Tag Archives: MOR

AlNamrood – Diaji Al Joor

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Saudi Arabian Black Metal? I know. The guys of AlNamrood deserve full marks for merely attempting it, right? When you consider that Melechesh felt forced to depart the allegedly less extreme Israel after fierce opposition to their fiery output, these fellas must have been shitting themselves at times. And Diaji Al Joor (Shaytan) is their fifth album…

If those new to the band are guessing at some nasty old ranting with a middle-eastern influence, you’re on the right path: mystical sounds course through the album, with the percussion of ‘Zamjara Alat’ possessing a hollow tone and augmenting the exotic winds. It’s this blend of such haunting beauty with a sinister horror that grabs the ears from the outset and the eerie, scene-setting opener ‘Dahleen’ is adorned with Arabian chanting and the stirring pipes which grace the region’s music.

There’s an element of the theatrical and (whisper it) comedic about certain aspects: Humbaba’s vocal delivery is a crazed, blustering shout rather than the expected evil rasp; and the swerving riff of ‘Hawas Wa Thuar’ is augmented by what appears to be the sporadic bursts of kazoos. It’s a little like Hail Spirit Noir finding Khaleeji Folk: that outfit’s mad switch of obsidian MOR given a hefty Asian groove in the infectious melodies of ‘Ejhaph’, the album’s rough production and those angry bellows adding an almost Pirate metal, ‘singalong’ element to proceedings.

Those indigenous rhythms and instruments add wads of intrigue and originality to the fire however, and it’s here where the strength of the album lies. Despite a ferocious riff and vocal ‘Adghan’ would be merely a bizarre, Doom-laden take on Rotting Christ without those enlivening Eastern overlays. Here is a true melding of cultural styles and this makes for a curiously joyous experience.

Many will undoubtedly dismiss this as Extreme metal novelty or, even worse, worthy of attention for bravery alone, which would be a travesty because there’s real gravity and a stunning inventive ability at work alongside the rampant hostility. Together with those wonderfully hypnotic melodies, this makes Diaji Al Joor enthralling and, in a ‘mad genius’ way, quite brilliant.

 

8.0/10

 

PAUL QUINN

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Kylesa – Exhausting Fire

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Ever think you could compare 70s New wave to Savannah Psych-Sludge outfit Kylesa? No, me neither…

A new Kylesa album used to be a huge event in the Quinn household until 2010’s Spiral Shadow (Season of Mist) showed a mellowing of the lambent, crushing anger, introducing more of the band’s progressive drift. Two albums later and it’s sadly obvious that the band is continuing the journey further from their harsh roots.

Exhausting Fire (Season of Mist) isn’t devoid of bulldozing riffs: opener ‘Crusher’s entrancing verses displaying the customary steel which fires up a laconic, Blondie ballad-style chorus highlighting the increasing melody in Laura Pleasants’ voice. The ensuing ‘Inward Debate’ is Philip Cope’s first foray into action, immediately infusing the sound with a buzzing anger: yet his performance in ‘Moving Day’ is more indolent, an almost spoken-word delivery, Pleasants’ honeyed backing and jangling hookline giving way to a fuzzed coda.

This is a less inventive, softer Kylesa, seemingly happy after all these years to plough a furrow without traversing the path of discovery. Briefly howling leads and a growling riff awaken the dreamy, drifting ‘Falling’, the kind of track the band are becoming more well-known for. The Talking Heads-esque ‘Night Drive’ is a cool evocation of the cosmic violence of the Spiral Shadow era, a lazy Prog infused with swelling, pulsing power. ‘Blood Moon’ however, is more indicative of the second half of the album, its blend of Asian-influenced MOR and bludgeoning Punk feeling tired and occasionally flaccid: a tiredness which the insouciant, Nirvana-like ‘Growing Roots’, only occasionally tempting with spiralling swells, further highlights.

Closer ‘Out of My Mind’ sees more of those terribly wearisome vocals – in all honesty, the biggest problem here – destroy a gradual pogo-fest. It’s by no means dire, just desperately disappointing and lacklustre. Here, it seems, we have a once-crushing colossus now older, battered by tough times, and content to peddle uninspired stodge which eclipses many other bands’ output, but insults Kylesa’s legacy and name. Intermittent flashes of dazzling, indelible former glories save us from a worse fate. Exhausting Fire? Exhaustion seems not a million miles away…

 

5.5/10.0

 

PAUL QUINN


Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden

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If you felt the debut album from Arkansas quartet Pallbearer, Sorrow and Extinction, contained some of the most emotive doom ever, think again. New album Foundations of Burden (Profound Lore) is an adventurous journey through space for the lost, solitary soul on their way to meet their maker.

Weighty, yet melancholic and melodic, much like its predecessor it is shot through with a healthy dose of the best of ’70s radio rock, nonetheless there are noticeable differences here. The first of these is the sacrifice of a small amount of Sorrow…‘s heaviness in favour of a more textured, progressive sound. There is also the addition of harmonised backing vocals which, far from detracting from overall enjoyment, shows the evolution of a highly skilled, creative unit, unafraid to escape its comfort zone.

Opener ‘Worlds Apart’ has a number of movements, flowing from a crunching mid-paced opening into a mid-section of guided atmospherics with the coda of staggering effects-laden leads accompanied by funereal, subterranean riffs, all wonderfully decorated by Brett Campbell‘shoneyed yet soaring vocals. The ensuing ‘Foundations’ begins with complex yet deliberate rhythms, the sound of a burning rocket having developed a slightly woven path of orbit, those deliciously doleful tones seemingly lamenting yet justifying its straying from the line.

‘Watcher in the Dark’ is a mournful titan with an apocalyptic central duel of leads and coruscating riffs rising from a sparkling rhythm section and Joseph D. Rowland‘s MOR-style piano, to a remarkable and euphoric finale. Mark Lierly’s drums are increasingly dictatorial and demand attention, whilst the resonant solo work descends to a languid tone before a moving explosion of sorrow, with Campbell’s towering tones an aching call to the wilderness. Lush synths ease into the evocative, phenomenal, ‘The Ghost I Used to Be’ as Campbell’s voice fluctuates between Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Perry before the riff taking centre stage, orchestrating time changes, leading to an amazing closing solo. Unbelievably, even this staggering behemoth is surpassed by a stroke of genius – the heart-breaking beauty of the brief, delicate ballad ‘Ashes’, a track that would be at home on any Styx record, yet still retains an air of gravity. Closer ‘Vanished’ displays all that power and subtlety, possessing a booming production that heightens the contrast of resonant, harmonic chants and the fulminating power of riff and drums.

Superlatives and panegyrics are thrown around like confetti these days, and mostly for albums that just don’t deserve them. Here is an entity beyond words. The blend of crushing weight and sadness that twines with an almost paradoxical ascension to light throughout this quite magnificent set is sublime and inspirational. If the prog-rock outfit Kansas suffered a year of deep personal loss, down-tuned to hell, and proceeded to embody the grief and subsequent healing in an album, the result would be Foundation of Burden. This willingness to puncture doom’s boundaries and travel outside them surely hails Pallbearer as the most important band of their genre right now.

 

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10.0/10.0

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PAUL QUINN

 

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