Release
date: October
11th
2019. Label: Hoogheid
Records.
Format: DD
Your
Highness
– Tracklisting
1.Devil's
Delight 04:48
2.The
Flood 05:22
3.Born
Anew 03:58
4.Black
Fever 09:00
5.To
Wood and Stone 06:30
6.Little
to Relate 03:48
7.Rope
as a Gift 03:46
8.Kin's
Blood 14:14
Members
Ben
Baert
Joachim
Cols
Bart
Struyf
Jorn
Van der Straeten
Nic
Placklé
Review
Your
Highness self-titled new album leaves nothing to chance with their
style of Sludge/Stoner Metal making a lasting impression from start
to finish. This album sees the Belgian Noise-Makers draw influence
from Corrosion Of Conformity, Torche and Mastodon whilst still
retaining their early Blues Rock/Metal sound. It’s just that
everything is more refined and has a sense of purpose on this album.
Your
Highness like to play outside the box by playing different styles of
Rock/Metal with glorious fast-paced results. The music is always
energetic and has a certain addictive quality to it. Maybe the band
have ventured further into the Sludge Rock/Metal compound compared to
previous releases but it allows Your Highness to have a more
destructive and playful edge to their music.
The
production is good and matches the carefree attitude the band have on
this album. The progressive slant serves the band well to create some
huge sounding grooves that remain throughout the album. The album has
quite a bleak atmosphere that does allow the and to play some lighter
Psychedelic sounds when the mood calls for it.
I
will say the band impress the most on the lengthier tracks such as:
Black Fever, To Wood and Stone and Kin’s
Blood.
As the band have more time to play with these songs and play a
heavier and progressive style of Sludge/Doom/Stoner metal.
The
shorter songs: Devil’s
Delight,
The Flood, Born Anew and Little To Relate – show that Your Highness
can pack many cool ideas within a short running time as well but it’s
the longer tracks where the band feel more comfortable. Though I
cannot deny the shorter songs have a more manic and aggressive energy
them especially excellent opening song – Devil’s
Delight
– which sees the band lay the musical foundations of things to come
on this album.
The
final song – Kin’s
Blood
– is a mouth-watering fourteen-minute song that is the main
centrepiece for the entire album. The music is brooding, dramatic and
packed full of different sounds that show a different side to Your
Highness and I didn’t want this song to end. The heavy psychedelic
Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves work surprisingly well with the gloomy
atmosphere the band have added to this song.
Your
Highness have released a deeply rich and rewarding album that has an
adventurous spirit that will no doubt appeal to the Hard Rock/Heavy
Metal masses.
Words
by Steve Howe
Thanks
to Claire
at Purple Sage PR
for the promo.
Links:
