ALBUM REVIEW: Wall - Brick by Brick

Having been severely aurally beaten several times in recent years by Bloodstock main stagers Desert Storm, the temptation to go another round with only two of the band, brothers Ryan & Elliot Cole in their new instrumental project Wall seemed a no-brainer. 

The decision was a good one. 13 tracks spread over 55-minutes sounds decent, but throw in a Sabbath riff or twenty, some rolling drums, and you’ve got a cascading torrent that rarely lets up. Certainly not the gentle alarm clock which eases you slowly out of bed. Wall have thrown in a couple of covers, including the kings of instrumental stoner rock, the much-missed Karma to Burn, whose track Nineteen gets the Royal treatment. Brick by Brick stems from the brothers’ pandemic experiences, when they were furloughed and locked in a small flat together. They’ve channelled this into a rolling, powerful album that follows their debut EPs and appearances at Bloodstock Open Air, Desertfest London, Masters of the Riff as well as a smattering of European shows and festivals. 

It’s unsurprising that Elliot Cole provides a list of artists who influenced the release. “Torche, High on Fire, Elephant Tree, and The Sword were on heavy rotation a lot. I also was listening to a fair bit of Power Trip at the time too. But as well as the rock/metal stuff, we were listening to Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Radiohead which helped in a way with some of the more spacey & ambient sections on the album”. 

And that’s a true statement, for although Wall crush with an ease and power which is almost dangerous, they also draw in other influences that should alleviate from the sheer wall of intensity that the Cole brothers seem to produce with ease. Songs like Legion, Wrath of the Serpent and the magnificently named Filthy Doner Kebab on a Gutful of Lager all hit with a piledrive force. Throwing in the ultimate tribute the riff, we get a faithful version of the Sab’s Electric Funeral to finish off. Suitably doom ridden, it’s the ultimate flourish on an album by a duo who initially started out as a side project. 

The last words to Wall on single Masking My Contempt. "We are really excited to release the debut album Brick by Brick & Masking my contempt is the first new piece of music in about 2 years (since the Wall vol.2 EP) The song Masking My Contempt starts with a sample from an amusing scene, that is taken from a film we like called American Beauty. The scene is where Lester Burnham blackmails his boss for over a year’s salary. We have said for years that it would make a cool intro to a song, and to kick in with a big groovy riff after it. The title of the song is clearly taken from the sample, and the rest of the track was built around that first riff. Masking my Contempt switches between a 6/8- and 4/4-time signature. There are only 3 riffs in the whole song, and some bluesy slide guitar overdubbed … it's short and sweet and what we set out to achieve with this first single.”

Brick by Brick is released on 30th August via APF Records.

Review by Hutch

Band photo from https://www.facebook.com/wallukrock