Blood and Chemistry
When
I got this in the summer I immediately knew it was going to end up somewhere near
the top of the list, but towards the end of the year I starting playing it
significantly more than any other record.
By October top spot was essentially assured (basically barring the late-in-the-year
release of Reflektor, which did turn
out to be super but didn’t challenge). I
already had Arcane Roots’
mini-album/EP, Left Fire, from 2011,
which was a fairly decent metal record but not much more than that. I was therefore not in any way expecting what
I got from their debut full-length.
Every track on Blood and Chemistry
is astounding. Arcane Roots have morphed from a metal band into something
else. There are still times when they
turn to massively thumping riffs and howling vocals, but there are just as many
parts of this record where they sound like Fleet
Foxes. This is truly progressive heavy
music, but I’m not sure I’d call it ‘prog’ as such, because there’s too much
focus on simple song-writing and melody.
The choruses all absolutely soar, the mellow sections worm into the head
(I always seem to hum the mellower refrains), and the riffs are weird but
instantly hook. I think perhaps the
album that I can best compare this to from recent years is Biffy Clyro’s Only Revolutions, in that it is inventive and challenging while
being catchy and melodic at the same time.
But this has its own voice and sound.
And it’s significantly better. Brilliant
guitar playing, twist after unexpected turn: for me, Blood and Chemistry will stand as a classic for years to come.