Lockdown Reviews: Bring Me The Horizon - Post Human: Survival Horror

 

For anyone that's read any of my reviews for the past year or so with my many reviews for black and death metal, it might come as a surprise that I consider myself a fan of Bring Me The Horizon (I'm sure the metal elitists will be hammering on my front door in no time), or at least I used to be. 

I consider 2015's 'That's the Spirit' to be one of my favourite albums of all time and I even have quite an emotional connection to it, to the point where I even have the umbrella from the front cover tattooed on my left arm and I considered every album from 'Suicide Season' onwards to be a masterpiece in their own right. That was until March of last year when I took to reviewing the band's latest LP 'amo'. I'll leave a link here for anyone wanting to check it out: amo review

Long story short, I had mixed feelings on the album as it did go for much more mainstream and pop sound mixed in with the hard rock they'd been using on 'That's the Spirit' and it didn't always hit the way I wanted. I've mellowed out on the album since then and whilst I still need to skip a fair few tracks I don't enjoy, I still get a kick out of listening to it again and again. 

With this EP released on October 30th, I didn't even plan on listening to it nevermind reviewing it as I was worried about further disappointment with their musical evolution. Curiosity eventually got the better of me and I decided to check it out and HOLY SHIT I'm glad I did. This is EP has totally turned be back into a fan of the band and I've spent the last while binging their albums again. So just how good is it? Well let's take a look. 

Right from the start I was pretty much hooked with the opener 'Dear Diary' which might be the band's heaviest track since the days of "There is a Hell" and whilst it's a short one, there's so much about it I love. The sheer ferocity of Oli's vocals (the scream is back!) along with a near death metal level of fury including a soaring guitar solo and even a catchy chorus it does so much in it's short time. There's even a killer breakdown at the end. The EP could have ended here and I would have been happy. I also love the lyrics as it's obvious that survival horror games were an influence with some of the words even taken right from passages from the very first Resident Evil game which I did enjoy as a fan, and this mixing with the claustrophobia of being stuck in lockdown works perfectly. Phenomenal start. 

Next up we have one of the first singles with 'Parasite Eve' that came out all the way back in June and was pretty much a sign of things to come. This was the first hint that the band may be going back to a heavier sound whilst keeping intact their evolution by including electronics. There's even a choir at the beginning making me think of the Japanese survival horror games 'Fatal Frame' keeping that theme going. Hell, the song's even named after a survival horror game itself. Anyway this is a song that may end up being divisive but I dig the hell out of it with another catchy as hell chorus and provides a bit of elation for the lockdown period. Although with the lyric "When we forget the infection, will we remember the lesson", I can confirm that no we will not. Too many dumbasses on this planet. 

Next track was 'Teardrops' and before I'd even heard this song, I'd heard people comparing it to Linkin Park so I wasn't sure what to expect. Turns out I didn't have anything to worry about as it does sound like Linkin Park but more like Linkin Park in between 'Hybrid Theory' and 'Meteora' so that's all good in my book with the more melodic moments mixing very well with the heavier sections. The track is all about how the current generation is becoming more addicted to technology and even some references to Oli Syke's battle with depression leading to some emotional vocals from him that really kept me hooked. Another winner as this EP is on a role so far. 

'Obey' is next and I have no idea who 'Yungblud' is as he's a vocalist guest featuring on this track. He did well enough here even though I have no desire to actually find out anymore about him. This was another single released and references oppression and corruption from current governments. Don't worry Oli, Trump is out now so now we just need rid of the Tories and we're all good to go. I have to ask where all this attitude was on 'amo' though. It was sorely missed. Another big banger of a track with another massive chorus that I'd love to hear in a live setting but we're still a while off from that. 

"Itch for the Cure" (another Linkin Park reference?) works as a nice intro to what might just be the best track on the album: "Kingslayer". This track also features work from Babymetal and whilst I've never really been into them myself, after listening to this I'm tempted to give them another go. This track is just completely mental and almost goes full cheese at points but manages to hold back. Those electronics mixed with those massive riffs just go together so well and Oli's heavy, growling vocals mixing with the innocent vocals of Babymetal was hilariously awesome. Bring Me almost went full power metal and it was a wonder to behold. I need to hear this on a dance floor at some point in the future. 

'1x1' featuring the Nova Twins (?) and 'Ludens' are the next tracks but this is when I started to come down on the album just a tad. '1x1' is a fine track with yet another good chorus but it can't really match or follow some of the tracks that came before. 'Ludens' I'd already heard back when it was released as a tracks for the Playstation 4 game 'Death Stranding' and I wasn't a big fan of it. I like it a bit more now after a few listens but in my opinion it only really becomes interesting in it's last couple of minutes when the heavier guitars kick in. It's a decent rock track.

Thankfully the EP ends on a high note with the huge name of 'One Day the Only Butterflies Left Will Be in Your Chest as You March Towards Your Death' which features the very talented Amy Lee from Evanescence. This might be the only proper ballad Bring Me have ever recorded and Amy's vocals do bring a level of class to the track and Oli's vocals work well and he isn't overshadowed of Amy at all. A nice different track from the band and whilst I think it was missing a big spine-tingling moment you would hope for in a track like this, it was still damn good while it lasted and built to a lovely crescendo. 

My biggest argument against 'amo' was that the band was trying too hard and too much to sound different from their past selves, but here they've kept true to their older sound whilst embracing new ideas that enhance their sound in many places. Whilst not every track was an absolute killer, there was plenty to enjoy here and I can only hope their next full length album is as good as this. I'm so happy to say that Bring Me The Horizon are back and as good as they've been in years. This is the nicest surprise 2020 has hit me with so far. 

Lockdown Reviews: Pallbearer - Forgotten Days

 

Whilst I've been planning out which albums I want to review to keep me busy as the world continues to stand still, this is one I didn't initially plan to work on until I gave it a listen after a friendly recommendation and felt it was worth talking about as in depth as I could. 

Truthfully whilst 2020 has been a shitty year overall, it's also been a pretty meh year for album releases as well. By this time last year I had a good idea of how my top albums of the year was looking, but this year it's pretty much slim pickings and part of the blame lays squarely on myself as I've lost a ton of motivation to listen to new releases with the stress of the lockdown taking over until now where I'm trying to listen to as much as I can. 

Thankfully this album came along and it's the first album to give me similar feelings I had with my pick for album of the year for 2019 with Swallow the Sun's latest release as this was one of the first this year to get any real emotion out of me in a similar vein. This is the first time I've actually checked out Pallbearer, an American doom metal band bringing out their fourth studio album: Forgotten Days. Hell, I've even bought the vinyl already.

They have dropped a bit of their doomy sound as while there is a doom core here for the most part, the band does add elements of prog and even a bit of grunge to their sound as they feel almost like a cross between Electric Wizard and Mastodon at times. This is one of those albums that's meant for late night listening with rain softly hitting the windows whilst you read the lyrics at the same time to really have the proper effect. It's far from a chill album and yet still has a smooth as hell feel to it all. 

The album starts off strong with the title track and already we have a pretty emotional track with the lyrics describing a person slowly being overtaken with dementia as their mind fades away to nothingness. As in similar fashion to the rest of the album, the clean vocals mix well with the heavier instrumental sections which does bring that Mastodon comparison. It's definitely one of the doomier tracks on here without ever going a repetitive route and keeping things fresh through it's near 7 minute runtime. The band likes to add in melodic guitar sections and it's usual a real standout moment when they hit out of nowhere. Great opener to set the tone. 

"Riverbed" is a great follow up track as well with nice little guitar solo at the start to set it apart from the previous track. As the song goes in I did adore the quiet atmospheric moment before the big chorus hit to really emphasis the sheer size of it. There's also some great vocal work with vocalist Brett Campbell hitting the high notes in impressive fashion. Doesn't hurt to have some chunky riffs in there too. 

The biggest highlight for me though was easily 'Silver Wings' which is the longest track on the album by far with it going over 12 minutes and didn't waste a second of it. It just built and built as it went on and the last few minutes with only instrumentals I can only describe as breath-taking with some fantastic, emotional guitar work pulled off here to give me goosebumps every time I hear it and the orchestral backing definitely helps as well. Trust me when I say this is one you should check out. 

