Embryon
We were put onto a band called Embryon recently, a band who state that whether it be in front of a crowd, in rehearsals or in day to day life, a certain level of unity is held between all of their members. With influences as far reaching as Metallica, Foo Fighters and Dave Vanian, the band use their technical abilities to craft a sound which simply, is going to lure you in and keep you listening. I figured that the best approach was to check out the album for myself, to see what was going on.
Kicking things off with Clone we’re immediately shown the dark, distorted views of the band, opening things with a track which holds all of the hallmarks of a punk rock, grunge orientated, heavy metal influenced anthem – there’s a lot going on! Bass heavy undertones echo out from the track as the gravelly vocals work to lure you in, pushing the message of the band and keeping you involved throughout – it’s a solid start to things which is sure to do what it should, get people moving! Shifting on to In Your Head the theme continues, once again hammering into a track packed full of riffs, hooks, and moments which make you sit up and think oooh, I liked that. Urgent guitars combine with the solid drumming to form a sound which is upbeat and hard hitting, yet melodic and accessible, the sort of thing which will keep the old fans happy whilst managing to get new ones involved and listening – a damned good start to things for sure.
Watch The Embers once again pushes the bar, this time offering up an almost stadium rock style sound, akin to a raw version of those 80’s hair metal bands we all secretly loved and wanted to hear more of. Despite this comparison, once again it’s clear who we’re listening to, and the gravelly yet powerful vocals once again do their job, grabbing your attention and keeping you listening throughout. Throwing a catchy chorus into the mix just for good measure, this is the sort of track which has that single quality, the sort of thing that people will hear and instantly want to hear more of. Feed The Circle on the other hand doesn’t mess about with any of this stadium rock style stuff, instead launching us into a powerful melee of hammering guitars and soaring lead lines – it’s a mix which you know is going to hit all of the right spots on the live scene. Fast paced, powerful, raw and in your face, this track is one of my personal favourites off of the album, it’s quite simply a triumph, and one which you need to make sure you check out.
Continuing to work through Devoid, Mean Machine, Lost, Voyager and Thrill Kill, the album continues to offer up surprises – from effect laden guitars through to emotionally tinged vocals, demonstrating the range that these guys have at their disposal when they choose to use it. The closing moments of Temple though are perhaps some of the highest points on the album, finishing with a track which starts slowly, but soon has you reaching for that volume up button. Emotional guitar lines merge into thrash like riffery, offering up a sound which combines catchy and emotional lines, with hard hitting and mosh-worthy undertones – something you seldom come across in music! As a closing moment this does what it should, finishes the album in style and leaves us all wanting more – finally hammering that final nail in which reminds us to get out and make sure we check them out!
I don’t know what I was expecting from Embryon, but it wasn’t this! On offer here is a band who clearly understand their craft, understand their instruments, and understand how to write catchy anthems! From start to finish we’re shown off just how able they are, and as a result this album is quite simply a triumph. Definitely a band to make sure you check out – Get. On. It!
Check out the bands website HERE, their MySpace HERE, and their YouTube page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Kicking things off with Clone we’re immediately shown the dark, distorted views of the band, opening things with a track which holds all of the hallmarks of a punk rock, grunge orientated, heavy metal influenced anthem – there’s a lot going on! Bass heavy undertones echo out from the track as the gravelly vocals work to lure you in, pushing the message of the band and keeping you involved throughout – it’s a solid start to things which is sure to do what it should, get people moving! Shifting on to In Your Head the theme continues, once again hammering into a track packed full of riffs, hooks, and moments which make you sit up and think oooh, I liked that. Urgent guitars combine with the solid drumming to form a sound which is upbeat and hard hitting, yet melodic and accessible, the sort of thing which will keep the old fans happy whilst managing to get new ones involved and listening – a damned good start to things for sure.
Watch The Embers once again pushes the bar, this time offering up an almost stadium rock style sound, akin to a raw version of those 80’s hair metal bands we all secretly loved and wanted to hear more of. Despite this comparison, once again it’s clear who we’re listening to, and the gravelly yet powerful vocals once again do their job, grabbing your attention and keeping you listening throughout. Throwing a catchy chorus into the mix just for good measure, this is the sort of track which has that single quality, the sort of thing that people will hear and instantly want to hear more of. Feed The Circle on the other hand doesn’t mess about with any of this stadium rock style stuff, instead launching us into a powerful melee of hammering guitars and soaring lead lines – it’s a mix which you know is going to hit all of the right spots on the live scene. Fast paced, powerful, raw and in your face, this track is one of my personal favourites off of the album, it’s quite simply a triumph, and one which you need to make sure you check out.
Continuing to work through Devoid, Mean Machine, Lost, Voyager and Thrill Kill, the album continues to offer up surprises – from effect laden guitars through to emotionally tinged vocals, demonstrating the range that these guys have at their disposal when they choose to use it. The closing moments of Temple though are perhaps some of the highest points on the album, finishing with a track which starts slowly, but soon has you reaching for that volume up button. Emotional guitar lines merge into thrash like riffery, offering up a sound which combines catchy and emotional lines, with hard hitting and mosh-worthy undertones – something you seldom come across in music! As a closing moment this does what it should, finishes the album in style and leaves us all wanting more – finally hammering that final nail in which reminds us to get out and make sure we check them out!
I don’t know what I was expecting from Embryon, but it wasn’t this! On offer here is a band who clearly understand their craft, understand their instruments, and understand how to write catchy anthems! From start to finish we’re shown off just how able they are, and as a result this album is quite simply a triumph. Definitely a band to make sure you check out – Get. On. It!
Check out the bands website HERE, their MySpace HERE, and their YouTube page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls