WAILIN’ STORMS

Rattle GILEAD MEDIA

Dark, trippy desert psych with extra guitars

Letting rip at the (bitter) sweet midpoint between twang-heavy Americana and the claustrophobic chaos of gothic post-punk, Wailin’ Storms spend most of Rattle in a collective state of deranged ecstasy. There’s something overwhelming about the band’s giant wall of guitars. The opening title track is a rampaging bad trip through some snakeinfested, claustrophobic nightmare, assailed by a never-ending crescendo of clanging distortion.

Rope is a fiery and fidgety skull-rattler, with a Grave Pleasures-like sense of sensual momentum; Wish glowers and clatters, a slowmotion scream into the night sky, underpinned by a circular, grinding bass riff and dense with reverb and humming bottom end. It’s all grimly thrilling, but the ghoulish, slow-burning

Crow is the best of the lot. Have nightmares. ■■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Wovenhand, Grave Pleasures, Huntsmen DOM LAWSON

Fear come in, marrying devastating deathcore with lulling R&B melodies while creating an enormous, ethereal universe in the process. Where their first two albums explored airborne and oceanic themes, glittering third effort Valley Of Kings tells a vibrant tale of five warriors seeking out and destroying dark relics conjured by an evil force. Journeying to the colossal The Relics Of Nihlux,

traversing the towering

The Forest Of Illusions and conquering the igneous atmospherics of The Cave,

the Indianapolis outfit’s larger-than-life narrative feels like a cinematic epic as they harness their seemingly limitless creativity and gorgeous instrumentals. 2020 would be far bleaker without The Wise Man’s Fear. ■■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Of Mice & Men, Parkway Drive, Attack Attack!

ALI COOPER flavour of Supernaut.

Wolftooth draw deep from the Sabbath well on here, but deliver enough passion and a keen eye for chugging rampages that you can’t help but get sucked into the void of thundering heavy metal greatness that permeates every bass-fill, drum-beat and howling guitar lick. ■■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Black Moth, Fu Manchu, Black Sabbath RICH HOBSON