Baroness: Purple (Abraxan Hymns)
It has been three years since the bus crash that almost ended Baroness as band, nine people were hurt in the crash, Allen Blickle (drums) and Matt Maggioni (Bass) each suffered fractured vertebrae and frontman John Baizley was left with a broken left arm and leg. The band were put on hiatus until they had recovered sufficiently, in the interim Blickle and Maggioni left the band to be replaced with Nick Jost on bass and Sebastian Thompson on drums, as Baizley's condition improved he began to create both art and music again as the band toured Europe, this touring and return to activity has resulted in the bands fourth album being released. Continuing with the colour theme the band have had since their debut this new record is called Purple, what is apparent from the outset is how concise and immediate this record is, it harks back to their Red and Blue releases, but goes one further moving further away from the stoner sludge sound they have always known for. However that isn't to say the sonic experimentation of Yellow & Green isn't there, in fact quite the opposite, it's just this album melds it with the record's directness to form something that still sounds like Baroness but sees them yet again progressing.
The opening salvo of Morningstar is sledgehammer heaviness with Baizley's gritty vocals singing with gusto, then we get into the more melodic styling of Shock Me (not a KISS cover) which is the albums de-facto single as it demands to be played repeatedly, the straightforwardness is it's benefit, the songs are less metal with more hard rock and indie sounds adding to the bands sound however they can still get heavy if they need to of this album is powered by tracks like the staccato guitar of Try To Disappear and the spacey Rush-like Kerosene which changes time signature throughout driven by some distorted bass, spiralling keys and dual guitars before it segues into Fugue which is a dream-like jazz intermezzo that allows the magnificent analogue heaven of Chlorine & Wine to build into it's Thin Lizzyesque middle 8 before we go back into the swirling dream-pop of the opening and an anthemic life affirming crescendo. The retro vein continues on the second side of the record with The Iron Bell sounding like it could have come off the new The Sword record. Baroness have yet to release a bad record but Purple does seem to be the sound of a band trying to take the wider music community by the scruff of the neck and announce their intent to conquer. Fuckin' A! 9/10
Sideburn: Evil Or Divine (Metalville)
Sideburn are a stoner metal band from Sweden Evil Or Divine is their fifth album and it sticks to the traditions that the band have always relied upon. We're talking fuzzy hammer down riffs from guitarist Morgan Zocek and bassist Martin Karlsson some smash and grab drumming from Fredrik Broqvist and soulful vocals from Dimitri Keiski. This is 7 tracks of sprawling, chemically enhanced rock with mind bending tendencies, the slow and steady Masters And Slaves takes you on the trip with its low and deliberate heaviness, with Keiski having the almost 'submerged' vocal style of Monster Magnet a band that Sideburn share a lot similarities with. Things get a bit faster on Sea Of Sins before a shedload of Sabbath worship comes on the bass-led When Darkness Calls and The Seer (Angel Of Death). The band are all great musicians and after doing this stuff for a long time they are very good at it, this album does seem to have a much darker tone than their previous releases with the sound of Sabbath is alive an well on Evil Or Divine and all the better for it, it's heavy, progressive and at times ominous. An album from a professional band that play from the heart and with a head full of psychoactive ingredients, turn it up and enjoy the trip. 7/10
A Sound Of Thunder: Tales From The Deadside (Mad Neptune)
A Sound Of Thunder were formed in Washington D.C in 2008 and they have been releasing classic sounding American heavy power metal that were named after an influential Sci-Fi novel by Ray Bradbury, most of their albums have been based around numerous Sci-Fi and fantasy novels and comics. Tales From The Deadside is their fifth album and very little has changed this record is based around the Shadowman comics which follows the adventures of a supernatural superhero. Now if you aren't fully invested in the storyline it could all be a bit much as this is a true concept record that moves between songs and spoken pieces, all the lyrics tell the story in the comics so lyrically the band are telling someone else story meaning that the musicianship and performance to drive the songs along. Luckily A Sound Of Thunder are a superb band that know exactly how to craft a heavy metal song, Josh Schwartz is a great guitarist deftly adding riffs and solos to tracks like the emotive and progressive Sandria (Carry On) which also has some great drumming by Chris Haren, that continues on Can't Go Back which has Jesse Keen filling out the song with keys as well as low bass playing. The band have a real find with singer Nina Osegueda (wife of Death Angel singer Mark Osegueda) she has great set of pipes that sultry on Deadside but can roar the harder tracks such as Tower Of Souls. This is powerful progressive album with some great songs that work outside of the concept but are much better when listened to as whole. 7/10
Saturday, 26 December 2015
Wednesday, 23 December 2015
A View From The Back Of The Room: Ghost (Review By Paul)
Ghost – O2 Bristol Academy
The final gig of 2015 for the vast majority of the Musipedia crew saw a mass occupation of the balcony at the O2 for the appearance of Swedish occult tinged metallers Ghost. Indeed, when Papa III asked the crowd if there was anyone from Wales in the audience, you could have been forgiven for thinking we were actually in Cardiff such was the voracity of the response from around the O2.
Unfortunately for openers Dead Soul (5), their techno trance/electro rock was pretty uninspiring and despite a decent reaction from the pretty full venue, their lack of real movement on stage meant that they quickly lost the attention. Maybe they will be better on CD. Who knows?
A massive stained glass backdrop covered the back of the stage as the tarps were pulled off the drums and keyboards and the intros of Misere Mei, Deus and the Masked Ball welcomed the arrival of five Nameless Ghouls and the opening riff to Spirit. With chilling red lighting adding to the already intense incense heavy atmosphere, Papa Emeritus III arrived on stage to a huge ovation. For the next hour and 20 minutes Ghost (10) delivered a flawless set which held the attention, got the head banging and the arms aloft and also provided more than a few giggles thanks to Papa’s brilliant humour and delivery. Spirit was followed by the pounding From The Pinnacle To The Pit and then it was a delightful mixture of tracks from all three of Ghost’s long players.
Either side of the stage, the guitar work of the Ghouls was excellent, and once again you were reminded just how heavy this band can be. A rock hard rhythm section and deliciously eerie keyboards underpinned the quality of the songs. Whilst Papa III rightly commands the centre stage the rest of the band also capture your attention and despite their masks they still managed to convey a huge amount of emotion both to the crowd and to each other.
Highlights? Well, I'm not the connoisseur when it comes to Ghost, having only seen them a couple of times before but if I had to pick four stand out tracks, it would be the blistering Year Zero, the stunning He Is, a hammeringly heavy Mummy Dust and the massively entertaining Monstrance Clock which closed the set. Oh, and of course Body And Blood which saw the arrival of two Sisters of Satan, complete with their habits, chalice of wine (blood?) and plate of wafers which the front row gratefully received after Papa’s warning not to touch the young ladies “cavities”!
However, I can’t think of a poor song from the well-crafted set list and the whole evening was an absolute joy, despite the boiling hot temperatures in this less than enjoyable venue. As the band exited all around there were beaming faces. 2015’s final gig was one of the best.
The final gig of 2015 for the vast majority of the Musipedia crew saw a mass occupation of the balcony at the O2 for the appearance of Swedish occult tinged metallers Ghost. Indeed, when Papa III asked the crowd if there was anyone from Wales in the audience, you could have been forgiven for thinking we were actually in Cardiff such was the voracity of the response from around the O2.
Unfortunately for openers Dead Soul (5), their techno trance/electro rock was pretty uninspiring and despite a decent reaction from the pretty full venue, their lack of real movement on stage meant that they quickly lost the attention. Maybe they will be better on CD. Who knows?
A massive stained glass backdrop covered the back of the stage as the tarps were pulled off the drums and keyboards and the intros of Misere Mei, Deus and the Masked Ball welcomed the arrival of five Nameless Ghouls and the opening riff to Spirit. With chilling red lighting adding to the already intense incense heavy atmosphere, Papa Emeritus III arrived on stage to a huge ovation. For the next hour and 20 minutes Ghost (10) delivered a flawless set which held the attention, got the head banging and the arms aloft and also provided more than a few giggles thanks to Papa’s brilliant humour and delivery. Spirit was followed by the pounding From The Pinnacle To The Pit and then it was a delightful mixture of tracks from all three of Ghost’s long players.
Either side of the stage, the guitar work of the Ghouls was excellent, and once again you were reminded just how heavy this band can be. A rock hard rhythm section and deliciously eerie keyboards underpinned the quality of the songs. Whilst Papa III rightly commands the centre stage the rest of the band also capture your attention and despite their masks they still managed to convey a huge amount of emotion both to the crowd and to each other.
Highlights? Well, I'm not the connoisseur when it comes to Ghost, having only seen them a couple of times before but if I had to pick four stand out tracks, it would be the blistering Year Zero, the stunning He Is, a hammeringly heavy Mummy Dust and the massively entertaining Monstrance Clock which closed the set. Oh, and of course Body And Blood which saw the arrival of two Sisters of Satan, complete with their habits, chalice of wine (blood?) and plate of wafers which the front row gratefully received after Papa’s warning not to touch the young ladies “cavities”!
However, I can’t think of a poor song from the well-crafted set list and the whole evening was an absolute joy, despite the boiling hot temperatures in this less than enjoyable venue. As the band exited all around there were beaming faces. 2015’s final gig was one of the best.
