Tag Archives: gothic metal

Reviews

Id3ntity: Ward XVI End the Trilogy With a Bang!

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It’s here. It’s finally here. However long in the making and a big, successful crowdfunding campaign later, on Friday the third album from the UK goth metallers is finally out. The conclusion to the psychoberrie trilogy, I cannot wait to hear where the band goes and how it all ends. And, miraculously, we managed to get an early copy. I’ve been a fan of this band for years now, so of course we were going to dive in deep and let y’all know what we thought!

The album starts with a bang with ‘Regeneration’. Setting the scene of the tale with some new broadcasts, it feels very Ice Nine Kills from the offset, and definitely in a good way. The buildup of percussion and sounds around the bass-line also gave vague Tool vibes, which was awesome. Then the chunky riff explodes in, Psychoberrie’s vocals soon coming in over the top perfectly. The chorus is pretty catchy too, the instrumentation keeping it plenty heavy behind the melody. The lyrics are awesome too, fitting the tone of the story perfectly. I also LOVE the Egyptian feel in the bridge, and the solo keeps that vibe fantastically. Especially when it builds back into the heavier stuff but keeps the same style. The Doctor is one of the most criminally underrated guitarists in the scene right now. It’s an amazing way to open up the album, and a definite early highlight!

More of a gothic/black metal vibe runs through ‘Into the Wilderness’, the choir vocals that run through it helping with that. Berrie’s vocals around them are awesome, and her melodies are amazing. It may be one of her strongest vocal performances, honestly. It all builds to a massive, catchy chorus, one made to be played to huge festival crowds. Everything just sounds so massive, the mix on this thing being incredible and it all stands out and works together perfectly. It has another awesome solo in the middle, this one a lot more traditional rock, and the bridge with the play between the demon (?) voice and Berrie’s was a fantastic touch that added so much to the story. What would you know, another phenomenal song!

The Brad Pitt song opens exactly how you’d expect if you’ve heard ‘Toy Box’, and when the instrumentation kicks in it has a surprising folk metal sound to it. The folk vibes continue through the verse, it having a great swinging beat and very much feeling like a continuation of the aforementioned track. It also has a slight modern Maiden feel to it, which is sick. Another amazingly catchy chorus will surely go down a storm live, and I love it taking a turn after the first into more of a modern metal style. It somehow feels so different from the two previous songs, yet all three of them feel somehow so distinctively Ward XVI. I loved this, and think the folky style fits them just as much as anything else. Yet another highlight track on an album so far packed full of them!

The cleverly titled ‘Macabaret’ is a faster paced, high-energy romp that is just as fun as the previous song, but yet again completely differently! The horns were a fantastic touch, adding yet another layer on top of an already brilliantly arranged song, and fitting the theme perfectly. It’s another song I am already desperate to see live! The Doctor once again kills it with an awesome solo, and the almost breakdown riffing behind it sounds incredible. It’s a hugely fun song and one that I’d recommend to absolutely anyone reading this!

After a brief spoken-word interlude, again telling the tale of the album perfectly, we launch into the lead single of the album, ‘Blood is the New Black’. I am very familiar with this track, having done a reaction video to it when it released, and have been a little obsessed ever since! I shan’t gush over it too much more than I already did in that video, but this is an INCREDIBLE song and such a good choice for the lead single. One of my favourite tracks the band have ever put out, in this writers humble opinion. Another to check out immediately!

Following that up is the most recent single, ‘At the Window’. After an ominous, slow-build intro, a slow, epic chorus explodes in. It dropping down for the verses, coupled with the fast vocal delivery, was a nice touch and kept things yet again fresh. It’s essentially rap, like a dark, gothic version of Delilah Bon, and I loved it! The lyrics are fantastic and the vocals and heavy instrumentation build perfectly into that catchy chorus again. The epic feel continues throughout, and it’s another truly fantastic vocal performance from Berrie. The extended second chorus is incredible, it building more and more into something truly massive and special. It gave me goosebumps on track, so I can only imagine how hard it’d hit live! It’s another track that you have to really hear, my words aren’t doing it anywhere near enough justice. Damn, this album is amazing so far!

