After two decades of injecting various degrees of death metal and gothic metal into their sound, My Dying Bride has pretty much been a doom metal band on their last couple of albums. Sure, the atmosphere on ‘A Mortal Binding’ can still be somewhat gothic in nature – though nowhere near as unrelentingly bleak as its predecessor ‘The Ghost of Orion’ got at times – but the slow, mournful guitar riffs have been the focal point of My Dying Bride’s recent albums. Which is a good thing, because that is clearly their biggest strength and does not deserve to be buried under layers of atmospherics.
Overall, ‘A Mortal Binding’ sounds a bit more straightforward than ‘The Ghost of Orion’. Those who were thrown off by the avant-garde touches of the latter will certainly have an easier time getting into this one. Personally, I thought ‘The Ghost of Orion’ was one of My Dying Bride’s best albums to date – possibly the best – and ‘A Mortal Binding’ does not quite live up to it, but some of the better elements fortunately have stayed. Guitarists Andrew Craighan and Neil Blanchett being front and center both compositionally and sonically is one, the fact that Aaron Stainthorpe sings better than he ever has is another.
Still, ‘A Mortal Binding’ and I originally got off on the wrong foot. There is one simple reason for that: I really, really don’t like opening track ‘Her Dominion’. It is the worst track of the album by a significant margin and therefore, an odd choice to open the album with. The riffs, while decent enough on their own, don’t seem to connect up all that well and Stainthorpe’s growls in the minimalistic verses sound forced and tired. That last thing is surprising, because his growls sounds commanding and borderline scary in the excellent doom monster ‘The Apocalyptist’ later on.
Fortunately, the album gets better after its somewhat awkward opening minutes. ‘The 2nd of Three Bells’ , ‘A Starving Heart’ and closing track ‘Crushed Embers’ are excellent examples of the mournful doom metal My Dying Bride is known for, with the extremely slow riffs and dramatic guitar harmonies that were the band’s trademark early on. In fact, a few of these songs could have been on ‘Turn Loose the Swans’ if Mark Mynett’s mixing job did not make them so obviously contemporary. An additional benefit of that is that listeners can actually hear how complemenetary Lena Abé’s excellent bass playing is. The denser ‘Unthroned Creed’ brings ‘A Line of Deathless Kings’ to mind.
The worst thing I could say about ‘A Mortal Binding’ is that it is another My Dying Bride album. However, the niche they have carved for themselves in recent years is – in my opinion, at least – the best representation of what My Dying Bride can be. The guitars don’t need elaborate keyboard arrangements to emphasize the dark, romantic qualities of the music – again, Shaun MacGowan provides texture first and foremost. ‘A Mortal Binding’ doesn’t quite blow me away like ‘The Ghost of Orion’ did, but its best moments are some of the greatest doom metal around these days.
Recommended tracks: ‘The Apocalyptist’, ‘Crushed Embers’, ‘The 2nd of Three Bells’
There was a time when I used to say that Brittney Hayes deserved a better band than Unleash the Archers. At the time, I just didn’t expect that she would not have to change bands for that. ‘Apex’ (2017) and ‘Abyss’ (2020) were not so much developments as complete evolutions of their sound, and ‘Phantoma’ takes this growth even further. In fact, in terms of songwriting, ‘Phantoma’ is one of the best modern power metal albums I have heard in a long time, and it gives me a bit of hope for the future of the genre.
While the previous two Unleash the Archers albums were highly enjoyable, there were also moments that tried to be too much at the same time. Although ‘Phantoma’ is stylistically similar, the songs are given much more room to breathe, something which Hayes’ spectactular voice especially profits from. Also, the band better succeeds at combining their influences into a more cohesive whole this time around. The synthwave and eighties pop influences are part of the contemporary North American power metal songs rather than being assigned their own respective tracks. All of this makes ‘Phantoma’ an incredibly rewarding and at times surprising listening experience.
The better use of space was already evidenced by the first few singles off ‘Phantoma’. ‘Ghosts in the Mist’ especially impressed me in how nobody in the band gets in each other’s way, and the vocal melodies are simply excellent. First single ‘Green & Glass’ even has the band layering a multitude of guitars, Hayes’ powerful cleans and guitarist Grant Truesdell’s cappuccino machine growls without sounding like anyone is trying to push anyone else off the album. Excellent, but all too rare examples of how power metal can mature without taking the uptempo energy out of the equation.
Variation is another asset of ‘Phantoma’. The band goes through different tempos and levels of intensity to create an excellent flow. ‘Give It Up or Give It All’ is the biggest departure, its brightly shimmering clean guitars and subtle changes bringing the prog-pop of early Steve Hogarth-era Marillion to mind, but still sounding like Unleash the Archers. Uptempo power metal tracks like the galloping ‘Buried in Code’, the dynamic ‘Seeking Vengeance’, the soaring ‘The Collective’ and the somewhat proggy ‘Ph4nt0-mA’ are offset perfectly by melodic mid-tempo rockers like the gorgeous ‘Gods in Decay’, the slow-building opener ‘Human Era’ and dramatic closer ‘Blood Empress’.
I gladly stand corrected. With the songwriting upgrades Unleash the Archers has had over the past few years, they simply are the better better band that Brittney Hayes deserves. That was already the case on the previous two albums, but ‘Phantoma’ is truly an improvement even over both of them. Being a fan of the album format, I also love how the band has created a listening experience that ebbs and flows so pleasantly that it stays interesting throughout its 55-ish minutes of playing time. If you want to hear a band finally moving power metal forward without forcing it or trying to sound clever, look no further.
Recommended tracks: ‘Ghosts in the Mist’, ‘The Collective’, ‘Ph4nt0-mA’, ‘Gods in Decay’
While I don’t want to make a habit out of reviewing live albums here, sometimes a release pops up that is notable enough to warrant it. ‘Coda’, after all, is the registration of the final concert Navarone, arguably my favorite Dutch rock band, ever played. And a mammoth set it was: 31 song spread out over two cd’s crammed to their 80-minute maximums. The video portion, which can be streamed or downloaded via an included code, even passes the three-hour mark. This is how you bid farewell to your fans as a band, especially given how well Navarone performs these songs.
Readers who have followed me for a while may have noticed that Navarone’s fifth album ‘V’ was never reviewed on this site. And there’s a reason for that. That album’s leap towards pop overproduction was quite disappointing to me. It worked for some of the ballads and the fairly fragmented ‘Stakes’, but I felt it neutered the rock band power Navarone had. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one disappointed with the album, as disagreements over the musical direction of the band were cited as the main reason for the break-up. ‘Coda’ once again proves what the Dutch rock scene is going to miss.
The setlist does a great job of covering all the bases. Each of the band’s five albums is represented more or less evenly. With releases like these, there are always songs you’d wish would have been on there – ‘On My Knees’, ‘Chrome’ and ‘Waste’, in my case – but they did as great a job as possible here. Personally, I am pleased to see nearly all songs of their sophomore album ‘Vim and Vigor’ featured. It might not be the most accessible Navarone album, but it was when the band felt like its most creatively uninhibited. My personal favorite Navarone song ‘Time’ is featured in a glorious version and ‘Indigo Blue’ remains a masterpiece.
Given that the show was recorded on January 5th of this year and there already is a final product, it is remarkable how well singer Merijn van Haren mixed the album. Every instrument is more or less exactly as present as it should be, with the guitars of Kees Lewiszong and Roman Huijbreghs being panned enough to create a fairly spacious sound, and the little left-right tricks like in ‘Black and Blue’ work very well. The master could have used a slightly boomier bottom-end, but the fact that Lewiszong’s guitar sound is fairly bottom-heavy to begin with only truly makes that noticeable when he plays a solo.
As for the music: Navarone is as good as they always were. About equal parts seventies hard rock – Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith being the closest references, though Van Haren’s mighty voice contributes to that significantly – and nineties rock, Navarone has always been great at creating a timeless rock sound that could evolve in different directions. Unpredictably epic on ‘Vim and Vigor’, fearlessly experimental on ‘Oscillation’, rocking unpretentiously on ‘Salvo’, which I kind of underestimated when it was first released… And it all works well alongside each other on this set. Van Haren appears to avoid the highest peaks of his chest voice in the beginning, but that is probably just to preserve himself for the end of the three-hour set. He sounds incredible regardless.
So there it is: the farewell album of – in my opinion – one of the greatest bands the Netherlands ever has known. To be fair, not every rock band gets to even make one fantastic album, let alone four. While it is a shame it had to end the way it did, ‘Coda’ certainly is a far better final curtain call than ‘V’. Nothing about the recording feels like a band forcing out one last hurrah. Instead, everyone gives their all. For those unfamiliar with Navarone’s work, ‘Coda’ ironically serves as a fairly good introduction to their music. The world needs more live albums this good.
Recommended tracks: ‘Time’, ‘December’, ‘Indigo Blue’, ‘Days of Yore’, ‘The Red Queen Effect’, ‘Wander’
After 2017’s ‘Here Now, There Then’ and ‘Summerland’ – this site’s album of the year in 2020 – ‘The Shape of Fluidity’ is the third excellent release by Dutch dark rockers Dool. Appropriately for an album that has been written around the theme of change and identity, Dool went through a number of changes that might have influenced the sound of the album. Guitarist Nick Polak tells us more.
“In terms of writing, this album was much more of a team effort”, says Polak. “Or at least more of a shared effort between Omar (Iskandr, guitarist), Raven (van Dorst, singer/guitarist) and me. Where Raven used to be the one taking the lead when it came to the songwriting on the last two records, we have really worked together this time around.
I think you can hear that, in the sense that there are more actual riffs on the album. In a Black Sabbath kind of way: true riffs, whereas the last few albums featured more arpeggios. The title track, for instance, is a song the three of us wrote together. That’s probably where you can hear it best. It starts with a couple of chords that continue throughout most of the song. Omar came up with those. And then the riff kicks in with the band; that was my riff. Then we finished the song together with Raven.
There is a lot of all three of us in that song, and I think you can hear our identities as guitarists and songwriters when you listen to it.”
A Sign of Appreciation
“As guitarists, all of us are assigned clear roles. I think Omar sees himself as a musician and producer rather than a guitarist. He is the kind of guitarist who never tried to figure out a riff of a band he likes. When I was fourteen or fifteen, I was trying to figure out how to play lots of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest riffs in my bedroom. Raven is more or less somewhere in the middle of those extremes.
I think that I am probably the most traditional guitarist, so to speak. Omar uses his guitar as a means to an end. When I was a kid trying to figure out how to play all those riffs, my intention was actually to eventually become as good as Glenn Tipton. That is my background.
There are no egos in this band. We actually inspired each other a lot. When Omar and Raven had written ‘Venus in Flames’ and I got that demo in my mailbox, I immediately thought: oh shit, this is so awesome that I need to come up with something that is just as good. Not as a way to prove myself, but as a sign of appreciation and inspiration from what my bandmates are doing. That’s how I came up with the majority of ‘Self-Dissect’.”
Enjoyable Experience
“We all had our own roles when we were recording the album as well. We have adopted a very efficient approach, which has contributed significantly to the fact that recording this album was a really enjoyable experience. That is not always the case, as it can sometimes be very stressful and rushed.
While Omar and I were busy recording guitars, JB (van der Wal, bassist) was recording vocals with Raven in a different room. Everyone has their own role in this band, in addition to simply being a musician.
Cult of Luna’s Magnus Lindberg recorded the album with us. He doesn’t do that very often; usually his focus is on mixing and mastering. When we were in the planning stages for this record, we approached him and asked: do you know anyone who could produce our album that we may not have considered yet? And he immediately said: yeah, me! Ultimately, he was quite a logical choice, since he also mixed ‘Summerland’.”
Creative Spirit
Another important change for Dool in the past year was the departure of their longtime drummer Micha Haring. ‘The Shape of Fluidity’ is the first album recorded with Vincent Kreyder behind the drum kit. “Working with Vincent was quite a bit different than working with Micha”, Polak admits. “That was something I needed to get used to. In the past, we would usually record a demo that already had drums, after which Micha would play it just like that, but more tastefully, dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.
Just like Omar, Vincent is a very creative spirit, with loads of ideas. So every time we presented something to him, he would have a lot of other ideas for it. It was simply a matter of trying lots of different things. For a while, I felt like I wasn’t sure where everything was going. But when we went into the studio to properly record everything, I suddenly realized: wait a second, this is much better than the initial ideas.
There are drummers who tend to play too much. I myself am not a big fan of very proggy drummers. I personally prefer drummers like Dave Grohl and John Bonham. But while I do think a lot happens in our new songs when it concerns drums, I think Vincent has found a way to play those parts very tastefully by putting his own stamp on it. The process was very different, but I think that has brough us a lot that we didn’t have before.”
Stained Glass
‘The Shape of Fluidity’ is not the only recent Dool release. Less than five months prior, the band released its first live album ‘Visions of Summerland’. “That was Micha’s farewell concert”, Polak nods. “We recorded that show, not necessarily intending to release it, but once we played the show, we were so happy with the way it turned out…
It was a very special show. It was recorded at the Arminius Church in Rotterdam, one of the most special places I have ever played. When I was on stage, with all the stained glass windows around me and the big church organ behind me… That was really something else. Because we had the recordings, we decided to release it as a live album. Also because Dool live as opposed to Dool on record is quite a different experience.”
A common issue when playing in churches is the excessive amount of reverb, but that wasn’t the case at the Arminius Church, Polak emphasizes: “Much less so than we expected. Even on stage, and I think that the front of house sound was quite good as well. And part of it is the great mixing job by JB as well.”
Miserable has got to be one of the most productive metal bands in Peru. ‘Al Abismo de la Libertad’ is their third album of original material in six years, and like its predecessors, it is a breath of fresh air within the thrash metal landscape. They can riff viciously whenever they want to, but they are not allergic to classic heavy metal melodies, and their dynamic songwriting accounts for some of the most engaging thrash metal album listening experiences in a long time. If anything, ‘Al Abismo de la Libertad’ might be Miserable’s most dynamic album thus far.
Stylistically, ‘Al Abismo de la Libertad’ is comparable to ‘Gran Náusea’ and ‘Esclavo Miserable’, in that it combines clearly Metallica-inspired riffs with a feel that alternates between traditional heavy metal and early death metal, sometimes within the same song. The songwriting on ‘Al Abismo de la Libertad’ is just a bit more complex. On average, the songs are shorter than on the previous two albums, but the riff count is higher and there are more twists and turns packed into them. It’s not like Miserable went full progressive thrash metal here, but if a song starts a certain way, that does not mean it will stay like that.
‘Euforia’, for instance, starts out sounding like it will be a triplet-rhythm heavy metal song, only to turn into what is probably the most vicious thrasher on the album. It would fit right on one of Slayer’s latter-day albums, and probably would have been one of the better tracks on them. ‘Un Infierno Feliz’ features an off-kilter, almost horror-like section that sounds like it developed from a jam session between singer/bassist Adrián Del Aguila and drummer Diego Porturas, but also some powerful old-school thrash riffs. Epic closer ‘Yo Predico el Odio’ feels closest to the first two albums in how it lets its riffs unfold slowly.
Contemporary thrash metal albums tend to run out of steam halfway through due to being stuck in the same gear for too long. Miserable never had such an issue and this album is no different. ‘Voluntad de Poder’ squeezes all dynamic opportunities out of a handful of cool thrash riffs by toying with time feel, ‘Pasión Eterna’ combines triumphant guitar harmonies with intense riffing, while the more mid-tempo ‘Abraza la Muerte’ features a particularly spirited vocal performance by Del Aguila. Opener ‘Conquista’ was rightfully chosen as the album’s single, as it represents the overall sound of ‘Al Abismo de la Libertad’ perfectly.
‘Al Abismo de la Libertad’ should serve as an example to thrash metal veterans and young bands alike. All Miserable seems to have done for this album is let the ideas flow, after which they compiled those into a highly dynamic and very listenable album. New guitarist Luis Sáenz locks with Jonathan Bustinza perfectly, and he appears to have brought in significant songwriting contributions as well. Miserable still wears its influences from the eighties on its sleeves, but manages to distill those into a sound that is uniquely and unmistakably their own even better this time around. Highly recommended.
Recommended tracks: ‘Euforia’, ‘Pasión Eterna’, ‘Voluntad de Poder’
With DEAR MOTHER’s 2021 debut album ‘Bulletproof’, Merel Bechtold could finally show the world what she has to offer creatively. It showed her finally making the music she wanted to make herself rather than being an admittedly busy touring guitarist. This week, there finally is a follow-up in the shape of the surprisingly heavy EP ‘Necessary Darkness’.
“This is the first time for me that I am actually writing a follow-up to something”, Bechtold explains. “I was so happy with ‘Bulletproof’, and I had the idea that it wasn’t possible to do much better than that. ‘Bulletproof’ was actually an album I have listened to a lot myself. That might be a weird thing to say, but that was exactly what the purpose of the album was: to write music I would want to listen to myself.
However, if you listen to your own stuff a lot, that doesn’t really inspire you to make something new. So then it became a matter of deciding whether we were going to do the same thing or maybe try something else. It took quite some time for us to find out what it was that we wanted to do in the future.
Also, when we put together the setlist for our first concerts, we noticed that our set had quite a large number of relatively soft songs. If you play live, you want to be able to put your foot on the gas every once in a while. So that’s why I thought: let’s just write a bunch of heavier songs.
‘Bulletproof’ was relatively easy to write once we had figured out what it was going to be. When you are writing a follow-up, you really want it to be just as good, if not better. That creates quite a bit of pressure and I noticed I found that very difficult to deal with. Meanwhile, we have written a couple of songs for the following album, and I am trying to let go of expectations. I think that is an important thing to do when you make music for yourself.”
Experiment
The creation of ‘Necessary Darkness’ itself also posed a number of challenges. “We have recorded the tracks one song at a time”, Bechtold explains. “Written a song, recorded it, then released it. Quite a strange way to do things, but it was something we wanted to try. It really was just an experiment. But I would not recommend it. I’m not going to do it this way ever again, because it is quite exhausting. Especially when it comes to arranging songs. By the time the song is mixed, I have already put so much energy into it that I don’t really feel like starting work on the next song right away. It wasn’t exactly the most efficient process.”
Also, working with initial producer Kellen McGregor proved quite difficult. “We just wanted to try something else this time around”, Bechtold says. “But we realized quite quickly that it wasn’t a great match. I edit and produce everything myself, but when I sent that to him, I was already told that it had not been quantized. But that was exactly the idea; that is the way we recorded the guitars and bass.
In the end, he did quantize it and as a result, you can hear that all the dynamics have gone. On the other hand, we try to work with that guy for what he can do. So if we start suggesting loads of alterations ourselves, I don’t think we fully utilize his strengths as a producer.
We had already recorded a bass part for ‘Threads’, but Kellen really wanted midi bass. I have to say that it does make quite a big difference within his production style, so I can understand his preference for midi bass. But for us as musicians, it wasn’t very satisfying. It was an experiment, we tried, and now we know it doesn’t work for us. That is why we started working with Mantis Audio again, with whom we recorded ‘Bulletproof’ and ‘Wildfire’, for the last song ‘Delusion’.”
Experience
Another experiment on ‘Necessary Darkness’ is the fact that Bechtold can be heard as a singer for the first time ever, on ‘Delusion’. “It wasn’t supposed to be that way”, she says apologetically. “Because I can’t sing at all. For that bridge, I had a vocal melody that was a variation on the current chorus, with the idea that David (Pear, singer) would record it. But it was too high for David, so that’s when we came up with the idea to ask a guest vocalist for the song.
Ultimately, it turned out that we were a bit too late for that, as apparently, it’s not possible to get someone for that at a week’s notice. And we also didn’t want to ask someone from the symphonic metal scene, because we are trying to do something very different with DEAR MOTHER. So David suggested: why don’t you sing it?
I did not want to do that at all, but there was no time to find anyone else, so I called Marcela (Bovia, singer of Stream Of Passion and Dark Horse | White Horse): ‘Marcela, could you please help me?’ So she has coached me.
Singing is something completely different than what I’m used to. You just feel so naked. Especially if you never sing. I have never even been inside a karaoke bar, because it scares me to death and I know it won’t be good. But Marcela said: there’s only one way to do this, and that’s at the top of your lungs. Quite an experience, I can tell you…”
Another first for Bechtold is the fact that she has contributed to writing the vocal melodies on ‘Necessary Darkness’. “Usually, I give David complete freedom to come up with his own vocal melodies”, she emphasizes. “But since we got a little stuck this time around, I have written the choruses for ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Threads’. And the verses for ‘Delusion’. It was the first time I got involved with the vocals. But I noticed that we needed each other for that this time around.”
Lock
‘Bulletproof’ was recorded as a three-piece, with Bechtold recording all the guitar parts. When the time came to actually play the material live, there was only one guitarist she could think of to be at her side in DEAR MOTHER: Ferry ‘Punto’ Duijsens, best known for playing with Ayreon, Anneke van Giersbergen and Dreadlock Pussy.
“Ferry and I lock really well together”, Bechtold explains. “On a personal level as well. That is exactly why I picked him, as that personal aspect is at least as important in this band as the musical aspect. I have experienced how different that can be, but also how to do it well.
The Gentle Storm, for instance, was a lovely group of people. I really enjoyed my time with that band. In fact, that band more or less became the inspiration for what I wanted DEAR MOTHER to be on a personal level. A band in which everything just works well, in which clear communication plays a big role and everyone can do what they feel like.”
Outside of the band, there is another important person for DEAR MOTHER: “I always let my mother listen to everything I write. And then I watch her while she’s listening, how she reacts to it. She will say it when a part goes on too long. She isn’t very musical at all, so she has a completely different musical experience than I do. That is always a good test, so I always let her check everything first. After that, I will tweak a few things and send it to David, so he can start working on it.”
On the surface, Dool seems to operate in similar territory as most of the dark rock bands that have been popping up slowly but steadily in recent years. Not unlike the gothic rock acts that inspired those bands, however, most of them manage to release one captivating album, after which it becomes clear that they know how to create a dark atmosphere, but lack the songwriting skills to create something worthwhile beyond that. ‘The Shape of Fluidity‘, on the other hand, is Dool’s third excellent studio album already, and it’s one on which the Dutch quintet further stretches the dynamic boundaries of their sound.
Compared to Dool’s previous two albums, the doom metal elements are slightly toned down on ‘The Shape of Fluidity’, though there are still massive, monolithic riffs like the one that opens first single ‘Hermagorgon’. What Dool does even better than ever before is making use of the fact that they have three guitarists. Often, they are widening the sound by playing similar parts slightly differently, such as clean arpeggios that unfold in various ways simultaneously, or they leave one or two guitars out during a verse to maximize the impact of a chorus. The arrangements are well thought out without sounding contrived.
What might help ‘The Shape of Fluidity’ sound as cohesive as it does is the theme running through its lyrics. In a way, the album is the band’s most personal yet, as the struggles with gender identity that singer/guitarist Raven van Dorst – who was born with both male and female sexual characteristics – has experienced through the years are prominent themes. At times, Van Dorst is fairly direct, but at other times, the ideas expressed in the lyrics are deliberately more vague and refer to struggles with change and identity in general. It gives the album some cohesion without going full concept album.
This cohesion is also reflected in the track order, which has an extremely pleasant flow. It would not surprise me if multiple song orders have been attempted before settling on this one. As such, ‘The Shape of Fluidity’ is best listened to in one sitting. Howevert, that does not mean that it is devoid of individual highlights. The title track is a masterpiece in how it evolves from a haunting ballad to a massive doom monster with excellent vocal melodies. Closing track ‘The Hand of Creation’ brilliantly works towards its cathartic climax, while ‘Evil in You’, ‘Self-Dissect’ and opener ‘Venus in Flames’ effectively display the slightly more accessible rock side of the band.
If you like your rock music dark and atmospheric, but without losing track of structure and melody, there are hardly any better bands for you than Dool at the moment. They nail the atmosphere and the style just as well as many other bands on the darker side of the rock spectrum, but Dool are simply much better songwriters. Every song on ‘The Shape of Fluidity’ has its own clear identity, and all instrumentalists play in service of that identity at all times. The album also shows a clear progression from its two excellent predecessors without alienating what made Dool such a great band in the first place. Highly recommended.
Recommended tracks: ‘The Shape of Fluidity’, ‘Evil in You’, ‘The Hand of Creation’, ‘Self-Dissect’
There are not many bands that attempt to blend modern groove metal riffing with folky melodies, and even less that do it quite as successfully as Beijing-based Song of Chu. In fact, their debut album ‘Yan Huang‘ does so well at combining the contemporary and the traditional that it makes you wonder why this particular mix of styles isn’t far more common than it is. ‘Yan Huang’ is a dynamic set of powerful songs that has the potential to appeal to audiences far beyond Chinese borders, especially because Song of Chu transcends the novelty status of some other East Asian folk metal bands.
What makes ‘Yan Huang’ such a pleasant surprise to me above all is the fact that it manages to avoid all the pitfalls of the genres Song of Chu is tackling. Groove metal often consists of monotonous riffing and too much tough guy posturing in the vocal department. Starting with the latter, Hán Méng alternates his mid-range barks with a surprisingly rich baritone that can really carry a strong vocal melody. Guitarists Mèng Xiángwěi and Geir Nevjen, meanwhile, know when to put pulsating riffs front and center and when to pull back to let the traditional instruments take over.
On the other hand, the traditional melodies never go at the expense of the intensity of the metal side of the band. This could be because Chinese folk melodies lend themselves better to actual metallic arrangements than the loud drinking songs the lesser part of the European folk metal scene succumbs to, but that alone would undermine the creativity Song of Chu displays here. And the power of drummer Jiǎng Nà. ‘Yan Huang’ is a metal album first and foremost. The album really feels like the riffs were written together with the folky melodies and Yáng Tiānguāng’s keyboards rather than having the former adapted to the latter or vice versa.
Another reason why ‘Yan Huang’ is so good is simply because the level of songwriting is consistently high. ‘Xie Shien’ makes sense as an opening track, because it’s a relatively accessible track that features all of the elements that make Song of Chu’s sound, but really, every song is worth hearing. Hán Méng’s powerful vocal performance on ‘Liu Lang Sheng Si’ might just be my favorite on the album, while the slower ‘Teng Chao’ makes excellent use of space to create a dark atmosphere. ‘Yu Ren’ has an almost industrial undercurrent beneath its melancholic melodies, while ‘Hei Long Dao’ and ‘Kuang Lan’ are fairly simple, yet brutally effective.
If more modern metal albums sounded as good as ‘Yan Huang’, I would not be as critical of the current state of the metal scene as I am. Even sonically; Wáng Xiāobīng’s bass can be heard enhancing the riffs at all times. It’s unfortunate that this 2016 release is – as of yet – the band’s only album, but there are many bands that can only dream of releasing a debut album this good. Sometimes I wonder why there aren’t more bands that incorporate traditional East Asian melodies into their metal, and ‘Yan Huang’ is another piece of evidence that this combination of styles simply works.
Recommended tracks: ‘Xie Shien’, ‘Teng Chao’, ‘Liu Lang Sheng Si’
With their powerful combination of thrash metal riffs and classic heavy metal melodies, Jenner has quickly become one of the most interesting bands to come out of the European heavy metal scene in the last couple of years. But even though ‘Prove Them Wrong‘ is only Jenner’s second album, the band’s history has been quite eventful. Singer and guitarist Aleksandra Stamenković, also known as Alexandra Lioness, updates us about the last couple of years.
Out of the line-up on Jenner’s debut album ‘To Live is to Suffer‘, only Stamenković can be heard on ‘Prove Them Wrong’. The 2020 EP ‘The Test of Time’ can be seen as a solo venture in anything but name, but ‘Prove Them Wrong’ features a full trio line-up. When asked if she ever feared Jenner was over, Stamenković is candid: “I would be lying if I said otherwise. In fact, for a long time, I wasn’t even sure whether releasing that EP as a band was worth it, or if I should simply start a solo career. In the end, with the support of family and friends, I decided to go ahead with the band release.
However, just as it was being released, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, pushing music into the background and leading to the departure of the band’s members at the time. The bright side of it was that this situation gave me space and time to think about the future, and to develop as an artist and a musician. At that moment, I began to build my social networks and expand my fanbase, and I believe that the new album was largely embraced because of it.“
Bigger Challenge
Possibly the most notable change between ‘To Live is to Suffer‘ and ‘Prove Them Wrong‘ is that aside from playing guitars, Stamenković is Jenner’s lead singer these days. “I’m not a singer, I’m a guitarist who sings“, she freely admits. “Besides that, another role has been imposed on me, and that is to be the frontman and entertainer for the audience. As someone who is naturally quiet, introverted, and shy, this may have even been a bigger challenge for me than singing. But with time, even that can be learned. It’s simply the nature of this job.
Throughout my childhood, I struggled with breathing issues and a stuffy nose due to various allergies, lung inflammations, et cetera. When I started pursuing music, I was aware of my sense of pitch and singing ability, but I simply lacked technique. In 2016, I underwent nose surgery and finally experienced clear breathing, which opened up new horizons for me. Previously, I sang backing vocals, but mostly in falsetto, rarely letting my voice fully project. During a period when our former vocalist was absent from band rehearsals, I stepped in on lead vocals, so the rest of the band could practice, and I realized I could handle it.
Later, I began recording vocals for new demos I was creating. When the vocalist decided to leave the band, I understood it was better for me to take on her role to reduce the number of band members for logistical reasons. I practiced on my own, recorded an EP, and now a new album. However, in the end, I decided to seek professional help. Although I have only had a few lessons so far, I have felt tremendous progress in a short time, and I hope it will only improve over time.“
Evident Progress
With seven years between Jenner’s two albums, the material on ‘Prove Them Wrong’ could potentially have been written over a long period of time. “Only ‘Never Say Die’ and ‘Born for Something More’ have been composed since Anja (Mirković, bassist) and Selena (Simić, drummer) joined the band“, Stamenković confirms. “The remaining songs have roots dating back to the time of composing for the first album. They mostly consisted of riffs and ideas that I couldn’t elaborate on at the time. So they remained dormant, waiting for the right moment to shine. ‘No Time for Prayer’, ‘Prove Them Wrong’ and ‘Eye for an Eye’ have been completed for quite some time, but we only recently added lyrics and solos.
I think the biggest difference lies in the structure of the songs and the arrangements. Although some of the songs on the new album may seem simpler than those on the first album, they are actually done more thoughtfully, now that I have a better grasp of what I’m doing. Everything has been executed at a higher level. Especially the guitar solos are more meaningful and played better. I’d also say that mixing and mastering has been done more professionally. I can compare, because the same person worked on all Jenner releases, haha! Overall, there is evident progress in every aspect, and I’m really pleased about that.
At some point, I started seriously practicing the guitar and studying music and guitar theory. I think that influenced me the most. I never had much time for it, because of obligations and studying, but in the meantime, I graduated from the Faculty of Medicine and realized that I still wanted to dedicate myself to the guitar and try and make some kind of career as a musician. So, I started learning and experimenting a lot, which opened up new perspectives in composition for me, and I believe that it’s one of the best things I have done for myself in the past few years.“
Period of Transition
“Usually, I create the entire instrumental part of the songs, including programmed drums and vocal lines, based on intuition. Then, we adjust the drums together, because I usually write something that can’t be played, haha! We change things where necessary, add or remove elements, shape the songs, add lyrics, solos backing vocals and package it into a song. My weakest point is lyrics; sometimes I have a good idea, but I struggle to put it into words. And that’s where the others step in.
The primary lyricist on the new album is my boyfriend, Emil Ivošević. Anja and I wrote the lyrics to two songs together, and the rest were all written by him. This album is largely based on my personal life during a period of transition. Throughout my entire life, but especially in the last few years, I have been in situations where a lot is expected of me, and instead of listening to my heart, I blindly fulfilled the wishes and expectations of others, falling into a vicious cycle where I’m extremely unhappy.
At one point, I woke up and told myself that enough was enough. Life passes by quickly, and I don’t want to regret missed opportunities tomorrow because I didn’t have the courage to stand up to people and live my life the way I want. Emil followed all of this and based on that, he wrote many lyrics that described the feelings and thoughts in my head. I also hope that people who are in similar situations will find the strength and motivation to fight for themselves in these songs.“
Refreshed
Jenner being a three-piece band, but having fairly elaborate guitar arrangements on their recordings presents an interesting challenge in the live environment. “What’s most important to me is that the song sounds good on the studio recording, since it will remain eternal“, Stamenković explains. “While live performances can be changed and modified as needed. I try not to let the lack of other guitarists in the band limit me when writing songs, haha!
I write everything based on feeling, including guitar solos. Again, returning to the same theme, since I started practicing more seriously and learning music theory, new horizons have opened up for me. I have learned new techniques and scales that I have started incorporating into solos, which has really refreshed Jenner’s new sound.
