October Burns Black - Two Worlds Collide album review

Within the first twenty seconds of opening track Divide and Conquer, it’s clear that Two Worlds Collide, the debut LP from goth “supergroup” October Burns Black will be a serious contender for trad goth rock album of the year. Pulsating eight-to-the-bar bass and a no-nonsense drumbeat drive the song forward, whilst Husseyesque duelling guitars and a strong baritone vocal complete a musical vision which is not dissimilar to a more muscular version of The Sisters of Mercy’s Train.

After a brace of EPs, the latter of which saw Rod Hanna replace Ger Egan on vocals, the multinational ensemble’s debut LP confirms that the project’s overall sound will incorporate musical elements from the members’ individual bands – American bassist James Tramel’s 90’s legends The Wake, Norwegian guitarist Tommy Olsson’s current band Long Night and noughties’ act The Morendoes, German fellow guitarist Lars Kappeler’s 2010’s trad goth stars Sweet Ermengarde and UK drummer Simon Rippin’s goth rock projects from Fields of the Nephilim to Grooving in Green in addition to Ulsterman Hanna’s 90’s band Return to Khaf’ji - to create a strong new development of the now four-decade-old gothic rock template.

If the opener Divide and Conquer acts as a straightforward statement of intent, second track Black Veil adds a subtler touch, with a slower intro, a more intricate arrangement and a more folky, goth lite vibe reminiscent of the middle eight of The Sisters’ First and Last and Always.

Keeping with The Sisters theme, Tightrope begins with Tramel’s Lucretia-influenced bass intro before developing into a more straightforward rocker, albeit with the acoustic folk goth embellishments beloved of The Rose of Avalanche.

A more menacing bass riff heralds the start of the genuinely angry Regress, with Hanna somewhat unexpectedly spitting his spite in a stream of invective, addressing a “Liar, cheat, fabricator … loser, coward, miserable fool” before telling his target unequivocally “You’re a waste of time and space and you’re a f*** liar” over galloping guitars and a steroid-enhanced rhythm section.

The first half of the album closes with a much-needed slower interlude, with Tramel igniting Fickle with a slow-burning bombastic epic intro which is not unlike Fields of the Nephilim’s Celebrate, before a more up-tempo section which sees a clearly still enraged Hanna berating his interlocutor’s “fickle, twisted, cruel intentions” which “kill the faith I have in me”. The song changes tempo again for the middle eight, in the style of Last Exit For The Lost, confirming Fickle’s status as a future trad goth classic.

The Nephilimistic vibe continues on The Grand Leveller, with a burbling Psychonaut bass drone and an almost prog goth backing, building beautifully to a fuller, busier arrangement with keyboard swirls adding a more atmospheric element, Rippin’s tribalistic drumming coming more to the fore as the song builds to a climax.

Blind Faith has a more straightforward structure, a low-key anthemic chorus showcasing the power in Hanna’s lower range, whilst Olsson effortlessly knocks out another of those classic goth rock No Time To Cry riffs.

 

The shimmering Missionesque guitars are also prominent in Consumed, one of the teaser tracks for the album, with Rippin bashing out a metronomic beat allowing Kappeler and Olsson’s duelling guitars to build a rich patchwork for another slab of melodic goth rock.

The up-tempo penultimate track All I Never Wanted begins with a no-nonsense riff and verse which are very reminiscent of 80’s German goth rock act Calling Dead Red Roses, leading to an understated chorus befitting the lyrically downbeat theme, with Hanna at his most vulnerable in a stripped-back middle eight.

The album is closed by the bombastic title track, Two Worlds Collide, which starts with the portentous couplet “Somewhere in time, lost in a void”. The goth cliché book is very much in evidence with “burning embers” leading to “flames”, “beautiful nightmares” that don’t last, and unrequited love which leaves the protagonist “dying all over again”.

All in all, in Two Worlds Collide, October Burns Black have created a perfect album of contemporary gothic rock, with a cosily familiar vibe, paying tribute to the legends of the 80’s scene whilst never straying into parody or plagiarism. The professional production values (with Simon Rippin on production and additional guitarist Gordon Young responsible for the pin-sharp mastering) which extend to the impressive occult goth sigils created for each track by Billyphobia, ensure that this release will remain a siren call to those who still yearn for the powerful yet beautiful melancholy of the traditional gothic rock sound.

 Two Worlds Collide is released today and is available via Bandcamp