ALBUM REVIEW: The Legacy of Shi – Rise of the Northstar

You can’t do things by halves nowadays in metal: the industry is so cutthroat that unless a band throws everything behind their project, they’ll be swallowed up in no time at all. Just as well, therefore, that French outfit RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR have understood this fully. The concept of a ‘crossover’ band isn’t exactly new, but combining everything from hip hop to nu metal and hardcore to thrash, then topping it with an overriding interest in Japanese culture takes the idea to a whole new level and, on Friday, the proof will be in the pudding, starter and main when sophomore record The Legacy of Shi comes out via Nuclear Blast Records.

As if any more power was needed, production duties on this record have been handed to none other than Joe Duplantier from fellow countrymen GOJIRA and like the band he’s famous for, the man has given RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR a stellar production that is as crushing as it is dark. Just listen to the way opening track The Awakening goes from a soft, ominous build into an explosion of riffs and blastbeats or the slink and swagger of Furyo’s Day and you get an idea of what Duplantier can do sitting behind the desk

Of course, RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR aren’t just leaning on their colleague to make themselves stars – they’ve got the chops and the know-how to craft an album that, for all its nuances and changing forms, makes sense from start to finish. Take Kozo and lead single Here Comes the Boom, which bounce with the force of KORN in their absolute prime and then compare them to Teenage Rage with its storming, hardcore breakdown or Step By Step which tips its hat to Body Count in a big way. For all their differences, they’re most definitely cut from the same cloth and this will give RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR a huge advantage going forward; worth a mention too are the guttural death metal vocals All for One and the aptly named This Is Crossover, both of which add to the smorgasbord of styles across the record.

There won’t be many, if any, albums you hear this year as diverse as The Legacy of Shi, but it’s one thing to describe it and another to listen to it. Take some time out to throw shapes and incite one-man moshpits in your own bedroom with RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR; you won’t regret it in the slightest.

Rating: 8/10

The Legacy Of Shi is out now via Nuclear Blast Records. 

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