Reviews: Duft, Ufomammut, Trails Of Anguish, Djiin (Reviews By Zak Skane, Rich Piva, Joe Guatieri & Paul Hutchings)

Duft – Altar Of Instant Gratification (Scarlet Records) [Zak Skane]

After the cinematic intro that consists of low droning sound effects of crows, the bands open track Caved In smashes us in the face and takes us back to the past with some old school fear factory styled chucking that are machine manufactured tight to the kick drums. From the opening track the band brings in this old school mid 2000s crossover sound that reminds me of UK acts such as Stamping Ground and Romeo Must Die. The guitars have this un-boosted but punchy tone, the drums have this raw production to them whilst the harsh vocals have this classic British hardcore rasp to them whilst still keeping each phrase clear. 

Dragged Across Concrete bring in this blackened Thrash metal sound with it’s balls to the wall double kick driven skank beats whist dark voiced riffs are thrown at us with fast pace which is then followed by some extreme metal elements of blast beats and melodic death metal guitar passages. The vocalist goes from their British hardcore grunt to going into melodic death metal territory with their high fried vocals that take reminisces of the Black Dahlia Murder Trevor's delivery. 

Instant Gratification still continues the extreme metal brutality from it’s opening drum fill that slams us straight into some classic blast beats that accompanies the black metal sounding melodies before they go back into their meat and potatoes breakdown deliveries. The track also features some ruthless trade offs from the hard-core barking to throat tearing frys. To close off the first part of the album, Waste From Birth brings in some revengeful lyrics provided by Alexander Freyr. The band goes into some straight forward metallic hardcore formulas with the drums stripping it down to punchy donk beats whilst it keeps the punky style simplistic with frantic chord changes and down picked riffs. 

To open up the second part of the album Scarfaced Blues brings back the black metal fury with it’s frantic drumming, buzz saw like tremolo riffs and satanic frys. Doctrine continues this black metal inspired assault along with some blues driven solos. 20th Century Doom takes the tempos down a notch to bring some classic beatdown riffs that contain these Malevolence inspired blues chops whilst still creating these black metal atmospheres. 

The closing track Only Dead Fish Follow finishes the album on a high note with some balls to the wall energy, the drummer opening up with some high speed polyrhythmic beats, the guitars following the arrangements of their intense crossover of black and extreme metal technicality along with the pounding grooves with hardcore and metalcore attitude which wrist breaking down picked riffs that transcend into swirling tremolo picked melodies. 

The vocalist is closing the album with some intense vocal delivery, really channelling these ravenously vengeful lyrics to the end of the song giving off some relentless energy and sending a personal message to the person that these lyrics were based on. Even though this band hails from Iceland, they have really harnessed the British crossover sound that has populated the UK music scene down to a tee. 

The production has this good balance raw but listenable quality, which allows the genuine hatred that this band to flow out without it sounding to polished. The DIY sounding guitar tone gives off dark un-boosted sound but just adds more punch to each chug, whist the drums having un-edited feel that add more groove whilst the vocals this raw aggression to very delivery. 

For fans of Stamping Ground, Romeo Must Die and Malevolence. 9/10

Ufomammut - Hidden (Neurot Recordings/Supernatural Cat Records) [Rich Piva]

Ufomammut is back, and if there was ever a time that I wanted to just write a one word review it would be for the Italian band’s tenth album, Hidden. That one word would be: Heavy. Hidden is so damn heavy I feel like the bottom is going to drop out of all six songs at any time during the 44 minute run time. Hidden is not heavy in the death metal drop D sense of the word. It is just huge, gigantic, and feels like the six songs are constantly crushing you, only to tease you that you are not done for as they layer in some psych and even some vocal harmonies to give you some hope where there really is none.

I mean talk about crushing, check out the first track, Crookhead, a hold over from last year’s EP of the same name. I think when I reviewed that I mentioned those songs were not extras or throw aways and were awesome on their own, which is validated by the band kicking of the new full length with this killer track. There is so much going on musically you will need to listen at least a dozen times to even get a glimpse into this crazy musical genius. 

Kismet is also rip with awesome heaviness, the bass shaking the foundations and the riffs pummelling, partnered perfectly with more of a hardcore like scream for nine minutes that feels like four. Man, do I love we the pace slows towards the end and we get some psych all over the place. Ufomammut as doom/death metal is the where the shortest track on Hidden, Spidher, goes, and proves these guys can do whatever the hell they want and still sound awesome. These riffs just crunch. 

Mausoleum is one of the two tracks over ten minutes, and like Crookhead, it flies by. Not because of the pace, but because of how interesting and complex a listen it is, especially given it is just three people making these sounds. Holy crap is this song amazing (not my finest literary statement, but exactly how I am feeling as I write this). This track reminds me of something from Ministry’s Filth Pig, and coming from me this is a major complement, but add some of the signature Ufomammut heavy psych too. The final two tracks, Leeched and Soulost, are of the shorter variety for the band, the former with that heavy driving groove also leveraging those Ministry vibes I mentioned and the latter chills it out a lot, leaning more on the synths and is a heavy psych slow burn if there ever was one.

So yeah, the new Ufomammut is heavy. Really heavy. Really heavy and complex, and one of the coolest listens of 2024. Go check this out and be ready to be blown away. By the heavy. There is nothing Hidden about this record, but there is also everything Hidden, given you will hear something new each time you listen. 9/10

Trails Of Anguish - Scathed Gaping Misery (Hessian Firm) [Joe Guatieri]

Trails Of Anguish are a Canadian Black Metal band that formed in 2000. They only existed for a very short period of time releasing two EPs in 2001 and 2003 respectively before going radio silent until 2022. In this review I take a look at Scathed Gaping Misery, a compilation which combines those long out-of-print EPs with two new tracks.

Trail Of Anguish’s debut EP, Relentless Abhorrence Of Misery’s Grievances contains 6 tracks which are all covered in a blanket of raw product that has a lot of punch. To my surprise, not too much was buried by the recording quality, for example, the drums in the opener Beyond Charismatic Sickness have a lot of clarity to them where everything can be heard. My favourite song of the entire compilation comes in this part with track five, Useless. Something about the atmosphere that it creates feels very empowering, like reaching a destination.

Going from there into tracks seven and eight which make up their 2003 EP, Scarred Momento. Haunting is the real standout for me here with its pummelling drums and guitars that have a lot of grit. At various points during this record and especially here, folk, melodic black, melodic death all appear and it’s clear that Trails Of Anguish’s influences don’t just lie in one place.

Near the death we approach new horizons with track nine, Gaping Misery which marks the band stepping into unknown territory as I would describe it as Black Noise. For my money it’s the most frightening song that the band has to offer, it paints an image of someone shouting at the bottom of a well.

This leads us into the final track here, Rebirth. Six minutes of complete and utter silence are much needed after strange goings on. After a few moments of weirdness with twangy acoustics and patient electric chugging, everything breaks loose with a battle between guitar wall hell and woodwind heaven whilst an orchestra acts as the distressed spectators.

Overall, Scathed Gaping Misery makes for a tour through the nightmare gallery that Trails Of Anguish have created, showing what they did and where they could go but no one knows for sure. It avoids the trappings that so many other compilations by bands fall into, it’s not a greatest hits, it’s a history book with blank pages at the end. 7/10

Djiin – Mirrors (Klonosphere Records) [Paul Hutchings]

A six-song album should initially be an EP one might think. Then you check the length of the songs, and realise that no, album is the right term to be applied. So having established that, let’s turn attention to the latest album by the four-piece from Rennes in France, who have liberally thrown in three songs that total over 30-minutes on Mirrors.

Taking their name from the Arabic word Jinn, meaning to hide or adapt, Djiin are mythical creatures from Islamic folklore who can adapt a myriad of forms and shapes. It may be an apt band name, for the quartet’s psychedelic stoner sound is not constrained to just those two genres. There is something of everything within Mirrors.

Opener Fish is a short, punk-edged bundle of chaos. Singer Chloé Panhaley’s disconcerting delivery is unrestrained, at times feeling almost out of control, whilst behind her the music whirls in a mesmeric pattern that twists and turns. Things get a whole lot more abstract on the title track which follows. A nine-minute meander that flicks from semi-jazz expressionism through to more traditional stoner style, it’s avant garde feel sees Panhaley dip in and out with Joplin/Slick influenced vocals. The time signatures are uncomfortable, nothing here in time or place, whilst the fuzzy bass and dynamic guitar switch from Eastern vibes to modern sounds.

There’s no doubting the influences on display here, everything from Krautrock, progressive, doom, and even early metal like Sabbath is included. In The Aura Of My Own Sadness drifts further into a deep kaleidoscope of trippy exploration, with more twisting movements that haunt and bewitch. It’s a ride unlike any other as the band embark on another explorative departure where you simply hang on as things erupt into a glorious burst of high tempo intensity before slowing into a sedate period of calm.

And then the intensity that is prevalent throughout this intriguing and frankly disturbing release intensifies substantially on Blind, which opens with a sonic challenge as Panhaley combines with bass and drums in a rhythmic staccato that descends into a cacophony of horror and anger. As the song breaks into a frenzy of noise and blinding darkness, one is left both confused yet curious. The ebb and flow neatly summarise the meaning behind the track, that of being blinded by the negative, hatred and depression. It’s certainly not your run of the mill.

With the epic 13-minute Iron Monsters allowing yet more freeform exploration, I think the advice for Mirrors is that you really need to challenge yourself and take the plunge. It’s not going to be for all, and at times I found it quite difficult, but if your brain wants a complex, jarring, and haunting trial, then this is one to try. 7/10

Reviews: Shellac, Mutes, Brown Acid, Bongfoot (Reviews By Rich Piva)

Shellac - To All Trains (Touch And Go Records)

Steve Albini is as important to the music I love, grew up on, and that I molded my tastes from as much as any other person involved in the music creation process in the 1990s. This includes any of the bands that put out their classic records back then, because the Albini sound pretty much sums up that era. It was not just then, as Albini continued to innovate and influence up until sis untimely death at age 61, days before his legendary band, Shellac, released their first album in ten years, To All Trains. To lose him hurts, especially given what I have been though lately, on a truly personal level. So, at this point all we can do is look back on all he helped create and marvel in the new Shellac record which is worth any praise that it will get.

