HEIRS - HUNTER EP

Heirs are a band from Melbourne, Australia. The Hunter EP was released in October 2011, the same month I saw them live with Alcest. I had never heard of them til that show, but as soon as their last song finished, I ran to the merch stand to buy a shirt an alb*m and an EP

To describe the sound of Heirs is quite hard.There are definately post-metal influences and pioneers Godflesh can be heard within their sound, but that does not do the band justice.There is a very dark mood throughout, and use of industrial sounding keyboards help with that. Add eerie theremin melodies and if you can picture all this,you are close to the sound this band creates

The highlight for me is the title track, so I am going todo my best to give you an idea. It starts off with simplistic guitar riff (use the term loosely), and a slow drum beat,and as keys build up and give it a more industial flare, the song hits a crescendo, with an eerie and loud theremin melody that almost sounds like a semi-operatic voice,only to slow down again and end the way it started. A very strange approach, but it works exceptionally well

The drums plod along (in a good way) and the guitars have a nice tone for this type of music. The theremin for me is the best parts of the song, and he plays it wonderfully. Watching him live was a real treat

The EP is great and well worth the price. It is only a short EP but you have to be in a certain mood for this, and best listened to at night for effect

90/100

Im thinking I might have seen them late 2009 early 2010 at the Prince of Wales, although memory is a bit fuzzy for some reason :/

MYRATH - DESERT CALL

Desert Call is the second alb*m by Tunisian band Myrath. I found them by accident to be honest, about 3 or 4 months ago, their alb*m Tales Of The Sands. The band play a kind of melodic progressive metal similar to Dream Theater or Symphony X, but with a huge dose of traditional North African and Arabic soundscapes and classical music

The alb*m opens up with hand drums, then the traditional strings appear with crunchy guitars. Arabic vocals start the album, but they only show in the first song, co-incidentally, my favourite track of the alb*m which is called Forever And A Day

The atmosphere of the alb*m conjures up pictures of sand dunes, camels, extreme heat etc I really like how they have incorporated these soundscapes into the core of the music instead of using it as a quick gimmick. They share this (although very different in sound) approach with bands such as Orphaned Land

The vocal lines are one of my favourite things about this album, and the band in general. They are very melodic, without being cheesy. The singer's voice is very powerful, and he has a great range. There are also a few rare backing growls too

The drumming, while interesting, is not too out there for the genre, but to me I do not think that is a bad thing. I think if the drumming was too flashy it would ruin the flow of an alb*m like this

The guitar sound is great, as is the playing. The riffs are quite choppy, and remind me a lot of Petrucci, but with their own atmosphere. There are great melody lines and also some great guitar solos. Acoustic guitars find their way into the alb*m on many occasions

I really like this alb*m a lot, and the only thing that makes me drop points is that sometimes the structures ruin the flow a bit, but it is a minor gripe. Definately a recommended alb*m for fans of Dream Theater, Symphony X, Angra and the like

95 out of 100

just what I expected, it is a great album, and your review was excellent, said exactly what I had on my mind in a way. :D