Holy Coves - ‘Druids and Bards’
I must admit that I have never really been a fan of medieval or heroic fantasy inspired rock. As soon as a song mentions elves, my eyes go blank & my face goes numb & I start to dribble… So, to be honest, when I saw that the title of the new album by Holy Coves was Druids and Bards, I was a tad nervous.
The good news is that the album is pretty brilliant & speaks mainly of life, love, & all the rest– not a single fucking elf in sight. For starters, this a superbly mixed record. The whole album sounds like it was recorded in a cathedral, but in a really good way, & such a large sonic width gives an epic touch to all the proceedings.
It kicks off with the single, “Away We Go,” which is an arena-ready canned anthem. There are some really fantastic and original dynamic breaks that are used in the verses. Holy Coves, however, forbid you from stopping. You keep being pushed into the next chorus by the percussion. The use of distorted and fuzzy guitars is really distinctive. Despite not being in that genre, there is a trace of jazz in the musical framework and the playing with rhythm while the lead guitar battling against the drums is amazing.
Towards the end of “Away We Go,” the tune builds to a reverbed cavern, which then transitions us to the following song.
“The Hurt Within” begins like a lengthy trip through the desert... But neither Jim Morrison nor Johnny Depp will be selling Sauvage perfumes to us today. The song's lyrics are expertly written and unquestionably catchy. The song has an edge to it that makes you feel like you're about to have a panic attack as the drums, for a brief period, break into what sounds almost like a clock ticking. Before the song explodes into an anthemic chorus, the lead guitar briefly lets out licks like a flare from the sun.
“Grey” lifts the album to a happier musical vibe. The guitar sounds are, once more, flawlessly on target. Holy Coves have undoubtedly put some effort into ensuring that they have the appropriate sounds, which, to be completely honest, I am not hearing from other bands. A beautiful amount of emotion and rawness can be heard in the floorless singing performance. The clicky drumming is sparse, which allows these vocal and guitar sounds to permeate the mix to give you the impression that you are being led inside a temple.
“Small and Nothing” bursts into our ears, as the song shifts into fifth gear, thanks to the chugging guitar. Excellent Coxon-like fuzz lead guitar work that transitions into plectrums scratching the guitar strings can be heard in this tune. The music is inspiring and gorgeously crazy.
“Another Day” is the album's slower, anthemic break, but this doesn't mean that it isn't as powerful as the songs that came before it. I adore the lead guitar's use of stereo delay in this song, which has echoes of Nick McCabe from The Verve's A Northern Soul period. The music is similarly sombre. Later guitar fills feel almost synth-like.
“Desert Storm” is a rhythmic machine. It is another anthem and it appears as though Holy Coves have arrived to bring every gift at once, just like Santa does at Christmas. There are various musical nods to Queens of the Stone Age here, for me. Like you would pour a generous amount of cream on your mince pies at Christmas, the singer skilfully pours the melody over the top. Near the end, the reverbed noises give the impression that the rhythm is being messed with in terms of time, as if we are being sucked into the desert storm itself. This work is excellent.
“Welcome To The Real World” is the first time that Holy Coves deliver us an extended break with relatively clean guitars. This is a “new chapter” as well on the record, as the last few songs take the same direction. But we don’t mind as this allows us to see a softer side to the boys from Cymru.
“Until I Fall” has a really wonderful melody that sounds almost familiar & the band somehow manages to make their guitars sound like a harpsichord.
“Taste the Wine” …What starts off as an acoustic number builds up, adding licks of electric guitar along the way. The vocals are really on point here & full of emotion, and the build up at the end is pretty fucking epic, to be honest.
To sum it up, there is definitely a storm brewing here, on the morning of the third day, at dawn, look to the east, you may see Holy Coves tearing a festival to shreds. They definitely have the tunes & work ethic to deserve nothing less. And although l admit it took me a while to get “into” the album, the lyrics from that last song, “Take it slowly & taste the wine,” are actually pretty good advice when approaching this album. There is a lot going on here– each song is a labor of love & has been thoughtfully constructed, sonically & structurally. It can be a bit overwhelming on first listen, but they predicted that too, as the chorus ends: “Chances are you’ll lose your mind, might as well enjoy it, one more time.”