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This is 'Liberation through Amplification.'
It is not often that a band is so damn corrosive
and monstrously heavy that they literally and figuratively make you lose your
shit, but London three piece Torpor are that
band. Undeniably face melting, their
fusion of sludge, noise and doom, hasn’t quite reached the heady heights of
some of their contemporaries, however Torpor’s star is in the
ascendency.
For me they released one of, if not the best release of 2015, with the monumental
“From Nothing Comes Everything” but
if that wasn’t enough, the band regrouped and possibly even outmuscled themselves,
with the release of the frankly obese split with Sonance earlier
this year via Truthseeker Music.
With the recent announcement that Torpor, will play the prestigious Incubate Festival
on Saturday 10th 2016, the band have also collaborated with their
good friends, Massive Lake, on a video for their phenomenal 10
minute masterpiece of drone “Jasager”
and today at The Sludgelord, we’re humbled to be able to
debut the premiere of the video in full, which you can check out below. Remember “A family that Slays together, Stays Together”
You can pick up a copy of their split with Sonancehere and digital tracks are available as a “Name your Price” download here
To say to this band blew me away the minute their
music hit my ear holes, would be a damned understatement, this giant, a hybrid of
many different styles are recommended if your followers of bands such as ELDER, RED FANG,
MELVINS, BARONESS, RUSH. On August 12Nashville, TN Fuzz Rockers HOWLING GIANT will
release their new EP “Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 1” and today at The Sludgelord marks
the debut of brand new music from their forthcoming EP, as we premiere of
the ball busting track “Dirthmouth”. But before you go reaching reach for the Listerine, we hooked up with Drummer Zach Wheeler
from the band, to get a brief low down on the inception of the band and what we
can expect from their new four track EP.
Check it out.
SL:
Can you give us a brief history of your playing career to date leading up to
the formation of your band and release of your current record?
Zach: We all met in college and were in
different bands, so we needed to find a way to de-stress from all of the
serious band business. That is how Howling Giant was born (under
a different moniker at the time, SKLDZR). As these other
projects fell apart for all of us, we decided to spend a little more time
writing and we eventually moved from Boston to Nashville. When we got to
Nashville we recorded our first EP in Tom's bedroom and started playing around
town and travelling on weekends every once and a while. We were lucky enough to
get selected for the Converse Rubber tracks
program and that’s where we started on this current EP, “Black Hole Space Wizard Part 1”. We recorded instrumentals in
Converse's studios and finished the record in various bedrooms in Nashville.
SL:
What can you tell us about your upcoming record and where do you feel it sits
within the context current doom scene
Zach:
Each song has its own vibe, but it’s all tied together by the story. We draw
influences from prog, stoner, desert, psych, and doom. When we wrote this EP we
didn’t strive to create a sound that fits into any one genre. We tend to write
music that is fun to play and in the case of this concept, each song supports a
scene of pulp science fiction within the “Black
Hole Space Wizard” universe. The overall vibe of the story is steeped in
doom and dismay from the point of the almost eradicated human race. While we
are by no means a traditional doom band, the genre has probably had the most
influence on us for this specific release.
SL:
What was the mood in the camp going into the recording of the record
Zach:
We had been working on the Black hole space wizard concept for a while but weren’t
sure when we would have the opportunity to record it. When Converse invited us
to record for their Rubber Tracks program we were so pumped, and we knew that
this was the perfect opportunity to get the ball rolling on part 1. We had a
blast recording with Dave Minehan, who really helped us find our spirit animals
during this recording.
SL:
What can fans look forward to from you over the next 12 months? How is your
schedule shaping up?
Zach:
Over the next 12 months we will be
writing and recording parts 2 and 3 of this EP series. We want to try to stay
in town for live shows for the most part, with small weekend tours so that we
can focus all of our energy on writing and recording
Cranial forge epic journeys that marry the weighty post metal of
early Pelican to the hefty crunch of Mastodon’s “Remission” with captivating
results. Bursts of soaring post-rock are employed to provide contrast to the
onslaught of chugging armageddon. “Dead Ends” ably demonstrates why Cranial is the
perfect name for this band. This is brainy music - intelligently constructed
yet skull-crushingly heavy.
“Dead End” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1).
Nightbringer
2).
Limes
The Review
Würzberg
quartet, Cranial have risen from the ashes of
instrumental heavyweights Omega Massif. Anyone
who misses that band will find ample solace in “Dead Ends”.
Here
are only two tracks to savour on this impressive debut release but these
lengthy compositions pack in more twists and turns than most LPs. Cranial forge epic journeys that marry the weighty post
metal of early Pelican to the hefty crunch of Mastodon’s “Remission”
with captivating results. The band navigate shifts in tempo and volume with
ease and manage to avoid the pitfalls of obvious build and release dynamics.
Bursts of soaring post-rock are employed to provide contrast to the onslaught
of chugging armageddon. The delayed lead guitar rising from the smoking pit of
distortion in the middle of “Nightbringer”
heightens the emotional impact without feeling cheesy or unnecessary.
Cranial mostly let the riffs do the talking
but sparingly deploy vocals to powerful effect. Huge reverb-drenched roars
occasionally emerge from the wall of noise to heighten the drama, lending an
air of black metal to proceedings. This is particularly effective during the
cacophonous climax of “Limes”.as the
heavily effected vocals blur the boundary between voice and instruments.
“Dead Ends” ably demonstrates why Cranial is the perfect name for this band. This is brainy music
- intelligently constructed yet skull-crushingly heavy.
Raging
Speedhornexploded onto the scene way back in 2000, reaching
the heady heights of the UK Singles chart in 2001 with their song ‘The Gush’,
but for me, it was with the release of their debut full length ‘Raging
Speedhorn’ that I really took notice of the band, having a sound
reminiscent of Eyehategod
and Iron Monkey,
there really wasn’t many bands like them at the time. With an incredible
follow up ‘We Will All Be Dead Tomorrow’, produced by members of Biohazard, Speedhorn were destined
for great things.
Following the
release of their 3rd record ‘How The Great Have Fallen’
Frank Regan split from the band in 2005, to be replaced by Blood Kev of Helvis fame and they
subsequently released one further record ‘Before The Sea Was Built’ in
2007, a record which strayed from their original sludge sound. That is
their history but fast forward back to 2016, and with the arrival of a brand new record entitled “Lost Ritual” it almost feels like a rebirth, the stage is their spiritual home and with it, ‘Speedhorn have come to destroy once again.
A couple of
weeks ago, I caught up with Jim Palmer, guitarist with Raging Speedhorn and we discussed new
beginnings, touring with Amen and the bands renewed passion for being part of a
scene, they helped create. It’s time to get Amped & Doomed.
SL: Jim thanks for taking the time to talk to us, can you give
us a brief history of when you started playing guitar?
Jim Palmer: I
first picked up the guitar when I was 8 years old. I learnt classical
initially, moving onto other finger picking styles such as folk and bluegrass.
My first electric guitar soon followed with my interest in blues guitarists
such as Ry Cooder
and Stevie Ray Vaughan. By about the
age of 14 I was playing in local bands and gigging in youth clubs and the like.
By the age of 20 I’d swapped to playing bass and joined the band Integrity and then a band called Fracture in the mid 90’s touring the UK
extensively. By about 97 I swapped back to guitar and joined Charger. During my time with Charger I also formed the group Murder One along with my friends from Medulla Nocte and Iron
Monkey. I toured extensively through the UK and Europe for many
years until I just stopped in 2007 due to illness. In 2011 or thereabouts I
joined the band Space Witch and
started playing again and later formed the band Harlot
Church. In 2014 I was asked to join Raging
Speedhorn and here we are.
SL: Can you
remember who or what inspired you to pick up the guitar? Are there any bands,
guitarists currently on the scene that continue to inspire you and push you to
try new things?
Jim: My
mum was a music teacher and a pianist and my Dad just loved music so I guess
they were my first inspiration. I think the first actual guitarist I saw that
inspired me was John Williams when my
mum took me to see the band Sky.
After that I was kind of hooked.
As for now I’m constantly inspired by many
musicians whether famous or not. I like a massive range of music so there’s
always something out there to get excited about.
SL: Whilst we’re on the subject of inspiration
or heroes for example, do you have 5
records that stand out as favourites, what influence did they have upon you and
what is it about those records that particular resonates amongst others?
Jim:
Pink
Floyd – “Obscured By Clouds”
Rainbow – “Rising”
Sick
of it All – “Scratch the Surface”
Ry
Cooder – “Ry Cooder”
Melvins – “Houdini”
I think these albums in particular stick out as my favourites because
in one way or another they signify a particular period in my life. That and the
fact that they are all killer.
SL: Can remember your first electric guitar?
My first electric guitar was an Ibanez
Blazer and it was fantastic. Really miss that guitar.
SL: What guitar (s) are
you using today and how did you gravitate towards the guitar you currently use?
