Review Summary: The Charge of the Light Brigade
If you run in underground metal communities or worship at the church of the riff, you’ve most likely heard of the band Arghoslent. Their blend of aggressive melodic death metal with a classic heavy metal gallop in their riffs and soaring dual guitar harmonies forged a sound that is instantly recognizable. So why bring them up here, at the start of a review for a completely different band? The catch, of course, as you probably know, is the members of Arghoslent are virulent racists. Not in the sense that we disagree on politics or have some questionable views, but rather, they are open and proud white supremacists. It’s not even just that they are, which is bad enough, but it’s baked into their lyrics and albums as well. Their second album is literally titled
Incorrigible Bigotry. It asks a strange philosophical question, can riffs themselves be racist?
Naturally, with such a unique and absolutely electric sound tainted by their own vile hatred, there were always going to be imitators. After all, why should they get to have all the fun? Enter Grenadier from the Great White North of Canada, who came onto the scene in 2022 with their debut album
Trumpets Blare in Blazing Glory, which instantly drew comparisons to Arghoslent, almost to a fault. There were earlier ‘Argo-clones’ as the genre came to be known, but their introductory album is some of the purest and straightforward form of Arghoslent worship there is. It nailed their distinct riffing, soaring twin-guitar harmonies and atmosphere to a tee, just without… well, you know. It was a very good album, don’t get me wrong, but really never strayed far from the path set. Its focus solely seemed to be concerned with carrying the torch and in that, it succeeded.
Wolves of the Trench takes those rock solid foundations and expands them in fresh exciting ways, creating a beast all their own. The main way they have achieved this is through adding a healthy dose of blackening to their sound. Tremelos are much more common, which meshes perfectly with the bleak atmosphere they are creating. It adds a nice spice to the tried and true formula, the pure variety of riffing and melodies will always keep your ears perked up. Vocally it does stick mostly to the deep cavernous growls, but there is much more edge and personality this time around adding in some battle-scared raspiness. There were short bursts of high black metal shrieks on the last album, but here they’re more pronounced making the band much more dynamic. On the piece de résistance “Unmarked Graves of the Autochthonous”, they dominate the track, giving it a strong dose of venom and bite. It showcases everything that Grenadier has to offer in one complete package with a bow on. It has some of the catchiest galloping riffs you’ll ever hear, the aforementioned vocal variety, abrupt riff transitions, relentless blastbeats and gorgeous harmonies all played with impressive speed before taking a slight breather towards the end only to build right back up. It even features a very brief section with operatic clean vocals, a fascinating touch that really does work. Another one of my favorite moments on the album is the ending quarter to “The Extinguishing Fleets” where an absolutely massive careening isolated tremolo takes over the song complemented with a full blasting assault on the kit and a sustained growl to create a true wow moment.
The atmosphere on the album is truly fitting of the battlefield and syncs up perfectly with the horror of war-themed lyrics they pen. Given the subject matter along with the album cover and title, I can’t help but conjure up images of soldiers bracing on the front-line preparing for battle. The battlefield imagery isn’t just in the lyrics but in the riffs themselves with an upbeat jauntiness that makes me think of marching into battle to a drummer's call or galloping cavalry with officers cutting through lines with their sabers. The guitar solos act as piercing war cries cutting through the terror. The melodies bouncing along to the beat of the drum create something so groovy that just makes you want to bob your head. These triumphant, glimmering harmonies and melodies build a stark juxtaposition between the harsh vocals and brutal lyrics of warfare. The songs themselves, despite being carried almost entirely by deep growls, have repeated catchy choruses that you can actually growl along with — a battle hymn of sorts. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the paradox of war, moments of triumph and victory at the same time set against deep sorrow.
Production wise it fits the theme as well. The riffing is muddy and natural sounding, with a sharp, fuzzy distortion that carries real heft. It also has enough clarity especially in the harmonies and solos which dominate the mix to really pop. The introduction to “Red Civil Ensign” is one of the album’s most atmospheric moments, creating images in your mind of a gloomy, fog-shrouded battlefield with soldiers huddled in trenches before a jubilant charging melody takes over. The bombastic dual-guitar onslaught combines to form a well-oiled machine and is the true focal point that really makes the album tick. They strike with such precision, all played at a near nonstop breakneck pace only pausing for occasional breathers. If you were to remove the astronomical speed and intensity in addition to stripping the harsh vocals, it really is mostly classic romping heavy metal much in the vein of the godfathers of the twin-guitar interplay, Iron Maiden. The transitions between the riffs are lightning fast, moving from mid-paced bounciness to melodies played at the speed of light. The sheer quantity and quality of riffing is wildly impressive, Grenadier just have a great ear for memorable riffs the kind that will have you whipping out your air guitar to join in. They are only two albums into their career but sound like seasoned veterans who have mastered their craft.
I struggle to think of why some think that only Arghoslent should play this style of metal. Sure, they forged the path, but why leave such a one-of-a-kind style tainted by their vile beliefs to rot in the dustbin? Grenadier have already built upon that foundation in a way that feels both natural and invigorating, expanding this fascinating micro-genre’s potential. There are so many creative, interesting directions that classic heavy metal influence can have on melodic death and black metal, bringing old-school flair to genres that too often grow stagnant.
Wolves of the Trench is less a reclamation, but a rejuvenation and a planting of a flag. I don’t believe the pure musical DNA can be political or corrupted. After all, why should racists have a monopoly on kickass riffs?
