Reviews: Massive Wagons, Night Thieves, Psyanide, Trafic Jam (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Massive Wagons - Welcome To The World Reissue (Rock People Management)

British rockers Massive Wagons Reissue their third album Welcome To The World. Originally released in 2016 the band were not happy with the way it was originally recorded (in just 12 days), between shows when they were touring religiously. Since then it's become something of a favourite amongst their fans as it was a raw vital record that allowed them to become the band they are today. The songs from this record are still a part of their live set but there was always that nagging unhappiness with the album so now they are more established and have more time between shows they have gone back to re-evaluate the record.

Revisiting Matt Ellis at Axis Studios they listened to the original recordings and set about not just re-releasing and re-mastering it, they've gone back to the bare bones of the songs and re-worked and re-mixed them to more like the what they wanted them to sound like at the time. I'll say here I've never really been the biggest fan of of the band live, but on record they give a strong showing, similar in style on tracks such as Tokyo to The Wildhearts and The Almighty, as the punk, rock and pop trappings meld for big anthemic choruses, biting riffs and a lot of foul language.

If you've listened to the album before and are a fan of the band this will be like rediscovering and old friend in brand new clothes. The extras including some digital only tracks, acoustic versions and a live cover. If you've not listened to Massive Wagons then I'd say this version of this album would be the one to start with. 7/10

Night Thieves - Polarity (Self Released)

London rockers Night Thieves bring us their new EP Polarity. It's their second release and is dripping in modern rock trappings as chuggy riffs are paired with emotive vocals and electronic elements the core trio of Jess Moyle (vocals), Paul Andrews (guitar) and Rick Hunter-Burns (bass) are joined by Dream State drummer Tom Connolly for this EP but have since recruited Ryan Delglyn behind the kit.

Comparisons to Biffy Clyro and Spiritbox have been levelled at the band and when you hear these four tracks, you can understand why, the production of Romesh Dodengoda capturing their formidable live sound while also working with band on expanding their ideas for this sophomore release. There's a conceptual touch to the record as the songs often deal with opposing viewpoints, linking to the title of Polarity. Night Thieves' music is anthemic and punchy, this second EP cementing them firmly on the UK scene. 7/10

Psyanide - Vertigo (Wormholedeath Records)

Thessaloniki band Psyanide return with their new album Vertigo. It's the follow up to 2018's I Declare War and sees them signing to Wormholedeath to bring their death tinged groove metal to a wider audience. They're inspired by bands such as Lamb Of God, Gojira and Heaven Shall Burn so they play melodeath with some groove influences coming in as well. The vocalist stays in that Randy Blythe bark for the entirety of the album even when they switch up the pacing on tracks such as Oleka, a very strong finish to what is a record brimming with talent. 

Vertigo starts with the title track, a rampaging riff-fest that segues into the battering Empires Down, the drumming unrestrained even when they slow for the big shouting chorus. The tracks such as Present Perfect add more melodic touches with some killer solos and thrashy riffs, yeah it’s a style that has been done numerous times but it’s also one that remains incredibly popular so when the band play with the ferocity and power of Lamb Of God, but aren’t afraid to shift focus into more moody realms such as Time, they deserve to be given the time. Vertigo will get them heard by a wider audience and that’s a positive thing. 7/10

Trafic Jam - The Joke Is Over (Rockshots Records)

Some of you may be old enough to remeber Bruce Dickinson's first solo album Tattooed Millionaire, on it The Air Raid Siren tried to emulate Deep Purple's Ian Gillan, using his rough mids on some hard rock. It was very different to what he was doing with Maiden at the time but did give way to Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter which became Maiden's only number one single. Why do I mention this? 

Well Arno T. Walden of Trafic Jam sounds a lot like Dickinson on that particular album. He also sounds like Gillian on his solo albums but musically Trafic Jam play some bluesy, classic rock that is inspired by Deep Purple and Jimi Hendrix and late 60's early 70's rock. Created by guitarist Valentin Labani, The Joke Is Over is their debut album and is of course as retro as it needs to be. 

Labani's guitars augmented by the keys/organs by Olicer Castan, brings you straight into the 70's musically, but there's not just one band you can latch on to. Yes it's very Deep Purple but there's lots of parts that you'll be guessing at, as bassist David Jacob and drummer Stéphane Cavanez lay down the grooves, young hotshot Damian Salazar adding guitar to Show Me as Caroline Indjen adds backing vocals for some soul/gospel twists.

The Joke Is Over is a homage to a very particular decade of music, if you want a good rocking then Trafic Jam will satisfy but there are plenty of bands doing this with a bit more oomph. 6/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Wolfbastard/Betrayer/Virology (Live Review By Paul Hutchings)

Wolfbastard, Betrayer & Virology – Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff 20.01.24

You know Wolfbastard are in town when the stage is littered with cans of Tyskie. Those cheeky Northern types are about as subtle as a bull elephant in heat but underneath their chaotic carnage, they are a seasoned trio and bring a pleasing gnarly blend of punk, hardcore, death, black and thrash with a crusted edge. Tonight, a pleasingly full Fuel sees the Mancunians supported by some hefty sludge from Bristol’s Betrayers and the death metal rage of Cardiff’s Virology. It’s a stacked bill and proves to be the perfect blast for those winter blues.

They only have a short set, but the trio of James, Bunny and Fan who make up Virology (8) don’t intend on giving the early crowd an easy time. Their EP Programming Sentiency arrived a mere six months ago, but the band are certainly ramping things up with their blistering aural assault. It’s tracks from said EP that make up the set, and over the 25 minutes they certainly demonstrate their potential with a visceral attack that throws a relentless barrage over a hidden yet infectious groove. 

It’s blistering work, with the chainsaw guitars that switch style, patterns and tempo, gut turning bass and James’ hideous range of vocals (everything from pig squeals to the most barbaric death growls) all a deadly cocktail. It’s short, but I’m already exhausted from the energy on stage.

Things don’t get any lighter with Bristolians Betrayers (7) who bring their hardcore sludge with an intensity right in keeping with the evening’s proceedings. Lee Baggott’s disturbing roars are the focal point, as he rages on his knees – it’s a potentially disturbing sight to those who don’t know what to expect, but this is a band whose last release was called Weapons For Killing Cattle. 

I didn’t find that EP quite to my tastes, but live they bring an extra dimension, and their set is compelling from start to finish. Baggott’s vocals are unintelligible, but that’s part of the deal here, and as they race through Cut the Head Off The Snake and the magically titled Angela Landsbury vs Nicolas Cage it’s evident that the walls of the venue are starting to wobble. Pit action is relentless, and whilst its only a small number, the vibrancy is impressive. It’s time for another lie down after an intense set which once more holds nothing in reserve.

Underneath their laisse faire appearance, Wolfbastard (9) are one of the most entertaining bands around. These lads are as home on the Sophie Stage at Bloodstock as they are in smaller venues like Fuel, bringing their own style and carnage. It’s clear that those in the pit are warmed up as the pushing starts from the opening track Lupine Blasphemies and rarely eases until the glorious finale of Graveyard Slag 50 minutes later.

Their blend of crust-edged metal appeals to many and combined with their wicked sense of humour proves to be a headline set which will be hard to beat in 2024. They throw Hammer The Bastards in early, causing mayhem in the room, whilst Whiskey Militia, Fear Exxxecutioner and Sick In The Bath all invoke smiles as well as serious bouts of head banging and more moshing. Switching vocals between Dez and Si Fox always works well, the interplay between them always entertaining. As is their total irreverence to everyone and everything. 

It makes it a fine and fun evening which climaxes with huge cheers to Buckfast Blasphemies and Graveyard Slag. It’s the first gig of 2024 for many in the room and judging by the smiles all round at the end, it’s going to take something special to top an excellent evening all round.

Reviews: Altar Of The Stag, Horrorgraphy, The Magic Bus, Corax B.M (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Altar Of The Stag - Visceral Offering (Self Released)

On my recent trip to Greece I spent two days in Thessaloniki, which has a very fertile music scene. Taking in some fantastic beer at Stones Rock Club the woman behind the bar was playing some music over the speakers. 

Her choices were excellent very much up my street and then I heard a track that sounded like Leviathan era Mastodon filtered through NOLA sludge. It was Kindred by the Thessaloniki based band Altar Of The Stag, an 8 minute riff fest that got me very excited as it switches from acoustic beginnings to fuzzing classic doom/stoner metal riffs. I listened to that track a lot after I came back and then I saw they were releasing their debut album in January. 

Colour me excited as I now have had the chance to listen to Visceral Offering the first record from this Greek band. Decked out in a cover that reminds me of John Baizley's work with Baroness and others, the music too will delight fans of Baroness, Neurosis, Mastodon and Cult Of Luna. Long instrumental sections with atmospheric shivers, crushing riffs and progressive twists it's offers everything you could want if you're a fan of any of these bands. Playing as a three piece, Dimitris (guitar), Alex (bass/vocals) and Chris (drums/vocals) the music is dense, aggressive and emotional. 