‘Spit on Your Grave’ has a late 90s industrial/nu-metal intro to it, though when it explodes in it almost feels uplifting in an odd way. The closest thing I can compare the riffing to is Muse, which is sick! Then it drops down to the low bass and ominous guitaring, immediately turning more towards ‘Prosthetics’ or ‘Scissors’ or ‘Gently’ by Slipknot. The band again do a brilliant job of building in the instrumentation and tension slowly until another infectiously catchy chorus comes in. The dynamics on this track, and the album as a whole, are amazing. I loved the story of the track too, the vocal delivery being incredible throughout. And I feel like a broken record at this point, but the guitar solo tucked away in the middle is also awesome! Shock horror, it’s another incredible song!

Another brief, talky interlude that once again adds perfectly to the story sets ‘Darkest Desire’ up perfectly. I hate to play it off as it is a damn good song, but it doesn’t feel like anything we haven’t heard on the album to this point. Especially when compared to the beautiful, dark acoustic/piano ballad that follows it. It’s a track that the album very much needed, and is executed to perfection. It still brings the heaviness too later on, but there is no denying this is the ballad-track of the album. And we still get an awesome, slower solo too, showing off the Doctor’s versatility yet again. And once again, it feels fresh and different while distinctively Ward XVI. It’s an awesome song, and placed perfectly on the album!

The final dark interlude ties the story together perfectly, and leads into the final track and massive single, ‘We Are Legion’. It’s another song I’m pretty familiar with at this point, and of course love. It’s heavy, gothic and really catchy, another one that will go over amazingly live. It also ties together the album excellently, feeling like it combines elements of each song that preceded it. It’s another amazing song and another great choice for a single.

Overall: This met and somehow exceeded my hype for it! Every song is amazing and it acts as the perfect conclusion to everything the band have built since they started. It’s packed full of massive highlights and I want to hear just about every song of this live. I know they’re doing so at their album launch that we sadly can’t make, so this is my plea to do full album shows at least a few times, please! If you are at all into metal in any way, this is very much an album for you. For the years of hype and rumbling, it was worth every second, and this will surely be high on our albums of the year come December!

The Score: 9.5/10

Features, Reviews

Trowsholm, LN and Reliquia Rock Scruffy Murphys!

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A day after our trip to Download (not reviewing it, it feels weird to review one day of a three day festival) we headed up to Birmingham for a night of folky, dark metal goodness. Three awesome bands packing out a small, hot venue that’s been recently refurbished and reopened; it was set to be a good night! Let’s dive into all three and let y’all know just how awesome they were!

Kicking off the night were the gothic metallers Reliquia. They were the only band I hadn’t checked out beforehand, but they came away with a big new fan in me! They’re a sort of style I love; the epic, dark, gothy-doom sound, and reminded me a lot of bands like My Dying Bride. It had all the best elements of doom and black metal, but also sounded pretty unique. And for a venue as small as it was to get a sound as massive as the band produced was amazing, so big props to the sound guy as well as the band for producing a great show. The band are all hugely talented, playing perfectly along with their organ-and-bass backing track as well as writing some awesome songs. And they really grew into their performance, too. They seemed a touch nervous at first, but as the packed room got more into it so did the band, with Gregg in particular being a great frontman by the end. He also had some of the best live vocals I’ve heard in a while; from low singing to awesome screams they were all great. As I said, they won me round pretty quickly into a new fan, and I’d recommend checking them out if you haven’t already!

Next up were the reason we were there, the incredible LN. After seeing them at Winters End back in February and falling in love, we knew we had to see them again ASAP. To the shock of I’m sure no one, we once again were blow away by the band! They’re one of the most interesting bands in the UK underground scene today, as well as being one of the best live bands around. Their studio work is phenomenal and translates perfectly live, especially in such an intimate setting. There was no denying the crowd were there for them, and they played off it perfectly. Heck, they even got a pit going, which I was not expecting at all! LN is such an engaging and magnetic frontwoman, having the crowd in the palm of her hand throughout. Everyone else also put on a great show though, as well! From their popular older stuff to new preview songs and latest single ‘Hellfire’, it was a fantastic set, too. They band are clearly going to go far fast, and it’s so cool seeing them in these small venues before they blow up! 

