Morrow - The Quiet Earth

Labels: Alerta Antifascista Records/The Plague Of Man Records

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 24 Mar 2023

Tracklist:

1. Rejoice This Quiet Earth

2. Totemic

3. To The Fold

4. Fugue Plague

5. Our Right In Rest

6. Of Sermons And Omens To Mend

Four days into the new year and it's high-time I wrote about a 2023 release. While The Quiet Earth was self-released by Morrow back in March 2022, it's due for a double LP release via Alerta Antifascista Records and The Plague Of Man Records this coming March. This album is the third release from the London, UK emo-crust/sludge band following 2016's Covenant Of Teeth and 2017's Fallow, and features guest appearances by vocalists from a whole host of bands including; Archivist, Drei Affen, His Hero Is Gone, Dimlaia, The Makai, Autach and so many more.

Morrow’s name may be known to a lot of you already, but if not then don’t worry because they will no doubt make waves this year thanks to quality of this release. Musically, their combination of emo, crust, d-beat and sludge, coupled with the addition of strings and different vocalists, hits you straight away on ‘Rejoice This Quiet Earth’. After that blistering opener, ‘Totemic’ builds at a slower rate with a bigger post-metal/sludge feel. That’s no surprise given that it’s the first of two songs to reach past the ten minute mark. The multi-vocal approach employed by Morrow and their guests is one that breeds depth into the album and is way more dramatic than it might first seem. Another element that makes this song so immersive is the melody that’s woven into it. At times it’s folk-like, providing an organic layer to the music even when it’s surrounded by dissonance and heaviness. 

Morrow’s sound becomes even more haunting and grandiose on ‘To The Fold’, as the percussive tempo slows snd the riffs become more metallic before hardcore takes over, presenting an old-school side to the band. This album is utterly brilliant so far and I can see why it took them almost five years to finely craft it. ’Fugue Plague’ is filled with so many different vocalists that it’s hard to keep up but it’s such a rewarding song because of them. Again, the tempo doesn’t let up throughout and there’s such a great togetherness between all contributors. People who don’t understand the underground metal/punk communities don’t see just that, the community and friendship between people who share a bond through the music. A bond that’s exhibited on this album more than anywhere.

Penultimate song ‘Our Right In Rest’ is filled with ambience and calming instrumentation that leads you into album closer ‘Of Sermons And Omens To Mend’, which provides one more opportunity to lose yourself in Morrow’s beautifully crafted music. Irrespective of what camp you sit in, whether you’re a metal/punk purist or somebody who appreciates experimentation and the blurred lines it creates, it’s hard to ignore how good The Quiet Earth is. Here’s to an outstanding year for Morrow and for music in general!

You can stream and purchase The Quiet Earth directly from Morrow digitally below:-

Morrow - https://www.facebook.com/morrowpunx

Tape copies from last year are long sold out; however, pre-orders from the LP pressing are now live from the below stores:-

Alerta Antifascista Records - https://doomrock.com/music/lp/1474/morrow-quiet-earth-2xlp-2.-versions

The Plague Of Man Records - https://theplagueofman.bandcamp.com/album/the-quiet-earth-2

Alerta Antifascista Records - https://www.facebook.com/alertaantifascistarecords

The Plague Of Man Records - https://www.facebook.com/theplagueofmanrecords

Serpent Eater - Vanitas

Labels: Alerta Antifascista Records//Wooaaargh Records/7 Degrees Records

Formats: Vinyl/Download

Release Date: 25 Jan 2020

Tracklist:

1. Echo Chamber

2. Hook Blind

3. Ten Floors Down

4. Hypnos

5. Dead Spiritualist Silent

6. Dunkelziffer

7. Lurking Fear

Well, we've all made it to the end of another week. In spite of everything the world is throwing at us right now, we are resilient. That's why the subject of tonight's review is so fitting. Enter Cologne (Germany's) Serpent Eater, who released their third full-length Vanitas in January of this year, via Alerta Antifascista Records, Wooaaargh Record and 7 Degrees Records respectively. Serpent Eater stands for all that is good in the world and is here to crush everything that threatens the creation of a more harmonious society.

It seems my neighbours are shouting at each other again, which is always great! Let’s see if I can drown them out with some more intelligent sounds. Serpent Eater call themselves black punk and I think that’s pretty apt, though opening song ‘Echo Chamber’ is very much more black than punk. Shrieked and low-growled vocals exist alongside black metal instrumentation, including melodic but menacing guitars, pummelling drums and choral synths. All good so far!

‘Hook Blind’ comes at you almost instantly after the close of ‘Echo Chamber’ and it’s sub two-minute length means that there’s no time for messing around. Dissonance, crust and feedback all lay waste to any chance of a mental and physical rest. In fact, there isn’t much of a gap between any of the songs on Vanitas and that’s certainly a good thing when it comes to the momentum of the album. ‘Ten Floors Down’ begins with a post-rock/metal intro that suddenly bursts into more doom-filled black metal. It’s another uncomfortably warm evening here and this record isn’t making it any more bearable (in a good way). 

