EP Review -Baleful Creed - 'Buried Beneath'

Track Listing: Baleful Creed
                     Crazy Man
                     Her Promise
                     Hex
                     Suffer In Silence

Baleful Creed are from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and play the sort of beer swilling,low punching , low slung stoner-tinged hard rock that begs to be blared at full volume in some kip of a rock pub, with a belly full of whiskey/Jager , while various burly men fight over matters of questionable importance, not to mention ladies of questionable morals.It's a hark back to another era, when 'hard rock' meant something a bit grittier than Nickelback style, drive time dad anthems and Radio Nova(though we're not dissing Pat Courtenay, if he sees this).

Their latest release , Buried Beneath , was recorded in the same studio as Northern Irish hard rockers The Answer,and the two bands share a similar ethos, driving, no bullshit rock and roll songs with one eye on  the genre's heyday.However,  where their compatriots up the falsetto drama, BC instead veer towards the swampier , dirtier end of things, with songs like 'Suffer In Silence' recalling the likes of The Obsessed and COC at times, indeed , there's times when singer Greg 'Fin' Finlay's throaty croon recalls Wino more than a little, never a bad thing.Stylistically, the band keep it simple , whip smart, and sharp as tack, with the various tracks here permeated by a bluesy, earthy quality that rewards repeated listens. It's of this bloggers personal opinion that it's often harder to be catchy than brutal, and even harder to marry effectively hooks to heavy music, however, BC walk the particular tightrope that so many bands of a similar ilk seem to stumble over,that of writing catchy as fuck tunes that are also gut punchingly , satisfyingly heavy. Witness the Danzig -esque flourishes of 'Her Promise' or the fist in the air blues rock bravado of 'Crazy Man' to hear how it's done, heavy as lead riffing , practiced musicianship and a songwriting nous that hopefully endears the band to a wider audience over time.

While Buried Beneath  may not be the most original work you'll hear this year,rooted as it is in the traditional schools of blues and old school heavy rock, you'll struggle to hear a band sounding this confident and practiced, and it is one of the more assured bodies of work in the Irish underground rock scene that we've seen in months.The question now is whether these Belfast bruisers can take what's been accomplished here and make it work over a full length.On the evidence shown , don't bet against them.

Rating: 8/10
For fans of: Orange Goblin, Alter Bridge, Jerry Cantrell, Clutch, Speedking
Listen Here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baleful-Creed/182357778447540?sk=app_2405167945
Upcoming shows: June 16th , The Pint Dublin (The Motherfuzzers Ball)

Stephen O ' Connor
bornagainnihilist@gmail.com