Reviews: Abduction, Dawn Of Solace, Savage Lands, Leadfeather (Mark Young, Liam Williams, Simon Black & Rich Piva)

Abduction - Existentialismus (Candlelight Records) [Mark Young]

Derby’s own Abduction bring their latest offering via Candlelight Records and its as black metal as you could possibly want. It shows that you don’t have to venture too far to get hold of quality extreme black metal that’s as good as anything released in Scandinavia. Kicking off with A Legacy Of Sores, it starts at a rate of knots and keeps the tempo up. This also has been released as its first single and as a statement of intent as to what they are about, it crystalises them in one spot. 

There is a definite authenticity on display, its not simply a case of homage, its their way of doing it that fits their vision. I’m torn when it comes to this as to what is better: shortish or longer songs. In the right hands both work but I always think that a short, frenzied start is best and gets the blood pumping for what is to come. A Legacy is a good start, but one that could have done with a little trimming.

Pyramidia Liberi picks up that baton and charges headlong with it, and in the same way as A Legacy it carries that same air about it, the same attention to detail in how certain riffs should sit together and how to make it flow effectively. This is what Abduction do very well on here, how they build their songs up so that they engage from start to finish. They know that it has to be visceral, it has to grab and keep you hooked and on these they do that to a high level.

The length and execution of Truth Is As Sharp A Sword As Vengeance may deter some fans but for others the ride will be no different than that offered elsewhere on here. Enjoyment of it will depend on how much of a fan you are and if you fall into the shorter = better camp but stick with this as it is not a case of mindless repetition. There is a journey here, and it is one that is worth taking, even for the likes of myself who dip a toe into this genre as I would not class myself as a massive fan of black metal, I can certainly appreciate good music, no matter how abrasive it is.

A muscular arrangement is provided for Blau Is Die Farbe De Ewigkeit which has an all-encompassing darkness to it but with a cracking riff to it as well as some exquisite chord choices from them combined with double bass for days whilst the penultimate Razors Of Occam with its atmospheric start and a tempo that is set to slow is next up. It sees the deployment of a swinging build and the use of cleans as a means of changing things around, at least for a short time before they decide to kick it into touch and light the blue touch paper. 

It’s a scorcher with some fantastic guitar work that gets the head nodding. It’s just the sort of track to get you fired up for the final track, Vomiting At Baalbek which sees them return to song lengths marked ‘epic’. Any thoughts that they may take the foot off the gas with this being the final song are dispelled almost immediately as they start tearing through it with a riff build that keeps on changing as they move the song along. Each step sees them change the attack ever so slightly, bringing in melodic touches to each chapter ensuring there is no chance of the song becoming stale and lifeless.

And with that, Abduction are done, their 6 songs completed. Existentialismus should find an enthusiastic home with black metal fans. It’s a very strong album, with no weak songs or drop off in quality and shows that the UK is as equally adept at doing black metal as our friends in Scandinavia. 8/10

Dawn Of Solace – Affliction Vortex (Noble Demon) [Liam Williams]

Finnish doom metal band, Dawn Of Solace, are back with their 4th album, Affliction Vortex. This album has some seriously good sludgy riffs, great vocals and some interesting song structures all packed into 9 tracks.

The first track, Inception, is just a simple short intro track with some heavy repetitive synth work. It gives off a similar vibe to the intro of M1A1 by Gorillaz. Track 2, Murder, starts off with some big heavy chords being the driving force, and some lead guitar playing over the top. It has a pretty simple verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure, with some nice clean vocals taking the lead, but being accompanied by some harsh backing vocals in the second chorus. Fortress follows up with a similar song structure, but sounding a bit more lively in terms of dynamics, with the guitars taking a bit of a backseat in the first verse and the addition of a guitar solo before the final chorus.

Track 4 is Into The Light, and this one is where things start to get a bit more interesting with the song structures for the rest of the album. It’s got some nice clean vocals in the verse, some faster drumming in the chorus, harsh vocals in the first half of the bridge, which is then replaced by synth for the second half before going back to the chorus for the end of the song. Rival is a great track. It’s got some nice lead guitar over the top of the intro and seems to be a bit more laid back in the first verse. With just clean guitar, drums and vocals. They pick up the speed a little for the pre-chorus and then punch it up even more for the chorus. 

The drums keep up the pace going back into the second verse and this time around there is also a bit of bass added in. There’s a guitar solo in place of a second pre-chorus which leads nicely into the final chorus. Invitation has a nice heavy chord driven intro before once again stripping things back with just clean guitar, drums and vocals for the first verse, much like the previous track. There’s a nice bit of lead guitar accompanying some harsh vocals for the chorus. Then we get another great guitar solo before the final chorus. For the outro of this track, we get a little lead guitar duel which sounds really good.

Dream is up next, this one begins with some clean guitar, bass and drums before the vocals come in for the first verse. In the chorus, some distorted guitars and harsh backing vocals join in. The verse and chorus pattern is repeated once more before a nice little instrumental break, followed by a guitar solo which leads into the final chorus. The song fades out for the outro. Perennial follows up with a dirty sludgy sounding isolated guitar for the intro. The other instruments and vocals join in for the first verse. The chorus is heavier with the addition of some harsh vocals. The intro riff comes back in before an instrumental break. This is followed by the second chorus with yet another instrumental break coming in just before the bridge. The bridge (surprise surprise) is followed by one final instrumental section for the outro of the track. 

Then lastly, we have Mother Earth. This song starts with some long heavy chords and some lead guitar playing over the top. An isolated crunchy guitar leads us into the first verse where the other instruments come back in, along with a nice mix of clean and harsh vocals. The harsh vocals take the lead for the pre-chorus before we are treated to a little back and forth of instrumental sections and harsh vocals. The vocals and instruments drop out for the outro, leaving just a synth to play on until the end.

This was a really great album, some interesting curveballs thrown in with the structures of the songs. The instruments and vocals are handled really well. The mix isn’t amazing, but everything is pretty clear to hear and there are no jarring issues. A really good effort overall! 9/10

Savage Lands - Army Of Trees (Season Of Mist) [Simon Black]

Enter Savage Lands, whose brand of Eco-activism shouts “Wake the Fuck Up” very loudly from the field of empty tree stumps that used to be a forest in Costa Rica.

Savage Lands are all about activism, pure and simple, of a kind that’s been missing for too long as a meaningful force in music for some considerable time. In the days when a successful music career meant earning a good living (and occasionally a fortune), many artists used their platforms to promote causes and generate understanding in a way that literally changed the world. It’s music that really means something, and listening to it made it mean something to you too, and we’ve lost that in recent decades.

Traditional Folk music had been doing this quietly in the pubs for generations, and the lyrics may have had to be more subtle in for black recording artistes like Billie Holiday’s for Strange Fruit back in 1939, but there were plenty more examples in the modern recording age before the more blatant reflection that the times were a changin’ that was in place by the time Bob Dylan cut Masters |Of War in 1963. By the 1970’s whole genres existed in this space building on the Counterculture movement of the previous decade. 

Punk, Reggae, and Rock were full of it, and selling well too, and come the 80’s the likes of U2 took it mainstream, coming to a peak with LiveAid. A slight blip in the early 90’s with Rage Against The Machine, but in general after that, it’s a slow backtrack as commercial interests takes over, Western economies slip into the complacency that has allowed fascism to creep back into fashion and artists fighting over increasingly smaller audiences (and incomes) try and sit on the fence in order not alienate half of a potential audience.

Savage Lands is the brainchild of Sylvain Demercastel and Dirk Verbeuren who have known each other for decades and driven by disgust and anger at the wholesale destruction of the natural environments taking place there. They have assembled an impressive array of contributors for this project. This is music doing something, with every penny it generates in revenues being used to buy land in Costa Rica to re-wild the environment.