Jim: I use
many guitars from Gibson LP Specials
through to LP Customs but my main
guitars at the moment are a prototype Yamaha AES
Telecaster I’ve owned for 18 years or so and a Yamaha AES 600. I’ve used Yamaha guitars on and off since the beginning
of Charger in the late 90’s. No big
manufacturer makes better guitars than Yamaha
in my opinion.
SL: What do you like about the guitars you currently use and have
there been any specific modifications to it?
Jim: I like
my AES Tele because it feels just
right now it’s beaten up and well and truly worn in. It has a wonderful soft
profile to the neck and a feel to it that’s just right for me. I like the AES 600 for exactly the opposite. It has a
big, fat baseball bat of a neck and is quite awkward in some ways. It’s almost
like that guitar that makes you work hard to play it. All my guitars have
several modifications. I don’t use tone knobs so they instantly get removed. I
use Railhammer pickups so all my guitars
have those fitted although I’ve just started using Zombie
Dust pickups which are awesome too. I also fit kill switches to all
my guitars for those moments when you can’t reach your pedal board in time.
Apart from that and using DiMarzio
strap lock straps, everything else is pretty much standard.
SL: What amps and pedals do you currently use? Do you use a combination of amps, or a full
half stack? Talk us through your set up both in the studio and in the live
environment?
Jim: I’ve
used Peavey 5150’s and 6505’s for pretty much everything I’ve ever
done. The only other amp I use regularly is a Blackstar
HT Metal 100. Pedal wise I like to keep things fairly simple so I
have an Ernie Ball VP Jr volume pedal,
Boss TU3 Tuner, EHX Chill Switch and an Ibanez Weeping Demon wah. I occasionally use a
Blackstar Dist if I’m using loan amps
and I occasionally run a Decimator Noise
Reduction pedal. Other than that it’s basically guitar to pedal
board, straight in the front of the amp and out into 1 maybe 2 4x12’s.
I use the same setup when I record although for our new album I mixed
in a JCM 800 for extra beef. I’ve
never been one for complicating things and I believe very much that my tone is
my tone so no need to change it about too much if I can help it.
SL: What one pedal could not live without and why?
Jim: There
isn’t one. Id be just as happy running straight into my amp as I am running
pedals. I don’t need them, they are just nice to have and make life a little
easier. I guess if I had to pick one it would be my TU3
as no one likes an out of tune guitarist HA HA!
SL: What are your
amp/ pedal settings?
Jim: Pedal wise there
isn’t a lot to set. I have my volume pedal for swelling in and out as I hate
using volume pots on guitars. My tuner runs out the tuner out on the volume
pedal so it’s essentially out the chain. I have the EHX chill switch set to
kill the sound momentarily when its depressed, (kill switch), and my Weeping Demon Wah is set to run on the spring
/ sensor so it engages automatically when I put my foot on it. I also have kill
switches on my guitars for options depending on my stage position but also so I
can do the same stuff when I’m not running my pedal board.
Amp setting wise I run the gain on about 8 on
the lead channel, EQ would be bass – 8 mid – 3 Treble – 6, the resonance on 7
and the presence on 4. if I use the rhythm channel its for clean stuff so gain
on about 3 but I run the standard 6505
so I use the same EQ. If I’m using a 5150
or the Blackstar HT Metal 100 the
same settings would apply.
SL: What tunings do you use and why, and as a result is there a
specific brand / gauge of string you prefer ?
Jim: With Speedhorn we tune to drop C#. It’s the perfect
balance between down tuning and still having clarity and usable string tension
/ intonation. String wise I use Cleartone
strings and wouldn’t use any other brand now. They are so much more clear
sounding and the coating makes them last much longer. Gauge wise I used to use
light to / heavy bottom 10’s (10-52) but I’m currently running 11’s (11-56).
SL: Do
you have any advice for up and coming guitars players, bands?
Jim: It’s
simple really. Nothing is free, nothing will get handed to you on a plate. Work
hard, put the effort in but enjoy it too. Be a good person, seems daft but it’s
important. If you’re an arsehole to people, crew in particular, they’ll
remember that and it will make your life very difficult in the future. You
should always try to be a good person anyway. Most of all stick at it. I know
more people who’ve “made it” simply because they’ve stuck at it for years than
those who’ve gained instant success. Longevity means a lot in this business.
SL: Do feel there are deeply help
misconceptions about being in a band?
Jim: Many, many
misconceptions but to be honest they are generally made by people who wouldn’t
have a clue anyway HA HA!
