Frail Fragments is a dark metal and rock band from Toronto that is anything but frail and miles from fragmented. Their fifth and latest album is titled E-Fragment, which was written during the Covid lockdown (amazing that these are still trickling out!).
The lead singer and songwriter is Len Lamanna, who recorded and mixed these tracks with Brian Gagnon with mastering by Noah Mintz. That’s about all the info I have from what these guys sent me, but checking out their website I can see that each album has been called a “Fragment” with a different letter for each one (B-Fragments, C-Fragments, etc.). They also have a bunch of creepy videos I am too scared to click on, but I did catch footage of the band where it appears they have four members (guitar, bass, drums and lead vocals). “Four Walls” starts tentatively on picked amplified acoustic guitar and some quiet keys. Len Lamanna’s lead vocals are almost falsetto, with a clean tone and firm grasp of the melodies. When the full band kicks in the sound is lush and darkly beautiful, with a restraint that portends an explosion in the offing. A room with four walls can be comforting but clearly the message here is about being sad and alone while those four walls close in, but the narrator’s pain is our gain as the musical textures weave a hypnotic spell. Toward the end there’s an offbeat section where the music actually sounds like an African Kalimba. “Elliot Alive” is big change-up, starting with a grinding riff and heavy, labored breathing. The song itself is traditional heavy rock, with a classic chord scheme played on overdriven guitars. Given the spooky nature of the vocals this song might be about reanimating the corpse of a child, but the boys are almost cheerful about telling this story! Some great vocal harmonies make this song almost pop music in places. “Contaminate” has a title, riffs and (especially) vocals similar to latter-day Metallica. A bit grating but there’s certainly an audience for this style! As Frank Zappa once said: “You’ll hurt your throat!” “Rage” takes me way back to Suicidal Tendencies and shows yet another aspect to the Frail Fragments style: a kind of rambling white-guy rap. “Rise and Fall” is a minor-key acoustic ballad with, yes, a dark and foreboding edge. Normally I run hot and cold on acoustic guitars with pickups (as opposed to open microphones) but these guys have gotten a really smooth, engaging sound from theirs, with driving bass strings and cool overtones. “Hang Man” is maybe the most bizarre love song ever (“I’ll be your hang man!”) and is built mostly on ever-rising waves of vocals, growing with intensity with each verse. “Blast Off” is yet another left turn, this time to ’80s synth rock but with the overlay of the Frail Fragment’s classic shouty vocals. Though called “Blast Off’ the song’s energy is more like a missile countdown on a dangerously off-kilter launch pad. The song’s finale has a Sabbath black mass solemnity. “Wash Her Dry Her” goes total hardcore with the throat-tearing vocals, the Helter Skelter guitars and the somewhat disturbing sentiments (“All you do is complain… I can’t even think for myself / you don’t give me what I need… I’m gonna hang her out to dry!”). It sounds like someone here has been in a relationship! “The Last Slay Ride” (great title!) starts with a lone piano melody with a feeling of impending dread (what else?). The vocals seem to be layered with about three octaves of harmonies as a grisly tale of Christmas homicide unfolds (at least I think so). It’s basically one riff with driving percussion (the drummer’s always good, but especially noted here) and those haunting, insistent vocals. After the chilling church bell piano of “Killer Clowns” (with accompanying buzz saw guitars and dumpster-like drums) we’re at the end (literally) with “Graveyard.” Lamanna’s soulful vocals grab the spotlight for one final cry into the darkness: “You can’t save me in the graveyard / you know you’re here in the graveyard with me / resting deeply.” I did not know that but thanks for the head’s up! Once again it’s murky and a bit creepy but the Fragments’ skill in singing and playing makes the bitter medicine go down real easy. If I hadn’t already compared them to Black Sabbath I’d do so here. So there you have it: some very dark rock born from a very dark (or at least claustrophobic and uncertain) time. Since we’re mostly clear of the dreaded virus we can all enjoy the bitter fruits grown by the Frail Fragments in the light of day. Check them out!
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Critique/insightWe are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.
Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook
Archives
May 2024
|