ALBUM REVIEW: Møl, "Jord"

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type:Full Length

Date Released:13/04/2018

Label:Holy Roar Records

the basic feel of the music is going to be very familiar, but it’s done so well, and with such conviction that virtually no one else, including the biggest names in the style, have the chops to match what Møl does here.

‘Jord’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Storm

2. Penumbra

3. Bruma

4. Vakuum

5. Lambda

6. Ligament

7. Virga

8. Jord

The Review:

I’ve always imagined it being rough, being a band involved in a niche subgenre on the decline after its initial peak. It must have been rough to have been an American-style death metal band in the late 90s. It probably would have been similarly challenging to have been symphonic black metal band in the mid 2000s. And it also seems like it would be difficult to be a post black metal/blackgaze band in 2018. This is all anecdotal on my part, but it feels like if you were to go onto social media and talk up a band using terms like blackgaze or post metal, or post black metal; you’re likely going to be met with some apprehension from friends or followers.

There’s a burnout that follows the gargantuan wave and eventual collapse of a hot new subgenre, almost like at a certain point, there’s an unspoken moratorium on new bands in that style. But the truth is that none of that shit should matter. Good albums are good albums. And Møl’s debut full length, ‘Jord’, is a damn good album. Sure you can point to similarities the band shares with certain tentpole bands in the style, but you could also say that Møl is doing more with that style, and in a more compelling way than any other band occupying this space.

The hallmarks are all here: the soaring, effects-drenched leads, the rock-laced drumming choices intertwined with blast beat sections, and of course the harsh, higher-pitched shrieking. And yet Møl is putting these elements in their own unique context by infusing a northern European influence in their riff writing style you don’t run across often in this niche. “Vakuum”, as an example, features a main riff that feels like a Norse take on the rhythm-centric approach of Cobalt’s‘Gin’. There’s more of a melodic sensibility to it, but it captures a similar energy.

Even the stuff that fits into the genre’s longstanding tropes are performed better on “Jord” than on any album of a similar style in years. “Lambda” is steeped in the sort of airy, wistful clean guitar work that’s been one of the genre’s calling cards since day one. But thanks to some slick, fluid drumming choices from Ken Klejs, and the brilliant craftsmanship of the rest of the band, the song never feels like a lazy rehash of old ideas. Yes, the basic feel of the music is going to be very familiar, but it’s done so well, and with such conviction that virtually no one else, including the biggest names in the style, have the chops to match what Møl does here.

And that’s what the story of ‘Jord’ as a whole. It’s familiar, but brilliant in its own right. Gorgeous in the ways you’d expect, but brilliant in subtler ways you might not expect. Whatever the status of your burnout level is with shoegazy black metal: if you loved the style once, you owe it to yourself to give this album a committed listen. You might just remember what you enjoyed so much about this kind of music to begin with. I have. 

‘Jord’is available here

Band info: Facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Garganjua, "Through The Void"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released:11/05/2018

Label: Holy Roar Records

“Through The Void” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Crushed Beneath the Tide

2. Adrift

3. Through the Void

4. A Distant Shore

The Review:

English progressive doom trio Garganjua came onto the scene not too long ago with fresh paint on a time-honored sound, to much conversation. Garganjuadoes a prog-infused stoner blend that is profoundly complex. While sounding familiar, there are many elements that are largely unexampled – languid chords that are more diverse than the standard stoner playbook, breakdowns that offer expansive arrangements that are mirthlessly heavy, and song compositions with three-part vocals that stay in a space where they manage to be long enough to tell a story without feeling bloated and exasperating. The band's debut EP "Trip Wizard" was well received when it came out in 2014. The 2016 full length, "A Voyage in Solitude," saw growing buzz for the young crew. The band closed out 2017 by announcing this four-song, 45-minute return.

"Crushed Beneath the Tide" launches Garganjua'snewest. Its vibe is a forewarning of the forthcoming cuts, with a lingering build and formidable bass assault by way of Gareth Owen. At 12 minutes, this is an adventurous opener, but Garganjua keep your attention with a mix of clean singing and rawer vocals. Later on, the lyrical divergence pays off quite handsomely. "Adrift" relies on power chords to set the scene, before cresting on a slab of drums courtesy of Benjamin Weston, and devastating vocals. While shorter, it is one of the better cuts off the release.