SL: Moving on a little then,
what can you tell us about any of your current projects, tours, cds, etc
you’re currently promoting, completed and anything else band related we should
know about?
Jim: We are
releasing our new album “Lost Ritual” for pledgers at the beginning of
July and then later in July it will be available to everyone else. If you still
wish to pledge and get hold of some limited edition goodies as well as the new
album you can do so via the Pledge Music
website and look for Raging Speedhorns
campaign. We are also going on tour around the UK in July to promote the new
album from the 15th – 23rd. Pop over to our Facebook page for updates, news and those
important tour dates!
SL: What springs to mind when you
think about the completion of your new/current record and how is the mood in
the camp at present?
Jim: Happiness
and relief I think. I’m not sure any of us knew whether this was going to work
out but currently we are all feeling pretty chuffed about the new album and
about how well things are going. It’s certainly a good place to be right now.
SL: What are your favorite songs to play live? What is
it about them that makes them so good to play live, crowd reaction, etc? Anything from your catalogue that you
wouldn’t play and why?
Jim: I’m really enjoying the new material at the moment. It’s fresh and new
so it’s easy to play about with the songs structure but also because it’s so
typically Speedhorn
it fits perfectly in the set. I think my favorite songs to play would have to
be “Bring Out Your Dead”, “Halfway to Hell” and “Dogshit Blues”. I’m not sure there is
anything in the catalogue we wouldn’t have a go at live but certainly anything
off “Before The Sea Was Built” would
be difficult due to the different vocalist, (Bloody Kev).
SL: Who are some your favourite
bands you have toured with and what
has been your proudest moment and/or performance of your playing career?
Jim: Some of
the best bands I’ve toured with would have to be Today
Is The Day, Amen and Prong just for the sheer fun we had and the
competitiveness. I’d have to include Raging
Speedhorn in there too though as back when I was in Charger and Murder
One we toured together before I was in RSH.
Always a good time. I feel proud every time I get to play live as it’s a real
privilege but stand out gigs would have to be headlining a stage at Sonisphere in 2014, returning to Damnation Festival in 2014 for the 3rd
time and our headlining slot at Download
SL: What can fans look forward to from you over the
next 12 months? How is your schedule
shaping up?
Jim: Busy! With
the new record out and the subsequent “Lost Ritual” tour we’ll be
popping up all over the place in the next 12 months. We are currently in
negotiations to bring even bigger things and maybe even a few trips to Europe.
In a year you might even hear some more new music, who knows.
SL: Finally, do you have any final comments/word of wisdom you’d like to bestow upon
us?
Jim: In the
words of Bill and Ted “be excellent to each other”. See also Ronnie Barker
“don’t let the bastards grind you down”
Album Type: Full Length Date Released: 03/06/2016 Label: Crown & Throne Ltd
Huge, awkward
riffs dominate the landscape, their ugly, discordant racket is reminiscent of Converge
at their nastiest.This is a mighty
offering, a captivating combination of savage intensity and considered dynamics.
“Nature’s Bastard” DD//LP track listing:
1). Intro
2).
Celestial Blackout
3). Poisonous
Miasmas
4). Garotte
5). Sundown
6). The
Endless Tide
7). Futility
8). Old Blue
Clay
9). Nature’s
Bastard
10). The
Great Equalizer
The Review:
“Celestial Blackout”, the second track
of Reproacher’s
new LP “Nature’s Bastard”, provides an apt description of the widescreen carnage they deliver.
The track roars into life out of the smouldering ashes of “Intro”, a perfect hybrid of brooding post metal and furious, Hydra
Head-style noisecore. The Wyoming
bruisers mine this seam of inspiration for untold riches over the course of the
album to create their distinct visceral sound.
Reproacher’s music is based on a solid
foundation of gnarly noise rock heaviness but the tone shifts as the record
progresses. The opening double whammy gives way to the harder edged likes of “Poisonous Miasmas” and “Garrote”. Huge, awkward riffs dominate
the landscape, teeth-shaking low end and piercing high end squalls combining to
emulate the punishing broken grooves of Coalesce. The tempo increases during the
album’s mid-section dominated by the furious d-beat of “Sundown”. The ugly, discordant racket is reminiscent of Converge
at their nastiest and peaks with a wild, adrenaline-soaked lead guitar break.
