Illuminatus
Another band we were recently sent through from Skratch The Surface is Illuminatus and their new album, Glasnost. Having toured with the likes of Ministry on the UK leg of their final world tour, and My Ruin on their UK and Ireland tour – this band is a heavyweight and not to be taken lightly. In their time the band have collaborated on production with the likes of Harvey Birrell (Therapy?, Ministry), Pete ‘Pee-Wee’ Coleman (AC/DC, Paradise Lost) and Adam Sinclair (Therapy?), Illuminatus has already had comparisons drawn to the music of Paradise Lost, Deftones and Cult of Luna – so this has to be something which I check out before its released in February 2012!
Opening with title track Glasnost it’s immediately clear that this is a serious album and not to be entered into lightly. A softly strummed line initially creates the illusion that this is going to be easy going and soft, but this is soon thrown out the window with a hammering riff underpinned by hammering drums. The show stealer though has to be the vocal line, gravelly and hard whilst melodic and matching of the sound created. Progressing at a restrained speed, this is a track which lures you in and encourages you to enjoy it, suggesting that this is something you can connect with, something which you’re going to enjoy with an almost hypnotic quality. Unrelenting until the moment the track comes to a close, this is one which you’re going to listen to, then rewind just to make sure you heard it right – yes they are that good.
Murdocracy follows on, opening with much the same pace as before only with a more continuous style of playing – the riffs continually being thrown at you whilst the drums set the pace at which you are pummelled. The vocals sound even more harsh here, the track fully taking form and creating a sound which is catchy whilst unique and alternative. I can see where the comparisons get drawn between these guys and some of the other bands, but in essence what you’ve got here is a band who are creating their own unique sound which merely matches a certain criteria, it would be unfair to say they sound like[insert name here] purely for some sort of comparison. Moving away from my own personal views, Division continues the album and once again demonstrates that this is a grown up album, no childs play here. Opening with a guitar line set to phase before launching into a hammering melee of solid riffs and drums strong enough to shake the foundations of your house. This is pure live scene music here, something which shows why these guys have achieved the supporting slots which they have already. This is quite possibly my personal favourite track from the album, there’s just something about the way the riffs seem to rove around the necks of the guitars whilst the track progresses without them, it shouldn’t work technically but it does.
Reconnect doesn’t faff around with any grand opening lead ins, you’re just thrown straight in where the last track left off and asked to pick up where you were. Opening with a deceptively hard riff, soon everything is faded back and the vocals take on an almost soft and soothing approach, synth sounds backing them up and leading into another hard hitting chorus of roaring vocal lines. Another highlight on the album for sure, this is a track which I highly recommend you check out if you want an idea of the sound these guys have got – to put it simply – it’s immense. Cave In seems to follow the softer approach to proceedings, opening with a faded out guitar line which immediately sets the tone as reflective and ponderous. Almost upbeat in the tempo which is adopted, there’s a strange feeling to this track of it being haunting and dark, yet upbeat and melodic – it’s a hard mix to achieve let alone make work, yet it’s done with aplomb here. Shifting up a gear, this track is another which quite simply showcases all of the skills on offer within the band and shows that if you want to be a band which is successful, then speak to these guys about how to do it. Combining hard, soft, melodic and disjointed all into one track, this is a hell of an achievement which certainly warrants a bravo from this direction!
Keep Calm and Carry On leads straight on and keeps things going at the pace which the last track finished at, opting to move back towards the heavier side of things this time around, this is another track which is going to electrify live crowds when the band perform it. I love the progression within the track, there’s a real sense of Deftones-esque bass progression and vocals, the whole mix elevating to a level above that simple comparison and forming a track which is quite simply mind blowing. If you thought this was a complex track then You’ll Never Know What This Means comes in to blow every idea you had out of the water. Opening sounding like a mainstream rock anthem, you only need to listen to this track to begin to understand how complex this truly is. Listen to the bass lines, the guitar progression, the harshly spat vocals and hammering drums – the whole mix is right there stripped to basics for you to see – there’s no hiding behind digital effects here, just a band doing what they know how to do. The lyrics on this track are quite striking as well, dedicated to a ‘pathetic little man’ with ‘fire in his tongue’ – I’ve only got to hope that the same label isn’t applied to me after this! Clinging onto this thought, before I know it Red is upon me and working its way into my head. The guitar line which opens this harks to the likes of Sigur Ros through its ambient sound, the vocals gravelly and almost celtic in their style which is almost spat out at you to hear. Bass heavy rhythms, solid drums and an overall sense of darkness, once again this is a track which makes you reflect on everything, allowing you a moment of calm almost within the storm that is this album (and by calm, I mean soaring heavy riffs which grab your feelings and elevate them to a new level, making you feel invincible for the duration of the time you’re hearing the track).