Monday, 21 December 2015
Reviews: Absolva, Mercutio, Major Instinct
Absolva: Never A Good Day To Die (Rocksector)
Since their debut there has always been something a bit special about Absolva, they seamlessly blend the traditional sounds of classic British metal with the more American and indeed modern sounds of thrash, which is always bolstered by their albums crystalline production. For the band that used to be Fury UK, Absolva was always a much heavier, faster more aggressive prospect. Having started as four piece they have more recently turned into the power trio format led by vocalist/lead guitarist Chris Appleton, drummer Martin McNee and bassist Dan Bate. However since their last record their line up has changed yet again with a new and a familiar face joining the ranks, the new is bassist Karl Schramm who replaced Bate last year, but the most intriguing addition is Chris' brother Luke once again taking up the rhythm guitar like he did in Fury UK, Luke is probably more well known as the most recent four stringer for American metal legends Iced Earth, but since that band is currently on hiatus (and has the biggest revolving line up on earth) Luke is the prodical son (or indeed brother) returned.
You can hear the difference he makes adding a crunch to the riffs meaning Chris can express himself with the leads a little more, it also means that they can do the old twin-axe attack or Maiden, Priest and Accept, in fact all three of these bands influence permeate the sound of Absolva. From the off they play fast and hard riffing like mad, from the slow burn intro of Disguise business picks up and the pace rarely drops. As with their previous releases once again the band fuse their metallic playing with huge choruses sung by Chris Appleton with the most unique voice this side of Udo Dirkschneider, speaking of Udo No One Escapes has the chug of his former band Accept (you can see the perfectly symmetrical guitar swings from here), while The Light is Maiden-like with it's bass lead assault. The album slows with the monstrous ballad How Black Is My Heart? which like all of the songs on this record has a some amazing guitar soloing and picks up in the middle to gallop along at pace before fading out at the end as an awesome centre piece its just one example of an album full to the brim with cracking songs, with No Tomorrow and closer All Alone being some of my personal favourites. Never A Good Day To Die continues Absolva's run of excellent albums! 9/10
Mercutio: Back To Nowhere (Diverge Records)
I first saw Mercutio at Camden Rocks festival earlier this year and their fusion of alternative and progressive ambient rock music really caught my attention at 11 am. Originally from Italy the band now reside in London and have been playing gigs throughout the capital for a while, so when I finally got my hands on their debut album I was keen to see what they sound like with all the expressionism the studio gives you. Happily the band's sound is a lot more well rounded on the album than live (although they had triggers and synths from a laptop on stage so not much of their sound was lost). Everything is just a bit more polished on the record but with the kind of music Mercutio play it's all the better for it. Fusing alternative rock with electronic backing puts you in mind of Deftones,a darker sounding Muse and Porcupine Tree at their most accessible (in fact the latter's Colin Edwin plays bass on the rap-like In Front Of You), much of this is due in part to Mirko Petrini's rich crooning baritone that has similarities to Anathema's Vince Cavanagh and Nick Cave. The electronic darkness of Shed Your Skin brings to mind the industrial thump of Nine Inch Nails, while the title track is propelled by the fuzzy bass of Emanuele Nazzaro. The band are excellent players their years of experience really showing on every track from the sparse emotive A Part Of Me that builds on it's acoustic Radiohead-like beginning into a euphoric final part and back again with ease, through the rockier phases like Anytime and Fake which have some superb fluid guitar playing from Fabio Staffieri who adds the technical melodic flourishes on top of the thudding bass rhythm of Nazzaro, with some more introspective efforts on the beautiful No Compromise. It's the breadth of this album that lends itself to ear of the listener with the more traditional themes of the grungy The Ghost That Is You at odds with the dreamy Mother and more contrasts that take place as the album progresses. Back To Nowhere is a band honing their talent to create music without boundaries and for the most part they are very successful one to keep an eye on. 8/10
Major Instinct: Roots & Wings (AOR Heaven)
For 20 years a Swedish band called M.Ill.Ion have provided powerful classic hard rock, however as of this year the band has taken a break meaning that the members are able to indulge in other projects, M.Ill.Ion main man bassist B. J Laneby set about producing more high quality hard rock getting some high quality musicians to help him out. From the cowbell toting title track you get an idea of what you are going to get this is swaggering hard rock with Laneby's bass and his M.Ill.Ion cohort Johan Hall's drumming driving tracks like the rampaging 316 as Magnus Mild and Gabriel Glamheden weave and duel on guitar on keys respectively, with nods to Rainbow, Purple, Whitesnake etc I don't need to say much more, this is hard rocking power adding some AOR elements to the M.Ill.Ion framework, see the saccharine ballad Eyes From Above which is actually very good and is followed by the joyous uplifting Don't Come To Me. With the musicians all firing on six cylinders it is frontman Stefano Marchesini is a real find with his hearty Coverdale meets Graham Bonnet style vocals that are bawdy on I Need A Drink, heroic on the crunchy Kicked To The Ground which features killer organ solo and defiant on Follow The Trends. Where as M.Ill.Ion relied on the harder rock edge Major Instinct have the 70's style honey hued, organ drenched rock, with the album concluding with the Gothic organ fuelled Mother Of All. Roots & Wings is great album from a 'new' band building on their years of experience to play quality hard rock. 8/10
Since their debut there has always been something a bit special about Absolva, they seamlessly blend the traditional sounds of classic British metal with the more American and indeed modern sounds of thrash, which is always bolstered by their albums crystalline production. For the band that used to be Fury UK, Absolva was always a much heavier, faster more aggressive prospect. Having started as four piece they have more recently turned into the power trio format led by vocalist/lead guitarist Chris Appleton, drummer Martin McNee and bassist Dan Bate. However since their last record their line up has changed yet again with a new and a familiar face joining the ranks, the new is bassist Karl Schramm who replaced Bate last year, but the most intriguing addition is Chris' brother Luke once again taking up the rhythm guitar like he did in Fury UK, Luke is probably more well known as the most recent four stringer for American metal legends Iced Earth, but since that band is currently on hiatus (and has the biggest revolving line up on earth) Luke is the prodical son (or indeed brother) returned.
You can hear the difference he makes adding a crunch to the riffs meaning Chris can express himself with the leads a little more, it also means that they can do the old twin-axe attack or Maiden, Priest and Accept, in fact all three of these bands influence permeate the sound of Absolva. From the off they play fast and hard riffing like mad, from the slow burn intro of Disguise business picks up and the pace rarely drops. As with their previous releases once again the band fuse their metallic playing with huge choruses sung by Chris Appleton with the most unique voice this side of Udo Dirkschneider, speaking of Udo No One Escapes has the chug of his former band Accept (you can see the perfectly symmetrical guitar swings from here), while The Light is Maiden-like with it's bass lead assault. The album slows with the monstrous ballad How Black Is My Heart? which like all of the songs on this record has a some amazing guitar soloing and picks up in the middle to gallop along at pace before fading out at the end as an awesome centre piece its just one example of an album full to the brim with cracking songs, with No Tomorrow and closer All Alone being some of my personal favourites. Never A Good Day To Die continues Absolva's run of excellent albums! 9/10
Mercutio: Back To Nowhere (Diverge Records)
I first saw Mercutio at Camden Rocks festival earlier this year and their fusion of alternative and progressive ambient rock music really caught my attention at 11 am. Originally from Italy the band now reside in London and have been playing gigs throughout the capital for a while, so when I finally got my hands on their debut album I was keen to see what they sound like with all the expressionism the studio gives you. Happily the band's sound is a lot more well rounded on the album than live (although they had triggers and synths from a laptop on stage so not much of their sound was lost). Everything is just a bit more polished on the record but with the kind of music Mercutio play it's all the better for it. Fusing alternative rock with electronic backing puts you in mind of Deftones,a darker sounding Muse and Porcupine Tree at their most accessible (in fact the latter's Colin Edwin plays bass on the rap-like In Front Of You), much of this is due in part to Mirko Petrini's rich crooning baritone that has similarities to Anathema's Vince Cavanagh and Nick Cave. The electronic darkness of Shed Your Skin brings to mind the industrial thump of Nine Inch Nails, while the title track is propelled by the fuzzy bass of Emanuele Nazzaro. The band are excellent players their years of experience really showing on every track from the sparse emotive A Part Of Me that builds on it's acoustic Radiohead-like beginning into a euphoric final part and back again with ease, through the rockier phases like Anytime and Fake which have some superb fluid guitar playing from Fabio Staffieri who adds the technical melodic flourishes on top of the thudding bass rhythm of Nazzaro, with some more introspective efforts on the beautiful No Compromise. It's the breadth of this album that lends itself to ear of the listener with the more traditional themes of the grungy The Ghost That Is You at odds with the dreamy Mother and more contrasts that take place as the album progresses. Back To Nowhere is a band honing their talent to create music without boundaries and for the most part they are very successful one to keep an eye on. 8/10
Major Instinct: Roots & Wings (AOR Heaven)
For 20 years a Swedish band called M.Ill.Ion have provided powerful classic hard rock, however as of this year the band has taken a break meaning that the members are able to indulge in other projects, M.Ill.Ion main man bassist B. J Laneby set about producing more high quality hard rock getting some high quality musicians to help him out. From the cowbell toting title track you get an idea of what you are going to get this is swaggering hard rock with Laneby's bass and his M.Ill.Ion cohort Johan Hall's drumming driving tracks like the rampaging 316 as Magnus Mild and Gabriel Glamheden weave and duel on guitar on keys respectively, with nods to Rainbow, Purple, Whitesnake etc I don't need to say much more, this is hard rocking power adding some AOR elements to the M.Ill.Ion framework, see the saccharine ballad Eyes From Above which is actually very good and is followed by the joyous uplifting Don't Come To Me. With the musicians all firing on six cylinders it is frontman Stefano Marchesini is a real find with his hearty Coverdale meets Graham Bonnet style vocals that are bawdy on I Need A Drink, heroic on the crunchy Kicked To The Ground which features killer organ solo and defiant on Follow The Trends. Where as M.Ill.Ion relied on the harder rock edge Major Instinct have the 70's style honey hued, organ drenched rock, with the album concluding with the Gothic organ fuelled Mother Of All. Roots & Wings is great album from a 'new' band building on their years of experience to play quality hard rock. 8/10
A View From The Back Of The Room: Tremonti (Review By Paul)
Tremonti – O2 Academy Bristol
Mark Tremonti is best known as the guitarist with Alter Bridge and before that God rockers Creed. He’s released two solid if unspectacular solo albums, All I Was in 2012 and 2015’s heavier Cauterise. This is the man who was named “Guitarist of the Year" for three consecutive years by Guitar World magazine, and in 2011 he was listed as the fourth greatest heavy metal guitarist of all time by Total Guitar. The guitar solo in the Alter Bridge song Blackbird, was named the greatest guitar solo of all time by Guitarist magazine. I don’t agree with any of those accolades although he is a damn fine guitarist, no question about that. Anyway, his solo tour was sufficiently close (yes, Bristol, where else?) to warrant a trip across the bridge with Matt and a very excitable Dan (on only his second ever outing to the big city).
