It’s no surprise that this German band have been picked up by Svart, their debut self-released EP ‘The Goat Ritual’ received epic praise from all quarters of the press, so with the full length album there’s no better home for such a talented band who reside not only in the sludge/stoner/doom category, but also touches raw heavy metal on some of the riffs that belt out over these 8 tracks.
After a slow start with ‘A Silver Heart’, ‘Darkest Days’ hits the ground running and adds some emotive vocal lines to the solid musical foundation (and some really aggressive ones towards the end!) In the verse there’s a mix of a few styles, in fact a little like Scotland’s Firebrand Super Rock (RIP), that’s probably more to a similar vocal phrasing. ‘The Gatekeeper’ is one of those halcyon tunes you can sit back and relax with eyes closed, then a force bigger than mother nature roars into action and commands your full attention when the aggressive nature is unleashed. ‘Gods’ also has that perfect trippy and get wasted vibe, foot tapping, head bobbing and total appreciation for the style is a key feature for this track.
High Fighter should be on your radar and shopping list, this album crosses paths of many proven styles and the skill is in blending them all together. Working with different sounds results in the same feeling, that of wonderment and the realisation that this album works on so many levels and should work for many people who may only dabble in a singular part of this bands many influences. ‘Scars & Crosses’ is heavy, epic and emotive but most of all as a complete package, is a very solid album which should see a positive marker laid down for this band in the months to come.
(8.5/10 Paul Maddison)
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