Post-Metal

EMQ’s With Alienatör

EMQ’s With Alienatör

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Canadian Post-metal band, Alienatör. Huge thanks to Guitarist/ Vocalist, Brad King, for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

My name is Brad King and I play guitar and yell in a band called Alienatör. We’ve been around since about 2014. Started out as myself and a friend on drums, just a two piece. Now several years later I’ve been joined by Sean Skillen – bass, back-up vocals and Simon Paquette on drums and never sounded better.

How did you come up with your band name?

Alienatör means a disagreeable or unpleasant person according to the dictionary. That seemed to fit our music somehow.

What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?

We are from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, a small and relatively isolated city that actually has a lot of talented bands and musicians. Our audience and the amount of venues is limited compared to some of the larger cities but overall I’d say we have a thriving scene.

What is your latest release?

Our new album is called “Regrets.” It’s out Nov 25, 2022. There will be three accompanying music videos. We’re excited for the album to come out. It’s best thing we’re done and we’re anxious to come back after the pandemic and get in people’s faces again.

Who have been your greatest influences?

Noise rock, sludge metal, punk rock. Black Flag, Melvins, Neurosis, Unsane, Converge, Botch, Today is the Day, Cursed, Jesus Lizard, Nomeansno, Drive Like Jehu, Fugazi. I could go on.

What first got you into music?

I’ve always loved music and coming up with songs and melodies in my head. When I was young I got into Metallica and AC/DC, Black Sabbath etc. From there I got into punk and hardcore etc. etc and now here I am

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

Kurt Ballou, King Buzzo, the guys in Neurosis. To make something dark and strange.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Probably Roadburn. They consistently have the best line-ups of underground, Avant-grade and aggressive bands that I’ve seen.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

A guy bought $50 of merch with a hundred-dollar bill and said to keep the change recently. That was a pretty nice gift.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

We appreciate the support of anyone who has ever checked out, downloaded or otherwise exposed themselves to our music. You’re awesome and we thank you very much.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Man, I don’t know if I have a great answer for this. Everybody is dead nowadays so there are lots to choose from. Jimi Hendrix back from the grave would be a fun show.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

I like the creative aspect. I like writing songs, coming up with the album art, and getting the whole package together. I like playing, both in the jam space and in front of crowds. I don’t know if hate is the right word but … yeah, I guess I kinda hate social media. I like doing interviews with nice folks like yourselves but I don’t really like the self-promotion aspect where you have to say “please like our band,” on whatever platform. That said, please follow us on all of our bullshit.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” – Hunter S. Thompson. Great quote but I’m not sure we’re really even in the music industry at this point. The commodification and commercialization of art sucks. It’s about how many units you move or how many clicks you get vs. the quality of your work it often seems.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

You’re going to do that to me? Ask me to name just one album? That’s brutal. I thought we were friends, man. I’d have to say “Wrong,” by NoMeansNo. The musicianship is second to none, it has brilliant lyrics, a wicked sense of humour, a million twists and turns, and it’s heavy but intelligent. In many ways, a perfect album. A vastly underrated band from our home country of Canada. It’s out of print so check it out on YouTube.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?

For me, at this point in my life, it’s streaming. It’s just convenience. I have a decent vinyl collection and I love the experience of physical media, but it would be damn expensive to be able to listen to the variety of music that I want if I had to buy it all on vinyl.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

The best one recently was our return after the pandemic. The bar was packed, and people were stoked. There was a whole new crop of kids who turned 19 (Canadian drinking age) during the pandemic and hadn’t gotten to go out to a show in 2 years. Everyone was super into it.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Well, music doesn’t pay the bills, so I’m doing what I would be doing. I’ve been a social service worker working in harm reduction, addictions, mental health and homelessness for many years.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

This is one I never know how to answer. I was somewhere in public and a group of people got asked this and I remember one person saying their family and everyone thinking they were just the sweetest person and then I felt like a dick for saying Kurt Vonnegut or something. So, I’m gonna say my wonderful family and pets. Sorry, Kurt,

What’s next for the band?

What indeed? We’re gonna promote this new album ‘til we’re blue in the face and play a bunch of shows. It would be nice if we could get out of the city to play some shows in the near future. I’ve got a bunch of material and am ready for the next album. We’re just gonna keep working and trying to make cool stuff we enjoy.

What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

Well, as you know from my previous answer, social media is my very favourite thing in the whole wide world. You can reach out and touch us at Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and we even have a YouTube now.

Exitmusicstudio.ca/alienator/
Facebook.com/alienatorband
Instagram.com/alienatorband
Spotify
Alienator.bandcamp.com
Music Video – The Priest – https://youtu.be/TJxF6Qs3Bws
Single – Blood Red Blood https://youtu.be/BQcdJyF9PtM

Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake

Well, this is intriguing. At first, I thought a humble sandwich was some UK dish I didn’t know about, like; bangers and mash, steak and kidney pie and humble sandwich. A bap and a barm sound made up. I’m pretty sure those are gibberish. A batch doesn’t make sense. I know what a tea cake and a muffin are. A cob is not bread. In Canada, we eat a hamburger or a hot dog or a sandwich or whatever on a bun. We’re also a British colony by the way. For us, a roll is like a dinner roll which is a type of bun you eat with butter, sometimes before they bring your food out at the restaurant. So I’m gonna go with “roll,” as my final answer.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Check out our album. Follow us on all the bullshit. We’ve got videos coming out. If you like what you hear, you can buy stuff on Bandcamp. Peace and love to everybody.

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, 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.