A four band bill meant an early start and we missed Andy James and Wearing Scars. We were in time for The Raven Age (6), a five piece UK outfit most notable for the presence of one George Harris on guitar, son of the Iron Maiden legend. A reasonably full crowd, which consisted mainly very excitable young male fans lapped up their melodic metal with vocalist Michael Burrough (a ringer for a younger Eddie Izzard) energised and demonstrating a huge level of confidence, including concluding the final song from the balcony (Ty Taylor did it first VT fans). However, despite the enthusiasm, The Raven Age’s music was pretty generic with anonymous tracks that blended into each other. Lots of strafing chord action but little else to inspire. This is apparently the new generation of metal.
Next up was Chicago’s Man the Mighty (5) whose amalgamation of Alter Bridge, Creed, BSC, Theory of a Deadman etc. was lapped up by the crowd. You can work out from these influences what they sounded like. The difference between Man the Mighty and The Raven Age was their approach. Americans are always full of confidence and lead singer Derek Smith was immediately in the face of the crowd, demanding participation and encouraging responses at very regular intervals. Lead guitarist Tim Tournier cut some tasty shapes, a couple of their tunes, namely Sick, and set closer I Am Icarus were decent enough.
The Bristol crowd was in full cry when Tremonti (7) hit the stage at 9:40pm. Opening with the blistering assault of Cauterise, the band quickly demonstrated that they are a heavier proposition in the live arena, with the main man cutting an imposing figure at the front of the stage. A decent sound and a good mix allowed Mark Tremonti’s vocals to come through clearly, with the band galloping through the choicest cuts from the two albums. All I Was and Flying Monkeys were both stacked at the front of the set and kept the momentum going. To Mark Tremonti’s left, Eric Friedman cut loose on a number of the tracks, proving that despite the main man status, it is not all ego. Indeed, there were a number of pleasant surprises during the evening. Firstly, although there was a substantial amount of excellent guitar work on display, there was no extended twiddling or virtuoso displays of ego. Secondly, there was no tedious encore, just an announcement that “we have three songs left”. I am a big fan of this approach.
Unfortunately, much like a number of bands who ply their trade in this genre, the songs began to blend into one and although the playing was high quality, it all became a little generic. Bassist Tanner Keegan guarded his part of the stage impressively; throwing obligatory shapes whilst Garrett Whitlock on the drums mirrored Animal from The Muppets at times, such was the craziness of his tub-thumping. Radical Change at least managed to incite some pit action, which was all a little handbags at five paces but got people moving. As the band moved towards the end of the set, I was struck with the enthusiasm of the majority of the crowd, many matching the lyrics word for word. He certainly attracts a loyal following. Penultimate track Sympathy segued into the storming Wish You Well and a robust finish, complete with one of the worst walls of death I have ever witnessed (more a hedge of mild peril). Inviting anyone who had purchased merchandise to a meet and greet afterwards was a nice touch and Mark Tremonti certainly appears to be a solid, genuine person. He is an immensely talented guitarist; fact. Disappointingly, for me the show was too static with the formulaic structure of his songs just a little dull. I will not be seeking out his set at Download next year, but it will be a pleasant enough way to kill 40 minutes if there is nothing else to whet my whistle.
Mark Tremonti is best known as the guitarist with Alter Bridge and before that God rockers Creed. He’s released two solid if unspectacular solo albums, All I Was in 2012 and 2015’s heavier Cauterise. This is the man who was named “Guitarist of the Year" for three consecutive years by Guitar World magazine, and in 2011 he was listed as the fourth greatest heavy metal guitarist of all time by Total Guitar. The guitar solo in the Alter Bridge song Blackbird, was named the greatest guitar solo of all time by Guitarist magazine. I don’t agree with any of those accolades although he is a damn fine guitarist, no question about that. Anyway, his solo tour was sufficiently close (yes, Bristol, where else?) to warrant a trip across the bridge with Matt and a very excitable Dan (on only his second ever outing to the big city).
A four band bill meant an early start and we missed Andy James and Wearing Scars. We were in time for The Raven Age (6), a five piece UK outfit most notable for the presence of one George Harris on guitar, son of the Iron Maiden legend. A reasonably full crowd, which consisted mainly very excitable young male fans lapped up their melodic metal with vocalist Michael Burrough (a ringer for a younger Eddie Izzard) energised and demonstrating a huge level of confidence, including concluding the final song from the balcony (Ty Taylor did it first VT fans). However, despite the enthusiasm, The Raven Age’s music was pretty generic with anonymous tracks that blended into each other. Lots of strafing chord action but little else to inspire. This is apparently the new generation of metal.
Next up was Chicago’s Man the Mighty (5) whose amalgamation of Alter Bridge, Creed, BSC, Theory of a Deadman etc. was lapped up by the crowd. You can work out from these influences what they sounded like. The difference between Man the Mighty and The Raven Age was their approach. Americans are always full of confidence and lead singer Derek Smith was immediately in the face of the crowd, demanding participation and encouraging responses at very regular intervals. Lead guitarist Tim Tournier cut some tasty shapes, a couple of their tunes, namely Sick, and set closer I Am Icarus were decent enough.
The Bristol crowd was in full cry when Tremonti (7) hit the stage at 9:40pm. Opening with the blistering assault of Cauterise, the band quickly demonstrated that they are a heavier proposition in the live arena, with the main man cutting an imposing figure at the front of the stage. A decent sound and a good mix allowed Mark Tremonti’s vocals to come through clearly, with the band galloping through the choicest cuts from the two albums. All I Was and Flying Monkeys were both stacked at the front of the set and kept the momentum going. To Mark Tremonti’s left, Eric Friedman cut loose on a number of the tracks, proving that despite the main man status, it is not all ego. Indeed, there were a number of pleasant surprises during the evening. Firstly, although there was a substantial amount of excellent guitar work on display, there was no extended twiddling or virtuoso displays of ego. Secondly, there was no tedious encore, just an announcement that “we have three songs left”. I am a big fan of this approach.
Unfortunately, much like a number of bands who ply their trade in this genre, the songs began to blend into one and although the playing was high quality, it all became a little generic. Bassist Tanner Keegan guarded his part of the stage impressively; throwing obligatory shapes whilst Garrett Whitlock on the drums mirrored Animal from The Muppets at times, such was the craziness of his tub-thumping. Radical Change at least managed to incite some pit action, which was all a little handbags at five paces but got people moving. As the band moved towards the end of the set, I was struck with the enthusiasm of the majority of the crowd, many matching the lyrics word for word. He certainly attracts a loyal following. Penultimate track Sympathy segued into the storming Wish You Well and a robust finish, complete with one of the worst walls of death I have ever witnessed (more a hedge of mild peril). Inviting anyone who had purchased merchandise to a meet and greet afterwards was a nice touch and Mark Tremonti certainly appears to be a solid, genuine person. He is an immensely talented guitarist; fact. Disappointingly, for me the show was too static with the formulaic structure of his songs just a little dull. I will not be seeking out his set at Download next year, but it will be a pleasant enough way to kill 40 minutes if there is nothing else to whet my whistle.
Saturday, 19 December 2015
Another Point Of View: Accept (Review By Paul)
Accept – O2 Forum, Kentish Town, London
The house lights faded, the strains of Gehenne Incendiis surged through the PA system and Hell (8) blasted straight into The Age Of Nefarious. A relatively small but enthusiastic crowd had gathered at the front of the stage and this continued to grow as Hell’s 40 minute set progressed. It’s interesting watching the audience reaction to this most excellent band. I'm now a veteran of several Hell shows, including the magnificent show stopping performance at BOA a couple of years ago, but there were clearly many in the crowd for whom this was a new experience. This band has an excellent catalogue of music with which to win over the naysayers. The set was blistering with the guitar work of Andy Sneap and Kev Bowers melting faces. Tracks from the last release, Curse And Chapter including Something Wicked This Way Comes and Land Of The Living Dead are now staples in the set along with the favourites from the first release, Human Remains including The Quest and the brilliant On Earth As It Is In Hell. Complimented by double Baphomet and huge Hell banner at the rear of the stage and an excellently balanced light show, Hell put on their usual energetic performance and by the end of their set had no doubt gained a few more followers. Dave Bowers continues to be one of the most entertaining frontmen in metal, with his thespian leanings adding to the theatrical delivery which enhances rather than distracts the performance whilst the bass and drums of Tony Speakman and Tim Bowler provide the most solid foundations. Like Orange Goblin, there is no such thing as a bad Hell show and I never tire of catching this superb British band in the live arena.
The set timings stated that Accept (10) would be on stage at 20:45 and surprise, surprise, at 20:45 Wolf Hoffmann and co hit the stage. Backed by an enormous raging bull backdrop, the cover of their recent Blind Rage album, the band opened at 100mph and didn't slow down for the next two hours. Stampede followed by Stalingrad had the crowd, by now a good deal healthier but nowhere near as full as this great band deserved, pumping their fists in the sky. In many ways, Accept are the quintessential heavy metal band. Their tracks are straightforward; they kick your ass and demand that you bang your head. With a back catalogue of excellent music, the band delivered one of the best sets I've ever witnessed at a gig. Old school tunes included the ridiculous London Leatherboys, Son Of A Bitch, Living For Tonite, Midnight Mover, the battering ram of Restless And Wild and a rare outing for Flash Rocking Man which got the place going crazy. Yes, Accept attract a lot of old school metal fans and when the band pulled some of the oldies out the reaction was superb.
Accept is not a band living on glory days of the past though and their also delivered a healthy portion of tracks from their last few albums, Blood Of The Nations, Stalingrad and Blind Rage. Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes remain the heart and soul of the band, being the original members and they took centre stage for most of the evening including a ridiculous yet enjoyable bass vs guitar duel. Vocalist Mark Tornillo’s vocal delivery was perfect and he kept the in-between song patter to a minimum, allowing the music to do the talking. He cajoled and encouraged the crowd throughout, with a huge number of sing-a-longs and clapping. In fact, I'm completely out of “whooo’s” such was the participation. The band is completed by Christopher Williams and guitarist Uwe Lulis who both put in an excellent shift. It must have been difficult to fill the shoes of those who had gone before them but both musicians looked comfortable in their setting, with Lulis adding some very tasty solos and rhythm whilst Williams is a powerhouse of a drummer, utilising the double bass drums to maximum effect.
One of the great things about Accept is that their more recent material sits effortlessly alongside their classic works; Teutonic Terror, Pandemic, Beat The Bastards, Shadow Soldiers, Fall Of The Empire all featured and were received like old favourites. A magnificent Princess Of The Dawn, complete with synchronised moves moved the show along and all of a sudden it was time for another sing-a-long, this time to the opening bars of Ein Heller Und Ein Baten before the band hammered into Fast As A Shark. This track is just amazing and as the band blasted through it I remembered the reception it had in 1982; definitely one of the forerunners of the thrash movement, with the use of the double bass drums almost unique in those days (if you read Scott Ian’s autobiography he credits Fast As A Shark as being the track that started a generation). As the encores kicked in the atmosphere in the venue increased still further and a stunning Metal Heart raised the temperature again. Teutonic Terror and Son Of A Bitch led to the final track, inevitably Balls To The Wall but with the additional axe input of Andy Sneap. Three flying Vs on stage; cue magnificent poses and synchronised moves.( It was interesting to hear several different people of the way home referring to Sneap as “the guy from Hell”, oblivious to his other massive input into the world of metal via his excellent production skills). As the band closed the evening, I reflected on my first encounter with them, back in 1986 on the Russian Roulette tour. They were breath-taking then, but I’d have to say that this performance raised the bar even higher. Absolutely brilliant.
The house lights faded, the strains of Gehenne Incendiis surged through the PA system and Hell (8) blasted straight into The Age Of Nefarious. A relatively small but enthusiastic crowd had gathered at the front of the stage and this continued to grow as Hell’s 40 minute set progressed. It’s interesting watching the audience reaction to this most excellent band. I'm now a veteran of several Hell shows, including the magnificent show stopping performance at BOA a couple of years ago, but there were clearly many in the crowd for whom this was a new experience. This band has an excellent catalogue of music with which to win over the naysayers. The set was blistering with the guitar work of Andy Sneap and Kev Bowers melting faces. Tracks from the last release, Curse And Chapter including Something Wicked This Way Comes and Land Of The Living Dead are now staples in the set along with the favourites from the first release, Human Remains including The Quest and the brilliant On Earth As It Is In Hell. Complimented by double Baphomet and huge Hell banner at the rear of the stage and an excellently balanced light show, Hell put on their usual energetic performance and by the end of their set had no doubt gained a few more followers. Dave Bowers continues to be one of the most entertaining frontmen in metal, with his thespian leanings adding to the theatrical delivery which enhances rather than distracts the performance whilst the bass and drums of Tony Speakman and Tim Bowler provide the most solid foundations. Like Orange Goblin, there is no such thing as a bad Hell show and I never tire of catching this superb British band in the live arena.
The set timings stated that Accept (10) would be on stage at 20:45 and surprise, surprise, at 20:45 Wolf Hoffmann and co hit the stage. Backed by an enormous raging bull backdrop, the cover of their recent Blind Rage album, the band opened at 100mph and didn't slow down for the next two hours. Stampede followed by Stalingrad had the crowd, by now a good deal healthier but nowhere near as full as this great band deserved, pumping their fists in the sky. In many ways, Accept are the quintessential heavy metal band. Their tracks are straightforward; they kick your ass and demand that you bang your head. With a back catalogue of excellent music, the band delivered one of the best sets I've ever witnessed at a gig. Old school tunes included the ridiculous London Leatherboys, Son Of A Bitch, Living For Tonite, Midnight Mover, the battering ram of Restless And Wild and a rare outing for Flash Rocking Man which got the place going crazy. Yes, Accept attract a lot of old school metal fans and when the band pulled some of the oldies out the reaction was superb.
Accept is not a band living on glory days of the past though and their also delivered a healthy portion of tracks from their last few albums, Blood Of The Nations, Stalingrad and Blind Rage. Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes remain the heart and soul of the band, being the original members and they took centre stage for most of the evening including a ridiculous yet enjoyable bass vs guitar duel. Vocalist Mark Tornillo’s vocal delivery was perfect and he kept the in-between song patter to a minimum, allowing the music to do the talking. He cajoled and encouraged the crowd throughout, with a huge number of sing-a-longs and clapping. In fact, I'm completely out of “whooo’s” such was the participation. The band is completed by Christopher Williams and guitarist Uwe Lulis who both put in an excellent shift. It must have been difficult to fill the shoes of those who had gone before them but both musicians looked comfortable in their setting, with Lulis adding some very tasty solos and rhythm whilst Williams is a powerhouse of a drummer, utilising the double bass drums to maximum effect.
One of the great things about Accept is that their more recent material sits effortlessly alongside their classic works; Teutonic Terror, Pandemic, Beat The Bastards, Shadow Soldiers, Fall Of The Empire all featured and were received like old favourites. A magnificent Princess Of The Dawn, complete with synchronised moves moved the show along and all of a sudden it was time for another sing-a-long, this time to the opening bars of Ein Heller Und Ein Baten before the band hammered into Fast As A Shark. This track is just amazing and as the band blasted through it I remembered the reception it had in 1982; definitely one of the forerunners of the thrash movement, with the use of the double bass drums almost unique in those days (if you read Scott Ian’s autobiography he credits Fast As A Shark as being the track that started a generation). As the encores kicked in the atmosphere in the venue increased still further and a stunning Metal Heart raised the temperature again. Teutonic Terror and Son Of A Bitch led to the final track, inevitably Balls To The Wall but with the additional axe input of Andy Sneap. Three flying Vs on stage; cue magnificent poses and synchronised moves.( It was interesting to hear several different people of the way home referring to Sneap as “the guy from Hell”, oblivious to his other massive input into the world of metal via his excellent production skills). As the band closed the evening, I reflected on my first encounter with them, back in 1986 on the Russian Roulette tour. They were breath-taking then, but I’d have to say that this performance raised the bar even higher. Absolutely brilliant.
Saturday, 12 December 2015
Reviews: A Thousand Horses, Steelwing, Firespawn
A Thousand Horses: Southernality (Republic Nashville)
So as the year winds up we turn our attention to the annual 'best of the year' lists now these tend to come from records earlier in the year but suddenly and without warning A Thousand Horses have thrown their hat into the ring. That hat mind you is a ten gallon Stetson because as their album name suggests this is Southern rock at it's most honest, Southernality is the bands major label debut and what a debut it ism, with touches of The Rolling Stones' British blues, the Southern rock of Skynyrd, Allman Bros and most importantly the hearty Americana country rock of The Black Crowes and newer acts like Blackberry Smoke. With jangly, acoustic and slide guitars from Bill Sachter and Zach Brown (not that one), smoky basslines from Graham DeLoach, steam train drumbeats from Chris Powell, fuelled by down home bonhomie and the twangy Tennessee drawl of frontman Michael Hobby the band are everything a Country Rock fan could want.
Producer Dave Cobb gives the album it's honky tonk bar room sound (the kind of bar room that plays both country and western). From the opening Stonesy chords of First Time which is layered with mellotron to really get it grooving, it's the authenticity to this music these are good old boys and indeed some cooing Honkette-like girls in the background, doing what they do very well, the country element comes from both Sachter and Hobby's shuffling acoustics and on songs like the Heaven Is Close they play the kind of heartbreaking country ballads that take America by storm with the fiddle of keys player Billy Kurwin adding the extra dimension, same can be said for (This Ain't No) Drunk Dial which is beautifully sad due to it's Smoke is fantastic imbued with steel guitar and the dusky broken hearted ode to a lost love as the smoke (sorry about the pun) clears we go back to the gutsy roots rock with the foot stompin' Travelin' Man and more slide guitar on the swaying Tennessee Whiskey which could be the new national anthem.
The middle part of the record is more country than rock but that's a good thing Sunday Morning is a gospel masterpiece at the centre of the album while the sludgy swap blues of the title track epitomises the Southern way of life perfectly, although Trailer Trash is possibly a little more accurate. As I've said Southernality is nearing the top of my end of year list true honest music played by a band that could become arena headliners in the future, with bands like Cadillac Three and Blackberry Smoke bringing Southern rock back in a big way A Thousand Horses could be the next band to break the UK. Here's hoping!! 10/10
Steelwing: Reset, Reboot, Redeem (NoiseArt)
I have watched and listened to Swedes Steelwing develop since their inception and they have turned into something very different from their debut Lord Of The Wasteland released on Manowar's record label, while this was good it came at a time when there was a glut of traditional metal bands on the block and Steelwing were sort of lost in the mire, However with their second album Zone Of Alienation they added more 80's influences and everything came in to place, it was a stunner of an album from start to finish with the rampaging guitars, screams galore and some video game & Sci-Fi like synths throughout it was a real step up and now with the their third album they have indeed both reset and rebooted their sound with a bit more crunch to the guitars and shedload more doom and evil meaning that this record sounds a lot more like Mercyful Fate than anything else, this is no bad thing as the band do well in the schlock horror format of the King and his not so merry men. Frontman Riley still has his extremely high vocal limit but has fleshed out his vocals with some shouts and growls (all three on the title track) and Like Shadows, Like Ghosts. This is the sound of a band growing up developing their own style, based of course on the styles of the past, but with a new found aggression and indeed progression with songs like Hardwired and the final We Are All Left Here To Die both clocking in at over 8 minutes displaying some technical playing from all the players especially the guitarists as well as time and tempo changes on the very progressive Hardwired leading into the intro scream of We Are All Left... which is a defining last track showing the incredible transition of this band from a traditional metal band lost in a wilderness, they have adapted their style and become a band that have developed into something a little bit special. They have reset and rebooted into overdrive with a tougher more mature sound, Steelwing have done everything this album title says and more. Very good indeed!! 8/10
Firespawn: Shadow Realms (Century Media)
Do you like Death Metal? In fact more importantly do you like old school Death metal the kind that Celtic Frost, Possessed, Obituary, Death and even Venom used to play? Well you will love Shadow Realms by Firespawn, its something of a death metal supergroup formed by members from various death metal groups the most well known of which are L.G Petrov and Victor Brandt from Entombed A.D. The album theme is relentless battery with supreme speed metal licks from Brandt and Fredrik Follkare, some insane drumming from Matte Modin and low level frequencies coming from Alex Friberg, from The Emperor right the way through to Infernal Eternal the pace rarely drops with the faster tracks mixing with the thumping chug of songs like Imperial Burning and the ominous Lucifer Has Spoken which shows Petrov's guttural vocals howling with a evilness rarely seen in vocals these days. This is a good album indeed and death metal fans will lap it up in droves, it's explosive and powerful throughout, meaning if you love simple straightforward death metal then you will love Firespawn. 7/10
So as the year winds up we turn our attention to the annual 'best of the year' lists now these tend to come from records earlier in the year but suddenly and without warning A Thousand Horses have thrown their hat into the ring. That hat mind you is a ten gallon Stetson because as their album name suggests this is Southern rock at it's most honest, Southernality is the bands major label debut and what a debut it ism, with touches of The Rolling Stones' British blues, the Southern rock of Skynyrd, Allman Bros and most importantly the hearty Americana country rock of The Black Crowes and newer acts like Blackberry Smoke. With jangly, acoustic and slide guitars from Bill Sachter and Zach Brown (not that one), smoky basslines from Graham DeLoach, steam train drumbeats from Chris Powell, fuelled by down home bonhomie and the twangy Tennessee drawl of frontman Michael Hobby the band are everything a Country Rock fan could want.
Producer Dave Cobb gives the album it's honky tonk bar room sound (the kind of bar room that plays both country and western). From the opening Stonesy chords of First Time which is layered with mellotron to really get it grooving, it's the authenticity to this music these are good old boys and indeed some cooing Honkette-like girls in the background, doing what they do very well, the country element comes from both Sachter and Hobby's shuffling acoustics and on songs like the Heaven Is Close they play the kind of heartbreaking country ballads that take America by storm with the fiddle of keys player Billy Kurwin adding the extra dimension, same can be said for (This Ain't No) Drunk Dial which is beautifully sad due to it's Smoke is fantastic imbued with steel guitar and the dusky broken hearted ode to a lost love as the smoke (sorry about the pun) clears we go back to the gutsy roots rock with the foot stompin' Travelin' Man and more slide guitar on the swaying Tennessee Whiskey which could be the new national anthem.
The middle part of the record is more country than rock but that's a good thing Sunday Morning is a gospel masterpiece at the centre of the album while the sludgy swap blues of the title track epitomises the Southern way of life perfectly, although Trailer Trash is possibly a little more accurate. As I've said Southernality is nearing the top of my end of year list true honest music played by a band that could become arena headliners in the future, with bands like Cadillac Three and Blackberry Smoke bringing Southern rock back in a big way A Thousand Horses could be the next band to break the UK. Here's hoping!! 10/10
Steelwing: Reset, Reboot, Redeem (NoiseArt)
I have watched and listened to Swedes Steelwing develop since their inception and they have turned into something very different from their debut Lord Of The Wasteland released on Manowar's record label, while this was good it came at a time when there was a glut of traditional metal bands on the block and Steelwing were sort of lost in the mire, However with their second album Zone Of Alienation they added more 80's influences and everything came in to place, it was a stunner of an album from start to finish with the rampaging guitars, screams galore and some video game & Sci-Fi like synths throughout it was a real step up and now with the their third album they have indeed both reset and rebooted their sound with a bit more crunch to the guitars and shedload more doom and evil meaning that this record sounds a lot more like Mercyful Fate than anything else, this is no bad thing as the band do well in the schlock horror format of the King and his not so merry men. Frontman Riley still has his extremely high vocal limit but has fleshed out his vocals with some shouts and growls (all three on the title track) and Like Shadows, Like Ghosts. This is the sound of a band growing up developing their own style, based of course on the styles of the past, but with a new found aggression and indeed progression with songs like Hardwired and the final We Are All Left Here To Die both clocking in at over 8 minutes displaying some technical playing from all the players especially the guitarists as well as time and tempo changes on the very progressive Hardwired leading into the intro scream of We Are All Left... which is a defining last track showing the incredible transition of this band from a traditional metal band lost in a wilderness, they have adapted their style and become a band that have developed into something a little bit special. They have reset and rebooted into overdrive with a tougher more mature sound, Steelwing have done everything this album title says and more. Very good indeed!! 8/10
Firespawn: Shadow Realms (Century Media)
Do you like Death Metal? In fact more importantly do you like old school Death metal the kind that Celtic Frost, Possessed, Obituary, Death and even Venom used to play? Well you will love Shadow Realms by Firespawn, its something of a death metal supergroup formed by members from various death metal groups the most well known of which are L.G Petrov and Victor Brandt from Entombed A.D. The album theme is relentless battery with supreme speed metal licks from Brandt and Fredrik Follkare, some insane drumming from Matte Modin and low level frequencies coming from Alex Friberg, from The Emperor right the way through to Infernal Eternal the pace rarely drops with the faster tracks mixing with the thumping chug of songs like Imperial Burning and the ominous Lucifer Has Spoken which shows Petrov's guttural vocals howling with a evilness rarely seen in vocals these days. This is a good album indeed and death metal fans will lap it up in droves, it's explosive and powerful throughout, meaning if you love simple straightforward death metal then you will love Firespawn. 7/10
Another Point Of View: Fear Factory (Review By Neil)
Fear Factory, Bristol Bierkeller
The last time that Fear Factory visited Bristol in December 2012 Рalong with the Devin Townsend Project - everyone who was there will be able to attest to the fact that Burton C Bell's voice was absolutely shot. Quite frankly it was a terrible performance, and I personally vowed to never go to see them again such was the awfulness of their show in the O2 that night. But then they announced a UK tour on which Demanufacture would be played in full to celebrate the albums 20th anniversary (and I'm surprised that there was no accompanying re-issue of their seminal, ground-breaking classic to celebrate this landmark but I digress). This announcement certainly piqued my interest so I bought a ticket and could only hope that Burton's voice would be up to the task this time around. Before an absolutely jam packed Bierkeller would be able to find out we were treated to a spirited performance from the new project spearheaded by ex-Machine Head / Soulfly guitarist Logan Mader. Logan has teamed up with Australian vocalist Lauren Hart to form Once Human, who I fear are destined to forever be compared to Gossow-era Arch Enemy, such is the similarity between Lauren and Gossow's vocals and the bands' overall musical style. This is not necessarily a bad thing but I fear it may limit their potential somewhat as Arch Enemy already exist, right? Blasting through several tracks from their d̩but The Life I Remember (which I must confess I haven't heard so don't ask me for song titles!-You should-Ed) and closing with a rip-roaring cover of Davidian they certainly left the Bierkeller happy and perfectly warmed up for the evening's headliners 6/10
Warm would prove to be an understatement as the temperature rise in the venue during Fear Factory's set was palpable. If you're reading this then I expect you already have Demanufacture (if not, please go and get it right this second!) so a setlist is pretty redundant, except to say that once the main set was done with the encores consisted of a couple of FF classics (Shock and Edgecrusher), along with a handful of tracks from their latest outstanding release Genexus (including many people's pick for it's best song Soul Hacker), closing out with old faithful Martyr. From the get go the crowd were absolutely eating it up, with even the comparative lulls of Head Of David cover Dog Day Sunrise and an absolutely intense Pisschrist evoking rabid responses from the unbelievably hot and sweaty Keller. Enthusiastic responses like this can't do anything but inspire the band's performances. And what a performance it was; from the opening of Demanufacture right through to the ending of Martyr the band gave it their all ending up looking as hot and sweaty as the grateful crowd with massive smiles plastered all over their faces. Everything just seemed to be very much on point including – I'm happy to say – Burton’s voice. Never quite as smooth when unaided by studio trickery, nevertheless on this evidence lessons appear to have been learned from 2012's wide criticisms, and all for the better. With the absolute monster album that Genexus is and on the back of a performance like this the Fear Factory machine appears to be very much alive. 10/10
The last time that Fear Factory visited Bristol in December 2012 Рalong with the Devin Townsend Project - everyone who was there will be able to attest to the fact that Burton C Bell's voice was absolutely shot. Quite frankly it was a terrible performance, and I personally vowed to never go to see them again such was the awfulness of their show in the O2 that night. But then they announced a UK tour on which Demanufacture would be played in full to celebrate the albums 20th anniversary (and I'm surprised that there was no accompanying re-issue of their seminal, ground-breaking classic to celebrate this landmark but I digress). This announcement certainly piqued my interest so I bought a ticket and could only hope that Burton's voice would be up to the task this time around. Before an absolutely jam packed Bierkeller would be able to find out we were treated to a spirited performance from the new project spearheaded by ex-Machine Head / Soulfly guitarist Logan Mader. Logan has teamed up with Australian vocalist Lauren Hart to form Once Human, who I fear are destined to forever be compared to Gossow-era Arch Enemy, such is the similarity between Lauren and Gossow's vocals and the bands' overall musical style. This is not necessarily a bad thing but I fear it may limit their potential somewhat as Arch Enemy already exist, right? Blasting through several tracks from their d̩but The Life I Remember (which I must confess I haven't heard so don't ask me for song titles!-You should-Ed) and closing with a rip-roaring cover of Davidian they certainly left the Bierkeller happy and perfectly warmed up for the evening's headliners 6/10
Warm would prove to be an understatement as the temperature rise in the venue during Fear Factory's set was palpable. If you're reading this then I expect you already have Demanufacture (if not, please go and get it right this second!) so a setlist is pretty redundant, except to say that once the main set was done with the encores consisted of a couple of FF classics (Shock and Edgecrusher), along with a handful of tracks from their latest outstanding release Genexus (including many people's pick for it's best song Soul Hacker), closing out with old faithful Martyr. From the get go the crowd were absolutely eating it up, with even the comparative lulls of Head Of David cover Dog Day Sunrise and an absolutely intense Pisschrist evoking rabid responses from the unbelievably hot and sweaty Keller. Enthusiastic responses like this can't do anything but inspire the band's performances. And what a performance it was; from the opening of Demanufacture right through to the ending of Martyr the band gave it their all ending up looking as hot and sweaty as the grateful crowd with massive smiles plastered all over their faces. Everything just seemed to be very much on point including – I'm happy to say – Burton’s voice. Never quite as smooth when unaided by studio trickery, nevertheless on this evidence lessons appear to have been learned from 2012's wide criticisms, and all for the better. With the absolute monster album that Genexus is and on the back of a performance like this the Fear Factory machine appears to be very much alive. 10/10
Thursday, 10 December 2015
Reviews: Voodoo Circle, Bruce Soord, Manimal
Voodoo Circle: Whiskey Fingers (AFM)
The release of a new Voodoo Circle album is always a cause for celebration with me as ever since the bands (more metallic sounding) debut I have loved every album they have produced as I've seen them turn into one of the most accomplished hard rock acts in modern times harking back to the glory days of hard rock's heyday with blues infused licks, huge organs and some smooth as silk vocals. The band is the brainchild of Alex Beyrodt who is a noted guitarist who made his name in Silent Force and Primal Fear playing classic metal with the other founder member bassist Mat Sinner, however Voodoo Circle are not a Primal Fear side project, no they are fully formed guitar slinging, shit kicking, whiskey drinking rock and roll band that men like David Coverdale, Ronnie James Dio and Paul Rogers used to front. These were bands that had singers with huge voices, guitarists that played from their soul and sang of heartbreak, dirty women and having a good time. So what of this fourth album? Well once again it is music in the vein of rock's great heroes.
The album title itself comes from a something that was said about men like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page who were suggested to have whiskey on their fingers (due to lots of gigs in bars) which imbued them with the spirit of the blues and rock. Beyrodt certainly has this he plays with massive amounts of soul on The Rhythm Of My Heart and the superb closer Been Said And Done deftly casting spells with his six strings, equally happy with electrics and acoustics on tracks like Zep-like Watch And Wait (I Got My Eye On You). Beyrodt is matched in his virtuosity by the driving Lord-like organs of Alessandro Del Vecchio who gives the album the bombastic tendencies of Deep Purple. The rhythm section of Sinner and Tim Husung add the driving riffs of Trapped In Paradise and the swaggering of Heartbreaking Woman (which neatly talks of aforementioned heartbreak and dirty women) as well as the more metallic Medicine Man. Once again the vital final part of the bands appeal are the unbelievable vocals of David Readman who channels prime period Coverdale, having the smooth richness to his vocals that allows him to croon on The Day The Walls Came Down but also lets him snarl a little on Straight Shooter while maintaining that allure of rock's greatest pipes. If you love Whitesnake (Moody, Murray era), Deep Purple (MKII & III) and Rainbow you will love Voodoo Circle's Whiskey Fingers it has all the elements of rocks great tradition (production included) while remaining very modern! I love it so will you! 10/10
Bruce Soord: Bruce Soord (KScope)
Bruce Soord is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter of English progressive/art rockers Pineapple Thief, despite creating 10 albums with Pineapple Thief this is his first solo album. I've always thought Pineapple Thief have a similar sound to compatriots Porcupine Tree drawing from lots of musical influences to create truly progressive music, as you would then assume Soord's solo album shares similarities to Tree mainman Steven Wilson last couple of solo releases. It is a solo album in its truest sense with Soord playing everything, only having Darran Charles from Godsticks adding some additional guitar. The album is beautiful from beginning to end, it is not a heavy album by any stretch, in fact much of this could not be counted as rock, as there is an acoustic seam that runs through every song. It is an alternative, dreamy record coming from a wide spectrum of musical traditions. The opening piano piece of Black Smoke smoulders, a little bit of menace underpins the songs like the funky The Odds, there is a Radiohead style to A Thousand Daggers that also has a lone trumpet adding a sadness to the piece, the Floydian Buried Here is the closest to Wilson's work. Soord really is a musical polymath crafting these fantastic songs deftly and with a real passion, Willow Tree is a dark brooding affair that builds on its solitary guitar into a brass-infused final part, while Born in Delusion is a folky number backed by some throbbing electronica. As I've said before this is dreamy, gorgeous album that is suitably English, it's subtle, nuanced and filled with emotive lyrical themes set to exceptional music. You could say that this album has elements of Radiohead, Coldplay, Anathema, but that is only part of it Soord comes from a tradition of progressive music that KScope has always been known for supporting. A superb album that is expertly written, performed and indeed produced (another one of Soord's talents) if you love his day job then then you will love this album, but any fan of brilliant music will enjoy the eclectic scope of this debut solo record. 9/10
Manimal: Trapped In Shadows (AFM)
Manimal hail from Sweden and they play a heavier style of power metal with gritty rhythms working well with the soaring Tim Ripper-esque vocals from Samuel Nyman. Think Primal Fear or Accept meets Firewind and Manimal's sound will be easy to understand. Their debut was released in 2009 and it has taken 6 years for them to record a follow up, but what a follow up it is, nothing is radically different but everything has been tightened up and given an attitude injection. Irresistible could have come off any of the last few Primal Fear albums with superior shredding from Henrik Stenroos driving the speed demon metal style of the title track (which has the classic metal scream to open) and the explosive Invincible as the rhythm section pounds like a battering ram and show their mettle on March Of Madness, Silent Messiah which has percussive break joined by some striking strings. The chugging power of The Dark has the keys of Martin Mellström strewn throughout it, Mellström adds some creepy mellotron to the brooding Man-Made Devil. They are not all about speed and fury though as they have huge ballad in the shape of The Journey which has the unmistakable vocals of Udo Dirkschneider duetting with Nyman. Trapped In The Shadows is a great album of tough, mature power metal that gets your heartbeat racing and your horns in the air. Manimal have great things ahead of them with two cracking albums under their belts anyone would be stupid to write them off now! 8/10
The release of a new Voodoo Circle album is always a cause for celebration with me as ever since the bands (more metallic sounding) debut I have loved every album they have produced as I've seen them turn into one of the most accomplished hard rock acts in modern times harking back to the glory days of hard rock's heyday with blues infused licks, huge organs and some smooth as silk vocals. The band is the brainchild of Alex Beyrodt who is a noted guitarist who made his name in Silent Force and Primal Fear playing classic metal with the other founder member bassist Mat Sinner, however Voodoo Circle are not a Primal Fear side project, no they are fully formed guitar slinging, shit kicking, whiskey drinking rock and roll band that men like David Coverdale, Ronnie James Dio and Paul Rogers used to front. These were bands that had singers with huge voices, guitarists that played from their soul and sang of heartbreak, dirty women and having a good time. So what of this fourth album? Well once again it is music in the vein of rock's great heroes.
