Album Of The Year 2015 – Number 19
Welcome to chapter 12 in my ‘Album Of The Year 2015’ countdown. I hope you’re enjoying this series as much as I am putting it all together.
A reminder that the positions 30-16 are very arbitrary and are only really ordered this way to allow a new blog post each day. These albums are equal in many ways and should be treated as such. If you’ve missed any of the previous posts in this series, links to each one can be found at the bottom of this post.
And with that, I give you the next featured album…
Number 19
Triaxis
‘Zero Hour’
Rocksector Records
From the heart of South Wales comes a band that does things the right way. A strong work ethic, abundant touring and a warm rapport and interaction with fans both in person and over the Internet. It’s no wonder that Triaxis have taken the title of being the metalheads’ metal band – they certainly deserve the accolade.
However, most fundamental of all, Triaxis maintain a steely focus on creating the best music that they possibly can. The result in 2015 is ‘Zero Hour’ the quintet’s third full-length album and what an album it is. I have been an admirer of Triaxis since their debut and I can safely say that ‘Zero Hour’ represents a big step up in just about every department. The riffs are more incisive, the melodies that little bit bigger and more infectious, the singing, the playing, the song writing; everything is just that little bit better, meaning that Triaxis have thrown down a massively impressive challenge to their rivals.
I penned a full review of ‘Zero Hour’ earlier in the year. If you want to read it, click here. I also interviewed the delightful voice of the band, Krissie, the result of which can be read here.
The overall sound of Triaxis is deceptively difficult to define, so I hope you’ll forgive a generous quote from my review which tackles this conundrum in a rather ham-fisted way if I’m honest:
‘…there are many nods to the thrash genre thanks to the aggressive and powerful drumming, the barrage of tight, incisive, fast-paced riffs and the overt attitude that vocalist Krissie conveys with her singing. However, in addition, there’s a demonstrable NWOBHM and classic metal vibe to much of the material. The likes of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest to name a couple are referenced thanks to Triaxis’ love of galloping tempos, harmonies and choruses that contain enough hooks to catch a blue whale. And then, there are also a few more modern twists for good measure, including a smattering of metalcore- tinged growls to compliment the clean voice as well as the occasional use of synths and sampled sounds away in the background.’
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZnOxKQ4NIQ&w=560&h=315]
It isn’t my best example of descriptive prose but it gives the uninitiated a rough idea of what to expect. Of course, what I could have said was ‘if you love proper heavy metal, you’ll love Triaxis’. That would have been far simpler and just as accurate to be honest.
Having lived with ‘Zero Hour’ for half a year now, what strikes me more than anything else is the subtle variety that’s on offer across the 12 tracks that make up this record. From the majesty of ‘Liberty’ to the thunderous battery of ‘Death Machine’ and from the NWOBHM-inspired ‘Terraform’ to the more melodic hard rock swagger of ‘Stand Your Ground’, this is a record that delivers on a number of levels and never gets old or stale; several months down the line and the music remains as fresh and vibrant as it did at the very beginning.
If there is any justice in this world, ‘Zero Hour’ should be the catalyst to propel Triaxis into the big time; you can hear and feel the confidence of the band, the music screams quality and every track offers something exciting for the listener. In the same way that I concluded my review, if you’re after a dose of uncompromising straight-up heavy metal, you need to hear this record.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGVJf9d2LyE&w=560&h=315]
Album Of The Year 2015 – Number 20
Album Of The Year 2015 – Number 21
Album Of The Year 2015 – Number 22
Album Of The Year 2015 – Number 23
Album Of The Year 2015 – Number 24
Album Of The Year 2015 – Number 25
Album Of The Year 2015 – Number 26
Album Of The Year 2015 – Number 27
Album of the Year 2015 – Number 28
Album of the Year 2015 – Number 29
Album of the Year 2015 – Number 30
And from previous years:
Album of the Year 2014
Album of the Year 2013
Album of the Year 2012
