Echo Chamber
After the demise of Danish punk outfit Taras, we have a rebirth of sorts, a replenishment, in the shape of Ivy Crown, a merry band of metallers who invite you into the ‘Echo’ chamber and have a bash at their songs.
If you’re feeling ‘Lonesome And Cold’ then please do not fret, help is at hand with these mighty rollicking tracks that are fine tuned to hear your, to heal you. A stinging look at attitudes to women is encountered here with ‘they call her a sinner; they call her a whore and everything in between’ and with the addition of Kim Song Sternkopf of MØL, well you’re in for a treat my friends. Tightly knit guitars, percussion and vocals all combine to create pretty decent melodies and as we ‘Run’ from what has been holding us back, it is a familiar tale.
A battered and bruised love song is included too, ‘That’s What You Do’ is sent into outer space by the entry at 2.40 of Jesper Gün(Ghost Iris) no less. The assignment of extra vocal power offers depth and interest to a body of work that is already on the right path.
The final guest appearance is our friend Kadeem France (Loathe) who brings his gravelly tonsils to illuminate our ‘Bad Dream’ and alongside our sisters in metal, he helps to dig a little deeper into your psyche.
Another demon in our midst is one of medication, prescribed and unprescribed drugs, they are the ruin of many lives. We ‘medicate our minds, think we’re doing right’ but ultimately, we grow numb to the reality and our own existence and ‘we will never know who we are’. We are hamsters on the wheel, going around and around, robotic and immune to our surroundings, only stopping to top up our medication.
Concluding with the desperation of ‘Forgotten Me’ a brutish little number that rasps and gurgles along with the season finale of ‘Rising’ to end an encouraging record, showing promise and conviction.
A rising road to you Ivy Crown, a rising road.
Ivy Crown – Echo out now via Longbranch/SPV