Butcher Babies
Nightbloom
Judge & Jury Records
When therapy opens you up in ways that you never imagined it would and you find your soul laid bare you need to dig deep to deal with it. In Heidi Shepherd’s case digging deep meant pouring her heart into latest Butcher Babies album ‘Nightbloom’. Along with partner Henry Flury they have created a record that takes the band into new territory and it has to be said it also progresses them musically beyond what anyone would have expected. Let’s not beat around the bush this set of songs are a revelation, like the band have been let off a leash. The writing mixes the metalcore elements we’d expect with hard rock, other metal sub-genres and even pop. Shepherd’s vocals are similarly unexpectedly (for some at least) eyebrow-raising in the very best way. We still get those guttural blasts but they are there more for emphasis now. Here stunning clean singing is the foundation with well judged fry and belts adding depth. There’s also a strong hint of her classical early background at one point on ‘Blame It On The Wind’ that is goose bump inducing. Each member of the band plays their part fully in making this by some distance the best record Butcher Babies have put out. While many play it safe this shows what digging deep and really pushing the envelope can achieve.
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Review by Gary Trueman