ALLERJEN

For fans of heavy music, dubious spelling and alliteration, Brutal Elite Records present Allerjen (“irrepressible Manchester metal merchants”). The band have been around in one form or another since 1999 but first appeared as their current incarnation in 2002, give or take a few minor line-up changes. Since then the band has been working on amassing a following, performing at the Damnation and the Godless Festivals, as well as performing alongside bands such as Amen, Sepultura and Skindred to name but a few. Their first album, ‘No Guts, No Glory’, was released back in 2008 and now it’s time for them to release the follow-up: ‘Equilibrium’. The band took some time out before getting to work on this album and it seems that this was time well spent, as it is a well-crafted slab of metal that should make the Manchester metal scene proud. Although the album kicks off with the high octane ‘Destroyer of Worlds’, which starts as they mean to go on, they don’t fall into the trap of producing cookie-cutter metal. The album is heavy throughout, so is not one for a fan of ballads, but there is enough variety in the riffs and general dynamic that you don’t feel like you’ve heard all there is to hear by the half-way point. It’s also worth noting that the production has been done well enough to stop it becoming a wall of noise; risky business when you’re dealing with music that is this heavy and has this many different layers. There are a few stand-out tracks here, notably ‘Treachery Be Thy Name’, ‘The Process of Being’ and the album’s closing track ‘Embrace the Divine’, which show the band’s diversity within an arguably somewhat limiting genre. There’s also a lot here to convince you that they have the potential to be an incredible live band.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Brutal Elite Records

Album

EQUILIBRIUM

Review by Siân Williams

RUNNING TIME:

47:09

RELEASE DATE:

20th Feb 2012

TRACK LISTING

1) Destroyer of Worlds
2) Treachery Be Thy Name
3) The Process of Being
4) Beyond the Promised Land
5) Disregarding Etiquette
6) Hunter
7) Achieving Equilibrium
8) Eternal Night
9) Humanoid
10) Embrace the Divine

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

UK

"...a well-crafted slab of metal that should make the Manchester metal scene proud. "