The third Crystal Spiders record is here and it is there best by far. This is not to say I didn’t love their first two, because I certainly did. However, the three records that Ripple Music has brought us from the North Carolina trio has seen a growth from album to album that has resulted in what I believe is what this band is truly capable of with their new release, Metanoia.
So why is Metanoia so great? First, force of nature Brenna Leath is back doing all of the amazing things she does on bass and especially with her vocals, that somehow sound better than ever. It may have something to do with the addition of the harmonies to the songs on Metanoia, and wow does that work. Second, Mike Dean is back, but instead of playing guitar, the former COC legend stays behind the board, crafting the sound that this band was meant to deliver and absolutely nailing it.
Next, Brenna has her band now, with Reid Rogers on guitar and Aaron Willis on drums. Rogers, who has played in a bunch of cool bands, brings a different vibe on guitar, leveraging his work in NWOBHM/Maiden style groups but also his love of bands like The Beach Boys to incorporate those harmonies and even more melody into the seven tracks on Metanoia. Willis is not just a drummer; he is a multi-instrumentalist who is the second part of those harmonies that you are hearing, and a talent whose ideas have been incorporated into what resulted in Metanoia.
The lineup feels full and permanent now, and you can certainly hear it in the songs. How about those songs? This is some of the best writing the band has done in their career. The riffs are killer, like the one on Torche, and right off the bat you can hear what Rogers is bringing to the table with his guitar work. The psych elements in Blue Death take that track to another level, along with the drum work by Willis. There is an evil boogie to Ignite and proves the band can write an excellent little ripper that is under four minutes. Brenna’s vocals on this one are just off the charts.
Time Travel is my favourite track, with the harmonized background vocals and COC inspired middle part and riff, this one is a brooding and soulful masterpiece. Rogers shows off a bit on this one too. Brenna’s powers are on full display on the doomy Maslow, and boy is it excellent when the tempo picks up. This one must be killer to hear live. I love the filthiness of 21, which has a proto metal thing going on in all the best ways. The eight minute plus closer O.S. shows how the band can write a longer song that feels like it is half as long as it really is while also showing how the band can write a perfect traditional doom song in the Crystal Spiders way.
Metanoia is the sound of a band figuring it all out. This line up, these songs, the sound and production, this is what Crystal Spiders is all about. This will be for sure near the top of many end of year lists, including mine. 9/10
Witchcraft – IDAG (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Matt Bladen]
IDAG, the seventh album from Swedish band Witchcraft, will be for many will be an album of many things. It’s a celebration of their early 70’s inspired beginnings, a homage to their evolution towards a heavier doom sound and it’s also a call for band founder Magnus Pelander to rediscover his folk beginnings. Inspired by the folksy proto-doom of Coven, there’s nods to The Doors on Irreligious Flamboyant Flame while on Gläntan (Längtan) and Christmas they slip into the solo folk troubadour mode. With two decades behind them, IDAG, then is consolidation of what Witchcraft can be, the first half of the album in their native Swedish (it worked for Opeth), this is where the grunting psychedelic heavy rocking comes, Drömmar Av Is chugging along quite nicely as Drömmen Om Död Och Förruttnelse gets a Sabbath groove going.
Metanoia is the sound of a band figuring it all out. This line up, these songs, the sound and production, this is what Crystal Spiders is all about. This will be for sure near the top of many end of year lists, including mine. 9/10
Witchcraft – IDAG (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Matt Bladen]
IDAG, the seventh album from Swedish band Witchcraft, will be for many will be an album of many things. It’s a celebration of their early 70’s inspired beginnings, a homage to their evolution towards a heavier doom sound and it’s also a call for band founder Magnus Pelander to rediscover his folk beginnings. Inspired by the folksy proto-doom of Coven, there’s nods to The Doors on Irreligious Flamboyant Flame while on Gläntan (Längtan) and Christmas they slip into the solo folk troubadour mode. With two decades behind them, IDAG, then is consolidation of what Witchcraft can be, the first half of the album in their native Swedish (it worked for Opeth), this is where the grunting psychedelic heavy rocking comes, Drömmar Av Is chugging along quite nicely as Drömmen Om Död Och Förruttnelse gets a Sabbath groove going.
Magnus’ vocals are sonorous and stylish whether in English or Swedish, his guitar taking lead for the proto-metal riffage and on the Scandi folk of Om Du Vil (both parts), the rhythm section locked down by bassist Philip Pilossian and drummer Par Hjulstrom, shifting between the two very different styles on this album. I get that IDAG is Witchcraft merging all their previous versions together but it doesn’t really work as well as I’d hoped, going from a distorted doom tracks into a folky middle and then a bit of jazz and coming back to abrasive almost sludge on Spirit, it’s experimental but not cohesive. I can see what Witchcraft are trying to do but it’s not quite there. 6/10
Rokets – Bad Choices (Svart Records) [Matt Bladen]
Bad Choices may have led to this new record from ‘action rockers’ Rokets but it’s led to an adrenaline-filled slice of high speed rock n roll that doesn’t take it’s foot of the gas pedal for anyone. Having decimated the Nordic/Baltic states with their incendiary live show since 2017, their albums are always like trying to bottle lighting, how do you make sure that any album is a fair representation of the band’s performance, arguably where much of their audience will know them?
Rokets – Bad Choices (Svart Records) [Matt Bladen]
Bad Choices may have led to this new record from ‘action rockers’ Rokets but it’s led to an adrenaline-filled slice of high speed rock n roll that doesn’t take it’s foot of the gas pedal for anyone. Having decimated the Nordic/Baltic states with their incendiary live show since 2017, their albums are always like trying to bottle lighting, how do you make sure that any album is a fair representation of the band’s performance, arguably where much of their audience will know them?
Well in the case of Bad Choices you make sure every song hits with the force of a heavyweight boxer, cranking out fuzzy rock riffs, NWOBHM gallops and choruses hooky enough to catch all the fish in the Baltic Seas. They draw significant influence from bands such as The Hellacopters, these Finns playing a style of retro rock n roll that is rife throughout Sweden.
This is their third album so they are now an experienced acts both on stage and in the studio, though they have gone through a few line-up changes, this current incarnation though draw from a lot of varied underground acts, this experience shows on an album that never lingers, each song grabs you by the collar and has you nodding along immediately and throughout this half hour of power.
The title track is choppy and fires up the engines good and proper, the rollicking Overload brings the chug through a bit of country picking and while Louisa is AC/DC on Nitro, White Raven takes a bit of gothy post-punk. No Bad Choices on this record just stomping action rock Raven would be proud of! 8/10
Gods & Punks - Holograms EP (Self Released) [Rich Piva]
Gods & Punks last record, Death, from last year, did not really connect with me, but I certainly did try. Let’s see if the three tracks on their new EP, Holograms, grabs me like some of their older material. The Brazilian band states that the songs on here are some of their heaviest and most progressive material up to this point, but does it all work?
All three tracks are over six minutes, with one just over nine, so check box for that part of the progressive side. The production is a bit muddled on all the tracks, and I struggle some with the vocals. There are some great riffs on the three songs, especially on the opener, Hologram, and there is this sort of Sabbath, Alice Cooper thing going on with their version of heavy, which is cool. The doomy middle part of the track drags a bit, and the vocals get tough to deal with, but I do love the addition of the organ to the track.
Gods & Punks - Holograms EP (Self Released) [Rich Piva]
Gods & Punks last record, Death, from last year, did not really connect with me, but I certainly did try. Let’s see if the three tracks on their new EP, Holograms, grabs me like some of their older material. The Brazilian band states that the songs on here are some of their heaviest and most progressive material up to this point, but does it all work?
All three tracks are over six minutes, with one just over nine, so check box for that part of the progressive side. The production is a bit muddled on all the tracks, and I struggle some with the vocals. There are some great riffs on the three songs, especially on the opener, Hologram, and there is this sort of Sabbath, Alice Cooper thing going on with their version of heavy, which is cool. The doomy middle part of the track drags a bit, and the vocals get tough to deal with, but I do love the addition of the organ to the track.
The second song, A Million Tinfoil Hats tries layered vocals with varying degrees of success but ultimately the track does not grab me, outside of some cool guitar work. Destiny Doom closes out the EP and starts with acoustic guitar work almost flamenco adjacent until the riff kicks in a mid-tempo doomier side of the band kicks in. I am still struggling with the vocals and unfortunately you can tell this is a project that was done by sending parts back and forth, given the band is split across the world.
Gods & Punks is a band I just have not really been able to connect with, and the Holograms EP does nothing to change this for me. 5/10
Gods & Punks is a band I just have not really been able to connect with, and the Holograms EP does nothing to change this for me. 5/10
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