The God-Shaped Void is the first album in 23 years from much lauded American progressive metal band Psychotic Waltz, to say it has been anticipated would be an understatement as the bands last release in 1996. After their reformation in 2011 they played a few shows with Nevermore and Symphony X they began writing this fifth record in 2012 finishing in 2019. So was that time worth the wait? It's pretty obvious from the cinematic, orchestral opening of the record that it's a very clear yes. Devils And Angels is a perfect way to start this comeback from Psychotic Waltz, it's got huge orchestral swells before the huge riffs the band are renown for kick in. The record was written mainly by guitarists Dan Rock and Brian McAlpin with most of the guitar tracks not changed from the pre-production recordings, although the album was tided up by Jens Borgen who knows a thing or two about prog metal. It's Rock and McAlpin's masterful guitar playing that this album is grounded upon, songs like Back To Black and Stranded remind me of Nevermore due to the virtuosity displayed, but also the distorted darkness to them.
That's not to say the contribution of Ward Evans (bass) and Norman Leggio (drums) can be overlooked especially on the moody All The Bad Men. The God-Shaped Void is a densely layered record with many of the songs, such as The Fallen and the brilliant While The Spiders Spin build into epic numbers where Devon Graves' vocals can bewitch and lure you in to them with his wide range and excellent phrasing, he also plays a mean flute on Pull The String. Despite the 23 year gap in albums, it's like Psychotic Waltz haven't lost a step. Their music is very progressive but packed into shorter run times than many of their peers, meaning that the depth and musicality they have is much harder to achieve than it is when you have a longer time to explore, this is a band, who are well into their third decade, are playing around with what prog metal is, keeping things fresh while also retaining those sounds that saw them release four records between 1990 and 1996. You may have overlooked Psychotic Waltz before and to be honest no one would have blamed you as they never really reached the worldwide audience like contemporaries such as Fates Warning, however in Europe they did have a reasonable following. It's time to rectify overlooking this band by checking out this intelligent slab of heavy, progressive metal. 9/10
Ihsahn: Telemark EP (Candlelight Records) [Rich Oliver]
Telemark is the new EP from the Norwegian metal legend Ihsahn. The first of two EP’s due to be released, it is inspired and dedicated to Ihsahn’s home county of Telemark. Comprised of five songs this EP further cements Ihsahn’s status as one of the figureheads in current progressive metal music but also pays homage to his black metal roots with Emperor. The first three songs are all new and original material whilst the last two are selected cover songs. The new songs Stridig, Nord and Telemark are very much in Ihsahn’s established progressive metal style but far more stripped down and on the nose being more similar to his earlier solo material on The Adversary and angL. The keyboards are far less pronounced than his most recent material with the riffs very much having that cold and blackened feel. The lyrics are all sung in Ihsahn’s native Norwegian and the vocals on the most part are harsh apart from the odd moment here and there.
Frequent collaborator Jørgen Munkeby (of avant-garde band Shining) has a big role on this EP with his saxophone frequently providing the melody lines under the dissonant riffage and blackened shrieks. All three songs are solid Ihsahn but Nord is definitely my favourite of the three with a mid paced black metal feel to it. The last two songs of the album are the cover versions with the first being Rock And Roll Is Dead by Lenny Kravitz which is full of groove and hard rock swagger whilst the second is Wrathchild by Iron Maiden which is a damn awesome cover. If you want to hear Maiden riffs played on a saxophone (and lets face it who doesn’t) then this is worth a listen. Telemark is a decent listen. If you have never heard any of Ihsahn’s work before then there are other starting points but if you are a fan then this bite sized EP with prove to be an enjoyable prog metal snack. 7/10
British Lion – The Burning (Parlophone) [Simon Black]
I’ve not had any exposure to Steve Harris’s side project before, which is frankly incredible, given how I’ve gone out of my way for decades to take in Maiden shows whilst travelling for a living and religiously bought every album since I first was converted at their first Donington headline in ’87 (yup, even Virtual XI). So coming to this cold, I have tried to keep an open mind…
What we have is a solid, very traditional radio-friendly rock sound (as if that matters any more) from a man who doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone and which does not sound like a solo album at all. This sounds like what it is - a very tight band on their second album, having humbly honed their craft in the live toilets the length and breadth of the country into a tight music machine. They are a band, pure and simple. And a darned fine one at that, as I can’t find a weak song on the album which, having now gone back to listen to the first one, blows the socks off the debut - particularly vocally.
Musically, it’s what you expect from an expert songwriter like Harris – well-honed songs, a pile driving rhythm section (well, I heard the bass player was quite good), subtle layering and spot-on production despite still having a raw edge to it, with just the right amount of production to add atmosphere. Harris’s distinctive bass is up there in the mix as you would expect, but he’s definitely only part of the overall picture. Although it’s definitely in the classic rock vein, they can’t quite restrain some of the more epic qualities that you expect from latter day Maiden creeping in (Elysium and Lightning are a great examples of this), and to be honest the songs in this vein work better than the more stripped back rockers such as single The Burning or Last Chance, without being overproduced.
