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Album Reviews : The Loom of Time – NihilReich

By on April 6, 2016

a1689843011_16The Loom of Time are a 3-piece from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. These blokes play an old school yet eclectic brand of metal. Formed in late 2014, they certainly bring something relatively fresh to the table.

“The Ashes of Your Fall” is the opening track on this release and it combines elements from a range of influences with a surprisingly seamless result. This track is like the love child created from an improbable ménage a trois between Immortal, Mastodon and Cathedral. Who knew that you could mix doom, black metal and sludge with some traditional heavy metal riffing to create something quite unique and very listenable?! With that said it didn’t take long at all for The Loom of Time to have my full attention. “The Ashes of Your Fall” is a neat track and some of the lead guitar melodies are particularly memorable. A great way to kick off the album.

“The Pinnacle of Hypocrisy” continues in a similar vein to the opening track. It’s almost like classic sounding heavy metal with black metal vocals, hints of sludge and doom and some thrashy moments thrown in for good measure. Aside from the unusual but great mix of styles, what strikes me from the very first track is that the production on this release is really organic sounding. This is ultra refreshing in today’s age where programmed drums and simulated amp tones are becoming more and more prevalent. The production adds to the old school vibe and overall atmosphere of the release. Top marks.

“The Cries of the Weak” sees the band adopting a complete change of pace and vocal style when compared to the proceeding two tracks. Where the preceding tracks might have some doomy sort of flavours to them at times this track takes that vibe to the next level. This is Cathedral worship, and that’s fine by me!

“The Greed of Lesser Men” showcases their black metal influence upfront. The evil sounding nature of the riffing is the one consistent element throughout the many twists and turns. It’s another great track and an interesting listen for sure. “The Peons of the Cosmos” is a really diverse track; yet again we get the improbable mix and yet again result is a highly enjoyable and cohesive track.

“The Fight for the Subhuman” is a almost a ballad of sorts, and a nice way to close out the album. Yet again the track is a melting pot of metal styles drawing on a wide range Influences which seem to span from Blizzard of Oz era Ozzy, all the way to some of the ballads from Nevermore’s Dead Heart In a Dead World. The clean vocals are impressive and the classical guitar lines are a nice touch.

The Loom of Time are quite progressive in the way that they draw upon a range of influences. When I say progressive, think Mastodon’s blend of metal, prog rock a psychedelia rather than mind bending time signature changes and otherworldly musicianship. Whatever the case they certainly have a unique style which is as diverse as it is impressive.

In today’s day and age it’s never been easier for a band to record and release an album. Technology has progressed to a point that almost anyone with a guitar and a lap top can put together a recording and then upload it to bandcamp as a form of DIY distribution. Whilst these developments could be seen to be a negative for the music industry as a whole, it is certainly a great time to be a music fan. If you’re willing to trawl through the countless new bands releasing music to separate the wheat from the chaff, you’re bound to stumble across an unknown gem and NihilReich from The Loom of Time is certainly a gem that I’m glad to have stumbled upon.

It’s refreshing to find a new band whose sound and song writing skills far outweigh the number of likes they have on Facebook. Go and check them out on Bandcamp and Facebook and show your support for a quality, creative Australian band that deserves to be heard. Riffs for days.

About

Chris is a long time metal enthusiast and advocate for Australian heavy music scene. Chris grew up in Perth, Western Australia and is a past member of modern melodeath act Let's Kill Uncle. Currently residing in London, UK.