Musically this is a pretty eclectic mix of content – it’s a broad mixture styles from a plethora of well-known contributors. This works both for and against it. Having a quite a broad tone and breadth to the work, which keeps a heavy and extreme edge reflecting the anger without alienating a more mainstream audience needs to be balanced against the lack of a distinct band sound. There’s everything here from Punk, to Groove, via Shoegaze and Thrash, and the goal is clearly to appeal to the broadest range of people rather than create a cohesive album with a strong identity of its own.

It can be top notch stuff too, when it works, which is really the point of using such a platform but sadly the lack of consistency can be a problem.

Well, the world is waking up, and I hope that this kind of political focus starts to make an impact on the musical landscape in a meaningful way, but a little focus is needed to target more precisely. Perhaps some more focussed EP’s with a particular and more niche cache of artists is the way forward for this outfit, as this overly broad smorgasbord doesn’t hit consistently hard enough. But in the meantime, I for one am 100% behind their message. 6/10

Leadfeather - Roll The Dice EP (Self Released) [Rich Piva]

Leadfeather really likes Led Zeppelin. Probably Whitesnake too. Maybe House Of Lords as well. But probably not Greta Van fleet. Why? Because these guys sound way more legit wearing their Zeppelin love on their sleeve on their debut EP. Roll The Dice. The six songs are huge sounding Page riff filled bangers that sometimes get a bit too close to the sun but is a fun listen nonetheless.

The UK band has no qualms about sounding like bands you have heard before from sometime between 1968 and 1986. These are some big ass rock and roll songs, borrowing from the best of that time frame with Zep being the main well they are drawing from. The title track is a perfect example, but leans more towards something Whitesnake would have done, you know, stealing from Led Zeppelin, in the best kind of way of course. 

The instrumental Silver And Feathers bridges nicely to Higher, which is a song you have heard before, but who care because it rocks and had a great riff. Leadfeather is Dirty Honey, but better, at least on this EP. Danger Zone is not a Kenny Loggins cover but it certainly sounds like it could be a cover of some band, maybe one of the ones I mentioned before, or maybe Crobot. No matter who they sound like, this thing is filled with riffs, and said riffs are for sure the highlight of the EP, with Shoot For The Stars leading the way. This one is also the best vocal performance, and really the best of the six tracks. The slowed down Why is their ballad, and it is fine.

These guys do rock, but Leadfeather is not bringing anything new to the party, and some will be fine with that. Roll The Dice is rock and roll you have heard before and executed well by a band who certainly are fans of the bands that came before them. I just don’t think we need any more of this, but the riffs are great and the band understands what they are doing. Someone will really dig this, but for me I am indifferent. 5/10

Reviews: Temple Of Discord, This I Owe, Atomic Peat, Still Falling (Rich Piva & Matt Bladen)

Temple Of Discord - In The Ashes (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]

When I heard that guitarist from the killer band Wytch, Mattias Marklund, was releasing his own project on Ripple Music, my initial reaction was “oh shit, what about the awesome Wytch?”. Well, Wytch is still a thing, but on hold while some life stuff happens, so we can all go into his new project, Temple Of Dischord, breathing easier, since this is in addition to and not instead of. The songs on Temple Of Discord’s debut, In The Ashes, actually pre-date Wytch and were revisited by Marklund given the downtime in his other band, and thank goodness they were because these proto metal rippers are raw slabs of 70s/80s and even a bit of early 90s heaviness.

What really stands out on In The Ashes is Marklund’s guitar work. This is not a surprise, but I think with Wytch you can be so memorized by the vocals of Johanna Lundberg you don’t realize how much he rips it up. You can hear this clearly on the opener, The Reaper. Closer is a slow burn that sounds like something from the really good Danzig years. Not vocally, except for maybe the scream parts, but I got serious Def American era vibes from this one. There is a rawness and a NWOBHM thing going on here, with Black Out The Sun being a great example. I love the sloppy (in the best way) chorus on this one as well as the almost psych guitar work from Marklund. Razor Me has a bit of Danzig to it too, but like when Glenn slows it down and channels Johnny Cash. 

Tracks like The Fields and Someone Else keep up the rawness of the record that gives it something special. All Their Lies is a fun little ripper while the closer, Rails, brings more Danzig vibes, as Marklund has the Danzig slow burn formula down for sure. If there is one thing people will struggle with, it is the vocals. Marklund still sounds like he is finding his voice as a singer. It takes a few listens, but it does eventually click in. Just don’t compare his singing to that of his other band. In Todd We Trust, as Ripple brings us a record from Temple Of Discord that may have never seen the light of day without him unleashing it on the world. 

In The Ashes is a very cool and raw debut that really highlights Marklund as an all-around talent who has a ton to bring to the scene. 8/10

This I Owe - Alchemists (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Formed in 2024 as Alchemists, the Athenian band now go under the name This I Owe but their music is hard to describe.

If I had to make a comparison I’d say Skunk Anansie is the biggest mainstream influence as the band have a lot of alt metal grunt and the vocals of Maria Kanellaki are belligerent, powerful and multi-faceted just like Skin’s. If you take anything from this record then it’s that they have a bonafide star in their singer. She has grit but purity in her cleans but can easily go into growls when needed, adding some In This Moment to Nightmare, the undulating genre’s This I Owe play with meaning that fans of many styles will like something here.

This leads me to my next comparison, This I Owe lean on the prog side to with a bit of Tool, some Puta Volcano and Brits Panic Room too, unafraid of blurring genre lines with tracks such as Isobel which starts off as jazz and moves into the massive grunge rock extravagance and a lead break/solo section from Christos Kalentzos which is a fitting climax to this epic beginning to side 2, following the dramatic Queen Of Hearts which comes before it. Alchemists is a concept record which of course is always going to mean prog but This I Owe really try to avoid any musical limitations, closing the album with Solstice, a track driven by piano, orchestral swells and Maria’s spine-tingling vocals.

Equinox though which is the first track proper is the polar opposite to Solstice, beginning with and steered by a fat bassline from Thodoris Grigoroudis, it’s quite a metallic, doomy opener which moves into Sharks a song that feels a little like Testament with another huge bassline from Thodoris and some booming drumbeats from Gerasimos Avgeris and a thrashy solo from Christos.

Alchemists is an album that really made me take notice, This I Owe are a band who have a lot going on in their sound but if progressive, grungy alt metal, with amazing vocals sounds like a bit of you then you need to pick this up. 9/10

Atomic Peat - Demons And Other Friends (Broken Music) [Rich Piva]

Atomic Peat is a stoner rock trio out of Osnabrück, Germany who bring us their second record, Demons And Other Friends, almost nine years after their debut. I am not sure what caused the gap, but what I can say is that the nine songs on their new release are high energy and tight stoner bangers and a very welcomed return to those who have been waiting for a new record from them or those who are learning about Atomic Peat for the first time, like me. As you go in, you may think this is straight ahead stoner rock, but the more and more you listen, the more and more 80s metal in all sorts of forms surface to the top of the songs on Demons And Other Friends.

Right off the bat you get a high energy, Kyuss inspired ripper, Primitive, to kick this record off the right way. Ignite slows it down just a bit, but the riff is cool and the vocals are the best on the record. The trio have chemistry and are tight but still raw enough to show the heart they bring to their music. I really like the tempo change in this one too. Her Black shows that these Germans have some pop sensibilities too, as this one sounds less stoner and more straight-ahead rock with maybe even a little power pop thrown in. 

Of course, not when you get to the chorus, but I think you will hear what I mean. I even get an 80s metal thing at the back end of this song. Good stuff. Use Your Tongue starts of sounding like either Rock And Roll All Nite or a Bang Tango song, but stays way more Bang Tango. This is a compliment by the way and also confirms that the 80s I was hearing in the last track is ever-present all-over Demons And Other Friends. 

