Your Highness - Under The Weight (Album Review)

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

Sludge/Stoner Metallers YOUR HIGHNESS Release New Song Fire To The Storm From Upcoming New Album

In recent years, Belgium has become a hotbed for talented sludge/stoner metal bands, and Antwerp-based Your Highness stands out as one of the top acts in the scene.

Following their self-titled EP in 2010 and the hard-hitting debut album “Cults ‘n’ Cunts” in 2011, the quintet hit their stride with the release of “City in Ruins” in 2015. This second full-length album was a powerful statement, earning them back-to-back appearances at the renowned Graspop Metal Meeting, where their live performances left a lasting impact.

2015 was a pivotal year for Your Highness, marked by the collaboration with Flemish comedian Philip Geubels for the “Desert Kater” video and their tenure as artists in residence at Antwerp’s Trix concert venue. The band continued to push creative boundaries with the release of their eponymous album in 2019, featuring the track “The Flood” directed by “Welp” director Jonas Govaerts.

Your Highness has built a formidable live reputation through relentless touring, captivating audiences across Europe. In 2022, they released the EP “The Ragbag Vol. 1” and are now gearing up for their fourth full-length album “Under The Weight,” set to drop on October 11, 2024, via Polderrecords.

The digital and physical release will coincide with their performance at Desertfest Antwerp, followed by a release party at ZAPPA in Antwerp on November 9, 2024.

Stay tuned as Your Highness continues to conquer the heavy music world with their unyielding energy and dark, melodic intensity.

Stream ‘Fire To The Storm’ now! or watch below:

Links

Official | Facebook | Instagram | BandCamp

Thanks to PolderRecords for all of the information.

Your Highness - S/T (Album Review)

Release date: October 11^th 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:

Facebook | BandCamp