01.MMXV
02.Beyond The Zero
03.Misery Swallowed Whole
04.Through The Eyes Of Daedalus
05.Apokalypsis
06.And The Wages Of Sin Is Death
07.War Nam Nihadan
08.Damnation Of Memory
Simon Neill (Guitar/Vocals)
Leon Heinimann (Bass)
Dave Guy (Drums)
Hailing from London and loaded with Molten sludge riffs, neurotic time signatures and layers of heaviness.
The band back first came tgether in 2008 when Dave from 'Kopperhed' joined with Simon and Leon from 'Living with Disfigurement', after initial sessions and gigs they went into the studios in June 2010.
Metal and mania crafting entailed and early in 2011 'Ascent, Fire, Failure & Blood' was released to an unsuspecting public and recieved a 10/10 review from me (day-of-locusts-ascent-fire-failure).
Since then they have gone from strength to strength playing all over europe with their amazing mix of Prog and Doom/Sludge described as a mixture of Pink Floyd and Crowbar.
What initally sounds like a soundtrack from a movie quikly turns into something much darker, has to be said that 'MMXV' with its infectious drum pattern starts to build into this brooding and raw song, no vocals however, just a very cold spoken passage about the "intoxication of power".
Up next is the raw and powerful 'Beyond The Zero' a twelve minute sludge/doom monster with tortured vocals and never ending punchy guitar chords, each matched by a huge drum hit and flowing basslines. Then just as it seems to build we are treated to some beautiful acoustic guitar and laid back melodic music comes in waves through the speakers, only to be interrupted by a powerchord that kills speakers and a return to the sludge/doom, which at times borders on early death metal rhythms as well.
'Misery Swallowed Whole' offers a different sound, almost symphonic to start with with more excellent acoustic guitar this starts to have a progressive feel and at fourteen minutes long and just two minutes into it we have had a timing change and now some pretty agressive guitar riffs and vocal.
As the song progresses the rhythms change whilst retaining that solid guitar sound, the dual effect creating this amazing "big" sound, until it changes again and goes quiet.
Melodic almost jazz timing with the drums and punchy basswork melt into this almost proto thrash sound and then finally a relaxing and laid back finale.
Stunning mix of folk and prog kick off 'Through The Eyes Of Daedalus', such harmony on the vocals i am lulled into this laid back sound, then the noisey buggers go and get all heavy and agressive!
But the superb folk/prog harmony and music returns, they seriously do this style very well and towards the end manage to cleverly blend it all together.
'Apokalypsis' is more folk/prog, this one is just an instrumental, nothing short of superb, brilliant production brings the guitars to this near etherial level, but as i have now come to expect they never keep you relaxed for long and totally blast the braincells with 'And The Wages Of Sin Is Death' the nearest they have come to a proto thrash/death metal song, full on riffs and screaming vocals and some interesting effects with backing vocals as well.
'War Nam Nihadan' is a weird little piece, not sure if the sounds are made by a synth or guitar pedals, very trippy and un-nerving and goes straight into the final fourteen minutes with 'Damnation Of Memory'.
This one has everything in it, starting with amazing pink floyd style guitarwork over laid back drum patterns, just perfect, then comes the agression complete with elements of almost every sub genre of heavy metal from doom to black and beyond, all the time keeping this progressive background, harmony backing vocals and near orchestration. Then kicks in a new drum rhythm and powerchords and a blackend death monster appears, this then flows so well into another floydish guitar riff, which in turn gives way once more to heavy powerchords and crunching rhythms.
We end the song as we began with another cold spoken piece, bringing to a close one of the most accomplished albums i have heard this year.
Rating 10/10
For fans of: Melvins, Cathedral, Reverend Bizzare, Triptykon, Mastodon, Crowbar, Eyehategod
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