It’s been four years since New South Whalers Carbon Black released their debut EP to critical acclaim. They’ve now released their new album End Of This, which we listened to see if it stacks up.
This is one of those albums that left an interesting first impression on me. You know how some bands have a very unique fingerprint to their style? Well End Of This sounds like it was written by one of the “big boys”, but I can’t quite identify who. Maybe Coal Chamber? Maybe Machine Head? Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad album by any means. The singing varies quite a lot from distorted growls to some really nice clean singing. It’s something not everyone can do well, but frontman Jon Hurley does an impressive job. Sounds good and meaty too. In fact, meaty is a great way to describe the record in general, from the guitar riffs down to the drumming.
The intro track Timent Puer Natus starts off with a curious mix of whispering voices, guitar feedback and what sounds like throat singing, setting the mood nicely. It leads directly into the title track End of This. It’s quite good in of itself, although I probably wouldn’t choose to name the record after it. It needs to be that little bit stronger, but I still enjoyed it none the less. Probably a stronger one to start off with would be Ignorance, which was that little bit faster and much more my speed. I love the crunch of the bass, it gives the song lots of guts. I like guts! Plus it has this great thrashy section with a wicked solo that blew my balls off. I’d actually say this is my favourite song here.
There seemed to be a few songs that had reoccurring thematic elements. For example, Unseen had some sections that were calm and quiet, as if someone is sneaking through a swamp lit by fireflies, nervous as to what they might encounter. This continues in Deceive/Deny, where the calm bits have gotten that bit more tense and sound like the unseen person had been discovered and was trying to sneak around the inbred cannibals.
There are some great moments on this record. I was quite a fan of Cowards. It had some tasty riffs ready made for headbanging and even gave me some Black Label Society vibes. My Own isn’t quite my cup of tea, but it is good at setting a mood. The final song Blood and Sacrifice rounds off everything nicely, it’s always good to end things on a strong note. Speaking of which, the last note itself hits like an abrupt hammer to the forehead, ending the album with a bang.
End Of This is a great romp. If you’re a fan of bands like Coal Chamber and Machine Head, this might be just the thing for you.
Track Listing
Timent Puer Natus
End of This
Ignorance
Unseen
Cowards
Deceive
Deny
Plastic Art
My Own
Blood And Sacrifice
