Asomvel, Black Water Chemistry, No Glory & Cadacus, Fuel, Cardiff
For me heading into a gig to watch four bands you have never seen always has a sense of anticipation about it, the not knowing whats to come is always something that brings me back to the venues of the UK again and again. Yes of course with bands such as Skindred, Vintage Trouble, Evil Scarecrow etc you know what to expect so that's why you go back but with unknown bands you have buzz you got when you first saw your established favourites. So with beer in hand I walked into Cardiff's only dedicated metal club for three local acts and a headliner that are even after three records can still be considered as being in the underground.
Happily opening act Swansea's Cadacus (7) were a good start to the night, playing modern heavy metal with thrashy licks and classic sounding guitar solos to about 10 people although this meant that the fronntman could perform in front of the stage which strangely gives the best sound, Cadacus were fine way to kick off the evening their mix of classic and modern was well received, it's just a shame their weren't more people weren't their to see it. I'd happily watch them in a support position again as for a young act they had a spark and some killer licks, although they may not have the name long due to them being sued by a litigious American band with the same name, watch this space.
Next up were No Glory (6) who play bluesy biker rock that is similar to London based Pig Iron but with more of a melodic shine, it's their less gritty approach that reflects the score, none of the songs really stick with you the riffs are groovy but don't have the guts of some of their peers meaning the set was little by the numbers. They had a positive reception from the crowd but because of the headliners I would have expected something a little louder and rawer.
Taking the main support was Newport metalcore crew Black Water Chemistry (7) who really I can't say much about, I'm not the biggest fan of metalcore and even though they performed slickly and had the requisite breakdowns and chunky riffs the music did little for me, although I was pleased that the vocals (normally the deal breaker for metalcore) were actually listenable. As I said if you're a fan of the genre you'll rate them higher but for me it wasn't particularly entertaining.
With small changeover and the room now filling with some simply resplendent facial hair it was time for the main event with founder member Lenny Robinson strapping on his guitar, Josh Stephen took the drums stool and Ralph picked up a Rickenbacker bass and assumed the mic stand. Then it was time for the steamroller, formed by Robinson and original bassist/singer Jay Jay Winter, Asomvel (8) have a sound that they will never compromise for anyone, even after Jay-Jay's death the band continued their Motörhead hero worship with scuzzy, 'proper rock n roll' born in a bar fight.
The spirit of Lemmy lives on through this band they are a three piece that play proper rock and roll with an attitude. Ralph is even a dead ringer for Lemmy both vocally and physically playing a Rickenbacker like a lead guitar. Their set was frenzy of non stop riffs from start to finish, banging the head and kicking the ass with every riff from To Hell With All The Rest, through the mental Kamikaze, threatening Stone Cold Stare and even showing they can still punch above their weight with new song The Nightmare Ain't Over.
The one criticism I would have is that they are not as ear split-tingly loud Motörhead who would have brought this venue to its knees. Still with the many bands trying to emulate the sound of the hard rock legends, very few do a heavy rocking good time like Asomvel. Sometimes a band is born for the stage and this is clearly true of this three piece they give their own slant to the look, the sound, the riffs and the 'take no shit' attitude of possibly the loudest rock band ever to walk the Earth, with a couple of beers and few Jack and Cokes it's music delivered with an Iron Fist to the head.
Thursday, 9 February 2017
Wednesday, 8 February 2017
Reviews: Valkeat, Marys Creek, Invisible Mirror (Reviews By Stief)
Valkeat: Valkeat (Redhouse Finland)
A promising debut from this Finnish quintet, which pairs heavy rock in the vein of Alter Bridge and the like, with folk influences. The band manage to produce a heavy sound whilst retaining a softer edge with Mikka Virtapuro's vocals. Elias Yli-Jaskari's drumming is on point, and the guitar work from Aleksi Kärkkäinen is brilliant. The Finnish Kantele, played by Eppu Puhjo brings out the folk in the band's sound, and works excellently with the rock side. The album has a bit of everything, from fast paced toe tapping folk (Hohde) to slower, borderline ambient stuff (Kajo) and the odd chant-along song (title track). A great start for these guys. 8/10
MarysCreek: Infinity (MTM Music)
With an ambivalent release date (either Jan 2016 or Jan 2017) we have some Swedish heavy metal with a definite Industrial influence here. This is MarysCreek's second full length album, and it's a great one, with heavy, chugging guitars and drums, along with some good vocal work from Mats Nilsson, backed up by guitarist Jonas Hallberg. Generally, there's not much to separate MarysCreek from their peers, but that's not to say it isn't a good album. If you enjoy your heavy metal, particularly in the vein of Pantera, with a slice of industrial tweaking, then Infinity is an album you should grab. 7/10
Invisible Mirror: On The Edge Of Tomorrow (WormHoleDeath)
From the heavy riffs and chants of album opener Frozen River to the title track through to closing song The Loner, Invisible Mirror show they're a force to be reckoned with. The band wear their influences on their sleeves, be it through Claude Magyar and Clode Savage's Maiden-esque melodies wrapping and weaving with each other, or Chris Schwarz's brilliant voice which sometimes brings to mind Grand Magus. Believe shows the slower side of the band's sound. They are very tight as a unit, Seba Dixon's drums never ceasing in speed, whilst Ricky Bonazza's bass work keeps the rhythm as he also provides the backup vocals. This is an excellent album for any metalheads who enjoy their metal heavy and fast. 8/10
A promising debut from this Finnish quintet, which pairs heavy rock in the vein of Alter Bridge and the like, with folk influences. The band manage to produce a heavy sound whilst retaining a softer edge with Mikka Virtapuro's vocals. Elias Yli-Jaskari's drumming is on point, and the guitar work from Aleksi Kärkkäinen is brilliant. The Finnish Kantele, played by Eppu Puhjo brings out the folk in the band's sound, and works excellently with the rock side. The album has a bit of everything, from fast paced toe tapping folk (Hohde) to slower, borderline ambient stuff (Kajo) and the odd chant-along song (title track). A great start for these guys. 8/10
MarysCreek: Infinity (MTM Music)
With an ambivalent release date (either Jan 2016 or Jan 2017) we have some Swedish heavy metal with a definite Industrial influence here. This is MarysCreek's second full length album, and it's a great one, with heavy, chugging guitars and drums, along with some good vocal work from Mats Nilsson, backed up by guitarist Jonas Hallberg. Generally, there's not much to separate MarysCreek from their peers, but that's not to say it isn't a good album. If you enjoy your heavy metal, particularly in the vein of Pantera, with a slice of industrial tweaking, then Infinity is an album you should grab. 7/10
Invisible Mirror: On The Edge Of Tomorrow (WormHoleDeath)
From the heavy riffs and chants of album opener Frozen River to the title track through to closing song The Loner, Invisible Mirror show they're a force to be reckoned with. The band wear their influences on their sleeves, be it through Claude Magyar and Clode Savage's Maiden-esque melodies wrapping and weaving with each other, or Chris Schwarz's brilliant voice which sometimes brings to mind Grand Magus. Believe shows the slower side of the band's sound. They are very tight as a unit, Seba Dixon's drums never ceasing in speed, whilst Ricky Bonazza's bass work keeps the rhythm as he also provides the backup vocals. This is an excellent album for any metalheads who enjoy their metal heavy and fast. 8/10
Tuesday, 7 February 2017
Reviews: Xandria, Mors Principium Est, The Vicious Head Society (Reviews By Rich)
Xandria: Theater Of Dimensions (Napalm)
Symphonic metal is a difficult genre to get right these days. The genre itself is so awash with sound and look alike bands that you really have to something impressive to get noticed amongst the sea of mediocrity. Xandria are one band that have outlasted many others with Theater Of Dimensions being the German bands seventh album and their third album with frontwoman Dianne van Giersbergen. The previous two albums Neverworld's End and Sacrificium were immensely enjoyable albums and the finest the band had done to date. Unfortunately Theater Of Dimensions doesn't carry on that trend. Theater Of Dimensions isn't a bad album.
It all sounds very nice and the band put in impressive performances especially Dianne van Giersbergen who puts in a commanding vocal performance but sadly for the most part the songwriting generally is very forgettable. There are some highlights to be found such as the power metal leaning Call Of Destiny, the aggressive We Are Murderers (We All) featuring guest growls from Björn "Speed" Strid of Soilwork, the folksy instrumental Céilí and the epic rock opera and progressive leaning title track which also features impressive guest vocals of Henning Basse of Firewind.
