Tag Archives: Instrumental

King Dead – King Dead

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Aside from the dreaded Facebook page, there’s precious little information about Stroudsburg, PA trio King Dead. Yet another instrumental outfit, their self-styling as ‘spaghetti western doom sludge‘ isn’t too bad a description of this eponymous debut full-length (Self-Released).

Apparently consisting of two bassists, one of them six string and taking the place of a guitar, there’s nevertheless a remarkably mellow, dark indie-style melodic riff dappling through opener ‘Ghosts Along The Riverbank’ which seems to belie this fact. The melancholic doom pace is interspersed throughout by these elements of beauty, squalling a la Mazzy Star or Jesus and Mary Chain; while true bass notes, possessing a twang which supports the western edge, grow stronger and plough through the mind.

This, and the ludicrously titled yet gloriously emotive ‘As One Plows And Breaks Up The Earth…’, with its shimmering lead tone and shuddering bass evoking a solitary figure trudging a well-worn road, begin to lay the curse of the instrumental album to rest. Sadly the ghost is soon awoken: a rat-a-tat marching beat, bringing to mind to the worst excesses of 70s glam, ushers forth the stoner jam of ‘Length Of Rope’ which possesses little of the earlier heartfelt sadness. The eerie, brittle whistling does little to rescue a passable trundle through the motions, the kind witnessed on countless occasions during indulgent live ramblings. Whilst the bass-led ‘Drowning In Dust’ is heavy to the point of ponderous; only a rousing middle section and portentous coda showing any invention.

There’s a slight Shadows similarity to the opening chords of closer ‘God Makes A Lot Of Fucking Promises’ [Editor’s Note: great song title!], and the reintroduction of lead effects gives the required boot to the arse. A brooding undercurrent reminiscent of The Doors‘ ‘Riders On The Storm’ quietly throbs beneath the track, whilst that post feel reappears in the middle section to decorate a bruising, slow rhythm. As instrumental albums go, this is intriguing and, in parts, memorable. Fillers, however, are too easily exposed, and more is needed to make a lasting statement. Like a chilli lacking chilli powder, there’s not quite enough here to make you blow hard.

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6.5 /10

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PAUL QUINN


Nightsatan – Nightsatan and the Loops Of Doom

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Nightsatan are one of what I can’t help but think of as the “token” bands – a band who sign to a primarily Metal label, are championed by Metal musicians (in this case, Reverend Bizarre’s Albert Witchfinder, who’s performed with them live) and receive rave reviews from Metal sites, but don’t actually play Metal. It’s easy to be cynical about why these bands target themselves at a Metal audience, and why they largely seem to lack acceptance amongst whatever scene they should be a part of, but some quality acts have taken this route in the past.

Nightsatan play evocative, moody synth-soundscapes most easily comparable to Goblin (and modern imitators Zombi), Vangelis or the soundtracks to eighties and nineties action movies. The soundtrack comparison is no coincidence – Nightsatan And The Loops Of Doom (Svart Records) is ostensibly the soundtrack to a short movie of the same name (though the album is longer than the film) which, if the trailer is to be believed, consists of the three fantastically-costumed band members walking across a desert getting into poorly-choreographed fights. The music mirrors this with sinuous pulses, echoing beats and a kind of vintage-sinister atmosphere.

The main strengths and weaknesses of the album are the same that affect most soundtracks. This is music that’s been designed to support visual images – removed from those images you have music that can be evocative or boring depending on the listener’s mood. My own biggest issue with the music here was the lack of hooks or audible drama – atmosphere is built, but within any clear outcome it is often left simply to fall into the background and be ignored.

Being a clear homage to a particular style of music, aimed primarily at an audience that perhaps doesn’t possess the full critical context to judge it fairly, it’s easy to see …Loops Of Doom as something of a gimmick album. Certainly I have my doubts how long the appeal will remain after the novelty has faded. It is, however, a well-executed and engaging gimmick that yields up some pleasing pieces of music, at least for a while.

 

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6/10

Nightsatan on Facebook

RICHIE H-R


Helen Money – Arriving Angels

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Arriving Angels (Profound Lore) is one of those albums where awarding a mark at the end seems arbitrary, that sits at the point of aggravation of trying not to impose what the listener/reviewer wants it to do versus what the artist, in this instance cellist Alison Chesley, a.k.a Helen Money, wants it to do.

For the uninitiated Helen Money is the solo output of cellist Chesley, whose catalogue includes work with Neurosis, Shellac, Anthrax and MONO. Purely instrumental, except for the occasional (and it has to be said distracting) appearance of drum patterns, Chesley switches between distorted and more traditional cello sounds, digging out cello’d riffs during the distorted sections.

Calling to mind Amber Asylum (particularly their intriguing Frozen In Amber debut), Beyond Dawn (on Revelry), Blood Axis (I didn’t realise all 3 of these were on the excellent and much missed Misanthropy label until now) and the more neo-folk end of Cold Meat Industry, the contrast between deep, moving dark mood pieces and discordant stabs of electric riffs is jarring, at times working like hearing a bang in the still of night, at others frustrating as a delicate mood and build is (deliberately) shattered. For example, following the haunting and fragile plucked melodies of ‘Midwestern Night’s Dream’ is the album centre-piece and title track, as ‘…Dream’ seamlessly segues into a gorgeous shuddering piece until GAK! 3 minutes in a distorted “riff” appears from out of nowhere. I’m all for juxtaposition, but it sounds like a teenager learning Sabbath riffs on a cheap Epiphone through a 10 watt beginner amp. And then a minute later we’re back into a beautiful soundtrack to an indie film of stark isolation, not to dissimilar to Ulver’s Lyckantropen Themes.

When the electric tone works best is on ending track ‘Runout’, when it doesn’t try to be disruptive, and this is also when Arriving Angels is at its’ best, when Chesley plays, rather than experiments. As an album it lacks flow and doesn’t quite get there as no mood is allowed to build for long enough to have an emotional pull, but its difference stands out, as do several cautious melancholy passages.

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7/10

Helen Money on Facebook

Steve Tovey


The Lumberjack Feedback – Hand Of Glory EP

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thelumberjackfeedback-handofglory-cover2013France’s sludge/doom instrumentalists The Lumberjack Feedback throw down the grooves in a bunch of steady and sturdy riffs that pummel their way into the depths of your psyche with remarkable ease. There’s nothing about this EP that isn’t impressive. All that lets it down is that it is an EP and not an album.Continue reading →