A View From The TV Screen: Nightstalker - Stages A/Live Concert Film (Review By Matt Bladen)

Nightstalker, Stages A/Live, At Gagarin 205 Live Space, Athens

The Onassis Foundation was set up by Business Magnate Aristotle Onassis in memory of his son Alexander to promote culture, education, health and social solidarity, and they have put their collective muscle behind supporting the live music/creative scene in Greece due to its cultural importance to the country. A well connected organisation active showing support to creative industries with the support of the government? What a novel idea!

Well the Onassis Foundation has set about supporting the creative/musical industries in Greece by staging a number of live concert films, the Stage A/Live project on their YouTube Channel to give the bands, stage hands, videographers, editors, assistants, engineers etc etc a chance to use/showcase their skills in the wake of the global pandemic. The band chosen as the first concert film was psychedelic stoner rock troubadours Nightstalker, one of the bands who I'd say are in the top echelon of Greek rock/metal act. These veterans of the scene (30 years and counting) had their hour long set recorded at Athens' Gagarin 205 Live Space with a comprehensive stage set up, full back line and a film crew capturing every single fuzz drenched note Nightstalker crank out.

Led by irrepressible figure of Argy behind the mic, the maelstrom of Nightstalker kicks off the throbbing Zombie Hour the huge light wall behind Argy pulsating to the thick riffage of Tolis Motsios (guitar) and Andreas Lagios (bass) as drummer Dinos Roulos thunders the band organised in a practice square all facing each other to work off each others vibes. As the blistering twosome of Forever Stoned and Just A Burn got the show going properly the production team managed to add a cinematic style to the show, documentary style camera work was giving it a guerrilla feel while the slo-mos and the visual effects brought the show some flourishes you never normally get from a concert film. After the killer cut of Baby, God Is Dead, The Dog That No-One Wanted brought some additional vocals by Tonia Antoniou and Nina Foskolou who stick around for the haunting Sad Side Of The City. At 55 minutes the show was a perfect introduction to anyone watching the bands for the first time but also one that treated the band with the sort of stage show they deserve filmed by a professional crew. I'm looking forward the future shows they have planned as this show was a real showcase of not just of the band but of the Greek creative industries in general. 

Reviews: Bloody Hammers, Gatecreeper, Hunted By Elephants, Supermoon (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Bloody Hammers: Songs Of Unspeakable Terror (Napalm Records)

Returning from their crypt in Transylvania County, North Carolina occult rock n rollers Bloody Hammers return with an album that adds another gory string to their Satanic bow and arrow. Anders Manga (vocals/guitar) and wife Devallia (organist/pianist) move into otherworldly realms as yet untouched by their occult musical leanings. They have adopted the funky, punky attitude of bands such as The Misfits and The Cramps. With the "woah woah" refrain A Night To Dismember immediately has the Danzig/Only trademarks all over it. But why? I hear you ask, why have this gloomy doomy duo moved away from the psych/doom rock riffs into a much more punk-influenced sound? 

Well the answer like most things last year is Covid 19, fresh off his darkwave project Manga was stopped from touring so he and Devallia set about recording a new Bloody Hammers based upon the New York C.B.G.B alumni like the bands mentioned earlier, albeit still with that Bloody Hammers occult doom sound, B-Movie soundbites and a generally schlocky feel of something that would have been introduced by Elvira. You can hear tracks such as The Ones Who Own The Dark, the anthemic We Are The Damned and I Spit On Your Corpse blasting out of a Hearse Hot-Rod racing through a graveyard in at midnight. Manga's booming vocals and chainsaw guitar playing augmented by the searing synth lines of Devallia, for a record that is very true to the spirit of every horror-punk band ever, on Waking The Dead especially they have nailed the sound of The Misfits better than the Misfits. Coming from an enforced withdrawal from touring etc has led to this genre shift from an established act, one that has been achieved very soundly. 7/10

Gatecreeper: An Unexpected Reality (Closed Casket Activities)

Seen as one of the leading names in modern death metal Arizona heavyweights Gatecreeper have dropped a surprise album that, like the Bloody Hammers record is unlike their previous releases, as it is almost a split release with themselves. The main part focuses quite heavily on the more politically charged acerbic sound of grindcore with the tracks whizzing by in a flurry of rusty saw riffs and barked vocals, none of them really longer than 2 minutes. Where as the final song Emptiness is a monolithian 8 minute plus doom that makes up half of the EP's runtime. 

The inspiration behind this was Black Flag's My War and is something the band have been wanting to do for ages. They wanted to write an EP full of sounds they were not known for, it was only when the pandemic hit they finally decided to write a record that features nasty grindcore and doom metal, as there was no expectation of singles or tours to support it. Something of a vanity project yes, but one that will hopefully influence their future releases. A surprise beatdown in a the middle of January, that's very welcome indeed! 7/10   

Hunted By Elephants: Carry On (Self Released)

Following on from their well received debut Rise Of The Elephant in 2019, London based classic rockers Hunted By Elephants set about writing their follow up almost immediately, bolstered by the success and radio play of that albums singles. Now I will say outright that what Hunted By Elephants do, is not by any means unique, they are clearly inspired by the likes of Free, Humble Pie along with more modern names like Rival Sons, so their blues-based ear-friendly hard rock is nothing new, but when done well this music is exciting, it stretches back to the first mega-titans of rock n roll and with stations such as Planet Rock doing their best to champion bands that have this 'classic rock' sound then there are no shortage of bands that will try an capture that essence of Purple, Zeppelin, Sabbath et al. 

Hunted By Elephants (which poses the question what did the band do to the elephants to end up in this position?) take there musical influences seriously deciding that their record should be captured like the bands of yore, this means that all of the songs here have been recorded live in the studio with all the members together (a novelty in this Covid world) the studio tweaks (mastering etc) were added afterwards of course but the bulk of what you hear on Carry On is the four musicians jamming things out in the studio. It means that there is an analogue hue to the record, songs for vinyl if you will. With the easy going strut of Let Me Be easily sliding into the Lizzy-like title track.  

The pulsating low end hum of Raymond Phelan's bass gives a rich warmth when met with Alex Buttice's enthusiastic drumming, they are a fiery engine room but also deft when the record slows down into slinky blues sounds. Roman Flourendzou's six string is all buzzing riffs and solos that are stepped in panache but never work to hard to get a reaction, and finally Apostolos Liapis' rich vocals have that soulful edge of that has become the staple of a classic rock singer as he languishes in the Plant-like gruffer mid range occasionally teasing with his top notes.

As the record plows on The Weapon brings the folky flourishes of Led Zeppelin III, Keep On Giving Me Loving is pure Coverdale filth, while Towards The Light is a grandiose Deep Purple-like ballad replete with organs. Carry On is great hard rock record, I said at the beginning of the album that when it's done well this 'classic rock' sound can be very exciting and Hunted By Elephant do it very well indeed making for a brilliant follow up! 9/10 

Supermoon: S/T (Self Released) [2020]

I'm not really sure what sort of substances Vasilis Tsigkris has been using but it has certainly made him very creative. He is the driving creative force behind Supermoon which was initially a solo project, and to a point still is as Tsigkris plays everything on this record, but they are now a fully fleshed out four-piece spacecraft on the live stage anyway. This debut record is ready to take the listener on a trip through the very fabric of time and space. How Supermoon go about this is by playing hypnotic, heavy psych rock record with walls of fuzzy guitar riffage, rhythmic, tribal drumming and shamanistic, chanting, heavily echoed vocals (Mantra). 

Lyrically inspired by spirituality, nature, folk tales and mythology, there is a Eastern influence to many of the songs, moving away from bands such as Kyuss and Yawning Man into acts such as Goat (if you've never heard of them I suggest you check them out) The music here is created to bewitch you into a steady head nodding trance the dense instrumentals guiding you on this cosmic journey through a kaleidoscopic soundscape. Only with the final track Moon Rabbit does the heavy grooves give way to a more ambient atmosphere with a two part closure to this record. A stirring debut from this Athenian act, serving suggestion is your substance of choice then play nice and loud. 7/10

Reviews: Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou, Antre, Kabbalah, Midnight Spell (Reviews By Matt Bladen, Paul Scoble, Richard Oliver & Simon Black)

Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou: The Helm Of Sorrow EP (Sacred Bones) [Matt Bladen]

May Our Chambers Be Full was one of the most spellbinding albums of 2020, encapsulating a year of hardship with two idiosyncratic acts blissfully working in unison for an album that was certainly on many peoples 'must have' list. However it was not an immediate record, only after numerous plays did it weaves it's magic and revealed it's brilliance, it was also apparently too short! This is because Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou have returned with an EP, called The Helm Of Sorrow, it contains four tracks that were conceived during the May Our Chambers Be Full but never made it to that record. Why this is really doesn't need to be explained, as it's certainly not to do with it being 'lesser' material in any shape or form, neither is it due to it being stylistically different, the four songs here are still 90's grunge/alternative music drenched in the band's own styles. 

So it is yet again more mystery added to this project and as the evocative Orphaned Limbs starts off very in the ERR vein of atmospheric post-rock before it buildings into the raging sludge of Thou, so essentially a song of two parts that is followed by the thundering heaviness of Crone Dance where the down-tuned fuzz is floated upon by ERR's ethereal vocals as the numerous breakdowns that come seem to be anchored by some hurdy gurdy in the background, the song slowing to a doomy crawl, Recurrence melding grunge with an almost black metal-like rage as the EP closes with a cover of The Cranberries Hollywood which is essentially a heavier version of the original, vocals and all. A perfect accompanying release for May Our Chambers Be Full. 8/10      

Antre: Dark Spectrum (Withered Hand Records) [Paul Scoble]

Antre are based in Nottingham, and have been making the midlands a much noisier place since 2017. The five piece have released an EP and an album called Void before this release; I reviewed Void in 2019 and found it to be a very good piece of Orthodox Black metal. So, how have the band developed since their very well received debut. The EP contains 4 tracks. Opening track Through These Dead Eyes is probably the most strait-forward of the songs. It opens with blasting Black Metal before settling down for a more mid-paced section that is driving and purposeful, before a slow, heavy and discordant ending. Second track Become The Damned opens with some mid-paced riffing that is very tuneful and has a strong melodic centre, with some very pleasing tremolo picked riffs. 

The song then takes a turn towards some very effective Black Thrash riffs which are packed with energy, before the song takes a further turn towards some very slow and heavy riffs which take the song to its end. Mask Of The Saviour is probably the most interesting track on the EP. It opens with thrashy Black Metal riffing before getting nicely slow and discordant. The thrash returns for a moment, before we get a single acoustic guitar and spoken word part. This acoustic guitar part slowly morphs into a heavier and more powerful form of the same riff, this then slowly changes into some very good Depressive Black Metal riffing. The track comes to an end with a very slow and heavy section. Final track Cursed Existence starts with some very savage, blasting Black metal before a soft acoustic part signals the return of slow and melodic Depressive Black Metal section. 

The song ends with a faster and more thrashy section bringing everything to an end in a very energetic way. Dark Spectrum is a great EP. Every track is very good, and the ebb and flow of the EP is very good, it never gets boring as the songs constantly change. It feels as if the band is developing their sound very well, the tracks are more complex than the material on their album, Void. This bodes very well for their next release (hopefully a full album). 8/10 

Kabbalah: The Omen (Rebel Waves Records) [Richard Oliver]

The Omen is the second album from Spanish occult rockers Kabbalah. It follows the bands debut album Spectral Ascent released in 2017 and a string of EP’s that preceded that. Kabbalah are a three piece consisting of Carmen Espejo on drums, Marga Malaria on bass and Alba Ddu on guitars with all three contributing vocals. Kabbalah play a fuzzed out mix of occult rock, psychedelic rock and proto-doom metal. It is a sound that harks back to the late 60’s and early 70’s with nods to bands such as Coven, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult and Pentagram. The band do a very good job of capturing the spirit of that era with doom laden riffs soaked in mystical atmosphere, haunted vocals that exude evil and enough darkness to summon the devil. 

