HIMALAYAS
From Hell To Here (Nettwerk)
The gutsy sound of Cardiff quartet Himalayas is best blasted out at neighbour-annoying volume levels on From Hell To Here, their debut album. Much is made of the rhythm section’s grooving riffs and thundering percussion, and this is indeed something to behold. But as with all good rock songs, the measure of success is often how high the vocals can soar – and Mike Griffiths’ melodies are often what make this album.
Influenced in equal parts by the likes of Muse and Arctic Monkeys, there’s also some classic riffage and 70s-type swagger to the songs. The heavy basslines sometimes make Himalayas sound like Royal Blood with guitars, but there is a definite individuality emerging on some of the tracks.
Leave This Place is a standout recording with a chugging sense of inevitability to the riff that marks it as timeless. And although the lyrics can sometimes slip into the wrong side of predictable, (“it’s always darkest before the dawn,” anyone?) balls-to-the-wall rockers like Flatline show that Himalayas are a band that mean business.
words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES
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