The second part of Lords Of The Lost's genre bending trilogy arrives and is just as star studded as the first which I reviewed earlier this year. On this second editing there's some bonus performance's from Infected Rain, Anna Brunner of League Of Distortion, Avant Garde musician IAMX and by flexing their Eurovision credentials they have secured industrial/rap maniac KÄÄRIJÄ.
They all put their stamp on this eleven track record, in their own ways, especially KÄÄRIJÄ who brings Finnish rap to these Germans heavy metal, on Raveyard which may be the best title for a song this year. If Opvs Vol. 2 proves anything it's that Lord Of The Lost never seem to run out of material, as they have already released 22 song this year alone, and we're only on part two of three.
Produced by frontman Chris Harms, Volume 2 returns the band to their darker roots with an atmospheric collection of industrial, goth metal which dwell in the dark and often have more introspection than the grandiose numbers on the first chapter. Don't expect them to stick to style though as Lords Of The Lost have proven they are a band that defy what is expected whenever they can.
Lords Of The Lost are compiling almost an entirely new set from this trilogy of records, one that spans several styles but always goes back to thumping anthemic songwriting and heartfelt balladry. 8/10
EBB – The Mirror (Boudicca Records)
Formed as Erin Bennett Band back in the mists of time, they now go by EBB and the pop-rock beginnings have now transmogrified into a sprawling art/prog rock band. With a debut album Mad & Killing Time in 2022 and The Management Of Consequences EP in 2024 under their belt already.
EBB are a merry band of proggers, drawn from across the world and the wider universe, they are based in Scotland and have been performing to high acclaim across the UK garnering rave reviews for their incentive, explorative live shows and albums wherever they go.
The Mirror is their sophomore record and it is an hour long progressive rock record that sees EBB going deeper into their progressive rock influences but also their art rock proclivities too. With Erin Bennett up front they have a singer who can move between the realms of the ethereal (Evenfall) and the earthly (That's How It Goes).
Slinging a blues driven guitar which has the deftness and feel of a Steve Rothery or Dave Gilmour, with the epic Take To The Stars, coming from the Floyd songbook. Bennett flashes of firebrand with tracks such Day 19 which is one of the few songs I've ever heard about having a period and brings all of the conflicting emotions that entails, with a bottom end courtesy of YYZ.
On Reason the fluid rhythms are guided by the bold basslines of Bad Dog. His rapport with drummer Anna Fraser is immaculate on this record. Fraser's drums probes and peruses, Mad Dog's bass slithers and snakes, both keeping the beat eclectic and propulsive with No One's Child.
Where this record builds on previous releases is with how keys and synths are used. The title track, all eleven minutes of it is the best example of how EBB use keys and synths, an acoustically layered, slow burning track which has swirling analogue synths from Suna Dasi while Nikki Francis keys interplay between the jazz and rock movements.
It's the most progressive track on the record with plenty of throwbacks to the glory days of the prog rock genre. Francis also adds flute and sax to the record, again EBB invoke the pastoral tones Jethro Tull on Cuckoo where Kitty Biscuits, recites her poetry and embodies the creative flow of the band on the record just as she does on stage.
The Mirror is a reflection of it's creators, expertly crafted by musical artisans, it's a masterpiece of arty prog rock that deserves close inspection. 9/10
Verminthrone - Feast Of The Serpent (Self Released)
Ever wanted to get into NOLA sludge scene but worried about Confederate flags and white power salutes? You need Buckinghamshire five piece Verminthrone, following their 2024 debut album The Cull, which Mark Young gave a great score. The kudos of that record led them to Desertfest this year but they have emerged once again and are ready to shake the foundations of your house with new EP Feast Of The Serpent.
Simultaneously heavier, nastier and dirtier but somehow more refined than their last few releases, Feat Of The Serpent is the sound of a band digging deep into their influences such as Down, Crowbar and Eyehategod but using their experience to craft something that is their own. They add a massive whack of groove metal ala Lamb Of God on Pallor, Swab and closer Event Horizon which has plenty of Pantera to it. A lot of their sludge influences are morphed into more ferocious sounds here, though When It Rains It Pours keeps that hardcore edge to it and Bloodletting balances sludge with thrash.
Feast Of The Serpent creates more musical spaces for Verminthrone to work within, they're still sludge but there's more to them, I'm looking forward to what they will bring on their next album. 8/10
Chaos Over Cosmos - The Hypercosmic Paradox (Self Released)
We've been fortunate to track the evolution of Chaos Over Cosmos in this publication, both myself and Simon Black have reviewed previous albums featuring previous formations, each one shifting the soundscapes as creative mastermind Rafał Bowman gets to flex his musical muscle through as many genres as he dares.
Bowman handles all the music and programming, based in Poland while Taha Mohsin performs the vocals and writes lyrics is from Pakistan. Chaos Over Cosmos has always used the awesome power of the internet to perform music, it's a studio based project but that's a strength as it means they can be as progressive as they want to be and progressive they are.
