Reviews: Those Damn Crows, Hollentor, Hellpass, Zebedy (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Those Damn Crows - Inhale/Exhale (Earache Records)

Is it luck? Is it talent? Is it a bit of both? The latter is most likely as Welsh rockers Those Damn Crows return with their third album after rapidly gaining cult-like status in their home country and expanding into the rest of the UK and beyond. It's certainly a lot to do with talent as the band cherry pick the best bits of other successful bands. 

Their music pulling no punches about being radio friendly rock, but with a emotionally conscious vein and a love of experimenting with the most modern of soundscapes. It's no wonder they have mass appeal, with anyone from your metal loving younger brother to your strictly pop listening mum will be able to enjoy Inhale/Exhale without any complaint. 

So musically they pitch themselves in an ideal spot but there's more to Those Damn Crows than that, they are clearly working hard on cultivating their preferred is image where emotional intelligence meets blue collar passion. Using things like their podcast and social media to increase their interactions and build their fanbase. 

They also have a lot of merch opportunities to expand their brand (they have their own beers to accompany this album) and of course being signed to Earache Records, the leading light in the NWOCR movement is also a benefit. Having watched this band play small stages to the point that they are now, there's no doubting that they have worked their asses off to get to where they are today. 

A well drilled fully formed arena rock band made for bigger stages and this maturity is reflected on Inhale/Exhale an album that is designed to make you think about yourself and your connection to the wider world, it's all about how you're breathing can change a situation and the band have managed to capture various shifts in tone and pace on these nine songs but with a consistency of a pair of lungs breathing. 

The tracks all feel linked even when they aren't obviously the production, mix/mastering and most importantly sequencing critical for get the full effect. Producer Dan Weller and mixer Phil Gornell both using their experience with the most modern acts around to make this record fizz, bringing a broad sonic scope that incorporates extensive use of atmospheric electronics along with pianos and some strings to accompany the traditional rock sound.

Greenhall describes this album as a combination of the previous two records and he's not wrong, his vocal the best he's delivered so far, incorporating that drawl that Brent Smith of Shinedown uses to join his own heart-on-sleeve delivery, it's passionate and pervasive, catching you off guard at time but always welcoming you in. 

Of course no vocalist worth his salt can be considered great without a superior outfit behind him and as Ronnie Huxford lays down the percussive propulsion for these songs you can't help but stomp your feet or clap your hands to the rockers, Huxford dialing down the power for deftness on the ballads. With him in the boiler room is Lloyd Wood who's earth shaking rhythms will either rattle your teeth or your ass. 

Building on thes rhythmical impulses is the axe slinging tag team of Ian 'Shiner' Thomas and David Winchurch who carve out cavernous riffs of glorious volume one minute and evocative overtones the next, augmented by the additional piano and synths for a  cinematic sound. 

I could carry on an name every track and what it's like but an bum like this needs to be heard. So in closing of this review, they are the next rock superstars, this third album confirms it, they are arena ready and they are pretty much unstoppable. To paraphrase Shane Greenhall's clarion call when the band play live: They Are Those Damn Crows and you better get ready! 9/10

Hollentor - Divergency (Self Released)

Glen Poland is the sole writer of Hollentor, German for "Gates Of Hell", despite being a relative unknown (to me anyway) he seems to have the biggest metal Rolodex around. Poland is a guitarist so he has a massive load of guests on each record, including on this third album. He is aided by Glen Drover (ex-Megadeth) who engineers, mixes, masters and also performs on the record. He is joined by drummer brother Shawn, while the instrumental team also features Rudy Sarzo (x-Ozzy/Whitesnake), James MacDonough (x-Megadeth/Iced Earth), James LoMenzo (x-Black Label Society/current-Megadeth), George Lynch (x-Dokken/current-Lynch Mob) and Eric Peterson (Testament). 

They all augment Poland's writing style with Tim Ripper Owens (x-Judas Priest) and Henning Basse, (ex-Firewind) taking the mic. Hollentor's music is modern heavy metal with classic metal vibe to it, the riffs of Poland underpinning everything in a similar way that 'he who shall not be named' did in Iced Earth. Kicking off with Behind The Wall, you get an instant idea of Hollentor as a band. Mid-paced riffers like Judgement Day and the stomping Lotus Eater are joined by thrashers like Seize The Day and the folk metal of Vikings Pride. Divergency is a another addition to the modern heavy metal discography of Hollentor, if you like your riffs loud and an all star cast of metal musicians then you'll enjoy it. 7/10 

Hellpass - Gates Of War (Self Released)

Founded by Alexandros Koliousios (drums), Aggelos Mouratidis (guitars) and Vasilis Iakinthos (vocals/formerly bass) Hellpass are classic/heavy metal band from Thessaloniki Greece. Having recently added Nikos Paraskevopoulos on bass, Gates Of War is their debut album and it does a good job of emulating the classic sound of 80's British metal, Bay Area thrash and American power metal without becoming a pastiche.

American power metal over European as Hellpass bring that more muscular, distorted style of power metal of Sanctuary, Metal Church but with some European touches of Grave Digger and Edguy. With a gruffer vocal style than most Vasilis has the touches of Warrell Dane on Fade Away as the Sanctuary references move into Nevermore style maudlin. The darker tone is set from the rough riff of Alter Nation as the stomping title track packed with American metal muscle. Inspired by turbulent times we face, Gates Of War simmers with frustration but never fully unleashes it.

They occasionally veer into the trad metal realms but I personally think they do the more atmospheric style with a more honest conviction, Oath To The Metal Gods especially is jarring change of lyricism. Still other than that Gates Of War is a decent metal album if you're a fan of the American power/thrash metal sound. 7/10

Zebedy - Waiting For The Tide (Self Released)

One of my colleagues was supposed to review this album from North Wales band but due to some outside factors he couldn't do it. So dear reader it has fallen to me and I'm ambivalent if I'm honest. 

Produced by Dan Weller who has worked with SikTh, Enter Shikari, Young Guns and Holding Absence, Zebedy are a band that have a lot in common with all of these other acts but unfortunately they have too much in common with them, vocals from Enter Shikari and even Fightstar, mathcore riffs from SikTh and a lot of the record just comes from lots of generic djent/prog metalcore, with shifts to quirkiness that seem to be there for the hell of it. 

Now this is been over two years in the making and there's a lot of talent on show, but with vocals that grate on my ears, the songwrting feels a little limited and why they called themselves after a character in The Magic Roundabout or indded the porn director, I have no idea. I didn't get much out of it, you might. 5/10

Reviews: Westing, Super Pink Moon, Rexoria, Vision Of Choice (Reviews By David Karpel, Richard Oliver, Erick Willand & Simon Black)

Westing - Future (RidingEasy Records) [David Karpel]

As a humanities teacher, I’m constantly revisiting the question with wide-eyed highschool students of why we study history. We talk about patterns, inspiration, and lessons learned in order to not repeat mistakes of the past, but it always comes down to kids wanting to understand a way forward into a future that bears the fruits of present-day actions, their own and those of societies and civilisation as a whole. Westing naming their “debut” album Future and filling it with songs rooted in the sounds of a forward-looking, and heavily influential musical past immediately lends this infectious release the intellectual characteristics of irony and depth.

The band’s last album as their previous iteration Slow Season, titled, well, Westing, was drenched in a similar nostalgic vibe, but with a keenly more varied base found not only in the bluesy and psychedelic Zep, but also in Grand Funk Railroad, B.O.C., and Uriah Heep, among others. As Westing, on Future, their sound is more consistently influenced by the mighty Zeppelin. While mostly sticking to the Houses Of The Holy era and beyond, a wide range of Led Zeppelin finds touch-stones on this album. It’s as if the band let go of pretence and grabbed a hold of the sound they truly find worthy of reiteration in the modern era, not unlike Greta Van Fleet, but dirtier, less bombastic, and with elemental ties to the updated, smoky psychedelia of All Them Witches. Essentially, these are proto-sounds for an already updated proto-thirsty audience.

Now, there’s no denying Zeppelin’s influence on rock and roll and metal is pervasive through the eras that followed their rise, peak, and disintegration. Here again, it’s too obvious to ignore. In the era of Greta Van Fleet commanding stadium tours, that influence remains a touchy subject of how close you can get without being smeared with the derogatory moniker of a mere imitator. There is absolutely nothing derogatory I will say about Westing’s efforts on Future.

The album kicks, rips, and soars. Back In The Twenties uses a lilting, lullaby-like chorus in a stomping song that demands a 100-year historical perspective of dark comparisons. Nothing New relishes timeless bluesy grooves, while Lost Riders recalls ‘73 as if fifty years haven’t cruelly ticked away without mercy. Big Trouble (In The City Of Love) is a memorable hip-swaying romp followed by Artemisia Coming Down, which slows down and gets grandly psychedelic right when you want it to. Silent Shout follows to dip into Floyd and Moody Blues territory while maintaining the laid back, trippy light-show vibes. 

Stanley Wu reminds us we’re here to let our hair down and party, with fun barroom, bluesy keys kicking underneath. Coming Back To Me stays upbeat, and closes the album reassuring us that in the end we’re here to have some good fun, remembering good times, hanging with friends with good tunes. “I feel it all coming back to me,” goes the song, and yeah, we feel it too. And it feels really good. 8/10

Super Pink Moon - Iron Rain (Self Released) [Rich Oliver]

Iron Rain is the second album from Super Pink Moon which is the solo project of vocalist and guitarist Ihor Pryshliak of Somali Yacht Club. Based in Lviv in Ukraine, Iron Rain was written and recorded during the Russian invasion of Ukraine and “depicts the angst and emotional turmoil of having to make it through the day when surrounded by chaos”. Half the album was recorded prior to the 24th February which was the date that the Russian invasion began and the rest of the album recorded and finished during hugely scary and uncertain times. As Ihor states “All the lyrics are revolving around self-reflection on the war. It’s still hard to describe the weird mix of feelings. Sometimes you’re extremely proud and even happy, but usually, all you feel is sadness, pain, and despair.”

On the musical side of things, Super Pink Moon blends a post-rock sound with elements of shoegaze and indie rock meaning that there are dreamy soundscapes, accessible songwriting and dense riffage all combined together. The tone of the album is quite dark which is understandable given the circumstances it was written and recorded under with songs such as Everything and Per Aspera Ad Astra having a doomy atmosphere to them. Collision has a more positive feel to it whilst instrumentals Mirage and Calmness really bring forth the shoegaze and soundscape vibes incorporating some electronica influences. The vocals by Ihor are excellent and perfectly compliment the music being suitably melodic and melancholic.

I’m a sucker for melancholic music and I enjoyed Iron Rain. With lots of different sounds and influences the album is a bit uneven at times though when it hits right such as on Doomscrolling and Per Aspera Ad Astra then there is no denying the talent on display here. This is a album worth hearing for those who have melancholic and atmospheric tastes. 7/10

Rexoria: Imperial Dawn (Black Lodge) [Erick Willand]

 
Power metal holds a special place in the metal pantheon for its bright crisp production, fantasy or sci-fi lyrics, flying guitar heroics, soaring vocal deliveries and pure heavy metal anthems. This is the epic feel good, never give up, always keep fighting side of metal. Feeling down and defeated, power metal has got the songs to lift you up regardless of the obstacles in your path, like a solid friend you know you can count on to help you toss coursed jewellery into a volcano. Is Rexoria worthy to join this vaulted pantheon, let's armour up and find out.

The keyboard starts Imperial Dawn's first track Paradigm. I expected this of course but the song wastes no time at all getting into it, Frida Ohlin’s voice is strong and clear, instantly catching your attention like an arrow shot past your ear. It’s a solid opening track that gets the blood pumping and the horns raised. The next three tracks follow this fantastically with The New Revelation driving speed and catchy chorus, Devious Desire with it’s melodic power adding to the forlorn-romantics of the lyrics is just good song construction. 

Rage and Madness comes in with the tight machine gun drumming of Martin Gustavsson, who I must say is one hell of a drummer. A fast urgent burner of a song with another stand out vocal performance, this is the track I’ve already added to my personal playlist. Fading Rose marks the album midpoint with my favourite song opening yet, the melody here just sticks with you and the 80’s vibe is strong here.

Light Up The Sky heralds the second half of the album and is the most anthem-like song on Imperial Dawn. Fast and very clean, it's the first song that feels a little over done, or rather a bit un-genuine. It feels like a theme song for a Dungeons And Dragons TV show but not in a bad way. Next track Horizon gives me 80s vibes again but in a good way with a group chorus, bright keyboard work and uplifting vibe. This carries over fantastically into Set Me On Fire which just hits all the marks perfectly and is easily the most emotionally driven song on the album.

Another one for the personal playlist and the high point of the album in my humble opinion. Crushing For More is clearly the motivational song and is a solid track for sure but again gives me ‘soundtrack’ vibes, or better yet, video game add music. Which brings us to closing track Enchanted Island which has the strongest vocal performance and best blazing solo of the album easily. A strong well written ending.

Imperial Dawn is a fun album at a time when metal could use more fun (Sanguisugabogg aside). There is clear talent and heart on display here and with the fast pace, memorable choruses and trim song length I wasn’t bored at all. The only small issue is that each song could have used a bit more variation, a little more individual spice if you will. The album art is also another issue as it is amateurish at best and gives me mid 90’s I just got photoshop vibes and not in a good way. Aside from that I enjoyed this album and at least two songs ended up in personal playlist, levelling it out at a powerful 7/10

Vision Of Choice - Second Sight (Self Released) [Simon Black]

Vision of Choice is a Trad Heavy Metal project orchestrated by multi-instrumentalist Steve Brockmann, who pretty much does everything on here apart from vocals (Lukas Remus), and some additional guitar work from Ponch Satrio. I’ve come across Brockman’s work in power metal band Krilloan, which is an act I’m really appreciative of, to which he contributes guitar rather fabulously, but this is the first time I’ve come across what is effectively his own baby. Musically this is NWOBHM influenced 80’s Metal, but you can detect the influence of Euro early power bands as well.

These kind of project pieces can sometime be challenging to the ear, as so much tends to fall on the shoulders of one person, who clearly is in charge and consequently sometimes don’t feel like a cohesive band. That’s half happening here, and I was quite surprised after a first full spin to discover that this wasn’t a four or five piece band at work. Having more than one player does make a difference, and the weaving between guitars and keys works well, even if the drums do feel a bit automated. It’s that inter-playing that generates the best output here, with some lovely weaving and shredding, but sadly the vocals don’t always feel in line with the music. 

Remus is good at what he does, but the range as delivered here is fairly limited and some of the songs on here are crying out for a performance that can scale up the octaves when the music really lets rip. I get the feeling he could if he pushed himself though, as the range he covers is done effortlessly, but that variety could really push the end result from “good” to “fabulous”. The songs are OK, and a solid production job has been done, but sadly this feels like it just needed that little bit more of a push to make it rise above. The potential is there nonetheless. 6/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Katatonia & Sólstafir (Live Review By Tony Gaskin)

Katatonia & Sólstafir at KK's Steel Mill 14/02/2023 Review By Tony Gaskin

The long awaited return of Swedish metal veterans Katatonia to these shores sees them inviting along Icelandic quartet Sólstafir as their touring partners for a double header of moody, atmospheric metal.

First up though was the soaring soundscapes of US based djent shoegazers SOM (7).

This was an entrée for the main courses to come. Playing tracks from their album The Shape Of Everything To Come, the band blended a dark synth backdrop to the edgy guitars and soulful vocals that carry you through a set of songs that were at times heavy but had a gentle caress that quite easily lulled you into a meditative state. The band are somewhat a sort of shoegaze supergroup with members coming together from a list of established bands to create this entity that has great potential. Look out for SOM at some of the more experimental and tech minded festivals.

So, when you’ve been gently massaged and soothed, what next? Well, the incredibly dark, brooding sagas from those giants of Icelandic metal are the perfect next course.

Sólstafir (10) have their roots in blackened death metal, but these days their sound can only be described as epic and cinematic. If ever a band could capture the essence of the landscape they grew up in, then it’s Sólstafir. It’s haunting, dark, ferocious and ultimately, beautiful.

Opening with the nearly 12 minute long Náttmál from their seminal 2014 album Ótta, they set the tone for a set full of passion, anger, longing and loss. Front man Addi Tryggvason looms over the crowd and delivers a stunning performance that raises the hairs on the back of your neck. Each song brings a new level of emotion, a journey through the band's back catalogue that is as varied and dramatic as the landscape it was born from. 

Highlights were the double pronged assault of Fjara and Ótta towards the end of the set, a rising crescendo of pounding rhythms and their signature guitar sound that enthralled the rapt audience. 

To follow a set such as the one we had just witnessed takes a lot of belief, confidence, and experience. Something Jonas Renske has in bucket loads having steered the rocky ship that is Katatonia (8) through numerous member changes and musical styles. This UK tour was originally intended to promote 2020’s City Burials but with the delays of the last couple of years, Jonas and his band have spent the time touring around the world and in creating a new opus in the form of their latest studio offering Sky Void Of Stars

Opening up with Austerity you immediately get a sense of where Katatonia are going with this album. Full of hooks, but used as an accompaniment to the carefully crafted song writing, it creates the basis for a varied mix of songs, old and new that show the vast array of stylistic changes that the band have been through, but throughout there is the underlying sense of gothic doom, something that can be encapsulated in one track Colossal Shade.

