Stampin' Ground, Carved From Empty Words (Century Media-2000)
Back in the 90's there was a great underground music scene in the UK. Many outsiders looking in would simply see a more loud style of punk and they are kind of right but the fans had a title for it in UKHC (United Kingdom Hard Core) Mixing elements of punk and metal this album is a great example of a cross over band that nailed it. And believe me there were many more.
I have chosen this album as it really did help define the style and move it into the 00's. The album production is pristine and clear as a bell. Drums and bass sound fantastic all adding to much head banning. First track "Officer Down" is a ferocious attack to new ears may well be a mess of guitars but it is in fact quite a slow song. Vocals are again in your face but listen to it. The song and the whole album has riff that still 15 years later make much of the so called extreme metal bands look like they should should do photo shoots with a bunch of flowers.
The whole band seem to blend as one big riff machine and evidence is so blindly there in track three "The Symmetrie Of Hatred" the intro builds up nicely with drums playing all over the shop and into a vocal style that to me sounds like a riff as well. Back in the UKHC days bands would book a pub and have say six bands on one bill the music was fast and loose the fans would just want music to jump about to and this is what this album has in all songs.
"Bathe My Wounds" again brings in the fantastic rhythm build up and shows the band have moved on to the point vocals are not needed all the time. Again music like this is falsely looked at as very fast, not on this track it is a slow head nodding tune and I have seen myself in the window of the bus nodding to the beat.
Produced by Dave Chang he was the go to guy in the 90's for any style of metal music and always does a fantastic job. This for me is one of his highlights as after seeing the band a few times he has captured all the energy so well. Guitars sound big but not so out there vocals really do mean something on this album it all works great. Later track "Mid-Death Crisis" is the classic sound of what UKHC sounds like in the basement of a pub and feel nostalgic to me but to new ears may well open some doors.
The band were on Century Media so never going to conquer the world with this style but they may well have done so much better now with the amount of metal festivals in Europe and America I think they would have done way more sales if people saw them live. But back then there really were non of the smaller festivals for metal music. They went on to do one more album before splitting up at the last show as the first band on the new Donington festival (now Download). If you are a metal fan check out this album but alt music fans who like the likes of Converge will love this album to bits.
Still available at Amazon
