From Jonathan Higgs' initial roar on the first track 'What is Left Behind' of The Living Fields' S/T follow up to their crushing debut EP The Miseries Never Cease[/i], it is apparent to any connoisseur of metal that the listener is in for something very special. As in The Miseries Never Cease, Higgs' vocal does not remain as a death growl for long, but instead Higgs shoots for and reaches the upper register without ever grating the ears of the audience, very reminiscent of the mid-eighties purveyors of death/doom/epic metal masters Cirith Ungol's lead singer, Tim Baker. Also featured is Higgs' majestic clean singing and intense almost at times Gregorian chant-like spoken word vox. This breakdown of vocal stylings is used to great affect throughout S/T.
But to focus strictly on the excellence and unique vocal stylings of Higgs would be to shortchange the band in the intelligence and maturity of the message of the music, which is expressed clearly in the lyrics of the disc and also written by Higgs. Much of what Higgs speaks about is tied into a "mother earth" environmental /elemental type of philosophy. In this sense, The Living Fields are reminiscent of bands like Skepticism, Agalloch, and Irish dark-metalists Primordial. Witness the lyrics of track two 'Burial at Sky' to see the connection to theme. "Air, wind and rain/Wild and untamed/Carried to the place/ Where I will find peace." Later, Higgs writes, "No dust will mingle into my bones, or fire take my flesh as it burns/ into the open air and I am cast/burial at sky." Again, in track four, 'Feast for the Earth' Higgs reiterates the theme: "When the seas rise with such titanic force/To consume cities of men/The scale of natural pure violence/Seems to be a reminder to pause for thought/. . . ./Feast for the Earth/Nature's revolt/Back to the dirt/all will fall."
It's not just mother earth and the revenge she may or may not seek on mankind out of control that is spoken about - for Higgs gives a hopeful if not a somewhat overly simplified message for the future in the album's closer, 'The Overview Effect.' He says, "The need for war will melt away/When we unify to one belief. Later, he follows with, "And even when obliterated/By a scorched Earth policy/ That burning life will just lay dormant/And arise once again." Lyrically, for me, The Living Fields are a step above a great deal of what passes for serious thought and verbiage in the metal genre.
And then there is the music itself. Written by Jason Muxlow, who also plays all guitars, and backed by drummer/percussionist Chad Walls, the boys lay down a crushing foundation that blasts the listener with loud and aggressive passages tempered with moments of quiet solitude and beauty (strings and samples included)- really original and unique stuff that must be listened to to truly be appreciated.
All in all, The Living Fields have released a damn fine slab of doomy/progressive/death metal for the serious headbanger, as well as anyone interested in not listening to the same ol' same ol'metal. "Make it so!"
J.P. Murphy, HellrideMusic.com