If the stoner side of the band is what you prefer, I present to you Demons Coming Home, which kind of reminds me of Sahg if they were way less scary. Nature Boy is a fun little ripper that has a cool back story that you should check out on their Bandcamp page and cements my opinion that these guys are 80s metal freaks. Frenemy doubles down on this and is their ballad. Seriously. It’s good, too! A Part Of The Crown has a Sabbath riff and is the heaviest track on the record, even if the lyrics are a bit hokey.

The closer, The Way, is a nice way to finish off Demons And Other Friends and is their most dynamic of the nine tracks, with the harmonies to open it up and the chunkiness to go along with it. The guitar work on the back half is great too. Not everything needs to break new ground. Atomic Peat doing their thing very well, melding styles and likes nicely into the nine tracks on Demons And Other Friends. Let’s hope we do not have to wait another nine years for album three. This is a fun listen. 7/10

Still Falling - Through Time And Flesh (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

A story of our relationship with the divine told in the first person, Through Time And Flesh, is the new EP from Still Falling and portrays some Old Testament wrath that leads to nothing changing at all.

It’s all the creative vision of Greek atmospheric prog/death band Still Falling, a band that have a previous album and EP but this 20 minutes of new music not only shows a new focus on conceptual song writing but also some new members after going on hiatus in 2019. They return with their heaviest music since forming, the metalcore beginnings of the band now more in the progressive death style, Act II: The Fall, engineered around off time drum blasts, while the grooves from John Mor are as emblematic of their sound as his quality production.

As Act II adds some techno chug ala Fear Factory, the guitars of Nick Zaf and Spiros Papamanolis intertwine with industrial riffs, death metal speed and djent palm muting with pinched harmonics on the brutal closer Act IV: Through Time And Flesh. There’s a comparison to be made to Lamb Of God and Michael Mike’s vocals have that Randy Blythe, grunt vs scream so Still Falling owe a lot to the Virginian veterans. Reactivated and sounding heavier, Through Time And Flesh proves there is life in Still Falling. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Cattle Decapitation (Nat Sabbath)

Cattle Decapitation, Shadow Of Intent, Revocation & Vulvodynia, O2 Institute Birmingham, 28.01.25

The O2 Institute in Birmingham bore witness to the "Terrasitic Reconquest Tour” a formidable assembly of extreme metal prowess featuring Vulvodynia, Revocation, Shadow of Intent, and Cattle Decapitation. This evening was a testament to the relentless energy and technical mastery that define the contemporary metal scene.

Hailing from South Africa, Vulvodynia (8) inaugurated the night with an explosive performance that immediately captivated the audience. Opening with their 2016 title track Psychosadist Design, they seamlessly transitioned into fan-favourite King Emesis, setting a ferocious tone for the evening. Despite initial sound mix challenges, the bands technical brutality and punishing breakdowns resonated powerfully as the set progressed. 

Frontman Lwandile Prusent commanded the stage with an imposing presence, orchestrating the crowd into a fervent cyclone of mosh pits and crowd surfers. Their closing number, Unparalleled Insubordination, left an indelible mark, showcasing their unhinged energy and solidifying their status as modern deathcore icons.

Boston’s own Revocation (9) took the stage next, bringing a sophisticated blend of technical death metal that contrasted yet complemented the raw ferocity of their predecessors. With the imposing artwork of their 2022 album, Netherheaven, as their backdrop, they launched into Diabolical Majesty, immediately demonstrating their intricate musicianship. 

Lead vocalist and guitarist David Davidson’s commanding presence was palpable, as he acknowledged the crowd’s fervour: “the fucking energy in this room is palpable tonight”. The setlist featured a balanced mix of new tracks like Godforsaken and Nihilistic Violence, alongside classics such as Teratogenesis, and Scorched Earth Policy. Their performance was a masterclass in blending progressive elements with death metal intensity, leaving the audience in awe of their technical prowess.

Co-headliners Shadow Of Intent (9) emerged amidst a haze of atmospheric lighting, delving into We Descend, from their acclaimed album Reclaimer. Their symphonic-infused deathcore soundscapes, enriched with orchestral intricacies, created an immersive experience that was both grandiose and punishing. 

Vocalist Ben Duerr’s dynamic range, from primal guttural roars to rapid-fire lyrical delivery, showcased his exceptional talent and stage command. The band’s meticulous synchronisation and the seamless integration of classical strings with sub-bass frequencies resonated profoundly, shaking the very foundations of the venue. Their set was a testament to their evolution and prominence within the modern deathcore resurgence.

The evening culminated with the highly anticipated performance of San Diego’s deathgrind veterans, Cattle Decapitation (10). Opening with The Carbon Stampede, the band unleashed a relentless assault that captivated the audience from the outset. 

Frontman Travis Ryan’s vocal versatility was nothing short of extraordinary, effortlessly transitioning from piercing highs to guttural lows, all while delivering a visceral and theatrical stage presence. The setlist traversed their extensive discography, featuring tracks like We Eat Our Young and Scourge Of The Offspring from their 2023 release Terrasite, as well as fan favourites Bring Back The Plague, and Death Atlas. 

The band’s unyielding energy and technical precision culminated in a performance that was both sonically devastating and profoundly exhilarating, reaffirming their status as pioneers in the extreme metal domain.

The Terrasitic Reconquest Tour’s Birmingham stop was a masterful exhibition of extreme metal’s diverse facets, delivered by four bands at the pinnacle of their craft. Each act brought a unique intensity and technical sophistication, collectively creating an unforgettable experience that resonated deeply with the audience.

Reviews: Hangman's Chair, Wren, Möuth, Raise Your Fist (Matt Bladen, Mark Young, Rich Piva & Liam Williams)

Hangman's Chair - Saddiction (Nuclear Blast Records) [Matt Bladen]

Hangman's Chair don't really do what many doom bands do. Their music is more conceptual, more esoteric, more French. It's inspired by soundtracks to films that don't exist, colouring the often black and white world of doomy music with goth and industrial textures. Saddiction is their 7th album and it's the second album in a trilogy that started with 2022's A Loner. This one is about 'addiction to sadness' thus the portmanteau of the title.

The album itself is an explanation of the title, sad addictive music that builds from reverbed guitars and harmonised vocals, adding keys/synths for some glacial emotion. It's lyrical content follows the same route speaking of the loss of band members, drug overdoses and the cold emplitness of modern day Paris, in all it's great concrete depression.

Sound engineer Francis Caste is just as important to the overall sound as Julien Chanut (guitar), Cédric Toufouti (guitar/vocals), Mehdi Thepegnier (drums) and Clément Hanvic (bass), the doom heaviness of their early years now joined by some goth and post punk drive on The Worst Is Yet To Come. You can say that they now have as much in common with Inbound Suffering as they do with Sisters Of Mercy.

Another band they have been compared to is Life Of Agony and on the melancholic synth driven ambience of In Disguise, while 2 AM Thoughts has a longing of Type O Negative and Depeche Mode, much of the album is reflective of the sound Paradise Lost adopted from One Second until their self titled offering. Hangman's Chair shift their focus towards cinema on the second album of this trilogy, it's bold, it's brilliant, it's doom but not as you may know it. 9/10

Wren - Black Rain Falls (Church Road Records) [Mark Young]

I would think that an album titled Black Rain Falls would clue you in on what kind of musical journey you are about to embark on. A further nose at the accompanying bio and to their track titles and you know that this is not going to be for the faint of heart.

Upon my first run through it, it struck me that this uncompromising music made by uncompromising people. It is bleak sounding, punishing the listener by allowing you to share in their collective feelings. As they share it, they want you to stay that course and come out on the other side, using this music as a form of deep-seated release for your own personal ailments.

