Description

You have to give it to Holocaust and basically to John Mortimer, who’d kept Holocaust going all these years, thanks in no small part to the money pouring in from Metallica covering them back in the day… even with the occasional downtime now and again. Predator comes some 12 years after Primal an album so solemn and true to its title that did well to show the band was not dead, but as pretty much everything else didn’t manage to elevate Mortimer and Co above the cult status heroes they are. Predator was predated by an EP called Expander a couple of years ago that previewed 3 songs of Predator at the time provisionally called Sweet Liberty… so how does Predator fare after all this time when compared with the band’s classic material. Firstly the band’s complex and convoluted riffing on top of sometimes unusual rhythms continues to exist, but sometimes with a twist. John having battled spells of extreme depression but also enlightenment and joy, seems to have managed to marry the old school feel of the band with the newer more hippy style in a trippy way that works well, It almost feels like an invigorated version of the band from the 90s, still churning out pretty complex stuff for a trio, but probably having fared a bit better musically, when they were a quartet and John was more free with his role as singer. A couple of those songs, I’m pretty sure, are reworked versions of songs that John had mentioned in the past under different titles. Predator, the opening song for instance couples a very nifty and ferocious chorus with a very hippy middle that can’t have been originally there, but works well… and it’s persistent riff, sort of brings it all together. Expander was on the EP and it’s even more melodic and feel-good even if its riff is quite heavy, it’s sort of weird to experience a band that had a sound that was quite dark and bleak sounding, going for this… but weirdly enough it’s quite pleasant… it sounds to my ears like a weird mash up of Voivod and The Beatles that bizarrely enough works. Can’t Go Wrong With You – Ah, I remember John mentioning this, even performing it, some long 4-5 years ago, when the band was here previously, it probably sounds a bit heavier here. I remember discussing the new direction with John and the reason that had taken him out of the gloominess. you don’t really want to know, but the story behind this is pretty interesting and as long as it has reversed someone’s frown into a smile, that’s great you know. This is probably the weirdest example of bridging Holocaust’s primal style with some very positive lyrics. It’s almost like happy black metal, (but not black metal obviously) a sound and style that sounds really bizarre, but is quite interesting at the same time and after taking a few moments to get into it, seems to work wonders. Lady Babalon is consistent with the previous songs, but this time dives deep into the band’s heritage and comes out, considerably heavier that anything preceding it. Mysteriously enough it’s melody and riffing are quite interesting… let’s say that Metallica would be jealous of it, as it might be a little reminiscent of them at times, but not quite. Observer One was on the Expander EP as well and it’s a nice enough and quite melodic instrumental. Shiva is a heavy and viscous number with a heavier chorus that explores some pretty nice ideas and brings them about to fruition quite impeccably. Nice if not a little simple solo in there as well… but on the other hand, there is just as much you can do with one guitar and I’m guessing John is considering playing this one live too so adding more, might have made this hard to do live. Shine Out is probably the most hard rock oriented number on the album, still maintaining a heavy fuzzy riff, but not sounding as overbearing as some previous numbers. It’s pleasant enough and as the heavy and thick Revival comes about it, it contrasts it nicely. Revival is probably the heaviest and bleakest track on here and sounds really interesting… both in terms of melodies, lyrical content, solo (which is more intricate this time) and overall feel… it comes to a glorious conclusion and as What I Live For signals the end of the album, in a middle of the road sort of way, both melodic and bittersweet, one is left with a feeling of fulfilment. Mortimer is a decent composer and a nice human being and in all different phases of Holocaust, he really was true to his art – actually investing a part of his own psyche into it, a sign not only of true artistry but also probably a very profound experience, that can scar one. If I were to complain about one thing is that Holocaust never had a proper production in the past few years, always sounding pretty much the same – this convoluted heavy 80/90s, heavy/thrash/doom hybrid that never quite had the proper production to make its supreme riffs stick out. Predator doesn’t change this one little iota… and it would really be interesting to see what the band would sound like with a more modern production and maybe even a singer that’s not bound down to a certain range. I must say Predator surprised me in a rather positive way with all the years it took the band to release it. The song ideas, seem to have been honed to perfection, but it’s production doesn’t quite match its ambition… still much better than a million flashier yet ultimately devoid of any soul albums that seem to flood the scene.

Track listing:
1 Predator
2 Expander
3 Cant Go Wrong With You
4 Lady Babalon
5 Observer One
6 Shiva
7 Shine Out
8 Revival
9 What I Live For