Category: news

The Crawling – What We Leave Behind (Grindscene Records) [Mark Young]

I reviewed The Crawling’s live album back in January (bloody hell) and found it to be one of the most honest releases I’d heard in ages, especially for a live album. It promised a lot and delivered on it too, so going into this I knew that whatever emerged would be authentically them.

A Song To Nurse The Sickness starts us off with a thunderous bottom end and vocals to match from Andy Clarke. It fits straight into what you would expect from them; melody and melancholia in equal measure. The song straddles that death/doom chasm like a modern-day colossus, moving when it needs to, not because that’s what everybody else does. It relies on those restrained moments to make the harder ones hit with more force, which they do. This is something they can do with ease, and it’s an enviable talent to have.

The second and final track serves as an acoustic reset of Bound To The Negative (Requiem), which first appeared on All Of This For Nothing. Now this is interesting, because it takes that source material and strips it back to the bare metal, leaving it naked before you. I think in lesser hands, doing this would have seen it go down in flames, but it all goes back to the honesty that the band possesses. By shedding its skin they have uncovered a dark beauty within it, and it says all that it needs to say.

And that’s that: two songs, two very different approaches, delivered in just 11 minutes. Both demonstrate that The Crawling remain adept at producing extreme music, but the real treasure here is Bound To The Negative. It’s raw, vulnerable and sounds like a song that’s had its armour stripped away. Fans already know what they’re going to get from this band and, despite there being only two tracks on offer, nobody should be feeling short changed. 8/10

Karmen Field – All Demons Have Dreams/ADHD (Self Release) [Matt Bladen]

Grunge/alt/prog rockers Karmen Field manage to take five minutes away from their road dog status (they recently played this full album in Cardiff City Centre), to record their second album, alongside Tim Vincent of Woodcroft Audio who just has The Midas Touch when it comes to bringing out the best in bands.

Entitled All Demons Have Dreams, the acronym ADHD has multiple meanings in what the band do, as a carrying some personal weight that’s explored through some of lyrics on this album. However it’s also a more general statement about the band themselves who are musical chameleons, the band say it’s “like a conversation with someone with ADHD, each song has a different energy”

That’s couldn’t be more obvious on the record as moment they’re Alice In Chains/Stone Temple Pilots style grunge rocking (Speak Of The Devil), the next it’s big stoner grooves (Cut The Chord), then some heavy blues and then it’s more melodic heavy radio rock (Morgawr), all delivered with a message and some serious musical chops.

From the towering power of Joe behind the kit locking down the low end with Lewis, they can switch between frantic thrashing on Never Found and then psychedelic wanderings of Inhuman. ADHD is the sound of band pushing boundaries, experimenting with what they do for a band; for example the burning feminine rage on Dem Days, guitarist Will getting his rocks off with lots of soloing.

There’s political protestations of Under Your Weight, the refrain of “Fuck The Nation” is going to be sung loudly on stages across the UK, Molly’s vocals on this record are more daring, showcasing her experience and natural talent, more than on their debut, carrying the emotion and passion here with authority.

Karmen Field’s second album All Demons Have Dreams, is a record that draws from varied inspiration of different genres and lyrics that surround flights of fantasy and personal struggles, it’s a record that will see them taking their show to bigger audiences very soon. 8/10

Deathcult – Cult Of The Dog (Soulseller Records [Mark Young]

I love that the bio accompanying this release is short and sweet. It’s the third instalment in a trilogy that began in 2007 with Cult Of The Dragon, continued with Cult Of The Goat in 2017 and now concludes with Cult Of The Dog. This time we’re promised a return to their cruel Norwegian black metal roots, which makes a nice change from the usual claims of being the “most brutal” or “savage” thing ever committed to tape. 

I’ve no idea what ‘Cruel Norway’ actually represents, unless it’s a Eurovision entry, but what I will say is that this is a cold, frigid release that leans heavily into everything I associate with the genre; insane rhythms, over-the-top vocalisations and those off-kilter melody lines that appear out of nowhere like a dust devil. There’s plenty here that fans will recognise as traditional but dig a little deeper and you’ll find a set of songs that seeks to rise well above those familiar tropes.

Dogs Of War starts proceedings off and basically sets that scene for the next 45 minutes that roll over you and blasts you with every conceivable black metal hit you can imagine, with Cynocephalus competing that 1-2 whilst dropping the temperature further. Both tracks are pulled together with one thing in mind; don’t let anyone think we have lost a step in the 20 years that have passed since part one in this trilogy. 

The production here is roughened up enough for it to be classed as abrasive without losing any power – the drums (step forth Thurzur) on Author Of Caedes is like an army marching through town and its great to hear metal that hasn’t fallen prey to being overproduced or too polished. I appreciate that some releases sound as though they have been recorded in a shoe box, and maybe that was intentional but this finds that balance between being able to hear what they are playing against accusation of being posers.

There is also a punk undercurrent running through it, they don’t set out to be complicated if its not needed. Eat Broken Glass leans in this direction for its slower parts, and to be fair once they pick that pace up its still relatively simple but above all its memorable, which is key for me. It’s something that is present right through – Striking arrangements played at the right speed at the right time. 

Hyperviolence sees the inclusion of more death growls (which I assume is by Skagg as there is no guests listed, happy to change if needed) which breaks this one up a treat. The tempo management on this one is spot on, its one of those tracks where you are aware that the BPM has dropped but there is still an impetus that drives it forward.

Closing with Imperium Satana, they sign off on a near-victorious rhythmic march before launching back into the upper gears that punctuate so much black metal. Yet again, the arrangements are spot on, introducing transitions at exactly the right moment and keeping the momentum high without becoming repetitive. It’s a class set of songs, steeped in the traditions of classic Norwegian black metal while still retaining enough character to stand on its own merits. 

The timelines and labels surrounding the genre will always be open to debate, but if your tastes lean towards that classic Norwegian era, there’s every chance Cult oOf The Dog will hit the mark. 7/10