Referring to the fact that there are only four boats per week in winter from their native Isle of Eigg in the Hebrides, one of the band members of The Massacre Cave commented “if one is cancelled and we have a gig, we’re fucked!” With modern distribution methods and especially electronic media across the world, they now have a better chance of gaining exposure. The vehicle is their four track mini-album “The Ninth Wave”, described as “a record inspired by sun, sea and sand … but mainly wind, rain and isolation”.

23 minutes is not a great deal of time when you’ve got the level and depth of ideas that this band has. From the off, the galloping technical melody of “Winds of Death” ensures that our attention is captured. As well as being catchy, there’s great movement and subtle shifting. I could listen to this track all day. It stops momentarily for an acoustic guitar and briefly tantalising Celtic flute section. The flute is haunting but not overplayed and enough to be memorable. It is evidence of the maturity of this band. As the track picks up, there’s a rousing chorus. I felt part of this quality piece of music. What a start.

The life and energy continues over the other three tracks. “Long Time at Sea” is another rapid-fire track full of guitar virtuosity and potent drums. I wasn’t over enamoured of the harsh but clean-style vocals but they do have power and I guess they never did Entombed any harm. The track races on like an express train but with the added spice of colourful technical riffage. There are many elements to the music. Essentially this is melodic and technical heavy metal without frills. The relentless journey forward continues with “Behemoth”, slightly heavier than its predecessors but noteworthy again for the invigorating and swirling guitar work. The drums provide constant urgency and excitement. The characteristic life and energy are found once more on “The Prey Approaches”. Fast and melodic as ever, it steps up a gear and hardens. The riff has a sinister edge to it. A fast technical guitar section, worthy of Zero Hour, is matched by a Hardcore-style chorus, which may not be to everyone’s liking. But I’ve come to realise that The Massacre Cave don’t stand still and with more virtuosity, this exhilarating track races off into the distance again. It’s the musical equivalent of a rush of blood.

There are a lot of ideas packed into this whirlwind of a work. “The Ninth Wave” has great intensity, helped by the fact that it’s short. I’d like to see the band develop their ideas over a full-length album. The Massacre Cave parade great talent here and with their ear for technical melody and timing, I foresee a very exciting future for them.

(8.5/10 Andrew Doherty)

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