PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Hailing from Australia, Hardcore punks Villa Rise upped sticks and relocated to England, to make their mark on the uk scene, and with the release of Wastelands, coupled with some high profile shows, the gamble seems to have paid off.
This 6 track ep is rather different from a standard release from a Hardcore punk band, in that the tracks are all linked and tell a story, a mini concept album if you like.
The overall message is that happiness is a state of mind, however the featured young man is unable to accept the positives in his life, and he descends in madness.
The overall concept is a good background for the six tracks, the first being a narrative taken from when the Hindenberg airship exploded, before track two hits you like a sledgehammer, ‘keeper’ and ‘blindeye’ follow, and there really is no let up to the punishing music they push out.
Track 4 really slows the pace down with an acoustic opening, and I had expected a quiet vocal part, but the shouting vocal presence of Jarrod Martin shines through and rattles your brain once more as the rest of the band bring the song back up to tempo.
‘Villans’ is up next and is my favourite track on this ep, a punishing drum track drive’s this song along headlong into the final track ‘shadows’.
A strong debut that should win them new fans 7/10
01 – Fracture
02 – Keeper
03 – Blindeye
04 – Wastelands
05 – Villains
06 – Shadows
Free download of certain tracks via Last Fm Here
