BLACK WIDOWS
"Among the Brave Ones" (Inverse; 2022)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
There's a fine line between creative and crazy, and I think that Black Widows
may have found that line, and danced on both sides of it, on their album, "Among
the Brave Ones."
"Among the Brave Ones" is full of bulldozer-heavy metal, with rough, growling vocals and soaring operatic vocals. This all-female band knows how to kick ass and they do that throughout the album. My problem with this release is that they're all over the place, virtually all of the time. The guitars don't seem to know what the vocalist is doing, the vocalist doesn't seem to know what the bassist is doing, and the drummer just crushes through all of them, delivering the band's most consistent performance.
I do like the eerie piano that crops up occasionally, and there are some really chunky riffs that pound into your skull. I also liked the ethereal "Drowning" more than any other track on the album. So it may just be that Black Widows aren't my style of music; that's always possible. But, to me at least, "Among the Braves Ones" is just a bit of a mess.
For more information, check out https://www.facebook.com/blackwidowsportugal.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2022 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