LVTVM – Irrational Numbers

LVTVM – Irrational Numbers
Cave Canem DIY / Controcanti Produzioni / Drown Within Records / Vollmer Industries / Zero Produzioni
Release Date: 19/09/22
Running Time: 25:15
Review by Dark Juan
8/10

Greetings, dear fiends. A recently completed 96 hour working week has consigned your correspondent to the sofa in Dark Juan Terrace for the foreseeable future, so if you are wishing to have any virgins corrupted or places of worship despoiled, you’re temporarily on your own. I’m too fucked to do anything else. Anyway, it’s about time you lot bloody well did something on your own initiative. I shall inform my legions when I am able to muster the energy to raise my corpulent carcass from said sofa again in due course. I can’t even be arsed to go and get myself a beer and I can’t dispatch Mrs Dark Juan to get one either, as she’s copped for the COVID for the second or third time and she’s weaker than a day old kitten and shivering on the other sofa in a state of some disapprobation and annoyance, mainly because Dark Juan has worked constantly and yet successfully dodged contagion throughout the pandemic and she hasn’t. She’s a little bit grumpy…

So, what’s an exhausted and worryingly sober ersatz rock hack to do when he’s sprawled in his Third Invocation Robes (Autumn Weight) upon the Sofa Of Eternal Exhaustion? Well, he does what he normally does and reaches for the cans and his trusty pooter and has a look at the increasingly extensive review list he has to tackle, because there is a veritable smorgasbord of magnificent music out there at the moment and Dark Juan is like a kid in a sweet shop and a bull in a china shop simultaneously (imagine the mess that a sugar-fuelled half-ton of beef could do to your porcelain. This is why Dark Juan has not had many girlfriends) when the new review list updates come out (my scramble for the latest Gothminister album was frankly ungentlemanly and the otherwise excellent Rick Eaglestone was threatened with much violence if he got there first…)

Not that this has a damned thing to do with Tuscan progmeisters LVTVM, whose latest offering “Irrational Numbers” is currently caressing my poor abused lugholes. Now, LVTVM are not your normally kitted out band. They eschew the guitar in favour of two bassists, a drummer and a synth player. This makes for a most unusual sound as two basslines interplay and complement each other, most obviously on ‘Ouroboros’ and ‘Speculum’, both pieces having a strong Jazz bent as well as a large and obvious Stoner component. Imagine Royal Blood and Death From Above having had a romantic night with Tool and King Crimson. When you’ve finished fantasizing about Toyah and her bouncing bazongas because you’ve been thinking about Robert Fripp, as I had mentioned King Crimson and your mind is instantly transported back to those mad COVID videos they kept posting (or is that just me?) I should like to point out that LVTVM play long, blissed out pieces that stretch your imagination into sunlit vistas of possibility. Or that could be the shitload of psilocybin I have ingested in an effort to work out just what the inside of my head looks like. It turns out that I might have psychological problems. Who would have guessed?

Opening with ‘Holswege’, being the term (literally translated as “wood-ways”) the philosopher Martin Heidegger employed to describe how humans perceive reality, LVTVM serve the listener a choppy, syncopated song that ebbs and flows nicely, and heavily modified bass solos mournfully over a thumping second bass line as the 3⁄4 time signature introduces a surprisingly jumpy and skittish element to the whole piece. ‘Hic Sunt Leones’ (“Here Are Lions”, normally employed at the end of maps where unexplored areas are in Roman times and a precursor to our own English “Here be dragons”) is the next tune on the record and is a surprisingly cheerful affair, imbued with a sense of fascination and exploration which is expressed through heavily modified bass sounds and twin solos in different octaves while the synth and drums form a solid, reliable background, yet even they roam freely around the composition and change tempo and time signature almost at their own whim, giving the whole tune a free-ranging exploratory vibe that’s as refreshing as it is complex.

‘Oscillator’ is the next composition, and it is one where the band have clearly been tampering with the equipment that normally feeds them their psychedelics and they’ve accidentally upped the dosage – ‘Oscillator’ melds super-trippy Hammond organ, ambient music and rumbling, phased bassline with Jazz and madness. Basses fade in and out of the song on counterbeats and the tempos wildly vary between Metal insanity and Ambient trippiness.

The production on this record is superb, especially for a band with two bassists, with everything being crystal clear and sharper than an Irish Catholic nun’s tongue, but especially pleasing is the sound of snare and bass drum, the former being punchy as fuck and the second being surprisingly resonant throughout – normally you’d just hear the dull thud of the bass drum being struck, but on this album you can hear the drum reverberate and it’s all a bit wonderful. The snare drum sounds like a snare drum should too, with the correct rasp and not like someone is twatting a brick wall with a recently deceased child.

My favourite piece on this instrumental five track treat is ‘Speculum’ – a sprawling, expansive beast of a song where phased basses and 80’s analogue synths converge in a magnificently overblown, neon-soaked trip to the stars to gaze at gloriously-lit galaxies from the passenger compartment of a lavishly equipped space cruiser. The more you listen, the more the song expands within your consciousness.

In conclusion then – LVTVM are a fearsomely intelligent and forward-thinking band who can truly be described as Progressive as their music deliberately defies convention or genre. The problem is that it leaves me slightly cold, as if LVTVM are too clever for their own good and that grooviness has been traded for absolute mastery of their instruments. The record sometimes has a kind of overpowering knowledgeability that is not entirely welcome when you’re just trying to be cosmically enhanced, but this is a minor blot on the copybook of these egregiously talented Italians.

The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System (Il sistema brevettato di valutazione degli schizzi di sangue di Dark Juan) is conflicted because it is impressed with the absolute skill of the musicians in LVTVM and loves the tunes, but they aren’t very Metal and they are too clever for their own good on occasion. 8/10 and a definite recommendation for the Prog fans out there…

TRACKLISTING:
01. Holswege
02. Hic Sunt Leones
03. Oscillator
04. Ouroboros
05. Speculum

LINE-UP:
Carlo Bellucci – Bass
Isacco Bellini – Bass
Alessandro Marchionni – Drums
Mike Marchionni – Synths

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dark Juan and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Glassing – Dire and Sulk EP

Glassing – Dire and Sulk EP
Medication Time Records / Brutal Panda Records
Release Date: 26/08/22
Running Time: 08:37
Review by Dark Juan
9/10

Good afternoon, dear fiends and vagabonds! It is I, Dark Juan, your least favourite pseudo-Satanist (or am I? Pseudo-Satanist, I mean. It could all be a colossal double blind to fool the Children of the False God into compliance, whilst I am in fact subverting their foul faith via the medium of very poor descriptive writing about Extreme music and turning them to the worship of the One True Lord of the Earth. I tell you what, when I get down to Hell and the Devil sees me to weigh my crimes, I want a fucking recruitment bonus) and I am returned from a successful bit of wrangling young people and have plonked my increasingly fat arse on to the protesting Sofa of Impending Structural Failure to listen to uplifting tunes of joy and wonder at the world played on the sousaphone and to share my views on said happy-clappy bollocks.

That’s a lie.

