Defences – Shadowlight (Long Branch Records) [Zak Skane]
Formed 10 years ago in Hertfordshire, Cherry and crew have been conquering stages across the UK featuring festivals such as, Download Presents: Roadie Take Over, Our Hollow Our Homes festival Holloween. The band have also gained media coverage from Metal Hammer whilst also being guests at the U.K treasured Heavy Awards. In the last 10 years the band have released a 5 track E.P Stitches In Sanity back at the start of their journey in 2014 and have released numerous of singles such as Losing Time, Grow and Two Steps Back before getting signed to Long Branch Records to release their debut album Shadowlight.
Through out the album the band have raised their electronic arrangements up to new levels with the opening track The Curse giving us haunting sounding pianos followed along with some modern electric drums. The throbbing sub bass synths on the track The Almost will make the earth shake whilst still keeping the crowd jumping with it’s bouncing rhythms. Following this spacy effects on the vocals on Greatness bring in this cyber punk vibe whilst the closing title track on the album brings in some twinkling pianos that sound fresh but yet nostalgic.
On this album the band have departed from their melodic metalcore riffs in exchange to a more modern sound. The up beat but yet Meshuggah sounding riffs on Perish where technical metal intensity is smothered with post hardcore energy. Ego(Maniac) brings in Wage War style arrangement with the bouncy low tuned riffs which are sandwiched in between ambient electronic verses whilst they build up into radio friendly choruses and finally the gentle strums from the acoustic guitars that close the title track really end the album on a angelic note.
Through out the album the band has shown massive leaps and bounds in relation to their song writing ability since their debut E.P. For example Cherry Duesbury's vocal melodies on Gold In The Dark soar through highs and lows gliding effortlessly through the chaotic low tuned riffage whist the following track. Perish shows off some pop styled vocal phrases whilst displaying some vicious trade offs along with keyboardist and harsh vocalist William Young. Inspirit shows the band pull back the heavy to replace it with soft ambient layers and angelic vocal harmonies.
Shadowlight brings an illuminating mark into Defences journey which is going to shine a light onto a promising new path for the Hertfordshire crew. The djenty bowl rumbling tracks like Gold In The Dark and Perish can easily win over the most snobby of tech metal fans whilst track like The Almost and Ego(Maniac) will win over casual Download Festival goer. For fans of Dayseeker, Wage War and Dead by April. 9/10
Ante Inferno - Death’s Soliloquy (Vendetta Records) [Mike Pickett]
Ante-Inferno’s latest offering, Death’s Soliloquy, is a dark, sombre, and foreboding journey into the depths of Black Metal. Hailing from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, this quartet—Gary Stephenson (drums), Kai Beanland (vocals and guitars), Nate Lewis (bass), and Ben Gladstone (guitars)—delivers a carefully constructed album that showcases both technical precision and haunting atmospheres.
From the opening moments, it’s clear that Death’s Soliloquy embodies everything one expects from Black Metal. The opener, The Cavernous Blackness Of Night, pulls no punches, combining angry, pained vocals with precise blast beats and tremolo-picked riffs that define the genre. There’s an underlying anguish in the track’s composition, leaving you with an almost palpable sense of hurt by the time it ends.
The album’s true strength lies in its ability to blend traditional Black Metal elements with unexpected twists. Longer tracks like Towards Asphyxiating Darkness take you on an immersive journey. This nine-minute track opens with two minutes of instrumental build-up before the vocals enter, merging eerie harmonies and sliding chords to create a haunting, hair-raising soundscape.
Meanwhile, the epic An Axe. A Broadsword. A Bullet traverses every corner of Black Metal’s sonic landscape—from blistering tremolo riffs and relentless drumming to atmospheric interludes of ghostly clean vocals over sparse, haunting instrumentation. Despite its 14-minute runtime, the track never overstays its welcome, unfolding like a journey through darkness that keeps you captivated.
Vocally, Kai Beanland delivers a standout performance, combining low gutturals, demonic tones, and the occasional piercing scream for dramatic effect. A particularly unique element emerges in select tracks, such as No Light Till Life’s End and An Axe. A Broadsword. A Bullet, where clean vocals echo a traditional, almost folk-like quality reminiscent of old English or Celtic seafaring songs. This unexpected touch adds a layer of intrigue and depth to the album.
The album is not without its atmospheric touches. Shorter interludes like Into The Eternity Of Death provide breathing room, with ambient sounds and clicking noises that build tension and set the stage for the next sonic assault. Tracks like these make the transitions between blistering aggression and introspective moments feel natural, adding a sense of cohesion to the record.