Nothing is short, the abrasive thrust of Sharpening The Butter Knife the tightest cut at just over 6 minutes, Jagten for example starts off with about three minutes of intro before the growled vocals come in, using that death/hardcore split that the Atlanta White Whales are known for. The elongated sludge atmospheres creep back in on Dyatlov, heavy use of bass and drums on this one as the guitars are peppered on top, this track is the most emotive on the record, cathartic in it's build, leading into the psychedelic dreaming of the fully instrumental Celestial Offering. 

Concluding this debut with the epic Golgotha - Son Of Seth, all 12 minutes of it, Altar Of The Stag, play a style that does feature in a multitude of bands but there is tonnes of promise on this record if you're a fan of the style indeed a Visceral Offering and one you'll want to revisit. 8/10

Horrorgraphy - A Knight's Tale (Wormholedeath Records)

Founded by Dimitris Sakkas, aka Dimons Night, Horrorgraphy are a conceptual, theatrical heavy metal band where Dimitris plays all of the instrumentation and crafts the sound design/atmosphere of this album. Horrorography are symphonic metal band rich tapestries of orchestras and choirs as they put classical musicianship with the metallic sound. The album is based around Geoffrey Chaucer's seminal literary work A Knight's Tale. 

So a symphonic metal band that uses classical musicians/instruments playing music that's based on the "father of English poetry", it's going to be pretty grandiose. With Dimitris taking all of the instrumentation he's brought in five different vocalists, two female singers in Katerina Sougklakoy and Sevi Spanou bring dual soprano's, while Jason Tsolakis has cleans, Ligmos brings black metal screams as Seek provides the operatic tenor, between them they conjure all of the lyrical themes on this record, the songs punctuated by spoken word parts to continue the theme. 

From the Cradle Of Filth-like opener Prison and to the dramatic Palamon and the epic doom of Destiny, A Knight's Tale is certainly grandiose but I'd say a band like MaYan perhaps dose something like this a bit better. I think if it was a collaborative project, with more musicians as well as the singers then it would feel less like just a solo album created in one mans image. Still if dramatic, gothic, symphonic metal peaks your interest then Horrorgraphy will worm it's way into your listening habits. 6/10

The Magic Bus - Σε Άγνωστα Νερά (Self Released)

In my review of Το Κάστρο, the debut album from Greek language rock band The Magic Bus, I said that they were “A mix of alternative, pop and grunge rock; deeply indebted to these Greek rock leaders” and that is still true on this new EP, perhaps more so as it features two covers and two covers. 

Σε Άγνωστα Νερά means Uncharted Territory and the spilt between having two covers and two originals means they have taken this title to heart as its original Το Κάποτε Εγώ that sounds the most like traditional Greek music, a slow steady pace, low emotional vocal following the beacon of love as a muse, driven by fuzzy guitars, it’s like the 90’s Greek rock scene all over again. 

A bastion of the scene is interpreted through British NWOBHM as Nikos Ziogalas’ Βασιλική, a song about rather drinking poison than live without his Vasiliki, is given some gallop and twin axe harmonies, while Γιαρέμ Γιαρέμ gets some punchy grunge/meets 70’s riffs and percussion perfect for the repeating chorus. 

Closing the EP with Καράβι Φάντασμα The Magic Bus again manage to meld musical influences for an uncharted journey through the history of Greek rock. 7/10

Corax B.M - Pagana (The Circle Music) 

An interesting concept this. Corvax B.M are a pagan black metal band from Athens, recording an album with two bass guitars, a drummer and female vocalist too. It's Kostas "Corax" Katoikos who formed the band as a side project collaborating with Giannis "Morker" Chariskos on drums. Corax himself plays rhythm bass (four strings) and provides the scarred vocals which are in his native Greek. Joining them are Énnea on "whisper vocals" which are essentially haunting, ethereal voices against the harshness of the music. 

Music that is build on two bass players like I said, the final piece of the puzzle being Thanos "Peisithanatos" Nanopoulos who plays Bass Vi which is a six string bass that starts on a low E but has six strings making it more versatile, it means that Corax B.M can play with their style venturing into thrash on the title track as they owe a lot to Rotting Christ and Necromatia. As the extreme end of the music spectrum is given groove, the breakdowns of hardcore coming on Taphos, having just basses playing against the blast beats making the album sound raw and bruising on Antara and Mythos. Black metal that is relies on low end thrust and that's what makes it interesting. 8/10

Reviews: Abhoria, Tenside, Damian Wilson & Adam Wakeman, Dead Eyed Creek (Reviews By Paul Scoble, Zak Skane, Matt Bladen & Rich Piva)

Abhoria - Depths (Prosthetic Records) [Paul Scoble]

Abhoria are something of a black metal super group as the band feature members of Ashen Horde, In The Company Of Serpents and Vimana, moonlighting away from their day jobs. 

The band have been together since 2017, and in that time they have released one album before Depths, in 2022’s self titled debut. Abhoria are made up of Koszmar on bass, Vor on guitars and Walthrax on vocals. The band are helped out by Ben Romsdahl who provided the drum performance. The band have stated that Abhoria play a style of black metal from the late nineties, influenced by Immortal, Dark Funeral and Emperor. 

These influences are definitely there, but I can hear also hear faster and more savage material that has similarity with bands such as Tsjuder or 1349. The production is very good, everything sounds very clear and the mix is just right, as you would expect from an album inspired by this period of black metal history there is a cold, frostbitten and very grim feel to the music and this is helped by the crystal clear sound.

The album opens with a very short song that acts as an intro to the album; Emergence begins with dissonant guitars, before the song drops into mid-paced black metal with harsh vocals, the vocals are harsh throughout the album and are very effective, the song has a short blasting section with very impressive drumming before a short return to the mid-paced sound brings the song to it’s end, and takes us into the next track.

The Inexorable Earth opens with a super fast blast beat before the song settles down to a mid-paced feel that is similar to Immortal’s style on the albums At Heart Of Winter and Sons Of Northern Darkness, the riff has a relentless feel that works very well, it also boasts a very good guitar solo. The song goes back to the savage blasting we got at the beginning of the song, despite the savagery of the blasts, there still a lot of melody in the tremolo picked riffs. 

These sections swap places a couple more times before the song comes to an end. Next comes the song The Well, another one that mixes very fast and aggressive blasting sections with mid-paced sections, in this song the slower parts have an expansive feel to them that works extremely well.

After The Well comes Within Our Dominion, a song that features less blasting and ferociousness, and a lot more heaviness. The song mixes mid-paced, tremolo picked riffs that are full of melody and have a bit of a dissonant feel to them, with much slower and heavier riffs that despite the slower tempo have a great sense of drive and purposefulness. The song also features a very good guitar solo. 

Next comes the track They Hunt At Night, a super fast blast-fest of a track that has a little bit of 1349’s savagery to it. The song does have a slow section with a guitar solo, but the main thing you will take away from They Hunt At Night, is furious speed.

Devour is a mid-paced track with a slight Emperor feel to the riffs. The song builds in intensity, drive and tautness as it progresses, the riffs are nicely infused with melody and again we get a very good guitar solo. 

The Foundling is mainly made up of mid-paced and expansive sections that are broken up by short blast beat section that a super fast and aggressive. The song also has a couple of very slow and heavy sections something Abhoria are just as good at as the savage blasting. 

Next we get the track Ghost In The Smoke, another super fast blast of aggressive nastiness. There is a slow and very dissonant section in the middle of the song, but this quickly drops back into super fast material with a great solo. 

Depth comes to an end with the song Winters Embrace; a piece of ice cold, Immortal style black metal that is more frostbitten than Scott’s Antarctic expedition. The style fits with mid-career Immortal, and is of a similar quality; this song is so good it could have come from At Heart Of Winter.

Depth is a great album. The band have made material that fits into a specific style and time period from black metal history, but without it sounding as if they are copying anyone; this is clearly inspired by, not stealing from. Even when they sound very similar to Immortal, it’s done so well the material could have come from one of those classic black metal albums, this is no pale imitation. 

If, like me, you are a big fan of this era of black metal then you need to get on this strait away, as you will love it. I’ve also listened to this al lot, and so far it has only got better, so this album clearly has a lot of Depth, so the title is also a description! A stunning piece of late Nineties style black metal, highly recommended. 9/10

Tenside – Come Alive Dying (Ivorytower) [Zak Skane]

The albums opening track Come Alive Dying instantly hits us with some unique takes of tribal influenced quires that are mixed in with Parkway Drive styled sledge hammer riffs, and big bombastic drum grooves. 

The singer goes from nostalgic eerie clean vocals that have been popularised by singers from the Nu Metal era such as Chad Grey from Mudvayne and Benjamin Burnley from Breaking Benjamin, which was then revamped by Chris Motionless from Motionless In White before he does into standard harsh beefy dark vocals in the choruses. 