I am in fact listening to a particularly visceral two track maxi single (they billed it as an EP, did the promo folks) from Glassing, being a particularly vituperative trio of Texans from Austin. I’m quite sure that their mothers love them and that they are nice, clean cut All-American boys really, but the noise they make says that they are all mass-murdering nasty pasties with all the wit, grace and charm of a ravening pack of direwolves chasing you down after they have already winged you.

Glassing do not play easy listening music. They play something that Dark Juan has no words for. Which does actually make this a really shit piece of descriptive writing, doesn’t it? Let me try to quantify the experience I am having…

Glassing’s music is analogous to a pair of Yank maniacs hooking your limbs to the back of two fuck-off pick-up trucks and hitting the gas. In opposite directions. Meanwhile a third one takes a hammer drill to your eye sockets. Yet, there are gentle pockets of serenity, like when the torture stops and you are at one with the pain and you are your own self-contained little universe of horror, limbs slowly star-fishing in remembered suffering. Then the fuckers start up again, taking pneumatic drills and sledgehammers to already dislocated joints and smashing extremities to bloody pulp. Suffer not the demented Englishman to live, and all that…

Taking Noise Rock, Post-Metal and Shoegaze and forcing them all to copulate in the breeding chambers of their nefarious headquarters, Glassing unleash a wholly unexpected storm of sonic terror upon the unsuspecting listener. ‘Dire’ opens with a dissonant guitar lick and some holy chugging before the throat-rapingly harsh vocal of Dustin Coffman tears into the song and it all goes quite insanely mental. Hyperspeed drumming meets Jazz-fuelled breaks and some of the most dissonant guitar work I have ever wrapped my lugholes around. Layers and layers of discordance and power build to a slow, echoey break, where the song dials down the wide-eyed and absolutely homicidal intensity for a kind of self-reflective yet still furious pause, like the come down after you have finally subdued a particularly troublesome victim…

‘Sulk’ is entirely different. Sounding like an infinitely more muscular Glassjaw having been forcibly melded with Coheed and Cambria and early Emperor, there’s absolutely no quarter asked for or given by these mad Texan bastards this time. Coffman sounds like he’s channelling at least Beelzebub, Astaroth, Belial, Asmodeus and Berith AT THE SAME TIME and guitarist Cory Brim plays with such razorwire intensity he’s in danger of turning his fingers Gory Grim as he cranks out the most wounding of slashing discordant riffs and licks. Drummer Scott Osment is clearly possessed by something as well, his tubthumping arcing viciously and wildly between mild mannered mid-tempo and utterly fucking batshit insane velocities. One is willing to wager that his hi-toms are really the skulls of former drummers in Glassing.

The production on this twin tracker is also punishing. Loud and aggressive and full, it does not beguile and charm the listener. It chews out the throat of the listener and tramples all over the corpse of the listener whilst it screams so loud and long it dislocates its jaw. Yet for all the egregious and over the top violence, it is clear and precise and the poor, abused, now deceased listener is able to discern little, subtle flourishes among the layers of brutality. It is actually jolly splendid.

The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System was taken somewhat aback by Glassing. Their sound is like the Flaming Lips being gangbanged by Glassjaw, Swans and early Darkthrone. My god, what a fucking mental image that is. I need to wash my brain in bleach. 9/10 for a cracking pair of songs. Let’s see whether they can keep the quality up over an album’s worth of music. Glassing – over to you.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Dire
02. Sulk

LINE-UP:
Dustin Coffman – Bass and vocals
Gory Gri…. Sorry. Cory Brim – Guitars
Scott Osment – Drums

LINKS:

Surya – Absolver

Surya – Absolver
Roasted by Rob Sutton

Leeds-based Post-Metalcore band Surya were my next victims, they were formed from the ashes of Autocracy (who might I add actually won their metal to the masses, unlike these guys). It seems the members that made Autocracy good didn’t transfer across to Surya, which is a shame as I really dig that band. Never mind lets go with the review of the dregs.

Beginning, as always with the genre… Post-Metalcore, I think this is another band trying to be relevant in an ever more dense genre such as metalcore by calling themselves ‘Post.’ The most ‘Post’ thing about this band is the strongly worded letter of displeasure I sent them after watching these monochromed bellends earlier this year. This experience was about as pleasurable as inserting an umbrella up my arse and then opening it. There is nothing new or for that matter original; we have a lead guitar fiddling away over a main riff, probably as practice for when he finally gets a girlfriend. There is a definite waft of virginity with this band. Anyway onto the vocals, while it sounds powerful, it is dryer than my Nan’s crotch and she’s dead. Plus we have minimal range, just a mid growl style with a pitiful attempt at a guttural. Synthy bits in the background seem to me to be like using Oust on a dance club toilet, you know full well the stench in there is horrific and no amount of it will cover the over powering scent of excrement, that’s exactly what these synths feel like, an attempt to mask the monstrosity with something pretty. Yeah… no. I see through your Oust!

In case you didn’t know, this song is called Absolver. I think Surya have memory loss as they have to repeat the name of the song numerous times just so they remember. Sadly this generic Metalcore (not post) does get stuck in my head; luckily I’m due for brain surgery next week so this should sort that problem out. The whole song seems to do its best to stand out but sadly just sounds like a slightly more technical version of Architects, a sound every single fucking band is going for right now. So Rob’s top tip for creating a new band, listen to Architects, copy it badly, come up with a name that is almost impossible for anyone to pronounce correctly, wear what you would consider to be cool clothing (if you are still in college) and you are there! Christ, even call yourselves Surya then you too won’t play bloodstock!

Bass time! Yes you can actually hear the bass… that is all.

***Disclaimer***

This roast was done with full consent of the band Surya and does not represent my actual opinions of the band… Yeah, you know what? Monochromed Architects Wannabes!

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rob Sutton and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Astronoid – Radiant Bloom

Astronoid – Radiant Bloom
Century Media Records
Release Date: 03/06/2022
Running Time: 46:00
Review by Rory Bentley
9/10

Astronoid’s 2016 debut “Air” had many fans and critics foaming at the mouth when it dropped. Despite no big PR fanfare behind them or industry hype, the band’s lush fusion of euphoric Shoegaze and Thrash Metal was a truly original take, and one that saw an organic groundswell of support from fans and critics that just happened to stumble across the album and felt compelled to shout from the rooftops that Metal had done something original and exciting for the first time in ages. I thought it was a great debut as well and, were it not for the fact that 2016 was one of the greatest years in the history of music, it would have strolled into my top 20 albums of the year with minimal fuss.

I was far less enamoured with 2019’s self-titled follow up, which leant much more towards the Metal guitars, and as a result felt lacking in atmosphere for yours truly; if I just wanted big riffs then Testament have got me covered thanks lads! This kind of led me to forget about the band until those lovely peeps at Century Media hit our inbox with “Radiant Bloom”.

Things start off with a very welcome return of the Post-Rock elements being front and centre in shimmering opener “Admin”, which felt like being bathed in sunlight at the start of a beautiful day. The major key bursts of melody combined with driving Metal rhythmic attacks are the exact sweet spot for Astronoid and it’s incredibly satisfying as a listener to hear them nail this balance from the first minute.

When the second track and lead single, ‘Eyes’ kicked in with a booming snare hit, I nearly got up and applauded. I didn’t because I had a cat on me and my wife was in the room and she thinks I’m weird enough as it is, but nonetheless I absolutely adored this song. The guitars are robust, the drums are pounding and Brett Boland’s breezy, angelic vocals are bang on the money. The guitar solo is fucking incredible as well as it builds to a triumphant crescendo over shimmering, lush walls of reverb. This may well be Astronoid’s best song.

That being said it has some stiff competition from the pummelling, yet gorgeously delicate ‘Sedative’ where pulverising riffs drift into major key flights to the heavens. I got big Alcest vibes on this one with some Blackgaze blast beats in particular dialling up the Metal end of the deal. Once again the soloing is magnificent when put against the backdrop of Explosions in the Sky-esque compositions. It’s like teleporting Gary Holt to a meditation retreat, it shouldn’t work but man does it work!

Production-wise this is a wonderful job from all involved, to balance the twin disciplines of the band is no mean feat when recording and mixing. As I mentioned before there were far too many Metal tones and nowhere near enough Post-Rock on the previous album, as if there was a reverb shortage and we all had to ration it because Deafheaven stole it all. Conversely I found the first record, though magnificent, to have a little too many pedals in play to let the Metal parts cut through with the precision they deserve. This really feels like the ultimate realisation of the band’s vision. While “Air” will always be the truly groundbreaking record, “Radiant Bloom” is the album where Astronoid absolutely nailed what they were always aiming for.

At 46 minutes the album manages to be expansive and immersive while being incredibly catchy and punchy, with anthems like ‘Drown’ and ‘Human’ feeling satisfyingly epic without dragging out the runtime. By the time the bass intro of closer ‘Decades’ leads the final charge, its 7 minutes feel well-earned. It is played with purpose and grace and takes its time without detracting from the sense of joyful momentum the previous tracks have carried. It is a truly heartwarming climax to a strident return from a unique band that refuses to make a binary choice on which of their primary inspirations they want to pursue.

If there’s any justice in the world Astronoid will be propelled to new heights by the quality of this release. They’ve done everything right here and despite other bands taking their blueprint and gaining success, they should be viewed as one of the cornerstones of the Shoegaze and Metal fusion that has bloomed over the last decade. Enough waffling from me, check this out right now and lose yourself in this stunning return to form.

‘Eyes’ Official Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. Admin
02. Eyes
03. Sleep Whisper
04. Sedative
05. I’ve Forgotten Your Face
06. Orchid
07. Drown
08. Human
09. Decades

LINE-UP:
Brett Boland – Vocals, Guitars, Percussion
Daniel Schwartz – Bass, Synthesizers
Casey Aylward – Guitars, Solos
Matt St. Jean – Drums

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Somali Yacht Club – The Space

Somali Yacht Club – The Space
Season of Mist
Release Date: 22/04/22
Running Time: 45:19
Review by Paul Hutchings
8/10

It’s a difficult time for Somali Yacht Club. The Ukrainians third release and first on Season of Mist should have been a career highlight, with a tour to promote “The Space” as well as worldwide exposure via streaming services and review sites. Unfortunately, and completely understandably, music is probably very far from the centre of their world now and whilst I don’t want to get drawn into any political debate here, we can but wish the band well and hope they remain safe in their home city of Lviv.

I’m not over familiar with the band’s previous works but this is an expansive and impressive album, if you enjoy the type of Progressive music which involves wide soundscapes drenched in emotion and atmosphere. They blur the boundaries between Metal and Post-Rock, dreamy vocals and jangling guitars that combine to provide music that is both intense and clever, enjoyable to immerse oneself in but equally attractive to have in the background.

There’s a rich warmth to the vocals of Ihor Pryshliak, who is also responsible for the subtle keys and the thick fuzzy riffs that cascade throughout this release. Although the band haven’t consciously created a three-part concept, The Space does conclude a trilogy that started with their first release, “The Sun”, and follow up “The Sea”. Opener ‘Silver’ sets the scene, the first of six musically heavy tracks that expand and contract through their individual journeys. As the album progresses, the musicianship increases with the formidable stoner jams that play out. ‘Pulsar’ is full of sweeping passages that ebb and flow, creating magical imagery and aural delights.

Whilst Pryshliak’s vocals and guitar are the undoubted focus, the rhythm section of bassist Artur Savluk and drummer Lesyk Mahula hold down the engine room with a natural ease. Their combined interplay on the likes of ‘Echo of Direction’ is a joy to listen to. That Somali Yacht Club can deliver a short three-minute piece in the shape of ‘Gold’ and can then finish with the massive Progressive workout of ‘Momentum’ which clocks in at over 12 minutes in length is quite remarkable.

‘Momentum’ is without doubt the band’s finest hour on this impressive album. Opening with a slow, Doom march, it segues into more gentle and comforting music, shimmering guitar echoing alongside the clean vocals and as the song develops, it achieves its status as the epic masterpiece that closes off this album in some style.

Although these are dark days for the band, there is a ray of light in the shape of this release. It’s certainly one to play repeatedly.

‘Pulsar’ Official Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. Silver
02. Pulsar
03. Obscurum
04. Echo of Direction
05. Gold
06. Momentum

LINE-UP:
Ihor Pryshliak – Guitar, Vocals, Keys
Artur Savluk – Bass
Lesyk Mahula – Drums

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Paul Hutchings and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Cult of Luna – The Long Road North

Cult of Luna – The Long Road North
Metal Blade Records
Release Date: 11/02/2022
Running Time: 69:00
Review by Rory Bentley
10/10

Reviewing your favourite bands is always a tricky thing to pull off, your capacity to nit-pick and view art in the cold light of objectivity can often be compromised by the fact that you’re arse over tit for an artist that makes you excited to be alive. Conversely, sometimes as a super-fan you put too much expectation on a band’s new release and it’s hard to review the work on its own standalone merits.

Cult Of Luna are a band I have sky high expectations of every time they step up to the plate, but unlike many of my favourites, I never have a shred of doubt that they’ll both smash it out of the park, and do something I’ve never heard them do. Therefore it is no surprise that “The Long Road North” is a worthy addition to their masterful legacy, however it is a surprise that it’s this fucking incredible!

I knew we were in for something special when the monolithic single and opening track ‘Cold Burn’ dropped prior to the album’s release. The Cult of Luna hallmarks are all there- planet-smashing riffs, terrifying colossal roars and a cinematic backdrop that builds a new sonic world right before you. The twist here comes from the almost Dance-like drum patterns that propel the song forward while a truly unsettling orchestral drone stabs away in the foreground like an ancient call to summon the end of days. A stunning opener.

‘The Silver Arc’ sinks into a more familiar groove, with some titanic riffing and Johannes roaring over a sonic palette so vast and crushing that it reduces you to the size of an amoeba in its gargantuan presence. The beautiful, shimmering passages of melody offer a little respite from the pummelling stabs of devastating guitars, while remaining fraught with menace as military drums and tribal chants build to a crescendo that will leave you emotionally exhausted. This is perhaps the most familiar sounding track on the record, but don’t be fooled by this archetypal approach – there are many surprises along the way.

‘Beyond I’ features sparse arrangements and some haunting vocals courtesy of guest singer Mariam Wallentin, whose smoky alto brings a Jazzy quality hitherto unheard from CoL. This welcome tonal shift acts as a bridge to the rest of the album, which is where we plunge head first into uncharted territory.

The last few records have all had a distinctive atmosphere to them that makes them feel like their own standalone worlds. “Vertikal” has a metallic, futuristic feel that conjures up huge cityscapes. ‘Mariner’ rests on a cosmic theme of travelling through the infinity of space, and ‘A Dawn To Fear’ has a melancholy earthy quality that takes you through the darkest recesses of the human mind. ‘The Long Road North’s’ calling card involves enveloping the listener in the vast frozen wastelands of Scandinavia, desolate, bleak and awe-inspiringly gorgeous in equal measure.

‘An Offering to the Wild’ gives the most complete representation of this aesthetic, building gradually as more layers are added before a transitioning like a masterful sleight of hand into a skull shattering crescendo that brings all the building parts together in one thrilling explosion. I was so immersed in this one that I didn’t even notice that it took a full five minutes before the vocals kicked in. The addition of composer Colin Stetson, creator of the score to modern horror masterpiece ‘Hereditary’, somehow takes the song to a new height of cinematic majesty. Utterly breath-taking.

‘Into the Night’ is comparatively mellow while retaining the ominous melancholic through line of the album, featuring some eerily majestic male vocals that tip their hat to the late great Mark Lanegan, with waltzing arpeggios and swirling organs that combine to form the closest the band have ever come to creating a ballad. That is until everything melts down into a barrage of abrasive synths and frantic tribal percussion.

As ‘Full Moon’ segues perfectly into the title track, the record’s final third sets about completing the most masterful final act you’re likely to hear all year. The song is a ritualistic rumination of the inevitable pull that forced Johannes to return to the cold seclusion of his hometown of Umea from the cosmopolitan comforts of Stockholm. We feel every step of this monumental journey, as the song collapses into an exhausted folk outro that gives us just enough time to catch our breath before ‘Blood and Stone’ lurches into view with its spidery guitar intro and proceeds to burst into hypnotic, combustible Neurosis-style sludge guitars that morph into a regal melodic lead that anchors the chaos dealt out in the verses. I try not to do a track-by-track breakdown on my reviews, but when every second feels essential, I’m loath to omit a single moment here.

As the band get ready to close out another masterpiece, Colin Stetson returns to provide more chilling ambience to ‘Beyond II’ like the end credits that follow a closing scene that leaves you breathless, disturbed and profoundly moved. You may now return to your previous reality, but don’t be surprised if the scars of this unfathomable journey into the wilderness stay with you forever.

Cult of Luna are never an easy listen, despite this being perhaps their most accessible offering. Their work deserves your time, your full attention and repeat listens to truly comprehend their vision. But the rewards for this perseverance have provided some of the most transcendental moments in all of my years listening to music. “The Long Road North” is yet another towering monument to sonic adventure and you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t step into the great outdoors with this astonishing band.

‘Cold Burn’ Official Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. Cold Burn
02. The Silver Arc
03. Beyond I
04. An Offering to the Wild
05. Into the Night
06. Full Moon
07. The Long Road North
08. Blood Upon Stone
09. Beyond II

LINE-UP:
Magnus Líndberg – Percussion, Guitar
Johannes Persson – Guitars, Vocals
Andreas Johansson – Bass
Thomas Hedlund – Drums
Fredrik Kihlberg – Guitar, Vocals
Kristian Karlsson – Keyboards, Electronics, Vocals

LINKS:

Breaths – Though Life Has Turned Out Nothing Like I Imagined, It Is Far Better Than I Could Have Dreamt

Though Life Has Turned Out Nothing Like I Imagined, It Is Far Better Than I Could Have Dreamt Album Cover Art

Breaths – Though Life Has Turned Out Nothing Like I Imagined, It Is Far Better Than I Could Have Dreamt
Trepanation Recordings
Release Date: 21/01/22
Running Time: 36:24
Review by Dark Juan
9/10

It is miserable, cold and pouring with rain outside Dark Juan Terrace. Mrs Dark Juan is under a quilt on the sofa, making a round half dozen of what she is calling Paradoxical Bats. This is a woman who claims she is not a Goth, even though she has expertly carved out a niche in fabric art based upon the British belief that witches can transform into hares (also neatly dovetailing with the British were-animal being the were-hare) and is currently listening to a horror podcast whilst creating these beasts of the dark. Her Smellhounds are arrayed all around her, all gently snoring and farting, as per usual and I am banished to the other sofa because there is not enough room for my fat ass to fit on there as well. So, with my ‘pooter in my lap, I decided to attack my ever-growing list of things that need to be listened to and talked about…

