EP REVIEW: Perdition – Valhalla Awaits
British rock music is in rude health in the early months of 2024, and VALHALLA AWAITS are just further proof as to why. The South Wales-based quintet are back with a new EP that treads the fine line between stark, crushing reality and proud defiance. Across the space of five tracks, the band deliver thoughtful and at times poignant lyrics against a backdrop of cascading drums and spiralling guitar solos.
The EP’s title, Perdition, refers to a state of eternal damnation, an idea explored further in the opening track Door Of No Return. Here, the band take listeners on a journey to Bunce Island, Sierra Leone, and right into the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. Short, sharp riffs and pounding drums give a hellish soundtrack to the walk of those taken against their will, while a towering guitar solo only adds to the demoralising outlook.
Staring At The Gun is reminiscent of early ALTER BRIDGE, albeit less polished. If the opening track was about the destruction of life and society, the follow-up is a loud, screaming act of defiance. The mid-tempo offering does all of the right things but lacks the spark to truly elevate it. It’s a problem that proves to be a limiting factor on the EP as a whole. Although there are no weak songs, there’s nothing with a real ‘wow factor’ to keep fans coming back.
The band drop back into despair for Is There Anybody Out There? which serves as a rallying call to those struggling. Despite the bleak title and subject matter, the track carries a wave of reassurance with the simple message that we’re not alone. We Remain arrives with a heavier, crunching riff and welcome rise in pace, but again, lacks the magic stardust to grab the listener by the scruff of the neck – although the guitar solo that rips through the final third gives it a mighty good go.
The closest Perdition comes to really taking the band to the next level is on the swaggering closing track All Hope Is Lost. The title proves to be a little ironic given that it shows all hope certainly isn’t lost where the band is concerned. There’s a bite to the track that’s missing elsewhere as they really hit top gear.
The Road to Perdition is meant to encapsulate a journey that’ll end in disaster and damnation. While on a surface level, Perdition does deal with those themes, it has a slightly different meaning for the band as a whole. As the final track fades out, it’s clear that for VALHALLA AWAITS the best is yet to come.
Rating: 7/10
Perdition is set for release on March 8th via self-release.
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