Headlining the night were Scotlands own Trowsholm. Right off the bat it was an interesting collection of people; a viking, a wizard, someone in a matching short, shirt and bucket-hat combo and a thrasher… seems like the start of a bad joke! However, it made for one hell of a party mood right from the offset, and the band kept said mood high through the whole set. They were potentially the heaviest band of the night, and at very least the highest energy and paced, and it made for an awesome headline set! It felt almost like a heavier Alestorm, so impossible not to love! They travelled far to be at the gig and made sure it was worth it as they put on a show from beginning to end. They were the least ‘my thing’ of the night but I still had a blast, as did the still-packed-out crowd around me! They were polished and professional while still feeling fun and more light-hearted, and I can’t recommend them enough!

Overall, it’s was an absolutely amazing night of live music! All three bands knocked it out of the park and fit so well on the same bill together. I cannot recommend seeing all three of them enough if they come close to where you are, and I already want to see all of them live again already! And plus, shoutout to the venue, which was awesome, and is helping keep rock and metal alive in one of the most important cities for it!

Reviews

Of Everlasting Cravings: A Great Gothic Debut From Sun Descends Alone!

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The Spanish gothic rockers released their highly anticipated debut album today. We’ve already been cranking it all week in preparation for this review, and just had to let you know what we thought of it. Spoiler alert, it’s good! How good, we hear you ask? Check out the review below to find out!

‘Shelter’ starts the album off perfectly, setting the tone and pace for the release. The awesome harmonised guitars and synths over the top of the plodding drums gives big HIM/goth energy right from the offset. The low vocals eventually come in, continuing the gothic vibes perfectly. However, we also get some amazing higher female harmonies , both working together incredibly well and adding so much depth to it. The sporadic nature of the harmonies also make them more special when they do happen. Even when it’s just the lead vocals though, it’s still powerful and amazing. The whole song has a real epic feel to it due to its length and pacing, and it’s a really good track to open the album on!

‘The Safest Place’ feels a touch heavier than the previous track, having some chunkier guitars running all the way through and the drums being more of a driving force. The powerful low vocals still run through the verses, while the harmonies come in for the choruses. It almost gives off Creeper vibes as much as HIM this time. Speaking of the chorus, it’s real catchy, and feels massive with the duel vocals. We even get an awesome guitar solo that really reminded me of Synister Gates’ playing in all the best ways. And when it doubles up with the vocals in the final chorus, it makes both even more powerful. This was an incredible song, and one that easily makes it onto our playlist!

Single ‘Ardent Hearts’ slows down the pace again, almost having a folky/pagan feel to the gothic rock. The keys in it added so much to the melodies too, sounding awesome. It’s a beautiful, simple ballad track that really builds into something massive in its last two minutes. It’s a really good choice for a single as it shows off everything the band do so very well. It’s a truly fantastic gothic rock/metal song that is easily another track to make it onto our Spotify. If you are reading this and are on the fence, check this song out, you won’t be disappointed!

Tracks like ‘Once’, ‘Cross my Heart and Hope to Die’ and ‘Sunflowers’ bring the heaviness back to the album in the best way possible. They’re awesome songs and work perfectly to break up the album, keeping it constantly interesting. It’s great too, as generally in this sort of genre that’s hard to do. Heck, I love the emphasis on the synth and keys in the latter track, and it’s another big highlight of the album. We even get some strings in it too, adding even more epicness to the proceedings.

The other tracks on the album, meanwhile, are the slower, more melancholic songs. I love that they are tucked in amongst the heavier songs, and are all really beautiful tracks. A particular highlight of these was ‘Shine’, which also comes back as the closing track with different backing instrumentation. Honestly, I feel like the original version is more impactful, but I do like both mixes. And that’s not to take away from ‘Love you to the Grave’ and ‘The Vast of Life’ either, which are both equally awesome songs. There truly isn’t a bad song on the album!

