Review: Wall ‘Brick By Brick’
There are a lot of column inches dedicated to a certain pair of musical siblings at the moment. However, it is much more worthy of my time and yours to talk about another set, the ones who are actually releasing new music, displaying a sense of unity and lack of ego as Wall‘s story is a remarkable triumph through adversity.
In 2020 twin brothers and Desert Storm members Ryan and Elliot Cole found themselves stranded in limbo. Furloughed, isolated and bored sharing a small flat at the time, they found the opportunity to improvise and write songs, Ryan wrote riffs on an unplugged Gibson SG and Elliot tapped on the rhythm on his knees. With no real plan, they just celebrated the music they love, unashamedly worshipping at the feet of Iommi and drawing inspiration from stoner instrumentalists, Karma To Burn.
The extent of the project wouldn’t be realised until the two entered the studio, given the restrictions that were in place at the time. The resultant EPs were snapped up by APF Records and the band grew from a side project into a real concern that has allowed them to play Desertfest London, Bloodstock as well as shows across Europe.
Following this unlikely success, their debut album Brick By Brick brings together the tracks from the EPs to sit aside some unheard offerings that amount to just shy of an hour’s worth of unadulterated heavy, crushing riff-fests, captured with top-notch production courtesy of Jimmy ‘Evil’ Hetherington and Tim Turan at Shonk Studios/Warehouse Studios and Turan Audio respectively.
Nine of the thirteen tracks will be familiar to fans already but gathered here with the additional material they are given a new dimension, complementing and telling their own story which makes them somehow feel fresher and more urgent.
The grinding echoey feedback of Wrath Of The Serpent from their first EP ushers you in before the drums clatter and the band kick into their sludgy, thumping grooves. The melodies provided by the twin harmonies of the guitar balance the mid-paced, slamming riffs letting the music do the talking which makes Wall’s output so entertaining and the lack of vocals not even a factor. Halfway through, following a dramatic pause, they head off on a searching, thrashy refrain that is heavy on the cymbal use and features a dynamic chugging.
The pairing of Sonic Mass and Obsidian keeps the album driving onwards with the former bringing more teasing effects before the overt Sabotage era influences, but also has elements of Desert Storm (which is hardly surprising). The result is a sound that by the apocalyptic climax feels close to Sleep or even High On Fire, before the latter yokes a droning build onto creeping notes that give way to a huge stomping riff and pounding drums.
One of the heaviest tracks the band have done, Obsidian marries the crushing power of the rhythms to sinister doomtastic notes that offer a contrast to the down-tuned thunder.
Brick By Brick is a wonderful detour into the inspirational depths that formed the musical mindset of the Cole brothers, driving them to create new and vibrant tunes…
Legion has a blues-heavy swagger that turns from a dexterous melody to a driving barrage with a creative variation of percussive flourishes from Elliot. The stop/start drum fills, which my Shaman colleague David J perfectly described as ‘Ward-esque’ in his review of the duo’s debut EP, augment the rolling guitar licks and choppy temp as they head down a harder, faster-paced section to end.
Up next is the first of the album’s two covers (the Black Sabbath cover Electric Funeral closes out the album with The Grand Mal’s Dave-O on vocals), the faithful rendition of Karma To Burn’s Nineteen. Recorded after the passing of frontman Will Mecum, the Cole brothers pay tribute to their friend with the Almost Heathen track; there is a noticeable shift in the musical style but doesn’t detract from the overall impact.
Avalanche shines with its classic American rock crunch and prog air that feels close enough in spirit to Nineteen whilst keeping a more metallic edge that betrays their main band. Masking My Contempt features words from American Beauty’s Lester Burnham which all I can say is not best for soundtracking dinner when you have young kids, but I digress. Musically a grittier, rocky number, the track sits well alongside those from the first EP and there are subtle traces of alternative metal that run alongside the more obvious influences.
The Tusk and Speedfreak follow, keeping the musical evolution of the band on par with the previous releases. The Tusk is aggressive, soaked in feedback and has a riff that could be the distant black sheep of Priestess’ Lay Down while Speedfreak returns to the source as they pitch themselves around a Symptom Of The Universe era guitar tone with the grinding chug of the verse and that loose, unpredictable drum style that oozes class.
The blues jangle and shuffling toms of Falling From The Edge Of Nowhere with clap drums and NOLA flavour bring the pace down for a respite before Cirrhosis has a Southern-fried rock swing and winding guitar solo amidst the murky stomp. The track finishes strongly with a drifting run that feels akin to The Cult’s Rain, but not before adding a little medieval feeling interlude.
The heavy and slow Filthy Doner Kebab On A Gut Full Of Lager shows the innate humour that is sprinkled like Easter eggs throughout the album. Despite the name, there are huge grooves, deft melodies, another awesome solo and that delicious smash that the band can seemingly summon at will.
Rounding out with Electric Funeral is a nice homage, but in the context of what the band have produced also ironically feels the least vital. Wall’s identity is so rich in history, this just feels like putting a hat on a hat. But it’s fun and always good to hear Dave-O.
Brick By Brick is a wonderful detour into the inspirational depths that formed the musical mindset of the Cole brothers, driving them to create new and vibrant tunes while looking back, not in anger, but with love.
Label: APF Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
