Hangman's Chair don't really do what many doom bands do. Their music is more conceptual, more esoteric, more French. It's inspired by soundtracks to films that don't exist, colouring the often black and white world of doomy music with goth and industrial textures. Saddiction is their 7th album and it's the second album in a trilogy that started with 2022's A Loner. This one is about 'addiction to sadness' thus the portmanteau of the title.
The album itself is an explanation of the title, sad addictive music that builds from reverbed guitars and harmonised vocals, adding keys/synths for some glacial emotion. It's lyrical content follows the same route speaking of the loss of band members, drug overdoses and the cold emplitness of modern day Paris, in all it's great concrete depression.
Sound engineer Francis Caste is just as important to the overall sound as Julien Chanut (guitar), Cédric Toufouti (guitar/vocals), Mehdi Thepegnier (drums) and Clément Hanvic (bass), the doom heaviness of their early years now joined by some goth and post punk drive on The Worst Is Yet To Come. You can say that they now have as much in common with Inbound Suffering as they do with Sisters Of Mercy.
Another band they have been compared to is Life Of Agony and on the melancholic synth driven ambience of In Disguise, while 2 AM Thoughts has a longing of Type O Negative and Depeche Mode, much of the album is reflective of the sound Paradise Lost adopted from One Second until their self titled offering. Hangman's Chair shift their focus towards cinema on the second album of this trilogy, it's bold, it's brilliant, it's doom but not as you may know it. 9/10
Wren - Black Rain Falls (Church Road Records) [Mark Young]
I would think that an album titled Black Rain Falls would clue you in on what kind of musical journey you are about to embark on. A further nose at the accompanying bio and to their track titles and you know that this is not going to be for the faint of heart.
Upon my first run through it, it struck me that this uncompromising music made by uncompromising people. It is bleak sounding, punishing the listener by allowing you to share in their collective feelings. As they share it, they want you to stay that course and come out on the other side, using this music as a form of deep-seated release for your own personal ailments.
Flowers Of Earth and Toil In The Undergrowth are the opening one-two here and its on these that Wren perform most of the heavy work. On Flowers, its discord and grief with guitar lines that are just out of alignment with each other, but its purpose built that way. From the off there is no respite from Owen Jones vocals, they start at a harsh level and just stay there.
I appreciate that extreme vocals aren’t new, but I’m continually surprised by those who can make it sound as though their soul is leaving the body every time they sing. This is the sort of song that turns into an event live, just listen to the closing jagged lines that come in from around 6 minutes that are supplanted by a massive riff and bang, you just made it through the first lesson.
Toil In The Undergrowth starts with a relatively gentle opening, its still tinged with darkness and they use it as the literal calm before the storm. From about 2 minutes 40 onwards its all about stop / start guitars and feedback, of those vocals and this one focused view of where the song needs to go. Its hard work, but its good work because if you stay with it, you become invested in it.
Betrayal Of The Self starts at an almost lightning pace, with Seb Tull’s drums exploding before they bring it back under control, its shorter length a blessing after the opening pair. Its no less effective though and is certainly more direct and efficient with how it lands whilst Cerebral Drift is their reset switch by way of a brief instrumental.
Metric Of Grief comes in with a similar start to Betrayal, in that they now seem keen to get their feelings down and away so they can continue with this form of self-healing and there is an almost imperceptible change, as you listen to it the song starts to feel lighter somehow. The vocals haven’t changed but it’s not as oppressive as the earlier tracks and I hope that Precede The Flint keeps that going. A spoken word narrative starts us off, whilst they provide a melancholic backing that continues after the voice departs. It wakes up and takes flight, those drums once again doing the heavy lifting and providing the feeling of forward momentum as it tears its way to the end.
They wrap up with Scorched Hinds, which possesses one of the lowest ends you’ll hear. It is entirely in keeping with the album as a whole in terms of how they deliver it but there is that lighter tack to it, similar to Metric Of Grief. Its still full of those sharp chords and feedback but feels as though its reaching for a conclusion to its own pain. Check out the last 30 or so seconds on this and you will get it straight away. I said that on my first listen, it was an uncompromising set of songs and that hasn’t changed. Where you listen to this will make a lot of difference in how you absorb it.
Metric Of Grief comes in with a similar start to Betrayal, in that they now seem keen to get their feelings down and away so they can continue with this form of self-healing and there is an almost imperceptible change, as you listen to it the song starts to feel lighter somehow. The vocals haven’t changed but it’s not as oppressive as the earlier tracks and I hope that Precede The Flint keeps that going. A spoken word narrative starts us off, whilst they provide a melancholic backing that continues after the voice departs. It wakes up and takes flight, those drums once again doing the heavy lifting and providing the feeling of forward momentum as it tears its way to the end.
They wrap up with Scorched Hinds, which possesses one of the lowest ends you’ll hear. It is entirely in keeping with the album as a whole in terms of how they deliver it but there is that lighter tack to it, similar to Metric Of Grief. Its still full of those sharp chords and feedback but feels as though its reaching for a conclusion to its own pain. Check out the last 30 or so seconds on this and you will get it straight away. I said that on my first listen, it was an uncompromising set of songs and that hasn’t changed. Where you listen to this will make a lot of difference in how you absorb it.
I’ve mentioned my review playlists for the commute and some albums are suited to a car, others to headphones and doing little else. You have to give this your full attention, and in doing so you will appreciate it better. 8/10
Möuth - Global Warning (Bonebag Records) [Rich Piva]
Stockholm, Sweden’s Möuth are a power trio dropping their debut, Global Warning, for all of us lovers of stoner, proto metal, psych, doom, and 90s alt rock. Sound like a lot? It is, but it never sounds like too much on the nine tracks that make up Global Warning, which proves to be a killer debut from a band full of veteran musicians.
Möuth is not to be confused with Mouth (like I did), the really great German band who are of the same mindset of these guys. Yes, both are trios and yes both like the psych side of things, but our German friends lean more classic rock while the Swedes hang more in the 90s. of all the genres mentioned above, 90s alt rock rules the day on the nine tracks. The opening title track fits somewhere in 90s Seattle and some club in NYC where there is a killer post hardcore band playing. I am also hearing a nice bit of Therapy? in their sound, which is always welcomed. Love the fuzz this one brings as well as the killer solo.
Möuth - Global Warning (Bonebag Records) [Rich Piva]
Stockholm, Sweden’s Möuth are a power trio dropping their debut, Global Warning, for all of us lovers of stoner, proto metal, psych, doom, and 90s alt rock. Sound like a lot? It is, but it never sounds like too much on the nine tracks that make up Global Warning, which proves to be a killer debut from a band full of veteran musicians.
Möuth is not to be confused with Mouth (like I did), the really great German band who are of the same mindset of these guys. Yes, both are trios and yes both like the psych side of things, but our German friends lean more classic rock while the Swedes hang more in the 90s. of all the genres mentioned above, 90s alt rock rules the day on the nine tracks. The opening title track fits somewhere in 90s Seattle and some club in NYC where there is a killer post hardcore band playing. I am also hearing a nice bit of Therapy? in their sound, which is always welcomed. Love the fuzz this one brings as well as the killer solo.
The track Dirt brings more of that fuzz and has a hybrid Husker Du/Therapy? thing going on. Speed Of Life has a spacy, fuzzy feel to it, and is sparse in a way that really works. The 90s reign supreme on tracks like Sheep and Alike, the latter which kind of reminds me of Radiohead but if Radiohead decide to rock and not get all weird and experimental. Or like Wire, but heavier.
Appetite may be my favourite track on the record. It swims around that grunge pool but brings a whole bunch of stuff to the table. Fuzzy, grungy, a tiny bit of psych and even some post hardcore vibes. Good stuff. Mantra is right there too, especially with the frantic drumming and killer quiet loud quiet vibes. In The City rounds the record off nicely, reminding me of The Cars, but louder, and with Bob Mould somehow involved.
