Reviews: Shinedown, Mantar, Sweet Freedom, Xaon (Reviews By Finn O'Dell, Matt Cook, Matt Bladen & Richard Oliver)

Shinedown - Planet Zero (Atlantic Records) [Finn O'Dell]

Delays. Something way too common anymore. This album was supposed to be released earlier this year, but there is a vinyl shortage so they waited to drop it until it would be available in all formats. Well worth the wait, they give us 20 songs clocking just under 49 minutes (7 of them are under a minute - intro & interludes) that make a dystopian concept album. The album flows quite naturally from the heavy No Sleep Tonight and the title track before slowing things down with Dysfunctional You. Dead Don't Die has that solid rhythm Shinedown is known for, as does America Burning. A Symptom Of Being Human slows things down with a beautiful ballad. The next song, Hope, is a catchy one that reminds me a little of Alter Bridge. 

Things ramp back up with Clueless And Dramatic. Sure Is Fun has a weird pop type vibe to it. Daylight delivers another ballad. The next two tunes, The Saints Of Violence And Innuendo and Army Of The Unappreciated, bring back the fist pumping rock before the album wraps up with a quirky pop tune, What You Wanted. I have been a fan of these guys since the beginning and I can confidently say they haven't lost any ground. You get it all here: thunderous stadium rock, soothing ballads and odd pop jams. Though the overall lyrical message is a warning of sorts concerning various social trends, it is delivered over some fun music. 9/10

Mantar – Pain Is Forever And This Is The End (Metal Blade Records) [Matt Cook]

Mantar isn’t for everyone.

Upon first listen, Hanno Klänhardt’s vocals are…unique. A gruff combination of crusty hardcore and sitting-on-the-electric-chair-waiting-for-death black metal, it’s assuredly an acquired taste. But that description might bury the lead, because Pain Is Forever And This Is The End goes further than laying down raw, messy vocals. Klänhardt (who also tackles guitar) and Erinc Sakarya (drums) tag-team in an unanticipated groovy display of oddly catchy hooks. Hang ‘Em Low (So The Rats Can Get ‘Em) is a sludgy earworm. 

Piss Ritual is another example of Klänhardt’s bombastic and sturdy delivery. It took a few playthroughs to allow for Pain… to settle and materialize, not the fault of Mantar. What at first seemed like an album destined for the bottom of the barrel of illustrious releases 2022 has already witnessed, this collection of putrid grime forms an identity that started to grow on me as I was listening.

Maybe it’s the unorthodox singing paired with the easy-to-latch-on-to refrains found nestled within the 10 tracks. Maybe it’s the instrumentation that bolsters the tracks with confident precision, allowing the songs to fester and metastasize into the filthy animal that comes to life over the 42 minutes of run time. 

Either way, in an age of ever-increasing attempts at standing out from the abundance of extreme metal acts, Mantar’s fifth album isn’t something that can be understood in a single spin. Really, that’s the way it should be. Great movies aren’t watched only once. Not to mention the German duo has been churning out records every two years, undoubtedly satisfying the big wigs at Metal Blade.

So take a chance on Pain Is Forever And This Is The End. Don’t let opener Egoisto dissuade you from venturing further. Klänhardt is abrasive and labored. But in this day and age, who the fuck isn’t?7/10

Sweet Freedom - Sweet Freedom According To Jörgen Schelander (Melodic Passion Records) [Matt Bladen]

Jörgen Schelander is something of a polymath, a multi-instrumentalist and session keyboardist, having played with House Of Shakira, Misth, Astrakhan (a band I only recently discovered and loved ever since) along with many others. He founded Sweet Freedom as a way of playing live, recording this album along with Håkan Nilsson (guitar), Håkan Rangemo (drums), Jan Lund (bass) and singer Stefan Nykvist, each man having spent time in various bands, the most recent for the latter being on the great  Sarayasign record which scored well in these pages. The instrumentalists, with the exception of Schelander play in tribute band, Deepest Purple which is probably why Waysted Time sounds the way it does, full of Purpleisms as Jörgen gets his chance to go full Jon Lord.

While Good Life also has touches of Purple but with some jazzier refrains too. I mean really the whole album has Deep Purple connotations in the music, but also some Rainbow (both Dio and post-Dio) on Istanbul, some Journey-like AOR on Honor Thy Name while I Am Alive is where the album slows, the band all showing their theatrical roots. The final song Rest In Peace has a real Led Zeppelin vibe to it, the Middle Eastern feel a continuous part of the track. Sweet Freedom has shades of many other bands, sort of like a thrilling musical jukebox that takes the form of some of the best 70's rock bands. Spend time with it and you'll discover a very entertaining rock album from a set of experienced musicians. 8/10  

Xaon - The Lethean (Self Released) [Richard Oliver]

A band that is rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the symphonic extreme metal genre is Xaon. The band formed in Switzerland in 2014 but came to my attention with their second album Solipsis which was released in 2019 which mixed death metal and melodic death metal with luscious and epic symphonic arrangements.

2022 sees the release of their third album The Lethean and it definitely sees Xaon go for broke as everything sounds bigger, vaster, heavier and far more grandiose. The symphonic arrangements have been stepped up massively and sound absolutely glorious and wholly cinematic whilst the death metal parts are far more aggressive and furious though there is still an inclusion of melody especially in some clean vocal parts which are prevalent in songs such as The Hunt, If I Had Wings and In Pyrrhic Seas. You get the aggression ramped up in songs such as A Golden Silence, And Yet I Smile and Wayward Son but all the songs generally hit that sweet spot between aggression and epicness meaning you want to bang your head but your hairs are standing on end.

Frontman Rob Carson has a versatile voice effortlessly switching between a harsh vocal style (which is reminiscent of Bjorn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork) and fantastic melodic clean singing. The rest of the band put in phenomenal performances from the crushing riffwork and soaring leads of guitarists Eerik Maurage and Klin HC (who are both recent additions to the band) and the pummelling rhythm section of bassist Laure Begue and drummer Julien Racine.

The Lethean is easily the finest thing that Xaon have released to date. The band have taken the sound they nailed on the Solipsis album and just taken it to the next level. Everything just sounds refined and absolutely huge and if the band carry on with this trajectory then they should be at the same level as some of the big names in symphonic extreme metal such as Septicflesh, Dimmu Borgir and Fleshgod Apocalypse. If you like music that is equally cinematic and crushingly heavy then this album comes extremely recommended. 9/10

Reviews: Fellowship, Lucid Grave, Quiet Confusion, Birth (Reviews By Matt Bladen & Rich Piva)

Fellowship - The Saberlight Chronicles (Scarlet Records) [Matt Bladen]

Fellowship are one of those bands, one of those bands that you listen too when things seem a little to overwhelming, if the black dog is sneaking up on you, or your having a bad day. Trust me when I say listening to the debut album from Fellowship will immediately put a smile on your face. Fellowship play a majestic, cinematic, conceptual style of power metal long heard in the albums of band such as Rhapsody, Twilight Force et al but also classic power metal acts such as Helloween. 

High energy rhythms, soaring vocal lines and plenty of tasty guitar playing Fellowship are definitely a band who have consumed all of the best parts of of the power/symphonic metal genre creating a smile inducing, sing along style of music where you can't help but grin like an idiot throughout. Fellowship's high concept release The Saberlight Chronicles, is based in mythical fantasy story line, but grounded in reality though tackling mental health by telling tales of self worth/self discovery and a quest for courage. When you put these uplifting lyrics against some Disney-esque music you get the real Magic Kingdom right here. 

Swelling orchestrals get Until The Fires Die going, the dual guitar harmony bounce, very Helloween, you'll know what I mean when you hear it. The Saint Beyond The River meanwhile takes from another set of Germans, Blind Guardian as folk sounds give it a warmth. Fellowship are incredibly faithful to the Euro-power metal sound, so it may be surprise that they come from Essex, but Christ if I didn't know this, I'd assume it was the new record from Serenity or Sonata Arctica mainly due to the vocals of Matthew Corry which are in that Georg Neuhauser/Tony Kakko sweet spot. As both of these singers are favourites of mine, I was pretty impressed upon hearing it. When there's that emotional power on tracks such as the galloping Glory Days I'm brought back to my first listen of Ecliptica and how I was smiling from ear to ear before liberally throwing my first into the air! 

The rest of the Fellowship band members impress as well with Callum Tuffen's drumming going full pelt throughout though he also has moments where he doesn't need to gallop like a run away horse giving a mid pace bounce to Still Enough and slowing right down on The Hours Of Wintertime. Guitarists Sam Browne and Brad Wosko in beautiful harmony with their guitar playing sweeping, diving, duelling and blasting away, Oak And Ash having the propulsion and explosiveness of a Dragonforce and Sonata Arctica of course. 

