Album Review: Pillaging Villagers - Pillaging Villagers
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
There are some things in life that just go together perfectly, fish and chips, a pint of cider on a warm summers days, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, but aggressive punk influenced crossover thrash and melodic Celtic folk metal, are two things that are not easily entwined, yet here it is in all its glory for the public to judge for themselves.
This mismatch of musical genres is the brainchild of vocalist David Frazier, with his debut eponymous album 'Pillaging Villagers'. It reminds me of when I first heard Animal Schoolbus last year, as this is a concept based on having as much fun as possible, and boy, is Frazier having some fun on this record. It is full on high energy from the opening riffs on 'Wretched of the Earth' and has some killer lyrics that will resonate across the globe “the underclass, so raise your glass, one and all”.
The album has lots of punky percussion, and full on thrash metal riffs, and the production is sharp, as all the instruments are audible, making the listener stand up and pay attention to what is happening. With session contributions from drummer Jason Hirt, guitarist Brian Koenig and bassist Adam Tucker, your heads will be non-stop banging as the songs are short and fast, and you’ll want to start a rebellion with lyrics like “They strut around their palaces and placate us with lies” from the excellent 'We Remember'.
Yet amidst all the chaotic, raucous, fast and furious pitchfork-wielding madness that is rampaging through your sound system at warp speed, comes 'The Crisis' which is over 8 and a half minutes long, and it really shouldn’t work within the confines of this album, as it’s an epic, wizardry tale where “the Northerners plot their counter strike” but it just shows the bands versatility and has its rightful place in the middle of the album.
'Voices to the Sky' feels like the sort of song that is sung after a long hard day on the battlefield and then you are swilling jugs of mead and getting drunk before grabbing a serving wench and having your ravenous way with her, very Game of Thrones, but more fun!! Yet amidst the madness, you’ll find a strong anti-capitalist message within the music, nothing epitomises this more than 'Smash the Factory' as Frazier wants to “Free our comrades from their chains”.
And just like that, the album is over in a flash, 39 minutes of burning and looting through your mind, leaving an indelible mark, as its going to be hard to remove this from your memory bank any time soon. From death metal growls to clean vocals, this album has something for everyone to enjoy and Pillaging Villagers will put a smile on people’s faces once again, just as music should do.