I wish to make one thing clear, before I begin. I am a reviewer of music. This implies a certain criticality of viewpoint with regard to quality, ability, production and the like. This also means that if an album is poor, it is going to get a low score. I do not write for Ever-Metal.com to simply kiss the arses of musicians. Equally, if something is superb, expect me to froth excitedly in a most ungentlemanly fashion. I will attempt to be fair in my reviews and explain what is wrong with the record I am listening to, as much as I will laud to the highest heights. It is not for me to influence the marketing of a band, unless the record company and the band want to use my stuff in their blurb, which is always welcome, but I just might not get what other people are hearing. All the words I have written over the past few years (and there are many thousands of them now) are opinion pieces and I stand by my opinions. I do not feel that bands and record labels should expect anything less than honesty and not just expect smoke to be blown up the arse of someone because they have recorded some music. All art is subjective. And it’s my job to tell people about it.

Today’s thing that is here to be listened to and talked about is an album with an extraordinarily long title. “Though Life Has Turned Out Nothing Like I Imagined, It Is Far Better Than I Could Have Dreamt” is the second album by the irritatingly talented, multi-instrumentalist bastard (yes, this is jealousy talking because Dark Juan is something of a 20th rate musician) Jason Roberts of America, under the name of Breaths. This is a man who has a fine understanding of music, and is something of a genre-bending king. The record is a trip through the highs and lows of Jason’s life and there are some extremely personal moments that bleed emotion and pathos. The list of influences on Jason’s music is as diverse as it is eclectic – There are the grandiose soundscapes of Opeth and Soldat Hans, the primal power of the more polished practitioners of Black Metal à la Emperor. The emotive drone of Swans and the disassociated shoegaze of Kitchens Of Distinction. The punk edge of Killing Joke and the sweeping emotion of Deftones. This disparate (and some might say diametrically opposed) bunch of styles and influences combine to create a whole new beast, a chimeric interpolation of sounds and styles twining sinuously around each other – ‘The Wayward’ reminding this jaded hack of The Prize Fighter Inferno, before fuzzy, chunky bass leads into a howling Black Metal vocal replete with flayed emotions over-pinning a very Post-Metal riff that segues into a strange and intoxicating brew of Emo vocals and muscular Heavy Metal before fading on an overdriven note.

Opening track, ‘The Elders’, is a masterpiece in blackened drone – A heavy, slow grind depicting the pain of losing your older relatives and the wisdom they had. An unapologetic Black Metal scream leads to a clean vocal that sounds like the protagonist coming to terms with their loss, before returning to the raw pain, neatly encompassed by the lines:

“You were the ones I was closest to,

Yet I barely remember you.”

Syncopation and complicated rhythms and patterns abound. Jason Roberts is not so much a musician and vocalist as a dream-weaver, combining the rawest of emotional pain with dreamy, nostalgic memories. Concrete crushing heaviness gives way to grief driven soundscapes tinged with keyboards and electronics before expansive joy. ‘The Patriarch’ would not sound out of place on a Coheed And Cambria album until the last two minutes of the song. It’s all polished and smooth. Then it morphs and changes shape into a seriously pissed off killing machine that references Deathcore, Djent and the howling madness of Black Metal in the vocal. ‘The Tormented’ reminds me of Jaz Coleman singing in Pandemonium-era Killing Joke before that impassioned Black Metal vocal once again slams itself into the forefront of your attention, over a driving, almost industrial beat and heavy, pulverising guitar and a swirling keyboard line.

Jason is a fucking talented guitarist and bass player as well as an excellent singer in at least three different styles. The album’s production is just so, being rich and full as well as being Arcticly clean and pure. Every instrument can be clearly heard and easily distinguished at all times, even when the music is pure sonic attack. My only complaint is that the drums are obviously sequenced and electronic, but for all this they are very good indeed. This really is a nit-picking point, considering Jason does fucking EVERYTHING on this album and it would be extremely churlish of me to expect him to have mastered tub-thumping as well. The song arrangements are inventive and original and the musicianship and the vocals absolutely jaw-droppingly splendid. Clearly this is a one-man musical project that is welded to the heart of Jason Roberts. Rarely have I heard such an emotional rollercoaster of a record, one that is yet more proof that true heaviness can be achieved in other ways than sheer power.

There’s no need for this level of egregious talent. Bet the fucker is really good looking as well to make sure I hit new, exciting levels of self-loathing.

The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System awards Breaths 9/10 for an almost perfect album. A mark was deducted for the drum sound, and The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System hates itself for doing it to an album that would be a perfect late night on the motorway record.

‘The Patriarch’ Official Video

TRACKLISTING:
01. The Elders
02. The Patriarch
03. The Tormented
04. The Empty
05. The Matriarch
06. The Wayward

LINE-UP:
Jason Roberts – Vocals, guitar, bass, programming, engineering/production, mixing, mastering. Absolutely NO NEED.

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of ‘Dark Juan’ and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Seven Nines And Tens – Over Opiated In A Forest Of Whispering Speakers

Seven Nines And Tens – Over Opiated In A Forest Of Whispering Speakers
Williowtip Records
Release Date: 07.01.22
Running Time: 36:24
Review by Dark Juan
8/10

Hello, my hordes of beautiful people, starfuckers and the wall-eyed, vain and insane. So, with considerable surprise, I find I have successfully navigated another lap of Sol without physical injury although I was never right in the head so I couldn’t possibly comment on my general state of mind. I assume it is what passes for normal in the headspace of Dark Juan, being as it is riven with black thoughts, crude sexual deviancy and a total disregard for any form of reality that doesn’t involve large calibre weaponry, and my good self operating it. Although I would settle for a trusty longsword and hew my way through my enemies with gay and carefree abandon. Slaughter always cheers me up…

I must apologise for the lack of amusing content from me lately. I had hit something of a barren patch in writing, and couldn’t muster up the enthusiasm to write anything for quite a while, but I appear to have got hold of myself and given myself a bloody good talking to. I do so love having dodgy mental health. Which leads me to exhort you all, if you are feeling low, depressed or suicidal, to contact people and talk to them about it. Samaritans are there for a non-judgemental reason. And if you’re a fella, then get hold of Andy’s Man Club or something, because, and let’s not put too fine a point on it, mental health issues are pernicious, sneaky motherfuckers and they play merry hell with you. Far better to access therapies and get them the fuck out of your system than try to struggle through them. It does not show weakness, and it does not mean you are weak, ladies, gentlemen and gentlepersons, to ask for help. Man is not an island. Neither is woman, although an island of women is an appealing thought…

Enough of my exhortations. This is a record review, and I am currently listening to Sevens Nines and Tens, with the wonderfully titled “Over Opiated in a Forest of Whispering Speakers”. This Canadian trio have not passed my dubious interest before and it is with anticipation and excitement I am listening. Especially considering that they themselves have claimed that they wish to release “…One of the finest metal albums of 2022”. Lofty intentions indeed, but let’s see whether they can back this up with the music, shall we?

