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Da Iawn, but!

Screaming Eagle are the latest in a long line of bands to hail from the mighty principality of Wales. Comprising of names like Nikolai Ribnikof (Bass and vocals, not very Welsh in the slightest), Jason Young (Drums and almost Welsh), and finally Thomas Jones (Guitars and probably 100% Welsh).

For ‘Owain Glyndwr’s’ sake please, please stop categorising bands with God awful genre tags. This time Screaming Eagle are branded with the shite ‘doom jazz’. I feel like Peter Kay, ‘DOOM’....’JAZZ’, ‘DOOM JAZZ’.

All I can say is watch out, Wales’ other rock flag flyer such as Funeral for A Manic Furry Phonic Mynci because Screaming Eagle are about to hunt you down like a rabid pack of hungry wolves and devour your music and shit it out in tiny little pieces.

What you get here is nowhere near ‘doom jazz’, but a more modern sounding power trio. Think more pulsating bass lines, dark and heavy guitar work, (Nikolai obviously had a pedal effects set for Xmas) and atmospheric vocals. A 21st Century Cream (the band, that is). I don’t how far guitarist Thomas Jones has committed himself to the cause by chopping off the tops of his fingers in a freak bara brith baking exercise then replacing said missing finger tips with a special latex material and then having to learn how to play the guitar again, (I’m just getting round to my point),but its almost like transporting yourself to the Black Country in the early ‘70s and listening to Tony Iommi. I hope Tom is influenced by Sabbath of Ive just wasted 5 mins of me life typing this last paragraph!

‘Wake Up The Dawn’ starts off in great style. Both ‘In The Dark’ and ‘A Kick In The Face’ are lively, energetic and punchy, with great vocal style. ‘First In, Last Out’ is a reminder of late 60’s power rock psychadelic in its origins. I can imagine the band being back lit with dry ice a plenty and the old swirly graphics projected onto the band. The album moves onto the instrumental NBR I and NBR II, both intricate and layered in their construction, but I would have preferred NBR II later on in the CD as something to go back to rather that two instrumentals on the bounce. The album picks up the pace again with the final tracks ‘Sphere Of Influence’ and the very long, but epic ‘Pandemonium’ a right proper blend of a song, quiet at first (Tool like) with whispered, hushed vocals, before letting rip a third into the song, into a crashing instrumental wall of sound

With nods to QOTSA, Tool and a dark and sometimes progressive style, Screaming Eagle have a debut to be proud of. And make Wales proud of. The good thing about doing this (unpaid) job is that occasionally, and I mean very occasionally you get to listen to a band you would normally not be interested. Even better is when the band in question comes out with an album that makes you excited in the music. Da Iawn, Ardderchog, but!