AMS album of the week

Ed: OK, so technically this week it’s EP of the week rather than album. Sorry. Since releasing Kingdom of Dogs in 2009 and Island Living in 2010, Welsh four piece Bastions have showcased a talent for writing bleak, arty and desperate songs, a talent they expanded on for their 2011 full length release Hospital Corners. Whilst previous releases have been conceptually driven (Island Living is based on living in a small town and Hospital Corners is based on Bastions’ vocalist’s experiences working in a mental asylum), none have been as bold as their two part Bedfellows series. Released in two parts (started with 2013’s The Bastard Son), it tells a story of two siblings unable to cope with being abandoned by their father. Partially based on the institutionalisation of vocalist Jamie Burne’s grandmother, the two EP’s delve into the mental health issues faced by the siblings. Despite being released a whole year apart the two parts work well together, both conceptually and musically, with the ep’s arguably representing Bastions finest work. The Forgotten Daughter shows a grittier side to Bastions sound. Beginning with the brooding and swaggering Empty Vessels, contrasting Burne’s poetic lyrics with bluesy guitars building to shouted climax. Foreign Bodies, Mothers Ruin and The Water Tower follow showing a nastier side to Bastions sound with Foreign Bodies and The Water Tower featuring drumming that wouldn’t be out of place in a Converge or a Cursed record. Mothers Ruin plays verses featuring almost droning guitar lines against choruses which feature Burne’s thin vocal style at its most desperate. The EP doesn’t slow down until the fifth and final acoustic led track. Featuring a slow distorted guitar riff and again building to a climax before dying down to close the EP. While no means a perfect EP, Bedfellows Part 2 showcases a band not content with writing lazy drone riffs and utilising predictable beatdowns to satisfy mosh bros but willing to push the artistic limits of the hardcore genre.