One thing’s for sure, the sound on here is certainly engrossing and ‘Hypnos’ is a stunning piece of mid-paced extreme metal with plenty of majestic lead-work, it’s not especially long but that doesn’t matter, because it’s full of atmosphere and genuine musical craft. Following like the proverbial mammal out of hell, ‘Dead Spiritualist Silent’ once again grows wings and flies forth with bucket loads of low-end. It’s the perfect precursor to the album’s final two songs, both of which are long players. ‘Dunkelziffer’ is just a more drawn-out version of what’s come before but it’s worthy of a lot more praise for being as progressive as it is.

Album closer ‘Lurking Fear’ initially heralds a more death/doom-like sound with slow riffs and wailing feedback, but you know something colder is around the corner and sure enough Serpent Eater’s cavernous black metal adds to the already dank atmosphere of the song. As finisher’s go, this is damn solid and reminds my of the horrible sounds that emanated from the likes of Meth Drinker (RIP) and Leechfeast, more than any black metal band I can think of at this point. The latter half of ‘Lurking Fear’ picks up the pace and rolls forth with a more black ’n roll vibe, albeit without being as cheesy.

This is a really good album from a band that favours song-writing and atmosphere over gimmicks and fashion. They sit perfectly amongst the Alerta Antifascista roster too. While 2020 continues to throw up challenges and disarray, Vanitas provides not only the soundtrack but also a moment of clarity where you remember that you can’t control everything, so you might as well just roll with it.

You can stream and grab Vanitas as a name-your-price download from Serpent Eater below:-

Serpent Eater - https://www.facebook.com/SerpentEater/

Physical copies can be purchased from the labels below:-

Alerta Antifascista Records - https://doomrock.com/alerta-antifascista-records

Wooaaargh Records - http://www.wooaaargh.com

7 Degrees Records - https://www.7degrees-records.de/shop/7degrees-releases/

Alerta Antifascista Records - https://www.facebook.com/Alerta-Antifascista-Records-official

Wooaaargh Records - https://www.facebook.com/WOOAAARGH/

7 Degrees Records - https://www.facebook.com/7DegreesRecords/

Terra Mater - Holocene Extinction Parts I & II

Labels: Alerta Antifascista Records/Les Nains Aussi Records/Counteract Recordings/Bad Habit Records/Tasmanian Alcoholic Zine & Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 20 Feb 2019

Tracklist: 

1. Holocene Extinction Parts I

2. Holocene Extinction Parts II

Me and mate were chatting over some beers the other night and the topic of conversation that came up was about the music scenes in New Zealand and Australia. Namely, if we could think of any heavy bands aside from the obvious, more mainstream acts. We could only think of a few, so this post acts as an education for both of us, as it features the new release from Australian melodic crust band Terra Mater. 

Terra Mater is a new name for me but I heard about them via Alerta Antifascista Records, which make sense considering that label has released records by Fall Of Efrafa, Archivist and Morrow, who could certainly be called kindred spirits. This two-song LP gathers together their debut recording and also their newest.

Two long songs make up this release and as with UK band We Came Out Like Tigers (RIP) and Dawn Ray’d (as well as probably a whole host more), Terra Mater’s strings provide stirring melody on opener Holocene Extinction Part I. Their crust is made of something more than just the typical textures and delivery. There’s atmosphere, furious riffs that cross the boundaries between hardcore and metal, and dual male/female vocals that borrow from black metal and grind. There’s a lot going yet it’s groovy and catchy, which is a bit of surprise given the sub-genre’s often overpowering use of feedback and reverb. The different sections of this first song are interspersed with uplifting violin passages and dramatic layers of sound provided by both the guitars and the percussion. Through it all, Terra Mater’s punk-ethic shines bright.

Part II breaks to the sound of what could be Whales (it’s the strings again) and what follows is breathtaking. There’s a real drive about the band as they tear through the opening few minutes of the song and with the tempos being constant and the vocals caustic, there’s a real sense of rage that even the melody can’t temper. The best thing you can do is sit back and breath it all in, as it’s more than just controlled aggression. It speaks to you in a way that only this form of music can and with its anti-fascist/left-leaning subject matter, there’s also a message to be sought. Trying to describe the music in my own subjective way is one thing, but sometimes it’s futile and it’s the listening that says more.

This is an excellent tome and Terra Mater will no doubt be one of crust/d-beat’s brightest hopes in 2019.

The full release can be streamed and pre-ordered on vinyl and as a digital download below:-

Terra Mater - https://www.facebook.com/terramatercrust/

It's also available to pre-order from the below labels:-

Alerta Antifascista Records - https://alertaantifascistarecords.bandcamp.com/merch

Les Nains Aussi Records - http://www.lustucrust.org/LesNainsAussi/

Counteract Recordings - https://counteractrecordings.bandcamp.com/merch

Alerta Antifascista Records - https://www.facebook.com/Alerta-Antifascista-Records-official

Counteract Recordings - https://www.facebook.com/CounteractRecordings/

Bad Habit Records - https://www.facebook.com/badhabitrecords/