Things that are inevitable: Death, taxes and me liking anything on New Heavy Sounds. The label have been signing and releasing some of the most impressive new music around from MWWB, to Vodun, They Watch Us From The Moon to Shooting Daggers, Grave Lines to the much missed Black Moth.
A cavalcade of brilliant bands have arrived on this label so when I saw that Glasgow band Cwfen (pronounced Coven) were signed to NHS then I immediately had to get my hands on it. The band have been compared to notable acts such as Amenra, King Woman and Type O Negative, so lots of lofty movers within the heavy gothic style. Cwfen play music that's made to immediately impress, to draw you in and to bewitch you, but it's also a sound that lingers, staying with you long after the record has finished, embracing both the light and the dark Cwfen beguile you into their heathen world of mysticism.
They never intended to write an album but as they started to compose, the songs came, catharsis found through the process, probably why it's called Sorrows, a musical release from emotions that were trapped and held on to. The first of three Fragments, an intro and two interludes, that split the record up, concludes and we begin with a doom laden riff that settles into a hypnotic groove on Bodies. Agnes Alder's spectral vocals carrying the track, Agnes has a broad range, from these mid-range invocations to soaring highs and then down into ferocious snarling screams, the vocals a vessel for the pain and introspection of this album.
Agnes' rhythm guitar, locks into these often repeating riffs with bassist Mary Thomas Baker and drummer Rös Ranquinn, this trio, creating the hallucinogenic tribal rhythms of the first song but then switch it up into Wolfsbane which brings a post-punk gothicness of The Cult. A song about embracing queerness, feminism and rebelling against anyone who tries to oppress them, these gothic overtones also overtake Reliks, synths undulate in the background. Guy DeNuit's lead guitars simmer across all three of these tracks, the jangling fluid leads taking charge on the breathy Whispers, the atmospheric leanings of The Cure, Chelsea Wolfe and Black Moth as well. For a band such as Cwfen, the pacing of these songs is important, they so often begin quietly, consciously and then climb into ferocious distortion and roared vocals, like a fire, building from embers into a furnace of anger.
Sorrows does linger in the melancholic, the gothic styles are the most prominent, the bulk of these songs coming from the atmospheric post-something sound. They aren't without heft though, seesawing between these lighter and heavier moments, as they increase the post metal/doom severity on Penance the full bodied production from the band and Kevin Hare along with the mastering by James Plotkin. With Embers they move to natural progression, the harshest tracks are towards the end of the record, these are the ones with full throated roars and aggressive heaviness.
Sorrows introduces Cwfen to wider world, giving you the experience of their purifying rituals on record for the first time. Embrace them with open arms as this Scottish band are exceptional. 9/10
Zig Zags - Deadbeat At Dawn (RidingEasy Records) [Rich Piva]
Punk metal band Zig Zags have crawled out of their cave in Los Angeles to assault you sonically with their fifth record, Deadbeat At Dawn, once again brought to you by the fine folks at RidingEasy Records. The band is not going off the path they have taken over the last decade or so, bringing killer crossover thrash/metal to those who dig that sort of thing, like this guy, but record number five does bring a sort of maturity in the playing and recording of the ten tracks on Deadbeat At Dawn.
The band still loves B movies, so you get all of the references to them and some clips, but what you also get is some excellent punk metal to get your pit going. Right off the bat, Not Of This World exists to show you what the Zig Zags are all about, with both riffs and a punk energy that define this band. An old school thrash feel comes through loud and clear with Altered States, giving off Motorhead meets Bay Area thrash vibes. The band seamlessly moves to more of an early American punk thing with the title track, more Richard Hell and The Ramones than Metallica for sure, but this is the beauty of the Zig Zags sound; the ability of leverage all of the best of punk and thrash metal, but never too much of one or the other.
At War With Hell sounds like something off of an early Metal Massacre comp, while Take Me To Your Leader is the best of both worlds and is some really filthy and raw goodness. An early show at CBGBs would have been perfect for the band with a track like Rats In Love blasting out of the P.A. Above The Law is some great snotty punk while Get Loud turns up the killer crossover to 11. Metal To Metal is my favourite track, as it is the one that seems to go right off the rails in the best possible way. Say It To My Face gives me my first chance to mention early Suicidal Tendencies which for me there is not much better to be compared to.
The new Zig Zags is filled with a no fucks given attitude delivered through some killer crossover punk and metal. What more do you need to know? Go listen to Deadbeat At Dawn and try not to get all fired up. 8/10
Thurifer – River Red (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
When the attached PR of this record said it was for fans of Gojira and Mastodon, they really meant it literally as River Red, the five track EP from Finnish band Thurifer, begins with Distorted Dream a track that could have been pulled of Remission. To be honest any of these five songs could have come from pre-Crack The Skye Mastodon, the blasts of sludgy, hardcore-influenced heaviness countered with harmonious moments and melodies.
The new Zig Zags is filled with a no fucks given attitude delivered through some killer crossover punk and metal. What more do you need to know? Go listen to Deadbeat At Dawn and try not to get all fired up. 8/10
Thurifer – River Red (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
When the attached PR of this record said it was for fans of Gojira and Mastodon, they really meant it literally as River Red, the five track EP from Finnish band Thurifer, begins with Distorted Dream a track that could have been pulled of Remission. To be honest any of these five songs could have come from pre-Crack The Skye Mastodon, the blasts of sludgy, hardcore-influenced heaviness countered with harmonious moments and melodies.
This four-piece are veterans of the Finnish scene so everything they play is of a high standard, using a full dynamic range of sounds to make music that is aggressive and atmospheric, but I can’t get away from the fact that a lot of this EP is eerily close to Mastodon though Witness moves towards the Gojira side. There are plenty of bands who use Mastodon, Baroness et al as influences but Thurifer just seem to edge closer towards tribute rather than homage for my taste. 6/10
Rifftree - Wonky (No Profit Recordings) [Rich Piva]
A Croatian Bass/drums duo stoner psych band? Sure, I’ll bite. Wonky is Rifftree’s third release, and this EP is some seriously fuzzed out psych heaviness that is not for the faint of heart. These two make a ton of noise for just two instruments, case in point the opener, Bobby, that is just the two dudes heads down slamming on their instruments and screaming into the mic, reminding me of Unsane without the guitars.
Rifftree - Wonky (No Profit Recordings) [Rich Piva]
A Croatian Bass/drums duo stoner psych band? Sure, I’ll bite. Wonky is Rifftree’s third release, and this EP is some seriously fuzzed out psych heaviness that is not for the faint of heart. These two make a ton of noise for just two instruments, case in point the opener, Bobby, that is just the two dudes heads down slamming on their instruments and screaming into the mic, reminding me of Unsane without the guitars.
The wonderfully titled Drinkypoo is straight up hardcore punk here to blast your face off in under two minutes. The title track brings more of that noise rock/hardcore/Unsane vibe to the show, while Ain’t Shook reminds me a bit of Ministry circa Filth Pig while channelling Godflesh. Bongfucker sounds like a song called Bongfucker should sound; grindy, raw, and filthy, while the outro is noise, which is a suitable closer for this EP.
The Rifftree EP is certainly an interesting listen. Noise rock, Unsane, the rawer Ministry stuff and Godflesh fans should certainly dig the 19 minutes of heavy on Wonky. 6/10
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