I can’t say that my taste in instruments and equipment has changed, as I haven’t had many opportunities to switch gear. Currently, I have a Charvel bass from 1989, and for guitars, I use two Jacksons and two Harley Bentons. I mostly play the Harley Benton Fusion III with Blackfire Pickups and Ernie Ball strings, gauge 9-42. At home, I use Neural DSP VST’s and Bugera 333 amlifiers. For concerts, it depends on what is available, but I am a big fan of Peavey.“
Accepted
Another challenge for Jenner is that being from Serbia, they are part of a relatively small scene. “In Serbia, metal has remained underground music for decades“, Stamenković nods. “While Belgrade has always been the heart of our underground metal community, it is essential to acknowledge the significant contributions of bands from other major cities, like Novi Sad, Kragujevac, and Niš. The most enthusiastic audience is definitely in Kragujevac, haha!
I found myself immersed in this scene around 2011, a time when some argue that metal in Serbia began to face challenges. However, I couldn’t really tell because, well… I didn’t know any different, haha! Despite the presence of larger festivals, many of which aren’t predominantly metal-focused, my most memorable experiences were at small festivals and concerts organized by the bands themselves, often my friends.
It seems to me that from the beginning, Jenner has been more accepted in the rest of Europe and America than in Serbia. Starting from the fact that our first album was released by a French record label and our second album by a Spanish label. I have noticed we sell a lot more T-shirts and CD’s in Europe than at home. I assume that a big influence is the fact that most of my followers on social media are from North and South America, and Europe.“
Evolution
Changes seem to follow Jenner everywhere they go. Less than a week before the publication of this interview, the band announced that drummer Selena Simić had left the band. She has been replaced by Stamenković’s sister Marija Dragićević, who was already part of the band between 2013 and 2021, but departed essentially to take maternity leave.
“I didn’t know if Marija even would be able to play“, Stamenković admits. “She had not played for years. But when I asked if she was interested in rejoining the band, she was so happy that she even bought her first drum kit and started practicing immediately. She was a huge fan of my songs even when she wasn’t in the band, so she followed the evolution of these songs from the early demos to their final stages.“
Bassist Anja Mirković joined the band after Marija left, but that is no reason to worry, Stamenković asserts. “Marija and Anja clicked right away“, she says. “The atmosphere in the band is cool, so I hope everything will work out for us. We can’t wait to play live on stage!“
Blaze Bayley’s post-Iron Maiden career has been one of ups and downs, though artistically certainly more ups than downs. He has consistently been able to find musicians who provide him with music that appears to be tailor-made for his deep voice, the last decade or so finding those partners in the full line-up of UK-based heavy metal band Absolva. Every release Bayley wrote with guitarist Chris Appleton has simply been excellent, and ‘Circle of Stone’ – though having slightly more of a hard rock vibe than 2021’s ‘War Within Me’ and the preceding ‘Infinite Entanglement’ trilogy – is no different.
While the stylistic shift on ‘Circle of Stone’ is subtle to the point that some casual listeners might not even notice, the focus is on relatively concise, simple songs that contain a little more space than the somewhat more contemporary power metal sound of the ‘Infinite Entanglement’ albums. What has remained the same is the fact that Chris Appleton, this time helped by his brother Luke, wrote songs specifically to suit Bayley’s vocals, which sound as stately and convincing as they ever have. Bayley’s voice is also what makes all of his solo releases sound like works of the same band, despite the earliest ones sounding notably more modern.
To be fair, it is actually in the shorter, uncomplicated songs where ‘Circle of Stones’ excels. Opening track ‘Mind Reader’ doesn’t even hit the three-minute mark, but is exactly as long as it should be, whereas ‘The Path of the Righteous Man’ combines an NWOBHM-style main riff with a more propulsive chorus, followed by a more groovy, almost Sabbath-esque riff. Different as all of those sections may be, they fit together very neatly. ‘Absence’ is more on the power metal end of the scale, and it works really well at that. ‘Tears in Rain’ is another elegant heavy/power metal track that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but simply impresses with a bunch of good melodies.
Fortunately, Bayley and his companions largely avoid the pitfalls of becoming too comfortable with their own style. While ‘Rage’ later turns into a mid-tempo heavy metal track with a mean groove, it starts out sounding like it will be a dark semi-ballad from the same ilk as ‘Silicon Messiah’. The intense power metal track ‘The Year Beyond this Year’ – one of the album’s absolute highlights – and the title track surprisingly start with brief a capella sections. There are also two ballads, which generally aren’t Bayley’s forte, but ‘Broken Man’ is fairly enjoyable mostly due to the spirited vocal performance and excellent guitar solo.
Sure, ‘Circle of Stone’ isn’t perfect. The production is a little flat and Bayley’s lyrics tend to profit from having a concept or at least a theme to work with rather than the loose collection of songs that is ‘Circle of Stone’. But overall, Bayley is in a position that many of his peers could envy. The Appleton brothers know exactly how to make him sound best, while there clearly is a lot of heart and soul in the songs. Sometimes, it is justified to question the motivations of veteran rockers, but nearly everything Bayley has done since his departure from Iron Maiden has a sincerity that is simply admirable.
Recommended tracks: ‘The Year Beyond this Year’, ‘The Path of the Righteous Man’, ‘A Day of Reckoning’
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Kevy Metal 