Review Summary: The Danish take on modern sludge metal, packed with rage and punches in the gut.
I would love to say that these danish metalheads are one of a kind.
Rising released their debut EP back in 2009, which quickly escalated into a Danish Metal Awards nomination, a few tours around Europe and some of you might have seen them at Roskilde Festival 2010. After that they signed with German Exile on Mainstream record company and recently released their debut album (hint; this album, named To Solemn Ash).
Now, what do I mean by that? As noted, I wish I could say that Rising were one of a kind because whatever might follow in this review, I must express the fact that Rising are a good band; they are heavy, they are loud, they are crushing, all the things a proper modern sludge band should be. And yet they seem to have listened to way too much Baroness and Mastodon when they recorded this album. Don't get me wrong on this one either, Baroness and Mastodon are also great bands but they are different and experiment enough with their style to have a sound of their own. Rising just sounds like a light version of Blood Mountain-era Mastodon; it doesn't have the intricate storytelling nor the crisp guitar work, it falls just short on that level of sonic blast that Mastodon has and yet, To Solemn Ash has persuaded me to listen to it again and again.
And here is why; it might not have the stringy solos, the skill and punch of Mastodon or Baroness but this thing is as heavy and grimy as a cocktail made out of raw sewage and concrete. And the vocals, man, I think this guy is on a personal mission to literally shout his lungs out his throat. This is what keeps me going with Rising; basically, it is heavy as ***. Plus, Rising is a young band, three years old or so, they have a plenty of time to develop a sound of their own and with this effort I am sure that their future is bright.
So all in all, go get it. It is worth the money and if you are a fan of this wave of "metal-for-people-who-don't-like-metal" metal, this will certainly appeal to you. Basically, Rising have made a rock solid debut with To Solemn Ash and I can't wait to see what the future holds for them.
