FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
I’m not a big fan of bands with overt drug references in their names. I mean, Weedeater is pure genius, Bongzilla’s not bad, but it’s all downhill from there. That being said, Ironweed somehow works, taking one of the most over-used words in (dorky) metal, and adding weed. You know what they say… Just add weed, right?
While it’s not the coinciding North American tour that was threatened around the time Accept announced its reformation without their former singer, Udo Dirkschneider’s latest “solo” effort hits shelves exactly one month after his former band graced the Mod Club stage in T.O.. To say I’m a little underwhelmed would be an understatement.
I can see how this would’ve blown some minds back in 1990, but it really hasn’t aged all that well. Other bands have since taken the torch and left Winter sputtering behind with this lo-fi, depressing slog of an album that has more in common with the “gothic doom” of My Dying Bride than the true masters of the genre.
I can’t say enough how unique and epic this band is. Sure , they may have lost a lot of their doom but I think this has made them even more of a better band. It gives the music and riffs much more room to breathe and I find there is a lot more varation on the tempos that has helped modernize their sound without falling into any trendy sterotypes.
In Sam Dunn’s debut documentary, Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, the anthropologist describes his hometown of Victoria, British Columbia as the land of the “newly wed and nearly dead”, an anecdote that resonates with the city’s primitive black metal practitioners Shibboleth.
These guys are the real deal and with a bit more emphasis on some stronger songwriting and maybe a shorter length – 70mins seems to be a tad too long for this kind of music – really big things could lie ahead.
The Great Mass doesn’t stay with me long after the final track, “Therianthropy,” dies away, but in the moment each song offers to be deliciously, mind-numbingly immersive, and I’m quite willing to let myself drown in the experience.
Song after maleficent song, Hisingen Blues is an infectious monster of retro-styled, devil-take-my-soul blues fury that has left me wondering why I never sought these guys out before, and wondering how long before everyone else finally picks up on them. If they were obscure before, they’re not going to be much longer.
While this is an interesting effort that serves as mellow mood music for a nice relaxing vibe, I feel like I’ve heard a lot of this not so long ago on Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1.
Echtra are among those bands that do not invite the exuberance or intensity of much extreme music, instead appealing to listeners’ more contemplative sensibilities. Paragate, of all the band’s output, is the most cohesive and single-minded work they’ve yet released.