Limb - 'Saboteurs Of The Sun' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Wych Elm

2. Death In Absentia

3. Survival Knife

4. Rising Tides

5. The Astronaut

6. Love Has No Name

7. Curse Tablet

8. Man On The Outside

9. Truth Be Damned

10. 100 Years

‘Saboteurs Of The Sun’ is the new album from towering UK Rockers Limb. It follows their previous full length releases; the eponymously titled ‘Limb’ from 2014 and ‘Terminal’ from 2015. It was produced by Russ Russell and is on the New Heavy Sounds label. Russ has previously worked with the Wildhearts, Napalm Death, New Model Army and the Exploited to name just a few. So was the three year wait for the new record worth it?

I would say absolutely without a doubt, this heavy, riff-laden show of force from a band at peak power is a superb stone cold classic. Play this at full volume with speakers aimed at Thanos and Limb would end Infinity War a damned sight quicker than the Avengers will! Limb are not your typical Heavy Rock band, to me it seems that they really know, understand and appreciate the history of Rock and what came before them. At times there are interjections of a Prog Rock like approach, particularly on “Survival Knife” and “Wych Elm”.

Rob Hoey’s voice has amazing depth and he uses it to frame some these songs perfectly. There is emotion, power and even a sliver of menace in his vocal delivery. Guitarist Pat Pask has the talent to become a Metal riff God, while Sam Cooper on bass and drummer Tom Mowforth create a rhythmic underlay to the songs that would out thunder Thor himself. This is an album that benefits from having the volume cranked up to 11. After a couple of listens “Astronaut” a lilting ballad style tune that brings brief respite from the mosh inducing riff inferno, is my favourite on the album, but that is a very close race. The song starts off like Genesis covering a Brian Eno ambient track and then Rob Hoey’s voice kicks in and makes it obvious that this is not elevator music, although personally I could live with this whole album piped into any lift that I was a passenger in.

I can’t really explain it but I feel the ghost of Lemmy on “Love Has No Name” especially on the mercurial riffing. The production across this whole collection is magnificent and on album closer “100 Years” it is truly epic.

If I should die please play this album at full volume and I am pretty confident that my heart will restart immediately! This is definitely one of those albums where after hearing it you will want to see the band live and I can hardly wait now to see Limb live.