Category Archives: EP Reviews

Pelican – The Cliff EP

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In the world of post-rock, there are a lot of pretenders to the throne, but few worthy of the crown. The holy trinity of the genre in the USA falls to Russian Circles, Junius and, Pelican. As they have once before in their career, Pelican have teamed up with Allan Epley (Shiner, The Life And Times) to add his vocal prowess to their new EP, The Cliff (Southern Lord). On paper what looks like just a good match, becomes an exquisite exercise in songcraft, self-restraint, and true talent.

The main track ‘The Cliff’ has the best of Pelican’s breed working for it. Quietly epic, building slowly and entrancing you with each cadence. Hypnotic drums fall and rise in time with your breathing and brain patterns. Beating out a compelling rhythm that beckons to you follow like a spirit. The layers of guitars, a Pelican trademark, spinning motifs and head crushing waves. Added to this expert mix is Epley’s vocals which as a much an instrument as the band. If you are unfamiliar with his work, Epley has a voice not unlike a young Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees/Mad Season). Somber, but full of gravitas and character, Epley’s powerful tones weigh so heavy, it contrasts beautifully with the sunny (for a Pelican song) final stanza.

The other original song on the EP has been termed a leftover from Forever Becoming (also Southern Lord). However, it’s a track so deep and triumphant, I kind of wished they saved it for their next album. It’s like the soundtrack to sports movie, but only for the final montage part. The other two tracks are remixes of ‘The Cliff’. One remix, by Mr. Justin K. Brodrick (Godflesh/JK Flesh) is sans vocals, but enhances the dream-scape aspect of the guitars with synths and adds a heavier bass mix. Their is also an echo effect on the drums that give a surreal sleep-walking feeling to the listener as well. It definitely takes a killer track to the next level. The other track is remixed by Palms (Aaron Harris & Bryant Clifford Meyer). This track revs up the beat quotient, and adds more a dynamic flow than before. The vocals have a great delay loop on them, and some sick backwards guitars too. This release (digital or vinyl) should be enough of a morsel to tide you over until the next full-length.

 

8.5/10

KEITH CHACHKES


Zoax – Is Everybody Listening?

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The London-based five piece’s second EP and first to be distributed through Century Media certainly shows promise and shows that there may be more to come from the band in the future, but in fact the EP only helps demonstrate that the band are not completely ready for the big time just yet.  If being thrust into the mainstream is to be compared to going out for a night on the town, lets say, a fellow rising British band such as Marmozets would be in the taxi on the way to club, whereas Zoax would still be at home trying to get their shoes on by comparison.

Is Everybody Listening? (Century Media) does have its positive moments though, the album is a frenetic and frantic beast throwing the listener all over the place in that diet Dillinger way that a band like Architects has pretty much perfected.  Make no mistake though this is certainly a lot less heavier than Architects, there’s more a frenetic almost indie tone to it, which shares a lot in common with Marmozets.

When listening to this, the album that kept coming to mind was the recent début album from Beartooth. It’s not as heavy or as in your face as that, though it certainly has one toe in the great sea of indie rock, though with a great connection between bottled insanity and sweet yet weighty choruses.

Overall, Is Everybody Listening? is certainly not going to set the world on fire and  is far from the finished product, but has enough about it that I would be shocked if this ends up the best release put out by this band by the end of their career.

More of a brief wind than the hurricane some had forecast it to be.

 

6.0/10

Zoax on Facebook

 

DAN O’BRIEN


Vision of Disorder – Still EP (Re-issue)

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Before metalcore became a pissing contest with success measured by how accurately bands had copied At the Gates’ magnum opus Slaughter of the Soul (Earache), the genre had genuine teeth and grit. One such pioneer was Long Island quintet Vision of Disorder, who successfully merged heavy metal and hardcore to produce a sound full of aggression, rhythm and anger which was tailor made for the live environment. After being killed off by nu-metal the band returned in 2012 with the magnificent The Cursed Remain Cursed (Candlelight) and have now decided to re-issue their debut EP Still (Dignified Bastard Inc) to celebrate twenty years in the game.