As said previously this isn't a bad album. The band utilise a huge sound incorporating choirs and symphonics but without the material to back it up it ends up sounding rather flat. The power metal influences have been toned down for this album resulting in a lot of mid-paced songs that don't really go anywhere and simply plod along. After the two previous albums Theater Of Dimensions sadly is a disappointment. 6/10
Mors Principium Est: Embers Of A Dying World (AFM)
Mors Principium Est have long been one of my favourite melodic death metal bands and can always be relied on to release a great album and with Embers Of A Dying World they do not disappoint. Hailing from Finland, this is the band's sixth album and continues the aggressively led melodic death metal the band have laid out on previous albums though with Embers Of A Dying World the band incorporate a very prevalent symphonic sound which works to great effect bringing to mind bands such as Fleshgod Apocalypse.
This album is less furious than previous releases with a far darker and atmospheric sound especially on songs such as Masquerade, Death Is The Beginning, Apprentice Of Death and my personal highlight the epic The Ghost. Mors Principium Est have always been a criminally underrated and lesser known band within the melodic death metal scene and hopefully with the release of this fine album the band will get the attention they so sorely deserve. 8/10
The Vicious Head Society: Abject Tomorrow (Self Released)
The Vicious Head Society is the brainchild of guitarist Graham Keane who along with the help of various friends and musicians has created the debut album of this project entitled Abject Tomorrow. This album has been several years in the making and is self recorded and self funded by Keane himself. Abject Tomorrow is an out and out love letter to prog with all the staples of the genre - stunning lead guitar work, layers of keyboards, a sci-fi concept and long long songs.
There is a big Dream Theater influence throughout as well as nods to classic prog and some elements from modern metal and extreme metal mixed in such as savage riffing and some harsh vocals. The musicianship is fantastic throughout and really showcases Keane's skills as a guitarist however the songwriting isn't fantastic throughout and the song lengths are far too excessive without the content to match. Six of the eight songs are in excess of 8 minutes and the final song Analogue Spectre goes on for a whopping 18 minutes plus.
There are some fantastic songs on the album such as the title track and my personal favourite Agenda. This is a very impressive debut album but could do with some trimming throughout. Graham Keane is definitely a name to keep your eye out for as his sheer talent is undeniable. This is definitely one for the prog fans but avoid if you have a short attention span. 7/10
Symphonic metal is a difficult genre to get right these days. The genre itself is so awash with sound and look alike bands that you really have to something impressive to get noticed amongst the sea of mediocrity. Xandria are one band that have outlasted many others with Theater Of Dimensions being the German bands seventh album and their third album with frontwoman Dianne van Giersbergen. The previous two albums Neverworld's End and Sacrificium were immensely enjoyable albums and the finest the band had done to date. Unfortunately Theater Of Dimensions doesn't carry on that trend. Theater Of Dimensions isn't a bad album.
It all sounds very nice and the band put in impressive performances especially Dianne van Giersbergen who puts in a commanding vocal performance but sadly for the most part the songwriting generally is very forgettable. There are some highlights to be found such as the power metal leaning Call Of Destiny, the aggressive We Are Murderers (We All) featuring guest growls from Björn "Speed" Strid of Soilwork, the folksy instrumental Céilí and the epic rock opera and progressive leaning title track which also features impressive guest vocals of Henning Basse of Firewind.
As said previously this isn't a bad album. The band utilise a huge sound incorporating choirs and symphonics but without the material to back it up it ends up sounding rather flat. The power metal influences have been toned down for this album resulting in a lot of mid-paced songs that don't really go anywhere and simply plod along. After the two previous albums Theater Of Dimensions sadly is a disappointment. 6/10
Mors Principium Est: Embers Of A Dying World (AFM)
Mors Principium Est have long been one of my favourite melodic death metal bands and can always be relied on to release a great album and with Embers Of A Dying World they do not disappoint. Hailing from Finland, this is the band's sixth album and continues the aggressively led melodic death metal the band have laid out on previous albums though with Embers Of A Dying World the band incorporate a very prevalent symphonic sound which works to great effect bringing to mind bands such as Fleshgod Apocalypse.
This album is less furious than previous releases with a far darker and atmospheric sound especially on songs such as Masquerade, Death Is The Beginning, Apprentice Of Death and my personal highlight the epic The Ghost. Mors Principium Est have always been a criminally underrated and lesser known band within the melodic death metal scene and hopefully with the release of this fine album the band will get the attention they so sorely deserve. 8/10
The Vicious Head Society: Abject Tomorrow (Self Released)
The Vicious Head Society is the brainchild of guitarist Graham Keane who along with the help of various friends and musicians has created the debut album of this project entitled Abject Tomorrow. This album has been several years in the making and is self recorded and self funded by Keane himself. Abject Tomorrow is an out and out love letter to prog with all the staples of the genre - stunning lead guitar work, layers of keyboards, a sci-fi concept and long long songs.
There is a big Dream Theater influence throughout as well as nods to classic prog and some elements from modern metal and extreme metal mixed in such as savage riffing and some harsh vocals. The musicianship is fantastic throughout and really showcases Keane's skills as a guitarist however the songwriting isn't fantastic throughout and the song lengths are far too excessive without the content to match. Six of the eight songs are in excess of 8 minutes and the final song Analogue Spectre goes on for a whopping 18 minutes plus.
There are some fantastic songs on the album such as the title track and my personal favourite Agenda. This is a very impressive debut album but could do with some trimming throughout. Graham Keane is definitely a name to keep your eye out for as his sheer talent is undeniable. This is definitely one for the prog fans but avoid if you have a short attention span. 7/10
Monday, 6 February 2017
A View From The Back Of The Room: Year Of The Goat & The Order Of Israfel
Year Of The Goat & The Order Of Israfel, Exchange, Bristol
This was the only UK show on the tour of what was supposed to be a Scandinavian trio of bands, unfortunately before this show opening band Norway's Tombstones had to pull out so that left just the two Swedish bands standing. It meant that the start time was later with both bands given ample time to rock the crowd in Bristol's Exchange which is rapidly becoming one of my favourite small venues.
Accompanied by the younger Mr Hutchings (who loves all things doom and stoner) it was reasonably clear run to our second home of Bristol meaning that we could indulge in greasy burgers before the show, after a short walk we entered the Exchange acquired some fine bottled ales and headed inside to find The Order Of Israfel (8) rumbling the walls with their heavy doom, formed by Australian Horisont/former Church Of Misery guitarist Tom Sutton and bassist Patrik Andersson Winberg this denim clad, long haired, group of counterculture hippies played devastatingly heavy doom metal driven by the Winberg's Rickenbacker bass and Hans Lilja's colossal drums while Sutton and Staffan Björck brought the wall of riffs.
Many of the songs were slow lumbering numbers filled with occult lyrics and the occasional Sabbath-like bounce that got many heads nodding, the band were enjoying themselves thoroughly despite the sparking mic giving Tom shocks meaning it had to have a sponge over the top of it, that did muffle the vocals a little, still their hour long set flew by and there was a resounding round of applause as they exited through the crowd. One of the quirky features of The Exchange as the dressing rooms are upstairs so every band has to come off the stage this way leading to some German fans that were present getting a little over excited during the half hour change over.
With the stage starting to fill with instruments it was almost time for our headline act, with a promise of a hour and 10 minute set the six piece crammed themselves onto the stage meaning that bassist Joona Hassinen was obscured behind guitarist Don Palmroos, squashed into a corner next to Fredrik Hellerström's drums. The set kicked off with the clarion call chorus of The Key And The Gate and with three guitars on stage the riffs smashed out of the PA as Palmroos, Jonas Mattsson and frontman Thomas Sabbathi all traded riffs and solos (although Sabbathi took the majority) really hammering home the bands twin-lead driven melodic metal bolstered by the secret weapon of Pope's organs/keys.
I for one was surprised how early the mammoth Angel's Necropolis from the debut album of the same name came in the set, but it made the whole performance increase after the slightly muddy start, it was in these triumphant louder sections that Sabbathi's excellent vocals could finally be heard, having been muffled when doing the lower parts. On the back of Angels Necropolis the set really built into a climax, Of Darkness was a chilling reminder of the band's more doom-laden early sound but it was the songs from the most recent record The Unspeakable that were the strongest bringing in the more melodic touches of bands such as Ghost, using the keys and twin leads to full effect.
Best of the bunch (and a personal favourite for me) is the almost occult country rock of Black Sunlight which has chicken pickin' guitar driving it and hard rock groove, with the show coming to a close the songs kept coming thick and fast as the amazing one-two of the wildly riffy Vermillion Clouds and the classic metal of For The King took us back to the EP and the debut album a theme that continued on This Will Be Mine with the incredible Riders Of Vultures finishing in style.