Technical proficiency is off the scale here, the shredding is intricate, blistering and moves at light speed, taking from the extreme end of power/neo-classical metal and the tech death scene (When The Void Laughs), it's the guitars that steal the show here but the synths to play an integral part in the music as they take things in very futuristic direction, inspired by videogame music, synthwave and EDM (The Fractal Mechanism).
Vocally Taha uses gutturals more than anything else, gargling marbles on tracks like Event Horizon Rebirth, which are often contrast with the music beneath them. On The Hypercosmic Paradox, Chaos Over Cosmos continue to push the envelope with greater progression, more extreme time signature changes and experimentation. 7/10
Formed as Erin Bennett Band back in the mists of time, they now go by EBB and the pop-rock beginnings have now transmogrified into a sprawling art/prog rock band. With a debut album Mad & Killing Time in 2022 and The Management Of Consequences EP in 2024 under their belt already.
EBB are a merry band of proggers, drawn from across the world and the wider universe, they are based in Scotland and have been performing to high acclaim across the UK garnering rave reviews for their incentive, explorative live shows and albums wherever they go.
The Mirror is their sophomore record and it is an hour long progressive rock record that sees EBB going deeper into their progressive rock influences but also their art rock proclivities too. With Erin Bennett up front they have a singer who can move between the realms of the ethereal (Evenfall) and the earthly (That's How It Goes).
Slinging a blues driven guitar which has the deftness and feel of a Steve Rothery or Dave Gilmour, with the epic Take To The Stars, coming from the Floyd songbook. Bennett flashes of firebrand with tracks such Day 19 which is one of the few songs I've ever heard about having a period and brings all of the conflicting emotions that entails, with a bottom end courtesy of YYZ.
On Reason the fluid rhythms are guided by the bold basslines of Bad Dog. His rapport with drummer Anna Fraser is immaculate on this record. Fraser's drums probes and peruses, Mad Dog's bass slithers and snakes, both keeping the beat eclectic and propulsive with No One's Child.
Where this record builds on previous releases is with how keys and synths are used. The title track, all eleven minutes of it is the best example of how EBB use keys and synths, an acoustically layered, slow burning track which has swirling analogue synths from Suna Dasi while Nikki Francis keys interplay between the jazz and rock movements.
It's the most progressive track on the record with plenty of throwbacks to the glory days of the prog rock genre. Francis also adds flute and sax to the record, again EBB invoke the pastoral tones Jethro Tull on Cuckoo where Kitty Biscuits, recites her poetry and embodies the creative flow of the band on the record just as she does on stage.
The Mirror is a reflection of it's creators, expertly crafted by musical artisans, it's a masterpiece of arty prog rock that deserves close inspection. 9/10
Verminthrone - Feast Of The Serpent (Self Released)
Ever wanted to get into NOLA sludge scene but worried about Confederate flags and white power salutes? You need Buckinghamshire five piece Verminthrone, following their 2024 debut album The Cull, which Mark Young gave a great score. The kudos of that record led them to Desertfest this year but they have emerged once again and are ready to shake the foundations of your house with new EP Feast Of The Serpent.
Simultaneously heavier, nastier and dirtier but somehow more refined than their last few releases, Feat Of The Serpent is the sound of a band digging deep into their influences such as Down, Crowbar and Eyehategod but using their experience to craft something that is their own. They add a massive whack of groove metal ala Lamb Of God on Pallor, Swab and closer Event Horizon which has plenty of Pantera to it. A lot of their sludge influences are morphed into more ferocious sounds here, though When It Rains It Pours keeps that hardcore edge to it and Bloodletting balances sludge with thrash.
Feast Of The Serpent creates more musical spaces for Verminthrone to work within, they're still sludge but there's more to them, I'm looking forward to what they will bring on their next album. 8/10
Chaos Over Cosmos - The Hypercosmic Paradox (Self Released)
We've been fortunate to track the evolution of Chaos Over Cosmos in this publication, both myself and Simon Black have reviewed previous albums featuring previous formations, each one shifting the soundscapes as creative mastermind Rafał Bowman gets to flex his musical muscle through as many genres as he dares.
Bowman handles all the music and programming, based in Poland while Taha Mohsin performs the vocals and writes lyrics is from Pakistan. Chaos Over Cosmos has always used the awesome power of the internet to perform music, it's a studio based project but that's a strength as it means they can be as progressive as they want to be and progressive they are.
Technical proficiency is off the scale here, the shredding is intricate, blistering and moves at light speed, taking from the extreme end of power/neo-classical metal and the tech death scene (When The Void Laughs), it's the guitars that steal the show here but the synths to play an integral part in the music as they take things in very futuristic direction, inspired by videogame music, synthwave and EDM (The Fractal Mechanism).
Vocally Taha uses gutturals more than anything else, gargling marbles on tracks like Event Horizon Rebirth, which are often contrast with the music beneath them. On The Hypercosmic Paradox, Chaos Over Cosmos continue to push the envelope with greater progression, more extreme time signature changes and experimentation. 7/10
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