BLACK FIRE
Gizeh Records
Sludge Metal, Post Metal, Post Hardcore.
Listening Format: CD
Fresh from conquering the New Blood stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival, Leeds based sextet Hundred Year Old Man are looking to conquer the world. The anthemic 'Black Fire' is a hell of a way to accomplish such a feat. Back in 2015, HYOM released their self titled EP, consisting of three very lengthy pieces of incredibly dark and haunting Sludge Metal, faintly soaking in essences of Black Metal and Drone. Though it meandered a fair bit, it remains an impressive and suffocating debut effort. After a bit of a lineup change, including the addition of new lead vocalist Paul Broughton, HYOM have kept the best parts of their original sound, and fused them with a slightly more urgent and Hardcore influenced sound.
'Black Fire' may breach the ten minute mark, but it genuinely is about as immediate as Post-Metal, Atmospheric Sludge gets these days. The Sludge behemoth burns into life with some massive, pounding, slow atmospheric riffs. The lead vocals of Paul Broughton really kick you in the face with these utterly ferocious screams, over a chugging riff that Amenra would be proud of. The song gradually ebbs and flows through teasing restrained motifs, and back into full on explosions of chaotic fury. At some points there are up to three different vocal screams trading off, dense arrays of textured electronics and colossal guitars, all coming together to create something truly earth shattering. Just after the nine minute mark, the song picks up to an almighty crescendo that gave me chills down my spine!
Aside from the lead single, there are two more tracks on the disc. The first is a surprise cover of Pink Floyd's cult classic 'Welcome to the Machine'. The slow, atmospheric dirge kind of seems perfect for an Atmos-Sludge re-invention, and HYOM have taken a fair stab it. Their attempt is suitably just as slow and spacey, allowing them to reel out textures even further, sounding like the electronics and possibly some synths have taken the forefront over the guitars in the mix. The half clean, half screamed kind of vocals don't quite fit, sounding much more restrained and uneventful than the sheer force of 'Black Fire'. HYOM show their versatility and stretch their abilities here, but ultimately this cover doesn't quite represent just how good this band are. The disc finishes with a demo track, 'Disconnect'. This track sits somewhere between the urgency of 'Black Fire' and the sedated sorrow of 'Welcome to the Machine'. Being a demo, the mix isn't quite as fleshed out, but it is certainly a teaser for great things to come, a track I'd like to hear expanded upon.
If you are just here for the title track, then 'Black Fire' is an exemplary statement of how exciting Sludge Metal is sounding these days. Post Metal (or Atmos-Sludge) is certainly in a resurgence, oddly in a tangent with the fading and meandering sounds of Post Rock. Hundred Year Old Man honour the masters such as Neurosis, Isis and Cult of Luna, but inject something fresh, modern and cutting edge into this formula. 'Black Fire' is a tremendous achievement from a band in transition, and I can't wait to hear their full length debut. The two "b-sides" don't quite hold the same power, but I would say 'Black Fire' should be essential listening for fans of the genre. 7/10.
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