Then with the final strike of the instruments and ringing feedback the show was over, no encore just finished and off the stage, Year Of The Goat (8) managed to win over every person in that room with their occult, proto-metal, personally I was glad this show was moved from the London venue it was supposed to take place in as what the small but rabid crowd got in that room were two bands that rarely come to the UK but when they do they bring their best.
This was the only UK show on the tour of what was supposed to be a Scandinavian trio of bands, unfortunately before this show opening band Norway's Tombstones had to pull out so that left just the two Swedish bands standing. It meant that the start time was later with both bands given ample time to rock the crowd in Bristol's Exchange which is rapidly becoming one of my favourite small venues.
Accompanied by the younger Mr Hutchings (who loves all things doom and stoner) it was reasonably clear run to our second home of Bristol meaning that we could indulge in greasy burgers before the show, after a short walk we entered the Exchange acquired some fine bottled ales and headed inside to find The Order Of Israfel (8) rumbling the walls with their heavy doom, formed by Australian Horisont/former Church Of Misery guitarist Tom Sutton and bassist Patrik Andersson Winberg this denim clad, long haired, group of counterculture hippies played devastatingly heavy doom metal driven by the Winberg's Rickenbacker bass and Hans Lilja's colossal drums while Sutton and Staffan Björck brought the wall of riffs.
Many of the songs were slow lumbering numbers filled with occult lyrics and the occasional Sabbath-like bounce that got many heads nodding, the band were enjoying themselves thoroughly despite the sparking mic giving Tom shocks meaning it had to have a sponge over the top of it, that did muffle the vocals a little, still their hour long set flew by and there was a resounding round of applause as they exited through the crowd. One of the quirky features of The Exchange as the dressing rooms are upstairs so every band has to come off the stage this way leading to some German fans that were present getting a little over excited during the half hour change over.
With the stage starting to fill with instruments it was almost time for our headline act, with a promise of a hour and 10 minute set the six piece crammed themselves onto the stage meaning that bassist Joona Hassinen was obscured behind guitarist Don Palmroos, squashed into a corner next to Fredrik Hellerström's drums. The set kicked off with the clarion call chorus of The Key And The Gate and with three guitars on stage the riffs smashed out of the PA as Palmroos, Jonas Mattsson and frontman Thomas Sabbathi all traded riffs and solos (although Sabbathi took the majority) really hammering home the bands twin-lead driven melodic metal bolstered by the secret weapon of Pope's organs/keys.
I for one was surprised how early the mammoth Angel's Necropolis from the debut album of the same name came in the set, but it made the whole performance increase after the slightly muddy start, it was in these triumphant louder sections that Sabbathi's excellent vocals could finally be heard, having been muffled when doing the lower parts. On the back of Angels Necropolis the set really built into a climax, Of Darkness was a chilling reminder of the band's more doom-laden early sound but it was the songs from the most recent record The Unspeakable that were the strongest bringing in the more melodic touches of bands such as Ghost, using the keys and twin leads to full effect.
Best of the bunch (and a personal favourite for me) is the almost occult country rock of Black Sunlight which has chicken pickin' guitar driving it and hard rock groove, with the show coming to a close the songs kept coming thick and fast as the amazing one-two of the wildly riffy Vermillion Clouds and the classic metal of For The King took us back to the EP and the debut album a theme that continued on This Will Be Mine with the incredible Riders Of Vultures finishing in style.
Then with the final strike of the instruments and ringing feedback the show was over, no encore just finished and off the stage, Year Of The Goat (8) managed to win over every person in that room with their occult, proto-metal, personally I was glad this show was moved from the London venue it was supposed to take place in as what the small but rabid crowd got in that room were two bands that rarely come to the UK but when they do they bring their best.
Sunday, 5 February 2017
Reviews: Annihilator, Demonic Resurrection, Al Atkins, Segregates (Reviews By Paul)
Annihilator: Triple Threat (UDR)
The highest selling Canadian metal band return with a triple disc. A live set from last year’s Bang Your Head Festival in Balingen, Germany and a disc of acoustic recordings apparently done in a single take as well as the DVD of the live show.
Now I don’t know about you but Annihilator are a bit of an enigma to me. Brilliantly technically gifted, possessing some massive tunes and crushingly heavy, they are also typically Canadian with Jeff Waters (who let’s face it, is Annihilator) and our last encounter with them in Birmingham a couple of years ago was a frustrating experience. Let’s deal with the live disc first. It is just great. Opening with King Of The Kill, it really is a quality example of the power of the band when on top form. No Way Out, Creepin’ Again (from Suicide Society), Set The World On Fire, the inevitable WTYD and Alison Hell all feature.
The sound is excellent, the pace rapid, the crowd engaged and actually audible. The inane chatter is limited but still sufficient to give a taste of the Annihilator live experience. And did I mention it has Alison Hell? What a track. 80’s thrash at its best. The encore of Phantasmagoria is pretty sweet as well. So far so good. And it gets better. The acoustic disc of some classic tunes is superb. Phoenix Rising in particular is stunning but all of the tracks display some magical guitar work from Waters, Aaron Homma and Rich Hanks with Marc LeFrance adding acoustic percussion.
Although the chatter between songs can become a bit irritating with Waters constant reference to the date that he wrote each of the songs particularly tedious the overriding quality of the music and the calmer, lighter vocals allows you to ignore this element. Overall this is a very decent package which demonstrates two sides of an often underrated outfit. 8/10
The highest selling Canadian metal band return with a triple disc. A live set from last year’s Bang Your Head Festival in Balingen, Germany and a disc of acoustic recordings apparently done in a single take as well as the DVD of the live show.
Now I don’t know about you but Annihilator are a bit of an enigma to me. Brilliantly technically gifted, possessing some massive tunes and crushingly heavy, they are also typically Canadian with Jeff Waters (who let’s face it, is Annihilator) and our last encounter with them in Birmingham a couple of years ago was a frustrating experience. Let’s deal with the live disc first. It is just great. Opening with King Of The Kill, it really is a quality example of the power of the band when on top form. No Way Out, Creepin’ Again (from Suicide Society), Set The World On Fire, the inevitable WTYD and Alison Hell all feature.
The sound is excellent, the pace rapid, the crowd engaged and actually audible. The inane chatter is limited but still sufficient to give a taste of the Annihilator live experience. And did I mention it has Alison Hell? What a track. 80’s thrash at its best. The encore of Phantasmagoria is pretty sweet as well. So far so good. And it gets better. The acoustic disc of some classic tunes is superb. Phoenix Rising in particular is stunning but all of the tracks display some magical guitar work from Waters, Aaron Homma and Rich Hanks with Marc LeFrance adding acoustic percussion.
Although the chatter between songs can become a bit irritating with Waters constant reference to the date that he wrote each of the songs particularly tedious the overriding quality of the music and the calmer, lighter vocals allows you to ignore this element. Overall this is a very decent package which demonstrates two sides of an often underrated outfit. 8/10
Demonic Resurrection: Dashavatar (Demonstealer Records)
Back in 2014 we reviewed The Demon King by India’s premier metal outfit, Demonic Resurrection and gave it 8/10. It was an excellent release. However, their fifth release moves the band into another gear altogether and the gap between the releases has clearly been worth it. The symphonic elements which merge with the black metal approach are still very much in evidence, as is the technical blasting of drummer Viru Kaith, and it remains as heavy as hell. What moves it forward is the stunning compositions which really grab your attention, hauling you by the scruff of the neck and turning you 180 degrees with an open mouth.
The album tracks are focused on the ten avatars or incarnations, the forms that Lord Vishnu, the Hindu god of Preservation adopts to descend to restore cosmic order. Each track is named after one of the ten avatars. Aside from the awareness raising of some really interesting Hindu beliefs, this is just a blisteringly heavy and fast release. Varaha – The Boar is a great example, blast beats, layered synths, changes in pace, skin peeling guitar work from Nishith Hegde and of course the inimitable vocals of Demonstealer, who transitions from clean to death vocals with ease.
With an infusion of some more traditional Indian styles adding to the interest and also complexity, it is crammed full of so much great stuff that demands attention and repeated plays to appreciate all that is going on. Stand out tunes include Narasimha – The Man-Lion which is played incredibly fast and album closer Kalki – The Destroyer Of Filth, which oozes with atmosphere. Demonic Resurrection continue to deliver some magical music. Long may they continue and lets hope for some rare sightings on these shores before long. 9/10
Al Atkins: Reloaded (Gonzo)
I have to admit that when this one landed on the desk I had to search for who Al Atkins was. Interestingly, he was the original vocalist for Judas Priest, fronting the band from 1970 to 1973 when Rob Halford took over the reigns and made the band his own. Since then, Atkins has made a number of solo albums, five in total, along with three releases under the banner of The Atkins/May Project, with guitarist Paul May. He also fronted Holy Rage and released their eponymous debut in 2010.
