I often listen to black metal as I’m drifting off to the land of nod. That’s what I did with this release, and that was a bad idea. As the spacious opening track from Host takes you off into a vast, murky wasteland, you settle in for a wander through the settling hulks of a bygone civilisation, picking your way through the remains of what could have been. Or what never was? You bunk down for the night, in whatever abandoned monument or edifice seems safe enough. It is an interesting start to this release. Not a boorish ‘sample-scape’ or indulgent wander down soundscape lane, this has been well thought out and arranged into what could easily be the soundtrack for the next Resident Evil or any sinister video game set within the backdrop of an empty, torn world. You immerse yourself, you seem safe enough, it’s cold, it’s empty, it’s lonely. But no one’s trying to eat you. You can drift off, ignoring the harsh realities of the here and now. Atmospheric, soundscapes CAN still be tastefully produced without drifting off listlessly to nowhere. The noise builds, breaks and whithers away. A twisted, broken rhythm begins to taunt you. Noise becomes rhythm, erratic becomes pulse, crawling comes to a march. Before you know it, you’re up, the vodka is flowing freely, you’re armed and ready for war.
The new Norse track Lunar Glow is a monstrous beast comprised of broken guitar riffage, fire-belching bass, monolithic drums and an angry invoked presence on the vocals. Twisted steel girders are beaten, forged into iron soldiers. A symphony of bleeding angels? No, this is a curse intended to conjure the dead. There’s no getting this howling spirit back into the bottle anytime soon. The claustrophobic atmosphere leaves a chilling, hellish and domineering vibe in it’s wake. There is a great sense of disparity and isolation as the track draws to a close. The intense, all-pervading din passes by and is gone. This is some cold, evil business.
The new material is followed by 3 live tracks, well recorded, all from previous releases. It’s great to see, not enough Australian metal bands put out good live recordings, this is a very much over-looked style of
release and if executed well, quite often cements the songs themselves outside the usual album format, sometimes surpassing the original studio takes in fury, presentation & presence. The vibe, expectation and energy from the crowd push the songs and the performers themselves, mixed with the experience of having performed their music countless times. The songs have been honed, loved and slaved over. The cheeky laugh at the end of one of the tracks is also an indication of the fun everyone is having. A joke you missed, that you want to share in and be a part of. Which is why live heavy metal kicks ass. Every time. This release is available via their Bandcamp and well worth checking out.
Release Year: 2018
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Category: EP
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Whiskey Jones
