So much metal is surprisingly weak, and not just because it’s cliché. It’s long been this way, with hair and fretwanking often taking precedence over, well, proper ballsy stuff. Posing and posturing is lame, but people seem to dig it. The latest from Canterbury-based quartet, Struck/Down, stands out because it very much is not weak.
They describe the release as ‘a unique mix of doom, thrash and groove to satisfy any mood!’ – but then they’re not going to say it’s generic as hell, are they? Not that it is… But it they do bring the riffs, and that’s what they’re about and what matters.
‘The Enforcer’ crunches in with a gritty riff and it’s Metallica who provide the obvious reference point, and not just on account of the guitars: Linden Twyman channels James Hetfield and everything just roars.
‘Nephilim’ is a riff monster worthy of biblical giants, and showcases some dynamic drumming before breaking out into a bold solo at the very end. To Witches widdles and fiddles, thrusts and trudges, ands thankfully, the widdles and fiddles are kept to a minimum, as the six-minute ‘No Value’ transitions through a series of troughs and peaks dominated by thunderous bass and gritty overdrive.
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The last of the five tracks, the six-minute-forty monster ‘Son of the Unburnt Witch’ condenses everything Struck/Down do into a single track. It’s a megalithic beast of a tune which finds the band discover atmospheric and inch through an atmospheric introduction before it goes proper heads-down-and-banging .
It’s clear that these guys know what they’re doing: the songs are tight and well-structured, and the riffs…. Oh the riffs. Yeah, the riffs are solid.
Struck/Down aren’t wasting any time tidying things up, either. ‘To Witches’ is big and heavy and brings some real density. Metal… and heavy. Struck/Down bring it.
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