By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 29/4/2013
Label: Relapse Records
“Bloodlines” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1)
Attrition 3:15
2)
Midnight Eyes 4:14
3)
Demonic 3:29
4)
One Last Nail 3:06
5)
Down So Low 3:29
6)
Your Hell Begins 4:58
7)
With A Blade 5:22
8)
Of War 3:00
9)
The Mouth Of Madness 4:29
10)
Embrace Your Nerve 4:44
Review:
Howl are listed on Wikipedia
as doom metal, but there is much more going on here than that as first track “Attrition”
indicates. It is most certainly metal, most certainly with the sense of drama
and foreboding that that the best doom has, but the band play deftly and are
rather more fleet of foot that you might imagine given their Wikipedia page
description. There are Mastodon-like elements here too, both in the
arrangements and playing. “Midnight Eyes” keeps the energy
and pace quite high, while “Demonic” is closer to Testament's
thrash album of the same name than it is to anything in the Sabbath
canon.
There
is lovely guitar work throughout as two guitars make use of harmony, solos and
riff interplay. The tempos are varied and the songs well constructed with
bridges, choruses, breakdowns and any other trick you can think of. The vocals,
though guttural in parts, are always intelligible and this adds to the
listening experience. They are also mixed up front so you can really hear what
is going on- it is refreshing to hear a band with confidence in their vocals in
this sub/sub-genre.
“One
Last Nail”
continues
the high bar set early on with excellent chugging riffs and lead guitar work. “Down So Low” starts ominously and
with a Type
O-esque vibe. The track represents the closest to the true doom
sound of the album up to this point. The pace and groove stay locked down
allowing the track to breathe and take on its own life. A tempo shift comes
around the half way point, but doesn't outstay its welcome and leads into a
well thought out guitar solo.
The
pace of “Your Hell Begins” is positively rampant and kicks off the
second half of the record in keen style. Again, the harmony guitar work and
subtle pace changes stop this from becoming needlessly aggressive and thus
highlights the affinity the material may have with doom even when not operating
in that particular genre specifically.
“With
A Blade”
starts with the kind of groove riff that Pantera would have been very proud of. The
verse that follows an unusual riff- keeping things unpredictable and fresh. The
band plays superbly here, making the track flow well even with the tempo shifts
and rhythmic nuances. A very melancholic doom section hits the listener around
two minutes from the end, which in turn gives us a chugging crawl that Crowbar
would be happy with. Immense!
The
almost Maiden
vibe of the initial riff opening “Of War” gives way to straight
forward metal in the verse and lead breaks in between. Further twists and turns
follow- the track crams a lot into its three minutes. The penultimate track “The
Mouth of Madness” builds from a down beat start into a rather
despairing track- again, doom rears up here. “Embrace Your Nerve”
starts slow and takes the album into melancholy territory again before a Mastodon
type verse takes over with time changes taking place under the vocals (a neat
trick that appears on the album).
If
you are looking for ten tracks of superior metal, incorporating doom, trad,
modern southern styles and more- don't hesitate to pick this one up. Good band,
great album.
“Bloodlines” is available here.
