Brazen Bull – ‘Brazen Bull’ (Self-Released)

By Monk

One thing upon which we have always prided ourselves here at ÜRHQ is championing the cause of new, young and up-and-coming artists, watching and hopefully helping as they place their first tentative steps on the bottom rung of the ladder to the all-elusive next level of success – wider recognition. Recently, we came across a band who most definitely fit into the category of “young”, as the five lads who make up Norwich NWoTHM-meets-alt-rockers Brazen Bull are all still in their teens…

When we first touched base with them last month, the boys talked excitedly about this, their debut album, so it was only right and proper that we follow up that initial chat with an exploration of the release itself and see if we would share the quintet’s excitement. And, by and large, the verdict of our esteemed judging panel – i.e., me, myself and I – is pretty much on the positive side, as the self-titled opus is a confident and determined statement of intent from the pubescent East Anglian crüe.

I must admit that I was very pleasantly surprised by the maturity displayed throughout the album, in terms of the quality of the songwriting, the collective and individual performances and the overall final delivery. My one quibble, and it is a very minor one, is that it sounds like it has been recorded in chronological order, as it grows stronger and more confident at it progresses, as if charting the path the band have taken to reach this point. Now, that’s not a criticism, as opener (and first single) ‘Angels Nails’ is as declarative start as you could wish for, setting a strong underlying tone with its Maiden-esque intro and rhythm (something reprised at the end of closer ‘The Boy And The Dancer’, giving the album a considered circularity which many bands do not take into account) and the overall tautness of the musicianship; it is here that I have to admit that Alex’s vocals do get a bit of getting used to, as they do sound a tad out of kilter with what is going on behind them, but his fit becomes more obvious as the opus progresses.

Second track ‘Collapse’ starts as what seems to be a fairly standard alt-metal fist-pumper of the sort we’ve heard hundreds of times before, but soon demonstrates that these youngsters have a few surprises up the sleeves of their leather jackets, as its second half hints at some of the elements which are to come later on…

And, talking of second halves, it is in this that the album really comes to life, in second single ‘Stray Wolf’. That’s not to be dismissive of the likes of ‘In The Interest Of Humanity’, which is a sub-thrash stomper and the epic-sounding latest single ‘Pact In Blood’, on which Alex really starts to come into his own – but ‘Stray Wolf’ just elevates the album to a whole new plain and raises an extremely high bar, one which even the best Olympic champion would struggle to clear… Kicking off with an emphatic drum line, it is characterized by an acerbic double-guitar riff, which in turn leads into a brilliantly traded solo section – and this is before the track’s piece-de-resistance: it’s final section, which takes the ambitions of the likes of Biffy Clyro, rips the strings off their guitars and tosses them, doused in flaming petrol, into the middle of the North Sea, before walking off into the sunset with the most subtle of “fuck you” glances over its shoulder.

And there are more twists to come, as ‘Circus Of Fears’ exhibits a suitable sense of dark Gothicism, very much in the mould of Ward XVI, with a barrage of left and right hooks that would comfortably batter the daylights out of the likes of Avatar or MCR if they ever decided to get in the ring with these young pretenders… ‘Burn The Ships’ is a wonderfully worked combination of folk/pirate/Viking metal anthemicism with a metalcore vibe, which also sees them explore their inner Metallica in the closing section, in turn providing a very nicely worked segue into the previously mentioned closer ‘The Boy And The Dancer’, which is built upon another of Alex’s most impressive vocal performances, as he explores the bottom end of his range for the first time, coupled with a neat intertwined guitar harmonic that really draws out the power of the song.

Overall, Brazen Bull most definitely have come out fighting. This self-titled debut is far from a torturous listening experience. In fact, quite the opposite. It is confident and strident. Yes, it takes a while to get into its stride, but once it does it a one-way trip for which you’ll most definitely be wanting to book a first-class ticket. These five young bulls can hold their heads up high and be extremely proud of what they have achieved to date. I look forward to hearing more from them.

‘Brazen Bull’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.

www.facebook.com/brazenbullband