1476 - Wildwood

Salem, MA based band 1476 have released their brand new studio album titled Wildwood. The disc from the appropriately geographically located band takes us on a dark and melodic journey through the underworld of sonic soundscapes that has an eerie and kinetic twist to it, but isn't overpowering and relies on a mellow, sonically pleasing sound that provides for an instant escape into an enchanted and mystical wonderland.

The disc opens up with "Black Cross/Death Rune", a somber, acoustic based tune that contains the somber vocal abilities of Robb Kavjian, who adds a mysterious and otherworldly type of sound to 1476 that enables them to clutch onto the listener the moment they start listening to the album. "Watchers" is a dynamic, musically diverse tune that sees the band continue to dig deep venturing into the album, and the thorough and consistent drumwork of Neil DeRosa provides the musical backbone for the rest of the effort moving forward. "Banners in Bohemia" is my favorite track off the album and expresses the duo's musical mission eloquently and clearly to their listening audience. The wonderful, harmonic acoustic guitar melodies will immediately make you feel at ease and Robb's vocals add an eerie layer to it that all makes sense once you've finished listening to the track in its entirety. "Good Morning, Blackbird" is a reworked version of a song that made its way onto their "Nightside EP" and existed in various alternate forms on other bonus CD's they released, and the full fledged version brings together both of their ideals in a collective and melded fashion.

We begin our second half exploration of the disc with "Slave-Fire", a melodic, captivating tune that finds the band bringing more upbeat instrumentation and Neil's prominent drumwork adding an explosive musical touch heard here. "Bohemian Spires" is an outstanding, ensemble piece featuring Robb and Neil collaborating their collective wisdom into something remarkable and a track that yearns to be played again and again. We usher in the demise of the album with "Shoreless" a dark, trodden number featuring rapturous melodies and darkly toned instrumentation that begins to close out a well mapped out effort heard here so far. "The Golden Alchemy" ends it all here on an expansive, 10 minute number that gives us a overview of what we heard so far and brings about a sense of finality due to the overall tone of the songs that sort of reads like a storybook existing in musical form. I first covered these guys here on the blog about 2 years ago as an Artist Spotlight feature and I commended these gentlemen for ushering in a sound that was unlike anything I've ever heard before, and I myself was a little curious when I was handed a CD by Neil who worked at a coffee shop near where I work up in Beverly. I took it upon myself to listen to that CD and found that the CD was very diverse and comforting in nature, despite my initial skepticism about the music being a blaring death metal album judging from the artwork on the disc, and found a band who were willing to try something that hadn't been accomplished before musically, and it suits them perfectly to a T.

Looking back, a terrific and cohesive effort from 1476, who are continuing to make their presence known with a consistent collection of works that totally defines their personalities, and the area in which they live in has an immense impact on their music.

                                                                                                                               Album Score: 3.5/5

Track Listing:

1. Black Cross/Death Rune
2. Watchers
3. The Dagger
4. Banners In Bohemia
5. Good Morning, Blackbird
6. Horse Dysphoria
7. Slave-Fire
8. Bohemian Spires
9. An Atrophy
10. Shoreless
11. The Golden Alchemy