Reloaded is a mix of re-recorded/remixed tracks from the four decade career. With a healthy list of guest musicians helping out, this is an introduction to an artist who has probably always suffered from the ex-Priest tag. So what about the tunes? Well, it’s solid traditional British style heavy metal, somewhat routine in parts but a decent enough listen. In fact, the musicianship on it is excellent with some stellar performances from Roy Z (Halford/Bruce Dickinson), Stu Marshall (Death Dealer), Tsuyoshi Ikedo (Unveil Raze) and a mighty bass double from John McCoy and Priest’s Ian Hill.
The impressive A Void To Avoid contains some superb guitar work and at just under ten minutes keeps the attention. Opening track Winter is a stomper, Coming Thick And Fast is a throwaway tune whilst Heavy Thoughts labours somewhat. As I listened there was a little niggle at the back of the mind throughout. Eventually I got it. Atkins voice is just not that good. Gruff and powerful, but just not sufficiently impressive to make you gasp in the same way the legends such as Halford, Dio, Ozzy did/do.
He does a creditable version of Victim Of Changes from the second Priest release Sad Wings Of Destiny (and also from Atkins third solo release of the same name) but play it against the original and Halford is superior. Album closer Mind Conception is an early Priest demo which adds little other than to show how good the guitar work of KK Downing was and how much music production has improved in the past 40 years. Interesting stuff maybe, but I’m not sure I’d be rushing out to pick up the back catalogue. 6/10
Segregates: Burston (Self Released)
York motorpunk power trio Segregates make no bones about their Motorhead influence. It's stamped all across this 11 track debut. Fast, filthy and out and out good time rock ‘n’n roll, there’s little to be critical about. It is crude, raw and pulls no punches. Named after Motorhead’s former guitarist Michael ‘Wurzel’ Burston, Segregates basically kick you in the head ten times and then finish you off with a storming cover of the Motorhead classic Riding With The Driver which also features Tim Atkinson, bassist of Wurzel’s last band Leader Of Down. With a few pints on board this is a band that would really make your night. How about a slot at BOA then? I’m in. 7/10
Back in 2014 we reviewed The Demon King by India’s premier metal outfit, Demonic Resurrection and gave it 8/10. It was an excellent release. However, their fifth release moves the band into another gear altogether and the gap between the releases has clearly been worth it. The symphonic elements which merge with the black metal approach are still very much in evidence, as is the technical blasting of drummer Viru Kaith, and it remains as heavy as hell. What moves it forward is the stunning compositions which really grab your attention, hauling you by the scruff of the neck and turning you 180 degrees with an open mouth.
The album tracks are focused on the ten avatars or incarnations, the forms that Lord Vishnu, the Hindu god of Preservation adopts to descend to restore cosmic order. Each track is named after one of the ten avatars. Aside from the awareness raising of some really interesting Hindu beliefs, this is just a blisteringly heavy and fast release. Varaha – The Boar is a great example, blast beats, layered synths, changes in pace, skin peeling guitar work from Nishith Hegde and of course the inimitable vocals of Demonstealer, who transitions from clean to death vocals with ease.
With an infusion of some more traditional Indian styles adding to the interest and also complexity, it is crammed full of so much great stuff that demands attention and repeated plays to appreciate all that is going on. Stand out tunes include Narasimha – The Man-Lion which is played incredibly fast and album closer Kalki – The Destroyer Of Filth, which oozes with atmosphere. Demonic Resurrection continue to deliver some magical music. Long may they continue and lets hope for some rare sightings on these shores before long. 9/10
Al Atkins: Reloaded (Gonzo)
I have to admit that when this one landed on the desk I had to search for who Al Atkins was. Interestingly, he was the original vocalist for Judas Priest, fronting the band from 1970 to 1973 when Rob Halford took over the reigns and made the band his own. Since then, Atkins has made a number of solo albums, five in total, along with three releases under the banner of The Atkins/May Project, with guitarist Paul May. He also fronted Holy Rage and released their eponymous debut in 2010.
Reloaded is a mix of re-recorded/remixed tracks from the four decade career. With a healthy list of guest musicians helping out, this is an introduction to an artist who has probably always suffered from the ex-Priest tag. So what about the tunes? Well, it’s solid traditional British style heavy metal, somewhat routine in parts but a decent enough listen. In fact, the musicianship on it is excellent with some stellar performances from Roy Z (Halford/Bruce Dickinson), Stu Marshall (Death Dealer), Tsuyoshi Ikedo (Unveil Raze) and a mighty bass double from John McCoy and Priest’s Ian Hill.
The impressive A Void To Avoid contains some superb guitar work and at just under ten minutes keeps the attention. Opening track Winter is a stomper, Coming Thick And Fast is a throwaway tune whilst Heavy Thoughts labours somewhat. As I listened there was a little niggle at the back of the mind throughout. Eventually I got it. Atkins voice is just not that good. Gruff and powerful, but just not sufficiently impressive to make you gasp in the same way the legends such as Halford, Dio, Ozzy did/do.
He does a creditable version of Victim Of Changes from the second Priest release Sad Wings Of Destiny (and also from Atkins third solo release of the same name) but play it against the original and Halford is superior. Album closer Mind Conception is an early Priest demo which adds little other than to show how good the guitar work of KK Downing was and how much music production has improved in the past 40 years. Interesting stuff maybe, but I’m not sure I’d be rushing out to pick up the back catalogue. 6/10
Segregates: Burston (Self Released)
York motorpunk power trio Segregates make no bones about their Motorhead influence. It's stamped all across this 11 track debut. Fast, filthy and out and out good time rock ‘n’n roll, there’s little to be critical about. It is crude, raw and pulls no punches. Named after Motorhead’s former guitarist Michael ‘Wurzel’ Burston, Segregates basically kick you in the head ten times and then finish you off with a storming cover of the Motorhead classic Riding With The Driver which also features Tim Atkinson, bassist of Wurzel’s last band Leader Of Down. With a few pints on board this is a band that would really make your night. How about a slot at BOA then? I’m in. 7/10
Saturday, 4 February 2017
Another Point Of View: Devil You Know, Oni, Wearing Scars (Live Review By Lee)
Devil You Know, ONI, Wearing Scars, The Fleece Bristol
This is my first gig of the year and one I was particularly looking forward to. Having been a fan of Howard Jones from the start of his Killswitch Engage and with two stellar album releases with Devil You Know, I was keen to see how they could take that material on the road and see what kind of reaction they would get.
This is my first gig of the year and one I was particularly looking forward to. Having been a fan of Howard Jones from the start of his Killswitch Engage and with two stellar album releases with Devil You Know, I was keen to see how they could take that material on the road and see what kind of reaction they would get.
Wearing Scars
With a 50 minute delay on the M32, by the time I arrived at The Fleece, I had already missed Brutai’s set (sorry guys) and Wearing Scars were just setting up. Hailing from Northampton and by their own admission, running late, they took to the stage, still touring their debut album’s release A Thousand Words they kicked the show off with Become Numb and although their key influences seems to be Sacred Mother Tongue (guitarist Andy James’ previous band) and Mutiny Within.
With a 50 minute delay on the M32, by the time I arrived at The Fleece, I had already missed Brutai’s set (sorry guys) and Wearing Scars were just setting up. Hailing from Northampton and by their own admission, running late, they took to the stage, still touring their debut album’s release A Thousand Words they kicked the show off with Become Numb and although their key influences seems to be Sacred Mother Tongue (guitarist Andy James’ previous band) and Mutiny Within.
I can hear the Mutiny Within influence due to singer Chris Clancy’s voice but there were so many different influences coming through it was hard to find the band’s original voice. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t detract from the material they’ve put out but Become Numb alone changed from a Djent-like intro / verse riff to an American radio rock chorus and shifting between the two throughout. Interesting start and was looking to see how their set progressed.
Moving onto Stand Alone, this song just screamed Bullet For My Valentine throughout. Listen to this song then listen to Scream, Aim, Fire mainly the verses and pre-chorus and it there are shades of that song in there, in particular the guitar lick followed by the chugs which is a bit of a soft spot of mine. So far, the boys were kicking ass and taking names and getting a good reception from the crowd. Next up was the riff-tastic Wound, immediately you can tell this song’s tempo was going to slow down slightly but these boys were on point. The band are playing with great composure and timing, it’s very enjoyable to watch.
The rest of the set composed of Waiting For The End, A Last Goodbye And Butterfly with each song starting to slow the tempo down and Butterfly was a great way to end the show, the focus being on the vocals coming through and Chris was able to show off the clean vocals properly through the chorus and a great sing-a-long song to end the set. All-in-all very enjoyable to watch and I’ll be keeping an eye out for them going forward, here’s hoping that they have new material coming out soon. Good shout from Devil You Know to bring them out with them. 7/10
ONI
Oni is probably one of the finest examples, if not the finest example of progressive metal today. Seriously, if Primus and Messhugah banged… this would be their glorious baby. Although the debut album didn’t showcase the bass focus, they very much put a lot more emphasis on the bass guitar during their setlist, hence the Primus reference. Also, they have a Xylo-Synth this was going to be awesome. Coming over from Canada, the six piece band took up pretty much the entirety of the stage but that didn’t stop them projecting energy to the crowd.
Oni is probably one of the finest examples, if not the finest example of progressive metal today. Seriously, if Primus and Messhugah banged… this would be their glorious baby. Although the debut album didn’t showcase the bass focus, they very much put a lot more emphasis on the bass guitar during their setlist, hence the Primus reference. Also, they have a Xylo-Synth this was going to be awesome. Coming over from Canada, the six piece band took up pretty much the entirety of the stage but that didn’t stop them projecting energy to the crowd.
The immediate bring aggression, technicality and blazing pace with the opening song, Barn Burner. They put on a technical masterclass with Eternal Recurrence with this showcasing the band’s Djent influences. It was a shame that the band had time against them but they were able to get another five songs into the setlist. Spawn And Feed kicked off the remaining time of the set and as the band went on, it was clear that this band have definitely got a bright future in Metal.
The timing, the performance, the live technicality was spot on. Next was Thrive which immediately reminded me of the introduction of Immolation’s Kingdom Of Conspiracy. Next up was the band’s longest song from the album, The Science and this is where the progression metal really came in. Oni were able to get the services of Randy Blythe from Lamb Of God on song The Only Cure and frontman Jake Oni let the crowd know just how awesome it was having a metal legend lend his voice to their material.
Final song of the set started with a very melodic introduction before they kicked the crowd’s ass one more time. Jake was really able to get his clean vocals across well and were just as well song as they were on the album. All in all, this is definitely a band to keep an eye out for, check them out on Spotify or YouTube and hopefully we’ll get another tour out of them soon. 8/10
Devil You Know
After a very brief intro, Devil You Know took the stage one by one with the biggest reaction when Howard Jones took to the stage. It was very refreshing to see someone look legitimately thankful for the crowd supporting them but Howard has always come across as a genuine guy, even in the Killswitch days. The band were here to take heads and started off with the very fast paced and aggressive Consume The Damned from the They Bleed Red album.
After a very brief intro, Devil You Know took the stage one by one with the biggest reaction when Howard Jones took to the stage. It was very refreshing to see someone look legitimately thankful for the crowd supporting them but Howard has always come across as a genuine guy, even in the Killswitch days. The band were here to take heads and started off with the very fast paced and aggressive Consume The Damned from the They Bleed Red album.
A lot can be said for Howard’s screaming vocals and they were on point from the start. The band were having fun from the start and it was looking to be a great set. The high speed, high intensity kept going by blitzing straight into Embracing The Torture and the crowd were getting livelier. Encompassing Howard’s showmanship and a fast paced tempo, the crowd were lapping this up but Embracing The Torture was the first chance to hear some clean vocals and the first chorus cemented the fact that the band can take their material, aggressive or clean and just knock it out of the park.
No rest for the wicked here, the opening drum fill from the single, Seven Years Alone comes through and this crowd was getting their asses kicked! Continuing with the first album, the intro to My Own bellows and allows guitarist, former All Shall Parish axe-man Francesco Artusato to show off his technical ability and a nice change of pace with the tempo slowing down slightly. The all too familiar three chord strum of A New Beginning picks the pace back up, with the crowd chanting “hey…hey….hey” along with Howard.
The band took a few minutes to let Howard get a few things off his chest with a moving speech stating that if anyone knew what he was going through and how he was feeling within the last few years, just how lucky he is to have fallen in love with the job again before stating that the band were hoping to tour over here again before the year was out and that they’d be penning a new record soon. At this point, the clock was starting to run down but it didn’t stop them nor the crowd from having fun and belting out a further 5 songs.
Revisiting the They Bleed Red album, there was only two that they could really play from that album, both singles that they released for it. First up, Stay Of Execution and I forgot how much I love blast beats when it comes to drumming and if you are too then this one is for you. The only gripe I could think of from this set was that out of a set of 10 songs, the 70/30 split in material from both releases I would like to have seen that gap narrowed 7 from the Beauty Of Destruction and only 3 from TBR.
The final song played from the TBR album was The Way We Die but that came after A Mind Insane and Crawl In The Dark. The final song of the evening came after another speech from Howard about how happy this tour was making him and how good the UK fans have been to him over the years before one final “YAHHHHHHHHHH” kicked off Shut It Down. All in all a great line up and it was a shame to miss Brutai but every band brought something different to the show and delivered to a very welcoming crowd. Devil You Know were the complete package that night, they put on a performance and a show which entertained and kicked ass. With a new album and a tour hopefully coming in the near future, the band will continue to go on from strength to strength. 9/10
Friday, 3 February 2017
Another Point Of View: Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, In Flames (Live Review By Ant)
Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, In Flames, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff
The younger Mr Hutchings graces us with his debut review for the blog and it's a stormer!! Get ready folks:
The younger Mr Hutchings graces us with his debut review for the blog and it's a stormer!! Get ready folks:
Such was the anticipation for the first bumper tour of the metal year, as I walked to work at 08:00, a young Avenged Sevenfold (A7X) fan was just clambering out of her sleeping bag at the front of the queue. By midday, the queue was already stretched around the Motorpoint, signalling the sweaty night ahead with the modern metal messiahs. It was going to be a moist one.
After a couple of looseners at the nearest establishment, my party and I joined the queue as the excitement grew. Avenged Sevenfold and Disturbed have had their critics throughout their careers, both gathering derision from trve kvlt metal fans. There was no such atmosphere tonight though, as the even split of band shirts proved the loyalty of the, albeit youthful, audience. A7X and Disturbed are both headliners in their own right and so the prospect of the two together, preceded by the evergreen In Flames, was enough to sell out the shed, sorry Motorpoint, in no time.
Doors were set to open at the startlingly early 17:30, with the In Flames due to hit the stage at 18:15. At 18:20, I was still getting rained on, as the thorough (but admittedly friendly) security checked people’s clothes, bags and occasionally cavities. This resulted in my party missing the classic opener Bullet Ride. Now, I’ve seen In Flames (6) a number of times and they have always left me a bit cold. Sadly, tonight was no exception. They are perfectly competent group and have a devoted following, but a combination of muddy sound quality and a new album heavy setlist, resulted in a disjointed performance, lacking any real guile or ingenuity. In Flames are clearly a vital band in heavy metal history, but songs like The End and Paralyzed generated a muted response as the crowd seemed to long for the strangely omitted classics such as Pinball Map and Only For The Weak’. Anders Frieden didn’t spend long on interaction with the crowd, instead rifling through nine melo-death tunes in a short half-hour performance. The set finished strongly, with the insatiably catchy Deliver Us, full of edgy, angular riffs and off-kilter vocals. Set closer Take This Life continued the impressive finish as the chorus soared around the arena. The crowd warmed as the show developed and by the end, the Swedish veterans were met with rousing cheers and devil horns a plenty. If only they could have sharpened the saggy middle of the set.
A quick set change, followed by the hoisting of the apparently now obligatory curtain, gave the horde a chance to lubricate and get the pipes ready for the Disturbed beatdown. Since returning from a four year hiatus with 2015’s solid Immortalized, Disturbed were yet to hit the U.K. in earnest and the atmosphere was at fever pitch. As the curtain dropped to the creeping intro Eye Of The Storm, Disturbed (9) hit the stage, iconic frontman David Draiman looking lean and menacing, flanked by his perennial axemen Dan Donegan and John Moyer and supported by the tub-thumping excellence of Mike Wengren. Opening with the title track from their comeback release, Disturbed sounded fresh and relevant, perhaps suggesting that a hiatus did the band the world of good. Disturbed commanded the stage like the headliners they truly should have been, with Draiman utilising the walkway into the crowd at every opportunity. Disturbed showed In Flames exactly how to pace a set, with old bangers The Game and Prayer sitting comfortably next to new tracks The Vengeful One and The Light. The crowd were in top form, with pits erupting in every direction, matching the literal fire being produced on stage. With video screens, pyro and a host of costume changes, Disturbed seemed to be proving a point to the doubters and naysayers. Liberate sounded as heavy as it did in 2002 inciting even more chaos in the sweaty throng.
