The heaviest thing to come out of Bristol since Brunel's transporter bridge, Sugar Horse return after numerous releases and tours they have carved out some more mountainous riffs and avant-garde tendencies. The crushing final minutes of a bad acid trip stretched out over the course of a whole album, The Grand Scheme Of Things is Sugar Horse focussing their often expansive, eclectic soundscapes into a more direct style.
Lightning in a bottle captured almost totally live in an abandoned local church, it's a rumination on death, singer Ash Tubb exorcising the death of his father through the uncompromising music of Sugar Horse. With long brooding shoegaze passages, heavy doom riffs and shimmering post metal atmospherics, Sugar Horse have been creating their own niche in the UK scene for many years now and this new record displays just how accomplished they have become, simplifying the way they deliver their musical impressions but never scrimping on the technicality.
If there's a selection of this record that highlights the different musical legs of Sugar Horse it's the euphoric Jefferson Aeroplane Over The Sea. A dreamscape which evolves into aching emotion, segueing into the abrasive Office Job Simulator as the cascade into the dreamy finale of Space Tourist a track that catches you off guard with the heaviness. Quiet/Loud dynamics that shift from a barely audible whisper to a tanoy warning system, this grand scheme is one well planned and brilliantly executed. 9/10
High Reeper - Renewed By Death (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich Piva]
High Reeper have taken a huge step forward with their new record, Renewed By Death. This is a fitting title, as there is something in the eight tracks on the record that have a different spark and a new lease on life as a band, as everything about Renewed By Death takes the Delaware four piece to the next level.
This record is heavy metal filled with metal riffs, metal vocals, next level metal guitar work, and metal attitude. There is no posing here, these guys bring the OG real metal to 2024 and it is so refreshing. The most immediate thing I notice is the guitar playing of Shane Trimble, who also produced the record in his new home studio. The guitar and the whole record sounds great and Shane seems to know exactly how his band should sound.
High Reeper have taken a huge step forward with their new record, Renewed By Death. This is a fitting title, as there is something in the eight tracks on the record that have a different spark and a new lease on life as a band, as everything about Renewed By Death takes the Delaware four piece to the next level.
This record is heavy metal filled with metal riffs, metal vocals, next level metal guitar work, and metal attitude. There is no posing here, these guys bring the OG real metal to 2024 and it is so refreshing. The most immediate thing I notice is the guitar playing of Shane Trimble, who also produced the record in his new home studio. The guitar and the whole record sounds great and Shane seems to know exactly how his band should sound.
You get a little Priest, a little Motörhead, a little early Metallica and a little Maiden, but never too much of it to sound like a clone. The title track has bits of each, the opening reminiscent of one and the riff another, but all High Reeper throughout, even when the Sabbath-y breakdown hits you. Zach Thomas brings it more than ever on Renewed By Death, perfecting his clean but angry metal delivery on the killer track Alluring Violence, where I even get some Seasons era Slayer vibes at times. Lamentations Of The Pale has some serious NWOBHM vibes and once again shows the growing vocal skills of Thomas along side some nice doomy riffing from Trimble.
I love the chuggy riff of Broken Upon The Wheel and the dual guitar action we get from Trimble and Pat Daly who brings it on rhythm guitar. Jaws Of Darkness is more classic metal goodness with a kick ass solo while the riff rules the day on Smoldering Darkness which also reminds me a bit of the slower songs on Seasons In The Abyss but with cleaner vocals. Torn From Within is like the dirty, black sheep brother of something off of The Ritual which makes me very happy. The band saved the best for last, as the closer, Echoes Of Mortality may be my favourite High Reeper song yet.
Heavy metal is alive and well and is delivered in its purest form on Renewed By Death. Heavy Psych Sounds is not just stoner stuff, as they have tapped the metal vein for us all as well, providing High Reeper to give us our fix. Great stuff. 8/10
Civil Service - ///Light (Ripcord Records) [Matt Bladen]
Instrumental post rockers Civil Service have delivered their debut album which begins with Spoken word narration by Caroline Cawley (Dystopian Future Movies) and then opens up into the sprawling, anthemic post rock this Manchester band do absolutely brilliantly. Starting an album with a near 15 minute track is very audacious but displays the ambition of the band. A sci-fi styled story within which there are numerous additional musicians collaborating to tell the overarching story though their expressive musical style.
Shimmering, layered guitars are set to a complex rhythm of jazz drumming, locked into an ever-changing groove as these long explorations whimsically whirl their way around your head. Climaxing in a two part epic that invokes the likes of Mogwai and Slowdive the bristling post rock soundscapes merged with shoegaze introspection and explosions of noise and colour, culminating in choral climax that features members of friends and touring partners all joining digitally.