While Death’s Soliloquy stays rooted in Black Metal tradition, it occasionally flirts with Atmospheric and even Avant-Garde influences. The bass guitar, often understated in this genre, plays an important role here, creating a fuller, more balanced sound that complements the intricate guitar work and relentless drumming.
Overall, Ante-Inferno delivers a strong addition to their catalog with Death’s Soliloquy. While it may not be a ground-breaking release, it offers enough variety and precision to satisfy fans of the genre. It’s an album that demands to be experienced as a whole—preferably in a darkened room with no distractions. 7/10
Lord Goblin - Lord Goblin (No Remorse Records) [Mark Young]
Lord Goblin’s Self-titled debut release comes from an unwavering belief in their own ability and trust in their art. It has seen them pitted against adversity and yet they have managed to turn this to their advantage, steeling them in their quest to bring the epic back to metal. Released digitally earlier this year, this review is to tie in with the physical release that is out on the 22nd.
So, with that in mind, what do we have? From the off Northern Skyline looks to meld black metal with a vocal delivery that is ripped from classic 70’s rock and early 80’s NWOBHM. The song itself rips along at a far pace, using speedy guitar with a class organ sound which builds a grandiose atmosphere. The leads are frenetic, and to be fair Lord Goblin’s vocals have that gravitas to it but there is something that is not sitting right. Let’s be honest, I think the majority would struggle to sing in that register, but it doesn’t feel powerful enough for the music behind it. It’s a similar story with The Wanderer, another great song that has all the right parts in place but again it’s the vocals that let it down. It’s likely I’m being harsh but it’s a review and therefore I can only call it as I see it (hear it). One thing they have in their favour is that they understand the brief that the songs have to be big, and they do this very well. Like Northern Skyline, the music side is spot on, and it sounds great with each of the moving parts working well together.
Where it does come together is on The Oracle. The slower measure fits the Lord really well and gives them opportunity to really go large. This is a proper fist raised banger from them and has some classic riffing in there that comes across like Maiden on speed. Again, it’s a matter of personal taste of why this one lands better than the opening two, and as a reminder the opening two were not bad at all and reflecting I think had they both received a grittier vocal they would have been better received. Freedom Rider puts the speed up a notch, barrelling along into a fairly exciting instrumental with some face-melting lead breaks. I know I normally complain about them but on here its only right that they should do one, it feels completely correct to do it and when considered within the context of what they are about it totally works.
However, I can only excuse one instrumental. Thunderous Smite serves as a showcase for drummer Althanor F.D.H considerable talents behind the kit, which is good, but lads you have had an instrumental, no one said anything about drum solos. Knowing that there is ground to be recovered, its straight into the two-part Light Of A Black Sun, which is about as epic as you can possibly get. Now, despite that increased speed it works in the same way as The Oracle and for the life of me I can’t accurately describe why this works and the openers didn’t. Its likely that as the album has progressed there has been some form of spell cast upon my ears. Part 1 again nails that balance between guitar and organ. There are some nifty guitar lines on here which continues into the slower outro they strip it back, providing melodic heft to proceedings. Part 2 picks up the pace, giving a more triumphant attack with vocals to match. Add in some of ‘those’ solos (you know the ones I mean, those mightily impressive ones) that epic metal must have and it’s a great one-two to close out on.
So, I can say that this is one album that was able to grow on me over the course of its 7 tracks. It certainly ends on a high, and for me they have been true to their aim of delivering some epic metal. I still stand by my comments that something wasn’t quite there on the first two songs, but as a whole it is a bundle of fun. Even with the drum solo. 8/10
Mallavora - Echoes (Marshall Records) [Matt Bladen]
Bristol band Mallavora's new EP Echoes is a heavy release in more ways than one. Chunky, alt metal, with a touch of Middle Eastern rhythms, lyrically it deals with chronic illness, neuro diversity and identity. Compared to bands such as Spiritbox or Northlane, I'd say there was also some comparisons to Deftones and System Of A Down.
Jessica Douek's Middle Eastern heritage is on display with Skin, her vocals are powerful and take the trilling coloraturas sound of Arabic music. Guitarist Larry Sobieraj and Emma both live with chronic illness and are advocates for more accessibility on the music industry, using personal experience to influence the lyrics and the rage on tracks such as Vultures where there's moves to heavy growls against the cleans.
Produced by Skindred's Mikey Demus and mixed by Lewis Johns (Rolo Tomassi, Pupil Slicer, Palm Reader), Echoes is a four tracker of modern alt/nu metal which crashes in with some interesting influences. 7/10
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