I always find it amusing that genres like hair metal and the modern symphonic metal scene often receive criticism for their over-saturation, when other genres - such as thrash - do not. I think it is fair to say that pretty much every genre of music eventually becomes oversaturated to the point that it becomes hard to see the wood for the trees - but I do not know why an over-abundance of bands is considered by some to be a bad thing. The only negative that I can see is that sometimes great bands can get buried in and among a pile of numerous mediocre imitators - a fate which possibly befell San Francisco's Heathen. During the 1980s, the San Francisco Bay Area was a real hotbed of thrash. It was the grimier equivalent to Hollywood's Sunset Strip which had become the heart of hair metal, and many of the big thrash acts of the 1980s came from that part of California. Having the Bay Area pedigree, Heathen should have been a bigger deal. It possible that releasing their debut album Breaking the Silence in 1987, by which point many of the bigger names in the genre were already well established, hindered the band's career trajectory. It is also possible that the band's mixing of thrash with other musical influences made them harder to pigeonhole. While Heathen are a thrash band at their core, they have always included more melodic and progressive elements in their songwriting. Breaking the Silence included a cover of Sweet's Set Me Free, which should point you in the direction of some of the band's influences - but this more melodic side may have turned some off. The band have also been very slow at releasing new albums. It took the band until 1991 to follow up their debut album with Victims of Deception - and a year later the band was no more. It is clear that success never really found Heathen - although the sheer amount of line-up changes that the band went through, particularly in the early days, cannot have helped. It is perhaps telling then that 2020 sees the release of the band's fourth album Empire of the Blind. Empire of the Blind follows not so hot on the heels of 2009's The Evolution of Chaos, which was the first album that the reunited Heathen put out since regrouping in 2001. Empire of the Blind has clearly been a long time coming, so much so that it was almost a long-standing joke among the band's fanbase. The album is a joke no more however, but is it worth the wait? In fairness, I am not the one to judge the album on that front as I am only a fairly recent convert to Heathen's music - but Empire of the Blind does seem to be a bit simpler and less dynamic than some of the band's previous work. There is still plenty of thrash to enjoy, but the signature Heathen twists and turns seem to largely be absent. This could be due to the fact that the band's two remaining original members, frontman David White and guitarist Lee Altus, have had no input in the songwriting here whatsoever. Both have been the main writers for the band since the beginning - but everything on Empire of the Blind was written entirely by guitarist Kragen Lum who has been a stalwart in the band since 2007. It seems strange that Altus in particular was not involved in the writing of this album at all, as Heathen has always been his band, but I can only assume that he has not been in a creative spell of late. Either that or he has written a lot of material for the album that Exodus are currently working on! As a result, Empire of the Bland is essentially Lum's album that the rest of the band help to bring to life. Joining White, Altus, and Lum here are bassist Jason Mirza (Psychosis) and drummer Jim DeMaria (Riphouse; Generation Kill; Toxik) - both of whom make their recording debut with the band on the album.
The album is bookended by two instrumentals, with This Rotting Sphere opening things up. The mournful, melodic piece is a great contrast to the rest of the album - with Lum's intertwining guitar lines creating a sonic tapestry that slowly builds towards the album proper. Drums and heavier rhythms soon join in, but the piece retains its melodic simplicity until the end - when the big riff of The Blight kicks in and the thrash sound that characterises the rest of the album takes hold. While this is easily the most 'stock' sounding Heathen album yet, there is still plenty of good, old-fashioned thrash to enjoy here. Lum's main riff is simple, yet very memorable, and DeMaria impresses from the off with some precise, fast footwork. The main link back to the Heathen of old however is White. His voice has always been a bit more melodic and musical than many of his thrash peers, and despite having no hand in the writing of this album he still makes his presence felt. His vocal melodies are generally memorable, and the chorus here is a catchy moment - more speed metal than traditional thrash. The song is a strong one to kick the album off with, and it contains all of the hallmarks that one would expect from an enjoyable thrash record. The album's title track is similar. Maintaining the pace of the opening number early on is always wise on a thrash album, as energy and speed is a big part of the genre. While Heathen might not be as furious as some of their peers, they are still an energetic band. The riffs here are packed with character, and there are hints of the older progressive side of the band throughout with Eastern-tinged leads buried under the verses - which add some additional melodies to intertwine with the vocals. One thing that is certainly still present in a big way however from the older Heathen albums is explosive guitar soloing. Every song here is filled with leads and shredded solos from Lum and Altus - but it is on this song that this element of the band's sound really kicks off in a big way. There is a lengthy solo section here that features both of the band's guitarists trading licks - and even joining forces at one point for a great harmonised section. Dead and Gone slows the pace a little, and goes for more of a groove-based approach. Lum and Altus lock together perfectly here for a powerful strutting riff, while Mirza's bass enjoys a prominent position in the mix to really bolster the groove. The groove allows the song to become one of the more instantly-memorable pieces here, but the song has a bit of a modern alternative metal sound mixed in with the band's traditional thrash which may turn some off. The gang vocals certainly add to the hooky nature of the piece, but this might be a bit nu-metal for some. A great solo towards the end of the piece from Altus injects some thrash pedigree back into the piece however, showcasing that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the genre.