As the end
approaches, the mood darkens. The title track is the closest Reproacher
get to something resembling a ballad. Although the volume is dialled back and
the vocals are subdued to a faraway, half-spoken drawl, the slow-burning menace
exuded here is as heavy as their full-on attack. This makes the bludgeoning
climax all the more crushing when it finally arrives with grim inevitability. “The Great Equalizer” continues this
trajectory, falling away to near silence in the middle and building to a
powerfully restrained climax, woozy chords ringing out as the band grind to a
halt like a drunken cowboy.
“Nature’s Bastard” is a mighty offering
from Reproacher,
a captivating combination of savage intensity and considered dynamics.
Album Type: Full Length Date
Released: 18/03/2016 Label:
Doomentia Records
An encompassing album with an unforgiving heaviness, "No King Reigns
Eternal" sees Finns Solothus’ improve on their debut album, and release one of
the heaviest doom releases so far this year. Instilled with death metal
elements and no signs of calm, it is a harrowing album full of weighty
monolithic riffs and a murky atmosphere.
“No King Reigns Eternal” CD//DD tracklisting:
1.
The Betrayer
2.
No King Reigns Eternal
3.
Darkest Stars Aligned
4.
Malignant Caress
5.
Towers in the Mist
6.
The Winds of Desolation
The Review
Building
on the oozing potential of 2013’s “Summoned
from the Void”, Finland’s Solothus have
capitalised on all the potential that their debut full-length promised,
providing grotesquely heavy death-infused doom metal that stays committed to
tearing off heads. Rather than blending
slow-burning quieter moments with the more destructive sections, as bands like
Haast’s Eagled have done this year, second album “No King Reigns Eternal” sees Solothus crushing
skulls in a more efficient manner than on the debut, with a dense atmosphere of
darkness en-wrapping a wholly consuming style cantered around pure aggression.
The
album’s first riff roars out of the gloomy darkness, with rumbling bass and
pin-point percussion adding to the growling guitar’s raw power. As with any
devastatingly heavy doom outfit, the riffs are centre of attention, and opener
‘The Betrayer’ sets the bar high.
Thankfully, Solothus are more than up to the task, with
guitarists Veli-Matti Karjalainen and Sami Iivonen proving themselves hugely
capable writers of shit-hot, face-shredding riffs throughout the album’s 43
minutes.
These
riffs ensure that “No King Reigns
Eternal” is nothing less than intensely gratifying heaviness, that merges
the gory brutality of Entombed with the
slowed pace of Sleep. No one will claim that Solothus’ gruesome doom hasn’t been heard before, but every
grisly riff and guttural hate-filled bellow is drenched in a thick coat of
morbid agony, with the word subtlety never once crossing Solothus’
minds. The balls-to-the-wall intensity of ‘Darkest
Stars Aligned’ is unparalleled in its ability to create images of
apocalyptic destruction, whilst the impressive lead guitars and occasional
solos offer slight deviation from chugging guitars, helping to create a cold
and sorrowful atmosphere that blankets Solothus’ many
gut-punching riffs.
“No King
Reigns Eternal”
may be able to pride itself on its uncompromising, death metal-influenced take
on doom, but despite the gory nature of their unyielding music, Solothus also manage to make room for an eerie, macabre
atmosphere that sets it apart from its many rivals and allows them to refuse to
let up without becoming too overpowering. Forceful but with a focused attitude
that allows Solothus’ assault to be more captivating
than it was on their debut release, it is a consistent album that deserves
recognition for managing to not be derivative, and instead carving out its own
bloodstained path.
Last
year, in May, three venues in Cardiff's
most musical street prepared themselves for something heavy. Sure, Womanby Street is
used to lots of bands and human traffic; Glasnost and HUB festival bring in so many
musical acts...but this was to be an entirely different beast.
The
brain child of several Cardiff based promoters, musicians, organisers,
designers and radical thinkers, the idea for Red Sun was for the city to
write it's name into heavy music folklore with a festival that would resonate
with the heshers and lowlifes, the freaks and weirdos, the riff aficionados and
the meatheads of this land. Cardiff
had been no stranger to heavy music, many a travelling band had passed through,
laid waste and left but what was lacking was the reverberation that only a
festival would bring.
The
2015 line up was a veritable smorgasbord of heavy hitters from the UK; Bong Cauldron,
Bast,
Human Cull,
Thought
Forms, The Admiral Sir Cloudsely Shovel, Opium Lord,
Ten Foot
Wizard,Towers Of Flesh, Bismuth, Desert Storm, Boss Keloid,
Pist, Diesel King, Atomçk and The Art of Burning Water sat alongside South
Wales' own Spider
Kitten, Hogslayer, Thorun, Suns Of Thunder, V A I L S, Haast's Eagled,
Lacertilia, Tides Of Sulfur, The Judas Cradle and Pizzatramp.
