PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Metamorphosis, the follow up album to the debut The Art Of Manipulation seems to be taking longer to arrive than the Scorpions depart on their farewell tour!
Second albums can be strange things when they have to follow a groundbreaking debut which is what Ward XVI, the Preston based lunatics have had to do, but have done so with ease. The eleven songs here bristle with a fiery cohesiveness to make it another classic to their catalogue.
Due to be released on Sept.25th 2020 via Metal Rocka Recordings, once again the doors to the Whttingham asylum open once more to allow Psychoberrie to wreak havoc as opener ‘Retrogression’ is an eerily spoken word intro to build up to the horror that unfurls.
‘The Cradle Song’ creepily opens to baby cries and her toy music box. Her mothers voice takes command as it heads off musically into majestic orchestral rock backed by a pleadingly delivered vocal, wah-wah guitar solo and a kick drum driven outro.
‘Mister Babadook’, the second single released is an unrelentingly mid paced thrasher with lead vocalist K.Berrie raging away with magnitude. An extra edge comes from snappy snare drum work.
‘Daisy Chains’ is outrageous! Oompah rhythms bounce along over unhinged vocals as it heavies up for raging guitar and another kick drum driven outro.
‘Broken Toys’ is accordion heavy of the highest accord, driving along a catchy groove that morphs into a guitar and drum maelstrom.
‘Imago’, first single taken from the album is all stark riffing, giving it a dense vibe. Drum patterns are metronomic that pound towards a symphonic swathed ending.
Skin shivering orchestral strings add a chilling vibe to ‘A Goodnight Shot’ as the daughter to mother lyrics of “The vial of valium should do the trick, I slip it into your whiskey. I’ll serve you one last drink, and all your songs will be history!” Vocals and music get more intense due to the first operatic backing vocal from Annabelle Iratni from Devilment as a repeated “I know where you keep your gun mother” is gnarly.
‘Burn The Witch’ is a fiery epic as a laid back intro is strengthened by strafing riffs as it accelerates towards kick drum tyranny and a sublime outro.
‘Catch Me If You Can’ is like standing in the eye of a storm due to its dizzying rhythms. It could be a contender for the bands circus pit opener on the next tour, that crown is currently worn by ‘Toy Box’ on the debut album. Forceful orchestral strings and operatic backing vocals once more boost with aplomb as a death metal rage is backed by a rabid vocal………not forgetting the banjo of course!
The sentence given to Psychoberrie for her crimes are delivered in ‘The Verdict’. She is accused of voluntary manslaughter and is to spend five years in a secure psychiatric asylum due to her upbringing.
The album ends on a high with ‘Shadows’, a song with the strutting peacock bravado of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. It’s my personal album favourite, a heavy metal opera that defies belief. A gentle intro of twee vocals and snappy snares ascends to the heavens with a majestic roar with backing vocals from Russ Custard from Frozen In Shadows, an industrial avalanche of white noise as the song ends on a whisper.
Metamorphosis album track listing :-
Retrogression.
The Cradle Song.
Mister Babadook.
Daisy Chains.
Broken Toys.
Imago.
A Goodnight Shot.
Burn The Witch.
Catch Me If You Can.
The Verdict.
Shadows.
Links to Ward XVI can be found below :-
https://amazon.co.uk/Metamorphosis-WardXVI/dp/B08H5BRL69/?tag=plane09-21
- £13.00
