A few years back I had a shortlived blog entitled Siege Perilous. I’d had the bug to do a fanzine again for a while at that point, but the reality of not only writing articles but then sitting down and cutting and pasting the whole thing together, forking out for the printing combined with having to get off my arse and sell the poxy thing was far too arduous a prospect to seriously consider. A blog was the compromise. Upon reflection it was fairly disjointed collection of ideas, reviews and rants, lacking the fluid cohesion and ruthless precision of the mighty Corehammer. Anyhow, back then I recieved a demo from a band of young chancers from Glasgow calling themselves In Tongues. Whilst the demo showed hints of promise (much like the blog that reviewed it) the songs were a disjointed mish mash of ideas and riffs. Some really cool, almost Abnegation type parts and harrowing vocals were diluted by the cheesy Strife’esque gang vocals they’d shoehorned in. Anyway, never heard much about them again after that, figured they’d packed it in which was a shame because like I said, they showed potential.
Three years later and they’ve resurfaced, taken by the hand and coaxed blinking into the light of the larger hardcore scene by the arch revenant himself, Michael Darke of Atonement Records. It would appear they’ve spent the last three years entombed within some kind of unholy chrysalis emerging from the ruins of their previous incarnation like a gargantuan Deaths head moth…a beho-MOTH if you will. The clumsy but belligerent crusty metallic hardcore they were peddling has been hammered upon the anvil of experience and tempered into a finely wrought precision blade. The whole vibe is ragged and belicose tempered with shades of melancholy that lend these songs an almost epic feel which hints at an appreciation for the old Tribunal Records bands along with an obvious affection for Prayer For Cleansing, Undying and the like. Oh and when it breaks down? They bring the thunder like fucking DISEMBODIED once did.
Both musically and lyrically this band drips spite and malice from every pore, a joyously malevolent beast.
The vocals are ugly and ravaged and remind me somewhat of (Gehenna vocalist) Mike Cheese’s belligerent scorched earth rasp. The songs on offer on this demo are best defined by their consistency and renewed sense of purpose I think. In Tongues KNOW what they want to be now and I think they’ve accomplished that, shedding their mortal skin and ascending toward greater things. In 40K terms, it’s like when the Word Bearers of the Serrated Sun meet Ingethel on Cadia and become….changed.
Atonement have made a demo tape of new In Tongues material available on their webstore as well as a free download if you just wanna taste the songs. I think they have a full EP in the works and hopefully they will venture South to grace us all with a taste of true Northern Darkness. Out- fucking-standing.