Thursday 16 July 2020

EMBR - 1823 (Album Review)


Release date: July 17th 2020. Label: New Heavy Sounds Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

1823 – Tracklisting

1.Prurient
2.Where I've Been
3.Stranger 

4.Powder
5.Eyes Like Knives
6.Your Burden
7.Vines


Members

Eric - Drums
Crystal - Vox
Alan - Bass
Mark - Guitar


Review

1823 is the debut full length album from EMBR. A band that I have featured previously on the blog over the years and it’s great to see the band deliver on their early potential they showed on their previous releases with this huge sounding album. 1823 is named because as Eric received a kidney transplant when writing the album. The following info will explain everything:

Drummer Eric Bigelow received a kidney transplant in the middle of writing the album. The kidney was from a deceased donor. All Eric and Crystal Bigelow (singer and Eric’s wife) know about the donor is that they were female and between the ages of 18-23.

The album is dedicated to the donor and the surgeons at Vanderbilt hospital in Nashville TN.


1823 features seven songs with EMBR embracing their Doom Metal identity but adding flashes of Gothic Rock, Sludge Rock, Stoner Metal, Psych Rock and even Grunge. So they have all bases covered within the musical spectrum and they have a damn good time in making some top-notch noise and grooves of their own.

The album is quite dark in places with the heavy guitars and lush twisted vocals from Crystal that add an eerie atmosphere from start to finish. The lyrics may take a little bit of time to fully become accustomed to but when everything clicks into place EMBR soar to new musical heights with Progressive and Doom based sounds leading the way.

EMBR are quite a different band from their earlier EP’s. As the music is heavier and way more progressive with the band playing some cool riffs that wouldn’t go amiss from a Mastodon or Torche record.

ongs such as: Prurient, Stranger, Powder and Eyes Like Knives -are my favourite songs on the album with the band being more focused on playing the heaviest sounds of the album and Crystal is just on dynamite form with her multitude and different style of vocals she performs on this album. And the music ain’t half bad either.

1823 is an album with real attitude and a determined focus that you don’t really hear with a debut album but EMBR pull this off with style and some epic doomed out riffs that will leave a lasting impression.

This is a superb debut album and EMBR richly deserve all the plaudits coming their way.

Words by Steve Howe


1823 is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via New Heavy Sounds.

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