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Black Math Horseman: Wyllt
19/08/10 || GardensTale
I’ll be up front. Nothing from the post-
So what am I doing reviewing a record that has connections with bands like Isis and Neurosis (as far as my limited knowledge of the genre can tell)? Well, I’m writing this because if I like a record from this genre, it’s bound to be even more appealing to regulars in the genre. And I do like this. Oh yes.
Black Math Horseman, besides sporting a very unusual name, are new to the scene, but this debut disc already sounds very mature. This shows in the songwriting especially. Even when they are not playing a classic ‘heavy’ sound, meaning loud, monotone, distorted guitars, droning bass and slow drums, they still sound heavy. Reverberating riffs echo up from a deep dark well, distortion and feedback mixed with straight up gritty guitarwork. The drums in the opener “Tyrant” sound shamanistic, primal almost, but don’t take the spotlight in an intrusive way.
Besides the excellent, haunting instrumental work, the vocals work like a charm. One Sera Timms provides us with these, and she sounds primal and shamanistic as well. Her chanting is drowned in reverb to such an extent that I can’t make out a word she’s saying, but that’s actually a plus in this regard. It sounds hauntingly beautiful, and matches the music perfectly. Words are not necessary here.
There’s little I can criticize about this album beyond the obvious for someone not well-versed in the genre. At times it’s a bit slower than I can bear, but BMH do speed things up every now and then, and it hits the harder when they do. For a debut, this is a pitch-perfect start, and I’m curious to how this band is planning to evolve. So far, it looks like they have a bright future ahead of them.
- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: Tee Pee Records
- Website: www.blackmathhorseman.com
- Band
- Sera Timms: vocals, bass
- Ian Barry: guitar
- Bryan Tulao: guitar
- Sasha Popovic: drums
- Tracklist
- 01.Tyrant
- 02. Deerslayer
- 03. A barren cause
- 04. Origin of savagery
- 05. Torment of the metals
- 06. Bird of all faiths and none/ Bell from Madrone
