Svalbard - When I Die, Will I Get Better?

Labels: Church Road Records/Translation Loss Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 25 Sep 2020

Tracklist:

1.  Open Wound

2. Click Bait

3. Throw Your Heart Away

4. Listen To Someone

5. Silent Restraint

6. What Was She Wearing?

7. The Currency Of Beauty

8. Pearlescent

I remember seeing Svalbard (if I remember correctly) playing a show at The Royal Park Cellars (Leeds) in 2013 with local band DSDNT (RIP) and French headliners Direwolves. I can't believe it's been that long. I picked up a copy of the band's 10" release Gone Tomorrow at the time and then due to my own erratic listening habits, lost touch with them somewhat, aside from the Cover Buzz split they did that same year. Anyway, Svalbard released their most recent album in September via Church Road Records and Translation Loss Records on both cd and vinyl, and I could no longer go without listening to it.

I’m very out of touch when it comes to Svalbard’s progression over recent years, which is my own stupid fault. What I get from this album’s first song ‘Open Wound’ is epic post-hardcore with anthemic guitar melody, vibrant percussion and vocals that are both harsh and clean, delivering music that’s uplifting and incredibly life-affirming. Svalbard is cleary a band that is very much socially aware on ’Click Bait’. Whether or not it’s describing those desperate for attention or those who attracting it unwittingly, it’s a sobering song and the anger that you sense within Serena’s voice is real.

The same level of emotion that filled ‘Click Bait’ is also present right from the off on ‘Throw Your Heart Away’. The vocals/lyrics are delivered in such a thoughtful way and the instrumentation continues to build on the album’s melodic/post-hardcore blueprint. It’s huge in every way sound-wise and it’s catchiness is plain to hear, though it’s over too quickly. ’Listen To Someone’ borrows from shoegaze and indie in places, helping it to become another fantastic example of anthemic music that’ll have you shouting from the top of your lungs. It’s actually quite emotional, given the backdrop of our current existence. 

The second half of When I Die, Will I Get Better? begins with ‘Silent Restraint’, which reminds me a lot of Funeral For A Friend and certainly fills me with the same affection. Svalbard’s music is brought to life by the excellent production/mastering and it’s hard to ignore just how good it sounds. In a similar vein to the likes of A.A. Williams, the vocal performance on ‘What Was She Wearing?’ Is calming and organic, lending itself to the song perfectly before Svalbard’s full band attack takes over once more during it’s second half. The ending talks about feeling comfortable in your own skin (at least, that’s how I interpreted it) and it’s such a positive message to convey. 

Penultimate song ‘The Currency Of Beauty’ easily follows on and it reminds you of how hard it can be within a male-orientated genre of music such as metal/hardcore. Diversity and equality are things that we keep striving for yet both seem a long way away. Svalbard recognises this and Serena’s commentary is startlingly honest, unsurprisingly. This album has moved from being upbeat and catchy to being a social commentary of everything that’s wrong with society, and more importantly how we view and treat each other. Closer ‘Pearlescent’ is the perfect musical climax to When I Die, Will I Get Better?, both musically and thoughtfully.

In a year where we’ve had to deal with so much, felt so helpless at times and lost perspective, Svalbard has felt that way too and has delivered an album that cleanses us of those demons, while reminding us of the part we play in today’s society. It took me a little while to realise that while writing this, but it’s plain to see now. Such a heartfelt record and nothing else this year comes close. 

You can stream When I Die, Will I Get Better? and purchase it digitally/ on vinyl below:-

Svalbard - https://www.facebook.com/svalbarduk/

Physical copies can also be purchased via the below links:-

Church Road Records - https://churchroadrecords.limitedrun.com

Translation Loss Records - https://translationloss.com/

Church Road Records - https://www.facebook.com/churchroadrecords/

Translation Loss Records - https://www.facebook.com/TranslationLossRecords/

Sun Worship - Elder Giants

Labels: Dead Section Records/Sick Man Getting Sick Records/Translation Loss Records/View From The Coffin/Vendetta Records

Formats: Viny/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 08 Mar 2014

Tracklist:

1. We Sleep

2. The Absolute Is Becoming

3. Elder Giants

4. Transneptunian (Infinite Gaze)

In a change to the advertised review, I thought I'd delve into my 'digital' review stack once again and write about the 2014 album Elder Giants by German black metal band Sun Worship (I must have been sleeping for most of 2014, as it was a great year for music). In July 2013 I wrote about their EP Surpass Eclipse and then they fell off my radar, which is embarrassing to admit. Elder Giants was originally released digitally by Sun Worship and at the same time an accompanying CD/Tape release was made available via View From The Coffin. In September 2015, it saw a vinyl release via Dead Section Records and Sick Man Getting Sick Records, as well as another CD pressing via Translation Loss before a third CD release just last year via Vendetta Records. Now catch your breath and enjoy...

