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Alunah Call of Avernus (Ninehertz Second Opinion)

Wed 20th June 2012


Sam-O)))

/incoming/avernus.jpgComing from Birmingham and being a heavy band means you’re instantly stereo-typed or you have some enormous shoes to fill, Alunah have taken the challenge and have been receiving positive vibes for their own brand of psychedelic, avant-garde, doom-ridden, retro-heavy metal.

Call of Avernus is a release from 2010 on Catacomb records; it thunders in with Living in an Ancient Land this track begins with balls, loud bass-balls. The track lumbers along before majestically switching into a swinging beat which punches hard into the listener’s brain.

The album's title track comes up next and features a pretty dull riff that could be included in any heavy bands arsenal, if you’re a heavy guitar player you are probably familiar with drop tunings played at the 12th fret and alternating between the 3rd and 5th. Vocals are this tracks saving grace, not quite as strong as Blood Ceremony yet a great addition to the overall music.

Song of the Sun comes in next to demolish your ears but unfortunately brings in an identical riff to what was offered previously. The groove is apparent in the chorus but the placement of this track on the record is what makes this and the last track sound identical.

A haunting bass line drifts in to commence the next track, Magick Lantyrn. This is the trippy one that many bands all add in to albums, ‘the slow one’ the addition of female vocals throughout this release are what save’s them. The musicianship on this record is of a very high standard and that is apparent.

With a thumping riff reminiscent of Clutch’s Elephant Riders, Eternal Sea blazes in next with the vocals seeming to take a more relaxed approach which to listeners that have got this far into the record will instantly assume is just plain lazy.

Speeding up from the Doom-Fest that has been exploding in the speakers, Dance of Dionysus marches in with one mother-fucker of a riff, this is the type of riff you could expect Fu Manchu left out when recording The Action is Go. Vocals are still, Lazy here but god, do they work well.

Back in the land of doom the next track is named Circle of Stone which features a mellowed intro which is clearly a nod to ‘planet caravan’ with rim-shots and plenty of ‘Cathedral-style’ reverb, the track unfortunately U-turns into the same drum beat as the last track and is seemingly a trait of the group as well as wah-wah-drenched guitar solos, it can be turned off, there’s a little button at the front, just put all your weight on the front of the pedal...

As the next track crushes my eardrums with majestic dirt, I prepare myself more that same riff and tempo to carry on, they U-turn again into a generic stoner-rock beat and riff on a track named ‘higher’.

I’m a firm believer that these days, playing Stoner-Rock or ‘Stoner-Doom’ needs to offer something different as opposed to the same old lyrics about getting 'higher' and playing a standard drop-tuned riff. Saying that, the guitar and bass on this release sound devastatingly heavy which does help.

The lengthy title of the closing track, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn suits the humble riff that kicks off the proceedings here and continues to come back through the track itself. As a closing track, with sludge-riffs with monstrous bass that breaks down into a clean, cowbell-ridden beat. As you all know, there was one thing this album needed in my opinion, more cowbell.

If you haven’t checked Alunah out yet, you definitely should as they hold a torch to everything heavy from Birmingham. This release is a winner in the book of English Doom and is a great mix of Desert-Stoner and Doom to roll up and burn.

Discuss

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    •  mikemike
    • Add your comments here!
    •  PodgePodge
    • Reviews of two year old releases.

      Seems an odd choice
    •  JackJack
    • and it's been reviewed before. Their new one is due out soon
    •  mikemike
    • Yeah, hence the title, SECOND OPINION.

      They'd sent the album a total of three times (I inherited Pete's 'to do' pile), so it was sent in a bundle to Sam, he reviewed it before we realised, so we ran it anyway. We do welcome second opinions, no matter how old, but they rarely come up.
    •  pull-my-plonkerpull-my-plonker
    • Am sure I've already reviewed this too...
    •  mikemike
    • Yes, yours was the first review, this is the second.

      Are we being really unclear?
    •  Sam-O)))Sam-O)))
    • So what you're saying is that this is the second time, not the first time that this album has been reviewed? It's not the first time then? It's got to be the second time? Is it not the third time that this has been reviewed? I guess it must be the second time then. Don't hate the player, hate the game.:rolleyes:
    •  bosskeloidbosskeloid
    • If they have sent three copies.... whens the 3rd review due? he he sorry!
    •  JackJack
    • Second opinion can be good but wouldn't it just be a more standard editorial approach to not run a review that's already been done. There's a comments section underneath for people to write a second opinion.
      Just seems to confuse things
    •  bad admiralbad admiral
    • EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY
    •  JakeJake
    • Screw that Jack...where is our 3rd review?


      seriously, ta very much all:P
    •  mikemike
    • Like I say Jack, these are very rare and this one was in fact reviewed again by mistake, seems a waste of Sam's time to have made the effort not to run it.
    •  MazzMazz
    • bad admiral says:
      EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY


      I love you
    •  pull-my-plonkerpull-my-plonker
    • Mazz says:
      bad admiral says:
      EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY


      I love you


      I love Down.
    •  GarethGareth
    • pull-my-plonker says:
      Mazz says:
      bad admiral says:
      EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY


      I love you


      I love Down.


      Wait until the Iron Maiden review.
    •  MazzMazz
    • Gareth says:
      pull-my-plonker says:
      Mazz says:
      bad admiral says:
      EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY


      I love you


      I love Down.


      Wait until the Iron Maiden review.


      Don't you dare.
    •  GarethGareth
    • Mazz says:
      Gareth says:
      pull-my-plonker says:
      Mazz says:
      bad admiral says:
      EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY


      I love you


      I love Down.


      Wait until the Iron Maiden review.


      Don't you dare.


      I don't like Maiden but it's more of an indifference. Plus, I've heard plenty of their stuff so it wouldn't be keeping with the theme of the series.