Disturbed have built up such a collection of singles that choosing a setlist should never prove too difficult however, the perhaps surprising highlight of the evening came in the form of the Simon and Garfunkel cover The Sound Of Silence. Draiman’s voice was imperious, producing goosebumps and even a sneaky tear or two from the gnarliest of mean metal heads. Closing with three anthems like Indestructible, Ten Thousand Fists and nu-metal classic, Down With The Sickness is rarely likely to fail and as hair is flung, necks are snapped and vocal chords are strained, Disturbed bring their show to a close. Headline show next time please lads, that was incredible.
Following Disturbed always looked to be a tricky task for the 21st Century’s answer to Metallica, especially given the performance by Draiman and co. However, A7X (8) are true rockstars, genuine festival headliners with an arsenal of heavy metal thunder to draw upon. 2016’s ‘surprise’ release The Stage generated some mixed reviews, but you wouldn’t have guessed it from the crowd’s response to the title track opener. Eight minutes of noodling guitars from the new-age Toxic Twins, Zakky Vengence and Synyster Gates combined with M. Shadows’ effortless cool, kicked away the memory of Disturbed’s triumphant performance. A7X look sharp, slick and polished, every inch the torch bearers of the modern metal revolution. However, as the opening riff to the infectious Afterlife kicked off, Shadows’ mic failed, leaving the crowd looking around in confusion. After a brief technical hiccup, the band recovered and banged through the rest of the catchy number. Avenged mix Iron Maiden-esque guitar playing, erratic but incomparable drumming and screeching vocals to deliver a strong set with crowd favourite Hail To The King up next. The exuberance of the crowd was palpable as the air filled with screams and horns raised. The set continued to swell with tunes from every A7X album making it into the set, including a particularly evil sounding Chapter Four from sophomore release Waking The Fallen. My personal favourite track Buried Alive’ from 2010’s Nightmare, was next and the band were on fine form, stalking the stage as the zany video played on the big screen behind new drummer Brooks Wackerman.
Unfortunately, Avenged were unable to maintain the high levels of performance displayed in the opening section, with the turgid Angels unnecessarily slowing the pace. However, next track Nightmare never fails to generate some action, with M. Shadows looking for a volunteer for backing vocals. James, your typical looking metal head, was chosen and put on a sterling performance, leading Shadows to dedicate the next track to ‘fucking James’ before breaking down into genuine giggles after his faux pas. The set saw a real dip from Nightmare onward with some odd song choices including the flabby Planets. This also introduced the Spinal Tap element of the evening, as for some inexplicable reason, an inflatable spaceman was lowered from the ceiling. The spaceman then deflated and looked as if his Uranus (I thank you) was ready for exploration. The main set closed with the forgettable Acid Rain, before a devastating encore of Bat Country, Unholy Confessions and A Little Piece Of Heaven rescued the show. A7X are a great live band and the vast majority left tonight’s performance with wide shit-eating grins. Despite the weird inflatables and disappointing omissions (where the fuck was Beast And The Harlot?!) Avenged were triumphant, proving their status as the new Kings of modern day metal.
After a couple of looseners at the nearest establishment, my party and I joined the queue as the excitement grew. Avenged Sevenfold and Disturbed have had their critics throughout their careers, both gathering derision from trve kvlt metal fans. There was no such atmosphere tonight though, as the even split of band shirts proved the loyalty of the, albeit youthful, audience. A7X and Disturbed are both headliners in their own right and so the prospect of the two together, preceded by the evergreen In Flames, was enough to sell out the shed, sorry Motorpoint, in no time.
Doors were set to open at the startlingly early 17:30, with the In Flames due to hit the stage at 18:15. At 18:20, I was still getting rained on, as the thorough (but admittedly friendly) security checked people’s clothes, bags and occasionally cavities. This resulted in my party missing the classic opener Bullet Ride. Now, I’ve seen In Flames (6) a number of times and they have always left me a bit cold. Sadly, tonight was no exception. They are perfectly competent group and have a devoted following, but a combination of muddy sound quality and a new album heavy setlist, resulted in a disjointed performance, lacking any real guile or ingenuity. In Flames are clearly a vital band in heavy metal history, but songs like The End and Paralyzed generated a muted response as the crowd seemed to long for the strangely omitted classics such as Pinball Map and Only For The Weak’. Anders Frieden didn’t spend long on interaction with the crowd, instead rifling through nine melo-death tunes in a short half-hour performance. The set finished strongly, with the insatiably catchy Deliver Us, full of edgy, angular riffs and off-kilter vocals. Set closer Take This Life continued the impressive finish as the chorus soared around the arena. The crowd warmed as the show developed and by the end, the Swedish veterans were met with rousing cheers and devil horns a plenty. If only they could have sharpened the saggy middle of the set.
A quick set change, followed by the hoisting of the apparently now obligatory curtain, gave the horde a chance to lubricate and get the pipes ready for the Disturbed beatdown. Since returning from a four year hiatus with 2015’s solid Immortalized, Disturbed were yet to hit the U.K. in earnest and the atmosphere was at fever pitch. As the curtain dropped to the creeping intro Eye Of The Storm, Disturbed (9) hit the stage, iconic frontman David Draiman looking lean and menacing, flanked by his perennial axemen Dan Donegan and John Moyer and supported by the tub-thumping excellence of Mike Wengren. Opening with the title track from their comeback release, Disturbed sounded fresh and relevant, perhaps suggesting that a hiatus did the band the world of good. Disturbed commanded the stage like the headliners they truly should have been, with Draiman utilising the walkway into the crowd at every opportunity. Disturbed showed In Flames exactly how to pace a set, with old bangers The Game and Prayer sitting comfortably next to new tracks The Vengeful One and The Light. The crowd were in top form, with pits erupting in every direction, matching the literal fire being produced on stage. With video screens, pyro and a host of costume changes, Disturbed seemed to be proving a point to the doubters and naysayers. Liberate sounded as heavy as it did in 2002 inciting even more chaos in the sweaty throng.
Disturbed have built up such a collection of singles that choosing a setlist should never prove too difficult however, the perhaps surprising highlight of the evening came in the form of the Simon and Garfunkel cover The Sound Of Silence. Draiman’s voice was imperious, producing goosebumps and even a sneaky tear or two from the gnarliest of mean metal heads. Closing with three anthems like Indestructible, Ten Thousand Fists and nu-metal classic, Down With The Sickness is rarely likely to fail and as hair is flung, necks are snapped and vocal chords are strained, Disturbed bring their show to a close. Headline show next time please lads, that was incredible.
Following Disturbed always looked to be a tricky task for the 21st Century’s answer to Metallica, especially given the performance by Draiman and co. However, A7X (8) are true rockstars, genuine festival headliners with an arsenal of heavy metal thunder to draw upon. 2016’s ‘surprise’ release The Stage generated some mixed reviews, but you wouldn’t have guessed it from the crowd’s response to the title track opener. Eight minutes of noodling guitars from the new-age Toxic Twins, Zakky Vengence and Synyster Gates combined with M. Shadows’ effortless cool, kicked away the memory of Disturbed’s triumphant performance. A7X look sharp, slick and polished, every inch the torch bearers of the modern metal revolution. However, as the opening riff to the infectious Afterlife kicked off, Shadows’ mic failed, leaving the crowd looking around in confusion. After a brief technical hiccup, the band recovered and banged through the rest of the catchy number. Avenged mix Iron Maiden-esque guitar playing, erratic but incomparable drumming and screeching vocals to deliver a strong set with crowd favourite Hail To The King up next. The exuberance of the crowd was palpable as the air filled with screams and horns raised. The set continued to swell with tunes from every A7X album making it into the set, including a particularly evil sounding Chapter Four from sophomore release Waking The Fallen. My personal favourite track Buried Alive’ from 2010’s Nightmare, was next and the band were on fine form, stalking the stage as the zany video played on the big screen behind new drummer Brooks Wackerman.
