Unholy Majesty

With influences ranging from Sabbath to The Melvins, from Tom Waits to Earth, `Unholy Majesty' was never going to be an ordinary proposition. Its skillfully arranged multi-hook harmonies and majestic instrumentation bring into play a unique concoction of pastoral leftfield folk, gothic atmospherics, epic post-metal crunch, psychedelic doom and spiraling prog-rock, all delivered in a rich, Seventies, analog dynamic. Part of folk-rock heritage, Rose is the daughter of Maddy Prior and Rick Kemp from seminal, pioneering British band `Steeleye Span'. After releasing her debut album `Glance' on Park Records, Kemp traded in her acoustic guitar for an electric and took the turbulent journey into the tempestuous world of leftfield rock. Following on from 07's `A Handful of Hurricanes' in which Kemp started to forge her experimental sound, we are now graced by this latest 10 tracker which showcases great versatility, immense production values and that oh so riveting voice.

`Unholy Majesty' is bookended by two dizzyingly progressive pieces. Being grandiose alt.rock tinged with an epic post-metal flair and combined with Kemp's hauntingly operatic vocals, both pieces grind and meander across a gothic soundscape that progresses story-like, delivering both a sense of dread and a sense of lush beauty. In between these bruisers, we find Kemp in more serene territory, territory which does however explode every so often with galvanizing riffage that could wake the dead. 'Flawless' and `Nature's Hymn' are touching alt.folk lullabies that portray Kemp's ethereal side and really bring through her exquisite range of depth whilst `Saturday Night' takes this serene formula and steeps it in a more vibrant and darker, Radiohead-esque aesthetic. `Wholeness Sounds' perfectly showcases the albums immense production values with its rich and harmonious tapestry of fleeting organ-drone, subtle cosmic feedback, metronomic percussives and backbone guitar melody that drips with a melancholy majesty. Kemp's vocals writhe with a gentle and feminine charm before the whole track drops into a heroic stomp that will have live crowds in spazz-mode.

Kemp's powerful vocals have to be heard to be believed and the epic setting in which it is displayed makes for an even greater proposition. The snarling atmospherics and ever-expanding riffage are easy to imitate but difficult to make unique, however, `Unholy Majesty' has managed to twist a clutch of influences into a proprietary sound. Those with less musical knowledge would most probably compare the sound of `Unholy Majesty' with that of Evanescence but in reality there is far more going on and Jarboe's lysergic, avant-rock stomp would be a more fitting comparison. (KS)

For fans of: Jarboe, Neurosis, Titan

Bought this having been pointed in the direction of Miss Kemp by a friend - checked out a couple of Youtube videos, listened to some previews, and as I knew she was a huge fan of Cardiacs I didn't think I could go far wrong. Simply put, one of the best albums I came across last year, Rose's astounding voice is powerfully backed up by sparse band arrangements and there isn't a weak song on there. Spine-tingling stuff, a must-buy...

This is a bit like Jex Thoth and I love Jex Thoth (and Sabbath Assembly).I haven't given it a thorough listen yet but it's good,kind of folk-metal-weirdy.The only downside is I keep thinking of Ross 'Grant Mitchell' Kemp when I hear the name.