Blood Of The Spectre
Garry from SAN PR has followed on from the awesome releases he’s sent us in the past, and sent us through details of the debut offering from Blood Of The Spectre, a Hampshire based 5 piece offering us their extreme take on metal. Described on their one-sheet as offering face melting concoctions of modern metal laced with entwining technical guitar passages and bone crushing breakdowns, I figured that this was going to be one hell of an EP. Couple this with them having supported the likes of Malefice, You Me At Six and The Blackout, I figured that now was the time to see what was on offer!
There’s no messing about with the EP, launching straight into the Intro track and leaving no doubt in my mind that this is going to be one hell of a ride. Powerful sludgy riffs bombard you whilst hammerings drums pound away in the background, the whole mix taking on a sense of sludgy bass laden goodness – and this is just the intro track! Darkened Majesty backs up the theme of hammering onwards at extreme speeds, launching us straight into a melee of hammering guitar lines, roaring vocals and down tuned guitar lines – the mix forming one which is going to grab you by the eyeballs and force you to listen whether you want to or not! The breakdown midway through this track is further testament to the all out power which these guys hold, it’s bass heavy, deep and dark – exactly what you want when you go out to see a band like this!
Defeatist follows on, opening with a hammering riff entwined with one hell of a technical guitar line, the mix forming one which is not only heavy, but also technically advanced and melodic. This ability to craft tracks which combined ridiculously heavy with melody is one which is going to stand this band in good stead, keeping them fresh and exciting whilst they progress. Sure, this isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste but at the end of the day, you need bands like this to satisfy the heavy fans out there – like me! Lexical Gap continues this theme of hammering you in the face with roaring and pounding drums before adding in a further sense of melody to make sure the musical side of you is also kept satisfied. Powerful, raw and ridiculously well put together, there’s not a note out of place in this track, leaving you bowing your head in envy at the bands ability to craft a track of such stature and refinement. Almost as if to prove a point though, the Interlude which follows takes all of these ideas and throws them out the window, crafting a track which is soft, melodic and almost soothing – which after the all-out heaviness of the EP so far is somewhat of a shock, yet the serene melodies which you’re greeted with work all the same.
Dystopia soon pulls us out of the chilled out moments and launches us into another distortion fuelled melee of hammering drums, roaring guitar lines and rumbling bass. The change to the heavier side once again adds a further contrast to things here, making this track seem even heavier after the chilled out moments of the previous track, yet this all out power further develops the sound of the band, almost accentuating the lead guitar snippets which wind their way around the backing melodies. Despite the goodness, all things must come to an end and all too soon we’ve reached End Era to signal the end of the EP. Hammering and distorted once again, this final track is almost a showcase of the sounds which have come before it, taking everything they’ve done to craft a track which holds the power and melody of every other track in its hand, then crushes them to dust. The final moments of the EP are perhaps the heaviest, but also some of the most melodic, combining both elements into a final moment designed to leave you wanting more –which it does!
When I see the word ‘extreme’ on a band bio I’m always a little sceptical as usually, the term has been misused and the band are just another metal band looking for something to make them stand out. What you’ve got here though is a heavy assed EP which takes the more extreme side of metal and makes it accessible, makes it something which you can play on a Sunday morning at home, something you can play to other people to get them into it and generally enjoy! The combination of hard and soft throughout is what makes this EP so unique, and the exact reason why these guys are going to be one to look out for.
To find out more about Blood Of The Spectre, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
There’s no messing about with the EP, launching straight into the Intro track and leaving no doubt in my mind that this is going to be one hell of a ride. Powerful sludgy riffs bombard you whilst hammerings drums pound away in the background, the whole mix taking on a sense of sludgy bass laden goodness – and this is just the intro track! Darkened Majesty backs up the theme of hammering onwards at extreme speeds, launching us straight into a melee of hammering guitar lines, roaring vocals and down tuned guitar lines – the mix forming one which is going to grab you by the eyeballs and force you to listen whether you want to or not! The breakdown midway through this track is further testament to the all out power which these guys hold, it’s bass heavy, deep and dark – exactly what you want when you go out to see a band like this!
Defeatist follows on, opening with a hammering riff entwined with one hell of a technical guitar line, the mix forming one which is not only heavy, but also technically advanced and melodic. This ability to craft tracks which combined ridiculously heavy with melody is one which is going to stand this band in good stead, keeping them fresh and exciting whilst they progress. Sure, this isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste but at the end of the day, you need bands like this to satisfy the heavy fans out there – like me! Lexical Gap continues this theme of hammering you in the face with roaring and pounding drums before adding in a further sense of melody to make sure the musical side of you is also kept satisfied. Powerful, raw and ridiculously well put together, there’s not a note out of place in this track, leaving you bowing your head in envy at the bands ability to craft a track of such stature and refinement. Almost as if to prove a point though, the Interlude which follows takes all of these ideas and throws them out the window, crafting a track which is soft, melodic and almost soothing – which after the all-out heaviness of the EP so far is somewhat of a shock, yet the serene melodies which you’re greeted with work all the same.
Dystopia soon pulls us out of the chilled out moments and launches us into another distortion fuelled melee of hammering drums, roaring guitar lines and rumbling bass. The change to the heavier side once again adds a further contrast to things here, making this track seem even heavier after the chilled out moments of the previous track, yet this all out power further develops the sound of the band, almost accentuating the lead guitar snippets which wind their way around the backing melodies. Despite the goodness, all things must come to an end and all too soon we’ve reached End Era to signal the end of the EP. Hammering and distorted once again, this final track is almost a showcase of the sounds which have come before it, taking everything they’ve done to craft a track which holds the power and melody of every other track in its hand, then crushes them to dust. The final moments of the EP are perhaps the heaviest, but also some of the most melodic, combining both elements into a final moment designed to leave you wanting more –which it does!
When I see the word ‘extreme’ on a band bio I’m always a little sceptical as usually, the term has been misused and the band are just another metal band looking for something to make them stand out. What you’ve got here though is a heavy assed EP which takes the more extreme side of metal and makes it accessible, makes it something which you can play on a Sunday morning at home, something you can play to other people to get them into it and generally enjoy! The combination of hard and soft throughout is what makes this EP so unique, and the exact reason why these guys are going to be one to look out for.
To find out more about Blood Of The Spectre, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls