Rock – Page 35 – Wonderbox Metal

Black Space Riders – D:REI (Review)

Germany’s Black Space Riders play a diverse modern brand of Stoner Rock and their new album is a whopping 80 minutes in length, so there is loads of content to get your head around.

Sounding very confident and polished, they still have enough snarl to them to give the tracks a bit of bite when appropriate.

This is a very accomplished album, mixing Rock and Metal together with elements of Stoner Rock, Skyscraper-esque emotional Rock, psychedelia and Progressive tendencies to create a very long and very involved album. With a release of this length it would be easy to include filler and bore the listener, but there is precious little of that on D:REI thankfully.

The album has a perfectly configured sound, with everything both clear and slightly fuzzed-up in true Stoner Rock fashion. In fact I’ll coin the term Sophisticated Stoner Rock to describe Black Space Riders, (You heard it here first); at their core is a Stoner Rock Band, but they’ve taken on a heap of other influences and have evolved into something more than these relatively humble beginnings.

With so much variety, interest and ideas in these songs it’s no surprise really that they needed such a long album to showcase them all. Each track has a different mood; a different feeling all based on an essential Stoner Rock core but with ambitious designs on being even more. Every song has its own character and the longer nature of the tracks gives each one the time to develop naturally and embrace the aspect of Rock that it is portraying.

A very complete album that is long enough to provide a journey and deep enough to provide a meaningful one. Highly recommended and highly enjoyable.

Interview with Lethe

Lethe have been responsible for one of the best multi-textural dark-Rock albums of some time in their début album When Dreams Become Nightmares. I asked them some questions to see how it all came about…

Hi! For those who are unfamiliar with your band, introduce yourself!

Tor-Helge Skei (THS): Hi everybody! We are Lethe.. 🙂 We’re a Norwegian/Swiss band, or project, consisting of Anna Murphy (Eluveitie, solo, Fräkmundt, nucleus torn, and heaps of other bands/projects) and Tor-Helge Skei (Manes, Manii, Kkoagulaa, etc.).

As Lethe is comprised of members of other bands, how did this project come about?

THS: Mostly by chance, actually. I posted something on my blog a while ago, about me thinking abut doing an album of cover songs, and wondering where I could start looking for vocalists and contributors to that. Shortly after, I got an email from Anna, and we almost immediately started working on a few songs (among others, ‘Hutterite Mile’ by 16 Horsepower). It didn’t take long before we just knew we had to do more music together…and the idea about Lethe was born..

Anna Murphy (A): A journalist (singer of Three Days of Silence) contacted me because Tor-Helge was looking for musical collaborators. So we got in touch, started on some music, finished some cover songs and decided to do a real project.

Is it important to keep Lethe a fully separate entity from Manes/Eluveitie?

THS: The chemistry in the various bands and between the members are quite different, and that influences how we approach music and presentation and everything, so there’s not much real effort being done keeping them separate, really. It comes naturally.

A: Well with Eluveitie it’s pretty obvious that Lethe has nothing to do with it apart from some members maybe pitching in from time to time, but Lethe and Manes share a lot of the same collaborators so there’s more connection there. I can imagine doing shows together and combined things like that, but of course they’re still to be looked at as separate projects.

What were the influences you drew on for the sound of Lethe?

THS: Oh, the usual, I guess. Life, death, mental processes, nightmares. Everything that happen/s/ed in our lives.

A: Lyrically as well as musically we have no limits, that’s probably what influences us most, because then we can draw inspiration from everywhere 🙂

The songs are multi-textured and very well composed. How did the writing process work for this album?

THS: I can only speak for myself, but it’s quite similar to how the ‘writing’ is done in the other bands/projects I’m involved with…chaotic, unplanned, whimsical…the music kind of grows on its own, and we just follow along 🙂

A: All hail the internet. Most of it was done by exchanging files back and forth. Most of the initial sketches came from Tor-Helge and I built my parts on top of them. To finalize everything and also record some things together I went on a trip to Trondheim.

Do you feel you accomplished what you set out to with this release?

THS: Yeah, since we had no concrete plans for the final result. It was more like pushing it in a direction we would like to see it go.

A: Yes!

What would you do differently next time, if anything?

THS: Hmm.. Anna talks about some smaller mixing and audio issues she would like to do better on the next album, but I don’t hear much of that 🙂 She works in a studio, and is a lot more focused on sound quality and frequencies and stuff like that, while I’m obsessed with the general feeling and mood only. I guess we’ll do it quite similar to how we made this album, but with other songs and ideas, of course. Actually, we’re working on a set of songs for the next album already, even if the first one isn’t officially released yet 😀

A: Nothing except maybe the mixing. I’m not quite 100% happy with it and I’m learning more and more each day so I think the next one will sound better 🙂

How do you feel this album fits into the wider music scene?

THS: A little on ‘the outside’ of everything, I guess. Never been interested in being in the middle of any genres or milieus. For me, the exploration of new and unknown musical paths is massively satisfying and motivating, but I have no idea if the ‘general music listener’ thinks like that. Can’t start focusing on the potential reaction while making music! The only thing that would do, is putting breaks on the creative process. No way.

A: I have no idea if it fits anywhere, but I don’t really care either.

What are you listening to at the moment that you want to recommend?

THS: It’s been a lot of Lethe and Manes lately, of course, because of the new albums from both. Apart from that…varied stuff, mainly…Dälek, Shpongle, Blut Aus Nord, Jega, Ggfh, Billie Holiday, Buddy Rich,

A: Frostmoon Eclipse, they’re cool

What does the future hold for Lethe?

THS: New music, new albums, new personal horror stories.

A: No idea, let’s see! 🙂

Thanks!

Coshish – Firdous (Review)

Coshish are from India and play Progressive Rock that is very well put together and realised.

Lighter than most of the bands reviewed on this site; this is for moments of introspection and contemplation, and fans of Tool, Porcupine Tree, (new) Opeth and (elements of) Orphaned Land should lap this up.

Firdous is an involved concept album documenting a young man’s journey towards attaining Mukti, (liberation or release), and the lyrics are entirely in Hindi. This story spills out into the detailed artwork and even the tracklisting, where the optimal order of the tracks is a puzzle to solve using clues from the complete digipak artwork. A lot of thought has gone into this release.

None of which would matter a damn if the music didn’t meet these high standards, but it so obviously does from the first track onwards. Coshish create a rich tapestry of sound and impression via expansive Progressive Rock.

The songs are very well crafted and full of an array of instrumentation and harmonic flourishes. The content of the compositions is warm and textured, and the tracks uplift and hearten without sounding trite.

The vocals are highly melodic and accomplished, providing the icing on the proverbial cake throughout this delicious album.

As Progressive Rock goes this is an exquisite release brimming with delicacies to satisfy even the most jaded palette. If this is to your taste then there is a feast to be had with Firdous. Eat up.

Manes – Teeth, Toes And Other Trinkets (Review)

Norwegian band Manes have released this anthology album that collects together alternative versions, unreleased, obscure and live songs.

This is of the Avant-Garde style, replete with dark melodicism and atmosphere. It’s heavy on the electronics and effects, both of which are used skilfully to craft memorable songs and melodies.

Even if these tracks are essentially B-sides, the talent of the band is still apparent. Combined with the soulful, melancholic vocals the tracks portray the same kind of depth and nostalgic feelings as some of the best of 80’s pop/Darkwave music.

Some of the songs are unfinished or works-in-progress, but as a whole the album works surprisingly well and doesn’t sound as disjointed as one might expect from a release of this nature.

A quality band with quality songs; even though they are off-cuts this is an enjoyable collection. This should appeal to more than just completists and also serves to adequately whet the appetite for the next album that this always-evolving band release.

Starsoup – Bazaar of Wonders (Review)

Russian band Starsoup play Progressive/Power Metal.

First off it must be noted that the singer can sing. I mean really sing. He has a brilliant voice; powerful and full of passion. Pretty much any band backing him up would need to be on their A-game to avoid letting the side down. We’re safe though as the rest of the band can play. I mean really play. Together both voice and music create the full package that an album like this promises.

The songs are well-written and catchy, with the band being talented enough to be able to explore many different versions of what this type of music and related-genres have to offer. Sometimes we get some Euro-power Metal; sometimes the songs take more of a progressive edge; sometimes we have a more modern Soilwork-style approach; sometimes a ballad; I could go on. Suffice to say that there is plenty of variety in this album while at the same time nothing sounds out of place.

This is the band’s first album but it doesn’t sound like it; this sounds like a highly confident, professional band who have been honing their music for many years and through many albums.

Bazaar of Wonders is a very musical album; the talent on display here is obvious. Multiple instruments are used to make the most of the atmosphere and feelings for each individual song, and even though there are plenty of solos and classical moments, there is no showing off; just the needs of the song to make everything sound as good as possible.

An unexpected pleasure – if this genre tickles your fancy then there is absolutely nothing to not like here. This band deserve to be much, much bigger and could easily fit into the biggest stadiums in Europe given half a chance. Highly recommended.

Strauss – Strauss (Review)

Strauss are a Metal/Stoner band from UK and this is their first EP.

This band are on a mission to deliver the most fuzzed-up, dirtied-up, Metalled-up Rock there is. A band like this can easily fall short if they lack passion or attitude but Strauss have both of these. This is thanks in large part to the vocalist who injects a heady amount of personality into his singing that’s a real pleasure to listen to.

The music is not found slouching though – driving, riff-heavy Rock with a covering of old-school Metal that really hits the spot. I was always a big fan of Hard Words Softly Spoken by Jerkstore and this EP gives me the same kind of feelings as that.

But enough about the characterful vocals, and no more about the whiskey-soaked instruments; what about the actual songs? That most important of things? Fear not; the songs are here, and they’re ready to dance. A surly, belligerent and sleazy dance, but a dance nonetheless.

They’re also confident enough to play and experiment with their sound. A few widdly bits here, a few explorations there. It all adds up and forces you to notice that yes, there is more going on here than just _____-worship. The last track in particular Stop Pause and Play is of particular interest. I hope they build on this for future releases, as this could be truly something special.

If your tastes bend to this genre then I would heartily recommend giving Strauss a listen. Highly promising.

Xerath – II

Elements of djent, atmospheric black metal, and modern metal collide to create a hugely enjoyable 56 minutes-or-so of music. Like all good albums it’s a grower too and takes its time to worm its way into your subconscious.

Favourite track? The last one – The Glorious Death: I – Divine Rapture, II – A New Awakening – 8:33 of cinematic metal that makes me very happy I discovered this talented band.

Interested? Check them out –

http://www.xerath.net/

https://www.facebook.com/xerathuk