Massachusetts’ WIDOW SUNDAY is an intense band that blend powerful hooks and
infectious melodies together with some good old fashioned brutality. Their
aggressive concoction combines elements of hardcore, industrial, death metal
and heavy metal. Their full-length debut, In These Rusted Veins,
draws influences from MESHEGGAH, PANTERA, WHITE CHAPEL and DEVIL DRIVER.
The band’s
name is taken from a 19th century Parisian woman named Madame Dimanche, or
Widow Sunday. She had a medical abomination in which a 9.8-inch bone horn
formed from her forehead. The Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of
Philadelphia have a wax casting of the Widow Sunday on display.
The band’s
technical chops allow them to change tempos and styles at will, while still
retaining a certain sense of melody and aggression. The fluidity of drummer
Darin Moyen is pretty impressive. He has such a fat snare and a full punch
in the chest bass drum sound. The aggressive barks from vocalist Jacob
Falconer compliment the barrage of groove-laden riffs from guitarists Sean
Duffy and Adam Cutler.
After the
brooding orchestral-sampled intro “Liberate Tuteme Ex Inferis,” “Channeled”
starts with a pounding PANTERA-type riff and some aggressive and powerful
growls from Falconer. The sullen and melancholic piano and strings section
interlude, “Tragoedia,” is a nice break between the aggression. It then gets
back into full swing with “Hippie Drill.” Falconer’s death metal growl and
the band’s fast pace bludgeoning will rip your face off, then it slows down
into a groove breakdown before regaining speed again. Bassist Patrick
Flaherty shows his skills on “Forever Sleep,” and with a piano outro, it
really adds a nice variation to the song. Then, they throw you for a loop
with their electronica/industrial beginning of “Blood Money.”
WIDOW
SUNDAY is not a band that is stuck in one certain style. They are constantly
mixing genres and styles to the point where you just can’t label them as one
genre. The band’s diverse musical background leaves the listener not knowing
what to expect next.
In
These Rusted Veins is a pretty solid debut effort. There’s enough
variation on the album to please the most ficklest of metalheads. I can
almost assure you that the pit will be raging at one of their live shows.