Ludicra – Another Great Love Song (Alternative Tentacles)
Local metal. Some parts black metal, some parts 80s metal, but mostly straight ahead metal. Female vocals, dual guitars, and none of the baggage that comes with most black metal. This is the 2nd album from this bay area band. Some combination of Fall of the Bastard, Cradle of Filth, and 80s black metal. Lots of melody to go along with the head banging fun. The lead guitarist is also in Hammers of Misfortune and The Lord Weird Slough Feg and other members are or have been in Impaled.
**1. Dark, quiet, clean guitar and whispered vocals to begin the track. The song then rips into a wonderful blackened thrasher. The two guitarists are all over the place and the singing does its best to scare the shit out of you. There is a simple thrash breakdown. The track is long and goes through many changes.
2. Big drums to being like the intro to a handful of High on Fire tracks and just as you think your going to be pummeled into the ground the vocals sing clean and pretty and the music is very melodic. She does do some screaming and it creates a very dark feeling since the music stays mostly medium paced and melodic.
**3. The track has more of a riff and a dramatic intro. I really like the dual female vocals with one screaming and the other singing clean.
4. Clean guitar intro into a slower melodic track with clean sung female vocals. The simple riff 2:28 in really has a NWOBHM feel.
**5. Raw thrasher that’s much faster than the other tracks. Great headbanging breakdown.
6. Odd beginning, sounds like they are in a tunnel, before kicking into a quick raw black metal track. The track goes through a lot of changes.
7. Sounds bigger, slower and more melodic. Vocals are mustly sung.
Great stuff! -mph