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All good things must come to an end, and with ‘ID3NTITY’, British shock-meisters Ward XVI bring their 8-year trilogy of albums detailing the story of (fictional) female serial killer Psychoberrie to a stunning conclusion.
What began in 2017 with chapter one, ‘The Art of Manipulation’, and continued in 2020 with ‘Metamorphosis’, ends in 2025 with ‘ID3NTITY’, and unlike most film trilogies, the creators have saved the best for last.
The star of the show, both literally and figuratively, is vocalist and protagonist Psychoberrie, whose vocals have taken a giant leap in quality and range. They were always strong, but now they are, well, stronger. Full of expression and often delivered in almost an orator-like style, they give the quote on the band’s Facebook page, “Ward XVI bring theatrics to rock or taking rock to the Theatre” some validation. So much so that moments like the mid-section of the towering ‘I Spit on Your Grave’ could be a female stage actor delivering her lines at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon: tonight the part of Psychoberrie will be played by Olivia Colman…once she necks that bottle of Absinthe and gets the grease-paint on.
There are slight similarities between ‘ID3NTITY’ and Alice Cooper’s massively underrated 2008 album ‘Along Came a Spider’, in that both are told in a narrative style from the point of view of the murderous protagonist, and both begin with prologue voiceovers that set the scene for what is about to unfold. And once the newscaster’s voiceovers on ‘Regeneration’ fade away, the song explodes to life with chanting vocals, synths, buzzsaw riffage, and pounding drums. “Welcome to the last day of your life,” warns Psychoberrie in her psychedelic vocals (those of an older vintage might make a comparison with the legendary Grace Slick, while others might go with the equally legendary Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil especially on the ludicrously strong pair of ‘At The Window’ and ‘Darkest Desire’ which are primo Coil) while chaos unfolds around her, courtesy of impressive guitar work from Doktor Von Stottenstein.
‘Into The Wilderness’ follows on, and the Grace Slick comparisons linger, with a vocal performance from Psychoberrie that evokes the haunting 1967 Jefferson Airplane classic ‘White Rabbit’. The ultimate trippy-as-fuck ’60s anthem, dragged kicking and screaming into a new century, fuelled by slamming grooves, fierce guitars, thick, gloomy keyboards, and spooky (almost religious) male backing vocals. Feed your head? More like fuck with your head.
Talking of fucking with heads; ‘What’s in The Box?’ is up next and it will certainly fuck with the heads of those that like their music to fit into one category. The waltz-like carnival intro leads into feverish cries of “What’s in the box?” and then the synths kick in, followed by speedy drums, fast guitars, and short bursts of EDM. An example of Ward XVI thinking out of the box (sorry) and not being afraid to shake things up, with the result being quite staggering.
The variety found within the tracks that make up ‘ID3NTITY’ often leaves the listener wondering what is coming up next. ‘Macabaret’, for example, is a full-pelt, traditional slice of fast, hard rock with some decent hooks, and the band follows this up with ‘Blood Is The New Black’, which is an industrial-tinged few minutes that also include some fast rapping from Psychoberrie, and even a little soupçon of ska combined with harsh vocals. Nutty. Proper nutty.
Continuing to shake things up with the fragile vocals on the majestic ‘Amoeba Of Madness’ (think Hazel O’Connor in ‘Breaking Glass’) and the epic-in-the-making album closer ‘We Are Legion’, which highlights the growth in the songcraft department, Ward XVI have proven that three is indeed a magic number.
An almighty accomplishment from start to finish, Ward XVI understood the assignment and delivered in spades. Catch the band at their album launch show in Manchester, or one of the shows later this year. It should be bloody marvellous.
‘ID3NTITY’ is available July 11th via Earache Records, more information, HERE.
Connect with Ward XVI, HERE
Review – Dave
Photo credits – Christopher A. Maher
