Tag: Black|Lakes

BLACK | LAKES – Single Review: “Dissident”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn ReviewsLeave a comment

Black Lakes

A few posts back, I mentioned that it seemed half the artists and bands I’ve previously featured on this blog are releasing new music in 2019, and another one of them is BLACK|LAKES, a progressive alternative metal rock band that collectively hail from South Wales & Southwest England. Comprising the band are five enormously talented musicians – Will S. Preston (lead vocals), Scott Bradshaw (guitar, backing vocals), James Rowlands (guitar, backing vocals), Lee Harris (bass) and Dafydd Fuller (drums). Last October (2018), they released a monumental single “The Divide” which I reviewed, and now return with hard-hitting new single “Dissident“, which drops today.

The track opens with a brooding guitar riff accompanied by an ominous synth chord, then explodes with a barrage of chugging riffs, pummeling bass and thunderous drums. After ten seconds, everything calms down to a melodic interlude of pulsating guitars and measured percussion during the verses, only to ramp back up into a furious onslaught for the choruses, keeping us in a continual state of tension. The guitar work throughout the song is fantastic, really showcasing Scott and James’ considerable talents on their respective six-strings. Lee’s deep bass lines drive the track forward while Dafydd pounds his drums like his life depends upon it.

Will’s resonant vocals remind me a bit of Puddle of Mudd’s Wes Scantlin, starting off smooth and plaintive as he bitterly renounces someone who’s hurt and betrayed him: “Here inside this cage, this never ending maze. Watching myself waste away. The bitterness I taste. Complete intemperance. I sit and slowly count the days.” They turn raw and impassioned in the choruses when he defiantly screams that he will survive and move on: “The last words I’ll ever say. In spite of you I will not fade into a world plagued by you.”

“Dissident” is a magnificent and electrifying rock song that proves Black|Lakes’ can continue to deliver the heavy and melodic progressive metal we’ve grown to love from this amazing band.

Connect with Black|Lakes:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream/purchase on Spotify / iTunes

BLACK | LAKES – Single Review: “The Divide”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews3 Comments

I’m back in the UK, this time to shine my spotlight on the band BLACK | LAKES, who just released their phenomenal debut single “The Divide.” The band is comprised of five members who hail from South Wales and Southwest England, including Will S. Preston (lead vocals), Scott Bradshaw (guitar, backing vocals), James Rowlands (guitar, backing vocals), Lee Harris (bass) and Dafydd Fuller (drums). Influenced by too many bands to name, they play an electrifying and melodic style of progressive alternative metal rock.

Black Lakes Promo 2

The single was produced and mastered by Romesh Dodangoda at Longwave Studios, and premiered along with a review on Down the Front Media. As the band explained in that post, “The Divide” is “about rejecting the predetermined path laid out in front of you by mainstream society. It’s about demanding your individuality in a world hell bent on making you the same.” The article’s author Claire Hill goes on to say: “Based on the band’s collective personal experience and persistent, bitter disappointment at being let down by those holding positions of power and authority, ‘The Divide’ is a pretty good assessment of what a lot of people feel about what is happening in society today.”

The song starts off with a delicate synth chord, then blasts open with a cascade of gnarly and wailing guitars, mammoth bass, and thunderous drums. As the song progresses, layers of jangly and distorted guitars are added to the already dynamic mix, propelling the track into the sonic stratosphere.  Will’s gorgeous vocals are filled with passion as he fervently sings the powerful lyrics, soaring to intense heights in the choruses that spread chills up and down our spines: “One by one we fall in line with docile obedience. In lies we trust, stand in line justified you’re one of us. Father forgive them for the lives they have stolen. Further we are taken down the paths they have chosen. One more time.”

It’s a monumental track, and as close to perfect as any rock song I’ve heard lately. The brilliant video was created by Yuvraj Imaginaria. Check it out:

Connect with Black | Lakes:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream on  Apple Music
Purchase on  iTunes