| CD REVIEW Maelstrom |
 |
|
Band : Maelstrom Gee, Maelstrom is hardly an unused name in Metal history...I mean, you've got/ had bands by that name from New York State in the US, from Canada, Japan, Hungaria, Italy, and Spain, and even one from Huddersfield in the UK...also the home island of this Glasgow based Black Metal act. Originally, Maelstrom was a two-man project for school friends Wull Hay (lead vocals & guitar – also known from Burning Earth and Daemonolith) and Scott Simpson (lead guitars, clean vocals, programming), who recorded a demo EP of material in 2004 at Scott home with a mere 4-track recording unit. Although never intended for live performances, the project was grown to a full-fledged band in 2005, after the demo garnered positive response in the Glasgow Extreme Metal scene and gigs became an option. So, in came 7-string bassist Chris Cameron, and drummer Donnie Temple, and throughout 2006 the band performed in that line-up. New songs were being written along the way, and it soon became evident that a live keyboard player would be necessary, so in came Linzi Brown, found at a drunken party. In April 2007, the band started the home recording process of their full-length album, sessions which they finished in May 2008, releasing the CD on their own in the month of September that followed. Well, for having put back the band less than 500 pounds, the result is of an admirable high quality! Now apparently the band felt strong about the four songs of their debut EP, because all of 'em can be found on the full-length, adapted to additional keyboard play. And after listening to only the first songs on the album, one comes to the understanding that Maelstrom are not your typical all-out Extreme Black Metal act, but in fact can put the “Progressive” tag to their name with some pride! Some surprises on the album include the clean vocals added to the otherwise icy lead singing during “The Inauguration”, “Arctica”, and “At Dawn They Die” (also includes somebacking growls). Mind you, during the short (only 1:44 in length) acoustic “The Undying End” (other acoustic guitar moments come with the short instrumental “The Perfect Storm” - with additional violin courtesy of one Carine Tinney – and the somewhat longer instrumental ”The Bell Tower” - this one with added organ keyboard), it's clean singing all around! The album is closed with “This Dreaded Symphony”, for which the band again mixes icy screams with grunts/ growls and even clean singing and a spoken word passage. One thing to be said about the keyboards: overall they're of the atmospheric type, but eerie as they are, they do not miss an occasion to add an extra chilly layer on top of everything else. At (www.) myspace.com/maelstromscotland, you can find 4 songs off the album posted for your audio pleasure. Last year the band started the writing process for a new to be self-released full-length album, and that will be with new member Jamie Cross (shares Burning Earth on his cv with Hay, but also was/ is a member of Beyond Despair, Reaper Of Hate, Alba Gu Bràth, and Concept Of Time) on the keyboards. Meanwhile, there's the band's old material to be enjoyed...old stuff, but still new to most of us! At the moment I'm somewhat disturbed with my own incertitude about which year-list to add this album to. 98/100 Tony. |