Flowers Of Earth and Toil In The Undergrowth are the opening one-two here and its on these that Wren perform most of the heavy work. On Flowers, its discord and grief with guitar lines that are just out of alignment with each other, but its purpose built that way. From the off there is no respite from Owen Jones vocals, they start at a harsh level and just stay there. 

I appreciate that extreme vocals aren’t new, but I’m continually surprised by those who can make it sound as though their soul is leaving the body every time they sing. This is the sort of song that turns into an event live, just listen to the closing jagged lines that come in from around 6 minutes that are supplanted by a massive riff and bang, you just made it through the first lesson. 

Toil In The Undergrowth starts with a relatively gentle opening, its still tinged with darkness and they use it as the literal calm before the storm. From about 2 minutes 40 onwards its all about stop / start guitars and feedback, of those vocals and this one focused view of where the song needs to go. Its hard work, but its good work because if you stay with it, you become invested in it. 

Betrayal Of The Self starts at an almost lightning pace, with Seb Tull’s drums exploding before they bring it back under control, its shorter length a blessing after the opening pair. Its no less effective though and is certainly more direct and efficient with how it lands whilst Cerebral Drift is their reset switch by way of a brief instrumental.

Metric Of Grief comes in with a similar start to Betrayal, in that they now seem keen to get their feelings down and away so they can continue with this form of self-healing and there is an almost imperceptible change, as you listen to it the song starts to feel lighter somehow. The vocals haven’t changed but it’s not as oppressive as the earlier tracks and I hope that Precede The Flint keeps that going. A spoken word narrative starts us off, whilst they provide a melancholic backing that continues after the voice departs. It wakes up and takes flight, those drums once again doing the heavy lifting and providing the feeling of forward momentum as it tears its way to the end.

They wrap up with Scorched Hinds, which possesses one of the lowest ends you’ll hear. It is entirely in keeping with the album as a whole in terms of how they deliver it but there is that lighter tack to it, similar to Metric Of Grief. Its still full of those sharp chords and feedback but feels as though its reaching for a conclusion to its own pain. Check out the last 30 or so seconds on this and you will get it straight away. I said that on my first listen, it was an uncompromising set of songs and that hasn’t changed. Where you listen to this will make a lot of difference in how you absorb it. 

I’ve mentioned my review playlists for the commute and some albums are suited to a car, others to headphones and doing little else. You have to give this your full attention, and in doing so you will appreciate it better. 8/10

Möuth - Global Warning (Bonebag Records) [Rich Piva]

Stockholm, Sweden’s Möuth are a power trio dropping their debut, Global Warning, for all of us lovers of stoner, proto metal, psych, doom, and 90s alt rock. Sound like a lot? It is, but it never sounds like too much on the nine tracks that make up Global Warning, which proves to be a killer debut from a band full of veteran musicians.

Möuth is not to be confused with Mouth (like I did), the really great German band who are of the same mindset of these guys. Yes, both are trios and yes both like the psych side of things, but our German friends lean more classic rock while the Swedes hang more in the 90s. of all the genres mentioned above, 90s alt rock rules the day on the nine tracks. The opening title track fits somewhere in 90s Seattle and some club in NYC where there is a killer post hardcore band playing. I am also hearing a nice bit of Therapy? in their sound, which is always welcomed. Love the fuzz this one brings as well as the killer solo. 

The track Dirt brings more of that fuzz and has a hybrid Husker Du/Therapy? thing going on. Speed Of Life has a spacy, fuzzy feel to it, and is sparse in a way that really works. The 90s reign supreme on tracks like Sheep and Alike, the latter which kind of reminds me of Radiohead but if Radiohead decide to rock and not get all weird and experimental. Or like Wire, but heavier. 

Appetite may be my favourite track on the record. It swims around that grunge pool but brings a whole bunch of stuff to the table. Fuzzy, grungy, a tiny bit of psych and even some post hardcore vibes. Good stuff. Mantra is right there too, especially with the frantic drumming and killer quiet loud quiet vibes. In The City rounds the record off nicely, reminding me of The Cars, but louder, and with Bob Mould somehow involved.

Möuth’s debut is super solid 90s love that leaves me wanting more and hoping the band can take the next step on record number two. A great starting point for a band. Global Warning is real. 7/10

Raise Your Fist – Leader Of The Pack (Self Released) [Liam Williams]

We have a new EP from Belgian metalcore band Raise Your Fist, titled Leader Of The Pack. This EP consists of 6 gut-punching tracks lasting just over 20 minutes long.

The EP starts with an intro track, simply titled Intro. It’s a short track which starts with some static radio clips and violins. Soon the static fades out and we get a speech telling us what this band and their music is about. Track 2, Inner Strain, is where the action really starts. With a nice heavy intro, it’s all go and no slow. There’s a great little chaotic part after the first chorus, leading into the second verse. 

We get our first guitar solo after the second chorus which unfortunately is a bit too quiet. Up next is The Pack, which starts with a volume swell from the guitars before a nice chuggy part with panned rhythm guitars. Then it’s all chugs with some decent clean vocals for the chorus. There’s some great brutal low guttural screams during the bridge leading into the breakdown.

Track 4 is Forced Freedom and, although it has a bit of a slower intro, it quickly gets into some more fun chuggy chaos for the first verse. Halfway through the track there’s a dirty distorted bass part that leads into the breakdown. This is probably my favourite breakdown on the EP. It leads into the final chorus before the song ends. Against The Order is another fun heavy track. I think the drums sound a lot better on this track compared to the previous ones (more on that in my summery). 

Then we end the EP with Never Out. There’s some more radio static in the intro before a cool lead guitar riff comes in with the drums building up to the first verse. The pre-chorus and chorus sections are really good in this track. After the second chorus there’s another guitar solo (unfortunately still a bit too quiet, but really well played). The song ends with a nauseating (in a good way) chuggy outro which gives off the feeling of being on a very rocky boat.

This EP is good for the most part, I think certain elements do ruin it though. The mix is generally quite rough. The drums sound kind of muffled throughout most of the tracks. The playing is good, but they lack that punch you come to expect from heavy bands like this. The guitars could have done with a bit more love, especially the 2 solos we get, they were a bit too quiet and didn’t really have a chance to shine. 

I’m also not a fan of the lead vocals. I think the clean parts were alright, but the other parts really didn’t sound great in my opinion. Instead of sounding like an intimidating angry rottweiler, they sound like a small yappy chihuahua. The backing vocals and the guest vocals sounded way better and it’s very noticeable. But all that aside, good effort! 6/10

Reviews: Dynazty, Crazy Lixx, Mantric Momentum, Ginger Evil (Matt Bladen)

Dynazty - Game Of Faces (Nuclear Blast Records)

Power metal, always a divisive genre for those who like it heavier but you know what music is supposed to be fun and Dynazty play power metal that is fun but also has a delightfully dark element to it as well. 

They’ve been around since 2008 so you’ll likely have seen them, supporting acts such as Sabaton, Powerwolf or Battle Beast, it’s this experience that is so obvious on Game Of Faces. The production glistens, bold and boisterous with Jens Borgen’s mixing making his wall of sound as firm as always, the clarity allows the songs to really make an impact, each instrument is huge and can be picked out from the muscular drumming (Fire To Fight), to the soaring vocals.

Dynazty play the more modern style of power metal, the one that is often classed as melodic metal, filled with poppy hooks and synths, fist pumping electro metal such as the first single Devilry Of Ecstasy. So yeah the synths are just as prominent as the guitars but never overtake their importance, tinkling in the background of the anthemic Die To Survive or Sole Survivor which take from the fantasy style of Hammerfall, Dark Angel though is blistering power metal al Stratovarius. It’s Euro-metal Jim and if Dynazty wanted to enter Eurovision they would absolutely smash it, each song imbuing you with joy and movement.

I found myself nodding my head involuntarily with every listen, though the lyrics are about the essence of the human mind and existence, self-discovery, spiritual death, rebirth and re-invention, the music is so bloody catchy that it could be a food recipe, Georg (drums and Jonathan’s (bass) rhythms move at pace. 

Set often against the synthetic elements they’re the backbone of proggier tracks such as Fortune Favours The Brave and drive the AOR of Phoenix too. Love and Mike trade off guitars, sharing the shredding and widdly power metal solos on Call Of The Night or the huge balladry of Dream Of Spring. This latter song also stretches the vocals of Nils Molin a man who adds so much Joey Tempest to Dynazty’s music.

Yes Europe, that’s the one! I may have said this before but Dynazty remind me so much of Swedish melodic rock legends Europe, especially the classic era of 1983-1992, but what I like is they know people know this and have put a little synthy Easter Egg in final song Mystery. Dynazty are leading the new wave of power/melodic metal, it’s bags of fun and will leave you smiling in the Game Of Faces. 9/10

Crazy Lixx - Thrill Of The Bite (Frontiers Music Srl)

The Swedes do hard rock well, Crazy Lixx do it very well, putting together a concoction hard rock, glam and hair metal. 

Let’s get the elephant in the room out in the open, with tracks such as Little Miss Dangerous, there’s a huge sonic influence of Def Leppard, the sneered vocals, the big chorus vocals, it’s straight out of Sheffield, via Sweden. 

Thrill Of The Bite follows Street Lethal in 2021 and their compilation of re-recorded tracks and covers Two Shots At Glory from 2024. These two albums showed a shift towards the Leppard slickness, the band having always been one that revels in the sounds of the late 80’s and early 90’s but now they’ve elevated with the current line up.

The Leppard sound is down to Danny Rexon’s vocals, he and bassist Jens Anderson have been the creative force since 2015’s Ruff Justice and this period has been the most fruitful for these retro rockers, but the glam posturing of their earlier records has been dampened by the continued movement towards a more guitar-driven sound, even when they bring the strutting Motley Crue-like Recipe For Revolution.

There’s a definitive focus on walking bass and the twin guitars of Jens Lundgren and Chrisse Olsson. It’s got that ‘street metal’ sound of Too Young To Fall In Love, while Robin Nilsson’s drums give pace to melodic rockers like Midnight Rebels and Final Warning.

This album continues the high quality of Crazy Lixx’s recent run of albums, don’t let them leave you High and Dry, come and feel the Thrill Of The Bite. 8/10

Mantric Momentum - Alienized (Frontiers Music Srl)

A Melodic metal act comprised of vocalist Terje Harøy (Pyramaze) and multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Christer Harøy (Divided Multitude, Crossnail), it certainly is going to up the epic scale. 

The first song, an intro, does this with choirs and strings and really it does stop being just full frontal bombast from here. Influenced by Pyramaze of course, but Kamelot, Firewind and Symphony X as well. Alienized is their second album and it doesn’t try to reinvent Mantric Momentum, chuggy riffs, melodic sections, strings and powerful vocals, but unlike the first album it features just one vocalist Terje, who happens to be the cousin of Christer.

If you like his superb vocals in Pyramaze then you’ll love them here as musically it’s a bit more straightforward than the Danish prog veterans but still has all the cinematic presence. Jacob Hansen produces so you know it will sound massive but with Terje singing on the compositions of Christer, Mantric Momentum feel more like a real band than just a one man project. 

Though instrumentally it is just Christer, he has a couple of guests but it is him from guitars through to drums. Be it the anthemic metal of Siren’s Call, the heavier A Stronger Stance or the big ballad Remember, Mantric Momentum deliver some great melodic metal on this second album, which is really the debut for them as an actual band format. 8/10

Ginger Evil - The Way It Burns (Frontiers Music Srl)

Finnish rockers Ginger Evil, began their life as Moonshine Inc, they couldn’t find a vocalist and played with some other bands but then brought it back, finally discovering the soulful vocals of Ella Tepponen, founding members Tomi Julkunen (guitars) and Veli Palevaara (bass) finally finding their singer and gaining in drummer in Toni Mustonen completed what was now Ginger Evil. The songs came quickly with the bluesy rock vibes of their first incarnation, put together with the modern alt rock/grunge sound, of a band such as Foo Fighters. 

It’s very radio friendly, a track like Flames bordering on pop rock with its dreamy composition, that’s part Cranberries, part Sheryl Crow. There’s some Rolling Stones, a bit of Pearl Jam and a smattering of The Who, a band that have collaborated with music producer/film director Richard Stanley in the past, Stanley was inspired by Ginger Evil’s music and wrote them some lyrics. 

So The Way It Burns is crafted for the mainstream, to reach the biggest audience possible, warts n all production that adds some smoky strings to the beautiful Beth Hart-like ballad Arrowhead, while the scrubbed acoustics are used well on the trippy middle section of the funky Better Get In Line as Whispers has some Heart or Fleetwood Mac aping to it.

There’s a lot of talent but it basically sounds like the acceptable face of the 90’s alternative scene? Listen to it and you’ll know what I mean. It’s very catchy and un-offensive good time rock, the vocals being the best part. 7/10

Reviews: Black Eyed Sons, Jinjer, Tumbleweed Dealer, Novarupta (Simon Black, Matt Bladen, Rich Piva & Chris Tsinzrias)

Black Eyed Sons - Cowboys In Pinstriped Suits (Off Yer Rocka Records) [Simon Black]

Don’t you just love it when your favourite artists split acrimoniously and try and fight over the scraps? Probably not - I know I don’t. There’s been a lot of this in recent years and it never ends well, as two competing splinters fight for the same audience – L.A. Guns, Queensrÿche and Great White are some recent examples of this. 

Not helped by a legal framework in the USA that allows these two parts to basically trade under the same brand name and let market forces and evolution decide the winner, but it’s not fair on the fanbase when that happens. More often not this also ends up divided, as the two sets of fans favour the side they feel most aligned to, with common ground that is happy to support both elements usually being thin on the ground as the two parts of the Venn diagram move further apart with much diminished circles of influence.

When this happened to The Quireboys here in the UK a couple of years back, I feared that a similar process of diminution, dilution and eventual dissolution was the most likely outcome (unless everyone swallowed their pride and cleared the air), but this one is heading in a different direction. I don’t know the details of why Spike and the rest of the band fell out, and frankly I don’t care, but for a while Spike carried on solo whilst the remainder of the band now fronted by guitarist Guy Griffin retained the name, but things have changed somewhat. 

With the release of the excellent Wardour Street and recent tour, the Spike incarnation which brought back some founder members is definitely ploughing a furrow focussed on nostalgia, but Griffin et al have taken the wise decision to rebrand as the Black Eyed Sons and create their own identity and band, and here, is the result.

And jolly good it is too.

First off this is not The Quireboys, although it clearly shares musical influences. Where that act carved a niche based on fusing the mid 70’s groove of the Faces with the tail end of the 80’s Glam / Sleaze movement, this feels like it owes more to Sticky Fingers era Rolling Stones and good old-fashioned Blues that never gets old and never lost its audience. It’s not trying to be anything; it just shamelessly is what it is…

Griffin has a great bluesy timbre to his voice with a lot more range to it than Spike’s distinctive Geordie Shore snorts Rod Stewart vibe, which is why not pretending to be a different incarnation of their time together is perfectly sensible. In addition, the eleven songs have a lot more variety than I was expecting, and this really feels like what it is – a newborn act, happy to inherit what they can of their erstwhile fan base, but determined to build a new audience that appreciates them for what they are, which is something new and distinct.

