Valient Thorr - Immortalizer
by Andrew Carver
published: 6 / 7 / 2008
Label:
Volcan Entertainment
Format: CD
intro
Robust blend of punk, metal and southern rock on new album from North Carolinian group Valient Thorr, who despite having one foot in outlandish mythology, play their songs with a sraight-faced edge
The band Valient Thorr comes shredding out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with a backstory and pseudonyms out of UFO lore and a sound that’s bred in southern rock and metal. Singer and namesake Valient Himself is not a great singer, but his dried out shout serves the exhortations in tunes like lead track ‘I Hope The Guests of the Dead Haunt Your Soul Forever’ and the band behind him whip up some squealing guitar and thundering rhythm in the vein of fellow Carolinians the Cherry Valence. On tunes like ‘Tomorrow Cops’ they take some cues from AC/DC, with Himself mustering a Bon Scott style leer for his prophecy of police brutality. Elsewhere the band settles into a Motorhead-style chug. The band shows its range on ‘Vernal Equinox’, an acoustic guitar instrumental that neatly splits the album. Despite the band’s outlandish mythology, most of their songs come across as straight-faced. There’s the self-examination of ‘Mask of Sanity’; the unironic, hardhitting ode to wrestling ‘No Holds Barred’ and the ‘Parable of Daedalus’ scrutinizes the legend of Icarus’ fatal flight. Politics also permeate the album: ‘1,000 Winters in a Row’ asks the listener if they believe the lies on TV or whether one person can make a difference, ‘Red Flag’ assails the powerful (or the comfortable, or something). ‘Immortalizer’ is a robust blend of punk, metal and southern rock that should satisfy fans of the aforementioned Cherry Valence as well as bands like Five Horse Johnson, Roadsaw and Throttlerod.
Track Listing:-
1 I Hope The Ghosts Of The Dead Haunt Yr Soul Forever2 Infinite Lives
3 Mask Of Sanity
4 Tomorrow Police
5 No Holds Barred
6 Parable Of Daedalus
7 Birdhead Looking At Goldenhands
8 Vernal Equinox
9 1000 Winters In A Row
10 Red Flag
11 Nomadic Sacrifice
12 Steeplechase
13 Tackle The Walrus
14 Track 14
most viewed articles
current edition
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.The Church - Interview with Steve Kilbey
Simon Heavisides - Destiny Stopped Screaming: The Life and Times of Adrian Borland
Secret Shine - Interview
Vetchinsky Settings - Interview
Repomen - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Flaming Stars - Interview
Jack Roscoe - Interview
Near Jazz Experience - Interview
Sami Sumner - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Lewis 'Burner' Pugh - Bullets for BreadKula Shaker - Natural Magick
Ian Hunter - Defiance Part 2: Fiction
Inutili - A Love Supreme
Smalltown Tigers - Crush On You
Hillbilly Moon Explosion - Back in Time
My Life Story - Loving You is Killing Me
David Cross Band - Ice Blue Silver Sky
Beyonce - Cowboy Carter
Ty Segall - Three Bells
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart