The Metal Thread.

[nightrider+]

Rarely a cover is better than the original.

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

"ERDVE unleashes a dark and virulent strain of negative hardcore on their debut album 'Vaitojimas' (meaning Shout). The Lithuanian quartet mine the veins of the genre-smashing metallic noisecore of the late 90's, and filter those influences through an especially hostile attack. Dense slabs of noise-laden riffs churn feelings of unease, while hostile vocals punctuate their score to the dystopian world crashing down. With 'Vaitojimas', ERDVE deliver the soundtrack to a world gone truly mad."

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

"Hailing from, of all places, Salt Lake City, Utah, is Visigoth, a stunning traditional/power dual guitar quintet which, having already raised the bar with its comprehensively rocking and richly phrased 2015 full-length debut, The Revenant King, has proceeded to further establish itself as a kingly genre purveyor with an as-consummate sophomore, Conqueror’s Oath, released last week under Metal Blade Records and comprised of eight valorous and methodically construed battle hymns featuring top-notch, melodically piercing and metallic musicianship punctuated by a compellingly concise baritone front man who varies between soaring verses, poignantly uplifting refrains and evocative, regal croons – like he so convincingly does on the cleanly progressive inceptions of “Hammerforge” and “Traitor’s Gate” (no longer simply a one-off NWOBHM treasure but rather, an archaically gripping tale of betrayal) - which invariably make one feel like they’re readying to plunge into bloody valedictorian battles on a Germanic war field with both head and sword held high!

For one thing, the production is masterful through and through, from the crisply resonating twin guitars of Jamison Palmer and Leeland Campana, who fitfully split lead duties – notably on the jig some “Blades in the Night” following an unctuous and climatic bridge – as well as crystalline harmonies backed by rumbling, oft triplet based riffs, such as at the beginning of opener “Steel and Silver”, to the stoutly pummeling and propulsive rhythm section of Matt Brotherton on bass and Mikey Treseder on drums. Although I can’t say the same for The Revenant King, which features longer track lengths and a more extensive development in general, the shimmering guitar tones and tacit drum fills, as well as overall battle-some vibe of Conqueror’s Oath bring to mind 3 Inches of Blood’s fourth (and next-to-last) full-length, Here Waits Thy Doom, from 2009, albeit in a much tighter, focused and condensed fashion. (In particular, the fluid and watery phrasing on the lead break to “Steel and Silver” uncannily reminds me of the Canadians’ “Rock In Hell” from said album). One could also venture Visigoth sort of sounds like a much tidier and accessible albeit paralleling version of France’s Hurlement, whose lyrical themes predominantly touch on the Napoleonic Wars.

Jake Palmer, for his part, is the monumental driving force behind each and every track as his powerfully rendered vocal lines serve as either a forward thrust or soothing compliment, varying with the tempo at hand. A great example is his stellar performance on likely my preferred track, “Warrior Queen”, which (along with Corsair’s “Warrior Woman”!) would surely make Bodicea proud. Not only is this instantly gratifying and ripping track as epic as it gets thanks to its doubly layered and hurtling guitar riff as well as wickedly poised and drawn-out power chords, but Palmer’s heartfelt and raw delivery duly enhances its appeal. While I’m unquestionably drawn by its most commendable chorus, it’s the mesmerizing manner in which Palmer’s verses cap and compliment the guitars that has me return again and again. The stand-out, fist-pumping backing vocals rounding them off are also further cause for all-out ravishing glee. What’s more, the scintillating solo section gives way to a subdued and mournful flute laden interlude which soon segues into a crushing and hard-driven return to form as Palmer and company illustriously recite: “Hail the coming of the conqueror/Hail the forging of the warrior/She stands alone!”

As a friend (whose eventual newfound love of heavy metal largely stems from The Revenant King!) pointed out – seeing as I’m extensively insouciant when it comes to visual media – the lyrics to “Outlive Them All” undoubtedly refer to The Highlander series whilst the funky opening clean guitar lick introducing “Salt City”, an irreproachably loose and hot rocking moment of levity amidst the more solemn material, evokes David Lee Roth era Van Halen, notably “Ice Cream Man” (haha!). While much more rock-ish, this playful and equally strong composition as well as jocose ode to the band’s unsuspecting origins is cut from the same cloth as its brethren so make sure to keep your ears peeled for it. Worth noting, the languidly drawn-out and harmony rich, sinuously waltzing titular closer is also worth its "salt".

As inferred, there is no filler besmirching Conqueror’s Oath; although I’m spoiled by the personal highlights outlined above, rest assured the album as a whole is a most enriching experience, much like another “Teutonic” act I’ve recently come across, Germany’s Rebellion and its latest installment, A Tragedy in Steel Part II: Shakespeare’ King Lear. Here’s to hoping Visigoth keep its stick, er, sword on ice and follows-up with an equally deft third release.

Highlights:

"Steel and Silver"
"Warrior Queen"
"Salt City"
"Blades in the Night"

Originally written for www.grande-rock.com

[Moje ime]

[Moje ime]

[Moje ime]

[Moje ime]

[Moje ime]

Hey I'm your life
I'm the one who takes you there
Hey I'm your life
I'm the one who cares
They, they betray
I'm your only true friend now
They they'll betray
I'm forever there
I'm your dream, make you real
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
Sad but true
I'm your dream, mind astray
I'm your eyes while you're away
I'm your pain while you repay
You know it's sad but true
Sad but true
You you're my mask
You're my cover, my shelter
You you're my mask
You're the one who's blamed
Do do my work
Do my dirty work, scapegoat
Do do my deeds
For you're the one who's shamed
I'm your dream, make you real
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
Sad but true
I'm your dream, mind astray
I'm your eyes while you're away
I'm your pain while you repay
You know it's sad but true
Sad but true
I'm your dream, I'm your eyes
I'm your pain
I'm your dream, I'm your eyes
I'm your pain
You know is sad but true
Hate I'm your hate
I'm your hate when you want love
Pay Pay the price
Pay, for nothing's fair
Hey I'm your life
I'm the one who took you here
Hey I'm your life
And I no longer care
I'm your dream, make you real
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
Sad but true
I'm your truth, telling lies
I'm your reasoned alibis
I'm inside open your eyes
I'm you
Sad but true

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

"This album evokes a landscape of sheer foreboding and terror. A tableau of deranged Cyclopean architectures; a city of otherworldly structures, from a distance distorted by fog and the quaking and jostling of arrhythmic waves. Approached for closer inspection, the massive, uneven stones of this nether-city reveal pulsing putrid colonies of deformed insects scurrying with sickening fervor and irregularity around and through their pocked and scored surfaces. What lies beyond? Merely the formlessness of the unspeakable.

Within Ion are the kind of polyrhythms and and atonal harmonies typically reserved for the most avant-garde jazz. Missing are the dulcet tones of the sax, piano, and chiming, clean guitar. Here instead, the sound of a buzz saw being dragged through a claustrophobic hallway by a shambling... thing... of uneven gate.

There is nothing pleasant here. And it is glorious.

The album begins with an atmospheric piece of horror. It evokes the rhythmic shambling of something appalling and deformed, heard perhaps through the floorboards above as one waits in hiding in the unfinished basement below. Or perhaps it is the dreadful breath of an unimaginable, monstrous thing, lying in wait over a thousand years whose slumber you dare not disturb for fear of fates worse than unbeing.

The center piece of the album is undoubtedly Phreqs, a song that could almost act as a mission statement for the band. It features a particular kind of technicality and atonality that we lamentably rarely see in Tech Death: the kind that serves the song as a means to an end, rather than the end itself. Here the jagged tones and fast, angular riffs don't serve to show off the musicianship of the band, but rather to create a feeling and an atmosphere of sheer, grotesque horror. At points during the song the drums fall away, giving way to subtly polyrhythmic guitars which chase eachother down in like rabid, parasite-ridden dogs - one slow, large and monstrous, the other small, fast and deranged. Their chase comes to a conclusion when a new hulking mass of appalling dread pounds its way into the fray in the form of a drum beat that seems just slightly... off... from the rhythm of the guitars in a way that unsettles - like body horror where a person's head and limbs may sit in just the wrong-enough angle to destroy your mind's conception of reality.

The production is also a thing to behold. Where in past albums, Portal have drenched their tracks in a sort of reverby wash to add to the horrid aural stench (if such a term may be used), here the production of the guitars is pristine in it's terrifying clarity. The guitar tone is bright and jagged in a way that gives the album a starkness that sounds like it could cut like a scalpel but somehow feels like... if you'll indulge me... like if you were to look closely at the scalpel, the edge might be made up of thousands of uneven, jagged teeth, rather than a clean, straight edge.

The vocals are also surprisingly varied, going from phantasm-like demi-whispers to all out rage-filled roars from song to song. It is all very effective at contributing to an atmosphere of utter, stark despair at one's descent into unfeeling madness.

The song length, and overall album length is extremely effective here as well. Portal waste no time getting into and out of each individual riff, song, and the album in it's entirety. Not only does this contribute to the enjoyability of the album, which might have been fatiguing if left to go on too long (like that stain that you left on your stovetop that got cooked in and had to be excoriated with steel wool and yet still remains), it also means that the album is intensely re-listenable. And each re-listen is a rewarding experience unto itself as there's so much here, it's difficult to fully comprehend it all on one listen.

Overall, this was the standout release in an extremely strong January 2018, and one of the freshest, most invigorating albums in Metal in a long time. This album is unique and innovative, and maybe a bit futuristic in its sound. This is one of those rare moments where you feel like you may be witnessing a shift, a peek of things to come in the future of the genre. And if this is a sign of things to come, then we may peer into the future filled with dread and ravenous delight."

https://www.metal-archives.com/revie...al/Ion/682993/

[Ülev]