Some of you may remember my review of Salamander’s first single, Burn The Witch. The remainder of you clearly don’t visit The Cauteriser enough.
The main thing that stood out about Salamander at the time was the hard hitting music topped by the unique vocals. No one song could ever showcase everything that a band has to offer, and this second single certainly shows that.
Greener starts with one of my favourite things in life; a filthy bass. It introduces you to the main riff in a perfect manner, which in itself is pretty darn infectious and should get you headbanging in no time. It carries out the first portion of the song and is only knocked down a notch for the vocals.
About half way through things get taken back a touch for the bridge, which following a vocal/guitar segment blasts you into its grand finale. Greener closes out in epic proportions with hard hitting drums and in your face vocals; the only way it should end.
For me, Rhys Sharp’s vocals have been an integral edge to Salamander’s sound. Where Greener is that bit livelier, they still possess that sludge rock/post-hardcore element to the music, but the vocals add a different rough tone to bring in more of a punk feel. Where the style isn’t quite as reminiscent to rap (or nu-metal) here, the distinctiveness is still the same.
All in all, Salamander are proving to be quite the promising band. I’m hoping to be hearing an album or EP drop in the not too distant future. For the time being, Greener’s addictive rhythm is one that you want to get in your audio flaps.
Rating: 8.5/10
Jake Hancke – 18/05/2017
Greener will be released on 16th June 2017.
You can find more on Salamander via Bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook, and Twitter.
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