Without doubt, Katatonia are seasoned performers and artists and seem to have captured that elusive mix of gloomy but catchy metal that comes across especially well with the lights and dry ice creating brightness and shadows, you’re never quite seeing the full picture, but getting enough to formulate an image in your mind. 

With the melancholy of Paradise Lost and the poppiness of Ghost, Renske continues to surprise us. A powerful live show, and although the new tunes are sounding great, highlight for me was the emotionally charge Old Heart Falls

All in all, a pretty damn fine gig to kick off my reviewing year.

Reviews: Avatar, Hail The Void, Oak, CHILD (Reviews By Tony Gaskin, Rich Piva, Erick Willand & GC)

Avatar – Dance Devil Dance (Century Media Records) [Tony Gaskin]

9th Studio album from Swedish hard rockers Avatar is a pulsating blend of crunchy riffs, melodic harmonies and classic heavy metal.

Straight from the opening chords and bludgeoning drums of title track Dance Devil Dance, you instantly get caught up in pure head banging riffage. Exactly what an opening track should do. But that’s no good if you can’t follow it up with equally good tracks, and thankfully there are plenty more headbanging tunes to keep us all happy for the full 45 mins. It’s good to see an album release with 11 tracks all around the 4 min mark, I personally like that, it helps keep my attention.

Colourful frontman, Jonas Jarlsby shows us the full extent of his vocal range, from hitting those Halfordesque high notes to the more guttural growls that verge on death metal but still retaining a clarity that places this album firmly in that gap between straight up heavy metal and it’s more extreme cousin. Jarlsby has a powerful voice and presence that is worked to the max with the fast pace, there’s no let up from track to track and long time collaborator and producer, Jay Ruston, has done a fantastic job showcasing Jarlsby’s vocals. But not just that, this is an excellently produced album with a clean crisp clarity to all the guitars, bass and drum sections.

The band are quoted as saying that “this is our best album yet” and I can’t disagree with that statement. This album is much more accessible and in my opinion, the writing and songs are another level for the band. This could finally see Avatar get a much deserved wider audience. Favourite track is the very catchy Gonna Wanna Riot but every track had me banging my head, and a big surprise was the final track Violence No Matter What which features the incredible vocal talents of Lzzy Hale.

The band say “There’s no BS, no extra fat, every track is a weapon and has a purpose” and it certainly feels how this album was put together. As for their claim that they are out to “save heavy metal” well they have produced a well crafted heavy metal album, but does heavy metal need saving? I’ll be seeing Avatar play tracks from this album later on this month, a gig I am very much looking forward to after listening to this album over and over again! 8/10

Hail The Void - Memento Mori (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]

Hail The Void released one of my top three albums of this decade so far with their self-titled debut, so going in to album number two, my expectations are obviously extremely high. Then Todd from Ripple goes ahead and signs the Victoria, British Columbia, Canada trio to release said album, titled Memento Mori, which compounded my anticipation given one of my favourite new bands who put out one of my favourite recent albums are now on my favourite label. Is there any possible way this could live up to my expectations, even though Todd and I seem to have a vision lock on what bands are awesome (see my Tidal Wave review…)?

Well in short, yes, and more. Memento Mori is pretty much perfect from beginning to end. Hail The Void took their stoner psych doom formula and ratcheted it up a notch, some how making this record sound better than the first from a production standpoint. The songs are there, and I was expecting them to be, but the instrumentation and vocals are recorded absolutely perfectly. From the guitar tone and work on the absolutely killer first full track, Writing On The Wall, which will be in the running for song of the year for me, to the vocals on the next track, Goldwater, and the drum sound all throughout the record, this is just brilliant heavy music. 

This trio makes so much sound and it is perfectly formulated over the eight tracks on Memento Mori. The riffs are there too, case in point track Talking To The Dead and High And Rising. Killer modern doom. High And Rising is just a gigantic and heavy track and is right there on par with Writing On The Wall for song of the year contention. Lyrically this album is really dark, but with a certain beauty to it. High And Rising as well as the track 100 Pills being perfect examples of this (“…I’ll run you straight into the ground”). More dark beauty with Iommi worship riffing on the killer Serpens Sound (also really dark lyrically, and wonderful) while The Void wraps up Memento Mori by taking us down slowly and let’s you come up from air but trying to push yourself back down at the same time.

 
Hail The Void has created a modern classic with Memento Mori and have cemented themselves as my favorite band of the 2020s with their first two releases. They are the most beautifully heavy band out there and this is art that needs to be experienced by anyone who enjoys heavy music. A perfect record and obviously album of the year candidate. Amazing stuff once again from Ripple and from Hail The Void. 10/10

Oak - Disintegrate (Season Of Mist) [Erick Willand]

Oak is massive for a doom band. This is no surprise however as both members hail from Gaerea and if you’re familiar with the aforementioned band and their unique sound, stow those preconceptions now. This is Doom with a deep capital D. The sound is giant, slow and purposeful and it all plays out in one 44 minute 48 second long track. There are other artists who’ve done the single long form track, Sleep comes to mind of course. So let’s see if Oak can plant it right and lay down some deep roots?

Starting off with some quiet guitar plucked slowly, as one would expect to be honest. Other sounds bleed into the mix like a small leak in a dam, synths, drums come in seemingly from a distance. Until finally at the 3:15 mark the damn breaks, the thunder cracks and we begin in earnest. In come the vocals, coarse and rumbling and filled with sorrow that invades your ears like a freezing liquid. A chill creeps down my spine and I’m paying full attention. It’s slow but relentless like the passage of time.
This review is going to have to be different.

 
The story here is of an ancient colossus finally coming to its end after a long dying period. Seeing its end it contemplates the darkness and void and welcomes it. “My last feast in a decade of slumber. Everything becomes nothing, I’m delighted.” The lyrics (which I’m pleased actually came with the press material) are poetic and heart crushing. This death is a slow drawn out process with full awareness played out in chapters within lyric and song structure both and is a master stroke. From the beginning realisation that time is upon him “Floating, this bearer body of an old soul, wonders tired, through the haze of time” to the final last moments “This beautiful sight of a massive grave is my last, all is dust, I am disintegrated” we take this ponderous rode alongside this giant, mournful yet looking forward. It’s powerful.

 
Usually when I review an album I go through each track one by one then collapse it all back and score the whole including cover art. That approach doesn’t work here with a single album long track that in all honesty needs to be experienced not simply read about. It’s gripping and emotional and it didn’t feel right to break it down like I would a normal album. Like Bell Witch’s 2017 Funeral Doom master work Mirror Reaper, Oak’s Disintegrate is…a journey, a sonic experience that I for one will go back to again and again in the future. Capped off with a harrowing depiction of the sun caught in a maelstrom full of swirling cosmic chaos I declare a first for me here, a perfect 10/10.

CHILD - Meditations In Filth (Eat Heavy Records) [GC]

Today I have the debut album from Gothenburg/Stockholm based death grinding punks CHILD Meditations In Filth. After having a quick skip through the tracks, nothing clocks in at over 2:30 which is exactly what I would expect from an album that has been described as an overwhelming sonic experience full of twists and grinding turns as well as The Black Album of grindcore, now I’m not really sure that is anything to boast about if I am honest and now I am kind of filled me with fear as to what is about to happen!

Thankfully is starts of sounding nothing like a shit gindcore Metallica (however that would sound??) and Hate Well Spent flies out of the blocks full of furious blast beats and cutting and crisp guitars and before you know it Manic Vortex kicks in and has a bit more of a death metal feel to it, with the same crispy guitar sound but added groove section halfway through mixed in to pad out the sound slightly and add some variation then there is the completely unnecessary Splendor Solis which is just 10 seconds of feedback, we really don’t need any interludes and fillers on a grindcore records lads, c’mon now! 

Billion Years Of Darkness then proceeds to kick the listener directly in the teeth again with some more crusty grind that is full of dark intensity and the end section of this song is easily the best bit on the album so far which leads disgustingly into Burn As One which is beautifully punishing, relentless and crushing all at the same time and instantly becomes than best song on the album so far, it just hits every tick point brilliantly.

Prima Materia is then another 10 seconds on pointless noise that could have been better used writing a song such as the unrelenting Carless Blood which is 40 seconds of groove filled grind which leads into the slow burn intro of Crawling Chaos which is probably the closest they come to introducing some d-beat into the madness and it has a slow and menacing bass tone that adds some bottom end to all the speed and savageness. 

Anima Mundi is another interlude and is again completely pointless and not needed as it just interrupts the flow but that is then thankfully instantly shaken violently back into life again by The God Furnace which is more crusty death/grind and is really beginning to be the general sound here a glorious scuzzy and violent death/grind attack. Accept The Suffering is another short, sharp shock to the system before The Stone Which Burns which is another 10 second interlude, they need to stop this shit now as it adds NOTHING!

Abattoir Of Minds is probably the most death metal track on the whole album but is also one of the best and Joakim Lindström vocals are fucking savage here and it all adds up to an absolute killer of a track and then yes, you guessed it Nigredo is ANOTHER interlude and yes it is again completely pointless. Sweating Gold continues the death metal feel and is done well enough then its She Came From The Marsh which falls back into the crusty d-beat grind but has an almost claustrophobic feeling to the way it drags its way along its not slow but its not 1000bpm as you have come expect and it’s probably the best mix of all the varying styles so far and would have been the best way to finish the album.

But, of course they don’t finish on a high they finish with Vitriol which is another fucking 40 seconds of feedback that just annoys, seriously in the time they wasted putting these on the album they could have written a whole other song! A stupidly pointless way to end an otherwise decent album!

Meditations In Filth at its best is furious, grim, intense, savage and most importantly fun, yes I got annoyed at the stupid 10 second interludes and probably should have skipped them but I was expecting y’know actual songs as that’s nothing shocking on a grindcore album! Anyway, ignore these stupid bits and this is a decent debut album and worth a listen. 7/10

Reviews: Lumen Ad Mortem, Replica Jesus, Dragoncorpse, Spectral Souls (Reviews Paul Scoble, Matt Bladen, Mark Young & GC)

Lumen Ad Mortem - Upon The Edge Of Darkness (Bitter Loss Records) [Paul Scoble]

Hailing from the sunny shores of Australia come Lumen Ad Mortem with their album Upon The Edge Of Darkness. The band is made up of Aaron Tuck on guitars, bass, keyboards and orchestrations, Gregor Piki on vocals and Matt “Skitz” Sanders on drums (who, like all extreme metal drummers is in about 300 bands, including Plasmodium that wonderful psychedelic War Metal band), and have been in existence since 2019. Apart from a demo released in 2019 Upon The Edge Of Darkness is the bands first album.

The style Lumen Ad Mortem is fairly traditional atmospheric black metal, so it’s full of tremolo picked riffs, blast beats, harsh vocals and lots of atmospheric keyboards. The orchestrations that form part of Aaron Tuck’s duties also add a little bit of epic black metal and may have a slight nod towards mid career Emperor. The sound is reminiscent of late nineties/early two thousands atmospheric black metal, with a feel that is similar to Wolves In The Throne Room, which would make it sound a little dated if it wasn’t done so well.

 
Opening track Infinite Residence starts with a long keyboard intro before dramatic blast of black metal that starts fast but quickly slows to a mid-pace for some really melodic tremolo picked riffs, the vocals are harsh and very effective. In the second half of the song we get some very lush layered tremolo picked riffs that add melody and atmosphere.

The song gets a little bit faster and more aggressive just before it ends. Second track Within The Smoke is bookended by blasting and nasty black metal, in between the song is slow to mid paced atmospheric black metal with loads of keyboards to temper the heaviness, making this very effectual atmoblack.

 
Ethereal is a mix of aggressive blasting fast black metal and slower, heavier parts which is made more palatable by adding vast amounts of melody throughout the song. Nearer the end there is a section with slow riffs that have an expansive feel to them, this adds an extra element to the song. Right at the end of the track there are the first of the orchestrations, where brass instruments are added for extra drama.

The orchestrations really come to the for in the track Thought And Memory. After a mix of slow and fast tremolo picked riffs the huge sounding brass instruments come crashing in, these are then mixed with tremolo picked riffs to add to the fun. The orchestrations make Thought And Memory feel huge and very dramatic, this sounds epic and remind me a little of Emperor, and also of Celtic Frost’s Dawn Of Meggido. 

Voices From The Stream has a slightly different feel to the rest of the material on here, the song is mainly slow and quite heavy (although there are some faster parts), it has a relentless and unstoppable feel to it and also features some nice dissonance, and a impressive wailing guitar melody.

The album comes to an end with the track Narrow Paths And Stony Ground, which has a huge opening with lots of brass, the song is then a mix of very good blasting and sections with layered tremolo picked riffs that are just lush. The song manages to be extreme whilst at the same time being full of melody and tunefulness, which is a clever trick to end the album on.

 
Upon The Edge Of Darkness is a great album, the style is a little old school, but when it’s done this well that is not an issue. There has been so much atmospheric black metal released over the last few years this album could have been lost in a sub-genre that is huge, but this albums quality is what makes it shine through. 

The quality and amount of melodies on display here is massive, and they have used enough different tempos to make this stand out, it’s the slow and heavy that makes this album really work, it’s a great listen that will grab your attention. It’s also a debut album, another reason to be impressed, as debuts are rarely this good. 8/10 

Replica Jesus - Echoes From The Expanse (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Formed by Howard Rigg (guitar), Lee Barber (bass) and Stu Cheesman (drums) in 2016 Replica Jesus are stoner punks from Derby and Nottingham, shortly after forming they brought in Mike Knight as vocalist/guitarist and since then have been kicking out their particular kind of jams since then. Why I say their particular kind of jams is that Replica Jesus play a style of music that draws from various points of reference such as stoner, desert and fuzz rock with the grooves of grunge and punk rock aggression.

They call themselves "stoner punk" and to me there's a similarity to Welsh bands such as Hwdu or Corrosion Of Conformity (both versions) where the riffy tracks, like the bass-driven Come Back Better are often followed by longer psych driven jams. One such jam is the apocalyptic sounding opener Everything Rots, which has some echoed guitar and vocal before the reverbed, fuzz riff reconvenes into a bit of Kyuss-like wildness, Switchblade Eyes also creates an atmosphere of dark blues. The groove Professional Liar comes in with a bit more percussion and that punk rock simplicity as Headshot reminds me of Therapy? with its feedback induced squeal out.

Echoes From The Expanse is a hard hitting debut album from this riff swinging foursome, interesting and varied riffs with vocals to match, there’s a lot to like for fans of the stoner/grunge/punk genres, most importantly though it’s the sort of music that makes you want to crack a beer and bang your head. 8/10

Dragoncorpse - The Drakketh Saga: Release (Shattered Earth Records) [Mark Young]

This is the debut EP from Dragoncorpse and to be honest I am not that fond of the genre of music it sits within. Power metal, symphonic metal it’s just not something I would normally listen to and in general would stay away from as it just does nothing for me. I can appreciate it for the skill that goes into writing and performing material like this but that is about as far as it goes. Personal opinions aside I’ll try to offer my thoughts in a non-judgemental fashion.

Here we go.

It reminds me of Dragonforce, and of some of the European battle metal bands with an almost Queen like guitar tone. Everything is there, its bombastic delivery, heavy guitars and of course double bass. Its really well produced and I guess it does everything you expect from symphonic power metal combined with deathcore. It has the soaring vocals, the death metal vocals that almost break into black metal territory.

The singing here is just awe-inspiring and they just absolutely fly and the musicianship backs it up to a very high standard. The same with the death vocals, they are on point and again somehow don’t seem out of place apart from when they try to occupy the same space. It’s like they have tried to make sure each song has representation from both styles and I wonder if it suffers for that instead of keeping with one main vocal delivery per song.

The album itself is 24 minutes long and they cram a lot in those short minutes. The longest track is 5 minutes long, but it doesn’t seem like it. For me they saved the best for last with Undying. The score I am going to give this is based purely on an appreciation of the skill involved as this music appeals to some people but I have to say that the interludes although telling a story could have been removed but that is just me. 6/10

Spectral Souls - Towards Extinction (Hammerheart Records) [GC]

Hailing from Lima in Peru, Spectral Souls formed back in 2019 and planned to make a record that would fit into the old school death metal genre but as with most recent ventures Covid saw that the process would take slightly longer than planned but now they have finally been able to finish and release their debut album Towards Extinction, So lets see if it was worth the wait!?

No More Gods For Me lurches forward and fits perfectly in to the OSDM feel with its slow and menacing opening before crashing into life with some nicely paced death metal, the guitars are sharp and precise and the rhythm section thunders and pounds as expected and backs everything up nicely, the only thing I am not sold on is the vocals, they just don’t hit right for me on this song, still plenty of time to improve!? No Hope Humanity is a little more straightforward and has a thrash type feel and has lots of widdly guitar parts throw in as if to hammer this point home and sure, it’s all done well enough but just seems to fall a bit flat for me and doesn’t really inspire anything in me and is all a bit to pedestrian.

Fuck The World is more of the same, thrash beginning and then falls back on the OSDM feel also has a decent groove and flow section randomly added into, still not sold on the vocals though, there’s just not enough power behind them to really make a significant impact on the songs which is a shame as overall these really need something to push them forward as so far, its all just a bit average, Ego Man kicks of with a riff so reminiscent of something mid 80’s Megadeth would produce you do get a bit of hope but unfortunately that’s the pinnacle of the whole song.

There's just nothing that grabs you to really connect with what’s going on until about halfway through there is a decent enough almost two-step type riff that momentarily jolts you awake as it has a wicked solo that follows but then it all just falls back into mediocrity, before Scum Politic continues the thrash/death plodding, another thing missing is perhaps a bit of variety, everything sounds EXACTLY the same, I know death metal isn’t really know for its invention but at least try something different every now and then, the one bonus I will say is that when the want to they can create some deliciously filthy riffs but they then don t use them well enough.

Title track Towards Extinction isn’t a song at all it’s a piano led interlude that is totally pointless and adds precisely fuck all to proceedings, bit of an odd choice. One Step Away From Extinction is the most boring song on the album and offers nothing it’s just one paced head down death metal, Cristal Generation is a little more interesting sound wise as it throws in some more two-step and hardcore flavours in to the mix that mix nicely into the thrashy death metal and is probably one of the stronger songs on the album.

Major Depressive Disorder and Misanthropy are both standard thrashy death metal songs that do little to inspire much more interest at this stage of the album however, album closer Behind The Lying Glass does mix things up a bit and slows the pace right down and has a doom filled beginning and sets a tone for the whole song, there’s more groove and subtlety here before the usual sound kicks back in it does pay off nicely to end on an unexpected positive note.

So, was it worth the 4 year wait for this album to be completed and released? Sadly, the answer for me is a no, it just doesn’t offer enough invention or creativity to keep me invested for the whole album. What they do they do ok and I am sure they can improve and with more effort push on but here they just fall short for me. 5/10

Reviews: The Abbey, Winds Of Tragedy, 66Crusher, Starspawn Of Cthulhu (Reviews By Matt Bladen, GC, Mark Young & David G)

The Abbey - Word Of Sin (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]

If you compare the Ghost of Opus Eponymous to the Ghost of Impera you get two very different bands, since their debut album the Swedish band have shifted to a more pop-infected sound, using the occult themes but doing away with the doom stoner riffs of their debut for more hard rock and 80's synthpop. However if you want band who sound like Ghost did back then, please welcome The Abbey. 

The gloomy doomy moods of Pentagram and Cathedral are fused with the occult rock riffs of Blue Oyster Cult and keening vocals of Ghost on this Finnish bands debut album. Inspired by Aleister Crowley's Abbey Of Thelema, it was the hedonistic playground of "The Great Beast" in Sicily, the study and mastery of Magick at it's strongest here, marred in controversy and ultimately closed by Mussolini it is definitely the right sort of lyrical inspiration for a doom band like The Abbey. 

Jesse Heikkinen (guitars/keys/percussion/vocals) and co-vocalist Natalie Koskinen draw from the mysticism and majesty of Crowley's teachings and ethos on every one of these cinematic, progressive doom driven heavy rock tracks, that reminds me of Lowen, Huntsmen, The Devils Blood and hell I also heard a lot of influence from Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds record. Conjuring bewitching soundscapes such as the slow burning Starless, the use of both sets of vocals having a glorious choral effect that is matched by the huge sounding riffs coming from Heikkinen's keys, and of course organ, as his guitars are joined by bassist Henri Arvola and fellow guitarist Janne Markus. 

The songs taking on a jam-like feel, sort of like doom Gov't Mule as I can hear that there will be plenty of room for improvisation live. Even shorter, more direct tracks such as Desert Temple feel like they could go in another direction at any moment, getting bolder and longer. Much of this due to the fantastic drumming of Vesa Ranta who served his time in The Man-Eating Tree and Finnish goth/gloom legends Sentenced (who I love and miss dearly as a band), he has that galloping power on Desert Temple but then the slow, dreary half beat on Widow's Sill to bring the gothic touches of Sentenced and Type O Negative. 

There's so much happening on Word Of Sin that you need to listen to it a few times, to hear everything they are doing on each track, considering that it's 53 minutes, that's a lot of commitment but completely worth it as I think this album is absolutely brilliant. Jesse Heikkinen has said he's influenced vocally by John Wetton as well as E.L.O and Queen which you can hear in the harmonies, Natalie Koskinen's voice in sync perfectly as the ethereal counterpoint to Heikkinen's Tobias Forge-esque delivery. Also featuring guest musicians that bring additional guitars, keys, lute and percussion, this collaborative, improvisational, dark record has instantly made it's way into my top ten of the year. 

As Crowley himself put it "The joy of life consists in the exercise of one's energies, continual growth, constant change, the enjoyment of every new experience" the energies are exercised here and all the experiences deserve to be enjoyed by as many as it can be. 10/10 

Winds Of Tragedy - Hating Life (Meuse Music/Tragedy Records) [GC]

Before I even get going I can tell this review is going to be shall we say, difficult?? Certainly not a lighthearted romp of an album, today I have Winds Of Tragedy’s second album Hating Life, if a title tells the story of an album then I am bracing myself, I’m going in………

It all floats into your ears on an acoustic and light guitar that lulls you in to a false sense of security before exploding into a brooding and atmospheric black metal beating, the vocal from the mastermind behind Winds Of Tragedy, Sergio González Catalán, probably wasn’t what I was expecting, its more death metal than black metal but it fits in nicely and doesn’t take away form anything and at about 3 minutes in this song really takes off and combines some groove into the all out attack and really fills the song out nicely for until it gets to another acoustic section that is made to again lull you into that false sense of safety before continuing to drag you down to hell, nicely done!

I feel that starting with the longest song on the album was probably a bold choice, but I imagine it was deliberate, so you can suffer as much as Sergio has, and I don’t mean this in a disparaging sense! I Chose To Die then drops the pace significantly and feels like a funeral march, it has grandiose guitars and thunderous drumming form collaborator Emidio Alexandre and it all suffocates you and drenches you in a sense of suffering and sadness, it really remarkably beautiful and then just as you give up it grabs you by the throat and throttles you with a sublime savage and outro section.

Title track Hating Life doesn’t let up in any way and is probably the most nailed on black metal track so far, its chaotic drums and buzzsaw guitars are both relentless and punishing and again there is a breakdown filled with a groove not many black metal bands would use and its nice to have that mix in sounds that keeps everything fresh and interesting.

Changing up the temp and vibe completely is the haunting and atmospheric No Reason To Go On, this song take you away with is violin filled beginning that cascades into a sombre and melodic symphonic sounding song that then of course doesn’t let you just wallow in the pity, it then adds in the anger and misery before again being in the sublime guitars, this song is a beautiful piece of work. Wake Me Up From This Act compared to everything else so far is actually a bit more straight forward metal. 

It has an almost Iron Maiden riff to open with and then proceeds to just saunter along for a bit before remembering what it should be and reintroduces the black metal and it seems a bit of a weird choice for me and interrupts the flow slightly but I needn’t have worried as Death Love is right back to business again and is more of the harrowing and emotional terror that has formed the main body of this album, Remember We Died is the upon us to finish us and the album off and it does so in a decidedly sorrowful and death metal drenched way, its slow, focused and sludgy beginning then explodes into a cutting and violent barrage that has you hooked and wanting more but then its all over and you are left wondering what has just happened to you.

In all honesty I wasn’t expecting much from this but, it delivered so much! It was emotionally draining and savagely beautiful in places but also ugly and devastating at the same time, this is a real gut punch of an album and made all the more remarkable that its just one man behind it all! A definite must listen, highly recommended. 8/10

66Crusher - Limbo (Gymnocal Industries) [Mark Young]

Norwegian progressive thrash metal band 66Crusher have returned with their fourth album, their first since 2015. Looking at online information for them is that their hallmark is technical thrash which is where the progressive tag comes from. They have all the right influences In their music but look to take the thrash blueprint and stamp it into their own image.

 
The songs are not short by any stretch, averaging over 6 minutes but they do them so well, so they do not become dull or make you go for the skip button. They are content not just to batter you over the head with multiple riff changes and 100 mph drums and are comfortable in going quiet so that the loud bit really hits home.

 
I really picked up a Megadeth vibe on here, again I struggled to find any real information on them online, their website is under construction at this point, but the way the riffs land at sometimes what feels like a right angle to the song played just moments earlier. There is a lot of stuff on here that I would play and get a buzz from doing so. It’s like they picked the best parts of thrash and technical music and built this album from the ground up.

Retribution brings massive Megadeth vibes straight off, the vocals here delivered clean as almost a back seat to the triplet riffing being provided then the solo’s kick in and its great. It’s just over the top and just great. The hope is that it hasn’t set the bar too high, followed by Strife which has a slower pace but with enough bite to maintain interest with almost anthemic chorus that doesn’t sound twee in relation to the song itself. Opeth sounds come on Phantom in the clean opening guitar passages and in the vocals here do the heavy lifting and then bring Megadeth back in, which is just spot on.

The songs themselves are not faster than light for the sake of showing just how fast they can play and each one just seems to have the right tempo. Its crisp, but heavy and they know when to thrash and when to dial back. Its technical when it needs to be and is one of the best I’ve heard in a while, and I would recommend you get onto it quickly.

Descent is razor-sharp, Distrust feels like Gojira while Unscarred brings yet more clean acoustic driven underpinned by some great soloing and the acoustic melody is just building and building all the way through it. Closing with Limbo it weighs in at 10 minutes long and just rips, solo’s where you want them with an epic slow section that just has Dave Mustaine all over it. Excellent.

 
I only hope that they continue in this vein and develop further as this is a strong effort that deserves so much more attention from the metal loving public. 8/10

Starspawn Of Cthulhu - The Cursed Vision (Talheim Records) [David G]

This curiosity from Italian duo Starspawn Of Cthulhu is an interesting one. Naturally inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and specialising in a rather somber blend of dark/doom metal, SOC provide a short but mostly sweet five-track album in The Cursed Vision.

With an acoustic intro Iranon is a solid opener that displays one facet of the band’s approach. The main body of the song leans towards the Candlemass style; pairing morose, flat vocals with slowly staggering backing, however the arcing guitar melody that runs underneath the “singing” creates an unusual and slightly off-kilter effect.

The Last Rift opens with another gentle acoustic lilt, that sounds practically nursery rhyme-worthy. There’s a slight twang of Swedish stalwarts Lake Of Tears in this one, more maudlin and adding clean guitar motifs over a chunky, distorted rhythm. By the end it starts to go a bit strange with guitars feeling like they are pushing each other to arms-length and the effect seems to make things more discordant.

Standout Black Lotus is built around a wonderfully melancholic lead part delivered over slow, chugging chords. The track leans more into that Gothic/dark metal style that relies on the sentimental, creating an aching feeling out of its melody. It’s also the first song where the vocals, which if we’re being honest are not the most adept, feel too flat, coming across as matter of fact and detached in what is a more emotionally impactful track.

Blind God introduces harsher vocals which befits the musical approach, chords left to hang in the air before piercing, dissonant notes serve to contrast their density. Towards the end of the track the pace picks up the pace to a chug, with little tendrils escaping the surface. Finally ...But Now I’m Suffering closes out the album, beginning with twanging bass before opening into a more landscaped sound than evident on previous tracks. Here we find the resonance filling out the stage as the chords hang out with the crash cymbals. The laboured drumming really emphasises the point here, it has a lethargic quality that underscores the music really well and holds it slightly in check.

The Cursed Vision sounds a bit out of time and place; its production is unpolished and the approach has a bit of a dated feel. With that said, I keep coming back to the word curiosity; it is a bit out of place but that is part of its charm, and it is quite easy to engage with despite its little eccentricities, or perhaps because of them. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Karnivool & The Ocean Collective (Live Review By Duncan Everson)

Karnivool And The Ocean Collective, O2 Academy, Bristol 03.02.23

I have to start this review by saying that I was disappointed with the turnout for this gig, as it wasn’t completely sold out. My disappointment comes though, not because of any lack of numbers in the audience, but because I had a “hilarious” joke all prepared based on sardines and The Ocean, which I obviously can’t now use, damnit! (I laughed - Ed) If ever there was a venue, I thought I was guaranteed to be able to use it in, then this was the place. As it was though, the O2 Academy was nicely packed but not dangerously so, so not far short of capacity and just right to give an excellent atmosphere throughout the night.

And what a night it was! I’d only managed to listen to the latest album by German prog metal band The Ocean Collective (to give them their full name) once ahead of time so wasn’t very familiar with what they were going to play but knew it was sort of like TesseracT who I like, so all good. What I wasn’t expecting, though, was to be so completely blown away by the band, as they were just amazing. Being live you expect everything to sound heavier and so it proved, with the quieter passages of music just making the “loud stuff” all the more crushingly heavy. 

The songwriting of this band is just something else, with so many changes in musical style throughout their songs, sometimes quiet and slow, other times loud, fast and on at least a couple of the songs, nearly death metal levels of intensity. And it was during one of these most intense passages that I had an epiphany of sorts – I suddenly realised that I was enjoying every part of what was being played on stage, including the harsh vocals, something I haven’t been able to stand for the last 35+ years since I first heard and disliked them in the ‘80’s. Bloody hell, what a band!

As there were only the two bands playing, it gave The Ocean (10) more time on stage, which can only be a good thing. During the last song, the singer even sent the microphone into the crowd for one member to sing/scream a verse, and he did a damn good job of too – well done that man.

This was truly a headline-worthy set and I can’t wait to see them again next time they’re in the country, which could well be ArcTanGent in August. It has been announced since the gig that they are also releasing a new album on May 19th, so even more good news.

Now, following that was always going to be a very tricky prospect for Karnivool (10), but I believe they may have raised their game to do just that, as they didn’t put a foot wrong throughout their set.

With a setlist taken mainly from Sound Awake, most of their second album was aired, which was a little unusual for a band to largely ignore their latest album in favour of an older one but it worked for me as that’s the one I was most familiar with. Clearly Bristol had been waiting to see the band for some time now as the crowd were in excellent voice throughout, even leading the singer to mention how loud they were on one occasion. And singing the percussive intro to Simple Boy was a joy to hear and clearly pleased the band too, who seemed to be having a great time all night.

The evening could be summed up as being an absolute showcase for this type of music’s best exponents as it was truly a memorable night and I can’t imagine anyone walking away disappointed. - just amazing! In fact, between them, these two bands could well have my bank manger coming round to do my kneecaps to stop me buying even more of their CDs, so it’s probably just as well that Karnivool record at the pace they do, although a new album at some point in the next 10 years would be nice chaps.

Reviews: Narrow Head, Motive Black, Infinite And Divine, Fredlös (Reviews By David Karpel, Zak Skane, Mark Young & James Jackson)

Narrow Head - Moments Of Clarity (Church Road Records/Run For Cover) [David Karpel]

This album grabbed me by surprise. So much 90s, but so solidly a sound for 2023. Out of Houston, Narrow Head has released two previous albums, both of which showed promise now fully realised on their latest full-length, Moments Of Clarity. Grunge-gaze or dreamy darkpop grunge or whatever you want to label it, their third full-length reveals a reflective yet forward thinking range that combines seminal 90s influences like Smashing Pumpkins, Ride, Hum, Quicksand, maybe Seaweed, and others to make a darkly seductive sound for these dissonant times. In addition to deeply personal lyrics that resonate on a universal level throughout the 12 infectious songs, Narrow Head lulls you in melodies that drench your cerebellum and hippocampus with something you recognise as a need. Resistance is futile.

Opening track The Real sets the tone – musically and lyrically. Tight loud/quiet grooves driven by walls of warm guitars, solid drums, and deep bass lines immediately reference the Pumpkins, but Jacob Duarte’s singing is a warmer concoction. A reflection on the difficulties of being true to who you are, Duarte asks, “How does it feel?/ To be you/ To be real.” The tension between the riffs and Duarte’s voice makes it impossible not to consider all the opposing possibilities of how to answer that question.

The title track follows with Duarte expanding his vocal range and maintaining the themes of the challenges of self discovery and connection in an often hostile and lonely environment. I’m such a sucker for this sound, that Sunny Day Real Estate catchiness that grabs your neck before it grabs your consciousness. That reference isn’t meant to be cheeky when the next track, Sunday, goes ever deeper, with percussionist Carson Wilcox creating a storm-ridden playground of groove for Duarte and band to jam and lay down those dreamy vocals. Next thing you know, though, Narrow Head takes a Deftones-like turn with Trepanation.

Duarte’s almost ethereal vocals are deceptively sweet while they convey often difficult subject matter, and the crunch on Trepanation hint at an undertone of rage that gets a fuller hearing later in the album’s heavier songs, Gearhead and Flesh & Solitude. It’s this range that puts Narrow Head in the same category as similarly addictive newer bands like Abrams, InTechnicolour, and perhaps even Astronoid. Breakup Song does what it’s supposed to do nestled there after Trepanation, slowing us down before the more sugar-pop infused rockers Fine Day and Caroline commence to sweep you off your grubby feet.

