Wolfthorn are another band immersing themselves in the rich heritage of old Albion. Hailing from Lancaster and having been in existence since 2007 the fairly young looking band are only just releasing this, their debut EP although they have apparently been honing skills on the live circuit in the North West of Blighty for a while. There is plenty of substance in this professional looking disc and the band have obviously put thought into everything from their logo to their presentation and not just their music itself. As for that, the five songs here clock in at just over half an hour so give you plenty of scope to formulate an opinion.
‘Sworn In Blood’ starts off with a nice melody coursing through it and some signature guitar sweeps. Vocalist Chris Eckersjey has a rasp laden delivery and the band are not afraid to pepper their music with some deft guitar solos. There is a heathen feel to things and a blackened mindset about it all and this number has you wanting to get the air guitar out and join in with the twin harmonics. Keyboards are utilised but not in an overbearing or cheesy fashion, serving as an intro to ‘Twilight In Valinor’ they add atmosphere before the heathen cleave swipes in with rugged determination. Apparently three of the band are involved with vocals and you notice this as a filthy gruff part adds diversity to proceedings. There is a distinct British flair about this and that includes a certain eccentricity as we go into spoken word and jolly folk laden track on the infectious ‘The Mists Of Avalon.’
There is a definite sense of accomplished maturity about this, the band know how to play and construct a good melodic tune. In doing so they are quite accessible and are not an all out corpse-paint wearing assault, so should appeal to quite a few people. With bands such as Old Corpse Road and Northern Oak getting more attention and flying the flag for English metal there is no reason this lot should not be joining them soon. Wolfthorn certainly have a spark about them and hopefully we will be hearing more about them soon as they are starting to demo songs for their next as yet untitled release.
http://www.myspace.com/wolfthornuk
http://www.nightmarerecords.com
