Rising – To Solemn Ash

While Norway is undoubtedly the black metal capital of the world and Sweden gets by on the lion’s share of melodic death metal bands in existence, Denmark is left somewhat flagging. Cue Rising, a trio with balls of steel and riffs to match; they take the pioneering spirits of Priest and Maiden to new plateaus with an angular revision of sludge that, while pioneered by Mastodon and Baroness, these three seem destined to perfect.

Their chief tool is an impressive arsenal of head-knocking buzzsaw riffs and steady, heavy-hitting percussion, yet they’re not scared to throw in curveballs, like Passage’s relentlessly heavy guitar-line that Sleep’s Matt Pike is probably already cursing himself for not writing first and Cohorts Rise’s enigmatic intro and gleefully indulgent solo, just to remind you of how much fun metal can be when the gloves are off. If Mastodon’s latest is leaving you cold, you owe it to yourself to give this a listen or five.