C.B Murdoc: Here Be Dragons

Having released two EPs that were later grouped together as the album Two In One and following that up, after signing with Spinefarm Records, with their first bespoke full length release, The Green, C.B Murdoc reach the ten year mark by announcing, Here Be Dragons. Initially morphing out of the band Mork Gryning, the new outfit decided to take a different path from the black metal their previous act employed. Instead C.B Murdoc produce a sound that's refreshingly difficult to tie down, massively progressive elements grafted onto an almost hardcore shell and all covered in some serious djent, where furious ferocity is balanced through subtle interchanges.

After a brief and misleading introduction where the beautiful "Debt Of Guilt" gives no indication of where this album is headed, it's left to the darting, manic control of "Brood And Roaring Fires" to give the first clear sign of the varied themes you'll encounter. It won't come as much surprise to discover that "Rage Enabler" shakes off any subtlety to simply smash all in its sights, and yet even here the clever guitar incursions from Kim Wennerström and Frederick Boëthuis Fjärem provide clever counterpoints. However, even with the change of attacks employed across the album, by the time you've worked your way towards the closing triumvirate, the desire for some sort of respite and release becomes strong, "Dither" and "Objecting Projection" deep, claustrophobic outbursts. Although the untitled track 11 does leave an enigmatic synth slice where brooding sounds crackle and groan. It would have been interesting to hear some of these little diversional mood changers during the album's maelstrom rather than simply bookending it. The feel that the opening and closing features bring little in their current locations to the harsher, full on sounds they encase, hard to resist and making them all too skipable. That said, the riffing across the album is mighty and with drummer Carl Gustaf Blaäström a powerhouse of some standing and vocalist Johan Lyung brutal and uncompromising (if quite singular in his attack), if a barrage of twisted, progressive brutality is what you seek, then Here Be Dragons will certainly hit that spot.

Track Listing
1. Debt of Guilt

2. Brood of Roaring Fires

3. Nonplus Ultra

4. The Green

5. Rage Enabler

6. The Violence of Illumination

7. Diamonds

8. Everything Is Going to Be OK

9. Dither

10. Objecting Projection

11.

Added: November 29th 2016
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: C.B Murdoc on facebook
Hits: 2124
Language: english

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