Album number one from Magnetar shows the talented trio melding plenty of influences into one humongous beast of a record. Embrace the chaos.

Release Date: Available Now

Label: Vendetta Records

Format: CD / Vinyl / Digital

NO PEACE

Magnetar is new trio made up of Dan Walmsley, Nick Wallwork and Rob Harris. Walmsley is the mastermind, taking up playing duties across the album. Necronautical / Foetal Juice man Harris takes up the sticks with Winterfylleth / Arð bassist Nick Wallwork on vocals.

According to the band, they are born from the fury and decay of North-West England’s post-industrial landscape; a unique amalgam of classic and raging extreme metal. Melody and brutality in equal measure. It is hard to disagree.

Opening with what feels like a homage to Judas Priest’s Painkiller, SCUM sets the tone for the album. It is a blistering start with all three players flying out of the blocks. The pace is unrelenting until a tempo change gives way to the first of many twists and turns with a brilliant guitar solo. If you are a fan of heavy metal in general, it will be practically impossible not to enjoy this opening. It is glorious.

SHADOW MOUNTAINS

The Shadow Mountains keeps up the pace with black metal stylings. It is one of many epic compositions on There Will Be No Peace In My Valley. As the song moves out of a mellower middle section, Wallwork’s vocals mesh well with the towering sound as guitars swirl and drums pound.

To Render The Soul gives a little respite in its feedback drenched ethereal opening. It doesn’t last long though; again, everything comes together superbly in the mix. Up front, the vocals sound evil; laying the foundation, the music is tumultuously terrific. More classic metal aesthetics adorn the track – the nostalgia is not used as an excuse to take the easy way out. It is used with poise and precision to make the song complete. Throw in a blistering solo and you have another prime slice of brilliant, blackened, heavy metal.

THERE WILL BE NO PEACE IN MY VALLEY

At the centre of the album, is the title track. A chiming guitar melody opens proceedings – it is the guitar that takes centre stage here. It is here that there is a shift in vocals with clean singing from Walmsley mixing things up. It helps create a different emotion as some Iron Maiden-esque stylings come into play. The tempo is one designed for getting your head down and wrecking that neck. A little warm up, before the cascading tempo takes the song home. There is a real skill in the ability to move tempos without it sounding clunky. Magnetar pull it off with aplomb. Each move is one filled with excitement.

A Deluge Of Pious Primitives is very melancholy in its melodic opening. In the fury of the song, Harris’ pummelling drum work is savage. There is a little whiff of Winterfylleth at their most soaring in some of the passages. An acoustic interlude mid-song again offers more colour to Magnetar’s unholy rainbow. Not for the first time, you will think about what an epic track this is!

OF ULM

To close out the album, Magnetar have two more epic pieces. Of Ulm features scything guitar work and more monumental drumming. Front and back ended with acoustic guitars, make no mistake about the ferocity of Of Ulm; this is not an easy listen. The main body of the track is a great bout of extreme metal.

Adorned In Flame, clocking in at just over ten minutes, is the closing track. Again, the classic metal tempo in amongst blackened and thrashy tempos work amazingly well. To get through some sections of this album, and this song, without fist pumping would be an achievement; and not one that this writer wants to attain. Embracing the epic chaos and sound of Magnetar is something that we should all do.

Whether this is an ongoing project or a one off, Magnetar make their mark on the metal world with There Will Be No Peace In My Valley. If you’re a fan of the great black metal bands like Darkthrone or Bathory, or great thrash records a la Metallica or Testament, or the brilliance of British bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest or Motörhead, then Magnetar will definitely be something you need to invest in.

There Will Be No Peace In My Valley is available now, here; listen to the epic album closer, Adorned In Flame, below.

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