The return album from NOWCR pioneers Mason Hill drops tomorrow, and has a hell of a lot of buzz around it! Being just their second studio LP, it has even more pressure on it coming a full five years after their huge debut. However, the singles so far have been excellent, and being a fan since they broke out I am extremely excited to be diving deep into this to tell you just how excellent it is. Without further ado, let’s do this!
The album starts off in a huge way with ‘Burn it Down’. A grandiose opening gives way to a huge, boot stompin’ riff, running excellently through the verses. Speaking of the verses, new vocalist Thomas Ward kills it from the jump, his voice effortlessly both melodic and having some great grit to it. It all builds to a massive, arena-filling chorus, exactly how the band are known for these days. And the track is heavy too, in the best way! It reminds me of when Kris Barras took a heavier turn post COVID, but done in the most Mason Hill way possible. And it helps that the production is truly top notch, everything feeling and sounding MASSIVE. Hell, we even build to a pretty ch0nky breakdown in the middle, fitting the vibes of the track perfectly, and followed excellently by a fantastic, blistering guitar solo. This is an amazing track, an early highlight, and the perfect way to open an album like this!
The heavy, bouncy vibes continue on single ‘Twisted’. Another amazing, Alter Bridge-like riff sets a steady pace, and means the verse stays pretty metal-adjacent. The vocals through it are catchy enough as they are, the melodies reminding me a little of their Scottish brethren in Anchor Lane, but the chorus is absolutely HUGE, the backing and harmonies adding even more weight to it all. It almost has a Fear Factory tinge to it in the best way; that kind of technical industrial metal fits surprisingly well with their hard rock routes. Another comparison (a lot, I know) but it is kinda like the early days of Fozzy, the good pre-‘Judas’ days. The bridge is again pretty heavy, but bridges the gap between the choruses perfectly. Overall, it’s another excellent song, and was a fantastic choice for a single!
Another single, ‘Hurricane’, slows up the pace a touch. It’s still heavy, but has a bit of a pop metal edge to it, almost like a Bad Omens/Architects-esque sound. It’s the perfect change of pace at this point on the album, and is another excellent song in its own right. Ward gets a chance to really shine vocally and show off his impressive range, but everyone else kills it just as much throughout the track. The chorus is awesome, but almost every vocal line and melody is catchy in its own way. We also get one of my favourite guitar solos on the album tucked away in the middle. The structure and composition is pretty standard, but serves the single formula perfectly and is so well done. It’s a real different sound compared to a lot of their peers in the NWOCR scene, but it will certainly serve them well and surely push them to new heights!
The heaviness picks back up for another excellent single, ‘Tainted Wings’. The chorus is most likely the high point, with the ‘oh’’s being instantly memorable and are bound to be a big fan favourite in a live setting! However, the rest of the track is good too, a mid-tempo, melodic hard rock track, reminiscent of the 2000’s US radio rock scene. It feels like maybe the most formulaic single on the album, but that is hardly a bad thing. It’s an excellent track in its own right, and is right up my street in terms of sound. The band are four for four so far on great songs!
‘Stay for a Little While’ is the ballad track of the album, and fits rather excellently in the middle! It’s once again a fantastic vocal performance from Thomas, and the entire arrangement and production of the track is awesome! It’s brimming with emotion in the lyrics, delivery and tone, and breaks up the heavier tracks on the release excellently. I’m honestly shocked it wasn’t a single itself, but is certainly another high point on the album, that’s for sure!
‘Resonate’ has the best riff on the album to open, keeping the energy high with their now trademark heaviness from this release. I love how much it drops back for the verse too, almost having some post-grunge vibes to it, and the vocal delivery over the top is excellent. It explodes into heaviness with the pre, some amazing harsher vocals making it sound MASSIVE. Then we have the trademark massive chorus, just as good as any other on the album. It gives off big early Chevelle vibes, and I’m a little obsessed! Hell, the bridge is simple but fits the song perfectly and is equally awesome. It’s potentially my favourite track on the record, and a song I’d recommend to anyone! Easily one that makes the playlist!
Tracks like ‘Without You’, ‘Silence’ and ‘Oxygen’ are more awesome tracks. Despite being later on in the release, you’d be foolish for looking at them as “album tracks”. All three are amazing and fit in with the rest of the songs perfectly. The latter two remind me more of their debut album than a lot of this, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. Meanwhile, the former is another massive highlight on an album honestly chocked full of them! They all have a bit of a similar vibe and feel to them, which is why I’ve grouped them together a little, but it doesn’t mean any of them are even slightly bad. From the riffing to the vocals to the solid drums, it’s all incredible. I cannot get over how good this album is!
The last single from the album, ‘Remember’, again has a post-grunge/proggy, Chevelle feel to it, and was a really interesting, fantastic choice for a pre-release. The vocals are the high point of the track but honestly, everyone is killing it throughout. It again has a bit of a modern edge to the vocal delivery, almost giving Skynd in the best and most surprising way possible. It also leads surprisingly perfectly into the epic closing track, ‘Drag the Chains’. The slower, delicate opening minute gives way to a stomping, heavy, awesome riff before soon dropping back again. It gives off slight Sleep Token vibes surprisingly, but definitely the good side of said band! The levels of the track, between the multi-layers of vocals to the keys to the rock instrumentation, it all feels so massive. Everything about it is amazing and fits together so well. And, my gosh does it all make it a truely excellent way to close out the album! To the surprise of no one, it’s yet another massive highlight!
Overall: I absolutely loved this. As someone who enjoyed their debut, this somehow tops that, as the band take another huge step forward in terms of songwriting and production. Every track is amazing, with some being easily up there alongside the very best the band have produced. And, it all fits together perfectly, the whole album going by in a flash! I cannot recommend this release enough to absolutely anyone, regardless of what style you are into, it really is that good. Don’t be surprised to see it high up on our albums of the year list come December!
The Score: 9/10