Merging from Manchesters depths comes a band by the name, My Wooden Pillow, often abbreviated to simply MWP, who are newcomers to the cities Death Metal scene. And their debut outing, Un-comfortable, looks to open up the band to a wider audience within the scene. So, how does it fair?
The four track EP kicks in with the catchy track The Line, starting off with a kick ass riff from the get go. Taking time to introduce the music, the song has all the genres calling cards, including crunchy riffs, harsh vocals and crushing drumming. It's also the first introduction to the harsh female vocals, something left still very unexplored in Death Metal. And it's a shame, as the results are rather incredible when done right, just like throughout the EP. The tonality often helping stop the vocals from sounding flat. They're also brought out really well in dual vocal parts, with male backing vocals harmonizing incredibly well, and thickening the sound.
Next in line is Call for War, and the first introduction to a mix of clean vocals in the tracks. The song sounds a lot like a good solid mix of classic European Death Metal, with melodic hints throughout. The blend fairs well, with a catchy chorus leading the way against more gritty, heavy verses. The difference is night and day in parts, but doesn't break up the song too strenuously, and still manages to transisition smoothly.
Decapitalist comes next, and adds some breaks to the tempo of the EP, to make way for softer and less heavy sections. These lead to some great proggressive lead parts, which again help switch up the song in parts. The first verses even have a hint of Black Metal shine through, with legato riffs galore giving a great backbone and rythmn to the track. Dissonant parts in the instrumental sections also add a sense of fear and power to make for an overall well rounded song. Definetely one of the stand out on the EP.
Rounding things off comes the final self titled track, MWP. The song is more of the style the band have shown in the first three tracks of the EP. The song overall seems more straightforward than the tracks it follows, having more of a basic structure and proggression. It's probably one of the few songs that seems to play on someparts a bit too long, but the proggressive nature and change towards the end, featuring the clean vocals and harmoized riff stop if from falling short. There are some strange parts to it however, like the guitar crescendos in the last chorus that can sound a little strange at first. They sound a bit out of place to be honest, but I do like the fact that the band are trying something different in places.
Next in line is Call for War, and the first introduction to a mix of clean vocals in the tracks. The song sounds a lot like a good solid mix of classic European Death Metal, with melodic hints throughout. The blend fairs well, with a catchy chorus leading the way against more gritty, heavy verses. The difference is night and day in parts, but doesn't break up the song too strenuously, and still manages to transisition smoothly.
Decapitalist comes next, and adds some breaks to the tempo of the EP, to make way for softer and less heavy sections. These lead to some great proggressive lead parts, which again help switch up the song in parts. The first verses even have a hint of Black Metal shine through, with legato riffs galore giving a great backbone and rythmn to the track. Dissonant parts in the instrumental sections also add a sense of fear and power to make for an overall well rounded song. Definetely one of the stand out on the EP.
Rounding things off comes the final self titled track, MWP. The song is more of the style the band have shown in the first three tracks of the EP. The song overall seems more straightforward than the tracks it follows, having more of a basic structure and proggression. It's probably one of the few songs that seems to play on someparts a bit too long, but the proggressive nature and change towards the end, featuring the clean vocals and harmoized riff stop if from falling short. There are some strange parts to it however, like the guitar crescendos in the last chorus that can sound a little strange at first. They sound a bit out of place to be honest, but I do like the fact that the band are trying something different in places.
All in all, MWP have definetely set a high standard for themselves from the first release. Introducing some scarce elements like the melodic female vocals, and laying then down with conviction, they've allowed for a lot of expansion to create a signature sound. I have no doubt that if their next release will continue to work on these elements and perfect them, then it will be one of the more defined death metal sounds in the scene. MWP have done a fantastic job putting together the EP, and I'd definetely recommend it to fans of Death Metal looking for something new to try out. Top Job!
My Wooden Pillow is:
Michelle - Vocals
Hassan - Guitar/Backing Vocals
Patrick - Bass/Backing Vocals
Chris - Drums
MWP on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Wooden-Pillow-MWP/297525637167
Napalm Promotions on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NapalmPromotions
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| MWP L-R: Patrick, Hassan, Michelle, Chris. Photo by Simon Robertshaw. |
Michelle - Vocals
Hassan - Guitar/Backing Vocals
Patrick - Bass/Backing Vocals
Chris - Drums
MWP on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Wooden-Pillow-MWP/297525637167
Napalm Promotions on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NapalmPromotions
