Vallenbrosa - Hessian Mercenaries
Last week I introduced all of you to Southern England's Vallenbrosa, a group of hard-hitting Brits seemingly ready to bring back balls to modern rock. Melodic yet with depth to the riffs, the band's meaty guitars instantly pumped up the volume on the band's teaser EP for this very album, all while thundering percussion and soaring vocals competed violently for a listener's attention. With a full-length version of Hessian Mercenaries out now for perusal, does Vallenbrosa's brand of hooky yet muscular rock still flood the adrenal glands while pleasing the ears? Read on, dear fan, and find out.
Much like the earlier EP I spoke of, Vallenbrosa wisely chose to play the bouncy "The Hessian" first. "Hessian" attacks with almost instantly recognizable drums, in-your-face guitars, and soaring, anathemic choruses. The drums crackle with fiery OOOMPF while slight melodies trace behind the song's rousing final choruses, making this cut a strong one for both live and studio settings. Follow-up "GB Trainwreck," meanwhile, slinks in with a metallic guitar line reminiscent of more straightforward Trivium or Avenged Sevenfold, the band balancing a crushing pulse of guitars with staying power imbued in each and every word. Frontman Nik Taylor lets the half-thrash riffs crash and tumble behind him, their caustic melodies providing a solid pillar for his soaring heights and surprisingly shredding howls. "Trainwreck" is Mercenaries' romper-stomper track and one hell of a good time to boot.
"Wings on the Floor" starts off with an ambient hum soon replaced by graceful, sweeping passages of clean guitars. Minimal and stunning in its bare vulnerability, the song transitions seamlessly into the fiery "Degenerate," arguably the band's crowning moment on Hessian Mercenaries. An epic, melody-soaked candle of Gothenburg rock goes off in a flame of sing-along thrash ala Pantera, making for a Southern-fried asskicking of the highest order. Intricate, shredding guitar licks caress the pounding chaos, and "Degenerate" comes off as one of the most intense songs Vallenbrosa offer up here. It is definitely a direction I'd like to hear further explored.
"A Smooth Rejection," which is also the band's most recent music video, appeared on the earlier EP as well and sounds much better sandwiched where it is on the full-length. On the EP, the song's mix of folksy clean chords and rattling riffs into a chugging breakdown of melodic catharsis sounded like a cool gimmick; here, it keeps the disc's momentum going and provides a kinder yet still brawny counterpart to "Degenerate." The crisp production readily available over the album's entirety works especially well here, highlighting the complex transitions and fret-work "Rejection" often offers. "Brainwash Patriot" attacks with legitimate groove metal influences, the guitars sounding like Clutch, Mastodon, and Pantera turned into their most memorable, accessible portions and mixed in a blender. A massively catchy breakdown brings the mosh while Warner's soulful crooning keeps things a bit higher on the mainstream scale, a nice touch in a world where most bands feel driven to either end of the spectrum.
"Nothing Solved" recalls the awesome acoustic work of Pantera, in which fragile strings mixed with dark, brooding lyricism. "Nothing" is no different, and this marvelously broken song has the same kind of dark potential best displayed in stuff from Seether, Stone Sour, and the like. Capping Hessian Mercenaries off is "Small Town Blues," a roaring attack on suburban monotony. "Blues" kicks up dust-devil of Sword worshipping groove and basically builds a raw, ripping condemnation out of it. The song eventually breaks down into immensely satisfying, brutal chug, all replete with fiery guitar of course. It ends things much more powerfully than on the EP, the slow fade-out sounding elegant rather than anti-climatic.
All-in-all, Hessian Mercenaries is a fun, muscular, and well-constructed album that will have you hitting repeat time and time again. It doesn't reinvent the wheel or completely explode tired clich�s, but as far as straight-up rock 'n roll goes, this slams a bit harder than most one will be likely to hear on modern radio. Even better, the songs stay ingrained long after the CD has stopped spinning in its drive. Heed my advice and check this one out; the style ain't for everyone but they'll probably be going bigger places soon.
Vallenbrosa's Hessian Mercenaries
1. The Hessian
2. GB Trainwreck
3. Wings on the Floor
4. Degenerate
5. A Smooth Rejection
6. Brainwash Patriot
7. Nothing Solved
8. Small Town Blues
Rating:
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