(Andy Synn offers up three more prime Brtish exports for you to enjoy)
Like I’ve said before, we like to keep you guessing here at NCS, which is why after spending the start of the week covering riff-happy ragers from At The Gates and Inherit the Curse I’ve decided to dedicate the end of the week to three UK-based bands who err more towards the expressive, progressive, and/or atmospheric side of the musical spectrum.
CHALK HANDS – THE LINE THAT SHAPES THE COAST OF US
Emo, Screamo, Post-Hardcore… however you choose to describe Brighton quartet Chalk Hands (and, to be clear, I’m using all those terms in their original meanings) one thing that won’t change is just how raw and powerful, yet simultaneously intimate and vulnerable, the emotions expressed are.
Drawing comparisons to the likes of early Thrice and Thursday, mixed with a hefty helping of Envy‘s introverted intensity and a dash of Explosions In The Sky‘s enigmatic ebb and flow – plus the occasional foray towards a more jagged-edged sound inspired by Pg. 99 and Pianos Become the Teeth – the group move seamlessly back and forth between calm and catharsis, sadness and joy, with the confidence and creativity of a much older and more experienced band (despite this being only their second album).
At times erring closer towards the simmering tension and sublime tenderness of Post-Rock (“Ember Lane”, “Breaking Waves”), at others leaning more towards the organic energy and rugged sonic textures of Post-Hardcore (“Pauvre de Moi”, “Rewired Eyes”), The Line That Shapes the Coast of Us is the sort of album which, to use a hoary old cliche, takes the listener on a journey, its nimble-fingered fretwork and intricate percussive patterns (courtesy of MVP drummer Gary Marsden) balanced by passages of poignant introspection and moments of soaring, almost cinematic, grandeur, all woven together into a series of artfully executed, yet concisely constructed, songs that blend genres and influences with aplomb.
In particular, the major stand-outs – the intricately-layered, but also utterly electrifying, “Bite Marks”, the hooky-yet-weighty interweaving of light and shade of “Peregrine”, and the heart-wrenching “Your Skin Is Gold” – move the listener through multiple emotional states, all the way from anger to acceptance (and everything in between), in a manner that should hopefully ensure that the shape of the album will remain seared into your memory for a long time to come.
SUGAR HORSE – NOT A SOUND IN HEAVEN
If Sugar Horse‘s first full-length release, The Live Long After (which I reviewed here) was a good album (and it was)… and the follow-up (which I also reviewed) was a very good album… then Not A Sound In Heaven is a legitimately great album which, if there’s any justice in the world, should push the band that much closer to being the household name they deserve to be.
The reason for the band’s ongoing success, ultimately, is pretty simple too… it’s because with every new release (including several fantastic EPs) they’ve managed to further define and refine their distinctive blend of noisy Post-Rock, sludgy Shoegaze, and artsy Alt-Metal (which I’ve previously compared, at different points, to everyone from Biffy Clyro to Amenra to Oceansize) into a sound they can truly call their own.
Most importantly, however, is that while the band’s musical storytelling has reached a whole new level – the thunderous riffs and bombastic melodies of “Fire Graphics” shifting seamlessly into the churning grind and brooding grooves of “Secret Speech”, which in turns transitions smoothly into the juddering staccato stomp of “Ex-Human Shield”, for example – and even taken on some additional industrial and/or ambient textures (I feel like we can definitely add Ministry and Godflesh to the above reference points) which add even more weight and power to their sound, it’s the emotional depth and intensity which really helps put this one over the top.
Because, and I don’t say this lightly, while Not A Sound In Heaven is a fucking bleak album, all about the merciless nature of the global military-industrial complex (“We’ll burn your homes / and sell your bones / to build our thrones“), it’s never boring (the same song also throws in a fun little Predator reference when the band sing “For liberty / keep the market free / and if it bleeds / we can kill it for you“) or didactic just for the sake of getting its point across, and as much as the band are capable of delivering some crushing heaviness (the sombre, Smiths-gone-Post-Rock slow-burn of “History’s Biggest T-Shirts” eventually building to an absolutely colossal crescendo) they aren’t out to crush your spirit, and make sure to remind you to “Long live / endure / stand firm“.
So, even if you aren’t familiar with the group’s previous work(s) – which I absolutely urge you to check out as well – you can’t afford to miss this one.
VOID OF LIGHT – ASYMMETRIES
It’s hard to stand out in the realm of Post-Metal… after all, it’s a style with a relatively restrictive rule-set, where many of the bands who originally set those roles (Amenra, Cult of Luna, and a recently-resurrected Neurosis) are still putting out some outstanding work.
But Glasgow-based sextet Void of Light have made a concerted effort to make a real statement with their debut album, Asymmetries, whose title nicely represents the ever shifting balance (or imbalance) between shuddering sonic weight and shimmering atmospheric space which serves as the modus operandi for these five tracks.
Sure, the band aren’t reinventing the steel with their juxtaposition of mammoth metallic riffs and moody melodic ambience – though if you’re looking for something to serve as a near-perfect example of the genre’s compelling quiet/loud dynamic you could certainly do a lot worse than the brooding, bass-driven “Still the Night Skies” – but what they may lack in pure originality they more than make up for in youthful energy.
This should be immediately apparent to even the most jaded of listeners once “The Passing Hours” finally reaches ignition point, as there’s a density to the guitars (not surprising, really, considering there’s three of them) and a propulsive power to the drums that adds an extra sense of impact and urgency to the song, to the point that even its quietest, calmest moments positively crackle with explosive potential.
As good as the aforementioned opener is, however, it’s the chugging riffs and keening leads of “Silver Mask” (whose phenomenal final minutes, introducing some hauntingly hypnotic clean singing into the mix, provide one of the most stand-out moments on the album) and the bombastic rhythmic bombardment of “Ends” (whose second half even incorporates an unexpected eruption of blistering blastbeats) which really reaffirm the impression that Void of Light have gone all in on trying to be that little bit harsher and heavier than the majority of their peers and predecessors.
So if you like your Post-Metal with a bit more “Metal” than “Post-” (although the doomy riffs and sombre singing of “Mirrorings” provide more than enough of both) then give this one a try.