They’ve got some fascinating help here too which contributes to the variation, with guest appearances from an impressive alumnus of artists (Charlie Starr, Chip Z’Nuff, Dan Reed, Joe Elliott, Josh Todd and Stevie, Mike Tramp, Roxy Ryan, Scotti Hill – the list seems endless) but the musical mix is eclectic too, adding some almost Country elements to the blues. The point is experimentation is key, and this feels like a band choosing to do whatever the darn tooting they feel like, rather than trying to constrain themselves by becoming their own tribute act as Spike has. Long may it continue, because this feels like its got legs because there is not a bum track on here. 9/10

Jinjer - Dúel (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]

Jinjer have five albums now and they don't show any signs of slowing down yet. Each release is followed by an unstoppable touring schedule and has gained the Ukrainian band a very strong following from fans and critics alike.

I last saw Jinjer supporting Bruce Dickinson and like every previous time their show was well performed, especially vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk the shining star but I've never really gone all in on their progressive groove metal so I did find them a little one note.

On record they again have always impressed but never wowed me like they have many of my press colleagues. Their musicianship is outstanding bassist Eugene Abdukhanov a lead instrument for much of the record. Roman Ibramkhalilov's chuggy riffs, chop and change from metallic toughness and ambient moments as the driving is done by drummer Vlad Ulasevich.

Jinjer's appeal though is in Tatiana and as a frontperson she gives her all, relying more on her clean vocals now and using the established growls as a way to sing in contradiction to the cleans. She's a great vocalist but once again I find myself never really blown away by Jinjer. Their fandom will welcome this record with open arms though as it's more of what Jinjer do well. 7/10

Tumbleweed Dealer - Dark Green (Self Released) [Rich Piva]

Tumbleweed dealer is an instrumental stoner/psych/prog band out of Montreal, Québec, Canada, where all sorts of great music is coming out of these days. Dark Green is their latest offering and it is a fun/yet uneven listen. The band was pretty prolific in the 2010s, but this seems to be the first new music from the band since 2016.

Tumbleweed Dealer’s fourth record has some cool sounds and great instrumentation. My favourite track is Sparks Adrift In The Louisiana Night Sky, which is some damn cool instrumental stoner prog rock. The guitar work and start and stop motions on A Plant That Thinks It's Human is very cool, and then it turns into an 80s synth song and somehow it works. I am not a big horns guy, except for that brief ska phase in the 90s, so there is a bit too much brass on the record for me, but kudos for going outside the lines, but there are a lot of horns. 

I do really dig when they unleash the Organ on tracks like Moss On The Mind and A Soul Made Of Sludge. They give the drummer some love on the cool track Body Of The Bog. I also enjoy how this is an instrumental record where all the songs are relatively short, creating a nice flow to the album, especially for those with short attention spans.

Dark Green is a mixed bag to me. There is some cool instrumentation and wow can these guys play, but the horns are a bit much for me and there is not a lot that grabs me and keeps my attention to warrant additional listens. Those who like their instrumental stoner with some proggy and even jazz elements may dig this, but the new Tumbleweed Dealer did not fully connect with me. 6/10

Novarupta - Astral Sands (Suicide Records) [Chris Tsintziras]

The new album from the post-Metallers Novarupta arrives under the title Astral Sands. This new release includes 9 songs, each one of them linking together to create a whole journey through an emotionally darkened atmosphere, traversing ominous landscapes and vocals that are enriched with pure melancholy. Each track has a different singer, making it a wider art project more than a band.

Astral Sands is the final part of a concept that began with their first album. It's amazing that Novarupta is just the vision of two people Alex Stjernfeldt and Arjen Kunnen with Roger Andersson of Suicide Records backing them in this endeavour.

Overall, Novarupta mixes hard rock with an essence of metal and progressive elements for a wide reaching style. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Firewind & Fury (Matt Bladen)

Firewind & Fury, The Underworld, Camden, London, 09.02.25

Well here we are again! After a one off at the end of their European dates last year the Greek metal heroes Firewind returned to the UK for a tour with our good friends Fury in support for every date.

Clearly Fury (10) made a mark on Gus G and co as we managed to catch them once again at The Underworld in Camden. Now we were slightly less inebriated this time around so it was into the bowels of Camden ready to get a jolly good rocking. To a large cheer, the Midlands(ish) five piece took to the stage and hit everyone round the head with new songs Interceptor. Engines pumping, the pace was set by the human drum machine Tom, while the riffs from JJ and Becky came racing. 

From here it was into old favourites Prince Of Darkness and Rock N Roll, the Ozzy worshipping former track now fully the realm of Nyah on vocals as the latter has the Rickenbecky paying homage to the boom of Lemmy. With no time to talk it was all about making an impact and we got into Hell Of A Night, the crowd chanting "monster movies" along with JJ, Nyah and the band at large. 

Now this is the one thing I noticed watching Fury for the first time in a while with the addition of Aki on lead guitar they not only have someone who clearly LOVES guitar solos, but an additional vocalist to join in with Becky on the backings to JJ and Nyah. We got into the "power metal" part of their set with Lost In Space and Dragon's Song upping the epic fantasy. These were both Aki's time to peel off some more killer solos, harmonising with JJ for those classic metal sounds. 

Again JJ had to watch himself, but he didn't need the normal bigging up of the crowd, they were on side, some had only come to see them in fact and as the now permanent closing duo of Burnout and Road Warrior capped off this fantastic opening set from Fury. A band who are always favourites of mine live, are now in the strongest position they have been for a long time due to near constant touring. A new album is on the horizon and Fury will be headlining The Underworld soon. Mark my words! 

Next then it was Greek metal veterans Firewind (10), with Herbie Langhans now firmly the frontman of the band, they crafted a set that gave us the best of what they do, taking at least one song (I believe) from every album in their catalogue, the majority came from Stand United but there was a grand total of 6 from the albums recorded with Apollo and Bob who recently joined the band for a special Greek show. 

These classics excited the countless London Greeks who had turned out on a Sunday night, but the whole set was captivating, Johan Nunez and Petros Christodoulidis set the rhythms going for the anthemic metal track such as Stand United, I Am The Anger and Destiny Is Calling. Petros always impresses me, his bass playing is effortless, he carries the riffs when Gus shreds, transforming into the lead instrument and locking in with Johan's technical drumming. 

Herbie too was on the best form I've seen him in, singing with his full range, looking like he was having a ball with Ode To Leonidas and spinning like a madman on their cover of Maniac. The band brought our Nyah from Fury to duet with Herbie on Breaking The Silence, both absolutely killing it on a stolen cold and rarely played classic. Even on the encores of Rising Fire and Head Up High, Herbie's vocals were perfect, so I hope he sticks around for a long time to come. 

Of course most of the eyes in the room were on Gus G, the hotshot axeman who has played with Ozzy and others should be much better known as the leader of his own band, as he's not only a killer guitar player but great songwriter too. His riffs are precise and have virtuosity but every solo was greeted with huge cheers. The Fire And The Fury again brought one of m'colleague's to tears and still stands as one of the best metal instrumentals out there. 

Fury were perfect Firewind were perfect it was an incredible way to finish off a weekend with two of my best mates. We all sang Falling To Pieces at the top of our voices knowing that gigs that are this much fun are very rare. 

Reviews: Warlung, Obscureviolence, Days Of Jupiter, Ephemera (Dan Sierras, Mark Young, Chris Tsintziras & GC)

Warlung - The Poison Touch (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Dan Sierras]

Warlung returns just over two years from releasing their previous LP Vultures Paradise, with its fifth release in just eight years, with the release of The Poison Touch. Another excellent entry into their catalogue with great vocals and blazing guitar work.

Warlung takes 80s metal, and puts a modern, heavy touch to it, and starts off strong with the track Digital Smoke. With great riffs and soaring guitar work, it’s a great start to this album. The riffs and high energy continue on the next track White Light Seeker. Mourning Devils is a short transitional track with haunting guitars and what sounds like a touch of synth. And a fuzzy bass riff starts the next track Spell Speaker. I can’t tell you how much the greatness of the dual guitar work is throughout this album.

