Review: Master Charger ‘Posthumous Resurrection’
The Resurrection Of the Doom Masters.
Master Charger, John James (guitar, Vocals), Dave Hayes (bass) and Ste Dudley (drums), is a UK band from Nottingham with a sound that leans more toward the Californian desert stoner/doom style. Without taking anything away from their roots, it’s fair to say they sound more Americanized than traditionally British. Still, their sound remains original – they’ve earned their place through strong songwriting and a more-than-respectable discography.
The band has carved out their space with effort and creativity. Since their 2009 debut Southbound N’ Supercharged they’ve only grown in stature, with each album improving their sound. Unity In Black (2011) delivered a great classic stoner feel. Then in 2016, with Eroding The Emptiness, they fully embraced doom metal – a direction they continued with Origin Of The Lugubrious (2020), another dark and heavy album.
Posthumous Resurrection is their fifth album, and if there’s one thing this band shows here, it’s experience – and they use it well, doing exactly what they love. Personally, I think Unity In Black is unbeatable, but if I had to do something as unpleasant as ranking their albums, this one would come third, right after Unity In Black and Eroding The Emptiness. I say that only to help place this new work within their discography.
With Posthumous Resurrection, the band circles back to a more stoner-driven sound, closer to the feel of their first two albums. They leave behind some of the heavier doom darkness to create something more aligned with the Californian stoner rock made popular by bands like Clutch, Fu Manchu or Kyuss – still with heavy doses of doom and sludge.
As for the album, it starts with Thy Kingdom Polluted, a heavy track with a big riff and slow groove. It hits hard right away and shows what Master Charger is all about – powerful, dark, and raw. Then comes Only My Eyes See… / Empires Rust, which mixes calm, haunting parts with loud, crushing riffs. It feels personal, constantly shifting between quiet and heavy moods.
powerful, dark, and raw…
Posthumous Resurrection is the title track and, for me, the best on the album. It’s long at ten minutes and lets the band explore different sounds – heavy doom parts and more dreamy, spacey sections. A real journey. Fallen Angel Painted Doll is shorter and more direct. It has a strong rhythm and catchy hooks and even though it’s quick, it still leaves a strong impression.
When Hell Rode In… brings the heaviness back, with thick riffs and hard-hitting drums. It’s one of the loudest and darkest tracks on the album before Head Into the Sun changes things up. It’s more psychedelic, with trippy guitar sounds and a steady, hypnotic beat. It shows another side of the band.
The Awakening starts quietly and slowly builds into something big. It feels like a story, growing from calm to powerful – like a moment of personal change. Mass Produced Mass Destroyed is a direct message against modern society and blind conformity. The music is intense and perfectly matches the angry, critical lyrics. The last song, Upon Roads Less Travelled, is instrumental and peaceful. With acoustic guitars and ambient textures, it ends the album in a calm, reflective way.
As I said, this may not be their best album, but their progression and maturity is obvious. The band has clearly moved away from the sound of their early days and now sounds tighter and more solid, despite lineup changes. Master Charger delivers a cohesive sound without any weak spots – and with Posthumous Resurrection, they give us their strongest and most mature album to date.
Label: Argonauta Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Renzo
