By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 30/11/2018
Label: Raging Planet
Son of Cain deliver COC grooves and
style mixed with the intensity and vocal approach of prime era Danzig, the end result is a mixture of dark and dangerous
rock n roll
“Closer To
The Edge” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1). Hit the Road
2). Born to Fail
3). Beyond
4). Like Stone
5). Old Man
6). Reach The End
7). Dead Corner
8). Human Prey
9). Boiled
10). Outro
The Review:
Son of Cain deliver COC
grooves and style mixed with the intensity and vocal approach of prime era Danzig.
Sounds like your kind of thing? It will be, if you like those two bands. In
particular, Danzig is writ large through the
very core of this release. It's dark and hard rocking at the same time, it's as
if the Evil Elvis upped sticks and move to... Portugal?!
Yep,
this band is European and not from the US
or even South America. Their geographical
location doesn't matter to me at all- this is quality stuff and the two piece
line up (drums/vocals and guitars/bass, unusually) handles the material well.
There
is nothing you have not heard before, but so what?! Most bands are STILL
copying Sabbath
riffs, so a respectful nod to Mr Danzig is fine by me. From the opener “Born to Fall”, to the “Outro”, the influences are stamped on
the bands sleeves (leather/denim/studded gauntlet- I assume). There is more to
this than pure pastiche, though. “Beyond”
is a rough rocker of a track and “Like
Stone” is as hard and heavy as the title suggests.
The
two band members nail the grooves admirably and the sound is rough and raw-
Rick Rubin is not needed here as the energy crackles out of the speakers. “Old Man” really is like Prime Danzig
circa “Lucifuge” or thereabouts. The latter half of the album (you get
ten tracks in total- without 99 bonus tracks!) is just as strong, with “Reach The End” rushing out fast and
keeping a punk-ish energy in its frantic delivery- which contrasts well with a
more laid back vocal.
“Dead Corner”utilises dialogue from
what is surely one of the best films of all time and sets the tone for a low
down and dirty song. The final trio of “Human
Prey”- which showcases excellent melodies and use of variety/dymanics, “Boiled Up” and “Outro” keep the energy levels up and the vibe cranked to maximum
darkness. This is dark and dangerous rock n roll- very enjoyable.
“Closer To The
Edge”
is available HERE