Another of my favourites on here was the album closer "Caledonia" (thankfully not a cover) as I can't help but have a bit of Scottish pride here with the title. It almost starts like it's gonna be a massive power ballad and it's a bit of a relief that it never does as this is one of the doomiest tracks on offer and adds a bit of grunge to it's slower riffs as well. The bass does have a chance to show off here in the quieter moments. A very different track to the rest of the album and a great way to close it in my opinion. 

Overall this is a pretty damn great album with no real low points for me at all with every track bringing something to the table whether it be the doomy closer or the one-two punch of "Quicksand of Existing" and "Vengeance & Ruination" bringing the fire after a 12 minute epic, it always had me interested and for a doom album over 50 minutes long I'd say that's impressive. The only skippable track I found was maybe "Stasis" but even then it's not a bad track at all, just doesn't hit as hard as the others. 

It's definitely one that demands more that one listen to catch things you missed the first time around whether it be the subtle bass work woven throughout or the orchestral moments that arrive when needed most. It's an easy recommendation from me and one I'm sure that will pop up in my year end list. 

Tracks to check out: Forgotten Days, Silver Wings, The Quicksand of Existing, Caledonia

Album review: Hellripper - The Affair of the Poisons

 

It’s been a while hasn’t it? I had planned on taking a break from writing whilst the world of gigs remains in flux and the world of new music remains a tad stale with a much lower output of releases due to the bastard known as Covid-19, but since there’s pretty much fuck all to do around here now, I decided that to keep my spirits up, I needed to keep talking about my favourite thing: heavy fucking metal.

I’m gonna try and do as many new releases as I possibly can to highlight bands that I think deserve it with releases from this year and maybe even some nostalgic ones here and there to keep things fresh. To start with I think I found a new possible contender for my favourite album of the year…..

Hellripper is a blackened thrash metal band (my two favourite genres rolled into one, YAY!!) from the Scottish Highlands and amazingly is pretty much orchestrated by one guy in James McBain in a similar vein to America’s blackened rockers Midnight. Affair of the Poisons is the second full length release from the band after their 2017 debut Coagulating Darkness.

This is the first time I’ve checked the band out after a recommendation and I’m glad I decided to lie in bed at midnight listening to it at full blast when I had nothing better to do. Not in a bad way, but this isn’t an album I can really go in depth with as I would end up repeating myself quite a bit. It’s not a repetitive album at all but the band sticks to what they know throughout the quick 29 minute runtime without too many changes, not that I was asking for any because this stuff rattled my damn brain in the best way.

For an idea of the sound, imagine Metallica’s 1983 classic Kill ‘Em All but with an extreme and satanic edge to it with vocals sounding like a young, possessed by a demon James Hetfield as he snarls out the lyrics like a goddamn monster. The sound is defiitely influenced by early 80s thrash and speed metal especially with tracks like the brilliant ‘Vampire’s Grave’ that sounds like a mixed Motorhead and Metallica track thrown into a black metal blender.

I feel like the band knew there would be comparisons to Kill ‘Em All and threw in some throwbacks like the opening riff to ‘Spectres of the Blood Moon Sabbath’ which would fit on that album perfectly, and the shout of “alright!” at the opening of Vampire’s Grave sounds just like James Hetfield before ‘Seek and Destroy’ really kicks in.

I do love the opening title track as well with an almost deliberately slow pace to open with to lull the listener into a false sense of security before exploding into high speed thrash without ever really taking their foot off the peddle for the rest of the record and I’m happy that’s the case. Whilst there isn’t a bad track on here at all some more of the highlights do come towards the end of the album like the fantastically titled ‘Blood Orgy of the She Devils’ with a twin guitar solo that would make Iron Maiden jealous and a catchy chorus to boot. I also love the final track ‘The Hanging Tree’ which comes the closest to feeling like core black metal before we hit the one minute mark and the thrash comes again to send us home happy and even gives us a nice melodic outro out of nowhere for a proper full stop.

Overall I loved this album as it’s a great throwback to the glory days of early thrash whilst managing to keep a fresh sound that makes way for a bright future. It helps that the album is only 29 minutes so never outstays it’s welcome at all and can be played over and over again to keep the adrenaline going. This is an album that begs to be played live and I can only hope I get the chance to in the future. Check them out for sure.

Tracks to check out: Spectres of the Blood Moon Sabbath, Vampire’s Grave, Blood Orgy of the She Devils, The Hanging Tree