ALBUM REVIEW: Renewed By Death – High Reeper
Hailing from the neighbouring states of Delaware and Pennsylvania on the US’ North Eastern coast, HIGH REEPER have been plying their trade as riff merchants since 2016. Cutting their teeth on BLACK SABBATH riffs with a sound deeply rooted in classic heavy metal and modern stoner metal, the American quintet racked up 90 dates on tour in support of their self-titled debut album (2018) and their sophomore album Higher Reeper (2019). Over the years the band’s sound has evolved with the changing of members and life on the road, and as a result their third album Renewed By Death is imbued with change, growth and experimentation as they seek to fulfil their creative ambitions and become one of the dominant forces in modern heavy metal.
Renewed By Death is a grittier, darker and thrashier album than any of its predecessors, moving away from the classic BLACK SABBATH tropes that form the spine of stoner rock and instead taking its influences from the 1980s thrash scene and the 1990s groove metal scene. While HIGH REEPER still have a heavy reliance on the Devil’s Tritone – made famous in rock by none other than Tony Iommi – and the slower tempos of stoner and doom, they have made their riffs chunkier and gnarlier. This creates a sound that combines the raw fuzz of bands like WEEDEATER with the thrashing beastliness of HIGH ON FIRE. In some cases, it crosses further into previously uncharted waters and sounds like crossover thrash – just without the screams and blast beats.
This change in sound is a testament to the band’s desire to evolve. It does feel like a natural progression in some ways, with new members coming in and putting their own influences into the songs and the educational experience that life on the road brings with it. You can also hear the beginnings of this shift way back on Higher Reeper, in songs like Obsidian Peaks and Buried Alive. However, it does feel like they’ve lost some of that vintage charm in the process, which can be considered a minor thing but in pursuing a heavier sound it runs the risk of losing what made them a stand out band and becoming another run of the mill stoner metal outfit. This remains to be seen on this record as there is still enough there for you to know it’s HIGH REEPER, but whether this stays beyond Renewed By Death is another matter.
However, HIGH REEPER do their damned best to take you on a hellish ride to the depths of the underworld and leave you there to moulder and rot in the ravishing grimness of Satan’s torrid realm. Across the eight crushing tracks, Zach Thomas dispatches lyrics with vivid apocalyptic imagery of demons and hellfire, while the guitars of Pat Daly and Shane Trimble provide the heavy, distortion drenched riffs that bludgeon you into submission. The drums of Justin Di Pinto decimate your skull, and deep and destructive bass grooves from Jimmy Althouse anchor your down as you sink into the depths of darkness.
The album opens up with the title track Renewed By Death, and from the outset you get a brutal crash course in this reinvigorated and visceral incarnation of HIGH REEPER – getting straight down to business with thrashy and groove-filled riffs. Alluring Violence follows and lives up to its title, a violent and doom-laden track with shredding leads and driving drums. This bleeds into Lamentations Of The Pale, which has more of the band’s signature SABBATH-esque riffing beefed up with more distortion and deep bassy droned chords. Broken Upon The Wheel is reminiscent of the hellfire and brimstone approach of HIGH ON FIRE; riff after riff after riff rains down upon you leaving you a bloody pulp in a pool on the floor.
Jaws Of Darkness starts off with an ominous strummed chord before launching into what feels like a crossover thrash song. Its relentless tempo and groove-laden riffs fill you with a sense of dread, as if you’re witnessing a juggernaut of a monster slowly rising out of the darkness to consume you. Smouldering Remains follows a similar formula but slows it down to a steady caveman two-step tempo, a groove that gives you the confidence to go toe to toe with the biggest guy in the pit. Torn From Within follows the HIGH ON FIRE style of Broken Upon The Wheel and just decimates you with a steady stream of crushing riff after crushing riff. The album is concluded with Echoes Of Mortality, whose slow intro gives you a moment to catch your breath before the final battles you face in hell. Then it’s a five-minute onslaught of riffs concluding in a slow fade out.
Renewed By Death is a robust album for all intents and purposes, it does the job of giving you riffs by the bucketful and bludgeoning you to a pulp.
Rating: 7/10
Renewed By Death is set for release on October 4th via Heavy Psych Sounds.
Like HIGH REEPER on Facebook.