Band: Underking
Albums: Ghosts of the Past
Amongst the Dead
Label: Unsigned
Genre: Heavy Metal/Thrash/NWOBHM
This is something really special. I mean, if you like the roots of what metal is, Underking are giving us a gift in two parts. What they've done is recorded two mini albums, one focusing on the sounds of classic heavy metal (Ghosts of the Past) and one leaning more towards more contemporary thrash acts (Amongst the Dead).
I'll start my review with Ghosts of the Past. Right away with track one, "Hexed," we are treated with a lovely guitar riff that instantly reminds me of something I might hear on a Judas Priest recording, not to mention the clear belting vocals from Maxwell Jeffries. The lyrics are fantastical, which some may find a tad cheesy, BUT as I've mentioned before several times I love that kind of shit.
The rest of Ghosts of the Past follows in much the same vein, with tales of who the Underking is in track 2, a lovely instrumental passage on track 3, "Fading Colour," and then of course the single off the album, "Black Lungs," taking us back to a time with Black Sabbath ruled the world of metal. Where Underking really shine on this mini album is track 7, "Witch Hammer," which happens to be my personal favorite on this album. It has a doomy buildup, with a gradual crescendo of synths and what sounds like a choir, then the guitar kicks in dripping with old school British heavy metal worship. With a repeating passage of "burn them all" towards the end, building towards a spectacular climax that weaves through the listeners inner mind.
Phew, alright, Ghosts of the Past was definitely quite enjoyable to listen to. Now how will Amongst the Dead compare? First thing to take note of is that Underking received the talent of Dustin Burmeister for Amongst the Dead, whereas Underking's own Jeffries did the vocal tracks for Ghosts of the Past.
Burmeister has, quite noticeably, a thrash approach to the mic. If you had told me that these were two different bands, I wouldn't have thought twice.
Track 2, "Nothing But Bone," is an excellent introduction to this other side of the sound of Underking. It starts after a short instrumental track (which I feel could be cut to be honest), and the first thing you're greeted with is a barrage of drums followed by Burmeister screaming in your ears. His vocal presence is reminisce of Riley Gale from Power Trip, certainly not a bad thing.
Track 5, "The Way of Man," is my favorite off Amongst the Dead, at least my favorite so far. It's chaotic, has mean as hell riffs and Burmeister gets to really show off his impressive range of emotions and talent for only using whats more of a shouting style than screams.
All said and done, while not many bands may take this approach to their music, this is an excellent effort from Underking.
It seems as though they are taking an experimental approach to find what their groove is, and that's perfectly fine. For those who like cleaner sounds, you're likely to prefer Ghosts of the Past, likewise if you are more of a thrasher, Amongst the Dead is the ticket. If you're like me and enjoy both, however, you get the treat of 14 great songs to jam to.
I'm giving Ghosts of the Past/Amongst the Dead an 8/10