Release Date: October 11th 2024. Record Label: PolderRecords. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Under The Weight - Track Listing:
1.Agni 01:03
2.Fire To The Storm 06:06
3.Above The Odds 04:31
4.Celestial Burst 08:33
5.Return Of The Nakba 06:06
6.Head Hung Low 04:01
7.Oblivion Nigh 03:10
8.Trouble The Skies 06:43
Members
Ben Baert - vocals
Bart Struyf - guitar
Nic Placklé - guitar
Jan Rammelloo - bass
Joachim Cols - drums
Review
Sludge/Stoner Metallers Your Highness release their fourth album Under The Weight which sees the band change their sound for the better with bursts of Psych Metal, Groove Metal and Blues Rock that goes with their familiar Sludge/Stoner Metal sound. With a more aggressive and progressive style of music, Your Highness resides within the same world as bands such as High On Fire, Mastodon and Baroness which Under The Weight proves without a doubt time and time again.
The album allows Your Highness to capture a more soulful and melodic style whilst retaining a pure metallic sound which you hear within the early stages of the album on tracks such as Fire To The Storm, Above The Odds and Celestial Burst. There are moments of Middle Eastern vibes that appear within Agni and Fire To The Storm that allows the record to have a slight Trippy and Ambient flow which is used to great effect on other parts of the album.
Under The Weight is perhaps influenced by the mid-to-late 2000’s era of Sludge/Stoner Metal as I can hear parts inspired by the likes of Mastodon (Crack The Skye), Baroness (Blue Record) and High On Fire (Devil Is The Communion) with Your Highness creating their own sound along the way which remains highly progressive and quite methodical at the same time.
The record impresses the most with Your Highness blending seedy Blues Rock/Metal energy within the heaviest parts of the album with the standout track Celestial Burst being the perfect example of this. There’s a killer AMERICANA or OUTLAW movement which has a certain Post-Stoner Rock flow and melody without losing the Sludge Metal aspect of Your Highness overall sound.
The second half of the album becomes dominated by first rate Psych Sludge/Stoner Metal sound with Your Highness perhaps going back to their roots with sounds I first encountered on their first two albums Cults ‘n’ Cunts and City In Ruins though keeping with their newfound creative vision with tracks such as Return Of The Nakba and Trouble The Skies being the other standout parts of the whole album. If you're a fan of the classic "TWIN GUITAR" sound inspired by THIN LIZZY and IRON MAIDEN then you're in for a treat with Your Highness playing a high amount of those type of grooves on the later stages of the album.
Under The Weight features superb production values that shines a light on the excellent lyrics and melodies that Your Highness have written for the whole album. Your Highness have released their best album to date that should allow them to enhance their reputation even further within the Sludge/Stoner Metal underground scene and play on some of the biggest stages the scene has to offer.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to PolderRecords for the promo.
Under The Weight is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via PolderRecords.
Links
Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
