Lowcaster absolutely refuse to be stuffed into a pigeonhole. Essentially they work within a stoner metal framework, but there’s also vast amounts of traditional heavy metal, post-rock, prog metal, and even serious ballad territory added to the mix. This all works with the emotion that backs up every single note on Flames Arise.
With all these different sonic masks at play, the music is complex in many ways, whilst remaining fist-pumping metal loaded with choruses that replay for ages afterwards. The riffs move from quiet and gentle to ripping thrash and all the way back down to snail-pace doom in the blink of an eye, but the guitar team of Jason Bridges and Marc Brandi (both vocalists on the album too) seem so comfortable together that the tightness of the music is unbreakable, and the rhythm section couldn’t be more solid and warm within the mix. A melancholy atmosphere presides over the whole album, the music dark yet uplifting, and the multiple vocals adding a different level of spice with their haunting melodies. Notable songs like ‘Pilian’ and ‘Flames Bemoan The Tide’ are huge and epic upon first listen, but the intricacies contained within are worth repeated listens and the album plays as one long rush of adrenaline that raises goosebumps and leaves sweat on the collective brow.
The raw human emotion is what ultimately sells the record though. This is very personal and heartfelt music and the band are clearly adept at displaying their innermost feelings through the medium of heavy music. It’s a heavy journey with many peaks and valleys and the listener is left both spent and satisfied by the end of it. If that ain’t successful songwriting, I don’t know what is. Highly recommended.
Flames Arise is released 25th October via Ripple Music and can be purchased here.
Words: John Morrow