Elsewhere the euphoric Glint, anthemic Hearts Upon The Hill both have brilliant solos but it's not the exception to the rule at all as much of this record is built around brilliant guitar playing, those and of course those stirring symphony elements that look large on the piano laced ballad Silhouette and the closing epic Avalon which rounds out things in with a crescendo straight from a Tolkien epic. The Saberlight Chronicles may be my power metal album of the year. Roll on Power Metal Quest Fest! 9/10

Lucid Grave - Cosmic Mountain (Electric Valley Records) [Rich Piva]

There are some cases where there is something about a band or album that will decide someone’s opinion on them right off the bat, fair or not. Many times, the vocals can be that one thing. Denmark’s Lucid Grave is a prime example of this. I know the vocals on this record are going to divide people into two distinct groups with not much middle ground. It’s a shame for the folks who join team negative here, but I totally get it. There is some good psych doom happening on their debut album, Cosmic Mountain, but you must be able to get past the unique wails and just give yourself to Lucid Grave to get the full effect. 

The opening title track is a ten-minute slow, fuzzy doom slow burner with those wails in full effect. Lucid Grave’s promo material mention stoner rock and psych vibes but to me they are way more of a traditional doom band then anything else. The title track musically is Sabbath worship combined with those vocals. At times vocalist Malene sounds like she is absolutely agony which can be a bit off putting. Almost a doomy, high pitched yodeling at times. Old Spirit picks up the pace with some of that stoner vibe that was called out earlier; there is a definite fuzz to this track and if there is a ripper on Cosmic Mountain it is this one. But those vocals can once again be a challenge, especially mid-way though the track. I’m Still High brings us back to the slow burn traditional doom, but this song is where the vocals really will divide the listener. 

On one had the emotion and pain in her voice is so evident, you can feel the pain. On the other hand, someone overhearing me playing this said it sounded like “Dory talking to the whale in Finding Nemo”. That pretty much sums up the two sides of Cosmic Mountain. Good stoner doom with some really polarising vocals sums up Lucid Grave’s debut nicely. You will know right off the bat if her voice is for you. If it is, check out Cosmic Mountain in full because Lucid Grave know how to bring the fuzzy doom. It was just a bit too much for me. 6/10

Quiet Confusion - Magella (Go Down Records) [Rich Piva]

Quiet Confusion have been around for a while but have managed to allude me up until their latest and fourth full length release, Magella. I did go back and review some of their back catalog to properly prepare for this review, so I know a bit of what I am getting myself into. The Italian stoner/fuzz band have gone through several lineup changes since their start in 2009 but based on my research this lineup has the band sounding as strong as ever, maybe even taking a step forward with their latest release.

What you get with Quiet Confusion, especially with Magella, is some serious Queens Of The Stone Age worship, especially the more chill QOTSA tracks that sound like Masters Of Reality songs. The Chris Goss vibes are strong with this one. Think The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret by QOTSA over the eight tracks. Luckly for Quiet Confusion that is a classic track. Songs like Plastic Man and Lady In Blue could be B-sides from Rated R. The opening track could be on any of the later period Masters Of Reality records. Fuzzy catchy stoner jams with a bit of funkiness to them. Wastin’ Time has a bit of a Stone Temple Pilots feel to it, if STP included cool psych solos in their songs. Sweet Noise is more of a straight-ahead stoner jam, sprinkled with those QTSA/MOR vibes (especially the guitar work towards the end of the track), and done very well.

Behind The Sun brings more of that stoner funk I mentioned earlier, think Danko Jones type stuff with a crunch. Droppers sounds like a song off Welcome To The Western Lodge (if you have not heard that, please check it out) and the slow burner is probably my favorite track on the record. Quiet Confusion have leveraged some of their influences to give us a nice collection of eight stoner jams that if you are a QOTSA or MOR fan you will really dig. I am not sure how memorable this will be by the time the year ends, but for this this was an enjoyable listen for what it is. 7/10

Birth - Born (Bad Omen Records) [Matt Bladen]

Birth's demo EP, also called Birth, laid down what the band was all about. 3 tracks of progressive rock heavily inspired by the late 60's early 70's sound of progressive rock inspired by both the Canterbury and San Diego scene. Formed by Astra members Conor Riley (keyboards/acoustic guitar/vocals and Brian Ellis (lead guitar/keyboards), they set out to explore new horizons, keeping the music similar but with another crew in which to do some cosmic wandering. They came across kindred spirits Trevor Mast (bass) and Paul Marrone (drums), both from Psicomagia, while Marrone does play on Born he has been replaced by Thomas DiBenedetto. 

All three demo tracks appear here though Cosmic Wind is now called Cosmic Tears and even though the demos were brilliant the fully realised versions are much more kaleidoscopic than the demos, multi-tracked and warmly produced Born is a record layered with gorgeous analogue Hammond organs/Mellotrons/Modular synths, fluid space rock guitar lines and jazz rock inflected rhythms that create sprawling musical movements. 

An instrumental title track is our welcome to Born, bringing all the retro progressive rock wildness The Weirding established while they were Astra. Brimming with pastoral progressive rock, the tone is set from the off as Descending Us returns with a bigger scope than on the demo but still has an organ riff half inched from Deep Purple's Child In Time. We go into the Floydian realms on the opening to For Yesterday, yes all the tracks link into one another like all those gapless playback classics from the era. For Yesterday shifts towards the more wider reaches of prog rock, the PR that accompanies it mentioning Aphrodite's Child, the synths on For Yesterday evoking Vangelis. As with so much prog rock there is dystopian, retro futurism to the lyrical content of this record, drawing inspiration from many post-apocalyptic novels, though Connor being a scientist is well aware that much of these books stray closer to fact than the fiction they used to. 

But Birth look for hope in impermanence crafting songs that may dwell on dark themes but will always try to find the positive and let the light in. As Born continues to impress at every turn Cosmic Tears has a lot of brooding Mellotron and more emotive guitar soloing picked from the the King Crimson school of songwriting (a trick also picked up by Steven Wilson which is why Cosmic Tears sounds a lot like Wilson/Porcupine Tree), Another Time on the other hand is packed with jazz flourishes of Van Der Graaf Generator and also folk influences that remind me of Jethro Tull. Undeniably retro, but not a rehash or a pastiche, Born pays respect to the time when prog ruled the world so grow that hair and those beards out, then dive in headfirst to the blissed out world of Birth. 9/10

Reviews: Molder, Supersonic Blues Machine, Darkane, Diogenes BCE (Reviews By GC, Erick Willand, Richard Oliver & Paul Scoble)

Molder - Engrossed In Decay (Prosthetic Records) [GC]

The first thing you really notice when you listen to the 2nd album from Molder is that they aren’t trying to break any new ground and re-create the wheel, this is straightforward, heads down, balls to the wall, old school death metal, but there is no standing still here as they have managed to put a modern twist on the format and inject it with such energy and passion and it’s a pleasure to listen to! 

Right form the off ,you can tell a lot of thought has gone into Engrossed In Decay as some of the songs really benefit from the great samples chosen as they don’t just start a song they really add to and complement them and add some fun into the gruesome mix these being Relentless Pestilence, Disinhumed Carcass and Decomposed Embryo’s. Musically, the guitars are sludgy and dense but always have the right crisp tone so none of the vicious riffs get lost in the barrage faced by the listener and as a bonus there are some beautiful guitar solos in there as well! 

The drums hurtle along at breakneck speed and are relentless in places and the big scuzzy basslines aren’t ever lost in the mix either which is great, and in possibly the best compliment I can pay the man, vocalist Aaren Pantke is the closest thing to John Tardy I have ever heard! The tunes on offer here should make any fan of death metal smile and bang their head until their eyes dislodge, and their brains leak out of the empty sockets, which I am sure Molder would love and write a song about!! To say I enjoyed this album would be an understatement, everything on offer here is great and I can’t fault it from start to finish this is great death metal album and you should give it your full attention ASAP!! 8/10

Supersonic Blues Machine - Voodoo Nation (MLG) [Erick Willand]

Supersonic Blues Machine is a cool band name, and fitting for this hard rocking bluesy outfit built around the core trio of Fabrizio Grossi (bass), Kenny Aronoff (drums), Kris Barras (guitar and vocals) and filled out with a huge list of guest musicians. Since I’m not very familiar with this branch of the grand Rock’n’Roll tree, I had to spend some time learning who everyone was, arguably the best part. Voodoo Nation, their third studio effort, opens with the song Money. A swaggering little song with some great backing vocals about, well…money. It’s a little repetitive but ends just in time and slides nicely into Too Late, a track with some real Western flavour bits that show up throughout the song. Again a bit repetitive lyrically, I’m getting an itch. 

The next two songs are where the album begins to stumble a bit, especially with song length. Coming Thru and You And Me are both over 5 minutes long and I swear my brain began to drift right out. Good song craft to be sure, and this is clearly a personal taste judgement but good blues/rock songs should hustle along with all do haste. When these guys put it to the floor, it’s good and even my metal addled thinking mush can dig it. Like track 5, Get It Done, which rocks right on through the rom-com movie montage of some dork fixing up an old car or something. That’s all this song made me think of but it was fun and got my fingers tapping. 8 Ball Lucy is arguably the best song on this album, held aloft by the fantastic guitar work of Sonny Landreth and his unique style. 

However once again, it’s just a bit too long, feeling like it just trails off at the end. Which brings me to my biggest gripe and the song that broke me for this album, Devil At The Doorstep. Eric Gales is a phenomenal guitar player, but my dudes, this song is 2 seconds shy of being an 8 minute song. In this reviewer's humble experience there are few bands that can really stretch that song length and not destroy minds, Supersonic Blues Machine is not one of those bands. And that’s not even the last song, or the last song to pull up stuffed to over 5 minutes. They throw one more blazing rocker in track 9, Do It Again, which again made me think of an 80's comedy movie. By then though, there was just nothing left of my patience and nothing in my now vacated skull for the remaining three songs, I Will Let Go, Voodoo Nation, and All Our Love to latch on to, in one ear and out the other. 

I burned out on Blues/Rock with this album. There is some great musicianship here, all of these players know their stuff and people like Eric Gales, King Solomon Hicks, Charlie Starr and Joe Louis Walker are fantastic and I enjoyed learning about each of them to be honest. However, with overly long songs that sucked the life out of themselves and a phoned in album cover I’m afraid the spell is not strong enough. 5/10

Darkane - Inhuman Spirits (Massacre Records) [Richard Oliver]

There are certain bands that have fallen by the wayside in comparison to the contemporaries despite having the chops to match and sometimes outmatch the most popular bands in a scene. The Swedish melodic death metal scene is dominated and most well known for bands such as In Flames, At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity and Soilwork but there are lesser known gems such as The Duskfall, Ebony Tears and of course the subject of this review Darkane. 

Darkane formed in 1998 in Helsingborg and stormed onto the scene with their ferocious debut album Rusted Angel in 1999. The band have remained active in the years since but in latter years the releases have become more sporadic. They have managed to retain virtually the same line up since the bands inception with only the vocalist post being interchangeable. The same line up returns from previous album 2013’s The Sinister Supremacy and the time in between releases has allowed Darkane to craft a slick yet ferocious album with Inhuman Spirits. 

The album still retains the bands trademark mix of Swedish melodeath and American thrash but there are also some symphonic elements mixed amongst as well such as on the opening title track, some more contemporary metal leanings such as on the ridiculously catchy Awakening, ferocious death/thrash such as on the relentless Embrace The Flames and plenty of groove such as on Conspiracies Of The Flesh.  My personal stand out from the album has to be Inhaling Mental Chaos which manages to be relentless and catchy in equal measure with plenty of bombastic melody. 

The band are on very tight form with some wonderful performances with the drumming from Peter Wildoder being a real stand out. The vocals by returning original frontman Lawrence Mackroy veer between a melodic thrash vocal style and a ferocious harsh style and he flits effortlessly between the two. Inhuman Spirits is another addition to a solid discography from Darkane. The best songs seem to be loaded into the first half of the album rather than spread out meaning that the second half is a tad anticlimactic though it is still strong material mixing the violent, catchy, bombastic and melodic together in fantastic style. 

If you are a melodeath fan and haven’t heard of Darkane then this album is as good a stepping on point as any. 8/10

Diogenes BCE - Innocence Will Never Regain (Self Released) [Paul Scoble] 

Innocence Will Never Regain is the debut album of Norwegian duo Diogenes BCE. The pair are Sigurd on Guitar and Vocals and Kristian on Drums. Although Diogenes BCE is a new project Sigurd and Kristian have a musical history together since 1995, when they were both members of the Black Metal band Morrheim, who changed their name to Grand Alchemist in 1998. Grand Alchemist released two albums in their carrier; one in 2002, and one ten years later in 2012. 

Diogenes BCE play a style of music that is not Black Metal, but is clearly influenced and informed by Black Metal, as well as by other forms of extreme metal. Its style is most reminiscent of German band Horn. I found that the faster material worked best for me, it’s tight and Thrashy and full of energy and drive. The opening track Hungry, Thirsty And Lonely is a great example of this style, taut, Blackened and decidedly aggressive, there is a slower section that keeps the aggression, but Hungry, Thirsty And Lonely is mainly about neck breaking high speed riffing. Another cracking Thrashy track is Coming Closer To My Demons which feels so filled with inertia you could use it to power a freight train, again there is a slower part; an energy packed expansive section, but again this is rooted in speed. The fast songs aren’t all thrash based, the track Glowing Avalanches has a fast Melodic Death Metal feel to it that works very well, it vacillates between mid-paced and very fast and also contains a fair amount of aggression. 

Despite me preferring the faster material on Innocence Will Never Regain, that doesn’t mean I don’t like the slow stuff as well. Final song on the album Where The Contempt Grows is my favourite of the slow tracks, it’s slow, with a purposeful walking pace that is slow, but feels unstoppable, it’s a similar tempo to Immortal’s Tyrants. The song contains a huge expansive section with really great drumming, and ends on a fantastically heavy riff. Despite this being a very well written, played and produced album (production is very good, everything sounds great), Innocence Will Never Regain does have one small problem. I found some of the slower tracks to be a little over long, and my interest started to wain, it’s not a problem with what the band have written, they’re just overlong. The track As Low As Love Can Get has some great riffs in it, but not enough for the over ten minute run time, so after about 6 minutes it started to feel a little ploddy and lacklustre. 

The track A Death-Poem For A Lost World has a similar issue, its just too long, a few edits to the hour and 7 minute album run time would tighten it up very well. All it needs to loose would be a few repetitions of riffs, rather than cutting any material. Innocence Will Never Regain is a great album, full of great songs, cracking fast riffs, thunderous slow and heavy riffs, and some awesome drumming. I should also reiterate that this is a debut album, so this much quality with just the need for a small amount of editing, is very impressive. I’ve enjoyed listening to it, and I bet you would too! 7/10

Reviews: Primal Fear, Grave Lines, Wizzo, Cleanbreak (Reviews By Simon Black, Matt Bladen, Rich P & Finn O'Dell)

Primal Fear - Primal Fear: Deluxe Edition (Atomic Fire Records) [Simon Black]

Now I love a bit of Primal Fear, me. Although I’ve really only known about them for about seven or eight years, I’ve always considered them to be one of the better proponents of the power metal genre - ostensibly because they have never strayed too far from the NWOBHM template of their closest influence Judas Priest. For whatever reason though, I’ve never gone back to the very start, so this is me listening to their twenty-two year old debut with fresh ears.

I think its safe to say that I love it.

The Priest influence is really stark here, but then this won’t have been long after Ralf Scheepers was pipped to the Priest post by Ripper Owens, having left Gamma Ray to do so (obviously on good terms since Kai Hansen does a guest turn here) and vocally in particular he’s a dead Halford ringer on this outing, although he definitely finds his own voice moving forwards. I don’t actually have a problem with this, as at the time Priest had a very different vocalist in Owens and the thought of a reformation was still a long way off, so there was definitely a gap in the market. 

This is very much Primal Fear’s take on what should have come after Painkiller, but you can hear the groundwork for their own distinctive sound at points. I wasn’t aware that this was originally a bit of a fun filler project, hence the closeness to Priest, before realising they were actually onto something and starting to get a little more serious. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of Priest worship and Primal Fear do it very well here, before starting to get more distinctively their own beast with the Jaws Of Death album.

Each of the tracks on here is an absolute belter and you still get classics like Chainbreaker and Running In The Dust cropping up live today. That’s why they get away with it and with some pile-driving instrumental delivery, plus Scheeper’s voice shredding the wallpaper you cannot really go wrong. They even manage Priest lyrical cheese par excellence with the slightly naff Formula One, but to be fair it’s the only real filler, with the remainder of the original tracks from the core release still standing up well today. Compare this filler piece to the more expansive Tears Of Rage though, and you get the hints of where they will go when they abandon the hero worship and start their own distinctive direction, and it’s the strongest and most emotive piece on the record.

To make this feel a little bit better value for money Jacob Hansen has done a lovely job remastering this (just compare this to the original on a streaming platform and you will soon see why) and there’s a few live nuggets thrown in for good measure. As a one-off bit of love and tribute, it still stands up well, even though it got slated at the time for not being nu-metal. I guess the fact that this stands up at all over two decades later whilst most nu-metal categorically do not says it all really. As a launch pad to one of the now top-drawer power metal bands who these days can do no wrong, it’s a modest but highly enjoyable start to a stellar career. 8/10

Grave Lines - Communion (New Heavy Sounds) [Matt Bladen]

Across their last two album Grave Lines have been skillfully creating their own little musical world, unaffected by trends and whats popular. The 'heavy gloom' London foursome draw inspiration from the doom/sludge heavies such as Neurosis and Yob, the knuckle dragging opener Gordian displaying this perfectly, a slow burning echoed, ominous journey, climaxing with a discordant final part, drenched in distortion and bile it sets a tone. 

As well as the sludge/doom style they have always done so well the previous two albums have added some of the woozy, gothic post-punk of Killing Joke and Echo & The Bunnymen, which is reflected on Lycaenid, a track that is stripped back and brooding, shifting from haunting, goth atmospherics before the acoustic, almost choral feel comes back towards the end, its a set piece for sure as Carcini meanwhile brings both aspects together well though it also has what I would call punk doom, gutsy and growling it builds riffs upon riffs. Grave Lines are a band whose music won't always fit in a neat little box, they frequently add ear deafening noise rock pitched against ambient oddness, on the spoken word prayer of Tachinid giving both. 

It's the finale of Sinensis that is a throbbing industrial number, diverting from the sludge/doom sound the most out of everything here, elements of Type O Negative and Depeche Mode too. Sinensis shows that Grave Lines can turn their hands to pretty much whatever style they want to. Communion is their third album and advances their exploration into the wider darker realms of music, dealing with the human condition through loud, abrasive noise. Jake Harding's expressive vocals, Stgrn’ Matt's grinding bass, Oliver Irongiant's growling riffs and Sam Chase's percussive battery are what Grave Lines so damn good and Communion is their best album yet. 8/10

Wizzo - Most Severe Crisis (Wizzo Music) [Rich Piva]

Ah the 90s. A great time for music that has been a major influence in a whole bunch of bands putting out heavy rock today. Citing bands like Alice In Chains and Soundgarden will trigger all sorts of wonderful emotions for people of a certain age, and there is a ton of borrowing from them and other like minded bands of that era today. Wizzo is one of those bands, but for every grungy riff you get from their second album, Most Severe Crisis, you also get some heavy shoegaze vibes of bands like Swerevdriver, Hum, and even a band like Ride. This is a big shift from the Chicago, Illinois band’s self-titled debut which leaned a bit more towards the sludgy side of things, even incorporating harsh vocals throughout. Most Severe Crisis goes for even more melody while keeping some of those sludge vibes that made their debut such a strong release.

Hollow Earth kicks us off with some 90s style grunge, harking to a time of flannel and bad facial hair, with a great opening riff and some serious Jerry/AIC vibes both in the playing and the harmonized vocals. You get more of the same with the title track, but you start to hear some of those Catherine Wheel/Swervedriver vibes starting to shine though, in a really great way. Sacrificial Lamb starts more towards that sludgy side, reminding me of something off one of the more recent Baroness records, but Baroness as if they have been listening to Hum. 

The track Is What Is to me is where I really start to hear a heavy version of the band Ride, which is a good thing. But a stoner/sludge version of Ride. I love the synth that is incorporated as well. End Is Nigh is a standout track with more of that grungy, sludgy, Hum/Ride combination that Wizzo have perfected on Most Severe Crisis. Wizard’s Sleeve is another standout that reminds me of a mash up of the more melodic side of Mastodon and Swervedriver while Godless Interval closes out this excellent release with an epic, post hardcore feeling track you get with the more recent Quicksand releases.

I love the direction Wizzo has gone on Most Severe Crisis. This is a much more mature, complex record then their debut. The production has the band sounding excellent and you can tell Wizzo has figured out the direction they want to head, leaving behind the harsh vocals for a much more melodic approach which really suits them. As a person of that certain age mentioned above, this is right in my wheelhouse and combines so many things I have loved over the years to create an excellent sophomore effort for a band that you need to keep you eye on for big things on the horizon. 8/10

Cleanbreak - Coming Home (Frontiers Music Srl) [Finn O'Dell]

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing the debut of a supergroup, Iconic, also on Frontiers Records. That hard rock offering included Michael Sweet of Stryper fame, whereas this band has his brother, Robert (drums), and bandmate Perry Richardson on bass. So, this is the Stryper rhythm section with Mike Flyntz (Riot V) on guitar and James Durbin (American Idol, Quiet Riot and solo) handling the singing. Already a couple of songs into this and I can't help but draw comparisons to the band that comprises half of this lineup, Stryper, but with some positive differences.

The title track kicks things off with a solid rocking song revealing a few things: James' vocals are on point, Mike's solo is amazing and the rhythm section is as tight as advertised. Before The Fall is more plodding and less radio rock. Dying Breed again has me feeling a Stryper vibe, as does We Are The Warriors and Dream Forever. Man Of Older Soul breaks the tempo monotony with a quicker paced jam. 

The opening riff of Still Fighting sets the tone for this quicker song. The Pain Of Goodbye settles things down, but not too much and with a chorus that is an attention grabber. Ok, just because the next song is also the name of the band doesn't mean it is the standard of the group, in fact it sounds different than everything else here and really screams Stryper. Find My Way finds the boys getting back to their solid hard rock sound and the final cut, No Other Heart, fits well here too.

Overall, solid hard rock offering with no ballads that is more listenable than the home band that makes up half the band. 8/10

Reviews: Anthrax, Gutlocker, Lord Vigo, Bad Salt (Reviews By Simon Black, Matt Bladen, Rich P & Finn O'Dell)

Anthrax – XL (Nuclear Blast) [Simon Black]

Now, it is simultaneously not so long ago and also what seems like a lifetime ago when live-streams were the only means we had to consume ‘live’ music. Like ‘em or loathe ‘em, for what felt like an eternity they were the only game in town and to be honest there may still be a place for them for special occasions that might not work commercially otherwise. An obvious example might be playing the anniversary of a specific release in full, with an online show for the hardcore fans - as these things rarely get the same level of turn out as the regular album cycles to justify a full tour, so could be more cost effective, or when a band member is incapacitated. Whatever, you get the gist – they were a symptom of the pandemic and the fact is most of us are happy to leave them in the bin along with facemasks, hand gel and Covid passes.

This particular livestream was intended to celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary and at the time at two and a quarter hours of run time was pretty good value for the format, since most were around the ninety-minute mark. The reality was they were quite expensive to stage and not always commercially successful, so it does make sense that this is getting a posthumous audio release and with a three CD duration is pretty good value for money. That said, three CD’s may be generous in terms of content for money, but in this case ‘XL’ might just as easily stand for ‘eXtra Long’, for those less familiar with Roman numerals.

Now you forgave live streams a lot at the time because of the nature of the beast, but the problem is that as an audio only exercise this doesn’t work half as well. The sound on these things is often a lot flatter, because the band are playing on a small sound stage, not a large venue with acoustics to absorb full on power, so they really do need the visuals to compensate for that lack of audible zeitgeist. Not that the band aren’t playing their socks off, but when you are missing the natural acoustics of a hall and the adrenaline of the fans, that’s Anthrax missing a lot of important bits of their live chemistry. Plus, let’s face it, these things aren’t really live – ‘as live’, we just don’t see the breaks when a camera breaks down or someone needs a slash.

And to be honest, you can tell that the band are on form, it’s just missing the edginess that you get when you’re in the same room with them. There are snippets of footage out there live, and you can tell they were trying to make this something special, but they are performing for the cameras, not the fans and that’s a subtle distinction.

That said, value for money is definitely the order of the day and despite the natural inclination to include mostly material from their 80’s heyday it’s quite a varied set list. That said there’s nothing from the John Bush era, which in some ways is a shame if you really are going to cover your forty-year history, missing a key decade out seems a bit remiss (although with Stomp 442’s album cover forming part of the cover collage, this seems a little odd).

Performance wise though, the band are tighter than a gnat’s bum hole as always, and that’s what saves this from being a little odd. Add to the fact that as they get into the rhythm of the medium, the performances notable jump up a notch, building more of the energy and chemistry that make this a band I always go out of my way to watch live. Definitely one for the collectors though. 7/10

Gutlocker - To Be Alive (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Since their 2018's Cry Havoc EP there has been plenty of adversity and hardships thrown at Woking groove merchants Gutlocker but they have managed to whether the global pandemic making the most of the 2020 lock down by writing/recording this album, holding themselves up in a studio bubble in order to be able to experiment with their sound and craft a record that features their most ambitious musical output yet. To Be Alive is also their most personal output, the lyrics reflecting the mental health conditions that frontman Craig McBrearty and so many others have been dealing with over the last 2 years, this album being their vessel in which to tell others having the same issues that you are seen and you are heard. Admittedly they do this through unleashing some fat, juicy groove metal that will be familiar to fans of bands such as Chimaria, Devildriver, Lamb Of God et al but with other influences creeping in too.

Noted producer Lewis Johns (Employed To Serve/Conjurer) makes the album sound cavernous but also you are still well aware that Gutlocker are a tight, precise four piece, each instrument getting ample space to breathe and benefiting from the production/mix/mastering of Johns. Pete Tucker's impressive guitar playing is heavily distorted, ripping and tearing its way through tracks such as Make My Day where the riffs undulate and shift. Joined by the crunchy low end of Ben Rollinson who is the anchor for much of this records groove especially on SFS, Send Them All In and that fuzzy tone of the very Devildriver sounding Once A Snake. McBrearty's vocals are as expressive as ever on this record, scarred and abrasive, though he has crystal clear diction coming through with his roars, for me one of his best performances is the title track where he shows his versatility against the proggier leanings of the track itself and on SFS/Absence Of Change where there's touches of a clean vocal too. 

On Sink Or Swim too where Kieran Scott (Ashen Crown) adds his grunts there's a great duality to the voices. Dean Walker is beast behind the kit beating the hell out of it on the pacier tracks such as Out Of Sight and SFS but as well as percussive battery he can also reign things in when needed such as it is on the evocative, sprawling final song A Man Too Proud. To be Alive is a collective light at the end of what seemed to be a long tunnel for members of Gutlocker. However they come swaggering out of said tunnel with fist full of riffs and a record that does much to re-establish these Surrey savages! 8/10

Lord Vigo - We Shall Overcome (Self Released) [Rich P]

Gigantic. That is the one word I would use to describe the latest record from the German epic doomsters Lord Vigo. We Shall Overcome is huge in every way. It sounds big. The vocals are big. The album just has a big presence when you listen, like something you can’t contain in your little speakers. The second part of a trilogy and the follow up to the excellent Danse De Noir, We Shall Overcome may exceed even that doom classic in quality and giganticness.

If you have not heard Lord Vigo, they sound like if Robert Smith of The Cure started an epic, gothic doom band. The vocals at times to me are a dead ringer for Mr. Smith (which may be a turn off for some, but I love it) and combine that with the energy and vibes of a band like Unto Others, but doomier and you get what Lord Vigo is dealing. Tracks like Since The Sun Was Young and A Gathering Of Clouds sound like it could be on side E of Disintegration, but bigger (and doomier, of course). The latter even has some dare I say 90s emo vibes vocally, in the best way possible. 

From Ashes We Will Rise is a more of an upbeat track that brings those Unto Others vibes I mentioned (there is even one of the trademark grunt things) and is more gothic rock then doom, and they do the goth quite well. I hear some serious Paradise Lost vibes in a song like We Shall Overcome, but supersized. Words cannot do justice to how the record sounds. Sometimes it is almost too big for its own good and some of the songs could have been shortened to keep the album more crisp, but those parts are few and far between.

Lord Vigo has a breathtaking, epic goth/doom classic trilogy in the making with 2020’s Danse De Noir and now with We Shall Overcome. Danse De Noir leaned more doom, We Shall Overcome incorporates more of that big energy that takes this release to the next level. An end of year list addition for many I am sure, including yours truly. 9/10

Bad Salt - Bad Salt (Self Released) [Finn O'Dell]

Fresh off the presses, July 1st saw this band who just formed last year in Los Angeles releasing their self-titled debut album. The band is Tom Golden handling vocals, Fred Ferrari on guitar, Stephen Allan dropping the bass and Corey Manske on drums.

The album starts of with Rubber And Stone, a song that somewhat grates on me. It reminds me of a less intense System Of A Down song with time changes making is choppy. Weight In Gold isn't winning me over as Tom's vocals just seem off or out of key to me. Something just isn't working here, for me. Violent Medicine is a bit more laid back alternative rock. Some Kind Of Horror slows things down, though it has a few random heavier moments. 

I have no idea what they are trying for here. It is like some kind of disjointed jam session. Borderlines starts promising before Tom's singing drops it off in the alternative rock junkyard. On a positive note, Stephan displays some good bass playing here. Next up, Scream. Let's just acknowledge the fact that this isn't improving, but maintaining the jumbled up oddness. It is a little like the Red Hot Chili Peppers with the funk removed. 

Cain In You plods along in similar fashion and then the album ends with The World Burns, an attempt to bring a little groove to this trainwreck. This is like alternative rock with an occasional pinch of grunge, a dash of prog and a hint of funk. For me, the recipe just isn't palatable and I wish I had not heard it. 1/10

Bloodstock Metal To The Masses Winners Interview With I Fight Bears By Matt Bladen

Interview With I Fight Bears, Metal To The Masses South Wales Winners 2022

MoM: How was your M2TM Experience? 

I Fight Bears: It exceeded all our expectations. We've attended (and some of us have performed at) M2TM over the years, but something about 2022 bringing the return of live music after its indefinite hiatus added that extra spark of magic. You could feel the buzz in the room even at the Heat stages that this was going to be a year no one is going to forget any time soon, and we loved every minute of it.
Oh and sweaty, our experience was very sweaty.

MoM: What was your initial reaction to hearing your band’s name get announced as the winners?

I Fight Bears: It's a surreal experience. Almost like watching Dale Winton read out your lottery numbers as you're sitting on your sofa with a half eaten pizza and crumbs on your T-Shirt, getting that surge of adrenaline rush through your body so you jump up and scare the cat. 

But I'd add that we're not considering ourselves 'winners' in the traditional sense. We are the chosen representatives of the exceptional South Wales Metal community, and we hope to do you all proud.

MoM: How are you feeling about playing the New Blood? Are you confident you can own a stage like that?

I Fight Bears: Be it a cupboard or an arena, our live show ethos doesn't change. When Scott hits the hi-hat to count us in for the first note, we give everything we've got from start to finish. Knowing the community behind the Bloodstock New Blood stage, that energy will only help to feed us and tear that place a new one.

MoM: What do you think was the deciding factor that set you apart from the other competitors in the final?

I Fight Bears: Drew got his calves out? It might have been that. 

In all seriousness, we don't know. We put a LOT of effort into our live shows, and we continuously evolve our performance every time we play to improve, streamline and refine. There's a few technical, behind the scenes components that we've been working on (MIDI programmed patch switching for guitars) that have given us that 1% extra freedom on stage to concentrate on the performance on stage rather than looking at our feet for when the solo kicks in. But ultimately that's a very small piece of a 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle that all adds up to what you see on the day.

Any of the bands that played the final (and many that got knocked out even earlier!) could have won it on another day. Just right place right time for us I guess!

MoM: Metal To The Masses places a lot of emphasis on the role of the underground in the UK heavy scene - how important has the local South Wales scene been for you as a band?

I Fight Bears: The local South Wales scene has been EVERYTHING for us as a band. And that's not an overstatement. 99% of our shows have been in and around the South Wales area. Everything we've done, and strived to do has been for the this crowd. Seeing familiar faces in the front row singing your lyrics back to you, hanging out before and after the show to chat shit about anything and everything, seeing some of those same faces on a stage of their own creating their own incredible music. That's what it's all about for us.

MoM: What part of playing Bloodstock are you most looking forward to?

I Fight Bears: Not having to carry the gear onto stage! 

But representing the South Wales scene. We'll be on the stage but the community will be with us and we want to do them proud.

MoM: What opportunities do you hope will come out of this for you?

I Fight Bears: Ultimately we just want to play the best music we can create, to the widest audience of people who will listen to it. The exposure playing Bloodstock will give us is a fantastic opportunity to live those dreams.

MoM: Finally, what’s next for you as a band between now and Bloodstock?

I Fight Bears: While we only just released an EP (go check it out, it's in all the usual places, shameless plug etc.), we're already working on the next. And it's NASTY. So we'll be in the practice room and the studio nailing down some horrible riffs ready to smash your faces off as soon as possible. Get ready for the onslaught

A View From The Back Of The Room: Bloodstock Metal To The Masses Final 2022 (Live Review By Matt Bladen)

Bloodstock Metal To The Masses Final 2022, Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff, 2nd July 2022

After an intense few months it came down to the final chapter of the 2022 South Wales Metal To The Masses. Six competing bands vying for a place at Bloodstock Festival and two guest headliners in 2019 and 2021's winners. It was once again in to the bowels of Fuel Rock Club in Cardiff for what was the biggest night of home grown metal talent in 3 years!

First up were the metallic hardcore advocates Torchbearer, who always seem to be on first but always set the bar high. Both heavy and melodic they boosted their game for the final by bringing in a second guitar player to beef up the sound leading to a deafening level of heaviness that is countered by their usage of clean and screamed vocals. With the aggression starting early there was movement from the band and the crowd, exactly the sort of start that was needed for a Saturday night. A joyous way to start things off the venue selling out during their set menacing that the room was hot, heavy and full of pits.

With the gauntlet well and truly laid down it was there for Karmen Field to pick up, and pick it up they did, their unique take on metal meeting with loud applause. Prog meets grunge is really the only way to describe it, or as one punter described it, the closest thing to being on drugs without taking them. Great musicianship had already been established by the first band and was continued here but now it was joined by some of the most distinctive vocals in the competition. Again a band built around their control of the stage and the audience Karmen Field were laying claim to the crown before even finishing their set. However as many of us are feeling today (the day after) there's a lot more to come

Just before I Fight Bears kicked off the show was announced to be officially sold out, so with the room at full capacity and the heat from it enough to toast marshmallows (or Babybel if you're a heathen) the modern metal machine that is I Fight Bears took to demolishing the Fuel stage and someone's hand with a precision groove metal assault. It was a force of nature as they came like a nuclear powered steamroller taking no prisoners. Machine gun kicks, riffs that carve out gorges and vocals that could scare children the level at which these first three bands played made it a difficult decision already for Bloodstock's Mr Hall and there was still 3 to go!

After the stage was left still standing, just, post I Fight Bears, Mr Foxhall was rushed to A&E for his hand on the advice of the frontman of the next band, it was time for Eulogy go step up to the plate once again as the 'least heavy' band on the bill. Still as they have shown time and time again, this is not a negative for them. Big, ballsy rock with massive vocal lines are what they do best the addition of a second guitarist and a new drummer since they last performed at M2TM paying dividends as their sound is bigger and more well rounded (ooh err missus). Always an entertaining band to watch, their passion and humility alone enough win anyone over to their cause, nevermind their catchy as hell choruses.

Another brief interlude and plenty of happy faces after four excellent performances, the drinks were now really starting to flow and the evening found it's groove. The general camaraderie and joyous atmosphere of these M2TM events are evident, Mr Hall putting it best when he said there no cliques or posing going on just a load of people from different sides of the rock and metal spectrum all just coming together to enjoy music.

Speaking of music there was more noises to be had from State Of Deceit a band that like The US Postal Service (and not Evri) always deliver. Again they take the modern metal route but douse it with thrash for good measure. As they started yet more pits erupted, the sticky floor of Fuel getting a good battering by bodies as the shredding guitars and raw throated vocals of the band ring out through the house P.A. (major props to the Fuel sound man James who brought his A-Game for the evening and through every stage previously). State Of Deceit brought back the heavy and showed again why they are always one of the top contenders.

Finally it was time for perhaps the most controversial band of the competition, if ever a band embodied a rockstar attitude it's N A S H. Perennial fan favourites in all their Heats/Quarters/Semis, they are a band that have an edge of danger about them. They also have some serious chops, vocally especially as their groove metal brought more pits from their Valleys Massive. They're a tough, brooding, mass of heaviness that could use some refinement but has a lot of potential. Closing out the competition part of the night well.

With all six bands having played the decision was left to Mr Hall as the rest of us enjoyed the two guest headliners.

First up it was Blind Divide who weren't able to return in 2020 after taking the crown in 2019 so made up for this 3 year layover by absolutely deafening the masses with their brutal style of prog/tech/groove, riffs were flying at all angles, grooves were thick and juicy and those shouts were still as intimidating. They looked they hadn't lost a step as a band, new(ish) drummer Max making things sound more aggressive than ever. It was great to see them back devastating a stage again with ruthless efficiency. Their homecoming was met with rapturous applause and vicious pitting, reminding us why they won back in 2019. A triumphant headline show to a venue as hot as the pits of hell, no wonder there was t-shirt changes all round!

Next though were 2021 winners Pearler, the Swansea suppliers of stoner/glam, put on their bandanas, fired up the Bon Jovi wind machine an kicked out the jams for another round of party hardy good times. Having seen the band a few times they're always a strange mix of woozy stoner riffs and glam/sleaze metal hooks, colliding in a way that would befit Alice In Chains jamming with Motley Crue. Having brought a lot of support with them (some having come just for the headliners but stayed for the competition too) the band dove into tracks from their EP's and they were greeted like old friends. They won last year on their professionalism and slickness (as well as their performance) it was obvious that Pearler are veterans of the scene playing this co-headline set as if it was Swansea Arena (a venue they recently had the pleasure of opening)

All the bands had played, all the drinks consumed and the decision was made by Simon. We piled once again to the room where many congratulations and kudos were thrown around for the venue, the organisers Tim and Alyn and also to all the bands and fans who turned up. But like with Highlander there can be only one and the M2TM winners for 2022 are:

I Fight Bears!

Congratulations to them and I'm sure they will tear Bloodstock a new arsehole.

From my perspective as someone who is involved in just this one part of Metal To The Masses, conducting interviews with the bands, promoting the shows and even sometimes reviewing the events. It was heartwarming to see another packed house of a final after three years of uncertainty regarding live music.

Everyone involved cares massively about the South Wales scene and we want it to grow so every year it's harder to choose between the bands as they all step up their collective game. This night July 2nd 2022 will live long in the memory that's for sure, as we were treated to the best South Wales has to offer. 

I'm sure it won't be long until we all start talking about 2023, so for all the bands that want follow in the footsteps of Democratus, Blind Divide, Pearler, I Fight Bears (and countless others before them) get out and play as many gigs as you can before next year and enter the hottest (in many ways) M2TM in the UK!

A View From The Back Of The Room: Gatecreeper (Live Review By Zach Scott)

Gatecreeper, The Underworld, Camden, 2nd July 2022

Kicking things off with this night of metal at one of Camden’s finest places for live music, The Underworld, was UK death metallers Celestial Sanctuary (8). After an intro of guitar feedback reminiscent of The Acacia Strain’s Beast, they led the audience headlong into a frenzy of thrashy riffs, punky two steps, and savage breakdowns. With a heavy influence from UK beatdown and a healthy dose of old school hardcore, this young band claimed to be flag-bearers for the New Wave of English Death Metal, and by the sounds of it, this isn’t a far fetched idea. 

While their energy was a bit contained at first, they soon warmed up to the very responsive crowd, although a bit more interaction with the audience would’ve made their set even better. One thing I noticed immediately was how tight these guys are – they clearly care deeply about their live performance as every instrument (particularly the drums) were on point during their 20 minute set. There were some awkward meter changes that threw the momentum off kilter, but they nevertheless delivered a solid set of fresh death metal. Celestial Sanctuary are 100% a band to watch out for.

The second band was an odd one, in all honesty. With such straight-laced, in your face death metal bands sandwiching you on the bill, you’ll always stand out if you take things down a slightly different route. Sometimes it works, but unfortunately on this case it didn’t. After the bruising first set, Urne’s (6) brand of progressive and melodic metal killed the momentum and was overall a bit jarring. Make no mistake, Urne are not a bad band at all – they just didn’t really fit well on the bill. Their songs were long and winding, featuring anthemic clean choruses, mellow interludes, powerful guitar solos, and some doomier sections. 

And while it was very well-written and performed to a fantastic standard, it just didn’t blend well with the proceeding or succeeding bands at all. Urne’s crowd interaction was on point, with the bassist/vocalist having excellent energy and riling the crowd up despite the huge tone shift from the previous band. If Urne had been sharing the stage with more similar bands in the vein of Rivers Of Nihil, their set would’ve been so much better by association. Unfortunately, here it just didn’t work.

Fresh from the scorching Arizona desert, Gatecreeper (10) is a band that genuinely needs no introduction. Known throughout the death metal universe for their unrelenting groove, infectiously catchy riffs, and a huge live sound, I have to say I was hugely excited to finally see them live. And they absolutely delivered on the hype. As a huge fan of old school grindcore and death metal, the musical blend that Gatecreeper creates is a pretty much perfect recipe for me. 

Alex Brown’s grinding, buzzsaw bass tone gave the guitars a huge foundation of abrasive noise, while the guitars themselves (courtesy of Eric Wagner and Israel Garza) played what can only be described at Bolt Thrower riffs taken to the 21st century. Vocally, Chase Mason was on point with his trademark growl, and Matt Arrebello’s drumming was as tight as could be.

Throughout their set, it was just massive riffs one after the other with blindingly fast grind sections interspersed throughout. The band made waves when they released an album last year composed of almost entirely sub-60 seconds compositions, displaying their affinity for bands like Napalm Death and Nasum, and they played a few of these songs during the set - hilariously playing a particularly short one as the encore and pretending to leave afterwards. Their presence filled the stage, and it was overall an incredibly high octane, high quality performance.

Every riff absolutely pummeled the audience, the sound they created was a truly enormous wall of sound that combined magnitude with clarity to a fantastic standard. All in all, Gatecreeper is by far one of the best bands I have ever seen live, and their longer set more than made up for the slightly odd choice in lineup. If you have the opportunity to see these guys in an intimate venue – do it. They’re only getting bigger from here. It’s easy to see why death metal overlords Cannibal Corpse took the band on tour back in 2017, and they haven’t lost any momentum since then.

Reviews: Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters, Amongst Liars, The Kut, Enchantment (Reviews By Simon Black & Matt Bladen)

Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters - Mythos, Confession, Tragedies And Love (Beautiful Disasters Records) [Simon Black]

This is an act local to me who have really cut it over the last few years. If you’ve not come across this Cardiff melodic hard rockin’ four piece, then you may be surprised at the punch they pack. Well, I say Cardiff, as these days they are spread across the UK, but hey, we journo’s love hooks to hang things on. This record though, works and works well because it hits the big three critical success factors with a mighty crunch.

First off the songs. This album in particular is notably darker than its two predecessors and from the down and grungy opener The Otherside, this record does not pull its punches. There’s a million cheerful hard rock albums out there and after the last few years the songwriter Beth clearly needs to clear her system of the darkness, and this album positively drips that at times. That doesn’t mean there’s not more upbeat and up-tempo material in there, but it’s nice to hear a record from this genre that’s more balanced lyrically and tonally and a little dig into these songs lyrics shows a deep and thoughtful emotional undercurrent that grabs you more and more with every listen. 

But it’s that moodier material that wins the day for me, with Persephone, standing head and shoulders high as a track that hits the mood, whilst dripping with energy and pace. This is top notch song-writing and I really cannot fault any of the material on this record, which is refreshing given so many acts struggle with consistency of output for a full-length release after they’ve cleared the material they’ve been honing for years and have to write from scratch, but then there’s nothing like a global pandemic to provide inspiration. 

The second thing that grabs you is the rather lavish production. Now a good Rock ’N’ Roll band often has a dilemma in this regard – how do you record something that retains the edginess of the style, whilst sounding like a fortune was spent on the process? Well, often that’s about the right studio and producer, because experience shows that you can throw a ton of money at stuff and fail without that magic ingredient. This record hits the mark perfectly in that regard. 

Producer Nick Brine knows his knobs in that regard, given he’s worked with Thunder and Bruce Springsteen and to record in the fabled Rockfield Studios in nearby Monmouth may have added just the right level of mystique to bring out the best in the band (even though it’s not their first rodeo at the studio). This is a record that makes a refreshing change from the many more disjointed releases that have plagued the genre’s release schedules over the last 36 months as bands grappled with remote recording technologies at the expense of the fire and energy that four musos dripping with sweat in a studio always delivers…

…Which brings me to magic ingredient number three – the players themselves. This is an act that have really honed their magic over the last few years, having worked their arses off on the live circuit, although not quite to the point where they’ve become well known.

Yet… as I think that’s about to change.

The performances here are very finely honed and you can positively hear the chemistry between the players. Whilst singer/guitarist Beth McDonald is up front and loud in the mix vocally, the other instrumentals are not playing second fiddle to this, which creates warmth, fluidity and sheer raw power in the sound. Despite the fact she’s across the piece given her role as major songwriter to boot, this feels like a cohesive band, although it’s a challenge to give individual credits given that the names of the rest of the players seem to have been purged from the world wide web...! 

What really makes this work is that this is an act with way more experience under their belts than the ten or so years they have been going would indicate. It took a while from inception to first album, and these folks have garnered some fabulous experience along the way (‘cos let’s face it opening for Kiss on their cruise is way up there) and this shows in the quality and emotive power of this record. Fabulous – yes, a disaster – absolutely not. 9/10

Amongst Liars - Amongst Liars (Earache Records) [Simon Black]

There came a point during the pandemic when I had stopped mourning the handful of redundant tickets I had for gigs and festivals, stopped fearing for the fact that a whole bunch of live venues were hanging by a thread, whilst the big boys muscled them out and the streaming platforms swallowed the last of any revenues the music industry had left now that touring was dead and realised that actually this could be cathartic for the business. There is a saying that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, but the music business has been very, very broken for a very long time and indeed much of the Western world in general. 

We get upset about forest fires, but sometimes do so without realising that they are part of the forest’s natural life cycle, and that they have evolved to survive them. The old must burn down to make way for the new and the cleared forest gives new shoots a chance to establish themselves that would never have managed that with the big boy trees stealing all the space and light. Admittedly, Amongst Liars would be the first to point out that natural events are positive, not ones caused by sheer human stupidity, which they look at a lot….

The pandemic was a catalyst for change, the consequences of which are still far from clear, and their effect on this business is only just really starting to show through. During 2022 bands either held back releases, cleared out the archives in a holding pattern or actually rolled up their sleeves and worked out how to adapt. The latter are the ones now thriving, so hats off if you learned how to record drums in your airing cupboard and master remote recording, but if you actually formed and built something new in this period, then you may just be something special…

Hailing from England’s South Coast this modern rock four piece formed in 2020 and have slowly built-up credibility with half a dozen singles which have notched up some noteworthy stream-play and have now cut their self-titled debut. Musically this is very stripped back riff-based modern metal, with the kind of fire and ire that Rage Against The Machine would be proud of. In many ways I am reminded of Helmet in their early days tonally, but all the obvious influences like Queens Of The Stone Age are in their loud and proud too.

Their name says it all, as this is politically fueled in-your-face music of the type that gets old farts croaking about the woke generation and in a very short time has gone onto the top of my repeat listening list. Lyrically this is full of fire, passion and political anger at what the world has become. …And not before time, is this might be the start of the moment that drags this generation away from their phones and starts getting youth angsty again.

For a debut, the production on here is crisp and precise, with the decision made to slightly overdrive Ian George’s vocals, adding that slight 90’s Industrial edge to the sound … either that, or I’ve blown my speaker cones again, which may well be the case as I’ve been listening to this a lot and loudly (along with my neighbours). And then there’s Leo Burdett’s guitar work. My RATM comment above was specific, as this guy is clearly a student of Tom Morello’s school of “how the fuck did he make that sound on a guitar?” and tracks like the closer Without Grace, with its experimentally complex arrangement is a fantastic example of this and an indication that these boys have some serious technical nonce going on under the hood, despite the stripped back bare bones illusion they are creating on the top. To be honest, I can’t fault a track on here, and even when they slow things down, there’s a core complexity and emotional fire running throughout.

Energetic and furious, making the old influences sound new and relevant, this is polemical music for this generation, and not before time. The old is dead, long live the new. 10/10

The Kut - Grit (Criminal Records) [Matt Bladen]

The Kut is a project that takes the form of a full band live but on the 2018 debut album Valley Of Thrones, multi instrumentalist, songwriter and PhD Graduate, Princess Maha handled nearly all the instrumentation. The Kut have won numerous awards for songwriting and have been featured on plenty of the places that any band would want to be such as Kerrang, BBC London, BBC Wales and Planet Rock. As well as this they have played Download, Camden Rocks and The National Lottery. That last one isn't as odd as it seems as this second album was given Arts Council funding so she could record it with her touring line up, The Kut on vocals/guitar and her women in arms in the rhythm section, though The Kut also adds bass and drums. 

