During the spring, up at the lake, the birds make nests. If you head up there early morning, you can watch the hatchlings take to the water. They’re yellow, fluffy and cute. Within a few weeks that picture begins to change. They start to grow. They become scrawny. They’re no longer hatchlings, but they’re not a proper birds either. Not yet. They’re these strange, feathered, malformed things. Similar, in fact, to where Butcher Babies found themselves. They’ve become something but what?
Let’s take a step back. Once upon a time there was an alt-metal band called Butcher Babies. They built their name with an intense live show. It was all about attitude, an absolutely terrifying assault based on Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey screaming at each other over grinding guitar riffs. Years passed, their music evolved and then in 2024 Harvey left. Everything had to change.
Having Shepherd as the sole vocalist redefines the band, and ‘NIGHTBLOOM’ is a different kind of record. The established “Butcher Baby” attitude is channeled into more traditional song structures, featuring less screaming, more clean singing and fewer chugging guitars. It’s the direction 2023’s ‘Eye For An Eye…’ pointed towards but this pushes those features further, and there is an obvious reason for this; the record was produced by Howard Benson. The difference this makes is so stark you’d be shocked if he didn’t have a songwriting credit on every track. Basically, he lends the record the high level of craft and construction that the band have often struggled to maintain. Every song feels like a quality piece of work. Each feels distinctive. Each is simply great.
Wisely, the album opens with ‘Lost In Your Touch’, the most Butcher Babies song here. It’s basically built around a thick guitar riff and aggressive screaming but it is also built around a big, clean chorus, designed to establish what their sound means now. Between this and the similarly styled closing track ‘Black Dove’, the band explore different aspects of their new sound, pushing themselves in different ways but retaining the same sense of propulsive energy.
The music is modern metal, comparable to recent Architects records. This is heard most clearly on ‘Broken & Beautiful’ where the verses are electronic pulses but guitar riffs underscore the choruses. Each song is a variation on this idea and some are heavier than others. At one end of the scale ‘Fever In My Neck’ is filled with vicious metal riffs while ‘Black Clouds Over Georgia’ borders on soft rock. Stripping out the repetitive thrash-style grind that defined 2015’s ‘Take It Like A Man’ makes the sound much more accessible and results in a tonality that might be less distinctive but is far more consistent.
This isn’t the first time the band has worked with outside songwriters (you can easily tell which songs on 2017’s ‘Lilith’ were written by Atreyu’s Brandon Saller) but here the whole album feels like a collaboration. Again, this isn’t a bad thing; it’s all about quality. Each song is carefully constructed and the spaces are filled in different ways to add flavour. There are thoughtful keyboard melodies on ‘Leaving California’, ripping guitar licks on ‘Black Clouds Over Georgia’ and whirling synths on ‘Are You Waiting Up?’ But none of them feel cluttered in a way that detracts from the song’s emotional arc. The overall effect is a record with subtle character despite being made up of straightforward songs that all feel like singles.
Without a secondary vocalist, and with a much heavier emphasis on singing, the band’s whole dynamic has changed. Luckily, Shepherd is a great singer. Her style leans on phrases in unusual or varied ways which is strong enough to match her biting screams. For comparison, it’s a similar style to In This Moment’s Maria Brink. In fact, the record’s biggest strength is Shepherd’s strong approach to melodies. They’re delightfully weird on ‘Sincerity’ where she sings the title in a counterintuitive way yet packs hooks around it so the song doesn’t lose its momentum. Or on a ‘Fever In My Neck’ where she over-pronounces the words and leans on each syllable making it feel thrillingly nasty. For someone so skilled at death growls she also makes great use of higher registers. The best example is the single ‘Blame It On The Wind’ where the massive chorus switches between a forceful statement and a high denouement. It’s catchy, straightforward and genuinely great. Indeed, every song could be described like this, making for a record that feels easy when obviously it’s not. It’s the kind of record that’s ideal for a gym session; consistent and energetic.
Shepherd has an intriguing approach to lyrics. Change is on her mind. The choices she makes here contrast and intertwine with her previous work in unusual ways. Although there are the references to destruction and ‘gasoline’ found on previous records, here the theme of change is explored using different bird metaphors. You can hear this most directly on ‘Black Dove’ and ‘Songbird’ but the idea of growth and leaving permeates the album. In effect, it’s about regret. Although sorrow defines ‘Black Clouds Over Georgia’ and ‘Lost In Your Touch’, it contrasts with the ideas of change found on the more aggressive songs to create a sense of depth. However, it is the penultimate track ‘Leaving California’ that proves to be the highlight. The chorus has a mournful edge and the sadness in the way Shepherd sings ‘Shudda known better’ provides a strong emotional hook. Positioned towards the end, it feels like the record is building toward it, creating a gentle arc.
With a new lineup, change was inevitable. The dynamic is completely different but the trade-off proves worthwhile. Butcher Babies have shed their feathers, grown into something graceful and become a fully-fledged member of the flock. By surrendering some of their uniqueness they’ve made their strongest and most consistent record.
IAN KENWORTHY
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