Shellac gets the noise rock categorization, but to me the easiest way to describe them on To All Trains is a combination of Mclusky and The Jesus Lizard. If this comparison doesn’t help, go find the works of those bands, specifically the material he helped create for both of them. The difference is the minimalist approach that Shellac brings, of which you can hear on tracks like Girl From Outside and Tattoos, both of which will stand up to any other Shellac track out there. 

The nonconventional time signatures the band is known for are ever present, partnered with Albini’s talk-singing on Wednesday, another standout track. The drums are right up front in the mix (go figure) and lead the way on the killer song Scrappers. Days Are Dogs sounds like if Cake was being covered by the aforementioned Jesus Lizard, and it works perfectly. How I Wrote How I Wrote Elastic Man (Cock & Bull) is the most real singing you will get on To All Trains, and may be my favourite track on the record, and for some reason the one that makes me the saddest.

It is impossible to listen to To All Trains without the lens of sadness regardless of what else is going on in your life. This one hurts, especially the timing both personally for me and for the world who loved the man and the work that he did. Let’s just be glad we have what we have, especially this last Shellac record that will stand as a fitting tribute to his incredibly important body of work. 8/10

Mutes - …Buried Where You Stand (No Sound Records)

Writing a review about a band that compares themselves to The Pixies and Sonic Youth after writing a review for the final Shellac record after Steve Albini’s death is not ideal for anyone involved, so let’s just say the new record from the U.K.’s Mutes is some solid 90s alt love mixed with some early 2000s out there indie combined for a pretty solid showing on their fourth album, …Buried Where You Stand.

The Pixies love shines on the opener, Transparency, and I love when the band just kind of goes off on this one. That early 2000s indie stuff I spoke about is up next with the quick blast Televangelist. A jangly Sonic Youth shows up on a track like Spiders Again. The boss of this blog threw the band Deerhunter out there, and I concur on songs like Barely Living Proof and Another Moon Song to double down on the 2000s indie rock comparisons. To give a more recent comparison I look to the band In Technicolour on a song like Dewired, but maybe with a more punk vibe. 

I love the track Great White Nothing and its unabashed love to late 90s alternative rock in all the right ways. Same goes for Perfumed Corpse with those echoed vocals. The challenge I have with …Buried Where You Stand is that it doesn’t really stick with me. The songs are solid and the playing is good but there is not a lot that makes me want to go back for seconds or thirds, with some exceptions, Mere Slaughter being one of them as this one is pure Pixies/SY energy and the song with the most going on amongst the twelve tracks.

Mutes have put forth a solid effort with record number four. If you like 90s alt/2000s indie stuff, this one should gel with you nicely. I am just not sure how many times I will go back to the well on …Buried Where You Stand outside of a few of the tracks I mentioned. 7/10

Various Artists - Brown Acid: The Eighteenth Trip (RidingEasy Records)

I am going to start this review like I did the last four additions to this collection; I love the Brown Acid series that has been curated by the great RidingEasy Records.

If you are not familiar with the set the basic concept is that Lance Barresi, owner of L.A.-based Permanent Records, searches the far corners of the US in dusty record store bins, garages, attics, and confirms musical urban myths to bring us lost and the most underground of underground songs from long forgotten bands that in some cases may have only release one song on a promo single.

These songs come together to populate the now eighteen volumes of some of the best 60s and 70s proto metal and psych rock that you have never heard before. Never ever do these comps disappoint. This one is no different, with another ten lost treasures for your listening enjoyment, with a surprise tenth track not on the promo to build even more of the intrigue for this set.

Highlights include the Grand Funk like styling of Back Jack on he opening track, Bridge Waters Dynamite, which would make a top ten Brown Acid comp for sure. RidingEasy just pressed the whole original Back Jack record that is worth your time as well. The Zeppelin-y Hot Love by Smokin’ Buku Band with its killer bass work and I love the organ on Tommy Stuart and the Rubberband’s Peeking Through Your Window. You want cowbell? Well, Ripped Off by Chicago Triangle is for you. I really dig the middle instrumental part in this one too. I love the funkiness and proto heaviness of Parchment Farm’s Song Of The Dead and the killer drumming and evil heavy psych of Nightmare, by Glory.

I am still amazed at volume 18 we are getting sets of songs that have no clunkers or skips amongst them. I have no idea where these songs keep coming from, but RidingEasy is doing us a major solid by bringing all this great stuff to light with the Brown Acid Series. 8/10

Bongfoot - Help! The Humans… (Self Released)

North Carolina has a pretty sweet heavy music scene, and recently we have heard some killer stuff from Karl Agell’s new band Lie Heavy. Bongfoot is definitely not Lie Heavy, but they do play a version of stoner rock that incorporates punk and sludge into their new record, Help! The Humans…that is full of energy, force, speed, an occasionally cringy lyric, but mostly killer heavy rock and roll.

The opener, End Times, rips it up from the start, even if the vocals boarder on annoying on this track. I dig the pace and the heavy riffing that never lets up. Miss Merica’ is straight up stoner punk rock, with some of those cringy lyrics I mentioned, but hey, it’s punk rock, man. The singer seems to be channelling Jello Biafra vocally on many of these songs.

Environmental Gaslighting is both heavy and catchy and reminds me a bit of Orange Goblin, which is never a bad thing. Acid Rain is another absolute ripper that boarders on crossover thrash and is about two minutes too long but rips nonetheless. The middle part that slows it down all the way is cool, but maybe where some of the time on this one could have been cut.

The track Kill The Hippies has been out there for a bit and is one of their best songs, giving us under three minutes of ideal stoner punk rock goodness. Bad Man is another fun track, ripping at the front and bluesy at the back. Krakatoa shows these guys can create a riff and build some killer heavy stoner rock around it. I actually would have been good to stop there and make this record about 35-40 minutes. The 53-minute run time is a lot, but I still enjoyed the Slayer-like riff and pace of Hot Grease Pt. 2 and the frantic yet a bit too long Amazon Death Factory/Spacefoot.

There is some really fun stuff on Help! The Humans… I would call it more stoner thrash punk than anything else. Besides it running a bit long, the new Bongfoot record is a fun, frantic, thrashy listen. Check it out. 7/10

Reviews: Jasta, Elvellon, The Last Of Lucy, Soulline (Reviews By GC & Matt Bladen)

Jasta - …And Jasta For All (Perseverance Music Group) [GC]

As we all know Jamey Jasta is the vocalist of hardcore legends Hatebreed but he also has had 3 solo records which have nothing to do with his ‘’day job’’ today I have his latest solo record …And Jasta For All, I now have to remember that this is NOT a Hatebreed record and should not be compared to them as this is stand alone venture and should be judged as such!

The slow and brooding opening of They See Us As Prey definitely throws a nod to the band who he has ripped the title of the album off and close your eyes and you might think this could be a lesser heard Metallica track its thrashy but not the 80’s 1000mph thrash, more of the early 90’s polished thrash and it’s not what I was expecting at all, which is probably the whole point anyway its an enjoyable beginning to proceedings and the we get Amor Your Mind which definitely has a much more familiar sound from Mr Jasta, its more thrilling and urgent thrash but has that hardcore attitude and anger flowing throughout and has some lovely mid-section groove fueled beatdowns,

Create The Now REALLY REALLY sounds like it could be off one of a certain other bands records and because of this I fucking love it! it’s the familiar hardcore/thrash crossover that has become Jamey’s signature sound over the past 25 years and has added Chuck Billy on guest vocals to really put the icing on the cake! R.M.P.C is a bit of a funny one for me, its not that its bad as such, it just feels a little cheesy and this has Scott Ian guesting and because of that it sounds exactly like Anthrax and I have never enjoyed them, so ultimately this is one of my least favourite tracks on the record, kicking things back up to speed is Suicidiality with its "LETS FUCKING GO" opening its another raucous hardcore punk infused thrash rager that has guest spots from Phil Demmel AND Kerry King, so its always going to be a winner even if the title is stupid! 

Assimilation Agenda is another glorious throwback to the thrash heyday of the 80’s and has Steve Souza from Exodus guesting to add a bit more weight and credibility to the song. Ring Of Truth finally has no guest vocals or guitarists involved and relies solely on Mr J to do his thing, and as you would expect he does so with gusto, and he doesn’t just fall back into the expected hardcore but continues to create some entraining thrash that while not exactly ground breaking or new is still fun to listen to. 

Terminal Lucidity doesn’t do much different and is another solid track, but it all does start to get a bit one paced now and while that pace is of course breakneck as would be expected, my problem with thrash is, the longer it goes on it tends to get a bit samey and one dimensional after a while!? There is something about No Dream Is Free that I just don’t like, it might be the vocals, or it could just be that the song feels a bit laboured and ultimately should be filled under album filler type track, which is worrying on such a short album! Anyway, The Phoenix Way is the last track and were treated to much more slowed down and death metal influenced track, I mean its thrash again but has a definite sharper edge and is a decent way to close things.

In my opinion there is only so much you can do with thrash and on …And Jasta For All you get a thrash 101 album, it’s not trying to reinvent the style and its no frills, all out action from start to finish, does it get a bit one dimensional, yes it does but, I don’t think it’s really meant to be looked at that deeply!? If you want a no nonsense easy to listen to record then crack open a beer, get your board shorts and high tops on and have a listen to this! 7/10

Elvellon – Ascending In Synergy (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]

Releasing an EP in 2015 and an album in 2018, Elvellon give us their second full length and while I always approach symphonic metal albums with a little trepidation (it’s probably the most oversaturated genre other than death metal), I have to say I’m very impressed with these Germans. 

Having played countless gigs since their debut full length gathering up plenty of YouTube views and tour slots, they have been given the often dubious ‘next big thing’ tag by a lot of the press but while I debate if that’s a blessing or a curse, there’s no doubting how talented the band are, the vocals of Nele Messerschmidt a highlight. She has a dexterous, broad range, conveying emotion whether through fragility on the nine minute cinematic epic The Aeon Tree or through power on the galloping metallic Ocean Of Treason. 

I was genuinely floored by how good her vocals are but that’s not to do down the band in any way. The strings are densely arranged, with the keys bringing both the influence of Epica and Nightwish, meanwhile the guitars, bass and drums are tight in keeping the metallic quotient strong. It sounds both retro, I’m talking that early 2000’s glory days of the genre but also bang up to date. Unfazed with the continual move of the whole genre towards electronics, the band are focussed solely on the classical string arrangements meeting with power metal and dramatic vocals. 

There’s a nostalgic joy to it if you were brought up with the early bands in the style but there’s also life left in what they do so they can evolve as a band as woodwinds on My Forever Endeavour, adds a folk metal edge, while Last Of Our Kind is a ballad your metal hating partner would enjoy. I’m surprised and pleased by this album, I always have a wariness of symphonic metal but Elvellon is a treat for the ears. 9/10

The Last Of Lucy - Godform (Transcending Obscurity Records) [GC]

Along with 20 Buck Spin, Transcending Obscurity seems to be one of those labels who just know what a good band should sound like and release banger after banger and with that ringing endorsement its time to listen to what The Last Of Lucy have to offer in the shape of their latest release Godform.

It all starts off in gloriously batshit fashion on Wormhole which is a whirlwind of dazzling technical death metal goodness that sounds like there are at least 3 guitarists being recorded but its only Gad Gideon and that’s absolutely mental when you hear what is going on, also a huge shout to Josef Hossain-Kay because his drum work here is also insane! 

Empyreal Banisher continues the barrage of scattergun riffing and gloriously mad guitar work mixed with more phenomenal drumming, the levels shown on these first 2 tracks are unbelievable and I feel a bit for bassist Derek Santistevan because you never really manage to pick his parts out as they are swarmed by everything else but if he’s holding all this together you can guarantee he must be a beast of a player. 

Twin Flame is yet more punishingly technical death metal layered with precision, thunderous beatdowns and also some more reserved sections in which you finally get a chance to compose yourself and prepare for the inevitable onslaught of Shedim Séance which unsurprisingly is an absolute beast of a track littered with virtuoso level guitar work that melds perfectly with the more straight forward knuckle dragging death metal sections but one style never outshines the other which is the true beauty of everything so far! 

We smash through halfway with Sanguinary Solace which has probably the least technicality so far and concentrates on a furious pace and savagely heavy beatdown style of death metal that is invigorating and uplifting yet still manages to be ungodly heavy all the way through.

Sentinel Codex then doesn’t exactly slow down but throws in a more djent heavy style which gives the room for a bit more simplicity if that’s seems impossible then believe me its not, the more ‘’laid back’’ speed adds another level to the whole flow of the album and another shout out for Josh De la Sol on vocals because it would be easy to get lost in the background to such phenomenal musicianship but he more than holds his own and commands everything with force and ferocity. 

Darkest Night Of The Soul doesn’t hold back and re-dials up the intensity levels yet again with another scathing, djenty bombardment of heaviness and brutality that leads directly into Angelic Gateway which is obviously not angelic in anyway, its an ugly and menacing display of how to mix relentless savagery and also intertwine more melody into the song but never lose any of the power needed to smash your body into pieces and all done in 2:40, splendid! 

Anima Flux is another drumming masterclass and also full of chugging riffs and more intense beatdowns that flesh out the song in between more guitar wizardry and the end section is just absolutely world class! Godform is the last track on the album and of course it doesn’t stray far from what we have already heard and gives us one last blast of world class drumming, guitar perfection and disgustingly brutal vocals to round off this unbelievable record.

WOW! Seriously, just wow! I do not have one single negative word to say about this album, like seriously I cannot find one fault anywhere from the very first second to the very last! Everything was executed with utter perfection and is an absolutely world class showing from The Last Of Lucy. If you listen to one album this week, make sure it is Godform because you will not regret it because believe me, this is an absolutely phenomenal album. 10/10

Soulline – Reflections (Massacre Records) [Matt Bladen]

Environmentally conscious melodic death metal is not something I thought I’d be writing today but here we are. Swiss band Soulline have been riding the melodeath train since 2000 and with their seventh album they have decided to embrace cultural activism and use their music to give environmental concerns a voice. A voice that has all the traits you’d expect from melodeath such as thrashy riffs, blastbeats, melodic lead guitars and vocals that are harsh and cleans. 

There’s passion in these tracks, but unfortunately nothing that a million other bands haven’t done, the addition of some keys as backing textures adding a bit of uniqueness. I found my attention wandering a little as they embraced some metalcore-like compositions too. The playing is experienced and technical, the song writing is good but there’ nothing that stands out for me, perhaps only Human Corruption which features a bit of Sepultura-like percussion. 

Reflections may carry an important message but it doesn’t engage me as much as perhaps it should have. 6/10

Reviews: Lucassen & Soeterboek's Plan Nine, Demon, Zig Zags, Hemotoxin (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Lucassen & Soeterboek's Plan Nine - The Long-Lost Songs (Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group)

Arjen Lucassen is the master of the concept album, he's made bloody loads of them alongside countless other projects but in the 90's he saw Robert Soeterboek performing with his band and was impressed by his soulful blues rock voice. As if he didn't have enough going on he decided to collaborate with Soeterboek on some songs. This led to a a wealth of songs from two creatives that became friends. With a load tracks recorded with Peter Vink on bass, Cleem Determeijer on Hammond, and Rob van der List on drums, some of those names may be familiar if you know anything about Lucassen's other projects. 

Unfortunately in the grunge landscape it was never picked up and Soeterboek joined Wicked Sensation and Lucassen became Ayreon. However recently Soeterboek wanted to record a song he wrote with Lucassen called Annie Moore and Arjen agreed to help, despite rehearsing for the Ayreon live shows. 

Revisiting this song they dove deeper recruiting Peter and Cleem on bass and Hammond again, Peter's wife Mirjam van Doorn on backing vocals and Koen Herfst on drums, re-writing and re-recording the songs they wrote together all those years ago with additional bass from Rob van der Loo (Epica), Irene Jansen on backing vocals and Marcel Singor on guitar. 

So then The Long Lost Songs are just that; the rediscovered tracks of Plan Nine. So what are they like? Well most are in the vein of 70's blues hard rock vein, Annie Moore and Before The Morning Comes especially but there’s flirtations with country on Let It Ride and Long Cold Night, as well as The Beatles and glammy 80’s metal on Ice On Fire. Really it’s a jukebox of styles from virtuoso musicians, digging deep into the songwriting of Lucassen before he became the concept record maestro. Plan Nine are reinvigorated as a real band, like hard rocking Pinocchio, there’s lots, I mean two discs worth, to enjoy. 8/10

Demon - Invincible (Frontiers Music)

45 years of the Demon. Still led by frontman Dave Hill they were an integral part of the NWOBHM but much like fellow Frontiers signees Praying Mantis their music has moved away from into more melodic and progressive notions. Demon had the stage craft and showmanship of Ghost way before the Swedes did it but have also retained their early heaviness as they embellished it with keys.

Hill's voice is still unmistakable; soulful and gruff he carries the emotion and nostalgia of Forever Seventeen, this last song on the album reminding me of late period Magnum which after the unpleasantness of earlier this year will excite any fans of that legendary band. Karl Waye's keys are a major factor on this album, opening the Intro with some Lord/Lanzon neoclassicism.

The first slice of heaviness is Face The Master, Paul Fasker Johnson's bass anchoring the grooves as Ghost From The Past adds some bluesy guitars from Dave Cotterill and Paul Hume and a solid as a rock drumbeat from Neil Ogden, a lot of Invincible taking it's inspiration from the 1985 to 1992 period of their existence. The driving Beyond The Darkside is unashamedly mid 80's with the lead guitar breaks as is Rise Up. Hole In The Sky builds the drama Zeppelin style as Cradle To The Grave has that early dramatic sound.

Demon keep their quality of song writing high with Invincible. Melodic rock that is inspired by their influences from the 70's and their own style from the mid 80's. Proving that Demon are indeed Invincible. 8/10

Zig Zags - Strange Masters Vol.1 (RidingEasy Records) [Matt Bladen]

In 2019 LA stoner punk trio Zig Zags took a short break from the road, unfortunately this almost ended the band completely, drummer Dane leaving to do something else outside of music. The two remaining members Jeb Maheu (vocals/guitars) and Sean Hoffman (bass) talked about ending it but they felt there was more to do with the band so Jeb reached out to Josh Landau of The Shrine if they could borrow Jeff Murray to be their drummer.

As The Shrine no longer play live Josh said yes, Jeff said yes and Zig Zags live to zag another day! With a glut of material written, they scrapped most of it and settled on doing a record that has the live-in-the-studio feel to it. 10 tracks, bags of experience and a new dynamic, combining some re-recorded old favourites, in preparation to write an album of new material together. Basically a recorded live show, to see how well they gel as a trio after some time away?

Well to my ears pretty fucking well, the bastard lovechild of Sabbath (Voices Of The Paranoid), The Stooges (My Lighter) and Suicidal Tendencies (Punk Fucking Metal), they cross between all of the above while delving into both parts of the CoC catalogue (with Pepper and without) and more contemporary acts such as Kverlertak and Bokassa. Recording in the newly opened Discount Mirrors studio owned by John Dwyer of Osees, these tracks get a sonic overhaul and are more vital than ever, there’s even a cover of Agent Orange’s Bloodstains to finish you off. 