Throughout the track we also get some classic melodic death metal lead guitar lines which elevates the choruses which is then followed by some sleazy swinging half time grooves. 

After their groovy beginner, Shadow to the Shine ups the tempo to their more thrashier metalcore styled riffs flowed with bouncy nu metal grooves and modern styled metal choruses that you would hear from the like of Parkway Drive and Linkin Park. 

Pitch And Gold brings in some gothic Lacuna Coil vibes with it’s twinkling clean guitar melodies and crunchy bass lines that are riddled within the verses and Darkness To Blight brings in some Machine Head and Fear Factory influences with its sledgehammer delivered single note riffage. Neoclassical lead lines are laced in the verses which is then followed by it’s American radio rock influenced choruses. 

To conclude the first half of the album Impending Doom and Aim For Paradise provide us with some anthemic bangers that are laced with old school In Flames melodic riffs. Deadweight opens up the second half of the album by re-introducing some unique samples to the mix whilst providing some mammoth sounding riffs and some unique beat accent drum grooves. 

Pretty Lonesome shows the bands their more radio friendly side with it’s reparative dark catchy poppy vocal hooks that take influence from bands like Breaking Benjamin in Motionless In White. 

Transcend brings in the hardcore influences from it’s half time bouncy guitar riffs and groovy halftime drum beats that we are all familiar with from the likes of bands such as Hatebreed and Kublai Khan to the vocalist using the song title as a main hook for the chorus. 

The final two tracks closing the album are the ambient tinged Vengeance which brings in some melancholic verses that are filled with echoed clean guitars which are then amplified to the choruses channelling to loves of melodic death metal lead lines until they are ventured down to their note bending breakdowns. 

The closing track gives us pure modern in flames vibes with it’s electronic sampled intro, it’s delayed guitars, chucky distorted riffs and bouncy choruses.

Overall Come Alive Dying is a well produced metalcore album. The bands aim of mixing old school elements with their modern take on the genre is captured perfectly by the mix engineer Joseph McQueen at Sparrow Sound Los Angeles. 

My only thoughts one this album is that, if they could of added more songs with interesting elements like they did on tracks like Come Alive Dying with the tribal sounding choirs mixed in with classic break downs or the electronic sections in Deadweight, Dust Of The Bereaved this band could have had a sound that would of stood out from other modern metalcore acts. 7/10

Damian Wilson & Adam Wakeman - Can We Leave The Light On Longer? (Blacklake Records) [Matt Bladen]

Sometimes partnerships are symbiotic, both elements have to be present for it to work properly. The duo of Damian Wilson and Adam Wakeman are that sort of partnerships, both long tenured in the world of prog, they are both members of the criminally underrated Headspace and from there, this project has come. 

Can We Leave The Light On Longer? is their third album as a duo since 2016, the simplicity of Damian's brilliant vocals and acoustic guitar with Adam's everything else (piano, vocals, Hammond organ, acoustic & electric guitars, bass, and percussion) brings emotion to tracks such as Multiplicity, a harmony between both players just beautiful. 

Songs such as November and The Man From The Island are the most wistful, lost romance and nostalgia colliding with lyrical storytelling, giving you the most introspective collaboration between these two musicians. 

Seeing them live I always shed at least one tear, on album it's the same, the over-arching theme being how we are all connected as humans and how loss makes us face out own mortality. Tracks such as A.I and Let's Talk are the ones that deal with these explicitly but the whole album dances around this topic. 

It's not just a two man nor is it a two bit operation as Pete Riley and George Hogg bring additional drums and trumpets, the later on the jaunty The Ballad Of The Bare Knuckle Fighter.

Can We Leave A Light On Longer? Let's never turn it off as it's another luminous collection from Wilson/Wakeman. 8/10

Dead Eyed Creek - Out Of Phase (Blood Blast Distribution) [Rich Piva]

I would never have guessed that Alice In Chains would wind up being one of the most influential bands in rock today back when I was learning about heroin culture while spinning Dirt on repeat (is it spinning when it is a cassette?). The band was then and is now one of my all-time favourites, so when the boss asked me if I was a fan and if I wanted to review a band with “AIC vibes” I immediately accepted. 

I have found that a lot of bands these days site Alice as an influence, with overall mixed results amongst the lot of bands steeling riffs from Jerry and harmonizing like he and Layne did so perfectly. Dead Eye Creek is one of these bands, and the Dutch collective nail it on their debut, Out Of Phase. 

These guys are no rookies, coming from metal bands Satyricon, Dark Fortress, and Triptykon, but for Dead Eyed Creek they trade their denim and leather in for flannel, sounding like they just got off the bus from Seattle for this new project.

The opener, Viscid Dreams could be a 3-Legged Dog outtake in all the best possible ways. You have the crunchy grunge sound with some serious down tuning with vocals that sound more like Weiland than Layne/Jerry. 

The chorus brings the layered harmonies that you would be looking for when searching out AIC vibes and the solo is right out of the Cantrell playbook. Out Of Phase leads with the layered vocals on top of the riffs and is more of in the AIC mid-tempo burner style. The end of this track will surprise you. 

Set Me Free opens like a Soundgarden track and brings the heaviest riff on Out Of Phase and pairs nicely with the urgent vocal performance, also bringing My Sister’s Machine to mind. A couple of the songs are a little too alt radio friendly for me, Circling and Down By The River being examples.

But those do not overshadow the other killer tracks like Uninspired (love the vocals), the very AIC inspired Speaking In Tongues, the STP heavy Dissolve, and the Jar Of Flies-like With Broken Wings.

If there is one thing I would call out as a negative on Out Of Phase is that to my ear it is a bit over produced for all those filthy, grungy riffs. A bit too clean for my liking, but the songs and playing are there, almost making up for the slickness, but not quite, which is really my only gripe. 

Overall, Dead Eyed Creek nails it on the debut, bringing the 90s grunge sound and delivering nicely on those AIC vibes promised to me when I took on this review. 8/10

Reviews: Nick Oliveri, The Rods, Breaths, The Vice (Reviews By Joe Guatieri, Paul Hutchings, Mark Young & James Jackson)

Nick Oliveri - N.O. Hits At All Vol.8 (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Joe Guatieri]

N.O. Hits At All Vol.8 presents one of the latest offerings in Nick Oliveri’s compilation series, including collaborations, covers and demos, all of which Nick appears on.

This volume contains seven tracks, starting with the opener Chains And Shackles, which features legendary musicians such as Slash of Guns N’ Roses fame on guitar, everybody’s drummer Josh Freese and super producer Eric Valentine. This is the most metal song on the record, featuring fast riffs and incorporating cool vibrato-induced solos and interesting flourishes.

Track Four, a Ringo Starr penned track called Back Off Boogaloo, is my favourite song on the record, one that feels like spending a night drinking at a dangerous, dingy old Western Bar. This song is fascinating with how it proceeds, making me want to listen in closer to the rickety drums and a retro-sounding organ, which encourages a dance to its classic plinky plonky style. Everything else around the track feeds into the atmosphere perfectly, including a guitar situated more to the back, which feels very intense as if a stand-off will happen at any second.

No word of a lie - I freaked out when I saw She Wanted To Leave in the track listing. Nick Oliveri, one of my favourite musicians, covering Ween, a band that I love so dearly, is a dream. This cover does some justice by incorporating a tease at the psychedelic effects used throughout The Mollusk, burying the vocals in deep ocean blue. Whilst it feels very relaxing, it can never touch the original; I would kill for a weird guitar solo from Dean Ween here.

Overall, there are a surprising amount of acoustic songs on this volume, but they all do something strange to fit Nick’s vibe. No filler, just a man showing love for what he does best. 7/10

Nick Oliveri - N.O. Hits At All Vol.9 (Heavy Psych Sounds)n [Joe Guatieri]

N.O. Hits At All Vol.9 continues in Nick Oliveri’s long-running compilation series with another entry featuring more demos than ever - most originally appearing on Mondo Generator’s fantastic record We Stand Against You.

Track seven, Conspiracy, my favourite on We Stand Against You, pivots with a frenetic Punk introduction before re-entering its previous groove. It feels slower than the original, making for more space to play around in with lots of little eccentricities to keep things interesting, whilst the drums add tones of flair with unexpected ghost notes flawlessly executed. Within the slow-down period, things feel more psychedelic, with multiple layers of guitars placed on each other in swirling effect before another raging climax to end the song. It’s an interesting take on the song with good ideas peppered in, but I still think that the album version is better than this one.

The following track Consider Me is my favourite song on the album, being dedicated to Nick’s long-time friend and a hero of mine, the man who wrote this song, Mark Lanegan. Two acoustic guitars dance with each other in the wind as one makes a call out in the atmosphere to the original but I also think that at the same time, it’s a wink and a nod to the legendary song Strange Religion on the Bubblegum album by the Mark Lanegan Band also. This for me is one of the most beautiful performances that Nick has ever done and it is so emotional in every single aspect. This in all is a tribute of the highest regard and feels like a warm but tearful hug, Rest In Peace Mark Lanegan.

Going from there into the final track, Take Aim, a collaboration between Nick, who takes vocal duties, and stoner rock favourites Nebula, who handles the instrumentation. The stupendous slow groove performed here has the perfect build with a sludge metal feel, using synthesizers of all shapes and sizes in the background. It feels like a spaceship has stalled in orbit before being set free on its journey again.
Overall, N.O. Hits At All Vol.9 continues to show that Nick Oliveri only gets better with age and is always challenging himself. 7/10

The Rods – Rattle The Cage (Massacre Records) [Paul Hutchings]

Back in 2021, I reviewed the reissues of The Rods second and third albums, The Rods, and Wild Dogs. They transported me back to a time when I was young, had hair, and my biggest worry was about what vinyl to buy with that hard earned pocket money. It was some surprise to finds that they had released Brotherhood Of Metal (reviewed by the Ed here) in 2019. So, five years since that album, and 44 years since debut release Rock Hard, The Rods are back with Rattle The Cage.

It's pleasing to see that The Rods retain original members David “Rock” Feinstein on vocals and guitars and drummer Carl Canedy, along with bassist Freddy Villano (Quiet Riot, Widowmaker). I described them as a “harder edged KISS” with lyrics that a teenage boy would appreciate in that review, but they are now present more akin to Anvil and Manowar in many respects. Even though Feinstein is a cousin of the legendary Roinnie James Dio, the lyrics remain the weakest link within the band. 

The press release states that the songs tell of ‘hope and resiliency in the face of an ever-changing world’. I suppose that is a fair summary, but whilst I can comfortably listen to a high-quality power metal outfit singing about dragons, monsters, and the world of heavy metal, machismo pretence makes my skin crawl. It’s that same itching that appears for tracks like Cry Out Loud, Metal Highways and Rattle The Cage. Posturing, leather bound gestures was acceptable in the early 1980s, but in 2023 this music sounds a little dated to say the least.

Having said that, if you take the edge lord cloak off, and approach it with a smile, then there is enough to enjoy here to make it fun. And you must take The Rods with a pinch of salt. What they do, they do well. The music is well played, albeit that it is the basic traditional heavy metal with thick riffs, thunderous drums and the macho posing that you probably expect as standard. Listen to Can’t Slow Down, with the lyrics “My motor’s cranking, ready to explode, hell and fire, is where I’m bound, it’s such a rush, I just can’t slowdown”. It isn’t winning the deep and meaningful award of 2024 by any stretch.

I’m not sure what direction The Rods are heading down at this stage in their musical journey. Perhaps the fact that a legacy band from the 1980s is still producing music is enough. Will the likes of Metal Highways and Play It Loud with their metal-soaked lyrics attract a new wave of fans? It’s hard to say, although there are likely to be many of a certain age who will find this release worth a listen. Ultimately, the choice is of course yours. For me, it’s worth a listen if only to touch base with a band who were close to the big time in 1981, and who have lived their entire lives in the world of metal. For that alone, they deserve respect. 6/10

Breaths - Melt Away (Self Released) [Mark Young]

A change of pace, with a touch of Shoegaze/Doomgaze from Breaths, the solo project from Multi-instrumentalist Jason Roberts. This 4-track EP is a taster for the upcoming full-length due later this year.

Shoegaze, from bands such as Ride, Lush and early luminaries such as My Bloody Valentine were everywhere in the UK press up to around 91 or 92 then just disappeared or so I thought. I never really got into it then, my main music feeds were either Thrash / death, with grunge added to it later as it got popular and took over in the music press, later to be supplanted by Brit-pop (ugh) and onto the next etc etc. Anyway, none of this is important, what the music like?

Well, as you might expect Fade Apart just floats in with vocals that flutter as if moved by the wind. Its dreamy, expansive and certainly evokes memories, not just of the early 90’s but of that moody synth music that was prevalent in the UK in the 80’s. It’s a beautifully put together piece that is a brilliant opener to the EP.

Barbarella (melt away) goes differently, with a serrated saw tooth guitar riff that rises to a gorgeous chord change that makes the hair stand up on your arms. Sound wise vocals are delivered subtly, even within that aforementioned chorus when it goes just a shade darker it still sounds of its influences whilst being its own beast. That central riff has this discord, or bend to it which just gives it something more than just a simple strum-along. 

This theme is expanded on with Waves which has that summer feel when Jason backs off the fuzz. The grasp he has on the material, the way he wants to deliver it and the way it shines through, taking on first listen simple arrangements but when you dig a little you get the little touches that makes Waves such a cracking track.

 
Shaken ends the EP, with a dive into more of the melancholic side with a lumbering riff and a drum heavy quiet section. His vocals are doing a lot of the heavy work to take your focus off the arrangement at play. The vocal performance here, as with the other songs are delivered just right to suit this style of music. As a selection from the upcoming full-length release, you can only hope that the rest of the material is as good as this. 

What I would say is that of the four tracks, three are similar in execution but it doesn’t feel like they are repeating the same ideas. Each of them remind me of music heard but I couldn’t tell you who they sounded like and that is probably a good thing. If you are a fan of this genre, then you should definitely get onboard here and support because this is a cracking EP to drop this early in the year. 8/10

The Vice - Dead Canary Run (Noble Demon) [James Jackson]

Another Future kicks off the latest album by Swedish act The Vice, there’s a Hard Rock feel to the track alongside a Goth Rock element that brings to mind the music of Moonspell, particularly within the semi growl, of the vocals, that accent lending itself to the overall Goth aesthetic.

Within a few beats Tomorrow Will Mend’s intro reminds me not only of Guns N Roses but also Billy Idol, the moments are brief but having played the track a few times I couldn’t shake that feeling, quite frankly though the rest of the track isn’t as thought provoking. Grant Me Your Peace, track three upon the album, was released as a single late last year and vocally at times actually reminded me of Tiamat’s Johan Edlund, yet another Swedish artist. Lit De Parade has one of the best and most wasted intros on the album, I believe the melody is repeated later in the song but by then the melancholy nature of it is lost, that refrain pops up again as an outro but I still feel it’s a wasted opportunity.

 
At this midway point in the album I find that there is potential in some of these tracks, providing that they develop that sound a bit more, adding a few more synth/keyboard flourishes could add ambience to songs that I’m personally, increasingly becoming uninterested in.

I’m sure that this sound and style is exactly what the band are after but for me I’m finding a lack of depth that could, in my mind, be easily remedied, to great effect. Crossing Over begins with a simple bass and drum pattern and more piano, it’s quite a stripped back track that despite its simplicity holds my interest, the last 40 seconds brings back the guitar which feels right but also wrong at the same time.

The final three tracks follow the same tone as those before it, with the exception of one or two tracks there isn’t much variation on the theme and once again I feel that with the addition of keys, samples, synths and the occasional time change to turn some of those Goth Rock like sounds into something a bit more funereal for effect could lift this album immensely.

 
It’s an album full of unfulfilled promise for me unfortunately, the most interesting parts were the welcome piano, a touch of GNR, not only within the aforementioned track but also within the font on the album artwork and a little note or two that reminded me of Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell. 5/10

Reviews: Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages, Grand, Gotus, Cobrakill (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages - Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages (The Players Club)

The debut album from the new band formed by six stringer and founding member of The Doors  Robby Krieger is an instrumental jam from some of the best session/veteran musicians around. Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages is a record that benefits from the experience of all those involved, free form, fluid jazz rock with impressive musicianship from all involved. 

Released on Players Club there's a myriad of styles here but many of them link back to his upbringing in L.A, soul, jazz, blues, psych etc all present and correct, culminating in the album you'd want from a member of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and one of the greatest guitarists of all time, according to Rolling Stone. A Day In L.A was the track where this band clicked, and it's one of the best cuts here, a bit The Doors, a bit surf, a bit jazz, every instrument getting chance to show off be it the harmonious clean slide guitar of Krieger the fingerstyle bass rhythms of Kevin “Brandino” Brandon, the organs/synths/Fender Rhodes of Ed Roth or the clockwork drumming of Franklin Vanderbilt. 

Between them they have played with James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Ringo Starr, Coolio, Chaka Khan and Lenny Kravitz as well as being nominated for and winning several awards so it's a highly decorated group, playing some classy music. I could spend hours talking about al the artists it pays homage to, all the styles it switches between, the instrumental nuances but it's better to just listen to it. If you like the instrumental jam style, psych rock, jazz rock or funk rock you'll hear a lot to like on this record. 8/10

Grand - Second To None (Frontiers Music Srl)

Grand hit the ground running with their self titled debut in late 2022, so a follow up was always going to be in the offing. That follow up is Second To None another slick slice of AOR from vocalist Mattias Olofsson, Jakob Svensson (guitar/keyboards) and drummer Anton Martinez. The PR talks of traversing uncharted musical landscapes etc. For me though Grand are sticking to the classy style of melodic rock they outlined on their debut with the Scandi-AOR scene that is driven by Eclipse and H.E.A.T fused with the American big hitters such as Foreigner, Toto and Mr Big; vocally Mattias Olofsson sounding like Eric Martin on When We Were Young. 

Olofsson's vocal is brilliant, smooth and soaring, that right amount of high pitch to bring the melodies and interact with Nina Söderquist on Kryptonite. Behind him though Svensson has the rhythms wrapped up, layering keys and synths on top of his guitars, giving some guts to Rock Bottom and rock n rolling for All Or Nothing. Martinez' percussion on Lily and Achilles Heel hitting the Jeff Porcaro sweet spot. On Second To None Grand have made sure that their second album comes from the same place as the debut but with more refinement. If that was sugar, then this is caramel. Look out melodic rock fans you're going to have a new favourite band. 8/10

Gotus - Gotus (Frontiers Music Srl)

A member of Gotthard, Krokus, Unisonic and many others, guitarist Mandy Meyer, teamed up with an ex-member of Krokus, drummer Pat Aeby, in 2019 as Gotus, playing songs written by Meyer for all the bands he’s been a part of but with the pandemic etc they stopped touring and only really came together with their current line up in 2022. Joining Aeby is his ex-Krokus cohort Tony Castell on bass, Alain Guy fills out the guitars of Meyer with keys and behind the mic they have managed to lure Ronnie Romero. 

This self titled debut is full of melodic rock originals but has two covers (technically) as When The Rain Comes and Reason To Live were written by Meyer as a member of Katmandü and Gotthard respectively, but it’s the originals that will appeal to anyone that knows nothing about the members history. Kicking out the organ drenched rocking jams on Take Me To The Mountain, we’re in retro country, Romero getting to show off his Rainbow fronting chops. Yeah ok this got me liking the record already, I’m a sucker for Rainbow/Purple/Whitesnake style rocking so Gotus are already in my good books. 

From here we go into the Coverdale-esque slither of Beware The Fire and then to some balladry on Love Will Find It's Way. All the trademarks of that classic rock era of the late 70's. But there's also modernity, the rock solid foundation of current and former Krokus carrying a bluesy swagger even on ballads such as Without Your Love. Gotus has been a long time coming but it's a project with some big riffs, great vocals and radio friendly rocking. 8/10

Cobrakill - Serpent's Kiss (Frontiers Music Srl)

The second album from Cobra Kill, grabs a bottle of Jack Daniels, some ladies of ill repute and comes to pass out on your sofa like the bastard son of Mötley Crue and Ratt. Too much hairspray, jeans tighter than a Scotsman and more attitude than your teenage daughter, Cobrakill are the living embodiment of the 80's glam/sleaze scene without having to take the piss like Steel Panther. The follow up to their debut album Cobratörsess drummer Toby Ventura taking the producers chair to lend them a sound that's very authentic to the bands they are influenced by. Yeah the production is hissy as if it’s a cassette or a vinyl, the instruments have fuzz and the vocals are slightly echoed. 

Ventura lays down the beat while bassist Crippler Ramirez doubles down with rhythm guitarist Tommy Gun for those biting and strutting riffs, moving between the bouncy pop rock of Ratt one minute (Monstrous) and the blood soaked schlock of W.A.S.P the next on Bazooka while Above The Law get a bit thrashy. With this trio commanding the bottom end Randy White can get flashy with w fret fireworks and Nick Adams can do his best Vince Neil meets Blackie Lawless vocal sneer on tracks such as Torture Me and Hungry Heart. 

But here’s the negative’s any album that has a song called Ride My Rocket makes me cringe a little, the ballad Seventeen is not the best and there’s a Mike & The Mechanics cover, so there’s a lot to like here but they are trying to be of its time, 40 years too late. 6/10

Reviews: Lord Dying, Saxon, South Of Salem, Dark Oath (Reviews By Paul Hutchings & Matt Bladen)

Lord Dying – Clandestine Transcendence (MNRK Heavy) [Paul Hutchings]

It was back in 2015 when I first encountered Lord Dying with their sophomore release Poisoned Altars. I was impressed to give it a 7/10 and four years later they released one of my albums of 2019 with the brilliant Mysterium Tremendum. 

Seeing them at Damnation in November of the same year made it all real and then it went a bit quiet after that, although that’s more likely my inability to follow social media with any kind of focus, but in more recent times we’ve had three singles, the most recent being The Endless Road Home, in advance of the Portland, Oregon outfit’s fourth release. And the good news is that it is another mighty slab of metal of the highest order.

But before you turn away, thinking that this will be one thick as custard slog, hold fast, for this is an album that is much more than the traditional sludge that one might expect. No sir, far from it. Over 12 tracks the quartet, with bassist Alyssa Morcere and drummer Kevin Swartz making their full debuts since joining the band in 2019 mesmerise with a swirling blend of heavy rock, sludgy riffs and dynamic metal that captivates, bewitches, and engulfs the listener into the depths of the album.

The opening three tracks provide all the evidence needed. The Universe Is Weeping starts things off with a gentle, guitar-based intro before a creeping riff builds into a pulverising and explosive start. It’s a track that demonstrates all that is good about this band. Tight interplay, plenty of melody that sits below the surface but is very much in evidence, and the growling roars of vocalist Erik Olson.

I Am Nothing I Am Everything follows, a thunderous, semi-death metal explosion of visceral bile. And then the more melodic rock style of Unto Becoming, which brings a Mastodon vibe to the proceedings. Within 14 minutes, three different styles, all beguiling and designed to pull the listener in deep. They do that with ease, and suddenly you are involved. It’s a good place to be!

As the journey continues, you’ll get plenty of opportunity to experience the quality of this band’s playing, with some intricate guitar work, tight rhythms and vocals that switch in texture – it all seems to fit together neatly, when one wonders if it really should. There’s the savage initial thrash of Final Push Into The Sun which surprises with another change of direction as it morphs into a psychedelic ramble that is more bluesy than metal, and the gothic overtones of penultimate song Swimming in the Absence.

Central to the album is the eight-minute Dancing On The Emptiness. A meandering track that gathers momentum, it carries with it a gothic vibe that is both unexpected and familiar. You instantly know that it’s Lord Dying, and you can quickly immerse yourself within the song. It’s followed by the immediate and thunderous three-minute fire of Facing The Incomprehensible. Such is the contrast that Lord Dying can conjure.

There are gentle moments, such as the delicate A Brief Return To Physical Form, or the enchanting yet sinister Break In The Clouds (In The Darkness Of Our Minds) and the drama of A Bond Broken By Death. The flickering difference is what makes Clandestine Transcendence so appealing. The songs vary in length, from eight-minutes to just over two, but Lord Dying make their point in every song, and don’t outstay their welcome. 

This isn’t an ego trip, more an evolution from a band who have seriously stepped up once more. Addictive in nature and sound, this is an album that stakes a firm foot in top ten country, even at this early stage in 2024. 10/10

Saxon - Hell, Fire And Damnation (Silver Lining Music) [Matt Bladen]

You know what you're going to get with latter period Saxon, it's going to be a bit epic, a bit theatrical, muscular and very very solid. They're veterans and as such have enjoyed a very long run as one of the most reveread and recognisable bands to have emerged from the NWOBHM scene, and while other bands are bigger, Saxon always give 100% to every show they play whether the venue is big enough to fit the eagle or not. 

Still led by the brawny vocals of Biff Byford and powerhouse drums of Nigel Glocker, Hell, Fire And Damnation is their 24th studio album and the first (I think) studio album to feature Brian Tatler of Diamond Head who has been filling in on stage for Paul Quinn. 

Starting off with Brian Blessed delivering a oration, the title track is just what you want from Saxon, no fuss, no frills, just classic heavy metal with a big chorus. Produced by Byford and Andy Sneap, they've tried to keep it as raw and close to the live sound of Saxon as they can, limted overdubs and recorded in just four weeks to get it out in time for their upcoming live dates in March with Uriah Heep and Judas Priest. 

Mid paced rockers such as Madam Guillotine and Pirates Of The Airwaves have that Nigel Glockler and Nibbs Carter (bass) double team flexing while they can still inject pace with Fire And Steel. It's also here that Tatler slots right in with Doug Scarratt as part of the twin axe attack, shredding up a storm on Kubla Khan And The Merchant Of Venice. 

There's the proggier elements coming on There's Something In Roswell, all the while Biff showing why he's in a category of one vocally. Like a Toby Carvery or a tin of Ronseal, you always know what you're going to get with Saxon, the formula won't change but you'll still enjoy it all the same. 8/10

South Of Salem – Death Of The Party (Spider Party Records) [Paul Hutchings]

They are one of the most dynamic bands of the recent NWOCR movement. They have a live show that pulls no punches and if they have the opportunity, as they did at Stonedead Festival in 2023, they will throw everything they can at it to ensure that you remember them above everything else.

