The Triumphant Return of AGE OF TAURUS!
London's AGE OF TAURUS last appeared with their debut LP, 'Desperate Souls For Tortured Times' (2013), which was issued the same year that Doomed & Stoned came to life. It remains one of my all-time favorite albums, a happy hybrid of heavy metal and doom. I checked in with the band some months ago, oblivious to the fact they were working on a new album, just to make sure they were still together, my fingers crossed the whole while. Indeed, there is still robust life in the London foursome, now nearing its first decade as a band. Today, they premiere their sophomore record, 'The Colony Slain' (2018 - Rise Above Records), a record with great panache and deep emotion.
The new album feels "swifter" in some respects, I dare say lighter on its feet than the first, but this is a simple matter of tuning. For while The Colony Slain may not sound as doomy as Desperate Souls, it is surely no less heavy. If anything, the material is grounded even deeper in the UK's proud NWOBHM heritage (not to mention the welcome influence of Trouble). The guitar play is dazzling, if not virtuosic; the singing as earnest as ever. A constant between the two records is this virle sense of mission. One imagines a messenger furiously bearing down on his trusty steed, taking flight under cover of darkness with a scroll of urgent importance, galloping madly toward some unknown destination.
Age of Taurus have always predicted their songcraft on storytelling, in many ways a lost art when we survey the panorama of recent releases. Most bands succeed at one, perhaps two, good stories an album, but The Colony Slain is full of them. Every song bears a tale fantastic, making The Colony Slain an epic in the classic sense of the word. Coupled with their first album, the pair make an unforgettable tour de force.
The brand new full-length by Age of Taurus drops Friday, May 18th, on Rise Above Records, availalbe on vinyl here and in digital format here. Right now, get ready to be swept away into the mind's eye as Doomed & Stoned brings you the full-stream debut of The Colony Slain.
Interview with Age of Taurus
We’re excited to have you back, guys! So bring us up to speed. What’s been happening with Age of Taurus in the intervening years between 'Desperate Souls of Tortured Times' (2013) and 'The Colony Slain' (2018)?
Thanks, we’re extremely glad to be “back” as it were! Whilst we’ve been working on this record for probably 4 years, “real life” has very much limited the amount of time we’ve been able to dedicate to the band since 2014. I’ve had two kids and understandably, that has been my number one priority.
We’ve also had a bit of a line up shift, with Leo (Smee; With The Dead, ex-Cathedral) now taking up the bass mantle and Daniel Knight picking up lead guitar duties.
Despite all of this, we have managed to get in quite a few great shows since Desperate Souls reared its ugly head. European festivals like Roadburn, Hammer of Doom and Karmøygeddon all sit strongly in the memory, whilst our US tour with Pilgrim in 2014 was a brilliant, if somewhat eye-opening, experience. I must add however, that our memories of that tour are somewhat bittersweet these days after the unexpected passing of Jon Rossi of Pilgrim last year.
You’re now nearing a decade together as a band. It’s tough for any band to make it to five years, much less ten. What are some of the challenges you’ve overcome to get to now?
I think our slightly less intense approach to band activity has certainly kept us together longer than those with a heavy touring/release schedule. For many bands, the continuous contact between members can become a real point of frustration and a lot of groups just can’t work through their personal and creative differences. For us, a full weekend of writing/rehearsals is something to be savoured as it may be the only time we’re together in several months.
Of course, with the personnel changes in mind, Age of Taurus hasn’t been a completely secure unit. But now that the dust has settled I think we’re stronger than ever at this point. Leo and Dan bring different strengths to the band and working with them has been a pleasure.
Geographically it’s particularly difficult for us, as I’ve lived in Norway since 2011. However, for The Colony Slain we really worked hard to meet as often as possible to sound out new material. At this point, I should give full credit to Darius, our drummer, who has pretty much kept the band active and moving forward whilst I’ve been heavily occupied as a new parent. Without his drive and enthusiasm we certainly wouldn’t be about to release a new album.
The new record carries on the storylike approach to songcraft. What’s the inspiration fueling 'The Colony Slain' and would you mind walking our readers through each of the tracks?
