Rise

Clear the runway! They’re back! And with no less vengeance than their
2006 debut – there’s still the trademark blistering intensity, Jess
Randall’s searing violin dragging its claws over crazy timechanges and
the kamikaze mash-up of gypsy folk metal, but the band have added some
fresh sounds to their sack of goodies…and what delicious sounds
they are!

The first track, Rom Rebellion, harks immediately back to the gypsy

fire of the first EP. Eschewing all pleasantries the band hurl the
listener headlong into an ecstatic Rom mosh that leaves you gasping
for breath and wet for more – then screeches to a halt as abruptly as
it started.

Veering left, The Milkman begins as a fat’n’funky reggae stroll, with
the violin twisting its way through a lilting Irish reel, then they
break it down in the middle, including quirky scratches and squeaks
from the violin, before building into a white noise crescendo for a
moment and finishing back in the groove.

It’s not all speedcore thrash & burn, and this recording has several
slower quieter moments that are really beautiful. The first of these,
Rain In The Morning, showcases the delicate mandolin playing of
guitarist Gordon Wallace to fine effect, a welcome change in both pace
& texture. Another more melancholic piece, Angelique, slides into a
slinky tango with all the violin weepery you might expect, before