Sun in My Hand is a much more dynamic piece, and is likely to appeal to those who find songs like Dead and Gone a bit too rote for their tastes. There are still plenty of hooks here, but there is also more of a technical feel overall. Slow-paced chugging riffs are mixed in perfectly haunting clean guitar melodies, which helps to create a dense atmosphere, while a strong chorus allows White lay down some epic-sounding vocals. The chorus here is one of the more 'all out' moments of the album, with layers of demented harmony vocals and a flashy guitar lead really boosting its appeal. A couple of excellent Lum solos are the icing on the cake, and everything comes together to make this one of the album's standout pieces in my opinion. There is certainly more of the old Heathen to be found here, with slightly progressive tendencies sitting alongside melodic songwriting for a great slab of accessible and melodic thrash. Blood to be Let ups the pace again after a couple of crunchy mid-paced numbers, but it continues on the higher quality established during the previous track. The pacey riffs here help to create a strong atmosphere throughout, while White lays down one of his most potent vocals of the album. The older White certainly benefits from a somewhat gritty vocal approach now, and that is showcases throughout the track. He uses his lower register to great effect, while occasional higher notes help to accentuate what is another memorable chorus. This is the sort of song that is sure to go down well live, as the riffs really whip up a strong energy - while the hooks are there for all to sink their teeth into. In Black opens with one of my favourite riffs on the album. The fast-paced stop-start pattern is instantly engaging, and again recalls the earlier days of the band somewhat. I also really like the way that the band play with pace here. The opening riff has a certain energy to it, but it is then paired with a much slower drum groove that at first sounds strange but over repeated listens really hits home. This really allows the band to turn the song into another dynamic moment; as the pace constantly shifts throughout. Sometimes the song steams along at the pace the opening riff gives rise to, while other moments see the band slowing things down a muscular groove. It is this interplay that makes the song one of the standout cuts here, and a great example of the band's slightly progressive thrash sound. Shrine of Apathy is the album's sole ballad, and it helps to provide a mid-album change of pace. DeMaria's slow drum beat keeps the song grounded, while the guitars chime away slowly - providing mournful arpeggios for White to croon over. It is certainly not the most engaging of thrash ballads, but is certainly is not bad either. It is nice to see Heathen trying to vary the pace and tone of the album throughout however. So many thrash albums are so one-paced, and just pummel the listener into submission throughout their runtime - but Empire of the Blind is more varied than that, despite it lacking some of the band's trademark uniqueness. Shrine of Apathy showcases a different side to the band, and acts as the calm before the storm of the album's final few songs.
The album's closing third is possibly the most furious part of the album; with the band building on the heaviest moments so far and taking them a step further. Devour opens this final leg with speedy riffing and fast double bass drumming, while White turns in another vibrant vocal performance. I actually think that his uses of his lower register vocals are his best moments on the album, and the overall crunch of this song really allows him to showcase this approach. The gang vocals of Dead and Gone return, but this time around they are incorporated a little better and more subtly. The song does not have a strange nu-metal vibe as a result, and instead sounds like a punchy bit of melodic thrash. Excerpts from a speech by Rev. Jim Jones, the architect of the Jonestown mass suicide, are interspersed within the riffing which helps to expand on the song's creepy, yet heavy, vibe; and it is another standout cut as a result. Those who love their thrash full of excellent soloing will love A Fine Red Mist - which is a guitar-heavy instrumental that features soloing from five thrash veterans. Lum and Altus share the stage here with original Heathen guitarist Doug Piercy, Gary Holt (Exodus; Slayer), and Rick Hunolt (Exodus). This is a real who's who of thrash guitar legends, so it is unsurprising therefore that the track is furious and filled with melodic shredding. The five all take their turns to solo, with two often playing off each other at any one time. Lum, the album's architect, opens and closes the piece but the rest all get plenty of time in the spotlight too - with the two original Exodus guitarists particularly shining early on. This exercise in shredding leads nicely into The Gods Divide, the album's final vocal moment and possibly the most openly thrash track here. It is unapologetically fast, and is clearly the band wanting to sign off with a bang. Lum and Altus' riffs throughout are packed with pace and razor-sharp transitions, while DeMaria once again gets a workout behind his kit. Pace is certainly emphasised here, but there are still plenty of melodies to be found. A catchy chorus is one of the album's hookiest moments, while a Altus-Lum trade-off sounds like a hangover from the previous instrumental. It is a raw, heavy song that turns the clock back to some of the more straightforward numbers on the band's debut album, and those who love energetic thrash are sure to enjoy it. It is left to the short, chiming Moment to Ruin to close the album out. The piece is similar in some ways to This Rotting Sphere, but even more mournful and sparse - but the clean guitar melodies close out the album nicely. Overall, despite perhaps not being the Heathen album that some would have wished for, Empire of the Blind is still a strong collection of modern thrash metal songs. It would have been nice if the band's core progressive sound was on display a little more, but there is still plenty to like here. The riffing throughout is potent, and White demonstrates why he is one of the genre's more underrated vocalists. It will probably be some time before Heathen's fifth album is released, so until then Empire of the Blind will have plenty of time to worm its way into the fanbase's conscience and make itself at home in the band's small discography.
The album was released on 18th September 2020 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Sun in My Hand.
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