Carcass: Despicable (Nuclear Blast) [Rich Oliver]
Carcass are a band that don’t really need any introduction. Alongside Napalm Death, they are one of the most important and influential extreme metal bands from the UK. From goregrind to death metal to melodic death metal they have had an overwhelming influence on the development of extreme metal. Carcass were meant to have a new album in 2020 but the ongoing pandemic has resulted in the album being delayed until 2021. To tide us over in the meantime Carcass have provided us with a tasty little EP entitled Despicable containing offcuts of the upcoming album. It comprises four songs that were leftovers from the recording sessions which bodes very well for the new album as the material deemed surplus to requirements is of a ridiculously high standard. As soon as you hit play on opener The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue it is unmistakably Carcass with a classic Bill Steer guitar harmony before dropping in a lovely galloping riff. The pace alters throughout the song from the mid paced gallop to blast beat riddled speed and by the end of the song it is clear that Carcass are back and they mean fucking business.
The Long And Winding Bier Road plays more to the melodic side of Carcass and has a great groovy riff that sounds like it could have come off the Swansong album. Under The Scalpel Blade (which was also released as a single back in 2019) plays more to the death metal side of the band though still has plenty of groove and melody whilst the closing song Slaughtered In Soho is a classy piece of groove laden melodic death metal. The EP sounds fantastic and the performances are top drawer stuff with Jeff Walker’s unmistakable snarl sounding as fantastic as they did in the early 1990’s. Despicable is a delectable starter for the main course to follow next year. It is a great reminder of just what a good band Carcass are. If fans are expecting something different from the band they may find this a little disappointing. It does pick up exactly from where the band left us with Surgical Steel and whilst one could accuse Carcass of going through the motions it is the band doing what they do best. Despicable is a fantastic EP and is a worthy return for the UK extreme metal legends. The fact that this is merely a sampler for what is to come next year has me salivating with excitement. 8/10
Leave’s Eyes: The Last Viking (AFM Records) [Simon Black]
Symphonic Metal is a funny beast and gets a lot of stick in the metal world. Finland was a powerful factor in the genre’s origin, with Stratovarius and the mighty Nightwish probably the most well-known and influential break out acts, although the former are a shadow of their former selves and the latter have left everyone else so far behind as to be a genre in their own right. To be honest though, the line between Symphonic and Power Metal is blurring, as albums like this demonstrate. But then after eight albums and some notable chart success in their native Germany, this quintet can afford to do what the hell they feel like.
In my book to be truly Symphonic a band ideally probably has a quite large number of players, or at the very least an overt keyboard presence. Not so with this incarnation of Leave’s Eyes, for whom the majority of the original line up were lifted and shifted from Death Metal outfit Atrocity. Indeed they partially retain that vocal sound with the contribution of band leader Alexander Krull, whose vocal style is a complete contrast to the cleaner than clean pure soprano strains of frontwoman Elina Siirala (which the band refer to as a ‘beauty and the beast’ approach). With founder member Liv Kristine Espenæs having left under a cloud relatively recently (plus all sorts of legal shenanigans running in the background), these are difficult shoes to fill. No doubt this is made tougher by the decision to go straight to completing the third album in their Viking trilogy fifteen years in the making, rather than warming Siirala up with an interim EP or a live release. Fans need not worry. She fits the band like a glove.
Stylistically this has significant Power tropes – the Norse concepts and ethos - and the first handful of tracks are straight out of that playbook. The symphonic elements take a while to come into their own, and actually, this trick works astonishingly well. They don’t really start playing with the more symphonic vocal tricks until Black Butterfly when Clementine Delauney pops up for a beautifully delivered duet. The Norse folk elements don’t really show up until about half way through and at that point the keyboard steps in with a vengeance with the breadth of instrument voices that the genre is so well known for. This has the effect of warming you up to a bouncy Power opening and dragging you into the story with the Symphonic tricks one at a time. It works well, and holds your attention throughout what is quite a long album at over an hour’s run time for its fourteen tracks and might just persuade a few genre doubters that actually it is OK to love the Symphonic (yes, you too Mr Editor).
The more folky elements work very well, and if the presence of a fiddle on a metal track in 4/4 reel time doesn’t make you want to get up and dance, then the band should go home. And Leave’s Eyes get this perfectly, whilst seamlessly keeping up a relentless metal time change or two alongside (check out Serkland if you don’t believe me). By the time we get to the epic closing title track, all pretence at Power Metal has been abandoned for sheer Symphonic reckless excess with a cacophony of instruments sounds, vocal tricks and time changes. I’ve listened to this three times now and I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of what this album achieves, and unpeeling the layers with every repeat listening a joy. 9/10
Symphonic Metal is a funny beast and gets a lot of stick in the metal world. Finland was a powerful factor in the genre’s origin, with Stratovarius and the mighty Nightwish probably the most well-known and influential break out acts, although the former are a shadow of their former selves and the latter have left everyone else so far behind as to be a genre in their own right. To be honest though, the line between Symphonic and Power Metal is blurring, as albums like this demonstrate. But then after eight albums and some notable chart success in their native Germany, this quintet can afford to do what the hell they feel like.
