Release
date: June 10th
2016. Label: Svart Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Scars
& Crosses – Tracklisting
A
Silver Heart
Darkest
Days
The
Gatekeeper
Blinders
Portrait
Mind
Gods
Down
To The Sky
Scars
& Crosses
Band
Members:
Mona
Miluski – vocals
Christian
"Shi" Pappas – guitar
Ingwer
Boysen – guitar
Constantin
Wüst – bass
Thomas
Wildelau - drums & backing vocals
Review:
High
Fighter’s debut album – Scars and Crosses, is finally upon us.
The band has been teasing us recently with little snippets of audio
and video to get you in the mood their heavy onslaught of
Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs with a hefty sideline in dirty Blues Rock
vibes.
So
what can we expect from Scars And Crosses. Well if you enjoyed their
debut EP – The Goat Ritual – then expect more of the same but
with a more progressive and heavier feel. High Fighter have managed
to persuade legendary Producer/Recording Mixer – Toshi Kasai – to
master and mix this album. And the results are heavy, precise and
brutal through out.
Opening
track – A Silver Heart starts rather slowly before High Fighter add
a deliberate and menacing atmosphere. The instrumental work flows
with expert delivery as the band change musical directions throughout
the song. The atmosphere becomes harsher courtesy of lead singer –
Mona’s sinister vocals. Mona’s vocals undergo a complete
transformation on this song as you hear and feel every ounce of anger
that she possess. Soulful and blissful blues inspired vocals gives
way to Death based growls. I’ve been a fan of Mona’s ever since
her A Million Miles days; I’ve never heard Mona this angry or
focused before. You better get used to this as Mona gives it her all
with an action packed and intense performance.
Second
track – Darkest Days – is a soulful song built on fast-paced
Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs and Mona’s superb vocals. The band is
very hard to categorize. One minute they’re playing blues inspired
Stoner Rock/Metal and the next they change to a heavier style of
Sludge/Doom Metal. That’s the beauty of High Fighter’s sound;
they have this ability to sound ever so soulful but they can change
the mood into something more sinister by playing a gloomier note or
riff.
Third
track – The Gatekeeper – sees High Fighter becoming ever more
confident with their Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal hybrid sound. Things
take a more psychedelic turn with shades of Occult based Rock
appearing here and there. It’s perhaps one the albums standout
tracks as the and opt for a more experimental sound.
The
rest of the album follows the same path of heavy blues rock inspired
Sludge/Stoner Metal merged with a highly atmospheric Doom Metal vibe.
If you need further evidence of other great songs to check out then
I’ll recommend: Blinders, Gods and the excellent title track –
Scars & Crosses. As High Fighter keep the mood and tone of the
album remarkably fresh.
The
album is superbly produced from start to finish. I’ve been
championing High Fighter for a couple of years now and it’s hugely
satisfying to see all their hard work pay off with such a stunning
debut album.
High
Fighter are going to make some waves in the Sludge/Stoner Metal
community with Scars & Crosses. Mona may receive the lion’s
share of the praise for her intense vocal performance but you’ve
got to give credit to the rest of the band (Christian, Ingwer,
Constantin and Thomas) as well for creating the excellent music you
hear throughout.
Scars
& Crosses will no doubt end-up on a few best albums of 2016
lists. It’s already been guaranteed a place on mine. Scars &
Crosses is a must have album. Just for fun, I’m going to include my
first mini-review I did for the album as the band kindly asked me to
write a small review for the press release of the album.
"It
sounds intense. It's even heavier than The Goat Ritual. The riffs
will simply crush your skull and Mona's vocals are perhaps the
heaviest they have ever been. So watch out....
High
Fighter are going to surprise a lot of people when they release their
new album. It has the potential to being one of the best debut albums
of 2016. So if you're into Doom, Blues, Sludge, Stoner and Heavy
Metal then look no further as HIGH FIGHTER have it all and are ready
to KICK ASS to show the world what they can do!"
Words
by Steve Howe
Thanks
to Mona, High Fighter and Svart Records for the promo. Scars &
Crosses will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Svart Records
from June 10th 2016.
Links:
