It's no secret that Alter Bridge have a pretty rabid following here in the UK, they are playing a UK Arena tour in February of this year, but the fandom becomes even more devout in South Wales, as witnessed by the fact the band will be bringing the inaugural Blackbird Festival to Cardiff Castle this summer, with Bush, Skindred, Florence Black and Cardinal Black joining for a whole day of music in the Welsh capital.
All of this activity stems from them releasing their eighth studio album, Alter Bridge, now oftentimes a self titled record usually indicates a change of direction or a reset within the band, but here there's no major restructuring involved, as they use all 20+ years as a band to keep the arena size anthems coming.
Once again recorded with long time conspirator Michael "Elvis" Baskette, Alter Bridge is the sound of a band in firm control of who they want to be, picking and choosing influences from their other projects to shape into the AB sound. One of the major additions to the modern day AB sound is Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti sharing vocals on more tracks than they have before.
Mark has shown on his solo stuff he has great set of pipes so I'm pleased he's adding harmony vocals and more co-leads on AB stuff too as it means that they're reflecting their live show a lot more. So that's what's happening vocally as Kennedy continues to be one of the best vocalists on the game.
Musically of course AB are able to chameleon themselves into various guises while never letting go of the FM radio rock they've always been the torchbearers for on tracks like What Lies Within, the emotional acoustic balladry of Hang By A Thread or the punchy Playing Aces.
Silent Divide begins the record in dramatic fashion, as Rue The Day steps up the heaviness as Myles and bassist Brian Marshall crank out some monolithic riffs, Mark adding his flash for the melodic choruses. Things stay heavy with the classic Alter Bridge of Power Down, Scott Phillips' drumming setting the pace here and on the grunting Tested And Able.
Elsewhere they play against type though with the proggy Scales Are Falling, as the groove metal swagger of the dramatic Trust In Me also brings some gothic moments while Disregard begins with a Nu Metal discordance.
With their eighth album Alter Bridge don't reinvent the wheel but there seems to be a strong confidence about what they can do as a band, from introspective ballads, to metallic gallops and plenty of arena ready rocking, get ready to hear these in a venue or a castle near you soon! 9/10
Iotunn - Waves Over Copenhell (Metal Blade Records) [Matt Bladen]
The always impressive Iotunn took to the stage at metal festival Copenhell 2023 in their native Denmark, with a specially designed laser show (which you can see on the cover) and five of their best compositions ready to showcase just how special they are as a band. Both studio records from Iotunn have been ranked very highly in these pages so I for one was gutted I missed this show.
However anyone who did can rejoice as the band have now released this special set mastered by the extremely talented Jacob Hansen do give it the full depth of sound it deserves, but keeping the rawer feeling it needs as a live record.
You can hear the crowd showing their appreciation and while the band impress with their expansive, elongated progressive metal brilliance of the 11 minute opener Waves Below, through the epic metal sound of The Tower Of Cosmic Nihility, you can hear every emotion they pour into their music.
There is a visual version I believe where you'll be able to watch the set with that brilliant light show. Without the visuals it does lose something, however the music side alone should get you excited as Iotunn prove that they are a force to be reckoned with in the prog metal world, and ultimately makes me want to see them live. 8/10
Hekseblad - The Fall Of Cintra (Hypnotic Dirge Records) [Mark Young]
The Fall Of Cintra was originally released in 2021, a few scant months after the band originally got together and, in their words, would then go on to form the foundation of Kaer Morhen, their 2024 full-length album. Hekseblad are Bruxa (vocals) and Frosk (Instrumentals) and it is a throwback to when black metal was cold, razor sharp and brutally efficient.
With their eighth album Alter Bridge don't reinvent the wheel but there seems to be a strong confidence about what they can do as a band, from introspective ballads, to metallic gallops and plenty of arena ready rocking, get ready to hear these in a venue or a castle near you soon! 9/10
Iotunn - Waves Over Copenhell (Metal Blade Records) [Matt Bladen]
The always impressive Iotunn took to the stage at metal festival Copenhell 2023 in their native Denmark, with a specially designed laser show (which you can see on the cover) and five of their best compositions ready to showcase just how special they are as a band. Both studio records from Iotunn have been ranked very highly in these pages so I for one was gutted I missed this show.
However anyone who did can rejoice as the band have now released this special set mastered by the extremely talented Jacob Hansen do give it the full depth of sound it deserves, but keeping the rawer feeling it needs as a live record.
You can hear the crowd showing their appreciation and while the band impress with their expansive, elongated progressive metal brilliance of the 11 minute opener Waves Below, through the epic metal sound of The Tower Of Cosmic Nihility, you can hear every emotion they pour into their music.
There is a visual version I believe where you'll be able to watch the set with that brilliant light show. Without the visuals it does lose something, however the music side alone should get you excited as Iotunn prove that they are a force to be reckoned with in the prog metal world, and ultimately makes me want to see them live. 8/10
Hekseblad - The Fall Of Cintra (Hypnotic Dirge Records) [Mark Young]
The Fall Of Cintra was originally released in 2021, a few scant months after the band originally got together and, in their words, would then go on to form the foundation of Kaer Morhen, their 2024 full-length album. Hekseblad are Bruxa (vocals) and Frosk (Instrumentals) and it is a throwback to when black metal was cold, razor sharp and brutally efficient.
In that respect, your level of enjoyment will be largely dependent upon on how you take your black metal, or if you like black metal at all. They are re-releasing this as a limited vinyl, the original having been sold out for a number of years now and is worth you tracking this down.