The follow up to 2020’s The Sinner Takes It All, the Bournemouth five-piece have been working hard on the road to hone their style. The sophomore release is an important one in any band’s career, bridging the gap between the inevitable high of a debut and the serious business of the third release. 

And so, we come to Death Of The Party. Is it make or break time for a band who have poured everything into 2023? Well, possibly not that dramatic, but they stand at the transition to the next level, and after all that effort, a dead duck of an album would really slam the brakes on hard. With changes in the line-up in recent times, the current line-up appears settled, with vocalist Joey Draper, guitarists Denis Sheriff and Kodi Kasper, drummer James Clarke and bassist ‘Dee’ Aldwell all now in place.

The good news is that South Of Salem have produced one big record. I’m not over-keen on the album cover, but that’s a matter of personal taste. It’s what lurks underneath that is most important, what you hear that will persuade you to part with the cash to purchase this release and propel South Of Salem higher. 

Their combination of horror-edged panache fused with slick modern hard rock provides an easily listenable style that will no doubt appeal to both the mainstream rock fan as well as the harder metal listener. It’s no coincidence that the band are back on the bill for this year’s Bloodstock Festival, only three years after playing the New Blood Stage in 2021.

They open strongly, with single Vultures, a fiery up-tempo track that brings the heavy yet accessible riffs and Draper’s clean but still gravel-edged vocals to the fore. It’s a promising and exciting start, and it is a pace that rarely drops throughout the ten-tracks that comprise Death Of The Party. Second single Jet Black Eyes allows the melody to flood through, with a delicious hook that lingers long in the memory.

Bombastic tracks like Left For Dead provide the necessary anthems that will be killer when played live, whilst they can also drop it down a little, such as on Hellbound Heart which still rocks big time but adds some synths for additional layers. It’s aurally pleasing, vibrant, effective, and most of all, catchy. There’s something pleasing about the overall effect of this album, which doesn’t stray too far from the blueprint needed. You feel that there is more than a bit of Those Damn Crows about this album. It’s polished but with enough grit to make it appeal to more than just the dedicated fan base.

There’s isn’t a bad track on this album. I’m not over enthused by the spoken delivery on Bad Habits (Die Hard) but that’s probably my only complaint. The title track is huge, a real anthem on a record that has more than its fair share of anthems. Versatile enough that you can drive, workout, sit and enjoy, or have on in the background, Death Of The Party works on every level. 

With a UK tour and several festival slots already booked, 2024 is looking to be a fine year for a band who look well equipped to move to the next level very soon. 8/10

Dark Oath - Ages Of Man (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

On their debut album Portugese symphonic death metal band Dark Oath, focussed on Norse mythology, especially Ragnarök. With their second album they go back further in time basing this recoard around Greek mythology told from the poet Hesiod. I won't bore you with the details as my degree is in classics but let's just say that he covers quite a large amount of life with both Theogony and Works And Days, the former based on the myths of the gods and the latter on humans (pesants). 

Dark Oath have split this nine track album into ages; two from Gold, two Silver, two Bronze, two Heroic and one from the Iron Age. So I'd say they draw more lyrical inspiration from Theogony than Works And Days, which is poem that lends itself more towards the cinematic sound of Dark Oath's music.

A track such as Bronze II (Raging Waters) or Heroic I (Sons Of Gods And Mortal Men) for instance bring not only intense extreme metal, blastbeat drums and snarled vocals but also colossal orchestral swells and some traditional instrumentation too for authenticty. The passion for storytelling is evident but utilising the style of music that say Septicflesh are known for has made it all the more effective. 

Those orchestrations come from Joël Martins who locks in with Sérgio Pinheiro as the guitar duo drive these tracks like the Amott brothers did in Arch Enemy. Behind them is Afonso Aguiar's bass brillaince and the drumming of Léo Luyckx is top notch throughout but most diverse on Heroic II (Elysian Fields). The final piece of this epic puzzle are the venom spitting vocals of ​Sara Leitão, savage and nasty, they counter the theatrical music with reality. 

What I liked about this album is that as we head through the ages, the music becomes more complex, as if humanity is evolving with it, the thematic element works well as the climactic Iron (Through The ​Veil Of Night) is a definitive ending. Ages Of Man impressed me a lot, having never heard Dark Oath before, the theme of Greek history and the symphonic death metal made for a engaging listening experince. 8/10

Reviews: Master, Resin Tomb, Upon Stone (Reviews By Paul Hutchings, Mark Young & Matt Bladen)

Master – Saints Dispelled (Hammerheart Records) [Paul Hutchings]

It’s been nearly six years since the legendary Master released Vindictive Miscreant. I reviewed it back in 2018 and it gained a fine 8/10 and every death metal accolade I could throw at it. For Master, formed in the US but long since based in the Czech Republic, are more reliable than your gran giving you socks for Christmas. Saints Dispelled is their 14th album, and it does exactly what you would expect Master to do – it levels with a skull crushing assuredness, reminding you that in a world of increasing uncertainty, some things are always there to provide that solidity.

The combination of death / thrash that has been Master’s style for nearly 40 years is evident once more on this album. Ten tracks of pulverising metal that rips and roars from start to finish. There’s a visceral hunger that lurks within this band, powered by the constant bass and growling vocals of Paul Speckman, whose lust for the old school death metal sound is evident once more, despite his turning 60 in 2023. He sounds as vile and angry as ever, with his lyrical approach once more turning stomachs. Here he’s accompanied by new drummer Peter Bajci and returning guitar player Alex ‘93’ Najezchelba.

Saints Dispelled doesn’t slow for a minute. Opener Destruction In June, which I assume isn’t some cryptic link to one of the Teutonic big four of thrash on their holidays, starts with an intensity that many can’t generate throughout recordings. It rarely misses a beat from here to the finale of Alienation Of Insanity some 45 minutes later. Powerful, with a solid production on the record, this is no-nonsense death metal that simply levels. It’s difficult to fault on any level, especially with the savage driving bass lines of Speckman, which power forward, very much the engine of the band and creating a sound that has earned the reputation as the Motörhead of death metal.

Whilst Speckman may be in the veteran stage, there is no evidence that he is slowing down one iota. The neck snapping title track or Minds Under Pressure both savage the listener early in proceedings and by the time you get to the midway point, it’s all you can do to gasp for breath and then hurl yourself back into the fray. I saw the word ravenous used in the press release that accompanied this release, and I can’t find a better word to describe the sheer frenetic pace and appetite that explodes from the speakers. Marred And Diseased is aptly named, such is the fiery brutality that it emits. Can you get much better in the OSDM department one must ask. The answer is probably no.

There is brief respite, at the start of The Wiseman, which tinkers with an Oriental chime before ripping the next layer of skin from the face with another salvo of visceral rage. Razor sharp solos combine with thick, powerful riffs. It’s intense, relentless, crushingly heavy, and if you like this style of music, a real treat. Even the bonus tracks Nomad and Alienation Of Insanity don’t give an inch but continue to smash you across the head. It may not be the best album to drive to unless you want a fine for speeding, but if you want to exorcise a couple of demons, then it probably would be ideal for that intensive post-Christmas workout. But this is an album that isn’t just for Christmas, it’s one that should remain in the playlist throughout 2024 and serves as a reminder that the old school continue to deliver music of the highest order. Master show no signs of slowing. And that’s okay with me. 9/10

Resin Tomb - Cerebral Purgatory (Transcending Obscurity) [Mark Young]

Dissonant death grind metal!!

This 8-track head-melter comes courtesy of Australia’s Resin Tomb, their first full-length release that follows on from 2020’s Resin Tomb and 2022’s Unconsecrated / Ascendancy. And it starts with a blast, with Dysphoria coming in with a chaos fuelled yet controlled start. The guitars are discordant yet mesh perfectly with the brutal beats coming in from Perry Vedelago. Its not straight forward but it is so rewarding, sounding so fresh compared against recent extreme releases that say they’re this or that. Flesh Brick brings that full on assault, with some absolute throat tearing from Matt Budge as it seems he is spewing his own soul out. Its fantastic as they turn the sonic screws tightly changing that attack from 1.20 onwards the song takes on new form, and if anything becomes heavier as these ‘light-touch’ moments bend and shift to allow it to climax.

Scalded is another barnstormer, pulling you this way and that with one of the gnarliest sounding riffs that underpin the whole song. When they drop the blast-beats, it’s because the song demanded it not to fill space caused by lack of ideas. Its furious, heavy and prime extreme metal. Cerebral Purgatory hits like classic Death, with a muted guitar introduction that bursts into life. Its one of those riffs that cause involuntary smiles to break out and heads to start nodding. Its supreme and leads into a what can be described as a nightmare in audio. It starts, slows speeds, all on the drop of a hat. Fabulous and needs to be heard NOW.

Human Confetti, with a guitar line that drops like confetti blowing in the wind, this is a tour-de-force in how to drop an instant classic. The initial spidery arrangement is blown away about a third of the way in and just takes off. I mean its criminal that this album has such an amazing trajectory to it, each song has offered something different from the one before, such as the almost-jangly start to Purge Fluid, which reminds of an amped-up Mastodon before they decide to kick you in the guts.

Concrete Crypt, possessing the second most gnarliest sounding riff here, a bout of organised chaos that ushers in the final track, Putrescence which has probably the most straight forward build here, which is not a disservice. Its straight for the throat, with a commanding attack that is brutal, but you can hear everything that is going on. Class.

I amazed by how good this is, we have all seen releases that say that it is something i.e., heavier than, more extreme than and all that. I had no idea what to expect given their own description, but it is one of the best things I’ve heard in ages. Its heavy, direct and the riffs confound and excite at the same time. 

Everything is on point, the drumming as mentioned before is top-class and forms the bedrock from which everything else springs from. The songs themselves are measured so well, not longer than they need to be and even the shorter ones cram a ton of into their relative short run lengths. Its 8 songs of just future classic metal and raises the bar as to what bands should be doing.

I know it’s way too early to talk albums of the year considering its mid-way through January, but this has got some stone-cold classics on it that will find it onto my songs of the year list. I make no apologies for the review as it just got better with each song. 10/10

Upon Stone - Dead Mother Moon (Century Media Records) [Matt Bladen]

Melodic death metal, let's be honest mostly it's the realm of the Scandinavians, I mean they did invent it. But within every country there lies a few bands that emulate the Scandi sound. Upon Stone, from the San Fernando Valley in California, manage to almost mirror those early days of At The Gates, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, but with the aggression of the US hardcore scene. Lilting acoustics often punctuate the heaviness of tracks such as Dusk Sang Fairest while Paradise Failed takes a step towards the 'core' sound, as Shadows Fall singer Brian Fair adds extra vocal anger. 

Segueing into Nocturnalism, an interlude that layers the clean guitars and opens into To Seek And Follow The Call Of Lions. The trio of vocalist/bassist Xavier Wahlberg, drummer Wyatt Bentley and guitarist Ronny Marks, formed the band to pay homage to CoB, In Flames and Dissection, playing some demos but never really going anywhere. Revitalising under the pandemic with guitarist Gage Goss joining the ranks, they jumped into the studio and started writing this record that eventually became the EP Where Wild Sorrows Grow, improving on the demos with added synths and acoustic guitars, continued on this full length album Dead Mother Moon and the title track especially. 

Upon Stone pitch their tent in Scandi melodeath but can't ignore the members hardcore backgrounds, so that style is also strong too on My Destiny; A Weapon. They even cap things off with a cover of Dig Up Her Bones from the poppiest version of The Misfits, given a melodeath makeover. This hybrid of influences and commitment to making the album sound like the 90's reinvigorated for 2024. Melodeath with renewed purpose, Upon Stone slay on Dead Mother Moon. 8/10

Reviews: Final Coil, Disconnected Souls, Advocacy, MesaVerde (Reviews By Rich Piva & Matt Bladen)

Final Coil - The World We Inherited (Sliptrick Records) [Rich Piva]

I like to peruse the promo folder and check out a little of everything to see if there is anything that, upon quick listen, piques my interest to grab to review out of the stuff I had never heard of before that is in the queue. In this case, the new album The World We Inherited, from the UK Alt/Prog Metal band Final Coil, jumped out at me and sounded like something I may enjoy digging into. 

I was surprised to hear that this Final Coil has not faired to well on this blog in the past, and that if I enjoyed The World We Inherited that it would be the first time we would have something positive to say about one of their releases. Well, I am here to say the trend has been broken, because this thing rocks.

I mean take Wires for example. I love the vocals, I love the guitar work, I love the wall of sound it brings. What a great track. Do they sound like Tool and Pink Floyd like their bio says? Hell no, not even close. Do they bring some cool alt metal to the table? They sure do. 

I love the chug of the guitar on Chemtrails to go along with the echoey vocals and nice key work. Is it a bit too produced for my usual liking? Indeed, but it is not too slick to make it unlistenable like a lot of bands playing this style today. By Starlight is an interesting track, driven by the synths and is more of the lighter slow burn variety until the chunkiness arrives. 

The Growing Shadows keeps the pace down but keeps up that wall of sound thing they have going on with great results. The middle does drag a bit with Stay With Me and Purify being the third and fourth mid-tempo tracks in a row that musically remind me of Placebo. I would have been OK with these as a B-side to be honest to make the record a bit crisper. Humanity musically reminds me of a Ministry lite track while the closer, End Of History has a more electronic Chevelle vibe which is pretty consistent across The World We Inherited.

Final Coil checks a lot of boxes for me. Layered, chant like vocals. Nice synths/keys partnered nicely with some chunky guitar work. A catchiness that you would not expect. Are they a tad pretentious? Yup. Does the middle drag a bit? It does. Would I say my band sounds like Tool and Pink Floyd when it is not even close? No, no I would not. Is The World We Inherited a fun listen that I have spun a half dozen times now and will continue to be in rotation for me? You bet. 7/10

Disconnected Souls - Fragments Of Consciousness (Self-Released) [Matt Bladen]

Disconnected Souls have been a around since 2018 blending classical, electronic and metal in what is called cinematic metal. It basically means that they play progressive metal music that doesn't have a lot of boundaries, one minute thumping electronica, the next crushing industrial, then emotional djent and ambient gothic textures, or jazz on Monachopsis (A Waltz At The End Of The World). A trio of vocalists and an array of instruments are used throughout their music. 

Having released an EP and a number of singles they have now finally delivered their debut record, which is just as diverse as you'd expect from this Chester quintet. With a track such as Loveless the music of Disconnected Souls manages to skilfully blend twitching electronica/dubstep with metalcore, but then they also take things in a heavier direction on the Dissonant Whispers.

Their lyrics deal with our connection to the natural world and how we're destroying it, they dabble in politics on Plague Rats while there's also some flights of fantasy on the quirky Silence Of The Drums, the genre tag of Cinematic Metal linking to the conceptual nature of this record, the Mischievous Spirits introduced on the last track of their EP, sees the spirit trying to make sense of the world, travelling through the world and these songs providing the soundtrack. 

At times it's like a Kate Bush record, with added heaviness or it could be a gothic metal band playing EDM. If you read the interviews with the band around this album, they aren't really bothered about whether you like it or not, neither are they fussed if you 'get it' they just want you to experience it. 

Concluding with the the ambient electronics of Iyashikei, Fragments Of Consciousness cements Disconnected Souls as one of the most intriguing acts in the UK music scene. 7/10

Advocacy - The Path Of Decoherence (UPRISING! Records) [Matt Bladen]

Danish prog metal band Advocacy were formed in Aarhus, Denmark and share a lot of similarities to fellow Danes VOLA. They play impressive technical metal which has some glorious vocal harmonies, jazz time signatures and dynamic song writing which sits between extreme metal and classic prog rock. 

Despite being around since 2015, The Path Of Decoherence is their debut album, but the have had two previous EP's which has dictated how their music has progressed, gaining higher musical density, leading to them being able to start this album with a Introductory instrumental which pairs grandiose piano with soaring guitars. It's a little bit Queen, in a good way, before the bass kicks in for first proper track is the 8 minute Pray For The Reckless, the bass from Peter Juelsgaard a key component to this track, more so than the trio of guitarists. 

Yep you read that right there are three guitarists in this band Søren Wind, Peter Locher and Søren Kjeldsen who bring a wide array of chops to these elongated songs, weaving in and out of each other with riffs and solos. Check out Leap Of Faith if you don't believe me, it falls more toward the eclectic style of Opeth, instrumentally and vocally with Kjeldsen crooning and roaring like Akerfeldt. 

Elsewhere the slow burning Star Formation features some Tool-esque drumming from Andreas Bek Nygaard Hansen, there's joyous riffs on Deranged and djenting on Unnamed. The Path Of Decoherence is a debut album that will make a mark on the progressive metal crowd in 2024. 7/10

MesaVerde - All Is Well (Apollon Records) [Rich Piva]

I am not usually very scientific with what I try to grab from the promo folder. If it says stoner, doom, psych, proto, or any combination of those I will most likely try to stake claim to it to review. Occasional I will grab gothic or occult, and occasionally venture into prog territory. 

For full disclosure on this one, I grabbed the new record from MesaVerde not because it was labelled as prog, but because the band name is a key part of one of my favourite TV shows of all time, Better Call Saul. This has nothing to do with their new album, All Is Well, but let’s see if my love of BCS matches what the Norwegian progsters bring us with their second full length album.

The band throws out Yes and Zeppelin in their description of All Is Well and I am not sure I can fully agree. Yes totally, but I am searching for Zeppelin vibes and coming up empty. There is no real rock crunch to All Is Well, it is more of a soft rock prog journey that tends to hug you rather than kick you in the face. Deep Time has some weird key sounds and a very chill vibe, but there is something missing to me. 

