Album Review: Butcher in the Fog – A Screaming Reflection (Sleight of Hand Music)

Butcher in the Fog are a London based three piece playing raw, fast, heavy music. Inspired by bands like Motorhead and High on Fire, they take elements from metal, noise, punk and rock, stick it together and get on with it.

Made up of Yanni Georgiou (guitar/vocals), Kumar Kay (bass) and Alex de la Cour (drums), the band reformed in early 2017 after a four year injury forced hiatus. They have spent the last year making up for lost time – honing their live performance by gigging up and down the country, from Manchester to Brighton, whilst writing their second album, A Screaming Reflection which has just been released!

The great story behind Butcher in the Fog’s second album brings a lot of positive vibes going into it. Straight away you want them to succeed and thankfully after the final notes of Venus Fly Trap play out, there is no doubt they have.

A Screaming Reflection is a hefty offering of noise from the Londoners that isn’t bound by one particular metal/rock sub-genre. The opener Screaming Reflection has a raw punk edge to the tempo and vocals before trippy guitars sets the bar extremely high.

The high quality continues with head-banging tunes like Hell’s Teeth, the stoner rock vibe of Electric Van Gogh and the screeching guitar heavy Sandpaper. Simply put, Butcher in the Fog have crafted an incredible album here that takes from all corners of the rock and metal world but doesn’t sound lost or confused.

The highlight of the record though is the dreamy and haunting Blood and Starlight. A track that is gloriously dark and excitingly morose.

Had the album ended there it would have been more than satisfying but Butcher in the Fog aren’t quite done as they fire off the pacey punk-infused Take it All before wrapping up with Venus Fly Trap. A finale with a slower tempo that matches the mood perfectly, the crashing of the drums and echoing vocals making it feel like the end of the world. Just over the halfway mark the pace increases and it transforms into a much more hard-rocking tune.

The perfect way to finish of such a great release.

Butcher in the Fog – A Screaming Reflection Full Track Listing:

1. Screaming Reflection
2. Heavy Mental Fucking Psycho
3. Hell’s Teeth
4. Electric Van Gogh
5. Sandpaper
6. Blood and Starlight
7. Take it All
8. Venus Fly Trap

You can pick up the album now on Bandcamp and Spotify. Find out more by liking their Facebook Page.