It’s hard to believe we’re only a couple of weeks away from eight years since I wrote that Mason Hill had it all in front of them. Watching them open for Dan Reed Network in 2018, it seemed a fairly safe prediction.
The last time I saw them was in 2022, opening for Stone Broken. Their debut, “Against The Wall”, had arrived in the middle of a pandemic, leaving them unable to get out and tour it initially. Which seemed to encapsulate their luck.
Since then, there’s been all manner of trouble, including the departure of original singer Scott Taylor. At times, the prospect of a second album seemed bleak. Yet here they are, with Tom Ward on vocals and “World So Wonderful” suggesting they’ve got quite a bit to get off their chests.
From the get-go, “Burn It Down” feels like a statement. Thick riffs. Modern metal. Big choruses. And let’s say it now: if they were American and releasing an album like this, they’d probably be on the front cover of Kerrang! There’s an ambition here that deserves that sort of attention.
Maybe, though, they’ve never sounded quite this tough before. There’s anger beneath those hooks, and although “Twisted” brings more harmonies, it does little to soften the overall feel. “Hurricane”, meanwhile, seems to hide some real pain beneath its considerable weight.
“Can I get this off my chest,” comes the question on “Tainted Wings”. Try and stop them. This is tougher, more focused and more ambitious, with a sense that every riff has something to prove.
Working with Dan Weller has surely helped. Known for his work with Enter Shikari, he’s also worked with MV favourite Elles Bailey, so his experience stretches considerably further than simply making things heavy. You can hear that breadth in the way this record moves, and in the space it gives the songs.
The ambition is there in the ballads too. “Stay For A Little While” shows that Ward can do more than roar, and that the emotion doesn’t disappear when the volume drops.
Somehow, though, they’re better when they’re heavier. “Resonate” makes that point emphatically, and they’ve never been quite as heavy as this. Ward’s vocals are harsher than those of his predecessor, while James Bird and Marc Montgomery have beefed up the guitar attack accordingly. The riffs have real muscle, and the choruses still give you something to grab hold of.
When Ward spits “fucking nihilist” on “Without You”, it feels as though the last five years have been bubbling up inside them and have finally burst out in one song. Whatever the precise target, the frustration is difficult to miss.
“Silence” has energy and power, and “Oxygen” delivers both too, with a primal roar from Ward adding another dose of menace. There’s plenty here to suggest that the new singer has helped them find a different way of expressing themselves.
“Remember” seethes and broods, swinging to and fro, before the confusion of “Drag The Chains” finds some relief in the guitar solo. There’s calm at the end, but is it the calm after the storm, or merely the eye of the hurricane?
Whatever the answer, Mason Hill are back to try to climb towards the heights that once seemed theirs for the taking. They’re approaching it on slightly different terms now, and the experiences along the way have clearly left their mark.
“World So Wonderful” feels like an album with scores to settle. The world hasn’t always treated them particularly well, but for all the upheaval, they’ve lost none of their ability to write excellent songs.
Rating: 8/10
