(Andy Synn presents three more high quality cuts of pure, A-grade British beef)
Let me tell you something… I love my band, and I love the music that we make (did I mention that we have a new EP out this Friday?) but the truth is we’ve never really found where we belong in the UK Metal scene.
Don’t get me wrong, we’ve played with and befriended some great bands, and at one point even had our own little mini-clique of others like us (Rannoch, Talanas, Spires, Luna’s Call) who also didn’t really “fit in”.
But we’ve always felt like (and, as far as I can tell, been considered) “outsiders”.
However, the three bands I’m talking about today are not only three of the most promising acts in the UK scene (two of whom recently released their long-awaited sophomore albums, with the third being about to release their highly anticipated debut) but could all easily fit together on one bill without sacrificing their own distinct identities.
Which, I guess, also makes them the perfect picks for this edition of “The Best of British”!
CODESPEAKER – SCAVENGER
“Post-Metal”, as a genre, is one where it is all too easy to fall – whether accidentally or intentionally – into straight-up idol-worship (but, then, truthfully, this is a problem in most genres).
But on their second album, Scotland’s Codespeaker have taken some significant steps to establish themselves as a significant force to be reckoned with in their own right and on their own terms.
Sure, there’s a fair bit of early Cult of Luna or The Ocean to the band’s sound (the raging catharsis of opener “Usud”, for example, wouldn’t have sounded out of place during the latter band’s Fluxion/Aeolian period) but there’s also a mechanistic pulse underpinning the likes of “Rescission” and the thunderous throb of closer “Hiraeth” which hints at a subtle Godflesh/Meshuggah influence that’s woven into the fabric of the album.
Hell, there’s even – to my ears – a touch of Ulcerate‘s abrasive aggression to be found in the doomy density of “Samsa” (a personal favourite of mine) and the imposingly intense “Enso” (another major highlight), which helps give Scavenger a somewhat more “extreme” and visceral vibe than your average Post-Metal album.
And it’s by mixing these different elements and influences together, while also pushing the familiar tricks and tropes associated with Post-Metal that little bit further – the quieter moments are just that little bit darker and moodier, the louder parts that little bit harsher and heavier (trust me, there are some truly massive riffs and blistering bursts of blastbeats to be found scattered across the record’s fifty-one-ish minutes) – that Codespeaker have elevated their new album above and beyond its predecessor.
Speaking of the album’s quieter moments… having spent some time with Scavenger over the last few weeks I’ve grown to appreciate these poignant passages of brooding introspection – from the fleeting hints of haunting ambience found in tracks like “Signum” and “Verte” to the more extensive atmospheric excursions during “Hecatomb”, etc – just as much as the more booming and bombastic parts of the record, as while there’s no doubt that Codespeaker are capable of hitting you even harder than ever these days, they’ve also grown even more adept at letting the impact of their music breathe more and linger even longer.
HIDDEN MOTHERS – EROSION / AVULSION
There’s been a lot of hype building up around Post-Hardcore prodigies Hidden Mothers this year and – as someone who has seen them live several times – I can understand why.
Of course, the on-stage experience doesn’t always transfer over into a band’s recorded music… but, thankfully, the Sheffield quartet have successfully captured a significant amount of the electrifying energy of their live show and packed it into the eight emotionally weighty songs which make up Erosion / Avulsion.
The best moments of the album – seething Scream/Blackgaze inspired opener “Defanged” (whose early intensity slowly but surely transforms into something more eloquent and refined as the track opens up), heaving mid-album highlight “The Grey” (one of the heaviest and most intricately arranged tracks of the band’s career), and captivating closer “Haze” (which blends haunting heart-ache and shimmering atmosphere in equal measure) – really do showcase the group at their very best, marrying clever, creative songwriting to a cathartic core of raw, unrestrained emotion.
Sure, there’s a few occasions where the weight of the band’s influences – I can hear bits and pieces of Thrice and Envy, Alexisonfire and Deafheaven, and more, surfacing at different moments – hangs a little too heavily over the album (“Grandfather” in particular is essentially just a Thrice song in all but name, especially considering the vocals are pretty much a dead ringer for Dustin Kensrue’s distinctive voice and delivery) and ends up overshadowing the group’s still-developing identity, but while that might be a minor point of contention it’s definitely not a deal-breaker.
And the reason for this is quite simple – while Erosion / Avulsion is not without its flaws, these are massively outnumbered by its many, many selling points, with the group’s deft and delicate balance of simmering melodic melancholy and subtly metallic power (both “Death Curl” and “Violet” in particular serve as an impressive showcase for the band’s heavier side), combined with their smart songwriting and intricate instrumental layering (with the dynamic drum work being an understated, but undeniable, highlight), serving to showcase not only how good Hidden Mothers are right now but also suggesting (and promising) even bigger, better things in the future.
STILL – A THEFT
Upon hearing A Theft for the first time I had to go back and re-check what I’d written about Still‘s debut album.
Why? Because while { } was certainly a vicious, visceral record – one whose blend of Post-Black and Post-Sludge influences drew valid comparisons with the likes of Celeste and Poison the Well – I don’t remember the band ever being quite as dark as they are on A Theft.
But that’s ok, because evolution is the spice of life, and the band’s shift towards an altogether harsher approach – one which, this time around, owes more to latter-day Wake and Limbo-era Gaerea with its greater emphasis on scorching dissonance and scalding blackened fury – has only, in my opinion at least, made them even better.
Sure, A Theft isn’t an easy listening experience (sinister, slow-burning opener “Yearn” is probably the most “accessible” track on the album, which should tell you a lot about what to expect from the rest of it) but it’s one whose more challenging and demanding approach reaps even greater rewards.
The dissonant aggression of “Only Time Will Tell”, for example, conceals an unsettling, atmosphere-heavy underbelly for the committed listener to slowly uncover, while the blistering blasts and churning riffs of “Light” keep twisting and contorting so violently that it’s all you can do, the first time around at least, to just hold on tight as the song tries to shake you off.
Similarly, the doomy discordance of “Life Eclipses Living” seems designed to slowly seep under your skin in a way that might not seem to initially grab your attention but which will, inevitably, continue to haunt you long afterwards, while the unrelenting intensity and anxiety-inducing unpredictability of “Small Mercies of Falling Apart” delivers an instant impact (worthy of Plebeian Grandstand at their nastiest) whose full implications will still take quite a while to fully unpack.
Throughout it all though (climaxing in the moody, mesmerising strains of “Unresolved”, which builds, over the course of just under six-and-a-half minutes, towards a truly cataclysmic crescendo) it remains an immensely captivating listen, one which may be hard to pick up at first but which quickly becomes even harder to put down.