Convent Guilt

Australia’s great and growing metal scene has no doubt left its mark on many metalheads, and especially in the last five years, it housed scores and scores of bands ranging from bestial black metal to occult death to blackened thrash. So the bands excel at fabricating extremities, but what of some traditional heavy metal? During the last five years I’ve found myself continuously searching for traditional heavy bands in Sweden or the US, meandering and losing myself in their vast hosts of heavy metal bands, but if truth be told, Australia has never been the hotbed for traditional heavy metal acts, as it was far too plagued with demented extremists for the genre to breed. Convent Guilt, though, quite surprised me with their demo, released on the Australian Abysmal Sounds Records, a catchy slab of old school heavy metal goodness.

As the band does not have any history behind it, I can’t really make a robust comparison about its roots and whether it’s an anomalous release or not, but I can say that I was definitely impressed to hear such classy material from such a young act. Convent Guilt’s brand of heavy is bluesy, classy, and even hardcore-driven at times. Most of the riffs are simplistic but dynamic chord progressions with a few strands of harmonic melodies scattered here and there, and they mainly support massive amplifications, augmenting and enlarging the spaciousness of the heavyweight guitar ton even further. That being said, the clarity of tone can’t be questioned because it has such a straightforward edge to it. Despite being genuinely clean and kilter and even melancholic at times, the demo does not follow the same trail as Priest or Maiden, but injects a far more drowsing feel to listener, with certain moments being strong reminiscent of western music even. Maybe that’s just the way I recognize the music, but with interesting variations spread out in four tracks at twenty two minutes, there can never be a strict repute about the band’s approach.

The self titled track starts the album off with a pretty vigorous start. With the song being the shortest and most brisk on the whole demo, you experience a handful of what the whole demo has in store for you with the song’s catchy, hardcore-tinged plodding chord elevations and the frantic shouting of the vocalist. The vocals are also an oddball of an aspect of the album, gathering influences from Motorhead just like the riffs. They could have been done better, because I feel he suffered detonations at certain moments, but such tiny flaws are not really crucial to the balance of the demo. ‘’Bailed Up’’ serves an even larger portion of the bluesy heavy metal riff fodder, with some beautifully melodious sections jumping in brusquely at the riffs. ‘’Killer Virgins’’ also delivers a catchy blast, similar to the previous songs, but the most passionate track is ‘’No Dawn In Lucifer’s Light’’ – whose chorus has been stuck in my head for a good while now. Convent Guilt serves utterly great heavy metal on this demo, and it is my dearest hope that they continue on this path incessantly.

Highlights:
No Dawn In Lucifer's Light
Bailed Up

Rating: 84,5%

http://laceratedthrashmetal.blogspot.com/

Convent Guilt is another new band trying its hand at the epic heavy metal of the now antique 80s, but several of the members have been playing for years in other Australian bands like Shackles and Trench Hell, who also took cues from classic speed and thrash acts and fused 'em with the more extreme metal of their upbringing. To be clear: this isn't attempting the modern polish and flair of Euro flower power, but rekindling the oldies like Maiden, Priest, Brocas Helm, Witchfinder General, Manilla Road, even a little Motörhead or Tank. Don't expect innovative chord progressions, complex song structures, or anything hinging on novelty, just a tried and true formula of expression built for boozing, brawling, denim, leather, and once in awhile, a little reflection.

That's not to say the sound is a shallow one, because surprisingly, Convent Guilt are able to evince mood from the somewhat familiar riffing patterns, especially in the mid paced drivers like "No Dawn in Lucifer's Light" or "Killer Virgins" which have a somber, lethargic quality to them. Vocalist/bassist Iron Belshaw has a limited range which he doesn't attempt to escape, so there is this workmanlike, blue collar feel to his timbre which doesn't always stay completely on key. No crazy shrieking, just a woozy, part-punk inflection with a bit of bark and bite, traveling in step with the simplistic, bluesy lead guitars that swoon over the steadiness of the dependable chords. Took a little getting used to the guy, but after 3-4 spins of the demo I appreciated the sincerity of it, even if it's nothing really new (a lot of the second and third tier NWOBHM bands took a comparable approach when their vocalists figured out they couldn't fly with the banshees).

Otherwise, I actually quite enjoyed the production of this demo, which is flat out honest but well balanced, something I might have placed on a full-length record from 1980-1983. The guitars, drums and bass are performed at an even keel, whether picking up to the thrust of thundering Maiden triplets in "Bailed Up" or "Convent Guilt" itself, the most consistently fast tune on the demo. There aren't any truly standout chorus sequences, and again the riffs are just nothing you haven't heard before, but if you're a diehard for the place and time Convent Guilt are conjuring, this isn't a bad way to pass 23 minutes. I wasn't in love with the songwriting, and I think a little more creativity and unexpected melody could go a long way in helping the band reach the next level, but the fundamentals are certainly in place here for a band that could rival others riding a similar, nostalgic current. Fans of Cauldron, Speedwolf, Midnight, and Superchrist should find this demo entertaining.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com