Recording Grit with a band means that all that touring experience oozes out of the 10 track on this record. Grit is a record where The Kut deal with independence, passion and purpose through some sneering, acerbic, attitude-filled alt rock meets punk. It's a rebellious record with punchy open chords, barbed vocals and driving rhythms. Kicking off with the award winning Animo, Grit gets going with a swaggering rocker, drenched in emotion as the chorus brings some vocoder and something to shout about. It's a clear single getting the engine turning over, Burn Your Bridges has a bit more of bluesy/grungy feel with a nod to bands such as Nirvana and Hole (And 1 More also has that Courtney Love lip curl). More bouncy rock is brought on Not Here For Love while Brother is the biggest shift in sound for some slinky country built on a hip hop drum beat, feeling like Primal Scream. 

Here then is where the record becomes much more punk/indie based as On My Own, Runaways, If Looks Could Kill and Fun When You're Winning all shift between punk and indie with ease. The Kut are one of the acts that are hotly tipped and Grit is an ideal example of what that actually means in real terms, empowering and emphatic there's real Grit here! 8/10

Enchantment - Cold Soul Embrace (Transcending Records/Cosmic Key Creations) [Matt Bladen]

In the beach side town of Blackpool, there is something brewing again, something sinister, something evil and something that hasn't stirred for over 30 years. Death/doom metal band Enchantment formed in 1991, they were part of the burgeoning UK death/doom that featured bands such as Paradise Lost, Anathema and My Dying Bride, it was a scene bristling with what was then innovate music that merged the doom riffs of bands such as Black Sabbath, with the 80's gothic scene and the recent death metal explosion from across the pond. Enchantment released a demo in 1993, followed by a Century Media released debut album in 1994 signing to a six record deal. However just as they were on the edge of becoming the newest big name in the death/doom scene, they disbanded disappearing until 2019. 

Now in 2022 they release their second album, their first in 28 years!! Cold Soul Embrace was written in the 90's but has only just been arranged and recorded, so with a modern sounding production what Enchantment have done is release a long lost album that distils the sounds from the peak of the UK death/doom explosion in the 90's. This isn't some young band copying the style or the sound of that era but an album that came from then. So it feels authentic, just take One Jump Of The Sun which closes out the album and is the best example of what Enchantment do, cascading heavy riffs with some soaring solo, spoken word riffs and an cinematic backing, it's a majestic conclusion to a brilliant record. One that doesn't pull it's punches giving exactly the kind of death/doom that made the bands mentioned earlier so revered. 

A Swanlike Dust builds from a Gothic beginning into some growled vocals counterpointed with yet more clean spoken vocals, though it's a track such as the harrowing Painting Amongst The Feathers, the propulsive The Wake Of Hollering Tide and the grinding In A Cello-Felt Glare that all really set this album in those 90's glory days. Riffs bigger than all outdoors, strings that undercut the distortion magically along with strong growls Cold Soul Embrace is one for lovers of the genre. A lost classic, that will hopefully see Enchantment return to a stage near you soon. I urge you to seek out Cold Soul Embrace. 9/10

Reviews: Profiler, Rend Them Asunder, Altars, White Tygër (Reviews By Zak Skane, Matt Cook, Zach Scott & FinnO'Dell)

Profiler – Profiler EP (Sharptone Records) [Zak Skane]

As we begin to delve into the sonic trip of Profiler’s self-titled E.P we are greeted with 8-Bit rumblings of baritone voiced guitars and faint swells of some punchy drums before the pulverising ensemble hits us like a tidal wave with low tuned nu metal attitude. Following from this, the head banging continues with Miserable, which keeps the energy up with it’s up beat drumming and it’s interval jumping riffs. Miserable also features the transitions between harsh and melodic vocals preformed over ghost noted drumbeats and exotic sounding clean sections. 

The Nu-metal vibes continue with Glitch which combines Fear Factory inspired sledge hammer riffs and ambient cleans which play along side Rage Against The Machine style rapped verses and Post grunge sounding chorus. Alpha Nine carries on the modern post grunge sounds with a nu-metal twist reminiscent of bands like My Ticket Home and Cane Hill especially when they combine the eastern sounding riffs that reminds me of the Restoring Force and Dead World era from Of Mice Men. Their closing track Hypocrite brings back the djenty nu metal slap but flavours it up with jazzy chords that you would hear from bands like Issues and Periphery but yet still manages to meld those Silverchair and Puddle of Mud sounding post grunge choruses to maintain their rough and smooth approach.

Throughout this 5 track journey it is proven that this band is on it’s way of craving a bigger audience especially with songs like Miserable, Alpha Nine and Hypocrite under their belts. This was passionate and genuine listen but does not re-shape the wheel. 7/10

Rend Them Asunder – Existence To Entrails (Self Released) [Matt Cook]

In any form of entertainment, if the audience senses the performer lacking enthusiasm or desire to be on stage, it’s uncomfortable and offensive. A waste of time. An insult to the people who chose to devote their time and/or money on the lacklustre affair. Furthermore, if you don’t have anything worth its salt, stick with what you do have and focus your efforts accordingly. Nobody told that to Rend Them Asunder, because they sink the vessel before it even leaves the dock. Grainy production and hazy drumming on Existence To Entrails wasn’t so bad (at first). 

Except the record swiftly dissolves into grossly formulaic milieu. The decision to relegate guitar solos to the final dying seconds of Blasphemy and Devoid Decorum felt less like a creative decision and more of a panicked effort to try and include them before the songs ended. Shrapnel Disembowelment loosens its grip on Caine Butcher, allowing for energy and exploration. Corrupted Innocence has chuggy riffs, but any more praise than that is quite frankly over-selling the record. Devoid Decorum, a seven-plus-minute song, is placed there as logically as a sauna on the beach. It’s foolishly jogging in public topless to let people know you have abs when no one really fucking cares to see them. 

Amazingly, Rend Them Asunder throw their hat into the grindcore ring in the lamest way possible: a six-second abomination (Salvo) presumably trying to mimic Napalm Death’s 1.316-second song You Suffer. Leave that to the pros, lads. It’s akin to Machine Gun Kelly claiming to lead a punk rock revival. How’d that go? If the artists can’t even be arsed to put in the hours in the studio, why should I listen to it when there are literally hundreds and thousands of other options? The only saving grace is I didn’t have to waste any money on the music. Though I won’t be getting that time back. 4/10

Altars – Ascetic Reflection (Everlasting Spew Records) [Zach Scott]

This record is a winding, sprawling collection of progressive and dark death metal, with haunting riffs, tortured vocals, and oppressive atmospheres. Each song is a dark foray into dissonant death metal, with heavy doom influence (especially found in the tracks Opening The Passage and Inauspicious Prayer as well as post-metal, black metal, and traditional death metal elements combining together to create this unique sound. The production on Ascetic Reflection is generally good, with a gritty guitar tone and solid drum sound, however the bass and vocals have a tendency to get almost completely buried beneath the dissonant textures and synth lines. That said, the production does generally serve the sound well. 

The songwriting, too, is solid; the use of linear song structures means that riffs and sections weave in and out of each other with a free feel – going from heavy doom riffs into black metal blasts and back again. Some sections feel stilted and less thoughtfully written, and unfortunately some moments just fall short of the overall sound of this record. All in all, Ascetic Reflection is a solid album, with an interesting blend of various styles written well and performed to a high standard; however, the level of songwriting still has a way to go but it is clear from this record that it can definitely be achieved to a fantastic standard. Altars is certainly a band to watch, as this record proves strong potential in the coming years. 6/10

White Tygër - This Is The Life (Self Released) [Finn O'Dell]

This is the debut album from these boys from the UK. These guys are bringing back some sounds from the 80's, but with their own flare. Let's dive into these 9 jams and see how they fare. Permanent Vacation opens with the grit of early Skid Row and I am so digging it. Nip Turner's vocals here are a dead ringer for Sebastian Bach. Heartbreak Hotel opens with some blistering guitar and has a heavy rock party feel with a hook loaded chorus and a final scream as top shelf as any I've ever heard. By the time Runaway Bride hits, I can confirm, these guys are mailing that hair metal sound of the 80's. Lovin' it. 

Midnight Lovers continues the jams and then Forever And Always slows things down with a Whitesnake-ish ballad with a pinch of Firehouse. Scum Town bounces back to the rock sounding a bit like Warrant. This Is The Life, the title track, it out of the gate with a fast paced rocker and I can't say enough about the vocally thick choruses. Speed Demon is another banger leading up to the final cut, No Fucks Given. The closer's title says it all - pure hard rock attitude with no holds barred. Enough raunch here to draw an obvious comparison to Steel Panther. 

There are few bands that really can bring that truly gritty hard rock sound from the past these days, in my opinion (Steel Panther being another exception to that rule). This album nails it and is a good time classic. 9/10