The album title itself comes from a something that was said about men like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page who were suggested to have whiskey on their fingers (due to lots of gigs in bars) which imbued them with the spirit of the blues and rock. Beyrodt certainly has this he plays with massive amounts of soul on The Rhythm Of My Heart and the superb closer Been Said And Done deftly casting spells with his six strings, equally happy with electrics and acoustics on tracks like Zep-like Watch And Wait (I Got My Eye On You). Beyrodt is matched in his virtuosity by the driving Lord-like organs of Alessandro Del Vecchio who gives the album the bombastic tendencies of Deep Purple. The rhythm section of Sinner and Tim Husung add the driving riffs of Trapped In Paradise and the swaggering of Heartbreaking Woman (which neatly talks of aforementioned heartbreak and dirty women) as well as the more metallic Medicine Man. Once again the vital final part of the bands appeal are the unbelievable vocals of David Readman who channels prime period Coverdale, having the smooth richness to his vocals that allows him to croon on The Day The Walls Came Down but also lets him snarl a little on Straight Shooter while maintaining that allure of rock's greatest pipes. If you love Whitesnake (Moody, Murray era), Deep Purple (MKII & III) and Rainbow you will love Voodoo Circle's Whiskey Fingers it has all the elements of rocks great tradition (production included) while remaining very modern! I love it so will you! 10/10
Bruce Soord: Bruce Soord (KScope)
Bruce Soord is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter of English progressive/art rockers Pineapple Thief, despite creating 10 albums with Pineapple Thief this is his first solo album. I've always thought Pineapple Thief have a similar sound to compatriots Porcupine Tree drawing from lots of musical influences to create truly progressive music, as you would then assume Soord's solo album shares similarities to Tree mainman Steven Wilson last couple of solo releases. It is a solo album in its truest sense with Soord playing everything, only having Darran Charles from Godsticks adding some additional guitar. The album is beautiful from beginning to end, it is not a heavy album by any stretch, in fact much of this could not be counted as rock, as there is an acoustic seam that runs through every song. It is an alternative, dreamy record coming from a wide spectrum of musical traditions. The opening piano piece of Black Smoke smoulders, a little bit of menace underpins the songs like the funky The Odds, there is a Radiohead style to A Thousand Daggers that also has a lone trumpet adding a sadness to the piece, the Floydian Buried Here is the closest to Wilson's work. Soord really is a musical polymath crafting these fantastic songs deftly and with a real passion, Willow Tree is a dark brooding affair that builds on its solitary guitar into a brass-infused final part, while Born in Delusion is a folky number backed by some throbbing electronica. As I've said before this is dreamy, gorgeous album that is suitably English, it's subtle, nuanced and filled with emotive lyrical themes set to exceptional music. You could say that this album has elements of Radiohead, Coldplay, Anathema, but that is only part of it Soord comes from a tradition of progressive music that KScope has always been known for supporting. A superb album that is expertly written, performed and indeed produced (another one of Soord's talents) if you love his day job then then you will love this album, but any fan of brilliant music will enjoy the eclectic scope of this debut solo record. 9/10
Manimal: Trapped In Shadows (AFM)
Manimal hail from Sweden and they play a heavier style of power metal with gritty rhythms working well with the soaring Tim Ripper-esque vocals from Samuel Nyman. Think Primal Fear or Accept meets Firewind and Manimal's sound will be easy to understand. Their debut was released in 2009 and it has taken 6 years for them to record a follow up, but what a follow up it is, nothing is radically different but everything has been tightened up and given an attitude injection. Irresistible could have come off any of the last few Primal Fear albums with superior shredding from Henrik Stenroos driving the speed demon metal style of the title track (which has the classic metal scream to open) and the explosive Invincible as the rhythm section pounds like a battering ram and show their mettle on March Of Madness, Silent Messiah which has percussive break joined by some striking strings. The chugging power of The Dark has the keys of Martin Mellström strewn throughout it, Mellström adds some creepy mellotron to the brooding Man-Made Devil. They are not all about speed and fury though as they have huge ballad in the shape of The Journey which has the unmistakable vocals of Udo Dirkschneider duetting with Nyman. Trapped In The Shadows is a great album of tough, mature power metal that gets your heartbeat racing and your horns in the air. Manimal have great things ahead of them with two cracking albums under their belts anyone would be stupid to write them off now! 8/10
Wednesday, 9 December 2015
A View From The Back Of The Room: Orange Goblin (Review By Paul)
Orange Goblin: Bristol, Bierkeller
After the disappointment the previous evening at the O2 Academy watching a below par Fish, order was restored to the galaxy with the mighty Orange Goblin the following evening. Few bands are as consistently excellent in the live arena as Ben Ward and his crew, and my third viewing of the band this year proved to be no exception.
First up was South Wales outfit Lifer (6) who delivered a meaty half hour of sludge driven stoner rock. I’ve seen these guys a couple of times and they work hard. I’m not a huge fan of their particular sound and their songs are pretty routine but they got a decent reception from the faithful who had gathered in front of the stage.
I’ve been looking forward to seeing Gentleman’s Pistols (7) for a while now. With their excellent third release Hustler’s Row still fresh in the memory, the band has three long players worth of material to choose from and gave us a decent selection from the new release, At Her Majesty’s Pleasure and their self-titled debut. A real raw rock ‘n’ roll sound got the crowd moving, with Blind Haze bassist Rob Threapleton slotting in comfortably alongside energetic frontman James Atkinson, lead guitarist Bill Steer and drummer Stuart Dobbins. Steer looked relaxed and comfortable in his role, far removed from the death overtures of his usual gig with Carcass, whilst Threapleton didn’t stop grinning. However, Atkinson is the focal point with his energy and gritty voice which fits the band’s sound perfectly. Good stuff.
Bang on time the strains of AC/DC blasted through the PA, the lights dimmed and the crowd shuffled in excited anticipation. The last time I saw Orange Goblin (9) was in a warm field at Bloodstock where the band put in a performance which stole the entire weekend. In a headline setting, they are allowed the opportunity to flex their muscles a little more and we were treated to a range of material from their back catalogue, as you would expect on their 20th anniversary tour. Ben Ward dominates the stage purely due to his stature. The man is an absolute giant but what a nice guy. He constantly cajoles and encourages, generating a solid and enthusiastic response from the mob in front of him. Yet it is the rest of the band that allow Ward to deliver, with guitarist Joe Hoare and bassist Martyn Millard flanking Ward and laying down the riffage in fine style. Chris Turner’s excellent drumming cemented the sound.
So what do you get at a 20th anniversary Orange Goblin gig? Well, basically, some of the best metal tunes around. The Filthy And The Few? Check. A trip back in time with Sauraman’s Wish and the brilliant Magic Carpet? Oh yeah. Throw in a decent selection from the more recent releases, such as The Devil's Whip, The Fog and a stomping Heavy Lies The Crown all got heads banging. Made Of Rats and Some You Win were both excellent and encouraged further movement on the floor including a ridiculous wall of death which had the punters on the periphery (us included) laughing hard. The band closed their main set with Time Traveller Blues to a massive ovation before the three song encore which cemented Goblin’s reputation as one of the best live bands in the UK and indeed the World. A huge Scorpionica, the bluesy Quincy The Pig Boy and finally the brutal Red Tide Rising closed the evening and all around fans were beaming with enjoyment and a brilliant end to the week. There is no better Friday evening than this. At a time when I’m considering my live music choices more carefully than ever, Orange Goblin will always get my cash for their live work. Always brilliant, never disappointing. Fucking ‘A’.
After the disappointment the previous evening at the O2 Academy watching a below par Fish, order was restored to the galaxy with the mighty Orange Goblin the following evening. Few bands are as consistently excellent in the live arena as Ben Ward and his crew, and my third viewing of the band this year proved to be no exception.
First up was South Wales outfit Lifer (6) who delivered a meaty half hour of sludge driven stoner rock. I’ve seen these guys a couple of times and they work hard. I’m not a huge fan of their particular sound and their songs are pretty routine but they got a decent reception from the faithful who had gathered in front of the stage.
I’ve been looking forward to seeing Gentleman’s Pistols (7) for a while now. With their excellent third release Hustler’s Row still fresh in the memory, the band has three long players worth of material to choose from and gave us a decent selection from the new release, At Her Majesty’s Pleasure and their self-titled debut. A real raw rock ‘n’ roll sound got the crowd moving, with Blind Haze bassist Rob Threapleton slotting in comfortably alongside energetic frontman James Atkinson, lead guitarist Bill Steer and drummer Stuart Dobbins. Steer looked relaxed and comfortable in his role, far removed from the death overtures of his usual gig with Carcass, whilst Threapleton didn’t stop grinning. However, Atkinson is the focal point with his energy and gritty voice which fits the band’s sound perfectly. Good stuff.
Bang on time the strains of AC/DC blasted through the PA, the lights dimmed and the crowd shuffled in excited anticipation. The last time I saw Orange Goblin (9) was in a warm field at Bloodstock where the band put in a performance which stole the entire weekend. In a headline setting, they are allowed the opportunity to flex their muscles a little more and we were treated to a range of material from their back catalogue, as you would expect on their 20th anniversary tour. Ben Ward dominates the stage purely due to his stature. The man is an absolute giant but what a nice guy. He constantly cajoles and encourages, generating a solid and enthusiastic response from the mob in front of him. Yet it is the rest of the band that allow Ward to deliver, with guitarist Joe Hoare and bassist Martyn Millard flanking Ward and laying down the riffage in fine style. Chris Turner’s excellent drumming cemented the sound.
So what do you get at a 20th anniversary Orange Goblin gig? Well, basically, some of the best metal tunes around. The Filthy And The Few? Check. A trip back in time with Sauraman’s Wish and the brilliant Magic Carpet? Oh yeah. Throw in a decent selection from the more recent releases, such as The Devil's Whip, The Fog and a stomping Heavy Lies The Crown all got heads banging. Made Of Rats and Some You Win were both excellent and encouraged further movement on the floor including a ridiculous wall of death which had the punters on the periphery (us included) laughing hard. The band closed their main set with Time Traveller Blues to a massive ovation before the three song encore which cemented Goblin’s reputation as one of the best live bands in the UK and indeed the World. A huge Scorpionica, the bluesy Quincy The Pig Boy and finally the brutal Red Tide Rising closed the evening and all around fans were beaming with enjoyment and a brilliant end to the week. There is no better Friday evening than this. At a time when I’m considering my live music choices more carefully than ever, Orange Goblin will always get my cash for their live work. Always brilliant, never disappointing. Fucking ‘A’.
