David Eugene Edwards - Hyacinth (Album Review)

Release Date: September 29th 2023. Record Label: Sargent House. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Hyacinth - Tracklisting

Seraph

Howling Flower

Celeste

Through The Lattice

Apparition

Bright Boy

Hyacinth

Lionisis

Weavers Beam

Hall Of Mirrors

The Cuckoo

Members

David Eugene Edwards - Everything

Review:

Hyacinth is the debut solo album from the iconic David Eugene Edwards better known for his work with bands such as Wovenhand and 16 Horsepower. Continuing the Country, Americana and Folk Rock sounds from his previous endeavours, this album has a more melodic and electronic sound that evolves into a more gloomier style of Occult Rock which is put to great use on the excellent opening track of Seraph. 

Opening song Seraph is a slightly bleak sounding tale with David's trademark vocals are passionate as ever. The song is more Drone based than I initially expected with small traces of Heavy Rock appearing only when they need to. There's a dark essence to the song which comes through mostly the lyrics and the deft sonic work of the track that paints a haunting picture.

Second song Howling Flower opens with a solemn Post-Rock attitude with a lush Psych Rock sounding guitars which brings ethereal chants with David's vocals being perhaps inspired by the Americana/Country Rock scene. The lyrics are truthful and full of gloomy insights. As the song becomes more DOOM based within the heavier parts of the song. The semi-acoustic guitars work surprisingly well with the multitude of different gloomy and highly atmospheric sounds. Shades of Electronic sounds gives the song a more retrospective and modern feel with everything remaining bleak until everything subsides into the darkness.

Third song Celeste continues the Semi-Acoustic flavour of the album but with an Earthly presence languishing in the background and the Folk Rock aspect takes a commanding performance. David's lyrics and vocals could have easily come from the Doom Metal and Post-Punk scenes. Flashes of dedicated drum beats show another side of music starting to appear on the album with trippy sound effects being added for a more dramatic effect. This is perhaps one of the most creative tracks on the album with David on highly inspired form if slightly possessed by dark forces throughout the track.

Fourth song Through The Lattice opts for a subdued instrumental sound with experimental Electronica beats building up a dramatic rhythm which works with the eerie Occult Rock and Folk Rock creative attitude of the album. There's a deep sense of regret and learning to live with one's mistakes within the lyrics, that's the message I took from the song. It's brutally honest and wonderfully bleak which showcases what a masterful storyteller David Eugene Edwards has become. The SONIC and trippy EXPERIMENTATION of the album is what I admired the most which shines more brightly on this track alone.

Fifth track Apparition is another standout track with vocals drifting in and out from the main song with the exquisite instrumental sounds holding your attention. Perhaps the most DOOM based track on the album. Atmospheric Post-Rock and Droned Out sounds move the song along with David's honest and earnest lyrics having a more social conscience to them. The Post-Punk energy of the album allows David to offer more bleak tales with his soulful and passionate vocals with the track almost becoming part of the Heavy Rock world.

There's eleven tracks on this album and most of them follow the same Experimental path as the first half with perhaps even more daring creative risks being made by David Eugene Edwards on tracks such as Bright Boy, Hyacinth and Lionisis which sees the use of more Heavy Guitars which allows the album to slightly move away from its main Semi-Acoustic platform. Though, David keeps mostly with his Alt Rock, Country, Americana and Folk Rock creative choices with the lyrics matching the world-weary cynicism of Townes Van Zandt and Johnny Cash but with a more modern day outlook.

The final stages of the album showcases the Electronica beats of the album superbly well on tracks such as Weavers Beam, Hall Of Mirrors and The Cuckoo which has the power to confuse and delight listeners in equal measure. 

David Eugene Edwards has delivered a powerful and emotionally charged album that's unlike any Folk, Country Rock or Americana album I've heard in recent times. This allows Hyacinth to be considered a truly original album in its own right. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Dave at US/THEM PR for the promo.

Hyacinth will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Sargent House from September 29th 2023.

Links

BandCamp

No Spill Blood - Eye Of Night (Album Review)

Release Date: February 24th 2023. Record Label: Sargent House. Formats: CD/DD/VInyl

Eye Of Night: Tracklisting

Cradle Scythe

Anvil Crawler

Ad Unguem

Toom

Eye Of Night

Ekur

Cimmerian Maw

Ossein

-

Dead Satellite

Review

Industrial/Doom/Thrash/Synth tinged Rockers No Spill Blood return almost eight years after their last release with Eye Of Night. An album that finds the band in heavier Trance/Psych/Gloomy territorial waters compared to their last album being 2015's Heavy Electric. The album is quite complex and with an unforgiving nature with the Doom based atmospherics allowing No Spill Blood to draw heavily upon more Spaced Out and Trancier Elements of their rich hybrid sound.