Overall: I loved this! I love the band’s sound and style, be it their softer or more rockier side. Even when it isn’t especially the sort of style I’d normally go for, it’s an awesome release that I’d happily listen to again and again. The band are massively talented players and songwriters, and aren’t going to get anywhere near the credit they deserve from this release. If you are a fan of gothic music at all, check it out, you certainly won’t be disappointed!

The Score: 8/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Polaris, Phil Campbell and More!

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A less busy week of new music this week, but still plenty of high quality music. Join us in checking it out!

Polaris: Fatalism

This is the best metalcore album of the year so far. Heck, I’d say it’s honestly one of the best modern metalcore albums. I’d put it up there with the likes of I Prevail, Wage War and Ice Nine Kills’ latest releases. Honestly, the genre currently is in a bit of a resurgence, and is looking massively strong and hopeful which is amazing. The 3rd wave of Metalcore(tm) I’m dubbing it. So, for Polaris’ third album to stand among the others is fucking awesome. Especially given the rocky year they’ve had.

The opener, ‘Harbinger’ is not only the perfect slow-buildup track, but (as the name suggests) is the perfect indicator of what to expect from this album. From the slower, melodic clean first half surrounded by modern synth sounds, to the crushingly brutal ending filled with screams and huge riffs. It tells a story on its own, never mind how it sets up the rest of the album.

Speaking of which, the album is filled with highlights and awesomeness. Tracks like ‘Nightmare’, ‘Parasites’ and ‘Inhumane’ are standouts to me, but honestly the whole album is banger after banger. These guys are going to be huge in the next couple of years, and a lot of it thanks to this album! 9/10

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons: Kings of the Asylum

We’ve already covered this awesome album! Check it out here!

Larry Fleet: Earned It

Owen: Traditional sounds coming out of Tennessee, Larry Fleet’s latest release Earned It is a strong selection of straight-cut country tracks. Some might listen and say this album hits a lot of stereotypical notes for the genre, but there’s something more to these songs. Fleet sings about family, Jesus, hard work, and beer, no surprises so far. As he says in the fourth track 25-8 “Jesus, Mama, Football, that’s bout all we know around here”. But for all the pitfalls of these themes being overused in modern country, Fleet somehow pulls it off well. For it to become cliché there must be
certain amount of truth and clearly this is how Fleet was raised so write what you know I guess?

Despite some repetitive themes 21 tracks made it onto this album and it did feel a few too many. Some songs blend together and fall into the background when listening to the album in full. A late day stand out for me was ‘Devil Music’ where Fleet talks about a rebellious stage of childhood exploring rock and metal music. A country anthem referencing AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and The
Rolling Stones, where the chorus thanks God for the Devil’s music, what’s not to like? A few good songs hiding amongst a majority of filler country-radio, inoffensive in the background
on a long drive. 6/10

The Paper Kites: At the Roadhouse

Charlotte: Indie-folk band Paper Kites haven’t released new music since 2013 with their album ‘Woodland’, so the release of ‘At the Roadhouse’ is a long time coming for their fans. With storytelling at the heart, it’s easy to get lost in their romantic, easy-listening style. Offering 16 new tracks, ‘At the Roadhouse’ elevates the traditional folk sound with a warm, wholesome sound that transports you like a day-dream. 8/10

Primal Fear: Code Red

Joe: The German power metallers are back with their 14th studio album. Forming in the booming European scene in the 90s, I’m shocked this is the first I am hearing of them aside on the odd Wacken poster. Honestly, they’re pretty decent! The opener is great and followed up perfectly by ‘Bring that Noise’, which is a definite album highlight! I see now why frontman Ralf Scheepers tried to replace Rob Halford, this is very Judas Priest!

I have to admit though, as good as this album is, I feel like modern power metal has overtaken it in recent times. I don’t know if it’d the general consensus, but I personally prefer stuff like Powerwolf or Angus McSix to this. However, it is very Painkiller, which will definitely keep me coming back for more than just the one listen. Other highlights include ‘Deep in the Night’ and the epic, Maiden-esque ‘Their Gods have Failed’. 8/10, this was fun and definitely grows with more listens!

