Album Review: 10,000 Years - All Quiet On The Final Frontier
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
There’s a rather curious opening to the new album from 10,000 Years. It almost feels like some sort of space odyssey, and they are all set to whisk you off to another dimension, but as the title “Orbital Decay” suggests, can we escape before the decomposition begins. With that in mind, what lurks beyond the opening number.
And with the title track up next, it opens with an exquisite guitar sound from Erik Palm and introduces the powerhouse drumming of Alvin Risberg, to lead us towards that final frontier. It’s frantic but oh so enjoyable from the Swedish trio, and something that you’d expect from a Ripple Music recording artist. And we get more of the awesome stoner metal grooves on the next song “The Experiment “.
With Alex Risbergs thundering bass and howling vocals taking full control of the song, they have blended their parts together well, and the drum fills from Risberg are a joy to listen to. The band have moved on both musically and thematically from the previous concepts of the Albatross Trilogy and have channelled their talents into a more melodic approach to the songs, and it has worked well for them.
The opening of “Death Valley Ritual” has such a deep hard hitting bass line that I’m surprised it hasn’t rocked the earth off its axis, and when put together with the other parts, this new approach will see the music be accessible to hordes of new people who are yet to discover the band. This is a killer of a song and a true highlight for me and that will lead to higher expectations but when “The Weight of a Feather” explodes into life, it confirms to me that the band are ready to face the world as a force to be reckoned with.
Then we get over 6 minutes’ worth of joy on “Ablaze in the Now” showcasing more well executed drumming from Risberg, which really is a joy to listen to, as he hits hard, but then allows the intense guitar riff from Palm to take over and power the song forward. The song has a cracking tempo change and it alters direction well, feeling a bit dreamier without losing any intensity.
The penultimate song “High Noon in Sword City” has a high intense riff blasting out, its not complex, but feels like a proper stoner metal track with the vocal to match. It is finished off with “Down the Heavy Path” another bruising song, full of life and demonstrating once again that the trio have an abundance of talent and that as a band, 10,000 Years are here to stay.