Play as loud as you can. 8/10

Hemotoxin - When Time Becomes Loss (Pulverised Records)

With that band name, death metal innit? Yeah it is, particularly the extremely janky, technical death metal that rapidly flits between riffs, packing as many of them into a song as clowns do into a small VW Beetle. It makes for a rapid fire 30 minute blast of cosmic death metal, progressive as it can be, technically impressive but steamrolling. 

With three previous full lengths the spirit of Chuck Schuldiner is strong with bandleader Michael Anthony Chavez, he musically worships at the altar of Death as well as Cynic and Atheist, basically any band that has successfully put progressive compositions and virtuoso playing with death metal and made it work. 

Joined by producer Andrew Lee on lead guitar and Scott Fuller on drums, Chavez plays the bulk of the music and does the vocals on this fourth album, displaying his wizardry with every song be it on guitar or bass, while relying on some special guests; Donnie Small, Andrew Lee and Tony Barhoum to add the leads and solos. 

Hemotoxin don’t stretch their Death worship too far on this fourth full length but for fans of breakneck riff shifting When Time Becomes Loss will be a worthy investment of half an hour. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Welcome To Rockville (Live Review By Rich Piva)

Welcome To Rockville, Daytona Beach, FL, 9-12 May 2024

A four-day rock festival in May in Daytona Beach Florida…what could go wrong? Actually, this was one of the smoothest run festivals that I have ever been to and the music was great too. Let’s run down my experience at my first Welcome To Rockville.

First, logistics. Everything ran very smoothly for a festival with five stages over four days. Parking was stupid, but once we figured out the hack on Friday it was all good. Everything is expensive, but if you brought a bottle they had fill up stations for water so all good there too. I could not recommend the VIP experience enough, just for the bathrooms alone. The stages were not that far apart so getting from band to band was not bad at all. There were a couple of really bad conflicts with bands that did not make sense (everyone who saw Clutch wanted to see Queens Of The Stone Age too, people) but overall the schedule was well done too. 

It was damn hot, but it is Florida in May, but even for Florida it was unusually hot. Daytona hit near records on Thursday and Friday. But there were water cannons and cool down tents too. The most surprising thing was how cool the crowd was, especially for Florida. Everyone was chill (even in the heat), respectful, and even nice, if you can believe it, outside of the dude wrapped in the Southern flag. This was a really great experience that I would absolutely do again.

OK, so what about the music? Prior commitments had me go late on Friday and miss Sunday completely, which was fine given the lineup on the final day did not really interest me at all outside of a couple of bands. My big day was Saturday, but we will get to that.

Let’s start with Thursday. The headliner was Motley Crue, but given the recent reviews on their live shows I was fine with skipping their set and beating the traffic. The day started with 90s pseudo goth industrial band Orgy, who had their big hit with a cover of New Order’s Blue Monday, which they played along with a Prodigy cover and some other stuff. It was early and hot and they were pretty much a cover band. Not the best way to start. Same deal with Saliva. Early 2000s new metal stuff. Not really my thing. 

Now Amigo The Devil and his banjo-led tales of woe? That was excellent. This was my first time seeing ATD and I left a huge fan and with a cool shirt. My plan next was to see 90s industrial-lite Stabbing Westward but braved the merch tent instead, which wasn’t as bad as I thought, only taking about an hour to come away with an armful of shirts. I got to see the first half of the Dirty Honey set that was full of energy and a throwback to good time L.A. rock. Fun stuff. 

 The night really kicked in with the Shadows Fall set. It’s been a while, but they still kick ass and had the crowd going nuts, as well as this reviewer, especially during Destroyer Of Senses from 2002’s The Art Of Balance. The band was super tight and sounded as good as ever. One of my two biggies for Thursday was Anthrax, who sounded great and went way back in their catalog for the 45-minute set. Joey sounded great, even if he did get a bit confused a couple of times with what was up next. There was a weird stoppage in the middle of a song too that I am still not sure what happened, but hearing some of those classic Anthrax songs was the experience I was looking for. 

I didn’t realize how big Mudvayne got after the one song I remember, Dig, but apparently, they still have a big following, but to me didn’t sound great and I was happy to move on to get my nostalgia on with the set from Biohazard. Talk about memories…they also sounded like they did not miss a beat and played all of what a fan would want to hear given their short 40-minute time allotment. 

Judas Priest was what I was most about on Thursday, and the band did not disappoint. Rob still sounds amazing and the band was spot on. The short one-hour set was packed full of the hits and a couple of from the new record, including a killer version of Panic Attack to open the set. It was cool to hear Love Bites and I lost my mind during the closer, Painkiller. The Priest set was worth admission on Thursday alone, but the pleasant surprise of the evening was the set from Kerry King, who played a ton of new stuff as well as Raining Blood. Outside of the lead singing being a bit cliché and corny, the set was great and the new stuff sounded excellent. This is where my night ended, leaving the Crue show for those who don’t care if bands actually sing or play their instruments.

Friday, I started late with Nitzer Ebb, the German electronic/industrial act who got the small crowd dancing and singing along to their best-known tracks like, Join In The Chant. I have been a fan for a while so this was really fun for me. Just two bald German dudes dancing around and playing synths in 97-degree heat. The crowd ate it up. I caught a bit of the In Flames set as well. They also sounded great, but I am not that big of a fan to really know the material. More nostalgia with The Offspring set which I enjoyed way more than I thought I would. I loved those first few records back in the day and found myself shouting along with crowd. 

But my night was all about Mr. Bungle. Mike Patton is one of my all-time favourite performers and I had never seen Bungle before. I went right up front for this one and let me tell you, they destroyed me. What a set. So tight, so fast, so much fun, with their slow covers thrown into their version of thrash/death/hardcore metal. Hell Awaits and True by Spandau Ballet? Of course. Patton was totally on and had the crowd in the palm of his hand. They even played My Ass Is On Fire from the debut record that I lost my mind over. By far the set of the festival for me. My festival partners wanted to see Friday’s headliner Limp Bizkit and I obliged. Not my cup of tea, let’s leave it at that. Fred Durst’s banter was awful and their hits are worse than I remember. But hey, at least I got to see Mr. Bungle on Friday. Overall, a fun evening.

Saturday was my big day, let’s get a rundown going:

Crobot had fun little set under the hot, but not as hot 2PM sun. lots of energy and they sounded great. They even debuted a new song. Reignwolf  were a super talented duo, especially the main guy, who just ripped it up on guitar and even played drums and guitar at the same time at one point. Great stuff.

Royal Blood were disappointing and boring, the band did nothing for me and I was happy to move on half way though the set to get some food. Red Fang had great too short set focused on older material that got their small group of fans all worked up. I need to see these guys headlining in a small club.

 It didn’t matter who was signing Stone Temple Pilots, because the nostalgic of hearing all of those great songs hooked me. I sang every word from Wicked Garden to Big Empty to Sex Type Thing. Primus; never does Les Claypool not blow me away with his unworldly skill on the bass guitar. They sounded great too and played all the “hits”. I love seeing the crowd bounce during Jerry Was A Racecar Driver a perfect song for our settings. Too short, but still killer.

Baroness played one of my top 3 sets of the weekend. Baroness rules. I have not seen them with Gina on guitar and wow does she rip it up. Her playing and background vocals and the chemistry with Baizley is off the charts. Another too short set, but it made me want to spend a week just with their catalog. reat to It was great to see the L7 ladies back. They were on point and gave the crowd what they wanted setlist wise. Fun little set.

Clutch were my most anticipated shows, the band did not disappoint with a killer setlist and a wild crowd. Escape From The Prison Planet into Spacegrass knocked me for a loop. Maybe one or two tracks too many from the first record but that is what their tour is about. Clutch never disappoints and didn’t here either. It was not cool that Queens Of The Stone Age were overlapping with Clutch but I did get to see the second half of the set. 

Honestly, they were just OK. The setlist ignores the first couple of records and even though they sounded good I found myself kind of bored. Glad I decided for Clutch, even though I never saw QOTSA before. Finally Foo Fighters a band I always want to like but always walk away kind of bored, the half of a set I watched was no different for me. Dave seems like a great guy but outside of the first record and part of the second nothing in their catalog really holds my interest and I was happy to beat the traffic since everyone else seemed super engaged with the set.

So, there it is; three days of fun, mostly great sets, sweat, and lots of $4 water and $7 PowerAid. If the lineup is close to as good next year, I will happily buy the VIP pass again and hang out in Daytona, which is really saying a lot for me.

Reviews: Pallbearer, Combichrist, Insanity Alert, Tzompantli (Reviews By Rich Piva, James Jackson, Mark Young & Gavin Brown)

Pallbearer - Mind Burns Alive (Nuclear Blast) [Rich Piva]

Pallbearer is a strange band to review after you just lost a loved one, but what better way to experience the beautifulness of their version of doom, a version that has become less and less heavy instrumentation wise but never loses its punch. Mind Burns Alive is barely a metal album, but it is going to be tough finding something heavier and more emotional than this record.

Reviewing this and the new Vitskär Süden back-to-back in my given headspace is quite cathartic I must say, but Mind Burns Alive is even more on point to the pain and emotions that I have experienced over the pat 2 months or so. I literally feel this record coming out of my speakers during the opening track, Where The Light Fades. Can an album be more on point for a person at a certain time of their life? Pallbearer has perfected the doomy slow burn, but this beauty they continue to add to their music is astounding. Yes, this one gets crunchy at the tail end to keep the metalheads interested, but it is about so much more than that. 

There has always been a bit of Type O in Pallbearer, and with the title track you get some of those vibes for sure. This track will satisfy the listeners yearning for the heavier doom metal side of Pallbearer. The whispered vocals at the beginning just adds to the deepness of the song as it permeates your skin and seeps into your veins. Signals hits just as hard, with a chunky but beautiful, with excellent vocals and a solo that breaks your heart. There is so much raw emotion built into Mind Burns Alive. Endless Place is classic later period Pallbearer and if saxophone offends you in any way be ready for it, but it very much works here. 

