tragedy Records) [GC]
Before I even get going I can tell this review is going to be shall we say, difficult?? Certainly not a lighthearted romp of an album, today I have Winds Of Tragedy’s second album Hating Life, if a title tells the story of an album then I am bracing myself, I’m going in………
It all floats into your ears on an acoustic and light guitar that lulls you in to a false sense of security before exploding into a brooding and atmospheric black metal beating, the vocal from the mastermind behind Winds Of Tragedy, Sergio González Catalán, probably wasn’t what I was expecting, its more death metal than black metal but it fits in nicely and doesn’t take away form anything and at about 3 minutes in this song really takes off and combines some groove into the all out attack and really fills the song out nicely for until it gets to another acoustic section that is made to again lull you into that false sense of safety before continuing to drag you down to hell, nicely done!
I feel that starting with the longest song on the album was probably a bold choice, but I imagine it was deliberate, so you can suffer as much as Sergio has, and I don’t mean this in a disparaging sense! I Chose To Die then drops the pace significantly and feels like a funeral march, it has grandiose guitars and thunderous drumming form collaborator Emidio Alexandre and it all suffocates you and drenches you in a sense of suffering and sadness, it really remarkably beautiful and then just as you give up it grabs you by the throat and throttles you with a sublime savage and outro section.
Title track Hating Life doesn’t let up in any way and is probably the most nailed on black metal track so far, its chaotic drums and buzzsaw guitars are both relentless and punishing and again there is a breakdown filled with a groove not many black metal bands would use and its nice to have that mix in sounds that keeps everything fresh and interesting.
Changing up the temp and vibe completely is the haunting and atmospheric No Reason To Go On, this song take you away with is violin filled beginning that cascades into a sombre and melodic symphonic sounding song that then of course doesn’t let you just wallow in the pity, it then adds in the anger and misery before again being in the sublime guitars, this song is a beautiful piece of work. Wake Me Up From This Act compared to everything else so far is actually a bit more straight forward metal.
It has an almost Iron Maiden riff to open with and then proceeds to just saunter along for a bit before remembering what it should be and reintroduces the black metal and it seems a bit of a weird choice for me and interrupts the flow slightly but I needn’t have worried as Death Love is right back to business again and is more of the harrowing and emotional terror that has formed the main body of this album, Remember We Died is the upon us to finish us and the album off and it does so in a decidedly sorrowful and death metal drenched way, its slow, focused and sludgy beginning then explodes into a cutting and violent barrage that has you hooked and wanting more but then its all over and you are left wondering what has just happened to you.
In all honesty I wasn’t expecting much from this but, it delivered so much! It was emotionally draining and savagely beautiful in places but also ugly and devastating at the same time, this is a real gut punch of an album and made all the more remarkable that its just one man behind it all! A definite must listen, highly recommended. 8/10
In all honesty I wasn’t expecting much from this but, it delivered so much! It was emotionally draining and savagely beautiful in places but also ugly and devastating at the same time, this is a real gut punch of an album and made all the more remarkable that its just one man behind it all! A definite must listen, highly recommended. 8/10
Norwegian progressive thrash metal band 66Crusher have returned with their fourth album, their first since 2015. Looking at online information for them is that their hallmark is technical thrash which is where the progressive tag comes from. They have all the right influences In their music but look to take the thrash blueprint and stamp it into their own image.
The songs are not short by any stretch, averaging over 6 minutes but they do them so well, so they do not become dull or make you go for the skip button. They are content not just to batter you over the head with multiple riff changes and 100 mph drums and are comfortable in going quiet so that the loud bit really hits home.
I really picked up a Megadeth vibe on here, again I struggled to find any real information on them online, their website is under construction at this point, but the way the riffs land at sometimes what feels like a right angle to the song played just moments earlier. There is a lot of stuff on here that I would play and get a buzz from doing so. It’s like they picked the best parts of thrash and technical music and built this album from the ground up.
Retribution brings massive Megadeth vibes straight off, the vocals here delivered clean as almost a back seat to the triplet riffing being provided then the solo’s kick in and its great. It’s just over the top and just great. The hope is that it hasn’t set the bar too high, followed by Strife which has a slower pace but with enough bite to maintain interest with almost anthemic chorus that doesn’t sound twee in relation to the song itself. Opeth sounds come on Phantom in the clean opening guitar passages and in the vocals here do the heavy lifting and then bring Megadeth back in, which is just spot on.
The songs themselves are not faster than light for the sake of showing just how fast they can play and each one just seems to have the right tempo. Its crisp, but heavy and they know when to thrash and when to dial back. Its technical when it needs to be and is one of the best I’ve heard in a while, and I would recommend you get onto it quickly.
Descent is razor-sharp, Distrust feels like Gojira while Unscarred brings yet more clean acoustic driven underpinned by some great soloing and the acoustic melody is just building and building all the way through it. Closing with Limbo it weighs in at 10 minutes long and just rips, solo’s where you want them with an epic slow section that just has Dave Mustaine all over it. Excellent.
I only hope that they continue in this vein and develop further as this is a strong effort that deserves so much more attention from the metal loving public. 8/10
Starspawn Of Cthulhu - The Cursed Vision (Talheim Records) [David G]
This curiosity from Italian duo Starspawn Of Cthulhu is an interesting one. Naturally inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and specialising in a rather somber blend of dark/doom metal, SOC provide a short but mostly sweet five-track album in The Cursed Vision.
With an acoustic intro Iranon is a solid opener that displays one facet of the band’s approach. The main body of the song leans towards the Candlemass style; pairing morose, flat vocals with slowly staggering backing, however the arcing guitar melody that runs underneath the “singing” creates an unusual and slightly off-kilter effect.
The Last Rift opens with another gentle acoustic lilt, that sounds practically nursery rhyme-worthy. There’s a slight twang of Swedish stalwarts Lake Of Tears in this one, more maudlin and adding clean guitar motifs over a chunky, distorted rhythm. By the end it starts to go a bit strange with guitars feeling like they are pushing each other to arms-length and the effect seems to make things more discordant.
Standout Black Lotus is built around a wonderfully melancholic lead part delivered over slow, chugging chords. The track leans more into that Gothic/dark metal style that relies on the sentimental, creating an aching feeling out of its melody. It’s also the first song where the vocals, which if we’re being honest are not the most adept, feel too flat, coming across as matter of fact and detached in what is a more emotionally impactful track.
Blind God introduces harsher vocals which befits the musical approach, chords left to hang in the air before piercing, dissonant notes serve to contrast their density. Towards the end of the track the pace picks up the pace to a chug, with little tendrils escaping the surface. Finally ...But Now I’m Suffering closes out the album, beginning with twanging bass before opening into a more landscaped sound than evident on previous tracks. Here we find the resonance filling out the stage as the chords hang out with the crash cymbals. The laboured drumming really emphasises the point here, it has a lethargic quality that underscores the music really well and holds it slightly in check.
The Cursed Vision sounds a bit out of time and place; its production is unpolished and the approach has a bit of a dated feel. With that said, I keep coming back to the word curiosity; it is a bit out of place but that is part of its charm, and it is quite easy to engage with despite its little eccentricities, or perhaps because of them. 7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment