Victorius: Space Ninjas From Hell (Napalm Records)
When you were a kid and you used to play with your mates in the school playground, you'd invent all sorts of games to play, most of which would make no sense but would be an amalgamation of various things you'd seen on TV or read about in comics or books all mashed together. I think this is where Victorius have got the theme for their new album Space Ninjas From Hell, it definitely sounds like something I would have played in the playground (not a sporty kid see) as I tried to roundhouse kick my mates head off in slow motion (space you see). If you're expecting galloping power metal then you'd be spot on as this is the fifth album from the German power metal maniacs who have previously written numerous fantasy metal epics and an EP about Sci-Fi Dinosaurs in 2018.
Space Ninjas From Hell is a concept album, similar in theme to those of Gloryhammer but this time about Evil ninjas who team up with a dragon but were banished by a Wu-Shu-wizard-master only to survive in space and return to conquer Earth. Shakespeare it isn't but tracks like Super Sonic Samurai bring a big goofy grin to your face with the mentions of "laser Katana's"as the tracks whizz past in a flurry of blastbeat drumming, twin guitar harmonies and histrionic vocals. Nippon Knights rumbles forth with a shout along hook as Shuriken Showdown ramps up the speed again. There's even a comedy skit before the symphonic heaviness of Wasabi Warmachine, weirdly the heaviest track on the record. It's not supposed to be serious, this is an album about joy, it has that childlike quality about it, for adults the lyrics will make you laugh but you'd easily be able to play it to a load of Primary School kids as it's the aural equivalent of Pixie Sticks. Bouncy power metal with a bonkers concept, switch off your cynic sense as enjoy. 7/10
Pink Cigs: S/T (Harvest Studios)
Pink Cigs are from Sheffield but you'd be forgiven for thinking they were American, especially when they start to kick out the jams on their debut full length album. Pink Cigs are Cris (guitar/vox) Fids (guitar/vox/keys), Babs (bass/vox) and Kyle (drums) and this album has 10 tracks of fuzzy stoner rocking with it's arse in the blues but the volume up to 11, tracks like the slithering Noose and the bouncy Nightstalker bring to mind Orange Goblin, The Sword and Witch Tripper with a potent mixture of classic heavy metal, thundering doom, psychedelic wooziness and a whole heap of grit on numbers like the choppy Low Blow a track with a punk attitude, the sleazy Lazy Lover which morphs into a explosive guitar duel to climax with (clearly not lazy at all). They add a touch of Zeppelin to Whiskey Woman and some barroom boogie on Black Widow making this self titled debut record rammed with riffs that will make you want to party hard, I'd never heard of Pink Cigs before but with this still ringing in my ears I'm desperately looking for gigs near me, sleazy metallic biker metal with some head banging riffage throughout Pink Cigs needs big speakers! 8/10
Dies Holocaustum: Scorched Promised Land (Self Released)
We first laid eyes on Bristol death metal mob Dies Holocaustum at the Bristol M2TM last year. They had been around for a long while mainly as vehicle for guitarist Jon Alcover but things only started coming together in 2017 with the addition of drummer Will Pearson (Body Harvest) and bassist/vocalist Rob Innell they finishing touch coming in 2019 with K-lum Schmit coming in on guitar. They impressed enough to go to the final of the M2TM competition with their snarling style of old school death metal, though it was K-Lum's other band Voluntas that took the crown. After this they retired to the studio to record this debut full length album, recorded by Alcover, Pearson and Innell this is the sound of Dies Holocaustum distilled over the course of 45 minutes.
11 blistering, face melting slabs of death metal that rarely sees the bpm drop due to Pearson's beastly drumming. Only on Glories Of Hell do things take a bit of a tone down but Pearson still blasts away like the kit has insulted him leaving Innell to keep pace and roar over the top while Alcover shreds with vicious precision and brings nifty Hanneman leads. They build up the drama on Macabre Rebirth before it once again turns into visceral death/thrash, as Funeral Dawn brings some more complexity and Burial Ground dive bombs into more violent death metal. Production wise Innell has left it nice and murky giving it the sound of those early death metal releases, but if you are a devotee of OSDM then you'll want to pick up Scorched Promised Land as it's a brutal display of force from this Bristol metal machine. They are back in M2TM this year and I wouldn't bet against them as for as fierce as they are here, live they are a force to be reckoned with. 7/10
Hollow Seasons: As Misery Fades (Self Released)
From Tromsø, Troms County Norway, Hollow Seasons are a relatively young band having only formed last year. As Misery Fades is their debut EP and collects the first five songs they have written, it's 30 minutes of progressive/melodic death metal, rammed with technicality, fluidity and aggression it kicks you in the teeth from the opening moments, As Misery Fades has a huge sound despite the band only being a three piece, they bring the progressive feel of Wintersun and Alcest as tracks such as Chains Of Fate has black metal speed, while I Will Not Follow brings some more shoegazing and a death metal grunt. The tracks here are quite progressive despite the short run times they managed to pack a lot of musicality into them which makes it impressive for a debut. They aren't breaking the mold when it comes to this style but they are doing it at a high enough level to gain traction on the scene. 6/10
Tuesday, 21 January 2020
Monday, 20 January 2020
Reviews: Leeched, Serious Black, Bad Radiator, Diabology (Paul S, Rich & Paul H)
Leeched: To Dull The Blades Of Your Abuse (Prosthetic Records) [Paul Scoble]
Manchester 3 piece Leeched have been making very loud, very nasty noises since 2017. Aside from being one of the most incendiary live acts currently active in the UK, they have also produced 1 EP; Nothing Will Grow From The Rotten Ground in 2017, and an album; You Took The Sun When You Left in 2018. So, just over a year since their first album, are Leeched still one of the most angry, intense hardcore acts going? Well, the short answer is yes, massively. The one overriding feeling that comes from this album is intense anger. However, unlike a lot of Hardcore acts, this is not shown through huge speed. Most of the tracks on this album would come in at mid-paced or slow, that isn’t to say that this is a sludge album, but this is not about blasting as fast as they can. The anger and extremity is expressed through a rather more difficult to quantify quality of Intensity. Even when this album is really slow (For example on the track Let Me Die), the intensity is off the scale. The vocals throughout the album are so aggressive and angry it’s almost frightening. Musically things are very intense as well; the guitar riffs are interspersed with nasty pinch harmonics and feedback, at times it feels like things aren’t controlled at all.
All this violent anger doesn’t feel like anything as lightweight as angst, this is well informed rage at the evils of the world, and my god Leeched’s timing is perfect for that anger. I’m writing this review 4 days into 2020; many countries have descended into fascism, the mutant Umpa Lumpa in the White House is trying to start world War 3, all the while Australia is burning. All these things are reasons to feel angry and helpless, and To Dull The Blades Of Your Abuse is the perfect soundtrack to a world that is collapsing. There isn’t a single moment on this album that is not informed by this rage, but it is also an anger that is driven by depression, and knowledge of the darkness. At times the rage is obvious, in the track Earth And Ashes, one of the few songs that is really fast; approaching Grindcore, the anger is palpable and in your face. The blast beats feel staccato, you feel every snare beat, there is no smoothing out that can sometimes happen with a blast beat. However, the track The Grey Tide isn’t nearly as fast as Earth And Ashes, but the lurching off kilter feel of the song is no less intense.
The album has some parts that feel industrial as well, Now It Ends has a definite industrial sense to it, whilst also not having any aspects that are obviously electronic or traditionally industrial. This is done by those pinched harmonics and feedbacky parts that I mentioned earlier. To Dull The Blades Of Your Abuse is a fantastic album. It’s a very impressive follow up to You Took The Sun When You Left, the songs have more depth and variety whilst still keeping the rage and intensity that was so impressive on the bands debut. If you are looking for a soundtrack for the end of the world, this is it! 9/10
Serious Black: Suite 226 (AFM Records) [Rich Oliver]
Power metal supergroup Serious Black return with their new album Suite 226. Having previously featured power metal figureheads such as Roland Grapow, Alex Holzwarth and Bob Katsionis, Serious Black have drummer Ramy Ali joining singer Urban Breed, guitarist Dominik Sebastian and bassist Mario Lochert for their fourth album. If you haven’t heard Serious Black before they play a style that veers between power metal and melodic heavy metal and this style is continued on Suite 226. Most of the album sticks to a steady pace and this is its downfall. Despite sounding nice and being performed really well (with the vocals by Urban Breed being at the usual exceptional standard) the songs on Suite 226 on the whole just didn’t grab me.
Things are played way too safe and are generally unremarkable and forgettable. There are songs which stand above the others such as melodic opener Let It Go with its energetic chorus and Castiel and We Still Stand Tall add a bit of much needed urgency and excitement to the album. The rest of the songs such as the flat Heaven Shall Burn and the token slow ballad-esque Come Home failed to inspire much interest. Serious Black have been a good and steady yet slightly unremarkable power metal band with their past releases but this one feels very much like the band going through the motions. Not an awful albi, but not one that I would revisit in a hurry. 5/10
Bad Radiator: V (Crazy Feelgood Music) [Paul Hutchings]
Formed in 2011, Bad Radiator is a reformation of Swedish 80s melodic rock outfit Grace. Their sound sits very much in the 1980s, with keyboards and saccharine coated vocals very much the order of the day. V is the follow up to 2017’s IV, and unsurprisingly is the band’s fifth release in nine years. Now a four-piece, vocals and keyboards are handled by main songwriter Mikael Lundgren, with guitarist Klas Begrall, drummer Roger Hansson and bassist Jal Persson completing the line-up. The band stick to a traditional melodic rock style, short punchy songs which follow a rather routine format. No doubt this will please those who like the AOR style of Toto, Saga and MSG. Plenty of melodies, the odd shining guitar break, sweet harmonies and hooks that will be enjoyed by those that enjoy the lighter side of rock. A bit bland for my tastes, but it is solidly written and performed. 5/10
Diabology: Nobody Believes Me (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]
Raw, aggressive and full of youthful enthusiasm, Nobody Believes Me is the debut album from Diabology, a teenage quartet from Los Angeles. 41 minutes of at times quite rough thrash metal which varies in quality and style. The odd ripping lead stands out from a poorly produced release, the muddy mix on tracks such as Deicide and the dire vocals of Jesse Bergen don’t enhance the overall sound. Ember To Ash is particularly dreadful. It’s a bit of a hotchpotch of tracks, sounding more like a compilation of underground bands rather than a cohesive unit. Whilst the musicianship has potential, there is plenty of improvement to be had. 5/10
Manchester 3 piece Leeched have been making very loud, very nasty noises since 2017. Aside from being one of the most incendiary live acts currently active in the UK, they have also produced 1 EP; Nothing Will Grow From The Rotten Ground in 2017, and an album; You Took The Sun When You Left in 2018. So, just over a year since their first album, are Leeched still one of the most angry, intense hardcore acts going? Well, the short answer is yes, massively. The one overriding feeling that comes from this album is intense anger. However, unlike a lot of Hardcore acts, this is not shown through huge speed. Most of the tracks on this album would come in at mid-paced or slow, that isn’t to say that this is a sludge album, but this is not about blasting as fast as they can. The anger and extremity is expressed through a rather more difficult to quantify quality of Intensity. Even when this album is really slow (For example on the track Let Me Die), the intensity is off the scale. The vocals throughout the album are so aggressive and angry it’s almost frightening. Musically things are very intense as well; the guitar riffs are interspersed with nasty pinch harmonics and feedback, at times it feels like things aren’t controlled at all.
All this violent anger doesn’t feel like anything as lightweight as angst, this is well informed rage at the evils of the world, and my god Leeched’s timing is perfect for that anger. I’m writing this review 4 days into 2020; many countries have descended into fascism, the mutant Umpa Lumpa in the White House is trying to start world War 3, all the while Australia is burning. All these things are reasons to feel angry and helpless, and To Dull The Blades Of Your Abuse is the perfect soundtrack to a world that is collapsing. There isn’t a single moment on this album that is not informed by this rage, but it is also an anger that is driven by depression, and knowledge of the darkness. At times the rage is obvious, in the track Earth And Ashes, one of the few songs that is really fast; approaching Grindcore, the anger is palpable and in your face. The blast beats feel staccato, you feel every snare beat, there is no smoothing out that can sometimes happen with a blast beat. However, the track The Grey Tide isn’t nearly as fast as Earth And Ashes, but the lurching off kilter feel of the song is no less intense.
The album has some parts that feel industrial as well, Now It Ends has a definite industrial sense to it, whilst also not having any aspects that are obviously electronic or traditionally industrial. This is done by those pinched harmonics and feedbacky parts that I mentioned earlier. To Dull The Blades Of Your Abuse is a fantastic album. It’s a very impressive follow up to You Took The Sun When You Left, the songs have more depth and variety whilst still keeping the rage and intensity that was so impressive on the bands debut. If you are looking for a soundtrack for the end of the world, this is it! 9/10
Serious Black: Suite 226 (AFM Records) [Rich Oliver]
Power metal supergroup Serious Black return with their new album Suite 226. Having previously featured power metal figureheads such as Roland Grapow, Alex Holzwarth and Bob Katsionis, Serious Black have drummer Ramy Ali joining singer Urban Breed, guitarist Dominik Sebastian and bassist Mario Lochert for their fourth album. If you haven’t heard Serious Black before they play a style that veers between power metal and melodic heavy metal and this style is continued on Suite 226. Most of the album sticks to a steady pace and this is its downfall. Despite sounding nice and being performed really well (with the vocals by Urban Breed being at the usual exceptional standard) the songs on Suite 226 on the whole just didn’t grab me.
Things are played way too safe and are generally unremarkable and forgettable. There are songs which stand above the others such as melodic opener Let It Go with its energetic chorus and Castiel and We Still Stand Tall add a bit of much needed urgency and excitement to the album. The rest of the songs such as the flat Heaven Shall Burn and the token slow ballad-esque Come Home failed to inspire much interest. Serious Black have been a good and steady yet slightly unremarkable power metal band with their past releases but this one feels very much like the band going through the motions. Not an awful albi, but not one that I would revisit in a hurry. 5/10
Bad Radiator: V (Crazy Feelgood Music) [Paul Hutchings]
Formed in 2011, Bad Radiator is a reformation of Swedish 80s melodic rock outfit Grace. Their sound sits very much in the 1980s, with keyboards and saccharine coated vocals very much the order of the day. V is the follow up to 2017’s IV, and unsurprisingly is the band’s fifth release in nine years. Now a four-piece, vocals and keyboards are handled by main songwriter Mikael Lundgren, with guitarist Klas Begrall, drummer Roger Hansson and bassist Jal Persson completing the line-up. The band stick to a traditional melodic rock style, short punchy songs which follow a rather routine format. No doubt this will please those who like the AOR style of Toto, Saga and MSG. Plenty of melodies, the odd shining guitar break, sweet harmonies and hooks that will be enjoyed by those that enjoy the lighter side of rock. A bit bland for my tastes, but it is solidly written and performed. 5/10
Diabology: Nobody Believes Me (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]
Raw, aggressive and full of youthful enthusiasm, Nobody Believes Me is the debut album from Diabology, a teenage quartet from Los Angeles. 41 minutes of at times quite rough thrash metal which varies in quality and style. The odd ripping lead stands out from a poorly produced release, the muddy mix on tracks such as Deicide and the dire vocals of Jesse Bergen don’t enhance the overall sound. Ember To Ash is particularly dreadful. It’s a bit of a hotchpotch of tracks, sounding more like a compilation of underground bands rather than a cohesive unit. Whilst the musicianship has potential, there is plenty of improvement to be had. 5/10
Sunday, 19 January 2020
Reviews: Defiled, Midnight, Royal Deceit, Atena (Charlie, Claire, Liam & Manus)
Defiled: Infinite Regress (Season Of Mist) [Charlie Rogers]
It’s my first time listening to this band, not being familiar with the Japanese death metal scene I was eager to give something different a listen that I might not stumble upon by chance otherwise. The self proclaimed Samurai have been going since 1992, and are currently on tour with Polish legends Vader - my hopes are high given they’re in such good company. Opening the album is a short intro, with the “Humans are a plague” cutting through the rumbling as a short paragraph is read. Cliche, but it works. The band launches into Divide And Conquer with gusto, setting the scene for the album to come. It’s got a live sort of feel to the production, with the bass booming out of the bottom end, and the guitars alternating between frantic riffing and cutting through the mix. The song itself is quite different to the sort of death metal I’m used to, with frequent tempo changes, bursts of riffage before twisting away to play something else. Clocking in at only 2 minutes and 30 seconds, it’s a short but sweet open to their music. Swiftly moving on, Tragedy opens with more frantic playing, and incorporates some unusual timings into the melodies, typically associated with two-tone and ska. It’s refreshing to hear a variety of influences coming through in new music, however on first listen this style choice is a little jarring.
It’s less jarring than a sudden BeeGees cover though. Systematic Decomposition treats us to a more traditional death metal style, reminding me of early Pestilence. Thrashy, choppy riffs move the tempo forward, as throaty vocals bark the lyrics at the listener. So Blind has a strange melting vibe to it, where the speed of the track, and it’s fluidity seems to move around, like a wax figure being lit and pieces falling off it. At this point I noted that the tracks are mostly quite short, with only 3 tracks on the album lasting longer than 3 minutes, and one of them by 1 second! It fits the style though, as the tempo is consistently upbeat, and it’s not hard to imagine the band whipping fans up into a frenzy with live performance of these songs. The album takes a turn for the weirder around track 8, where the song writing feels a lot looser. Centuries is a very strange track, which reminded me of jazz improvisation where nobody communicated what they were doing before they started playing.
Occasionally the playing lines up and we get coherent riffs, but for the most part, it sounds like insanity. The style continues into the next track, Aftermath, which has a plodding, punky feel when not sounding like someone threw a bag of riffs down the stairs. The chaotic writing continues, slowly edging back until the end of the album, where more standardised death metal takes over again, specifically in the track Slaverobot which I particularly enjoyed. Infinite Regress is the final song on the album, and is a solid song that leaves you feeling satisfied with the listen overall, and I would question the need for the short outro tape at the end as the final stomping riffs would close the album very well there. In summary, it’s a strange journey that this band takes you on. I certainly enjoyed the steadier and straightforward compositions than the swirling maelstrom of chaos that some songs brought forth, and would be interested in both checking out some of their earlier releases and seeing the band live if they ever came my way. 6/10.
Midnight: Rebirth By Blasphemy (Metal Blade Records) [Dr Claire Hanley]
Drawing on multiple influences, culminating in a blackened thrash sound with obvious punk rock elements, Midnight throw a middle finger to the norm. This is not a band afraid to take risks. Quite the opposite. And therein lies the appeal. Despite being an outright death metal enthusiast, their unique brand of raucous frivolity had me in a state of ecstasy from start to finish. Anthemic and infectious, Rebirth By Blasphemy is full of passion and purpose: Maximum sleaze with none of the cheese. You're instantly locked in a choke hold, with the opening track igniting the desire for riotous behaviour from the first few bars. Fucking Speed And Darkness is a relentless onslaught of riffs and savage, grizzly vocals. A lesson in fury and anarchy, it firmly establishes that this album takes no prisoners, and you're most certainly in for one hell of a ride. The rest of the album does not disappoint, transcending comprehensible levels of filth and ferocity.
The visual imagery evoked by the lyrics elevates the already sleaze-spattered tracks to dizzying heights of grotesque. It's anything but predictable, offering a dynamic and versatile range of material, underpinned by the bands; signature sound and penchant for the satanic, which bridge this diversity and provide cohesion to ease the transition between tracks. The contrast between the chugging power-pose of Rising Scum, with all its intent and razor sharp precision, against high-octane powerhouse Warning From The Reaper, provides the perfect example of this. As you're greeted with Raw Attack, one of the strongest all-rounders on the record, it evident that there are zero filler tracks and the end of the album is as strong as the start. The intro to “You can drag me through hell is pure electricity and had me vibrating in anticipation as it's viciousness was unleashed, drawing the album to a close. This is an immersive experience of a record; a masterclass in how to push boundaries and excite the listener. 9/10
Royal Deceit: Animus I (Prime Collective) [Liam True]
There’s something about this album that makes me think that i’ve heard it all before, but at the same time it sounds fresh and new to the scene. That’s exactly what we need and the Danish Metal crew have fixated their eyes on taking over the world. And Animus is their first step in doing that. Full of deep growls, high chorus’, ripping guitars and pointing drums the quintuplet make the most destructive noise of the year so far with heavy breakdown after crushing riffs and everything in between. Vocalist Mathias Uldall-Jessen hits the spot for me for one of the best Metalcore vocalists at the moments with his range of highs and lows melting into the instrumentals from the rest of the band as they keep you on your toes. You don’t know what to expect with this album, be it either a catch chorus or a chuggy breakdown. But know this. It’s a glorious album that needs to be toured and appreciated in it’s love setting. 8/10
Atena: Drowning Regret & Lungs Filled With Water (Indie Recordings) [Manus Hopkins]
It’s a little hard to get past the awkward mouthful of a title with this record. The contents are pretty much what should be expected given an album name like this. While Atena’s work isn’t terrible, and is pretty typical by 2010s metalcore standards, it’s not particularly enjoyable, and it’s entirely too forgettable for this band to sit amongst the ranks of the big players in this scene. Guitar chugs, choppy breakdown riffs, screeched verses and melodic choruses make up nearly the entirety of this record (though there is some slightly cringeworthy rapping on Let Them Hang In The Halls), just like any other of its genre. It’s the lack of hooks that makes it fall flat; there’s hardly a catchy chorus or memorable riff on any of the 10 songs. This style isn’t wildly popular among many groups of metalheads, but there are huge bands that dominate the scene, and Atena just isn’t doing enough to be noticed as long as those bands are around. 4/10
Midnight: Rebirth By Blasphemy (Metal Blade Records) [Dr Claire Hanley]
Drawing on multiple influences, culminating in a blackened thrash sound with obvious punk rock elements, Midnight throw a middle finger to the norm. This is not a band afraid to take risks. Quite the opposite. And therein lies the appeal. Despite being an outright death metal enthusiast, their unique brand of raucous frivolity had me in a state of ecstasy from start to finish. Anthemic and infectious, Rebirth By Blasphemy is full of passion and purpose: Maximum sleaze with none of the cheese. You're instantly locked in a choke hold, with the opening track igniting the desire for riotous behaviour from the first few bars. Fucking Speed And Darkness is a relentless onslaught of riffs and savage, grizzly vocals. A lesson in fury and anarchy, it firmly establishes that this album takes no prisoners, and you're most certainly in for one hell of a ride. The rest of the album does not disappoint, transcending comprehensible levels of filth and ferocity.
The visual imagery evoked by the lyrics elevates the already sleaze-spattered tracks to dizzying heights of grotesque. It's anything but predictable, offering a dynamic and versatile range of material, underpinned by the bands; signature sound and penchant for the satanic, which bridge this diversity and provide cohesion to ease the transition between tracks. The contrast between the chugging power-pose of Rising Scum, with all its intent and razor sharp precision, against high-octane powerhouse Warning From The Reaper, provides the perfect example of this. As you're greeted with Raw Attack, one of the strongest all-rounders on the record, it evident that there are zero filler tracks and the end of the album is as strong as the start. The intro to “You can drag me through hell is pure electricity and had me vibrating in anticipation as it's viciousness was unleashed, drawing the album to a close. This is an immersive experience of a record; a masterclass in how to push boundaries and excite the listener. 9/10
Royal Deceit: Animus I (Prime Collective) [Liam True]
There’s something about this album that makes me think that i’ve heard it all before, but at the same time it sounds fresh and new to the scene. That’s exactly what we need and the Danish Metal crew have fixated their eyes on taking over the world. And Animus is their first step in doing that. Full of deep growls, high chorus’, ripping guitars and pointing drums the quintuplet make the most destructive noise of the year so far with heavy breakdown after crushing riffs and everything in between. Vocalist Mathias Uldall-Jessen hits the spot for me for one of the best Metalcore vocalists at the moments with his range of highs and lows melting into the instrumentals from the rest of the band as they keep you on your toes. You don’t know what to expect with this album, be it either a catch chorus or a chuggy breakdown. But know this. It’s a glorious album that needs to be toured and appreciated in it’s love setting. 8/10
Atena: Drowning Regret & Lungs Filled With Water (Indie Recordings) [Manus Hopkins]
It’s a little hard to get past the awkward mouthful of a title with this record. The contents are pretty much what should be expected given an album name like this. While Atena’s work isn’t terrible, and is pretty typical by 2010s metalcore standards, it’s not particularly enjoyable, and it’s entirely too forgettable for this band to sit amongst the ranks of the big players in this scene. Guitar chugs, choppy breakdown riffs, screeched verses and melodic choruses make up nearly the entirety of this record (though there is some slightly cringeworthy rapping on Let Them Hang In The Halls), just like any other of its genre. It’s the lack of hooks that makes it fall flat; there’s hardly a catchy chorus or memorable riff on any of the 10 songs. This style isn’t wildly popular among many groups of metalheads, but there are huge bands that dominate the scene, and Atena just isn’t doing enough to be noticed as long as those bands are around. 4/10
Friday, 17 January 2020
A View From The Back Of The Room: Wretched Soul (Live By Matt Bladen)
Wretched Soul, Democratus & King Ibex, The Gryphon
Ah The Gryphon, a 'proper' rock bar, full of regulars that drink the real ale while heavy metal blasts in the background. It's also a place for live music, tucked in a room upstairs the max 50 cap room has had some really big names playing there which sometimes makes it a little claustrophobic when sold out, however usually it's a perfectly good venue to watch some metal music. I was here for a band I've followed for a long time but the bonus of having two Welsh bands in support was a pleasure as well.
First up were King Ibex (7), this Alt rock trio merge punk, blues and radio friendly rocking together in a very exciting brew. They were the odd band out here as they were nowhere near as heavy as the other two bands on the bill but they got the crowd grooving. The duel vocals of Michael Buffery (guitar) and Tom Jayne (bass) are integral to the band's sound as Alistair Morgan (drums) manipulates the pace. They took the fact they weren't the heaviest band their in their stride and made the most of opening the evening with little fuss and lots of riffs.
Next it was Democratus (8) the 2018 M2TM winners have been going from strength to strength since their win, buoyed by the addition of Rich on lead guitar now the band boast load more lead solos as the dead ringer for Dan Spitz peeled them off on top of Democratus' melo-death sound. Democratus excel in a small room, giving things the right amount of intensity to get a crowd moving, frontman Steve prowling the room on BTK adding more theatrics as he stomped around the venue, even venturing downstairs before returning to 'hang' Spoon, Joey and Rich much like Dennis Rader who the song is about. The set was filled with songs from both of their EP's though Damnation made up the bulk. They did mix things up as normal set closer Life For A Life was replaced with The Unworthy which is another big singalong getting all that crowd participation that Steve loves. Democratus took the lion's share of the crowd here, mainly due to their heavy touring schedule, but they showed again why they one of South Wales' best and brightest.
The final act of the night was Cambridge blackened metal act Wretched Soul (8) who are always blistering in the live arena, their heavy take on occult speed metal is one that needs to be seen. An artillery barrage of drumming, carpet bombing bass and laser guided guitar playing bring a traditional metal edge to a mix of black and death metal topped off with Chris' amazing vocal range giving King Diamond himself a run for his money. Playing a mix of songs from both of their albums Veronica and The Ghost Road including The Heretic, Veronica the always destructive (or should that be restorative) Necromancer along with a new song called Sacrificial Kings. Chris was wild eyed and stalked the the room running like mad man around it as Luke Mayell (bass) and Steve Clifford (guitar) stick on the spot but Luke (who had recently flown in from Florida so was horribly jet lagged) pumps out the grooves as Steve shreds on his Flying V, his brother Andy beating the drums. The set ended with the grunting, proggy We Made The Gods closing with the vicious War Wolf. Even with a small crowd Wretched Soul play their set like it's an arena and if like me you love Mercyful Fate, Nevermore and bands of their ilk then I suggest you see Wretched Soul if you can this year.
Ah The Gryphon, a 'proper' rock bar, full of regulars that drink the real ale while heavy metal blasts in the background. It's also a place for live music, tucked in a room upstairs the max 50 cap room has had some really big names playing there which sometimes makes it a little claustrophobic when sold out, however usually it's a perfectly good venue to watch some metal music. I was here for a band I've followed for a long time but the bonus of having two Welsh bands in support was a pleasure as well.
First up were King Ibex (7), this Alt rock trio merge punk, blues and radio friendly rocking together in a very exciting brew. They were the odd band out here as they were nowhere near as heavy as the other two bands on the bill but they got the crowd grooving. The duel vocals of Michael Buffery (guitar) and Tom Jayne (bass) are integral to the band's sound as Alistair Morgan (drums) manipulates the pace. They took the fact they weren't the heaviest band their in their stride and made the most of opening the evening with little fuss and lots of riffs.
Next it was Democratus (8) the 2018 M2TM winners have been going from strength to strength since their win, buoyed by the addition of Rich on lead guitar now the band boast load more lead solos as the dead ringer for Dan Spitz peeled them off on top of Democratus' melo-death sound. Democratus excel in a small room, giving things the right amount of intensity to get a crowd moving, frontman Steve prowling the room on BTK adding more theatrics as he stomped around the venue, even venturing downstairs before returning to 'hang' Spoon, Joey and Rich much like Dennis Rader who the song is about. The set was filled with songs from both of their EP's though Damnation made up the bulk. They did mix things up as normal set closer Life For A Life was replaced with The Unworthy which is another big singalong getting all that crowd participation that Steve loves. Democratus took the lion's share of the crowd here, mainly due to their heavy touring schedule, but they showed again why they one of South Wales' best and brightest.
The final act of the night was Cambridge blackened metal act Wretched Soul (8) who are always blistering in the live arena, their heavy take on occult speed metal is one that needs to be seen. An artillery barrage of drumming, carpet bombing bass and laser guided guitar playing bring a traditional metal edge to a mix of black and death metal topped off with Chris' amazing vocal range giving King Diamond himself a run for his money. Playing a mix of songs from both of their albums Veronica and The Ghost Road including The Heretic, Veronica the always destructive (or should that be restorative) Necromancer along with a new song called Sacrificial Kings. Chris was wild eyed and stalked the the room running like mad man around it as Luke Mayell (bass) and Steve Clifford (guitar) stick on the spot but Luke (who had recently flown in from Florida so was horribly jet lagged) pumps out the grooves as Steve shreds on his Flying V, his brother Andy beating the drums. The set ended with the grunting, proggy We Made The Gods closing with the vicious War Wolf. Even with a small crowd Wretched Soul play their set like it's an arena and if like me you love Mercyful Fate, Nevermore and bands of their ilk then I suggest you see Wretched Soul if you can this year.
Thursday, 16 January 2020
The Spotlight: Interview With Bernd ‘Bernemann’ Kost of Bonded By Paul Hutchings)
Interview with Bernd ‘Bernemann’ Kost Of Bonded
If you were asked to list the behemoths of German thrash, alongside Kreator and Destruction stands Sodom. Led by Tom Angelripper, the band has been at the forefront of German metal since the mid 1980s. From 1996 to 2018, the lead guitar and driving riff work was delivered by Bernd ‘Bernemann’ Kost. Alongside Bernemann for a decade sat drummer Markus ‘Makka’ Friedwald. That is until January 2018 when Angelripper decided that he wanted “fresh and hungry” musicians and promptly fired the rest of the band. Undeterred, Bernermann and Makka grabbed the new songs they had not had time to show to Angelripper and headed for Makka’s studio in Dortmund where they formed Bonded. The band is completed by ex-Suicidal Angels guitarist Chris Tsitsis, Marc Hausechild on bass and Assassin vocalist Ingo Bajouczak.
Bernemann was at home in Dortmund, where he was born, when I caught up with him recently, and I started with the more obvious question which was about the split with Angelripper and how difficult it was for him and Makka. “Honestly, it wasn’t that bad for us. Of course, we were disappointed. I always loved Sodom; It was one centre of my life, for sure but in another way what have I lost? I’m still playing with Makka, my new band mates Chris and Mark and our producer Corni (Cornelius Rambadt), who was our drum tech for many years, and we enjoyed our time together very much. We travelled together around the world I don’t know how many times. This was very important. We have a very good relationship and enjoy the time on stage or in the rehearsal room and we like it. Finally, of course I was a little sad because it means a lot to travel around and to meet friends. I have friends in so many countries, I met so many people.
We are at the beginning with Bonded and we’ve played a few small shows and at each show people I know have come. I hope that the people I like and who like me will come to the shows so that makes things a little easier for us.” Bernemann confirmed that those first shows went well. “They were good. A small festival in Bavaria and then a show in Switzerland and about four weeks ago we played a slightly bigger festival with Amorphis and Powerwolf in North Germany. People are seeing what we do, it sounds well, and I have very good musicians in the band. Makka, Chris, they are great on their instruments and Ingo is a great singer so I guess people can see that we are enjoying what we are doing and so far, I cannot expect anything more”.
I wondered if the name Bonded was chosen because of the tightness of the band as a unit. Bernemann laughs, “yes but we only realised it after we had found the name. It was so difficult to find the band’s name, and every time we found one, we would Google and there would be another band already using that name. Finally, we found Bonded and we like it because it ‘s short, it’s a message and finally we said, yeah, this makes sense. But it wasn’t the intention … but it fits!” The band name does fit well and when you listen to Rest in Violence you can hear the tightness of the band as a unit. They also have a smart logo which works well.
Having been in a band for 22 years you may have thought that Bernemann would have wanted some time out to do other things, but this wasn’t the case with Bonded. “We wanted to go back straight, because you know Makka and me, we live about three kilometres from each other, our rehearsal room is in Dortmund, it belongs to Makka, and we were used to meeting there. We had already prepared songs for the new album. I’ve known Makka since he was 16 so we know each other for a very long time and of course, in the same moment when we were fired, we were calling each other and decided quickly to continue. We have everything; we have the best connections; we love to make music together and enough friends who want to play with us. It doesn’t change for us that much. Okay, we are not travelling as Sodom anymore and Tom is not there, but we are doing the same that we’ve done what we’ve done in the last few years. We are doing what we love, and we can listen to the new material and it sounds different because of the vocals, but we continue with the music on the path that we were on”.
For a thrash metal album, there is a lot of variety on Rest in Violence, something that may not have happened if the guys had remained with Sodom. “For me it is very important to have different speeds, to have the variety you are talking about. Sometimes when you are watching a show from a band and you have 45 minutes, maybe an hour, and all the music is one speed, like a train, sometimes it can be boring. We love to make our music a little different and it is only possible because we have a singer who can do this. We have two songs on the new CD which we had never done with Tom together because it was not his style. No Cure For Life and The Outer Rim, I like these songs because they are still hard enough to fit into the set and Ingo was able to sing them and I am happy about that”. This led neatly into the challenges of finding a singer who could carry the band’s sound.
We acknowledged that without a decent singer, it doesn’t matter how good the band is, they will fail, and we know of many bands we review here who fall into that category. “We needed most of the time to find a good singer and it is difficult to find someone with the voice, love of music and personality. I asked some friends and writers from magazines and one friend told me about Ingo and I was listening to Combat Cathedral, Assassin’s latest release (who ironically also have Frank Blackfire, former and current Sodom guitarist), and their bass player Joachim (Kremer) is a good friend of mine so I called him and asked him about Ingo and if he’d be happy for me to meet with Ingo because Assassin is not touring too much. I didn’t want to have any trouble, but Joachim was cool and gave me Ingo’s number. We meet up in the rehearsal rooms and the sound was fantastic. It took a while as Ingo doesn’t have that much time and he was a little shy about saying yes but we’ve found a good solution now”.
When you listen to Rest in Violence, the title track will grab you immediately because there is a distinctive voice on it. Overkill’s Bobby ‘Blitz’ guests on the song along with Christian ‘Speesy’ Giesler (Kreator bassist 1994 – 2019) and it transpires that the legendary frontman and Bernemann go back a long time. “Bobby and I have known each other a long time. The first time we met was probably 1996 when we played a couple of shows together. He knows my family and we meet so often and like each other. When we meet it’s always a few beers, talking shit and enjoying the time. He knows where I live and always calls me when the band are in Germany so he invited me to a gig in Osnabruck, maybe an hour by car and after the show we were having a couple of beers and he asked me about the band and I told him we had a contract with Century Media and I told him that Speesy was playing one song for us and he looked at me and said, “ hey Berne, do you think it would be okay if I sang on the CD?”
And I was so happy, and I agreed to send him the files. I was honoured but didn’t want to push him too much so I said if you want to sing the chorus that would be brilliant. So, I sent him the files and a few days later he went into the studio and was singing the whole song and he changed the lyrics a little. He said, “ah, this is German English”, so he changed it a bit and the arrangement and made suggestions. He really enjoys it. As far as I know he doesn’t do this often and it fits perfectly on the song. For me it is one of the highlights of my career. He’s a real character from the scene with a huge personality. It means a lot, for me and the band”. As an Overkill fan, this makes me happy as this is exactly what I would have expected from Bobby ‘Blitz’.
The last time I saw Sodom play was at 2017’s Damnation Festival where the band ran over such was their enjoyment. I asked Bernemann if he had some standout gigs that stuck in the memory. “There are a few I remember, not only the show but everything around it. There are some great shows. Here in Germany, on the Rock-Hard Festivals, they mean a lot to me. It’s the Ruhr area, we have a special relationship with this area, you know this is where Sodom are from and Kreator are from here, Angel Dust are from here so shows here are very special to us. I had a special show in Switzerland with Kreator and arch Enemy and I asked Michael (Amott) and Sharlee (D’Angelo) to play Blasphemer with us. I said to Jeff Loomis, sorry Jeff, I guess you can’t learn this song. Oh my god!! But he wasn’t angry. That was killer”.
We moved on to talk about the thrash scene and of interest to me was the difference between German thrash and the US thrash which sound totally different. I wondered if Bernemann had thoughts on why this was. “I really don’t know. It’s not only the vocals but of course that is a big part of it. I guess it may be that the older releases may sound a bit rawer. I was influenced by British bands rather than American bands so in the 80s I had different favourites to some of the German bands. I don’t know”. What about the thrash scene at present? How does Bernemann feel about the new thrash bands? “I am not sure if it is a good idea for younger bands to find a sound that has already been done. Of course, each band can do what they want but I prefer it when bands look forward, It is not what I would like to do, looking back in the past and repeat the same. Of course, a lot of people do like it”.
Wrapping up the conversation, we finished up talking about the promotion for the album. Rest in Violence is due out on 17th January. “We will release two more singles. On 13th December we will release Suit Murderer, and then on 17th January when we are playing in Oberhausen, we will release a lyric video. We will hopefully get some festivals to play next summer. I was talking to Ronnie from Rock Hard magazine an hour ago and maybe we can play on the Rock-Hard line-up in May. We’ve also got a licence for Brazil so the CD will be released there and maybe we will get to Brazil to play. We have only released one singe so far so hopefully we can jump on a tour as a support band.” Good luck to any band brave enough to take Bonded on as support because Rest in Violence is a superb slab of thrash which will be hugely received in the metal community. It would be great to see the band hit the UK next year but for now, make sure you catch the album when it drops, you wont be disappointed.
If you were asked to list the behemoths of German thrash, alongside Kreator and Destruction stands Sodom. Led by Tom Angelripper, the band has been at the forefront of German metal since the mid 1980s. From 1996 to 2018, the lead guitar and driving riff work was delivered by Bernd ‘Bernemann’ Kost. Alongside Bernemann for a decade sat drummer Markus ‘Makka’ Friedwald. That is until January 2018 when Angelripper decided that he wanted “fresh and hungry” musicians and promptly fired the rest of the band. Undeterred, Bernermann and Makka grabbed the new songs they had not had time to show to Angelripper and headed for Makka’s studio in Dortmund where they formed Bonded. The band is completed by ex-Suicidal Angels guitarist Chris Tsitsis, Marc Hausechild on bass and Assassin vocalist Ingo Bajouczak.
Bernemann was at home in Dortmund, where he was born, when I caught up with him recently, and I started with the more obvious question which was about the split with Angelripper and how difficult it was for him and Makka. “Honestly, it wasn’t that bad for us. Of course, we were disappointed. I always loved Sodom; It was one centre of my life, for sure but in another way what have I lost? I’m still playing with Makka, my new band mates Chris and Mark and our producer Corni (Cornelius Rambadt), who was our drum tech for many years, and we enjoyed our time together very much. We travelled together around the world I don’t know how many times. This was very important. We have a very good relationship and enjoy the time on stage or in the rehearsal room and we like it. Finally, of course I was a little sad because it means a lot to travel around and to meet friends. I have friends in so many countries, I met so many people.
We are at the beginning with Bonded and we’ve played a few small shows and at each show people I know have come. I hope that the people I like and who like me will come to the shows so that makes things a little easier for us.” Bernemann confirmed that those first shows went well. “They were good. A small festival in Bavaria and then a show in Switzerland and about four weeks ago we played a slightly bigger festival with Amorphis and Powerwolf in North Germany. People are seeing what we do, it sounds well, and I have very good musicians in the band. Makka, Chris, they are great on their instruments and Ingo is a great singer so I guess people can see that we are enjoying what we are doing and so far, I cannot expect anything more”.
I wondered if the name Bonded was chosen because of the tightness of the band as a unit. Bernemann laughs, “yes but we only realised it after we had found the name. It was so difficult to find the band’s name, and every time we found one, we would Google and there would be another band already using that name. Finally, we found Bonded and we like it because it ‘s short, it’s a message and finally we said, yeah, this makes sense. But it wasn’t the intention … but it fits!” The band name does fit well and when you listen to Rest in Violence you can hear the tightness of the band as a unit. They also have a smart logo which works well.
Having been in a band for 22 years you may have thought that Bernemann would have wanted some time out to do other things, but this wasn’t the case with Bonded. “We wanted to go back straight, because you know Makka and me, we live about three kilometres from each other, our rehearsal room is in Dortmund, it belongs to Makka, and we were used to meeting there. We had already prepared songs for the new album. I’ve known Makka since he was 16 so we know each other for a very long time and of course, in the same moment when we were fired, we were calling each other and decided quickly to continue. We have everything; we have the best connections; we love to make music together and enough friends who want to play with us. It doesn’t change for us that much. Okay, we are not travelling as Sodom anymore and Tom is not there, but we are doing the same that we’ve done what we’ve done in the last few years. We are doing what we love, and we can listen to the new material and it sounds different because of the vocals, but we continue with the music on the path that we were on”.
For a thrash metal album, there is a lot of variety on Rest in Violence, something that may not have happened if the guys had remained with Sodom. “For me it is very important to have different speeds, to have the variety you are talking about. Sometimes when you are watching a show from a band and you have 45 minutes, maybe an hour, and all the music is one speed, like a train, sometimes it can be boring. We love to make our music a little different and it is only possible because we have a singer who can do this. We have two songs on the new CD which we had never done with Tom together because it was not his style. No Cure For Life and The Outer Rim, I like these songs because they are still hard enough to fit into the set and Ingo was able to sing them and I am happy about that”. This led neatly into the challenges of finding a singer who could carry the band’s sound.
We acknowledged that without a decent singer, it doesn’t matter how good the band is, they will fail, and we know of many bands we review here who fall into that category. “We needed most of the time to find a good singer and it is difficult to find someone with the voice, love of music and personality. I asked some friends and writers from magazines and one friend told me about Ingo and I was listening to Combat Cathedral, Assassin’s latest release (who ironically also have Frank Blackfire, former and current Sodom guitarist), and their bass player Joachim (Kremer) is a good friend of mine so I called him and asked him about Ingo and if he’d be happy for me to meet with Ingo because Assassin is not touring too much. I didn’t want to have any trouble, but Joachim was cool and gave me Ingo’s number. We meet up in the rehearsal rooms and the sound was fantastic. It took a while as Ingo doesn’t have that much time and he was a little shy about saying yes but we’ve found a good solution now”.
When you listen to Rest in Violence, the title track will grab you immediately because there is a distinctive voice on it. Overkill’s Bobby ‘Blitz’ guests on the song along with Christian ‘Speesy’ Giesler (Kreator bassist 1994 – 2019) and it transpires that the legendary frontman and Bernemann go back a long time. “Bobby and I have known each other a long time. The first time we met was probably 1996 when we played a couple of shows together. He knows my family and we meet so often and like each other. When we meet it’s always a few beers, talking shit and enjoying the time. He knows where I live and always calls me when the band are in Germany so he invited me to a gig in Osnabruck, maybe an hour by car and after the show we were having a couple of beers and he asked me about the band and I told him we had a contract with Century Media and I told him that Speesy was playing one song for us and he looked at me and said, “ hey Berne, do you think it would be okay if I sang on the CD?”
And I was so happy, and I agreed to send him the files. I was honoured but didn’t want to push him too much so I said if you want to sing the chorus that would be brilliant. So, I sent him the files and a few days later he went into the studio and was singing the whole song and he changed the lyrics a little. He said, “ah, this is German English”, so he changed it a bit and the arrangement and made suggestions. He really enjoys it. As far as I know he doesn’t do this often and it fits perfectly on the song. For me it is one of the highlights of my career. He’s a real character from the scene with a huge personality. It means a lot, for me and the band”. As an Overkill fan, this makes me happy as this is exactly what I would have expected from Bobby ‘Blitz’.
The last time I saw Sodom play was at 2017’s Damnation Festival where the band ran over such was their enjoyment. I asked Bernemann if he had some standout gigs that stuck in the memory. “There are a few I remember, not only the show but everything around it. There are some great shows. Here in Germany, on the Rock-Hard Festivals, they mean a lot to me. It’s the Ruhr area, we have a special relationship with this area, you know this is where Sodom are from and Kreator are from here, Angel Dust are from here so shows here are very special to us. I had a special show in Switzerland with Kreator and arch Enemy and I asked Michael (Amott) and Sharlee (D’Angelo) to play Blasphemer with us. I said to Jeff Loomis, sorry Jeff, I guess you can’t learn this song. Oh my god!! But he wasn’t angry. That was killer”.
We moved on to talk about the thrash scene and of interest to me was the difference between German thrash and the US thrash which sound totally different. I wondered if Bernemann had thoughts on why this was. “I really don’t know. It’s not only the vocals but of course that is a big part of it. I guess it may be that the older releases may sound a bit rawer. I was influenced by British bands rather than American bands so in the 80s I had different favourites to some of the German bands. I don’t know”. What about the thrash scene at present? How does Bernemann feel about the new thrash bands? “I am not sure if it is a good idea for younger bands to find a sound that has already been done. Of course, each band can do what they want but I prefer it when bands look forward, It is not what I would like to do, looking back in the past and repeat the same. Of course, a lot of people do like it”.
Wrapping up the conversation, we finished up talking about the promotion for the album. Rest in Violence is due out on 17th January. “We will release two more singles. On 13th December we will release Suit Murderer, and then on 17th January when we are playing in Oberhausen, we will release a lyric video. We will hopefully get some festivals to play next summer. I was talking to Ronnie from Rock Hard magazine an hour ago and maybe we can play on the Rock-Hard line-up in May. We’ve also got a licence for Brazil so the CD will be released there and maybe we will get to Brazil to play. We have only released one singe so far so hopefully we can jump on a tour as a support band.” Good luck to any band brave enough to take Bonded on as support because Rest in Violence is a superb slab of thrash which will be hugely received in the metal community. It would be great to see the band hit the UK next year but for now, make sure you catch the album when it drops, you wont be disappointed.
Reviews: Oceans, Frigoris, Elden, Deliver The Galaxy (Liam, Rich & Lee)
Oceans: The Sun And The Cold (Nuclear Blast) [Liam True]
This album is just mind blowing. At one point it feels as though you’re listening to a Black Metal record, then a Metalcore record and then a standard Hard Rock record. Not many bands can pull anything like it off, but Oceans have excelled on their debut album in style. Starting with the title track and then pressing into We Are The Storm, the band pulls no punches with dual vocalist and guitarist Timo Rotten leading the charge with his venomous voice leading you into a false sense of security only to blown you away with his deep gutturals . From start to finish it’s a mix of genres, tempos and a will to not bang your head at this masterpiece. My words do it no justice. Listen to this exceptional record yourselves and be shocked by how good this is for a debut. 10/10
Frigoris: In Stille (Hypnotic Dirge Records) [Lee Burgess]
And so, here we are with Frigoris, and their album In Stille. With so many extreme bands falling into the category of post this that and the other, sounding fairly generic with very few unique or distinctive aspects to their music the trouble is that artists of this ilk often sound as if very little thought has gone into the work other than to make epic tracks with a duration of anything from five to 25 minutes. So, with Frigoris it was really a question of whether the sound was going to be in line with Fen or maybe a little of the old Wolves In The Throne Room. So it is a bit of a pleasant surprise to hear a mixture of different sounds here. The most surprising element here is a huge reference to the European sound of Kroda, giving us the harsh and the heavy mixed with the mystical, magical and folkish. The production and tone of this album is at once gritty and rich.
You can really get a sense that Frigoris are pushing hard for a sound all their own, and they almost get there. It’s fair to say that there are times where there is something missing, or at least unexplored here, but then the music twists itself into something unexpected and often gives us a glimpse of what could be. It almost feels as if the band can’t quite reach the heights, they are worthy of. This doesn’t take away from what is there, as we get brutal blasting metal and more gentle segments that become almost dreamlike. Although not as tight as it could be, Frigoris have made a record that shows plenty of promise that just needs a few teaks to pull it together to give us a fully rounded, more enriched experience. For now we have a perfectly serviceable collection of songs with more than enough talent on offer to wet the appetite. 8/10
Elden: Nostromo (Fuzzorama Records) [Rich Oliver]
Nostromo is the latest album by Swedish band Elden. It’s an album that evokes the sounds and styles of classic rock and metal bands along with modern day progressive bands such as Baroness and Mastodon. The album is chock full of big riffs, big melodies and punchy songs which don’t outstay their welcome. The songs are nicely mixed with plenty of tempo changes and diverges into psychedelic territory and fast aggressive metal territory. The vocals by frontman Alexander Huss are particularly of note with his own melodic yet distinctive style. Nostromo is an album that will definitely appeal to the Mastodon and Baroness fanbase whilst for me it was an enjoyable listen there were too many similarities to the aforementioned bands and it felt like something I had already heard many times before and to be honest there is a bit of an oversaturation of bands already doing this style at the moment. A good listen but nothing essential. 6/10
Deliver The Galaxy: The Journey (Wolf Metal Records) [Rich Oliver]
The Journey is the second album by German sci-fi melodic death metal band Deliver The Galaxy. Deliver The Galaxy perform some fairly generic melodic death metal with some leanings into djent and metalcore territories so whilst there were parts of this album I enjoyed there were elements I did not like at all. I found that the best material was found on the second half of the album with songs such as Illuminati, New Horizons and Pathfinder being the most appealing to me. The djent and core elements are used here and there throughout the album but really come to the fore in the absolutely dreadful I Declare War which was all that I despise about modern metal incarnate in one song. Deliver The Galaxy do what they do pretty well but The Journey is a very generic take on the melodic death metal genre. I love melodic death metal when it is done right but this album did little for me. 5/10
This album is just mind blowing. At one point it feels as though you’re listening to a Black Metal record, then a Metalcore record and then a standard Hard Rock record. Not many bands can pull anything like it off, but Oceans have excelled on their debut album in style. Starting with the title track and then pressing into We Are The Storm, the band pulls no punches with dual vocalist and guitarist Timo Rotten leading the charge with his venomous voice leading you into a false sense of security only to blown you away with his deep gutturals . From start to finish it’s a mix of genres, tempos and a will to not bang your head at this masterpiece. My words do it no justice. Listen to this exceptional record yourselves and be shocked by how good this is for a debut. 10/10
Frigoris: In Stille (Hypnotic Dirge Records) [Lee Burgess]
And so, here we are with Frigoris, and their album In Stille. With so many extreme bands falling into the category of post this that and the other, sounding fairly generic with very few unique or distinctive aspects to their music the trouble is that artists of this ilk often sound as if very little thought has gone into the work other than to make epic tracks with a duration of anything from five to 25 minutes. So, with Frigoris it was really a question of whether the sound was going to be in line with Fen or maybe a little of the old Wolves In The Throne Room. So it is a bit of a pleasant surprise to hear a mixture of different sounds here. The most surprising element here is a huge reference to the European sound of Kroda, giving us the harsh and the heavy mixed with the mystical, magical and folkish. The production and tone of this album is at once gritty and rich.
You can really get a sense that Frigoris are pushing hard for a sound all their own, and they almost get there. It’s fair to say that there are times where there is something missing, or at least unexplored here, but then the music twists itself into something unexpected and often gives us a glimpse of what could be. It almost feels as if the band can’t quite reach the heights, they are worthy of. This doesn’t take away from what is there, as we get brutal blasting metal and more gentle segments that become almost dreamlike. Although not as tight as it could be, Frigoris have made a record that shows plenty of promise that just needs a few teaks to pull it together to give us a fully rounded, more enriched experience. For now we have a perfectly serviceable collection of songs with more than enough talent on offer to wet the appetite. 8/10
Elden: Nostromo (Fuzzorama Records) [Rich Oliver]
Nostromo is the latest album by Swedish band Elden. It’s an album that evokes the sounds and styles of classic rock and metal bands along with modern day progressive bands such as Baroness and Mastodon. The album is chock full of big riffs, big melodies and punchy songs which don’t outstay their welcome. The songs are nicely mixed with plenty of tempo changes and diverges into psychedelic territory and fast aggressive metal territory. The vocals by frontman Alexander Huss are particularly of note with his own melodic yet distinctive style. Nostromo is an album that will definitely appeal to the Mastodon and Baroness fanbase whilst for me it was an enjoyable listen there were too many similarities to the aforementioned bands and it felt like something I had already heard many times before and to be honest there is a bit of an oversaturation of bands already doing this style at the moment. A good listen but nothing essential. 6/10
Deliver The Galaxy: The Journey (Wolf Metal Records) [Rich Oliver]
The Journey is the second album by German sci-fi melodic death metal band Deliver The Galaxy. Deliver The Galaxy perform some fairly generic melodic death metal with some leanings into djent and metalcore territories so whilst there were parts of this album I enjoyed there were elements I did not like at all. I found that the best material was found on the second half of the album with songs such as Illuminati, New Horizons and Pathfinder being the most appealing to me. The djent and core elements are used here and there throughout the album but really come to the fore in the absolutely dreadful I Declare War which was all that I despise about modern metal incarnate in one song. Deliver The Galaxy do what they do pretty well but The Journey is a very generic take on the melodic death metal genre. I love melodic death metal when it is done right but this album did little for me. 5/10
Wednesday, 15 January 2020
Reviews: Haunt, Envy, Weight Bearer, Ryte (Reviews By Matt, Rich & Liam)
Haunt: Mind Freeze (Shadow Kingdom Records) [Matt Bladen]
We've written about Trevor William Church a few times on this blog as he is the leader of both stoner riff machine Beastmaker and trad metal troop Haunt, his vocals and guitar adapt themselves to either genre well and as he's also a prolific writer both bands have an extensive back catalogue releasing material every year. This is Haunt's third album in three years and once again it's steeped in the classic NWOBHM sound of those 80's heroes such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Angel Witch and Tokyo Blade. High top sneakers and bullet belts are the order of the day as are lyrics influenced by horror and fantasy as Church is aided and abetted by the boiler room of Taylor Hollman (bass) and Daniel Wilson (drums) along with his Beastmaker cohort John Tucker who plays lead guitar here but is Beastmaker's bassist.
Now I'm a sucker for traditional heavy metal sound and while a have not been a fan of many of the NWOBHM also-rans who have returned after 20 odd year hiatuses to play again the new wave of bands such as Cauldron, Night Demon and Haunt grab my attention by having that vitality that made the genre so exciting in the first place. A bubbling Vangelis synth begins Light The Beacon and we open with a fist in the air mid-paced rocker before Hearts On Fire brings some speed metal romping. What I like about Haunt's records is that they are quite musically dense, they sound retro but not to their detriment, the production is crisp meaning you can hear the crisp guitar tone on the title track, the buzzing synth on Saviours Of Man or Have No Fear and every single note of the twin guitar harmonies that fill Fight Or Flight. Haunt remain the high water mark for trad metal and they are still deep in a purple patch. 8/10
Envy: The Fallen Crimson (Pelagic Records) [Liam True]
Despite being labelled as a ‘Screamo’ band, the Japanese sextet couldn’t be further away. More along the lines of Post-Hardcore but packed with enough of an old school Punk sound that they keep it fresh on their 7th studio album. Being their first output in 5 years they’ve been working hard on it. And it shows. From start to finish it’s a brutal onslaught of vicious riffs and throat-melting vocals. There’s not a single moment where the band allow you to breathe and take it what’s being shown on the record with their musicianship and song writing. Despite being sung completely in Japanese, there’s still a few times where you’ll find yourself either humming the tune or singing along. The only downside i have to the album is the production. The vocals are, on times, barely audible, the guitars sound distorted beyond belief and it sounds a bit of a mess. But underneath that you’ll find a fantastic album full of surprises. 6/10
Weight Bearer: Watch The Collapse (Self Released) [Rich Oliver]
Watch The Collapse is the debut album by UK band Weight Bearer. Describing themselves as a mixture of metallic and progressive influences into a dynamic and uncompromising sound I was left wondering where the dynamics were in this album as it was uncompromisingly dull and generic. The progressive touches on Watch The Collapse amount to a few atmospheric and melodic moments here and there but the rest of the album is from the school of dull and generic metalcore with not a single riff having any staying power and each song having little to no memorable moments.
We've written about Trevor William Church a few times on this blog as he is the leader of both stoner riff machine Beastmaker and trad metal troop Haunt, his vocals and guitar adapt themselves to either genre well and as he's also a prolific writer both bands have an extensive back catalogue releasing material every year. This is Haunt's third album in three years and once again it's steeped in the classic NWOBHM sound of those 80's heroes such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Angel Witch and Tokyo Blade. High top sneakers and bullet belts are the order of the day as are lyrics influenced by horror and fantasy as Church is aided and abetted by the boiler room of Taylor Hollman (bass) and Daniel Wilson (drums) along with his Beastmaker cohort John Tucker who plays lead guitar here but is Beastmaker's bassist.
Now I'm a sucker for traditional heavy metal sound and while a have not been a fan of many of the NWOBHM also-rans who have returned after 20 odd year hiatuses to play again the new wave of bands such as Cauldron, Night Demon and Haunt grab my attention by having that vitality that made the genre so exciting in the first place. A bubbling Vangelis synth begins Light The Beacon and we open with a fist in the air mid-paced rocker before Hearts On Fire brings some speed metal romping. What I like about Haunt's records is that they are quite musically dense, they sound retro but not to their detriment, the production is crisp meaning you can hear the crisp guitar tone on the title track, the buzzing synth on Saviours Of Man or Have No Fear and every single note of the twin guitar harmonies that fill Fight Or Flight. Haunt remain the high water mark for trad metal and they are still deep in a purple patch. 8/10
Envy: The Fallen Crimson (Pelagic Records) [Liam True]
Despite being labelled as a ‘Screamo’ band, the Japanese sextet couldn’t be further away. More along the lines of Post-Hardcore but packed with enough of an old school Punk sound that they keep it fresh on their 7th studio album. Being their first output in 5 years they’ve been working hard on it. And it shows. From start to finish it’s a brutal onslaught of vicious riffs and throat-melting vocals. There’s not a single moment where the band allow you to breathe and take it what’s being shown on the record with their musicianship and song writing. Despite being sung completely in Japanese, there’s still a few times where you’ll find yourself either humming the tune or singing along. The only downside i have to the album is the production. The vocals are, on times, barely audible, the guitars sound distorted beyond belief and it sounds a bit of a mess. But underneath that you’ll find a fantastic album full of surprises. 6/10
Weight Bearer: Watch The Collapse (Self Released) [Rich Oliver]
Watch The Collapse is the debut album by UK band Weight Bearer. Describing themselves as a mixture of metallic and progressive influences into a dynamic and uncompromising sound I was left wondering where the dynamics were in this album as it was uncompromisingly dull and generic. The progressive touches on Watch The Collapse amount to a few atmospheric and melodic moments here and there but the rest of the album is from the school of dull and generic metalcore with not a single riff having any staying power and each song having little to no memorable moments.
The vocals are the usual hardcore inspired bark every insipid core band uses and Weight Bearer have two vocalists both doing a similar style and both of them having nothing about them that stands out whatsoever. It’s safe to say I was not a fan of Weight Bearer and found Watch The Collapse a dreadfully dull and depressing listen. Metal is supposed to be passionate and exciting but those two elements were severely lacking in this release. The guys in Weight Bearer can play well so it’s just a shame that what they play is so painfully generic. 2/10
Ryte: Ryte (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Matt Bladen]
Formed by Hannes Ganeider (drums), Arik (guitar/vocals), Shardik (guitar) in Vienna they searched for a bass player and they found Lukas Götzenberger (vocals/bass). Now you can see that two members supply vocals however you don't actually get any vocals until way into the total run time of the record, prefering to keep their heavy psych rock mostly instrumental that shifts between doom and prog with some World Music on Shaking Pyramid in the drummign mainly as the vocals and doom rock feedback comes in at the end. At four tracks in length, you get quite a large chunk of music as the songs are quite long, as they are mainly instrumental they suit an evening with your favourite relaxant and just soak it in. 6/10
Ryte: Ryte (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Matt Bladen]
Formed by Hannes Ganeider (drums), Arik (guitar/vocals), Shardik (guitar) in Vienna they searched for a bass player and they found Lukas Götzenberger (vocals/bass). Now you can see that two members supply vocals however you don't actually get any vocals until way into the total run time of the record, prefering to keep their heavy psych rock mostly instrumental that shifts between doom and prog with some World Music on Shaking Pyramid in the drummign mainly as the vocals and doom rock feedback comes in at the end. At four tracks in length, you get quite a large chunk of music as the songs are quite long, as they are mainly instrumental they suit an evening with your favourite relaxant and just soak it in. 6/10
Reviews: Sons Of Apollo, ...Trail Of The Dead, Bonded, Unbounded Terror (Matt, Paul H, Rich & Alex)
Sons Of Apollo: MMXX (InsideOut Records) [Matt Bladen]
The directly titled MMXX (2020 in Roman numerals for those that don't read Latin), is the second album from prog metal supergroup Sons Of Apollo and the follow up to their 2017 debut Psychotic Symphony. Since the debut they have embarked on an extensive tour (which we saw in Bristol) as well as issuing the double disc live album Live With The Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony which captured them at their magnificent best. So how do the collective of Jeff Scott Soto (vocals), Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass), Derek Sherinian (keyboards, synthesizers) and Mike Portnoy (drums) follow up their debut, as they try to cement themselves as a more than just a one trick pony? MMXX starts the action off as you'd expect with some melodic guitar/keyboard playing from Thal and Sherinian, as it's a slow build based on Portnoy's steady beat and Sheehan's technical bass-lines.
Acting almost like an introductory crescendo it leads into the chunky riffage of Goodbye Divinity, a track that's pretty meaty bringing the sound most will be familiar with from the debut release and of course the glory days of Dream Theater, though with Soto they have vocalist who much more versatile, carrying the emotion of the first song well. A direct start that leads into Wither In Black a track full of attitude brimming with tasty Hammond ala latter period Deep Purple, the fat guitar riff opens out into a both a brilliant synth and guitar solo. Asphyxiation is heavier again having the djent thickness and some synths that are pure DT with an aggressive edge. After three heavy hitting rockers things slow with Desolate July which is mainly Soto and Sherinian at the beginning before it evolves into an emotional mega ballad that gets funky towards the end. The first properly progressive number is the 8 minute King Of Delusion a theatrical number that sits as the mid point of the record, as it creeps and crawls really shifting styles as it's followed by the moody Fall To Ascend and things get back to a hard rocking sound.
MMXX keeps the sound, style and technical ability high carrying on as they began, with a bona-fide radio single in Resurrection Day as the album closes with the 15 minute New World Today which is another epic closing song from Sons Of Apollo that really excel at, it brings everything to the table killer guitar lines, swathes of synths and organs, intricate bass, dexterous drums and powerful vocals holding your attention for the entire run time. It's only January but we have a contender for prog metal album of the year. 9/10
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead: The Godless Void And Other Stories (Inside Out Music) [Alex Swift]
If ever there was an argument that musical boundaries don’t matter as much as they once did …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead have given ammunition to that argument. Prog and punk have not been thought of as the most reconcilable genres in the past. Still, years of genre melding, cultural change and experimentation later, the musical landscape is all the more diverse. Good riddance to tribalism I say, when we have acts this great to show for its decline. Despite my taste though, you may be surprised to know that I’ve never dug into the discography of the Texan four-piece. That said, I’m regretting my hesitation to do so as blitzing their albums across one weekend has allowed me to see how they’ve refined their innovative combination across the years, making them truly unique. The Godless Void And Other Stories sees them furthering their ambition, making for an experience that is as surreal and hypnotic as feverish and wild.
Following the opening instrumental All Who Wander beguiles with a strutting bass riff, atmospheric keyboard melodies and elusive guitar textures, bringing to life the mystery and strangeness at the core of the anthem. Chaos and harmony are wonderfully intertwined here, with each precise note and careful phrase making its place heard in a whirlwind of notions and designs. Something like this, by contrast, opens on a sweet sound of an acoustic guitar and a peaceful vocal refrain that takes its style from the post punk and new wave movements, gradually, the instrumentals swell and the piece embraces that psychedelic, colourful vibe that these musicians perfect time and again. Leading us further into the labyrinth imaginations of these players, Into The Godless Void, charms the listener with its visceral progressions, soaring descants and constant deviations. That’s a wonderful aspect I’ve discovered – every time you expect this band to venture in one direction, they whirl off into another. Every small show of comfortability, is met with an equally strong show of risk and adventure.
Continuing the unpredictable nature, Don’t Look Down feels incredibly catchy and Beatles-esque in sound and style. This is immediately followed by the tense and crescendoing Gone, which gives the record its moodiest and darkest twist thus far. Children Of The Sky marks a return to the powerful, anthemic style, championing a radiant, positive and serene texture, yet never once losing its sense of scale or grandiosity. Following this, the fantastically titled Who Haunts The Haunter? Lives up to the ethereal ideas of its name, following quiet, seething sections, with loud, primitive stints, while the chorus restores harmony by being memorable and infectious. Gravity, despite succinct, is another one of the strongest moments on the album, melodiously. Meanwhile, closers Blade Of The Wind and Through The Sunlit Door, take care to highlight these musicians’ strengths, being technically multifaceted while ridden with intrigue, promise and exploration. Overall, for a late journey into the world of …Trail of Dead, the experience was excellent. I regret coming to them so late yet I have a wealth of material to dig through and absorb. Into The Godless Void has made me a fan. 9/10
Bonded: Rest In Violence (Century Media) [Paul Hutchings]
Cast your mind back to early January 2018. You may have missed the news that Sodom founder Tom Angelripper had parted company with long standing guitarist Bernemann (Bernd Kost 22 years and eight albums with Sodom) and drummer Makka (Markus Freiwald – eight years with Sodom) – apparently by WhatsApp. Angelripper cited the desire for “fresh and hungry” musicians to create new music; something of a blow to the ego of his former guitarist and drummer one would imagine. Especially so for Bernemann who wrote a large proportion of the band’s material. Undeterred, Bernemann and Makka have utilised their history and experience and formed Bonded, adding Chris Tsitsis (ex-Suicidal Angels, Destroy Them) as second guitarist, Marc Hauschild on Bass and Ingo Bajonczak of Assassin (ex-New Damage, ex-Supersoma, ex-Lord of Giant) on vocals in 2018.
What they have produced is their debut Rest In Violence, a snarling, aggressive 43-minute fist of raging thrash metal, as vibrant and fresh as anything else in the thrash metal scene now. The guest vocals of Overkill’s Bobby ‘Blitz’ adds punch to the title track, which fairly races along at impressive speed, the ‘Blitz’ adding his own inimitable stamp of proceedings. Elsewhere, Bajonczak roars and rages with some voracity, his delivery comfortably fitting with the tone and attitude of the band. Je Suis Charlie, which needs no description allows him to mix his soaring rage with a clean style, whilst the chainsaw riffing flanks his delivery throughout. There is a brutal honesty in his voice which when merged with the melodic poetry of his subjects makes for a super performance.
Bonded do the simple stuff well. Very well. There are trademark Germanic thrashers everywhere, such as the opening Godgiven and the riff heavy The Rattle & The Snake, which wonderfully features a bit of harmonica at one point. The latter is as solid a thrash track as you could wish to hear, pace, chugging, sawing guitar work combine with thumpingly strong drumming and some blistering lead work. The album is intensely delivered which arrives at full force and doesn’t stop until the tale of misery and despair in final song The Outer Rim which takes the pace down a notch or two and allows Bajonczak to demonstrate the cleaner side of his singing prowess. Produced and engineered by Cornelius Rambadt (Sodom, Disbelief, Onkel Tom, etc.) at the Rambado Recording Studio in Essen, Germany, Bonded may be a new band but with the experience that they have on board they have already hit the ground running. With a release date for 17th January 2020 secured, if you like your thrash with a shred of decency then Bonded should be on your New Year lists. 8/10
Unbounded Terror: Faith In Chaos (Xtreem Music) [Rich Oliver]
Unbounded Terror are a band that go way back. Formed in 1991, they released their only album Nest Of Affliction in 1992 before splitting up in 1993. Until now that is. The Spanish death metal veterans are back 27 years later with new album Faith In Chaos and it’s rather good. This isn’t an album that rewrites the rule book when it comes to death metal instead being an album of well crafted and bludgeoning death metal paying homage to the old school scene from which Unbounded Terror emanate. It is ten songs (including an intro) of chunky mid paced death metal with that killer old school groove. There are riffs aplenty from guitarists Juan and Vicente Payá (the only original member remaining of the band) accompanied by the punishing rhythm section of drummer Portas and bassist and vocalist Faustus.
The directly titled MMXX (2020 in Roman numerals for those that don't read Latin), is the second album from prog metal supergroup Sons Of Apollo and the follow up to their 2017 debut Psychotic Symphony. Since the debut they have embarked on an extensive tour (which we saw in Bristol) as well as issuing the double disc live album Live With The Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony which captured them at their magnificent best. So how do the collective of Jeff Scott Soto (vocals), Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass), Derek Sherinian (keyboards, synthesizers) and Mike Portnoy (drums) follow up their debut, as they try to cement themselves as a more than just a one trick pony? MMXX starts the action off as you'd expect with some melodic guitar/keyboard playing from Thal and Sherinian, as it's a slow build based on Portnoy's steady beat and Sheehan's technical bass-lines.
Acting almost like an introductory crescendo it leads into the chunky riffage of Goodbye Divinity, a track that's pretty meaty bringing the sound most will be familiar with from the debut release and of course the glory days of Dream Theater, though with Soto they have vocalist who much more versatile, carrying the emotion of the first song well. A direct start that leads into Wither In Black a track full of attitude brimming with tasty Hammond ala latter period Deep Purple, the fat guitar riff opens out into a both a brilliant synth and guitar solo. Asphyxiation is heavier again having the djent thickness and some synths that are pure DT with an aggressive edge. After three heavy hitting rockers things slow with Desolate July which is mainly Soto and Sherinian at the beginning before it evolves into an emotional mega ballad that gets funky towards the end. The first properly progressive number is the 8 minute King Of Delusion a theatrical number that sits as the mid point of the record, as it creeps and crawls really shifting styles as it's followed by the moody Fall To Ascend and things get back to a hard rocking sound.
MMXX keeps the sound, style and technical ability high carrying on as they began, with a bona-fide radio single in Resurrection Day as the album closes with the 15 minute New World Today which is another epic closing song from Sons Of Apollo that really excel at, it brings everything to the table killer guitar lines, swathes of synths and organs, intricate bass, dexterous drums and powerful vocals holding your attention for the entire run time. It's only January but we have a contender for prog metal album of the year. 9/10
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead: The Godless Void And Other Stories (Inside Out Music) [Alex Swift]
If ever there was an argument that musical boundaries don’t matter as much as they once did …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead have given ammunition to that argument. Prog and punk have not been thought of as the most reconcilable genres in the past. Still, years of genre melding, cultural change and experimentation later, the musical landscape is all the more diverse. Good riddance to tribalism I say, when we have acts this great to show for its decline. Despite my taste though, you may be surprised to know that I’ve never dug into the discography of the Texan four-piece. That said, I’m regretting my hesitation to do so as blitzing their albums across one weekend has allowed me to see how they’ve refined their innovative combination across the years, making them truly unique. The Godless Void And Other Stories sees them furthering their ambition, making for an experience that is as surreal and hypnotic as feverish and wild.
Following the opening instrumental All Who Wander beguiles with a strutting bass riff, atmospheric keyboard melodies and elusive guitar textures, bringing to life the mystery and strangeness at the core of the anthem. Chaos and harmony are wonderfully intertwined here, with each precise note and careful phrase making its place heard in a whirlwind of notions and designs. Something like this, by contrast, opens on a sweet sound of an acoustic guitar and a peaceful vocal refrain that takes its style from the post punk and new wave movements, gradually, the instrumentals swell and the piece embraces that psychedelic, colourful vibe that these musicians perfect time and again. Leading us further into the labyrinth imaginations of these players, Into The Godless Void, charms the listener with its visceral progressions, soaring descants and constant deviations. That’s a wonderful aspect I’ve discovered – every time you expect this band to venture in one direction, they whirl off into another. Every small show of comfortability, is met with an equally strong show of risk and adventure.
Continuing the unpredictable nature, Don’t Look Down feels incredibly catchy and Beatles-esque in sound and style. This is immediately followed by the tense and crescendoing Gone, which gives the record its moodiest and darkest twist thus far. Children Of The Sky marks a return to the powerful, anthemic style, championing a radiant, positive and serene texture, yet never once losing its sense of scale or grandiosity. Following this, the fantastically titled Who Haunts The Haunter? Lives up to the ethereal ideas of its name, following quiet, seething sections, with loud, primitive stints, while the chorus restores harmony by being memorable and infectious. Gravity, despite succinct, is another one of the strongest moments on the album, melodiously. Meanwhile, closers Blade Of The Wind and Through The Sunlit Door, take care to highlight these musicians’ strengths, being technically multifaceted while ridden with intrigue, promise and exploration. Overall, for a late journey into the world of …Trail of Dead, the experience was excellent. I regret coming to them so late yet I have a wealth of material to dig through and absorb. Into The Godless Void has made me a fan. 9/10
Bonded: Rest In Violence (Century Media) [Paul Hutchings]
Cast your mind back to early January 2018. You may have missed the news that Sodom founder Tom Angelripper had parted company with long standing guitarist Bernemann (Bernd Kost 22 years and eight albums with Sodom) and drummer Makka (Markus Freiwald – eight years with Sodom) – apparently by WhatsApp. Angelripper cited the desire for “fresh and hungry” musicians to create new music; something of a blow to the ego of his former guitarist and drummer one would imagine. Especially so for Bernemann who wrote a large proportion of the band’s material. Undeterred, Bernemann and Makka have utilised their history and experience and formed Bonded, adding Chris Tsitsis (ex-Suicidal Angels, Destroy Them) as second guitarist, Marc Hauschild on Bass and Ingo Bajonczak of Assassin (ex-New Damage, ex-Supersoma, ex-Lord of Giant) on vocals in 2018.
What they have produced is their debut Rest In Violence, a snarling, aggressive 43-minute fist of raging thrash metal, as vibrant and fresh as anything else in the thrash metal scene now. The guest vocals of Overkill’s Bobby ‘Blitz’ adds punch to the title track, which fairly races along at impressive speed, the ‘Blitz’ adding his own inimitable stamp of proceedings. Elsewhere, Bajonczak roars and rages with some voracity, his delivery comfortably fitting with the tone and attitude of the band. Je Suis Charlie, which needs no description allows him to mix his soaring rage with a clean style, whilst the chainsaw riffing flanks his delivery throughout. There is a brutal honesty in his voice which when merged with the melodic poetry of his subjects makes for a super performance.
Bonded do the simple stuff well. Very well. There are trademark Germanic thrashers everywhere, such as the opening Godgiven and the riff heavy The Rattle & The Snake, which wonderfully features a bit of harmonica at one point. The latter is as solid a thrash track as you could wish to hear, pace, chugging, sawing guitar work combine with thumpingly strong drumming and some blistering lead work. The album is intensely delivered which arrives at full force and doesn’t stop until the tale of misery and despair in final song The Outer Rim which takes the pace down a notch or two and allows Bajonczak to demonstrate the cleaner side of his singing prowess. Produced and engineered by Cornelius Rambadt (Sodom, Disbelief, Onkel Tom, etc.) at the Rambado Recording Studio in Essen, Germany, Bonded may be a new band but with the experience that they have on board they have already hit the ground running. With a release date for 17th January 2020 secured, if you like your thrash with a shred of decency then Bonded should be on your New Year lists. 8/10
Unbounded Terror: Faith In Chaos (Xtreem Music) [Rich Oliver]
Unbounded Terror are a band that go way back. Formed in 1991, they released their only album Nest Of Affliction in 1992 before splitting up in 1993. Until now that is. The Spanish death metal veterans are back 27 years later with new album Faith In Chaos and it’s rather good. This isn’t an album that rewrites the rule book when it comes to death metal instead being an album of well crafted and bludgeoning death metal paying homage to the old school scene from which Unbounded Terror emanate. It is ten songs (including an intro) of chunky mid paced death metal with that killer old school groove. There are riffs aplenty from guitarists Juan and Vicente Payá (the only original member remaining of the band) accompanied by the punishing rhythm section of drummer Portas and bassist and vocalist Faustus.
The over-reliance of chunky mid-paced songs is the albums weak point but it does mean when the blastbeats come erupting from the speakers they are all the more effective for it. The best songs on the albums are the ones that mix the speed and violence with the slower groove heavy moments such as the relentless Hated In Hell, They Will Come From The Pain and personal highlight Silent Soul. Faith In Chaos is a highly entertaining, incredibly solid and well produced album that just slightly falls short due to its repetitive nature. 7/10
Tuesday, 14 January 2020
Reviews: Dyscordia, Prospective, Prowess, Syryn (Rich & Matt)
Dyscordia: Delete/Rewrite (Road Mark Productions) [Rich Oliver]
Delete/Rewrite is the third album by Belgian progressive metallers and comes four years after previous album Words In Ruins in 2016. Apparently the band wanted to take their time to write the best album they could and to be honest the results speak for themselves. This is the first surprise for me in 2020 in that I went into this album not expecting much and ended up enjoying it thoroughly. Dyscordia are a melodic progressive metal band but also straddle the line between power metal and melodic death metal. A lot of the riffing has that signature Gothenburg melodic death metal style to it and guitarist Martijn Debonnet provides plenty of harsh vocals in tandem with the clean vocals of frontman Piet Overstijns. The opening title track gets things off to a steady start but from second song This House onwards the band really come out of their shell all guns blazing.
The riffs and melodies are all strong and in your face and the album has an urgency and confidence about it. The guys in the band know these songs are good and aren’t afraid to show it from the power metal leaning Castle High to the strongly melodic and progressive Silent Tears to the punchy The Curse Of Mediocrity which is my favourite from the album. The band clearly had a ball writing and recording this album and that resonates throughout especially on album closer Rise And Try which is an acapella song. Dyscordia very much impressed me with Delete/Rewrite. It’s a bold and confident release which will appeal to both those who like their metal on the melodic or the heavier side. 8/10
Prospective: All We Have (Long Branch Records) [Matt Bladen]
Djent is a dirty word these days most of the bands who play this style prefer to be called progressive metal, or progressive metalcore. Prospective are an Italian progressive metalcore band, so expect tonnes of crunching palm muted riffs, technical dexterity and songs that blend aggression with emotion due to the dual vocal style that pairs soaring cleans with raw harsh shouts. All We Have is an album that has been born from countless sleepless nights but when it brings anthemic numbers like Disobey which also has a thumping breakdown at the end of it. These Italians are very well versed in their craft and much like many of the genre leaders such as Monuments and Northlane they have moved away from the more heavier technicality of their previous records pursuing a more emotionally-driven sound that focuses on more deeply personal themes as they bring electronic touches to Dust And Memories which is a moving number underpinned with thick distorted riffs. All We Have is another album that shows the evolution of the genre previously called djent, if you like impassioned progressive metalcore then this Italian five piece have made an album you will want to snap up. 7/10
Prowess: Blacktop Therapy (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
AC/DC riffs? Sneering vocals? Band name with an umlaut? There aren't many rock n roll cliches Carolina's Prowess don't adhere too. Blacktop Therapy is the band's first full length record following on from two EP's and ti's Planet Rock fodder at it's most blatant, they are a band that sound abit like many other bands you've heard, their songs are based in the blues and the lyrics are all about partying, rock n roll and birds. It's not big or clever but it'll keep your attention for a bit especially Tombstone Blue the best track on the record. Radio friendly rock n roll that sticks to a formula. 5/10
Syryn: Beyond The Depths (Self Released) [Rich Oliver]
Beyond The Depths is the debut album from Canadian metallers Syryn which is a concept album centered around the mythological creatures who lured sailors to the deaths which is the namesake of the band. Syryn perform a mix of thrash and power metal though the thrash element to their sound is more in the riffing style being more on the power metal side of things. Unfortunately it just isn’t very good power metal. Whilst a talented bunch of musicians who show promise, that promise isn’t realised in the songwriting department with Beyond The Depths being a rather amateurish release with very few stand out moments. The first half of the album suffers the most as things to pick up later on with some tasty riffing on Paradise For Demise and a great hooky chorus on Dead Men Tell No Tales. It also doesn’t help that the album has an abundance of intros and interludes which really disrupt the flow. The band do show promise and potential with singer Sloan Voxxkills having an impressive voice on her but the songwriting does need a lot of work. 4/10
Prospective: All We Have (Long Branch Records) [Matt Bladen]
Djent is a dirty word these days most of the bands who play this style prefer to be called progressive metal, or progressive metalcore. Prospective are an Italian progressive metalcore band, so expect tonnes of crunching palm muted riffs, technical dexterity and songs that blend aggression with emotion due to the dual vocal style that pairs soaring cleans with raw harsh shouts. All We Have is an album that has been born from countless sleepless nights but when it brings anthemic numbers like Disobey which also has a thumping breakdown at the end of it. These Italians are very well versed in their craft and much like many of the genre leaders such as Monuments and Northlane they have moved away from the more heavier technicality of their previous records pursuing a more emotionally-driven sound that focuses on more deeply personal themes as they bring electronic touches to Dust And Memories which is a moving number underpinned with thick distorted riffs. All We Have is another album that shows the evolution of the genre previously called djent, if you like impassioned progressive metalcore then this Italian five piece have made an album you will want to snap up. 7/10
Prowess: Blacktop Therapy (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
AC/DC riffs? Sneering vocals? Band name with an umlaut? There aren't many rock n roll cliches Carolina's Prowess don't adhere too. Blacktop Therapy is the band's first full length record following on from two EP's and ti's Planet Rock fodder at it's most blatant, they are a band that sound abit like many other bands you've heard, their songs are based in the blues and the lyrics are all about partying, rock n roll and birds. It's not big or clever but it'll keep your attention for a bit especially Tombstone Blue the best track on the record. Radio friendly rock n roll that sticks to a formula. 5/10
Syryn: Beyond The Depths (Self Released) [Rich Oliver]
Beyond The Depths is the debut album from Canadian metallers Syryn which is a concept album centered around the mythological creatures who lured sailors to the deaths which is the namesake of the band. Syryn perform a mix of thrash and power metal though the thrash element to their sound is more in the riffing style being more on the power metal side of things. Unfortunately it just isn’t very good power metal. Whilst a talented bunch of musicians who show promise, that promise isn’t realised in the songwriting department with Beyond The Depths being a rather amateurish release with very few stand out moments. The first half of the album suffers the most as things to pick up later on with some tasty riffing on Paradise For Demise and a great hooky chorus on Dead Men Tell No Tales. It also doesn’t help that the album has an abundance of intros and interludes which really disrupt the flow. The band do show promise and potential with singer Sloan Voxxkills having an impressive voice on her but the songwriting does need a lot of work. 4/10
Reviews: Magnum, Rage, Mystic Prophecy, Gary Moore (Paul, Matt & Manus)
Magnum: The Serpent King (Steamhammer) [Paul Hutchings]
Two years almost to the day since Lost On The Road To Eternity was released and Brummie melodic rockers Magnum are back once more. Album 21 sees the band continue their exploration of the rockier side of melodic. Eleven new songs, all written and produced by guitarist Tony Clarkin and with new bassist Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Unisonic) plucking the strings. Clarkin has maintained his strong run of solid songs, with the opening Where Are You Eden? kicking things off with a neat bit of 80s keyboards. In fact, much of the album is dominated by Rick Benton’s solid ivory work but Clarkin has allowed himself ample opportunity to kick back and throw down the off riff and snarling solo. Their sound is as distinctive as always, the combination of thick synthesisers and sharp-edged guitar, solid rhythm section and of course, the tones of Bob Catley whose performance continues to belie his advancing years.
As well as the dreamy magical themes that Magnum rely on, there is also socio-critical comment, such as Madman Or Messiah, which deals with the threats of self-proclaimed saviours and the impact of those in power on the earth. Inevitably it’s the story telling that allows Magnum to really flex their pomp, with the imperious title-track standing tall, Clarkin referring to it as a “creepy fairy tale”. It’s not all fabulous, and as is usually the case, there are a few weaker songs squirreled away. Not Forgiven, the first single from the album isn’t particularly strong, The Last One On Earth relies heavily on the previous album’s title track and House Of Kings with its pseudo brass and lounge room style breakdown struggles despite the unique change in pace and style. However, overall, Clarkin, at the age of 73 has written another album which will stand alongside recent works in the ‘decent’ file. I don’t view it as being as strong as Sacred Heart, “Divine” Lies but it certainly is a decent listen. Magnum tour the UK in March. 7/10
Rage: Wings Of Rage (Steamhammer) [Matt Bladen]
Bassist/vocalist Peavy Wagner continues to lead the band he formed into their third major version after splitting with guitarist Victor Smolski. Wings Of Rage is their third record in this iteration and it's packed full of the heavy Teutonic power metal Rage bring to the table, almost as if they are trying to wipe out that second line up they have powered out three albums in quick succession as well as a Refuge album that features the classic Refuge Rage line up. This is Rage's 22nd record (!) in total (as Rage) and yet it's as fresh as their first, the snarling vocals and songwriting prowess of Wagner proves to be the main weapon to the band's longevity. He writes songs with catchy choruses that invite you to sing along with them. Rage at the moment are a lean mean trio Wagner has retained the skills of guitarist Marcos Rodriguez and drummer Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos and once again he's showing his knack of working with the most talented people for this band. They've also been put to good use here, as out of the three records with this line up Wings Of Rage is definitely the best. True opens proceedings with some galloping German power metal, Chasing The Twilight Zone bring some thrashier riffs as does the title track, more rampaging power metal comes on Tomorrow and they have a powerful ballad with Shine A Light. Wings Of Rage is classic Rage at their high flying best, with Peavy Wagner at the helm they will always be able to capitalise on their longevity. 7/10
Mystic Prophecy: Metal Division (Rock Of Angels Records)
More German (well German/Greek) heavy metal this time from Mystic Prophecy who have always had a much more American style to their sound, the band are notable as being one of the early bands of Firewind founder and ex-Ozzy guitarist Gus G. It's nastier, more muscular and full of grunt opposed to the faster more melodic style of many of their peers, owing more to Iced Earth, that doesn't mean that they don't have melody, it's just not as light as other. Much of their is due to their erstwhile frontman R.D Liapakis who's voice has carried this band since their formation in 2000 along with long time rhythm guitarist Markus Pohl, who's riffs drive tracks like Together We Fall locking in with Hanno Kerstan (drums) and Joey Roxx (bass). Metal Division is their 10th album of original material following on from their covers record in 2018 and their biggest selling album War Brigade, so with that in mind how does Metal Division stand up, well it's got fist pumping anthems like Hail To The King, the dramatic Die With The Hammer, the thundering, gothic Curse Of The Slayer and heavier tracks like swaggering Dracula (a man who is in high demand at the moment) all of which show the explosive lead guitar playing of Evan K who works his fret magic over these tracks shredding like a demon before exploding into solos. If brawny heavy metal does it for you then you'll have to pick up Metal Division and while you're at it go back and discover the rest of Mystic Prophecy's discography as a lot of heavy metal history lies in their near 20 year history! 7/10
Gary Moore: Live From London (Provogue Records) [Manus Hopkins]
A legendary artist being dead for nearly a decade won’t stop “new” music from being released under his name anymore. Often this comes in the form of classic album reissues, greatest hits compilations, and previously unreleased music that went unreleased for a reason. A live recording of Gary Moore’s special one-off 2009 gig in London is a welcome change in this trend. Live From London is a fine example of what any live album should aim to be. Audio-wise, it sounds quite good; it’s well-mixed and the band sounds stellar. It’s obvious to a listener that this would have been an excellent gig to see live. The best part is that this doesn’t seem like it was released just to cash in on Moore’s death. It likely would have come out a long time ago if that was the case. But had it come out shortly after it was recorded, and had Moore been alive to see its release, this album would go down just as well. 8/10
Rage: Wings Of Rage (Steamhammer) [Matt Bladen]
Bassist/vocalist Peavy Wagner continues to lead the band he formed into their third major version after splitting with guitarist Victor Smolski. Wings Of Rage is their third record in this iteration and it's packed full of the heavy Teutonic power metal Rage bring to the table, almost as if they are trying to wipe out that second line up they have powered out three albums in quick succession as well as a Refuge album that features the classic Refuge Rage line up. This is Rage's 22nd record (!) in total (as Rage) and yet it's as fresh as their first, the snarling vocals and songwriting prowess of Wagner proves to be the main weapon to the band's longevity. He writes songs with catchy choruses that invite you to sing along with them. Rage at the moment are a lean mean trio Wagner has retained the skills of guitarist Marcos Rodriguez and drummer Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos and once again he's showing his knack of working with the most talented people for this band. They've also been put to good use here, as out of the three records with this line up Wings Of Rage is definitely the best. True opens proceedings with some galloping German power metal, Chasing The Twilight Zone bring some thrashier riffs as does the title track, more rampaging power metal comes on Tomorrow and they have a powerful ballad with Shine A Light. Wings Of Rage is classic Rage at their high flying best, with Peavy Wagner at the helm they will always be able to capitalise on their longevity. 7/10
Mystic Prophecy: Metal Division (Rock Of Angels Records)
More German (well German/Greek) heavy metal this time from Mystic Prophecy who have always had a much more American style to their sound, the band are notable as being one of the early bands of Firewind founder and ex-Ozzy guitarist Gus G. It's nastier, more muscular and full of grunt opposed to the faster more melodic style of many of their peers, owing more to Iced Earth, that doesn't mean that they don't have melody, it's just not as light as other. Much of their is due to their erstwhile frontman R.D Liapakis who's voice has carried this band since their formation in 2000 along with long time rhythm guitarist Markus Pohl, who's riffs drive tracks like Together We Fall locking in with Hanno Kerstan (drums) and Joey Roxx (bass). Metal Division is their 10th album of original material following on from their covers record in 2018 and their biggest selling album War Brigade, so with that in mind how does Metal Division stand up, well it's got fist pumping anthems like Hail To The King, the dramatic Die With The Hammer, the thundering, gothic Curse Of The Slayer and heavier tracks like swaggering Dracula (a man who is in high demand at the moment) all of which show the explosive lead guitar playing of Evan K who works his fret magic over these tracks shredding like a demon before exploding into solos. If brawny heavy metal does it for you then you'll have to pick up Metal Division and while you're at it go back and discover the rest of Mystic Prophecy's discography as a lot of heavy metal history lies in their near 20 year history! 7/10
Gary Moore: Live From London (Provogue Records) [Manus Hopkins]
A legendary artist being dead for nearly a decade won’t stop “new” music from being released under his name anymore. Often this comes in the form of classic album reissues, greatest hits compilations, and previously unreleased music that went unreleased for a reason. A live recording of Gary Moore’s special one-off 2009 gig in London is a welcome change in this trend. Live From London is a fine example of what any live album should aim to be. Audio-wise, it sounds quite good; it’s well-mixed and the band sounds stellar. It’s obvious to a listener that this would have been an excellent gig to see live. The best part is that this doesn’t seem like it was released just to cash in on Moore’s death. It likely would have come out a long time ago if that was the case. But had it come out shortly after it was recorded, and had Moore been alive to see its release, this album would go down just as well. 8/10
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