Future Prophecies
Warlords Rising

In the history of music, one often talks about a year as the moment when a genre reaches its peak popularity. There are many examples: 1968 is remembered for the triumph of rock, 1977 for the rise of punk and disco music (a bizarre combination), while 1991 is undoubtedly the year of grunge. And 2005? It can be considered the year of drum and bass, or rather its comeback.

Born as an evolution of the rave sound (particularly of the jungle and English hardcore), drum and bass spread in 1995, when seminal albums such as Parallel Universe by 4hero and Timeless by Goldie were published; however, it was in 1997 that the genre made an international impact, thanks to the release of the groundbreaking New Forms by Roni Size & Reprazent, a work that defined its coordinates and deserved success. At the beginning of the new century, drum and bass faced a setback caused by the emergence of new trends such as electroclash and the Eighties revival, which relegated it to a secondary position. Despite this, a series of producers continued to release albums and 12-inches capable of renewing its sound and achieving remarkable results (notable works by Total Science, the excellent Book Of The Bad by Bad Company). We arrive at 2005: the release of Hold Your Colour by the Australians Pendulum sparks talk of a “revival in popularity” of the genre, culminating in the remix of “Voodoo People” by The Prodigy, realized by Pendulum themselves and accompanied by an impactful videoclip, in heavy rotation on the televisions of the time.

In this context emerges Warlords Rising by Future Prophecies. The duo, composed of Richard Animashaun Thomas and Tony Anthun (both originally from Oslo), became notable for a series of singles and EPs released under labels like Moving Shadow, Renegade Hardware, and Breakbeat Kaos, which revealed their potentials. In 2005, Warlords Rising, the group's first full-length album, was released, and its eleven tracks decidedly confirmed the abilities of Thomas and Anthun. A distinctive element of the band is its aggressive and dark sound, akin to the dark and techstep streams, inaugurated by musicians like Ed Rush & Optical and Bad Company themselves.

Once the playback starts, we are immediately stunned by “Dreadlock”, a perfect mix of techno keyboards, Jamaican atmospheres, and broken beat, capable of creating a successful track, perfect for the dancefloor. Equally devastating is “Bring the Noise”, in which they use the “Bass!” by Chuck D of Public Enemy and insert it into a menacing track that would not look out of place in Industry by Dom & Roland. However, Future Prophecies do not limit themselves to crushing our eardrums but indulge in interesting excursions into world music, jazz, and ambient sounds, which attempt to make the Nordic duo's offering more varied. Especially successful is “Miniamba”, where the voice of Mari Boine (famous for the remix of “Gula Gula”, included in the eighth Café Del Mar) meets the high bpm of drum and bass, in a synthesis that evokes fjords, northern lights, and distant lands. The choice to include vocal parts proves fitting also in “Black Dragon”, a piece characterized by sustained rhythms alternating with more suspended and evocative phases. The oscillation between tense and expansive moments often succeeds, as in the case of the violent tech and bass of “Magnetic”, punctuated by echoes and suggestive voices, while “Deceived” and “September” are the most relaxed tracks of the album, dominated by guitars and wind instruments and, while appreciable, seem slightly out of place. It matters little because the finale is a real punch: “Dark Matter” keeps its promises, dragging us into deep abysses, amid screams and infernal keyboards, followed by the title track with its horror-like atmosphere, in which a voice reminds us that we are proceeding excellently and are ready to fight: “You are ready to fight the Shaolin”.

Leaving aside the slightly excessive duration (about seventy minutes) and the not particularly developed sound (some would say “basic”), Warlords Rising remains an excellent debut, powerful and heavy-hitting just right. Unfortunately, the spread of dubstep marks the swift decline of the genre and of Future Prophecies; with the exception of a few singles, they vanished. Only recently did the two release the compilations Raw and Plastic Dreams, which gather productions prior to Warlords Rising, which, to date, remains one of the best works of the now former “new wave of drum and bass”.

Try it to believe it.