In the title track, it becomes clear that Garganjua are a quartet that is trying to submerge themselves into new places with its music. This song feels more emotional and purposeful, a moody opening, into a clean and not-clean crescendo, then rolling into a valley of guitars. The song is a small detour as far as what Garganjuanormally does, and it is a welcome shift. Now three records in, the band seems to be evolving in this regard. "Through the Void" as a song goes into some progressive metal riffage and pacing, for the better. As the track concludes, you have to appreciate Garganjuafor being willing to expand what you know of them.

The album ends with "A Distant Shore," a more proggy conclusion of an engaging return. Here you will find the guitar work by Scott Taylor and Gazz Chambers is at its finest, creating an atmosphere that is vast and unfathomable. The first two cuts on this release are solidly stoner through and through, but it's the last two tracks that prompts you to consider what Garganjuacan mature into. "A Distant Shore" is quite serene for the most part, but offers you something bolder as the song continues – its dirge is special compared to Garganjua's catalog. Where the group goes is anyone's guess, but this album is a powerful reflection of what Garganjua is and can become.

"Through The Void"is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Boss Keloid, "Melted on the Inch"

By: John Reppion

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 27/04/2018

Label: Holy Roar Records

Melted on the Inch" is going to be huge, and deservedly so.

“Melted on the Inch“” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Chronosiam

2. Tarku Shavel

3. Peykruve

4. Jromalih

5. Lokannok

6. Griffonbrass

The Review:

It's April 2018, Wigan's very own Prog Sludgers Boss Keloid are back with album number four, "Melted on the Inch", and it might just be "the big one". Do heavy bands cross over into mainstream success in the twenty-teens? If so, what does that even look like? I have no idea, but whatever form that takes, that's surely what's about to happen to Boss Keloid. Where reviewers of previous outings have drawn comparisons to the likes of Iron Monkey, Clutch, and Mastodon, "Melted on the Inch" has much more of a straight-up rock influence, with a dynamic range to match.

“Chronosiam”’s gentle proggy intro breaks into a super-chunky riff,  with Alex Hurst's powerful vocals pushed to the fore (as they are throughout the record). By turns triumphant, heavy, melodic, and atmospheric, it's the perfect opener.

In the next track we get our first bit of newest member Matt Milne’s keyboards – a subtle touch of 60s inspired prog organ-work.“Tarku Shovel” starts out with more than a hint of the 90s about it, seeming at first like a kind of Soundgarden meets Down type affair, with Hurst going full Anselmo for the sludgified chorus. The song’s final two minute movement though – too long to be just an outro – is the first real taste of the different territory Boss Keloid are venturing into with "Melted on the Inch", sounding not unlike a more laid back Baroness.

“Peycruve”’s sneaky, cheeky, almost jazzy beginnings would not sound out of place on Crime in Choir's 2004 album "The Hoop"; Arands and (Adam) Swarbrick’s rhythm section locked in as tight as anything, and with some fantastic guitar work from Paul Swarbrick throughout. Again we get the light and darkness – the contrast between the heaviness of one passage and the mildness of the next. The oft cited King Crimson influence comes to the fore at a pivotal moment, only to be swallowed by a wave of heaviness once again.

From Tribal Tiki Lounge percussive beginnings “Jromalih" becomes one of the more straight forward, verse/chorus/verse, tracks on the album. It also has some of the biggest riffs, however, and works very, very well indeed. "Lokannok"'s wonky synth intro leads us into a track with a pretty similar arrangement (albeit with more prominent and intrinsic keyboards), but which is no less effective. If I say that, at times, it (and other parts of the album) sounds a bit like Neurosis doing a Pearl Jam cover that might put people off. So I probably shouldn’t say that.

Finally, “Griffonbrass” feels like the perfect counterpart to the album opener, so that the pair bookend the record nicely. This latter showcasing more or less the full range of styles and influences covered across "Melted on the Inch".

"Melted on the Inch" is a really polished sounding record and, if I’m perfectly honest, then I think it might be a little bit too polished. The way the very dry vocals are pushed right to the front of the mix, and the keyboards pushed to the very back doesn’t quite sound right to me. I don’t feel like it sounds as massive as it could or should. But who gives a fuck what I think? Kerrang and Metal Hammer already love Boss Keloid, and they’re currently in The Guardian’s Top 40 Tracks for April playlist. "Melted on the Inch" is going to be huge, and deservedly so.

