Wells Valley
‘Matter As Regent’
Release Date: 7th February 2015
Label: Bleak Recordings
Release Date: 7th February 2015
Label: Bleak Recordings
It is not very often that you hear about Portuguese metal bands on websites, let alone Portuguese post-metal/sludge bands, so it is highly unlikely that you have heard of Wells Valley before. The trio consists of Filipe Correia from Concealment, Pedro Lopes and Pedro Mau from Kneel. They formed in late 2011, however, they have only recently signed to Bleak Recordings. ’Matter As Regent’ is their debut album, which consists of six tracks.
Opening song ‘Ghost Of You’ instantly transports the listener into an eerie place filled with twisted guitar riffs and hard-hitting drum beats. It takes around a minute and a half for the vocals to kick in, which makes Wells Valley’s almost progressive. Lead singer Filipe’s voice has a harrowing sound to it; his whispers and shouts make the song sound like it should be a part of a horror film soundtrack. There is something unsettling about the breakdown, which is most likely the fear of the unknown: once you are so engaged in the music it is impossible to tell which way the song will end up next. However, this is not a bad thing, it makes the album not only unique, but extremely exciting to listen to.
‘Hands Are Void’ incorporates a mixture of screaming and technical guitar riffs, which appeals to both sludge and post-metal fans. Although it is hard to hear the lyrics clearly it almost adds to the haunting nature of the song. It is almost as if the songs were made with the intent for listeners to create their own ideas of what the music is about.
One of the bands that Wells Valley have recently been compared to is Gojira. Although their songs are composed in a similar way, it is hard to hear any other similarities in their music. The one exception to this is ’Sacred Mountain’, in which the heavier vocals and guitar riffs used could be seen as having a vague similarity to the sort of style that Gojira uses.
‘Kingdom Of Salvation’ is possibly one of the best songs on the album. With heavy metal guitar riffs and fast-paced drumming, it is almost impossible not to hit the ‘replay’ button on your music player. Filipe uses a wide range of vocal techniques, including hard-hitting and aggressive, slow and melodic and haunting screaming vocals. The pace of the song constantly changes, allowing the listener to stay entertained and impressed, despite the fact that it is the last song one the album.
There is certainly nothing generic about Wells Valley. The trio are obviously extremely talented musicians, but they also know exactly how to create an album that brings something new to the post-metal/sludge scene. Each songs sounds different, with hints of progressive, technical and death metal incorporated into their music in unique ways.
7/10
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