Like recent Maiden albums, this takes more than one spin to get the groove going, but it’s absolutely worth the persistence, as what we have here is a very well-crafted and subtle rock’n’roll album with enough tinges of metal in the pace and beat to keep the fan base happy and with sufficient layering of instruments to create that fist pumping sense of the epic that is the reason I still listen to this stuff after all these years. Can’t wait to see them live…9/10
Anvil: Legal At Last (AFM) [Paul Hutchings]
The millionth album from those street fighting Canadians is here and once again it’s a real challenge to go in too hard. We all know the history of the band, and you cannot help but love their enthusiasm even if their songs are in the main, utterly rubbish. Two years after the release of Pounding The Pavement, it’s another 50 minutes of similar songs with the band’s unique approach. Surprisingly, bassist Chris Robertson is still with the band, amazing given their history of losing more bassists than Spinal Tap lost drummers. Alongside Robertson, Robb Reiner remains the pounding engine room of the band, and as usual his drumming is superb, solid and heavy. That leaves us with Lips. Guitar wise, the man is on fire, his playing sharp and energetic (his lead break on Chemtrails is magnificent). But his vocals. Oh. My. God. Once more they are all over the place, up and down the tonal Richter scale, and the lyrics are utter dog shit. Whilst the band tackling issues around the environment, in tracks like Chemtrails, Gasoline and the utterly ponderous Plastic In Paradise, is commendable, much of their lyrical work is just dire.
British Lion – The Burning (Parlophone) [Simon Black]
I’ve not had any exposure to Steve Harris’s side project before, which is frankly incredible, given how I’ve gone out of my way for decades to take in Maiden shows whilst travelling for a living and religiously bought every album since I first was converted at their first Donington headline in ’87 (yup, even Virtual XI). So coming to this cold, I have tried to keep an open mind…
What we have is a solid, very traditional radio-friendly rock sound (as if that matters any more) from a man who doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone and which does not sound like a solo album at all. This sounds like what it is - a very tight band on their second album, having humbly honed their craft in the live toilets the length and breadth of the country into a tight music machine. They are a band, pure and simple. And a darned fine one at that, as I can’t find a weak song on the album which, having now gone back to listen to the first one, blows the socks off the debut - particularly vocally.
Musically, it’s what you expect from an expert songwriter like Harris – well-honed songs, a pile driving rhythm section (well, I heard the bass player was quite good), subtle layering and spot-on production despite still having a raw edge to it, with just the right amount of production to add atmosphere. Harris’s distinctive bass is up there in the mix as you would expect, but he’s definitely only part of the overall picture. Although it’s definitely in the classic rock vein, they can’t quite restrain some of the more epic qualities that you expect from latter day Maiden creeping in (Elysium and Lightning are a great examples of this), and to be honest the songs in this vein work better than the more stripped back rockers such as single The Burning or Last Chance, without being overproduced.
Like recent Maiden albums, this takes more than one spin to get the groove going, but it’s absolutely worth the persistence, as what we have here is a very well-crafted and subtle rock’n’roll album with enough tinges of metal in the pace and beat to keep the fan base happy and with sufficient layering of instruments to create that fist pumping sense of the epic that is the reason I still listen to this stuff after all these years. Can’t wait to see them live…9/10
Anvil: Legal At Last (AFM) [Paul Hutchings]
The millionth album from those street fighting Canadians is here and once again it’s a real challenge to go in too hard. We all know the history of the band, and you cannot help but love their enthusiasm even if their songs are in the main, utterly rubbish. Two years after the release of Pounding The Pavement, it’s another 50 minutes of similar songs with the band’s unique approach. Surprisingly, bassist Chris Robertson is still with the band, amazing given their history of losing more bassists than Spinal Tap lost drummers. Alongside Robertson, Robb Reiner remains the pounding engine room of the band, and as usual his drumming is superb, solid and heavy. That leaves us with Lips. Guitar wise, the man is on fire, his playing sharp and energetic (his lead break on Chemtrails is magnificent). But his vocals. Oh. My. God. Once more they are all over the place, up and down the tonal Richter scale, and the lyrics are utter dog shit. Whilst the band tackling issues around the environment, in tracks like Chemtrails, Gasoline and the utterly ponderous Plastic In Paradise, is commendable, much of their lyrical work is just dire.
Anvil also appear to have plundered the Sabbath catalogue for many of their riffs, noticeably on Plastic In Paradise and Said And Done, the latter might as well have been called Lord Of This World such is the plagiarism. Add in the recycled riff from Metal On Metal in the ridiculous Nabbed In Nebraska (a story of being pulled over for possession of dope). Once thought of as an utter joke, in recent years Anvil have pulled their reputation back somewhat. This album is unlikely to help much further with the slow ascent to the fringes of the top tier. It’s a retrograde step, not aided by one of the worst covers I’ve ever seen.
Still, come March and the Canadians arriving for an extensive tour on this shore, I guarantee that their shows will be bursting to capacity with people whose hearing is certainly impaired. I’ll go to see if these songs do anything in the live arena where they are always entertaining (apart from the dildo guitar solo). It might be an interesting night. This album certainly has its moments, but unfortunately, they are 99% when Lips’ mouth isn’t open! 5/10
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