The Hellacopters - Overdriver (Nuclear Blast Records) [Rich Piva]
The Hellacopters have been doing their garage rock thing since the mid-1990s, combining their love of bands like Kiss with early punk like The Damned, The Sex Pistols, and The Ramones, with some Motorhead and Blue Cheer sprinkled in to create a sound that, along with The Hives, created the so-called Swedish Garage Rock Revival.
Starting out as a side project for some of the members, the band has developed a huge following and have been considered one of the best bands playing this style over the past few decades. The band went on hiatus until 2022 when they released Eyes Of The Oblivion to mixed reviews, mostly due to a change in their sound. Their new record, Overdriver, is more of the same, and if you liked that one you should have no issues with this one.
What I mean by a change in sound could also be described as a maturity. The earlier albums were definitely more dangerous and raw sounding. The newer material is more Cheap Trick, less the Stooges. I personally have time for both.
What I mean by a change in sound could also be described as a maturity. The earlier albums were definitely more dangerous and raw sounding. The newer material is more Cheap Trick, less the Stooges. I personally have time for both.
The production is clean, there are key sprinkled throughout the record nicely, and the songs are all catchy as hell, like the opener, Token Apology. Fellow catchy band The Smithereens come to mind with a track like (I Don’t Wanna Be) Just A Memory, with some of that Cheap Trick included too.
Wrong Face On may be my favourite track, as it has an upbeat garage tempo with some organ thrown in, bringing at least some of that rawer sound you may want from the band. There a few tracks that I just don’t connect with, like the meh Soldier On and the almost hair band sounding Doomsday Dreams, which sounds like what Hanoi Rocks may sound like today if they were able to keep going.
The eleven tracks flow nicely and never overstay their welcome, but there is not enough grit on this record to grab me and the production is way to slick for anything that should have a “garage” tag.
Nothing really made Overdirver stand out for me. The Hellacopters are still around and that is cool, and I can’t fault a band for their sound maturing, but I just am having trouble connecting with the material and differentiating it from a ton of other bands playing straight ahead, catchy rock today. 6/10
Hexjakt – Hexjakt (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Four tracks of fuzzy, sludgy doom from Sweden as Hexjakt deliver their self-titled album. Comprised of Hampus Henningsson (guitar/vocals), Toni Åkerman (bass/vocals) and Dan Nordin (drums), I guess the comparison you could make would be to a band such as Conan.
Nothing really made Overdirver stand out for me. The Hellacopters are still around and that is cool, and I can’t fault a band for their sound maturing, but I just am having trouble connecting with the material and differentiating it from a ton of other bands playing straight ahead, catchy rock today. 6/10
Hexjakt – Hexjakt (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Four tracks of fuzzy, sludgy doom from Sweden as Hexjakt deliver their self-titled album. Comprised of Hampus Henningsson (guitar/vocals), Toni Åkerman (bass/vocals) and Dan Nordin (drums), I guess the comparison you could make would be to a band such as Conan.
A trio making the noise of ten. With only one song under 7 minutes, Hexjakt don’t get to their destinantionn quickly but on their way they steamroller through anything that was there. With that kind of name you can expect some summoning of the occult ala Electric Wizard, raw, shouted vocals calling for the “rites of flame” on Rites Of Fire, the repeating riff getting your head nodding.
It’s a rugged sonic topography, traversing huge chasms of heaviness and climbing to the highest peaks to fall back down again. There’s a dark existentialism to their lyrics, giving them the atmosphere on Thunderous Skies as Neurosis, hypnotic rhythms and mind-warping riffs. Hexjakt play abrasive doom metal, though they can pay homage as Valley Of The Dead is classic Sabbath/Candlemass worship. Doom fans rejoice as Hexjakt bring the riffs. 7/10
Volt Ritual - Swamp Lake City (Self Released) [Dan Sierras]
Volt Ritual, a heavy rock/doom metal trio out of Poland, pack a punch on their two track EP Swamp Lake City. Filled with heavy riffs, this banger is sure to please fans of the genre.
The first track The Giant Awakes opens up with a heavy/space rock vibe. Coming in at just under seven minutes, they change the tempo a few times, but never lose the groove. Then with about a minute and a half, they just rip into it! This is a great song.
Miasto Wśród Bagien is the second track that doesn’t lack in the heavy department as well, even though I can understand a word their singing. It starts off with a great riff and about three minutes in, they change pace and the low end kicks in with a sick bass riff, leading into a nice guitar solo. Then they pick right back up with some great drum fills to close out this monster of a track.
My only disappointment with this EP is that it’s too short. Volt Ritual will leave you wanting more. It’s a great taste of what this trio has to offer. 8/10
Volt Ritual - Swamp Lake City (Self Released) [Dan Sierras]
Volt Ritual, a heavy rock/doom metal trio out of Poland, pack a punch on their two track EP Swamp Lake City. Filled with heavy riffs, this banger is sure to please fans of the genre.
The first track The Giant Awakes opens up with a heavy/space rock vibe. Coming in at just under seven minutes, they change the tempo a few times, but never lose the groove. Then with about a minute and a half, they just rip into it! This is a great song.
Miasto Wśród Bagien is the second track that doesn’t lack in the heavy department as well, even though I can understand a word their singing. It starts off with a great riff and about three minutes in, they change pace and the low end kicks in with a sick bass riff, leading into a nice guitar solo. Then they pick right back up with some great drum fills to close out this monster of a track.
My only disappointment with this EP is that it’s too short. Volt Ritual will leave you wanting more. It’s a great taste of what this trio has to offer. 8/10
Rats Of Gomorrah – Infectious Vermin (Testimony Records) [Chris Tsintziras]
Guitarist and vocalist Daniel Stelling and drummer Moritz Paulsen release another album under the band name Rats of Gomorrah, it's called Infectious Vermin and you can guess how it sounds.
Listening to this ferocious death metal album, I realized that the band play death that is very similar to many bands but in their own way so it sounds fresh. With a title called Infectious Vermin, the album underlines themes such as the degradation of society, oppression and betrayal, makes this album a strong music statement towards social plague.
The songs are characterized by deadly razor riffs, intense death vocals that are often deep growls. Infectious Vermin is a heavy experience but Tower, Ropes And Knives stands out as the best one for me. For metalheads who dive into death metal music with a lot of brutality, Infectious Vermin will get you on board enjoying the death trip. 7/10
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