Opening the album with ‘Popular Delusions’, the band cruise into the song with chiming guitar overlaying a classic rock riff and simple drumming, and all the fuzz and phaser a psychedelic loving acid freak could ever desire, before a soft, beguiling vocal dripping with honeyed harmonies reaches out to caress your avid lugholes, and the guitar and bass thicken up to a meaty, fuzzy tone not out of place on a seriously psychedelic stoner metal record. The middle eight changes tone and speed before the song comes crashing back into your attention and the whole thing is a dreamy, navel contemplating piece of post-everything. Until the last minute of the song where everything descends into fuzz soup and nothing is distinct apart from the vocal. I can hear Post-Hardcore, Post-Punk, Post-Metal, Post-Prog and Post-Rock, forming into a dreamlike Ambient Shoegaze that reminds this silly old fool of the likes of Porcupine Tree, a less heavy version of French bruisers Rostres, the early releases of Sugar, Soldat Hans, (several songs on this record remind me of “Schoener Zerbirst Part 1” and Quantum Pig). What does make Sevens Nines and Tens different is the singing. All three members of the bands sing on this album, and their harmonies are jaw-droppingly splendid and tighter than the multiplicious arses of an entire armada of ducks. ‘Midnight Marauders’ is a fine example of this, where the vocal overlays some incredible, Bob Mould-like guitar work in the heavier sections and flits ethereally over somber, slow acoustic passages. It is also the song that is the most post-everything on the album, if you know what I mean. It’s got some seriously chewy guitar, but retains a dreamlike quality. ‘Let’s Enjoy The Aimless Days While We Can’ is a schizoid switcher between Post-Hardcore and almost classical parts, with the distortion abruptly giving way to gentle echoing guitar and switching back again but with a wonderfully emotive guitar solo four minutes in that segues itself into a melody finely underpinning the vocals.

The record is not without issues, however. The production is absolutely fine until you have the band speed up slightly, in which case the richness of the sound descends into a thick gluey mess. And the snare sound is not unlike someone twatting a piece of plyboard with a hammer. The bass drum sound is massively epic though. ‘Edutainment’ suffers from this prodigious bottom end when the song accelerates and all you get through your cans is egregious subsonic thumping. However, I would contend that this is the heaviest song on the record and it adds a certain dynamic which the album lacks in parts. The sound of the record is almost TOO SAFE. There are times when it seems that Sevens Nines and Tens are teetering on the brink of absolutely letting rip and tearing your face off and then they dial it all back in a disgracefully prick-teasing fashion. I want massively tumescent violence as well as being beguiled. The vocals, as magnificent as they are, also have moments when it sounds simply like the lead singer has been multitracked, all three gentlemen having quite similar voices.

These are minor niggles though. The record as a full body of work is gloriously crafted, tightly written and very entertaining, even if there are parts where the band are too clever for their own good, and deliberately chop a growing (and extremely groovy) vibe off in favour of noodling. I do approve of the dreamlike, aching quality that pervades the whole album and I enjoyed the nods towards Classic Rock that peek through the clouds of perfumed psychedelia and post-insert-your-chosen-genre-here. In short, it’s a bloody good record (album closer ‘Sunshine’ throws some mental Jazz in there in the manner of French genre benders Baron Crâne, who you all know I think are utterly wonderful) that has some minor quality control issues. Sevens Nines and Tens stand on the brink of something incredibly special, but they need to take that last step.

The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System awards a stonking 8/10 for a record of supreme but flawed loveliness, that will be being played on long, lonely journeys through the night very often indeed.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Popular Delusions
02. Throwing Rocks At Mediocrity
03. Midnight Marauders
04. Let’s Enjoy The Aimless Days While We Can
05. Edutainment
06. Fight For Your Right To Partial Relevance
07. Sunshine

LINE-UP:
David Cotton – Guitar/Vocals
Maximillian Madrus – Bass
Alexander Glassford – Drums

LINKS:

Duncan Evans and Wilderness Hymnal – Until Liars Fear You

Duncan Evans and Wilderness Hymnal – Until Liars Fear You
Trepanation Recordings
Release Date: 05.11.21
Running Time: 44:23
Review by Dark Juan
9/10

Greetings and salutations, incubi and succubi! It is I, Dark Juan, and I have returned from my sojourn to Whitby, and my subsequent cavorting on the very beach on which the Demeter was wrecked, with the Smellhounds, and Mrs Dark Juan. She got very, very bored of me telling her about Dracula. And James Cook and HM Bark Endeavour. And other ship rigging. Even barquentine windjammers. Very bored indeed. She almost offered me violence! Me! Your favourite writer of nonsense and bullshit, with an occasional musical component! The shame, the absolute shame.

At least the Mighty Gothikpanzer made it there and back this time. On a more cheerful and less violent note – we did enter a hostelry or two along Church Street, and enjoy some delicious single malts. I must also give profound thanks to the two new friends we have made (Elaine and Loz), who let us stay in their cottage for what can only be described as a fucking steal! A good time was had by all. I am seated in Mrs Dark Juan’s craft eyrie at the moment, where she is currently cunningly constructing cryptids for an exhibition in Whitby on October 21^st for the Folk Horror Revival group.

Equally pleasingly, there is now a craft brewery open across the road from the Abbey. Pints were consumed and a wobbly, unsteady walk back down the 199 Steps was had, thankfully without injury, apart from my dignity.

