According to the central source of all knowledge, Wikipedia, the term ‘Supergroup’ is defined as “a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups”. Now, whilst the clumsily named Charred Walls Of The Damned are being touted as such, it doesn’t really stand up under close scrutiny, especially when you consider that 75% of the line up are comprised of former members of Iced Earth, and the remaining 25% is a producer who has also played guitar in some less than noteworthy bands. So what it looks like we actually have here is another incarnation of Iced Earth, and that’s a feeling that’s given more weight when you first give this a listen. But then again, maybe it’s not quite as simple as that.
Charred Walls is the pet project of Richard Christy, former Death and Iced Earth drummer, and more recently a key part of the Howard Stern show. It was during his tenure here that one of his famed prank calls led to the naming of the band, as a radio evangelist prayed for forgiveness for them to avoid the charred walls of the damned. So there, that clears that one up. Christy enlisted previous Iced Earth stalemates Steve DiGiorgio on bass, and Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens, supplying his trademark Halford clone soaring vocal. They are joined by Jason Suecof, producer for many of metals up and coming generation, and by judging by his performance here, a quite stunningly accomplished guitarist in his own right. The opening notes of the album suggest that this will be a thunderously heavy, death metal opus, driven by machine gun drumming and a heavy chugging guitar, but as soon as Owens’s voice kicks in for the first line of ‘Ghost Town’, the power metal roots take hold. At first listen, it does feel a little clunky, but you could almost argue that the band members gel better over the course of the track, and by the end, you can hear a well oiled machine operating. Despite the terribly clichéd opening of ‘From The Abyss’, the band really hit their stride from here, with a beat that builds as Ripper’s vocals rise to an impassioned peak, accompanied by a galloping bassline. Things take a slight lull through ‘Creating Our Machine’, but return with added bombast for ‘Blood on Wood’. A musically creative number, and with a chorus that has stuck in my head for the past few weeks of listening. It’s an interesting mix of styles here, with every member having a clear input into the songs overall feel, certainly what you would expect of a ‘Supergroup’ mentality.
Jason Suecof gets a chance to showcase his guitar skill on ‘In a World So Cruel’, which has a ballad style feel to it. Well, as ballad like as a song can feel when interspersed with regular splashes of double kick. An excellent chorus here again, although the song does feel like it ends one chorus short for my money. ‘Manifestations’ brings some pace back to things, adding a thrash element to the sound; although Suecof’s melodic guitar breaks add a touch of finesse to a bludgeoning piece of work. Once again though, the song finishes so suddenly, it feels unfinished, a niggling issue that is a recurring factor on this album. Things take a very retro turn on ‘Voices Within The Walls’, with a late 80’s sound about things, with Owens sounding on occasion as if he is harmonising with Queensryche’s Geoff Tate. This retro theme continues through ‘The Darkest Eyes’, with a very catchy 80’s style chorus slapped in the middle of some frenetic drumming, and a quite bizarre, yet somehow congruous Metalcore style guitar break in the middle. The album closes on a suitably spectacular and anthemic note with ‘Fear in the Sky’, as it weaves its way through a number of different styles; it has everyone firing on all cylinders. Christy’s drumming is, as you would expect, flawless and inventive, and clearly the driving force here. Once again though, the song, and the album finishes on such a sudden and ultimately unsatisfying note, it really does take the shine off things.
There’s no doubt of the calibre of the ensemble that Christy has brought together for this endeavour, although to call them a supergroup is a bit of an overstatement. If we view them as what they are, Richard Christy’s new band or side project as it is, then this is a very impressive debut. Musically varied and engaging, and tied together with the exceptional voice and range of Owens, it rises above the level of tired and unimaginative, recycled power metal that could be expected. This really is one of those occasions where the value of the whole really does exceed the sum of the parts. Now if they could just do something about that name…
http://www.myspace.com/charredwallsofthedamned
