The lines between metal genres can occasionally be blurry, as The Western Front – the new album from Australia’s Sacriphyx – has reminded me.
Most of the people I know who have heard The Western Front immediately compare it to Arghoslent’s brand of death metal with traditional metal influences (minus the racism), citing the catchy melodic riffs and oddly upbeat feel. But a friend of mine, in writing about The Western Front, argues that the catchy melodicism has more in common with the Greek black metal of Varathron and Necromantia than it does with any kind of death metal. And upon researching the band a bit further, I find these Greek black metal comparisons popping up more and more frequently.
I’m not sure which side I agree with more, as both can be heard in The Western Front but neither one really nails it down completely; there’s a lot of thrash in and some melancholic Warning-esque moments as well. But, regardless of where you feel The Western Front falls on the genre map, Sacriphyx have an album to be very proud of here. I can’t recall the last time I heard a death/black metal band be this overtly melodic without descending into cheesy Gothenburg-isms, never mind pull it off this effectively. The Western Front is gloriously catchy from start to finish, and example of melody in extreme metal done right.
Sacriphyx consists of guitarist/bassist/vocalist Anthony Till and drummer Neil Dyer. Their interesting mix of death, black, and thrash metal has always emphasized melody over brutality and aggression, although that should not be interpreted to mean the aggression is lacking. The Manilla Road-influenced riffs and moving guitar harmonies create a unique, yet still traditional take on death/black metal.
They have preserved this unique take wonderfully on The Western Front, and fans of the duo’s previous releases (which were conveniently released as a self-titled compilation this year) will find themselves very much at home with the new album. ‘Buried Behind the Lines’ and ‘Food for the Front’ punch forward at a deliciously headbangable tempo, while the instrumental title track and the mournful-but-hopeful ‘Without a Trace’ display the band’s downtempo side beautifully, as does the acoustic track ‘Damn Passchendaele Ridge.’ ‘Fatal Fromelles,’ another standout track, and album closer ‘Wells of Bersheeba’ show both sides of the band, and ‘The Crawling Horror’ displays a bit of an Asphyx influence.
The Necromantia and Arghoslent comparisons are absolutely valid, largely due to the massive traditional heavy metal strain running through the whole thing. But The Western Front is easily catchy enough to appeal to less trve among us. It will make Necromantia fans headbang and give Arghoslent fans something to feel less guilty about, but the catchiness will appeal to those who haven’t moved beyond Amon Amarth and Dark Tranquillity yet as well.
It is rare to find a band that is old-school in their delivery while still sounding refreshing and different. Everything on The Western Front is familiar, but the way in which Sacriphyx’s influences are combined, as well as the quality of the execution, is what makes it stand out from the pack. The Western Front successfully straddles the line between catchy melodic songwriting and just straight-up kickass death/black/thrash metal, something that is simply not done often enough.
The Western Front is released through Nuclear War Now! Productions on CD, regular vinyl and Die Hard vinyl.