The Colony Slain effectively takes what we started on Desperate Souls and refines it even further. Whilst our previous album served as an introduction to some of the characters, places and events within The Taurean Empire, The Colony Slain is about a very specific story and series of events that occurred within the Empire.
In a nutshell, the story follows a member of Emperor Tauron’s court, Blackwynn Chaise, who attempts to kill the wicked leader. Once captured he faces a public trial and rather than being executed immediately, he is made an example of, being sent to live out his days in a mountain prison colony far to the West of the Kingdom. Once he arrives at the Colony, he begins to plot his escape in a hope that he might fulfill his original goal. Unfortunately for Blackwynn, spies within the Colony send word back to Tauron that an uprising is beginning. Tauron responds by traveling personally to the colony to kill the traitor. However, instead of destroying just Blackwynn Chaise, he melts the entire mountain, drowning the Colony within.
I’ll do my best to give a brief overview of each song and how it follows the storyline:
From The Hills To The Halls
An introductory instrumental -- no direct impact on the storyline, but for me it feels a little like the opening sequence of a fantasy movie.
An opening narrative of how Blackwynn finds himself in Imperial custody, particularly his night within the ‘Tower of the Horned Throne’ whilst he awaits sentencing.
The Trial of Blackwynn Chaise
Blackwynn faces a public trial at the hands of Drokk The Purifier, a notoriously brutal judge. In an unexpected move, he sentences our protagonist to a lifetime of hardship in a distant mountain prison colony.
Not long after the prison caravan begins its long journey to the colony, they happen upon a mysterious Seeress (Cerenith). She is immediately drawn to Blackwynn Chaise and she briefly speaks to him through the walls of his prison carriage. Her visions fill him with fear and he’s left with very little hope of survival afterwards.
Further along the road to the colony, the procession comes across an ancient outpost that stands by a black lake. However, they have to cross the lake first and escape the jaws of the dreadful beast, Hektulor.
As the journey nears its conclusion. Blackwynn becomes gripped by regret and despair. He knows he may not survive for much longer and the travel is only worsening his fears. They reach a magically charged forest, which attempts to drag them to their deaths in the heart of the trees.
Upon arrival at the colony, Blackwynn decides to mobilise as many desperate inmates as he can in an attempt to escape. His plan is daring, but it may work with the right support.
Sometimes spies exist in the least likely of places and Blackwynn starts to realise that his plans may all be in vain.
Tauron receives news that a rebellion may be about to unfold within the colony and he immediately travels there with some of the most feared members of his armed forces.
An instrumental -- a representation of the calm before the storm.
With a huge show of magic and force, Tauron melts the entire mountain, thus drowning the colony within.
As ever, the general concept is influenced by fantasy fiction and work from authors like David Eddings, Robin Hobb, Terry Pritchett, Raymond Feist and L.E Modesitt are placed highly in my bookshelves.
Who does the guest vocals on track three, The Trial of Blackwynn Chaise?
Those fantastic vocals are courtesy of Chantal Brown. Aside from being a professional singer, she’s a friend of Leo’s and someone that he immediately suggested when I explained what I had in mind for the part. She really delivered massively and I’m thoroughly satisfied with the unusual element it brings to the record.
Of course, we’re curious about touring. You made it to the US for your last album, what would you say to coming back for more?
We’d absolutely love to come back to the States should the timing/conditions prove manageable. Having not fully made it to the West Coast, I feel like we have a bit of unfinished business over there! Let’s see what next year brings. I’m confident we’ll find ourselves on US soil again.
"Many centuries ago, when the world was slightly younger and a little less ravaged by time's unrelenting grasp, there existed a sprawling empire of unrivalled power. Yet, whilst its might and influence stretched across great oceans and through vast mountain ranges, its immense dominion was born not out of prosperity and industry, but from rampant fear and blind obedience..."
So begins the arcane tale behind The Colony Slain, the second full-length album from doom metal diehards Age Of Taurus. Nearly five years on from the release of acclaimed debut Desperate Souls Of Tortured Times, singer/guitarist and conceptual mastermind Toby W. Wright is ready to unveil a new, ultra-dramatic chapter in the turbulent saga of the Taurean Empire. Showcasing a new line-up featuring new bassist Leo Smee (With The Dead/ex-Cathedral) alongside Wright, drummer Darius Claydon and most recent recruit, guitarist Daniel Knight, The Colony Slain is the sound of a great band reborn in heavy metal glory.
“This record has probably been constructed a little differently this time around,” Toby explains. “Leo, in particular, has brought a huge amount of expertise where arrangements are concerned, as well as some next-level musicianship. His style of playing alone has allowed us to expand what we were doing before and to experiment a lot more with ideas that we maybe hadn't considered. He's also helped us to start introducing synths into the material, which is something I can see evolving further down the line. Daniel actually joined during the recording process but, again, his style of playing has been a fresh injection into our sound.”
Formed in 2009, Age Of Taurus have already established themselves as a doggedly unique force within the modern world of doom. Ever the stubborn mavericks, they have once again conjured a collection of songs that defy lazy notions of doom metal as a one-dimensional creative cul-de-sac. Still rooted in the rumbling sonic bedrock of Trouble, Candlemass and Sabbath but increasingly steeped in the gritty swagger of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal and in thrall to numerous left-field, progressive ideas, songs like fiery opener, "Taken To The Tower," and the rampaging "In Dream We Die" eschew the languorous repetition of much modern doom in favour of subtly elaborate song structures that proudly salute the spirit of old school heavy metal. With nods to everything from radio-friendly hard rock to gritty crossover thrash, The Colony Slain is a flat-out celebration of the metal code.
“I guess we'll always fit the doom metal tag in some sense but we've always taken influence from a lot of different places and we were never really a slow doom metal band,” Toby notes. “Much of Trouble's material is faster, or at least mid-paced, and it's their sound that I feel best represents doom metal. This new album will almost certainly cement some of that sentiment, while also taking us away into different pastures. We've even created our own ‘Great Gig In The Sky’ moment, with some fantastic female guest vocals. Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, it ain't! Musically, we've really cast off the shackles this time.”
Lyrically, too, The Colony Slain represents a bold forward step, as Toby’s tale of a malevolent empires, bloody uprisings and fearless heroes unfolds across 47 minutes of imperious bombast. Citing inspirations as diverse as prog gods Genesis, fantasy author Terry Pratchett and director John Carpenter’s The Thing, the frontman’s immersive and obsessive approach to new Age Of Taurus music has led to an album with great depth and substance to backup the songs’ muscular bravado.
As with their debut, The Colony Slain was pieced together in collaboration with esteemed studio guru Jaime ‘Gomez’ Arellano at his Orgone Mk. 2 Studio in Bedfordshire, with vocals recorded at Supervillain HQ in Wright’s hometown of Oslo, Norway, with Yusaf Parvez (Dødheimsgard) at the controls. The result is towering, riff-driven mini-epics like "Beyond The Westward Path" and "To Seal A Mountain" -- refined but unstoppable bursts of authentic epic doom, delivered with phenomenal sonic heft and yet always sounding thrillingly raw, live and untamed.
“We chose Gomez, as we knew his new set-up was going to be killer and we shared the mindset that we could progress together,” Wright recalls. “Ultimately we wanted to make a heavy metal record that focused on weight of the songs, rather than just a very thick, bottom-heavy sound. Yusaf is a good friend and an extremely talented multi-instrumentalist and it was a pleasure to work with him, too. He takes wild leaps of faith when making music and he encouraged me to try everything that came into my head during the session.”
Rejuvenated and refocused, Age Of Taurus have returned from the wilderness bearing the most potent of gifts. Living, breathing, thunderous proof of doom’s timeless allure and the inspirational power of the riff, The Colony Slain brings past, present and future together in a riot of heartfelt heaviness and, as the story says, unrivalled power. A new age is dawning and this story never ends...
“Hopefully this album will strike a chord with those that are already familiar with Age of Taurus and, if we're lucky, it'll allow us to reach those that had maybe written us off as ‘just another doom metal band!’" Wright laughs. “This is a hard rock/heavy metal record and, in all honesty, some of the purists may struggle with parts of it but we’re very proud of it. With this record, I’d say that we've gained a greater understanding of what we want to achieve as a band.”