While The Comedown goes from quiet to grand, The World and Soft To Touch show Narrow Head’s quirkier sides, with seamlessly infused synths, effects, and drum machine programming. Having lived through the nineties during my formative 20s, I’m sure my bone-deep bias for the sounds Narrow Head taps into makes me an easy target for Moments Of Clarity. Nevertheless, the album is undeniably chock-full of caffeinated grooves and contemplative lyrics that create an enticing, gripping tension. Listening becomes an act of sublime catharsis. 8/10

Motive Black - Auburn (AFM Records) [Zak Skane]

Motive Black peels back the layers to reveal the dark and turbulent emotions that dwell in the heart of vocalist Elana Justin. In collaboration with Grammy winning guitarist/producer Nick Rowe (Bloodsimple, Vampire Weekend), the duo have reworked songs from Elana's former NewYork band, taking the music in a much heavier direction. Add special guests in the studio such as Marcos Curiel (guitars - P.O.D.), Ray Luzier (drums – Korn), and Carla Harvey (vocals – Butcher Babies), and something immensely powerful and visceral emerges

Lift Me Up starts this album on a hypnotic note introducing us with tribal drum grooves met with eastern sounding leads, whilst Carla Harvey and Elana Justin are weaving through the track in a seductive yet deadly manner. Carla Harvey's guest appearance on this track adds the Yin to the singers Yang by adding some harsh vocals in the main lines of the song whilst doubling on choruses to create some cynical harmonies. We definitely not going to get enough of this track…see what I did there. Broken instantly makes an absolute curve ball on the albums sound by going into a more pop punk meets hard rock. In the this track we get to hear one of the best vocal performances and choruses on this album.

Let Down ramps the heavy back into the mix with clanky bass sections, thrashy-hardcire crossover guitar riffs combined with the radio friendly hard rock choruses. Caged brings in some classic 90’s vibes with Ray Luzier doing some classic Faith no More style tom grooves whilst Elana’s choices of vocal melody and harmonies could make any fan of Janes Addiction gleam with pride. The rebellious thrash metal charged Cellophane pushes Elana’s vocal ability to new territory with the venom soaked harsh raspy verses to angsty soaring choruses. In this track we also get to see a new layer Ray Luzier drumming from firing an all cylinders by kicking off the song with some blast beats whilst throwing in his classic tom grooves to make his stamp on this songs.

Other highlights on this album is Bad Decisions which pushes the sound of this album into another direction by going into a dance metal crossover. The seductive verses met with electronic drum beats sound like they come from a Pierce Brosnan-era James Bond sound track but when it comes into the choruses the track goes into riff city and hard rock choruses. The tempos are spot on with the bouncy track Fake, again pushing the boundaries of their performance with Elana adding venom with very word she is producing, the guitars are performed with finesse and Ray in the pocket whilst pushing them tempos.

This is an album that takes what works and runs with it, with a team which members consists of Marcos Curie from POD and Ray Luzier famously from Korn complementing Elana Justins vocal range this is an force to be reckoned with. 7/10

Infinite And Divine - Ascendancy (Frontiers Music Srl) [Mark Young]

From Malmö, Sweden Infinite And Divine are a two-piece offering up hard rock and metal in a melodic style. Already at this point I’m feeling uneasy because in my house you are either hard rock or metal. I know it is limiting in the kind of music I listen to, but you know I like what I like and its metal. And 60’s psychedelia.

So here we go with Infinite And Divine who offer what could be described as EU driving music. We have keyboards and riffing guitars that are loud at the right point and are competent in delivery and in some ways remind of latter Deep Purple (the Deep Purple stuff I’m not keen on). We have breathy vocals that remind me of Roxette but it is just so… meh. There is nothing approaching metal until you get to Silent Revolution which has a metallic sheen, but the song structure is so similar to the others it barely qualifies.

Each of the songs are just so inoffensive to the point that they could have appeared in an 80’s coming of age film or a training montage atop a snowy mountain whilst dragging a cart. It is entirely possible that I will have to throw the towel in on this one because I don’t want it to be an exercise in me taking the Michael out of this band especially when they have expended effort in writing, arranging, and performing the music here.

Of the eleven songs here, there are probably 4 that move in a way I would consider rock, but the rest are just by the numbers which will have a market somewhere, but it just does nothing for me at all. 5/10

Fredlös - Fredlös (Threedown) [James Jackson]

From the off the self titled debut album from Swedish band Fredlös is dark and brooding, it’s a funereal lament accompanied by a sorrowful melody courtesy of a violin and nothing says Doom more than a violin. The first three songs Vat Varm Jord, Otto and Farsot have all the hallmarks of something worth listening to, female vocals sung in the bands native language adds to the atmosphere, all the more haunting due to the unfamiliar tongue. Throughout these opening tracks male vocals adorn the heavier elements of the songs, adding a touch of diversity to the proceedings; violin and a church organ precede dirge like guitar riffs as the music spins a tale; I know little of the band or it’s intent but a quick decoding of the song titles leads to a theme of hardship and despair. Suiting for a band that reminds me of one of my favourite acts, My Dying Bride.

Someone once told me that doom metal wasn’t, couldn’t be exciting but I beg to differ and the blend of folk, doom, multi layered instrumentation alongside male and female vocals that both duel and duet proves my point, you don’t get that song structure from continual blast beats and guttural vocals. From the fourth track, Missvaxt onwards things take a bit of a turn, whilst the main riff is still quite slow in and marching there’s an almost black metal sound to the bridge, it’s an interesting mix. Fredlös and Uprror follow both of which have taken the tempo up a step, male vocals take the lead on Fredlös performed by Erik Grawsio of Viking/black metal outfit Manegarm. 

It’s worth noting that Entombed guitarist Alex Hellid is amongst the lineup and that death metal influence can be heard throughout this midsection of the album. Undergang brings back the melancholy without the violin, relying on a lead melody and stripped down instrumentals backing the female vocals once more before building into a more distorted element, it’s a rollercoaster of a track building and falling but always haunting. The penultimate track, Deus is quite a Folk, reminding me of Skald, a spoken word interlude with a steady solitary drum beat accompanied by an instrument which sounds like to my untrained ear an accordion; I’m most likely wrong there but whatever it is, it works.

Requiem brings the album to a close and it’s giving it all, much like Undergang it’s taking the listener on quite the journey… and the violin is back !! Whilst that middle segment lost some of its excitement for me, that violin was sorely missed; nothing seems out of place, with its woodcut image on the cover to my hopefully correct interpretation of the song titles there’s a theme to this album of famine, plague and death and the music does it justice; I’ve added this album to my library and am most certainly going to be playing it for awhile. 7/10

Reviews: Bridear, Unto Others, Wig Wam, T3nors (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Bridear - Aegis Of London... Live! (Setsuzoku Records)

Recorded at London's Boston Music Rooms in September 2022. Aegis Of London...Live! Is the first live album (they've previously released DVDs) from Japanese metal band Bridear, intended to capture the band on stage during their tour supporting Aegis Of Athena their latest studio album. Unlike other Japanese bands such as Band-Maid or Lovebites, Bridear try to avoid the overt power/shred metal style relying more the thrash/classic metal mix of American bands such as Trvium etc on the opener Side Of A Bullet, but even when they kick back into galloping power metal it's very Americanised, delivered much heavier than many of their fellow acts.

This NWOAHM, Gothenburg scene influenced take is helped by Frederick Nordström (In Flames/At The Gates) mixing/mastering this run through of the bands career in front of a rabid fan base. With the power metal Daybreak lightning the mood it's The Moment that brings back the heavy with lots of guttural growls from the melodeath arena. Their fusion of putting the heavy melodic metal with poppy hooks is quite a Japanese idea as the virtuosity is off the charts for all involved, the vocals do need a bit of getting used to but if you've ever heard a band such as Loudness then you'll get there.

It's certainly an interesting listen if you're you're not familiar with the band or the uniqueness of the Japanese metal scene, dynamic songwriting brings prog on Brave New World Revisted, the NWOBHM-like Dimensions and the pop driven Determination. The tracks positioned well in the set to make sure the audience get the best of the band, their most known numbers coming last as the mighty Again finishes things off. If I could tell you in a sentence what to expect then I'd say Alanis Morrisette fronting Trivium but they were from Japan, well worth a listen if you're curious about what Bridear do. 7/10

Unto Others - Strength II...Deep Cuts (Lone Fir Records/Eisenwald Records)

When recording their last album Strength, Portland, Oregon goth rockers Unto Others wrote 25 demos. Unfortunately for them the record label only wanted am album with around 12 tracks on it (standard length), this meant that extras were condemned to the cutting room floor or the ideas drawer.