Soen: Memorial

Joe: The prog metal Swedes are back with their sixth album. I have an odd relationship with this band. The first time I’d checked them out was when we covered their ATLANTIS album last year (check that here). I didn’t realise until we were checking them out ahead of Graspop this year that it wasn’t a full release, instead being a semi-live album backed by an 8-piece orchestra. Heck, the fact that it was recorded without a crowd made it so I didn’t even realise it was live and old tracks! So, unfortunately I wasn’t a big fan of their actual studio stuff when I checked it out.

However, I fucking loved this album! While the opener didn’t hook me immediately, I found myself ‘liking’ almost every track after that on Spotify. I usually use it to know which to put on the playlist, so you’ll have to check it out here to find out which of them actually made the cut! However, the almost Gojira-like riffing in ‘Violence’ was amazing, as is the beautiful duet ‘Hollowed’. Also, ‘Incendiary’ is one of my favourite tracks of the year from any act!

I love the depth of the music throughout. They seem to have taken what worked with ATLANTIS and used it in the studio, creating a really interesting, massive sound throughout the album. If this is how they’re going to sound live in front of a crowd, I have to see them soon. 9/10, damn this was good!

Lord of Shadows: Echos of Yore

Joe: A shorter release than most, the gothic doom band put out just seven tracks for their latest release. It is still 42+ minutes though, as there are some longish songs here. And it’s one hell of an interesting listen. It’s definitely epic, and rolls between beautiful, quiet gothic rock and extreme doom metal pretty seamlessly. Plus, the fact that each track has so many amazingly talented guests on it is a massive plus, as it gives the whole album a diversity to it, despite it all being a similar sound.

Those who are regulars here at Overtone know that I have a very up and down relationship with extreme/black metal stuff, and somehow I have that same relationship throughout the whole album. I prefer the cleaner stuff, but some of the heavy stuff is good too. Some of it isn’t really my thing. However, the general feel of the album, especially with the more poetry-based narrative, is amazing. Those who are into the ambient black metal side of stuff, this is definitely worth checking out, just to see if you like it. I feel like it’s very much Marmite music! 6/10, it’s worth checking out!

Escape the Fate: Out of the Shadows

Joe: This band have been releasing music for nearly two decades now. Man do I feel old. Though I admit I was never much of a fan of the band growing up, nowhere near as much as some of my friends and peers anyway, they dud have a few good songs here and there. However, I always find myself preferring the current and former members of the band’s other projects more. Whether it’s Blessthefall, Beyond Unbroken or the awesome Falling in Reverse, every other band just seems to grab my attention more.

This album is the perfect example of why this is. It’s fine. As an early 2000s metalcore/post-hardore band putting out an album in 2023, it’s exactly what you’d imagine. But that’s my issue: nothing stood out. It’s like they heard out good Motionless in White’s album was last year and went ‘let’s do that!’ but then in the process lost what made that album special. When these days we have awesome modern albums in the genre from the likes of MIW, Ice Nine Kills, and Crown the Empire, this just kinda falls as almost radio static.

If you’re a fan of the band you’ll probably still enjoy this. However I struggled to find stand out tracks, it was all pretty much on the same level. 4.5/10

Speedy Ortiz:

Charlotte: Speedy Ortiz welcomes her touring bandmates with fourth studio album ‘Rabbit Rabbit’. This album nostalgically transports you to a 90s/00s indie-rock soundtrack with bright vocals, catchy riffs, and upbeat-dance beats. I recommend this album to anyone looking for an indie-rock change of pace, youthful energy and that overall optimism occasionally missing from the indie-rock genre. 8.5/10

Reviews

How to Shroud Yourself with Night: Are Lacrimas Profundere the Next Rise of Gothic Music?

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Boy, am I excited for this one. Now that reactions are becoming more of a part of Overtone, I ended up reacting to the most recent single Lacrimas Profundere put out on our YouTube channel. People ended up liking it and asked me to react to the previous singles from the album, which came out last week. I have just finished doing so and I gotta tell you, they’re amazing. So this review is going to be pretty positive, just to warn you. And while I take the time to edit down that video, check out what I thought of the other tracks on the album!

