Skarthia
We were recently contacted by North London based Skarthia, an up and coming metal band drawing influence from the likes of Lamb Of God, Machine Head and In Flames. Forming around the beginning of 2009, the band have been working on writing material, developing their sound and getting out there to be seen. Finally, on March 27th 2012, their debut album Retaliate was released, and we’ve been sent a link to check it out!
From the opening moments of Drill it’s hard to pin point the sound of the band, ushering in the beginning of the album with an off clean guitar line before descending down into a more powerful riff. Bass heavy from the off, there’s a real sense of progressive style metal going on at first, before the track descends into a more powerful melee of rolling bass drums, hammering guitar lines and powerful vocals. The resulting mix is one which defines metal to me, a sound which is heavy, harsh and powerful – and it’s damned good to hear! Most striking on this track is the female vocal which is suddenly ushered in, adding in a sense of melody to the roaring backing track and leaving you questioning how they’ve managed to combine everything – it’s a clever mix and they’ve pulled it off well, a hell of a start to the album!
Moving on to No Last Words there’s no relenting on the pace, the track opening with a blistering drum line accompanied by pinch harmonic fuelled guitar lines, the whole mix grabbing you by the face from the off and leaving you unable to do anything but give in to the mix. Powerful and fast paced, this is a track which is going to kill on the live scene, the sort of thing which gets a band a reputation as a must see act and something I have to see for myself! Demolition continues this idea, once again powering into an unrelenting mix of rolling drums, powerful guitar lines and roaring vocals, keeping the mix bass heavy so you feel the music as well as hearing it. Despite the all out approach to get things going, there’s also a real sense of melody running through this track, keeping it musically pleasing as well as satisfying all of those heavy cravings deeper down inside. This track stands out to me as a serious highpoint on the album, definitely one of my personal favourites from the album purely for the sound they’ve managed to achieve. Liefest continues the idea of the previous track, and once again shows why this is going to be a band to check out on the live scene, it’s quite simply mind blowing. Once again powering through the track without giving you a moment to catch your breath, this is perhaps one of the heavier tracks on the album, yet once again the band seem to have incorporated a real sense of melody into things throughout.
If it’s heavy you’re looking for then look no further than Parasite, the track opening as it means to go on and causing you to start a circle pit in the room where ever you are. Heavy, fast, powerful and distorted throughout, this is another track which has been perfectly crafted for the live scene, showing that when a band combines their elements to perfection, the result is quite simply awesome. To me, there was a real sound of Mushroom Head going on here – and I can’t work out why – but at times it just came across….but there we go! Moving on to My Retaliation things once again alter in their style, this time throwing down into a funky melee of hammering guitar lines, pounding drums and bass heavy rhythms. Almost syncopated at times, I love the complexity of this track combined with the sheer power of the guitars. Fast and firmly rooted on the metal side of music, this is another standout track on the album, and another track which is going to show people why they need to be taking note of Skarthia, the sort of track which, when picked up on, is going to secure one hell of a fan base!
Following with War Graves the theme of the album once again returns to a solid metal foundation, kicking into a funky mix of guitar lines and solid drumming, keeping things simple so as to accentuate the power of the track without the need for over the top frivolities. Add an intricate lead line into the mix and what you’ve got here is a track which shows how melodic heavy can be when it’s done well, taking a sound and turning it into something they can call their own, but we’ll simply refer to it as pretty damned cool! Closing with In Vain, the album finishes as it began and leaves things on a powerful finale. Not quite the crescendo to the album I was expecting, there’s almost a shift to the style of the band, throwing into an all out aural assault and leaving you quivering at what you’ve heard. Personally, I love the differentiated style throughout this album, and the closing of this chapter seems to simply leave things open for what is to follow next!
Skarthia have undersold themselves, and it’s that simple. This is a band that needs to be picked up on now so they continue to develop their sound, continue to work hard and continue to convert people to their album. This album stands out as the result of a lot of hard work and determination, and whilst it’s only a few months old, I’m already looking forward to the follow up!
To find out more about Skarthia, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
From the opening moments of Drill it’s hard to pin point the sound of the band, ushering in the beginning of the album with an off clean guitar line before descending down into a more powerful riff. Bass heavy from the off, there’s a real sense of progressive style metal going on at first, before the track descends into a more powerful melee of rolling bass drums, hammering guitar lines and powerful vocals. The resulting mix is one which defines metal to me, a sound which is heavy, harsh and powerful – and it’s damned good to hear! Most striking on this track is the female vocal which is suddenly ushered in, adding in a sense of melody to the roaring backing track and leaving you questioning how they’ve managed to combine everything – it’s a clever mix and they’ve pulled it off well, a hell of a start to the album!
Moving on to No Last Words there’s no relenting on the pace, the track opening with a blistering drum line accompanied by pinch harmonic fuelled guitar lines, the whole mix grabbing you by the face from the off and leaving you unable to do anything but give in to the mix. Powerful and fast paced, this is a track which is going to kill on the live scene, the sort of thing which gets a band a reputation as a must see act and something I have to see for myself! Demolition continues this idea, once again powering into an unrelenting mix of rolling drums, powerful guitar lines and roaring vocals, keeping the mix bass heavy so you feel the music as well as hearing it. Despite the all out approach to get things going, there’s also a real sense of melody running through this track, keeping it musically pleasing as well as satisfying all of those heavy cravings deeper down inside. This track stands out to me as a serious highpoint on the album, definitely one of my personal favourites from the album purely for the sound they’ve managed to achieve. Liefest continues the idea of the previous track, and once again shows why this is going to be a band to check out on the live scene, it’s quite simply mind blowing. Once again powering through the track without giving you a moment to catch your breath, this is perhaps one of the heavier tracks on the album, yet once again the band seem to have incorporated a real sense of melody into things throughout.
If it’s heavy you’re looking for then look no further than Parasite, the track opening as it means to go on and causing you to start a circle pit in the room where ever you are. Heavy, fast, powerful and distorted throughout, this is another track which has been perfectly crafted for the live scene, showing that when a band combines their elements to perfection, the result is quite simply awesome. To me, there was a real sound of Mushroom Head going on here – and I can’t work out why – but at times it just came across….but there we go! Moving on to My Retaliation things once again alter in their style, this time throwing down into a funky melee of hammering guitar lines, pounding drums and bass heavy rhythms. Almost syncopated at times, I love the complexity of this track combined with the sheer power of the guitars. Fast and firmly rooted on the metal side of music, this is another standout track on the album, and another track which is going to show people why they need to be taking note of Skarthia, the sort of track which, when picked up on, is going to secure one hell of a fan base!
Following with War Graves the theme of the album once again returns to a solid metal foundation, kicking into a funky mix of guitar lines and solid drumming, keeping things simple so as to accentuate the power of the track without the need for over the top frivolities. Add an intricate lead line into the mix and what you’ve got here is a track which shows how melodic heavy can be when it’s done well, taking a sound and turning it into something they can call their own, but we’ll simply refer to it as pretty damned cool! Closing with In Vain, the album finishes as it began and leaves things on a powerful finale. Not quite the crescendo to the album I was expecting, there’s almost a shift to the style of the band, throwing into an all out aural assault and leaving you quivering at what you’ve heard. Personally, I love the differentiated style throughout this album, and the closing of this chapter seems to simply leave things open for what is to follow next!
Skarthia have undersold themselves, and it’s that simple. This is a band that needs to be picked up on now so they continue to develop their sound, continue to work hard and continue to convert people to their album. This album stands out as the result of a lot of hard work and determination, and whilst it’s only a few months old, I’m already looking forward to the follow up!
To find out more about Skarthia, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