Reviews: Phase Reverse, Moaning Silence, Housebreaking
Phase Reverse: Youniverse III (Rock Of Angels Records)
Greek stoner rockers Phase Reverse are now on their third album and I've been following and indeed supporting them since their stunning debut, the band merge modern stoner rock, with some classic rock elements, giving them a sound akin to Alice In Chains playing Deep Purple with Monster Magnet pitching in now and again. Now their second album showed more experimentation with a huge 15 tracks on it but they have reigned themselves in on this third but with fewer songs comes more quality, they have really stretched themselves musicality creating the most expressive record the band have produced once again this four piece of drummer Alexandros Alexiou, bassist Kostas "Dragon" Kotsikas supplying the low and slow bottom end, the fuzzy riffs of Chief and the wailing vocals of Takis Mark all work seamlessly to let everything sound big, these are four unique instruments that meld perfectly from the opening chords of first song Downfall which starts with some traditional Greek instruments before settling into a groove Down would be proud of, the rampaging opener slides into the more progressive Theory Of Strain which keeps the pace and the groove up with Chief riffing like Zakk Wylde (pinch harmonics included) and Takis crooning like Chris Cornell meets Pepper Keenan.
The album doesn't drop in quality or indeed pace with Milgram taking things to a more modern place with a bit of Alter Bridge dropped in. Phase Reverse know how to write a tune and if they were American they would be huge, however I've always maintained that the Greeks are some of the best in the world at this kind of psychedelic stoner metal, an as Youniverse adds to the Down factor. The latter part of the album has more sonic experimentation with Whistle Pig deep rooted in the Southern rock movement, so too is Keep My Motor Running which is pure ZZ Top. Moiroloi is Chief's little fuzzy traditional Greek guitar moment where he shows his chops are not to be messed with we are led into the doom laden Acheron's Dream which is the kind of song fit for some whiskey and special cigarettes as it dreamily passes you by before The Thrill Of It All wakes things back up with it's heavy drum intro and fist in the air, heads banging hook. WTF is a Motorheadbanger, counteracted by the acoustic Time Reverses Time which half inches Planet Caravan with bouzouki, guitars and bongos all contributing to the trippy Sabbath-like track, before Synesthesia rounds things off with a bang! I will support this band no matter what they do, but for the rest of you, you need to check them out you!! 9/10
Moaning Silence: A World Afraid Of Light (Progressive Vision)
Coming from Greece again, this time a lot more Gothic in style with atmospheric, bittersweet acoustic layers colliding with Sabbath-like doom, think Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride or Katatonia but with a twist of having the angelic vocals of Aimilia Papatheochari intertwining with the harrowing, sorrowful vocals of Christos Dounis who really piles on the angst on tracks like the despair filled Just Another Day but can also get aggressive on the epic, cinematic An Elergy For The Crestfallen and the slab of doom that is Stay, which sees them at their most Paradise Lost-like. He also supplies the layered guitars that can lace the songs with acoustics and big robust riffage, the beat is kept by Vangelis X who drums with all his might on the funeral marches that are contained within this release such as opener Solitude which is a slow, steady trudge towards misery. Obviously for any band that need to create a dismal, gloomy atmosphere bass and keys are all important and luckily Christos has managed to acquire the skills of keyboard extraordinaire Bob Katsionis who provides the gloomy keys, orchestrations, throbbing bassline, additional riffs and the production. With some heavyweight lyrical content and indeed some blistering rhythms, see the intro Black Skies, A World Afraid Of Light is happy in the shade it creates, it's a love letter to the miserable and the disheartened with melancholic keys and acoustics leading On Fragile Wings which leads into the once again piano driven Parissiene Moonlight which is an Anathema track ably sung by Aimilia which turns it into a stirring classical piece. The album refuses to cheer up on The Last Days Of December and the Gothic waltz of As If It Was Yesterday, so don't listen to it if you are in good mood, however for those that crave the beauty of despair will take this to their blackened hearts. 7/10
Housebreaking: Against All Odds (Bakerteam)
Let it not be said that we are not metropolitan here at the Musipedia as we have stayed in Greece long enough so now me go across the the Mediterranean sea to Italy for some very brutal bottom heavy metal with a lot of aggression involved. Housebreaking punish you from the first note as the play fast and heavy with a thunderous groovy bottom end, some impressive shredding and a throat scarring roar, this is Lamb of God style metal with beatdowns galore and a huge amount of heavyweight riffage, there are also some industrial elements making the band have a Fear Factory style relentless barrage and the singers Till Linndeman like voice. However for all of the good stuff on this record there is one massive disappointment and that is that the album is very repetitive, all the songs seem to blur into one another without much differentiation, at 39 minutes the album is not long but it does tend to drag in places meaning that is feels longer. The album deals with some very tough adult themes which means it can be a little overwhelming but the blandness of the metallic music underneath just makes it all a bit of slog. Housebreaking have all the prerequisites to be very good but this album just lacks a certain something which is a shame. 5/10
Greek stoner rockers Phase Reverse are now on their third album and I've been following and indeed supporting them since their stunning debut, the band merge modern stoner rock, with some classic rock elements, giving them a sound akin to Alice In Chains playing Deep Purple with Monster Magnet pitching in now and again. Now their second album showed more experimentation with a huge 15 tracks on it but they have reigned themselves in on this third but with fewer songs comes more quality, they have really stretched themselves musicality creating the most expressive record the band have produced once again this four piece of drummer Alexandros Alexiou, bassist Kostas "Dragon" Kotsikas supplying the low and slow bottom end, the fuzzy riffs of Chief and the wailing vocals of Takis Mark all work seamlessly to let everything sound big, these are four unique instruments that meld perfectly from the opening chords of first song Downfall which starts with some traditional Greek instruments before settling into a groove Down would be proud of, the rampaging opener slides into the more progressive Theory Of Strain which keeps the pace and the groove up with Chief riffing like Zakk Wylde (pinch harmonics included) and Takis crooning like Chris Cornell meets Pepper Keenan.
The album doesn't drop in quality or indeed pace with Milgram taking things to a more modern place with a bit of Alter Bridge dropped in. Phase Reverse know how to write a tune and if they were American they would be huge, however I've always maintained that the Greeks are some of the best in the world at this kind of psychedelic stoner metal, an as Youniverse adds to the Down factor. The latter part of the album has more sonic experimentation with Whistle Pig deep rooted in the Southern rock movement, so too is Keep My Motor Running which is pure ZZ Top. Moiroloi is Chief's little fuzzy traditional Greek guitar moment where he shows his chops are not to be messed with we are led into the doom laden Acheron's Dream which is the kind of song fit for some whiskey and special cigarettes as it dreamily passes you by before The Thrill Of It All wakes things back up with it's heavy drum intro and fist in the air, heads banging hook. WTF is a Motorheadbanger, counteracted by the acoustic Time Reverses Time which half inches Planet Caravan with bouzouki, guitars and bongos all contributing to the trippy Sabbath-like track, before Synesthesia rounds things off with a bang! I will support this band no matter what they do, but for the rest of you, you need to check them out you!! 9/10
Moaning Silence: A World Afraid Of Light (Progressive Vision)
Coming from Greece again, this time a lot more Gothic in style with atmospheric, bittersweet acoustic layers colliding with Sabbath-like doom, think Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride or Katatonia but with a twist of having the angelic vocals of Aimilia Papatheochari intertwining with the harrowing, sorrowful vocals of Christos Dounis who really piles on the angst on tracks like the despair filled Just Another Day but can also get aggressive on the epic, cinematic An Elergy For The Crestfallen and the slab of doom that is Stay, which sees them at their most Paradise Lost-like. He also supplies the layered guitars that can lace the songs with acoustics and big robust riffage, the beat is kept by Vangelis X who drums with all his might on the funeral marches that are contained within this release such as opener Solitude which is a slow, steady trudge towards misery. Obviously for any band that need to create a dismal, gloomy atmosphere bass and keys are all important and luckily Christos has managed to acquire the skills of keyboard extraordinaire Bob Katsionis who provides the gloomy keys, orchestrations, throbbing bassline, additional riffs and the production. With some heavyweight lyrical content and indeed some blistering rhythms, see the intro Black Skies, A World Afraid Of Light is happy in the shade it creates, it's a love letter to the miserable and the disheartened with melancholic keys and acoustics leading On Fragile Wings which leads into the once again piano driven Parissiene Moonlight which is an Anathema track ably sung by Aimilia which turns it into a stirring classical piece. The album refuses to cheer up on The Last Days Of December and the Gothic waltz of As If It Was Yesterday, so don't listen to it if you are in good mood, however for those that crave the beauty of despair will take this to their blackened hearts. 7/10
Housebreaking: Against All Odds (Bakerteam)
Let it not be said that we are not metropolitan here at the Musipedia as we have stayed in Greece long enough so now me go across the the Mediterranean sea to Italy for some very brutal bottom heavy metal with a lot of aggression involved. Housebreaking punish you from the first note as the play fast and heavy with a thunderous groovy bottom end, some impressive shredding and a throat scarring roar, this is Lamb of God style metal with beatdowns galore and a huge amount of heavyweight riffage, there are also some industrial elements making the band have a Fear Factory style relentless barrage and the singers Till Linndeman like voice. However for all of the good stuff on this record there is one massive disappointment and that is that the album is very repetitive, all the songs seem to blur into one another without much differentiation, at 39 minutes the album is not long but it does tend to drag in places meaning that is feels longer. The album deals with some very tough adult themes which means it can be a little overwhelming but the blandness of the metallic music underneath just makes it all a bit of slog. Housebreaking have all the prerequisites to be very good but this album just lacks a certain something which is a shame. 5/10
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