By David O’Neill
Yorkshire’s Asomvel have never shown much interest in subtlety, and new album ‘Set Your World On Fire’, confirms that restraint remains absent from their musical vocabulary. Across 12 tracks, the quartet unleash a scorched-earth collision of hard rock, speed metal and unapologetic rock ’n’ roll swagger. They wear their influences openly, continuing the approach established on previous releases without sounding constrained by it.
Fresh from supporting Airbourne earlier this year, the band tear into ‘King Of The World’ with riotous riffs and pounding drums. ‘Lone Wolf’ follows at full throttle, its snarling groove and sharp solo work capturing Asomvel’s bruising live energy. The title track and ‘World At War’ bring added weight, directing the band’s trademark aggression towards global power and political decay without sacrificing their sense of fun.
The pace barely eases from there. ‘Back From The Dead’, ‘Blood Runs Cold’ and ‘Eye Of The Storm’ sustain the momentum before ‘Into The Fire’ delivers a particularly potent Motörhead-flavoured rush. Yet ‘If It’s Too Loud, You’re Too Old’ sums up the album best: loud, fast, filthy and impossible not to enjoy.
Having seen the band at Steelhouse earlier this year, it is easy to understand why the comparisons to the likes of Motörhead persist: this music is designed to hit hardest live.
‘Set Your World On Fire’ wears its old-school influences proudly, but it is neither a museum piece nor a direct tribute. Instead, it is a sweaty, beer-soaked celebration of volume and attitude: familiar in spirit, yet distinctively Asomvel.
Ideal for the pit, the open road and anyone who believes rock should leave scorch marks, the album also stands as a fitting salute to the late members of Motörhead. Lemmy and Phil—enjoy.
- ‘Set Your World On Fire’ will be released on Friday (2 October.
