SØNN AV LOCHLANN: FIRE ELEMENTER EP REVIEW
- Jun 24
- 5 min read
You have found yourself in a unique position of being at the birthplace of a new Progressive Metal band, in the form of Sønn Av Lochlann, from Gadigal/Sydney, with their debut EP Fire Elemental. Sønn Av Lochlann is a self proclaimed Progressive Metal Band with Jazz and Norse Folk
elements. Without further ado, let's jump into this unique blend of styles.
View the shore, and whispering waves, calming mind at ease, Gentle wind, dissipates the storm, of internal seas, Weary eyes, stare into the grey, of impending ruin. The EP begins with the Water element track, Ocean Rain, a seven minute nineteen whirlwind of styles and emotions. The track
begins with Norse Pagan band Wardruna style instrumentals and sounds of a lapping ocean on the shore which pull you into an energy of connecting to nature before flipping on its head and the Jazz elements take over. The track is tranquil, soothing and healing, provoking goosebumps and a desire to tantric dance before the track begins to build in anxious energy. Finally the track makes for a complete left turn and you are moved from calming and eerie voices to gutterals and death metal style vocals, the instrumentals matching the switch with ferocious drumming, frantic guitars and underlying feeling of lack of control and despair. View the shore, and crashing waves, over jagged stone, Clearing thoughts, all disarrayed, scattered and dismayed, Ocean Rain, descends upon, burdened weary souls.
Rants forever, Silence never, (We're) taught to speak our mind, Foster thought and empathise, Now accept, The disrespect, Square peg in a round hole, You're an outcast you're vulnerable, You must adhere, Consume your fear, Fall within these lines, Now afraid you compromise, Wretched soul, Broken not whole, Behave we endeavour, Now all obey the gatekeeper. Next up is the Fire track, Rants Forever Silence Never which hits you like fiery breath from the very beginning, carrying through the energy of Ocean Rain. I had to listen to the track several times to catch everything that was happening within the mayhem of swirling guitars, chaotic drumming and intense vocals. To me, Rants Forever Silence Never speaks on a tale of mindless compliance and obedience to societal expectations and Government pressures while suppressing yourself to not cause waves, until you break free and take your power back. All your, Baseless sentiment, Fuck all your pathetic brandish gimics, I see right through you, Narcissistic, Cut the leech that feeds, Starve the vulture, Left to scavenge dust, Dry retch oppression, Ineffective numb, Lost all power, Free of, Feeling, Emotion, Now healing, Shroud the, Demons inside, They've always been there, Choke them of all air, Let. Them. Burn.
The project explores culture, heritage, and ancestry, and how these connections are remembered in the modern world. The debut EP, Fire Elementer (“Four Elements”), presents these themes through the lens of the natural elements: Water, Fire, Air, and Earth.
She draws her first breath, pure being of innocence, Eva, Heir (air) of morality, emanates from a dream, taintless, Instinctive air guides the, Voyager's sail through the, Northwind, She is where earth meets sky, untethered breath embodies the, light. Third up we have our Air track, EVA. EVA takes you back to a place of musical calm after the rage, including light Jazz music and quiet vocal tones and scat singing. The track is a slow build of the tale of EVA sung through breathy tones and playful guitar and drums. The track rapidly switches to layered female vocal tracks, taking you to a place of tumultuous loss of control, warning and oppression; followed by heavy male vocals and instrumentals, taking over the song and silencing EVA entirely. EVA is the story of a woman who is born full of life and wonder who is slowly corrupted, deprived of her life's joy and pleasures, and victimised until there is nothing of her left. EVA speaks on domestic violence and the feeling of having your life squashed away from you. The subject matter is approached in a delicate way that unless you are properly paying attention to the lyrics, it could potentially sound like a light hearted Jazz track. I would place this song on the same level as Murder Song (5,4,3,2,1) by Aurora, in the way it presents the information to you. The Parasitic shadow, Breathes for her / feeds on self, Hatred, the Foulness of foreign, Corruption. Soul unrecognisable. Obsessed with self, Image. Economic Value Added. An object to be sold. Corrupted breath displaced, Purpose. Systemic. Oppression. Shadows cloud the Voyager, Breath in the wreckage possession, It grips the life to choke.
Wake up. This is what we've made, Concrete Heat. Rigid and unforgiving, Inheritance. A legacy of greed and pain, suppress the growth of a natural, World. we did not choose this world. Born into the sins of another, a currency of lies designed to hide the truth, asleep to the real outside of fiction. Finally, is our Earth track, Concrete Heat, and if you are a fan of Gojira and Heilung, this is going to be right up your alley. Concrete Heat speaks on being born into a dying planet through corruption, greed and negligence with the urge to WAKE UP. Through the blended sounds of nature like crow cawing, digging in earth and chanting, blended with the heavy wiring of guitars, crashing cymbals and gutteral vocals, I slipped into a vision of a flourishing planet transformed into desolate waste land in my minds eye. As the track flips into the more folk influences I was taken to a vision of humans taking action to repair and stop the decay that was happening around them, rolling back the effects of Ragnarok. Concrete Heat is the perfect call to action to protect and save our planet from the greed of governments and the 'aire' classes. I vår jakt på grådighet, Har vi glemt språket til, Våre store forfedre, Strukturer løsnet oss, Fra kobler oss fre jorden, Et ensomt helvete, En rotløs tilværelse, Det er det vi har laget.
For my final comment on Fire Elementer; I am generally not the biggest fan of Prog Metal and it isn't something that I would personally reach for, however, I was entirely swept away by the smooth transitions between styles and artistry behind each piece, with the heavy imagery of important subject matters such as domestic violence, environmental activism and government suppression. I may have also been taken in by the Scandinavian influence as a Norse Pagan myself, but that is neither here nor there. The combination of Metal, Jazz and Folk is one I hope to see more of in the future.
You can find Sønn Av Lochlann on: Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube and Instagram
10/10
Favourite song: Concrete Heat
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