Battles is the fourth studio album from blues rock troubadour Jack J Hutchinson, it's a testament to his resilience as an artist and as a human being. When he announced this album he was three years sober and this transition from heavy drinker to teetotal is discussed on the hard rocking but introspective Road To Hell, the initial use of alcohol to deal with his Dad's dementia and life on the road.
The former visual artist decided on his current career in rural Italy recording his debut album there, adding new strings to his bow with each release, playing every show as a bonus due to previous medical issues. With two lockdown live albums in his pocket, Battles is his fourth studio album and it's his most personal one yet. Similarities can be drawn to Kris Barras, whom Jack has supported in the past, much of this is down to the co-writing and production from Josiah J Manning inspiring lyrics that are from the heart and making the songs fizz with a heady brew of the blues, Southern swagger and hard rock, kicking out the riffs as his personal demons are writ large.
There's nods to Bowie and Paul Weller, Stay With Me isn't a Faces cover but a tender blues ballad and it's one of many great tracks on this record. Getting in touch with the emotional side of his writing has benefited Jack on Battles, the triumph-over-adversity narrative makes for some weighty choruses to sing back (Don't Let The Fuckers Get You Down) and a variety of styles. Guitars slung and Fedora ready, Jack J Hutchinson is the latest rock n roll outlaw, on Battles he has hitched his horse to the post and is ready for all comers. 8/10
The Sorrow Of Being Immaculate - Church Music For Satanists (Drone Alone Production) [Mark Young]
Bandcamp is great for certain things, especially in finding out information. On the page for this there is a wonderful quote that describes this as a piece of shit. I can't tell if it is in jest but let's assume it's not. Opinions are everything, but this isn't shit. It's not for everyone, if you imagine that they describe themselves as doom/sludge/repetition band then that gives you an insight into what you will find here.
Drawing from the well of slow, dark music (Earth, maybe Black Sabbath) this is almost a breath of fresh air from the diet of technical hyper speed metal I've listened to in the last month. It's a mournful affair with each of the songs offering a unique take on what could be played at a church for the dark one. It's maddening, frustrating but that seems to be the idea as they play through one controlled piece after another.
The Sorrow Of Being Immaculate - Church Music For Satanists (Drone Alone Production) [Mark Young]
Bandcamp is great for certain things, especially in finding out information. On the page for this there is a wonderful quote that describes this as a piece of shit. I can't tell if it is in jest but let's assume it's not. Opinions are everything, but this isn't shit. It's not for everyone, if you imagine that they describe themselves as doom/sludge/repetition band then that gives you an insight into what you will find here.
Drawing from the well of slow, dark music (Earth, maybe Black Sabbath) this is almost a breath of fresh air from the diet of technical hyper speed metal I've listened to in the last month. It's a mournful affair with each of the songs offering a unique take on what could be played at a church for the dark one. It's maddening, frustrating but that seems to be the idea as they play through one controlled piece after another.
Opening with the title track, it is a literal organ music played through that doom filter, stabbing chords, and that repeating measure. 360 Degree Cross has this super-warm fuzz tone that saturates, replete with off-kilter harmonies. Behemoth Of Hallucinations could be the end-credit theme to any supernatural eldritch horror. They are in no hurry, with a central riff or guitar movement that the rest of the song is built around and it shows a certain sense of style that they stick with.
The music itself took me by surprise because of the EP name alone and I'm honestly glad that it didn't end up being a form of black metal. It's original in approach and you can imagine it live, in a sparsely lit club setting where these songs will start to take on an identity of their own.
How you enjoy this will largely depend on your tastes. If you go for doom or sludge then this will be up your street, especially if you are partaking of certain medicinal herbs. It's almost hypnotic as each refrain plays and repeats, sometimes ending abruptly. Fans of faster material probably won't see the attraction in this at all. Personally, it's not for me but I can see the endeavour behind it, how it came together, and how the result is wholly original. There are not many releases that can say that. 7/10
Metal De Facto – Land Of The Rising Sun - Part 1 (Rockshots Records) [Paul Hutchings]
Given his love of history and power metal, it may have been less than surprising that the Ed gave Finns Metal De Facto a 9/10 score for their debut album Imperium Romanum back in 2019. Interestingly, the reviews on the Metal Archives were slightly less favourable. Such is the subjective nature of the genre; it may be little shock that there is such variation.
So, a quick recap. Metal De Facto formed in 2017 with a line-up that comprised guitarists Esa Orjatsalo (ex Dreamtale) and Mikko Salovaara (Kiuas), bassist Sami Hinkka (Ensiferum, ssSHhh), keyboardist Benji Klint-Connelly (Everfrost) and drummer Atte Marttinen (ex Kivimetsän Druidi). The line-up changed in 2022 with the arrival of Spanish singer Aitor Arrastia, taking over from Mikael Salo. It’s this unit that have brought the first of a two-part release, a concept album called Land Of The Rising Sun – Part 1. You’d have been shocked with a title like that if it hadn’t been an album based on Japanese culture and indeed it is.