Shifting into Gosling, what’s most striking is the quiet which begins the track – it’s a shock after all of the power so far. Opening with a soft picked guitar line creating a sense of emotion, once again you find yourself being led into your own mind, your thoughts being picked out one by one and presented to you for you to see – it’s one hell of a striking opening to a song. The combination of piano and guitar create a depth where there isn’t any, 2 elements working to create a sound which doesn’t need any more. Acting almost as a lead in to Clarity, the smooth soft sounds continue to flow allowing for a sense of continuity to grow, the track beginning fully in much the same style encouraging you to sit back and just listen. This track is another example of how these guys can craft what can only be described as anthems in their songs, moving from soft and laid back to powerful and hammering melodies which don’t just satisfy your ears, they send shivers down your spine leaving you craving more and more, making you go back and start again but most of all, making you connect with every single element of the music being thrust out at you.
Closing the album in the same style which it began with Wolves!, you can’t help but feel that this has been one hell of a rollercoaster of a ride from start to finish. The final track almost represents this with its hard hitting riffs, hammering bass line and over all sense of toned down pace, all working together to form something which is not only engaging, but solid from start to finish.
Where the hell to I begin to summarise this album? I mean, from the moment this began to the moment it ended I sat just thinking ‘holy crap, what do I say which does this justice’. This is an album which is for you grown ups, don’t expect any little quips or jokes to make it appeal to you, just expect a band which knows what they’re doing and has crafted an album which could happily sit amongst some of the legends of our time. These guys are a band who quite simply are going to achieve much much more, and I can’t wait to see where it takes them!
To find out more about Illuminatus, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with title track Glasnost it’s immediately clear that this is a serious album and not to be entered into lightly. A softly strummed line initially creates the illusion that this is going to be easy going and soft, but this is soon thrown out the window with a hammering riff underpinned by hammering drums. The show stealer though has to be the vocal line, gravelly and hard whilst melodic and matching of the sound created. Progressing at a restrained speed, this is a track which lures you in and encourages you to enjoy it, suggesting that this is something you can connect with, something which you’re going to enjoy with an almost hypnotic quality. Unrelenting until the moment the track comes to a close, this is one which you’re going to listen to, then rewind just to make sure you heard it right – yes they are that good.
Murdocracy follows on, opening with much the same pace as before only with a more continuous style of playing – the riffs continually being thrown at you whilst the drums set the pace at which you are pummelled. The vocals sound even more harsh here, the track fully taking form and creating a sound which is catchy whilst unique and alternative. I can see where the comparisons get drawn between these guys and some of the other bands, but in essence what you’ve got here is a band who are creating their own unique sound which merely matches a certain criteria, it would be unfair to say they sound like[insert name here] purely for some sort of comparison. Moving away from my own personal views, Division continues the album and once again demonstrates that this is a grown up album, no childs play here. Opening with a guitar line set to phase before launching into a hammering melee of solid riffs and drums strong enough to shake the foundations of your house. This is pure live scene music here, something which shows why these guys have achieved the supporting slots which they have already. This is quite possibly my personal favourite track from the album, there’s just something about the way the riffs seem to rove around the necks of the guitars whilst the track progresses without them, it shouldn’t work technically but it does.
