Countless Skies - Resonance (Willowtip Records) [Mark Young]
Countless Skies present this, which is a selection of songs from their first two albums live In the studio but with some fresh additions in the shape of Cellist Arianna Mahsayeh who contributed to the last album, Glow.
From the outset this comes across so well, as they change from soaring clean vocals to the blacker side of death metal, with pummelling speed and slower, softer parts treated with equal respect and care. Having the cello onboard with these songs really gives them a sense of depth that adds to the anthemic nature, and is captured on opener Daybreak and track 2, Summit, they both have that warmth, that epic feeling to it with keys bringing an Egyptian sense to it before the come back to that repeating melodic line with the cello in full force. As one-two’s go, it is a great start.
And then they do this:
Glow, the absolute highlight here, in its 20-minute length its just absolutely top class. Its start has the guitars dialled back to give everyone space to breath. This falls away to allow the main riff and structure to come in with the cello again taking that spotlight and it just fits so well. Its almost like the addition has taken pressure away and given an uplift in the confidence possessed by the band.
It builds to allow those death vocals to come in and then in similar way to the Muadib Theme from Dune (Tangerine Dream) they have a solo break that is backed by cello and it is awesome. All of this happens in the first 7 minutes and it just flies by. This is a piece of music that hits me so much, there is such an emotional heft to it, it has everything.
Wanderer continues with this high bar as they somehow manage to follow that opus without that feeling of movement dropping off. There is something about their melodies which are just solid gold, again boosted by the cello.
Tempest brings proceedings to a close, again with those perfectly measured melodic parts that don’t rely on a thousand notes being played, this is played with an emotion and feeling that is sometimes missing, possibly some bands don’t want to show that in their music which is fine but here it is just front and centre. This is exceptional stuff. 9/10
Enforcer - Nostalgia (Nuclear Blast) [Matt Bladen]
Formed by vocalist/guitarist Olof Wikstrand (who is now also in Tribulation) Enforcer is the speed metal project that was at the spearhead of the NWOTHM revival since 2005 since 2012 they have been signed to Nuclear Blast Records, with their sixth album Nostalgia they again plunder the style of the 80’s metal scene with melodic touches of Heartbeats aped from both Dio’s Don’t Talk To Strangers and Skid Row’s 18 & Life.
Coming Alive, At The End Of The Rainbow and Metal Supremacia, throw it back to their speed metal beginnings as tracks such as the title track show how far they’ve come (it actually sounds a bit like ABBA), flexing their creative muscles to evolve from the NWOTHM scene while firmly keeping their place as one of the founders, songs like White Lights In The USA and Keep The Flame Alive, owing to Dokken as much as they do Priest.
To accompany this album they have made a virtual space that resembles a metalhead’s bedroom which contains information on tours, the record the band etc and is quite clever if you want to check it out. The harmony guitars of Olof and Jonathan Nordwall slice and dice in glorious union on Demon, while the backbone of Garth Condit (bass) and Jonas Wikstrand (drums) sets the breathless pace of Kiss Of Death, Jonas also adding the keys/piano, that layers but doesn’t overwhelm on the closer When The Thunder Roars (Crossfire).
These Swedes have been in the upper echelon of their scene for years now and they are still managing to add new elements to their music without changing their core sound. Nostalgia it may be but it’s very fun. 8/10
Draconian Reign - Tragedy Eternal (Seem And Strike Records) [Matt Bladen]
Another week another blackened deathcore band, we’ve had Melancolia, then last week it was Existentialist and now their label mates and soon to be tour partners Draconian Reign who unleash a four track EP of black metal meats beatdowns, though Draconian Reign err more on the black metal side with the orchestral oomph of Dimmu Borgir, who they cite as an influence along with The Black Dahlia Murder, both bands clearly audible in these four brutal cuts.
Having established themselves with their debut EP and an appearance at Bloodstock in 2022, the follow up Tragedy Eternal is more of the same earth shatteringly heavy music where tremolo picked blasts of glacial riffage evolves into grooves that have the density of black holes all the while gothic choirs, keys and orchestrations instil a sense of dread. As I said Draconian Reign lean more towards black metal, the vocals especially raw but Infernal Requiem, their first single and the 7 minute last track The Funeral have the deathcore sound much stronger than the other two the balance ideal for fans of either style.
Tragedy Eternal is more gothic and brooding than Existentialist, but feels rawer than the Essex band. What is for sure is that both bands will complement each other well on the upcoming tour and on the back of this EP it looks like Draconian Reign are looking to expand their sound further. 7/10
The Modern Age Slavery - 1901 / The First Mother (Fireflash Records 05th May 2023)
And so, to Italy’s The Modern Age Slavery to finish off my reviews for this week. Formed in 2007 and starting within the deathcore genre they have constantly tried to develop and advance their sound so to separate themselves from a crowded pack.
And they are not playing around. Pro Patria Mori heralds in near 4-minute battering, combining Cannibal Corpse brutality through a modern filter. As album openers go, this is pretty full on and sets a great scene for the rest of the album to come. If this is representative of the whole album, there could be a problem with fatigue and KLLD continues this relentless pace, keeping that intensity of attack high whilst squeezing in moments of melody before it hits you with a heavier than lead break down.
Irradiate All The Earth keeps it going whilst managing to effectively add keys / piano to swell the sound and keep it from just pure brutality. It still has the speed and brings us a solo break and then straight into the pummelling. This is a great sign that they are not content to have that singular approach and explore some ace Melodeath on The Hip and manage to avoid that pitfall of repetition. Changing things further, the slower paced Lilibeth gives us a stomper which is still full of changing themes anchored by an almighty chug. On here you can hear why they have managed to share the stage with so many different exponents of extreme metal because there is a ton of stuff running through here in just these first 5 songs.
What follows is more of the same, with Overture To Silence keeping the slower dynamic going from Lilibeth and by that displaying a wider breadth of sound, which in turn properly engages the listener. What had come before was very good but there was a danger that they would fall into that trap of speed against what constitutes good songs. Now they have found their range, they serve up what could be considered the stronger half of the album. OXYgen is a great get and go track that will go down a storm live, with that constant drum and the full attack dropping in and out. Nytric elicits the same feeling, with more of that blackened death coming through and again will be a stormer live.
As we approach the finish line, they throw short instrumental break in with Victoria’s Death, and as this album is the first in a possible trilogy that looks at the creation of the modern era via the passing of Queen Victoria. What I do know is that the last track, The Age Of Great Man contains some of the most melodic touches here, with spoken parts, roared parts played off against the vary speed riffing as it rises to its inevitable end.
And then, for fun they give us a cover of Blind. I’m not sure how wise it to throw this in after delivering a top-class album as they have picked the pace up on it slightly and I don’t know how I feel about it. Leaving this to one side, I’m going to score this based on their music only. A well-deserved 8/10