Baleful Creed - self-titled debut album - Classic/Heavy/Stoner Rock

[ifihadafish]

http://bornagainnihilist1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/album-review-baleful-creed-st.html

Album Review- Baleful Creed- S/T

Locaton:Belfast,Northern Ireland

Now this is a funny one.Northern Irish hard rock quartet have just released their self titled debut album, which is of course a cause for celebration, as any new music from an awesome band should be. Except . . .

. . .It's not actually technically new music,more their first three EPs collected together in album format, and given a proper physical release.To some, it might seem poinless to review an album which consists of songs that I've already reviewed on a couple of occasions, but actually,'Baleful Creed' represents a perfect opportunity to revisit this sorely underrated Belfast quartet.It also enables me to use my notes from the previous reviews, which, seeing as I'm lazy, works out perfectly(only kidding,notes?!Ha ha ha ha).

For the unitiated, Creed deal in lead heavy, shit kicking hard rock that sounds like The Obsessed jamming on Black Crowes tunes, with a touch of Sabbathian doom and a strong grungy edge.Fronted by the gravel throated Fin Finlay, a man who sounds like he brushes his teeth with Jim Beam and rinses with razor blades, Baleful  Creed are no nonsense sort of chaps, eschewing fairy stuff like autotune  and synths and instead dealing in burnt out,fat stoner tone and massive fucking riffs.The strongest cuts on 'Baleful Creed'  stem from the band's most recent work, 'III':the granite edged Alice In Chains style stomp of opener 'Autumn Leaves' and the gritty briliance of 'Thorazine' just two examples, .'Double F.S' is the shit kicking party anthem Wino tried but failed  to write on Premonition 13's 'Deranged Rock and Roller', while 'Illuminati''s menacing chug and off kilter rhythms are simply killer.

The earlier, more melodic cuts still hold up well though.Current video single 'Crazy Man' is an anthemic widescreen  rocker, John Allen's earthy, soulful lead playing complimenting the granite hewn riffing perfectly.However,songs like 'Suffer In Silence'(ahem) suffer by comparison to more recent cuts, a sense of a band having not quite found their sound yet, and the almost gospel tinged climax to the song is, in all honesty, a little cringy on reflection.

As a collection of songs, 'Baleful Creed' is interesting if you view it as a barometer of how much Creed's sound has changed and evolved over the last couple of years, the band morphing from a Trucker Diablo style 'rawk' band into something darker, more complex and ultimately more exciting.Time will tell what route the band take next, however as it stands, 'Baleful Creed'  is either a perfect opportunity to revisit some awesome songs, or if you're a newcomer, a handy introduction to a great band.

Rating: 7.5/10

For fans of Alice In Chains, The Obsessed, Orange Goblin, Fireball Ministry

Get it here:

http://balefulcreed.bandcamp.com/album/baleful-creed

[ifihadafish]

http://www.frenzyfire.co.uk/fa_balefulcreedreviews.htm

Baleful Creed are a heavy rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland formed in 2009, heavily influenced by the likes of Black Sabbath and Danzig. The band released their debut E.P. 'Killing Time' in 2011 with the follow-up E.P. 'Buried Beneath' released in 2012. Halloween night 2012 saw the release of their 3rd E.P. 'III'.     
             
The bands self titled debut album has just been released and is a re-mixed and re-mastered edition of their last two E.P.'s. Opening the album is the anthemic bombastic blast of 'Baleful Creed', a foot stomping blend of catchy riffs and a thunderous rhythm. The dark sinister feel of 'Autumn Leaves' slows the pace down to almost doom metal with the deep gravel voiced vocals complimenting the chugging guitar rhythm. 'Illuminati' is almost brutal in its delivery, full of attitude and angst while 'Crazy Man' opens with an awesome display of musicianship from the axe men and a powerful vocal performance that switches effortlessly from a clean ballad like to the deep gravel voice.     
             
'Misanthrope' is rooted deep in the stoner rock genre with its chunky guitar riffing, deep solid rhythm and mid tempo romp. Towards the end there is a surprising dramatic time change and the song races at full tilt to a frenetic finish. The Black Sabbath influence can be easily heard on 'Double F.S.' and 'Hex' as they both slowly pound their way through riff after riff with very powerful vocal performances. Picking up the pace is the catchy 'Her Promise', nodding its head in a big way to the hard rock genre with a much lighter guitar sound than anything else heard on the album so far.     
             
The six minutes plus epic 'Thorazine' has one of the best vocal performances on the album, a very deep throaty gravel growl. Full of huge chunky guitar riffs and a foot stomping rhythm this is heavy stoner rock at its best. The album comes to a close with the excellent, rampaging romp of 'Suffer In Silence'.     
             
Overall, an impressive debut album full of foot stomping rhythms, deep throaty gravel like vocals and superb guitar work.     
   
http://balefulcreed.bigcartel.com/product/baleful-creed-cd-album

[ifihadafish]

New review in from the album, courtesy of Jonny Traynor:

Beautiful noise from Baleful Creed.

After releasing three eps Belfast's Baleful Creed have pulled together 10 tracks from those releases to launch a full length album - and what a collection it is.

And the tracks as a collection all make even more sense pulled together as one release with the blend of Sabbath style riffs, southern metal groove and powerful choruses working as one.

Where before the Baleful Creed songs were all excellent - especially live - they sat often in isolation from each other coming as they did from disparate releases.

Now this album is a platform that they can build from to take this four-piece to the next level of success.

Kicking off with the driving self-titled song as a statement of the band's commitment, the following song - Autumn Leaves - is where the soul of the band lies: darkness and light as a contrast and a tale that would be spine-chilling if related as a film.

That contrast lies at the heart of Baleful Creed's unique selling-point: where some other bands across the UK, Europe and the USA sometimes slavishly draw on their influences Creed meld them together like demented musical welders.

Illuminati, the afore-mentioned Autumn Leaves, Misanthrope, Double FS and Thorazine are stand-outs in this overall excellent collection.

It is the combination of musicianship and song-writing that has produced this album. Fin Finlay's vocals, supported by drummer Mark Stewart's singing on Misanthrope and backing vocals are the obvious sound that draw casual listeners; but dig beneath for a little longer and Fin and John Allen's guitars weave an aural soundscape, with Stephen Fleming's bass holding the tenuous grip that prevents it all from drifting apart.

Fin and John's inter-weaving guitars, riffing and superb solos are the outworking of the magic: they provide the atmosphere that make the songs come alive.

Simply called Baleful Creed this is an album that is worth the investment - whether from the four-piece's Bandcamp page - or better still as a physical album to sit on your racks, where it will take a worthy place.


http://belfastmetalheadsreunited.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/beautiful-noise-from-baleful-creed.html

[black]

Despite the occasional ventures into what starts to sound kind of like more mainstream/modern/contemporary Metal, Baleful Creed is growing on me.