Long-time fans of the band will know exactly what to expect, for there is little difference here than on the group’s self-titled debut album. The surging, grooving riffs of the likes of ‘Through My Eyes’, ‘Beneath the Green’ and ‘Choke’ still sound as venomous today as they did all those years ago, with Tim Williams’ furious screams displaying a genuine sense of anger. Unfortunately his more melodic tones weren’t quite there yet and are thankfully only used prominently on a couple of occasions. This is only a minor quibble however, as the music more than makes up for any shortcomings, with the two-minute whippersnapper ‘Watch Out’ demonstrating just how lethal and vibrant the band were, and how much promise this blend of styles had.

A crystal-clear re-mastering job from Michael Rosen ensures that every instrument is front-and-centre, with the parping bass guitar given a prominent role and drums cracking like heads hitting a New York sidewalk. Hopefully Vision of Disorder can take stock of just how awesome this recording is, and crack on with producing a follow-up to The Cursed Remain Cursed before they become just another nostalgia act. They’re too good for that.

 

7.5/10

Vision of Disorder on Facebook

 

JAMES CONWAY


Outer Heaven – Diabolus Vobiscum

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Taking a Latin phrase of religious meaning such as “Domins vobiscum” and adding a satanic connotation may rank as a rather unoriginal and even a little juvenile manner to release naming, yet it is the approach that Douglassville’s own Outer Heaven have adopted for their debut release (excluding their 2013 demo available for download). Not that EP release Diabolus Vobiscum (Melotov) is a laughing matter; far from it.

It is clear that Outer Heaven are not setting out to reinvent the wheel by any stretch but their sound does draw upon several of metal’s poles of extremity. A huge overriding element sees them draw upon the sludgy, rawness of the early death metal greats with in its guttural tone and primal production values. EP opener ‘Lord Of The Void’ highlights their doom streak however with its bluesy, Sabbath like opening bars (even the title sounds like a tribute to the fathers of heavy metal) and continued droning pace, abruptly interjected by a brief blastbeat segment. This sets the tone throughout as the rest of the EP takes on a dark, brooding crawl of a pace with a huge sense of ferocity.

Diabolus Vobiscum may show some signs of cliché and formulas tried and tested by the greats, but this is far from mere aping and hero worship. Outer Heaven on their debut have delivered a very nasty slice of vintage death metal with plenty of replay value, and surely putting them on the map in the underground.

 

7.0/10

Outer Heaven on Facebook

 

CHRIS TIPPELL


Gehennah – Metal Police (EP)

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To celebrate their signing with Metal Blade, Swedish quartet Gehennah are re-releasing their 2014 EP, Metal Police, with a whole host of extra goodies. Originally a four track 7”, the 2015 version now boasts a dozen dirty, in your face blasts of thrash and roll.

Although they’ve been together since the early 90s, Metal Police was only the band’s – made up of Mr Violence (vocals), Rob Stringburner (guitars), Micke “Hellcop” Birgersson (drums) and Charlie Knuckleduster (bass) – second release of the new millennium. As well as a couple of extra songs from the original sessions, the new version comes with re-recordings of older Gehennah material.

The original four tracks all follow the same path; short, sharp rockers of AC/DC meets Motörhead-inspired thrash. It’s over in ten minutes, but it’s great sweaty and sweary fun. The title track and a storming cover of The Dwarves’ ‘Fuck ‘Em All’ are especially pleasing.  The bonus tracks continue in the same vein; in your face, no fucks given rock and roll. Gehennah wear their love of classic Motörhead on their sleeves but frontman Mr. Slaughter’s bark adds an even punkier edge than Lemmy could rustle up in his heyday. The likes of ‘Carve Off Your Face (And Shove It Up Your Ass)’, the relentless ‘Hellstorm’ and ‘Piss off, I’m Drinking’ are the perfect soundtrack to a night of drinking, fighting and debauchery.

As re-releases go, Metal Police is a corker. A short but enjoyable EP has been transformed into a dirty, punky full length beast. What Gehennah lack in originality they make up for with energy, attitude, and amusing song titles.