It is quite a straightforward sound and basically an homage to the occult rock bands of yesteryear but it is a very good homage nonetheless with songs such as Stigmatized, Lamentations and Liturgy evoking the dark spirit of the occult rock classics. The Omen whilst acting as not much more than a retro throwback to the occult rock of the late 60’s and early 70’s is a decent album. There are plenty of bands who do this retro occult rock style and whilst Kabbalah do it well there is not much here to differentiate them from other bands doing a similar style. Regardless of the lack of originality The Omen is still an enjoyable listen. 7/10

Midnight Spell: Sky Destroyer (Iron Oxide Records) [Simon Black]

It’s amazing how things come around again. When I was a teenager in the 1980’s, the Metal underground was all about Thrash and the emerging Death and Extreme Metal scenes, with NWOBHM and Trad Metal that predated it very much perceived as old school (even whilst acknowledging the debt of gratitude given that’s what generally got our attention in the first place). And let’s not even go into the commercial sensibilities underlying the Hair/Glam/Sleaze Metal scene at the time... So when I read a press release that talks about this act emerging from the underground I cannot help but smile. Things really have come full circle. Midnight Spell hail from Florida, USA and this young five piece’s debut album has been brewing since 2017. 

I’m very much reminded of the first two Iron Maiden albums musically (although vocally Paolo Velazquez is more in the Bruce Dickinson mould). Even though publicity photos evoke this image, although this band are far, far more than just a Maiden clone. There is that raw ‘as live’ energy captured on this record that does not feel over produced, there’s that crisp bass high in the mix and harmonised twin guitars flowing melodically. There are hints to more modern tropes as well, although the  time changes and instrumental pieces would not sound out of place on early Thrash albums. The opener Blood For Blood is a harsh burst of in your face Speed Metal and not really a representative track for their sound, so it’s an unusual choice for single. Velazquez feels like he’s forcing his voice a notch too far on the streams, and his style settles down a lot more with Between The Eyes – a far more straight ahead rocker, of which there are a few examples which Midnight Spell competently deliver. By the time we get to Lady Of The Moonlight, we’ve added some galloping rhythm lines and some good old fashioned Melodic Metal shredding to the mix, and really they can do no wrong from this point. 

When things do speed up again, say on Midnight Ride, we can see that there's a really tight rhythm section hidden away in here, and since their sticksman Brian Wilson has previously pounded the skins for Yngwie Malmsteen, this is perhaps not surprising, and bassist Cam Martell is clearly a student of Steve Harris. The weakness of the album lies for me with the production, as the danger with trying to emulate the sound of the past is that you miss out on the technical opportunities of the present. The positives are that the sound captures each instrument clearly and crisply, but the overall sound is not as rich, fat and heavy as the more melodic aspects would most benefit from. Definitely a highly promising start and a refreshing opener for 2021. 8/10     

Reviews: Dread Sovereign, Starified, CB3, Ominous Glory (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Dread Sovereign: Alchemical Warfare (Metal Blade Records)

This has been a long time coming. Dread Sovereign is the black/proto-metal/doom project from Nemtheanga who has been at the forefront of the black metal scene with Primordial. With Dread Sovereign Nemtheanga plays bass along with vocals, bringing Bones on guitar and JK on drums and aiming at the sound cultivated by bands such as Venom and Hellhammer where proto-black metal is met with speed driven rock n roll. With a couple of releases under their belt, released periodically as either EP's or full lengths, the lyrical and thematic content of each of the surrounding the trio's time travelling exploits in the historical and ecumenical realms. 

These lofty lyrical themes are tilted through a praise of Satan's existence in every one of us, Alchemical Warfare embracing that with more of punk attitude, as the band put it themselves "If it's the end of days we might as well go out with middle fingers raised right?". So with that in mind how does Alchemical Warfare weigh up against the rest of the Dread Sovereign canon, well as She Wolves Of The Savage Season explodes with some gutsy, grizzled riffs that continue into The Great Beast We Serve which has battering Motorhead vibe to it as Nature Is The Devil's Church has a distinctive gallop from the early days of black metal, Nemtheanga shouting like Cronos in a bad mood. If there was a party at the end of the world, the evils of man unleashed then Alchemical Warfare would be the soundtrack you'd want playing, it's a rip snorter that doesn't end until the cover of Bathory's You Don't Move Me (I Don't Give A Fuck). 7/10

Starified: Fat Hits (Ripple Music)

Power trios are stock in trade for the stoner rock scene but here we have a band that have a much more in common with the grunge and alternative sound of the late 90's this is the second record for them as a trio from a five piece guitarist Yuriy Berezovik, bassist Dmitri Shurpakov and drummer vocalist Vadim Ambartsumian, continuing where they left of on previous album Feathers. One of the major influences here is Foo Fighters mainly due to Vadim's vocal style on tracks like What If and the riffy Same Old River reminding you of the power The Foos had back in the day, before they became another 'classic rock act.

The band also cite The White Stripes and Led Zeppelin as influences but I hear a hell of a lot Faith No More with some quirky additions to the Latin influenced Don Loco, while Scapegoat starts the album with huge stoner riffs as Saraton does the same with thick heavy riffs as Noah takes things into the space rock heaviness climaxing with some explosive guitar playing. Everything here is so tight in terms of production the vocals, quite rightly taking center stage but nothing seems forgotten or overlooked. Its a record that is frothy and fun with the radio friendly alternative rock riffs met with some classic touches of Lizzy (a band Starified have covered recently). Expertly crafted riff rock from Russia, Fat Hits is a record with 10 tracks of exactly that! 8/10

  

CB3: Aeons Live Session (The Sign Records)

When a band who thrive on their live show release an album just before a global pandemic which puts pay to every single live show in over a year, then you could be forgiven for just giving up but not CB3 (Charlottas Burning Trio), they went into Signalverket in Malmö to record three songs from their album Aeon in a live environment, where they can display their instrumental, fuzzy, freak out jam rock prowess. Recorded for YouTube and on special 12 inch single. So across the three songs Acid Haze, Sonic Blaze and Warrior Queen, we get carried away on a journey through expansive psychedelic spheres of bands like Barrett-era Pink Floyd, where the music speaks louder than words the trio of, Charlotta Andersson (guitar), Pelle Lindsjö (bass), Natanael Salomonsson (drums), kick out the jams with long mind expanding experimental numbers ready for consumption by their fans. A unique idea but one that really only appeals to those who enjoy instrumental jam rock. 6/10  

Ominous Glory: The Elven Dream (Self Released)

Occasionally in this crazy world of reviewing you stumble across a record that is so unbelievably daft and overblown that you can't help but grin from ear to ear. The first time I heard Blind Guardian, Avantasia and Ayreon all promoted these feelings upon a first listen, added to that list is now Ominous Glory hailing from Philadelphia, their debut album is set in a mythical Elven Kingdom a million miles away from the East Coast of America. A concept album revolving around Elves, fantasy and Norse Mythology, featuring bombastic arrangements, multiple vocalists playing different parts and some power metal music that is a cheesy as Roquefort fondue. The album is 15 tracks long but my god do you get involved, the album builds with the first real "wow" moment comes with the Wayfaring Journeyman a driving, fist-in-the-air power metal which seems to open up the record into much more expansive realms, using the vocals of Rek Anthony (the band's main vocalist), Sarah Teets (operatic) and Ryan Hogan (death growls) to work in unison it has a Sabaton nature about it. 

Nordania brings folk touches moving into the Blind Guardian extravagance as does Echoes In Time, Love Knows No Distance is a mega ballad. The telltale signs of pretty much every major power/symphonic metal band, but all brought together with a unique storyline and some excellent arrangements. I've mentioned the vocalists and Rek Anthony has a great middle tone with the other voices, mentioned before along with Mike McElwee as the fourth singer fleshing things out on the character side. Musically things get incredibly cinematic, with Alistar Blackmane (guitar, orchestration, programming and narration), Michael Stegossi (keys), Jamison Wright (flute, keys) and Jacob Esbensen (bass) the main creative force as AJ Viana sits behind the drumkit and Jeff Teets plays some lead guitars near the end of the record. With such a dense membership, there is a lot of freedom to explore the theatrical leanings of this album as well as the influences present throughout. The Elven Dream is a magnificent debut that seems to have been many years in production, it's well worth the wait. 9/10   

Reviews: Need, Voodoo Circle, Wedge, Old Selves (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Need: Norchestrion - A Song For The End (Ikaros Records)

Some bands just get it. They understand exactly what they have to do to appeal to their fan base. Greek progressive metal band Need are a band that do this, very, very well. Taking musical cues from bands such as Dream Theater, Symphony X, Savatage and Nevermore their style of dark, melodic progressive metal is bewitching and exciting in equal measures. Their previous release, 2017's Hegaiamas: A Song For Freedom took the band to a different level to their previous releases, building their influences into a pretty much perfect progressive metal album full of virtuoso playing, sweeping symphonics, passionate vocals and a thematic link that was the band reaching a new level in their career. Thankfully after another long creation period, the same can be said of Norchestrion: A Song For The End, in fact it actually improves upon the near-perfection of its predecessor. 

This fifth full length starts off with Avia a track which is chunky, off-kilter melodic riff that wouldn't sound wrong an Evergrey record, in fact the impassioned vocals of Jon Voyager here remind me of Tom S Englund giving a depth as the proggy riffs shift into some shimmering synth work from Anthony Hadjee. It's a slow burner of an opening but packs a huge amount of musicianship into just over 5 minutes, displaying the bands fifteen years of experience. Beckethead comes next with a yet again more dancey synths moving into a metallic riff from George Ravaya which is secured by the intricate basswork of Viktor Kouloubis and the frenetic/expressive drumming of Stelios Paschalis, Beckethead is very modern sounding with the orchestrations juxtaposed with the down-tuned riffs and widdly keys. For prog metal aficionados this will be the first properly 'prog' track on the album, 7 minutes of tone shifts and it's followed by possibly the heaviest Nemmortal which is a very dark, Nevermore sounding number which has Jon Voyager exhibiting how much his vocals have improved since the band's first album. 

He leads the songs from the front with power and passion as he shouts "I've become so dark and sinister" repeatedly. Bloodlux continuing the heavy grooves of the record but it's followed by V.a.d.i.s. a spoken word piece with atmospherics at the back between two voices dealing with personality, artificial intelligence, existence and reality in a very philosophical debate. The title track brings the prog metal power back with the albums second longest piece with some muscular riffing. It leads into Circadian which takes a more textured approach with shouts out to bands like Haken or Karnivool the rippling synths behind the djenty phrasing. Next up is Ananke which really is the final music track of record (Kinward is more of spoken word poem) clocking in at a hefty nearly 19 minutes of glorious anthemic progressive noise. Norchestrion: A Song For The End is another incredible album from Need, it's going to take something pretty special to beat this as the prog metal album of the year! 10/10

Voodoo Circle: Locked & Loaded (AFM Records)

When Primal Fear guitarist Alex Beyrodt teamed up with bassist Matt Sinner (Primal Fear/Sinner) and singer David Redman (Pink Cream 69 et al) to form Voodoo Circle a certain kind of magic happened. These three men with addition of drummer Markus Kullmann (Glenn Hughes) and then keyboardist Jimmy Kresic set out to create a neo-classical hard rock band that was to me should have been the successor to Whitesnake (if David Coverdale ever retires). Driven by the virtuoso playing of Beyrodt who draws from the greats such as Ritchie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page in his playing Voodoo Circles first three records are absolute classics that I revisit often. However the band did shift focus a little becoming more blues and AOR based as time wore on and with their previous album Raised On Rock Herbie Langhans took the mic and for me anyway the band lost something. However the thing about magic is that it can be rediscovered and on Locked & Loaded the bands sixth record the genie has been let out of the bottle as once again Redman and Kullmann return recreating the bands ‘classic’ line up. 

The first three songs on this record: Flesh & Bone, Wasting Time and Magic Woman Chile all bring back those great memories of playing their self-titled record and Broken Heart Syndrome at full volume. They are all very heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin with some big orchestral sweeps and Eastern flourishes as Beyrodt cranks out the colossal riffs and explosive solos while Sinner and Kullmann drive the rhythms ready for the Plant-meets-Coverdale vocals of Redman. The blood is pumping from the opening moments Jacob Hansen’s production making things sound incredible as the blues returns on the tile track a 80’s style synth palate coming from Corvin Bahn, the record almost like a retrospective look back at the history of Voodoo Circle with Redman behind the mic.

Eyes Full Of Tears the albums massive ballad where they can bring back that Broken Heart Syndrome of their second record, Devil's Cross has that AOR feel to it, while Straight For The Heart has that 80’s ‘Snake attitude and the six string theatrics to match. A triumphant return to form from Voodoo Circle and hopefully this line up can be retained as the music they produce is top class hard rock! 9/10 

Wedge: Like No Tomorrow (Heavy Psych Sounds)

The word vintage is thrown around a lot in reviews, any band that tries to recreate the bygone era of the late-60’s and 70’s where rock music ruled supreme are lumped into the vintage/retro pile, whether they are authentic or not. Berlin trio Wedge are very much authentic, relying on the locked in power trio format of vocalist/guitarist/harmonica player Kiryk Drewinski, bass/organ/electric/piano/mellotron player David Gotz and drummer/percussionist Holger ‘The Holg’ Grosser, Wedge take what I call the Grand Funk positions that have been replicated many times. Like Grand Funk, Blue Cheer, Humble Pie and even Wolfmother, Wedge use vintage instruments, production methods to create a genre bending amalgamation of psychedelic hard rock steeped in the blues and Americana, shifting away from the Lizzy/Wishbone Ash sounds of their previous record Killing Tongue, Like No Tomorrow embraces the Woodstock Generation in its huge Kaftan and long flowing locks. 

Tracks like Soldier instilling a rebellious streak against oppression while Computer takes a swipe at the ever increasing reliance on digital technology with some tongue in cheek lyricism and a musical backing that moves from groovy riffs to freak outs faster than you can throw a peace sign in the air. I mentioned the vintage thing earlier and Wedge just sound vintage, even their riffs will give you déjà vu, like they’ve been recycled from somewhere else but it’s that nostalgia hit that does it when the woozy Cali sounds slither into some Allman Bros twin harmonies while the organs erupt from the rocky landscape. Like No Tomorrow is a shameless, joyous, celebration of the past just what 2021 needs. 8/10

Old Selves: Two Minds (Self Released)

Crawling out of Yorkshire with some groove heavy modern metal.metalcore Old Selves are angry, very angry indeed. Two Minds is their debut album and comes a place of furious self improvement, honing their sound during lockdown 1 (remember that?) with a much tighter sound that sprawls several sound styles, check out the dissonant post metal coda of the title track. Fusing aggression with emotion with bands such as While She Sleeps a definite influence, Old Minds go to different places adding more melodic sounds on the interlude Lost which cascades into the main single from this release, the powerful 444. However the powerful Population has an industrial tinge of Fear Factory to it as the final track Seat In The Hall has that distinctly modern, technical delivery with numerous arpeggios in the background. A debut EP with a lot of substance and ability, Old Selves have started 2021 off with an incendiary shot of modern metal. 7/10

Reviews: Saber, Octavision, El Colosso, Church Crusher (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Saber: Without Warning (Church Recordings) [2021]

LA retro NWOTHM riff machines Saber, play the style of speed metal that Trevor William Church favours with his band Haunt and it's probably a safe bet that their debut record Without Warning would not have been released without the help of Church who not only released it through their label but also recorded and played the drums and gives it the classic 80's production sound. Now if Church is involved in anyway with a band you can assume that they are probably going to be of a high level and about as authentic as it comes the band dressed in denim, leather and hightops, their twin axe attack and occult themed lyrics all carrying the hallmarks of the speed metal bands of yore. Take a track like Outlaw with some choppy riffs from Joel and Hat as David's throbbing bass takes the gallop here along with Leather Laced Lady. What makes the record stand above the multiple speed metal acts that seem to explode out of North America are the vocals of Steve Villa who actually has a relatively wide vocal range adept in the gritty mids as well as the skyscraping highs that speed metal bands are so associated with. Zipping past in a flurry Without Warning was released on digitally and on cassette on New Years Day and already stands out as one of the NWOTHM releases of the year! 8/10

Octavision: Coexist (Self Released) [2020]

Octavision is basically a solo project by guitarist Hovak Alaverdyan, he has set about creating a progressive metal project with some of the best musical talent around today. Hovak not only plays the incredible guitar here but also wrote all of the music and produces much like Prog metal virtuosos John Petrucci and Michael Romeo fusing that classic British prog rock phrasing, with the heavier, more explorative American style favoured as elements of djent also come in with focus too on massive orchestrations and keys from co-producer Murzo really reinforcing those classic guitar/keyboard duos that are such a feature of Dream Theater, Symphony X and Fates Warning. Other musicians that add to this record are drummer Roman Lomtadze on every single track while Avo Margaryan adds Blul (Areminian Shepherd's Flute) to the first song Mindwar. Adding bass to the record are Victor Wooten and virtuoso Billy Sheehan, no stranger to the prog genre, in fact his Sons Of Apollo bandmate Jeff Scott Soto contributing vocals to the title track which is very SOA along with Apocalyptus which is a bit funky/jazzier. These are the only two songs with  vocals on the record but the instrumental cuts are in no way inferior to the vocal songs as this is where Alaverdyan really makes his mark as a composer of interesting, catchy instrumental tracks. Personally I feel the vocal/instrumental split should have been a little more balanced but that can be addressed on later releases, Coexist is a very strong debut from a prog metal project. 7/10

El Colosso: Forgotten Ancestors (Self Released) [2020]

Bursting out of your stereo system from Melbourne Australia are El Colosso who bring their latest album Forgotten Ancestors after one of the most troubling years ever (though Australia have dealt with it far better than the UK government). Written before the Pandemic much of what makes up this record lyrically has come to fruition with a lot of it dealing with humanity reacting against science (Covidiots) while politics become more and more untruthful and confusing. Forgotten Ancestors deals with many of these themes so could be considered prophetic if it were deliberate, moreover it’s another rallying cry against all forms of oppression and subterfuge and like with the best anti-establishment bands it’s delivered with massive stoner rock grooves and the wild abandon of space rock trying to find some hope on tracks such as As One where the repeating chorus is used to unify not divide. What makes El Colosso’s message is that it’s forged to be as authentic as possible, adopting a D.I.Y approach to the recording, much of it was done individually or through Zoom (other video conferencing apps are available) not that you notice as tracks such as Too Many Times Won have a broad soundscapes that are usually reserved for big studios. Forgotten Ancestors is packed to the brim with riffs (Down), taking numerous genre shifts that result in a great hard rocking record from this Aussie band. 8/10

Church Crusher: Worship That? Never! (Mutilation Throne Records) [2021]

Kicking off from the titular line from Devil’s Advocate delivered by the permanently enraged Al Pacino, Albuquerque death/thrashers Church Crusher start as they mean to go on with religion baiting, guttural death metal, played as low tuned as possible with a relentless beat down. Now this does mean that most of the songs subscribe to a sound that’s a mixture of Deicide and Brujeria the growls never moving up from a bottom dwelling gargle, the drums full of blasting double kicks and the riffs trying to reach the end of the song as quickly as possible with a bit of crossover thrash groove thrown in too. It means that Church Crusher’s debut full length never really evolves into anything other than just light speed thrash/death with some hardcore aggression. It makes for a one dimensional listening experience but I’m sure pit-trolls will be circling their front rooms with reckless abandon. 5/10

Reviews: Frozen Soul, Helestios, Kavyk, Blessed By Perversion (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Frozen Soul: Crypt Of Ice (Century Media Records) [2021]

Conceived in 2018 Frozen Soul go against the heat and sweat of their Texan membership with a much more glacial affair, their influences are drawn from old school death metal veterans such as Bolt Thrower and Obituary but also the numerous metal, punk and hardcore bands from the Texan scene most recently the crossover power of Power Trip (R.I.P Riley). It's here that the membership of the band come from doing time in these other bands before a few chance meeting led to the formation of Frozen Soul the focus shifting to make bleak, glacial, dense death metal. Chad Green (vocals) and Michael Munday (guitars) brought together the rest of the band, Samantha Mobley (bass), Matt Dennard (drums) and Chris Bonner (guitar) and recorded their debut full length in March of 2020, just as the pandemic hit. 

However much like most death metal bands the music is much more malignant and evil than any virus so when you get hit by the grinding riffs you can feel them course all around your body. Re-recording the three tracks from their acclaimed demo many will have already heard tracks such as the doom laden Encased In Ice, the thrashy Hand Of Vengeance and the raging Merciless but they have been given a much stronger audio quality but you also get the destructive assault of Wraith Of Death, Beat To Dust which has a hardcore beat to it and the death march of Twist The Knife all of which flesh out this vicious death metal record, for a debut full length Crypt Of Ice really nails those influences mentioned earlier in the review. Frozen Soul could be the next big thing in death metal, watch this space. 8/10    

Helestios: Your Pain Tastes Good (Self Released) [2020]

Forming in the middle of the pandemic may not be the best idea, but somehow Helestios have managed to write, record and deliver a debut album within one year. This band are based in Basingstoke but the members hail from Latvia, Greece and The Netherlands originally coming together in the UK for their first collab together. What they have managed to craft in this topsy-turvy world is a very slick modern heavy metal record that manages to use classic/thrash influences along with heavier trends born out of bands such as Machine Head where the melody is met with the heaviness of groove metal. Clocking in at over 30 minutes, Your Pain Tastes Good, which sounds like a sleaze album and is wrapped in a very power metal album cover is a much heavier, meatier record. 

Opening with some a bit of throat singing on Sacrifice before Stelios Aggelis' guitar gets us started with some nifty lead runs before the rest of the band come in with crunchy riffs, Agnis Aldiņš (bass) and Ian den Boer (drums) are the pumping bottom end linking in with Aggelis and Henrijs Leja's guitars for tracks like Black Storm which are reminiscent of Lamb Of God mainly due to Leja's gruff vocal shouts. Elsewhere on the record there are proggy elements as the riffs chop and change on Return To Baalbek while we get some dark power metal sounds on the title track, while All Attack is an outright thrash attack. A commendable mixture of sounds on this debut album from a band who are clearly more experienced than the short existence of this band alludes to. Your Pain Tastes Good is a sterling debut effort so expect Helestios to be a name you will hear on the UK scene as 2021 progresses. 7/10

Kavyk: Radiant Abyss (Caustic Hollow) [2020]

Crawling out of the swamps of Louisiana are four piece Kavyk who play a blackened style of sludgy death doom that is characterized by thundering blastbeats, out-and-out aggression in the raw vocals and furious black metal riffs. Radiant Abyss features a bubbling melting pot of styles that all veer on the extreme side of things. Cathartic Voices is a great example of this sound with blistering riffage of Troy Bennett and Max Kimmons from the outset getting the head moving as it shifts into more atmospheric realms towards the final part of the song. The rhythm section of Brian Eiermann (bass) and AJ Martinez (drums) manage to tread a fine line between destructive speed and enveloping doom (Civilized). With similarities to High On Fire and Thou, it's no wonder that James Whitten who recorded and mixed this record has worked with both bands and has given the extremity a clean-yet-dirty style that brings both torrid aggression but also crushing desperation. Radiant Abyss is a record that has been honed on the road and finally delivered in the mist of a pandemic so it's gloomy atmosphere hits you right in the feels. 6/10

Blessed By Perversion: Remnants Of Existence (Iron, Blood and Death Corporation) [2020]

Something a little more feisty now from Athens Greece as 10 year veterans Blessed By Perversion return with their second full length a record that has been around five years in the making, their previous full length Between Roots And Darkness came about in 2016. Blessed By Perversions sound is categorised by Anti-Christian/Religious lyricism and technical death metal that originated in the 90's with tracks like Among The Tombs Of The Absent Gods full of ever shifting riffs, Manolis Kouelo (rhythm guitars), Vaggelis Nanos (bass) and Vasilis Nanos (drums) unleashing the style of American death metal pioneered by bands like Death and Deicide. It's the ever-shifting death metal riffs that really highlight the talent of this band with Kostas Foutris adding some slick lead guitar playing over the top of it as Andrew Moschopoulos growls from the depths of hell. At just over 20 minutes it's a rip snorter of a record that delivers a short shock of death metal power. 7/10

Reviews: Sound Of Memories, Ward XVI, The Foundation, Deliberate Miscarriage (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

In this set of reviews I'm recapping some albums that we either missed just before the festive period or that were released over Xmas.

Sound Of Memories: The Sand Within (Domino Media Group)

First up are French death/thrash metal band Sound Of Memories who owe a major debt to the Swedish Melodeath acts such as Arch Enemy and In Flames, mixing melodic technicality of classic heavy metal, with death metal aggression. Formed in Paris (a long way away from Gothenburg) the band experimented for a few years before settling on the style you hear on this second full length record. Despite not being from the Swedish capital they play very good melodeath with Del and Lucho's dual guitar sound really adding to tracks such as State Of Grace and Soul Asylum giving the record a more melodic feel against the thundering rhythms of Fab (bass) and Nacim (drums) as Flo's excellent growls and screams are in the Anders Friden/Tomas Lindberg style, brilliantly fitting the bands very slick style of melodic death metal which is anchored by some thrashy grooves (This Shivering Whisper), death metal aggression (Fate And Doom/Black Virgin) and lots of classic metal melodies with tracks such as the excellent The Mirror Behind and Inside The Eye Of The Storm. A real treat for fans of the melodeath sound building on it with a lot more guitar fireworks Sound Of Memories will also appeal to any classic metal fans as well. Though miles from Sweden these Parisians have hit the nail on the head. 8/10 

Ward XVI: Unplugged & Sedated EP (Self Released)

Next is an acoustic record from horror rock band Ward XVI who have stripped back tracks. It's an EP that has come from necessity, their most recent album (reviewed highly by Simon in these pages) was released in the middle of the pandemic meaning that despite all the deadlines of the release being met their release show was postponed twice and most of their live shows on hiatus they jumped onto the acoustic show/live stream bandwagon that has become the norm. Frontwoman Psychoberrie and guitarist Doktor von Stottenstein set about rearranging their music for just acoustic guitar and vocals, it has yielded a unique release that shows the songwriting prowess of the band away from the schlock horror theatrics of their main albums. What you really draw from this record is how good Psychoberrie's vocals are, taking the dark lyricism to new emotive realms when it's just her voice and the expressive guitar playing of von Stottenstien that shifts between country-styled themes and even some AOR-like acoustic balladry while retaining the Gothic nature of their 'full band' records. An EP that wasn't planned but one that gives another side to Ward XVI that will be greatly appreciated by fans and newcomers alike. 7/10 

The Foundation: To Those We've Bid Farewell (Self Released)

The Foundation is essentially a solo project by multi-instrumentalist Andy Lenoce with contributions from Connor Occhialini who adds the riff to Call Without Response. Lenoce says that the record "was originally conceived as a coping method" to honour his late father but the scope has widened to encompass all of his recent personal events. This wider scope in influence can also be heard in the musical style present on this record which takes broad strokes at the progressive metal sound lurching between light and dark textures, heavy riffs and ambient passages as well as employing clean/harsh vocals, it's got echoes of bands such as Devin, Ihsahn, Opeth where the extreme metal sound is broken up by classic prog references but for the most part things stay on the heavier side Lenoce's musicianship being of an extremely high level in all respects songs such as Call Without Response having a very big sound to them despite being hindered a little by the D.I.Y production. His vocals aren't bad either, shifting between histrionic cleans to growls easily on tracks like the symphonic An Ocean Of Fire which shifts into the closing two part suite ending this record very well indeed with the most progressive tracks on the record. To Those We've Bid Farewell is an emotionally powerful record from this two man collaboration. 8/10     

Deliberate Miscarriage: Ghost Of Christmas Blast (Self Released)

With Christmas out of the way what better way would there be to celebrate the gluttony and greed than with a new three track from Cardiff's latest proponents of blast the delightfully named Deliberate Miscarriage. They're demo was unleashed earlier this year bringing bludgeoning blast beats and face melting death grooves so there has been quick turn around in making this second EP that brings some seasonal slaughter to your ears with such family friendly ditties as Splattered Toddlers which really ups Deliberate Miscarriage's thunderous death metal sound Jordan Roberts of JKR Studios adding a wider audio scope to the cripplingly heavy assault of Charlie's technical bass playing, expressive growls and Adam's brain melting guitar playing. 

Masochistic Masturbation returns to that groove sound that made the Demo so impressive as things get choppy the entire EP relying on jazzy, technically proficient, crunching distorted riffs rather than solo explosions as the final number Infested Reanimated has some classic death metal flurries. Sonically it's got more scope than the demo but musically it retains that almost progressive ferocity. Clearly a band bursting with ideas and a focus on releasing new music that many of their contemporaries lack,  Deliberate Miscarriage are a name to look out for as things slowly return to some relative normality. 8/10           

The Spotlight: 2020 Catch Up Interview With Rites To Ruin By Matt Bladen

MoM: How have the band members been handling the lack of touring and even the lack of practicing in 2020?

Rites To Ruin: We've done the same as most really. We've rehearsed when we can and it's safe to do so but otherwise we've just caught up via video calls and done as much as we feasibly can via remote means. It's not the same, of course, but we do what we can. Paul released a photography book this year, after introducing the world to all 534 versions of him. Tom became a new dad. Matt has built a pub.... no really! Lee has been studying and I've (Krissie) been rekindling my love of video games, particularly Diablo. We've all continued to work full time as well, because we still have day jobs, thankfully. So it's been an odd year, and not quite the launch of the band that we had in mind either but it is what it is and we've been really thrilled and humbled by the support so far.

MoM: Were there any gigs/shows/events that you were particularly gutted to have missed?

Rites To Ruin: We would have done our first set of gigs this year as the official launch of the band but alas wasn't to be. So we really are gutted that we have yet to actually perform to a live, in front of us, crowd. It's also gutting as the first of the gigs we had lined up was with our good friends in Dakesis and Fury, but it is what it is and there will be more opportunities in the future to gig with them and of course Power Metal Quest Fest was going to be our first festival appearance. Obviously there were the usual festivals that we were all looking forward to going to as punters, and most of the band were going to see Rammstein at various venues so that was a little depressing. It's also the local gigs as well, where we can go an support our friends in their bands, missing those a lot this year and really hoping 2021 sees everyone back to it.

MoM: What did you have to do to adapt to the pandemic situation, i.e digital releases, videos, livestreams?

Rites To Ruin: Because we hadn't actually performed any live shows etc, we were in the unique position of putting all our firsts-as-a-band out while under lockdown. We were lucky that things were relaxed enough for us to go and record a set at CapsaArx in September. Otherwise we recorded what we could for the first track we released, Santanico, and then we've just continued with writing in the meantime. We haven't really had to adapt too much as we were still very new as a band, in the grand sense. But yes it's been a learning curve. 

 

MoM: You were involved with the Power Metal Quest Fest Online show this year, along with your own live stream show. How did that come about and what was it like performing sans audience?

Rites To Ruin: We were due to be in the festival proper, it would have been our first festival as a band and we were all really looking forward to it. So when Amie asked if we could do some tracks for the virtual version we jumped at the chance. It actually all hinged on if CapsaArx were open to doing live streams and pre-recorded streams for bands. Thankfully, that was something they were just about to launch anyway so we jumped on the opportunity and spent a whole day up in Birmingham with the Dakesis crew, filming the mini set for Power Metal Quest Fest and then the set for our 'live' stream.

For me (Krissie) every 'gig' is a stadium gig, whether it's filmed with four people watching, two people in a Working Men's club or a packed Sophie stage at Bloodstock. The same energy and level of performance should be there. So performing sans audience, while quiet and more than a bit alien, you just have to kick the imagination in full gear and pretend it's Wembley.

MoM: What are the plans Rites To Ruin going forward in 2021? (obviously as far as the pandemic allows)

We're still writing, so we are looking at putting the first album together at some point over the next year if fate allows, but in the meantime we are recording parts for a new track to release early 2021. We actually started recording this next track with Iain 'GT' Davies just before lockdown hit, so it went on the back burner for a bit, but we've picked it back up and we are hoping to have that done for early 2021. We're also keeping fingers crossed that we can get back to rehearsing so we can finish writing the new stuff. If restrictions persist, which is likely for the first quarter of the year at the very least, then we hope to head back up to CapsaArx and record another stream (depending on the guidance) and maybe even start recording the album at some point. Otherwise, it's wait and see when we can start booking gigs again and get a couple of dates in the diary! We really hope that by the time Power Metal Quest Fest 2021 comes around, which we are performing at, the gig calendar will be in full swing.

The Spotlight: 2020 Catch Up Interview With Blind Divide By Matt Bladen

MoM: How have the band members been handling the lack of touring and even the lack of practicing in 2020?

Blind Divide: 2020 hasn't been too bad in regards to practicing, as we have all been able to practice from our respective homes, but the live scene is were we suffered, as did all other performing arts, being on stage is something we love to do, for us as a band that`s what it`s all about! We were fortunate enough to get in a few practices at Music Box after the lockdown was lifted, it was great to blow the cobwebs from our ear drums! Music Box have done a really good job at making sure that their customers are safe!

MoM: Were there any gigs/shows/events that you were particularly gutted to have missed?

Blind Divide: We have had a few gigs that have been cancelled, even at the beginning of the year(pre covid), we had to turn down a few gigs in order to get back up to speed with our new drummer Max. We were particularly sad to see Metal To The Masses cancelled in South Wales as it`s a competition we hold dear! We enjoy attending every year, be it as spectators or participants, so that was a major blow!

MoM: What did you have to do to adapt to the pandemic situation, i.e digital releases, videos, livestreams?

Blind Divide: Blind Divide really is more about the live show, as you`re probably aware, But like many other artists we adapted and took to the internet. We have since released 3 new tracks, one of which was a play through video (Nimis). We`re hoping to get a few more songs recorded and mixed in the near future!

MoM: Have you had any time at all to lock in with new drummer Max? How is this new phase of Blind Divide going?

Blind Divide: As far as this shitty year goes, we have been pretty productive, most of the band have continued to work through the pandemic, obviously slowing development of new material. Having Max in the ranks has really produced a surge of creativity for us, not just within Blind Divide, Dec is now a member of TREP and a few of us have worked on some of Max`s solo projects!

We have released 3 new songs to facebook, and we currently have enough new material for a whole new set. As a whole, Max has fit right in and we can`t wait to showcase what we have been working on!

MoM: What are the plans for Blind Divide going forward in 2021? (obviously pandemic permitting)

Blind Divide: Currently, we have only 1 gig booked for January, at Cardiff`s favourite metal stomping ground (Covid Permitting). We are really looking forward to/hoping that things get back to normal as soon as possible, so we can share the stage and get sloshed with some amazing bands again!