Möuth’s debut is super solid 90s love that leaves me wanting more and hoping the band can take the next step on record number two. A great starting point for a band. Global Warning is real. 7/10
Raise Your Fist – Leader Of The Pack (Self Released) [Liam Williams]
We have a new EP from Belgian metalcore band Raise Your Fist, titled Leader Of The Pack. This EP consists of 6 gut-punching tracks lasting just over 20 minutes long.
The EP starts with an intro track, simply titled Intro. It’s a short track which starts with some static radio clips and violins. Soon the static fades out and we get a speech telling us what this band and their music is about. Track 2, Inner Strain, is where the action really starts. With a nice heavy intro, it’s all go and no slow. There’s a great little chaotic part after the first chorus, leading into the second verse.
Möuth’s debut is super solid 90s love that leaves me wanting more and hoping the band can take the next step on record number two. A great starting point for a band. Global Warning is real. 7/10
Raise Your Fist – Leader Of The Pack (Self Released) [Liam Williams]
We have a new EP from Belgian metalcore band Raise Your Fist, titled Leader Of The Pack. This EP consists of 6 gut-punching tracks lasting just over 20 minutes long.
The EP starts with an intro track, simply titled Intro. It’s a short track which starts with some static radio clips and violins. Soon the static fades out and we get a speech telling us what this band and their music is about. Track 2, Inner Strain, is where the action really starts. With a nice heavy intro, it’s all go and no slow. There’s a great little chaotic part after the first chorus, leading into the second verse.
We get our first guitar solo after the second chorus which unfortunately is a bit too quiet. Up next is The Pack, which starts with a volume swell from the guitars before a nice chuggy part with panned rhythm guitars. Then it’s all chugs with some decent clean vocals for the chorus. There’s some great brutal low guttural screams during the bridge leading into the breakdown.
Track 4 is Forced Freedom and, although it has a bit of a slower intro, it quickly gets into some more fun chuggy chaos for the first verse. Halfway through the track there’s a dirty distorted bass part that leads into the breakdown. This is probably my favourite breakdown on the EP. It leads into the final chorus before the song ends. Against The Order is another fun heavy track. I think the drums sound a lot better on this track compared to the previous ones (more on that in my summery).
Track 4 is Forced Freedom and, although it has a bit of a slower intro, it quickly gets into some more fun chuggy chaos for the first verse. Halfway through the track there’s a dirty distorted bass part that leads into the breakdown. This is probably my favourite breakdown on the EP. It leads into the final chorus before the song ends. Against The Order is another fun heavy track. I think the drums sound a lot better on this track compared to the previous ones (more on that in my summery).
Then we end the EP with Never Out. There’s some more radio static in the intro before a cool lead guitar riff comes in with the drums building up to the first verse. The pre-chorus and chorus sections are really good in this track. After the second chorus there’s another guitar solo (unfortunately still a bit too quiet, but really well played). The song ends with a nauseating (in a good way) chuggy outro which gives off the feeling of being on a very rocky boat.
This EP is good for the most part, I think certain elements do ruin it though. The mix is generally quite rough. The drums sound kind of muffled throughout most of the tracks. The playing is good, but they lack that punch you come to expect from heavy bands like this. The guitars could have done with a bit more love, especially the 2 solos we get, they were a bit too quiet and didn’t really have a chance to shine.
This EP is good for the most part, I think certain elements do ruin it though. The mix is generally quite rough. The drums sound kind of muffled throughout most of the tracks. The playing is good, but they lack that punch you come to expect from heavy bands like this. The guitars could have done with a bit more love, especially the 2 solos we get, they were a bit too quiet and didn’t really have a chance to shine.
I’m also not a fan of the lead vocals. I think the clean parts were alright, but the other parts really didn’t sound great in my opinion. Instead of sounding like an intimidating angry rottweiler, they sound like a small yappy chihuahua. The backing vocals and the guest vocals sounded way better and it’s very noticeable. But all that aside, good effort! 6/10
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