Xerath – II – Album Review

Xerath are a four-piece hailing from the UK. The band originally formed four years ago as an experiment to combine extreme metal and orchestral scores. Now a fully-fledged band they are set to release their second album appropriately named ‘II’ on April the 25th.

A quick google search will bring up articles/reviews stating that the band’s sound is part Meshuggah, part Strapping Young Lad, part Dimmu Borgir and part film score. Whilst I do agree that these comparisons do describe part of Xerath’s sound, they fail to describe the band’s sound as a whole. This is not because the writers of the articles are bad at what they do (quite the opposite), it’s because the sound that Xerath have created is incredibly complex and devoid of any direct comparisons. What Xerath have achieved is the holy grail of music, an extremely original sounding album.

From the intro on the very first track to the operatic ending to the last song, orchestration plays a huge part in what makes this album special. Xerath use orchestration in many ways to bolster already strong riffs, creating dynamic passages . On ‘God of The Frontlines’ the band transform a solid breakdown into something special with tense strings that cut above the rest of the mix. It would be easy to read this and assume that because of the symphonic elements that are present throughout the album it detracts from the bands heaviness; this is most definitely not the case. Third track ‘Reform’ is a perfect example of the band being able to intertwine symphonic elements into a very heavy song.

The album is absolutely stocked full of great riffs that combine technicality and groove to great effect. I have long been a cynic of breakdowns with good reason as they have been far too overused in recent years, yet when they are used on this album and with the orchestra sound fresh and inspired, never do they feel forced or generic. Owain Williams’ guitar playing is impressive throughout, being both technically impressive and yet restrained at the same time, never is there an unnecessary sweep solo or passage of technical wankery. Richard Thompson’s vocals are incredibly raw, and although this wasn’t what I was expecting upon first listen, his brutal delivery is exactly what is needed to stand out above the mix.

This album is incredibly hard to define on paper; while it is easy to describe the sum of its part it is hard to describe what makes this album so impressive. The melding of extreme metal and film score-esque orchestration is just so powerful and enthralling. This is truly the best of British and a must buy album.

Track Listing:

1.Unite to Defy
2.God of the Frontlines
3.Reform III
4.The Call to Arms
5.Machine Insurgency
6.Sworn to Sacrifice
7.Enemy Incited Armageddon
8.Nuclear Self Eradication
9.Numbered Among the Dead
10.The Glorious Death