Review: Stratovarius, Venom Inc, Virgil & Steve Howe, Kaledon (Reviews By Simon Black & Matt Bladen)

Stratovarius – Survive (earMusic) [Simon Black]

Survive? Yes they most certainly do.

The challenge this act has is that there have effectively been three different incarnations of it since 1985, and this current third one doesn’t have any original members remaining. I don’t really count the first incarnation, as that was more like a Timo Tolkki solo project and it never worked with him singing instead of just six-stringing, but many feel that the 2.0 line up (which included the only remaining survivors vocalist Timo Kotipelto and keyboard maestro Jens Johannson) was the point of their peak. It wasn’t a sustainable peak sadly, produced too many albums in too short a time, leading to a drop off in song-writing quality and saw Tolkki (whose mental health issues were at that time undiagnosed) burning out and stomping off. Let’s just agree to forget about the ill-judged self-titled 2005 release that closed that period…

The band wrestled control of the name and carried on with the more than capable young guitarist Matias Kupiainen in play, and after a shaky start album wise and the forced retirement of drummer Jörg Michael after illness (although he’s still involved in the band management) the line up finally settled, and indeed soared with 2013’s Nemesis, which oddly was the first thing I ever heard from them. Since that time, I’ve become a definite fan and worked my way through the back catalogue…

Now I’ve been following this band for long enough to tell on first listen that Survive is one of their better efforts since this incarnation of the band materialised (which to be fair has been around for thirteen years and five albums). Although to truly appreciate it, it’s going to take more end-to-end spins than I have with a publishing deadline looming, I can also tell that it’s one of their better efforts period.

It’s also the first on a long time that feels like it is stylistically the same band as their popularity peak second incarnation, despite Kupiainen’s playing style being so distinct and separate from his predecessor. If you think I’m talking rubbish, remember that most Iron Maiden fans can always tell which of the three guitarists is soloing, and this is no different – it’s as distinctive and individual as handwriting when you know what you are listening for. It’s not just about the guitars either, as the song writing is doing the same thing.

Version 1 of the band was firmly power metal, the second symphonic etal and the third so far since Nemesis more power than not, but this is the first time that a release is a fusion of both, and very effectively so. So yes, you have the complex arrangements, brutally fast and technical playing, occasional Neo-classical flourishes from Johannson to cheer the more symphonic fans, but there’s also the strong use of catchy melody and anthemic power tropes that can turn around a lukewarm festival crowd within three songs that first caught my ear in 2013.

They really have got the balance right this time.

Something that I had missed from the earlier years had been the sparring interplay between guitar and keyboards, which to be fair is something Johannson brought with him from his days with Yngwie Malmsteen and which didn’t prevail more recently (although clearly it would happen live when playing the older tracks). We get a few instances of it here, and it’s probably the one element that helps this stylistic fusion of different incarnations gel so successfully here. Nothing captures this more than Broken, which I can tell is a song I’m going to be coming back to a lot.

What we have here folks, is an album that perfectly balances the bouncing anthemic bangers from opener Survive, the singles Firefly and World On Fire to the belting Glory Days (which feels like No Turning Back Part 2 riff wise). When they go thoughtful and moody, they do so with aplomb, with the thoughtful Frozen In Time standing out as a moment of heart-warming anthemic mid-paced power energy, but with an extended instrumental twist and an extra vocal top end scale peak from Kotipelto that is nothing short of fabulous. Closing with the epic length Voice Of Thunder, feel like a nod back to the Elements days, and although perhaps not as memorable as it hangs around a bit too long, it’s still an accomplished piece of music.

But it’s the beautifully layered Breakaway that steals the album for me. Kotipelto is for me one of the must under-recognised singers in all the Metal realms, and when you listen to his performance here you can see why he deserves wider recognition. Now he can sing long, high and loud with the best of them, but his subtle, light and haunting opening verse with acoustic guitar accompaniment, building slowly in power to full anthemic wallop, should be one of those songs that blow this band open to a wider audience. They never went away, but this time they also really feel like they are back. 10/10.

Venom Inc. - There's Only Black (Nuclear Blast) [Simon Black]

The impact that three lads from Newcastle had when they pushed for a the most extreme and most egregiously Metal image they thought they could get away with in 1978 are still felt forty-four years later the world over. Venom became (almost by accident) both a notorious Satanic arch of the NWOBHM movement, and the source of all extreme metal sub-genres ever since. One wonders how much more they would have achieved if those three guys had actually been able to get on a bit better too… which is why we have both Venom and Venom Inc. still with us in 2022...At this point, I should probably pause and explain for the benefit of those not familiar with the history why there are two versions of the band doing the rounds currently. 

There’s been a lot of this in recent years, particularly in the USA when the judiciary frequently allows two warring splinters of a successful band brand to complete in the same space until one emerges as the victor on the still twitching commercial corpse of the other, but in this instance it’s once again almost accidental that the name Venom Inc. was selected, or that the band even existed. When the project was started as a brief attempt to reboot the second Prime Evil/Demolition Man/Mantas era of the band it was originally as a one-off festival event. The band didn’t even want to be named in a way that associated them with Venom, but the fans had other ideas and Venom Inc. has stuck. So have Venom Inc and they seem perfectly capable of coexisting alongside the other branch (if not in the same room), with both acts releasing new albums on a regular basis, whilst keeping enough of the material from their respective eras in the live sets for the fans not to feel like they are being done over. 

Now I’ve not seen Venom in its current incarnation live, but have had the privilege of watching Venom Inc. twice at Bloodstock in recent years, and feel they have probably gained more ground here in the UK than the Cronos fronted version, even if original member Abaddon has now moved on since I saw them the first time. But this is the first time I have sat down with any original new material, so expectations were high, and a rare glimmer of excitement loomed...I was not disappointed. Black it definitely is, but there’s an awful lot of groove in here too, and my word does this baby chug. 

The material on here is consistently stark, brutal and in your face as their live shows, to the point when I can visualise Tony Dolan snarling and gurning every syllable of these lyrics into a mic with the bombastic rage of a Satanic Les Dawson (actually, Tony’s lovely when you meet him in person…). As always, I remain overawed that this much richness of sound can be produced by only three musicians, and I have the evidence of my own ears and eyes to testament to their ability to do this live, but this material works fantastically well in the studio too. 

The fact that it delivers consistently is the strongest point to make here. I can’t fault any of the tracks, but special call out needs to go to the epic feeling closer Inferno, the relentless chugger Come To Me, the catchy as fuck riff monster of a title track and the vicious anger of Don’t Feed Me Your Lies win the day for me. Splicing up that classic Venom sound of their era, a dollop of Slayer-esque brutality and the thundering, kidney rattling bass of Motörhead when Lemmy’s got a cob on, this is Venom Inc on top form, and feel like it’s picking up where Prime Evil left off. A palpable hit indeed 9/10

Virgil & Steve Howe - Lunar Mist (InsideOut Records) [Matt Bladen]

Lunar Mist is the second album from Yes/Asia/GTR guitarist Steve Howe and his son Virgil. This second album is another posthumous collection of material as Virgil tragically passed away shortly after the first album Nexus was completed, but on that album one song remained unreleased. This was Lunar Mist, meant for a Japanese release but left on the cutting room floor it inspired Steve to go digging into his sons unfinished works looking to complied another tribute to his musical dexterity. 

What he found after writing for Yes' most recent album The Quest was veritable trove of music that was at various stages of completion. The urging and support of his wife Jan, Steve took these tracks and added his skills to them so what we have is 14 experimental compositions that straddle numerous genres, while blurring others. 

Take the last two songs here Pagoda, leans heavily on Asian themes (the region not the band) but Martian Mood is much more alien, reminding a bit of Jeff Wayne's War Of The World's. Starting off with the title track, they set the bar high, as it's a real stunner that feels like the early days of prog, the influence of Gabriel-led Genesis and Steve's own band Tomorrow, it's even got that crackling production and unique percussion, following this would be difficult but More Than You Know is a beautiful piece built for Steve's string mastery, his classical skills on show here while Plexus is all about electric. 

Mariah's Theme seems to be drawing from Grieg's Piano Concerto In A minor whereas A Month In The Sun has a disco beat. A beguiling glimpse at both men's talent while also being a father's tribute to his son. Lunar Mist is another genre sprawling record from this father and son team. 7/10

Kaledon - Legend of the Forgotten Reign - Chapter VII: Evil Awakens (Beyond The Storm Productions) [Matt Bladen]

Christ that's a mouthful of a title! Fortunately I'm going to try and not type it again as the latest album by Italian power metal band is the next entry into their long running conceptual storyline that runs through their first six albums. After a couple of records about other characters 2017's Carnagus: Emperor Of The Darkness being the first to feature current singer Michele Guaitoli (Temperance, Visions of Atlantis), they have returned to their fantasy universe for yet more tales of might and myth. 

What we have here is power metal in the vein of Helloween, Stratovarius and Rhapsody. Though they don't use anywhere near as many orchestral manoeuvres as their Italian cohorts. Helloween would be the one I would pick out mainly as Guaitoli, who also mixed and mastered the release, has a raspy delivery similar to Andi Deris, occasionally he hits higher notes but the heavier riffs style and use of synths makes for less power metal posturing and more modern metal bite. 

The darker tone of the record is due to the Dark Lord from the first five albums returning from defeat, ready to re-attack Kaledon, so it reflected in the album. At The Gates Of The Realm, the thrashier riffs and spikier synths are both key elements to achieving what is quite a heavy sound, A Strike From The Unknown features screams from Hostile's James Mills and while The Story Comes To An End? features the ethereal voice from Nicoletta Rosellini (Kalidia) it's far from being just 'symphonic metal'. The interplay between keyboardist Paolo Campitelli with guitarists Alex Mele and Tommy Nemesio is brilliant though on the gothic Emperor Of The Night Manuele Di Ascenzo's restrain behind the kit adds emotion, but he's also great in galloping unison with bassist Enrico Sandri on tracks such as The Dawn Of Dawns. 

What was useful for someone like me who isn't as familiar with the band as perhaps I should be, you don't have to listen to the other six chapters to understand what's going on, as they link back to the previous albums in the lyrics. Obviously if you're a fan of the world building then definitely do that but you can enjoy this album without it. Some modern power metal that doesn't overly rely on electronics, Kaledon have returned with this strong conceptual power metal record. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Evergrey, Fractal Universe & Virtual Symmetry (Live Review By Matt Bladen)

Evergrey, Fractal Universe & Virtual Symmetry, Thekla, Bristol, 19.09.22

The first post-pandemic jaunt to Bristol's boat was to see a band who've I've watched numerous times but will always return to. Having successfully navigated the diversion around a closed bridge (though leaving was a different story) I parked up in the dry dock pretty much next to the bus and went over to the pub next door to meet up with the guest MoM Tog for the evening (and band superfan) Mike Evans. After a bit of chat and a pint it was back to the boat before the doors to stake our place on the balcony, mainly for m'colleague to get a good vantage point.

As we watched the room fill out a little, shouting down to friends we spotted, it wasn't long after the door opened that the opening act Virtual Symmetry (8) came to the stage, crammed at the front of it, the instrumental members getting their prog metal sound off to a technical melodic beginning, guitars and keys in unison before the vocalist bounded on stage and the show began. I'd never seen the Swiss/Italian band before but they're a slick prog metal unit with a sound owing to Dream Theater, DGM and Circus Maximus, allowing the melodies to stand out, rather than relying on heaviness.

Virtuoso guitar/bass/drums/keys and vocals were all on show as frontman Marco Pastorino, a member of Even Flow/Temperance/Fallen Sanctuary/Wonders, engaged with crowd bringing them forward towards the stage so the atmosphere felt a bit different to that of a State Funeral enforced Bank Holiday Monday night. They did an admirable job ploughing through their set well keeping the tempo high to keep the crowd on side. Receiving a big applause when they finished, they looked genuinely appreciative of their reaction.

A strong start and a quick changeover, seriously the changes throughout the night were like lightning, meant that France's Fractal Universe (8) were up and running before many could get back from the bar. Upping the stage show with some smoke blasts, they play a heavier, more aggressive style of prog metal, with growled vocals, thrashier guitars and death metal influence. Still they had enough melody to win over those of the power metal persuasion, their live show is breakneck and pummels you with twin guitars, plenty of blasting and also a lot of sax from frontman Vince Wilquin who swapped between vocals/guitar and sax a few times throughout their set.

The varying pace changes and overall heaviness made for a different overall feel but with the number of people headbanging along to the death metal riffs it was evident that they had won over the now slightly bigger crowd, through both their music and stage presence, exuding excitement throughout, climaxing with Vince and his Sax playing in the crowd with guitarist Hugo Florimond joining him as they took a walk around the boat to finish off their show.

With the excitement building and two strong supports, it was time for Tom S Englund to lead his troops out on to the stage again as he has done throughout the ups and down of his bands existence. His tall figure took to the stage and the anticipation was palpable as Evergrey (9) are one of those bands that don't necessarily have the largest of followings (in the UK) but certainly have the most devoted. For me they are a archetypal example of the sort of metal Sweden produces brilliantly. Heavy, melodic, emotive and with enough progression to never sound too one dimensional and band that have in their repertoire songs such as Save Us, King Of Errors and Recreation Day, the former two book ending the set at the beginning and end, can be considered to be masters of their craft. Ever the affable frontman despite the dark often gothic nature of Evergrey's lyrics, Tom S Englund has one of the best voices in music, aided by keyboardist Rickard Zander for the choral parts.

Kicking off with Save Us as I said, it was a strong way to start off, they set about drawing most of the set from their three most recent albums A Heartless Portrait: The Orphean Testament getting four with the excellent Call Out The Dark and Midwinter Calls in the main set and Blindfolded opening the three song encore which included a costume change. Escape Of The Phoenix meanwhile brought the darker realms of Where August Mourn, In Absence Of The Sun and Eternal Nocturnal. Sprinkled in the set were Weightless and a personal favourite A Silent Arc but for me the older tracks such as A Touch Of Blessing and Recreation Day that really bulked this out to being one hell of a setlist.

Delivered slickly by Englund and his band of merry men, they all seemed at ease with each other on stage the trade offs between Englund, guitarist Henrik Danhage and bassist Johan Niemann (the one man wah pedal) were all seamless the three having a great time up the front as Rikard Zander adds the synths and orchestrations to give the massive Evergrey live sound, which even in Thekla (where bands can struggle) was clear as Jonas Ekdahl keeps the rhythms going behind the kit. The experience was on display and the crowd lapped up every single moment of it clapping and cheering along. Evergrey have the heaviness and melody of both of their support bands together.

An 8:30 start and a 10pm finish was much appreciated for those of us that have to travel but we got an hour and a half of sublime Swedish melodic prog metal on a Monday evening.

Reviews: Gaerea, Phobophillic, Lunarian, Edenbridge (Reviews By Matt Cook, GC, Matt Bladen & James Jackson)

Gaerea – Mirage (Season Of Mist) [Matt Cook]

I mean this as a compliment when I say Gaerea took what they created in 2020 and perfected any stutters or shortcomings, because the follow-up to that year’s Limbo is far and away one of the most captivating albums to be released in quite some time. Mirage represents that one college lecturer that stops you in your tracks because everything they’re saying – and the way they say it – is jaw-dropping, enthralling. It represents that pedestrian you catch a glimpse of while sitting in traffic that nearly causes a multi-car pileup because of how attractive and endearing they are.

This is a black-metal record for the ages, a once-maligned genre being elevated and restored to its former glory but with a modernisation that not only puts itself into the present-day discussion; it also annihilates anything released prior and already threatens whatever is on the horizon. The mark of a first-rate piece of art is in the fact that over the course of nine songs and just over an hour, you’re left not finding yourself dozing off but feeling enlivened, inspired, enamoured.

Memoir is the finest track to open with, bar none. The progressive intro and whispered vocals receive ample reinforcements from a peaceful drum, which of course is all being mustered in hopes of lulling the listener into a false sense of serenity and peace. The payoff to the build-up shakes the very foundation of black metal, and metal in general. It’s an adrenaline-soaked blitz that in turn pirouettes into an epically subtle aura. That theme of progressively spawning a masterpiece by way of gradually introducing elements piece-by-piece is repeated throughout, especially on Deluge, a track that boasts cratering guitar huffs and punishing drums that mimic the feeling of being stoned to death.

Mirage plays out as if Gaerea must prove to the entire world that they are worthy of our ears. It’s hogwash, frankly, because the real question should be if we are even worthy of sharing the same dimension with them. Arson is droney, cosmological, before the song crashes head-on with an asteroid that shifts the tone entirely. Troubled, turmoil-ridden vocals beg for an avalanche of drums that are all too eager to oblige. The precursor to Mirage saw the band instrumentally less urgent at times and additionally less vocally-centric – not as authoritative or biting. Gaerea went multiple steps forward and in doing so, carved out an astonishing compendium of evocative songs which yearns for replays.

I won’t go so far as to say this album should be displayed in the Louvre, because there is nothing yet like it. The record deserves to be put on its own pedestal, in its own company. It’s a one-of-a-kind work of art that may never be replicated, at least not in this author’s lifetime. 10/10

Phobophilic - Enveloping Absurdity (Prosthetic Records) [GC]

Hot off the heels of signing to Prosthetic Records, who might I just add seem to have one of the best rosters of bands going right now, we are introduced to the death metal stylings of Phobophilc’s debut album Enveloping Absurdity. Coming sweeping into your consciousness with the gloomy and morose Enantiodromia, we are introduced to some downright disgusting riffing from John Poer and Aaron Dudgeon before Aaron unleashes some guttural viciousness that drops straight into a short, sharp blast of nasty old school death metal before dropping into a razor sharp and solid rhythm for the rest of the track. 

Those Which Stare Back opens in a more immediate way but then continues along the OSDM route but with more of a sense of urgency and force injected and drops into a wicked bass drop form Christian Alm which interludes with more nice guitar work and adds a great depth and focus before ending on a chaotic and crushing pummelling from drummer Vincent Tweten. Nauseating Despair is another exercise in utter brutality but mixes in some more sombre sections so as not to completely crush our skulls only 3 track in. Cathedrals Of Blood (Twilight Of The Idols) surges forth with some wailing guitars and truly forceful drumming before proceeding to stomp and almost groove its way to a conclusion full of booming vocals and enormous riffs, Individuation is an instrumental interlude that offers a brief spell of rest from the attack that has proceeded and is a nice addition to the whole feel and flow of the album before, The Illusion Of Self drags itself into being and is probably the most accessible track on the whole album so far, as it has an almost hardcore like tempo but still embodies all the classic elements that need to make it a death metal track which again is a nice touch and makes it more interesting for a first time listener. 

Survive In Obscurity is right back to what has been the main body of this album so far, a full on, eyes closed, heads down OSDM barnstormer full of sharp riffs, razor like vocals and drums galore and a snare sound so sharp it almost snaps your head off and finally it is onto title track Enveloping Absurdity to finish us off for good and it really does! Mixing all the varying styles we have heard so far it is a devastating finish with some breakdowns so heavy they are destined to cause some huge pits when they play live. In what has already been a sterling year for albums Phobophilic have produced something that will not just get banished to the side and is destined for numerous listens as it is a really good and solid debut. If you like your death metal to be old school but retain a modern edge and nastiness, then this is a record you should check out. 7/10

Lunarian - Burn The Beauty (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

Vocalist Ailyn is a go to name for these Frontiers projects, formerly of Sirenia, she is part of Her Chariot Awaits with Mike Orlando and Magnus Karlsso's Heart Healer rock opera. Here she has teamed up with producer/guitarist Aldo Lonobile who too is no stranger to Frontiers projects for new project Lunarian which has more in common with her previous band Sirenia, a symphonic metal album that also draws on Xandria, Tristiana. A purely symphonic metal album in every way, Antonio Agate really goes to town with the orchestration all swelling strings and theatrics while also bringing the twitchy synths too on Embrace and Embers. 

With Aldo on guitar and behind the desk, the riffs are big but the overall sound is bigger, extremely clear and precise. Burn The Beauty is the heaviest track here with bassist Mattia Gosetti and drummer Michele Sanna steering the rhythms towards a more metallic style. Lonobile's production style makes it bombastic but means you can hear all the detail especially on Ailyn's classically trained vocals Bleeding Out reminds of those symphony metal leaders with a deep vein of Evanescence as well. Another vehicle for Ailyn and Aldo to show off their talent. Not the best in the genre but perfectly good listening. 7/10

Edenbridge - Shangri La (AFM Records) [James Jackson]

Edenbridge formed back in the good old days of the late 1990’s and fronted by co-founder Sabine Edelsbracher they’re part of that often overlooked sub genre of symphonic metal, a huge umbrella of a category, to which I’ve listened to since the early Noughties. One of the closest bands I can liken Edenbridge to, for many reasons, is Nightwish, a band I discovered and fell hard for with their 2004 release Once. 

Edenbridge’s eleventh studio album Shrangri-La opens with the eight mini long First Light, swiftly followed by The Call Of Eden and Hall Of Shame; each track blends the genre’s hallmark use of orchestration, choir like backing vocals with a strong vocal and elements of rock, thrash and power metal; there is no denying the talent within the musicianship on display here, which makes the fourth track Savage Land all the more surprising when it becomes my first, actually the only, skip of the album. 

Somewhere Else But Here is probably my favourite track although the tracks that follow it Freedom Is A Roof Made Of Stars, Arcadia and The Road To Shangri-La are everything that I’ve come to expect and want from the band and the genre; but it’s the closing track weighing in at a whopping 16 minutes long, The Bonding (Part 2); a continued saga from the album of the same name released in 2013; that truly shows just what this band are capable of, there are chapters/parts to this track and each is as intricate as the last. 

In a nutshell, this album has rekindled my love of the operatic inspired approach to songwriting and I’ll be delving into their back catalogue for more…. Further detail I discovered, Edenbridge is also a town in Kent; maybe worth a visit. 7/10

Reviews: Liar Thief Bandit, KEN Mode, Anti-Clone, Writhing (Reviews By David Karpel, Steve Walsh, Elliott Spencer, Matt Cook)

Liar Thief Bandit - Diamond (The Sign Records) [David Karpel]

Swedish power-trio Liar Thief Bandit's Diamonds is the third album from The Sign Records that I’ve been fortunate enough to review this year, the others being releases from Askväder and Marvel. Each plays their own variation of garage rock soaked in melodies, harmonies, and inevitable guitar leads. While I enjoyed Askvader and Marvel’s albums, I’ll be honest and admit I haven’t returned to them much more than some songs on shuffle play. Liar Thief Bandit's new album, Diamonds, on the other hand, is a step up. Yes, the Thin Lizzy influence is obvious and, honestly, wonderful. I love those guitars when done well, and here they’re done well. That’s not all, though. While the tune Better Days recalls Cheap Trick, I was also pleasantly surprised by their awesome, faithful cover of Graveyard’s Ain’t Fit To Live Here.

Diamonds, released just over a year after their 3rd full length Deadlights, is marketed as a mini-album, which isn’t an EP, but isn’t necessarily a full-length of original material either. As promised in the promotional material, Diamonds does pick up where Deadlights left off. And this is not a bad thing at all. I’ve actually just recently discovered that Deadlights is chock-full of great punk soaked garage rock steeped, again, in catchy AF melodies. Diamonds, though, is produced and mixed by different folks, so perhaps there’s something to that extra salt I’m getting from it, the songs perhaps sounding like they’re coming from deeper in the guts. .

Throughout, Mikael Jacobson’s fierce vocals are glassy smooth and he rocks riffs that pull at you like a rip current. Meanwhile, William Grube (drums) and Niklas Dahre (bass) are bolted into a rhythmic interplay that thunders into your bones. As a band, they’re a lot of fun to listen to, and they’ve put out some heartfelt, energetic songs here that are catchy enough to induce singing along and repeated listens. While Deadlights is definitely worth going back to and digging into if you haven’t (personal note: I’ve Got A Lot Of Money Comin’ In sounds like it could be a song by the Fluid!), this latest release, Diamonds, recorded in just 7 days and released just 16 months later, is a worthwhile addendum to the previous album that proudly stands on its own. This record deserves your attention. As you are wont to do: play it loud. 8/10

KEN Mode – Null (Artoffact Records) [Steve Walsh]

After over 20 years of existence, most bands would have either dried up creatively, switched to nostalgia mode, or just given up altogether. It seems that hardcore metallers KEN Mode are made of sterner stuff. Although not the most prolific of bands (7 albums since 2003's debut Mongrel) each album has represented a deliberate and emphatic step forward, to the point where Null achieves an incandescent level of intense fury and rage that's rarely matched by bands half their age.

Jesse Mathewson's guitar and Scott Hamilton's particularly gnarly and nasty bass rampage around Shane Matthewson's emphatic drums, while Kathryn Kerr's synth and saxophone stab jolts of unhinged noise into songs that barely hold together in their precisely organised chaos. Oddly for a band clearly coming from a hardcore background, there's not much here that is particularly fast, but the weight the sound carries is thrown around with a gravity defying lightness.

Reference points are always personal, but they've mastered the kind of slow churning riffage Jesus Lizard were particularly good at, and there's a Shellac like tendency to stretch form and space in unexpected ways. There's also a strong suspicion that Swans inform the bands influences, with the 10 minute Lost Grip taking its time to pummel and grind, and closer Unresponsive evokes the kind spacious aural horror Swans explored on Greed/Holy Money.

Lyrically the band continue to explore issues of mental health/instability and social and emotional alienation ("This un-tasteful place....../Something is broken/Something is FUUUUCKED!" from opener A Love Letter and "I've got nothing worthwhile to say/And you've got no reason to listen" from But They Respect My Tactics are typical sentiments), and you have to hope that writing and playing these songs provides a healthily counterbalancing catharsis for the band.

The other good news is that apparently this is part one of a projected pair of albums, although no news on when the next (called Void, maybe?) is likely to appear. Can't wait. This is a terrific album. 8/10

Anti-Clone - Human (Self Released) [Elliott Spencer]

It was only a matter of time before late-generation Nu Metal had something of a comeback. Anti-Clone hark back to all the vocal eccentricities, straightforward drop-tuned riffs and melodic choruses of the early 2000s. To the band’s credit, there’s a noticeable modern flare to the songs on Human and the fact that these songs were written as a response to the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and general exploitation going on in the world is commendable. 

This EP is genuinely inspired rather than indulgent in throwback angst. However, the songs themselves are less inspiring. The opening title track fails to provide the effective rallying cry it intends and while closer Spiteful offers some mangled but bouncy riffs, it never fully commits to the crushing tone it’s title and fast pace teases. This isn’t to say that these songs lack ear-catching moments, though. The chorus on Punish Me is suitably catchy and a Danny Elfman-esaque melody weaves itself into the bridge of End Of The World for instance. 

But the results rarely reach the heights of Anti-Clone’s peers such as Cane Hill or Vended. Anti-Clone are certainly efficient at their style but Human ultimately sounds like a mere hint of what they’re capable of rather than a statement of intent. 5/10

Writhing – Of Earth And Flesh (Everlasting Spew) [Matt Cook]

Writhing, an Australian-based death metal collective, unleashed their two-track EP in 2020 which marked the first taste of what was to come. But I don’t think anything could have prepared the world for the foursome’s debut full-length, Of Earth And Flesh. Pat James flexes death-defying grunts, gutturals you hear before slaughtering a pompous gaggle of invading Persians, and girthy sustained harshes that have the potential to give the listener the bends. 

Someone needs to offer this man a job as a personal trainer. It sounds like he was meant for it. Overall, the eight songs act as a sexy kaleidoscope of forceful, hurricane-force-winds metal. A storm cloud of toxic fumes hovers over every song, and therein also lies a surplus of death-doom elements. Concealed Within The Soil boasts chugs that tickle your happiness gland and is the equivalent of a crocodile’s nightmare-inducing death roll. That Which Becomes Death is diabolically inclined and James’s output packs the same ferocity as being hit in the face by a cinder block shot out of a cannon in minus-45 degree weather. 

The opening track (Monolithic Extinction) sounds like castrating a rhinoceros, a feat that is probably as impossible to successfully pull off as is selling this record to a bubblegum pop music fan. The title track batters your ears while simultaneously putting you into the head of a berserker as he consumes mushrooms by the bundle and readies to decimate everyone in sight, friend and foe alike. 

Joel Gregory masterfully commands his guitar with equal parts sluggish, fatalistic doom and BPM-spiking death. The combined effort blitzkriegs the unexpected general population with the same opioid-fuelled thrust of the Nazis into Poland. Everlasting Spew may not be the most recognisable label (they boast the likes of Altars and Refulsed), but Writhing alone stamped the company into the extreme metal discussion. They batter, pummel, ambush and eradicate. 9/10

Reviews: Clutch, Talas, The Necromancers, Holy Fawn (Reviews By Rich Piva & Matt Bladen)

Clutch - Sunrise On Slaughter Beach (Weathermaker Music) [Rich Piva]

Over the past two weeks I have been lucky enough to review new albums from two of my long-time favourite bands. Last week the excellent new King’s X record and now this week the newest offering from Clutch, Sunrise On Slaughter Beach. Like King’s X, Clutch has never put out a bad album, even with a double-digit studio output.  Also, like King’s X, this is Clutch’s thirteenth studio record that their rabid fan base has been waiting for with great anticipation. To keep this thread going, like King’s X’s Three Sides Of One, Sunrise On Slaughter Beach is an excellent later career addition to their already amazing discography which has the songs and swagger to hang with any of them.  

The first thing many fans will notice is that this is the shortest record in Clutch’s discography. At just about 33 minutes, SOSB is concise, with zero filler, a quick shot of what Clutch does best but also leave you wanting more, which is fitting since Clutch have become the kings of merch over the years. The songs are undeniably Clutch songs.  Anyone who knows even a little about the band will recognise the telltale style of the band starting from Neil’s voice and Tim’s tone. Songs like Slaughter Beach, We Strive For Excellence, and Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone) are so very Clutch and will fit nicely in the set list with all the other classics.  

But as with any Clutch record, you get some new directions as well, specifically using backup/layered vocals and female guest vocals on Nosferatu Madre and Mercy Brown.  Neil keeps up his sense of humour on Three Golden Horns warning us to the perils of jazz on the youth of America. Jackhammer Our Names is an amazing closer, with an almost hymnal like feel and it is heavy, not in the normal Clutch sense.  

Nine tracks in 33 minutes.  Seems like you may be looking for more after four years, but every track on Sunrise On Slaughter Beach is a top-notch edition to the cannon and just keeps the string of killer Clutch records going. You get all you want with a Clutch album in a tight, compressed package ready for mass consumption. And just like King’s X, let’s hope there is a lot more of this later career output to come. 9/10

Talas - 1985 (Metal Blade Records) [Matt Bladen]

Dressed in Hugh Syme's depiction of a clapped out Delorean on the cover, 1985 is all about second chances, reflecting on past glories and living in the now. 1985 is auspiciously when the original version of Talas split up, having released three albums since their formation in the late 79's the fickle finger of fame never really landed on Talas and their progressively minded hard rock. However two of their early songs, Shy Boy and Addicted To That Rush found homes in other bands later joined by founding Talas bassist Billy Sheehan. So by 1985 Talas was dead but Sheehan went on to join David Lee Roth's solo band and be a founding member of Mr Big. 

However after 37 years, Talas are back. Sheehan is back as are drummer Mark Miller and vocalist Phil Naro both of whom were in the most commercially successful version of Talas, joining them on guitar is Kire Nakdovski who proves to be ample foil for Sheehan's 'lead bass'. What you get from 1985, is authenticity, mainly as the songs on this record have been collecting dust since they were written in 1985, with the exception of Black And Blue this was meant to be their fourth album but with much more experience and a lull in their day jobs the time was right to record these tracks as the wizened musos they are now. 

Simultaneously looking back and striding forward, it's unashamedly nostalgic for anyone that loves 80's hard rock. Much of the record feels like Van Hagar, from Naro's vocals to the funkier elements of Do You Feel Any Better and the driving On The Take there's a lot of the post Diamond Dave VH, with of course touches of Mr Big, Extreme and many of the bands that formed in the mid-80's bringing this music into the early-90's. Sheehan and Miller lock in for some head nodding grooves, Sheehan's bass high in the mix as you'd expect but he's comfortable sticking with simpler basslines than in other bands, though on Close To the Killer he gets a solo and the final track is all him. 

1985 though let's Nakdovski show off his 80's guitar hero chops, he's joined by former Talas guitar slinger Mitch Perry for two tracks but gets to cause some fireworks on tracks such as Come When You Call (looks like 80's innuendo hasn't been lost). For me Naro's vocals are the stand out and this album is in tribute to him as he passed away on 2021 after recording his parts, his son James though seems to also be a great singer adding harmonies to the record. Naro is a such a talent that it's a shame he won't be able to see how bloody good this record is. Talas may have been overlooked in their heyday but after all this time away, it's far more than just name recognition of their famous founder, Talas sound like the cohesive hard rock unit Sheehan is so associated with. 1985 is hopefully a restart, but if not, it's a testament to one of the 80's unsung heroes. 9/10

The Necromancers - Where The Void Rose (Season Of Mist) [Rich Piva]

A new Necromancers record is excellent news. The French band’s third full length, Where The Void Rose, is six tracks of proto metal goodness spiced with some goth/doomy elements to make something fans of heavy rock will be digging for the forceable and dark future. The opening track, Sunken Huntress, is sweet, concise, proto-ripper that is a bit of a contrast with track two, Crimson Hour, which leans more on the doomy yet groovy side of the house but goes in all sorts of directions over the eight-plus minutes. I love the vocal stylings on both tracks and throughout Where The Void Rose, but nowhere is this more evident than on this track. 

The Needle is the most gothic rock track on the record, like they have been listening to The Damned, a lot. Orchard is the heavy, spooky doom track on Where The Void Rose, but doomy with some groove in its step. The title track brings more goth to the table where the last track, Over The Threshold brings more of a proto gallop back to this dark party to close the evening on a high note. This is an excellent proto metal/Seventies inspired doom goth extravaganza release that should be gobbled up by the people who dig dark and heavy rock. Fans of the gothic leaning metal stuff and seventies inspired proto stuff will really dig this. This one has some legs and will be on constant rotation in this house. 8/10

Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed (Wax Bodega) [Matt Bladen]

Phoenix band Holy Fawn revel in the atmospheric, long instrumental sections float into vocal passages before they return to more cinematic, esoteric soundscapes. Working with Mike Watts (Dillinger Escape Plan/Glassjaw) they have pushed their sound further than before owing much to bands such as Mogwai, Bossk and even Portishead and Massive Attack. 

They are looking to improve upon their "landmark" debut album Death Spells with this more experimental affair that deals with the existence of a multiverse and timelines existing in unison, thankfully for the band comprise of Ryan Osterman (guitar, vocals), Evan Phelps (guitar), Alexander Rieth (bass), and Austin Reinholz (drums) they have the musical chops to pull off a high concept theme. The album drifts into life with Hexsewn, dreamily pairing whispered vocals and choirs with a single clean guitar riffs before the fuzzy piano and electronic beats come in for Death Is A Relief, a little like a Lo-Fi release it's not long before the more euphoric style of Holy Fawn's music appears. 

Yes they rely heavily on the effects but as they build again from the shoegaze into the driving post-rock riffs, it's clear that Holy Fawn know a thing or two about dynamics and how to use them to the fullest extent. They play the clean/distorted card quite often, but each time it draws you in, welcoming you to the world where dreampop, shoegaze, trip hop and post-rock are brought wide-screen scope, hanging on their emotions to create their music. 

There's not much on this record that is groundbreaking, genre wise but there is a definite expertise, from the trip hop of Empty Vials to the heaviness of the title track, the vapourwave of Sightless to the haunting True Loss, Dimensional Bleed is a record that gives more on repeated listens, Holy Fawn craft spectral magic here and it's well worth your time. 8/10

Reviews: ACOD, I Am, Live Burial, Taboo (Reviews By Erick Willand, Matt Cook, GC & Matt Bladen)

ACOD - Fourth Reign Over Opacities And Beyond (Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions) [Erick Willand]

Intro tracks can be tricky, let’s be honest. Either you come in guns blazing from the first second or you decide to make an entrance. If done correctly both of these approaches can work, if done incorrectly, can ruin the entire tone of an album. ACOD do it correctly, making a solid cinematic entrance that clearly states the vibe of this album, grandiose darkness at a blistering fever pitch. And this is apparently only two guys, Fred, vocals and lyrics, and Jerome, guitars, bass and samples. There is a third dude in one of the press photos who I imagine handles drums. Fourth Reign Over Opacities And Beyond is ACOD’s fourth album and the second in a planned trilogy, the first being 2018’s The Divine Triumph which included a logo change for the better, the trident is cool.

First song proper, Genus Vacuitis storms in with drum roll warnings and little mercy. The riffing is vicious and the rhythm quick, a proper headbanger with some catchy lyric bits to sink your teeth into. Track 3, The Prophecy Of Agony follows in with swagger and riffage to spare. Dare I say, a fun rolling track that gets the head moving, add some correctly placed French spoken word and a pleasant piano outro and you have a song that made it into my personal playlist. 

Where Track 3 ends with a piano, Sulfur Winds Ritual, track 4, opens with storming blast beats, growled vocals dripping with anger and urgent speed. Again the lyrics are memorable and you will sing along with hands clenching invisible oranges, especially the apocalyptic howl at the 4:22 mark, epic! And then comes Nekyia Catharsis like a cavalry charge at full gallop, no hesitation, all forward motion. And it’s intense, the mid song refrain (side by side, walk with me) I’m there and it’s furious. The addition of synths for atmosphere work to heighten that epic feeling.

I’m usually picky about song lengths but nothing here has made me notice it at all, I have yet to feel bored. Which brings us to one of the other things bands do sometimes that I usually can’t stand, a mid album break in the “flow”, an instrumental piece or ballad that feels out of place on the album as a whole. Not the case here as yes, Infernet’s Path is indeed a synth/ambient piece, and it does break the flow a bit. 

However ACOD has done it correctly, keeping it short and gracing it with its own cinematic flare that I just actually enjoyed, and before it started to drag on, it was over. This bleeds cleanly into Artes Obscurae’s slower opening moments that build tension with heavy whispered French spoken word, into guitars and Fred’s signature gravelly voice before breaking out and opening the song proper, and it is good! 

Ripping forward with another fiery sing along chorus, this will be a crowd pleaser at shows. Title track Fourth Reign Over Opacities And Beyond begins with menace, grand guitars and spoken French speech that is clearly urgent, these are declarations and the emotion is clear even if you don’t speak French. It’s a grand, militaristic track but also my first real pick at this album as the end of this track just, fades awkwardly, is the only description I have, a kind of acoustic outro that didn’t click for me at all. 

Thankfully, Through The Astral Door rectifies this with immediate blasting! This is the meanest track of the album, quick thunderous drums, insistent riffs with just a touch of crunch and more atmospheric synths just right in the mix. This may be my favourite track of the album. Empty Graves/Katabasis is the album's closer, and seems to fit well with Through The Astral Door in that it shares the atmospheric elements with added backing vocals, violins, and piano added to sweeping guitars and an elevated vocal performance. 

This is a 7:49 long song and I don’t feel it, I don’t even notice and if you’ve been reading my reviews you know song length is a pet peeve of mine. Almost all of the songs on Fourth Reign are over 5 minutes but I was not bored once. This plus the cool logo design, impressive cover art by Paolo Girardi and the top notch production ACOD lands with a solid 9/10

I AM – Eternal Steel (MNRK Heavy) [Matt Cook]

Life is busy. There are always things happening, usually all at the same time. Music is an excellent companion, but sometimes even that can be laborious. What to listen to? What are you in the mood for? If the answer is straight-up metal, I’ve got just what you need. Eternal Steel marks the MNRK debut for Texas ground-and-pounders I AM, and it nary pulls a punch. Eleven thoughtful multidimensional tracks descend upon the masses. The malleable pacing still emanates purpose while the tempo regularly shifts at the drop of a hat. The riffs are not played but wound up like a rabid dog hungry for its next prey. In other words, it’s the perfect album to put on when you’re frantically doing chores that should have gotten done yesterday. Or last week. No judgement.

Axe masters Tom Reyes and Chris Burgess produce crunchy pit-opening riffs that evolves into an all-you-can-eat buffet of licks and melodies. Surrender To The Blade is utterly rotund. Drummer Brandon Busa’s technique is bone-cracking and busy. It’s no wonder I already smashed my second piece of glassware trying to wash the dishes. Even slowed down, Eternal Steel plays like a punishing offering. It’s easy to get lost in the musicianship, so on second thought, doing chores might not be the smartest activity to accompany this. Instead, maybe head out to the backyard and chop down a few trees. Or jackhammer your pesky neighbour's newly laid driveway. 7/10

Live Burial - Curse Of The Forlorn (Transcending Obscurity Records) [GC]

Dragging itself up from the dingiest depths of the UK death metal scene, Live Burial lurch into sight with their new album Curse Of The Forlorn. I have read that this is a culmination of the purest form of death metal which makes this relevant and cutting edge in terms of extremity and technical proficiency! Blimey! The first thing I notice here is the production as it is fucking garbage! 

It makes opening track Despair Of Lost Self sound like it was recorded in some sort of underground bunker with and echo effect and just makes everything blend into and almost un-listenable mess, this becomes seven minutes of trying to work out what exactly is going on, not a great start, next up on The Ordeal Of Purification you notice the vocals instantly as they are so high in the mix they almost drown everything else out and when you can hear the music there is actually some half decent stuff on offer and the solos burst through at one point and really impress and there is an almost black metal element to be discovered. 

Dragging out the intro to My Head As A Tribute doesn’t really do much for me and again the mix here is awful and just makes the whole thing a chore but from what you can make out its all solid enough sludgy death metal but its hard work to get that! Things do pick up slightly on Exhumation And Execution which shows a decent amount of technical proficiency and it is a full on old school death metal track and album highlight the pace is the slowed right down for the beginning of Blood And Copper before heading back into familiar territory for the rest of the track but the mix of the slow/fast dynamic does make this a good track and the efforts to mix it up a bit is rewarded. 

We are then greeted with more shit production on Sepulchre Of Collapsed Kingdoms which is just a mess and gets completely lost in itself which is a real shame as it seems like there is a decent song somewhere in there?? So, it is then left to gargantuan 12 minute closer This Prison I Call Flesh to finish us off, it starts off with a classic acoustic intro before melding into the slow brooding verse before going into the familiar mix of death metal but unfortunately It has no business being this long and I lose interest at about 8 minutes if I am honest. 

This has been a very frustrating listen as I can hear that there is some decent stuff here and the songs are probably solid enough, but the production has just killed it for me and ruined anything that might sound good, also some of the songs could be trimmed down as they tend to drift along instead of making an impact. Hopefully they can go on and do better things, but they need to sort out the production first. Disappointingly frustrating affair. 5/10

Taboo - Taboo (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

Along with the numerous projects and classic bands in their line up, Frontiers have been curating a very wide selection of new acts too from various genres. Though this being Frontiers Danish newcomers Taboo are a moody, modern melodic rock band fronted by singer Christopher Stjerne and Pretty Maids founding member Ken Hammer. So I suppose 'new' is a little bit of stretch, perhaps current as Hammer has a lot of experience behind him, writing, playing and touring in Pretty Maids, but was looking for a new style to try with Taboo, he has teamed up with Stjerne who is kind of a big deal in his native Denmark singing and playing while also producing/engineering for many other talents. 

Both men here are credited with 'various instrumentation with Claus Langeskov on bass for four tracks, Mat Sinner on 2 tracks and Anders Kirkegaard behind the kit for just Flames, so it's very much am expression of what these two men think a band should sound like. Happily their creative vision is quite entertaining and very accessible to the masses with a lot of stylish nods to Alter Bridge, Shinedown and PopEvil, the pop sound ever present on Learning To Breathe, which feels like Alter Bridge too. 

Basically if you're a fan of bands such as Alter Bridge and their ilk, but find perhaps some of their stuff a little too heavy Taboo add more melodic rocking to the style. Hammer's guitar playing is chunky, Stjerne's vocals soulful, this self titled record is a slick album that will have broad appeal. 7/10

Reviews: The Devil Wears Prada, Destrage, Evermore, Spite (Reviews By GC, Richard Oliver, Simon Black & Zak Skane)

The Devil Wears Prada - Color Decay (Solid State Records) [GC] 

It’s a story we all know, a band who has been around for ages but you have never really listened to but then one day you give their latest album a try, well this was me back in 2009 for The Devil Wears Prada and their phenomenal With Roots Below And Branches Above, I absolutely adore that record and it is genuinely an Grade A classic, after that I kind of drifted in and out with TDWP until the Zombie EP which again was out of this world and another classic then again drifted back and forth not really paying attention as nothing the released matched up to the those 2 records, so here I am drifting back in again for their new album Color Decay to see where they are at. 

First track Exhibition wasn’t what I was expecting, beginning with a gothy punk vibe which leads into a big warm emo chorus, the goth vibes permeate and pulse all the way through this song and the chorus is a definite ear worm and will stick in your head for a good while before it all explodes with the big beat down riffs I was expecting before sliding back into the gothy punk mode but it all works well next song Salt is the first single due to be released and is another goth tinged and moody song that builds up nicely toward a big singalong chorus and a big anthemic ending, Watchtower starts off at a breakneck pace and is all double bass chaotic streaming and staccato riffing with a nice meaty mid-section and a huge ending its almost as if they want to remind us that they can still crush with the best of them, job done! 

Track 4 Noise is a slow burning, crawling menace of a song that unexpectedly blasts into life in sporadic blasts and then slows all the way back down for maximum effect before Broken slowly introduces itself with some mellow guitars and echoing drums that then cascade into a big verse before building towards an almost now trademark anthemic chorus which then leads away into a sea of atmospheric electronica that leads us directly into Sacrifice which is another brooding monster with just the right mix of emotional punch and savagery mixed together throughout to make sure you are never truly at ease but always fully involved in the song. Trapped kicks in with some tortured vocals that really hit you head on as they are the focal point here and the music really takes a back seat until the flowing electronica joins in to create a lush soundscape but always compliments the vocals all the way in a beautiful way on the mellowest but also most important song so far, next up is Time which is more of the ‘’old school’’ Devil Wears Prada with is chugging riffs, pounding drums and ferocious vocals it’s a nice contrast to follow from Trapped. 

The next few songs all take a similar path and almost tray and ease us out of the album Twenty-Five is another vocal led track accompanied by soft electronics and pianos to really highlight the emotion that is in the vocals, Fire flows from the speakers on a wall of beats and quiet strings and doesn’t need to be heavy to be effective as again the vocals are a beautiful focal point and are just as heavy as any guitar could ever be. Hallucinate starts off slow and menacing almost like its teasing something before exploding into life briefly in between some electronic passages and then throwing in the biggest beatdown riff on the whole album to end the song before, the beautiful final track Cancer smothers us with more big blissful atmospherics and one last impassioned vocal performance that will have you gripped until the closing notes carry you to the end. 

I didn’t really know what to expect coming into this but I have really enjoyed what I heard its not as heavy musically as the Devil Wears Prada that I discovered all the way back in 2009 and that’s fine as the evolution has clearly been an emotional one and this shines bright on this album, the passion, feeling and heart on show here is a triumph and makes this album truly shine. This is a beautiful release and deserves all the praise it is going to receive. 9/10

Destrage - SO MUCH. too much. (Century Media/3DOT Recordings) [Richard Oliver]

This is a bit of a difficult album to review.  It’s actually a bit of a difficult album to get my head around even after multiple listens.  Destrage are a band that I’ve seen mentioned but never experienced the sheer utter chaos of until listening to their new and sixth album SO MUCH, too much. Trying to describe the music of Destrage is a bit of a mammoth task as there is SO MUCH going on in the space of a single song.  They fall in the descriptor of progressive metal but in reality they have elements of prog metal, mathcore, glitchy electronica and anything else the band decides to throw at you within the confines of a song.  

Despite the fact that these songs sharply twist, turn and jolt all over the place there is a degree of catchiness about them as well as a fair amount of groove in the riffs. The catchiness stems from frontman Paolo Colavolpe whose versatile voice carries the melodies and hooky nature of some of the songs such as Venice Has Sunk, Private Party (which features the legendary Devin Townsend), An Imposter and the frankly bonkers but very fun Italian Boi and Unisex Unibrow. There are more relaxing moments such as Is It Still Today and album closer Everything Sucks Less which offer a moment of respite from the madness. The unpredictable nature of this album keeps you on your toes but it also means that it is a  lot to digest. 

This is an album that requires multiple listens as it is so multi-layered you will hear things you didn’t hear before on each consecutive listen. The musicianship throughout is fantastic and the ability to combine this level of unhinged quirkiness with big poppy hooks is commendable. This album is a quirky and enjoyable one but its lack of cohesiveness works against it at times.  If you are a fan of bands such as The Dillinger Escape Plan, Between The Buried And Me and the more unhinged side of Devin Townsend then this album comes recommended. 7/10

Evermore - Court Of The Tyrant King (Scarlet Records) [Simon Black]

Now I’m not sure why an album that only got released first time around last year is getting a relaunch in 2022, but either way this is the first time I’ve come across this Swedish power metal three piece’s debut. It’s very much a studio project, as with a vocalist (Johan Haraldsson), a drummer (Andreas Vikland) and all the guitars, bass, piano and orchestrations being handled by Johan Karlsson, so I can’t see them playing live with the current line-up any time soon. Unless Karlsson has more than one set of arms of course… 

Musically this is fairly classic Euro power metal fare, although with a nice heavy edge and a very strong vocal performance from Haraldsson and straight away the fact that most of the instrumentation is being handled by one person because evident, as the instrumental melody lines are not what you call sophisticated. Now don’t get me wrong, he’s clearly talented, but four or five instrumentalists bouncing ideas off of one another would create variation, interplay and a little more musical chemistry than we sadly have here. Karlsson should pick an instrument and stick with it and spread the load a little, then we will get a bit more variety as the music hints that they would relish a bit more of that interplay between slightly competitive musos, and it’s a common problem when multi-instrumentalists are having to handle too much work. Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should… 

Off the bat it looks like it’s going to be yet another pseudo-historical / fantasy concept piece, but the songs are actually a little more allegorical than that, so the titular tyrant king can easily be descriptive of any number of world leaders of today, which is refreshingly subtle and relevant without being in your face. For a power metal record, it doesn’t outstay its welcome either (because let’s face it, most don’t know when to stop), with a brisk forty-one-minute run time, minimal balladic content and a rollocking and relentless galloping pace of delivery. The downside is the songs need a little more complexity, so consequently sound a little samey after a while, but as debut’s go, I’ve heard far worse from the genre from bands who have gone on to become huge, so not bad for a start off. 

For me it’s Haraldsson’s vocal performance that steals the thunder, and they’ve wisely put him quite high in the mix where he can roar, scream and soar, but frustratingly most of the back line are playing the same chords so it just sounds like one instrumental sound until they come to the solo breaks and splice it up a little. Add a dedicated keyboard and bass player, and this lot really have potential however. 7/10

Spite – Dedication To Flesh (Rise Records) [Zak Skane]

Spite have been on the moshing/crowd killing raider since their trending debut single Kill Or Be Killed which has been viewed (to the date of this article) 2,069,924 times. In the space of 7 years since the band released their tending single they have come from leaps and strides with three releases of anger filled deathcore meets beatdown E.Ps and albums Spite, The Root Of Evil, Nothing More and their new release Dedication To Flesh. 

When it comes to opening up a new Spite album I am like a spoilt kid at Christmas, I know what I am going to get, but I am still going to be very satisfied with it. Just like most hardcore influenced bands the opening track Lords Of The Upside Down starts with some gritty bass lines but accompanied with some eerie static soundscapes to get us prepared for a wall low tuned of guitars with their signature jolty riffage whilst the singer Darius Tehrani gives us some of his anger filled guttural gymnastics. Caved In continues this aggression with their deathcore and hardcore mix up with its violently energetic grinding deathmetal riffs and consistent double kick and skank beat grooves melded with two step down beats. 

Proper One opens with the bowl rumbling low tuned Meshuggah inspired polyrhythmic grooves with doom impending chromatic structured half time riffs to give the listener this sense of impending doom and anxiety. Made To Please takes the bands sound to a more morbid route with the track containing soundbites of people being tortured….pretending to be hopefully as it fuels the fire of the revengeful lyrics that their Darius is spouting, their other leading single Dedication To The Flesh enhances their Nu-metal inspiration with their bouncy head banging riffs that have been taken out of Slipknot's Iowa songbook whilst containing chant filled grooves, that will please any hard viewing crowd member to join the Spite Cult. 

Other highlights on this album is the following track The Most Ugly, which I think is the track that holds for most depth musically with it’s intro consisting of reverbed acoustic guitars accompanied with electric trap beats before that band comes in with some low tempo sludge that has been contracted with expressive chord choices. Son Of Dawn provides some extra exotic rhythm choices to their grooves and well as adding some Slayer sounding guitar solos and their tempo shifting track Hangman that peaks and troughs which can be brutal but nauseating to a casual listener. 

Just like AC/DC after they have released Highway To Hell this band have found their strengths very early in their career, including this album, very release has been consistent and enjoyable, even though there were moments in which the band had pushed the boundaries especially on the track The Most Ugly, I would like to see them utilise more of those elements to expand their sound. 8/10.

Reviews: Ozzy Osbourne, Vanda, Electric Callboy, Motihari Bridge (Reviews By Rich Piva & GC)

Ozzy Osbourne - Patient Number 9 (Epic Records) [Rich Piva]

A new Ozzy record means a few things.  First, that he is still with us, which is the best part of new Ozzy content.  Second, at this point you are going to have a whole host of amazing guests that will show up in studio, belt out a ripping solo, and make whatever pedestrian Ozzy track that has been produced something that is totally next level.  You will also get Sharon doing whatever she can to milk her legend cash cow even if it kills him, but that is a different review.  For this one, the new record, Patient Number 9, is chock full of fun tunes with just amazing guest performances that makes the last Ozzy record, Ordinary Man, look just that, and I really enjoyed that one too. This one is way better.

Patient Number 9 has Ozzy’s voice sounding suspiciously strong, but let’s overlook that and bask in the glow of the unbelievable guitar work of Jeff Beck on the title track. Good luck replicating that (really or any of them) on tour, Mr. Andrew Watt.  Zakk is back doing his signature thing; ripping and squealing on strong tracks like Parasite, Evil Shuffle, and Mr. Darkness. Parasite could have been a track on No Rest For The Wicked, take that for what it is.  What more could an Ozzy fan ask for then songs with the riff god himself, Tony Iommi, who guests on the best tracks on the album, the doomy No Escape From Now and the heavy low ended Degradation Blues which is the highlight of the record with Ozzy pulling out his harmonica once again setting us on a trip back in time where these guys created what is THE heavy music catalogue we all still worship today.

I have heard some negative comments about this record, but you must take it for what it is.  You have Iommi riffing, Jeff Beck shredding, Zakk squealing, an appearance from Mike McCready (who hangs just fine with those guitar greats) and some well-crafted late period Ozzy solo stuff.  It is fun. What more can you ask for at this point from the man? Check this out and don’t try to pick it over with a fine-tooth comb.  Listen for the fun of hearing new Ozzy stuff while he is still walking this earth, because even though he claims it on track two, he is not Immortal. Check it out. 7/10

Vanda - Covenant Of Death (Majestic Mountain Records) [GC]

Majestic Mountain Records newest signing Vanda hail from the death metal mecca of the world, Sweden and are about to unleash their debut album Covenant Of Death upon the unsuspecting world.

I always tend to find that opening with one of your longest songs as Vanda have here to be an odd choice but the sprawling and grand Light The Fire leaps out of the blocks and is a solid statement of intent mixing a bludgeoning mix thrash and black metal to exhilarating effect and on Violence And Mayhem they offer another shorter and sharp mix of the same styles but up the tempo considerably and this blast of audio terror is an absolute joy, Omnis Hyopcrita has another thrashy beginning but now they throw a bit more texture into the verses and is probably the most death metal sounding track so far and offers a slower tempo that is just enough to not fall out of line with what has proceeded it but is just the right mix to keep you interested then Brinnande Hat decides to then slow the pace right down and mixes some ominous doomy sections interspersed with some savage death metal which leads into some classy guitars solos during the end section and all these changes of style and pace really keep you engrossed and paying attention. 

World Reborn then brings back the thrashy black metal that has so far served Vanda very well, I do have one small gripe so far and it’s that the vocal range doesn’t really change too much throughout the tracks but it is only a small thing to be honest because so far all the varying styles of music have been mixed to exhilarating effect and kept me wanting more and World Reborn is a great example of all contrasting styles so far being melded into one body of a track Non Servium builds from its ominous and crawling riff that is full of depth and groove into a dark and brooding verse that is another great choice in the tempo changes of the album so far after all this we get the piano and guitar piece II that is a welcome break form the savagery we have been listening to so far and leads nicely into gargantuan final track Goddess Of Death which is a truly epic beast full of razor sharp black metal riffing and barbaric drumming that twists and turns its way through eight glorious minutes and feels like the perfect way to end this album.

Having never heard of Vanda previously I wasn’t expecting to get to get too excited about this album, but I was wrong this an absolute monster of a record and its only their debut its shows tons of promise and is full of intensity and aggression and the future certainly seems bright. Sweden has done it again!! 8/10

Electric Callboy - Tekkno (Century Media Records) [GC]

Having been around for over a decade and releasing numerous albums and EPs over the years the newly monikered Electric Callboy are back on the scene with another album and by now you would think they would know better? Obviously not.

Album opener and lead single Pump It Up, which by the way was so popular it almost got them the vote to represent Germany at Eurovision is all fairy simple Euro-pop meets A Day To Remember metalcore and while it is definitely not my thing I can see why people might enjoy it as its upbeat and easy to listen to and more of the same follows with We Got the Moves but the pop element is ramped up to maximum efficiency here and the metal parts have a nu-metal stomp attached but, now however very quickly it all starts to get a bit cringeworthy. 

Fuckboi is next and it is just an absolute pile of shit and offers about as much as the type of person its named after, appalling and from here on in it all starts to get very grating as its all the same formula and the lyrics just keep getting worse and are just awful, I know these guys are meant to be wacky and have a sense of humour but seriously, fucking grow up lads! Nowhere more does the cringe factor and shitty lyrics show than on Spaceman which is the mix of rave, rap and nu-metal that nobody asked for and is probably one of the worst songs ever recorded, then out of nowhere they decide to stop fucking about and give us an actual decent track in the shape of Mindreader which picks up the pace and mixes in some decent beatdown style riffs and a bit of two-step to make this the standout so far as it feels like they aren’t just taking the piss. 

Then straight off the back of that we get Arrow Of Love which is another dud of a track and reminds me of 3OH!3 and nobody needs that back in their lives and the vocals are really starting to grate on my very last nerve now but then they do it again and drop Parasite which has a decent trance beat running through the track mixing with some nu-metalcore sections and a decent beatdown tacked on for good measure, and just like that they decide its time to go back to nursery school humour and Tekkno Train is upon us and it sounds like Scooter have turned up for a cameo and is just an absolute joke of a song and the lyrics again are just absolutely embarrassing and they need to just fucking grow up. The next song is probably the most confusing as I just don’t even know what the hell is going on Hurrikan is a jaunty sea shanty one minute and the breaks down into pig squeals and deathcore beatdowns and then just finishes, please make it all make sense!! 

Then its thankfully onto album closer Neon which if just horrible, the vocals have just burst my eardrums now and totally ruin this song which is basically one last blast of Euro-pop and an attempt to mix in an almost ballady ending to proceedings and end on a high which, shockingly it doesn’t achieve. 

I don’t really know what to make of Electric Callboy because you can tell that 80% of the time, they are trying to be wacky and taking the piss, but the joke gets really fucking old, really, really quickly and they don’t seems to grasp this fact but, when they want to they can write a half decent track as heard on Mindreader and Parasite. 

Its difficult to really know who this would be aimed at because it feels like its 2004 and Myspace is making a comeback but unfortunately its 2022 and all those fans should surely have grown up and moved on by now as the ‘’humour’’ is crude and outdated and some of the stuff on here is just plain embarrassing now?? A confusing, annoying, and all-round disappointing affair. 3/10

Motihari Brigade - Algorithm & Blues (Creative Destruction Records) [Rich Piva]

Motihari Brigade are a rock band with leanings toward indie and garage rock. This is not the normal fare we get on this site to review, but this could be right in my wheelhouse based on what I have read on paper so far.  Unfortunately, their second album, Algorithm & Blues, just did not click for me.  The songs and styles are a bit all over the place. You get some Steely Dan inspired classic rock with the title track. 

A song that reminded me of The Specials with Reality Show, a somewhat out of place cover of The Stones Street Fighting Man, and an almost smooth jazz/psych track with Be Free. There are a few tracks that you may hear on Little Steven’s Underground Garage show, as I think that is the audience they are going for here, but none that have the urgency or danger that I want to hear on that show. I am OK with albums that go in many different directions, but Algorithm & Blues not only feels scattered, but the production sounds tinny and weak and we have some serious cringe lyrically. 

This reminds me of what some local bands back in my college days would self-release with a few hundred dollars and a whole bunch of playing out for free beer. Again, that could be my wheelhouse, but this just falls flat for me.  There are a few good ideas on here but nothing that would make me return for a second listen. 4/10

Reviews: An Abstract Illusion, Sowulo, Omophagia, Crosson (Reviews By Paul Scoble, Rick Eaglestone, Richard Oliver & Matt Bladen)

An Abstract Illusion - Woe (Willowtip Records) [Paul Scoble]

Swedish three piece, An Abstract Illusion have been making very progressive noises since 2007. The band, made up of Karl Westerlund on bass and guitar, Robert Stenvall on keyboards and vocals and Christian Berglönn on Vocals, have released one EP entitled Atonement Is Nigh in 2014, and an album called Illuminate The Path in 2016 before Woe. I was surprised to see the band have only released one album before this one; as this does not feel like a second album, it sounds like an album made by a band with far more experience and history, as Woe is clearly something special.

The band created the album as one long hour plus song, and then used natural breaks in the very long song to turn this into 7 songs. You can hear that this due to the way the songs merge in such a smooth way, and the way the whole thing feels like one enormous piece of music. Musically An Abstract Illusion have taken modern progressive death metal, progressive metal throughout the 40 odd years it has existed, and 70’s progressive rock and have melded and crafted a journey through 50 years of progressive music. In addition to all of the progressiveness Woe also has some very interesting black metal influences as well.

The style constantly moves and changes from one style to another, the transitions between disparate sections are handled beautifully, nothing is jarring or abrupt, unless the band are using abruptness as a creative choice. One such place would be on the track In The Heavens Above, You Will Become A Monster which opens with a shouted denunciation before a massive blast beat of guitars and keyboards, making a wall of sound, drops in, in a way that was a little reminiscent of Curse You All Men by Emperor.

 
The progressive death metal elements that are scattered throughout the album, are in places very savage and extreme, some of the blast beats are very impressive, opening track The Behemoth That Lies Asleep features some ferocious blasting sections. The complex riffs you associate with progressive death metal are here as well, the song Slaves features some great progressive death metal riffs, there are similarities with bands like Rivers Of Nihil, Wills Dissolve, and with older progressive death metal such as Opeth. The progressive death metal that runs through Woe is always there to slap you round the face if you start enjoying the softer elements too much.

 
Speaking of softer elements, the death metal is often tempered by softer progressive metal. The track Prosperity is full of progressive metal influences; opening with a section that is reminiscent of Enslaved’s more recent work, with a big driving bass riff that is full of energy. The song features parts that are taut and rhythmic, but build to become expansive and huge by the end. Another standout example of these riffs is on the track In The Heavens Above, You Will Become A Monster which is full of progressive metal, once the blasting opening is out of the way. The song features some awesome complex riffs and in the latter parts of the song some sections that remind me of Devin Townsend’s style of very bright and shiny progressive metal, there is a similarity in how the keyboards work with the guitars and that same feeling of hugeness.

 
With all this progressive death metal and progressive metal, you’d expect a little progressive rock, and Woe does not disappoint. Throughout the album I can hear flashes of Rush, Gabriel era Genesis, Yes and in particular parts of this album seem very influenced by Pink Floyd. The opening of Tear Down This Holy Mountain features soft keyboards and a clear, pure electric guitar that channels David Gilmour, and feels as if it was an unused part of Dark Side Of The Moon or Wish You Were Here. There are some vocal harmonies that are very reminiscent of Pink Floyd as well, some of the harmonies on Prosperity are lush and beautiful and really add to the song.

 
Woe is a stunning album. It’s a massive, beautiful, savage musical kaleidoscope of an album. The songs constantly change, creating a piece of work that should be a mess, but is a masterpiece instead. The arrangements are so well done, it feels huge, but at the same time is delicate, and intricate with many disparate parts coming together to form something amazing. If you haven’t heard of An Abstract Illusion before, get ready to hear a lot about them as this album is going to be huge. Make sure to leave room on your yearly top tens, as this album is guaranteed to be part of them. 9/10

Sowulo – Wurdiz (Norse Music) [Rick Eaglestone]

Previously unreleased album Wurdiz aims to entice the listener with it’s blend of Nordic dark folk. The album opens with strongly with Wyrd Webba it is bleak, ominous but has a powerful presence which made an immediate impact setting the tone for the album, early contender for highlight track of the album. Every track feels like it has been crafted for a movie soundtrack as the traditional elements that weave through the entirety of the album take for example Eaxlgestealla it evokes such a deep sense of wonder and mystery of the past with the story the band are telling and the more the album continues the level intensifies ever so slightly. 

Another favourite for its use of traditional instruments is Ceorfan its haunting melodies pass through into the following tracks well with every track managing to stay true to history but still adding something new and managing to pull the listener in more with tracks like Ungewiss which is without any doubt my highlight track of the album. The album concludes with the great combination of Slaep Nu Softe and Waecnain which differ in vocal approaches but is no way lessens the intensity of Wurdiz. The more I listen to this album the more my experience differs but with always the same result. A good celebration of pagan legacy 7/10

Omophagia - Rebirth In Black (Unique Leader Records) [Richard Oliver]

Rebirth In Black is the fourth album from Swiss/Brazilian brutal tech-death metallers Omophagia.  Omophagia are a band I have seen mentioned but until now not one that I have ever listened to. The band formed in Switzerland in 2006 and are made up of a mix of Swiss and Brazilian musicians. Omophagia perform that style of death metal that fuses together skull fracturing brutality with intricate technicality but Omophagia also incorporate some symphonic elements into the mix meaning that the album also has an air of grandiosity about it. 

Songs such as The Plague, Insights Of A Dying Man and Redemption In Self-Destruction (which features Karl Sanders of Nile in a guest lead guitar spot) have that epic sound about them mixed in with superbly technical musicianship as well as being crushingly violent and heavy. We also get a handful of songs which are more full on, all guns blazing death metal ferocity such as Serve As Slave and All For None. A lot of bands with similarities to Omophagia can be very much style over substance or can sound very repetitive but thankfully Omophagia are not only excellent musicians but can write a mean and memorable album of death metal goodness. 

Rebirth In Black doesn’t try and reinvent the wheel when it comes to death metal but is just simply a superbly crafted album featuring 11 songs that are technical, brutal and epic in equal measure. 8/10

Crosson – Ready, Aim…Rock (Galaxy Records) [Matt Bladen]

Crosson are an Australian Theatrical Glam Rock band. So much of that sentence will bring a shudder to the spine but for me it’s the glam bit. It’s got to be one of least favourite genres so I’ll admit that now, however Crosson seem to trying to make the most generic (not a term I use often or lightly), vanilla glam rock possible. Ready, Aim…Rock already has a title that sounds like something Kiss would find too cringe worthy and they made Music From The Elder. But it’s the grade school lyrics and the fact that writer/singer/producer Jason Crosson has a dull, low vocal with very little variation. 

Crosson says he’s inspired by Meat Loaf/Jim Steinman but honestly I’m a huge fan of both men I can’t hear anything like them here. OK there’s some Queen like harmony’s in the backing vocals and Marko Rado’s guitar playing is pretty good but considering this album was mixed and mastered by men who have worked with Motley Crue, Kiss and Aerosmith, Ready, Aim…Rock feels like a pale imitation of all of those bands. I tried to be nice, I really did. 3/10

Reviews: King's X, Sublation, 156/Silence, Acts Of Sadistic Cruelty (Reviews By Rich Piva, Zak Skane, Quinn Mattfeld & James Jackson)

King’s X - Three Sides Of One (Inside Out Music) [Rich Piva]

Confession: I am a King’s X superfan. I am also a journalist (ha!!!, also I love to quote Bob Pollard in my reviews…) so I am going to keep this as objective as I can. Who am I kidding, the new King’s X album, Three Sides Of One, is amazing and should be celebrated by all. I am not going to lie; I was a bit worried going in. I did not love the last solo albums from dUg and Ty (that was hard to type). The former was a bit bloated, and the latter had some weird production and the vocals seemed off. I have to say that Three Sides Of One is a glorious return from one of the best bands in the world that is still putting out top quality material even at studio album thirteen and some 40 years in.

 
The production issues that plagued the last solo albums are nowhere to be heard on Three Sides Of One. The record sounds like a signature King’s X record, starting with the opener, Let It Rain, with Mr. Pinnick’s soulful and powerful vocals and a sweet psych infused solo by Mr. Tabor. I can see this as a kick-ass tour opener. This track could be on ANY of the amazing albums in their discography. Flood Pt. 1 is another perfect King’s X track, with harmonized vocals (love it) and a message not of love, but of a needed change in this world to even have a chance to have their most known song a possibility. The sequencing on Three Sides Of One reminds me of Faith, Hope, Love with Nothing But The Truth playing the role of I’ll Never Get Tired Of You, which of course is perfectly executed. Give It Up is an up-tempo signature dUg track with a catchy chorus and some sweet bass pounding. 

 The Ty tracks on Three Sides are truly the highlight of this record. Ty Tabor is one of my favourite all-time musicians and he lives up to that on Three Sides Of One, with both his amazing playing and the tracks that he sings lead on. You get a super deep, powerful, and very timely track in All God’s Children and a fun and witty track with Festival which may be my favourites on this ripper of an album. We even get a strong Jerry lead track with the ballad Take The Time. This may be his best track on ANY King’s X album.

King’s X may be the most criminally underrated band ever. They have yet to put out a bad album and at this point it is a safe bet they never will if this is what we get after all this time. I am not sure Three Sides Of One is going to suddenly propel them to superstardom, but maybe more people will hear this record and go investigate one of the best discographies that exists in heavy music. Three Sides Of One can sit proudly as part of this amazing collection of work hang with the best of them. Amazing stuff. Long live King’s X. 9/10

Sublation – The Path To Bedlam (Self Release) [Zak Skane]

Sublation formed in Philadelphia in 2008 under their original name Fisthammer created by frontman Max Svalgard and Danny Piselli. During their time as Fisthammer, the band have released two albums Devour and Infallible independently earning credit of being the Decapitated of the next generation and gaining them the endless tours including opening for death metal legends Master before their five year hiatus in 2015. In 2020 Fisthammer have returned from their hiatus under the name Sublation to carry out a new artistic version. 

The Path Of Bedlam opens up with some classic hammer horror influenced soundscapes accompanied with classical decorum inspired orchestral arrangements composed from violins, harps and harpsichords before Trepanning Of The Evangelics is unleashed upon us with it’s Archspire inspired technical riffs and fast phrased vocals. I have got to admire the how Max Svalgard has written these riffs with orchestrated excellence whilst Danny Piselli accompanies them with his fast paced but yet accurate drum parts. Let The Fire Burn shows the band their darker side with their collective choice of dark toned intervals and heavy use of dynamics, taking the albums direction in a more groove-laden approach. With the use of blast beats combined with minor chords it does give the track a bit of a black metal vibe and spoiler alert the neo-classical guitar sections at near the end of the track just give it a nice break before a climatic heavy ending. 

Hypnotic Regression meets the Yin with the Yang with the band fusing their technical riffs with swagger filled vibrato noted licks accompanied with double kick related grooves and blast beats which takes influences from bands like The Black Dahlia Murder, Archspire, Lamb Of God and At The Gates to a more modern template. Black Monday does exactly what is says on the tin with its blackend death metal arrangements coming from Max’s ambient tremolo picked leads, black metal inspired chord sequences and frying vocal styles to Max’s caffeine induced blast beats. Other highlights from this album are Evoked Through Obsidian which will please many Black Dahlia Murder Fans whilst and their Opeth inspired I Will Show You Fear In A Handful filled exotic extended chords and proggy inspired odd meter time signatures will keep the listeners intrigued from start to finish. 

Overall this is a great modern death metal album from the classical inspired intro, the rip tearing melodic death metal riffage of tracks like Trepanning Of The Evangelics Hypnotic Regression, the groove laden Let The Fire Burn, The Alchemist to the Progressive climax of I Will Show Fear In A Handful there enough flavour and flare that will please any fan that likes their music heavy and dark. The only concern I could point out is that the band could of added more melodic lead lines to provide more light to their bloomy arrangements to other than that 8/10

156/Silence – Narrative (Sharptone Records) [Quinn Mattfeld] 

I don't know what it's like to run a marathon but after listening to 156/Silence's latest album, I have a better sense of what it might feel like to sprint one. Narrative kicks off with the unrelenting and pummelling energy of A Past Embrace and The Rodents Race and the Pittsburgh-based quartet shows almost no sign of slowing down from there. The space we are allowed midway through Another Loss is a welcome breather despite knowing exactly what is coming: another bone-crushing conclusion to an utterly bone-crushing song on an album so-far filled with nothing but shards of bone. 

Am I A Fault and Take Your Place give us windows into the more dynamic pacing on the album’s second half and indeed, the B Side offers a more patient approach to the sheer aggression on display early and often on the record. 

The first half of Narrative feels like a boxer trying to score a knock-out with every punch (not sure where all the sports metaphors are coming from today): it’s a dazzling and breathtaking effort but at times it's also exhausting. But the metalcore upstarts put together a much more strategic side two, culminating in a brutal conclusion with Live To See A Darker Day and because of their restraint on the latter half of the LP, we are actually ready for it now! 

Narrative is an impressive third offering and once the band works out their early eagerness, they settle into a record with more maturity and efficacy than at first they seemed capable of like a veteran cyclist knowing just when to hit their stride… Sorry, I had to get a third one in there somewhere.  7/10

Kill Everything/NecroticGoreBeast/Virulent Excision/Gorepot - Acts Of Sadistic Cruelty (Comatose Music) [James Jackson]

I’ve often admired anyone who can play a musical instrument but when it comes to the genre of brutal death metal, I’m kind of wondering if they should. First to assault the senses on this compilation album are Kill Everything and the three slabs of DM by numbers just remind me of why I moved away from listening to the genre 20 years ago; a rather muffled and poorly production plagues this in my opinion and any semblance of a guitar riff, no matter it’s technicality is lost beneath the drums and vocals.

The first ten seconds of NecroticGoreBeast’s intriguingly titled Gangrened Genital Tumor Exhibit give a clear glimpse of a guitar riff that eventually carries the song but goes no further than that; pig squeals litter the standard DM style vocals and it does nothing for me, luckily I’m in for more on second track Purulent Rectal Discharge; a better production, clearer sound and more balanced mix does give the songs justice and amidst the noise are some pretty good riffs. 

According to the press sheet, Virulent Excision hail from Chicago and combine thick bloody riffs with violent intensity but once again it’s DM by numbers with the slight exception to the vocal delivery, whilst vocalist, Goregrinder does deliver the usual style there are a few moments of clarity but not enough that you’d find yourself singing along in the shower. Some playful guitar techniques, set them slightly apart from the previous bands on this compilation but not enough that you’d notice.

The final four tracks come from one man band, Gorepot. And while I must give him some credit for the comedic song titles, my favourites being My Ex And Instant Noodles Are Both Done In Two Minutes and the equally rib tickling Bill Cosby’s Favourite Disney Princess Is Sleeping Beauty the music itself isn’t anything that stands out from the rest of the crowd.

To sum up, if brutal death metal is your musical drug of choice then the offerings here are a good example of what’s on offer within the genre, all of the classic traits are there, used to varying degrees by the bands I’ve mentioned but none of the bands are breaking the mould. If, like me, you prefer your music to have a more melodic approach then it’s certainly one to pass upon. 3/10