Album Review: HIMALAYAS - 'BAD STAR'
Cardiff rock band HIMALAYAS have announced their upcoming release of new album, ‘BAD STAR’ - it’s an impressive explosion of sound, and not one to miss.
Formed in 2015, HIMALAYAS (consisting of Joe Williams (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mike Griffiths (lead guitar, backing vocals), Louis Heaps (bass), and James Goulbourn (drums)) have climbed their way up the ranks in the rock music scene. Blending elements of indie, garage, and alternative influences into their work has allowed the band to create a wide-reaching set of songs and albums for their ever-growing fanbase. Their newest album ‘BAD STAR’ is a great addition to the collection.
Beginning the 10 track long album is ‘Beneath The Barrell’. It starts off slow and intense, a perfect cinematic piece to introduce you to the world of ‘BAD STAR’. Before you know it, you’re hit with a wall of sound - it’s gritty and raw and serves as an example for the rest of the album: you just don’t know what’s going to happen next.
Continuing the high-strung intensity is ‘Hung Up’. Packed full of gnarly guitar riffs and thrashing drums it’s one of the catchiest tracks of the album. There’s practically no room to think with this song, it comes thick and fast – except for a false ending that leaves you questioning, ‘Surely that’s not the end, right?’ - but quick slap to the face with yet another wall of electric guitar and howling vocals and you’re launched back into the song. ‘Hung Up’ helps to sums up the skilled and experimental nature of HIMALAYAS and their dedication to making solid, catchy, and well-produced music.
Speaking on how ‘BAD STAR’ came to be, lead singer Joe Williams says “The themes are based upon the disaster of men and the fact that we create our own problems a lot of the time. Disaster happens, and that comes through in every facet of the album, whether that's a positive thing or negative thing.” Guitarist Mike Griffiths adds “We didn't go into writing it thinking we’d say this, but it turned out, everything's fucked. That's how all the songs ended up going: Everything's fucked.” This adds a wonderful spin on each of the songs and a satisfying context to the twists and turns throughout the album.
4th track ‘What If…?’ reached No.2 in the Kerrang Magazine Chart while being added to the Kerrang Radio Playlist, as well as receiving support from Radio X and Radio 1 from the Rock Show, Indie Show and BBC Introducing.
Diving into the middle section of the LP is ‘Heavy Weather’. It’s one of the slowest out of the 10 tracks but still maintains a groovy tempo. Singling out particular guitar strums and riffs makes it a wonderfully emotional piece and tastefully cinematic. The hopeless lyrics such as ‘The pressure you’re relieving is never enough / Never enough’ help add to this overriding feeling of heaviness that makes you slow down and pause in the feeling of the album.
It's not long until the tempo is picked back up again with the next two tracks, ‘Surrender’ and ‘Nothing Higher’. They are perfectly paired together within the album and serve as a runway into the final few songs of ‘BAD STAR’ – keeping the energy up and the groove effortless.
‘Twisted Reflections’ brings us back to the initial roots of the album. It feels rich with inspiration from the likes of Muse, Pink Floyd, and Royal Blood, similar to the first track ‘Beneath The Barrel’. It’s one of the 4 tracks that hasn’t yet been released and consequently one of the tracks that fans are most hungry for – one of the last pieces to the puzzle of ‘BAD STAR’.
Beautifully closing off the album is ‘A Brand New God’. It rises and falls in a way that lures you in, and the progression of guitar riffs keep you hanging on until the very last second. Joe Williams’ vocals are let loose on this track, taking you on a rollercoaster of laid-back bridges and wonderfully lengthy notes in the chorus. It wraps up ‘BAD STAR’ perfectly - although if I were you, I’d be putting the album on all over again.
‘BAD STAR’ is bound to send the band on a dizzying upwards trajectory, especially with their upcoming Spring 2025 tour in the pipeline too. HIMALAYAS have outdone themselves once again with this album, and with it only being their second LP, they’re definitely one to keep your eye on.
Words by Cameron Cookson
