Last time out, Earthless took a sidestep from their usual improvisational writing technique and adopted a much more structured verse/chorus/verse approach and vocals with Black Heaven. It was refreshing to see the psychedelic three piece keep writing and carve out something new, even though their situation at the time somewhat restricted their ability to write the epic opuses they are better known for. With Isaiah Mitchell (guitar) moving back to San Diego in 2020 they returned to better known and trodden paths to tell their version of ‘Hyakki Yagyō’ translated to the title of this hour plus piece.
Folklore tells us of creatures marching through streets of Japan at night. Unfortunate people who did not hide from these demons would be spirited away. This is a fitting tale for Earthless to recreate aurally, having very much been inspired by Japanese psych bands since their formation. If you also take some time before and during to take in bassist Mike Eginton’s artwork, it will give you a foreboding sense of the journey this record will take you on. As he describes, “I like the idea of people hiding and being able to hear the madness but not see it.” And if you plant that seed of fear in your mind and listen to the next hour unfold on headphones in the dark, you may very much dread these monsters.
As vicious and raucous as ever, they’re pushing forward this vehicle they created, further exploring the concrete swamplands of modern life in the UK, existing under corrupt power, throwing punches back against it and catching our own inner demons in the swing.
Such a blatant fusing of genre’s is in itself a hill to climb, trying to find the right balance to capture those energies, though many have considered grime to be a new wave of punk, their sonic landscapes are pretty dissimilar. But with swelling bass riffs that strike out in distorted glory, pounding drums beats and smashing cymbals from a full kit, and stark fight the power lyricism on songs like ‘Eat The Rich’ and ‘Move The World’, the band come closer than any other, borrowing from other genre’s that the members have background in, the resulting formula is something other artists just can’t quite touch in the way PENGSHUi can, with influences coming in from the trio’s backgrounds in all kinds of genre, be it dubstep, drum and bass, rock or metal, it’s all here in one way, shape or form.
The Manchester-based eclectic collective Agvirre turned heads with their debut release Silence, as it examined the personal experiences of living with mental health struggles and life’s trials and tribulations; their latest EP _ _ _ _ _ _ (pronounced ‘Hidden’) picks up where its predecessor left off, though broadens its lens to wider society. While not originally a decision fuelled by the pandemic, the themes of the album have come into even more stark relief in its wake.
Eclectic is perhaps the best way of describing them; Agvirre delight in testing the limits of what extreme music can be. Their compositions wander through genres with abandon, but never without a care for the song itself or without purpose. Black metal, post rock, shoegaze and even a brass ensemble all sit alongside one another effortlessly in a scintillating display of the malleability of heavy music. Political unrest, societal upheaval and terrified existential musings all play their part in crafting its narrative that deconstructs and challenges what makes metal, metal.
Victim Of A Modern Age is a defining moment for the band, not only as their first full length record but notably the complexity of its interwoven narrative. A dead set notion that these are musicians prepared to think outside the box would be an understatement. Instead, the band have set out to bear their art from their very souls – with the fragility of life and the proclivities of the human condition being at the center of their show. Twin brothers Kel & Zak Pinchin have attempted to centralize this ever spinning conundrum, and thoroughly document the thought process behind the way we each live our lives. Dividing the record into two halves, this one album could almost be two separate EP’s if it wasn’t for the sizable selection of tracks. 14 song’s in length, the band’s debut album is a poignant adventure for the introverted with two separate chapters invoking comparisons of light & dark, balance & symmetry and the varying thought processes behind the social and the personal. To the untrained ear, the album is simply full of excellent music. To anyone with an additional interest in sonics – the record is an enriching audio experience from start to finish.
Having branded themselves “metalnoir”, Celeste create their own unique blend of black metal, sludge and post-metal that in turn conjures up some incredibly bleak and gut-wrenching soundscapes. This year sees the band release their highly anticipated new album Assassine(s), their first record to be released via Nuclear Blast instead of their previous home, indie German label Denovali.
Assassine(s) is thoroughly laced with equal parts beauty and violence. From the large atmospheric, post-metal leanings of tracks such as ‘Nonchalantes De Beauté’ and ‘Elle Se Répète Froidement’ that continuously build, throwing up wall after wall of noise. They naturally build soundscapes with such enormity that it’s not difficult to see what the band are referring to when stating that they “refuse any other bands as influences”. There’s a primal instinct about their music be it the dark, aggressive instrumentals or the sheer gruesomeness of bassist and vocalist Johan Giradeau’s voice, there’s pain expressed in every line, all the more impressive to detect since every word is spat with such venom in the band’s native French language.
It’s a vivid image that brings a pleasant sense of belonging. Picture a group of teenagers steadily honing their sound, and then fast forward six years on – slogging through the mud since 2016, this is a band with DIY as their very essence.
The latest set of newcomers on Run For Cover Records, the Connecticut quintet are counting down the days in the run up to their release. Little Green House holds an important position in the band’s discography, as it takes the stage as the debut full length. This could well be the record that defines a huge portion of the band’s career, a make or break scenario – so it’s a good thing they’ve smashed the ball out the park.
A rounded ten track playthrough, Little Green House is an amalgamation of tastes, a fusion of sub-genres twisted and packaged into an emotional rollercoaster. Emo & Post-hardcore are the strongest flavours for certain, but theres a whole host of zesty undertones if you scratch beneath the surface. The record’s opener ‘Your One Way Street’ sets the tone early on, where harsh verses are the perfect precursor to an infectious chorus. If Anxious have two things in ample surplus, its addictive guitar hooks and sing along choruses – and both are in high demand for an entire 32 minutes. Tracks three and four, ‘In April’ & ‘Growing Up Song’ have a transportive effect even without the enthralling accompanying visuals. The autumnal color palette in both pieces of film are perfectly matched to the tracks ambience, and a welcome familiarity seeps in from all sides. When taking in the sonics in ‘Growing Up Song’ it’s important that drummer Johnny Camner gets a direct mention – whilst not necessarily front and center in the mix, the tight rhythm throughout underpins the fabric of the entire track.
