View From The Back Of The Room: Rival Sons

Rival Sons, Graveltones and Ulyssess: Solus, Cardiff

So a night of classic rock was in order after the metal of last week and the prog on the weekend and that’s precisely what I got.

Ulyssess

Coming on to the stage with very little fanfare Ulyssess are bad that merge trippy psychedelic hard rock with bouncy power pop and have their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks. The band also has a penchant for funky headgear and off kilter playing. They were a great warm up act that were a bit Hendrix in the guitar freak-outs, a bit The Who like with the almost mod-style power pop and also they have definite similarity to the Fab Four's later years especially on closer Taxi Driver which has the Drive My Car "Beep, Beep, Yeah!" refrain in it. Ulyssess were a slow burner they started out with their wilder sprawling psychedelic songs and then progressed through to the heavier stuff before the set climaxed into all four men playing cowbell at the end. A good band with a strong future they managed to win over the crowd bringing them in early. 8/10

Graveltones

I'll level with you I thought the Graveltones were the best support band I've seen since I first saw Vintage Trouble. Never have a band enthralled me straight from the off. Just a two piece made up of Jimmy O on guitar and vocals and man mountain Mikey Sorbello behind the skins (seriously the man looks like tank!) I was expecting Black Keys/White Stripes like garage blues, which in fairness is what I got but also so much more. From the off you can see that both of these men are supremely talented. Jimmy pushes pulls and hits his guitar to bring out all manner of feedback before cranking out some seriously heavy fuzzed up and distorted riffs and searing solos while accompanying them with his strong bluesy wail that is similar to Mr White's. However the real star of the band (backed up by the cheer he received) is Mr Sorbello who possibly hits his drum kit harder than anyone I've ever seen, he literally smashes the symbols and brings out a wall of noise however as a counterpoint he can also handle jazz percussion using little wrist techniques to break up the wall of sound. The two of them build quite a racket and seem to be having a ball while doing it with so much energy on the stage that you'd have to be made of stone not to like them. A great set that meant that the Rival Sons had a lot of work to do following this. 9/10 *As a little note I have never looked forward to a drum solo but with this band I was crying out for one and the crowd erupted when it came!

Rival Sons

With the gauntlet set Rival Sons had a lot to do thankfully due to a partisan crowd and an almost flawless set they easily reached and exceeded the challenge. The set was taken primarily from their excellent new album Head Down and was mixed with their second album and their EP to create a career spanning set. Things kicked off with The Who-like percussive intro an roof raising Rock N Roll of You Want To before the jumping wah-wah drenched riffage of Get What's Coming followed and with those two songs the crowd were hooked watching every tub thumped by Mike Miley every string plucked by Robin Everhart, every riff strummed and every solo peeled off by Scott Holliday and they also watched as frontman Jay Buchanan wailed his way through the songs and moved around the stage like Tyler in his prime. The man has a seriously good voice able to switch from hard rocker to soul crooner in an instant. Next up was the voodoo of Wild Animal which was followed by the fuzz and distortion filled Gypsy Heart before the stomping blues of Torture was the first sing along. The blues theme continued with the gospel, storytelling of All The Way and ended with the almost Stax records sounding Until The Sun Comes Up. The set then became slower with Buchanan showing off his almighty voice to full effect on the awesome Jordan which is prime Woodstock material this was followed by a short explanation of the haunting, brooding, Zeppelin-like next song Manifest Destiny Part 1. The rock was brought back with a vengeance with two singles Keep On Swinging and Pressure & Time before the main set ended with the excellent Face of Light a song dedicated to Buchanan's son. A short break a short drum solo (not as good as the Graveltones' I'm afraid) and then the last two songs which were the soul-rock stomp of Burn Down Los Angeles and then finally the enlightening and uplifting Soul which came to a climax with a massive guitar solo from Holliday. As a live act Rival Sons are excellent enthralling, bewitching, soulful and seriously rocking they deliver everything you expect and more, future arena headliners in the making. 9/10

Out Of The Beyond 25

Keith Emmerson Band: Keith Emmerson Band Featuring Marc Bonilla (2008)

Everyone knows about Keith Emmerson's time in 70's progressive rock legends ELP, he has appeared on many albums in a special guest capacity and also on solo albums but this is his first album with a new band and he has acquired some fantastic musicians s to help his sizeable keyboard playing talents. The main talent is that of Marc Bonilla who provides some virtuoso guitar playing as well as the vocals, the guitar of Bonilla is in perfect harmony with Emmerson's keys and organ and they make a fantastic musical tandem, the writing too is split between Bonilla and Emmerson and the album itself is one conceptual piece split into 15 tracks, most of which are instrumental, with the fantastic Marche Train being the first fully formed rock track and a track that shows off Bonilla's voice and also his superb guitar playing, ending in a fantastic explosive guitar solo, the acoustic A Place To Hide is also a real standout because of its jazz piano and strong relaxed ballad delivery. After the concept piece comes four separate tracks that all differ massively The Art Of Falling Down has a classic ELP sound due to its synths, moogs and organ. Malambo a Latin instrumental, Gametime is the soundtrack to a bluegrass and baseball and then final track The Parting is another powerful ballad. This is an excellent album that shows really how talented it's two creators are, if you dig classic real prog then you will love this. 9/10

Bloodshot Dawn: Self-Titled (2012)

Bloodshot Dawn are a melodic death metal band from Portsmouth and this was their debut album, it is an absolute cracker of a debut featuring some sterling guitar work from Josh McMorran and Ben Ellis who provide some serious guitar chops with technical speed riffage and some dual guitar solos that will tear your face off. McMorran also has a fantastic voice with some very guttural roars that complement the technical ferocity of the riffage; the band has a sound similar to Arch Enemy, At The Gates and Amon Amarth with the progression of Cynic. The drums and bass playing are also excellent with the blast beats coming thick and fast as the tracks move between thrash speed metal riffage and heavy riff breaks for head banging. From Beckoning Oblivion through the progressive Godless to the final track Archetype this is a melo-death tour de force with some frankly fantastic guitar playing and more importantly some great songs to just bang your head too. 8/10

Enbound: And She Says Gold (2011)

This is Swede's Enbound debut album and they immediately set out there stall. The band play big bold and hook filled power metal in the style if Stratovarius or Sonata Arctica. The album is full of some very good riffage from Martin Flowberg who straddles boundaries between poppy power metal and some heavy speed metal most prevalent on the progressive Shifting Gears; he also pulls off some excellent soloing on every track. Not to be outdone however bassist Swede and drummer Mike Force both play at near virtuosic levels with Swede being especially good. So then we move onto vocalist Lee Hunter who is also fantastic having a very Tony Kakko style vocal and thus the inevitable Sonata comparisons especially on Under A Spell. The band are not just your run of the mill power metal band they add some very good additions to enhance their sound. There are a lot of keys and pianos on ballads like beautifully orchestrated The Broken Heart and the acoustic Frozen To Be which is a duet with female singer LaGaylia Fraizer. They also have lots of electronics with a very dance like feel to Untitled X. Enbound have released a very good debut that has a the hallmarks of their peers. They also do an excellent supercharged cover of Beat It! 8/10

Lost In Thought: Opus Arise (2011)

Dream Theater, America's premier prog metal band has a signature sound. Lost In Thought have taken this sound to heart, they have copied it wholesale but do it in such a way that they have made it their own. For a band on their debut these songs are of fantastic quality they soar majestically and then drop into some snarling metal riffage bolstered by some rapid fire keyboards and drumming and that’s just the opening track Beyond The Flames. The Dream Theater comparisons come from the vocals of Nate Loosemore who is a dead ringer for James LaBrie. What is really striking about these songs is just how good they are, many would be right at home on the new DT album as well as those by Symphony X or Pagan's Mind. The guitars of David Grey are great providing some sublime solos and monster riffs, the drums of Chris Billingham guide all of the time changes and the keys of Greg Baker bring an electric pulse and some classical melody to all of the tracks. The time changes and genre shifts are all very well done and the band are far more talented than their years suggest. In the live field Lost In Thought didn't do it for me but on record these Welshmen play some seriously good progressive metal. (This is a similar reaction I have to their American influence). 8/10

*Addition as of April 2013 Lost In Thought are no more, another promising band gone...

View From The Back Of The Room: Von Hertzen Brothers

Von Hertzen Brothers, Haken & Enochian Theory, Bogiez Cardiff

Once more into the bowels of Cardiff however this time it was for an entirely more cerebral affair, this was a night of prog rock and my what a night it was.

Enochian Theory

First up was Enochian Theory who I have heard of but I have never heard and from the opening 10 seconds I wondered where I had been. These three men deliver a fantastic modern progressive rock noise that was enthralling to behold. With some excellent drumming and bass work keeping the off kilter and melodic rhythm it was up to singer/guitarist to work his magic over the six strings providing a sprawling musical base for his soft vocals. The perfect openers to the night Enochian Theory won me over with their sprawling modern prog with a dark heart that put me in mind of Porcupine Tree. 8/10

Haken

I love Haken on album; both of their records are fantastic slices of British prog rock with some metal crunch to them. This was my first time seeing them live and they are very good, with all 6 members filling the stage, Haken immediately burst into Drowning In The Flood which featured the fantastic arpeggio guitar playing of virtuoso player and founder Richard Hensall who is backed by Charles Griffiths on second six string as they dual with the extremely melodic keys and electronics of Diego Tejeida. Then came the rest of the band who are very bass heavy, which is no bad thing considering the talent of Thomas Maclean. The keys then picked up for the second song Eternal Rain with Hensall showing he is also excellent tinkling the ivories as well. The band then moved onto a new song which bodes well for the new album as it full of the bands trademark time shifts and little odd flourishes of jazz and other forms of music built in. The intensely melodic and euphoric The Mind's Eye came next which showed off the absolutely awesome vocals of Ross Jennings who hit some huge notes and then threw shapes through the instrumental Portals before returning to the finale of Shapeshifter. The band sounded great (as did Enochian Theory) and their playing was immense, bolstered by the infectious enthusiasm of Jennings. I'm glad I waited as they were excellent laying down the gauntlet for the headliners. 9/10

Von Hertzen Brothers

It is a long flight from Finland to Wales so you could forgive the Von Hertzen Brothers for scaling down their production. Nope. Bringing everything but the kitchen sink (even their own sound engineer(s) VHB had every single piece of equipment imaginable to make their set go without a buzz of feedback. Focusing heavily on the (excellent) new album the brothers opened with furious Insomniac before Writings On The Wall which was followed by new single the excellent ballad Flowers And Rust. Straight from the first three songs you could tell just how professional VHB are they have everything down to a tee and their music is just all encompassing bringing every genre imaginable conducted by the three brothers on stringed instruments, the resolutely strong drumming of Mikko K and the engaging, ethereal and energising keys of Juha. The spiralling Wurlitzer of Coming Home came next showing that Kie Von Hertzen has an excellent baritone vocal that perfectly compliments his brother (and main vocalist) Mikko VH's higher register, in fact the three of them have some unbelievable vocal harmonies that only Brian Wilson could beat. The set continued with the shout along Always Been Right, the Middle Eastern style Angel's Eyes and the hard rocking of Freedom Fighter. Thrown into this myriad of perfectly executed songs was a cover, now many bands can do a cover justice however this is not just a cover, VHB set the bar high by covering perhaps the most revered and downright weird progressive bands in history, King Crimson, takes a lot of balls. However the VHB totally nailed 21st Century Schizoid Man staying true to the original but also adding their own style to it. The main set ended with Let Thy Will Be Done before an encore of the majestic and beautiful new song Prospect For Escape ended the show on a relaxed but euphoric note. The Von Hertzen Brothers really can put on a show and they give their all to the show making sure that everyone goes home feeling elated. The may bring more equipment than any band I have ever seen but I’m sure none of it is superfluous. An absolutely fantastic show! 10/10

Reviews: Stone Sour, Glory Hammer, Warbeast

Stone Sour: House Of Gold & Bones Part 2 (Roadrunner)

So the second part of Corey Taylor and co.’s two part concept opus and I was impressed with the first part http://musipediaofmetal.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/reviews-stone-sour-triaxis-doogie-white.html. And I continue to be impressed with this second part, the record opens with a funeral doom-like dirge in the shape of Red City which sees Taylor singing and then reverting to Slipknot mode with his guttural scream. Next up is the heavy metal riffage of Black John which is classic Stone Sour with big riffs and Taylor's intelligent lyrics. The solos from the first part are still firmly in place with Jim Root and Josh Rand both showing off in great style. The introspective Sadist follows which starts off with a clean arpeggio before the heaviness kicks in with a vengeance. The dark, brooding side to Stone Sour seems to be the one on display most on this record, all of the songs have a bad atmosphere around them and most stick to this style throughout, Peckinpah (which is not about the director) again starts at a moody pace and then picks up the tempo for the bridge, what I also noticed on this album is the usage of keys and pianos to add atmosphere, even on the faster paced tracks like Stalemate they are still featured as well as the electronic pulses on '82 and also the haunting electronic Blue Smoke before it breaks into the heavy industrial barrage of Do Me A Favour. On its own this is another good album but one that shows the more conceptual nature of this project. Part 1 was a collection of songs; part 2 is a lot more like a thematic soundtrack. It is when this album is played with part 1 that it really shines through, they are two parts of one whole and together they build to one great album. 8/10

Glory Hammer: Songs From The Kingdom Of Fife (Napalm Records)

Chris Bowes is the mastermind (or is that Captain?) of Pirate metal band Alestorm however this is his new side project on which he only plays keyboards letting Thomas Winkler handle the vocals. Winkler does a very good job having that classic power metal voice. The rest of the band too are excellent with bass and drums of James Cartwright and Ben Turk galloping throughout and the guitar of Paul Templing providing the riffs and the stirring solos. Bowes' keys are obviously quite prominent to providing the orchestral back drop to this concept album. Ah yes I forgot to mention this is a concept album about the alternate history of Fife, focusing on magic, swords and sorcery. It makes for a very entertaining and slightly cheesy listen and means they share a lot of audible similarities (as well as a name) with power metal legends Hammerfall with the big keyboards of Swede conquers Sabaton. The conceptual and swords and sorcery style also means that they can get away with titles such as The Unicorn Invasion Of Dundee, Silent Tears Of Frozen Princess and the ten minute The Epic Rage Of Furious Thunder. This is not music to be taken seriously with a po face, its music that will give you a shit eating grin and make you raise your fist (sword/shield/mace delete where applicable) in the air! Chris Bowes has set himself up nicely for when he inevitably runs out of songs about rum. 7/10

Warbeast: Destroy (Housecore Records)

Phillip Anselmo's protégés have released their second album off the back of their split EP with the man himself. Warbeast are a traditional thrash band that sound like Slayer, Exodus et al. After the very Slayer-like instrumental of Cryogenic Thawout it’s on the second track Nightmare In The Sky that the riffs begin to fly like ninja death stars. The song is propelled by some light speed drumming as well as the aforementioned guitar blitz of Bobby Tilloston and Scott Shelby. The songs move from pit forming thrash, face smashing hardcore and head crushing doom, but for the most part this is angry violent old school thrash metal full of snarling riffs and the scarred shouted vocals of frontman Bruce Corbitt. The album is produced by Phil Anselmo and he keeps it old school having the very analogue 'live in the studio' feel to the record meaning that you will either love it or hate it. The band have some serious riffs and songs but on the whole they are a run of the mill thrash band. Those who still rock the high tops will lap this up however everyone else will play once and then only again at parties. 6/10

 

View From The Back Of The Room: Scar Symmetry, Beholder & Bloodshot Dawn

Scar Symmetry, Beholder & Bloodshot Dawn: Bogiez Cardiff

Another nice tour line up bringing together three similar but still different bands. This was the final night of the tour and the whole gig was filled with pranks, madness and general high jinks that are the norm on the last date. But as the lights went down the show began.

Bloodshot Dawn

After the instrumental intro had ended the band began the barrage of explosively tight riffage straight from the off with first track Beckoning Oblivion. I have heard nothing but good things about Bloodshot Dawn and thankfully they were all true, the band are very impressive, they play their brand of melodic death metal with the utmost precision, both guitarists Josh and Ben firing off riffs like lasers bent on decapitating the audience who lapped it up banging their heads along with the enthused band. The band had very little movement mainly due their stage banners however very little was needed as they ripped out riffs and peeled out solos, Josh also has a very good DM guttural roar however it was very hard to hear it still they delivered a great set full of some extremely tight, face melting melo-death, plus a stage invasion from a half-naked robot man! A band well worth seeing if you want to just bang your head and be astounded by some technical guitar playing! Praise also to their stand in drummer who learnt all of the songs just before the tour! 8/10

Beholder

Again another band I've wanted to see for a while and on the night I was disappointed, however in the cold light of day I can see that this wasn't because of the band. The drums and bass smashed into you and the guitars let fly with aplomb pull out heavy riff after heavy riff. Beholders new stuff merges well with their old and the thrashier passages were perfect for people to pit. However this seems to be the problem, Beholder are a band that feed off the energy of the crowd and on this night there didn't seem to be much, very small pits and a lot of standing around seemed to be the order of the day during Beholder's set much to the chagrin of man mountain frontman Simon Hall, who was on top form vocally. Again their set was filled with strange goings on mainly from the Bloodshot Dawn boys but songs like Liars did connect with the crowd but they did seem a bit reserved. Beholder had the best sound of the night but in my opinion they need to feed off the crowd to really get going and the already quite sparse crowd didn't help matters by standing still for the majority of the set. Beholder are a band that have had some tough breaks in their career and are steadily trying to work their way back. However on this night the crowd weren't really feeling it as much as they should have been considering how much power and professionalism the band were showing. 7/10

Scar Symmetry

So onto the headliners and I think the reason for a lot of tonight’s criticism, any band that have two lead vocalists will always be hard to engineer sound wise and Scar Symmetry proved that. From the off the sound was muddy with only one guitar in place of the usual two which didn't sound right despite Per Nilsson doing his best, the drums were too loud and the bass was no-existent. I was initially shocked as Bogiez usually has a very good sound so I came to the conclusion that it must have been something to do with the band. Then came the vocals and this is where the night unravelled Roberth Karlsson can growl very well and can even do some pretty strong cleans when needed however Lars Blomqvist has a good mid but his high vocals are awful, he was not able to hit many of the notes and this was added to by the very muddy sound meaning for large sections of the gig he was inaudible. It led me to the conclusion that sometimes two is not always greater than one as former vocalist Christian Alvestam handled both excellently from what I have seen. Despite these technical issues the crowd seemed to be lapping up the Scandi melo-death. Per Nilsson is a very good guitarist but the pre-taped keys did little to help his one man guitar showing. In conclusion then as a band Scar Symmetry are very technical and have some great songs like closer The Illusionist but tonight they were let down by the very poor sound which meant you could really hear anything that clearly. 6/10

View From The Back Of The Room: Hawkwind

Hawkwind Cardiff Coal Exchange

Thanks to Paul Hutchings for his review

I had been waiting for this gig with unexplainable levels of excitement. I can’t put my finger on what it is about Hawkwind I love so much and maybe that’s it. How do you categorise them? At times completely bonkers, often wandering off into different orbits but always with that swirling space rock sound that is so definitely theirs. The Coal Exchange was the destination for their latest visit to Cardiff and a healthy turnout greeted the support band. A Polish trio whose name I’m afraid I’ve totally forgotten (They were apparently Hipiersonik - Ed). They were good value though, playing fusion type jazz rock, plenty of saxophone and sampling, rapping and generally a little different.

Onto the main event, and with the audience swelling, mainly due to the expansion in waistlines, Hawkwind took to the stage. Throughout the show there was an ever changing psychedelic backdrop which amply supported the dancers and various creatures that prowled the front of the stage. I’ve always loved the fact that they take a little bit of trouble to put on a show and this was no exception with some great lighting too. As for the music, well, with 26 albums to choose from it is always hard to know what will come at you but some things in life can be predicted. Set opener Master Of The Universe was a given, with Dave Brock content to leave the imposing Mr Dibs to take centre stage on vocals and bass/cello. To his right Tim Blake prowled with his keys, but never far too far away from the apple Macs that run much of their trade mark space sounds. The band moved into You’d Better Believe It, which really did head off on its own for a good while before they powered through two tracks from 2012’s excellent Onward, namely Seasons and The Hills Have Eyes.

Then it was back to 1975 for the Warrior At The Edge Of Time. Now even though I was 5 when this first came out, I’ve always loved the album and it was a joy to see it performed. Opener Assault and Battery Part II is an all-time classic and the album also contains one of my favourites, Magnu. The audience were in their element, many of the old school singing along to ever track, whilst the band were extremely tight, and throughout it all maintaining that unique space rock sound that drives through the heart of all their stuff. All too quickly Kings Of Speed (no prizes for the subject matter) brought the main set to a close and was quickly followed by wild card of the night, a lengthy rendition of Arrival In Utopia, before the traditional Silver Machine rounded off a great night’s entertainment. If you’ve never seen these guys live then give it a go next time - a truly magical experience. 9/10

Footnote: During the gig I got quite annoyed when the band finished Warrior At The Edge Of Time with Kings Of Speed as my version has the bonus of the original Motorhead as the last track. However, a bit of research has corrected my view and I am at peace with them once more.

Reviews: Spock's Beard, Von Hertzen Brothers, Audrey Horne

Spock's Beard: Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep (InsideOut Music)

Veteran proggers return with their eleventh album and their third singer. Long-time frontman/drummer Nick D'Virgillo and was replaced on the sticks by touring drummer Jimmy Keegan and behind the mic by former Enchant man Ted Leonard, this is a genius piece or hiring as Enchant have always been similar to Spock's Beard's style of song based prog where virtuosity takes a back seat to song writing, Spock's Beard have always been a song writing band with every member contributing, Leonard fits in amicably handling all of the writing duties for the opening track Hiding Out which is filled with big keyboard riff from Ryo Okumoto and then the unique melodic and soaring guitars of founder member Alan Morse. This is an album that sees Spock's Beard going back to their roots with long expansive tracks (all clock in at more than 5minutes) with the carnival folk of A Treasure Abandoned which is driven by some truly great keys and organs and with a huge crescendo. This is mixed in with the strong rock ballad Submerged the jazzy and electronic Afterthoughts and the album ends with the epic Waiting For Me (which was co-written by original vocalist Neal Morse). Every track is filled with great musicianship and some very intelligent and sometimes thought provoking lyrics. At 7 tracks (11 on the special edition) this is a very good album full and the sound of a band revitalised with new members after the concise pop sound of their last album X. With Leonard fronting the band he they will continue to provide energizing, emotive and in places excellent progressive rock. 8/10

Von Hertzen Brothers: Nine Lives (Spinefarm Records)

The Finnish trio of prog have again produced an album that stretches far beyond the realms of prog bringing in pop, alternate rock, jazz many other forms of music into one melting pot of an album. The Von Hertzen Brothers have always tried to challenge listeners and have done so again on this record with the myriad of influences. From the off they try to disorient and engage with the relentless rock of Insomnia to the euphoria of Flowers And Rust, before Lost In Time brings a doomy Sabbath vibe to the proceedings with its sledgehammer riffage, then we have the dreamy melancholic have of One May Never Know which segues into the almost choral chamber music of World Without which itself becomes a Pink Floyd song if they played with Asian instruments. The hallmarks of many great bands are here with Pink Floyd and King Crimson being the two major influences, however Mikko's voice sounds like Cornell's when he's in his upper range so some tracks have that Soundgarden edge to them. This five piece are all excellent musicians with the keyboardist Juha and drummer Mikko Kaakkuriniemi both adding their own talent to the brothers soundscapes. The brothers themselves hold down the string instruments (two sixes and a four) as well as a myriad of other instruments (I can pick out Balalaika, Theremin, banjo as a start) and the huge vocal harmonies. Again the VHB have created a fantastic, engaging and unique record that enthrals with its musicality. 9/10

Audrey Horne: Youngblood (Napalm Records)

Audrey Horne are now on their fourth album and follow a trend of Black metal musicians forming hard rock side projects. Audrey Horne features members of Enslaved and Sahg, founding guitarists Ice Dale (Arve Isdal) and Thomas Tofthagen, like I said much like Shagrath's side project Chrome Division, this is full on classic hard rock with some shredding dual guitars, pounding bass lines and some killer drums which is moving away from the slightly grungy sound of their previous records. The band have elements of early Van Halen, AC/DC and mostly KISS with tattooed vocalist Toschie having an uncannily Paul Stanley like voice. All of the tracks on this record are great with the propulsive Straight Into Your Grave, the melodic and uplifting title track, the acca dacca swagger of There Goes A Lady and the trippy ride of The Open Sea. Audrey Horne have been producing quality albums for a while now and Youngblood is another cracker, it has 11 awesome tracks all featuring some shredding guitars and solos as well as Toschie's great vocals. Another album brimming with cocksure hard rock power that once again why Audrey Horne are a great rock band, it's just a shame they are still on the fringes of the success mainly because of Isdal's workload in Enslaved, hopefully this release will see them propelled to the headliner status they deserve! 9/10

Reviews: Collapse, Neuronspoiler, Vanadium

Collapse: Arms And The Covenant (Transcend Music)

Collapse have been hotly tipped to be the "next big thing" in British metal and having seen them on the live circuit a few times I can say that personally every time they have impressed me with their stage presence and most of all their songs. So needless to say I was looking forward to hearing their debut album. Things kick off in furiously aggressive style with the full-on heavy as hell riffage of the title track which blends melodic and thrashy guitars lines; with a crushing bottom end and the explosive drumming of Rainer Gronholm & Scott Harris respectively, all of which is topped by the growled vocals of frontman Duncan Wilkinson who doesn't do the normal clean/screamed thing relying purely on the Randy Blythe like roar for the whole album. As far as comparisons go Lamb Of God is a good one, as are tour mates Devildriver (who's Mike Spreitzer handles the mix). Guitarists Andy Ongley and Christian Stevens are excellent peeling off face melting riffs and solos as well as knowing when to slow things down and just hit with a very heavy groove on tracks like The Cursed. The standout tracks on the album are the opening title track, as well as the ferocious Bloodlet, the groove filled Of Iron and the melodic metal assault of Heartwork. Collapse have always impressed me live and their live power is translated perfectly on this album with every track going for the jugular and not letting go until all the life has been drained out of you. This precision metal assault is bolstered by the crisp production which lets every track explode the speakers. My one gripe would be the track list as does seem a little fractured with a few things re-jigged the album would flow better. However this is only a small thing this is a very accomplished debut that more than supports the "next big thing" hyperbole, prime British metal! Play it loud and proud! 8/10

Neuronspoiler: Emergence (Self Release)

This is Neuronspoiler’s debut and unlike the other two bands in this review they peddle classic thrash inspired traditional heavy metal, full of duelling guitars, galloping bass lines, crashing drums and siren-like vocals. Opening track Through Hell We March perfectly distils this sound with the classic metal riffage of David Del Cid and Dave Shirman and the helium fuelled European metal vocals of JR, what follows is 10 tracks of top notch retro metal mixing Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and even some early Van Halen to great effect (especially in the solo's which are breath-taking in some places). The workhorse riffage of Take The Stage is a tribute to the road, Irreverent is a bouncy rocker with a killer solo, and Act Of Defiance brings an instrumental break that leads into the bass-led Invincible Man which is a fist pounding rocker with another superb solo. All of the tracks on this album are made for the live arena and hark back to metals glory days, Neuronspoiler play the same kind of retro- revivalist metal as Enforcer, Grand Magus, Cauldron, Screamer et al. but unlike a lot of the bands in the revival they do it very well by writing some great songs and not sticking rigidly to the genre boundaries meaning they are unafraid to adapt their sound where needed. They even have a ballad in the shape of the 7 minute Dying Worlds which has a change in pace worthy of a Maiden epic. For fans of any traditional metal this is a must however some may be put off by the vocals which can be a little bit overpowering and are sometimes not as strong in the lower register however for me this is great album full of some stunning fret board workouts and horn throwing tunes! 8/10

Vanadium: Heaven's Epithet Of Lives Lost (Self Release)

Vanadium hail from the shores of...Devon...but don't let that fool you into thinking of folky strumming, this is out and out heavy metal. The four piece have delivered an EP (of 8 songs which was a full album back in the day) that is full of some propulsive head smashing heavy metal. Things start off slow with the opening instrumental of Epithet before Nailstorm hits you like a bomb of its name sake, the riffs rip like a buzz saw and the drums hammer with a full on assault (I'll give the DIY puns a break now) The vocals too are very good; growled but audible and clear and sound a lot like the current wave of American metal bands like Machine Head or Lamb of God. The tracks bring thrashy riffs and big metal grooves (see final track Legion Of I) twinned with some Iron Maiden style twin guitar leads and complex progressive song writing. The EP is punctuated by short instrumental interludes which breaks from the relentless riffage (and makes the actual track count 5) but they aren't really needed meaning the album is broken up a bit too much. This is a great EP from a Devon based band that have all the hallmarks of modern American metal, but add some genuinely inspired progression to proceedings. A very good debut EP from these Brit metallers! 7/10

View From The Back Of The Room: Jagermeister Tour

Jagermeister Tour: Ghost, Gojira, The Defiled & Revoker, Bristol O2 Academy

Once again into the horrible Bristol Academy and once more on to the balcony for 2013's Jagermeister Tour. With tickets at £5 last year’s sold out in record time, this year’s however hadn't that could be due to the niche and admittedly mixed nature of the bands on the bill. They cast a wide net with the 70's style occultist rockers Ghost headlining over Gojira who had their own headline tour earlier in the year. However the place was quite full mainly due to the price although the amount of people fluctuated throughout the night.

Revoker

All of the openers on this tour were local bands and Revoker are local to Bristol, apparently, even though they noticeably hail from the Rhymney Valley. All that aside they were a good warm up storming through a short set of their best songs and one from their long awaited second album. The band are tight and professional but still always seem a bit lost in big rooms. Still a good warm up act from this 'local' act. 7/10

The Defiled

A band that I've never seen and quite frankly I wouldn't want to see them again as they really did nothing for me. They came onto the stage like a militarised Goth band all black eyeliner and camo. The singer looked like Robert Smith/Nikki Sixx and sang like so many popular core bands which was completely at odds with his posh speaking voice. The rest of the band stood completely still in their delivery with only the preening 'keyboardist' AVD having any movement about him. As far as the music was concerned it mixed from breakdown heavy metal to self-hating emo-core. The Defiled had fans in the crowd I personally will not be seeing them again as they are a bit too boring for my tastes. 4/10

Gojira

Finally the band that the majority of the crowd came to see, and the first that were a dead cert to be liked by everyone. Gojira are possibly one of the heaviest live acts on the circuit and even when above the stage you can still feel the heavy down tuned playing and wall of sound riffage that these Frenchmen are known for. This was a celebratory almost greatest hits set with Backbone, Flying Whales, The Heaviest Matter In The Universe, Ourobouros and Toxic Garbage Island all included in the set with three also coming from the newest album L'Enfaunt Sauvage. All of the songs killed causing huge pits to form in the centre of the room. the band were as usual extremely tight with the Duplantier brothers causing hell on rhythm guitar and drums respectively while bassist John Labadie jumped around the stage like a mad man. Gojira played their nine song set to perfection and easily destroyed all of the fans in attendance with their very heavy metal, it was nice to see them play a concise powerful set as they brought the pain with every song as their man set can become a bit too much with the constant brutality. 9/10

Ghost

Then came the mass exodus, most of the venue emptied after Gojira's set showing that there are always perils with these wide net bills. Still the faithful stayed and after a lengthy set up the bells began to toll Ghost's arrival the intro of Jocelyn Pook's Carnival came over the P.A as the 5 hooded ghouls came to the stage and began busting out the hard rock riffage. The twin leads blazed and the organ was being flared up wildly for the first track Infestissuman which is the title track off their not yet released second album. They followed this with another new one in the shape of Per Aspera Ad Inferi both of these tracks fitted brilliantly and were explosive enough to get the crowd going from the off. The mysterious Papa Emeritus II (same man different character) still had the same slow theatrical stage crafted he exerts with cardinal outfit and skull mask still in place. His voice is highly vocoadered so and the band have lots of backing tapes so you can't really tell how good his voice actually is but Ghost are all about the presentation and they have a lot of that with their occult mystique. Most of their debut was aired with Death Knell, Stand By Him, Prime Mover, Satan Prayer and Ritual all still great live songs. However the real delight lay with the new tracks of which the two openers and Year Zero were the best but all of them bode well for a second album. Ghost can put on a great show and this has gained them a cult following, however they seemed out of place on this tour with three very heavy bands and they also need to get a slightly different stage shtick if they don't want to become a bit repetitive in the live arena. 8/10

View From The Back Of The Room: Biffy Clyro

Biffy Clyro - Motorpoint Arena Cardiff

Thanks go to Nick Hewitt for his review

So I went into this concert more as a follower than a fan of Biffy Clyro, meaning my expectations were somewhat hard to place having seen mixed live performances from videos online etc.

With the stage being surrounded by a simple white curtain glowing with a purple light there was almost a mood of tension in the air. Then, from nowhere Simon Neil appears sending the crowd into raptures as he breaks into the acoustic opening of Different People. As the chorus kicked in the curtain dropped to the ground revealing the remainder of the band (James and Ben Johnston) and a stage design the can only be described as tree shaped as the human respiratory system, this sent the crowd into mass hysteria.

The first couple of songs were very much from the rocky section of Biffy’s catalogue, with the lads showing off new and old tracks such as That Golden Rule, Sounds Like Balloons and the new track Black Chandelier, all of which bringing the crowd to the top of their voices for the anthem like choruses. Listening to these tracks the one thing I couldn’t get of head was; “this band are actually quite heavy!” the albums, although good, do not do this band justice. Breakdown after breakdown within the tracks showed off the talent and energy Biffy Clyro possess. James Johnston’s bass booming through the background giving the sound real depth… this is how live, rock should be. Eventually the crowd and band alike were given a break with brilliant emotional tracks that include Biblical, A Day Of and the outstanding acoustic God & Satan, but not before the bouncing track of Bubbles accompanied by smoke cannons galore!

As the 26 song set drew to a close the crowd favourites and anthems were pulled out of the bag… and with style. The lads proceeded to dish out classics such as Many of Horror, The Captain and Machines. Finishing with the world famous Mountains, led as to be expected, by the sold out Cardiff crowd. I have been to a lot of concerts in my time, but on very few occasions have I seen a band attack a set with such relentless energy and passion. Simon Neil was visibly flagging as he walked off the stage but still beaming with a smile, surely this is how live music should be? Biffy Clyro are a band that are clearly proud of the music they produce and want to deliver it with only the drive that it deserves, and WOW! Did they? Were we spoiled! My only criticism of the night would be that being a 26 song set there was very little interaction with the crowd, making the set feel rushed on occasion. But does this matter… not really. Leaving this gig I feel I am now a fan of Biffy Clyro and look forward to seeing them again the future. 9/10