Reconnect doesn’t faff around with any grand opening lead ins, you’re just thrown straight in where the last track left off and asked to pick up where you were. Opening with a deceptively hard riff, soon everything is faded back and the vocals take on an almost soft and soothing approach, synth sounds backing them up and leading into another hard hitting chorus of roaring vocal lines. Another highlight on the album for sure, this is a track which I highly recommend you check out if you want an idea of the sound these guys have got – to put it simply – it’s immense. Cave In seems to follow the softer approach to proceedings, opening with a faded out guitar line which immediately sets the tone as reflective and ponderous. Almost upbeat in the tempo which is adopted, there’s a strange feeling to this track of it being haunting and dark, yet upbeat and melodic – it’s a hard mix to achieve let alone make work, yet it’s done with aplomb here. Shifting up a gear, this track is another which quite simply showcases all of the skills on offer within the band and shows that if you want to be a band which is successful, then speak to these guys about how to do it. Combining hard, soft, melodic and disjointed all into one track, this is a hell of an achievement which certainly warrants a bravo from this direction!
Keep Calm and Carry On leads straight on and keeps things going at the pace which the last track finished at, opting to move back towards the heavier side of things this time around, this is another track which is going to electrify live crowds when the band perform it. I love the progression within the track, there’s a real sense of Deftones-esque bass progression and vocals, the whole mix elevating to a level above that simple comparison and forming a track which is quite simply mind blowing. If you thought this was a complex track then You’ll Never Know What This Means comes in to blow every idea you had out of the water. Opening sounding like a mainstream rock anthem, you only need to listen to this track to begin to understand how complex this truly is. Listen to the bass lines, the guitar progression, the harshly spat vocals and hammering drums – the whole mix is right there stripped to basics for you to see – there’s no hiding behind digital effects here, just a band doing what they know how to do. The lyrics on this track are quite striking as well, dedicated to a ‘pathetic little man’ with ‘fire in his tongue’ – I’ve only got to hope that the same label isn’t applied to me after this! Clinging onto this thought, before I know it Red is upon me and working its way into my head. The guitar line which opens this harks to the likes of Sigur Ros through its ambient sound, the vocals gravelly and almost celtic in their style which is almost spat out at you to hear. Bass heavy rhythms, solid drums and an overall sense of darkness, once again this is a track which makes you reflect on everything, allowing you a moment of calm almost within the storm that is this album (and by calm, I mean soaring heavy riffs which grab your feelings and elevate them to a new level, making you feel invincible for the duration of the time you’re hearing the track).
Shifting into Gosling, what’s most striking is the quiet which begins the track – it’s a shock after all of the power so far. Opening with a soft picked guitar line creating a sense of emotion, once again you find yourself being led into your own mind, your thoughts being picked out one by one and presented to you for you to see – it’s one hell of a striking opening to a song. The combination of piano and guitar create a depth where there isn’t any, 2 elements working to create a sound which doesn’t need any more. Acting almost as a lead in to Clarity, the smooth soft sounds continue to flow allowing for a sense of continuity to grow, the track beginning fully in much the same style encouraging you to sit back and just listen. This track is another example of how these guys can craft what can only be described as anthems in their songs, moving from soft and laid back to powerful and hammering melodies which don’t just satisfy your ears, they send shivers down your spine leaving you craving more and more, making you go back and start again but most of all, making you connect with every single element of the music being thrust out at you.
Closing the album in the same style which it began with Wolves!, you can’t help but feel that this has been one hell of a rollercoaster of a ride from start to finish. The final track almost represents this with its hard hitting riffs, hammering bass line and over all sense of toned down pace, all working together to form something which is not only engaging, but solid from start to finish.
Where the hell to I begin to summarise this album? I mean, from the moment this began to the moment it ended I sat just thinking ‘holy crap, what do I say which does this justice’. This is an album which is for you grown ups, don’t expect any little quips or jokes to make it appeal to you, just expect a band which knows what they’re doing and has crafted an album which could happily sit amongst some of the legends of our time. These guys are a band who quite simply are going to achieve much much more, and I can’t wait to see where it takes them!
To find out more about Illuminatus, check out their Facebook page HERE.