BLACK RIDERS PART 1

'Black Riders Part 1' sees the return of heartscore, the recording project of Germany's Dirk Radloff, assisted by his lead vocalist of choice, known only as Chris. Some two and a half years have passed since his last album and, looking at the strikingly different presentation of 'Black Riders' it would appear a change in mood and attitude has occurred in the meantime. Highly stylised white-on-black graphic art depictions of what I can only describe as a rat-tailed demons adorn both the disc and digipak wallet.

It's worth mentioning that the album is also available in a deluxe format which includes a large hardback book of lyrics with original illustrations by Alexander Stanton. If the music's to your taste and you favour the boxed set audio-visual experience then that's the route for you.

2016's eponymous album was an absorbing brew of rock, classical and tightly orchestrated jazz influences using Radloff's favoured approach of setting poems to music. Two years ago a selection of 19th and 20th Century American writers provided the texts whereas this time the focus is exclusively on the poetry of Stephen Crane.

At this point I have to confess to not being a particular fan of Crane, finding his terse and sorrowful verse lacking in hope or linguistic beauty. An obsessive monothematicism drove me away as a literature-loving teenager and I've never felt the desire to return. However, the economy of his proto-modernist free-verse and the relatively uncluttered language could make them ideal candidates for rock song lyrics, and there's more than enough angst, betrayal and exasperation on which to base a heavy metal album.

Yes, for 'Black Riders' is indeed a heavy metal opus, and not heavy metal in its 70s or 80s guise, but rather the more visceral 'death metal' variant hailing from the 90s and still going strong today.

Out with the disc, into the drawer, press play and here we go :

The first track, 'In The Desert' gets right down to business with a tight woofer stretching low-end from a combination of hard-edged synth bass and electronic drums, whilst the rhythm guitars adopt middle-eastern flavoured guitar riffs.

The production is modern, hard-hitting and loud and a quick check of the disc wallet sees Russell Sinfield credited with mastering. He's certainly taking no prisoners on this disc, whilst managing to control the stereo width and ferociously energetic rhythm section with aplomb.

Chris' familiar polished vocal delivery takes in some very challenging Arabic influenced melodic lines and all with impeccable clarity. I never thought about consulting a lyric sheet throughout the album's 60-odd minute playing duration. A guest saxophonist appears in the guise of Gdaily Garmiza, navigating something of a 'jump cut' tempo change and contributing an interesting modal-jazz solo through the outro.

The album consists of twenty tracks, varying in length from 1:52 to 6:01, and the predominant style is best described as a kind of thrash metal with treated 'industrial' electronic drums which reminded me of Ministry in the early 90s. However, Radloff's classical compositional chops mean there are plenty of surprises in store.

Listen to the third track 'There Was A Crimson Flash of War' which takes a kind of reimagined 'Immigrant Song' groove and creates a pulsating, crushing invasion force. One of the stronger songs which ends all too soon and which I feel could have been developed further

The electronic drums are defiantly synthetic sounding, rather than using samples of conventional acoustic kits, and we encounter an array of detuned and processed low-kicks and machine-gun snares. On more than one occasion I found the toms to be slightly disappointing with their triggered Jan Hammer 'Miami Vice' tone.

Track five, 'I Stood Upon a High Place', was another standout for me with a pseudo-morse code hook allied with edgy and slightly dissonant harmonies. As if Rush's YYZ was rewritten in collaboration with Birtwistle or another arch-modernist.

The title track is a great showcase for Radloff's compositional and arrangement skills as we take in sequenced synth figures, detuned metal guitars and clattering programmed beats before transitioning into a calmer arpeggiated interlude reminiscent of 70s Mahavishnu Orchestra or King Crimson.

The eighth song, 'Behold From a Land of the Further Suns', makes for a pleasant contrast with a bleeping synth sequence and electro-funk beats reminding me of Aphex Twin or Boards of Canada. The IDM mood is developed nicely before a multitracked Radloff choir is introduced, accompanied by antiphonal harmony guitars. Quality writing and a well timed mood change for the album.

The oasis of ( relative) calm continues with the ninth track, the aptly titled 'Once I Knew a Fine Song' , which pushes the drums back into the mix, dips the amplifier gain and allows the bandleader to contribute some sensitive and melodic violin lines.

Radloff's deft composer's touch prevents the industrial metal onslaught from becoming oppressive or overly intimidating. Listen to the wonderful word-painting change in the thirteenth song as Chris sings 'infinite beauty'. Marvellous, and one of the magic moments of the album for me.

Stylistic variety is also on display with the sixteenth track's hints of 80s rock, there's something 'Cult-ish' about the driving electro-rock of 'Gods', and also on my favourite song 'Place Among The Stars' where Dirk channels his inner John Barry to create a kind of mysterious 70s TV theme with imaginative string writing.

The finale, 'Heaven', doesn't disappoint as it builds and develops its opening 'space synth' phrase with more colourful harmony guitars and pulsing programmed rhythm section.

If I had to criticise this album then, as a non-metal aficionado, I feel it's around 15 minutes too long for a single sitting. There were times when the consecutive short tracks of battering, bludgeoning and lyrical bleakness began to overwhelm me and I found my concentration drifting as I thought ahead to the next calmer track. Of course, Radloff is working with preset texts and I think he captures the moods of Crane's God-forsaken realism perfectly.

Occasionally the vocal lines felt awkward or forced with one interval too many and I came away with the impression that a rock singer, if left to their own devices, would take a more direct melodic approach.

However, this is minor stuff in the context of this ambitious and innovative album from heartscore.

Writing music in this fragmented postmodernist era involves choices and conscious decision making. How do we relate to the past and its various cultural and artistic traditions in this 'access all eras' internet epoch ? Is it still possible to be original within the popular music idiom or can we only hope to combine elements of our influences with a little something of ourselves ?

Dirk Radloff through his heartscore project evidently believes that original and challenging combinations are still possible and with 'Black Riders' he's boldly galloping in new and exciting musical directions. Here's to Part Two.

Jan Scanulfsson - 12th November 2018