Some more great riffage and harmonies on the next track Holy Guide, followed by the howling guitar on Rat Bastard, a true call back to 80s metal. The Sleeping Prophet changes it up with a strong ballad with great vocals by George Baba once again. Finally, 29th Scroll, 6th Verse is an epic conclusion to this great album, filled with some heavy guitar riffs and wah pedals throughout.

Overall, Warlung continues to bring the heavy, with great guitar solos and vocals. They show no signs of slowing down with the release of yet another outstanding album. 9/10

Obscureviolence - Refuting The Flesh (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Mark Young]

Those folks at Transcending Obscurity have an eye for the brutal and with Refuting The Flesh, they have found another outlet for a wicked combination of black and death metal. Obscureviolence, with two members from Horror God bring you a 21-minute beating that takes in blasts, jangling chords and of course some low-down vocals. It has that air (or stench?) of old school extremity in how they churn through each of the tracks here.

Exodus is our leaping in point, discordant noise that ushers in a nifty build that will definitely be used as their intro music when they play this lot live. Segueing into the title track, Refuting The Flesh is the core example of how they have melded the two together, the chug, the blast and some righteous whammy abuse at the end. With this they know that they have to get their (meat) hook into you and make it absolutely imperative that you stay the whole course. In terms of achieving that, it is a powerful start and they balance having the two styles in play quite well.

Source Of Life charges in with one of those delicious percussive riff after a frankly discordant intro, a build that having been executed is then dropped off a cliff. Its aim is to crush and to do so they deploy every trick at their disposal. Its high on aggression and thankfully low on subtlety and closes with an atonal lead break which is always welcome and then into Spiritual Agony, which has a cheeky nod to Morbid Angel at the outset and then they are straight into total demolition mode. 

Its just 3 minutes of organised chaos with the bulk made up of a frenzied attack which hits exactly like you want it to and is carried over into The Absurdity Of Existence, with the growled vocals that are barely legible whilst there is a serious drum clinic being provided. Having this and Spiritual Agony side by side shows that they are unafraid of saying the same thing, they just want to cave your skull in.

Pulse Of Subconscious Cruelty is their final song and keeps that intent and momentum in check. They don’t back off at all, it is either all or nothing from them and rightly so. There have been a lot of bands that promise a lot and deliver little and with Obscureviolence they promised and made sure that they delivered. Once Exodus starts running it is a full-on assault and battery from them, and they make sure that every song stays true to that promise. I won’t tell you that this is new or ground breaking or a refresh, its just good honest extreme metal, made by fans of extreme metal for fans of extreme metal. Give it a go!! 7/10

Days Of Jupiter - The World Was Never Enough (Reigning Phoenix Music) [Chris Tsintziras]

Days Of Jupiter are a Swedish band and their music is a fine blend of modern metal and classic rock, always sealed with their own stamp. They have millions of streams on Spotify and widespread acceptance all over the globe, the band has certainly a huge fanbase who will get very excited about this new album. This time, Days Of Jupiter with their new album The World Was Never Enough, on this fifth record they aim to please their huge and undeniable fanbase, and at the same time to attract new listeners who may not have heard them before signing to Reigning Phoenix Music. 

The album consists of 10 songs, which have a fine music blend that is all over the genre sphere. Whether it's the modern metal of bands such as Avenged Sevenfold or Lamb Of God, something from the 80' rock sound inspired by Scorpions or Europe, it's got song that will have wide appeal. My favourite track is My Heaven, My Hell but that is definitely a hard choice because of how good this band are. Days Of Jupiter's foundations are solid. They have their own identity you won’t say that you have heard it elsewhere. I personally loved this album! 8/10

Ephemera - For Those Afraid To Die (Morning Star Heresy Productions) [GC]

Whenever I see something described as melodic hardcore, I always wonder what exactly does that mean? And as Ephemera are described as this, I sort of go into this with trepidation but none the less For Those Afraid To Die is waiting for my thoughts.

The one thing an EP does not need is an intro and unfortunately Origin is just that and seems like a very annoying way to start as it doesn’t really show anything or give you any idea of what to expect, For Those Afraid To Die offers a bit more but doesn’t really do much for me as it sounds like the guitars are non-existent in the mix, I can hear the drums and vocals clearly but that’s about it and it’s just an overall frustrating listen because I imagine even if I could hear the guitars they wouldn’t be doing anything interesting? 

Heaven fares slightly better as I can hear the guitars here and it features Jesse Leach from Killswitch Engage but that’s about the best thing really, it just sort of plods away and never really gets out of first gear, nothing grips you or demands your attention, so it just sort of passes me by really? And just like that its onto final track House Fire and once again the drums and vocals drown everything out completely and the pace of the music is just far too slow and plodding and they add in an almost rap type verse that just makes me want to turn it off and give up, I don’t and my reward for perseverance is? Well, nothing really? Just more of the same uninspiring stuff and then it finishes and I’m not sure if I am pleased or just disappointed?

This really was not for me, I found everything that I could actually hear boring and uninspired, its just felt like they didn’t know how to really push a song forward to get that killer hook in and grab your attention. The fact For Those Afraid To Die was only 3 tracks long is probably a blessing as the longer it went on, I know the more annoyed I would have become with it. I really can’t say anything very positive about this so I’m just going to stop now. 2/10

Reviews: Lacuna Coil, Marko Hietala, Spiders, Demolyn (Matt Bladen)

Lacuna Coil - Sleepless Empire (Century Media Records)

Far removed from the band that recorded Comalies in 2002, the Lacuna Coil of 2025 is a much heavier prospect. Continuing on the journey they embarked upon with 2014’s Broken Crown Halo, the transition from clean to harsh vocals from co-lead vocalist Andrea Ferro in conjunction with the powerful cleans of Cristina Scabbia has meant their past few records are much more modern in their approach, adding djent riffs, groove metal breakdowns and nods to death metal too. It has resulted in a new audience discovering the band, making them probably more popular than they were back in the mid 2000’s.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Comalies, they re-recorded it in 2021/2022 in the style they favour now, the gothic metal influences replaced by extreme metal, while recording the anniversary record they had the spark to continue to create and thus set about writing and recording Sleepless Empire. The majority of the writing, most of the playing and the production again is helmed by Marco Coti Zelati (bass, guitar, synth), the band rounded out by Richard Meiz on drums, so what is Sleepless Empire like?

Well it’s not too unlike their last few albums, aggressive metal put with anthemic choruses, blending modern heaviness with their alternative/gothic metal beginnings. If anything Sleepless Empire draws more from Comalies since these songs would have been freshly re-recorded, so on tracks such as Gravity you can trace a link back to that record and with I Wish You Were Dead, Karmacode too. The themes behind the record are about being trapped in a digital world, shackled to social media, and trying to rebel and become human again. To link to the themes of this record they will release a special edition board game and to further play through stories of the album.

For me Lacuna Coil’s recent history is much more attractive than their early years, I’ve talked before about how Andrea changing his style has made for a much more intriguing style, it also has meant Cristina’s vocals are the best they’ve been as she’s the only clean vocalist. Though both get some help on Sleepless Empire as Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God grunts through Hosting The Shadow while Ash Costello of New Years Day drops in on In The Mean Time. On their tenth album and in their 30th year, Lacuna Coil sit in their own niche in the metal world, this Sleepless Empire shows no signs of falling yet! 8/10

Marko Hietala - Roses From The Deep (Nuclear Blast)

With his solo albums former Nightwish man Marko Hietala moves toward a more progressive, classic rock sound. His 2019 debut was released in English in 2020, as Pyre Of The Black Heart but Roses From The Deep is his first since leaving the Finnish symphonic metal band he is so associated with, though many still consider him to be a member of Tarot first.