The music moves along to its own dark creative pace with Trippy F/X sounds and noises that can see No Spill Blood being compared to bands/artists such as Author & Punisher and Genghis Tron. No Spill Blood add elements of HAWKWIND inspired Space Rock grooves with the despairing bleak genius of early-era Nine Inch Nails.

Opening song Cradle Scythe is a multi-layered and progressive based track with Trance and Sonic delivery is the key with the Ambient Noises allowing the hollow and droned out vocals work steadily with the slow-paced music. This is a fantastical slice of Industrial based Psychedelic Doom with flashes of bleak Experimental Post-Rock/Post-Metal weariness contained within the track. 

Second song Anvil Crawler is a more fast-paced and aggressive affair with No Spill Blood adapting their Industrial/Psychedelic sound within a backdrop of Thrash Metal, Drone Rock and Post-Doom textures. The vocals are intense growls with a warped vision behind them all. The music uses Sonic Experimentation with flashes of classic sounding Ambient driven Space Rock movements that have a sense of Science Fiction realism to them. The song almost has an almost Post-Gothic flow to it with the despairing and bleak driven Electronica beats which feels like a different band compared to their last album.

Third song Ad Unguem is another surreal and experimental Industrial/Electro-Rock driven number. No Spill Blood start to widen their creative talents here by merging Progressive glitches and beats. The sounds are turned on their head when the band almost offer a Dance Rock environment with the fantastic rhythm section and trance-inducing synths and samples building up a WEIRD WALL OF HEAVY NOISE. One of the most daring and darkest slices of Psychedelic and Trance music with a despairing feeling of Madness and Paranoia allowing this song being more DOOM METAL than initially expected. 

Fourth song Toom offers around one hundred seconds of finely played Droned Out Guitars and Screeching Psychedelic Sounds with a level of blissfully uneasy moments of Distorted Doom. Perhaps being used more as an interlude or short break for the album. However, the song does have a damn fine visceral haunting edge to it.

Fifth song Eye Of Night is where No Spill Blood veers into the heavier side of their musical identity. More aggressive Industrial Metal passages appear with the fast-paced Space Rock/Doom Metal/Psychedelic hybrid sounds having a more cautious style of delivery. The vocals are harsh yet again and sometimes feel out of place at times but there's an uneasy edge to this track that makes it very hard to resist or ignore. The instrumental work is frantic, cautious and GLOOMY AS FUCK. The song is the heaviest, gloomiest and most aggressive track on the album which may allow this to be one of the standout tracks on the album.

The second half of the album sees No Spill Blood merge the sounds of their previous album Heavy Electric into this new found style of bleak sounding Electronica and Sonic experimentation .The later stages of the album perhaps sees No Spill Blood play a more "riff-centric" style of music with a Thrashier alternative starting to appear more and more.

No Spill Blood still find the time to inject new sounds, beats and glitches into their nightmarish world whilst still finding the time to play some epic melodic and experimental jams along the way on tracks such as: Ekur, Ossein and Dead Satellite.

The album is boosted by truly original sounding production values that allows No Spill Blood to have a terrific "WORLD BUILDING" quality and feeling to their music. This album is a breath of fresh air with the music being quite unique in places. 

Eye Of Night is a beautiful and soul crushing experience that only No Spill Blood can deliver.

Words by Steve Howe.

Eye Of Night is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Sargent House.

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Twitter

Russian Circles - Blood Year (Album Review)

Release date: August 2nd 2019. Label: Sargent House. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Blood Year – Tracklisting

1.Hunter Moon 02:20

2.Arluck 06:33

3.Milano 06:35

4.Kohokia 07:18

5.Ghost on High 02:34

6.Sinaia 07:30

7.Quartered 06:39

Members

Brian Cook - Bass

Mike Sullivan - Guitar

Dave Turncrantz - Drums

Review

Blood Year is the 7^th album from Post-Rock/Post-Metal heavyweights – Russian Circles – and it sees the band returning to their heavier sound they first realised on albums such as Enter, Station and Geneva. This album does have their trademark and uplifting anthemic Post-Rock grooves with Ambient sounds being part of the overall complex sound.

