BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition October 2018

Process - Structural Fatigue Skálmöld - Sorgir The Spirit of the Beehive - Hypnic Jerks Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Wasteland
Process
Structural Fatigue
Independent
From the get go it’s all hands on deck. All five
members of Process explode into your ear
dwellings at once on the opening title track. From
there, this album can best be described as
relentless. The songs are short, pleasantly brutal
and come at you like a head butt to the face.
Structural Fatigue dances all over the terrain
of extreme metal. The band also incorporates
elements of thrash, death, groove, weirdo and
hardcore, most often within the same song.
Bucking bull riffs, shredding solos and drumming
tight as a tugged on noose make these metal vets
stand tall amongst their peers.
Vocalist Jim Huhn keeps this album especiialy
gnarly with his vocal stylings and gives Process a
unique edge of their own. Huhn is a caged beast
of many animals and the rest of the band has the
keys to set him free, then they all proceed to go
on a rampage that is documented with Structural
Fatigue.
Songs “Light Blood Breathe,” “Licorice Eater” and
“Icon” are bright spots on this gleaming slab of
an album. They even include a flawless Napalm
Death cover for good measure. This is exciting
stuff. Structural Fatigue stands tall and does not
disappoint. A must have for any extreme metal
aficionado.
• Heath Fenton
Sam Lundell
Head / / Hands
Independent
Opening with the serene and orchestral “Prelude
in E Major, Op. 1,” Sam Lundell sets the stage for
his intimate debut record, Head / / Hands. This
opening track is gold — it almost sounds like a
morning meditation that will make you wish you
were waking up to it’s melody each day. The album
is an uplifting, easy-listening, pop-rock collection
infused with snippets of electronic style — with
sentimental ballads to boot.
Lundell is said to be inspired by artists like John
Mayer and Maroon 5, and it is remarkably visible in
the sound he has cultivated. His vocals are diverse
and powerful and if you love the way Imogen
Heap implements autotune, you’ll fully appreciate
“Homesick.” Hailing from Lloydminster, Alberta,
Lundell was given the resources to record the
album at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
thanks to his first single netting a Telus Optik TV
Storyhive grant. While I could do without the
spoken word in the track, “Sail You In,” Lundell
has set a solid foundation for the growth of his
storytelling and has produced a solid nine tracks
— a foundation that will undoubtedly propel him
forward.
• Sarah Allan
Striker
Play To Win
Record Breaking Records
Better start stretching because your neck is
gunna take a beating on this one! Edmonton’s
Striker plays for keeps. And being fresh off a Juno
nomination, they’ve solidified their place as one
of Canada’s premier acts, pumping out solid rock
anthems and metal melodies with awesome
consistency.
Play To Win packs all the elements you need
to get rockin’ — a powerful lead vocal range,
sing-along choruses, thumping drums, squealing
pinch harmonics and air guitar inducing solos.
The record is a matchup suitable for fans of
Queenscriche, Holy Grail, Primal Fear or Judas
Priest to namedrop a few heavy hitters.
Striker does a great job keeping things fun, while
still triggering those deep feels. “Heart of Lies”
takes jabs at our less than ideal society and our
freedom, setting a the persistent tone to come.
Catchy number “Head First” aims to inspire ‘living
life to its fullest’ and “On the Run” simply oozes
with addictive power, urging you to turn that dial
to 11.
• Patrick Saulnier
Skálmöld
Sorgir
Napalm Records
The inevitable drawback of metal’s growth into a
complex genre is that for some moods, the sheer
amount of styles to choose from is overwhelming
at its darkest. Sorgir is the sixth studio album from
Iceland’s Skálmöld, and it proves the band has shot
enough arrows at the wall in their time to know
what sticks.
“Ljosid” kicks off the album with the highfrequency
grit of a classic Scream Bloody Gore
style death metal album. The lo-fi tone and racing
repetition enhance the horror inducing minor
guitars, welded to black metal vocals and folky
choirs for crescendos of the epic-viking variety.
“Brun” keeps a driving riff alive with the rattle of
palm muted power chords, while “Skotta” takes
a doom-riddled soundscape of fear and clashes it
with a power metal splash of a viking chant.
Through a mix of combinations, the entire album
is a successful amalgam of vintage death metal,
modern tech, epic power metal and stadiumworthy
heavy metal choruses. Sorgir is an armoury
with a sword to scratch every itch.
• Matty Hume
The Spirit of the Beehive
Hypnic Jerks
Tiny Engines
In a scientific sense, hypnic jerks are the
involuntary muscle spasms that can occur as a
person is falling asleep, sometimes accompanied
by a feeling of falling.
Hypnic Jerks, the not-so scientific offering
from Philly-based alt-rock band The Spirit of the
Beehive, is just as shocking as it’s namesake.
By combining the nostalgic with hazy guitar riffs
and laid-back drumbeats, unsettlingly warped
strung-out guitar and eerie vocal effects, The
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October 2018