Daybreak may be Pallbearer’s most delicate track in parts, abandoning any semblance of metal for just straight up raw emotion that rips your heart out up front and at the end, but when it does kick in during the middle oh how I love that layered guitar work and we get really heavy around seven minutes where the raw emotion and metal crunch absorb each other into a purely perfect sound. What a song. Where The Light Fades, the closer, destroyed me.

Whether it is the right album at the right time or whatever, Pallbearer nails it with Mind Burns Alive. The perfect mix of raw emotion and heaviness lyrically and musically that creates a dark and beautiful soundscape that only this band can deliver in this form so effectively. 9/10

Combichrist - CMBCRST (Out Of Line Music via Rough Trade/Believe) [James Jackson]

I had the pleasure of seeing Combichrist perform an Old School set at Leicester’s Uprising Festival last year and the act were a personal highlight of the event, I went for one band but came away very much intrigued by the Industrial/Aggrotech of Combichrist. For the most part the “band” are frontman/founder Andy LePlegua, joined by various artists when performing live; earlier recordings are far more Techno than the most recent recordings including this album and an EP released earlier this year. 

The tracks on CMBCRST are an interesting blend of Metal and Techno, the two seemingly unrelated genres thrown together to create something simultaneously organic and synthetic, where one track is more “Metal” the next holds more of an Electronic/Techno element; some are then more in line with the Industrial offerings of Fear Factory, the first band that came to mind when Through The Raven’s Eyes came on. 

Such is the diversity within the tracks that even the rather Funk infused, cowbell toting intro of Modern Demon which almost descends into Goth Rock territory before a stomping Techno beat takes over, doesn’t seem out of place, whilst the track Sonic Witch has a riff that reminds me of the tone of Rob Zombie’s album The Sinister Urge. For twenty years LePlegua and Combichrist in its various forms have been a huge part of the Aggrotech/EBM/Dark Electro scene, their work appearing on both Movie and Game soundtracks. 

Undoubtedly this album will only cement their role as one of the most influential and longstanding artists within the genre. 9/10

Insanity Alert - Moshemian Trashody (Season Of Mist) [Mark Young]

From one extreme to another, Insanity Alert brings you four songs that are inspired by four incredibly well-known recording artists. How well you’ll like it will depend on how you like your classics being treated. They take influence from some of the speediest exponents of thrash – S.O.D, D.R.I and Municipal Waste as well as adopting that sense of humour that allows them to poke fun and hopefully get a laugh too.

Welcome To The Moshpit is our kick-off track and is a rapid fly-through, keeping enough of its source material so you know exactly where it’s coming from. Wisely, they have trimmed the song to an inch of its life, knowing that stretching it beyond would probably start to grate on our nerves. It sounds exactly how you think it's going to sound, job done. Beer In The Park is shameless. And guaranteed to make you thirsty. They keep the best bits in, and you can imagine this being done live, everyone singing along as you would with the original. Beerless Fiesta is well, George Michael with double bass and death vocals. It’s the sound of drinker’s remorse, but with trem picking and Motorhead’s drums. I’d rather hear this than the original...

Moshemian Thrashody, well, this is the song for everybody who has been battered in the pit. I defy anyone not to like this, it could be the soundtrack to anybody who has been battered in the pit. Condensing a 7-minute classic into the best bits is a tall order. Adding your own lyrics to it and keeping it sounding something like the original is something to be applauded. It is not half-arsed and finishes the EP off well.

In the space of 12 minutes, they take what could be thought of as untouchable music and George Michael and wring it through an irreverent thrash filter. Sometimes you need someone to do this kind of thing, have a bit of fun that we can all share. Each of the songs is approached with the right balance of keeping it recognisable whilst maxing out the speed. How this lands will depend on your sensibilities, but if you go in with the approach that it is in good fun then I think you will like it. 7/10

Tzompantli - Beating The Drums Of Ancestral Force (20 Buck Spin) [Gavin Brown]

With their 2022 debut album Tlazcaltiliztli, the death/doom/ black metal behemoth that is Tzompantli fused indigenous history and lore, merging traditional instruments with the heaviness of that unholy trilogy of sounds and the results were spectacular.

Now two years later, Tzompantli return with the follow up album Beating The Drums Of Ancestral Force and it sees the band building on the power of that debut album with another collection of brilliantly executed songs, bolstered by even more additions to their tribe this time around.

The tribal rhythms that Tzompantli crush all in their path with are more than present and correct on Beating The Drums Of Ancestral Force and this definitely adds to the power of the bands music especially on songs like Chichimecatl and Otlica Mictlan, which merge their doom infusing brutal death metal and in turn, some real menacing vibes with those tribal sounds, and the results are immense, something that happens constantly on this album.

Those meetings of sound are something that are all over this album and it all adds up to a brutal and atmospheric listening experience, and it safe to say that Tzompantli have delivered the goods again with Beating The Drums Of Ancestral Force, and in doing so, they have made an album that is even more eclectic and even heavier than what they have done in the past, and another example to mark Tzompantli as an undisputed force to be reckoned with in extreme music. 8/10

Reviews: Gatecreeper, Cognitive, BAT, Ancient Settlers (Reviews By Paul Hutchings, GC, Matt Bladen & Mark Young)

Gatecreeper – Dark Superstition (Nuclear Blast Records) [Paul Hutchings]

We’ve covered the burgeoning development of this Arizonian old school death metallers in some detail over the past decade. Now signed to Nuclear Blast, this is a big step up the band, which they have pulled off with ease. Vocalist Chase H. Mason acknowledges their improvement. “We refined the song structures. We’re getting better at what we do.”

Ominous words for any competitors, but great news for those who enjoyed the band’s previous work. Alongside Mason, Dark Superstition sees the return of guitarists Eric Wagner and Israel Garza, drummer ‘metal’ Matt Arrebollo and bassist Alex Brown. It’s a powerful follow up to 2021’s An Unexpected Reality and evidence that the band are moving upwards through the ranks.

What’s impressive about Dark Superstition is the feel of it. Described as their answer to Entombed’s Wolverine Blues or Dismember’s Massive Killing Capacity, there’s a wider sound to this album. Whilst the band retain their death metal links, there are variations which show a maturity in the songwriting. 

The opening track Dead Star is less ripping your face off than previous albums, whilst Oblivion is a sonic blend of intensity and slower, more pleasurable riffage. Tackling themes of supernatural, divination, fear of the unknown and the trust in magic or chance, there’s plenty to explore. Black Curtain for example, sees the band take on a gothic stance with influences like Sisters Of Mercy and Fields Of The Nephilim combing with the band’s more punishing style.

That’s not to say that Mason has eased off, no way, and his rasping gravel coated roar remains as ferocious as before. However, the influence of bands like Dismember is strong. Drummer Fred Estby worked with the band in pre-production, and his touch on tracks like Masterpiece Of Chaos, described by Mason as “a nightmarish vision of a broken mirror with an ominous creature that lives within the fragmented web of glass”, is evidence of the classic Swedish sound’s influence.

Gatecreeper don’t mess around either. The songs are generally short and sweet, with only the dramatic finale Tears Fall From The Sky, a crushing doom epic clocking in at over four minutes in length. With a tour with Enforced and 200 Stab Wounds booked for the Autumn, and an album that is certain to carry favour with old and new fans alike, Dark Superstition still brings the HM-2 sound and, having established their position, are unlikely to let it go. 8/10

Cognitive - Abhorrence (Metal Blade Records) [GC]

Formed back in 2011 in New Jersey Cognitive have released an EP and 4 full length albums so far, the last being back in 2021, now they are back and ready to release their new album Abhorrence on their current label Metal Blade.

The title track Abhorrence kicks everything off in a suitably savage deathcore way, managing to avoid the overtly electronic sounding guitars that most bands seem to have right now and sticking to good old fashioned and well produced cuts, overall, it’s a decent start BUT there are cleanish type vocals included that sound a bit cheesy, Insidious does its best to sound like early Whitechapel and succeeds in everyway which is no bad thing because that was their best era, but it just seems a bit too familiar for me for a band 5 albums into their career. 

A Pact Unholy doesn’t really do to much different from the first 2 tracks but the range of vocals is different and there are a load more technical guitar parts and this makes for an interesting listen, but once again I just don’t think the clean vocals go at all, in both songs they have featured you could easily take them out and not notice, I hope this doesn’t become an exhausting pattern throughout the whole album. 

Ivory Tower continues the deathcore tone running and once again while not being exhilarating is still more than decent to listen to, with As The Light Fades there feels like a bit more grandiosity has been added into the darkness and its chugs and blasts away while having an almost epic feeling in places and because of that the clean vocals finally pay off and add something to the song as a whole and the guitar solos at end add a suitably grand finish! Savor The Suffering is almost everything you could ask for from a modern deathcore track, huge guttural vocals, chugging riffs and thunderous drumming and the obligatory breakdowns midway through all careering together to rip your face clean off and all in just under 3 minutes, thank you very much! 

Containment Breach is more of the same as you would obviously expect, there isn’t a whole lot of variation on this record and sometimes, if it isn’t broke don’t fix it and it does have an excellently ominous ending section that really makes the whole song that bit more interesting. Rorschach tries its best to lull you into a false sense of security but the more laid-back start last all of 30 seconds before all hells breaks loose, the riffing of Rob Wharton & Harry Lannon is sharp and stabbing.

Tyler Capone’s undeniable bass rumble holding the all the chaos together with the drums absolutely exceptional from AJ Viana but what stands out here are the vocals, its an unreal vocal performance from Shane Jost on this track, you can feel everything he is spitting out at you, tremendous stuff, following this with Lunar Psychopathy sounds slightly less interesting because it’s not as layered or nuanced but it’s still decent in the grand scheme of things, so its onto Cold Dead Hands to close the album and of course it does so in furious fashion, with not one single second wasted on subtlety or restraint and is another great showing of when it’s done right deathcore can be one of the best styles of metal around.

