Sacred Mother Tongue - Out Of The Darkness (Album Review)
Friday, 19 April 2013
Written by Simon Ramsay
The history of rock music is littered with great bands who've fallen prey to 'difficult second album syndrome', following much hyped débuts with poorly conceived and received follow ups. Having sagely taken their time after 2008's 'The Ruin Of Man', Sacred Mother Tongue effortlessly dodge that bullet, unleashing a melodic metal masterpiece that welds Metallica's militaristic riffing with Alter Bridge like melodies, compelling lyrical themes and off the chart musical ability. Difficult second album? That's for pussies!
Last year's 'A Light Shines' EP (read Stereoboard's review here) was a resounding statement of intent. Propelled by empowering anthemic colossus 'Evolve / Become', the new songs showed a band taking huge musical strides, adding commercial clout to their full throttled attack by wrapping stadium demolishing melodies full of emotion around a blitzkrieg of ferocious musical ideas and expertly crafted compositions. All those tracks are included here, with 'The City Is Crying' given a crushingly dystopic studio makeover, boasting a robust brutality the live version lacked.
Expectations were understandably heightened following that EP and 'Out of The Darkness' doesn't disappoint. The bludgeoning 'Blackened' esque assault of opener 'Demons' is fiercely powerful and encapsulates everything that's great about this record; a relentless tsunami of nasty guitars, thunderous drumming and a tasty variety of impassioned hooks large enough to snag a T-Rex. Whilst plaudits rain down on guitar deity Andy James – whose playing is exceptional, riffing away like the bastard son of Hetfield as well as dispatching explosive solos that blend lightning fast picking with perceptively judged melodies – this is a band effort rather than a vehicle for his talents, with each member crucial to the monolithic wall of sound created. The ruthless onslaught of bassist Josh Gurner and drummer Lee Newell is astonishingly potent, their explosive drive providing the nuclear bottom heavy grooves over which James shines. Newell's work is particularly impressive. Coming on like a human hurricane, his tachycardic fills detonate with destructive precision all over the place, cooking up a storm on tracks like 'Bleeding Out', where seizure inducing blast beats and unstoppable percussive fury provide a seismic momentum sure to register on the Richter scale.
Although a sterling team effort, frontman Darrin South deserves a special mention. Having ditched the brutal screams he's become a formidable singer. Whether delivering soaring choruses or aggressive bursts of anger, his wonderfully rhythmic delivery and crystal clear tonality gives the band a distinct identity that grounds their classic metal stylings in the here and now. Moreover, his lyrical work is laudably brave, chronicling his recent journey from the depths of depression to a place of renewed hope. It's obviously been a painful trek and South pulls no punches, singing about monsters lurking within, self harm, abusive relationships and the suffering caused by today's society. It may sound bleak, but there's a good balance between despair and optimism as songs like 'Just A Ride' and 'A Light Shines' possess a cathartic quality that's vigorously uplifting. By the razor edged gallop of album closer 'Believe' there's a palpable feeling of having emerged from something turbulent with renewed strength as South sings “Hope is in your heart, it's inside if you just reach down into your soul, and you'll find a reason to be when you believe”. It's positivity is surprisingly infectious and will resonate with anyone who has faced their own 'heart of darkness' moments. As far as documenting naked emotional turmoil goes, this is the album St Anger should have been.
What's also impressive is how the band incorporate a wide range of influences into their sound without ever coming across as derivative. Whilst the template is undoubtedly Metallica – think the musical style of 'And Justice For All' mixed with the punchy economy of the black album – their modern dynamic comes from gigantic melodies in the vein of Shinedown, particularly on battle cry bruiser 'Seven Days' whose venomous chorus spits and snarls astride scalding instrumentation. There's also nice touches of Alice In Chains harmonies on 'Bird In Hand' - a mid-tempo head banger during the verses that speeds into a charging refrain full of spiteful interrogation - and even a punk rock feel to the anti-establishment lyrics of 'Pawn', beginning with a spoken word intro that cries “I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this any more!”.
When Sacred Mother Tongue roared back with last year's EP, the buzz around them grew to a deafening roar. Big were things anticipated. Even the press release for this new record is rather cocksure, stating they're “a band primed for worldwide domination”. That kind of confidence can lead to a pretty big fall if not sufficiently backed up. Fortunately, after listening to this all-killer-no-filler beast of an album, such a quote actually seems like a rather coy understatement! This record can't be praised highly enough and just gets better and better with each listen. For once the PR people aren't exaggerating, and with their current major label backing SMT are primed and ready to take this fantastic piece of work to the global audience it deserves to reach.
'Out Of The Darkness' is out now on Transcend/EMI.
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Last year's 'A Light Shines' EP (read Stereoboard's review 
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