MELTGSNOW Black Penance (Pulverized)
Singapore’s metal scene has been thriving for awhile now with bands like Rudra and Impiety making their mark outside our shores. Likewise, Meltgsnow, whose debut album was released in the USA back in 2003. After seven long years, the band has finished its sophomore effort – Black Penance – and it’s certainly worth the wait!
Drawing from the gothic doom rock of pioneers Black Sabbath and the sonic pyrotechnics of Judas Priest, Meltgsnow employ greater melodic sensibilities than most modern metal outfits. I hesitate to use the term “old school” cos that would suggest irrelevance/obsolesce and certainly the music of Meltgsnow is anything but.
Vocalist Lord Insanity is the core of this sound – with his amazing vocal range: from gutteral growls to banshee shrieks, he gives vibrant life to excellent songs like Betrayal, Devil’s Mind Eye, Empty Sky and the like.
Of course, this is not meant to make short shrift of the contributions to the rest of the band. Zach (guitar), David (guitar) and Bexxx (bass) keep the riffs twisting and turning, building spidery matrixes in the listener’s mind, whilst Adrian provides the bedrock of shimmering staccato beats and heart-thumping kicks.
Conceptually, the dark themes are the norm with a focus on dirty deeds and bad attitudes with unlikely inspirations drawn from the Bible. Taking lyrical perspectives from devils, lost messiahs and desperate souls, the stories told are not meant for the easily offended or the faint hearted but revealing the naked heart of the beast (i.e. mankind) – the stark reality of the world.
In the final analysis, Black Penance is a more inclusive album that appearances would suggest and should easily appeal to metal, goth and indie rock fans with equal measure.
And as impressive as Meltgsnow is on record, the band ups the ante when it performs live so certainly not an experience to be missed. So make your way down to the Scape Lab this coming Saturday, 25th September as the band launches Black Penance, with the support of Lunarin, Fall of Mirra and Age of Sinfonia. Again, not be missed. More information here.
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