As the band that organized and created City of Screaming Spires – in collaboration with Skeletor Promotions – it seems only fitting that Aethara kicks off the aural assault with ‘Virtue’, a genre-defying song that artfully combines everything from melodic guitar leads to death/thrash metal riffery.
The second slot on the compilation is claimed by Taste my Eyes, Oxford’s sadly defunct technical/progressive metal band. ‘Moist’ is full of brutal but catchy riffs that tend to follow the recent ‘djent’ trend, with a few vocal hooks that are sure to be crowd-pleasers. A clean section splits the song in two, reminiscent of moments from TesseracT’s fantastic ‘Concealing Fate’ as it escalates back into incredible technicality. Taste My Eyes were a true credit to the Oxford metal scene, and it’s a great shame we won’t get to hear more from them.
Third is K-Lacura‘s ‘Shiab’, which begins with a promising, groovy riff, but unfortunately the rest of the song is a little disappointing – it feels to me like ‘Shiab’ flickers between a host of different metal subgenres and influences in a slightly disjointed way, and this isn’t helped by the multitude of tempo changes. While there is plenty of extremely good material contained within the song, and it is certainly worth a listen, I am left a little unsure as to what the band are trying to achieve. Having said this, K-Lacura say themselves that their style “amalgamates an array of Metal genres”, and I feel this is much more coherent and effective in some of their other songs.
Next to the stage is Desert Storm with ‘Forked Tongues’. Groovy stoner/doom riffage gives way to quieter, atmospheric sections. My single criticism of an otherwise first-rate track is that it is a struggle to interpret vocalist Matt Ryan’s wonderfully guttural growlings at times! After Desert Storm, the stoner theme continues with ‘Vertigo Terror’ by Mother Corona, a song filled with catchy riffs. David Oglseby’s vocals are dripping with rock’n’roll attitude, and are guaranteed to send shivers down any rock fan’s spine.
After almost half an hour of uncompromising brutality, Unknown Flow is a good palate cleanser. Synth-like, ‘tripped out’ guitars feature heavily in this nine-minute prog epic, which, although it seems slightly out of place on a metal compilation, I greatly enjoyed.
To bring us back into the metal domain, ‘Your Temptation’ by Crysis kicks in immediately with an earth-shaking scream from frontman Kial Churcher, setting the tone for the vocals throughout the track. An abrasive guitar tone accentuates aggressive riffery and breakdowns that are sure to be crowd-pleasers at any gig.
Just as Crysis has me thinking that the brutality of City of Screaming Spires is at its peak, A Trust Unclean pummel my eardrums with the opening riff of ‘Omni-Universal Annihilation’, a classic deathcore track. Drummer Scott Horne shows his formidable abilities with merciless blast beats throughout the song, while singer Joe Corky hits some impressive high screams. ‘Omni-Universal Annihilation’ definitely doesn’t have the most mainstream appeal of other tracks on City of Screaming Spires, but fans of heavier things will struggle not to headbang.
Next up is Dedlok with an instantly memorable classic thrash riff, paired with vocals reminiscent of Slayer or Exodus. ‘Why?’ has a slow, loose chorus, which is unusual for a thrash song, but a refreshing and interesting touch. A solo in the vein of the mighty Metallica morphs into a Slayer-esque shredfest; a final bit of brutality to wrap up this thrashy package.
Ways Across represent the female demographic of the local metal scene with powerful vocals by singer Caroline Sperko. I feel I can sum up ‘Believe’ in three words: Paramore with balls! Vocals soar over riffs that are both brutal and melodic. The only thing that annoyed me slightly is the cheesy American accent Sperko chooses to sing with!
Mutagenocide’s ‘Warhead’ kicks in with a speed-oriented riff, accompanied by blistering drums, and brusque vocals by lead singer Freddie Savory. Sounding a little like a modern Motörhead, Savory’s (slightly cheesy) shout of “Its fucking brutal” pretty much sums up the feeling of this track, save the melodic clean section, accompanied by a solo which, in stark contrast to the thrashy riffery that follows it, I would almost go as far as to call beautiful.
Next up is Prospekt‘s fantastically proggy ‘Shutter Asylum’, and within the first five seconds, guitarist Lee Luland has already proved he’s got some incredible chops! Vocalist Matt Winchester sings in long, drawn out, bell-like tones, while an array of exceedingly complex, tight riffery blasts along beneath him. For any guitarist like myself, Luland’s playing on this track will bring nothing but pure joy, and a niggling feeling of inadequacy…
Although the intro to ‘Insert Coins’ by Sky Sanctuary sounds more like a drum’n’bass or dubstep song, instead it introduces a mush of bass, tight, ‘djenty’ guitar riffs and some very interesting synth parts. The effect is a huge sound that, as the title of the track suggests, is reminiscent of some video game soundtracks. All in all, the jury is out on this one – you’ll either love it or hate it, but it’s certainly a refreshing variation from the recent outburst of formulaic ‘progressive/djent’ bands.
The final track on City of Screaming Spires is ‘Sinners are Winners’ by Elysium Waits. It begins with a metalcore riff that threatens to be slightly generic, but the band redeem themselves by refraining from dropping into an unimaginative breakdown, showing their merit as songwriters by choosing instead to include a tasteful guitar solo.
There’s something for everyone on City of Screaming Spires. It highlights the incredible range and variation of local metal, and while each one of us will have our own ‘standout’ tracks – my personal favourites being those by Prospekt, Desert Storm, Mother Corona and Crysis – City of Screaming Spires is worth a listen for any Oxonian metal fan.