Review: Wailing Banshee –“Lord of the Flies”

Release date: Out now!

2–3 minutes

Hailing from the Greater Manchester area, WAILING BANSHEE are a relatively young Heavy Metal/Hard Rock five-piece formation with half a dozen singles and an EP to their name, led by a charming front lady and standing at the forefront of the UK’s trad scene. A couple of weeks ago, we witnessed the premiere of their latest creation – “Lord Of The Flies,” backed with a fiery music video, perhaps heralding a forthcoming long-play debut record.

Review

Clocking in at little over 3 minutes total, “Lord Of The Flies” gets down to business right out of the gate. Steamrolling opening riffage, pummelling drumming, and a bold bass line constitute the first several beats, inviting the female vocals to join the party. The transition to the core part of the song is smooth and executed in an elegant manner, keeping the fast-paced energetic tempo from becoming dull or too static. Guitars are notably overdriven, which in no way conflicts with the clear vocal delivery, and even helps build momentum towards the chorus, not being necessarily a focal point of the act, but more of a milestone on the way to developing the piece further.

The overall sensation, a minute or so deep, is one of being immersed and consumed by the band’s vibrant composing style and the exquisite demeanor of instruments complementing each other to gracefully amalgamate and blend with the singing. Perhaps that contributes to the feeling of the song being unnaturally short, the single downside I’ve identified so far. With the second chorus closure, the pattern is broken by articulate bass drumming and a guitar interlude that changes gear and opens space for the solo, which glides fluidly on the bed of the rhythm section. Whatever it takes, we can’t go without the third chorus, which adds a degree of sing-along flamboyance before pulling the plug.

Conclusion

Slam, bam, thank you, ma’am! Short but sweet, the effect of this single is easily achieved, and in my humble opinion, the core purpose is to gather as many eyeballs and ears as possible on what’s coming next from WAILING BANSHEE. Consider this a daring declaration from the band, a tasty starter of a possible banquet of metal indulgence, and an act to raise the bar for the entire Albion scene as a whole. I’ll be putting these guys on my radar and hope to see great things from them in the very near future. Fingers crossed!