ninehertz

Once more to Oakland, led as if often the case for all things Californian and ugly by the indefatigable Transylvanian Recordings. Here we find Field of Fear and Scorpion, a record that draws you in with its feral doom force but keeps you there with a wild array of styles.

The first track is deceptively gentle for a long time, ethereal almost, before exploding from out of nowhere in an apocalyptic, post-metal crash and burn close, which makes a hell of a first impression. They carry that weight right into the following Black Beating Heart, where vocals arrive for the first time. There’s a definite Neurosis influence but more than simple homage; there’s a sludgey ugliness to it too and a droning ethos betrayed by the short song lengths. It ends seemingly prematurely but perhaps just spent and happy to leave you wanting more.

It is after that it changes and heads down darkened avenues you aren’t expecting. The mournful mood of Hell on Wheels descends from Nick Cave country blues to a pained Swans style output, while The Final Horseman is melancholic despite its enchanting rhythms and atmosphere.

The closing A Prayer brings new directions in still, starting slow and dropping to nearly nothing, it starts to rev up in ominous tones, weighty, threatening. Its marching rhythm is seemingly aiming straight for you, as it gets louder it has an almost industrial tinge such is its cold repeating nature.

There are these subtle twists right through to its end, signs of a band restless with their own sound, a desire to innovate and stand out. They succeed across Scorpion, an album that you find new things within on subsequent plays through.