Pyramid Fucksnake is an awesome title, and it rocks for a bit, but for me this is pure later period Yes stuff. Moments is more of a soft rock with some prog elements and is a bit too Air Supply for me. Eva is an acoustic driven track that does nothing for my stance that this is missing something. Tracing had a cool Krautrock moment and is probably my favourite track on All Is Well, but it is nothing I will go back to at any point. I tried a few times end to end, but the second half of the record drags more than the first.

I will stick with my MesaVerde being Kim Wexler’s most important client rather than the band, because I could just not connect with All Is Well. I am fine with atmospheric prog and softer rock, but to me something was severely missing with this, be it I was looking for more crunch, more balls, more catchiness, or maybe all three. It’s obvious these guys know what they are doing musically, it is just that All Is Well was not for me. 5/10

Reviews: Emil Bulls, Cold In Berlin, Metalite, Tropic Santos (Reviews By Zak Skane, Matt Bladen, Patches & Rich Piva)

Emil Bulls – Love Will Fix It (Arising Empire) [Zak Skane]

Backstabber opens up the album with vindictive furious lyrics to its gut punching low tuned riffs performed with machine like precision, Tempo bouncy drums and producing synths sounds that sound like they have been resurrected from the 90s. The vocalist channels the industrial metal gods by combining Wanye Static and Burton C Bell snarled verses whilst providing Stitch D (from The Defiled) styled choruses. The following track The Devil Made Me Do It still continues the low bouncy tuned guitar riffs and drum grooves but we get to hear some dynamics from the drums with it’s hi-hat varied drum beats. We also get to hear the vocalist infusing more pop styled catchy chorus hooks. 

Happy Birthday To You brings in some dirty sub octave riffs that sound like they have been pulled straight out of Korns play book whilst also incorporating weaving guitar melodies sown into their F-You choruses and industrial influenced constructed verses. In the final moments of the first half the album the band start to inject their pop music influences with tracks such as Levitate with it’s upbeat pentatonic guitar melodies, bubble gum poppy sounding synths and catchy choruses with it being binded by a chart topping styled song structure. 

The 80’s sounding track The Ghosts brings in some Bad Omens vibes with its rhythmic driven analogue synths sounds and huge sounding drums whilst incorporating metal guitar arrangements in the choruses. The second part of the album still shows the band experimenting with other influences such as the opener Love Will Fix it All which incorporates some poppy chord progressions and upbeat strummed rhythm patterns along with ambient lead guitar melodies that accompany their soaring power metal styled verses and choruses that depict the themes of love and unity. On the theme of love, She’s Not Coming Home lyrically explores themes of unfaithfulness in a mature manner that is accompanied with the return of the Korn inspired arrangments from it’s bouncy riffs and drum grooves to the sinical note choices in the chorus melodies. 

Dreams brings in some massive choruses sandwiched with gothic 80’s era verses with it’s eerie low pitched synths and The Cure inspired clean guitars. Their closing track shows the band returning to singing about themes of unity with their closing ballad Together…which I might say is quite U2 inspired, from it’s ambient guitars with it’s huge clean low end, chimmy strummed chords, poppy off beat drum grooves and lyrics that sound like Bono wrote them. This must be one of them most diverse sounding metal albums of the 2024 so far! This band really knows how to bring in the metal goods from it’s Korn and Tim Burtonesque heavy tracks such as Backstabbers, Happy Birthday To You and She Ain’t Coming Home, whilst still splashing some positive light with their more commercially friendlier sounding tracks like Levitate, Love Will Fix All and Together. 

Love Will Fix It is a swiss army knife of an album which comes with a lot more tools which could can be a bit overwhelming to some metal listeners. For fans of Korn, Bad Wolves and Avatar. 9/10

Cold In Berlin – The Body Is A Wound (New Heavy Sounds) [Matt Bladen]

The inaugural part of project that will stretch to this EP and a full length record later this year London goth doom crew release their first part of The Wounds. The Body Is A Wound, consists of clobbering occult doom, guitars in sordid liaison with synths and electronics as Maya Berlin channels the mesmeric wails of Siouxsie Sioux. Dream One cascades into life with distorted guitars and discordant strings evoking an uneasy atmosphere. This is the first material since 2019’s Rituals Of Surrender and sees them extend their sound with extensive explorations into jerky, awkward post-punk on Found Out, all Stranger Things meets Bauhaus. 

They also pick the darker depths of oddness from the krautrock scene but of course keeping their mountain levelling doom to make sure they bewitch you with their rhythmic motions but also have the ability to rearrange your organs. If music could encompass the aloof, sensual world of gothic culture it would this. Themes around sex, murder, suicide and broken dreams, are wrapped up into the hypnotic Spotlight and the Joy Division-like racket of When Did You See Her Last. Cold In Berlin have ice in their veins, smoke in their lungs, dress in all black and play morose but sexy music. Can’t wait for the full length. 8/10

Metalite - Expedition One (AFM Records) [Patches]

Expedition One the new album by 2015 formed Metalite is my introduction to the Swedish quintet. The album tells a fictitious story of a survival expedition to transport our damaged kind from a dying planet to a new world, in hope that new life will develop. Now, I love a concept album and I love a lengthy album! So, with an epic tale to hear over a massive 16 song album expectations were high. 

The title track instantly gave me the cheesy self aware vibe of David Hasselhoff’s True Survivor written for the half hour crowdfunded masterpiece Kung Fury. (If you are yet to see it, check it out on Youtube, you’re in for a treat). Erica Ohisson’s vocals are perfect for power metal but quickly shift to a more ‘pop music’ tone as the influences from early 21st century trance take hold. I’m happy to hear an old 90s hip-hop-esque orchestra hit anytime of day … and it’s quite hilarious when combined with metal.

Guitarists Edwin Premberg and Robert Ornesved give themselves some serious shred time over the curious mix of nostalgic video game sounds and nauseating euro-pop. In fact, all the musicians are great and the production is tremendous. However, out of the 16 songs there is very little variation and a large percentage of them start with an arpeggiator. I found the so-called hooks to blend into the same prefabricated sounding generic pop chorus over time and after the initial novelty started to fade had very little to pick out and write about.

It was at this point that I checked a few other reviews of the album and found out that the main concern of other reviewers was the length of the album and the suggestion of removing the instrumental number Utopia. Well, we’re clearly on different terms .As for me, while the concept and delivery of this euro-pop, modern metal techno inspired compilation definitely has its fun moments. Utopia was the only one that felt like it had any soul. A similar break to the melodic instrumental tracks of an Arch Enemy album.

Final Words; It’s accessible, Metalite are well, Metal-light. A bad example but, the album kind of reminded me of Electric Callboy without the humour. I can tell it is fun and many will enjoy it, but it doesn’t resonate with me after the initial smirk. I do, however INSIST that Metalite enter and win Eurovision; because for me, that’s the only place I’d like to hear this again.

Check them out! they have a handful of singles already released on all major platforms and perhaps you’re not as grumpy as I. Top points for musicianship and production! But anything this cheesy needs to be more openly self aware to not activate my gag reflex (and I didn’t gag when I had to clean up a regurgitated decomposing rat from a snake’s vivarium after coming back from a holiday … Did I mention that it was found on the heat mat ? Pungent). 6/10 (Watch Kung Fury)

Tropic Santos - Caccia Grossa (Argonauta Records) [Rich Piva]

I tend to normally prefer vocals in my rock, but there are some exceptions and situations where a killer instrumental album will scratch that musical itch. Tropic Santos out of Milan, Italy are certainly candidates for this, bringing some very cool instrumental stoner rock that lovers of the genre can surely get behind on the album Caccia Grossa. But can this be one of my go to albums given I only reach for the instrumental occasionally?

Well, Caccia Grossa has a lot going for it to be a candidate for frequent spinning instrumental album in this reviewer’s collection. In its brief 30 minutes you get some cool stoner psych, with Dead Tropic leading us off with some QOTSA vibes specifically in the guitar work a really cool stoner vibe. The Kyuss/QOTSA minus vocals comparison extends to the next track as well, No Amico, which has some killer guitar work and a cool riff. I love all the percussion work on this track as well. 

The pace slows down on Mystic Liver, with an almost doomy psych dead march vibe, until the prisoner breaks away and makes a run for it and gets away via a killer psych solo. Convoy has a cool groove and more of that nice percussion while Jaguar Mamas has more sweet guitar noodling and upbeat pace. Closing out with Sacred Forces Saturation, you get more of the same psych stoner goodness that Caccia Grossa delivers across the six tracks over a half hour.

 
Tropic Santos give us a fun little album and a nice quick blast of instrumental psych stoner when you are sick of words and just want to jam on the music. Caccia Grossa has a place in my instrumental playlist, and if you dig stoner/psych instrumental work this one should be considered for your listening enjoyment. 7/10