Titans Eve
Titans Eve are described on their bio as the perfect musical end for the perfect apocalypse, offering up 11 tracks of fast, aggressive metal designed to prepare us for the impending doom we’re all facing (if you believe that sort of thing!). Produced by the band themselves and showing off the efforts and best performances of the band, the album Life Apocalypse is a serious starting point for the band, leading into the band touring with the mighty Anvil and later joining Kill Devil Hill (Vinny Appice and Rex Brown don’t you know…). Based on all the talk on their bio, I figured the best way forwards was to hit play and check things out for myself.
Opening with Overcast (intro) we’re lead into a melodic and dark opening, the sound of an acoustic guitar paving the way into things but suggesting that what is to follow isn’t going to be this light or soft, instead leading us by the hand towards our inevitable fate. Building up through the intro we’re shown an insight into the heavier side of the band, a hammering guitar line coming in to match the acoustic backing and forging with a solid drum line, building and building towards the beginning of the album in the form of Destined To Die. As if we hadn’t guessed, the actual beginning of proceedings with Destined To Die doesn’t offer us any sort of soft opening, instead throwing us straight into a hammering mix of guitars, rolling drums and gravelly vocals. To me I found myself thinking of the heavier Motorhead stuff, and to an extent Anthrax as the track got going fully. Matching the musical style of Machine Head at other times, this is the sort of track which opens an album in style, immediately making you want to see the band for yourself to make sure you didn’t imagine it. Even going so far as to throw in an anthemic chorus and insane guitar solo, this track sets the scene for the rest of the album and suggests that damned good things are to follow.
Road To Ruin (don’t get confused with the Foo Fighters here as you may be in for a shock!) once again raises the bar of the album, opening with a hammering guitar line and rolling drum melee. Off beat and once again firmly rooted in the heavier side of the spectrum, the contrast between the heavy backing track and gravelly vocal line is quite simply stunning, offering up a mix which sounds heavier than it is but letting us know that we need to take these guys seriously. Once again managing to keep a sense of melody running through the mix, this track is heavy, deep and rolling from start to finish – the sort of thing which is going to get pits going and not stop until the band are damn well ready. The Abyss once again presents us with a new sound from the band, opening with a darker edge to things but slowing the mix right down for the opening moments of the track. This ability to move from fast to slow whilst keeping a sense of continuity running through things is testament to the ability within the band, showing that they know what they’re doing and do it damned well. Rolling drums soon come back into the mix and return us to the fast paced approach of the earlier tracks, once again ushering us towards circle pit territory and getting us riled up ready to go. Somehow managing to throw a catchy approach into things, this track was one of my personal favourites from the record, the sort of track which you want to play as loud as possible regardless of who’s around you.
Moving through the instrumental tracks of Descension we’re led onto title track Life Apocalypse, presenting us with a track which sure as hell sounds like the end of the world should sound. Rolling drums, hammering guitars, thundering bass and raw vocals all blend together into a mix which is fast paced, distorted and all out in your face, offering up the sort of sound which brings about images of terror and violence. If this is what the end of the world is going to sound like then personally, I can’t wait for it to arrive, it’s a track which you want to sing along to, want to see live, and want to play to anyone within ear shot. Once again harking back towards the early pioneers of thrash but with an updated sense of freshness thrown into the mix, the track fades out into another instrumental track in the form of A Wound That Never Heals, continuing to keep the progression of the record going. Working through the instrumental moments into Hollow Gods and Divided We Fall, each track shows an insight into just how able a band we’re dealing with, the guys understand their music as well as their instruments and the results are phenomenal as a result, seriously heavy stuff, but seriously melodic at the same time.
Frozen In Time comes up as the penultimate track on the album, once again luring us in to listen harder to the rolling melee of drums, guitars and bass heavy rhythms. Fading from the heavy approach to a softer and acoustic style moment, this is a track which defies convention and instead moves through it’s own path. Don’t be deceived by the softness as soon we’re thrown back into the heavy rolling mix, the track twisting and turning throughout and keeping that sense of interest and uncertainty alive, the sort of thing that stops people getting bored of an album and keeps them listening throughout. Closing with The Void the band show off their true colours one last time, finishing with a track which hammers you in the face before having you thank them for the honour of them doing it. Closing with a sound which leans more towards a prog style, the closing moments here leave the album on a high, not saving the best for last, but definitely finishing on a note which will make people take note. Raw, aggressive and heavy throughout, this album closes as it began, on a dark note which you need to play loud to fully appreciate.
When I saw who Titans Eve were touring with I knew we were in for a quality album, but this album surpassed what I had expected. From start to finish we’re shown off what the band can do, their understanding of their music, and the reasons why we need to be taking some notice of what they’re up to. I don’t know what’s going on in Canada at the moment but if there’s bands of this calibre over there, then I need to be looking to get shifting over there as soon as possible.
To find out more about Titans Eve, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls.
Opening with Overcast (intro) we’re lead into a melodic and dark opening, the sound of an acoustic guitar paving the way into things but suggesting that what is to follow isn’t going to be this light or soft, instead leading us by the hand towards our inevitable fate. Building up through the intro we’re shown an insight into the heavier side of the band, a hammering guitar line coming in to match the acoustic backing and forging with a solid drum line, building and building towards the beginning of the album in the form of Destined To Die. As if we hadn’t guessed, the actual beginning of proceedings with Destined To Die doesn’t offer us any sort of soft opening, instead throwing us straight into a hammering mix of guitars, rolling drums and gravelly vocals. To me I found myself thinking of the heavier Motorhead stuff, and to an extent Anthrax as the track got going fully. Matching the musical style of Machine Head at other times, this is the sort of track which opens an album in style, immediately making you want to see the band for yourself to make sure you didn’t imagine it. Even going so far as to throw in an anthemic chorus and insane guitar solo, this track sets the scene for the rest of the album and suggests that damned good things are to follow.
Road To Ruin (don’t get confused with the Foo Fighters here as you may be in for a shock!) once again raises the bar of the album, opening with a hammering guitar line and rolling drum melee. Off beat and once again firmly rooted in the heavier side of the spectrum, the contrast between the heavy backing track and gravelly vocal line is quite simply stunning, offering up a mix which sounds heavier than it is but letting us know that we need to take these guys seriously. Once again managing to keep a sense of melody running through the mix, this track is heavy, deep and rolling from start to finish – the sort of thing which is going to get pits going and not stop until the band are damn well ready. The Abyss once again presents us with a new sound from the band, opening with a darker edge to things but slowing the mix right down for the opening moments of the track. This ability to move from fast to slow whilst keeping a sense of continuity running through things is testament to the ability within the band, showing that they know what they’re doing and do it damned well. Rolling drums soon come back into the mix and return us to the fast paced approach of the earlier tracks, once again ushering us towards circle pit territory and getting us riled up ready to go. Somehow managing to throw a catchy approach into things, this track was one of my personal favourites from the record, the sort of track which you want to play as loud as possible regardless of who’s around you.
Moving through the instrumental tracks of Descension we’re led onto title track Life Apocalypse, presenting us with a track which sure as hell sounds like the end of the world should sound. Rolling drums, hammering guitars, thundering bass and raw vocals all blend together into a mix which is fast paced, distorted and all out in your face, offering up the sort of sound which brings about images of terror and violence. If this is what the end of the world is going to sound like then personally, I can’t wait for it to arrive, it’s a track which you want to sing along to, want to see live, and want to play to anyone within ear shot. Once again harking back towards the early pioneers of thrash but with an updated sense of freshness thrown into the mix, the track fades out into another instrumental track in the form of A Wound That Never Heals, continuing to keep the progression of the record going. Working through the instrumental moments into Hollow Gods and Divided We Fall, each track shows an insight into just how able a band we’re dealing with, the guys understand their music as well as their instruments and the results are phenomenal as a result, seriously heavy stuff, but seriously melodic at the same time.
Frozen In Time comes up as the penultimate track on the album, once again luring us in to listen harder to the rolling melee of drums, guitars and bass heavy rhythms. Fading from the heavy approach to a softer and acoustic style moment, this is a track which defies convention and instead moves through it’s own path. Don’t be deceived by the softness as soon we’re thrown back into the heavy rolling mix, the track twisting and turning throughout and keeping that sense of interest and uncertainty alive, the sort of thing that stops people getting bored of an album and keeps them listening throughout. Closing with The Void the band show off their true colours one last time, finishing with a track which hammers you in the face before having you thank them for the honour of them doing it. Closing with a sound which leans more towards a prog style, the closing moments here leave the album on a high, not saving the best for last, but definitely finishing on a note which will make people take note. Raw, aggressive and heavy throughout, this album closes as it began, on a dark note which you need to play loud to fully appreciate.
When I saw who Titans Eve were touring with I knew we were in for a quality album, but this album surpassed what I had expected. From start to finish we’re shown off what the band can do, their understanding of their music, and the reasons why we need to be taking some notice of what they’re up to. I don’t know what’s going on in Canada at the moment but if there’s bands of this calibre over there, then I need to be looking to get shifting over there as soon as possible.
To find out more about Titans Eve, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls.