ALBUM REVIEW: Highway Crosses – All Hail The Yeti

ALL HAIL THE YETI have been plying their trade and honing their skills for over twelve years now and have been improved with each release. Their previous studio effort Screams From A Black Wilderness showed that the band had a lot of potential going forward but was not the finished article. Their newest album, Highway Crosses, is a completely different animal.

Opener Live Everyday is a groove-laden metal track which has been soaked in sludge sensibilities. The bass tone is dense and links up with the massive sounding drum kit to provide the foundation for the heavily distorted, aggressive guitar riffs to lay upon. The vocals shift expertly between emotive, harsh hardcore punk influenced shouts to melodic, soulful clean passages that could be pulled straight from a modern day MASTODON song with the effective use of the harmonising band members. The same can be said for See You Never which once again shows the impressive vocal range of Connor Garrity as he changes between his towering singing voice to vicious screamed vocals. The track oozes confidence and is delivered with the kind of swagger and confidence that most bands seem to discover a lot further in to their career. The inclusion of a colossal hook for the chorus, a melodic bridge and a seismic breakdown that could give a majority of death metal bands a run for their money all aid in making this song a real highlight of the album.

Slow Season is a welcome change of pace and comes at the perfect time. Meaning that the attention is maintained and the dynamic of Highway Crosses is shifted before it gets a chance to get stagnant and monotonous. The dissonant, abrasive guitars lines and Ryan Kittlitz’s thumping drumbeat make everything feel hostile and will encourage mosh pits aplenty when the band add it to their set list. This is all perfectly contrasted by the sweeter than sugar chorus that follows and sounds like something a polished, arena rock band like BREAKING BENJAMIN or THREE DAYS GRACE would deliver. There really is something for everyone on this particular track and would serve as an excellent gateway for someone who is trying to familiarise themselves with decent heavy music.

In the back half of the album we find another gem. World Is Cold sees the band throw away the accessible hard rock sound for a much more sludgy, doom metal approach with the crushing, slow guitar lines from Alan Stokes and droning vocal melodies. The change in tempo and dynamic is a decision that makes this track sound all the more mammoth in scale and when its added to the way that Garrity barks his words you are treated to a concoction that is as devastatingly heavy as it is frightening. The awkward, off kilter breakdown section is one of the finest pieces of music that ALL HAIL THE YETI have created in their brief history and is arguably the most memorable moment on this entire release.

Highway Crosses is everything that ALL HAIL THE YETI has been steadily working towards throughout the infancy of their career. However, there is still work to be done. The songs are of a high standard and the riffs are certainly hard hitting and plentiful. It is in variety that Highway Crosses is lacking unfortunately. With a little more diversity in the songwriting in the fire this band will be truly unstoppable. Though Highway Crosses is not quite the finished article, it is a stepping stone on to much greater things in the very near future.

Rating: 8/10

Highway Crosses is out now via minusHEAD Records. 

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