To be fair, I’ve never really had any, so it didn’t really matter. As evidenced to all the young goffs wandering around who got offended when I asked them where Count Duckula had crashed his pinnace. To business…

A split record from a splendid chap called Duncan Evans (WaxWorm, ex-A Forest Of Stars) and another gentleman (of British-Venezuelan stock, but born in Gibraltar. Not at all confusing to a half-demented Northerner who is still furious at the Disclosure and Barring Service, because their website keeps crashing, and I need to update my DBS certificate so I can continue to wrangle young gentlemen, and it won’t let me!) named Javier Wallis, entitled ‘Until Liars Fear You’ has landed upon my (metaphorical) desk for my delectation, and hopefully, your edification. Javier records under the name Wilderness Hymnal, and the first five songs on the record are his work.

Wilderness Hymnal are phenomenally interesting if you like Drone and Shoegaze, as Javier feeds those styles into a musical mincer that also incorporates Post-Metal, European Folk music, Scandinavian Folk, and electronics. Out of this mélange of influences comes something quite special. ‘Comet’, the opening cut on the record, has a feel of kulning and wild Scandinavian country being scoured by icy winds and a raiding fleet returning to port. ‘I Buried My Teeth’ takes us through silent, misty musical hinterlands, as if you are stalking through the undergrowth, until the crash of a heavily distorted guitar jerks you to attention – I found it allegorical to a predator hunting in a forest and the slam of the guitar being the point of impact, where the predator overpowers the prey, and then the subsequent rending and tearing of flesh, the gouts of blood and pain, and serrated teeth and eventually, blessed black oblivion. Although this music is absolutely modern and cutting edge, it doesn’t lose the feeling of the songs being folk tales told around roaring hearths, among half-drunken landsmen. And that is fucking brilliant, to be honest. It also helps that Javier is a multi-instrumentalist genius who plays (checks notes) keyboards, piano, and dulcimer, as well as sings, does the programming, and produces his own music. The absolute bastard. I have been looking at the electric guitar that I’d forgotten I owned, and was contemplating playing it again. Wilderness Hymnal have put paid to that idea. Anyone want to buy a Squier Jagmaster?

So, if you dig the work of Chelsea Wolfe and Ulver, you’re going to enjoy Wilderness Hymnal mightily. I love the mix of Folk, Drone, and Shoegaze, which leads to music that effortlessly conjures imagery of dark, misty forests, and half-glimpsed shadows tracking your every move…

On the sixth track on the album, ‘Three Tempers’, Wilderness Hymnal and Duncan Evans collaborate on a song that is a perfect passing on of the baton from the organic, living thing that is the music of WH, to the electronic emotional wasteland that the august Mr. Evans exists in. The folk element of the song curls sinuously around gentle guitar work from the man himself, and the whooshing, atmospheric keyboards from Javier Wallis, with mournful, wailing cello underpinning the whole heartrending thing.

We then come to the storytelling and sparse electronics of Duncan Evans. Truly a man who has discovered that less is more when it comes to music, he employs his voice and his emotional delivery to send out songs that are more tales than anything else, most ably demonstrated on “Mouse Mask” – the tale of a bank robbery by three men in mouse masks, where Duncan places himself temporarily in the persona of one of the protagonists, and doesn’t dress up the fright and tension that you would feel as anything heroic or special.

Duncan Evan’s music takes inspiration from Post-Punk, and the odd bit of New Wave, but the idiot writing this loves his music because it feels like a modern amalgamation of Kraftwerk (simple tempos and surprising humanity emanating from robotic electronic music) and Suicide (the strange and outré flourishes, the sheer ACUMEN of the lyrics, and the beeps and squelches and overall feeling of the music), and Satan be praised, I fucking ADORE Kraftwerk and Suicide. The Suicide influence is absolutely paramount on ‘The Waiting Room (No Exit Part 1)’, with the sense of slowly building menace and barely contained violence the song displays, before it seamlessly segues into ‘The Stars (No Exit Part 2)’, which abruptly switches gear from Suicide, to almost classical in concept and vocal delivery. Duncan steps back from vocal performance, to hand the reins to Phil Wilcox, who changes the dynamic of the vocal to an almost choral voice, and the aching blackness just flows from him as he regards the stars from a window, being the only points of light in the protagonist’s life. Bloody wonderful. ‘Breath’ I have already described in a previous review, and I praised the emotion of the song then. My opinion hasn’t changed on repeated listening, either. It’s a magnificent piece of music. ‘Mouse Mask’ sweeps along on very Suicide-sounding keyboards before acoustic guitar creeps into your attention on the middle eight, and remains just below the main body of the instrumentation.

So, one LP and two artists, both of whom I admire for different reasons, combine to create a work of supreme importance for atmospheric music as a whole. If you dig feelings and cinematic soundscapes, you’ll love this record. Heavy metal it isn’t, though, which is why I have deducted a mark because Ever-Metal.com is supposed to be a metal website, but it is an album of complexity and emotion and intelligence that should absolutely be of interest to everybody who listens to music to be blown away or beguiled, and not just to take shitloads of party treats and gurn at everyone while guzzling endless bottles of water in a field somewhere in rural Staffordshire where all you can hear is thumping.

The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System awards Duncan Evans and Wilderness Hymnal a stonking 9/10 for a record that is absolutely superb in execution and hauntingly emotional.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Comet
02. I Buried My Teeth
03. The Hunter
04. Old Dogs
05. Anaemia
06. Three Tempers
07. Deadheading
08. The Waiting Room (No Exit Part 1)
09. The Stars (No Exit Part 2)
10. Breath
11. Mouse Mask

WILDERNESS HYMNAL LINE-UP:
Javier Wallis – vocals, keyboards, piano, dulcimer, arrangements, programming, production.

With help from:
Michael Peter Kelly – electric guitar, bass guitar.
Noah Eamon – violin.
Mirthe de Jonge – cello
John Simm – drums and percussion (I Buried My Teeth).
Melle Berendsen – backing vocals (I Buried My Teeth).
Nick Duke – bass guitar (Old Dogs).
Gydo Keijzer – drums (Old Dogs).
Dauwpunt – production, mixing (The Hunter, Old Dogs).
Joe Garcia – production, mixing (I Buried My Teeth).

DUNCAN EVANS LINE-UP:
Duncan Evans – vocals, guitars, synths, bass guitar, programming, production, mixing.

With help from:
Phil Wilcox – vocals on ‘The Stars (No Exit part 2)’

LINKS (Wilderness Hymnal):

LINKS (Duncan Evans):