2014 as I’ve already said was a very solid year for heavy music and it’s obvious that I just couldn’t keep up. Elder Giants by Sun Worship was one release (of many) that seemingly slipped my grasp and I’m gutted that it did. On album opener ‘We Sleep’, you can definitely see why it was picked up by Vendetta Records for a CD re-release last year, given that label’s current love of black metal-leaning music. It’s rich in texture and volume, the instrumentation completely enveloping the vocals, creating something very intense indeed.

I’m a big fan of atmospheric black metal/post-metal. I know that some might call me a poser for saying that but it’s true. Sun Worship doesn’t come across as pretentious though, just heavy and immersive. ‘The Absolute Is Becoming’ continues their all-encompassing instrumental attack, leaving no stone unturned or ear saved. The three-minute instrumental intro to it is mighty and when those growled vocals come in, they don’t shake you but they further add to the emotive nature of Sun Worship’s music. 

The album’s title-track ‘Elder Giants’ is as grandiose as you’d expect given the delivery so far. It’s not the longest song here but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. It just seems as though Sun Worship have hit their stride here and perfectly so. Moments of post-metal introspection nestle within the song and offer (slightly) calmer periods in-between the barrage of riffs and punishing drum work. 

Elder Giants ends with ‘Transneptunian (Infinite Gaze)’ and it’s ambient/white-noise inspired opening, which becomes more ambient and less white-noise as it progresses. It’s soothing given the full-power that’s graced the album up to this point and with there addition of synths, there’s a cosmic quality to it. A lot of synth use in music of this nature can sound false but here it compliments Sun Worship’s approach.

This whole album is utterly immersive from start to finish, especially if you’re a fan of extreme metal in any way. Chances are you will have already heard of this or even own it in some form, but if not it’s never too late to remedy that. I have the 2016 full-length on my list to write about too, so stand by for that in the near future.

You can stream the album and purchased it digitally or on CD (the 2019 Vendetta version) below:-

Sun Worship - https://www.facebook.com/sunworshipband/

Vendetta Records is the only label that you can currently buy copies from too, via this link - 

https://vendettarecords.bigcartel.com/product/sun-worship-elder-giants-cd

Sick Man Getting Sick Records - https://www.facebook.com/sickmangettingsickrecords/

Translation Loss Records - https://www.facebook.com/TranslationLossRecords/

Vendetta Records - https://www.facebook.com/Vendetta-Records

View From The Coffin - https://www.facebook.com/viewfromthecoffin/

Total Fucking Destruction - ...to be alive at the end of the world

Labels: Translation Loss Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 20 Apr 2020

Tracklist:

1. ...to be alive at the end of the world

2. violently high

3. light/pain

4. a demonstration of power

5. sound on sound

6. attack of the supervirus 1138

7. stone bomb

8. doctor butcher

9. yelling at velcro

10. the star spangled banner (traditional

It feels like years since I last featured Total Fucking Destruction on the blog. I think it was the Monsters EP in 2013 and their Split with Fubar in 2015. I know they released an album last year via Give Praise Records too, which I need to go back and revisit. TFD don't really need an introduction. Alongside Brutal Truth, Napalm Death and Nasum, they're considered to be godfathers of grind and are still releasing music twenty one years after their formation. That's real longevity for you!

Obviously nowadays TFD is about more than just grindcore and …to be alive at the end of the world shows that. The album is made up of eight fast songs sandwiched between two uncharacteristically long ones. The ‘title-track’ is a melodic pop-like ballad that threatens to explode but never truly does. The ominous guitar feedback resting underneath as the song builds in noise-level and intensity. 

It’s all about the grind from here on in, as your senses are awoken by ‘violently high’ and TFD’s dual-vocal screaming. It’s jazzy and bluesy while still being straight-up mad. ‘Light/pain’ is ninety+ seconds of heavy angular grind (especially where the riffs are concerned), while ‘a demonstration of power’ starts out like an instrumental improv session, before ripping your face off. It’s stop/start nature is humorous in a good way.

‘Sound on sound’ is a strange mix of Primus and surf-punk to these ears and works perfectly. Could this be the record that helps a grind band crossover to something approaching the mainstream? We’ll see. TFD prove their ability to be excellent social commentators with the ultra short ‘attack of the supervirus 1138’ and ‘stone bomb’ is even shorter, but somehow there’s a strong whiff of stoner rock coming off of it. 

They reach into the fantasies of serial killers and true crime fans on ‘doctor butcher’, but don’t worry as it’s no sub-par goregrind song. TFD’s final sub one-minute song ‘yelling a velcro’ is basically them yelling for as long as they can in one breath while blasting (I hope that’s the right interpretation anyway) and if it doesn’t bring a smile to your face, you’ve got no soul.

The album’s final long-player is ‘the star spangled banner’ and it is literally TFD’s grindcore reimagining of the US national anthem, set to crazy avant-garde grind. The initial song itself only lasts a couple of minutes. After another couple of minutes of silence, you get Rich Hoak playing woodwind instruments, which is joined later by eerie ambience and a repeat verse of the anthem . It’s bizarre but that’s what you expect from TFD. 

This album is definitely one that’ll help you forget about all the shit that the world’s throwing at you right now. Total Fucking Destruction knows how to bring a smile to your face. Long live Total Fucking Destruction!