 
At first, I was a bit unsure about Abhorrence, there were some parts that I could have done without but for the most part this was a brilliantly heavy and unrelenting listen and the few bits I didn’t particularly like didn’t actually ruin anything for me in the long run. If you like deathcore you will undoubtedly love this record. If you don’t and are looking to explore the genre, check out this record as it’s a very, very good way to start your journey!! 8/10

BAT - Under The Crooked Claw (Nuclear Blast) [Matt Bladen]

2/3 Municipal Waste and 1/3 No Tomorrow, BAT is a no-frills gore soaked band from Ryan Waste of the Virginia thrashers, he’s joined by Waste guitarist Nick Poulos, also of Volture and drummer Chris Marshall of punk band No Tomorrow, this trio coming together in 2017 but only now making their recorded debut. The punk drumming of Marshall, fills these songs with fury, putting the speed into speed metal. 

Influenced by blood splattered VHS tapes from their youth, banned video nasties that were said to corrupt the moral fibre and set against music inspired by bands such as Venom, Discharge (Warshock), Motorhead, The Misfits (Just Buried) and Motorhead. BAT is no side project it’s the flipside to Municipal Waste, there Ryan cranks out crossover thrash rhythms on six strings but here he gets to take scuzzy lead bass like Lemmy or Cronos, the NWOBHM gallops on Revenge Of The Wolf fitting into that sort of musical area before the crossover chops ring out on Bastardized Force. 

Rite For Exorcism sees the trio locked in for some punk metal grooving, those basslines giving you some grunt as the drumming takes that familiar punk one-two to make it faster and nastier, Streetbanger unloading speed metal on you in under 3 minutes. The lyrics are all derived from horror movies so the song Horror Vision is a natural fit as it sees them praising these video nasties, with lurid excitement as Marauders Of Doom lets more classic/speed metal leather shows it’s face. 

Signing to Nuclear Blast and the addition of a new drummer allows more experimentation of their gory punk metal hybrid, Under The Crooked Claw is a superior record to their debut, better balanced between the moments the band wants to create, fire up the VCR and let the slashers loose with this as your soundtrack. 8/10

Ancient Settlers - Oblivion’s Legacy (Scarlet Records) [Mark Young]

Oblivion’s Legacy is the sophomore release from Ancient Settlers, their first for Scarlet Records and it is good one. The Circle Of Misanthropy, with its jaunty opening, voice-over, and Swe-tinged guitar build starts at a fair old lick, with some class death growls courtesy of Argen Death There are melodic flourishes all over it with the partial switch to clean singing handled well. It's punchy, taking enough influence from Swe-death without it being a direct copy. 

Lead breaks go the right way, and it’s a solid start that they maintain into Oblivion’s Legacy. That jaunty theme returns as the muscular opening falls away to reveal a carny arrangement, which jars for a second. Luckily, the metal returns, dual vocals that match with the guitar lines, presenting them with a class singalong section that is made for live performance. The melodic death provided does enough without trying to be something new and has all the key ingredients you would want – great tempo and is attacked with gusto, in every facet from the drums to leads to the vocals.

This attitude towards the music is kept up, as they know what riffs should go where, a great example is Stardust Odyssey where they have three great chord builds, and a mighty elongated roar that segues into a massive breakdown via a subtle change. Its really good stuff, as is the charging Wounded Heart. The synths used here do good work in supporting and once again they go for a chorus section that is built for being played live.

Their respective countries of origin, being Venezuelan and Spanish means that they can also lean into a lighter approach, such as that delivered on Subversive. This is not to say its soft in any way, it’s just the way it is put together is more Euro metal than Scandinavian (this is not a diss). What is excellent here is that there is no drop-off in speed, the tracks fly by at a lick with barely a chance for them to grab a hold. What is in their favour is that they keep to the overall tenet of providing the best melodic death they can, Coven Garden has this wicked progression with the cleans draped over without sounding off.

In fact, I’d like to say that Oblivion’s Legacy is certainly one of the brightest melo-death albums I’ve heard this year. There have been plenty of albums that talk about channelling the Gothenburg sound and in the process seem to lose something of themselves, ending up with mixed results. Here, they take what they like, or feel right and then put their stamp on it. The Mechanical Threats Paradox, whilst a mouthful of a title is another great example of their vision. Don’t take my word for it, give it a go. Alas, Redemption is the last song, and as you would expect, they serve up a classic slice of melodic metal, mixing tempo up nicely and even amping up the synths for good measure. 

All told it’s a decent set of songs that whilst not offering up anything ground-breaking, they are good songs that deliver on all counts. On the strength of this material, you hope that they can continue to grow with bringing their own sound into it, as they are doing on here. Good Stuff. 7/10

Reviews: Vitskär Süden, Troy Redfern, Freedom, Darko (Reviews By Rich Piva, Paul Scoble, Paul Hutchings & GC)

Vitskär Süden - Vessel (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]

When you hear a band has a “Dungeons and Dragons” theme to their music, where does your head go? Probably not to a dark and beautiful place like Vitskär Süden takes you with their output, and there may not be anything more dark and beautiful right now that their new record, Vessel. This is heavy stuff. Not heavy in the normal meaning from a band that the awesome Ripple Music releases. This is heavy in a bleak, atmospheric and sparce sort of way. It’s not the riffs that get you on Vessel, it is the vibe, the darkness, and the cold feeling that this record leaves with you, in the best sort of way.

There is nothing remotely metal or stoner rock on vessel. I guess you could go doom here, but more like Nick Cave finally figuring out he should have done doom records all along. Or how about dark prog? Bleak psych maybe? I mean the opening track, Vengeance Speaks, with the sparce opening and added synths and background vocals, it is just next level bleakness and I am so here for it. Martin Garner’s vocals have grown so much and is now one of my favourite voices is rock today. 

Those synths I mentioned drive R’lyeh, an awesome song with a cool riff that goes nicely with the frantic baseline and pairs nicely with the synth work. I love the subtle sounds added to the track and those vocals are so great too. Vessel Through Tunnels They Move has an almost Middle East vibe to it, especially in the guitar work. This track is simply beautiful and incorporates all of the goodness the band brings to Vessel, this one lead by the sparce but simple and effective guitar parts throughout the song. 

More darkness envelops you on Hidden By The Day. I love the addition of the acoustic guitar and piano to the mix on this one bringing more of those Nick Cave vibes I mentioned earlier. I could see the goth kids from my high school back in the day getting behind this one too (compliment), especially with the cello sounding synth chimes in. Tattered Sails is the slowest of the slow burns and incorporates more of the psych aspects of the band, especially in the guitar work. 

Did I mention bleak in this review before? Well check out Everyone, All Alone for even more of it. Closing with what is pretty much a piano driven ballad is probably a first on a Ripple release but boy oh boy does it work here. These vocals are just next level.

If the D&D aspect of the band has kept you from listening to Vitskär Süden, you need to get over yourself quickly and check out the beautiful bleakness of Vessel. Trust me, you will not even get a whiff of the stuff while experiencing the gorgeous doomy psych prog the band has perfected. 9/10

Troy Redfern – Invocation (RED7 Records) [Paul Scoble]

Troy Redfern is quickly becoming one of the biggest noises on the British blues rock scene. Troy has been making music for well over ten years and has also released material under The Troy Redfern Band moniker. Troy’s last album was 2022’s The Wings Of Salvation. The style on Invocation is Blues Rock with a definite Boogie feel to a lot of the material. There is a lot of rock and roll swagger and in the odd place a little bit of late eighties / early nineties rock, and maybe even a little bit of seventies glam rock. 

The album kicks off with the song The Strange, a great piece of bouncy boogie at a fast-walking pace. The verse has a purposeful stomp, whilst the singalong chorus is full of energy. Next comes Getaway, a very tight, funky rocker with a rock and roll chorus and a very good solo, the song has a great driving fast ending. The next track is Van Helsing, another up-tempo rock track with a minimal and very controlled Verse, and a pounding and almost aggressive chorus that releases all the tension that has built up during the Verse in a way that feels explosive. The song also has another really good solo, the one on Van Helsing just soars, and is perfect for the song. The next track is the first blues ballad on the album; The Calling. 

The Calling is a great melodic ballad with some superb slide guitar playing and an absolutely anthemic chorus. The next song is Native, and it is a very interesting song. If you plotted a graph of the songs intensity it would form a shape like a mountain or an inverted V. The song starts very minimal and it slowly builds in intensity, peaking roughly half way though, with a section that is big, loud and dramatic and includes a really great guitar solo. The song then ebbs away, dropping back to the minimal sound from the beginning. The song builds from nothing to huge proportions, and then collapses back. After Native, comes The Fever. 

The Fever is a great piece of bluesy rock with some great slide guitar, the chorus is nice and powerful, and the awesome guitar solo features slide and shredding. All Night Long is an absolute blast of rock and roll with great energy, a brilliant chorus and yet another stunning solo, this song is so much fun! After the energy packed brilliance of All Night Long Troy goes for a ballad as any kind of up-tempo song would seem bland at this point. Blind Me is a big blues ballad with lots of slide guitar, the chorus is very emotive, and the song has the feel of a piece of Late Fifties or early Sixties pop, there is also a slight country twang to the song. 

Voodoo Priestess is a stunning piece of sleazy rock and roll with loads of slide, an awesome chorus and the perfect foot tapping, head nodding, fist pumping tempo. Next comes Take Me High, a relaxed blues rock / rock and roll with an awesome chorus (have I mentioned how good the choruses are?). Invocation comes to an end with the appropriately titled song The Last Stand. A taut piece of blues rock with a measured verse and a bigger but relaxed chorus, the slide guitar solo is haunting and memorable, and makes the song a great way to end the album. 