 

8.0/10

Gehennah on Facebook

 

DAN SWINHOE


Youth Funeral – See You When I See You

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With a name like Youth Funeral, you’re probably not expecting the most cheerful music to emanate from your speaker system, and you wouldn’t wrong with that assumption. Combining post-hardcore and screamo, this New-Hampshire four piece have crafted a sound bursting in youthful energy, careering its way violently from beginning to end.

Coming in at 6 tracks and 11 minutes long, the record is virtually over as soon as you’ve hit the play button. See You When I See You (Twelve Gauge Records) is a short snap of angst. Far from being underdeveloped though, the short timing works in the EP’s favour. The songs are chaotic, lacking the usual clear progression, but the short lengths leave no time for the listener to tire of what they are hearing, keeping the songs consistently fresh and constantly angry.

It’s not all a bludgeoning assault either. ‘Confidante’s’ extended timing allows it to twist into atmospheric sections while ‘I Remember’ strips back into basic riffing. This doesn’t last long though as ‘When it Pours’ and ‘The Weak and the Ward’ roll out jumping riffs that virtually falls over themselves; combined with their almost dissonant chord progressions they easily stand out as the strongest tracks on the EP.

While See You When I See You won’t find itself spinning on my CD player often, that isn’t saying there isn’t merit to the music. The style is chaotic and stumbling but isn’t clumsy. The band walk a delicate balance between structure and absolute chaos, and pull it off with an ease that keeps each switching section sitting easily in one song. This is a band I’m sure we’ll be seeing on the scene for a long time to come.

 

 6.5/10

Youth Funeral on Facebook

 

CAITLIN SMITH


Dethfox – Natural Media Teleforce

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There are many EP’s floating around out there in music world which just doesn’t achieve their purpose. The purpose will always be to introduce you to a band’s makeup and style in a short and snappy style, and with Natural Media Teleforce (Chaos Rural), Dethfox have at least got the memo. Short and snappy is absolutely the name of the game here, we’ve got five tracks clocking in at just over eight minutes long. It blitzes by so quickly, you’ll find yourself listening to it three or four times before you’ve really been able to grasp what Dethfox is all about.

Musically the band flies through with a gritty punk edge. The poor production on the album adds to the rough feel, and genuinely shows a level of promise. Word on the street is the band are heading towards releasing their first full length album later on in the year, so this serves excellently as a punchy preview. Vocally we begin to move away from the roughness being a positive, as it is an area which can almost certainly be worked on, sounding like someone doing an impression of Lemmy.

But again, it is an EP, an EP from a band who are clearly still finding their way with their sound. When the full album releases later in the year it is definitely one to check out, as Natural Media Teleforce does at least show a degree of promise.

 

6.0/10

Dethfox don’t “do” Facebook, but you can find them (and a stream of the EP) on the Dethfox website

 

TOM DONNO


Neberu – Impulsions

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In a pretty short space of time since their inception, German progressive metaller’s Neberu have achieved an envious amount already. Sharing the stage with likeminded peers such as Monuments and Eskimo Callboy, plus signing to Famined Records and a debut album expected early next year; all whilst maintaining their boyish looks… the swine! Revisiting their debut EP Impulsions (Famined), as imperfect as it may be it is clear how and why these youngsters have ascended so far already.

Touting themselves as an experimental entity with a vast array of influences; Impulsions doesn’t give this air of breaking the mold at first, seeming to fall into the echelons of djent/metalcore influenced bands out there – a huge bulk sees the transition between harsh and clean vocals and the use of breakdowns that has become generic staples in such climes.

Over time however their hints of diversity begin to shine through. ‘Autoconstant’, for example, drops its pace halfway through for a dreamy, atmospheric passage of subtle ambient electronica before it erupts once again, while EP highlight ‘Alleviate’ even veers into a brief jazz interlude towards the end.

These are flashes however and the majority is still styles and sounds we have heard many a time; even vocally it sounds reminiscent to hordes of acts out there. Still this is a very formidable EP for such a young entity in a very crowded field and by building further on their diverse influences this quintet can become a significant presence in tech metal’s slightly stagnating waters.

 

6.0/10

Neberu on Facebook

 

CHRIS TIPPELL


Darkher – The Kingdom Field

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The west Yorkshire idyll of Hebden Bridge was on the news a few years ago, highlighted as the lesbian capital of the UK – an unexpectedly contemporary claim to fame for such a quaint, old fashioned town. For the area to produce such explosive, edgy, mournful, and downright fucking sexy folk-rock as this EP from local troubador Jayn Hanna Wissenberg, aka Darkher, is also something of a surprise.

Before The Kingdom Field (Self-released/Independent) arrived in my inbox, I checked some more stripped-down material on YouTube and subsequently asked myself, “Why the hell have we got this?” Within seconds of the breathy, siren-like beginning, I had my answer: the cello. Rasping, calling like a spectre from the sea, it slices through the prickling folk lilt, giving the haunting rhapsody an, albeit brief, violent edge which kicked this listener square in the bollocks. That’s aside, of course, from the eerily beautiful, heart-breaking melody of Wissenberg’s voice, and the sparing guitar slicing through the atmospherics like a primal roar in a desolate field. The judiciously introduced drums of opener ‘Ghost Tears’ accentuate the chilling tambourine with a fearful ease; the whole evoking one of the jerking undead coming for vengeance in a classic horror. Yeah, it’s that good.

The gently-picked acoustic of ‘Hung’ underpins the unbearable hurt in the mellifluous vocal before more cello strains take us to within an inch of sinister euphoria. It’s the ensuing ‘Foregone’ however, where the rock edge really explode with a resonant riff constantly threatening to blow yet always holding back, whilst the drums swell then recede to a seductive, heartfelt sway in a ‘Polly Jean Harvey goes all melodic doom’ style claustrophobia. Look, there is a strong argument as to whether this should really be here on Ghost Cult or not but, basically, this is Myrkur for the ‘Folkies; a haunting, beautiful, teeth-edging horror and it’s utterly brilliant.

Bring me an album, now.

 

9.0/10

 

Darkher on Facebook

 

PAUL QUINN


RAM / Portrait – Under Command

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Friends, allies and countrymen lending each other not just their ears, but their riffs too, and sharing black wax time and what we have here is a pretty cool, if gratuitous, way for two bands to promote themselves and each other. The premise for Under Command, a split EP (Metal Blade), is that each band contributes a new original, a re-imagining of the other band and a cover.

First up is RAM’s original, a spiky Judas Priest inspired 80’s rocket called ‘Savage Machine’. It goes without saying originality is at a premium, but it’s delivered in the right spirit. However, the best of RAM’s trio of unholiness is their take on Portrait’s ‘Welcome To My Funeral’, outdoing the original with graveyard tones and atmospheres working well. All the good work done in the first two, RAM chuck it away with a piss-weak and stock cover of KISS’ ‘Creatures Of The Night’ that seems to go on for double its four minute length.

Portrait have been (unfairly? the jury is still out…) tagged as wannabe Mercyful Fate merchants, with people comparing Per Lengstedt to the King, in an evaluation that the Portrait man can only come out second best in. ‘Martial Lead’ does little to dispel the Fate association, with Lengstedt’s voice and falsetto too rough and no Diamond. Their version of Exciter’s ‘Aggressor’ is decent, raw and aggressive enough, and they run through RAM’s ‘Blessed To Be Cursed’, a more underground and Satanic British Steel era Priest tune, with enough intent to do it justice.

All six tracks suffer from a retro production, and it’s interesting that by the end the differences between the two bands are negligible and this could be one release by the same act. It’s also of note that the more high profile of the two, Portrait, come out second best, but, then, RAM have more to benefit from this, and it shows in the power they put into their track.

All said and done, this is a decent enough curio, but no more than that.

 

6.0/10

RAM on Facebook

Portrait on Facebook

 

STEVE TOVEY