Thankfully because the band are now on the verge of being stratospheric they have sated the appetite of their fans with this new EP which features six songs recorded during the Strength sessions with producer Arthur Rizk, three full fledged new tracks, two demos and a cover. First to the cover and it's Passion Rules The Game by Scorpions, the Unto Others version turning it into a Maiden song. The EP gets going though with the galloping Sailing In The Darkness, Over Western Shores also feeling epic and nautical, the NWOBHM chug paired with those brilliant booming vocals.

You can just hear Gabriel Franco bellowing down the mic with his mirrored aviators. Even the two demos sound great, a little rougher but they are still enough to get your head nodding along, while The Fire Of Youth is the most jangly goth rocker the band have produced. Yet more Strength from Unto Others, a band on a meteoric rise to superstardom. 8/10

Wig Wam - Out Of The Dark (Frontiers Music Srl)

Norwegian rock band Wig Wam have had a lot of people discovering who they are recently due to their track Do Ya Wanna Taste It being used as the theme to HBO's Peacemaker (starring John Cena). On the back of this you'd expect there to be a much wider audience trying to see what Glam (vocals), Teeny (guitar), Flash (bass) and Sporty (drums) sound like in 2023. Well happily exactly like they did in 2010 when Do Ya Wanna Taste It was released.

Wig Wam have an easy sound, not complicated, inspired by glam bands such as Ratt, Warrant and countless more they have seen a lot of success throughout their career having played in the Eurovision Song Contest (obviously doing better than us!) They split in 2014 but reunited in 2019 with Out Of The Dark being their second album since the reformation and their first since James Gunn chose their song as the main theme for Peacemaker. Wig Wam celebrate by releasing an album that will appeal to this new set of fans acquried from the series.

So does Out Of The Dark do anything different? Well the title track is a little more brooding than many of their songs but High N Dry returns to the sleazy ways of old as does the anthemic Bad Luck Chuck. The changes in style are more noticeable though with Forevermore becoming more of a folk metal offering, 79 getting the Gary Moore blues, The Purpose reminds me of Mr Big the majority of it though is the at the heavier end of the glam metal sound with bits of Alice Cooper on the darker toned tracks. A great way to enjoy the band if you've just discovered them, it's Wig Wam doing what they do. 8/10.

T3nors - Naked Soul (Frontiers Music Srl)

Similar to the Three Tremors project but from a different musical direction. Three excellent singers all from the AOR background combining their talents to another Frontiers collaboration records. The singers in question are Americans Robbie LaBlanc (Find Me), Toby Hitchcock (Pride Of Lions) and Swede Kent Hilli (Perfect Plan) all of whom have a distinct melodic rock vocal but they blend well on this album the songwriting from Alessandro Del Vecchio, pitched perfectly for all three men. This idea of the trio of singers had been floated for a while around Frontiers but the pandemic made it a reality.

So like the Three Tremors metal project, it's a strong selection of songs that utilises the three pronged vocal well, Hilli, Hitchcock and LaBlanc, giving their all on each track, the harmonies pretty much perfect across all of these, I'll admit pretty standard melodic rock tracks. Mainly mid paced keyboard driven rockers and some big balladry is what you get topped by the three voices. There's also three additional songs which are three songs, sung by just one of the singers by themselves. They don't really add anything but are decent enough. Naked Soul is another quality collaborative record from Frontiers. 7/10

Reviews: Khymera, Deviser, Godiva, Victor Smolski (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Khymera – Hold Your Ground (Frontiers Music Srl)

Dennis Ward is a legend in the melodic rock/AOR/power metal scene, having been the bassist of Pink Cream 69 since 1989, being the current bassist of Magnum, as well as playing with Gus G, Unisonic and Sunstorm. He’s also one of the go-to producers/mixers for melodic/AOR/power metal genre, Khymera has been the band he has fronted between 2005-2008 and from 2015 until present.

They released their last album Master Of 1llusion in 2020 so along with guitarist Michael Klein, keyboardist Eric Ragno, drummer Michael Kolar and fellow producer extraordinaire Pete Newdeck on backing vocals, Khymera return with yet more perfectly positioned melodic rock, that has all the choruses of bands like Journey (Hear What I’m Saying), but with more technical elements of Styx and Kansas (Khymera was originally a union between Italian producer/musician Daniele Liverani and Kansas singer Steve Walsh) but with Ward behind the mic (and on the bass) there’s more of a rock n roll soul to this band that brings to mind Magnum or TEN, tracks such as Sail On Forever or the proggy On The Edge, bring those European/British AOR sounds.A sound that is different to the way the Yanks do it and even though Ward is American he is well versed in the European style so it’s no wonder the songwriting is skewed that way.

Only really the ballads such as Believe In What You Want and Our Love Is Killing Me, which steals it’s keys from Heart’s Alone, do they move into that saccharine American AOR sound. Still Ward’s great vocals and production means that everything sounds great, and the focus on more rockers rather than ballads make the pacing much better, giving the ballads room to breathe but ensuring that you’re nodding your head throughout. With a much shorter gap between these last two albums, it shows that Khymera still have the quality but can also do quantity too. More please! 8/10

Deviser - Evil Summons Evil (Hammerheart Records)

Having been in existence as long as Hellenic Black Metal legends Rotting Christ, you would think that Deviser would be more recognised, and more prolific, than the are, definitely more of underground act, having only released four albums and two EP's before Evil Summons Evil, they are one of those bands that are lauded by the trve kvlt black metal fans as not being "commercial", filthy enough for loves of the first Norwegian waves but polished enough to have the orchestral parts Rotting Christ, Septicflesh and others put so much value in.

Psychon of Septicflesh is behind the desk for this, so it has that pin sharp production that lets the strings work their magic on Tenebrae and Of Magick. After a lengthy gap of 11 years it's seems it seems evil really does summon evil as Deviser have come back more satanic than before. Packed with lightning fast tremolo picked riffs on Absence Of Heaven then alternating into the chugging mid pace on tracks like Cold Comes The Night, they are very much ingrained into the Hellenic extreme metal sound, the blast beats never stopping even on the slower tracks such as Where Angels Fear.

Hopefully this album, released on Hammerheart Records will get them as much recognition as Rotting Christ, Varathon and Septicflesh as they definitely deserve it. 8/10

Godiva - Hubris (Self Released)

 
The Portuguese band Godiva have been away from things for 11 years but in 2023 they have finally graced us with their debut full length record, entitled Hubris, they are obviously very proud of their deity defiance as this symphonic death metal band take a similar approach to “the good book” lyrically and musically as Greek band Septicflesh. Dark gothic orchestration, pulverising death metal drumming and snarled vocals are all very similar to the long established Greek band but Godiva do it just as well with tracks such as The All Seeing Eye managing to hook itself on huge orchestral parps and a solo ala Behemoth. 

They also allowing the black metal sound to be further explored on tracks such as Death Of Icarus. Both the symphonic parts and the metallic ones work well, the slick production helping no end, but it feels a little like Godiva have arrived into quite a crowded field with their time away. Having come back to life in 2018, their progress was obviously hindered by the pandemic however this album is as vicious and voracious as they were on their early 2000’s EP’s, but with better production really. It’s these records that made them an underground sensation in their native country, but Hubris looks like it could be the album that breaks them to a wider audience. 7/10

Victor Smolski – Guitar Force (Massacre Records)

Former Rage guitarist and Sir Ben Kingsley lookalike, Victor Smolski has released a instrumental guitar album…yay. These so called ‘shred’ albums were extremely popular in the late 80’s with Vai, Satriani, Malmsteen, Michael Angelo Batio, Jason Becker and Marty Friedman all worshipped as gods by young axe slingers trying to go faster and more technical than anyone before. Now I’m not a guitarist so I’ve never really had much of an interest in these sorts of records, as I do like to have some dynamics in my instrumental music and vocals with my neo-classical metal style playing. So this may be a challenge, not because I don’t understand the dedication and discipline that goes into being this bloody good at your instrument but as just pure listening experience I found my mind wandering off.

Now I like Rage, I like Almanac and most of the bands Smolski has been involved in so to hear some of those songs on this compilation along with the overdone trope of playing J.S Bach compositions through an electric six string makes it at least a bit more enjoyable to the ear. There’s some variation in style for sure with use of both electrics and acoustics, but the album pretty much stays in the neo-classical/power/classic metal category just without vocals. There are also some guests, the highest profile being Rage founder Peavy Wagner contributing bass to Unity, Tim Rashid of Almanac giving bass to the first three songs.

He employs the use of the Inspector Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Virtuoso and Orquestra Barcelona Filharmonia on all of the tracks except Unity so the record sounds cinematic and as OTT as you'd want it to be. If you're a guitarist with an interest in the shredders then you'll love this, for anyone else it may not be as exciting. 6/10