In my book to be truly Symphonic a band ideally probably has a quite large number of players, or at the very least an overt keyboard presence. Not so with this incarnation of Leave’s Eyes, for whom the majority of the original line up were lifted and shifted from Death Metal outfit Atrocity. Indeed they partially retain that vocal sound with the contribution of band leader Alexander Krull, whose vocal style is a complete contrast to the cleaner than clean pure soprano strains of frontwoman Elina Siirala (which the band refer to as a ‘beauty and the beast’ approach). With founder member Liv Kristine Espenæs having left under a cloud relatively recently (plus all sorts of legal shenanigans running in the background), these are difficult shoes to fill. No doubt this is made tougher by the decision to go straight to completing the third album in their Viking trilogy fifteen years in the making, rather than warming Siirala up with an interim EP or a live release. Fans need not worry. She fits the band like a glove.
Stylistically this has significant Power tropes – the Norse concepts and ethos - and the first handful of tracks are straight out of that playbook. The symphonic elements take a while to come into their own, and actually, this trick works astonishingly well. They don’t really start playing with the more symphonic vocal tricks until Black Butterfly when Clementine Delauney pops up for a beautifully delivered duet. The Norse folk elements don’t really show up until about half way through and at that point the keyboard steps in with a vengeance with the breadth of instrument voices that the genre is so well known for. This has the effect of warming you up to a bouncy Power opening and dragging you into the story with the Symphonic tricks one at a time. It works well, and holds your attention throughout what is quite a long album at over an hour’s run time for its fourteen tracks and might just persuade a few genre doubters that actually it is OK to love the Symphonic (yes, you too Mr Editor).
The more folky elements work very well, and if the presence of a fiddle on a metal track in 4/4 reel time doesn’t make you want to get up and dance, then the band should go home. And Leave’s Eyes get this perfectly, whilst seamlessly keeping up a relentless metal time change or two alongside (check out Serkland if you don’t believe me). By the time we get to the epic closing title track, all pretence at Power Metal has been abandoned for sheer Symphonic reckless excess with a cacophony of instruments sounds, vocal tricks and time changes. I’ve listened to this three times now and I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of what this album achieves, and unpeeling the layers with every repeat listening a joy. 9/10
Auðn: Vökudraumsins Fangi (Season Of Mist) [Paul Hutchings]
Iceland is slowly generating more and more impressive metal bands. Think Kontinuum, Solstafir and The Vintage Caravan and you’ll realise that there is plenty happening. You can add Auðn to that list, for this third album by a band that have been together for a decade is an emotional rollercoaster which propels them to the forefront. At 55 minutes in length, this isn’t an album to take lightly. Auðn trade in vibrant black metal, utilising sweeping passages of sonically explosive power which contrast with sections drenched with haunting melodies. It’s not difficult to visualise the remoteness of the Northern Atlantic in their music, with each piece an individualised and dramatic concept which is intertwined to provide a stunning release. Opening with Einn um alla tíð, a dramatic and elegant song that flows organically, Auðn paint images of light and darkness, the harrowing screams of vocalist Hjalti Sveinsson jar the listener from any comfortable position they had adopted. Apart from Einn um alla tíð which is over eight minutes in length, most of the tracks here are more traditional in length, but still pack a majestic punch.
The melodic sections of Birtan hugann brennir and the agonising downtuned dissonance of Verður von að bráð contrast in a way that appears natural, the six-piece working in unity to develop and expand their sonic landscapes. It’s big, ambitious, and totally works. The strains of Næðir um push boundaries, the band straining muscle and sinew. Horfin mér is explosive, a melding of tremolo riffing, blast beats and a wall of emotional intensity that is immersive. Vökudraumsins fangi translates to Prisoner of the Daydream. Although the reference is to a perpetual state of delusion of a life that never took place, it’s impossible not to drift gently along with this album, such is its power to provoke images and thoughts. Auðn’s three-pronged guitar sound allows for plenty of creativity whilst the inclusion of Hammond organ, Mellotron and grand piano adds even more textures. This is an album that needs time to absorb. It’s majestic, compelling and with the legendary Jens Bogren at the production helm, perfectly crafted. If you enjoy black metal that crafts and creates visual stimuli, this may well be worth exploring. 8/10
Defecto: Duality (Black Lodge) [Lucas Tuckwood]
It’s the latest album from Denmark’s loudest headbangers Defecto, surging back with another killer release. Boasting a remarkably consistent sound since their debut in 2012, they’ve made the rounds, even supporting legends like Metallica on the promotional circuit. But does the new record stack up against the rest? Let’s see. Defecto fall into the realm of melodic metal, so you know what to expect from their work. It’s fierce, heavy, and while not as fresh as it ought to be, it still feels pretty damn good. There’s oodles of soaring melodies here, juxtaposed with chugging, heavy riffs, spearheaded by Nicklas Sonne’s fearsome vocals. If I was to make any kind of complaint, it’s that while musically the whole album is heavier than a tank, on the sound front it feels a little generic. Though this is mitigated by the quality of the music, it strays a little too far into well-trodden territory to allow it to sound one hundred percent fresh.
What is fresh however, is the decision to stop dipping their toes into electronic territory, and instead plunging head first into the wires in the penultimate track Tempest. Screeching synthesisers pair with the guitars, adding some serious crunch to the riffs. The brief foray into electronic is rather good, and though it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think a few more tracks with experiments into new types of music would give the album a big boost. With that said, this is still a great melodic metal record. It’s got triumphant choruses, soaring melodies and shredding guitars aplenty, but it struggles somewhat to find a distinctive sound amidst its peers. Regardless, I’d still unflinchingly recommend it to fans of the band and melodic metal as a whole. 7/10