Invocation is a great album. It’s full of a really great energy that makes the fast rockers crackle with vigour and zeal and fills the ballads with emotion. The guitar work on the album is nothing short of spectacular, but that is what Troy is known for, I was also very impressed by his vocal performance which is pretty much just as good. I loved all the choruses on the album, they get stuck in your head very quickly and stay. Most of all this album is a blast of great fun from start to finish, the only thing you’ll feel sad about is when the album ends. 9/10

Freedom – Stay Free! (Wild Kingdom) [Paul Hutchings]

Plenty of melody, harmonies, and Americana in this second album by the retrospective sounding Freedom. Formed in 2019, their live show is rumoured to be anthemic, uplifting and a joy to the soul. Described as a ‘bargain basement Springsteen’, anyone who caught the Boss on his recent tour of UK stadiums is likely to be up for some of this punchy, classic Rock n Roll. Stay Free follows on from the self-titled debut record, and it’s the first with the revamped line up which now includes Ola Göransson (Heavy Feather, Stacie Collins) and Matte Gustafsson (In Solitude, Siena Root, Heavy Feather) alongside Mange Monroe and Magnus Laver. 

Anthemic, uplifting, Freedom rightly don’t claim to reinvent the wheel, for that would be too bold a statement for an album steeped in those early influences. There are bits of Tom Petty, Eagles, and even The Gaslight Anthem in parts. A heady ten tracks that move from the up-tempo opening song Tonight through to the slow drawl of closing song Generation, with its laid-back vibe, there’s certainly an enjoyable experience lurking here if you want some guitar-based rock ‘n’ roll. The music is rich, excellently crafted, and has a polished finish that doesn’t over gloss the sound. 

There’s saxophone in Eye Of The Storm and Love Reaction which add class and depth, whilst every song provides a catchy undertone that you can’t but help nodding along with. With a fine production that enhances the harmonies and crisp vocals, and an overall tone that brings a smile to the face, this is music that the band rightly describe as music to follow you through thick and thin, far into those never-ending summer nights. Whilst summer nights in the UK may not be quite as inviting as they once were, Freedom’s approach is certainly reminiscent of good times and good memories. 7/10

Darko - Greyscale (Lockjaw Records) [GC]

Before I begin, I need to clear up some initial confusion from my end. This new EP Greyscale is by UK hardcore punk band Darko and has nothing to do with the US deathcore band Darko, which is a relief because they are shit! Anyway, Darko (UK) have been knocking about for 10 or so years and have a few EPs and an album behind them already. 

It all starts in a very subtle and subdued way on What I Cannot Be but that doesn’t last long before some raucous and rowdy hardcore punk spin kicks its way into your presence then batters you around the chops repeatedly and before you know its all over and Built On Broken Wings then throws a definite nod to early Taking Back Sunday but with more a much more punk attitude and less of the emo whining and while it does all have a very post-hardcore feel to it they never lose their edge throughout. 

Aggro falls directly into Comeback Kid territory and really packs a punch as the title of the song would suggest, the main thing I have noticed so far about the songs are the varying styles of vocals, there are 4 members listed as doing vocals and every single one has a different style so therefore the music changes to try and match the chosen vocalist at that time and while sometimes this may help, here it tends to makes things sound a bit muddled in places, especially the grunting death metal vocals? 

Aux II for the first time carries the hardcore theme directly into the next track and also starts with aforementioned out of place DM vocals when the more HC style vocals kick in it all makes much more sense and sounds more coherent, maybe it looks/sounds good live but here it just fells all over the place, when they do find a groove its all works so well and sounds positive and uplifting but then they mix the styles up to please all 4 vocalists and lose all momentum. 

Anyway I’m already onto the last track Lowest Hanging Fruit that has more of the urgent post-hardcore from earlier and when they play this it’s an absolute pleasure to listen to because its focused and laser sharp and uplifting like it should be and this song is a perfect exercise on focusing on what you do best and also annoying as I wish the rest of the EP sounded like this because if it had their score would have been so much higher. 

Having been around for as long as they have, I would have expected Darko to have a more defined style but to me here it seems like they are still trying to find a sound? When they concentrate on the post-hardcore/punk they sound brilliant and life affirming but they then try and throw all sorts of other things in that just makes everything sound like they are trying way too much for their own good! 6/10

Reviews: Kerry King, Pain, Geezer/Isaak, Zombeast (Reviews By Mark Young, Richard Oliver, Paul Scoble & James Jackson)

Kerry King - From Hell I Rise (Reigning Phoenix Music) [Mark Young]

I think we should start this off by saying that this is not Slayer. It’s not meant to be Slayer and at the end of their 2019 run, some would say that the Slayer on stage wasn’t Slayer. There is also a lot of negative arrows being shot at Mr King, based on comments he’s made (or not made), his personae, and the fact that the announcement of some Slayer shows this year surfaced around the same time he was gearing up to release his solo album. 

Considered by some to be a hack artist, constantly in the shadow of Jeff Hanneman his efforts are sometimes maligned and to be honest I think treated unfairly. Was Repentless a storming album? No, it was patchy, but it was the only Slayer you were getting. Like AC/DC you know what you are going to get the minute you press play, and they are not going all out to win new fans.

So, to recap I’m reviewing this purely on the strength of the music within. I’m not comparing it to Slayer, because it isn’t. However, I’m sure that if there is something that sounds like them, I’ll have to mention that. King himself has said that some of this material was around in one form or another around the Repentless era. Also, if you have been writing music for one band for the last 40 years then that style will undoubtedly bleed into whatever music you are writing. So, I assume that if you weren’t fond of that album, then you might not find a lot to like here.

And to avoid any doubt, those wishing to read a hatchet job might as well look elsewhere. I’m sure there will be plenty of that online.

Ok, here we go.

Diablo is the kick-off track. Its instrumental and I’m beginning to detest these because everyone is doing them. I’m not sure they offer anything apart from announcing that the show is about to begin. Where I Reign on the other hand comes screaming in, breakneck pace with Mark Osegueda in full flight. Lead breaks are right where they should be, and Paul Bostaph is playing with an energy that surprises me. It is exactly the sort of song you want to be starting things off, a statement of intent that there is still a fire there. 

If the riffs play up to his stereotype, then so be it because it flies. The lead breaks are frenzied, and I expected nothing less. Residue backs off, occupying that mid-pace chug but here the vocals carry the song as they are delivered with venom, As riffs go it’s perfectly adequate but with the vocals and drums being so prominent, they make it sound better. Idle Hands, mixes in punk with a delivery that is spat like bullets. So far so good.

Idle Hands brings more of that riff build that was used on Residue, so much so that the pair could be almost the same song. There is a nifty little pre-solo break, but again it’s the vocals that rule here. Trophies Of The Tyrant has some great lead breaks, a King™ melody line, and a solo rhythm that can be described as simple. Having reached halfway one thing is apparent. There are a lot of great moments, but they don’t translate into great songs.

Second half, Let’s go.

Crucifixation starts off at a pelt and stays there. There is some class drumming from Bostaph, not overtly flashy but embellished with enough touches that you would expect from him. An elongated melody break feels overlong, but as it descends into a manic solo it picks up once more which is always welcome because if you have nowhere to go, go berserk with a whammy bar. Tension has that slow, measure to it but again doesn’t offer anything and feels as though we are in the filler zone. 

It makes Everything I Hate About You hit so much better. Of all the songs I’ve heard so far this reminds me of about three different Slayer songs but is a quick blast through and over quickly. Toxic is a straightforward, heads down stomper and works really well because of that. It’s not trying to be anything other than a meat and potatoes track but its better than Tension by a mile. Two Fists has an almost hard rock riff build to it and is fighting with Toxic for the song I hate the most so far.

What did I say about a hatchet job?

Luckily, Rage comes in and gives the album the necessary kick in the arse. Mark’s vocals are spot on here, full of energy like he’s determined to drag the material kicking and screaming into something you want to hear again. This is what has been required, quick, nasty, and to the point. Shrapnel does enough to keep you engaged, but it needed to be faster to keep that momentum in place that had been built up by Rage. Its not a bad track by any means, but it could have been shifted earlier in the pack so that the final duo could have been a proper blitzkrieg.

Final track is From Hell I Rise and closes the album in a similar style to Rage. It had to finish with an attack like this, fairly rapid with suitably mental lead breaks. This is what this album should have been like, it’s what I expected it to be like and I wish It was like that. Its compact, quick and does what it needs to do.

In all honesty, this could have done with some ruthless attention. There are two, probably three songs that should have been cut from the final selection. Track placing also plays a part in reducing the effect that the good songs have and the final three should have been switched, so that the pace could increase and really give the album a decent close. 

I keep mentioning Mark’s vocals, but they are the MVP here. He attacks each song like his life depends on it, there is nothing half-hearted or tired in his delivery. Same for Paul Bostaph. He is playing with an energy that I didn’t think he had and puts a shift in here. Between them, they do their best to elevate the music. Riff-wise, we know there is a million memes about 000-111-000-112211-000 and there is nothing here that will change it. They do what they need to do, and with that From Hell I Rise gets a 7/10

Pain - I Am (Nuclear Blast) [Richard Oliver]

After an eight year absence, Peter Tägtgren returns to his “hobby” project Pain for the ninth album I Am. Peter has certainly kept himself busy in the last eight years recording another album with Till Lindemann of Rammstein, a new Hypocrisy album and the resultant touring and an album with Joe Lynn Turner. Pain has never left Peter’s mind though and the overwhelming reaction to the 2021 single Party In My Head gave the album writing process an explosive start.

One thing that is definitely certain is that I Am is definitely a nod to the Pain of old. Previous album Coming Home was a great listen but saw Peter exploring some different sounds and was a more experimental Pain album. I Am certainly explores some different musical avenues but this has far more in common with albums such as Rebirth, Nothing Remains The Same and Dancing With The Dead with heavy, anthemic and downright catchy tunes which perfectly mesh metal and industrial sounds such as I Just Dropped By, The New Norm and Revolution. 

