Like many a band, perhaps Concrete Age envisaged London as a Dick Whittington wonderland with the streets paved with guitar shops and headed over here from their homeland Mineralnye Vody Russia. No doubt they headed straight to Tin Pan Alley, went to various venues, saw bands playing there and dreamed of doing so themselves. Indeed, their last album Live In London proves that they managed this and footage of them playing places such as The Unicorn and Fiddlers Elbow can be found online. Things are obviously very different here now sadly but the group’s seventh album shows that they have battled against the odds and are obviously doing something right. As it is on Russian label Haarbn one would expect, even if like me never having heard them before that Concrete Age bring something from home with them and add a multi-ethnicity to their sound and that is evident the second play is pressed and this invigorating album gallops off.
It sounds like we are thrust into an African Savanah as chants are called out and then the music flies out the traps with an unmistakable tribal beat that is easy to get to the Roots of. Sure, there’s more than a bit of Sepultura about their approach and their thrashy mindset but there are plenty of traditional trappings here to keep the listener on their toes. Singer Frosty J aka Ilia Morozov may well have utilised a name change after discovering a brand of street drinking favourite white cider from here and growls and belches his parts out whilst the rhythm section beat the hell out of their instruments, launch out rousing cries and bring plenty of headbanging melody to the table. ‘Welcome Back’ has more emphasis of traditionalism with reedy instruments and all sorts adding to its flavoursome charge. At heart it’s a belting romp and has some clean vocals harmonically adding to its bouncy mainframe. There are times as the album continues that one may well fondly think of Tengger Cavalry and their sadly departed muse Nature G while listening to the album. The clang of a bell at the end of this particular track is particularly effective and adds that air of Spirituality to things as does the Temple like chanting on the next album self-titled number.
Considering there is just 4 band members this sounds like the work of many more, the ethnic instruments are attributed to Ilya and listening to the vast array of them from percussion to, pipes and even a crazed section of what sounds like a manic didgeridoo on ‘Dogon’ it seems there is little he can’t try his hands at. The instrumental ‘Isis Flower’ is a folk metal sounding tour de force and guaranteed to get anybody up and dancing like a loon and it is evident that the band must be an absolute blast live. It’s got to be said that after a run of particularly depressive music landing on my review lap this has been a hugely needed tonic and had me bouncing about and grinning; which at the moment is a miracle in itself. These ‘Poets Of The Northern Mountain’ are a much needed shot in the arm and a vaccine to life’s miseries and for that I can only applaud them. Next time they play London consider me there…
(8/10 Pete Woods)
07/01/2021 at 10:46 pm
Thanks for this! Concrete Age are a major discovery. I love their combination of catchiness and heaviness!