Showing posts with label Locktender. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Locktender. Show all posts

Saturday, 15 June 2024

Locktender - Sage: I


Labels: Self-Released/I.Corrupt Records

Formats: Digital/Vinyl

Release Date: 08 Mar 2024


Tracklist:


1. Tomorrow Is Never

2. For The Wind To Tear

3. No Passing


Back in January (was it really that long ago!) I reviewed the debut release from Inosuke and following that write-up, guitarist/vocalist Jason wrote back to tell me about the brand new release from Locktender (whom he's also a member of). I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get round to this post. If you know Locktender then you'll be familiar with their self-proclaimed 'philosophercore'. To date Sage: I is self-released and the first of several inspired by surrealist painter Kay Sage. I.Corrupt Records will have a vinyl pressing of the EP available in the near-future too!.


Locktender has always been a band that has produced such beautifully cinematic post-rock/hardcore and after a six year wait, they’re back with a new release and concept. ‘Tomorrow Is Never’ begins in a vein that reminds of long-departed UK bands Voe and Mausoleion. Those comparisons only relate to the intro though as Locktender switch up a gear after a minute or so, taking you on a sludge/post-rock journey. It’s only at the mid three-minute mark that they hit full stride with the addition of bellowed screams and equally powerful instrumentation.


‘For The Wind To Tear’ gently floats along, with melody and music that builds throughout it’s short life-cycle. It’s quite sad when the song dissolves into near silence but there’s always a reason for suspense and Locktender use it perfectly as they lead into EP closer ‘No Passing’. After a week without wi-fi (gifting me the ability to fully switch off), it’s truly awe-inspiring to have this as the first music I listen to on my return. 


As ‘No Passing’ reaches the point of peak heaviness, the knowledge that this release is the first of many to come fills me with great joy. It’s crazy to think that Locktender has been a mainstay of the fertile screamo/post-hardcore/post-rock community for twelve years now. Here’s to many years to come. The added anticipation for the vinyl pressing from I. Corrupt Records will be well worth it too.


You can stream and purchase Sage: I as a name-your-price download from Locktender below:-



Locktender - https://www.facebook.com/locktenderband

I.Corrupt Records - https://www.facebook.com/icorruptrecs

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Monday, 4 June 2018

Locktender - Friedrich


Labels: I.Corrupt.Records/Middle-Man Records/Zegema Beach Records/Deadwood Records/Utarid Tapes
Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital
Release Date: 15 Jan 2018

Tracklist:

1. The Monk By The Sea
2. View Of A Harbour
3. Wreck In The Sea Of Ice
4. Seashore With Shipwreck By Midnight
5. The Chasseur In The Forest
6. Morning Fog In The Mountains
7. Winter Landscape
8. The Abbey In The Oakwood

Ohio's Locktender ended their four years of silence earlier this year, with the release of "Friedrich". It tells the story of a Monk who eventually killed himself through loss of faith, while drawing inspiration from the artwork of 19th-century German landscape artist Casper David Friedrich. Having been released on vinyl initially, it was released on tape in May. I've already been jamming the album prior to writing this review, which isn't something I usually do but I was sucked in.

This feels good. The escape from reality that’s provided by music is unparallelled and Locktender goes the extra mile to make their’s that bit more special. The Monk By The Sea is the melodic opener you want and while the crunching riffs/percussion/vocals remind you of the band’s hardcore leanings, there’s way more to it all. The introspective passages filled with guitar melodies and the clean singing that towers over the recording at times, are layers that just belong. View Of A Harbour is a short piece that definitely conjures up images of sitting staring out over a coastal vista, with no cluttered thoughts to worry about. It flows into Wreck In The Sea Of Ice, which is filled with palpable emotion and anger from the vocals, while once again the melodies play out over minimalist drumming, There’s still loud dissonant screamo present but it’s very cohesive as opposed to being stop/start. Locktender’s lengthy instrumental passages are a pleasure to behold, like the one that forms the first sections of Seashore With Shipwreck By Moonlight. It’s spacey, calming and reminds me a lot of the music contained on “Feathers” by Duct Hearts at one point and then early-00’s post-hardcore the next. It builds up throughout and eventually explodes into something akin to emo-violence/hardcore towards the end. it’s wonderful. 

The second half of “Friedrich” is a post-hardcore/metal feast thanks to The Chasseur In The Forest. The vocals definitely hit you from a more extreme place, while the shorter running time and layers of sound offer a lot of impact, which other albums miss within their mid-sections. They’re back to their cinematic best on Morning Fog In The Mountains, with the calm/chaotic dynamic working so well. “Friedrich” is an album best enjoyed in a full sitting and not in fits and starts. Even though the song-titles seems as though they were chosen at random, the songs themselves follow on with ease. Penultimate song Winter Landscape is the album’s longest and one of it’s most thought-provoking as well. The beautiful isolation that you feel during it’s mid-section is hard to ignore. It’s like staring up at the night sky, inspired by just how huge the universe is other than just focusing on your small part of it. It’s taking that step back that makes the difference. Following that was always gonna be difficult so Locktender goes in a completely different direction and fills The Abbey In The Oakwood with off-kilter hardcore and screamo that smashes the wonderment into smithereens and replaces it with distant anguish and subtle black metal-style morbidity. 

I’m annoyed that I didn’t give this more attention earlier on in the year. It’s utterly glorious and shows that the time Locktender spent silent hasn’t affected them musically. in fact, it’s probably allowed them to open up and explore further, which has made for an outstanding album. Nothing more need be said. 

You can stream "Friedrich" and get it as a name-your-price download below:-




Physical LP and tape copies can be purchased from the links below:-

Zegema Beach Records - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com
Deadwood Records - https://www.deadwoodrecords.de

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