Reviews: Shining Black, Nite, Hawxx, Without Waves (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Shining Black - Postcards From The End Of The World (Frontiers Music Srl)

Shining Black, or to give the band its full title; Shining Black - Boals & Thorsen, is a melodic metal band formed by guitarist Ölaf Thorsen (Labyrinth, Vision Divine) and vocalist Mark Boals (Ring Of Fire, Yngwie Malmsteen), as the band title probably gives away. This is their second collaborative effort and like the debut it's more of the same kind of intensely melodic music with a virtuoso metal sound. If any of the bands these two men have been in are of interest to you then you'll enjoy Postcards From The End Of The World. 

Despite opening with two of the records weakest songs, by the time we get to We Are Death Angels that melodic metal sound is fully realised Boals in full voice while Thorsen riffs and solos away merrily, the classical guitars and keys rounding out that neo-classical feel, Summer Solstice Under Delphi's Sky continues with some Greek mythology themed power, Thorsen again ripping out solos like they are second nature. As I've said there's no significant departures from what was established on the debut record but then the expectation is for this kind of fiercely melodic, emotionally charged metal that fans of Labyrinth and Ring Of Fire will get hyped about. 

A Hundred Thousand Shades Of Black and Mirror Of Time both go full power metal, Faded Pictures of me is ballad for Boals to open up is lungs for, while the final track Time Heals, They Say ends the album on an upbeat style. I will say that I'd have spread the blasting power metal tracks out a little bit more, perhaps keeping one as an opener, but other than that Postcards From The End Of The World (no phone service clearly) is a mighty melodic metal offering. 7/10

Nite - Voices Of The Kronian Moon (Season Of Mist) 

Ah The Bay Area, the San Francisco Bay Area to be totally accurate, is one of the most fertile breeding grounds for heavy metal around, the birthplace of thrash metal, speed, aggression and technical wizardry are all synonymous with the region so then the expectation would be for Nite, to at least have some of these traits. Anyone who has heard their 2020 debut Darkness Silence Mirror Flame will have had ample amount of proof that the band, led by vocalist/guitarist Van Labrakis, have all the trademarks of that Bay Area scene, drawing from both NWOBHM and thrash, while also incorporating growled vocals and a blackened edge. 

Labrakis and Scott Hoffman both bring some superb six string wizardry to the record, carving up the riffs like it was soft cheese, and soloing as if they'd die without them. Nite take more from the classic British/European style of metal with bands such as Judas Priest/Mercyful Fate, than the American style but it's still a galloping trad/speed metal, just with a darker feel. Driven by the pummeling drumbeats of Patrick Crawford and bass playing of Avinash Mittur, who replaced original bass player Bryan Coons last year, Voices Of The Kronian Moon feels a little like Nergal fronting a band like Demon, Satan or Angel Witch, in fact who they really sound like is Venom with better production and twin axe harmonies. 

A record to get your fist pumping as the blackened NWOBHM sound, though Edge Of The Night has a Zeppelin thunder. Embrace the dark of the sunny Bay Area. 7/10

Hawxx - You're Only As Loud As You Shout Right Now (Self Released)

Now just a a trio of Anna Papadimitriou (vocals/guitar), Hannah Staphnill (guitar/vocals) and Jessica Dann (drums) after parting ways with their bassist Iman Ahmed in January, You're Only As Loud As You Shout Right Now is the second EP from London based Hawxx, is jammed with searing modern metal, grooving alt rock and lyrics that deal with "self empowerment, lies of the diet industry mental health struggles" and of course "the challenges of being a sexy bastard". Their debut EP was well received by the press and they won Metal 2 The Masses London in 2021, giving a noteworthy performance at Bloodstock. 

So riding high it was only a matter of time that they would record a new music. So what does You're Only As Loud As You Shout Right Now offer the listener. Well, straight out of the gate, you're met with a brooding riff, the first track Death Of Silence is a defiant opening statement, the album title shouted back at you in the pre-chorus, leading into the euphoric chorus, as towards the end there's a neat little breakdown to ease you into Hawxx's proggy, anthemic music. Much of the EP is palm muted and down tuned, the post metal power of Hologram giving you a some futuristic psych feeling. 

It's the heavyweight six stringing from Anna and Hannah, but juxtaposed by the soaring, operatically delivered vocals of Anna, that makes a song such as Heart Play Dead a very unique cut, feeling a bit like Muse in places, Jessica's drumming shifting between ferocious and furtive easily. Closing out with the explosive Detonation, (sorry for the pun) this follow up EP delivers Hawxx's signature sound with more refinement and focus than before. Playing numerous gig this year, including Radar Festival in July, You're Only As Loud As You Shout Right Now is their raison d'être. 8/10

Without Waves - Comedian (Prosthetic Records)

There's prog and then there are bands like Dillinger Escape Plan, Between The Buried And Me and Devin Townsend, redefining the idea of 'progressive' music with every release. Well you can add to that list Chicago band Without Waves, five years since their previous album Lunar, the third record in their discography is a musical headfuck from the first minutes, for 10 songs it's intensely heavy, vicious and violent, but also brain meltingly odd and packed with shifting time signatures and styles. Part Hevy Devy, part Mike Patton/Mr Bungle, part Deftones, Comedian isn't a laugh a minute, it's a bloody hard work needing several listens to fully understand what the bloody hell is actually going on. 

The band have built the record around the feeling on anxiety and I'll say that it gave me anxiety listening to it, the first two tracks Good Grief and Animal Kingdom slamming multiple styles and pace shifts your way before you can even ease yourself into the record itself. From there things get heavier and  weirder, avant-garde compositions packed with intensity will shock the majority on first listen but with each play, you start to understand the immeasurably strange mindset Without Waves inhabit. 

In .algorithm vocalist/guitarist Anthony Cwan whispers the words "you'll always be alone" and "art is anything you can get away with" perhaps unveiling their feelings and their ideology as a band. They get away with tonne in the name of art here, crushing grooves from Gwan, Zac Lombardi (guitar) and John Picillo (bass) as Garry Naples takes his place as a machine behind the kit. As Sleep Deep finally slows into some post rock/meets sludge "jahhms" you get the briefest of rest bite from the frenzied carnage, as Do What Scares You returns to more aural abuse. 

The sort of album Mike Patton, Frank Zappa, Devin Townsend and Slipknot would create if they ever worked together, Without Waves redefine prog with Comedian. Listener beware and open mind is required. 8/10       

Reviews: Shewolf, Once Upon A Winter, People Of The Black Circle, Amphipolis (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Shewolf - Shewolf (Frontiers Music Srl)

Newly minted band Shewolf have been signed to Frontiers Music, possibly on the back of talented Greek vocalist Angel Wolf Black who South Wales readers will remember as the final singer of Triaxis, but she has also worked in a number of bands including Vivaldi Metal Project. Shewolf has Angel once again displaying her versatile, melodic singing style in a symphonic/power metal setting. Flanked by her pack; The Hunter (guitar), The Predator (bass) and The Alpha (drums), this debut record bursts out of your speakers with a style that feels like Nightwish, Sonata Arctica and Temperance, basically that upbeat, symphonic metal sound that brings in the galloping blasts of power metal and the folk metal flourishes too, the flutes on Lone Wolf. 

Produced by the deft hand of Michele Guaitoli (Temperance, Visions Of Atlantis) and Marco Pastorino (Temperance, Even Flow), it's big, bright and bombastic in its approach, letting Angel's vocals shine brilliantly, while keeping the melody and metallic bite of the band also. With the band all going under pseudonyms, Angle herself is The Shaman, the enlightened force that brings together the gathering pack, paying tribute to Selene (Greek Goddess of the Moon) with this self titled debut. Now readers will know that symphonic metal has to have 'it' for me to be interested and Shewolf definitely have that 'it' factor, rarely too saccharine, there is a great balance between the emotion and melody. 

Moonbound is a great place to start if you want to feel of what Shewolf sound like as a band, great vocals, pacy riffs and orchestrations galore, it's symphonic metal in its most appealing guise. However there is plenty to love on this album Safe In The Dark is the most operatic song, Nothing Is Forever the albums most potent ballad, The One You Feed Shewolf at their folkiest. A superior symphonic/power metal record, if this is the debut, then I can only think where they go from here. Come and join Shewolf's pack. 8/10     

Once Upon A Winter - Void Moments Of Inertia (Self Released)

The only words you'll find on this fourth album from post-rock band Once Upon A Winter is at the beginning where a voice says "Loneliness is the suffering of our time. Even if we’re surrounded by others, we can feel very alone" this idea of loneliness is what this Thessaloniki five piece are delving into on Void Moments Of Inertia. Consisting of Ilias Kakanis (guitar, vocal & synth), Angelos Athanasiadis (guitar), Fotis Sitaras (bass), Nick Taras (piano/sax) and Konstantinos Alex Noulas (drums), their sound is full of widescreen post-rock delicately balancing waves of thundering heaviness with dreamy atmospherics and emotional melodies. 

Touches of Mono are mixed with Cult Of Luna, Alcest and also Pink Floyd as there is an amalgamation of influences as the folk flourishes on Anthos segue into some brilliant lead guitar led modern prog. Then there's a song such as Elegant Demise which once again features black metal tremolo picking set against a violin for a duality that is both unique and interesting to hear. Instrumental music can often be a bit 2 dimensional but Once Upon A Winter are a band that keep you on the edge of your attention by changing pace, tone, style sometimes within a few minutes of each other.

_ether is delicate but evolves into one of the most emotive songs on the record full of dramatic rhythms and lots of sax, though the award for best song goes to the title track, a piano/synth, single guitar opening, cascades into blistering flashes, then changing tact into something else entirely as it gets towards it's climax. Void Moments Of Inertia is a post-rock record that has a wide range of sounds contained within it, a excellent listen for anyone after instrumental mastery. 7/10       

People Of The Black Circle - People Of The Black Circle (Self Released)

Evoking bands such as Spectral Voice, Hexer, Ufomammut, Ruby The Hatchet and MWWB, People Of The Black Circle are a cosmic doom band from Athen Greece and the nature of the record is slow moving, low slung riffage with intergalactic synths to take you into more spacial realms. The six songs here all take their time to unfold, building up from auspicious beginnings to the heavier passages across 6, 7 minute run times. Cimmeria shows this best, the ode to everyone's favourite Barbarian (though also the people of modern day Crimea who were driven out of the region by the Russians - sound familiar?) is the moodiest track here, understated and dramatic it shifts into The Ghoul And The Seraph (Ghoul's Song II) which is a reminder of how Ghost used to sound. 

People Of The Black Circle certainly know atmosphere, however they do suffer a little from being a little lighter than I expected, the heaviness really needs to be turned up for it to have bit more power, with the bands I mentioned earlier in the review you can feel them as well as hear them and People Of The Black Circle could do with trying the same, Ghosts In Agartha especially would benefit from an increase in noise, the long, lazy riff reverbing through your ear drums. Still People Of The Black Circle have given themselves a template to work on with this self titled record, immersed in mystique and cosmic vibes it's a decent listen. 6/10  

Amphipolis - Strange People (Self Released)

More retroness from Greece, this time with one-person 'band' Amphipolis. Based in Athens and influenced by 70's & 80's rock, Strange People is basically a lost Scorpions record, with a bit of Yes and British prog thrown in as well. The production is really D.I.Y, attempting to be analoge but sounding really amateurish, the only thing really audible are the Klaus Meine style vocals. The rest is a quite processed debut record that feels like a one man band affair, simplistic songs that have a more 'experimental' nature, coming from the prog influences, though they still just feel a bit basic. By the middle of the record I was struggling with this album, I know it's a debut and the one-person thing is admirable but the music itself is a bit of pale imitation of the bands they are trying emulate. 5/10     

Reviews: New Horizon, Stengah, Rust N Rage, Find Me (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

New Horizon - Gates Of The Gods (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

A triumphal, synthwave opening to this album will slightly confuse what sort of band New Horizon, however as it fades, We Unite explodes out of your stereo with power metal galore. Not the sort of thing you'd expect from former H.E.A.T bandmates Erik Gronwall (vocals) and Jona Tee (everything else), there is little to no AOR on Gates Of The Gods, this is pure classic power metal cut from the same cape as Helloween, Edguy and Hammerfall on Stronger Than Steel. Jona plays bass, guitars and keys on this record as well as producing it, though there are lots of guests that add their prowess to the record. Robban Bäck (Mustasch), Sam Totman (DragonForce), Love Magnusson (Dynazty), Dave Dalone (H.E.A.T), Niko Vuorela (Temple Balls) and Laucha Figueroa all appear on the record. 

Jona wanted a multi-singer rock opera style project but when Erik Gronwall came to record it was decided he'd take the lead vocalist role. He's a brilliant singer using much more of his range on New Horizon than he did with H.E.A.T Their shared passion for power/traditional metal is obvious on Gates Of The Gods; the anthemic Call The Underground brings to mind Sonata Arctica, Stardust adds a huge symphonic sound, sounding closer to H.E.A.T than anywhere else, the melodic flourishes continuing on Event Horizon which goes a little Dragonforce. What we have here is two stupidly talented musicians indulging in the style of music that is their passion, they manage to capture so many of the genre leaders styles, that Gates Of The Gods is plays like a power metal greatest hits. I hope that this lasts more than just one record as I'd love to hear more of New Horizon. 8/10   

Stengah – Soma Sema (Mascot Records)

Following in the footsteps of fellow countrymen and metal heavyweights Gojira, Stengah play a groove-infected style of modern metal that picks and chooses from several extreme metal styles. With lyrics based around literature, politics, emotions, the music is djenty, progressive metal that’s clever, technically proficient but smacks you in the face and shouts “Listen to this”. 

Soma Sema is cutting edge metal at its sharpest full of Gojira, Meshuggah (whose song I believe they took their name from) and Periphery worship, the band led by drummer Eliott Williame has sailed it’s rough seas, evolving into the fully formed heavy music delivery machine you hear on this record. First three tracks all create, chasm s of down-tuned, palm muted riffs, so much so that they do blend a little together as at times the virtuosity gets in the way of engaging song writing. Luckily after the crushing trifecta to kick off the record, there’s a bit more light/shade on Swoon, Nicholas Queste, utilising his clean vocals as well as the roar. 

Lumen brings back the heavy as lead guitarist Maxime Delassus coming into contact with the thunderous, off kilter of Benoit Creteur (bass) and Alex Orta (rhythm guitar). Thankfully Message In Memories and Black Masses Inheritance both go further into a broader sound having emotive, post-metal atmospheres as well as a metallic sucker punch. While we all wait for Meshuggah to release their new album, the debut album from this French band will make sure you’re gurning away to meaty polyrhythms until then. 7/10

Rust N Rage - One For The Road (Frontiers Music Srl)

The newest addition to the Frontiers Music roster, Finnish hard rockers Rust N Rage, sound like Sonata Arctica if they were more inspired by 80’s hair metal than wolves and folk tales. Singer Vince (the whole band just use their first names), has a lot of Tony Kakko in his voice, and while the music is just as upbeat and anthemic as their compatriots it’s very much drawn from hard rock, although the crisp, shiny modern style that Frontiers do so well of promoting. 

Jimmy Westerlund (One Desire) gives this record its sheen, and you’ll need a pair of Ray Bans for the shine on tracks such as Ghost Town. The rest of the band are made up of Johnny (guitar), Eddy (bass) and Jezzie (drums), the foursome clearly honed by touring, this debut is slick, perhaps too slick, crafted for a live audience, the title track and Heartbreaker for instance brings the best (or worst) parts of bands such as Def Leppard. 

The band come from a small town and they definitely feel like a ‘blue collar’ hard rock band with Bon Jovi and Motley Crue, writ large, though their influences never overpowering their own songs. As they dabble in heartland rock on the bluesy Ride On and full balladry on Unbreakable and even a bit of Mr Big/Dokken styled wizardry on The Throne. Hard rock done well by a talented band, here's to One For The Road. 7/10

Find Me - Lightning In A Bottle (Frontiers Music Srl)

Find Me is the other band of Daniel Flores, who long time readers may know as the creative force behind The Murder Of My Sweet, he's also the main musical force behind Find Me, Robbie LaBlanc taking the mic for this fourth album, Flores on drums, keys, bass and guitar with additions from Jonny Trobro, Michael Palace and Rolf Staffan Pilotti. Unlike on The Murder Of My Sweet, Daniel Flores doesn't write the songs here, 10 of the tracks are written by Alessandro Del Vecchio (yep him again) who flexes his creative muscle again here. 

As well as having a load of talent the songs are all well written, with one cover thrown in Far From Over comes from the Stayin Alive soundtrack and here features Vince DiCola on keys, who co-wrote the original with Frank Stallone. So Lightning In A Bottle is an AOR album featuring three of the biggest writers in the genre today all collaborating to make a by the numbers AOR record. 6/10 

Reviews: Sakis Tolis, Stray Gods, Playgrounded, Steelwitch (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Sakis Tolis – Among The Fires Of Hell (Self Released)

Written and recorded throughout the numerous lockdowns in Greece, Rotting Christ frontman Sakis Tolis’ unleashes his debut solo album. The solo ethos is present throughout the record as Sakis performs everything except drums, which is left to acclaimed producer/mixer and ex-Nightrage/ex-Septicflesh drummer Fotis Bernardo, who also mixes this record. The tracks here draw heavily from the more Gothic, rhythmic, chanting aspects of the Rotting Christ canon, using doom as a basis for yet more anti-religious, lyrical content, just listen to The Silence to understand what I mean. Tolis has a very definitive voice both when he belts out that big crooning clean and snarls with the harsh voice on the title track, but it really impresses on My Salvation which is an anthemic number that moves into the realms of Septicflesh and Fear Factory, due to its grinding industrial tinge and use of clean guitars. 

The songs have been all well composed, making the album feel as epic as those most recent Rotting Christ records, the riffs especially on The Dawn Of The New Age getting the head grooving with thrashy sound in direct contrast to the doomy Ad Astra, though both feature some excellent guitar playing. The more dramatic style featured here comes from the narration of Andrew Lilles & Stratis Steele, but essentially Among The Fires Of Hell is a Rotting Christ record with the viciousness toned down slightly and the classic metal influences dialled up, on We…The Fallen Angels especially. At a time when there is a lot of pandemic projects coming out, Among The Fires Of Hell, is one of the better offerings, appealing to Rotting Christ fans and beyond. 8/10

Stray Gods - Storm The Walls (ROAR! Rock Of Angels)

It just seems now that Bob Katsionis can achieve anything he puts his mind too. Own studio/record label? Check. Reinvigorate some classic Greek metal bands? Check. Create the soundtrack to a video game that doesn't exist? Check. Become Iron Maiden? Well this last one is very much checked with the debut album from Stray Gods. Storm The Walls, was written during the Covid downtime, as a homage to Iron Maiden, the songs have all been deliberately styled to sound like the British metal legends, taking influence from their entire discography rather than just those first few NWOBHM classics that so many other bands throw themselves into. 

Katsionis himself discovered the band in 1988 so he arrived at their most varied time musically. Stray Gods then is both a tribute but also a band creating their own music just in a style that will be familiar. Not bad considering the album stemmed from Bob testing a new bass guitar and arranging the songs in his studio. However once Bob had recorded and played all the guitars, with the exception of a few solos from Monuments Dan Baune, he had to actually fill a band, so invited Gus Macricostas from Biff Byfords band on bass, Thanos Pappas of Greeces only Bruce Dickinson tribute band on drums and behind the mic Artur Almeida who fronts Portuguese band Attik Demons and vocally is a better Bruce than Bruce now. 

Storm The Walls is a great heavy metal record, with the old school gallops of the 80' on tracks such as the opening two tracks The Seventh Day and Black Horses, the one feeling like it could be on Seventh Son Of Seventh Son, which I guess is the idea, this kicking off the record with that explosive Maiden style, Black Horses is a bit more proggy keeping things in the Somewhere In Time era. But also there's some 90's/2000's style on the dramatic, Love In The Dark and the epic Silver Moon. Stray Gods was put together in the absence of an Iron Maiden album, though how were we all know now that Senjutsu was being recorded in secret. 

Still for me Storm The Walls is a more entertaining Iron Maiden album than the bands past two releases, hell it's more entertaining than many of the bands that copy Maiden. Fans of that classic Iron Maiden sound will love Stray Gods, it's a loving homage that uses the style of the band to make great metal music. You can be cynical about it, but you know what? Life's to short, things are too shit, just throw the horns! Up The Strays! 9/10 

Playgrounded - The Death Of Death (Pelagic Records)

The Death Of Death is the second album from Greek band (though based in The Netherlands) Playgrounded. All of the members are extremely accomplished musicians and people in general with Main composer and producer Orestis Zafeirou (synths/production)a graduate from the Institute of Sonology of the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague also working in a synth factory. Vocalist and co-producer Stavros Markonis is a composer from the Amsterdam conservatoire, drummer Giorgos Pouliasis is a graduate from the Rotterdam Conservatoire and Odysseas Zafeiriou (bass) and Michael Kotsirakis (guitar) are both computer engineers. 

So The Death Of Death is clever people playing clever music. Because of the talent behind it, I will say it’s not an easy album to get into, it need several listens both through headphones and speakers to be able to pick up every nuance in the music, but also feel the full primal force of it as well. It sounds Nordic/Scandi, nodding to bands such as Leprous, Vola and Katatonia, the deep resonant vocals bursting through a wall of heavy, introspective musical backing. The rhythmic, anthemic first track The Swan gives pace and establishes Playgrounded’s new found comfort in their position as a band, the Nordic/Scandi influence is biggest here, layers of shimmering oscillating synths are paired with expansive open drum patterns and heavy riffs that wash in and out. 

 From here things get more gloomy and melancholic as we move into the brooding, throbbing industrial edge of Rituals, here the comparisons are drawn to bands such as Tool, there’s huge palm muted bass riffs hooking you into its dark presence, while the guitars follow suit. The songs here feel composed, constructed, built from the synth/samples, layers of audio grafted on top of one another to create a whole. A little like field recording specialists such as Steve Rodden. 

There’s not a lot of Grateful Dead jamming going on but this engineered method really suits the artificial, manufactured style of Playgrounded’s musical intent, it’s the soundtrack to a computer unraveling itself in some depressing 70’s sci-fi. There’s an unnatural darkness that imbues the record, the title track, a thrilling, but unnerving mix of System Of Down and Depeche Mode, the focus here on distorted, yet atmospheric guitar playing in unison with the repeating synths. 

This mixture of the synth/guitar runs with the low rhythm pulse reminds me of Riverside in terms of style, there’s also touches of NIN, Gary Numan and acts such as Cabaret Voltaire strewn across the six tracks. A unique, beguiling listen, The Death Of Death deserves your time and will worm it’s way into your head-space. 9/10

Steelwitch – The Witch Is Back (Cult Metal Classics Records)

Steelwitch, not to be confused with Czech band Steel Witch, are a heavy/power metal band from Athens. Basically a one-man project with a vocalist ‘Ungod’ is responsible for all of the instruments while Giorgos Papagiannakis takes the vocals. Though musically from the same place as Stray Gods, Steelwitch are a bit grimier, rougher and rawer than Bob Katsionis’ classic metal band (all of them in fact). 

Steelwitch are inspired by bands such as Angel Witch and Mercyful Fate, though Maiden creeps in too. cranking through 49 minutes of leather studded heavy metal, ready to injure your neck. The Witch Is Back, is their full length debut, their modus operandi, an eight song jaunt through speed metal riffs and histrionic vocals (that are also a bit Dickinsonesque), wrapped up in some analogue/D.I.Y production so it sounds like a cassette coming out of your beat up car as you drive to the bands show full studded gauntlets and all. 

There’s pretty much every trope from 80’s metal you’d care to think about, motorcycle sounds, demonic chants, tinny drums and lots of shredding. It’s not ground breaking but will get the head nodding if the trad metal style, gets your heartbeat going. The Witch Is Back, but the influences never went away. 7/10

Reviews: Ghost, Eric Wagner, Hath, Children Of The Sün (Reviews By Matt Cook & Rich P]

Ghost – Impera (Spinefarm Records/Loma Vista) [Matt Cook]

Love them or hate them, there’s no doubting Ghost’s exuberant rise to the top of modern hard rock (with a tinge of the blues) since the Swede’s inception back in 2006. Sharing stages with Iron Maiden, Volbeat and the like is no accident. They deserve to be here in part because of routinely polished production, an outstanding live sound and a bevy of catchy tunes. Though Impera doesn’t have a litany of hooky tracks, Ghost – aided by unabashed confidence – unflinchingly created an album as unique as their aura. acoustic intros, marching-band snare drums, pop-punk attitude, orchestral compositions, brass horns and even guitar work that sounds a lot like the late great Eddie Van Halen. 

This record has it all. And the patented “pop” of the drum kit remains (Call Me Little Sunshine). Three of the last six tracks can easily be described as avante-garde; Dominion opens as a brooding interlude helped along by an orchestra; Twenties is simply unlike anything Ghost has made up until now; and Darkness At The Heart Of My Love includes repetitive snapping and a pounding bass drum. This effort was constructed by a team not worried about appeasing everyone. Rather, each song brings undiscovered motifs to be independently found by everyone who listens. Kaisarion most caught me off guard, what with the pick slide into a wail combination which turns fast-paced and up-beat. 

That feel-good vibe infests Spillways and Watcher In The Sky, the latter a massive toe-tapping affair featuring groovy dual-guitar harmonizing. Showing off some flair, Griftwood begins with a familiar-sounding tone of a certain Frankenstrat and is enveloped throughout by a warm piano. Ghost has shown us they can dispatch straight-up hits (look no further than Ritual, Square Hammer, Witch Image, etc.). Now we start to hear a different side that comes off as unique as it is firmly Ghost. Papa Emeritus IV mans the altar as confident and daring as any incarnation of the entity has done before. 8/10

Eric Wagner: The Lonely Light Of Mourning (Cruz Del Sur Music) [Rich P]

This one is a tough one for me to write. Eric Wagner sang on what is my favorite of all time album, Manic Frustration, and countless other metal, doom and even a little bit of psych classics with Trouble, The Skull, Blackfinger, and Lid. When he died last year, it hit me hard. His voice has been with me from when I head the opening riff to C’mon Touch The Sky (I was a bit of a late adopter but hey, I was pretty young when Manic was released) so this was a big blow. So, after spending a few weeks listing to all his stuff and tearing up every time Breathe came on, it was bittersweet to hear that there would be a posthumous release of a solo album as fitting tribute to has amazing and influential career. 

The Lonely Light Of Mourning is the solo album he always wanted to do and he completed it right before he passed. A bunch of his long-time friends and collaborators lend their talents here, and the result is a fitting sendoff to a metal legend. Musically, I can say definitively if you like any of Eric’s work you will enjoy this for sure. But be ready for an emotional ride if his music meant anything to you (or if you have one thread of emotion in your body). 

Kicking off with Rest In Place, we get some serious Trouble/Skull vibes (how could you not) and the beginning of what seems to be a premonition of his impending passing, with lyrics like “A breath of wind, here at the end.” Next, Maybe Tomorrow which sounds like could be from the Plastic Green Head sessions recalling “girls with flowers in their hair” and more chilling lines like “Where will I be, this time tomorrow, If I die today…” We get more of the same doomy Trouble-esque goodness with Isolation, which reminds me of something off Simple Mind Condition (maybe Trouble Maker, more on this later). Great riffs with that iconic voice makes this track one of my favorites. Strings accompany lyrics like in my “in time of dying with the pain” on If You Lost It All which is a slowed down, haunting track that is a perfect vibe for this record. 

A riff straight out of The Skull opens Strain Theory, which could have been on any of the first three Trouble records. He seems comfortable that the end is near as he sings “don’t be afraid to look for the light…” The title track is where, if you cared about this man or his music, becomes almost too much, as you can picture his future suffering as he sings “lying here on my pillow, at the end of my days, here beneath my window, I can hear them pray…” and “I always knew you would love me when I’m dead.” It’s a tough listen, but at this point it is supposed to be. In The Lonely Light Of Mourning ends with a full on ripper that could have been on one of the Rubin era Trouble records and perfectly ends the album not with a sad note, but a fitting goodbye to this metal icon as he sings “If you are in heaven, or in hell, either way, I wish you well.”

As the song fades out, he is singing the line to Trouble Maker, which is an amazing way to round out this album, this career, and this life. If you like anything Eric Wagner has ever done, you need to spend time with this album. It is a full-on emotional roller coaster and a perfectly fitting tribute to his body of work. I would be praising this if he was still with us, but the emotional punch you get knowing the circumstances makes this a true experience. Now it’s time to leave, need air to breathe. 9/10

Hath – All That Was Promised (Willowtip Records) [Matt Cook]

Personally, the most endearing quality about tech-death/deathcore is how the genres routinely weld together highly intricate musicianship with obscure and complex lyrics to create songs that can satisfy metal heads and intellectuals (or both). The newest installment arrives thanks to Hath and their All That Was Promised release. Steeped in anti-religion overtones and themes invoking Ancient iconography, the band’s sophomore album is nine tracks of gnarly metal that boasts precision and excellent chemistry among band mates. 

The full-length touches on the Ancient Greek term for when a base metal becomes gold (Iosis), a renunciation of divine nature (Kenosis) and even a large, black, metallic beetle which has armor and a blowhole (Lithopaed). Hath don’t sacrifice the integrity of their music, either. Frank Albanese is monstrous on here, most notably on opening track The Million Violations. Decollation – a fancy way of saying “the act of beheading someone” – sees Albanese working in tandem with Greg Nottis, developing a formidable Metalcore-style hook. There is a consistent utilization of throttling metal and somber lines throughout, which makes for a stellar back-and-forth. It never feels out of place or at odds with each other. Albanese and fellow axeman Peter Brown shine most with their extensive, dazzling shredding featured on Kenosis. 

The balance of soloing and structure thrives for the entire duration of the 51-plus-minutes. Circling back to the lyrics: Lithopaedic chills by declaring, “Setting and reshaping into my serpentine form / the time will come to emerge.” Kenosis flat-out proclaims :”I have sinned and I will sin again” as if the very act is a macabre badge of honor. Finally, the gravel grunts layered on top of sharp and fast pedaling is adeptly crafted. Hath doesn’t even incorporate a keyboard but still devise suitable and enticing atmospherics. I have nothing negative to say. This group crushed it. The diverse songwriting keeps things fresh and clear talent shown by all involved comes together magnificently. 8/10

Children Of The Sün - Roots (The Sign Records) [Rich P]

Children Of The Sün take us on a time machine trip back to the late sixties/early seventies with their second album, Roots, which is an excellent album title follow up to their debut record, Flowers. Let’s see if the content is a clever as the album name. Children Of The Sün are firmly planted in the retro rock stylings that have become so prevalent in the scene theses days, calling out Hendrix, Joplin, Cocker, and other Woodstock era bands and hitting the mark perfectly on those comparisons. 

One thing that stands apart from several of the bands out there do this style today are the amazing vocals of Josefina Berglund Ekholm throughout Roots. You get to experience this right off the bat with the opening track, Reflection. Dripping in Sixties hippie vibes, you know what you are getting right away over the thirteen-track offering. The first single from the record, Gaslighting, is an upbeat seventies Heart-esque rocker again focusing on Ekholm’s amazing voice and showing that these peaceful hippies can rock on what is the strongest track on Roots. Even when the topics are about gas lighting, you still get this vibe of positivity throughout Roots that, depending on your outlook, may be a plus or minus of the listening experience. 

The title track is another strong offering that draws on the vibe that they have been pushing for the six previous tracks and brings the bluesy groove and is a nice centerpiece to build around. The Soul is another strong track that reminds me of what the Black Crowes would sound like if Chris Robinson was replaced with a female vocalist. My issue with Roots is that it is too long. I found myself wondering if the track I was on was the last track starting around song nine. The album drags, especially in the second half, and could have been a more effective effort with some editing down to, say, the ten strongest songs to make this album way more impactful. 

The playing, the production, and especially those harmonized vocals are major pluses of Roots. Some editing may have enhanced the experience but overall Children Of The Sün know how to bring the retro rock and would have had some afternoon spot on day two of the famous show they are so influenced by. If that’s your thing then check out Roots. 7/10

Reviews: Dark Funeral, Hell Militia, Shaman's Harvest, Wyatt E (Reviews By Richard Oliver, Paul Scoble, Simon Black & David Karpel)

Dark Funeral - We Are The Apocalypse (Century Media Records) [Richard Oliver]

Dark Funeral are a band that have always been consistent. Having formed in 1993 the band have only released a grand total of seven albums (including the new one) but Dark Funeral are a band that deliver quality and not quantity and that remains true with the bands seventh album We Are The Apocalypse. From their beginnings Dark Funeral have always had a sound that is vicious, frantic and hateful but there has always been a melodic sensibility about their brand of black metal which whilst melodically leaning never strays into fully fledged melodic black metal and always stays on the side of all things nasty and evil. 

The music on We Are The Apocalypse doesn’t stray from the formula already established by Dark Funeral but offers an album that offers some variation. Fans of all things fast, violent and blast-beat riddled will throw horns forth to songs such as Nightfall, When Our Vengeance Is Done and Beyond The Grave but these blasts of hate and aggression are broken up by songs which take the foot off the pedal a bit and allow the listener to breath such as Let The Devil In, When I’m Gone and Leviathan which are slower, broodier and with a lot of atmosphere and are positively seeping with evil. The guitar work from Lord Ahriman and Chaq Moi is nothing short of stellar whilst the ferocity of the drumming from Jalomaah is truly something to behold and a reminder that he is one of the finest drummers in extreme metal. 

Heljarmadr returns on vocals for his second album with Dark Funeral and impresses with a vitriolic performance where the vocals are almost spat forth with such rage and darkness but also have a lot of clarity to them. Dark Funeral remain their consistent selves with We Are The Apocalypse which is another strong entry in their discography. There is a nice counterbalance between the fast and aggressive songs with the slower atmospheric ones meaning that this is an album that keeps you interested throughout. Dark Funeral aren’t wildly changing their sound on this album but showing that there can be different textures and shades to their sound whilst still remaining true to themselves. 8/10

Hell Militia - Hollow Void (Season Of Mist) [Paul Scoble]

Paris based Hell Militia have been making extremely nasty music since 2001. The band have released 3 albums before Hollow Void; Canonisation Of The Foul Spirit was the bands debut was released in 2005, 5 years later in 2010 brought us the bands second album, Last Station On The Road To Death, and two years later came album number three, Jacob’s Ladder. The band is made up of Dave Terror on drums, Arkdaemon on guitar, S on bass, RSDX on vocals and Saroth on guitar; Dave Terror and Arkdaemon are both original members, whereas S, RSDX joined Hell Militia in 2013, and Saroth joined in 2015; so for the three that are not original members this is their first Hell Militia album, which may explain the longer gap in releasing this album. So, after a ten year wait for album number 4, is Hollow Void any good?

Hell Militia play a very Orthodox and Lo-Fi type of black metal. So, loads of Second Wave influences, and a fairly basic sound of guitars, bass, drums and vocals, the same template that Hellhammer created way back in 1983. Over the years I have bought Lo-Fi Orthodox black metal albums and the sound remains very similar whether the album came out in the eighties, nineties, naughties, teens or twenties. The Orthodox black metal template has remained the same, probably because the sound in question has a very narrow criteria, and straying from that template, even a little bit, and you are not playing Orthodox black metal. So, don’t expect anything groundbreaking or startlingly original, that would be completely missing the point, the point is; is this a good Lo-Fi Orthodox black metal album? To which I have to answer, Yes, very good!

The sound on this album is nicely nasty, harsh, very distorted guitar and bass, battering drums with a snare sound that is reminiscent of a machine gun, and very extreme, harsh vocals. No soft or acoustic guitars, no clean vocals, definitely no keyboards, just savage blast beats, and dissonant and very nasty slow sections. The structures are simple as well, most of the songs vacillate between blasting and slow and dissonant, there are variations in speed and intensity, but the basic sound remains the same. So, we get tracks like Lifeless Light, where the balance is towards the savage and fast, with only a couple of short slow and heavy sections. or tracks like The Highest Fall, where the balance is closer to blackened doom, slow, nasty, black as pitch filth that feels deeply noxious, the track comes to an end with some extremely savage blasts that feel even more unhinged as they are juxtaposed with very slow and dissonant material.

Due to the narrow template that Orthodox black metal has, there are similarities to other bands on this album, and in keeping with the quality that is evident on this release the similarities are only with the best of black metal. I can hear some similarities with Darkthrone’s In The Shadow Of The Horns on title track Hollow Void, Thorn’s Aerie Descent on Dust Of Time, and Gorgoroth’s Incipit Satan in the track Veneration. Hollow Void is a great piece of Orthodox black metal, it’s harsh, nasty, blasting and deeply unhealthy. You won’t find massive amounts of progression or originality, but if you are looking for that in this kind of black metal, then you are looking in the wrong place. This album is about taking an existing form, and creating the best album possible, whilst staying in the realms of Orthodox black metal, and judged on that criteria, this an excellent album. 8/10

Shaman's Harvest – Rebelator (Mascot Records) [Simon Black]

It’s been a while since anyone’s heard much of these Missouri alt rockers. A quick read of the PR pack tells why, and quite frankly they’ve had a pretty tough time of it since 2017’s Red Hands Black Deeds album hit the world. You name it – it’s been thrown at them. Vocalist Nathan Hunt has had troubles with a long-term leg injury that needed constant surgical intervention over the years and nearly had to be amputated – then a bout of throat cancer needed to be got through. Then there’s the biblical barrage of floods and tornadoes that nearly wiped their town and studio off the map, some money problems and … oh yes, a global pandemic, so we can forgive them for taking their time on this one. 

This is a band who’ve done well in recent years, so they will no doubt have been feeling the pressure to deliver a resounding follow up after two good strikes in a row. You needn’t have worried – all that angst has been well and truly lived through and rolled up into a bunch of songs that drip in emotion and angst from their pores. Musically I’m always amazed that there are only three instrumentalists here, as this is a band that deliver an incredibly rich sounding mix, but then that’s what good song-writing and a restrained ear in the studio can deliver. 

I guess when you’ve had five years of honing, you have the luxury of being able to separate the ear worms from the ear wax, leaving eleven songs that beautifully and precisely deliver a modest slug of Southern tinged alternative rock. Despite the generally radio friendly history of this band, they aren’t afraid to keep it down-tuned and dirty – the first track they dropped from this (their seventh) studio album Bird Dog showed that aspect clearly. 

However, May 2021 seems a long time ago to have dropped the first single, which is probably why it’s held back to the end of the disk. I can’t really fault any of the tracks on here, but Lilith is by far the strongest. It’s catchy, yet moodily haunting; pacey, yet well-paced ad with one of the most singalong choruses I’ve heard in awhile, with the only real dip in proceedings being the slightly cheesy ballad Mama. The band have worked hard to get back here after a really tough time, but this record is an absolute solid contribution to their catalogue and deserves to do well. 8/10

Wyatt E - āl bēlūti dārû (Stolen Body Records) [David Karpel]

Let’s take a trip. Let’s travel the deserts of Mesopotamia, over shimmering dunes and stretches of barren expanse where mirages lead the desperate to fatal fantasy and the shadows evade the sun in the ruins of history and myth. You can hear the sun baking the earth, droning sound waves captured on tremulous strings turned fierce, in the twisted bass grooves of cosmic desert trees, in the sallow wind turned dark and wild, in hollowed wood conjuring both the fleeting and the cavernous. You can hear the depths of sand bear the weight of the sun’s heavy heat down into the bedrock like doom riffs warming through your ribcage to grab your heart and change its beat. 

Barren as it may seem as far as the naked eye can see, the desert landscape of ancient Babylon is no wasteland. No less than a sea of history, a wilderness whose grains are the dust of civilizations, of millennia. Drone duo Wyatt E. take this desert in their able hands and release the grains ever so slowly–layers upon layers–to reshape the ancient narratives that inspire their work, creating electrifying musical landscapes that sensually pull you in deep, meditative breaths. 

The album title, āl bēlūti dārû (The Eternal City), is in Akkadian, a contemporary language of ancient Hebrew, and refers to ancient Jerusalem, which Nebuchadnezzar II conquered before exiling much of the Jewish population to Babylon for 70 years or so before they could return. This is the thematic foundation of the two 19 minute compositions: 1) Mushussu (meaning Furious Snake, a divine dragon-like creature associated with the Babylonian god Marduk) and 2) Sarru Rabu (The Great King, a title taken by many monarchs of ancient Mesopotamia). 

Mushussu begins with distant wind effects that waver and hover in the distance as a slow bass slithers a groove over a patient beat. Sparse and clean, the acoustics of the recording, mixed by Billy Anderson (Sleep, Om, Melvins), are gorgeous. A third of the way into the song, the wind picks up, a saxophone sings, the strings and percussion pick up volume, take up more space, the sax fades, the bass becomes ever more prominent, and all commence a whirring sandstorm, the passing of which is announced by a flute, a mere whisper. 

Only to begin to build again–that groovy bass, the steady, patient beat, the horns, a clean electric note over it all, triumphant, a banner’s tune, arrival, as the bass, beats, effects, and strings soothe us to fade out. While Mushussu is super contemplative and groove oriented, Sarru Rabu has a more martial feel to its historical soundtrack. While maintaining the meditative quality of the former, this second track is built around two main movements founded on a steady, foreboding march. The first steadily increases in volume and girth until visceral doomy riffs give warning that this is no mere exercise. They fade to the back and out, the song focused once again on the forward march, wind effects produce a sense of a looming unknown. 

This works well to keep us in suspense for the next and final voluminous climax, loud with percussion, guitars, and a relentless forward trudge to destiny, the final mystery, a denouement with loose ends. The fade out leaves us without answers: not triumph nor despair. What will happen to the troops? Will they make it home? Whatever does war answer for those who march for the king but whether or not it’s their turn? Wyatt E. have soundtracked a fascinatingly dusty time and place in history using traditional instruments like the Saz, rare and therefore emotively huge riffs, sound effects, and wind instruments arranged for an attentive listener. Ultimately, these two 19 minute songs, given the right atmosphere and perhaps enhancements, are together a ticket to ride the synapses of your mind. 8/10   

Reviews: Slaegt, Hellfrost & Fire, Expedition, Mines (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Slaegt - Goddess (Century Media Records)

So if the Godfather of the Gothenburg scene is a fan there's a good chance everyone who loves their metal with an edge. Luckily Goddess is edgier than Joe Rogan with six songs of hard to categorize heavy metal, that yes has growled vocals but also plenty of Gothic chiming, solos aplenty, proggy drumming and even some sax, and that's all just on the first song! There's a real sense of where Slaegt come from here, building on the template of bands like Celtic Frost/Triptykon and Tribulation for experimental, blackened metal that never stays in one style for long enough to be pigeonholed. 

The title track for for instance is a deeply progressive and almost feels like Mastodon or Baroness but with black metal snarls, though it evolves into a final instrumental section where there are influences of Rush, as it closes out with acoustics. Goddess is their fourth studio album and it's a climax of what has come before, it's the most mature, expansive, impressive record of their career so far. Just 6 songs, it has 40 minute run time, the cuts on the record explorative, but straightforward. Recorded and mixed by Martin 'Konie' Ehrencrona (Refused, Tribulation) and mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Cult Of Luna), it has polyphonic, analogue meets digital approach. 

Which is sort of the ethos for the whole band, decidedly retro numbers such as the biting Deceived By An Amethyst, bringing almost NWOBHM inspired black metal (or Venom), with airy echoed guitars ala post metal. Then of course Kiss From A Knife, gets some blasting punk/black from the Darkthrone playbook. There's so much going on, you have to listen to it a few times to really let it sink in properly, but when it clicks, you are drawn into Slaegt's musical cauldron, from the blistering industrial-tinged doom of Hunt Again that moves into stoner riffs, while Fealty, Thunder Whip is more traditional black metal, followed by an acoustic interlude, that shifts into that excellent closing title track. Goddess sees this Danish foursome evolving into a band, who take risks but retain a whole heap of classic influences. 8/10  

Hellfrost & Fire - Fire, Frost & Hell (Transcending Obscurity Records)

If a death metal record features Dave Ingram, then there's a good chance it'll be heavy as a bag of nails, the former Bolt Thrower, Hail Of Bullets and current Benediction growler is death metal royalty so Hellfrost & Fire, already lines you up for something brutal. He's joined on this project by DM veterans guitarist/bassist Rick “Dennis” DeMusis and Travis Ruvo on drums as Memoriam six stringer Scott Fairfax provides the razor sharp soloing. Fire, Frost & Hell is very much old school death metal, taking from obviously Bolt Thrower, Benediction and Celtic Frost, full of 90's style death metal, along with touches of grindcore too, that melds furious blasting and enveloping grooves Sonance Of The Swords is slower paced, full of down tuned grinding as does Within And Without The Emperor's Frontier which closes out this band's debut. 

Ingram's vocals are of course right on point, growling, snarling and grunting through these 10 tracks, proving why he has reverence on his name. A track such as Meridian's Acquisition gives you the full Hellfrost & Fire experience as Ingram roars over the top of aggressive riffs from DeMusis and machine gun drumming from Ruvo, Fairfax cutting in with melodic, technical soloing throughout the record. Enriched by the raw production a track like The Lost King And The Heir Apparent adds more dramatic atmospheres as A Crown Of Conquest is creeping doom. Death metal 101 from Dave Ingram and co, from the the fires of hell, they bring with them the blueprint of OSDM. 7/10    

Expedition - A Good Day To Die (Self Released)

From Donegal Irish Thrashers release their debut EP A Good Day To Die and if you're that guy often seen at festivals with a Fistful Of Metal back patch then you'll love this debut. Feeling like the old school bouncing thrash the New Yorkers have been delivering since the 80's, throw in a bit of Megadeth on Repent, and you get the style the Expedition bring to this EP. Packed with a stomping groove, dirty thrash riffs, and sneering vocals, there's enough here for thrasheads to get their heads banging, flashes of crossover on Deathwish. 

As Divide Conquer is the most Anthrax sounding track here with shifting time signatures while the title track continues in this vein as well. With a D.I.Y production it sounds as if this EP could have easily come on a cassette tape, all pointy guitars and high tops, but with a political message in a lot of their lyrics. Thrashaholichs will love this EP as it displays the untapped potential of what the band may achieve in the future. The basics are there but with some refinement they'll be storming the UK thrash scene very soon. 6/10

Mines - Your Ever Failing Happiness (Trepanation Recordings)

Have you ever wanted music to hurt you? Great then I suggest you immediately seek out Your Ever Failing Happiness by South Wales noisemakers Mines. Their debut album is a five song record that clocks in at 35 minutes of bowel crippling, headache inducing sludge/noise/extremity that is hard to categorize and even harder to experience. Especially on headphones where you get the full force of their desperation, angst and intensity. 

Having expanded to a five piece since their first recorded music, musically they are trying to make you uncomfortable, the throbbing synths burning a hole through tracks like Inadequate And Vulnerable, in both unison and opposition to the crashing down tuned riffs. It's Inadequate And Vulnerable is so different to opener No Other Way that you could think it's another band but this is sort of the point as Mines bring a Avant Garde approach to their music. It was recorded in a dilapidated mansion and they have somehow managed to channel this into the record, from the D.I.Y production that makes a song such as the hardcore influenced beginning to Your Pain Will Only Get Worse but as with all of this record it then moves into something totally left field a post metal reverb and a frenzied freak out driven by the schizophrenic percussion. 

Wildly instrumental, using the elongated run times to explore but when there are vocals the are throat shredding. Your Ever Failing Happiness is a difficult album to review if I'm honest as there's so much going on you have to listen to it to really get to grips with it. Dark, aggressive and experimental, Mines have unleashed a unique monster on the world. 7/10

Reviews: Fury, Extinction A.D, Parallel Minds, Dead Lord (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Fury - Born To Sin (Self Released)

After writing songs about racing cars, casinos, space based radio stations and epic pirate ballads, West Midlands band Fury come back with some more tried and tested heavy metal tropes for their fourth full length Born To Sin. The ideas here surround selling your soul to the devil, demons, and general hell raising in the name of rock n roll, you know what you're in for right from the cover as a demon emerges from the lava below on a fire-wheeled motorbike, I can only imagine that there was a lot of Meat Loaf inspiration here (R.I.P). The elements of Meat Loaf are brought musically to If You get To Hell First, where singer Julian Jenkins stretches his voice with a bit of fast paced tongue twisting ala Meat and The Darkness' Justin Hawkins (see Get Your Hands Of My Woman). 

It's instantly audible that Fury have upped the heaviness of this album too, bringing back the thrashier style of their first EP's while also being able to balance the hard rock flavors of The Grand Prize. Julian told me when I received the album that it was recorded with down-tuned to give it a heavier vibe, matching the 'evil' subject matter. It really works as the title track is this records heaviest Jenkins and bassist Becky Baldwin laying down some whiplash riffs that, Tom Fenn sets the pace for and Jake Elwell brings lead flourishes along with special guest six stringer Matt Jones of Dakesis laying down some magic. 

This is also true of Next In Line, filled with Black Album Metallicaisms from that strutting riff, to the way the vocals are delivered. So this leaner meaner Fury, are yet again adapting to their audience, crafting songs that sound huge on record, due to the production wizardry of Pete Newdeck (mastered by Harry Hess) but also will deliver on the live stage as well. As Born To Sin continues, we get some smoky 80's hard rock balladry on Nowhere To Be Scene, which also brings a bit of Phil Collins-like heartbreak. Shadows And Dust is also a big, ballad, though siphoned through some smoke filled blues bar, heavy grand piano and deft percussion, a shift tonally but situated just before the end of the album to add variation, there's a stunning solo too. There's a cinematic edge to the horror themed Hell Of A Night, conjuring blood soaked images of bands like Lordi or Alice Cooper. 

The anthems keep coming on Who Are You, the backing vocals of Nyah Ifill and Jade Maris adding to a chorus with repeatability, it also features one of my favourite solos of the record, Jake using technicality but showing restraint too. From this slower pace Born To Sin ramps up again with Tom's explosive drum work and Becky's galloping bass leading the charge for Sunrise, it's here that we get a Maiden vibe as it breaks down just after the solo section. The speed picks up again on It's Rock N Roll, the tribute to what we're all here for, fast riffs, song along choruses and jolly good fun, this track has it all. 

Yeah maybe it's a little bit of throwaway track but you know what I guarantee you'll be moshing like mad when they play it live, plus it climaxes brilliantly into a solo section which even has a bass solo so what more do you want? 

Penultimate song Embrace The Demons, has some of the filthiest, innuendo filled lyrics I've heard from Fury but hey if demon sex is your thing then no kink shaming from me! Finally as I said we end with the title track which just goes full thrash metal battery. Fury are one of the hardest working bands around the UK scene. With multiple tours, live shows, music videos produced since the easing if lockdown restrictions they are making up for the time lost on their last album with as much content and brilliant music as possible. Fury are Born To Sin and they dragging us down to hell with them! 9/10

Extinction A.D - Culture Of Violence (Unique Leader Records)

Oof, just oof, anyone who has read the blog in the past know, thrash is not really a genre I delve into very often but when I do, it's usually crossover thrash that incorporates hardcore music. New York heavies have been a leading light in this style since 2013, having released 2 previous full lengths and 4 EP's they have been creating pits for long enough to be seen as one of the most experienced bands around. Culture Of Violence is their third full length album and the culmination of a writing process that began in 2015, this elongated writing stage has resulted in the most focussed, vicious and surprisingly melodic record.  

10 tracks of flesh peeling, crossover thrash, that interprets everything the band, and listeners have been through over the past few years. The rhythm section of bassist Tom Wood and drummer Mike Sciulara, bring some real guts to the crushing Domination and Thirteen, with this bottom end in place they link so much to bands such as Pantera and Machine Head, vocalist Rick Jimenez having a vocals that roars similarly to Anselmo and Robb Flynn, though injected with a hardcore snarl on 1992, as fans of his and Mike's other band This Is Hell will recognise. Praise The Fraud and National Disaster bring a massive dollop of Machine Head, at the end of the record.  

Jimenez and Ian Cimaglia also add the full throttle guitar playing, the tracks are packed with Rick's distorted riffs and Ian's leads so reminiscent of Dimebag, Andreas Kisser and also that Peterson/Skolnick duo. As I said, this album is surprisingly melodic and this lead playing is part of that. Beautifully balanced between extreme metal, thrash metal and even some old school metal Culture Of Violence is the album Extinction A.D have been moving towards since 2013, riffs made to have you mosh like no one's watching! 8/10  

Parallel Minds - Echoes From Afar (M&O Music)

We gave the second album from Parallel Minds, 2019's Every Hour Wounds...The Last One Kills a 7/10 citing that their influences make them a more than decent progressive metal band, with a musical style similar to bands like Symphony X and Nevermore, crafting dark, progressive metal, that draws heavily on sci-fi themes and emotional lyrics. So now we are presented Echoes From Afar the third record from guitarist Grégory Giraudo and vocalist Stéphane Fradet who are the creative minds behind the band, with Eric Manella behind the kit. 

When Feel The Force gets going, again Parallel Minds are very much based in that progressive metal sound, but also also they bring some heavy and thrash metal too. After the powerful opener, we're brought into very modern style of djent on No Fate, pounding synths under palm muted riffs. As Echoes From Afar, continues we have the acoustically laced Stay which features a sample of Professor Stephen Hawking, as Parallel Minds are heavily inspired by science and the universe, we have Monkey On My Back which is a heavy number with lyrics about the pandemic and some screaming vocals that widen the remit. 

This French band use all manner of styles throughout the album, approaching songwriting with an open mind, but it does mean that many of these songs are wrought with emotion, the mix between the slower numbers and the thrashers leading to a mix of peaks and troughs. There's symphonic tendencies on Mystic River, Provider Of Sins and the 11 minute finale The Greater Gift make them, for me the best tracks on the record, closing things out with power. If emotionally fuelled progressive metal is what you're craving and bands such as Conception and Kamelot are your go to listening pleasures then Parallel Minds' third effort will satisfy. 7/10  

Dead Lord - Dystopia  (Century Media Records) 

Coming off the back of their 2020 album Surrender, Swedish rockers Dead Lord have hunkered down in the studio to record one new track and a selection of covers from an array of artists. Dystopia is the only original on the EP, kicking off with the Thin Lizzy-inspired riffs that have been so prevalent throughout their past few records, twin axe harmonies and gutsy vocals are the main element of what Dead Lord do and it's what they do very well. Dystopia doesn't shift anything differently but it's great to hear that they can still deliver riffy rock anthems. 

The covers I'm assuming are all bands that have influenced the Dead Lord sound. All recorded pretty faithfully to the originals, in homage of course. Sleeping My Day Away is Dead Lord taking on fellow Scandi rockers D-A-D, a band massive in their own country but never that crossover appeal outside of Scandinavia, which to be honest is a shame. Dead Lord then go on to delve a little deeper, taking on Ace In The Hole by Native American proto-metal band Winterhawk, then they go further down the rabbit hole with Moon Martin's Hands Down finishing off the covers with Irish bluesman Rory Gallagher's Moonchild. 

You can hear all of these acts in Dead Lord's previous albums, so with this EP you can hear what bands have made them what they are. Dystopia is a stop gap EP that will open up eyes to the bands covered here and keep Dead Lord's motor running. 7/10  

Reviews: Stone Axe, Messa, Moonlight Haze, Rosalie Cunningham (Reviews By David Karpel, Rich P, Matt Cook & Matt Bladen)

Stone Axe - Stay Of Execution (Ripple Music) [David Karpel]

There’s a highway paved in every true rock and roller’s heart. Where it starts touches everything that follows. It can begin when the needle drops and Detroit Rock City carves out your entire future before you understand what’s happening. You’re 8. The song is two years old. Your neighbor has a brother who has KISS, Rush, Rainbow, AC/DC, and Thin Lizzy records, among others, and one day you’re there and hear what sounds like a radio announcement, channel changes, a gutteral revving engine, guitars, and the drums pick up. This is a time when muscle cars with thick tires and custom Chevy vans with murals and tails thundered at dangerous speeds around corners of this sprawling suburban neighborhood under the incessant South Florida sun. Kids on their dirt bikes and skateboards had to beware. That engine, that fierce urgency of the driving music, and “you gotta lose your mind in Detroit Rock City.” 

You look through the albums and pick up KISS Alive! and turn it over. Long hair, smoke in the air, jerseys and denim, those two girls, that one on the right with her stony smile and her hand raised in a fist. So there is a mystical place where everyone’s having a good time burning the wick at both ends. It feels like it’s so far you’ll never get there because maybe the journey is the “there” of it, but then here it is, right there in that picture, a bunch of people who look as wild as you feel. When it happened to me, I couldn’t verbalize it at the time. What I do know and have known since: there’s no feeling in the world like when a good song or record gets through to you that deeply, whether you’re 8 years old, 52, or any age between or beyond. 

Stone Axe, featuring underground heavy rock icon Tony Reed playing all the instruments and singing backup vocals while vocalist Dru Brinkerhoff belts out tunes with a voice full of whiskey, honey, and swagger, play pure, no frills, molten 70s rock with a tour van-load of sincerity and heart. A working band from 2008-2011, they put out two full-lengths, a live album recorded at Roadburn, and a smattering of singles and splits. 

Stay Of Execution, to be released by the almighty Ripple Music, gathers some of those singles and splits into a whole and the result, while not a new album, per se, recaptures that early needle drop, that early wonder that inevitably leads to wander, that sense of urgency and soul in songs of love and loss and raging on. This is no mere nostalgia album. This is a 70s FM rock station that should have been. It’s that mystical, mythical lost 8 track of all the best songs of the era no one ever heard until Reed and Brinkerhoff tapped into the radio waves and ether and put them down on wax. 

The tires grip the street and peel out from the first song, Fell On Deaf Ears. The windows down, the speakers blasting, you’re on your way to wherever the road will take you, wherever your hands white knuckled on the steering wheel will guide you, wherever your heart desires, until it feels like the “sun rose for the first time in our lives.” Reed’s musicianship is evident throughout and Brinkerhoff sings like the rock gods of old, full throttled, so soulful you feel the yearning yourself. Lady Switchblade plays on a Lynyrd Skynyrd That Smell-like riff with Brinkhoff’s smoked whiskey soul admitting his helplessness before this dark queen with her steel pressed against his jugular. There’s so much sincerity in the songs here. No ostentatiousness, no irony. 

This comes through ever clearer on Sweet Sweet Time, a raw,  slow burning blues number that’ll make you want to light someone else’s cigarette with empathy for their pain. Deep Blue hangs your chin and plumbs the soul before Metal Damage changes gear and hammers the pedal down, hounds of hell and all. For All Who Fly slows down and opens with strumming acoustics and a Southern flair, a preview of something truly special, as Reed gives the instruments a more spare presence, allowing Brinkerhoff to explore the low and mid ranges with some sweetly sentimental lyrics. King Of Everything is another bluesy track, a mid tempo song with cowbells, harmonies, and echoes of BOC. 

Finally, The Last Setting Sun is a gorgeous ballad that nicely frames the album in lyrical images of the first rising sun of their lives and the last setting sun. Brinkerhoff sounds like Chris Cornell here and by the time the almost 8 minute song is done I’m convinced I’ve just listened to an instant classic, an album I’ll be listening to for the rest of my life, whatever road I’m on, whatever direction I’m going in. Stone Axe aren’t inventing anything, but they are celebrating glorious roots gloriously. 10/10

Messa: Close (Svart Records) [Rich P]

Italy has some amazing stuff going on in their heavy music scene, especially on the doom front, where one of my recent favorites in the genre, Bretus have been cranking out doom bangers for a few years now. Another strong contender in the Italian doom scene is Messa, who is back with their third effort, Close. Let’s see if Close lives up to all of the love that was given to their last album Feast For Water and all of the hype that has been thrown on Close. 

The short answer is “it does”. Haunting is the perfect word for a lot of what is going on here, for both Sara’s vocals and the overall aesthetic the record brings. This is immediately evident on the opening track, Suspended. Doomy riffs surrounded by that voice…it’s a perfect opening to a doom record. The band picks up the pace a bit on Dark Horse, where an upbeat tempo makes was for swirling guitars that match perfectly with that voice, with Sara explaining how she “…only sees with her eyes closed.” Dark Horse is a great track and really is a perfect example of the musical chops from the entire band. Dark Horse could be a nice contender for a split covers EP with Witchcryer and may be my favorite track on the record. 

Some soothing sax opens up Orphalese, leading you to the siren song of Sara who absolutely owns this track. A quick instrumental interlude (more on interludes later) leads to another standout track, Pilgrim, a nine plus minute doom journey once again highlighted by Sara’s perfect doom voice and some excellent chugging guitar work. The issue for me is that Close is long. Like almost too long. You must be truly committed. The two tracks right in the middle of the album are both ten minutes long, which can sometimes make this album drag a bit, until you hit Leffotrack. Some bands do nice acoustic instrumental interludes to bridge tracks. Not Messa. They throw a 45 second black metal ripper into the mix to make sure you are still with them on their long journey. 

Which brings them to the finale. Serving him which brings it all together to close out as we began. The seven plus minutes, the doomy riffs, the great guitar work (especially at about the six-minute mark), the haunting vocals are all present in the perfect way to close out Close. This is an excellent doom album, and like some excellent doom albums, it is very long and can tend to drag a bit. That is my only gripe with Close. Otherwise, you have some top-notch doom with excellent playing and the perfect voice for the epic journey. Highly recommended but put some time aside to commit and fully embrace the doomy beauty of Messa and Close. 8/10

Moonlight Haze – Animus (Scarlet Records) [Matt Cook]

Huge symphonic choruses. Elegant singing. Powerful riffs. And hooks for days. Admittedly, Italian collective Moonlight Haze don’t exactly change the game, but even with their by-the-book brand of symphonic power metal, Animus  is exceptional in its simplicity. Chiara Tricarico carries the 11 tracks with angelic and pleasing vocals. And the team of Marco Falanga and Alberto Melinato shine both with effective riffs and adept guitar solos when called on. 

Each song is catchy, and it’s easy to latch on to a vocal melody. Kintsugi showcases Tricarico’s ability. A piano interlude grows into a wonderful bridge as the full instrumentation takes over. For what Animus is, it’s a magnificent album. However, it doesn’t break the mold, and anybody hoping to be exposed to unique or never-before-heard techniques need look elsewhere. It doesn’t take anything away from the band’s talent, though. 

On the titular track, Tricarcio shows she’s not a one-trick pony with unexpected harsh vocals. It gets the job done, but it’s obvious her forte is her beautifully clean notes. Curiously, the full-length ends with Horror And Thunder, a song that features male vocals that unfortunately really derails everything. It’s not easy to put a finger on Animus. It’s like ordering McDonald’s; it’s not the greatest burger in the entire world, but you know exactly what you are getting every time, and there is comfort in that certain familiarity. Do with that analogy as you wish. 7/10

Rosalie Cunningham - Two Piece Puzzle (Esoteric Antenna/Cherry Red Records) [Matt Bladen]

"Aw well come on over baby, step into my time machine" so said Grand Funk Railroad in 1969 and as soon as you drop the needle on Two Piece Puzzle, you are transported back into the Paisley clad, loon wearing, mind expanding world of the 1960's. This will be nothing new for long time followers of Rosalie Cunningham/Purson, as she has been flying her freak flag for long time now, delving deep into the music of that revered decade on her previous solo album too. 

Now if you listened to that record you'd know that it was not an overly rocky album and neither is Two Piece Puzzle, there's a psychedelic folky vibe of bands like The Move and Caravan featured on Donovan Ellington (possibly named for Duke and the singer songwriter of the same name) bubbling organs and and brass that shifts into Donny Pt.2 which has layered acoustics of the Canterbury scene. It's all pretty impressive daddio, Cunningham a brilliant multi-instrumentalist and expansive vocalist sharing both the playing and vocals with her partner Rosco Wilson, thus the album title. 

Duet featuring both of them playing parts on a swirling theatrical number that feels like early Genesis, it's even preceded by short spoken word piece The War that adds to those innate Gabrielisms, though Duet spirals out into some early Bowieisms too. Those early 70's sounds creeping in. Cunningham and Wilson take most of the instruments as I've said though Fairport Convention's Ric Sanders adds fiddle as and when. Things get more esoteric on Tristitia Amnesia where the Eastern flavours remind me of George Harrison or Aphrodite's Child. 

The psychedelic muscles are flexed much more here than they were on the debut, possibly due to the time allowed for these songs to breathe but nothing ever loses control, a deft hand has been given to the album meaning that there's never too many overdubs or songs aren't layered beyond recognition. The 12 songs here are all probably a bit darker than the debut solo record and certainly more experimental. As Mr Leary would say "Turn on, tune in, drop out" 8/10

Reviews: Forbidden Seed, Manic Sinners, Smith & Swanson, Chronomancy (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Forbidden Seed - On Blackest Wings, Shadow Of The Crow Pt. 1 (Steel Gallery Records)

A concept album based around the Comic Book/Film series The Crow, On Blackest Wings, Shadow Of The Crow Pt. 1 is the Thessaloniki bands third full length album and they have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at it making for a cinematic, theatrical offing with plenty of special guests joining the core four piece of creative mind Constantin Maris who is the bands vocalist and shares guitars with George Marikas with Nik Danielos (bass) and Kostas Matis (drums). The most high profile guest is Wardrum's Kostas Vreto who not only adds guitars, but also the sweeping orchestrations that he wrote along with Sakos Bandis of Horizon's End/Hail Spirit Noir. Vreto also mixes, masters and co-produces the album with Constantin. 

Every song here features a full orchestral backing making the bands style of heavy power metal sound even more epic. The main influence here is Iced Earth, a band revered in Greece, but in recent times have really become a bit of a joke due to the guitarists political beliefs (and the treason) however Forbidden Seed sound so much like them you'd actually feel like this could be an IE record. The albums feels like classic opuses like Burnt Offerings or The Dark Saga, with the conceptual elements fusing well with the metallic ones and while it's heavy power metal the band mainly stay within, there's thrash, death, black and numerous other influences too. At 16 tracks it's a weighty record but one that's a real pleasure to listen to if you're a fan of bands such as Iced Earth, Savatage and Nevermore. 

With Angelos Gerogiannis' piano adding the beauty to a couple of the balladry tracks, the incredible Crown is excellent. Constantin's vocals are incredibly similar to Matt Barlow's, the same timbre, power and range, used to dizzying effect on tracks such as I Am. Ruby Bouzoti adds her voice to Beyond The Doors Of Sleep for an added elements of theatricality. On Blackest Wings, Shadow Of The Crow Pt. 1 will give you that new Iced Earth record you need without the need to storm the Capitol Building. 8/10

Manic Sinners - King Of The Badlands (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

Manic Sinners are a Romanian band who are the first band from that country to be signed to Frontiers, and you can hear immediately why Frontiers would snap them up and pair them with Alessandro Del Vecchio for the mix of this powerful, melodic rock record. Built around drummer/keyboardist Adrian Igrisan, who is a icon in his native country, he's the driving force on King Of The Badlands bringing those big percussive boosts to rockers like Play To Lose, melodic rockers Carousel and synth filled ballads like Anastasia. 

Now Igrisan plays drums, synths, bass and guitars, as Toni Dijmarescu takes electric guitars and bass (he gets to show off on the instrumentals), the duo are joined by the soulful vocals of Ovidiu Anton making for a decent if unspectacular melodic rock release. There's enough here to keep you interested but much of it has been done by other bands equally as well, still I believe it's a debut so you can hear the talent on offer, so there will be more to come in the future I'm sure and it gets the band a wider audience than before. 6/10

Smith & Swanson - Smith & Swanson (No Remorse Records)

In recent times this kind of Sabbath riffage will often be reviewed by my two American colleagues, but this time I thought I'd indulge in some low sling heavy riffs, full of distortion and reverb. Smith & Swanson, are vocalist Phil Swanson and multi-instrumentalist Tim Schmidt, known for bands such as Thronehammer and Atlantean Kodex, these two big, bearded, heavily tattooed dudes crank out some classic Sabbathian riffs fused with early Judas Priest power, especially in Phil's vocals and the grooving Refuse. 

Now Smith & Swanson doesn't do anything new musically, borrowing heavily from both the traditional metal and doom metal scenes without too much progression, but sometimes though that doesn't matter as you can easily grab you drug of choice and crank up the volume on tracks such as No Colours, the BLS flavoured Like Glass and the heavy riffing Bastard (Lemmy anyone?). It's not all Priest/Sabbath as there is some Dio coming through on Worms and on Refuse as well which has that strutting beat ripped right out of the 80's metal scene, when you hear it you'll know what I mean. 

Though this has some big doom elements, it's much more akin to Epic Doom bringing classic metal melodies though clean vocals and shorter run times than a lot of Sabbath worship. World changing? No. Enjoyable? Hell yes! 7/10

Chronomancy - Shadows In Atlantis (Fighter Records)

The second album from Greek epic metal band Chronomancy, has yet more cinematic elements than ever before, taking as much from bands like Blind Guardian as it does Hans Zimmer, Shadows In Atlantis is an album based on Greek myths and legends and it is the first album since 2018's line up changes and their debut on Fighter Records. You get the feeling this is sort of album that Chronomancy have been striving for and from the first track Rebirth you can hear that the scope on this album is much broader. Rebirth features some traditional Balkan flute/recorder from their Northern Greek heritage to set the tone. 

The big bass drum hits from Kyriakos Tsakalidis gets the folk sounds going, before the driving power metal comes galloping in, Dance Of The Vampires and Pilgrims In A Foreign Land both stick with that power metal template of bands such as Falconer. Chris A.D. Paschalidis's voice is powerful and has a broad range, crooning on tracks such as The Voyager but growling on songs such as Seven Deadly Kins. Musically they have a darker edge to their music, the guitar playing of Tyrtaeus Kamarinos and Yiangos Sourbis is melodic but also has a nastiness to it, pinned down by Thanos “Somber” Dogranlis rumbling basslines. 

This mixture of melodic and heaviness both feature on The Hunting Song. This track and Magnum Opus features extensive use of Mary Sypoula's keyboards with some major orchestrations as well, Legions Of Mist though has the most. Shadows In Atlantis is a symphonic power metal with a cinematic flourish and is Chronomancy establishing their sound to a wider audience. 7/10