Black Peaks – Statues

Black Peaks spent a large portion of 2015 laying foundations for their debut release, appearing regularly throughout the British festival season as well as supporting various bands during the year. On stage, few bands can rival their explosive, raw and unwaveringly energetic persona, but the question was always going to be whether this raw power could ever be contained on a studio album. Statues, the band’s long-awaited debut, is as close to achieving this impossible task as you could hope to imagine, making this an outstanding record that not only puts the band on the map, it makes them the compass for other aspiring bands to follow.

One of Black Peaks’ most alluring qualities is their non-conformance to any particular genre or style. From the powerful riffs and throaty, post-hardcore screams of “Say You Will” and “Saviour”, to alt-rock anthem “Crooks” and seven minute prog-rock epic “Hang ‘Em High”, Black Peaks straddle several genres, taking the best of each and sculpting them into their own sound. Often when bands try to do this the result is confused and lacking identity, but the band commit to their approach with such confidence and assurance that it becomes a massive strength.

A lot of this is made possible by the outstanding vocals of Will Gardner. There’s so much variation in his range, tone and delivery that the whole album becomes a journey, filled with interesting and surprising turns at every corner. “Set In Stone” demonstrates this well, lulling you into a false calm with its soft guitars and soothing vocals, until Gardner’s Jekyll and Hyde transformation alters the landscape completely with a throat-tearing crescendo.

This dynamic atmosphere continues in the instrumentation; the drums maintain a frantic pulse throughout the eleven tracks, continually moving songs forward through changing tempos, time signatures and transitions. The guitars are equally impressive, filling a full spectrum from chunky, powerful riffs to ambient chord progressions. Genre lines become blurred further by the impromptu guitar solos in “Savior” and “Set in Stone”, but as with the rest of Black Peaks’ sound, what should be out of context and unusual is handled so confidently and arranged so well, that it works seamlessly.

This is a hugely impressive album that’s so well refined and accomplished, it’s hard to believe it’s a debut effort. With the band also owning the country’s stages over the past year with their huge live presence, they’re already projecting the image of a band that’s been working on their craft for over a decade. While it feels like they’ve already accomplished so much, this is just the beginning for Black Peaks and based on the emphatic way in which they’ve announced themselves, it won’t be long before they’re dominating the UK scene.