Reviews: Sacred Leather, Olymp, Wormhog, ΔYNAMIS (Matt Bladen)

Sacred Leather - Keep The Fire Burning (King Volume Records/Wise Blood Records)

Rock n roll never dies, it just gets older, and as it gets older more bands start to emulate it. In no genre is this more true than in the so called NWOTHM, a load of bands from the 2010's who idolised that NWOBHM explosion of the 80's. In the midst of American metalcore, the end of Nu-Metal, the beginnings of Djent and the louder more aggressive style of death metal.

These bands wanted to chuck on some hi-tops grab a pointy guitar and shred some speed metal that gallops along at a wicked pace. Many came from Europe but more came from North America an entire continent's worth of bands who worshipped Judas Priest, Accet and others who dressed themselves in leather and unleash a twin guitar assault.

Sacred Leather were formed in 2014 and they very much fit the NWOTHM mould, classic speed metal that comes at you like a tornado from the American Midwest. Keep The Fire Burning is their second record and the title is their raison d'etre, they keep the passion of those 80's bands but bring modern production techniques.

Fans of the NWOTHM will be indulging in these neon drenched metal tracks, however Sacred Leather have the muscle and the might to win over doubters. 8/10

Olymp - Rising (Metalizer Records)

When I say that Rising is 40 minutes of German heavy metal do I need to say much more? You know what you're getting and what to expect but there's not criticism from me as sometimes all you need is a bit of leather clad 80's style heavy metal to bang your head to.

Formed in 2018 but not releasing their debut until 2023, Olymp (taking their name from the mythical home of the Gods), rather rapidly follow up with their sophomore record Rising, and they've made sure to keep the flag flying for classic heavy metal alongside bands such as Iron Maiden and the NWOBHM but also taking in influences from Rage and Accept.

Having toured in support of their debut, this second album sees them a much sharper act honed on stage but with an album full of songs about Greek Mythology (there is quite a lot of it!), dressed up in a twin axe attack, pounding drums and some grit in the vocals, like Dickinson when he goes into the rougher style.

Rising does what you want it to, with the German and British metal scenes both well represented. 7/10

Wormhog - Transience (Self Released)

Formed in 2014, Wormhog's debut record Yellow Sea arrived in 2020, mid-pandemic but packed with desert rock influences and astral wanderings to take you away from the everyday and into space.

Another strong addition the Greek stoner scene, their debut was highly regarded in these pages and now five years later Wormhog return with their follow up Transience a record that shifts the focus a little as they embrace prog and psych more than before.

If their debut was about groove and the insistent throb of desert rocking, Transience is about experimentation, evoking bands such as Mastodon and Baroness on the opening title track, there is definitely a change in what Wormhog do as a band, the safety blanket of straightforward desert rock perhaps down to naivety, the band are more refined, more mature and now have taken a different route.

Transience is not only a more progressive record, those inspirations of Pink Floyd and Hawkwind are the driving force behind instrumental Aurora, but Wormhog are now heavier with grunge and metal influences coming in. They don't move fully away from their desert rock beginnings though as In Orbit takes from the quirky structures of QOTSA.

A more progressive, electric Wormhog emerge after five years, with Transience they show that while we may only be here for a short time, we can create things like music to help us feel alive. 8/10

ΔYNAMIS - Byzantine Metal (Symmetric Records)

I've been to Greece a lot, so I've seen the beauty of Greek Orthodox Churches up close, in fact my wife comes from a part of Greece that has over 50 still intact Byzantine Churches, littered throughout the principality. They are full of Byzantine art and deeply rooted into the Orthodox tradition, the sung liturgies are at the heart of any service, usually in harmony between three priests, it's a very unique experience to witness, especially for a Godless heathen like me.

Now if you've heard any of the bits of the countless Batushka's that isn't black metal, you will be familiar with the sounds of the Orthodox church however that is Eastern Orthodox, the Greek church and more so the Byzantine traditions in the North have their own customs that differ them from not only the Eastern side but often the rest of Greece. So while putting them against metal is not a new concept, it's still a slightly mad one as you could easily occur wrath from the church and from the metal community.

Luckily ΔYNAMIS, is the latest project from Bob Katsionis and he has the sort of creative brain to pull a mad idea like this off. Recorded, produced at his studio in Athens, Katsionis plays all the guitars and bass along with drums and keys while the vocals, keys and conducting come from Christopher Laskos, who has the perfect, sonorous vocal for these chants, all of the lyrics coming from Orthodox Hymnography/Hymnology, moving between Greek and English, his lead vocals backed by a full choir of chanters.

Laskos and Katsionis wrote the music between them and have delivered a symphonic styled metal record built on the liturgical traditions of the Orthodox church. With some additional leads from long time Katsionis collaborator Billy Vass and Kyriakos GP adding the guest solo to Cherubic Hymn, Byzantine Metal by ΔYNAMIS is perhaps a strange concept to anyone outside of Greece however it's an album that perfectly blends epic power metal with the sung traditions of the Orthodox faith. 8/10