Unfortunately, Avenged were unable to maintain the high levels of performance displayed in the opening section, with the turgid Angels unnecessarily slowing the pace. However, next track Nightmare never fails to generate some action, with M. Shadows looking for a volunteer for backing vocals. James, your typical looking metal head, was chosen and put on a sterling performance, leading Shadows to dedicate the next track to ‘fucking James’ before breaking down into genuine giggles after his faux pas. The set saw a real dip from Nightmare onward with some odd song choices including the flabby Planets. This also introduced the Spinal Tap element of the evening, as for some inexplicable reason, an inflatable spaceman was lowered from the ceiling. The spaceman then deflated and looked as if his Uranus (I thank you) was ready for exploration. The main set closed with the forgettable Acid Rain, before a devastating encore of Bat Country, Unholy Confessions and A Little Piece Of Heaven rescued the show. A7X are a great live band and the vast majority left tonight’s performance with wide shit-eating grins. Despite the weird inflatables and disappointing omissions (where the fuck was Beast And The Harlot?!) Avenged were triumphant, proving their status as the new Kings of modern day metal.
Thursday, 2 February 2017
Reviews: Kreator, Overkill, Hour Of Penance (Reviews By Paul)
Kreator: Gods Of Violence (Nuclear Blast)
The German thrash veterans return with album no 14, a solid, reliable long player. Full of their usual anthemic raging tunes, Gods Of Violence does exactly what it says on the Kreator tin. It's been five long years since Phantom Antichrist. With the line up settled since 2001, the band are now at the stage in their career where they can really do what they do, balls to the rest. And they stick to the plan.
Raging thrash, with tonnes of melody. Millie Petrozza’s instantly recognisable vocals snarling their way through each song, gut slicing guitar work from Petrozza and Sam Yli Sirino and astonishingly heavy rhythm work courtesy of Juergen Reil and Christian Giesler. Kreator have long epitomised the German thrash scene and like their US counterparts Overkill, each release consists further building blocks in their brutal catalogue.
Nothing mind blowingly original but oh so enjoyable. Picks of Gods Of Violence for me are the fabulous Death Becomes My Light, a seven minute composition with verse elements of the mighty Iron Maiden, the title track and the early release Satan Is Real. However, there really isn't a bad tune on this beast. An essential listen for the thrash fan. 8/10
Overkill: The Grinding Wheel (Nuclear Blast)
Where do you start with Overkill? One of he most important thrash bands of all time, the New Jersey legends continue to make quality albums. Instantly recognisable due to their heavy groove and Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth’s vocal attack, the band maintain their unique sound on album number 18. Yes, 18 albums and the first since 2014’s masterful White Devil Armory. The Grinding Wheel contains several lengthy thrash masterpieces with half the albums ten tracks passing the six minute mark.
The majesty of opener Mean Green Killing Machine hits hard and heavy, DD Verni’s rampant bass lines supporting Ron Lipnicki’s clinical drumming whilst the slicing axe work of lead Dave Linsk and rhythm guitarist Derek Tanler is dangerously sharp. There is no filler on this bad boy, with the relentless assault carried to the full on tracks such as Our Finest Hour, Come Heavy and the monster stomp of the groove laden Shine On.
However, the piece-de-resistance has to be the closing track, the eight minute title track which is just stunning. A departure from the usual Overkill style whilst remaining as thrashy as a box of freshly caught halibut. A stable line up and an immense commitment to their beliefs leaves Overkill as one of the legends of not only thrash but all heavy metal. Go get some. It would be fucking rude not too. 9/10
Hour of Penance: Cast The First Stone (Prosthetic)
The Italian technical death metallers hit hard and fast with album no 7, Cast The First Stone the first release since 2014’s Regicide, this is a pummeling assault from start to finish. Brutal blast beats from drummer James Payne mix perfectly with the pounding bass lines of Marco Mastronuno whilst the shredding of senior member Giulio Moschini and Paolo Peirini is frightening in its intensity.
Opener XXI Century Imperial Crusade sets the pace, which doesn't let up until the final bars of closer Damnation Memoriae. Peirini’s vocals are powerful and gruff, grunting and growling throughout the onslaught. There is plenty of hooks and underlying melody, you've just got to work to find it and that's no bad thing. The band will be playing a set at the Bristol Death Fest in April. I suggest you get your arse along but strap your head on as this will blow it clean off. Fucking A! 9/10
The German thrash veterans return with album no 14, a solid, reliable long player. Full of their usual anthemic raging tunes, Gods Of Violence does exactly what it says on the Kreator tin. It's been five long years since Phantom Antichrist. With the line up settled since 2001, the band are now at the stage in their career where they can really do what they do, balls to the rest. And they stick to the plan.
Raging thrash, with tonnes of melody. Millie Petrozza’s instantly recognisable vocals snarling their way through each song, gut slicing guitar work from Petrozza and Sam Yli Sirino and astonishingly heavy rhythm work courtesy of Juergen Reil and Christian Giesler. Kreator have long epitomised the German thrash scene and like their US counterparts Overkill, each release consists further building blocks in their brutal catalogue.
Nothing mind blowingly original but oh so enjoyable. Picks of Gods Of Violence for me are the fabulous Death Becomes My Light, a seven minute composition with verse elements of the mighty Iron Maiden, the title track and the early release Satan Is Real. However, there really isn't a bad tune on this beast. An essential listen for the thrash fan. 8/10
Overkill: The Grinding Wheel (Nuclear Blast)
Where do you start with Overkill? One of he most important thrash bands of all time, the New Jersey legends continue to make quality albums. Instantly recognisable due to their heavy groove and Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth’s vocal attack, the band maintain their unique sound on album number 18. Yes, 18 albums and the first since 2014’s masterful White Devil Armory. The Grinding Wheel contains several lengthy thrash masterpieces with half the albums ten tracks passing the six minute mark.
The majesty of opener Mean Green Killing Machine hits hard and heavy, DD Verni’s rampant bass lines supporting Ron Lipnicki’s clinical drumming whilst the slicing axe work of lead Dave Linsk and rhythm guitarist Derek Tanler is dangerously sharp. There is no filler on this bad boy, with the relentless assault carried to the full on tracks such as Our Finest Hour, Come Heavy and the monster stomp of the groove laden Shine On.
However, the piece-de-resistance has to be the closing track, the eight minute title track which is just stunning. A departure from the usual Overkill style whilst remaining as thrashy as a box of freshly caught halibut. A stable line up and an immense commitment to their beliefs leaves Overkill as one of the legends of not only thrash but all heavy metal. Go get some. It would be fucking rude not too. 9/10
Hour of Penance: Cast The First Stone (Prosthetic)
The Italian technical death metallers hit hard and fast with album no 7, Cast The First Stone the first release since 2014’s Regicide, this is a pummeling assault from start to finish. Brutal blast beats from drummer James Payne mix perfectly with the pounding bass lines of Marco Mastronuno whilst the shredding of senior member Giulio Moschini and Paolo Peirini is frightening in its intensity.
Opener XXI Century Imperial Crusade sets the pace, which doesn't let up until the final bars of closer Damnation Memoriae. Peirini’s vocals are powerful and gruff, grunting and growling throughout the onslaught. There is plenty of hooks and underlying melody, you've just got to work to find it and that's no bad thing. The band will be playing a set at the Bristol Death Fest in April. I suggest you get your arse along but strap your head on as this will blow it clean off. Fucking A! 9/10
Wednesday, 1 February 2017
The Spotlight: Interview with Conjurer (Interview With Rich)
Our man Rich recently did an interview with Conjurer frontman Brady Deeprose before they play the amazing looking Ritual Festival in Leeds on the 8th of April.
Here's what he had to say:
I knew Dan through his old band (Tear Of Eden – go listen to their EP on Bandcamp, it’s great) and we just got chatting about starting a death metal band. We swiftly got some stuff written and recruited Jan who we both knew as the best local drummer. Andy came along about a month before our first show and slotted in nicely. We’re starting to hate each other now.
2. Who are your main influences as a band?
This is always a tricky question as we have so many vastly differing influences both personally and collectively - we try not to take too heavily from any single source. I’m convinced that’s how bands end up sounding stale – having too small a pool of influence and trying too hard to emulate a particular sound / era / band etc. I’d say there are a few bands that inspire us, either musically or as people (or both) which is probably worth more: OHHMS, Armed For Apocalypse, Converge, Mastodon, Employed To Serve, Svalbard, Oathbreaker, Gojira, Cult Of Luna, GSY!BE…the list goes on.
3. What has the general reception to your stunning EP I been?
That’s extremely kind of you to say. To be honest, much better than we ever had hoped. We weren’t expecting much response, we kind of just aimed to appear on peoples radars and get to the point where we could start being considered for decent shows - it’s exploded far beyond that. It’s really cool that people have been so receptive and want to support us – it still blows my mind when people come up at shows and are really passionate about our set.
4. How was the experience of winning Metal To The Masses and getting to play Bloodstock?
Bloodstock was fantastic and the whole M2TM scene is a testament to how these BOTB type competitions can be more than they appear. Everyone was supportive and we had a great time, it was definitely worth doing. As for Bloodstock, that was totally surreal – we didn’t expect anyone to turn up but the tent was totally rammed. 10/10 would do again.