“Melted on the Inch”is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Conjurer, "Mire"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 09/03/2018

Label: Holy Roar Records

“Mire” is a laudable achievement in sludge experimentation and to my ears it sounded like the work of veterans at the peak of their powers.

“Mire” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Choke

2. Hollow

3. Thankless

4. Retch

5. The Mire

6. Of Flesh Weaker Than Ash

7. Hadal

The Review:

Sometimes it pays to go into a piece of art blind – too often the biographical details or personal obsessions of iconic performers, writers, filmmakers or musicians can make every release from a prolific legend feel like another chapter in an ongoing biography.  Or, in another limiting way, you end up playing the comparison game: how much progress has this band/writer/director shown since their last burst of output?  Does it live up to an undisputed classic or just ape its style?  Is this a pandering bit of nostalgia bait or a bold return to form?  It’s another tired, fill in the blank method for quick, lazy criticism that ticks off the right boxes (prior knowledge, fealty to popular opinion, an obsessive attention to trivia), but usually doesn’t get into the actual merits or missteps of a particular piece of art.  Impressive debuts are intriguing but difficult for this very reason – is this artist a flash in the pan or a budding genius?  Does that even matter?  In the game of genre gatekeeping, making the “right call” on someone seems to be the coin of the realm.

Thankfully, when I threw on Conjurer’s debut “Mire”, I wasn’t bogged down by all this bullshit.  Knowing nothing about the band, I assumed it was a second or third major release – the level of confident songwriting, bold choices, and what feels like a carefully honed “Conjurer style” is so atypical of a full-length debut, I could have sworn this was a group into its second decade as a band.  From the first track, “Choke”, Conjurer establishes itself as a group that could lay down competent, crackling sludge and probably stand out among the crowd.  But then they throw in some nasty groove riffs, galloping drums, dual register high and low harsh vocals, and a measure of post-rock twang.  Guitar duo Nightingale and Deeprose trade off chugging rhythms with soaring leads, and on “Hollow”, introduce clean vocals that recall some of the best in 2000s post-hardcore.

“Thankless”pays further homage to post-hardcore, math, and borderline grind metal technicality.  A bass-driven interlude highlights bassist Conor Marshall’s considerable bass chops; there aren’t any wonky pedal modulations on here, just clean, precise groove.  My only caveat here is a somewhat flabby post-rock midsection that is initially atmospheric, but had me craving more of the brutality Conjurer invokes so well.  “Retch”and “The Mire” answered my prayers, ricocheting between blasts and grooves that attest to Jan Krause’s status as percussive deity.  “Of Flesh Weaker than Ash” is a return to classic sludge perfection riding on palm muted guitar harmonies and pornographically filthy guitar tone.  Closer “Hadal” is another “classic sludge” cut – a restrained wallow in hypnotic, minimalist misery that just hints at fat, bluesy riffing.

Whether or not Conjurermake a “compelling follow-up”, establish a headliner-level career, etc., “Mire” is a laudable achievement in sludge experimentation.  To my ears, obviously, it sounded like the work of veterans at the peak of their powers.  But as a debut, I do hope there are new soundscapes and amalgams for Conjurer to forge.  They more than promise excellence – they deliver.

“Mire” is available here

Band info: facebook|| bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Minors - "Atrophy"

By: Ernesto Aguilar

Album Type: Full length

Date Released: 15/12/2017

Label: Holy Roar Records

 

Minors manages to make a big splash with its debut album "Atrophy," a confrontational collection of nihilistic but unassailably captivating songs and is one of the more enjoyable hardcore debuts listeners got with the wrap of 2017. The possibilities for a group like Minors seem limitless. May 2018 see a lot more from this promising young band.

“Atrophy”CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Somnolence

2. Bone Pointer

3. Leper               

4. Dark Clouds

5. Void

6. Miseranaut

7. Soothsayer

The Review:

As much as one can make an impression in seven tracks over about 18 minutes, the Windsor, Ontariosludge/hardcore band Minors manages to make a big splash with its debut album "Atrophy," a confrontational collection of nihilistic but unassailably captivating songs.

You will discover some gems on "Atrophy." "Miseranaut" rains down monster chords and distortion in one of the long-player's most sustained cuts. By the time it settles into a hard charging rhythm, you're exhausted from its thrashing, dense composition.  It peaks at the end with unforgettable feedback and a nod to the sort of hardcore you love. Hat tip thereafter to post-production, which flows "Soothsayer" exceptionally well into it. By now, Minorsgrind into a depressive, cold groove. Although the rhythm almost teases you for a second with a hint of "Miseranaut," the band shocks you with a clubbing riff and unrelenting drum sequences. It too wraps with just a hint of feedback that makes the cut feel like a perfect pairing with its predecessor.

Some critics have noted a bit of unclassifiability to Minors' sound. However, there is a good chunk of post-hardcore in the All Pigs Must Die vein that you might find common lineage with. The quartet are able capable of bringing both frenetic energy to its tightest selections, such as "Dark Clouds" and "Bone Pointer," while offering a deliberate attack on music like "Somnolence" – here, with a dash of punk/noise in its open. The result is a perfectly executed first album, one that gives listeners a sense of what this group is capable of creating, while providing room for the imagination to consider more.

If fans will have any complaints with Minors, it is that "Atrophy" is almost unforgivably short. Granted, there is a lot provided. A debut album of seven songs of impeccably rugged quality is something to appreciate.  The fact they clock in at just less than 20 minutes may be understandable, but that just does not make the pain go away. You may walk away wanting to hear much more from these Canadian bombers, but one has to guess that's what the new year is for.

"Atrophy" is one of the more enjoyable hardcore debuts listeners got with the wrap of 2017. The possibilities for a group like Minors seem limitless. May 2018 see a lot more from this promising young band.

"Atrophy" is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook

REVIEW: Slabdragger/Wren - “Mothers Of The Beef And The Magic Of Invention” [Split]

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Split 12”

Date Released: 27/10/2017

Label: Holy Roar Records

Both bands deliver the best kind of cover version; one that takes the source material and imbues it with their own unique spirit to create something new and exciting.  An essential purchase for any fans of the UK heavy underground and maybe it’ll turn some old Zappa and Beefheart heads towards the sludgier side of life too

“Mothers Of The Beef And The Magic Of Invention” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Slabdragger – “Muffin Man”

2). Wren – “Electricity”

The Review:

Slabdragger and Wren are a formidable duo of UK riff merchants. Bringing together the two slowest and heaviest bands on Holy Roar to unleash a split 12” leads to exactly the mighty results you would expect. What is less expected is that these behemoths manage to create characteristically earth-shaking offerings in the form of Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart covers.

Both bands deliver the best kind of cover version; one that takes the source material and imbues it with their own unique spirit to create something new and exciting. Slabdragger take Frank Zappa’sone riff wonder “Muffin Man” and throw in a filthy radioactive swamp, only to have it emerge as a mutant city-levelling Godzilla. The track is a perfect blend of modern dirty sludge and retro jam band freedom. This ten minute monster is bookended by classic monolithic Slabdragger riffage while the middle section sees them really channelling the spirit of Zappa with every band member getting a solo.

While Slabdragger offer up a cover that sticks structurally and sonically close to the original, Wren’s take on Captain Beefheart’s “Electricity”is a different beast. The original song is one of the notoriously difficult Beefheart’s catchiest numbers, three minutes of raw, warped funk. Wren take the source material and twist into a new dark form that stretches over eight dark and powerful minutes. If you listen closely you can hear the parts of “Electricity” that Wren have dragged out to create a sinister post-metal epic that would fit in seamlessly on their amazing “Auburn Rule” LP. The hypnotic elastic groove of the original is transformed into a huge lumbering riff that ushers in the tracks punishing climax.

This is a fine split from two awesome bands on crushing form. An essential purchase for any fans of the UK heavy underground and maybe it’ll turn some old Zappa and Beefheart heads towards the sludgier side of life too.

“Mothers Of The Beef And The Magic Of Invention” is available here

Band info: Slabdragger || Wren

ALBUM REVIEW: Helpless - "Debt"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 08/09/2017

Label: Holy Roar Records

Every track on “Debt” is imbued with a captivating air of spontaneity and weirdness, delivered with a terrifying level of intensity.

“Debt’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1) Worth
2) Out Of Commission
3) Grief Vultures
4) Moral Bankruptcy
5) Sertraline
6) Weightless Prayers
7) Ceremony Of Innocence
8) Sinkhole
9) Manufactured Consent
10) Denied Sale

The Review:

Plymouth trio Helpless look set to let a fire under the UKunderground with blistering debut LP “Debt”.

A number of familiar influences on Helpless’ sound can be detected throughout “Debt”. The furious grind-infused crust of Trap Them, the metallic hardcore experimentation of Converge and the mind-melting math-metal constructions of Botch and Coalesce all make their presence felt. While there are a few current bands mining similar seams for inspiration (excellent Holy Roarlabel mates Employed To Serve for example), the way Helpless execute this combination of elements is something else. Every track on “Debt” is imbued with a captivating air of spontaneity and weirdness, delivered with a terrifying level of intensity.

The majority of the tracks here barely make it past the two minute mark but each one is packed with intricate detail. Furious ragers like “Worth” and “Grief Vultures” sit alongside mini-epics like “Weightless Prayers” where the band manage to navigate slower paced territory without letting up on heaviness.

After a nine tracks of breakneck, relentless attack, Helpless take a slight breath to allow album closer “Denied Sale” to unfurl over five minutes. It begins with their spikiest guitar line scraping over the ominous rumble of the rhythm section and builds to a crushing finale where the band unleash an arsenal of lumbering riffs.

“Debt” is an incredible statement from Helpless. There are few bands out there who can achieve such a perfect balance of spite and creativity.

“Debt” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Ohhms - "The Fool"

By: Stephen Murray

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 31/03/2017

Label: Holy Roar Records

“The Fool” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Shuffle, Cut and Reveal

2). The Magician

3). The Hanged Man

4). The World

5). The Lovers

6). The Hierophant

The Review:

This is not doom. Even less is it sludge. The influence of those genres can be felt, but to understand Ohhms under those terms is misleading.

Three years on since Ohhms' first appearance outside the rehearsal room, it is still unclear who first applied these labels to the band, though there's no doubt that these are labels the group have done nothing to eschew. Speaking outside Camden's Black Heart in 2014 before their second ever gig, the deal with Holy Roarnot yet in the bag, vocalist Paul had admitted as much. "To be quite honest I would be happy to be lumped in with the doom thing just because it's different and there [are] elements of doom in [our music]," he had said. And yet, out of the then 30 minute set they had, only eight minutes were described by Paul as doom. He'd timed it. So what are they? "Classic rock, if anything," he'd said then.

'The Fool' is the band's third release and the first that they consider to be a full-length, and the description 'classic rock' still sounds fairer than what is more usually thrown at them. There are definite hints of Pink Floyd’smore reflective moments, along with some guitar work that would not upset the 80s hard rock applecart. Though there is more going on here, and not just Dan working his way through his extensive pedal board of boutique guitar effects, or indeed anything particularly progladytic. Where Ohhms skirt the sludgey-doomy influence, it is filtered through post-something-or-other and is akin to grunge.

There they are in good company; though rather different, Germany’s Aleph Null also came in on a stoner tip but sound like the debt is actually made out in the name of grunge and psych rock, and that is no bad thing. To anyone who has been following Ohhmsthese last few years, this record will feel a very natural and subtle mutation. Paul still has his self-professed “singy and shouty, never screamy”vocals pushed through echo. Not psych rock meltiness, but a big room-feel. Chainy’s restless and nomadic bass still wanders widely in search of home. Max still offers a lyrical range of punctuation and backbone, though has stepped it up on the faster moments in “The Fool”. But despite the ready familiarity of the sound, the word that fell from my lips as the first listen came to a close was “surprising.”

One of the most striking things about this album is not the penultimate track, 'The Lovers,' (which, on first hearing, you would be forgiven for thinking a song penned by Phil Collins for a Disney soundtrack had somehow snuck its way in -- that may read as though it is intended to be a slur. It isn't.) Rather, it is most striking for its echoes of the band four fifths of Ohhms emerged from: The Babies Three.

Before taking on this review I had decided not to wake the dead; to allow Ohhmsto be judged independently of that past. But not only do some of the guitar lines seem to recall that heritage, but the lyrics to the album’s closer, ‘The Hierophant,’ are lifted wholesale from File UnderRetaliation’s ‘Rotten Apples’. As the lyric says: “Recurring themes throughout my life.”

The original mission statement may have been Swans circa “1984”, but it was never quite to be. Instead there’s something more organic. Ohhmsshoot new blooms from deep roots, laying out their generational history as they evolve as musicians.

“The Fool” is available here

 Band info: bandcamp|| facebook