Take a good long look at that striking album cover…
If I caught that piece hanging in a gallery somewhere, I would definitely stop and stare. I would stop, and I would stare, and I would let the wealth of colliding emotions it conjures plow through my eyes and brain. It’s a stunning, visceral piece that’s summarily tempting, and it’s one that artist/Cardinal Wyrm bassist Marcelle Marais describes as being “inspired by the recomposing and decomposing cycles of life.” Quite the fitting choice, considering the range of emotions Another Holy Trinity also conveys.
Cardinal Wyrm represents yet another troupe in the seemingly immortal supply of Bay Area metal bands fresh on the scene and grappling for listeners’ ears. And just like so many of their regional peers and predecessors, this trio fully embraces the notion of minimizing strict genre tags in an effort to paint a broader array of moods within their comprehensive panorama.
To be perfectly honest, I’ve struggled in my attempt to pinpoint bands that strike from a similar angle for some sort of reference point. I’m sure that’s good news to Cardinal Wyrm, but it’s hell when part of your job as a metal scribe is to try and give readers a quick “Oh shit, they sound similar to them?” kind of moment. The foundation is unquestionably doomy, in a stoner-y, sludgy, occasionally noisy kind of way, so I suppose something like Church of Misery would be a fair comparison. I’d add Brainoil to the short-list as well, and they’re a band that’s particularly pertinent not only due to the shared neighborhood, but also because Brainoil bassist Greg Wilkinson (ex-Graves at Sea & ex-Laudanum) is responsible for recording and mixing Another Holy Trinity.
The bottom line is this: you’re gonna hear plenty of galumphing, heavy-as-shit “Keep on Truckin’ strut” in Natan Vee’s weighty riffs, and Marcelle’s bass pretty much sounds like it’s strung with bridge cables, so be ready to feel this doom deep within your marrow after the very first spin.
But what really sets these guys apart from the rest of the ranks is the awesomely peculiar vocal approach tossed under the spotlight via drummer Pranjal Tiwari. Picturing what this guy might look like based purely on what he delivers throughout these five lengthy tunes, I’d say a half-hammered, straight-jacketed Elvis with King Buzzo’s coif wouldn’t be too far off the mark. Perhaps that comes across as an offense, but it’s meant with the utmost admiration. There’s a weirdly regal touch to the way Pranjal croons, and it’s suitably offset by some of the most venomous, heated snarling I’ve yet to hear this year. Hell, he even briefly howls at the moon throughout the crushing “Ruin” and during the album’s epic closer, “Procession of the Gilded Wyrm”.
And the icing on the cake? As of right now, you can add this cracking bit of doomed whatthefuckery to your growing collection for a mere five bucks. (Or more, if your bank account happens to be less grim than mine. Please tell me your bank account is less grim than mine.) One thing’s for certain – you’ll get a lot more miles out of the money spent on Another Holy Trinity than you would just about anything else for the same price. Score another big win for the Bay Area.
