Metal Moth - Rise

Metal Moth

Rise

by Daniel Fox at 19 December 2014, 8:31 PM

I love my job.

I love my job because bands like METAL MOTH falling into a lap make it a vocation and a pleasure. Hailing from the UK, they play a broad range of metal heavily steeped in the 'classic' genres; ranging from Hard Rock, to the classic heaviness of old (good) METALLICA, or even ACCEPT and ANVIL, some delicious NWOBHM melodic inspiration and the edge of gritty Thrash. Recently released was their debut EP, "Rise", containing 4 diverse, and very different tracks, rather indicative of the band's repertoire and proclivity for embellishing meaty classics.

"Moth to the Flame" was a fantastic choice to begin the album, displaying a rather strong propensity for Thrash tendencies, taking no time to unleash the unbridled energy within; going back and forth between gritty Rock verses and soaring NWOBHM choruses; think Di'Anno-era IRON MAIDEN, which becomes clear to be rather entrenched in the track; thrashing riffs steeped in groove, melody and prominent bass work. "One More Time" is, for the most part, a rather explosive and pounding mid-tempo track, with even more explosive explosions (I had to) propelled by fill-ins of well-oiled double-kickdrum performance. A few surprises dotted the way down the track, almost reaching the point of what might have been considered a 'breakdown' back in the day, before coming back in a blaze of soloing.

"Meltdown" is a monumentally-heavy piece smothered in Southern-style Groove, harkening back to the later meanderings of PANTERA; the slowest, but also easily the heaviest track on the EP; though there are just enough fantastic instrumental breaks to rise above a creeping monotony. "Metal Maniac" is an oddity for me; certainly the most 'out there' track on the record. It begins with a foreboding build-up, the powerful bass thrumming in the background, and a series of hammerblows brings out a series of fantastically swinging grooves and jives; think a suave offspring of BLACK SABBATH and early IRON MAIDEN.

It's always refreshing to know that metal like this exists now, and didn't just die in the 80's only to have a couple of albums reissued.