Mason Hill's 'Against the Wall' - Album Review

Despite being a big hard rock and metal fan, and the fact that I have always made an effort to check out the genres' up-and-coming new bands, there are always a few newer acts that manage to elude me. Some slip through the net simply because it is never possible to listen to every single rock and metal band that exists, but there are some that I avoid or I am turned off by because of my general aversion to what I call American-style 'radio rock'. Born out of the post-grunge sound pioneered by bands like Nickelback and Creed, American radio rock has never been as big or as mainstream here in the UK as it is in the US; but it still has its fans. Kerrang! TV was packed with it when I used to occasionally watch it over a decade ago, so it stands to reason that there is now a slew of young British rock bands that are releasing albums influenced by the post-grunge movement. I have personally never really been a big fan of the genre, despite being something of a casual Creed fan, and this was something that often extended to many of the new UK-based bands playing similar music. I always preferred the new bands that were channelling the 1970s and 1980s rock and metal sounds, or doing something new, but I have to admit that over the past couple of years my tastes have widened somewhat and I have begun to appreciate some of these new UK-based bands that are channelling a 1990s and early 2000s sound. Seeing Stone Broken headline the Friday night of the 2018 iteration of Steelhouse Festival was probably something of a turning point; but seeing the same band again supporting Black Star Riders, and the Devon-based The Fallen State play a fantastic headline show in London a few weeks from each other in 2019 was what really opened my eyes to this sort of music. I now have much more of an appreciation for it. As a result, over the past couple of weeks I have been enjoying the debut album of the Scottish five-piece Mason Hill, Against the Wall, which was released at the beginning of the month. That might have seemed like a poor segue into bringing up the subject of this piece, and something akin to damning Mason Hill with faint praise, but my enjoyment of their album has really surprised me - and in a good way. I saw the band live in 2018 supporting the Dan Reed Network, and they really did nothing for me at all on the night. I could see some talent there, but I just could not get past their post-grunge sound. My new-found appreciation for the style has allowed me to reappraise Mason Hill's however, but Against the Wall also demonstrates more typical hard rock influences than what I remember from that night in Bristol with the Dan Reed Network. It is possible that over the past couple of years the band have changed their overall direction slightly and adopted more of a streamlined hard rock sound, but either way Against the Wall is a strong modern rock album that has already reached the UK Top 20 and is no doubt going to continue to impress.

The album is bookended by Reborn and its reprise, two fairly short atmospheric pieces that help to give the overall album a complete feel. Many modern hard rock albums eschew this sort of build up, so Reborn's presence helps Against the Wall to stand out. Gentle acoustic guitars. pulsing synths, and frontman Scott Taylor's distant vocals come together to create something akin to part of a modern metalcore ballad - but the smooth sound works well as an introduction to the album as a whole. It also provides a strong contrast with the opening song proper No Regret, which really ups the album's power when its first big riff kicks in. When I heard this track, I knew that I had made the right decision in picking up Against the Wall - as its mix of heavy riffing and soaring vocal melodies hit me from the off. Despite being a rocker, the song is also extremely dynamic - which works well to show off the many different sides of Mason Hill in one song. Parts of the verses are bass-led, with some excellent playing from Matthew Ward holding everything together, while other moments are much more reflective in tone with chiming clean guitar melodies and some gentler vocals from Taylor. The song also introduces James Bird as a lead guitarist with a great solo towards the end of the piece. The guitar solo is perhaps less important to some modern hard rock bands than it was to most older bands, but Mason Hill seem to value a strong solo - and the melodic impact one can have. The album's title track follows, and again it goes for a reasonably diverse sound - although there is quite a big post-grunge influence throughout with an overall more murky sound. The song's chorus is extremely catchy however, and is one of the hookiest moments on the album, but the song around it is much more downbeat with layers of haunting vocal harmonies and different guitar tones - which only make the ramp up towards the hard-hitting chorus feel more powerful as a result. This is the sort of song that is sure to go down well live, purely because the chorus has such anthemic feel to it. A short, gang vocal-led bridge section also helps, but it is the chorus that will really get the crowd going. Broken Son is a much riffier song overall, but it still follows a similar pattern to the previous two tracks. In my view however, the song hits a little harder as it dwells far less on the more downbeat side of the band's sound to instead push their love of a driving riff. The opening riff is one of my favourites on the album, and even the slower verses have busier guitar work than has been heard so far on the album. An energetic pre-chorus section also helps to add some great rock flavour to the piece, as does a great, lengthy Bird solo that really showcases him as a player.

D.N.A. ups the energy levels again, with a busy intro featuring some knotty guitar lines and some strong drum grooves from Craig McFetridge - before another big riff kicks in and the song really takes off. D.N.A. showcases the band at their most hard rocking, so it is one of my favourite cuts here as a result. The track really reminds me of The Fallen State in places, but with a bit of a different overall approach due to Taylor's more acrobatic vocals. There is very little pausing for breath to be found here. Even the parts of the verses which are slightly more downbeat have some abrasive bass notes to inject some energy - while more gang vocals and a stadium-worthy chorus provide irresistible hooks to draw everyone in. It is another song that is sure to go down well live - and I hope to hear it performed one day. Following four pretty hard rocking tracks, Who We Are provides a bit of a change of pace, with a ballad-esque approach and a more organic sound that features a lot of acoustic guitar layers. The verses are quite gentle, with Taylor's voice mostly pushed to the fore and the instrumentation kept fairly low-key; but the choruses are much weightier with heavier guitar rhythms and some choice harmonies. It is the sort of track that is typical of modern hard rock ballads, but it still works well as it suits the band's overall sound nicely. The highlight of the piece however for me is the lead guitar work of Bird. This is largely found during his emotionally-charged solo, but the closing moments of the piece also feature a number of strong leads that duel with Taylor's vocals as the song fades out. Find My Way gets the album back on harder rocking ground following the ballad, and it takes an approach similar to D.N.A. in the way that it goes for an all-out hard rock sound that is rarely broken up by quieter or slower moments. The main riff is another winner, its pace setting the tone for the rest of the song, while even the verses this time around maintain a quicker pace with some great drum grooves and subtle guitar leads. The track is modern hard rock at its best, and there is little of the band's typical more post-grunge sound here. There is a more modern sheen to be found here, but the song is one that really hits hard from the off and never lets go. Another strong chorus also provides the hooks, while some shredding throughout from Bird almost tips the album into metal territory occasionally. Hold On opens a little more slowly, with some atmospheric clean guitar melodies, but the song is still a hard rocker. There is certainly more of a murkier approach taken here however, with the sound of songs like Broken Son utilised here. Fans of those classic Creed albums of the late 1990s and early 2000s will certainly find plenty to enjoy here - with Taylor's more emotion vocal approach contrasting nicely with the hard hitting riffing of Bird and fellow guitarist Marc Montgomery. There are occasional changes of pace throughout to allow the murk to shine throughout, but on the whole the song is another strong rocker.

Out of Reach again has a bit of Creed feel (the opening guitar melodies are very similar to something Mark Tremonti might have come up with around the time), but some of the overt heaviness is reigned in here to allow a more organic sound to come through. The song is still a rocker, but there is less of the band's usual modern, biting guitar tones - with more of a warmth used throughout, along with acoustic guitars included within the mix. The verses are slow, and based around that Tremonti-esque melody, but the choruses are much tougher - despite the warmer sound used. While this does date the song somewhat in my opinion, it works well within the context of the piece - with the acoustic and electric guitars mixing well together to make a big sound that perfectly backs Taylor's powerful vocal presence. I prefer the band's heavier tracks, but this is still a strong song that certainly achieves what it sets out to do. We Pray again opens slowly, with something of an atmospheric sound, but this feeling is short-lived as it is not long before another big riff kicks in - its choppy rhythm whipping up plenty of energy. This song harks back to the sound that the band forged on the album's title track, with murky post-grunge sections sitting side-by-side with hard-driving rock sections. The verses contain the murk, while the choruses bring the energy - with another gang vocal-led pre-chorus perfectly bridging the two. There are plenty more hooks to be found here too, with the chorus being another winner that is sure to stick in the brain - and sound fantastic live. Where I Belong is the final proper song on the album, and it is another slower song in the vein of Who We Are. While it seems strange to end what is largely a hard-hitting album on such a slow and low-key note, the decision pays off. In truth there are a number of classic rock albums that end on slower notes, and Where I Belong shows off a different side to the band - at least initially. The opening moments of the track feature Taylor's voice backed by a very sparse musical arrangement, with the vocal harmonies in particular standing out. In fact, even though the song does get fleshed out as it moves along, these harmony-led sections are often revisited - with much of the instrumentation dropping out to really focus on them. Perhaps the best moment of the song however is Bird's guitar solo, which could well be my favourite of his of the album. It has a real 1980s ballad feel to it, with plenty of bends and melodic phrases that enhance the emotional tug of the piece perfectly. As much as the whole band pulls together on this album, I think that it is Bird that elevates Mason Hill above many of the other British post-grunge influenced bands - as his playing is packed full of true quality. It is left to the reprise of Reborn to truly close out the album however - with the synths etc. making a return as the album fades to black. As I said earlier, I like the bookending approach taken here - as it gives Against the Wall a complete and uniform sound despite the diversity found within. It is an album that I was not expecting to like as much as I do, and I can see myself listening to it a lot more over the coming months. I am glad that I revisited Mason Hill after not particularly enjoying them live a few years ago. I am always happy to be proved wrong, and Against the Wall has certainly done that.

The album was released on 5th March 2021 via 7Hz Productions Ltd. Below is the band's promotional video for D.N.A.