This is black metal that seeks to go back to its frozen core, the starting point being An Ill-Fated Meeting which sets out that glacial approach. Bruxa’s vocals are exactly what you expected from this, harsh and uncompromising in its delivery, backed by relatively simple riffing that does what it needs to do in pushing the track along.
This is black metal that seeks to go back to its frozen core, the starting point being An Ill-Fated Meeting which sets out that glacial approach. Bruxa’s vocals are exactly what you expected from this, harsh and uncompromising in its delivery, backed by relatively simple riffing that does what it needs to do in pushing the track along.
The closing rain segues into The Night Of The Long Fangs, and that kicks in, its arrangement provided in an inverse of the opening salvo. It is effectively a repeat trip, a fast bit here, a slow-down there but putting that sense of familiarity to one side its done well.
Obsidian Star has a glorious opening, a haunting prelude that explodes into what I would describe as classic black metal – those chiming riffs that merge heaviness and clarity, blasting drums and then dialling back to allow a melodic pattern to unfurl. This is a cracker, one that stands above the two that preceded it and means that the final song will need to do some heavy lifting in order to replace it as the high point of the collected songs here.
The Fall Of Cintra is their sign off, and their most severe statement. It embodies a ‘throw everything at the listener’ and as a result of that means that they saved the best for last. Its chaotic, relentless and whilst it employs the tricks shown elsewhere, the inclusion of what I would almost call a ‘jaunty’ piano line as a breakpoint, it is reminiscent of the soundtracks to the gut-munchers of Italian cinema.
The way they take that piano line as the guitar melody is quality. I appreciate that this motif might be a little old hat for some, for me its brilliant and a great way to sign this off.
It is a great introduction, one that shows that they had a promising view of how black metal should sound. Yes, the first two songs are similar in build and execution but are still worthwhile steps you need to take prior to the undoubted high watermarks of Obsidian Star and The Fall Of Cintra. Sonically, it fits the bill too and if vinyl is your thing, then it should be one of your purchases for this new year. 7/10
Push! - Plowing Ahead (Frozen Records) [Mark Young]
To round off my first week, we have hardcore crossover act Push! and their debut full length Plowing Ahead, which promises to bring us the best of its respective genres. It’s a promise that is generally offered with most of the crossover releases that come across my desk.
I’ll be honest from the start, I’m not the biggest fan of hardcore. For me, the posturing and leaden riffs gets tired very quickly so when bands talk about how they have looked to the likes of Old school acts such as Slayer for injection of pace and ultimately how it makes them different from others, I approach it with caution.
Sauron, it’s their introduction piece that attempts to establish the ‘heavy’ credentials or approach that the following 10 songs will dig into.
Beyond Exhaustion comes in, and straight away jumps feet first into that tried and tested down picked, chunky riffing with shouty vocals to underscore their hard edge. It is exactly how you thought it would be, no more and no less. In their favour is that they drop it very quickly before it has chance to outstay its welcome and we are into Dig Deep, which keeps that straight-forward approach in place.
Sauron, it’s their introduction piece that attempts to establish the ‘heavy’ credentials or approach that the following 10 songs will dig into.
Beyond Exhaustion comes in, and straight away jumps feet first into that tried and tested down picked, chunky riffing with shouty vocals to underscore their hard edge. It is exactly how you thought it would be, no more and no less. In their favour is that they drop it very quickly before it has chance to outstay its welcome and we are into Dig Deep, which keeps that straight-forward approach in place.
There is a burst of speed in there, but it steadfastly remains at that standard chunk pace. What this does is basically paint the remainder of the album in the same light so from a reviewing perspective I’m not enthused for doing a deep dive.
Porcelain doesn’t change my view, even when they let the brakes off and bring in some of those non-hardcore influences. They are too quick to fall back to that default position so that the change in approach doesn’t have time to make a mark with you. So far, it feels that they have found a comfortable position and are happy to stay there. I’m hoping that there are some surprises coming my way with the rest of the album.
Right Through starts off on a furious note, but its not for long. Replacing that speed with what is an extended break-down is annoying. Do more with the material, don’t just do what Is expected from you. By this point, I’m disengaged from giving this a fair crack.
Porcelain doesn’t change my view, even when they let the brakes off and bring in some of those non-hardcore influences. They are too quick to fall back to that default position so that the change in approach doesn’t have time to make a mark with you. So far, it feels that they have found a comfortable position and are happy to stay there. I’m hoping that there are some surprises coming my way with the rest of the album.
Right Through starts off on a furious note, but its not for long. Replacing that speed with what is an extended break-down is annoying. Do more with the material, don’t just do what Is expected from you. By this point, I’m disengaged from giving this a fair crack.
Unswayed comes and goes, adding a little more sonic embellishments but doesn’t stray too far from their core sound whilst Frantic Pace, has moments of promise but mentally I’ve tapped out. Its not poor music, it’s just that it holds no surprises for me. I’m not suggesting that they have written the same song 11 times, it’s more that they haven’t employed more of the non-hard-core influences to give their material more life.
Too Nice wraps this debut up in much the same way that Sauron / Beyond Exhaustion started proceedings. On the whole, its 11 songs that draw from the traditional playbook and in that respect, it satisfies what is expected of it.
Too Nice wraps this debut up in much the same way that Sauron / Beyond Exhaustion started proceedings. On the whole, its 11 songs that draw from the traditional playbook and in that respect, it satisfies what is expected of it.
For me, it doesn’t make good on their promises of being more than just hardcore. Its heavy and there are moments where they show they have the chops to really make the songs shine but choose not to. It will go a long way with fans of the genre but for me, it’s a 6/10
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