Marko’s bass and his powerful vocals were ideal counterpoint’s to all three singers of Nightwish, as well as being a major part of Northern Kings and Sinergy, but for anyone who wants to relive those early days may want to just skip ahead to the excellent Left On Mars which is a previously released duet beside Tarja Turunen, these two voices in tandem as if it’s 2002 again. To hear them both perform together will delight older school fans but there’s much more to discover on this second album.

Hietala has always said he’s inspired by the likes of Glenn Hughes and Ronnie James Dio and these classic rock heroes can be heard on this record, it’s got huge progressive moments, some Finnish fireside folk, throwbacks to his symphonic metal beginnings and a dark introspection that draws me to an artist such as Alice Cooper who can set very ugly, socially documenting lyrics against catchy hard rock and make you sing along. 

It’s beauty is in the eclecticism, Hietala surrounding himself as the anchor of the band with some high level musicians that can easily handle the frequent changes in tone and style. Marko left Nightwish due to exhaustion and depression and these feelings and thoughts are expressed through the music here, be it on Proud Whore or Impatient Zero, there’s personal element to these songs some obvious but others hidden on the epic tracks like The Dragon Must Die or the title track.

The album apparently is about finding light in shadow and with Roses From The Deep, Marko Hietala has made sure to find a lot of light and some excellent songs from his darkest days. A brilliant vocalist and songwriter, on this second solo album he becomes an indelible part of the Finnish metal scene in his own right rather than just a band member. 8/10

Spiders - Sharp Objects (Wild Kingdom)

Spiders are a hard rock band from Sweden. Formed in 2012, they have had three albums before this and he a established themselves on the worldwide scene with a sound that takes its cue from glam, power pop, new wave and some bluesy hard rock. So there's some Blondie to the snotty What's Your Game (Miss Insane), while Fun In The Sun and Schizoid both have a Rolling Stones strut, the latter with some loose open chords, slide guitar and shaker percussion.

John Hoyles' guitar gets to go wild, with twin harmonies, the slide, the power rock chords, it's based in blues but adds much more as the boiler room of drummer Ricard Harryson and bassist Olle Griphammar adds a glam stomp of Bowie or Sweet on Mess With My Emotions, while singer Ann-Sofie Hoyles lets loose on Too Hard For You, her voice often compared to Debbie Harry and you can hear that for sure on Life Mission. Taking it's cues from various era's without veering away from them too much, is Sharp Object essential? Well no, but it's great fun if you're a retro rock n roll lover. 7/10

Demolyn - Slay The Godhead (Self Released)

Oscar Medblom is Demolyn, he plays everything here making it the definition of a solo project. Now he's already released a debut album in 2022 but has now followed it up with this new five track EP called Slay The Godhead. It features Fabio Alessandrini (Annihilator/Enforcer) on drums and his power adds to the extreme metal textures Demolyn has.

The debut was black metal, raw and aggressive, Oscar building on this with Slay The Godhead as he brings some death metal styles too, a track such as Warwhores for instance has black metal tremolo picking but is driven at the speed of thrash or early death metal, imagine Celtic Frost or Venom. I Shall Transcend is the first track that has that death metal grunt to it, every song creating it's own individual world to explore.

Medblom describes these song as a "self-contained tale" the most progressive of these being Misery, Rain Over Me, where the pace shifts a number of times, evolving into a melodic middle section before the speed returns. If you like you black metal ferocity with death metal muscle then Demolyn will have you sharpening that massive sword ready to do some slaying. 7/10

Review: Bleeding Through (GC)

Bleeding Through - Nine (Shaprtone Records)



Before I get started, I need to let you know that I LOVE Bleeding Through! It wasn’t always the case when they first arrived on the scene, I was full emersed int the hardcore/metalcore scene and turned my nose up at them because as we all knew at the time keyboards weren’t metal! I then decided not to be a total tosser and actually listen to them and when I did, I was suitably blow away and retracted all my previous ‘’that’s not metal’’ bullshit and I have been a massive fan ever since. 

They are a band that in my opinion have not released 1 bad album, they always deliver, so news they were releasing a new album was received with excitement and nerves at the same time, because after a 7 year break and being so far into a career does this band still have the fire to create something that matches up to their past glories?

After the first 25 seconds of opener Gallows you can feel that the fire is still there and everything you have come to expect from Bleeding Through is stamped all over this song, dark atmosphere and furious anger mixed with the more melodic parts and of course scathing metalcore riffing all rounded off with some spectacular drum work, great start! 

Our Brand Is Chaos starts off with a slightly cringey ‘fuck with us and find out’ chant which while as expected, is delivered with some force its not for me and it carries on through the song and is a slight disappointment if I am honest because once again musically its spot on and doesn’t stray far from the usual BT template so is always going to hit the mark just that lyric could have been binned off in my opinion? 

Dead, But So Alive suffers from no such issues with lyrics or brutality, this is just a full blunt force beating of a track and when the more melodic sections are introduced, they fit in seamlessly and the song absolutely loses no power or force which shows just how well they know how to create dramatic effect in songs. Hail Destruction the drapes everything in brooding atmospherics and has a more subdued pacing to begin with and it merges more punishing sections with the slower pace to spectacular effect throughout and the soloing that cuts through towards the end is another wonderful layer. 

Lost In Isolation really allows the backing vocals from Marta Demmel to now take a front seat and it is a wonderful juxtaposition and when you throw in Byron Davis of God Forbid into the mix you get some of the albums best lyrical work and just shows that they will always allow different styles lead the way and aren’t afraid to try new things.

I’m not keen on Last Breath as its just a mid-album atmospheric piano led interlude that just stunts the flow a bit, frustrating but instantly forgotten as Path To Our Disease wastes no time in firmly re-establishing what you actually want to hear and once again Marta takes a front seat in this track with her vocals leading the track in and then it segues into the most hardcore influenced parts on the whole album and its glorious to hear because its all done so effortlessly and sounds like a band 1 or 2 albums in making a statement not a band 9 albums and 20+ years into a career which is testament to how good Bleeding Through really are! 

This far in you may expect a couple of the tracks to become fillers but this is not the case with I am Resistance which has an album highlight guest appearance from Comeback Kid’s Andrew Neufield his vocals bounce perfectly off Brandon Schiepatti’s and it’s a match made in heaven musically it has an epic feel and everything is delivered with such unrelenting perfection you cant help but be impressed with it! Emery then shows that, when necessary, they don’t have to be full throttle and head down to be heavy, when they want, they can dial down the brutality but still execute an at times ridiculously beautiful but still ultimately heavy track. 

War Time sounds exactly how you would want it to with a title like that, full of ruthless aggression and violence that has the added voice of Shadows Fall, Brian Fair to help hammer the messages home, so it falls down to Unholy Armada to close the album and how do you close an album of such monstrous savagery? Exactly as it began, more of the same! 

Usually you may get bored of someone just trying to be heavy and unrelenting for the sake of it, but you never feel that Bleeding Through are doing it just for the sake of it, you believe everything they say and can feel the passion burring through in every track and that what makes this band so special and still so important in 2025, most bands of this kind have mellowed our or changed their direction to the disgust of fans and reviewers, I can guarantee you if you played this to someone and told them it was this band 9th record they would only believe you because of the title! Truly breath-taking stuff.

As I have already said, I love Bleeding Through but wasn’t really 100% sure what to expect from this album, after all it has been 7 years since their last release, I seriously needn’t have worried one bit! They have returned and have delivered an album that slots perfectly into their body of work and could be picked out and listened to by anyone and not just a fan like me! In 2025 you could ask, what has Bleeding Through got to offer me that any other metalcore band hasn’t?, all I would do is sit you down and get you to listen to this album and then ask you to pick me a better release in the last 5 years and I guarantee you would struggle to!! 

This is an urgent, angry, unrelenting, uplifting and important album because it ushers back one of the most important metalcore acts of all time back to the top of their game and here’s hoping this continues for many more years to come. 10/10