5. With the emergence of so many independently run indoor festivals that you've been a part of especially for us Welshies your appearance at Red Sun was a highlight. As you are playing Ritual Festival, this year what is your opinion of these festivals and do you think these are the future of festivals rather than the traditional large scale outdoor ones?
Red Sun was amazing, they were the first festival to take a chance on us and we’ve made so many friends through that whole scene. I hope we can come back to Wales soon actually…
It’s a weird one, I was very much of the opinion that ‘A festival is an outdoor, multi-stage, 3-day event etc.’ but after getting more involved in this scene and becoming more of a part of this community, I think these events are certainly more than just ‘going to a gig’. I think it makes sense though, you’re able to put on some bigger acts, even international bands, and give a platform to a decent amount of homegrown talent all for a reasonable ticket price. Damnation, Mammothfest and Uprising are all doing this to great effect.
6. How healthy would you say the underground metal scene in the UK is right now?
For the kind of stuff we do, strong, but it could be better. The midlands is shocking*, there are so few good promoters and places that will put on ‘underground’ music that will actually draw a crowd, it’s a real shame. Up north, this scene is thriving and London is decent on a good night. I’d say there’s more visibility than ever for bands and it’s easier than ever to get on shows, but it’s definitely leading to an abundance of bands doing the same kind of thing. *I’m 100% guilty of not going to as many shows as I’d like to be fair. Hypocrite.
7. After a hugely successful year for the band in 2016, do you have any other shows coming up in 2017?
We’re currently, at the time of writing, in the middle of four dates with Canada’s Mare which have been fun so far, the guys are hilarious. Coming up, we have Ritual Festival and Holy Reefer 420 Fest, both of which will be total carnage at different speeds. Much more coming up, keep your eyes open…
8. When can we expect to hear your eagerly awaited debut album?
We’re heading into the studio in April with Lewis Johns and have pretty much all of the record written. We’ve nothing further than that firmed up but we’re hoping to have it out before the end of the year.
9. A question we ask everyone what is your favourite sheep? (Attached)
Shaun The. (That's a cop out but we'll allow it - Ed)
As I've said Conjurer hit Ritual Festival on 8th April 2017
Tickets available here: http://ritualfestival.
Tuesday, 31 January 2017
Reviews: Krysthla, Stephen Pearcy, Hellbound Hearts
Krysthla: Peace In Our Time (PHD)
Krysthla's 2015 record was responsible for much ringing in my ears that year a trend that continued after seeing them live. The record was 8 songs of extremely heavy metal that was aggressive, destructive taking the best parts of Meshuggah, Gojira and Strapping Young Lad and putting them in blender of ultra-violent beat-downs and furious riffage.
Well the ironically titled second album Peace In Our Time is anything but peaceful drawing inspiration from the frankly disturbing modern world we live in it riffs on Chamberlain's famous if misguided speech with a sense of hope that such a thing can be achieved for the next generation. Ultimately the album is about war and the music reflects this with concussion level rhythms from Carl Davies and Wayne Minney battering your ear drums, the grinding riffs of Neil Hudson and Noel Davis making them bleed profusely as Adi Mayes barks, growls and conjures the dark lord himself with his vocals.
It's a progressive, extreme record that deals with extreme topics, Yawm-Al-Qiyamah is the Arabic for Judgement Day and reflects the issues with the Middle East, while In Death We Shall Not Die is a tribute to all those that war has taken. It's harrowing stuff but the music takes what could be a hard subject to swallow and injects a shot of fury into it, there are more melodic and intricate textures yes but these elements bolster the brutality of the rest of the record.
Krysthla continue where they left off on their debut but after the rigorous touring schedule it's all razor sharp and honed to create maximum devastation, the production of Neil Hudson takes the SYL soundscapes and means that there is a wall of discord from the opening seconds, it's relentless with only the briefest of pauses as the songs are fleshed out by the lighter touches before the heaviness kicks back in. A powerhouse of sheer musical force Krysthla have followed up their debut and upped their game, keep an eye out for live shows between April and July as Krysthla live are something to behold. 8/10
Stephen Pearcy: Smash (Frontiers)
Smash is the latest solo album from the former/current Ratt frontman and like much of his solo career it shows a different side to his songwriting, there are some Ratt influences of course with Ten Miles Wide and Rain sounding like they could have come off Out Of The Cellar or Invasion Of Your Privacy, with the big open chords and huge hooks. However the record opens with droning grunge that has touches of AIC or Smashing Pumpkins but with a blazing guitar solo while Shut Down Baby is a Southern flavoured rocker that has Pearcy displaying his vocal prowess.
Krysthla's 2015 record was responsible for much ringing in my ears that year a trend that continued after seeing them live. The record was 8 songs of extremely heavy metal that was aggressive, destructive taking the best parts of Meshuggah, Gojira and Strapping Young Lad and putting them in blender of ultra-violent beat-downs and furious riffage.
Well the ironically titled second album Peace In Our Time is anything but peaceful drawing inspiration from the frankly disturbing modern world we live in it riffs on Chamberlain's famous if misguided speech with a sense of hope that such a thing can be achieved for the next generation. Ultimately the album is about war and the music reflects this with concussion level rhythms from Carl Davies and Wayne Minney battering your ear drums, the grinding riffs of Neil Hudson and Noel Davis making them bleed profusely as Adi Mayes barks, growls and conjures the dark lord himself with his vocals.
It's a progressive, extreme record that deals with extreme topics, Yawm-Al-Qiyamah is the Arabic for Judgement Day and reflects the issues with the Middle East, while In Death We Shall Not Die is a tribute to all those that war has taken. It's harrowing stuff but the music takes what could be a hard subject to swallow and injects a shot of fury into it, there are more melodic and intricate textures yes but these elements bolster the brutality of the rest of the record.
Krysthla continue where they left off on their debut but after the rigorous touring schedule it's all razor sharp and honed to create maximum devastation, the production of Neil Hudson takes the SYL soundscapes and means that there is a wall of discord from the opening seconds, it's relentless with only the briefest of pauses as the songs are fleshed out by the lighter touches before the heaviness kicks back in. A powerhouse of sheer musical force Krysthla have followed up their debut and upped their game, keep an eye out for live shows between April and July as Krysthla live are something to behold. 8/10
Stephen Pearcy: Smash (Frontiers)
Smash is the latest solo album from the former/current Ratt frontman and like much of his solo career it shows a different side to his songwriting, there are some Ratt influences of course with Ten Miles Wide and Rain sounding like they could have come off Out Of The Cellar or Invasion Of Your Privacy, with the big open chords and huge hooks. However the record opens with droning grunge that has touches of AIC or Smashing Pumpkins but with a blazing guitar solo while Shut Down Baby is a Southern flavoured rocker that has Pearcy displaying his vocal prowess.
The sheer mix of styles on this record is impressive Dead Roses ramps up as a sleazier heavier outing, but all of them have a Pearcy's unique vocal delivery. If that Sunset Strip sound makes you run in the opposite direction than this record won't win you round but Smash is a good time rock n roll album that will appeal to the fans of Ratt or Pearcy's other work and can be used as evidence of his longevity in the rock world. 6/10
Hellbound Hearts: Film Noir
Billed as alternative rock Hellbound Hearts are a modern rock band that even though they claim to be Suffering The Radio they seem to be very much aiming for radio play their sound is distinctly radio friendly almost poppy in places offset by the crunching heaviness of their musicianship. Do you remember the UK rock scene back in the early 2000's well Hellbound Hearts would fit in perfectly with that scene due to the vocals, emotive lyrics and tendencies to move towards the dark and brooding.
Hellbound Hearts: Film Noir
Billed as alternative rock Hellbound Hearts are a modern rock band that even though they claim to be Suffering The Radio they seem to be very much aiming for radio play their sound is distinctly radio friendly almost poppy in places offset by the crunching heaviness of their musicianship. Do you remember the UK rock scene back in the early 2000's well Hellbound Hearts would fit in perfectly with that scene due to the vocals, emotive lyrics and tendencies to move towards the dark and brooding.
Cherry picking The Wildhearts, Billy Talent and even Nirvana as influences, they are actually quite similar to Exit State to be honest which is no bad thing as they were one of the few bands to really blend pop tendencies with heavy rock riffs. Hellbound Hearts do this very successfully throughout but it's glaringly obvious on tracks such as Still We Wait. Film Noir is an interesting record that shows a lot of promise for this Yorkshire based band. 7/10
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