Release
date: September 11th 2015. Label: New Heavy Sounds.
Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Terminal:
Tracklisting
Three
Snake Leaves
Ghost
Dance
Micromegas
Dawn
Raiders
Spoils
of a Portrait King
Down
By The Banks
Sleepwalkers
Mortuary
Teeth
Cocytus
Band
Members:
Rob
Hoey - Vocals,
Sam
Cooper - Bass,
Tom
Mowforth - Drums,
Pat
Pask - Guitar
Review:
I've
been a big fan of Limb since I heard them properly on the Witch
Hunter Records split they put out with Gurt "Split Roast" a
year or so back (go grab one here
https://witchhunterrecords.bandcamp.com/) and picked up a copy of
their debut album when I had the chance to a gig with them down in
Sunny Bournemouth last year. Now they're back with "Terminal"
their second full length and let me tell you now, they've delivered a
beast.
Kicking
off with the brief opener "Three Snake Leaves" Limb are
wasting no time at all in setting out their stall for what's to come.
Vocalist Rob Hoey bellowing "We leave this world with nothing"
over a deliciously repetitive riff that grabs your attention and gets
you ready for the rest of the album.
You
may have heard 2nd track "Ghost Dance" as it was streamed
by Terrorizer a couple of months ago and it was a treat to hear it
again. Giant riffs from Pat Pask and Sam Cooper bounce all over this
track like Tigger after a six pack of Red Bull (other energy drinks
are available) and manage to not only be seriously heavy but to have
a real groove to them, something a lot of sludge bands (or bands who
get labelled as sludge) often don't do. Some of this will no doubt be
in part to new drummer Tom Mowforth who stamps his authority all over
this record.
"Micromegas"
shows another side to Limb as half way through the track they take
their feet of the gas as some lovely clean hypnotic guitar and dense
drum fills take over just before ushering in the riff heavy
conclusion which features some ace vocals from all the boys, who
sound like they're having a lot of fun with this record!
The
three tracks that follow the excellent "Dawn Raiders","Spoils
Of A Portrait King" and "Down By The Banks" all race
by too quickly for my liking and all featuring the same heavy but
heartfelt riffs, thunderous drumming and what for my money's worth
Rob's best vocals on a Limb record as yet.
But
it's the last three tracks that I find push the album from the realms
of good into great. "Sleepwalkers" is three minutes of
head nodding toe tapping brilliance all held together with a chorus
that's catchier than syphilis that will get stuck in your head for
days (which is better than where actual syphilis would get stuck.)
The
penultimate track "Mortuary Teeth" is without a doubt the
heaviest track on the record and it's and absolute fucking rager. A
very different higher pitched harsh vocal and some almost discordant
hardcore inspired riffs take the lead on this. This track is going to
be responsible for a lot of sore necks all over the UK!
Album
closer "Cocytus" is again something a little different and
shows how far Limb have come since their last release. It's an
absolute monster of a song which twists and turns and evolves over
it's nearly nine minute running time. It also features the amazing
lyric "and then you go and do something stupid/like sharpen your
teeth on an axe".
Starting
off on quite an aggressive tangent the song leaps around around,
until just after two minutes when the pace slows and the almost
mantra like vocals take hold. "Hope. Hope without fear". At
four minutes another change, a solid chugging riff and simple drum
beat propel the track along to it's natural conclusion with samples
and effects over the dying seconds as the track fades to nothing and
the album is over.
Apparently
second albums are difficult. Seemingly not the case here. A bold,
confident and mature record, and one that ticks all the right boxes
for me. If this is anything to go on then Limb are certainly far from
terminal.
Recorded
by Russ Russell and Mixed by Jim Mortimer "Terminal" is due
for release though New Heavy Sounds on the 11th of September.
Get
yourself to the album launch here
https://www.facebook.com/events/1905093309715843/
Words
by Simon Ross Williams
Thanks
to Claire at Purple Sage PR for the promo. Terminal will be available
to buy from New Heavy Sounds from Sept 11th 2015.
Links:
