{"id":16098,"date":"2014-01-09T00:01:44","date_gmt":"2014-01-09T00:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=16098"},"modified":"2014-01-09T12:52:56","modified_gmt":"2014-01-09T12:52:56","slug":"album-review-blackfinger-blackfinger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-blackfinger-blackfinger\/","title":{"rendered":"BLACKFINGER – Blackfinger (2014) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

BLACKFINGER
Blackfinger<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nChurch Within (2014)<\/span>
Rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s hard to believe that former Trouble frontman Eric Wagner has seemingly been away from the music scene since 2007, but during that time he hasn\u2019t been idle and Blackfinger is the result \u2013 a new doom metal band featuring the line-up of Wagner (vocals), Doug Hakes and Rico Bianchi (guitars), Ben Smith (bass) and Larry Piatz (drums).<\/p>\n

Blackfinger began gigging in 2010 but it has taken almost four years for the combo to release this debut self-titled debut platter, and what an immense record it is, boasting the sort of quality that a majority of so-called doom metal bands could only dream of writing. With Trouble continuing, to my dismay with Kyle Thomas on vocals, I\u2019ve missed Wagner\u2019s earthy rasp.<\/p>\n

The melancholic drone of \u2018I Am Jon\u2019 enters the graveyard with its monolithic drum plod and Eric Wagner\u2019s sombre narration. It\u2019s the sort of number that cements itself into doom metal folklore as it comes complete with stirring guitars and rumbling bass and stirs me from my dormancy.<\/p>\n

\u2018Yellowood\u2019 is an oaken chug of a track; it has all the echoes of classic Trouble with that sleepy groove before the drum rattle dismantles the speakers and Wagner whines through the rain with an ominous arrogance, putting all pretenders to shame. The sprigs of psychedelia are ever-present, not just musically with those guitars which shift from grey swirling gloom to rose-tinted kaleidoscopes, but lyrically too, with the likes of \u2018Why God\u2019 lazily emerging from the shade of the stark trees to taint the black waters with their acidic hue.<\/p>\n

Many may ask what the difference between Blackfinger and Trouble is, and the main separation is that this record has a more laid-back, mellow feel; a composition of dark and light that never breaks into a storm, but merely hints at sadness, but also providing hope. A prime example of this being the majestic \u2018On Tuesday Morning\u2019 which surfaces with its enchanting opening of pleasant guitar and tip-toe drums. Lyrically it\u2019s summery and hazy as Wagner muses, \u201cI have to admit I\u2019m a little confused, this is the strangest life… I feel like I\u2019m being us; I think I am here just to remind you, see all the good things under the sun…\u201d<\/em> before the outfit lurch into that psych-tinged chorus groove.<\/p>\n

\u2018As Long As I\u2019m With You\u2019 bleeds through the system on merely a sullen piano and a sweeping string that evokes images of loss before Wagner\u2019s deep tones narrate again, \u201cMother, may I go outside, before it starts to rain\u201d<\/em>, and as always in that tone there is an air of the beautiful yet the ominous, once again showcasing the peaks and troughs of this formidable record.<\/p>\n

Although the track is an ashen ballad, it also exists as a lovelorn rhapsody and in its stripped back form it remains the album\u2019s most endearing, heartfelt strain, which is contrasted by the megalithic chug of \u2018Here Comes The Rain\u2019, where the guitars once again drive as hard as the downpour, backed by dull thudding drums and woven by that doomy bass. Again it hints at Trouble at their most mercurial and mysterious, marrying Black Sabbath<\/a> with Led Zeppelin<\/a> but with a spine of the frighteningly unique.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, we\u2019re treated to the wistful echoes of \u2018Keep Fallin\u2019 Down\u2019, a mere acoustic caress on the ears with morose strings and reflective lyrics. The track also features a killer solo, the best on the record. But those hoping for a weighty return to Trouble\u2019s murkier days will no doubt be joyed by tracks such as \u2018My Many Colored Days\u2019 and the stabbing groove of \u2018All The Leaves Are Brown\u2019.<\/p>\n

Eleven tracks of classic doom \u2019n\u2019 roll, Blackfinger\u2019s debut slab boasts enough swagger and sway to accompany one through the ever-changing seasons. Full of emotion, it\u2019s a brooding work of art from a band who effortlessly have reminded us what is so evocative about the darker side of life, and long may Blackfinger rain!<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BLACKFINGERBlackfinger Church Within (2014)Rating: 9\/10 It\u2019s hard to believe that former Trouble frontman Eric Wagner has seemingly been away from the music scene since 2007, but during that time he hasn\u2019t been idle and Blackfinger is the result \u2013 a new doom metal band featuring the line-up of Wagner (vocals), Doug Hakes and Rico Bianchi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,870],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-blackfinger"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16098"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16232,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16098\/revisions\/16232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}