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Former
Mouth of the Architect guitarist and vocalist Gregory
Lahn went the opposite direction when brainstorming his
new mammoth of a band. By all accounts, the sound of
Struck By Lightning is far removed from the thick
glacial movements of his past. Anyone expecting doom and
gloom is in for a nice face-slapping surprise. A reality
check.
What we have here instead is a dynamic beast that’s as
able to sprint to the goal Usain Bolt style as it is to
sit heavy on its ass, thumping like an annoying giant
poking fun at your face. The music is swift and progressive,
effectively heavy and surprisingly technical. It
surprises then that Serpents is a quick record,
which is not the same thing as saying that is short
because at 46 minutes, nothing is.
Comparisons
to Mastodon will be unavoidable. Struck By Lightning do not come
off like the Mastodon sound-alikes but there are
parallels. Especially in the layering of intricate guitar
noodles and the super busy drumming style. These two factors create this
new sort of metallic prog rock that could place Struck By
Lightning in the same bin. “The Watchful Eye” is a perfect
example of that. It’s frenetic and it batters you like a crazy hammer
set to automatic. Bran Dailor is all over this stuff. Yeah,
similarities are undeniable. But this quartet stands on its
own, plus the songs are as powerful if not more, than anything
Mastodon ever wrote. 100% guaranteed. “Supercell” is as cool as
it gets. Fast and catchy, with superseding riffs and galloping
beats, these motherfuckers pack a wallop like a hundred
demolition machines from the
future.
The trick in
playing music this technical is retaining the humanity, which
Struck By Lightning do admirably. Their mix of hardcore
roughness, metallic finesse and progressive intricacy is a
flawless marriage. The melody is only part of the equation. The
band conveys their contagious inner energy through
the sheer revolutions of the songs. The layering of the music,
the weaving guitars and propulsive power of their chords could
be a reflection of the band’s psyche or soul. But I ain’t into
psycho analysis and shit, this is metal music and Serpents
is
one hell of a record. It is wild in its mood, and upbeat like
few metal records. Let’s say this is careful music. Everything
is in its right place. Every note is there for a reason. It is a
joy to listen to.
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