Reviews: Battlesword, Escuela Grind, Silent Lie, Lybica (Reviews By Ben Baljak, Matt Cook, Elliott Spencer & Matt Bladen)

The album starts by ticking off the usual boxes with Departure, a short soundscape of natural sounds. As cliché as distant cracking thunder over lapping waves may be, it is always a welcome accompaniment in my mind, and then we metal. The classic pedal tone riffs of melodic death metal are plenty. Tight thunderous drums and relatively crushing rhythms are complimented by the lyrical motifs of the lead guitar. On the approved scale of death metal vocals, Axel Muller sits midway between the razor sharp need for a lozenge and an armoured boar being sodomised by a flaming halibut. The regular pace then changes slightly with track 5. 

The Shores Of I sets a slower heavier tone than its predecessors, before opening back up into a more melodious dramatic piece reminiscent of the earlier days of Arch Enemy. This is contrasted by turning up the heavy-o-meter once again and being punched in the face by the Hound Of Hades. The intro is a slight departure from the menu of the Melo Death formula, delving into the realms of mid to late 90s American Metal so much so that you can almost hear Robb Flynn. The song returns to said menu before using a modulation of the opening riff to really kick the shit out of you. You’ve got to love those drop tuned chromatic breaks! It then wraps up with the band realising that they called themselves Battlesword and goes out with a galloping Steve Harris rhythm. 

Backstabber is the culmination of the album. Fast and aggressive this song illustrates a beautiful balance between speed and melody, showing off the drummer and ending with an arpeggio based guitar solo. Towards The Unknown is a solid, straight forward melodic death metal album, it is not bad by any means but also sticks very closely to a tried and tested comfort zone with little room for experimentation. Despite sticking to heritage in the riffs department, The three remastered tracks that follow on from the seven new compositions give testament to the advancements in production. On the approved heaviness index, at its heaviest this album just about clocks in at the weight of 7 bears. 

Overall it’s a very traditional sound and lovers of the genre should have no problem getting into it. 7 new songs , heavy as 7 bears , this album deserves a solid 7/10

Escuela Grind – Memory Theater (MNRK Heavy) [Matt Cook]

With artwork that resembles a page straight out of an “I Spy” hardcover book, grindcore enthusiasts Escuela Grind appropriately compiled nine songs of erratic, off-the-wall insanity in the form of their sophomoric effort, Memory Theater. One of the most endearing aspects of said grindcore is the prevalence of a vocalist that shrieks, screeches and shouts like their life is literally on the line. Katerina Economou has no problem fitting that bill. Their bitter, scratchy vocals indubitably set the tone for a 22-minute joyride through static hell. 

There is a formulaic albeit still unpredictable approach to Faulty Blueprints which gallops its way into a suitable imitation of the running of the bulls. The Massachusetts-based fourpiece doesn’t shy away from intensity while also managing to insert some groovy lines. All Is Forgiven features a pit-clearing-approved pre-outro bridge. Additionally, Forced Collective Introspection devolves into an unmitigated frenzy. Par for the course, essentially. Though it shies away from the kind of Grindcore that includes burly, what-the-hell-is-going-on vocal antics, Memory Theater retains its chaotic sensibilities that flirt with a rigid structure as much as it spits in the face of conformity. 

Cliffhanger is noteworthy in that it does away with preconceived notions and instead of dealing with a lingering plot that is just about to be revealed, the cliffhanger in this case is a person: “Don’t push me cause I’m close to the edge. The latest instalment courtesy of Escuela Grind could be chalked up as an acidic brand of hardcore. But the cantankerous energy has all the makings of a grindcore record, what with its coarse, caustic aura. 7/10

SilentLie - Equilibrium (Rockshots Records) [Elliott Spencer]

There’s no doubt that SilentLie bring a level of precision and focus to their brand of goth-rock, but it’s arguably the simplicity and strictness of their songwriting that holds them back on Equilibrium. Despite the moody riffs and kitschy church organ melodies on Divided, this opening track suffers from dramatic Siouxsie Sioux-esque vocals that swamp the instrumental in the mix and a last-minute key change that never reaches the heights of something like Ghost’s Dance Macabre. 

That being said, the brief flashes of a Black Sabbath groove on Something To Remember and a somewhat The Cramps influence on here provide something of a standout. Ultimately, SilentLie suffer from a lack of identity that can make them stand out amongst their peers. The album is perfectly pleasant to listen to while it’s on but the almost-catchy choruses and one-paced riffing lack enough character to truly stick. 5/10

Lybica - Lybica (Metal Blade Records) [Matt Bladen]

Formed by Killswitch Engage drummer Justin Foley in the doldrums of doing nothing in Quarantine. Lybica are an instrumental band that comes from numerous demos Foley had in his studio, songs that didn't really fit in with Killswitch, but were more atmospheric taking from various genres but with the same kind of style of bands such as Cult Of Luna, Mogwai and even Mono. 

So he searched South Florida for musicians to help him, Justin playing guitar for this record but gaining another drummer in Doug French who plays bass here and Joey Johnson who is a guitar player, playing guitar. So the songs were written back and forth between the three, two men out of their comfort zones playing instruments they didn't usually. As the album progressed they realised they are a cat people this naming the project after and African wild cat. Once all their parts were complete they brought in Chris Lane behind the kit to round them out as a four-piece. 

Musically there's plenty to like here, lots of slow burning intros that open into wide-screen atmospherics on Voltaic, big riffs and drumbeats on songs such as Resonance, reverbed grooves on Palatial, the usual things but they push the envelope a little with some punkier tones on Oktavist. A diverse listen if not one we've heard before. Still for a lockdown project this will go far to show Justin Foley as not just a metalcore drummer. 7/10