Biche

Meddy (drums) and Loïck (guitar & vocals) are Biche; a sludge duo from Riems in France, and this self released album has them plying their wares across six tracks.

I can just imagine them recording this facing each other as they play through each song, stretching out the riffs and splashing the cymbals everywhere.

Opener Agrafe-moi les couilles sur une table à repasser gives way to the more frantic 75 seconds of SUSU! and across these two tracks you get a taster of what Biche are about.

For a duo, they certainly get the ol' foot tapping, ears straining to understand Loïck's gravelly vocals over the fuzzed up guitar.  A very focussed recording that sounds surprisingly warm yet sparse.

6 Millions starts slowly – but  Loïck is on fine form vocally, tortuous rasping screams giving a proper sludge edge to proceedings.

Closing with the gritty, foreboding Un bon dimanche, this release is a very enjoyable introduction to the French duo, I'll be keeping an eye on them! 

http://biche.bandcamp.com/

Artaius - The Fifth Season

This is the début album from Italy's Artaius, containing a number of different moods and even musical styles, a great way to start off our return to reviewing with such an eclectic record.
On Italy's Moonlight Records, The Fifth Season is probably best described as a progressive-folk-metal album, although those three terms tacked together don't do it any justice.
The folk overtones come from some of the more unconventional (in metal, at least) tones of the flute and violin, which give an almost mediaeval feel to passages in the music.
Sara Cucci's vocals float over the wistful, folksy melodies provided as a backdrop by the rest of the band, who will step sideways freely to more metallic sounds frequently.
There would always be the possibility of such a juxtaposition sounding forced, but not here.
There is an almost Genesis/early Marillion-esque feel to the keyboards at least in some places (see the festival sing-along of Over the Edge, for instance), and there are even elements of Jazz present in places, and sombre piano sections.
The flute doesn't sound out of place here, often trading off passages against the keyboard, and it got me thinking of appearances of woodwind in metal – surely there's not too many?
I'm prepared to be wrong though. La Vergine E Il Lupo is the stand-out track for me, showcasing everything about the band in just under five minutes.
All in all, a very European romp through some sounds probably not visited too often by Thee Claw – but a refreshing change!

Available through Moonlight Records (Italy)
http://moonlightrecords.bandcamp.com/album/artaius-the-fifth-season

Beastwars – Blood Becomes Fire

Let the Soul Awaken!

New Zealand's Beastwars return with the follow up to their critically acclaimed (not least of all by us) self-titled release, and what a follow up it is.

With Dale Cotton sitting in the chair again, the band ensconced themselves in the studio and have bettered themselves yet again with this collection of tracks.

Straight from the off, Dune conjures up images of a stricken shuttle burning it's way through the atmosphere of a desert planet, it's horrified crew staring out of view-holes as they cling on for dear life. Matt's vocals boom out from within the band, Nathan pounding the kit in time with James rumbling through the basslines, as Clayton riffs over the top sounding like a room full of guitarists.

I've seen many bands and many in-vogue styles of metal come and go, but it's been a while since a band has come along that I can just sit back, close my eyes and create movies in my mind's eye as I listen to their records.  Beastwars do just that to me, a tradition carrying on from the last album into this one.  That's not to mean that it's business as usual – obviously, expect the fuzz laden sounds that we are used to, but the record just sounds more mature and rounded than the self-titled release did.

On Caul of Time, Matt's vocals take on a tortured, wailing feel in places as the band chug away behind him, before coming to the fore to work the riff into your mind.

The album closes with The Sleeper – an epic, slightly trippy track that gradually distorts and mutates into a writhing beast of flailing bass strings and lead guitar breaks. 

Timeless.

Get yourself over to http://beastwars.bandcamp.com/album/blood-becomes-fire Now.

XII Boar - Split Tongue, Cloven Hoof.

Every now and again, things slip under the radar; Obviously besides running this website we have hectic lives and so it came to pass that I was offered this for review before Xmas, missed it, and then found it, listened, and then got sidetracked before getting the review online.
Apologies from the bottom of my blackened heart.

XII Boar (that's pronounced 12 Bore, shotgun fans), come bursting out of the military town of Aldershot in England with a quite frankly storming four track EP here.

In a time when a lot of underground English Metal sees bands becoming ever more enshrouded in weed smoke, or writing ever more arcane and occult lyrics, it is a refreshing change to see bands like XII Boar (and countrymen Mage and Asomvel, for example) who hold no qualms about writing a tune or two for you to have a few beers with your mates and stamp your feet to, songs that you'll enjoy just as much blasting out of your stereo as you drive down the motorway in summer heading the festival of your choice.

There's a perfect balance struck between the old-sound and feel of uniquely British groups like early Almighty and the transatlantic swamp-groove of the mid nineties, all wrapped up in a Motörhead shirt and bullet belt, with a slight Southern-states feel, although they come across a lot more homegrown than any of that.
At times, they are reminiscent of Uprising-era Entombed, or even mid-career Cathedral, it's just a shame that there's only four tracks on offer here as I think a full length release must surely be imminent.

So, what do we have?
The first track, Smokin' Bones, rolls out of the speakers all studs and headbanging, like the aforementioned Asomvel do so well, Tommy Hardrock's vocals and guitar giving it the whole feeling of twenty regal and a few cans on payday before you head to the pool hall to meet the lads; sliding effortlessly into a mid paced singalong that reminds me of proper british rock/metal like early Wolfsbane, especially during the solo (check out David's drumming in the background during the solo).
When the three of them (rounded out by bassist Adam Bad-Dog) jam it out at the end, it's a total fist in the air moment, and we are only four minutes into the EP!
Hellspeed Viper (boss title) starts off frantically, and also has the whole mid-nineties groove thiing going on - I know I've only just said this about the previous track, but these lads must play together every night because they fit together like a jigsaw.
They slow down about five minutes into the track where you can hear Bad-Dog's bass a bit clearer, it's only when they slow down that I guess you'd really class them as being "stoner" in any sense of the world; I'm going to cringe if I ever see anyone describe them as such.
Moving into Slamhound,  another greasy mechanic of a track, it's lead breaks, rolling drums and headbangable basslines right through, overlaid with catchy sing-along stile lyrics.  I can't wait to see this band live.
The closing track, Triclops is the band's tour de force, Adam and Tommy taking a line each at the mic whilst the music chugs away behind them, this is their most doomy song on the EP, encompassing many moods and ands with another great solo and the band bashing it out to the finish.

I can't believe I let this slip under the radar, as I am under no illusion that it would have been in my best of 2012.  I love this, good time classic rock style British metal.

It seems to me that British Rock/Metal is about to be back at the position I've been waiting for siince the early-mid nineties, and groups like XII Boar, Mage, Orange Goblin, Asomvel, Arkham Witch, Age of Taurus, Ravens Creed and Black Magician are going to be up at the forefront of it, and it's a very exciting time.

You can find the band at:
XII Boar .com
and also at:
Bandcamp
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DO IT!