Reviews: Korpiklaani, Divine Ascension, Eluveitie, Sirenia (Reviews By Stief)

Korpiklaani: Kulkija (Nuclear Blast)

The 10th release from Finnish Folk legends Korpiklaani and they just seem to be getting better with age. As soon as Jonne Järvelä’s distinct gravel-gargling vocals kick in during opening song Neito, it’s obvious there’s a definite polish added to the band’s sound, the use of the current tour rig being a major player in the more live sounding album.

It’s a brilliant journey, and although it retains the heaviness of previous albums, the band seem to definitely take time to focus on the folk side, Harmaja being a good example, a slow acoustic piece lead by violin and steady, slow drum beats. However the band pick up again with Kotikonnut and Korppikalliota. There’s even a small dose of doom injected in the shape of Sillanrakentaja.

It’s a great album, but the band also seem to be slowing down a little. There’s the odd burst of energy in Henkselipoika and Juomamaa, but overall it’s definitely a much calmer affair from previous albums like Of Tales Along This Road. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing at all, it’s just a different approach, and after 10 albums, Korpiklaani are more than welcome to do what they want with their music. 8/10

Divine Ascension: The Uncovering (ViciSolum Productions)

It’s been 4 years since Australian quartet Divine Ascension released a new album, and The Uncovering is a very welcome return. Right from the outset, the band make no qualms of their technical guitar work, the speed of Karl Szulik’s fretwork rivalling that of the likes of Dragonforce's Herman Li and Sam Totman. However, there’s definitely enough to separate Szulik from his peers, with solos, harmonising and generally great riffage all strings on his bow.

The heavy beats laid down by Luke Wenczel along with the chugging bass of Jason Meracis all work with the soaring voice of Jennifer Borg, whose vocals sit comfortably on the border of operatic and heavy metal. It’s a fast paced album, with plenty of heavy breakdowns scattered throughout, from the uplifting Bittersweet Divide to the heavier Beyond The Line, there’s even a guest appearance from Evergrey’s Tom S. Englund on Pursuit Of Desire, a wonderful duet between him and Jennifer, their voices complementing each other brilliantly. Definitely one to check out if you love your power metal with extra riffs on the side 8/10

Eluveitie: Slania -10 Year Release (Nuclear Blast)

10 years ago, a lesser known folk metal band released a small album called Slania. While not their debut, it was this album that propelled Eluveitie into the mainstream of folk metal. From the heavy, slow chugging riffs mixed with the lilting pipes of Samon to the closing chants of Elembivos, this album shows the groundwork Eluveitie were laying to make themselves more than another folk metal band. With an interesting mixture of clean vocals, vicious growls, heavy, pounding drums, with riffs bordering on the Amon Amarth side of melodic metal, it’s easy to see how the band become one of the main names in folk metal.

The 10 year anniversary release includes some goodies, including an acoustic version of Samon as well as original demos of quite a few songs, including Inis Mona, Primordial Breath and Tarvos. With a new album in the works, this is a great chance for those of you who maybe didn’t catch it first time to pick up a defining album in the band’s history, and even if you’re a diehard fan, the extras are worth adding to your collection. 8/10

Sirenia: Arcane Astral Aeons (Napalm Records)

The 9th full-length release from Norway’s Sirenia and they do not hold back! As soon as the album starts, you’re thrown into an epic mixture of operatic vocals, dramatic choirs, heavy metal and harsh growls and it really works. Be it the heavy bass of Morten Veland, who triples his contribution with harsh vocals and keyboards, or the deft fingers of Nils Courbaron on guitar along with Jan Erik Soltvedt, all work together to make an extremely tight sound.

This is only Emmanuelle Zoldan’s second full length album with the band, but she definitely belongs with them, her lofty operatic vocals sail and weave through each song, intermingling with and playing off Morten’s harsh growls. From start to finish, the album is hard hitting, with the band rarely letting down, each song a fast paced mixture of heavy power metal and symphonic synth-laced opera, melding into an almost industrial hybrid of the two. Definitely check this one out, even if you’re not normally a fan of the symphonic genre. 8/10

Reviews: Holter, Voices From The Fuselage, Barbarian Hermit, Slæt

Holter: Vlad The Impaler (Frontiers Records)

Trond Holter is the former guitarist of Wig Wam, he's also appeared on solo albums by Jorn Lande which led to the Dracula: Swing Of Death album in 2015 that featured Jorn taking the role of the famous vampire for a Meat Loaf styled ott baroque and roll album. This is the follow up to that now under just Holter's own name, it's again a concept however this time it focuses on the real life inspiration for Dracula myth Vlad Dracul or Vlad The Impaler in a fantasy concept. As well as the band name the membership has changed with Jorn no longer behind the mic but Nils K Rue the pipes of prog/power metal band Pagan's Mind and Eva Iselinn Erichsen who is a relatively unknown singer that has featured on the Norwegian version of The Voice. Together they're the storytellers of this tale with Holter's compositions maintaining their theatrical quality, but definitely guitar led the classical leads and solos just as prevalent as the chunky melodic metal riffs.

 From the battlefields of The World's On Fire it sinks it's teeth in from the very beginning reminiscent of Savatage from the off, the chuggy Drums Of Doom gives way to the symphonic thud of The Last Generation. Nils is great singer his powerful range continuing the theme of having some of the best voices available but it's Erichsen who steals the show here balancing the more ott elements of Rue's power metal pipes meaning that on I'll Die For You neither is wanting for attention and on Shadows Of Love is like a Broadway performance piece. Also while we're here can I just mention Holter's guitar playing which is ridiculous far superior to anything he did with Wig Wam. While this doesn't quite reach the extravagance of Dracula: Swing Of Death for a few reasons I can't out my finger on it's very good and a worthy continuation of this musical project, where they go now is anyone's guess but 8/10

Voices From The Fuselage: Odyssey - The Founder of Dreams (White Star Records)

We’ve talked about White Star Records here on the blog before, they are spearheading the prog genre in a way that many other record labels fail too. They seem to actively seek out the more ethereal bands that aren’t just reliant on heavy chugging guitars on top of odd time signatures. Many of their bands build their music around the way it feels, putting the more ‘metal’ riffs when required not for the sake of having them. Life On Titan the third song on this second album by Voices From The Fuselage is evidence to this the majority of the song has ghostly ambient textures with the melodic guitar riffs leading up in the chorus before dropping into chugging djent breakdowns in the middle eight. Voices From The Fuselage have been signed to White Star Records since 2016 with the label re-releasing their debut outing.

If the vocals sound familiar it’s because they belong to Ashe O’ Hara who is a former singer for Tesseract on what is probably their most fragile album. Here his vocals and honest open lyricism are the beautiful foils for the music penned predominantly by drummer Scott Lockhart, who’s propulsion is the foundation of so many of these songs that deal with science vs faith. It allows Mitch Ramsay and Josh Galloway’s celestial reaching guitar playing to really make their mark on the listener bolstering the emotional impact of this record, most notably on the “dream within a dream” idea on Vestibule Of Hell. Of course that warmth and emotional impact is deepened by the clarity from John Mitchell’s production. 

They are the ideal emotional style of progressive music that White Star Records deal in and they look sure to flourish on the back of this diverse, deep record where O’Hara’s soul is laid bare for all to see, he says himself he has an optimistic nihilism which is more than reflected in this second record, brilliantly morose and magical. 9/10

Barbarian Hermit: Solitude And Savagery (APF Records)

Riffs, big, fat, diabetes inducing riffs. That's pretty all you need to know about Barbarian Hermit, they play lumbering sludge metal that is build on a foundation of riffs heavier than the Titanic, thick like molasses. Produced by Chris Fielding (a man who knows heavy) the Manchester five piece's first full length owes a debt to the NOLA titans like Crowbar and COC (Beyond The Wall) but also to early Clutch (Black Mass) concocting a recipe that brings groove driven down-tuned extremity together with head nodding catchiness. For instance a track such as Beyond The Wall is slower burner slithering along with some bone shaking Sabbath doom from guitarists Mike and Adam which allows vocalist Ed to move with ease between his booming 'clean' and harsh roars.

It's perfectly place in the middle of the album along with Life Breather which has a trippy opening underpinned by Gareth and Rob's rhythm section which blows up for the chorus, it's all very Orange Goblin and as you'll know from this blog that's no bad thing. After their debut EP Barbarian Hermit lost three members of their band but if you're a believer in fate the you'll have to think this was a good thing, the addition of Gareth, Rob and especially Ed, who has a real duality to his vocals on certain songs like two different singers, has made the band stronger, meaner and much more impressive prospect. 8/10

Slægt: The Wheel (Van Records)

Ah nothing quite like a bit of Danish blackened metal on a Thursday morning (when I reviewed this record). Especially when the metal in question is most defiantly blackened, not black, that means that there are frantic tremolo picking and squawking vocals but there’s also a lot of melody, some thrash metal chugging and classic metal gallops, second song Masician has the NWOBHM at its black heart, exploding into dual lead harmonies before fading in the way it started with classical acoustic plucking. The Wheel is the follow up to Slægt’s critically acclaimed album Domus Mysterium from 2017. There ethos was to make the songs shorter and more vicious, something they’ve achieved as right from opener Being Born (Is Going Blind) rips and tears bursting out of your speakers with a sense of urgency and occult fuelled mastery.

It’s a decidedly old school approach which sees the band shunning trends and what’s cool for some good old fashioned metal the way Celtic Frost and Venom would have played it, scratchy production built for stereo speakers adds a rawness but nothing is left to linger from the vocals to the bass playing is lost in the mix, it sounds urgent and gets your studded fist in the air. Citrinitas once again adds flair of Priest or Mercyful Fate but V.W.A. and Perfume And Steel are solidly in the Immortal/Emperor camp of impressive black metal mastery. With their influences worn on their sleeves and defiant in the face of changing musical scene Slægt are a big slab of the old days for 2018. 8/10

A Vierw From The Back Of The Room: The Infernal Sea (Live Review By Rich)

The Infernal Sea, Deadwood Lake, Promethean Reign & Saarkoth at Fuel, Cardiff

There were two metal gigs on in Cardiff on this Sunday night - boy band Bullet For My Valentine playing a huge show in the Motorpoint Arena and in the small confines of Fuel Rock Club we had a showcase of the UK black metal scene headlined by The Infernal Sea. It’s safe to say I wasn’t at the Bullet For My Valentine show (you couldn’t have paid me to be there) and I was at Fuel early in the evening to catch all the bands playing.

Despite all four bands falling under the bracket of black metal they all their own different take on the style with each band sounding different to the rest which just shows the versatility of the genre.  Opening band Saarkoth (7) had a melodic yet atmospheric style with hugely epic songs in both sound and structure with acoustic intros and some almost celtic sound melodies. They very much reminded me of bands such as Winterfylleth, Wodensthrone and Saor in style which is by no means a bad thing. Unfortunately for the band they are currently without a drummer so had to use a drum track for their performance which whilst not ideal was pulled off effortlessly. A band well worth seeing and hopefully next time with a live drummer which will definitely enhance the live experience.

Next up were Promethean Reign (6) who performed a mix of black metal and death metal bringing forth the viciousness and brutality.  Having listened to their Aftó Eínai Pólemos EP the first couple of songs in the set sounded strange and distinctly lacking in something. It turns out that Promethean Reign were also having line up troubles and were down a guitarist and bassist resulting in a far more stripped down sound. The band seemed to grow in confidence as the set progressed and so did the quality with the songs sounded more fully formed and oozed viciousness. Another band I would love to see again with a full line up.

The main support for the evening came from Deadwood Lake (9) who also had an atmospheric and melodic style albeit drenched in sadness and melancholy.  The backstory of the band and their music is the death of Gary Powell who was brother of frontman Bruce Powell. All the music is dedicated to the memory of Gary and the lyrics are all based on Gary and the grief felt by his loved ones and it is truly carried forth into the music which is quite frankly jaw-dropping being both moving and poignant but also full of unbridled rage. It truly captures the range of emotions felt when you grieving a loved one. The band manage to capture this perfectly live and performed a spellbinding set with material drawn from their new EP Forgotten Hymns and their previous releases. Truly a band worth hearing and seeing.

Headlining the evening were the fantastic The Infernal Sea (9) who performed an incredible set which was rooted in the classic black metal sound complete with gnarly tremolo riffs, a barrage of blast beats and shit tons of aggression. The band built atmosphere filling the room with clouds of dry ice whilst an ominous ambient pulse emanated from the sound system before hitting the stage and smashing the place to oblivion. Audience engagement was minimal with the band letting the music do the talking and they absolutely took no prisoners with a set gleaned from their two albums The Great Mortality and Call Of The Augur. I had heard many good things about The Infernal Sea and they most definitely lived up to their reputation. All in all it was a hugely enjoyable evening which showcased how strong the underground black metal scene in the UK is right now and how much diversity there is between the bands within the scene. I look forward to more of these shows in the future.

A View From The Back Of The Room: Bullet For My Valentine (Live Review By Alex)

Bullet for My Valentine, Of Mice And Men, Nothing More, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff

Every time Bullet for My Valentine play in Cardiff, the show is dutifully promoted as a homecoming for the Welsh metalcore act. Certainly bearing the hallmarks of a big event, the concert brings renowned bands Nothing More and Of Mice And Men to support, as well as a dazzling light show for the main act. All this combines for an excitable atmosphere, which while largely shown for the headliners, is seen into existence by the entire experience.

Shvpes are the first band on the billing, and while the queues, unfortunately, mean that I only get to see the final few minutes of their set, the frenetic combination of hip-hop and metal certainly seems to make for an excitable start, grabbing the attention of concertgoers as they stream into the arena

A dramatic monologue on the futility of trying to change the mind of a man who believes the earth is flat plays out as Nothing More (8) take the stage before the intros cease and they spring into a myriad of songs from their new album, The Stories We Tell Ourselves. The hooks and energy are towering, as is the infectious stage presence of exuberant frontman, Johnny Hawkins. On that point, we do get a sombre moment, as upon a playthrough of Jenny - a deeply personal song about Hawkins' sister - our frontman noticeably channels all his emotions his the performance. Although there seem to be a few mixing issues throughout the set, every member is clearly demonstrating their talent, and the sound problems don’t detract from the overall enjoyment of those who were thrilled to see them, added to the lineup.

Of Mice and Men (7) have never been favourites of mine, yet afford a lot of respect for forging ahead regardless of several changes in personnel, and releasing an going into 2018 with an album attempting to reinvent their style of ferocious alt-metal. In fact, the setlist is largely made up of material from Defy, the huge choruses allowing for fist-in-air singalongs, and inspiring the first mosh pits of the night. On commanding the room, these do not score quite as well, yet they are quite clearly enjoying themselves, a lot of laughing and joking going a long way to winning our affection - even upon an awkward moment, where David Arteaga breaks his bass drum. Not every song here resonates with me on a personal level, and the band clearly had a hard task in being placed between an upcoming act renowned for their theatrics and Wales’ favourite alt-metallers. Despite that, Manasala and co. played with heart, showing why they are admired by so many and proving a worthy main-support for our headliners.

A white curtain falls on an impressive display, with three frames of light, reaching from front to back of the rostered stage, in a sort of hypnotic illusion. Immediately, Bullet For My Valentine (10) charge into Leap Of Faith and Over It, while CO2 jets throw out streams of dense cloud, and the suitably warmed up crowd begins to bounce. While I initially feared the addition of cuts from their new album, Gravity, they bear a lot more impression live, with every word to Not Dead Yet or Piece Of Me, belted back at the equally thrilled musicians. Of course, BFMV represent most of their albums tonight, with Your Betrayal, The Last Fight and You Want A Battle (Here’s A War) eliciting ginormous cheers for their presence and leading to the biggest circle pits of the entire night. Matt Tuck makes clear his love for playing in the city as well, declaring "This is our favourite place to play in the entire world, we came here to see our favourite bands as kids and It’s so awesome being on this side of the barrier."

Reminding Welsh fans that despite worldwide acclaim, they have not lost touch with their beginnings. As the encore ensues with Waking The Demon and Tears Don’t Fall, confetti pours from the rafters, again proving in keeping with the theme of a homecoming celebration, even if this may have been an aspect to every show on the tour. To those who have seen Bullet before, the vigour and excitement of tonight’s performance probably seems no surprise. To those like me, who have not seen them before, tonight couldn’t have been a better first time.

Reviews: Lacuna Coil, Pete Spilby, Hex A.D, Crucible Of Hate, Rising (Reviews By Paul H)

Lacuna Coil: The 119 Show – Live In London (Century Media)

A celebration of 20 years of the Milanese based metal outfit Lacuna Coil, The 119 Show was recorded in front of a sold out and extremely passionate audience at the Kentish Town Forum in London on 19th January 2018. It captures the Italians in impressive form and delving into their back catalogue to play a range of older songs that rarely get aired. Whilst the enthusiasm of Andrea Ferro and Christina Scabbia between songs can be a little irritating, there is no doubting that when the band are on form their symphonic pomp can be brilliant. If you love Lacuna Coil, you’ll probably have been at this show. If you like them, then this live release with 27 songs is as complete a collection of their best songs as you’ll ever find. If you don’t like them, this won’t change your mind at all. 8/10

Pete Spiby: Failed Magician (Be Lucky)

The former singer and guitarist of Black Spiders releases his first solo album and it’s a lengthy piece of work. A double CD package with the inevitable sound of the Black Spiders due to Spiby’s distinctive vocal, especially on tracks like Bible Studies which could easily have been a Spiders song. This album is divided into two parts, with CD 1 comprising the harder rockier tunes whilst CD 2 is primarily acoustic in style, melancholic and bluesy. It’s best described as background music, the kind that could play whilst you got on with other stuff although I have no doubt it would work well in a candlelit room with a glass of wine.

It’s neatly written and performed with his guitar work particularly tasty at times (see Friday Night and Wrap Me Round Your Little Finger for examples). Following the life-span of the different stages of making the album, there is certainly some creativity flowing here and whilst the hard rock badge is worn proudly throughout, the variation is one of the main attractions of Failed Magician with the delicate second CD probably just edging the pair. 7/10

Hex A.D: Netherworld Triumphant (Fresh Tea Records)

Opening with a 2:35 minute piano piece called Himmelskare, Hex A.D. return with their third full length release. Originally the brainchild of drummer/singer Rick Hagan and producer Chris Tsangarides who died at the start of the year, this is a doom soaked progressive odyssey that becomes more enjoyable on every listen. The title track is a stunning two-part psychedelic trip with the deepest riffs around, huge swathes of Hammond organ and mellotron and a production that is as big as the song. Hagan now delivering all guitar duties is joined by brother Matt Hagan on drums, Magnus Johansen on Hammond and mellotron and Are With Gotstad on bass.

The Norwegian band list a plethora of classic old school bands including early Floyd and Tull, Candlemass, Sabbath, Grand Magus, Alice Cooper and Electric Wizard amongst their musical influences and it’s easy to see why. The large range of horror movies and classic writers which also feed into the foundation of their sound are also instantly recognisable. Ladders To Fire which concludes the album is a monstrous 13 ½ minutes of crashing riffs which descend slowly but with maximum impact. An album that demands repeated plays to appreciate but worth every minute. 8/10

Crucible Of Hate Dark Metamorphosis (Self Released)

34 minutes of ferocious snarling death metal liberally laced with groove and melody. That’s what you get with Crucible Of Hate, a four-piece hate filled outfit from Lancaster, Ohio. Whilst the ferocity is instantly recognisable, there are several tracks towards the end that move closer to the melodic end of the spectrum with Dan Rivera’s clean vocals a huge contrast to the roaring growls on tracks such as Termination Of The Narcissist. The variation in style, the hammer driven speed and the intensity which propels the band forward make this a reasonable debut. 6/10

Rising: Sword And Scythe (Indisciplinarian)

Hovering around the ten-year anniversary, Denmark five-piece Rising’s latest album is 45 minutes of solid if unspectacular heavy metal. The tracks presented on Sword And Scythe are decent, full of thumping riffs and pounding rhythm sections. There’s little to really ignite the fires, with a couple of lumberingly dull tracks such as Camp Century uninspiring. At the heart of this band is a decent heavy metal band that demonstrates occasional bursts of quality. Overall, just a little too routine and average. 5/10

Reviews: Ten, Striker, Mallen, Heaven's Trail (Reviews By Rich)

Ten: Illuminati (Frontiers Records)

When I see I have an album to listen to by a melodic hard rock band on Frontiers Records I do usually let out a little sigh as generally these bands have a very similar and generic sound which is very much stuck in the 1980’s. I had the same reaction when I did a little reading about Ten but my misgivings were dispelled when I actually hit play on the album and was presented with a very mature and different melodic hard rock sound. Ten are a band that have been going since 1994 with Illuminati being the 14th album by the band and it’s a cracker. It’s far less cheesy than most melodic hard rock with an almost progressive and symphonic sound with some fantastic musicianship and equally strong songwriting. Frontman Gary Hughes has a lower register voice but it’s very clean and rich without ever becoming overbearing.

There are some fantastic riffs and solos provided by the three guitarists in the band and the keyboards whilst very present and up front mix well with the guitars with neither drowning each other out and actually being a nice compliment to each other. As previously mentioned the songwriting is incredibly strong throughout Illuminati with songs being catchy, memorable and even epic with highlights being the magnificent title track, the catchy Shield Wall and Jericho and the melodic and anthemic Rosetta Stone. Illuminati definitely caught me off guard with just how enjoyable I found it and if on their 14th album Ten are sounding as strong as this then I might have to go and discover their back catalogue. An epic and anthemic piece of melodic hard rock with plenty of unique character which definitely makes it stand out. 8/10

Striker: Play To Win (Record Breaking Records)

Canadian heavy metal heroes Striker are back with their sixth album Play To Lose which is another instalment of old school styled anthemic heavy metal. I’m a massive fan of their previously self titled album (which I gave a glowing review) and whilst this album doesn’t quite reach the stratospheric heights of that album it is still an absolutely brilliant collection of songs.  Striker have a sound which incorporates traditional 80’s style heavy metal with elements of power metal and hair metal.  On the previous album the sound started leaning a little bit more towards the hair metal and traditional heavy metal influences and Play To Win continues with a further lean in this direction with a bit of an 80’s AOR influence as well. The album is chock full of absolute earworms from the get go with the opening triple punch of Heart Of Lies, Position Of Power and the title track all demanding fists are pumped in the air. This momentum keeps going throughout the majority of the album though it does start spluttering a bit towards the end with the rather flat Summoner.

Things pick up again with the pumping Heavy Is The Heart before things go completely flat with the closing cheesy power ballad Hands Of Time. The huge melodies and hooks that are abundant throughout the album are carried by the magnificent vocals of frontman Dan Cleary who puts in a career best performance throughout. The band play like a well oiled machine throughout with some fantastic 80’s metal riffs and some extremely tasteful shredding by lead guitarist Chris Segger.  There’s even some session drumming by Canadian drummer extraordinaire Randy Black of Annihilator fame. Whilst Play To Win does splutter a bit towards the end there’s no denying that this is a brilliant album and whilst not meeting the heights met by the self titled album this is still an essential listen for any heavy metal fan who appreciates the fun in their music. 8/10

Mallen: Polarity (Self Released)

Polarity is the debut album by Birmingham hard rockers Mallen. Mallen play a very contemporary style of hard rock with definite influences from bands such as Alter Bridge and Shinedown but Mallen aren’t a copycat band and definitely stand out from the crowd with their dark edged pop rock style. For a debut album Polarity is very professional in it sound and in the maturity of the songwriting. The songs are all catchy and melodic with very strong hooks and sung very well by the talented Kelly-Jane whose vocal range and control is very impressive indeed. Whilst this is not a style of rock I would listen to out of choice it’s clear that this is a very strong album with a lot of hard work put in with both the songwriting and the sound.  Not my cup of tea but I’m sure Mallen have great things ahead of them. 7/10

Heaven’s Trail: Lethal Mind (Escape Music)

Heaven’s Trail are a new hard rock/heavy metal band from Germany featuring members and ex-members of Masterplan and Jaded Heart with Lethal Mind being their debut album. Heaven’s Trail play melodic hard rock and heavy metal which is very riff driven with no keyboards in sight. Vocals are handled by Masterplan’s Rick Altzi whose coarse yet melodic vocals are unmistakable whilst the songwriting is mainly handled by guitarist Barish Kepic. With the wealth of experience in their other bands the music and performances on Lethal Mind sound very crisp and professional but the songwriting is fairly pedestrian.  I mean it all sounds very pleasant but there’s just something lacking which prevents these songs from making much of an impression. A small handful of songs stood out more than the others such as On The Rise, The Flame and the title track but the album was pretty much forgotten by the time it had come to an end. Good background music but not much else. 6/10

Reviews: Accept, Artillery, Wasted Theory, Bitter Heart (Reviews By Paul H)

Accept: Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017 (Nuclear Blast)

A two-hour show recorded at last year’s Wacken Festival captures Accept at full force. Split into three parts, after an opening salvo of classics and new material, the middle section is handed over to guitarist Wolf Hoffman, presenting a best of from his recent solo album Headbanger’s Symphony accompanied by a symphony orchestra before Accept reassembled to conclude the show with a range of Accept classics supported by the orchestra. Whilst the new material ticks all the boxes, listing tracks such as Restless And Wild next to Koolaid highlights that the older songs still work best. The orchestral section works fine, although I struggled with Hoffman’s release at the time it came out. Big, bombastic and fabulous sounding on the stereo, I did wonder how this would have presented itself during a mud-drenched festival where what you really want is banger after banger. Its more suited to a classical concert hall but entertaining enough.

Once the band return to the stage, things get a lot more interesting with a racing Princess Of The Dawn followed by a majestic Stalingrad kicking off the best part of the set. A mix of classics such as Breaker, Metal Heart and Fast As A Shark mix with newer tracks and if you like Accept, and let’s face it, if you don’t you are wrong, then this is where the band show their strength. The orchestral strings and brass that accompanies these latter tracks do provide a neat touch, with the atmospheric backdrop to one of the original thrash tracks Fast As A Shark particularly good but you do get the feeling that Accept are just doing what they do and the orchestra have been told to “keep up”. It’s easy listening in metal terms, no-nonsense and thoroughly enjoyable. I’m just glad I didn’t have to stand in the pissing rain to listen to it. 8/10

Artillery: The Face Of Fear (Metal Blade Records)

Named after a Tank track, I’m somewhat surprised that we’ve never reviewed an album by the Danish thrashers Artillery. The band, who reformed in 2007, have been stable in line-up since 2012 and The Face Of Fear is their ninth album. Original members Michael and Morten Stützer continue to bring the shred, with some excellent trash riffage throughout. Old school thrash when delivered and constructed with care can be very enjoyable and I enjoyed the retro style which the band doggedly follow. Sworn Utopia screams ‘faster’ as the track progresses, whilst New Rage is a gnarly old thrash beastie which any metal head should enjoy.

Vocalist Michael Bastholm Dahl can hold a note and shows a superb set of pipes throughout. Clean, powerful and most impressive. Whilst I could have done without the sentimental mush of Pain, which appears to have been pinched from the Scorpions cutting room floor, a couple of rerecorded versions of Mind Of No Return and Doctor Evil round off an enjoyable album which is well worth a listen. 7/10

Wasted Theory: Warlords Of The New Electric (Argonauta Records)

Thumping American weed rock is brought to you by the letters W and T; Wasted Theory mix a 70s swagger with blues undertones, more than a nod to deep fried Southern metal and some fine stoner anthems to massive effect. The influences of COC, Alabama Thunderpussy, Orange Goblin and the like are evident, but this is no covers band. Larry Jackson Jr on vocals and guitar, Andrew Petkovic on guitar and drummer Brendan Burns have a sound all their own and whilst it is very much in the dope smoking groove style, there is much to enjoy on a riff heavy beast of an album. 7/10

Bitter Heart: Rotten (Dualism Records)

Formed in Tunisia in 2016, this is a satisfying release from somewhat surprisingly, a power trio. Blending the anguish of Grunge, the raw energy of metal and the heavy riffage of stoner rock into an interesting and eclectic selection of songs. Melik Melek Khelifa, who delivers some heartfelt vocals and sweet guitar work is joined by Dawser Kheddher on backing vocals and bass and drummer Selim Jabbes. It’s not all navel gazing mind, as the retrospective flavour of Kill Your Dreams and Heartless is matched by the slightly less serious Psychopathic Evil Woman From Hell and the equally delightful Dense Motherfucker Piece Of Shit. Well worth a listen. 7/10

Reviews: Lethean, Sylvaine, Richard Sjoblom's Gungfly, Estrons (Reviews Paul S, Rich & Alex)

Lethean: The Waters Of Death (Cruz Del Sur Music) [Paul S]

Lethean have been going since 2013, this is their first album, coming 2 years after an EP. The band is a 2 piece Thurmi Paavana on vocals and James Ashbey on, well, everything else. The band class themselves as Epic Heavy Metal, which sounds great, but isn’t a label that is easily definable. To these ears it sounds a little like what I would think of as pagan metal.

First track Idylls Of The King sounds like a combination of Primordial and Kampfar, but maybe a little less extreme, it has that organic, slightly folk influenced sound, but not anywhere near full on folk metal. At this point I should mention the vocals on this album. Thurmi Paavana has a voice that is bordering on operatic, at first I was a little worried that this wouldn’t fit with the music. However she handles the vocals with so much subtlety and nuance that it never seems over the top. The fact that the music here is a fairly aggressive and harsh, helps the vocals fit, I do think that if this had softer music, then the vocals wouldn’t have fitted so well.

Seafarer is a little slower than the first track, and also has a bit of a galloping horse rhythm, with a much slower ending. In Darkness starts slowly, but gets faster as it goes along, with a bit of a 6/8 time signature. Time And The Gods is slower, more of a ballady feel to the first half, before getting more aggressive and faster in the second half. The vocals on this track are great, with very memorable melodies. Across Grey Water is a soft acoustic ballad for 3 of it’s 4 minutes before getting much harder for the last minute.

The album comes to a close with the 10 minute epic Devouring Fire, which vacillates between slow and heavy and fast and galloping, all with Thurmi’s amazing vocals making this very special. This album is beautifully musical, whilst not lacking in power or extremity. The music is very well written and realised, and the vocals take it to another level. Highly recommended! 8/10

Sylvaine: Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone (Season Of Mist) [Rich]

Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone is the new album from French/Norwegian multi instrumentalist Sylvaine and what an album this is. Deeply moving and atmospheric Sylvaine has a sound that draws upon doom metal, black metal, shoegaze and ambient influences bringing to mind such bands as Alcest, Oathbreaker, Solstafir and Deafheaven. Sylvaine could very much fall under the blackgaze tag with the mix of soft, shimmery guitars, dreamy clean vocals and black metal shrieks. Although very reminiscent of the aforementioned bands Sylvaine knows her craft and with the aid of session musicians Stephen Shepard and Alcest’s Stéphane “Neige” Paut she has cut an album of deep and immersive music which definitely takes you on a journey with its altering soundscapes. This album whilst extremely good is very reminiscent of Alcest to my ears - maybe a little too similar but considering I absolutely adore Alcest I don’t whether to regard this as a strength or a weakness. If you are a fan of the blackgaze or post-black metal sound then this album is a definite must listen though it will sound very familiar. 8/10

Richard Sjoblom’s Gungfly: Friendship (InsideOut Records) [Alex]

Inspired by ideas of relationships, the loss of childhood innocence and age, Friendship is told through the lyrical lens of memories of a treehouse while utilizing a vast instrumental palate. Ghost Of Vanity begins by setting a mood, giving music to a naïve sense of fantasy, which many might associate with childhood. An adept bass line floats above mesmerising synths which soon burst into vibrant colour, a contrast of thunderous instrumentation dramatically disturbing the ambiance. From there, the song adopts a playful tone before taking on a more frustrated face, proving conceptually inspiring yet by no means wonderfully textured, as neither movement seems definite. Friendship, on the other hand, feels cohesive. 

With winding instrumentals, the piece is able to musical evoke thoughts of comradeship, resentment and loss across 14 minutes never alienating the listener. Consequentially, when the lyricism does finally appear it take a striking and purposeful, not fabricated for the sake of serving a narrative. While I do not quite detect the same swell of emotionality from A Treehouse In A Glade, upon further reflection I respect how its intricate nature lends itself perfectly to the themes of creation and perseverance, especially when we begin to spy those values in settings outside of the hideaways we had as children. Outside of the occasional odd decision, the compositions on this album are usually either impressive, inspiring or both. Yet it would be difficult and unwise for me to overlook the deeply personal themes Richard Sjoblom touches on throughout.

While you can never fully detach the melodies a musician creates, from the words they write to accompany them, Friendship is an album that requires that treatment. Interesting ideas are brought to the fore here as our narrator challenges preconceived notions of adulthood, questioning on the aforementioned opener ‘what would you do to become as beautiful as those you see on TV?’ More often than not, however, the poetry settles for nauseating nostalgia and rugged romanticism. A large part of the problem is ballads in the vein of They Fade are not allowed to remain contemplative or wistful, without the shallow proclamations proving phony and distracting. Stone Cold is intended to present painful feeling over losing a friend, yet the end result is totally confused, due in large part to the absence of authentic emotionality in the wordplay. 

Of course, it’s not all cliché and sentimentality, some moments will evoke a smile with their thoughtfulness or humour, yet there are so many concepts destined to be better fleshed out, that you can’t help feeling a little taken out of the experience as a result. Sjoblom is, of course, conscious that he is making a prog, yet refuses to let restrict him. Drawing on Jazz, classical and traditional influences, the music is indeed puzzling, though by not unnecessary or wholly pretentious. 6/10

Estrons: You Say I’m Too Much, I Say You’re Not Enough (Gofod Records) [Alex]

Championing a style of angst-ridden alt rock, Cardiff’s own Estrons have been making quite a name for themselves in recent months. Chances are, if you pay attention to Womanby Streets live music scene, you may have seen them hit up Clwb-Ifor-Bach or play the annual Swn fest. While you can compare them to female fronted post-punk acts that came before them like Elastica, they have received some attention outside of their home-country, partly due to being an angsty, intriguing and unique product of their time, regardless of their presumed influences. Lilac opens the album with an exhilarating dose of distortion, as a fast paced rhythm sets in, and an infectious chorus destined to inspire sprightly audiences kicks down the door. Unafraid to show their socially conscious stripes, the song is a massive condemnation of emotional and physical abuse, something which becomes an enduring theme throughout. 

The adrenaline is carried across onto Killing Your Love and Make A Man, both of which have feisty instrumentation, euphoric lead parts, a positive and determined message, and Tali Kallstrom screaming every word with conviction. If there is one thing that makes this debut translate amazingly however, it’s the raw unfiltered attitude. Even the decidedly pop inspired moments like Stranger, Cameras and Aliens, are performed with a sneer and intensity, which despite not being a touch on the feeling emanated by their live shows, stamps in stone that these four musicians are ready and willing to leave an impression. From the unruly and thunderous Drop, to slow burning and bluesy Jesus…, there is a type of unpolished catchiness, standing somewhere between the huge hooks of AC/DC and the mawkish, punk attitude of the Clash. Estrons are capable of sombre thoughtfulness, and unchecked fierceness. Again, it’s not the easiest feeling to describe in words, except to say that it fills me with an inextricable surge of energy and vigour, making me hungry for more. 8/10

Review: WOMAN II (Review By Paul S)

Various Artists: Woman II (Blackened Death Records)

In the article I wrote on Anti-Fascist metal and NSBM a few weeks ago (https://musipediaofmetal.blogspot.com/2018/10/opinion-anti-fascist-black-metal-nsbm.html)

I mentioned a compilation called WOMAN (Worldwide Organisation of Metalheads Against Nazism), and said that WOMAN II was on the way; well it is now out. The album is available on Blackened Death Records, in fact you can buy it on Bandcamp for whatever you want to pay. All proceeds from the album will be going to the charity Doctors Without Borders. WOMAN II contains 44 tracks of Anti-Nazi metal of all kinds. Coming in at 3 hours 16 minutes, this must be one of the best value compilations ever released. But is the music worth it? Here’s what I thought.

Ghoul - Nazi Smasher (9) Cracking piece of Splatterthrash from Creepsylvania. Mmmm Nazi Pie. Neckbeard Deathcamp - Terf Crisis (8) Dense, unrelenting war metal, not for the fainthearted, or those who hate Trans people.  Gaylord - Filosofemme (8) Mid-paced, relentlessly hypnotic black metal. Libtrigger - Dethroning The Tyrants (9) Decidedly nasty black metal, fantastic blastbeats!  Redbait - Dick Punch (9) Properly ANGRY crust punk. Gloriously Incandescent. Ithaca - Otherworldly (8) Mathy hardcore, ragingly angry while at the same time melodic and tuneful. Immortal Bird - The Sycophant (8) Blackened crusty punk, must be great fun live!

Allfather - The Great Destroyer (9) Insanely heavy, but with a massive groove to it. Like watching planets dance!  Void Ritual - Bastards (9) Brilliant piece of orthodox black metal, worth buying this compilation for this song on it’s own. Twilight Fauna - Crooked Road (8) Savage black metal interspersed with ambient sections. Really nice juxtapositions. Forbihavet - Part II - Unnatural Sleep (8) Atmospheric black metal/blackgaze. Beautiful and viscous at the same time. Stansfield - Chaos Engine (8) Alternative sludge, huge grooves! Kosmogr - Vision (9) Fantastic atmospheric black metal, really great track! Hellripper - Demdike (In League With The Devil) (9) Awesome black trash, impossible to listen to without head-banging. Grimorium Verum - Mirages Of Imminent Mortality (8) Blackened death metal from Bangladesh, brutal and tuneful; great track. Impalement - Into Obscurity (8) Nasty old school death metal, beautiful filth.

BATARD - Sans Dogme (7) Lo-fi post black metal, interesting and enjoyable. Stormland - The Marcenas Legacy (8)  Cracking piece of death/grind. Great riffs! Garden Of The Ark - Where We Stand (9) Really great alternative rock, fantastic chorus! WHITEPHOSPHOROUS - AbSOLUTION (7) Horrific experimental noise, with unsettling samples, like a childhood nightmare tuned into sound. Dead Labour - Autumn Rains (7) Glitchy industrial, hypnotising. Jucifer - White Lie (8) Angry grinding destruction, batters you into submission! Ergo I Exist - Bochdalec (8) Heavy as all fuck, sludgy, punky metal. Fukpig - Dogshit Hair (9) Insanely crusty grinding nastiness, viscous in the extreme. Cockbastard - Shattered (8) Unrelenting powerviolence! DICKSUCKER - Gay Guerrilla Terrorism Unit (7) Punky, angry gay grindcore. Hayyoth - Alien (7) Droney, doomy experimentalism. Misandr - Invocation/Decolonization (7) Horrific, experimental noise. Nasty, shouty and in your face.  Alien Queen - Xenomorph (8) Mid -paced death/doom. Batters you into submission. FILTHxCOLLINS - Fashionable Fascism (8) Blasting grindcore, blink and you’ll miss it! Bodies On Everest - (I Quit My Stupid Job As A) Mitsubishi Extractor Fan (7) Lo-fi grinding extremity, bass and screaming. Reminds me of The Filthy Christians. Sludgecrow - Sludgecrow (9) Electronic, extreme sludge. Really shouldn’t work, but does, brilliantly. Genuinely one of the heaviest things I’ve ever heard.  Wintercrown - The Last Of Us (8) Great piece of atmospheric black metal, really enjoyable.

My Lonely Sea - The Lost Scraps, Pt. 2 (Frozen Inside) (9) Fantastic post black metal from Siberia. Breathtakingly beautiful.  Suicide Wraith - Lungs Of Coal And Gravel (8) Lo-fi depressive black metal, unrelenting, batters you into submission.  Heretics Fork - Transmission (7) Particularly nasty old school death metal, really evil vocals. Ludwig - Sick Of Your Dreams (7) Nasty, angry noise rock.  Uten Hap - Life Obliteration (8) Ethereal, otherworldly depressive black metal, traumatic and cathartic at the same time.  Vulgarian - Alt-Reich (8) Punky blackened sludge, crusty, angry Nazi haters.  Nunca - Corda (9) Blackened crust from Brazil, real anti-fascists from a country that really needs bands like this! Serpentine Skies - Shadows Burned In The Street (6) Dreamlike ambient.  Elk - Funeral For The False (7) Dark, brooding understated acoustic folk. Armed Jouissance - The Contradictions And The Cracks (7) Dark, blackened noise. Initially feels depressive, builds for a strangely positive ending. Rampancy - Moronization (9) Nasty, grinding black metal. Cracking tremolo picked riffs. A beautifully angry way to end the album!

This is a really great compilation. All the tracks are high quality, or if the track is of a more experimental nature, they are at least interesting. There isn’t a single throw away track, everything on WOMAN II has value and worth, and is worth having. Considering the price and the fact all proceeds go to charity, and the huge amount of great music on here, I can’t think of a reason not to buy it! It’s even got a really cool cover! Average Score 8/10

Reviews: The Black Queen, Cerebrum, Atreyu, Sick Of It All (Alex & Paul S)

The Black Queen: Infinite Games (Federal Prisoner) [Alex]

Formed by members of the Dillinger Escape Plan and Nine Inch Nails, The Black Queen make a deliciously dark and intrinsically affecting style of synth wave. Despite bearing the marks of their past projects, Infinite Games, is a new beast indeed - and with both of the aforementioned bands either disbanded or turned into solo ventures, who could blame them for feeling the need to explore captivating musical pathways?

One thing the album certainly is not is a tranquil listen, the title track beginning on ominous synths, slowly increasing in intensity, while Puciato chillingly laments ‘We’re both so full of pain, so I’ll cut mine out of you’. Thrown Into The Dark is in some ways a typical Trip-Hop song, with dense layers of swirling synth work, a distinctive chorus and looping beats – except here, there is a more hypnotic texture, a gothic ambience which makes for an anxious yet beautiful listening experience. No Accusations is made disturbing by its chillingly black romantic poetry, one line ringing out ‘there nothing I want more than to hear you dying next to me’, the deliberately ambient instrumentals serving to encircle you in a depressed atmosphere.

For all the strangeness, every experiment only serves to make you more enticed and morbidly fascinated to hear more. Your Move feels distant, mesmerizing and weird, yet never dull or timid. Lies About You, makes you feel disquiet with its contrast of a upbeat tempo, fascinating sound effects and psychotic wordplay, yet never allows you to turn away due to how much of challenging listen it may prove. Even Impossible Condition and Spatial Boundaries are truly enchanting in their weirdness, and oddities.

