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Fans of progressive metal would be well-advised to check out London’s The Fierce and the Dead, an instrumental group that has built an extremely loyal fan base with four albums’ worth of well-crafted, guitar-heavy tunes.
A great starting point is the band’s latest release, Field Recordings, which was recorded live at Britain’s Ramblin’ Man Fair in July 2016. The album comprises six songs from throughout their career, including their “hit single” (announced as such with a good bit of humor) “666...6”.
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| Photo by rjforster. |
While taking obvious cues from later era King Crimson, the band’s improvisational, often jammy sound also recalls Television, Kyuss and even contemporaries Elder. Each song is a multi-part journey that takes the listener from swirly looped melodies to insistent, skronky noise and back again, all wrapped around a driving rhythm section that remains consistent in the midst of the controlled chaos of the guitars.
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| Photo by rjforster. |
The album’s highlight is the second-to-last song, “Palm Trees,” from the band’s 2015 release, Magnet. Beginning with a simple, repeated riff, the song builds to a trance-like crescendo, whereupon the guitars drop off, and the bass and drums continue on, signaling a transition to a faster, heavier, more discordant ending.
After giving Field Recordings a good listen, I recommend you check out the band’s back catalog, particularly Magnet, which is their most recent release of new material. These are on Bandcamp as well.
