Metal-edged modern rock band Ignite The Fire was one of the many bright spots on a big Sunday at Blue Ridge Rock Festival.
All photos by Wayne Edwards.
Links.
Website, https://www.ignitethefiremusic.com/
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/ignitethefiremusic
YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/ignitethefire
Blue Ridge Rock Festival coverage at Ryze-Up magazine, https://www.ryze-up.com/music-2/blue-ridge-rock-festival-2021/
© Wayne Edwards.
Doomgaze duo Low Flying Hawks wrap up their trinary sequence with Fuyu.
The band is comprised of two multi-instrumentalists known mysteriously as EHA and AAL who compose the music and perform it along with select guest musicians. Kōfuku (2016) was the first installment in the trilogy, followed by Genkaku (2017). Fans have been waiting a while for the final piece but it has been worth it because Fuyu surpasses the high standard set by its predecessors.
Here is the story about the story. “ ‘Fuyu’ means ‘winter’ in Japanese, and ‘Fuyu’ is also the finale of Low Flying Hawks’ trilogy based on the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphos, King of Corinth, who was cruelly punished by the Olympian gods to eternally push a massive bolder up on a hill – only to see it slip and roll down again every time he neared the top.” Rich source material, to be sure. I don’t know if there is any resolution at the end, but there is no shortage of strife along the way.
There are seven songs on the album, most of them exceeding a comfortable radio length. The music is a tense, uncomfortable glide wherein you sometimes feel like you are about to crash and at other times think it all might come to a dead stop. It is unsettling if you try to anticipate what will come next.
My favorite passages are the heavy doom elements, as in the beginning of “Subatomic Sphere” where the guitars put you squarely in a solid groove, the vocals are mournful, and the lead work has a furtive gravity. Quiet songs like “Midnight” are often juxtaposed with harsher treatments like the title track itself, placing the listener in an ever tilting headspace. And then there are songs like “Caustic Wing,” my favorite on the album, that can be experienced as mini epics unto themselves even while fitting tightly in with the greater whole. I think this new album from Low Flying Hawks is their best so far. Recommended.
Out tomorrow, August 27th, through Magnetic Eye Records, Fuyu is at once modern and legendary. Check it out for yourself.
Links.
Bandcamp, https://lowflyinghawks.bandcamp.com/album/fuyu
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Lowflyinghawks-1626755734268513/
Magnetic Eye Records, https://us.spkr.media/magnetic-eye-records/low-flying-hawks-fuyu.html
And now for something completely different, Germany’s Lunar Shadow takes off in a new direction with Wish To Leave.
In 2015 Lunar Shadow released an EP, Triumphator, and it was off and running after that. Two long-players followed, the most recent being The Smokeless Fires in 2019. Their sound was a sort of Barbarian Metal: Power Metal overlaid on Black Metal espousing dark dreams. On the new one, they have veered off toward a broader musical appeal, lightening up the sound considerably while keeping many of the same lyrical themes intact. The band is Max Birbaum (guitar and vocals), Robert Röttig (vocals), Sven Hamacher (bass), Kay Hamacher (guitar), and Jörn Zehner (drums).
The album is six tracks of lurking discontent. Rooted in dark fantasy ideals and presented in an hard edged indie-rock shell with Black Metal decorations, the songs have a toned down feel to them, a sort of quiet shouting situation. “Serpents Die” is the perfect example of this. The digestible rhythm guitar and soft-edge lead work blend in perfectly with the vocals that offer an occasional glimpse of desperation and rage, but usually have a get-along timbre. This is certainly a choice, and setting this song up first in the set is a clear message.
The music follows suit throughout the album. “I Will Lose You” is a stand-out track for me for the exceptional lead guitar solo – indeed the solo guitar moments are something I started looking forward to with each successive song. “And Silenced Screamed” is one of the most raucous tracks, and it fires you up for the final track, “The Darkness Between The Stars.” This song runs ten minutes and it is a showcase for everything the band has become. I am not sure what long-time fans will think of this new album but, taken in isolation with no preconceptions, it is excellent. Recommended.
Wish To Leave comes out on Friday, March 19th and is available at the Bandcamp page or through the label directly.
Links.
Bandcamp, https://lunarshadow.bandcamp.com/album/wish-to-leave
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/lunarshadowband
Label store, https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/
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