Release
date: October 25th
2019.
Label: Ripple
Music.
Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Flames
Arise
– Tracklisting
1.Prologue
03:05
2.Flames
Bemoan The Tide 09:30
3.Passage
01:33
4.Pilian
06:57
5.Extramuros
07:01
6.Shore
Up The Ashes 09:24
7.Dust
07:39
Members
Jason
Bridges - Guitar / Vocals
Marc
Brandi - Guitar / Vocals
Dean
LaVoie - Drums
Dave
Silva - Bass
Review
Flames
Arise is the 2nd album from Doom/Stoner Metallers
Lowcaster who are now signed to Ripple Music and it seems the band
have upped their game on their latest and greatest release. As the
band adapt a more progressive and experimental sound that sees the
band incorporate different genres such as Progressive Rock, Psych
Rock and even Post-Rock based interludes.
The
album is gloriously OTT and deeply emotional as well. There is a deep
70s Prog Rock storytelling and influence throughout the album. The
ambient sounds gives the album quite an unsettling and uneasy feeling
especially on the opening two songs – Prologue and Flames Bemoan
The Tide.
Prologue
is an instrumental song that lays down the musical groundwork for
rest of the album. It’s a dark sound that I enjoyed immensely from
my very first listen.
Second
song – Flames Bemoan The Tide – is a 9 minute plus epic that’s
packed full of different grooves and sounds that move from 70s
Classic Hard Rock/Metal to a more thundering modern groove with an
Iron Maiden/Thin Lizzy influence being heard from time to time. The
vocals are excellent though I’m not sure who is the main vocalist
within the band Jason or Marc. However when the dual vocals do appear
they offer a more cinematic style of sound. The riffs are loud, brash
and angry but the band still experiment with their sound with an
Ambient Doom sound appearing that slows the mood right down. One of
the standout moments of the album.
Third
song – Passage – is an Ambient Post-Rock song that has gloomy
vocals that acts more as a brief interlude before the band return to
their heavier sounds on the next song with Pilian.
Fourth
song – Pilian is another chance for Lowcaster to play their hybrid
70s Classic Hard Rock grooves and modern Doom/Stoner Metal
progressive riffs. The song has a more fantasy based feel compared to
the other songs on the album and that’s down mainly to the superb
lyrics the band have written for this song.
The
final 3 songs – Extramuros, Shore Up The Ashes and Dust – sees
Lowcaster go on full scale Doom/Stoner Metal with almost 24 minutes
of intense and high energy grooves being played at a frantic pace.
Shore Up The Ashes is perhaps the standout song on the album.
The
production is excellent and I’ve said this numerous times – I
wouldn’t expect anything less from a Ripple Music release. That
label always releases quality sounding albums and Flames Arise is no
different.
Overall,
Flames Arise is a superbly entertaining album that’s not afraid to
embrace the more fantastical elements of the Doom/Stoner Metal genre
and just run away with it all. This allows the album to be a
thrilling musical and progressive assault on the senses.
Words
by Steve Howe
Thanks
to Purple
Sage
PR for the promo. Flames
Arise
is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via
Ripple Music.
Links:
