Era Vulgaris - What Stirs Within

HinweiseGenre : Thrash Metal
Country : Ireland
Year : 2007

Imagine two genres that just shouldn't work together. The hoary old favourite of the armchair scientist of course, is Doom/Death, a splicing of the ways that bang to rights you wouldn't think would work together well. Now imagine this; Prog/Thrash. Surely an oxymoronic term, how could you really conceive of the marriage of breakneck guitars, aggressive attitude and hi-top sneakers with beards, cardigans and serious men making 84 minute concept albums about the flight of the lesser-spotted weeble-bird? Well, Era Vulgaris, (which to be honest sounds like a complaint I had once that cleared up with natural yogurt) reckon they've found the answer with this eight track stunner. Yes, I use the
term "stunner" freely here, in every sense of the word, because albums as refreshing as this just don't come along every day.
EV are yet another of these rapidly emergent Irish bands to be hitting the scene. I don't know where in the blazes these blarney kissing bangers are coming from these days, but to be honest, it appears that there's a great scene to be had in the land of Guinness and rain. In terms of the all important thrash quotient, (because let's be honest, pure prog is as much an exercise in futility as it is in tediousness), there are more than the requisite skills to be had here. Riffs come thick and fast, alternating nicely between the crushing and the ball-bustingly heavy, and there are the melodies that weave in and out more than a drink driver after an all day session. The drumming and bass work are nicely reminiscent of the more classic spectrum of the thrash market, while the real revelation is the voice of larynx shredding vocal schizophrenic Chris Rob. One minute he's roaaaaaaarrrring along like the bastard son of Anselmo and a Dodge Charger stuck in first gear at 70, the next he's crooning one off with as much aplomb as the next clean vocaller. Indeed, on track 6, "Fate Draws A Curtain" (one of the few things I could also draw with my boyhood etch-a-sketch, childhood trivia fans), his voice sounds like classic Halford in the moodier aspects of the Priests early career. In terms of the Prog side of things? Well, you'll get plenty of songs that weave and wend around the usual song structures, spiralling instrumental sections and a couple of "what the fuck?" musical moments that eventually make sense (such as the mid section to opener "Brittle"). Thankfully, there is little in the way of the usual ponderous nonsense that you might have to endure with the Genesis-fellating brigade, and none of that Pink Floyd pseudo-intellectual rubbish in the lyrics that can often be little more than pretentious skidmarks on the pristine underpants of music. The song writing is of the massively catchy and competent standard that is now becoming the norm from the rivet-headed ones from the Emerald Isle, and the production, while sometimes thinner than Posh Spice on hunger strike, is for the most part pretty powerful and complimentary to the whole effort.
A great album then, especially for a debut - and a great deal better than many an album from more established bands. If you can find it, get it.