Eight songs that stretch over 47 minutes mean that there is going to be at least one long song, and that comes right at the end, in the shape of 47 Ronin – all 12 minutes of it. Before that seven more average length songs provide an entertaining listen, even if it doesn’t exactly set the world alight. The musicianship is as usual in power metal, high on quality and technical ability. Sadly, for me, the songs don’t really grab you with any great purpose, and the first listen sees them drift by. Divine Wind has some ludicrous voice over, no doubt meant to bring some atmosphere and tension to the song, and whilst Arrastia’s vocals are fine, they are a little generic.
What sets the likes of Iron Saviour and Blind Guardian aside from bands like Metal De Facto is that their songs are so upbeat and over the top you can’t but singalong after mere minutes. And whilst there is ample high-pitched posturing, this just doesn’t meet the higher level of quality that the top tier exhibit.
It’s a brave concept to take on, and Metal De Facto do it well. The thumping Rise Amaterasu that kicks things off gets the fists pumping, the quick tempo of Code Of The Samurai drives along, albeit conjuring images of Helloween in many respects. However, as one would expect, the vocal harmonies are perfectly placed throughout. There is some average stuff here as well. Heavier Than A Mountain is routine, and although you can also dig the Steve Harris-style bass lines that power the intro to Slave to the Power, its distinctly average.
All this leads to the grand finale, 47 Ronin. It’s a real plodder, with narration that just makes it a little farcical. It builds okay, but it’s simply power metal by numbers, and is, well, a little boring. It really doesn’t make you want to listen to it again. Unlike Firestar by Iron Savior, which I immediately played again. Land Of The Rising Sun – Part 1 isn’t a bad record by any stretch, it’s just doesn’t grab you by the balls and twist. And the keyboard section just moves it into the realm of music hall. If it was a colour, it would be beige. And no-one likes beige, so they? 5/10
The Raging Project - Future Days (Self Released) [Patches]
The Raging Project is a mishmash of metal, electro, heavy and prog-rock elements conceived by Ivan Jacquin. The album Future Days focuses on an introspective journey through the eyes of travelling spirits, wondering if human beings deserve to be helped in saving their planet or left to suffer and reach our ultimate demise and the hands of our own devices.
Opening with Warning like Frank-N-Furter preach singing over a sci-fi focused arcade game. Rage kicks up the energy with Dr Rockzo The Rock ’N Roll clown screams ( he does cocaine). It’s got a funk, it’s got a groove, and the drumming is tastier than a tartiflette. The vocals switch between a screaming rage and Mike Patton rapping until all of a sudden we find ourselves in Type O Negative country. Offbeat chugs and an ethereal piano contrast well and the song plays out with a head jerking Nu-Metal motif
I Wanna Dance sounds like what would happen if you let a few eccentric seasoned musicians jam over a Tekken loading screen. It’s fun, absolutely batshit and has a catchy 80s goth hook. Cue synth solo because fuck any ideas of genre restrictions. On Earth asks will the Earth look like Mars in a century or less? So dry, so dead, so alone? Without us? Without life? And to that I say … Yes, yes it probably will. Wrath was always going to be a heavier number. A perfect direction for a penultimate track. Soaring hard rock vocals, crushing guitars and other cliche terms found in reviews.
Much like a lot of the French bands I end up reviewing, The Raging Project Future Days is impressive, inventive, and refreshingly unique. As a musician a grin of admiration follows the majority of choices within this epic. As a listener it doesn’t pull my attention quite as much. The composition and production are both majestic, grand and imposing at times. Massive points for creativity but personally I couldn’t get into it on a purely enjoyment basis. It’s strange saying this after praising the inventiveness of the band but I feel like this kind of project actually needs more going on. But the craft is respected indeed.
How you enjoy this will largely depend on your tastes. If you go for doom or sludge then this will be up your street, especially if you are partaking of certain medicinal herbs. It's almost hypnotic as each refrain plays and repeats, sometimes ending abruptly. Fans of faster material probably won't see the attraction in this at all. Personally, it's not for me but I can see the endeavour behind it, how it came together, and how the result is wholly original. There are not many releases that can say that. 7/10
Metal De Facto – Land Of The Rising Sun - Part 1 (Rockshots Records) [Paul Hutchings]
Given his love of history and power metal, it may have been less than surprising that the Ed gave Finns Metal De Facto a 9/10 score for their debut album Imperium Romanum back in 2019. Interestingly, the reviews on the Metal Archives were slightly less favourable. Such is the subjective nature of the genre; it may be little shock that there is such variation.
So, a quick recap. Metal De Facto formed in 2017 with a line-up that comprised guitarists Esa Orjatsalo (ex Dreamtale) and Mikko Salovaara (Kiuas), bassist Sami Hinkka (Ensiferum, ssSHhh), keyboardist Benji Klint-Connelly (Everfrost) and drummer Atte Marttinen (ex Kivimetsän Druidi). The line-up changed in 2022 with the arrival of Spanish singer Aitor Arrastia, taking over from Mikael Salo. It’s this unit that have brought the first of a two-part release, a concept album called Land Of The Rising Sun – Part 1. You’d have been shocked with a title like that if it hadn’t been an album based on Japanese culture and indeed it is.
Eight songs that stretch over 47 minutes mean that there is going to be at least one long song, and that comes right at the end, in the shape of 47 Ronin – all 12 minutes of it. Before that seven more average length songs provide an entertaining listen, even if it doesn’t exactly set the world alight. The musicianship is as usual in power metal, high on quality and technical ability. Sadly, for me, the songs don’t really grab you with any great purpose, and the first listen sees them drift by. Divine Wind has some ludicrous voice over, no doubt meant to bring some atmosphere and tension to the song, and whilst Arrastia’s vocals are fine, they are a little generic.
What sets the likes of Iron Saviour and Blind Guardian aside from bands like Metal De Facto is that their songs are so upbeat and over the top you can’t but singalong after mere minutes. And whilst there is ample high-pitched posturing, this just doesn’t meet the higher level of quality that the top tier exhibit.
It’s a brave concept to take on, and Metal De Facto do it well. The thumping Rise Amaterasu that kicks things off gets the fists pumping, the quick tempo of Code Of The Samurai drives along, albeit conjuring images of Helloween in many respects. However, as one would expect, the vocal harmonies are perfectly placed throughout. There is some average stuff here as well. Heavier Than A Mountain is routine, and although you can also dig the Steve Harris-style bass lines that power the intro to Slave to the Power, its distinctly average.
All this leads to the grand finale, 47 Ronin. It’s a real plodder, with narration that just makes it a little farcical. It builds okay, but it’s simply power metal by numbers, and is, well, a little boring. It really doesn’t make you want to listen to it again. Unlike Firestar by Iron Savior, which I immediately played again. Land Of The Rising Sun – Part 1 isn’t a bad record by any stretch, it’s just doesn’t grab you by the balls and twist. And the keyboard section just moves it into the realm of music hall. If it was a colour, it would be beige. And no-one likes beige, so they? 5/10
The Raging Project - Future Days (Self Released) [Patches]
The Raging Project is a mishmash of metal, electro, heavy and prog-rock elements conceived by Ivan Jacquin. The album Future Days focuses on an introspective journey through the eyes of travelling spirits, wondering if human beings deserve to be helped in saving their planet or left to suffer and reach our ultimate demise and the hands of our own devices.
Opening with Warning like Frank-N-Furter preach singing over a sci-fi focused arcade game. Rage kicks up the energy with Dr Rockzo The Rock ’N Roll clown screams ( he does cocaine). It’s got a funk, it’s got a groove, and the drumming is tastier than a tartiflette. The vocals switch between a screaming rage and Mike Patton rapping until all of a sudden we find ourselves in Type O Negative country. Offbeat chugs and an ethereal piano contrast well and the song plays out with a head jerking Nu-Metal motif
I Wanna Dance sounds like what would happen if you let a few eccentric seasoned musicians jam over a Tekken loading screen. It’s fun, absolutely batshit and has a catchy 80s goth hook. Cue synth solo because fuck any ideas of genre restrictions. On Earth asks will the Earth look like Mars in a century or less? So dry, so dead, so alone? Without us? Without life? And to that I say … Yes, yes it probably will. Wrath was always going to be a heavier number. A perfect direction for a penultimate track. Soaring hard rock vocals, crushing guitars and other cliche terms found in reviews.
Much like a lot of the French bands I end up reviewing, The Raging Project Future Days is impressive, inventive, and refreshingly unique. As a musician a grin of admiration follows the majority of choices within this epic. As a listener it doesn’t pull my attention quite as much. The composition and production are both majestic, grand and imposing at times. Massive points for creativity but personally I couldn’t get into it on a purely enjoyment basis. It’s strange saying this after praising the inventiveness of the band but I feel like this kind of project actually needs more going on. But the craft is respected indeed.
For fans of experimental metal with electronic and prog-rock elements or for people looking for something different. Future days may just be the thing you are looking for 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment