Master’s Call – A Journey For The Damned
Master’s Call – A Journey For The Damned
Fireflash Records
Release Date: 24/11/23
Running Time: 40:46
Review by Oli Gonzalez
8/10
From the birthplace of Metal itself, we today have Masters Call hailing from Birmingham. A band pretty much still in its early years, but already amassing a list of impressive festival appearances here in the UK and internationally. Perhaps reaching their zenith by headlining the prestigious New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Open Air. I checked out some live footage from that set, and it’s easy to see why they were given such a prestigious slot. They certainly look the part and invest a considerable amount of energy into their live show. No wonder there’s been a lot of anticipation surrounding their upcoming release “A Journey For The Damned”. Though it seems preparing this album has come with some logistic issues along the way, having seen members leave and other members come into the fold and shifting roles within the band. Nonetheless, they’re still here. They went the extra mile (quite literally) by travelling to Germany for the album to be mixed and mastered by Kristian “Kohle” Bonifer, having worked with other Extreme Metal acts such as Aborted and Sinister. Some dedication there to get an enhanced final product. What will this final product look like? Let’s get into it and find out.
Well, let’s just say after listening to the album, it’s easy to see why they’re getting so much positive attention from major publications (Kerrang, Metal Hammer) and the aforementioned festival slots! The British Extreme Metal scene is so congested at the moment and very difficult to break into. However, they offer a unique twist on the genre and have forged a distinct sound. They can turn up the tempo and offer an all-out frenzy of Blackened Thrash, like in ‘Damnation’s Black Winds’, or ‘Beyond The Gates’. The kind of riffs that could cause the nastiest of circle pits at any festival. My feet were involuntarily stamping along, failing miserably in my attempt to ‘air drum’ to the insanely fast blast beats in ‘The Serpents Rise’. Throughout the album though, there’s no doubt of an atmospheric quality. This is achieved through a clever implementation of synths and added effects, perhaps most prominent in the album’s opening track ‘All Hope In Fire’. Especially with the rather cinematic introduction.
I was particularly drawn to John’s vocals. It can be a challenge to maintain constant heaviness whilst retaining some kind of clarity in said vocals, in order to make the lyrics relevant and understandable. I think the balance is absolutely perfect, maintaining a fierce mid-range growl that’s still intelligible, much in the vein of Behemoth or Vader.
We can see more traditional Black Metal style guitar riffs throughout the album, with some absolute face melting tremolo picked masterclasses. I’ve no shame in admitting that I was air guitaring along to some, especially during the latter stages of the album and during ‘Pathways’. Whilst I think of the best guitar work comes during ‘Blood On The Altar’, which is simply an absolute riff fest!
All in all, a solid effort from a compositional point of view. There’s a subtle Progressive quality and some experimental structures, just to keep things interesting. That being said, I honestly think the production lets the album down slightly. Having listened to this on a few different sets of headphones and devices, I just can’t help thinking that the instruments sound a little thin at times, and some elements are just lacking a bit of sharpness and clarity. Nothing major, issues that would be easy to fix and would take the album from being very good to excellent. Given some of the line up changes, perhaps this was a factor too in contributing to the final production. I’m sure these issues will be addressed in their next record, when the current lineup can write and record together right from the beginning.
Fans of bands who take a more hybrid approach to Black Metal (e.g. of Hate and Behemoth) will be satiated by Masters Call’s approach to the genre. They offer a fresh perspective and breathe new life into the Extreme Metal genre with this, a very brave effort. Whilst this may not be the band’s breakthrough album, there’s enough quality on “A Journey For The Damned” for Masters Call to command some serious respect and recognition from the wider Metal community. This may well be a springboard they can use to add to their already impressive and growing resume of accolades, and we may well see their name being added to even more festivals next year.
TRACKLISTING:
01. All Hope In Fire
02. Beyond The Gates
03. The Serpent’s Rise
04. Blood On The Altar
05. Damnation’s Black Winds
06. Into The Abyss Once More
07. Pathways
LINE-UP:
John Wilcox – Vocals
Dave Powell – Guitar
Bear – Guitar
Lewis Chrimes – Bass
James Williams – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
