Out Now
Words by Kris Peters
My first introduction to Sydney heavy rock outfit Battlesnake came under unusual circumstances.
Normally before interviewing a band you know something – anything – about them, be it by way of their music or having seen them perform live.
Anything to get an overall feel of what to prepare for and expect. I wasn’t afforded such luxury.
All I knew was they were a part of The World Is A Vampire Festival in pretty esteemed company and what the press release told us about them playing with some band called KISS… the usual stuff.
So after sitting down for a chat with half the band and completely loving every minute of it I did things ass about face and made a point of catching them live the following day.
And what a delight it was. These guys (I counted seven, but there could be double that) not only played like demonic superstars in the making, but the visual component to the show was every bit as spectacular with a Monty Python style Knights Who Say Niii type thing going on – hence the battle part of the name I guess.
They were that good live – with the visuals playing a major part – that I initially struggled with listening to their recent debut album, only because rarely does a band live up to expectations sonically alone when such a (seeming) reliance is rightfully thrust the way of their stage attire.
So it is with slight trepidation – because I really want to love these guys full stop – that I hit play and welcome album opener Genesis II.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t this!
Half monologue, half preaching, half narrative, Genesis II sets things up with an almighty tale of creation and destruction set over a subliminally brooding backdrop of anarchic contempt that is as eerie as it is commanding.
The drawl concludes with a nice segue into opening number and single I Am The Vomit, which pretty much tells you all you need to know about Battlesnake from the outset.
These guys take nothing – except their music – seriously, and use their medieval quest as more of a launchpad into the unknown rather than a gimmick to hide behind for random effect.
The guitars begin to whirl and the drums menace leading directly into a hard rocking number that is as repulsive lyrically as it is commanding musically.
There’s definite nods to Black Sabbath here, but with much more urgency, and Battlesnake quickly set about painting a sonic landscape of dragons, demons, anarchy and… vomit.
The song turns into a canter quickly as electronics and sonic haze devour the landscape, inviting us on a wondrous journey into dancing unicorns and sorcery from which resistance already seems futile.
Demon Farm thunders to life next, equal parts AC/DC and King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, but with enough variations to elevate things to an entirely fresh and welcome plain.
Vocalist Sam Frank snarls and menaces his way throughout, spitting venomous intent with enough vitality to rescue a dozen maidens.
There’s so much going on here that it would be easy to get lost musically but rest assured every one of the 27 (?) band members is relevant and needed.
Beezle Banquet sleazes to life on the back of a cool as fuck guitar riff that lays the platform for another electric interlude that sporadically adds a sense of mystique and magic to the palate.
Then the guitars kick back in and the two instruments wage a measured war of attrition that sways back and forth not unlike an episode of Flash Gordon.
The underlying heaviness of Battlesnake’s music provides a steady backbone while the intergalactic war wages unabated at every corner. In all honesty there are times when none of this has any right to sound so damn good, but Battlesnake seem to know when to throw down and when to dominate musically which is an impressive feat for a band in their relative infancy.
A wicked bass intro begins Nazarene Extreme which quickly turns into a rollicking psychedelic number infused with enough hard rock lashings to make it a monster unto its own undertaking.
Gang vocals abound and add a sense of urgency – as if any were needed. And this is perhaps where one of Battlesnake’s best qualities lies.
There are so many of them performing at any given time it would be easy and understandable if the sound was sometimes convoluted and crowded but Battlesnake have none of that. They play as one impenetrable unit – maybe where the snake comes into things? – and every nuance is added to accentuate the sound rather than isolate it.
Very impressive.
Beezlebug opens with an oriental guitar passage that soon gives way to a measured, yet frenetic guitar led journey into the belly of the beast.
Lazers, space and time are all alluded to and all come beckoning at various points of this song that invokes feelings of majestic grandeur offset by gentle flamenco guitar interludes that add an inner depth to the track and allow you to relax your mind long enough to be swept away in a tale of a time where swords and sorcery and tyrants ruled the roost and our only saviour is a gaggle of Sydney musicians standing between our world and annihilation.
But I think we’re in good hands.
The Battlesnake sweeps to life on the back of a beautifully tempered outro to Beelzebug, a mass of distorted guitars the gatekeepers to a finale that sees Battlesnake summon all of their unworldly prowess in a last-ditch effort to save humanity.
It’s like a march of sorts, a Pied Piper if you will, with Battlesnake assembling a musical army in a sweeping act of defiance that is as driven by the forces of darkness as it is those of light.
More sweeping guitars offer some form of solace in the relative darkness, and it appears the triumphant closing chapter of the tale may be imminent.
And triumphant is the word.
I forgot all about how great these guys looked on stage and instead subconsciously allowed myself to be swept along a hard-rocking tale of lust, wonder, greed, magic and – most importantly – fun.
And fun is one thing Battlesnake have in boundless abundance.
*All reviews in HEAVY are just one person’s opinion of the album. We encourage honesty in reviews but just because our reviewer may or may not like/appreciate an album, that doesn’t mean their opinion is right! We encourage you to have a listen for yourself and make up your own minds!*