Each night was a success, now 2016 seems likely to top it!
The delightful Honky
will headline the Saturday night at the Moon Club while Hark and Slabdragger headline the Friday
and Sunday respectively. Also playing will be acts such as Gurt, Iron Witch, Old Man Lizard, Semen,
XII Boar, Jøtnarr, Elephant Tree and two of the best band names in
existence; Chubby
Thunderous Bad Kush Masters and Anal Floss Is Boss. A pile of bands who played
last year will be making an appearance this year too and promoters from far and
wide (Snuff
Lane, Cosmic Carnage, Hibernacula Records etc) helping to make
2016's impossible dream become a reality.
With
the...ahem...difficulties faced by other festivals this year, Red Sun proves that small festivals can
achieve something worthwhile when people put the work in. If you haven't bought
a ticket yet, do it now!
Börner writes and creates music that should appeal to both purist
and tourist alike. Not because he haphazardly smashes the pieces into each
other, like a child with their toys, but because his instincts and strengths do
so organically. “Autumn’ is flush with
atmosphere and overall is a cohesive and brilliant listening experience.
‘Autumn’ CD//LP//DD track listing:
1.
Scars
2.
Void
3.
Womb of Emptiness
4.
Autumn Shades
5.
The Wind and the Leaves
6.
Climax of Sorrow
7.
Nightfall
8.
Escape II
The Review:
The
wait for a new ColdWorld album has been a long one. Georg
Börner’s last release under the ColdWorld banner was
2008’s ‘Melancholie²’, an album
rightfully adored by just about everyone who enjoys sorrowful black metal. It
also fell between two different eras, as it relates to which sub-style of black
metal were popular at the time. ‘Melancholie²’
came just as the wave of American one-man band projects (Xasthur, Leviathan)
had already crested and flattened out, but also just before the increased
popularity of post black metal (Amesoeurs,
Alcest).
‘Melancholie²’ was something of a bridge
between those two points in black metal history as well, having qualities of
both the claustrophobic production of American black metal just after the turn
of the century, but written with the dour melody and atmosphere of European
post black metal. The album also had a character that separated it from
anything else happening at the time, using violin, and soft electronics to add
character so many of the other bands of the time were missing.
In
2016, the black metal landscape is significantly different. ‘Autumn’ comes at a time when black
metal is in a state of change again, as we appear to be on a down cycle after
the proliferation of “blackgaze”, especially in the United States. In these downswings,
black metal tends to return to the basics in the interim, which is why so much
of the best black metal releases this year have been more traditional, sticking
closer to the late 80s / early 90s playbook. ColdWorld
again finds itself landing just as one trend is wrapping up, and presumably,
another will begin.
‘Autumn’ bears some resemblance to ‘Melancholie²’, as Börner has a certain
melodic style that carries over, even after eight years. But this album is
warmer, and sounds more natural (which is probably tied to the album’s title).
The guitars aren’t as abrasive as they were before, the drum programming is
less rigid. ‘Autumn’ is not as
straightforwardly black metal as its predecessor. While clean vocals were
definitely a factor on ‘Melancholie²’,
they were so often buried in the mix and used for ambience more than being a
focal point. “Womb of Emptiness” is
an example of how that’s changed to an extent. Börner gives a somber, fragile
performance on the song that recalls Jonas Renkse in his transitional period as
a vocalist, particularly during ‘Discouraged
Ones’. He doesn’t struggle to find the note like Renske did, but his voice
has a similarly subdued, gentle nature to it.
More
than anything, ColdWorld is no longer an omen of things to
come masquerading as a part of the old guard. They’re simply existing in their
place in time, and showing every other band and project the best version of
what they could have been. Börner writes and creates music that should appeal
to both purist and tourist alike. Not because he haphazardly smashes the pieces
into each other, like a child with their toys, but because his instincts and
strengths do so organically. ‘Autumn’
is flush with atmosphere, but not because Börner listened to Slowdive and
decided to shoehorn that sound into blast-centric black metal. Instead, ‘Autumn’ is a cohesive, brilliant
listening experience; a reimagining of its own sound rather than the awkward
pairing of two sounds from someone else. The distinction may seem like a small
one, but it makes all the difference in the world.
You
can pick up a digital copy here and a CD/LP copy here.
