Tau Cross – Pillar of Fire (2017)

Tau Cross regress from playing Motorhead and Killing Joke influenced crust punk and heavy metal on Pillar of Fire to mainstream 1990s alternative rock similar to Amebix‘s Sonic Mass swansong. Boredom awaits.

All of the songs on Pillar of Fire are very repetitive, rock structured affairs that quickly wear out their initial welcome if there was any to begin with. The riffing is mainly a dumbed-down version of Metallica, frequently all too close to the bouncy chugs of Pantera. Leads and melodic fills, as on the better self-titled debut, are inspired by Killing Joke and Kirk Hammett. The verses and choruses always unenthusiastically repeat over the course of four to five minutes so that Rob “The Baron” Miller can vocalize his lyrics in various styles.

Rob Miller’s involvement is the sole attraction to this tepid album. His stating of apocalyptic medievalisms and early modern period English occultism over Metallica riffing in rock singalongs is the sole attaction of Pillar of Fire. All of the Motorheadish, speed-fueled exuberance and urgency that was present on the debut is gone. What is left is an attempt at commercial accessibility through appeal to 1990s MTV music video nostalgia; almost a Pantera meets Type O Negative with the gothicness swapped out for a British folkishness. Even the folk rock title track starts imitating David Bowie halfway through.

Like one of the typical “better” radio rock albums from the 90s, Pillar of Fire throws a dozen darts and a few land on the board as slightly catchy but too repetitive for repeated listening “hits”. As a metal album and a followup to Tau Cross, Pillar of Fire fails miserably. Amebix and Metallica fans may enjoy a spin or two of it but will emerge disappointed; the preview singles and music videos (“Killing the King”) are the most energetic tracks on the record. The only happy buyers will be modern rock fans who eat dirt and like it. More discerning listeners will feel compelled to turn Pillar of Fire off and put on Arise!Master of Puppets, or even perhaps Ananku instead.

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35 thoughts on “Tau Cross – Pillar of Fire (2017)”

  1. Varg's Lada says:

    You are wrong and you probably know it. You just don’t want to backtrack from your initial comment about the supposed anti-Trump agenda.
    Also, lol at Master of Puppets. What’s the difference between songs like The Thing That Should Not Be and Pantera? You are right! None.

    1. you're gay says:

      what’s the difference between you and someone with massive hearing damage?

      1. Varg's Lada says:

        Enjoy your pointless, repetitive, bouncy crap, faggot. Though you’ll probably get hearing (and brain) damage just from listening to this song.
        At least during their sell-out years they cut down on the draw 3 minutes songs out to 8 to pretend we’re complex tactic.

        1. S.C. says:

          You make absolutely no sense. It’s like your picking up on an old conversation, but you’re in the wrong place talking to the wrong people. Is English your second language?

          1. Varg's Lada says:

            It’s my 4th or 5th. And what is the point of your comment other than showing you are a bit slow?

            1. Yuzerneigm says:

              4th or 5th? U don’t know?

              1. Varg's Lada says:

                There’s one’s mother tongue and there can be no absolute ranking for the rest, obviously. But how would you know when you only speak one and you are stupid as fuck?

                1. S.C. says:

                  Only stupid people assume they know things that they don't, or can't. As in, assuming I'm slow or other commenters are stupid as fuck. You have quickly proven yourself to be a sensitive reactionary type who is quick to attack because you are perhaps compensating for a lack of depth in character and intellect. Just because one can learn many languages or master many instruments, etc… does not equate a true depth of intellect, with which, if one has it, one would not need to be on the constant defensive or offensive because such an intellect does not require defending. It's very nature defends itself. I made an astute assumption based on evidence, and my assumption proved to be correct. You resume conversations that seem to not have existed, or least lack any context in this post, and make shallow judgements about things and people you couldn't possibly know. Prove yourself to be smarter or accept that you're less than.

            2. S.C. says:

              Just pointing out you should probably stick to your other languages cause English doesn’t suit you

              1. Reduced Without Any Effort says:

                I think you’re just too retarded to realize he’s referencing previous articles on the band by maarat

                1. S.C. says:

                  Yes retarded… and you, you’re the pinnacle of elevated thought. Obviously, yes that’s what going on, but someone with at least a little care and interest in having an engaged conversation would provide some context. You’re reductions really do show no effort.

                2. Serious Response says:

                  His response to user “you’re gay” makes no sense and comes off as insane autistic rnting

                  1. you're gay says:

                    he got sodomized in a portojohn by a guy in a ‘Master of Puppets’ shirt recently

        2. Hank Amarillo says:

          Go choke to death on your grandfather’s flaccid cock, faggot.

        3. you're gay says:

          I’m not the biggest fan of MoP but that doesn’t mean it sounds like Pantera, genius.

          1. Varg's Lada says:

            This particular song does, smartass. It’s proto-Pantera.

        4. Serious Response says:

          Black album had some pretty fucking long ass shitty songs. And they were far more fucking boring and annoying than anything on MoP. And Justice For All is still the most frustrating album, as there would be some actually decent 3-4 min rock / metal songs if the obnoxious, smug, random-ass jamming and wanking had been cut.

  2. Trashchunk says:

    Sounds like they’re also trying to sound like Chrome/Helios Creed on some songs, I’d have to listen more to judge but it certainly has a fucking gay stoner faggot album cover.

  3. Anthony says:

    SPOILER ALERT: Tau Cross was always trash, and punk is for babies.

    1. crustslam says:

      Indeed.

    2. you're gay says:

      what do you think of grind, there, Tony?

      1. Anthony says:

        Grind is cool as long as it has recognizable riffs and melodies: Blood, Unseen Terror, Repulsion, Wormrot, Discordance Axis, Gridlink, etc.

          1. Anthony says:

            Go back to masturbating to that shitty Serpent Ascending album that no one likes, gypsy.

            1. Return to drinking “handcrafted” carbonated Pine-Sol and eating “handcrafted” bacon fat cronuts while listening to “handcrafted” generic scenester grind and bouncy nu-Kreator albums.

        1. you're gay says:

          I was wondering since grind is so heavily influenced by the aforementioned baby genre

          1. Reduced Without Any Effort says:

            and it’s all the more homosexual for it

    3. Thewaters says:

      Agreed! Tau Cross is pretty lame,just listen to Amebix and Killing Joke instead.

  4. Marc Defranco says:

    Although this ain’t for me, Amebix is one of the few punk bands I can still listen to and I can’t think of a single newer crust band worth the time. Half of them are just crust fund kids stealing death metal and black metal riffs, and mashing them into punk music

  5. Reduced Without Any Effort says:

    the self-titled was fucking cringe-worthy. it was pantera or stoner rock riffs half the time and pop punk with a gravelly voice the other half and we control the fear is one of the worst ballads of all time.

    1. Post-punk is wine cooler punk.

  6. Throw Tau Cross in the trash bin, as a whole.
    We need uncompromising music that is not just a momentary monetary pandering.
    Even Arise! should be seen with suspicion, in light of this nitwit’s
    money whoring.

    1. you're gay says:

      It seems less like money whoring and more like a lack of taste. If he wanted to whore himself out why would he have become a blacksmith?

      1. Serious Response says:

        Hand-crafted cast iron dildos

        1. you're gay says:

          TOUCHE

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