Archive for Scotch Egg

Interview with Sworn To Oath

Posted in Interview with tags , , , on 17th January 2013 by underthenorthernstar

Sworn To Oath have been shaking the UK’s underground metal scene to its core with both of their highly rated EPs, their explosive live shows and strong work ethic. With a debut album currently in the making, the Scotch Egg collars the trio for a quick word.

Alasdair: What’s the meaning behind the band’s name, Sworn To Oath?

Sworn To Oath: When it all started we swore to an oath that we’d put everything we had to give in to the band, when thinking of names it kept re-occurring & eventually stuck.

A: How is the experience of working on your first full length album?

S2O: Amazing, we’re really exited about it, we feel  like its a huge progression from our previous releases. It’s awesome to let initial ideas evolve into a finished article that we can’t wait for everyone to hear.

A: Any big shows lined up for 2013?

S2O: We don’t have anything planned as of yet, our main focus is on the record, but we’ll definitely have a heavy schedule later this year.

A: You just released a new, FREE single, Stand Alone, what has been the response from critics/fans?

S2O: We’ve had a great response on the whole, we wanted to give people an idea of what to expect from the album, but it’s definitely just the tip of the iceberg.

A: What are the lyrical themes/ideas behind the new album?

S2O: A huge variety really, we have a lot that we want to say with this album. We touched on everything from soul searching to society and our current state of mind.

A: If you could replace the sound track to any film with your own music, which one would it be and why?

S2O: Talledega Nights, because it’s so funny and if you ain’t first, you’re last.

A: What is life on the road like for a three-piece, in comparison to a bigger band?

S2O: You’ll have to ask a bigger band. It’s cool, there’s much more room to do activities.

A: Is there anything you’d like to say to our readers?

S2O: Come to a show, bang your head, check us out online, stay tuned for the debut album and DON’TFUCKABOUT.

You can check out Sworn To Oath at their official Facebook page; which can be found at this location.

 

Leave a comment »

The Devil – The Devil

Posted in Review with tags , , , , , on 10th December 2012 by underthenorthernstar

 

The Devil
The Devil
Released November 12th, 2012
Experimental Black Metal
Candlelight Records

 

So! I do love a bit of home-grown British metal, and with the recent release of both Old Corpse Road and Winterfylleth’s astounding new albums, it seems to be a very good time for British black metal. As you can imagine, I was pleased enough to discover that Candlelight records had just signed and released the first album of an enigmatic new band, called The Devil, who have chosen, like the humongously popular Ghost, to remain completely anonymous. Before reviewing this, their debut, self-titled album, I knew nothing of them, and it’s safe to say that all I know now is that they play some fairly interesting experimental black metal.
An extremely unconventional and instantly noticeable trait seen here is that no real vocals are used until the 6th track, and even then, it is only a spoken word section. Instead, the songs are filled with recordings of news bulletins, political speeches, and even the moon landings. It’s hard to distinguish one song on this album from another – they do tend to flow together. It does serve to an extent to immerse the listener, but is still just far too repetitive to warrant it. I felt very much like there should have been some kind of building atmosphere, but it just… didn’t quite materialise. The music is very minimalistic – drums rarely shift from a simple 4/4 pattern, never once going into blastbeat territory, nor even really making much use of double bass. The guitars are simplistic, and riffs are rare, if they appear at all. Choirs often meander through the background, filling out the fairly small sound, but are nowhere near the epic end of the scale.

When it comes to production, everything sounds clean; perhaps a little too clean, a bit too studio-made. Call me a traditionalist, but the music is just far too polished. It’s not REAL enough. Everything is clear, and clean, but it seems like a very shallow sound.

The whole album… frustrates me. I want it to go somewhere that it stalwartly refuses to go. No real Crescendo, no climax… it just wanders about for its duration and fritters away. Nothing stands out, nothing really changes. While it’s interesting, and indulges in some unusual ideas, it’s just not enough to be a bit odd, minimalistic and Anonymous. Maybe I just don’t get it, but I’ve heard far superior atmospheric, “experimental” black metal, and this just doesn’t cut it. A mask doesn’t make you good.

1.8/5

Alasdair “Scotch Egg” Dunn

Leave a comment »