You can stream both the 'title-track' and 'light/pain' below, where the album is available for digital pre-order:-

Total Fucking Destruction - https://www.facebook.com/tfdgrind/

Physical LP copies can be pre-ordered from Translation Loss Records here - https://translationloss.com/collections/pre-orders

Translation Loss Records - https://www.facebook.com/TranslationLossRecords/

Bloodlet - Viper In Hand

Labels: Translation Loss Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 20 Dec 2019

Tracklist: 

1. Viper In Hand

2. Choking On The Peat

Many people will remember US hardcore band Bloodlet for their 1995 Victory Records album Entheogen (later re-released by A389 Records on vinyl in 2014) and there Embrace 7" (that was also released via A389 Records in 2014). Fast-forward nearly six years and Bloodlet found their way out of the wilderness with the release of Viper In Hand via Translation Loss Records, in late December 2019. There isn't much else I need to say about this band. Hope you enjoy.

Bloodlet was never a run of the mill hardcore band. Entheogen had a sludge backbone and that’s carried through to Viper In Hand. The title song may sound like they’ve been paying very close attention to recent day Lamb Of God or Pantera, but it’s still got their own DNA flowing through it. There’s off-kilter hardcore tempos and lumbering sludge riffs all playing their part.

‘Choking On The Peat’ is no different, with more of an instant metal or even early-metalcore feel. That might be pigeonholing it a bit too much but that’s what strikes these ears. The most obvious thing about Bloodlet on this release is their off-kilter song-writing, as mentioned above, which is why it makes complete sense for them to have found a home on Translation Loss Records. There’s experimentation here and something a bit different to the norm. 

There have been some differing reviews/opinions about this release but taking it on it’s own merit, it’s solid. Many people won’t be able to see past early Bloodlet but they need to realise that things change and so do people. If we stay still, we get left behind. This is evolution in one way or another.

Stream and digitally purchase Viper In Hand below:-

Grab a vinyl copy from Translation Loss Records here - https://translationloss.com/collections/vinyl/.

Bloodlet - https://www.facebook.com/BloodletBand/

Translation Loss Records - https://www.facebook.com/TranslationLossRecords/

Amarok - Devoured

Labels: Translation Loss Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 22 Jun 2018

Tracklist:

1. VI - Sorceress

2. VII - Rat Tower

3. VIII - Skeleton

4. IX - Devoured

It's been just over five years since the last new music from Californian sludge/doom band Amarok. That last release came in the form of a split tape/LP with Oregon's Hell. They're now safely in the  Translation Loss Records fold, a label with an enviable track record when it comes to slow and heavy music. "Devoured" is the band's first full-length and features four songs, that continue their use of Roman Numerals, spread over nearly seventy-minutes. That artwork has captivated me ever since I laid eyes on it!

I’ve not been listening to nearly enough heavy music over the last week, even though I’ve felt the pull of so much, which is why it’s a relief to be sitting here now. I’ve been wanting to write about this album ever since I caught a glimpse of it’s stunning cover art and album opener VI - Sorceress doesn’t disappoint. The acoustic guitar introduction, which draws in layers of noise and feedback, breeds a sense of great anticipation as the band increases in volume. The instrumentation remains restrained as the pained screams take their place on top. Amarok’s sludge and doom has been evolving since the turn of the decade and they seem to be at peak heaviness here, albeit with plenty of atmospheric progression too. The changing of dynamic near the mid-way point in the song, with more metallic (but still slow) riffs and deeper growls taking over, the quartet breeds a gloomier outlook that’s catching.

From that harrowing opener you’re greeted with melancholy and a strange but reassuring calmness as VII - Rat Tower begins. Be warned though, that calmness only lasts so long! While the heaviness of the band breaks through again, Amarok certainly knows how to interweave moments of abject beauty into their music. There are moments of drone and feedback-ridden noise that transports you to a different place at times. This is so much more than just straightforward sludge/doom. From the darkest moments the brightest lights shine.

There’s no big build up on VIII - Skeleton, as Amarok flails headlong into a shorter but no less intense piece. You’ll notice that throughout “Devoured” there’s a lot of continuation within the melodies created by the guitars. It’s continuation that works well, as if the songs on here were once one long song, before being split into separate movements. The bass tones throughout leave a rumbling imprint on both your brain and your body, making it the doomiest, most bone-shattering song on the album. There’s plenty of groove present in the it too though, especially towards it’s conclusion.

“Devoured” ends with IX - Devoured and it’s glorious guitar, which at times sounds like a siren. It’s a crafted expanse of melody, layered together to relax you before one final stark and despondent stretch of sludge. I guess that stark and despondent aren’t terribly good descriptors, as they paint an image of something that’s hard to listen to and depressive, which this album is not. It’s incredibly immersive from start to finish, which an album should be. It’s meant to be listened to in one sitting and not in short bursts. This album is another example of what is great about sludge/doom in 2018. 

You can stream VIII - Skeleton and pre-order "Devoured" on all available formats below:-

Translation Loss Records - https://www.facebook.com/TranslationLossRecords/