The traditional guitar/bass/drums are used in tandem with electronics and synths, Lines Of Communication building on the sounds of synthwave with a late night journey through a late night cityscape. But this is just one facet of a wide-screen presentation that is Civil Service. It's music you have to give time to but, ///Light rewards your patience and persistence with scintillating musical excellence. 9/10
Human Impact - Gone Dark (Ipecac Records) [Rich Piva]
I do not get to write the phrase “noise rock supergroup” very often, so I am very excited to get the chance to review the new record from said supergroup, Human Impact, Gone Dark. Human Impact has members of classic NYC noise rock OGs Unsane and Cop Shoot Cop, as well as Daughters and Made Out Of Babies, so you know this is most likely going to be awesome, especially since their debut record and other singles have all been great. Gone Dark is no exception, even with the change in the rhythm section.
You get what you love from all the bands I mentioned above on Gone Dark. Unsane’s main man Chris Spencer’s trademarked vocal delivery and guitar work on top of some of CSC unique instrumentation come together seamlessly as Human Impact and on Gone Dark. Dare I say this is some of the most accessible work the guys in the band have ever done, but that does in no way mean this is some kind of straight-ahead rock record or that it has a ton of radio friendly pop hits.
Heavy metal is alive and well and is delivered in its purest form on Renewed By Death. Heavy Psych Sounds is not just stoner stuff, as they have tapped the metal vein for us all as well, providing High Reeper to give us our fix. Great stuff. 8/10
Civil Service - ///Light (Ripcord Records) [Matt Bladen]
Instrumental post rockers Civil Service have delivered their debut album which begins with Spoken word narration by Caroline Cawley (Dystopian Future Movies) and then opens up into the sprawling, anthemic post rock this Manchester band do absolutely brilliantly. Starting an album with a near 15 minute track is very audacious but displays the ambition of the band. A sci-fi styled story within which there are numerous additional musicians collaborating to tell the overarching story though their expressive musical style.
Shimmering, layered guitars are set to a complex rhythm of jazz drumming, locked into an ever-changing groove as these long explorations whimsically whirl their way around your head. Climaxing in a two part epic that invokes the likes of Mogwai and Slowdive the bristling post rock soundscapes merged with shoegaze introspection and explosions of noise and colour, culminating in choral climax that features members of friends and touring partners all joining digitally.
The traditional guitar/bass/drums are used in tandem with electronics and synths, Lines Of Communication building on the sounds of synthwave with a late night journey through a late night cityscape. But this is just one facet of a wide-screen presentation that is Civil Service. It's music you have to give time to but, ///Light rewards your patience and persistence with scintillating musical excellence. 9/10
Human Impact - Gone Dark (Ipecac Records) [Rich Piva]
I do not get to write the phrase “noise rock supergroup” very often, so I am very excited to get the chance to review the new record from said supergroup, Human Impact, Gone Dark. Human Impact has members of classic NYC noise rock OGs Unsane and Cop Shoot Cop, as well as Daughters and Made Out Of Babies, so you know this is most likely going to be awesome, especially since their debut record and other singles have all been great. Gone Dark is no exception, even with the change in the rhythm section.
You get what you love from all the bands I mentioned above on Gone Dark. Unsane’s main man Chris Spencer’s trademarked vocal delivery and guitar work on top of some of CSC unique instrumentation come together seamlessly as Human Impact and on Gone Dark. Dare I say this is some of the most accessible work the guys in the band have ever done, but that does in no way mean this is some kind of straight-ahead rock record or that it has a ton of radio friendly pop hits.
Check out track two, Hold On, to confirm this. But the opener, Collapse, is a song anyone who enjoys heavy music could dig. As you can imagine there is a lot going on musically on Gone Dark, a sort of contained frantic urgency ready to burst at any time that is all over the nine tracks.
Reform is the definition of this, with the drums and bass driving the frantic vocals and wall of sound that accompanies it. Same with Disconnected. I am not sure if it has happened before, but a Human Impact and Godflesh double bill would just destroy, listen to Destroy To Rebuild and Corrupted and tell me I am wrong. Imperative is one of my favourite tracks, lead by Jim Coleman’s synths/keys/other stuff and some killer bass and drum work.
Repeat leans more towards to CSC side of the house and would also pique the interest of those Godflesh fans and the people like me who love Ministry’s Filth Pig. With a name like Human Impact, you know they also have a message, so check out the closer, Lost All Trust, and listen closely. Also listen for how this sounds like very, very early Helmet too.
A great second full length from a band I thought was going to be a one off, Gone Dark brings all you want for fans of the band or fans of their former bands without it being a rehash of old material. Human Impact has something to say and you need to listen to Gone Dark in all of its heavy-in-their-way glory. 8/10
A great second full length from a band I thought was going to be a one off, Gone Dark brings all you want for fans of the band or fans of their former bands without it being a rehash of old material. Human Impact has something to say and you need to listen to Gone Dark in all of its heavy-in-their-way glory. 8/10
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