The Risen Dread: Night Hag

Hailing from Ireland, The Risen Dread unleash not just their debut full length release in the shape of Night Hag, but also a well realised and intentioned concept album focusing on the struggles so many face with mental health. A noble intention and one that I have to say has been remarkably well executed for a band so young.

Tying down what this quartet do proves a tough task, ‘horror thrash’, as they’re described, not particularly helpful in terms of painting this band’s picture. I’d have to admit that the thrash part is correct, but there’s also no doubt that The Risen Dread are much more current with their attack - although by current I maybe mean more early 2010s than I do 2022, with metalcore often the basis of what comes hurtling from Night Hag. And yet, there are also some deep grooves driven by this band that in some ways remind of Machine Head, with “White Night�, which features a guest solo from Andreas Kisser no less, possibly the strongest flavour in that style.

For me though, it’s “Sound Of The Unknown� that illustrates best what this band can do both in terms of attack and also how they manage to mix things up, with an interesting array of tempos and dynamics offered up as the guitars move from full force attack to a much more considered, if no less lethal, approach. Admittedly, elsewhere this album can feel like something of a blunt weapon, vocalist Marco Feltrin tending to hit with similarly pitched throat burning outbursts - don’t get me wrong, he’s a real master of that art, but sometimes less really can be more. That said, it’s the only real chink in what proves to be an album with a strong set of armour protecting it and if they can expand upon what they’ve built here, what comes next from this outfit might just catapult The Risen Dread into the big leagues.

Track Listing
1. Psychoses
2. Silent Disease
3. Bury Me
4. Obsession
5. Sound Of The Unknown
6. Fallen
7. Deceiver
8. White Night feat. Andreas Kisser
9. Coward’s 9
10. Lazzaretto
11. The Night Hag feat. Renato Zanuto

Added: February 5th 2022
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The Risen Dread on facebook
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Language: english

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