MMXIII --- Stormbringer --- 2013 (Transcend Music)
Do you know how hard it was to track these guys down? There are, according to my good friends at
Encyclopaedia Metallum no less than
fifteen metal bands called Stormbringer, many of which are defunct, some of whom have -- perhaps wisely -- changed their name to something else. I found them through a process of elimination, as any band who is split up will hardly have an album coming out this year! Turns out this is in fact the debut for this particular Stormbringer, who hail from the UK.
So who are these non-smiling metalheads from darkest, er, Northampton? Seems they're a five piece, all of who appear to have been founder members except Mike Stockley, who only joined in 2012. As he's the vocalist, and none other is mentioned, I wonder if they were an instrumental outfit prior to his arrival? Still, this is their first album as I said, so maybe they were just waiting for the right singer to come along. I must admit, I'm not too hopeful, with the sleeve looking like something Venom thought about but discarded as too obvious, and titles like "Gazing at the grave", "Welcome to Hell" and "Destroy"; surely this guy is going to be a death growler? Smart money says yes. But what the hey, let's give it a listen anyway.
Rather cliched opening, I have to say, with thunder, the sound of falling rain, then a big heavy guitar kicks your face in as another harmonises with it, Ash Smith and Dom Wallace setting the music backdrop as Jon Paul Quantrill hammers out a doomy beat on the drums. Glad they're not using any stupid made up names like "Abaddon", "The Destroyer" or "That guy from the Matrix": always seems a little hard to take a band seriously when they use pseudonyms. Right, well the first track turns out to be an instrumental, but to my delight when "Gazing at the grave" opens Stockley turns out to have a clear, sweet voice perhaps better suited to melodic or progressive metal. Hey, this may turn out to be good after all!
Great driving beat and despite the doom metal title the song is very rock, very metal and almost Def Leppard/Bon Jovi in feel, albeit with much heavier backing. This guy could be dropped into any AOR band you care to mention and nobody would know he came from a metal background. Great guitar solo, though I could do without the "metal-rap" (raptal?) but I can ignore it because this band are grabbing me so immediately and positively. And so we head into "Mark Antony", with a screeching guitar intro and a lot of Zep in it; another slightly nu-metal style vocal but there's no way I'd consign Stormbringer to the fate of being a nu-metal band. They've definitely got something. Great rousing chorus in this, and tough grinding guitar characterises "Save me" with a sort of funk/groove rhythm. Great stuff.
With a title like "Destroy" you think you know what to expect, but it starts on a gentle blues riff and then explodes into a powerful melodic metal anthem with a superb performance from Mike Stockley and some incisive guitar from the two guys. Guess I know nothing about stoner metal, as this is supposed to be how it sounds. Maybe I was mixing it up with sludge. Anyway I really like this, it's far more on my side of the melodic preferences I have for metal. Bit of a drum solo from Quantrill then to kick "Grinder" off. This was the lead-in single and it's a whole lot heavier than a lot of other stuff on "MMXIII" which makes me wonder why they thought it would be a good choice? Great low, almost muttered vocal though again it's a little rap-oriented.
"Sanity" is another hard and heavy number, while "Submerged" puts me very in mind of Threshold, with a marching, swaggering, boogey line. "Darker days" and "Control" keep the quality high, the latter with a sort of chanted, shouted backing vocal which is a bit punk-rockish. Above all soars the powerful voice of Mike Stockley, delivering every line with perfect clarity and passion. The album closes on the longest track, "Welcome to Hell", thought I doubt Venom would approve! There's nothing black about this metal: it's as melodic as they come, with nevertheless a hammer punch from the twin guitars and the rhythm section keeping everything heavy, right up to the last riff and note.
TRACKLISTING
1. MMXIII
2. Gazing at the grave
3. Mark Antony
4. Save me
5. Destroy
6. Grinder
7. Sanity
8. Submerged
9. Darker days
10. Control
11. Welcome to Hell
Definitely a case of incorrectly judging a book by its cover. From the album sleeve I had assumed a dark, doomy, grindy thing full of sludgy hooks and plodding bass, with definitely a deep-throated growler or a whispering screamer for a vocalist. Completely amazed by what I found. A really excellent debut from a band who -- given all the other Stormbringers around, living and dead --- may find it prudent to do like some of the others have, and change their name to something less common.
The music, however, speaks for itself, and I for one am already looking forward to their next outing.
Read more here
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/...ger/3540368184