It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since Northern Sun Sessions, The Virginmarys’ last album. A lot has changed in their world since then and since the release of The Devil Keeps Coming EP in 2022. It’s not been an easy journey for Ally Dickaty and Danny Dolan but then again, nothing worthwhile is. The House Beyond the Fires marks their first album as a duo and is dedicated to Danny’s dad, Tommy, who passed away last year. One listen to this is all it takes to make the mind up – we’re listening to something incredibly special. Continuing to mix alternative, punk and hard rock together, this is every Virginmarys fan’s dream album and an excellent jumping-on point for newcomers. It’s accessible without pandering and most importantly, as authentic as it gets.
The band have always endeavoured to ensure they don’t make the same album twice and this time around, it’s truer than ever. Featuring striking artwork which is so different from any of their previous releases yet still intrinsically them, the theme continues when you hit “play”. Soft guitar strains introduce “White Knuckle Riding” with fragile vocals from Ally, they’re ragged yet cautious, as if battling exhaustion. This slow build of over a minute is new for them. Usually, a Virginmarys album starts with a punch to the gut sonically. But leave it to Ally to do so with his poetic lyrics (which he’s done time and time again for the past fifteen years). However, when Danny’s drums make their presence known, that slow build is shattered as guitar simultaneously ramps up and the pair create a massive wall of sound. Danny’s drums aren’t overly complex on this number, instead channelling all his power into the marching rhythm, serving the song rather than hammer through it at breakneck speed. It’s an intense opening to an album that is all about intensity whilst deftly weaving in fragility. The duo show that they’re willing to adapt and evolve, keeping the listener on their toes, whilst still intent on lovingly assaulting your eardrums through feral screams, scuzzy riffs which become leaner in their solos and drums so vicious, you’d swear they’re coming straight from the gates of Hell.
Continuing with the curveballs is “There Ain’t No Future” with its funky riff before it explodes into an “Immigrant Song”-style gallop between Danny’s frenetic drumming and wails from Ally which Robert Plant himself would envy. It’s a raucous anthem for the disenfranchised, slaves to the machine but never allowing themselves to surrender to their circumstances. It’s filled with defiance, bloodied yet unbowed – submission isn’t an option. As guitar and drums work in perfect synchronicity, on this and every track, it’s the pair of them working to not only blow the roof off but level the entire building with dust the only evidence. Meanwhile, the funk continues on “My Nettle” with its chugging riff, drums in lockstep with them. Throaty vocals roar against razor-sharp chords betray the vulnerability and longing in the lyrics, creating a dichotomy between need and want whilst drum fills are like machine gun fire, mirroring a sting from a nettle, taking place before you even realise it.
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“When the Lights Go Down” and “Dance to the City” have been teased the last few months by the band if you’ve seen them, the former more so since it was part of their set when they recently supported Ugly Kid Joe. Both have choruses and hooks which are catchier than a bout of flu and when both made their debut at Sation 18 Festival, they both rattled around my head for weeks, vying for attention. As “When the Lights Go Down” storms into its chorus, power chords charge out of the gate in a burst, trying to maintain pace with Danny’s frenzied attacks on his cymbals. While the band have always moved forward and never made the same album twice, this could easily have fitted on Divides or Northern Sun Sessions. There’s a simple timelessness to it, as if paying homage to their past whilst continuing to push forward. “Dance to the City” on the other hand is dark and powerful, its adrenaline-spiking melody is what The Virginmarys and rock music should sound like in 2024. Full of teeth-gnashing, it reflects Manchester’s music scene with its cliques and gatekeepers and the struggles a band will face. It’s edgy to the point of danger and violence whilst bringing in an ethereal feel towards the end to bring it to a peaceful close. It also references the album’s title and Tommy Dolan’s infamous shop.
There’s a couple of returning favourites in “You’re a Killer” and “Where Are You Now?” – the latter fits in to give it a physical release as it was only released to streaming platforms. But it’s the former which steals the limelight. It’s been remixed to fit in with the record and now sounds even more ferocious and disillusioned than it did in 2022. The song may be almost five years old now, but it remains as relevant as ever – the more things change, the more they stay the same. Likewise, “Tripping New York City” (formerly known simply as “NYC”) and “Lies Lies Lies” have finally been recorded, both having been knocking around since their 2021 tour and lead single “Northwest Coast” made its own debut when they supported Ricky Warwick a few months later. “Tripping New York City” has been subtly reworked to sound more urgent. Snarling, jagged punk tones provide a bed for Ally’s rasping vocals to sound more gravelly than usual whilst spitting the words out. Whilst Danny’s drums are gargantuan throughout the album, here, he very nearly overpowers Ally’s guitar work and when it comes to a fill which he uses a handful of times throughout the track, he beats the life out of his small but efficient kit, getting more out of it than most. And indeed, it’s this fill that becomes the highlight of the track, Ally’s following “Woo!” substituting for the listener.
Elsewhere, “Lies Lies Lies” ups the ante. It’s frantic in its delivery as the song walks a tightrope between personal matters and their social and political commentary as it draws parallels. It’s furious and desperate in equal measure but it’s the music itself which becomes the star. There’s more venom to it but has the same fierceness as a Motörhead song. As the band flirt with the fringes of metal, the punky aggression found in it gives the song its speed against its sheer heaviness and becomes the filthiest song they’ve recorded. Simply put: it’s a monster. Conversely, “Northwest Coast” is all about groove but that groove? Yeah, it’s filthy in its own way. Whilst it’s all about their love for their local area, it sees them get a bit tongue-in-cheek whilst encouraging unity as well as describing the realness. Much heavier than when they originally debut it, the chunky melody much like Queens of the Stone Age’s “No One Knows” in which you can literally sing along to it. There’s just something so addictive to this one that while it may not be the highlight of the album, having this song on repeat just never gets boring with its groove, fiery crescendo and pointed vocals
The pair haven’t completely thrown out their own rulebook. The album simply doesn’t stop for breath once it starts but it wouldn’t be a Virginmarys album without a stunning finale. And once again, they’ve nailed it with “Urban Seagull”. The intro is the only real breather to be found until it builds. And builds. And builds. The atmospheric opening is the most layered you’ll hear the band on this record with breathy echoes. Those layers continue as they raise the stakes, both Ally and Danny slowly escalating together, the synergy between the pair writ large. It won’t batter you over the head like “All Fall Down” or rend your heart like “Ends Don’t Mend” but sonically, they share the same DNA. Here, it’s all about ensuring you can keep the pace for the conclusion. And once it reaches its peak, it’s relentless until it slowly shifts down the gears to nothing. Indeed, there’s parts on this track that you could call experimental for the band, but they’ve always been the first to challenge what a Virginmarys song can be. And it’s still firmly that.
Whilst the pair have always been about upping their game with every release, it’s more obvious here than on past ones. Teaming up with Dave Draper to record it and Karl Daniel Lidén (check out the latter’s work on Lowrider’s Refractions) for the mixing and mastering, combined with the fact that each song is created to be played in front of an audience, they’ve made an album which truly captures the power and intensity of their live shows. There’s an unmatched vigour to them on this album, their performance more impassioned and rawer than they’ve ever been but the production manages to elevate that further. There’s enough polish that they don’t sound like a garage band and at no point is it heavy-handed to turn into a saccharine overproduced affair. Each of these songs are anthemic and deserve individual recognition.
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You can feel the bond between Ally and Danny in the music, both pulling their weight equally and neither trying to elbow the other out of the picture. As they continue on their path, the band’s unique sound remains theirs and theirs only, never giving into trends or departing from who they are, always remaining true. They’ve always hit hard on their music, but this is them hitting harder than ever. Ally’s vocals are more focused and measured, his guitar work sharper than it’s ever been, pushing his skills to new limits for melodies with more heft. Meanwhile, Danny hits his drums with the energy of a person half his age, and whilst much of the focus of his abilities are on him being a force of nature behind the kit, it’s when he slows down that you really notice what he capable of. Those brief moments are when you truly get a glimpse of what he’s capable of on a technical level, bringing finesse and flair without pretension.
If Northern Sun Sessions was the album the band always wanted to make, then The House Beyond the Fires is the album The Virginmarys needed to make. Potent and all-consuming, even in its quieter moments, and while they still rail against the powers that be, this is their most personal collection of songs in some time. Bleeding sincerity and anguish pumping through its veins, it’s hard-hitting rock with an emotional edge. It’s a breathtaking listen and when the final strains of the last song fade out, you’ll immediately want to play it again. A masterpiece in the true sense of the word.
Header image by Debbie Ellis
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The House Beyond the Fires is released on 1st November 2024
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