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.
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.
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’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.
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).
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.