Heavy Chains – “a Very Real Hell” – [Broadway to Boundary, The]

I’m a sucker for sampled preachers, so this Heavy Chains EP (an October 2011 release from the Vancouver band) drew me in from the opening notes of “Crying Demons”, as it starts with a sermon. As the minister calls, bass responds and the whole business gets heavier until the sermon is buried beneath guitar/bass/drums. As the album progresses, things get a bit more metal with screamed vocals. Yet that balance of hard and soft continues on tracks like “Commo Wire,” in which a lovely melodic start leads into a heavy finish. In addition to screams, there’s some actual singing on here, albeit it’s warbly as if underwater.