Make no mistake, these three musicians have still created a pop album, yet nothing that would feel comfortable in any subgenre you applied to it, or indeed seem in keeping with the typical definition of pop. Undoubtedly an intriguing piece of art, the enjoyment I derive from it either reveals something about my particular tastes, or proves that typically disparaged feelings – fear, discomfort, and confusion – can be utilised to fascinating effects in works which capture those sentiments with honesty and bravery 8/10

Cerebrum: Iridium (Transcending Obscurity) [Paul S]

Cerebrum are a technical death metal band from Greece. They have been going since 2002, and in that time have released 3 albums, Iridium is their first album since 2013’s Cosmic Enigma. The brand of technical death metal that Cerebrum play is fairly brutal, closer to Dying Fetus or Origin than to Necrophagist or Obscura.

Opening track Time Reversal is a great example of this. Dense and aggressive, it batters the listener into submission, using the incredible technicality to increase the brutality rather than adding melody. The level of virtuosity on display here is very impressive, on A Face Unknown we even get a bit of classical guitar, which sounds as good as John Williams or Julian Bream. Cerebrum are also very interesting rhythmically as well. This is another way they show their technicality, Euphoric Control and Astral Oblivion both have overtly complex arrangements and tempos. On these songs the rhythms are closer to Gorguts more challenging work.

The extreme technicality is also on display on the track Cognitive Dissonance, which has a lot of space in it’s mix, there are minimal rhythm guitars, which allows the other instruments to shine through, we also get a cracking solo. The production and mix on the album is also very impressive. There is a decent amount of separation of all the instruments. This allows you to hear what each member of the band is doing, rather than the rhythms degenerating into a de-tuned mess.

Final track Escape To Bliss is an absolute rager, it starts with an insanely fast solo, before blasting the album to an end in a very satisfying way. Iridium is a great album. It will take a little time to get your head around the technicality, but if you give it a few listens, you will get a lot out of it! 8/10

Atreyu: In Our Wake (Spinefarm) [Alex]

Allow Atreyu some respect, they are a metalcore band who lasted, and while their quality may not have exactly always been consistent, works like The Curse and Lead Sails Paper Anchor have identifiable artwork and music which transcends the hefty genre label. Even their 2015 comeback, Long Live, remains a particular favorite of mine, showcasing a significant maturation and passion. All things considered, there was no reason not to set expectations high for their future. However, in trying to sound brash and confident, In Our Wake comes across messy and disjointed: a look made to fail miserably at the hand of utterly bland production elements, and pitiful writing. Openers, In Our Wake and House Of Gold, are probably as exciting as the album gets, with some impressive rhythm work, singalong hooks and excitable tones. 

Yet at the same time, they carry the same problems as the weaker points: Varkatzas’ clean vocals and Miguel’s guitar are overly sterile, and the changeable nature sounds more chaotic than coherent. At around the 12-minute mark, any promise this album initially possessed suddenly falls off a cliff. Nothing Will Ever Change and Blind Deaf & Dumb bring to life an awful emo scream-rap hybrid, while insultingly generic riffing and electro effects rips away any unique identity or character. Terrified and Safety Pin are ridiculously cliché, lyrics in the vein of ‘I ruined everything that’s perfect’ holding none intended emotionality. Meanwhile, the instrumentation remains compressed to the point of sheer inaudibility, until the final few seconds which see deafening guitar solos roar in, presumably for the sake of an epic finish. As the album comes to a close, moments like Paper Castle, Anger Left Behind and No Control do utilize decent choruses, which would probably be quite powerful if they had competent production or an intriguing songwriting to complement them. 

We finish on Super Hero, which could have admittedly been pretty, had Atreyu not tried to make it as grandiose as possible, chucking everything they could at the song in a desperate attempt to make up for the dire lack of suspense, virtuosity or ingenuity throughout the main run length. Like I made clear, this album is an utter mess. Yet that’s strangely not my main gripe. It’s not messy in a way which screams of the band reaching for the stars and falling short. Rather, every idea, every so-called experiment feels hackneyed and betrayed, either by the squeaky-clean production, poor composition or terrible lyricism. Hardcore Atreyu fans, In Our Wake, is best listened to with a hot water bottle and headache relief tablets at your disposal 2/10

Sick Of It All: Wake The Sleeping Dragon (Century Media)

Still waving the flag for shouty, angered punk long after many have written it off as a dead genre, Sick of it All have lost none of their angst, discontent or aggression. True, they haven’t strayed far from the in-your-face hostility of Built To Lost or Call To Arms. Instead, they succeed by being the best at what they do and remains one of the last barricades in defense of American Hardcore. With most of these songs barely spanning the two-minute mark, there is a focus on ferocity. You know the idea, a fast riff, a galloping rhythm section, meaningful lyrics, all wrapped up in a succinct few minutes of unfiltered vigour. It’s a method which is about five decades old, yet deserves all the praise and tribute it has inspired. If the music itself doesn't give me much ammunition as a reviewer, the lyrics more than make up for that. Time to get political again! Not that it's always divisive. Anthems like That Crazy White Boy Shit and Robert Moses Was A Racist are staunch in their condemnation of racial hatred, while The Snake, Mental Furlough and To The Wolves, are powerful songs of solidarity with those undergoing mental health struggles. 

Concepts which you would hope bridge sectarian divides, even in today's landscape. That said, Lou Koller and co, make no secret of where they stand politically. Bearing lyrics as vague as ‘Oh say can you see, oh can you see me’ Self Important Shithead could theoretically be about anyone with a towering ego if it were not for said tower proudly flaunting the name of our shithead in chief. If that were too subtle, however, Bad Hombres, Wake The Sleeping Dragon and Deep State are unequivocal in their attacks on Fake News, Nazis, and Right-Wing politics, the former passionately declaring ‘Ignorance will build that wall, someday its gonna fall!’ When they're not sticking it to ol’ Cheeto Benito however, they're taking on animal abuse on Bulls Anthem (albeit, with a little help from Tim Mcilrath of Rise Against), lamenting wealth disparity as on Work the System or calling out media dishonesty as on The New Slavery. While Wake The Sleeping Dragon lacks any huge hooks, a staple on earlier albums, it has no lack of passion, and stays brutally relevant, in an age where protest music is more needed than ever 6/10