There is a greater emphasis on electronic and industrial sounds this time round with the 80’s goth aesthetics of Go With The Flow being a particular highlight and the darkwave teasing's of Not For Sale. The title track introduces a darker and melancholic tone which also really shows itself on sombre album closer Fair Game. Party In My Head makes an appearance on the album after its 2021 single release and it is a clear highlight being one of the most dangerously catchy songs that Pain have released.

As with the previous Pain albums, all music is performed by Peter Tägtgren though this one is a bit more of a family affair with Peter’s son Sebastian (also the live drummer for the band) contributing some writing credits. I Am is an album that is definitely going to go down well with the Pain fanbase. For those that were not keen on the experimental nature of Coming Home this album is Pain doing what they do best and firing on all cylinders. After an eight year gap between albums, Pain sound truly invigorated and energised and it sounds like Peter has had an absolute blast writing and recording this album as the energy of it is infectious. 8/10

Geezer/Isaak – Interstellar Cosmic Blues & Riffalicious Stoner Dudes (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Paul Scoble]

Heavy Psych Sounds are a great label, particularly when they put two great bands like Geezer and Isaak together to make a split release. The two Doom bands, with different but complimentary sounds, have produced a split (as it’s got seven songs on it and comes in at thirty-six minutes I’m not sure if this is a split album or EP, I’ll just refer to it as a split) featuring four songs from Geezer and three from Isaak.

Geezer have been making music together since 2010 and in that time have made six albums, the last one being 2022’s Stoned Blues Machine. Geezer are made up of Pat Harrington on Guitar and Vocals, Richie Touseull on Bass Guitar and Steve Markota on Drums and Percussion.

Isaak have been around since 2007, from then until 2012 they went under the moniker Gandhi’s Gunn, but have only released material as Isaak, as their first album The Longer The Beard, The Harder The Sound was released in 2013. The band have released two albums since their debut, the last being Hey in 2023. Isaak are made up of Davide Foccis on Drums, Francesco Raimondi on Guitars, Giacomo H. Boeddu on Vocals and Gabriele Carta on Bass.

The Geezer material has a great bluesy stoner feel to it. Opening song Acid Veins is mid-paced Stoner Doom that switches between driving and purposeful and bigger, more expansive riffs, the song also boasts some great melodic Guitar solos. Next is Little Voices which is slower and more relaxed than the song that preceded it, again there is a tuneful solo, and a great head-nodding tempo. Mercury Rising is a great piece of Stoner Rock with a wonderful bounce to the tempo, it also has a great chorus that will get stuck in your head. Geezers side of the split comes to an end with the song Oneirophrenia, a tout and measured stoner song with a purposeful chorus and as with all the Geezer tracks, lots of melody.

The three Isaak tracks have a more aggressive, sludgy feel to them. The Whale, which features a guest performance from Fabio Cuomo from Gotho and Liquido Di Morte, is a fast and aggressive track with a Hardcore edge to it, in places it reminds me of High On Fire’s more extreme material. Despite all the aggressiveness the song also has lots of melody, particularly in the second half of the song. Next we get Crisis, featuring Fabio Palomba from Nerve and Burn The Ocean. Crisis is slower than The Whale with a relentless feel it, the song gets more aggressive and sludgier in the second half. The final Isaak song and final song on the split is Flat Earth featuring Levre from Ufomammut, a big Doomy track that is full of melody and builds in intensity as the song develops.

Interstellar Cosmic Blues & Rifferlicious Stoner Dudes is a cracking split. All the material is very good, and the two bands styles complement each other very well. If I had to choose I prefer the Geezer material as I’m more into that style of Doom, but that is just my personal taste, the quality on this split is very high throughout. Another great split from Heavy Psych Sounds! 8/10

Zombeast - Heart Of Darkness (Massacre Records) [James Jackson]

Well this one took me by surprise, proving that you really can’t judge a book by its (Necronomicon style) cover. Heart Of Darkness is Zombeast’s second full length album and with a name like that and the accompanying blood soaked artwork, I fully expected to be heading into Death Metal territory but instead found a Horror inspired Punk Rock outfit in a similar vein to The Misfits. 

Covering such Horror conventions as werewolves, in Call Of The Wild with its obligatory chant of "Die, Die, Die" soul sucking demons and serial killers; Zombeast have everything covered thematically, even including a track dedicated to necrophilia. Whilst I am finding the vocal delivery a bit hard to understand at times, that drawl a little muffled, the overall performance is pretty good, all of the “whoa’s” are in the right place and the melodies catchy. 

There are moments which are almost Thrash like, thrown into the mix of Punk Rock which amps up the sound without it becoming too frenetic and for an album that is had initial doubts upon its fast becoming something that will be played again. My experience of Horror Punk acts is limited to the more commercially available Wednesday 13, Frankenstein Drag Queens and Murderdolls, Zombeast are a band that, based on this album, I’m keen to explore a bit more. 8/10

Reviews: SVNEATR, Take Offense, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, Waste (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

SVNEATR - Never Return (Prosthetic Records)

Third album from Vancouver extreme metal band comes as the band celebrate their 10 year anniversary. Following their 2021 album Chinhook, band founder Vitharr Monteith (guitar/vocals) didn't know if the band would survive much longer. He found himself worrying about not only the future of SVNEATR but of the world in general with corporate tyranny on the rise, the global pandemic and the environmental crisis. These things are all what inspired Never Return an album that is about resignation, how to live with the world in it's current state. Monteith's approach to this record was to take everything they have learned over 10 years and create their most progressive record to date.

Swathes of atmospheres driven by strings and the impressive guitar playing of Vitharr and James Readman, lead us out of the last track Reaper Of The Universe, an elongated outro that is just an instrumental journey finishes off Never Return in a way that would make you doubt that this is an extreme metal album. Their duality with the guitars, moving between tremolo picking, death metal grinds, acoustics etc builds on the already technically gifted black metal style the band are known for but embellishing it. The addition of cello and contrabass from bassist Shawn Hillman who adds both of these to his repertoire and uses them on the record to brilliant effect, expanding the sonic output of SVNEATER.

Omen has some slow moving groove ala Gojira, even bringing some of those fret slides the French heavies love. It means that they can unleash metallic hell on the title track, Matthew Logan's drumming dictating the changing pace of And When Comes The Storm. This track is where SVNEATR have added to their sound with some chanting and clean vocals too, the chants coming at the end of Omen especially. This Canadian foursome's third album is an advancement in their overall sound; with the doubts cast over their future erased Never Return is a crowning achievement. 8/10

Take Offense -  T.O.tality (MNRK Heavy)

I've always talked about how picky I am with thrash, a lot of it just doesn't always sit well with me. However crossover thrash is a different thing. Maybe it's the punk and hardcore elements, the more rabid approach or the fact I was brought up with the Tony Hawk's soundtrack, I gravitate more towards any band who have that crossover sound. 

Releasing their debut on MNRK Heavy but their fourth record total, SoCal band Take Offense tick all the right boxes for fans of the crossover style. This is a bunch of Cali dudes playing music to skate, drink and toke to. It's anti-authority, anti-fascist and proudly shouts about Latino/Mexican heritage. Influences are of course fellow SoCal legends Suicidal Tendencies but also shredding bands such as Ratt of Van Halen where the Strip bled into the world of the Z-Boys, listen to the title track. The album is a tribute to the acts that have come before them and their scene in general. 

From the abrasive S.W.O to the shredtastic If I'm Damned Then So Be It, there's aggression in Uncivilised Animals, while Now Or Never brings the speed of Slayer, House Of Shadows has the brooding evil of Kerry, Jeff, Tom and Dave. It's 14 tracks but this ain't prog, most fly past in a heartbeat though No Man's Land is an intro to the excellent and defiant Stolen Land, T.O.tality really takes you on a breakneck listen, culminating with the snarling The Prayer, Take Offense take you to Cali with their frantic crossover stomp. 8/10

Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown - Electrified (Rattle Shake Records)

Nashville rock n rollers Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, club together stories of underdogs and rebels on their new album Electrified. Released on their own label Rattle Shake Records, this trio have had a real meteoritic rise to fame, from playing little shows in rock clubs around the world they have supported bands such as AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, ZZ Top, Jeff Beck and many more meaning that this southern blues rock trio have a lot of experience behind them both on stage and in recorded output. This is their sixth album and their fourth on their own label and it's got the swagger and the style of a band at this point of their career.

Locked into what they do as a band, that fuzz drenched guitar and soulful vocal is insistent, Caleb Crosby's locomotive shuffle drumming rattling the rhythm along as Graham Whitford doubles down on the six stringing. They're a band who are born from the blues and raised in rock n roll but they happen on many of sounds painted by Americana acts. Whether it's the moody Crossfire, the southern style of Happy Gets Made features blues legend Ruthie Foster duetting with Tyler while One And Lonely is a swampy ballad that features Larkin Poe and some slinky slide guitar. 

Bryant wields his custom Strat on grimy country rocker Snake Oil and the wild eyed Shake You Down but on Trick Up My Sleeve he reveals vulnerability in his vocal and deftness in their song writing. Well into their groove as a an act, TB&TS keep quality high but still try to test themselves on this sixth record of American roots rock. 7/10

Waste - In Bloom (Seek & Strike)

In Bloom is brutal, there's no arguing with that. This new EP from deathcore mob Waste is absolutely bloody brutal from the build of intro Be Welcome which moves into the crushing aggression of Wither it's no wonder they're said to be for fans of Suicide Silence, Osiah and Bound In Fear, though they are a lot more than just a copy of these bands. 

Aggression, breakdowns, guttural vocals with poignant lyrics about mental health and music that is infected with electronics and with Serpants Tongue and In Dolore a unnerving dissonance which reminds me of Slipknot. I'm trying really hard to find any other things to say about this but I'm not the biggest deathcore fan, especially when it's all about the sheer brutality however if your music tastes expands to burly dudes beating the crap out of you with music then In Bloom will be for you. 6/10