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Valient Thorr are back with their sophomore release Legends
Of The World, following in the wake of their debut album Total
Universe Man - making rock 'n' roll in the realm of hardcore/heavy
metal with dashes of gospel and soul trajectory catapulting the vocals
and forming a synthesis that can be described as metal soul. Their
boldness and lunging expressions, done up the way Motorhead,
Kix, and Iron Maiden are legendary for doing and present
day Hellacopters and Skindred lean towards, build experimental
molds of knotted guitar twists and plunging rhythm sections spiked
by fulminating vocals amassing an uprising fervor.
The album keeps on Valient Thorr's track of social activism through
the means of rock 'n' roll with themes that deal with politics and
the thorniness of establishment vs. people. The personal nature of
the lyrics is on a higher level of relationships and wider scale of
global brothers and sisters. Their music isn't combative but protective
and mantle self-preservation from the very beginning with "Heatseeker."
VT's voicing is daring, coarse, and sharp with punching vocals that
hit their mark like Lemmy Kilmister and Ted Nugent.
The vocal rhythms and music nodes are impulsed with a soul/urban style
making uproaring sequences and a batter that wields intricately loomed
instrument phrases.
"Rezerection," an interpretative spelling of resurrection,
reverberates with an in your face vocal manner, thrusting drum patterns,
and squeezing guitar ambits. "Exit Strategy" has trickles
of southern rock flumes that crackle like a Molly Hatchet sear.
The vocals have urban jive, attitude and clarity while the tangling
guitar lines erect a spinning motion mossed by taut drum swags.
The songs continue with rock 'n' roll shoots and metal rock vibrations
like "Stormstris" shaped by digging drumbeats, screaming
chords, fanatical vocals, and escalating motions. "Goveruptcy,"
a term that combines government and bankruptcy, offers headbanging
rhythms abound with supercharged guitar skews, slamming drum strikes
and panicking vocals that recite: "There's people who live on
earth/ They believe everything they read/ This government promised
justice/ This government delivered greed."
"False Profits" stands out with a power pop metal prelude
whose chord formula is synonymous with rock bands like Lynch Mob,
UFO and Dio. The mix then courses into more raw edges
heighten by political lyrics. "Triceratops" is another water
mark number with soft, rolling peaceful guitar rings in the intro
before moving into a succession of distorted chords and drum rolls
that tear through the folds splintering the chord shifts then pulling
the phrases back together as the preachy, gospel tones in the vocals
tug and streak.
The final number "Har Megiddo," which is a reference
to Armageddon, has crazed melodic lines that motivate a pulling
action modulated by uprising vocals. Valient Thorr doesn't use camouflage
but spawn very upfront vocals and music lines that make discord
and rhyme work in a complementary partnership. Their expressions
are concise and complex, melodic and craggy, meditative and aggressive,
polar opposites that come together at a central point where hardcore
rock meets hardcore urban, elements expressive of the band themselves.
Fronted by lead vocalist Valient Himself, the band is rounded
out by Oden Thorr (guitars), Eidan Thorr (guitars),
Lucian Thorr (percussion), and Professor Strangess -
aka Nitewolf (bass). Their sophomore album Legends Of The
World, produced by Fred Archambault (Death By Stereo,
Eighteen Visions) maintains VT's continuity and yet experiments
with new structures. VT will be touring through 2006 including a stint
on the Vans Warped Tour. With social activism in their words, VT makes
rock 'n' roll that has purpose with no holding back.
-Susan Frances
Tracklisting:
1. Heatseeker
2. Rezerection
3. Exit Strategy
4. Lime Green Net
5. Stormstris
6. Goveruptcy
7. False Profits
8. Triceratops
9. Fall Of Pangea
10. Problem Solver
11. Con Science
12. Har Megiddo
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