One of my favourite
Nashville bands, heavy-hitters Noisecult, are back with album number six, Burial
Hymns. And it is a delicious bag of assorted goodies they present. Sex new
songs, six re-recorded songs and one cover is what's on offer and I love it.
Don't know if my psychic abilities are on point or not, but to me the title
suggests the end of an era and the beginning of a new. The new stuff on here
show that Noisecult has found their way. At the same time, re-doing songs from
their first three albums, all out of print or very close to it and will never
be released again, tells me the band is ready to move on and continue to build on
the path they have found. Therefore, 'Burial Hymns' closes one door and
opens a new.
Starting off with five of
the new tracks, Noisecult goes from strength to strength. The ballsy mix of
Motörhead, Slayer, punk and good ol' metal has been honed to perfection with a
really rich and full production to match. Opener 'Slipping Away(Into The
Night)' is Slayer-ish in approach if Phil Campbell played guitar for them. 'Extermination
Blues' is a straight-in-yer-face snarly punk-tinged metal track which leads
into a trippy second half. 'Rollin' With A Fu Manchu' is a short sharp
shock and kicks some serious ass in a Motörhead/Stoner fashion. Lurking and
menacing 'Black Tide Rise' seeks annihilation and that's what happens.
Mid-tempo for the most Noisecult crushes with the heaviness they unleash. 'Bunúsach'
closes out section one and it is a short bass guitar-only composition which
works as a great intro to '(At The) Gates Of Eternity', the first of the
re-recordings.
This second block is made
up of five of the new versions and they are basically redone from scratch with
the exception of 'Swarm Of The Electric Death'. Only the vocals and the
bass guitar are new with some touching up done the guitar on that one. Sound
wise what I like most about them - 'Just Another Blackout', 'Never Meant To
Die' and 'SHeviL' makes up the five - is how well they've made the transition to
Noisecult's new-found direction. The playing is light years better than before
as well the production which of course heightens everything. But having brought
this older material together to sound much more cohesive is the key too. And to
me that is real talent within any band. To take your older material and change
things around a little bit making good stuff sound even better is not an easy
thing. Noisecult has done that and then some. It's always great to hear '(At
The) Gates Of Eternity' and 'Swarm OF The Electric Death', on album
and live, but these new versions are killer!
The third, and last, part
of 'Burial Hymns' consists of newbie 'Violent End', oldie 'End
Of Days' and a cover of Beastie Boys' Gratitude'. And it's an
amazing way to end this wax. 'Violent End' is criminally short but
brutal! Slayer on speed playing is as close as it gets and it's not even two
minutes long...badass! The redone version of 'End Of Days' is on point
and is the same thrash metal song it always was but with such nice full sound.
Very good indeed. Beastie Boys' 'Gratitude' turned out really good. The
Hammond B3 makes a great addition turning the song into a modern day take on
70's classic rock. Listen to the very end and you'll hear THAT famous bass
line...
If you have never heard
Nosiecult before 'Burial Hymns' is the perfect introduction. You'll hear
the band the way that are supposed to sound and it will only get better from
here. For someone who has followed them for a while, this album is the logical
and natural step. Having never stayed stagnate, they have always retained
certain traits and shaped them along the way. And the end result is 'Burial
Hymns' and it doesn't get much better than this. Greatness, indeed!
- Swedebeast
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