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BRETWALDAS OF HEATHEN DOOM "Seven Bloodied Ramparts"
BRETWALDAS OF HEATHEN DOOM "Seven Bloodied Ramparts"
By Dr. Abner Mality
The United Kingdom is well known for eccentricities and that sure extends to its music. You won't find too many British metal bands more eccentric than BRETWALDAS OF HEATHEN DOOM. If the name itself isn't a giveaway, then a look at the two guys who make up the band seals the deal. A couple of chaps who are dressed for a day walking the moors...but their heads seem to be made of foliage! Something right out of Monty Python, there…
"Seven Bloodied Ramparts" makes me break a rule of mine. This album originally came out in 2010 and I never do re-releases. This time I pretty much had to. Reason one: I don't think many of those reading this have ever heard of BRETWALDAS OF HEATHEN DOOM before. Reason two: their music practically demands to be heard by a legion of new fans.
The band is more English than Spotted Dick and malt vinegar on chips. Even ignoring lyrics, there seems to be something quintessentially British locked in the music itself. Imagine a cross between MOTÖRHEAD and folk-leaning black metal, with touches of AMEBIX sprinkled liberally on what remains. The tunes are hugely bass-forward, with a thunderous bottom end propelling things. Singer Dagfari Wartooth has an incredibly gravelly voice, like Lemmy if he smoked 8 packs a day. That right there is the voice of Old Blighty.
The album is super entertaining. Opening cut "Welcome The Rider" has an incredibly powerful gallop to it. "Rise" is the speedy side of BOHD, the most overtly MOTÖRHEAD-ish track. In contrast, "Grey Wolf" is a grim doomy plodder. "Smite" ends the album with a mish-mash of all the elements that typify the band.
They can be compared in some ways to another highly peculiar British metal band, THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL. For all I know, the guys underneath that foliage might be MEADS themselves. Or they may be much more commercial rockers giving vent to their crazy side. No matter who they are, BRETWALDAS OF HEATHEN DOOM are well worth checking out on "Seven Bloodied Ramparts".
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