The album opens on one of said singles, ‘Wall of Gloom’. However, since I’m not very clear in my reactions, babbling on like a nervous schoolchild, I’ll quickly reiterate here. This is a great track. The plodding pace sets the dark mood for the entire album perfectly. And, of course, it gives vocalist Julian Larre plenty of chance to show off his impressive range. However, this isn’t my favourite single from the album, and it feels like an odd choice to open the album with. It’s a great track but I don’t think it quite hits that high gear that the following track does. However, when listening through as a full album, it almost feels like an extended intro track for the following track…

‘A Cloak Woven of Stars’ is one of my favourite tracks of the year. Period. I gushed over this track a bunch in the reaction, but I feel like I must do it here too. It somehow blends a commercial, radio-friendly sound in with their already dark, heavy one, and it works seamlessly. It combines together so many different sounds seemingly effortlessly, and the result is phenomenal. From the low, clean verses to the harmonised, harsher but massively catchy choruses to even a breakdown riff, this song is incredible. It blew my mind when I listened to it for the first time and made me an even bigger fan of the band. Playlisted!

Next we reach the first one I haven’t heard yet and the first ballad track of the album, ‘Nebula’. The clean guitars sound great, as does Julian as he sings low over the top. It again builds to a huge, harsher chorus, but it feels epic and very earnt. Also, the harmonies between the high clean and lower screams that have been present on the last two tracks are incredible and maybe my favourite part of the album. It’s another great track that once again shows off the band’s staggeringly impressive range.

As if reading that last sentence, ‘In a Lengthening Shadow’ opens on an almost uplifting folk/punk guitar riff. The track stays pretty high-energy throughout, almost giving off power metal vibes than anything else. Gothic power metal is something I definitely need more of! It’s a straight-forward, under 4-minute rock track and I loved it. Another that makes the playlist.

Another single, ‘The Curtain of White Silence’, is up next. I LOVE Julian’s desperate, emotion-filled harsh vocals in the verses. It honestly gives me goosebumps listening back. It reminds me a little of In This Moments’ ‘Whore’, it channels a similar energy. Also, how is it that this band build up to heavier choruses but it’s super catchy and still feels anthemic? It’s damn impressive. The quicker half of the chorus is great but when the drums slow to half-time it’s incredible. More harmonised vocals which again fit so well. A fantastic track and playlisted. I have nothing more to say other than awesome.

Check out more heavy music here.

‘Unseen’ and ‘The Vastness of Infinity’ are both good tracks but both feel a little similar to ‘Shadows’, power metal-esque. That is in no way a bad thing, I love both tracks. It simply means that there isn’t a massive amount for me to say that I haven’t already about a previous track.

Then we reach my introduction track to the band, ‘To Disappear in You’. It’s a fantastic track and one hell of an introduction to the band and album. It has a little bit of everything the band are showing off throughout these tracks and does it so well. It’s heavy, catchy and fun to listen to while still being dark, which is a hard task. I have barely stopped listening to it since the reaction, it’s a great track.

Our reaction of the track!

The synth to open up ‘An Invisible Beginning’ was a nice touch, setting the tone perfectly as a massively catchy riff runs through most of the track. It gave the song a poppier edge that continued throughout. It reminded me of Ghost, or at least what Ghost should have been with their image. It’s goth as anything, also feeling a little Billy Idol at times. Also, the chorus is the catchiest on the album, and I love it. Playlisted, this was awesome.

The final track of the album opens with an evil riff. Like, I’m talking ‘Black Sabbath’ evil. Unfortunately it doesn’t last too long but the rest of the band come in over the top, with Julian doing his harsh talking again like in ‘…White Silence’. There’s another catchy chorus, this one clean while the verses and pres are the heavier, screamed parts. It’s a heavy track to close the album (which I love) and there’s some GREAT riffs in here. It’s one of the best album closers I’ve heard this year, another great track.

Overall: This was phenomenal. I feel awful that I haven’t heard of the band before now and will definitely be checking out more of their back catalogue after this. This is easily one of the best albums I’ve heard and reviewed this year, every track was top notch. Hopefully they come to the UK to tour now as I HAVE to hear some of this live!

The Score: 9/10

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