Perhaps it’s some Jungian genetic memory of bardic traditions, but a narrative-driven musical venture is possibly one of the most exciting prospects I can imagine. As such, the second record from solo project Untamed Land (Like Creatures Seeking Their Own Forms, available on Napalm Records on 8 October) has me foaming at the mouth, for a number of reasons… One, the concept is built around Cormac McCarthy’s ultra-violent anti-Western, Blood Meridian – itself a retelling of the autobiography of Civil War commander Samuel Chamberlain. If ever there was a novel of human depravity and hopelessness to inspire extreme metal, this is it. The western wilderness theme builds on the band’s first release, 2018’s Between The Winds. Two, the music itself is more like a score than a regular a...