White Ward, from Ukraine, released False Light last year, in 2022. I've been a big fan of theirs since the release of Futility Report. The album cover itself was enough for me to be captivated, and they are easily in the category of bands who do their cover albums justice.
White Ward's Futility Report
White Ward has one very distinct armament in their arsenal: the use of a saxophone, and not just using it, but using it to good effect! Another highlight of White Ward is their use of top productions for their music. Good production is sometimes the antithesis of a proper black metal band (hence why they're very much in the post-black metal subgenre), but thanks to the good production, the saxophone shines.
At the current time of writing, Ukraine is currently in a war with Russia. Being invaded, raped, and pillaged on various fronts, I can only imagine what the feelings and thoughts are of the band members of White Ward. One thing is for sure though, I do hope that they continue to make music. Their brand of post-black metal is just right up my street. I can see myself listening to their music years from now.
I wasn't really warming up to the record. Consider myself a victim of judging a book by its cover. More like judging it based on labels alone. Ashenspire, hailing from Scotland, is such a band. Most, if not all, RABM (Red and Anarchist Black Metal) bands that I've listened to don't hit the spot for me. There's something about the rather discordant tone that eludes my brain from being "unlocked" and latching on to the music.
My initial listen to the opening track "The Law of Asbestos" caught me off-guard. Wait, what?! Okay, that was intense. A little too intense. I wasn't prepared. I tried listening to it again, but realised I wasn't in the right frame of mind.
A while later, in a more relaxed situation, I gave it another go. And I was blown away. Jesus, this was intense. I listened to it again, and the vocal performance, the delivery of the lyrics, the lyrical content, it all resonated deep within me.
This is not a house of amateurs. This is done with full intent.
This last week has been filled by Nothing. I'm talking about the band Nothing. Curious? Check out the song above, it's called "Famine Asylum" and it has a lot of the things that I love in music. Thick and heavy distortion in the early Smashing Pumpkins vein, with a good dose of shoegaze ala Hum.
Listening to "Famine Asylum" for the first time invoked the increasingly rare "I liked it the first time I listened to it" tag. I have to say though, that the rest of the discography wasn't warming up to me. It may have been the state of my mind contributing to it, but after a few days, I gave "The Great Dismal" another listen and it started to warm up to me.
"Dance on the Blacktop" enhanced my knowledge of the band's tunes, and its favorability. I must say though that the production really could be better. I can't help but feel wanting for the sonic sound that the band can produce, but the records (especially "Dance on the Blacktop") sound like the mixer was underneath a pillow.
I now wonder what took me so long to really listen to the band. I know it now. It's the album covers.
I'm a huge fan of great album cover art, and it's one of the main reasons I'm a big metalhead. So check out the cover for "Dance on the Blacktop":
Nothing's "Dance on the Blacktop"
Thanks to that, I missed out on some very impressive songs. My favourite from the album being "Blue Line Baby" and it has an impressive video:
One thing is for sure though, and that's Nothing will be a mainstay on my current playlist for the foreseeable future. They make songs that I'll still be listening to decades from now. And that's enough puns to last me for a while.
The studio cut features Phil Collins on drums. "Tears for Fears just wanted me to do that big drum thing from 'In the Air Tonight'..." Collins recalled. "'We want you to come in here in a big way.'" The song prominently features vocals by Oleta Adams, who went on to achieve a successful solo career...
This is just so amazing. I remember being an eight-year-old and absolutely loving the melody of the song. I was too young back then to really understand the meaning of the song, but it wouldn't take long for me to grab hold of the message and have it shape how I treated women throughout my life.
FYRTEK is a personal music and technology site by Alan Gurling. FYR covers heavy music, metal, heavygaze, shoegaze, blackgaze, post-rock, and personal music reflections. TEK covers mechanical keyboards, switches, keycaps, desk gear, gadgets, reviews, and useful everyday technology.
