TIDES OF VIRTUE - review added 15th June 2010
Album Review: Malevolence (2010)
For fans of: Death Metal... and fine musicianship
Tides Of Virtue - Louis Thurgood on vocals, James Otero and Paul Lawford on guitars, Oliver Reece on bass, and drummer seemingly unknown or non-existent - formed in June of 2008, and were signed to UK independent label Transcend Records in December of 2009. Malevolence is the band's full length debut.
The sound is somewhere in the realm of death metal and deathcore, taking cues from not only the heaviest acts on the planet, but the most loud 'n' lairy ones too. The result is brilliantly deafening...and sadly a little bit disappointing.
I love the musicianship. The stupendously heavy overall sound, guided along by a monstrous rhythm section, is something to behold. The twin guitar attack makes a ton of utterly fantastic sounds. I've rarely heard better. To be fair this is up near the top end of brutal sonic enjoyment. The musicianship is best summed by the wonderful instrumental 'Felo De Se'. Okay, it isn't immeasurably heavy, but it sounds superb.
And that leads us onto the problem I have with the album: the vocals. Louis Thurgood's indecipherable screams often get in the way of some bloody good music. When he tones it down and goes more for the 'demon growl' approach he's actually rather good. Sadly he spends too much time sounding like a rhino raping a pig...and that's not a good thing. There's definitely a good vocalist trapped inside, but this album hasn't fully found him yet.
For me, this is a great album often spoiled by unnecessarily crude vocalising. Shame. WIth more care, or someone like Chuck Billy or Corey Taylor out front, Malevolence could have been breathtaking. As is, it's still one of the best ways of making your ears bleed from the last few months.
Check out... The playing, not the singing.
Track List:
01. Fields of Solitude
02. No Coming Back
03. Emperors
04. The Pain Continues
05. Malevolence
06. Felo De Se (Instrumental)
07. Destruction of the Fortress
08. Fabric of Destiny
09. Burning Away Our Consciousness
10. The Ferryman
Label: Transcend Records
Artist's website(s): MySpace