Blood Year is perhaps Russian Circles most engaging and fully realised album since Geneva with the band being more focused than ever before. The album once again is an emotional journey with Mike, Dave and Brian proving once again why they’re the definitive Instrumental Post-Rock/Post-Metal band of the genre. Always forward thinking and creating new sounds that we haven’t heard before.

The album is full of different styles of Post-Rock/Post-Metal but Russian Circles make it all seem very easy to listen to at the same time. Songs such as Hunter Moon, Arluck and Milano all convey a haunting atmospheric vibe hidden amongst the lush progressive sludge based melodies. The music drifts from one deeply engaging scenario to the next with the instrumental work offering a deeply unforgiving sound that’s very hard to beat.

Russian Circles don’t hold back on this album with the band having a more unforgiving nature compared to the most recent albums they’ve released. Blood Year is quite intense and it’s good to see Russian Circles have more aggression to their music. I have missed that style of music from Russian Circles over the last few albums and Blood Year sees the band retain a sense of fear to their music.

Songs such as Kohokia, Sinaia and Quartered are perhaps the best songs contained on the album. As the songs feel fully realized and have a sense of purpose to them. The Post-Rock/Post-Metal dynamics of these songs leave you wanting more and they also offer some of the heaviest sounds on the entire album.

Blood Year is a wonderfully engaging and beautifully played album with top-notch production to match. Russian Circles have been together for 15 years now and I’m hoping that they’re together for many more so they can release more stunning albums such as this.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Rarely Unable PR for the promo. Blood Year is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Sargent House now.

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Helms Alee - Stillicide (Album Review)

Release date: September 02^nd 2016. Label: Sargent House. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Stillicide – Tracklisting

1.More Weight

2.Untoxicated

3.Tit to Toe

4.Meats and Milks

5.Stillicide

6.Galloping Mind Fuk

7.Creeping You Company

8.Dream Long

9.Bullygoat

10.Andromenous

11.Worth Your Wild

Band Members:

Ben Verellen

Dana James

Hozoji Matheson-margullis

Review:

After giving Helms Alee new album Stillicide a couple of listens I realzied that I couldn't find the appropriate way to describe the band. They are heavy, but not heavy metal. The music is too well played and recorded to be punk music. I'm sure there is a post- something tag that I am no way near hip enough to know that could apply, then it dawned on me, the way to best describe this record is good....really, really good!

Helms Alee is a trio from Seattle. Stillicide is their 4th full length. I am a fan as I have their first two albums. I somehow slept on their 3rd, Sleepwalking Sailors (sorry!). Perhaps there is something about that Pacific Northwest region that causes the musicians to blend so many different styles together so seamlessly. If you break it down to it's purest/simplest form Grunge music, was basically an amalgamation of pop, punk, and heavy metal done with an indie mindset. Helms Alee does a similar sort of thing. I don't want diminish anything on this fine record, but I was reminded on multiple occasions of a heavier version of Sonic Youth when listening to some of the songs. Which is a good thing, I was a big Sonic Youth fan that was heartbroken when the band broke up and honestly, I haven't the time, energy or money to follow them on any of their post SY adventures. Helms Alee slides into that empty void of pounding dissonance and relishes in it.

There are so many elements to the band's music that you hear something new on every listen, which to me, is a sign of a great band and a great record. There are riffs aplenty, an interesting mix of male/female vocal interplay, some huge driving drums and plenty of low end to keep fans of any genre happy and listening on.

The opening, instrumental track More Weight is interesting as it plays an almost symphonic rock quality, that makes you double check that you are on the right album, it works and quickly gives way to the concise, pounding Untoxicated. One of the albums most stellar tracks is Tit to Toe, one of the many tracks that mixes the often under appreciated male/female vocal interplay that makes Helms stellar. Meats and Milks stumbles in and melts your face and leads into the bass riff of the title track. The band takes you on a ride with Galloping Mind Fuk and leaves you unsettled on Creeping you Company. Dream Long is another killer track. Bullygoat and Andromenous continue to deliver with power and chiming dissonance before the albums killer final track Worth your Wild, is truly that.

Stillicide is a beautiful, brutal, multi layered experience that will bring you back listen after listen. You can peel away layers like an onion and hear sounds and influences time after time. Check this record out, you will not be disappointed.

Words by Todd Stealey

Thanks to Rachel at Silver PR for the promo. Stillicide will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Sargent House from September 2^nd 2016.

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp