Lilith Immaculate
Hello, my friends, hope you are well and ready to welcome some of your past favourites as they have joined forces to create a brand spanking new rock brigade. Some of the bodies that once inhabited Martyr Defiled, HOAC and Abhorrent Decimation have forged a new path along that well- trodden road of metalcore. There is always interest around a new project but with Jamie Graham, Ross McLennan, Adam Bell, David Archer, and Alex Micklewright presiding, well I need to have a lie down and contemplate what is about to happen.
Viscera is the name they have chosen and it’s quite apt really as visually they are a strong and ‘sear the flesh off your bones’ type of outfit. Their debut album ‘Obsidian’ is ready to feed on your anger and anxieties, so sit back, relax and let the mega-growl absorb your worries.
The single ‘Immersed In Ire’ features Ben Mason from Bound In Fear and its double trouble folks, a formidable vocal attack that sets up the record nicely. There’s some dainty fretwork at 2.58 before the guttural articulation resumes. ‘Lamb To the Slaughter’ has the telling line ‘sins of the father, gift to the son’ where we learn that sometimes nothing really changes. We pass on our traits down the family line automatically.
‘Carpe Noctem’- Latin for ‘seize the night’ has a church choir like feel running underneath the hammer and tongs drum and guitarwork and then at 2.11 cue Mrs Baylock – it goes a little Carmina Burana here- run my friends, just fucking run!
Armed with ‘Hammers And Nails’ we drop the speed for about 20 seconds at 0.58 only to be subjected to the cut-throat vocals once again. A full force metal machine is this one, so cleverly arranged leaving a neat 2.09 gap with ‘Lilith’ entertaining with her grace and fragility, very floaty and silken to the touch, cascading gently over our mangled ears. The penultimate track is the title song ‘Obsidian’ and it contains the pointed lyric of ‘ a snake can shed its skin but still remains a snake’ as we beg for the ‘Obsidian tide carry me away onto a better life’, it’s a dreamscape scenario, one that will probably be out of reach for most of us. We roar over the finish line at break-neck speed with ‘Silentium’ where the spoken word sections remind me of ‘One’ by Metallica, be afraid, be very afraid as the silence ‘it can be deafening’. Step into this visceral immersion chamber folks and test the water for yourselves, well-designed , well-crafted and well, Bob’s your uncle.
Hail the coming of a new dawn my friends, raise your glasses, or indeed pet cats for a proper ‘Ah Zabenya’ moment.
Viscera – Obsidian out now via Unique Leader Records.