Album Type : Full Length
Date Released : 13/5/2014
Label : Century Media
Splinters
tracklisting :
1). Scabs 03:36
2). Bereft 07:11
3). Instinct Slaughter 01:26
4). Odious Bliss 04:09
5). Savages Arise 02:40
6). Aghast 05:15
7). The Wolves of Sin 03:08
8). Cattle 02:57
9). Dragged to Gehenna 04:15
10). Thirst for Extinction 02:07
11). Splinters 06:27
The
Band :
Gregor Mackintosh | Vocals and Lead Guitar
Hamish Glencross |Rhythm and Lead Guitars
Scoot | Bass
Adrian Erlandsson | Drums
Review
:
Vallenfyre,
Paradise Lost's Gregor Mackintosh's side project of crusty death/doom are back
with their second record. 'Scabs' opens things with quick
tempos and a very crust punk vibe to the approach. Things slow down after some
blast sections and avid listener's of the main man's day job will recognise
some of the doom laden lead work. It is a concussive opener. 'Bereft'
follows with a longer song length and more Bolt Thrower-esque sounds to the
riffing. Slow and morose, it shows the doom sound of the band perfectly.
'Instinct Slaughter'
contrasts this effectively with one and a half minutes of crusty death, just
ploughing forward with relentless riffing and thrash/blast beats. 'Odious Bliss' brings
groove and power to the record, showcasing another aspect to this unusual
band's sound. It is at this point that, on first listen, I really began getting
into the record. Diverse, but with unifying sounds, the record is a kind of
tour of the overlapping sections of crust/doom/death. It is also very well
produced- it sounds great and murderously powerful without sounding too
polished.
'Savages Arise' keeps
the brutality flowing with excellent grooves and chugging riffs rubbing
alongside punkier sounding guitar work. By the time 'Aghast' rolls
around, you are over the half way point and probably fully sold on the band's
sound and approach. 'Wolves of Sin' is slow and discordant
to start with, but picks up to an insistent marching groove, and then doubles
the snare tempo again. A scathing attack on Christianity in lyrical terms, the
band gets things right here again before 'Cattle' blasts
its way into your ears with an unruly air of menace. 'Dragged to
Gehenna' chugs with muscular insistence, setting up a rather more
straight-forward old school death metal vibe.
'Thirst for Extinction' is pacey
and to the point, blasting and grinding its way to two minutes of carnage. The
title track closes out this impressive sophomore release with slow doom
passages complimented by swirling leads reminding you once again of Gregor's
day job.
If
you have any interest in doom/death crossover, crust punk and even Paradise
Lost (then and now, but perhaps not mid-period!) then it will be well worth
your while to check this record out. Vallenfyre are very much the real deal.
Dark, miserable, heavy and at times very aggressive indeed, the album slays,
pure and simple.
Words by :
Richard Maw
You
can get it everywhere now
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