Reviews: Transatlantic, The Treatment, No Sinner

Transatlantic: Kaleidoscope (InsideOut)

So the pro-rock supergroup release their fourth album and it is a possibly their most adventurous yet, their last release The Whirlwind was a concept tour-de-force with the album being one song split into separate tracks. On this record the band go one better by having two 20 minute plus epics start and close the album and in between they have 3 shorter (less than 10 minute tracks). The band haven't changed their style as they still play prog in it's purest form with lots of instrumental passages huge keyboard hooks, technical bass and drums, great guitars, harmony vocals and lots of time and tempo changes. For a band made up of lesser mortals achieving this level of musicianship over the course of four albums without a dip would be very difficult however Transatlantic is now (and has always been) ex-Spock's Beard and prog-mastermind Neal Morse tinkling the ivories, Ronnie Stolt of the Flower Kings on strumming and crooning, Pete Trewavas slapping, plucking and also crooning before the motley bunch (not crew) are rounded out by Mike Portnoy, he of Dream Theater infamy manning the skins. With all the usual suspects recruited we can move onto the music which is as rich and varied as the contributors day jobs. Opening track Into The Blue starts off with a hard rock instrumental before sweeping into classy strong prog, then into and jazz middle section before Stolt is allowed to really let loose with a solo as the track slows and moves into it's euphoric final third (which features Pain Of Salvation's Daniel Gildenlow). The three middle tracks are a nice respite from the prog-epics with Shine sounding like a late period Beatles song with it's acoustic delivery and sitar intro, despite the musicianship it's a little throwaway, they change tact on Black As The Sky which is an ELP fans dream full of pulsating organ from Morse and finally out of the middle tracks is Beyond The Sun which is pedal steel powered obligatory Morse ballad that serves as an intro for the title track which closes the album (yes 5 tracks folks how very prog). This track is over 30 minutes long and goes through so many styles and time changes that mentioning them would take up the whole review, needless to say this a bit special (as all their albums are) and the title track shows just how good these guys are in their composition of epic tracks. So in conclusion the two epics are awesome but the shorter stuff is a little whiny, still a massive album for true prog fans and one that really blows you away after a few spins! 9/10

The Treatment: Running With The Dogs (Spinefarm Records)

Cambridge rockers The Treatment came to be noticed through Classic Rock magazines Powerage records initiative and they have gone from strength to strength after re-releasing their debut on Spinefarm they have embarked on some high profile tours that has honed their rock and roll skills and in the live arena they certainly look the business clad in their G'N'R/Ramones chic. However has it improved their recorded output? Well in a word yes, they have bolstered their classic rock sound with some sleazy swagger on the opener I Bleed Rock + Roll which is part Motley Crue, part AC/DC (which seems to be one of the major influences), the arena baiting Get The Party On which even has a big clap-along drum break in the middle, the title track is straight out of the Sunset Strip, as is The Outlaw which is the best G'N'R song released in last 20 years and then there is Emergency which is a big Def Leppard style track. Yes The Treatment do wear their influences on their sleeves but they add enough of their own modern influences to stop them sounding like copyists. The twin guitars of Jake Pattinson and Tagore Grey bring the riffs thick and fast, with Swoggle and Dhani Mansworth anchoring the rhythm on every track and Matt Jones' great rock and roll vocals commanding the debauchery. At 13 tracks the album is a little long with a few of the tracks filling space, but on the whole this is ballsy, brash, British rock music done by a band that are drawing from the past to influence their future, they are drawing from all the right places and I can see this album being stage one of their global take over. 7/10           

No Sinner: Boo Hoo Hoo (Provogue)

Canadians No Sinner are a traditional blues quartet with lots of balls and bluster, fronted by the awesome voice of Colleen Rennison (No Sinner the right way around fact fans) whose smoky vocals drips with an authentic whiskey hued, tobacco fuelled huskiness that is only shared by the likes of Janis Joplin and even Amy Winehouse if she rocked. The band have an early 60's vibe with the opening title track having the R&B drum shuffle and a slow break in the center of the track before the sing along chorus kicks back in, this is followed by the blue eyed soul of Love Is Madness which so Motown Vintage Trouble may want it back and until you hear If Anything you haven't heard as much raw emotion in a song, Rennison truly has a one in a million voice full of unchained emotion and moulded by years of hard living. The band straddle the line between early Stones, Motown classics and good old southern blues with a production job straight out of the Phil Spector era with songs about love, loss and general alcohol fuelled misbehaviour with the cover of Nina Simone's version of Work Song. The album slows down in the middle a bit but with a band that have as much soul as No Sinner you can forgive them for stretching their emotional muscles a bit with Rise Up which with Devil On My Back is something that Ms Winehouse would have released if she had been backed by rockers! This is good album with a nice old school feel a tour with Vintage Trouble is calling and I for one will be in the front row. 8/10   

Another Point Of View: Molly Hatchet (Review By Paul)

Molly Hatchet, Islington Academy, London

My first gig of 2014 finally arrived in the shape of legendary Southern rock outfit Molly Hatchet who were in the UK for a short round of dates in some quite bizarre locations including Llandudno(!!!)

Iron Horses

Opening the proceedings were German outfit Iron Horses. I have respect for anyone who has the guts to get up on stage and perform but I'm afraid that this band were truly abysmal. Iron Horses have been together for over a decade and have released two albums, Titan ‘n’ Bones in 2007 and Black Leather in 2013. They opened with the routine hard rock of Cowboys Of Rock and the sparse crowd clearly had difficulty in determining what the hell was going on. Singer Sebastian Wegner certainly tries to provide a stage presence with his Iggy Pop style swagger and physique but unfortunately the guy just can’t sing. The second track The Boneshaker opened with a thumping bass intro from Sven Moeller and was a completely different style from the opening track, backing vocals and time changes helping to make it a bit more interesting and this was followed by The Game which at least allowed the guitar work of Manuel Arlt to come to the fore. However, the band appeared to struggle with their style, chopping and changing from hard rock to thrash with a variety of styles in between, none of which were particularly inspiring.   As I said earlier, Wegner works hard to try and get the crowd interested but his flat guttural delivery did not inspire and some of his gestures were straight out of the Spinal Tap manual. A couple of other tracks were delivered before the title track from their latest album Black Leather witnessed the quite ridiculous Wegner waving an enormous flag with the band logo on. They finished with possibly their most clichéd track of the night, a bland and tired song called The Stage Is On Fire which thankfully it wasn’t. Unfortunately neither were Iron Horses. They left the stage to a reasonable round of applause and are clearly well thought of by Molly Hatchet, several of the band watching from the side of the stage and Phil McCormack giving them a very positive comment during Hatchet’s set. 3/10

Molly Hatchet

Back in 1985 Molly Hatchet released Double Trouble Live, two disc live album which captured Hatchet at their most impressive. Nearly 30 years later this album sits alongside UFO’s Strangers in the Night, Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous and Live Killers by Queen in my top five live albums of all time. I’d never managed to get to see them though and so as the band arrived on stage and launched into Whiskey Man a swell of emotion ran through me. Although Hatchet have had numerous lineup changes over the years, the current lineup features a number of long serving members. No messing about from Hatchet who kept the Southern boogie moving with the brilliant Bounty Hunter. Vocalist and harmonica playing Phil McCormack, fronting the band since 1996 is incredibly engaging, encouraging the crowd to respond with not a “Yeah” but “Hell Yeah” in true Southern style.  His vocal delivery is reminiscent of the late Danny Joe Brown who featured on many of the early Hatchet releases but also has his own Southern stamp on it. A second track from Molly Hatchet, the cracking Gator Country followed with the guitar playing of Bobby Ingram and original guitarist Dave Hlubek shining through.

When you think of Southern Rock, bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers and Blackfoot come to mind. Hatchet sit comfortably alongside these classic bands and they have the songs to rival all of these bands. Of course, it helps that all members of the band are pretty damn fine musicians with the twin guitar attack so often the signature of such bands prominent and backed by the water tight rhythm section of Tim Lindsey on bass and Shawn Beamer on drums. Second track from the classic Flirtin’ with Disaster, One Man’s Pleasure came next and then it was the turn of longstanding keyboard player John Galvin to demonstrate his quality during a quite stunning Edge of Sundown and Fall of the Peacemakers before Devil’s Canyon and then a quick drum solo from Beamer. Beamer’s solo was impressive, even more so when you take into account that he suffered a heart attack less than two years ago.

This also allowed Hlubek in particular to have a rest. He is not in the best of health, years of substance abuse clearly having taken their toll and he required a stick to walk off stage. However, he is the only original member of the band, having returned at Ingram’s invitation in 2005, and is the co-songwriter of many of the Hatchet classics, none more so than Beatin’ the Odds which followed the drum solo. Son of the South allowed Ingram to show his quality with a guitar/vocal duel with McCormack before Jukin’ City and their staple cover of The Allman Brothers Dreams I’ll Never See  brought the main set to a close with smiles all round. This included me and I found myself beaming from ear to ear throughout the evening. A swift encore included a rousing cover of Honky Tonk Women before the inevitable Flirtin with Disaster brought the evening to a close. So, after a wait of 30+ years I finally ticked Molly Hatchet off my list. A superb band who can still cut it live and who ooze the quality of a genuine classic group. A great start to the year for me gigwise and a possible contender for my top five even at this early stage. 10/10

Reviews: Grand Magus, Mayan, The Vintage Caravan

Grand Magus: Triumph And Power (Nuclear Blast)

J.B, Fox and Ludwig together they are the trad metal tour-de-force that is Grand Magus. Triumph And Power is their seventh album and their fourth since they moved away from their doom direction to play leather studded metal. So will this seventh album give you anything different? In a word; no but what it does do is prove once more that Grand Magus are one of the finest metal bands to come out of Sweden ever, Triumph and Will much stronger than The Hunt bringing the Heavy Metal pomp and circumstance that was on Iron Will with the marching, fist pumping On Hooves Of Gold starting things off in epic style before the heavy battle metal feel of Steel Versus Steel keeps the warrior style going. You will never get a love song from Grand Magus but who cares with songs about Vikings (Holmgang), war (the doomy Fight) and everything in between (so long as it can make Chuck Norris weep). This is an album that will make your beard grow without warning, with the title track being the bands rally to arms (and a future set closer, mark my words) Again Grand Magus are the heaviest three piece around with Fox and Ludwig's rhythm and percussion sounding like the drums on distant longboat and J.B's guitars cut like a broadsword and his voice calls to Valhalla. The album is well split with two instrumentals the acoustic Arb and the atmospheric Ymer which is an intro to the truly epic The Hammer Will Bite. yet again Grand Magus have done it again creating 11 tracks of metal so true it would beat Manowar in a lie detector test! All I can say is roll on Hammerfest as I can't wait to see these songs in the live arena and bask in The Triumph And Power!! 10/10

Mayan: Antagonise (Nuclear Blast)

Mayan (or MaYan) is the project of former After Forever keyboardist Jack Driessen, death metal guitarist Frank Schiphorst and former After Forever/Epica founder Mark Jansen, the first album Quarterpast was released in 2011 and mixed the AF members symphonic metal past with a death metal bite. The album was a collaborative effort featuring many guest vocalists and Sanders Gommans. This second album ups the ante again as it still has the operatic symphonic death metal approach of the debut and guest vocalists Floor Jansen (Ex AF, current ReVamp and Nightwish singer) and Marcela Bovio (Stream Of Passion) both contributing. However something’s have changed as now the band has more stable line up with the grunts and screams coming from Jansen, as well as Henning Basse (ex-Metallum) providing the clean vocals (also can I put Basse's name forward as the new Firewind singer) and Laura Macri being the major female soprano on the album. This three prong attack gives the band the sound of a more aggressive Amaranthe, mixed with the metal opera delivery of Avantasia and the brutality of bands like Deicide. The lyrical content too has become more poisonous as the band use this album to put across their ideas on the Edward Snowden issue and makes the link between the current National Security crisis in America and the visions of George Orwell. With all this going into the album the music needs to reflect the weighty nature of the lyrics and it does, the opening bonus track sets the scene by providing a movie-like orchestral intro to the album that explodes into furious death metal, the pace is kept high throughout with the amazing drumming of Arien Van Weesenbeck who destroys throughout the album blast beating like machine gun on every track and when mixed with the riffage, the keys and vocal trifecta it all comes together as a brutal but melodic assault that only really lets up on the acoustic/operatic Insano which is followed by perhaps the album's heaviest track Human Sacrifice. If you like your metal heavy, violent but full of melody and technical prowess then you won't get better than Antagonise. Stick it on, let it sink in and enjoy the brutality! 9/10       

The Vintage Caravan: Voyage (Nuclear Blast)

Hailing from Reykjavik The Vintage Caravan play fuzzy, hard rock that has been influenced by the band's parent’s record collection and perhaps some medicinal cigarettes. The band are a three piece that play garage rock that has is influenced by Cream, Hendrix and been brought back to life with bands like FreeFall, Wolfmother and Rival Sons. The album straddles many genres with Let Me Be being a propulsive rocker that explodes into a killer solo before returning with a nice bass intro for the final part, they have funk in the way of Expand Your Mind and even some bell bottom blues on Cocaine Sally. Oskar Logi Agustsson (the main writer) vocals are deep and resonant on the slower songs like the country-fied Do You Remember and his guitar playing is pretty good too cranking out the fuzzed-up riffs and electrified solos backed by the relentless one-two drumming of Gudjon Reynisson and the power line bass of Alexander Orn Numason. This long haired, hip shaking, mushroom taking psych rock from a band that are too young to write trippy psychedelia songs called Winterland which sounds like the Cream of Clapton, (sorry) and they really notch up the prog mysticism on The King's Voyage which is over 11 minutes plus and goes all Hawkwind in the middle ending the album with massive magical mystery tour before the finale of Psychedelic Mushroom Man which HAS to be a lost Zappa track. A very strong mind altering album from these Iceland natives and one that will see them turn into a band to watch. 8/10   

World Of Metal 4: Frozen Hell, Morguenstern, Jesus Christ

Frozen Hell: Rise! (Self-Released)

Thrashers Frozen Hell come from Italy and when the percussive intro subsides they explode super speed thrash metal with some great dual guitar riffage, shouted vocals and lashings of heaviness. This is the band's first EP and they have a great showing on theses 6 songs mixing thrash with death and sounding like a less power metal version of Amon Amarth and even some COB in there for good measure. Songs like the battering ram of Face Me, the swaggering Rise! is another strong track from this E.P and has some great soloing. As with a lot of bands in their early stages the production is quite raw on the record and the bass is a bit high in the mix and the drums a bit flat but in some places this adds a bit of authenticity to the mix showing that not all bands have to be highly polished to be accomplished. A nice debut from the Italian's. 7/10

Morguenstern: Sepulchral Burden (Self Released)

Morguenstern are industrial/gothic/horror metal band that have obviously listened to too much Lacuna Coil, Rammstein and even some Horrorpops. The band have gothic keys and synths from vocalist Morganna, who has the big crooning gothic vocals that work well with the heavy metal backing from the band. Despite being horror metal I can't really see it as the Russian band have more in common with bands like Nightwish than they do say The Misfits especially on tracks like Sonata but then on Posledni Put they have lots of industrial beeps that make them have a sound industrial and also Gothic. The press for the band say that they sing about vampires, werewolf’s and the like but because the album is in Russian I wouldn't know but they do create atmosphere with the songs and for those that speak the lingo they are a good band with lots of Lacuna Coil parts from because of the dual vocals of Morganna and Guitarist Morok. Like I said there is nothing wrong with the album the music is good but without the lyrical images the band lose something. 6/10

Jesus Christ: We Will Fight (Self Released)

Thrash: fast guitars, speeding drums, and usually songs about death, destruction and violence. Invariably the music incites circle pits and causes grown men to act like teenagers again. The controversially named (possibly mostly in their own native Russia) Jesus Christ play thrash, although with a name like that you could be forgiven if you thought it was Christian metal but no this is fast, loud thrash metal that sounds a lot like Anthrax with the shouted gang vocals and the singers enthusiasm being greater than his actual ability, however this never matters in thrash as it's all about the attitude and JC have buckets of it with the The Deadmen Attack and Eternal War both having that Scott Ian style metal stomp with bags of soloing. The production is nice and raw like the thrash bands of old; the riffs of Max Shcheglov and Sergei Morozov are nice and meaty the bass and drums are both clearly audible and powerful driving the pit inducing madness and the vocals of Andrei Mironov screech over the metal madness like Joey Belladonna or Overkill's Bobby Blitz. For a first try this is a great album that harks back to the bullet belt wearing days of yore, these Russians are taking thrash back to basics. 8/10  

Another Point Of View: Less Than Jake (Review by Neil Lewis)

Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Zebrahead + Ryland Steen, Cardiff University Great Hall

The three bands on this bill are close friends off stage and tour together in various configurations regularly in the states. As far as I'm aware though this is the first time that all three bands have toured the UK together. This sold out 1,500 capacity venue is a large upgrade from the last time any of the bands played in Cardiff, which pretty much solidified this date as being more anticipated than those previous dates long before the show rolled around; the touts outside were offering tickets for over three times their face value on the night.

The first thing that greeted early arrivers to the venue was the sight of Reel Big Fish's drummer Ryland Steen performing a short intimate acoustic set. This was an unadvertised appearance which I mostly missed so I won't give a review except to say it was a nice surprise.

Zebrahead

Despite being mostly in their mid to late 30's or older Orange County's Zebrahead are still writing songs about partying, drinking and girls - not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that. Their pop-punk/rap hybrid is pretty unique and the songs are played with such enthusiasm and vigour that you can't help but enjoy the show. Rapper Ali Tabatabaee bouncing around the stage whilst spitting out his rhymes with machine gun accuracy. The usual “Zeebrahead” versus “Zebrahead” pronunciation of their name cropped up again (which I guess was the reason for the “this is an American bus, speak American only on this bus!” sign in the front of their tour bus), whilst the band rattled through some of the crowds favourite songs (Rescue Me, Postcards From Hell, Anthem) also dropping in some of my personal favourites from last years tenth album Call Your Friends (I'm Just Here For The Free Beer, and the title track most notably). They may come across as frat boys who refuse to grow up but Zebrahead still put on a fun show that is - as always - totally infectious. And there was some mightily impressive facial hair being sported by guitarist Dan Palmer and drummer Ed Udhus (8/10).

Reel Big Fish 

By the time fellow Californians Reel Big Fish take the stage the venue had filled to capacity. I am not joking when I say it was seriously heaving in there. And by the sounds of things the atmosphere from the afternoons Six Nations rugby match was transferred straight into the Great Hall. This crowd had come to sing along, and sing they did. I've seen Reel Big Fish live upwards of half a dozen times over the past few years and their annual early year tours (which have featured a Cardiff date since 2011) appear to be getting the band some momentum, at least in the live arena. The setlist was familiar to all in attendance and featured some of the bands very best tunes (Trendy, I Want Your Girlfriend To Be My Girlfriend, Thank You For Not Moshing plus a ska-ed up Imperial March intro'd Where Have You Been) along with their usual between song banter - the pick of which was frontman Aaron Barrett's “these are the four worst words a band can say to their audience: here's a new song”. Their set closed with an excellently chosen quadruple-hit of She Has A Girlfriend Now, Sell Out, Beer and their superb ska interpretation of A-Ha's Take On Me. The sound of practically the whole venue singing and dah-dah-dahdahdah-ing (yes, really!) along with all three tracks (including a mid-song segue of Beer into The Offspring's Self Esteem and back, because as Aaron put it “it's the same song!”) was absolutely electrifying, as well as pretty deafening. The performance of the band as usual was technically excellent and damned entertaining but that atmosphere was something else. Well played Cardiff, well played (10/10).

Less Than Jake 

Arriving on stage to no fanfare and no intro were Florida's Less Than Jake, who had a pretty hard act to follow. Sadly they simply couldn't follow the previous act as the audience appeared to be a little drained as well as thinned out for their set. Again a sort of greatest hits setlist ensued featuring the bands excellent song titles (Sugar In Your Gas Tank, Help Save The Youth Of America From Exploding, Last One Out Of Liberty City, The Science Of Selling Yourself Short et al) along with a light sprinkling of the best tracks from last year's rather excellent See The Light album, most notably set opener Good Enough and My Money Is On The Long Shot. A snatch of the RBF atmosphere briefly returned for the audience participation number Look What Happened but frankly the crowd appeared drained by this point and the enthusiastic reaction to the start of the songs had petered out a bit by the middle of most of them. It was something of a shame as the band were certainly putting on a great show but the electricity in the audience was fizzling out. Oddly the band chose to end their regular set with what I would say is their most recognisable song (All My Best Friends Are Metalheads) and the encore threesome of Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts, Plastic Cup Politics and Gainesville Rock City were rather odd choices in this writers opinion. Always leave them wanting more, so the saying goes, and there was certainly one band on this bill that did just that. Sadly, and as good as they were, that band on this night were not Less Than Jake (8/10).

The View From The Back Of The Room: Skindred

Skindred, Soil & Viza O2 Academy Bristol

So once more over the bridge to Bristol and after a few coffee's (your intrepid traveller was not at his best) and into the already crammed O2 for the final parts of Viza who sound a lot like System of A Down with the whole American/Armenian shtick mixed with nu-metal, good enough for two songs but I can't give them an unbiased review so onto band 2. 

Soil

So Soil returned with Ryan McCombs in 2012 and since then they are picking up where they left off after 2004's Redefined. The band came out to the normal opener Breaking Me Down from their debut and then straight into Loaded Gun from their latest release. I must say I didn't notice the join between old stuff and new stuff as Soil are one of those bands who just do what they do, this is Southern groove metal. The band are driven by heavy bass lines, chunky riffs and McCombs great vocals. The band moved through their tracks from the McCombs era albums and threw in a cover of Ram Jam's Black Betty which wasn't needed but was still pretty good. The band were very professional and played their set with aplomb, after a particularly long changeover. The finale came with that staccato riff of Halo which started the mass sing-along and left the capacity crowd on a high. 7/10

Skindred

Skindred always known as one of the best live bands on the circuit and as the intro tape of Thunderstruck and the Empire Theme from Star Wars blared through the P.A the band made their way to stage, bedecked in their Skindred branded suits and moved headlong into the rush of Rat Race which was followed up by the shout along of  Stand For Something both tracks keeping the fans jumping, moshing and pumping their fists with glee, this followed into Doom Riff and it's "whoa" chorus before the first song from the new album came in the shape of the excellent Ninja. With those first 4 songs Skindred showed that they have more talent and can generate more excitement from frontman Benji's sunglasses than many bands do in their entire set. The band throughout were on fire with Mikeydemus providing the riff rock riot (sorry) and Dan Pugsley driving the rhythms on his bass, special mention has to go to drummer Arya Goggin and DJ/Samples Dan Sturgess who I'll mention later in detail. Still the band's driving force is Benji who oozes charisma and is somewhere between Freddie Mercury and Del Boy Trotter (if he was from Newport of course!) his between song banter is second to none and you genuinely don't know what he will do next. The Ragga was brought to the front on State Of Emergency and Selector and the dub infected Cut Dem which led into oldie Babylon and the heavy as hell Bruises which destroyed that dared to pit. So after this was mid set intermission which involved a drum solo mixed with a sample mash up section which saw House Of Pain, The Beastie Boys, Queen and The Prodigy mixed together and turned the O2 into a club like atmosphere and allowed Benji to return to the stage after a costume change before moving into two new ones with Kill The Power and Worlds On Fire set to become future set main stays, after another mash up of Macklemore with metal the band started to play Sad But True which moved into the classic double whammy of Trouble and Pressure. The final part of the night is where things went a bit strange, the band played Saturday from the new album which just seems to be a bit made for radio and sounding like weak pop-punk, not the music Skindred should be making at this point in their career and it shouldn't be played this late into the set especially when it was followed by the still venue levelling Nobody which ended the main set. So 11pm and the band were running over a brief intermission another costume change and then they arrived back on stage with newbie We Live which seems was better in the live arena, but it does seem to be a rare misstep for the band as it does sound like AOR (and not in a good way) still all this was washed away with the final hurrah of Warning which featured the now legendary Newport helicopter and a wall of death. With the final chord echoing throughout the arena the opening strains of Carly Simon's Nobody Does It Better rang through the O2, it is hard to argue with it as the band get better every time. Not bad for a band that are perfect!! 10/10     

Reviews: Skindred, BlackWolf, Mustasch

Skindred: Kill The Power (BMG)

Benji and the boyos bring the noise again with their fifth album, with the dub infected title track starting things off nicely promising a "Resident Evil attack" which it delivers along with a Kanye West sample. This moves into Ruling Force which is heavy at the beginning but breaks down into electro throughout. The dub (step) is here with Playing With The Devil as is the rock with World's On Fire and Ninja which is heavy as hell and very tongue in cheek.  So have the band created an album better than their world beating effort Union Black, the album that saw them elevated in status and even festival headliners. In a word no, yes that album is good but is doesn't seem very cohesive, yes the album has the reggae, ska and rock all fusing brilliantly once again to create some unique rock/metal but it does start with a bang and then burn out towards the end. The band have created to ballads with The Kids Are Right Now which is good but We Live does sound a bit too much like 30 seconds To Mars for my liking. The albums latter half just tends to fade out a little bit towards the end with the duet Opened Eyed being one of the better tracks. Benji's voice is still cracking he can growl, shout, croon and rap with the rhythm section of Pugsley and Goggin driving things along and the guitar of Mikey Demus bringing the odd off kilter riffs. This is Skindred doing what they do but yet again a studio album fails to capture the bands fierce live performance, maybe one day an album will but Kill The Power is not that album, still it does add a few more tracks to the Skindred showcase. 7/10

BlackWolf: The Hunt (Self Release)

BlackWolf fly the flak for real rock n roll, having witnessed their stuff live a few times, and they have always impressed and with tours supporting The Temperance Movement, The Union and Voodoo Six. Their EP was a small slice of the bands talent so it was with great to hear they were working on a full length debut. So The Hunt has arrived and it's pretty damn good. things start strong with the funky blues bluster of Mr Maker (the first single) which features the bands trademark modern hard rock with Jason Cronin's riffs cranking out like Acca Dacca on a very good day and John Greenhill's solos screeching and crying over the songs with aplomb, things keep rocking through Keep Moving On, Moving Mountains before things slow down with the laid back blues filled Zep alike Faith In Me. Ben Webb and Thomas Lennox-Brown keep the rhythm fast and furious on tracks like Trouble with the Webb's bass providing the anchor and Lennox-Brown's drums brimming with fury and lots of Cowbell! When brought together with modern retro riffs and solos the instrumental part of this band is pretty flawless so it takes a pretty special vocalist to finish things off thankfully Scott Sharp has the pipes to do so equally soulful and powerful thundering on Only Said In Silence. Blackwolf are a band that has a lot of similarities to The Answer (a band they tour with this year) with enough classic sounds to keep the old-school pounding their fists and nodding their heads but has a distinctly modern flavour too. This is a storming debut album that will (hopefully) set BlackWolf on the path to greatness, bluesy, ballsy and rocking!! 9/10 

Mustasch: Thank You For The Demon (Gain Music/Sony)

Mustasch are somewhat of an odd band hailing from Sweden they play heavy stoner metal full of massive truck rolling riffs and huge shouted choruses. I have always maintained that Mustasch sound like Metallica stuck in their black album period and after the slow intro to Feared And Hated the riffs kick in with force, the down stroking is prime Hetfield with Ralph Gyllenhammar driving the song with both the rhythm guitar and his powerful vocals, the powerhouse drumming of new boy Jejo Perkovic and the always rumbling bass of Mats Stam Johansson providing the big metal riffage that David Johannesson can solo over. Like I said Mustasch have always been a bit of an enigma merging stoner metal (Lowlife Highlights) with doom (The Mauler), some hard rock and also a weird electronic dance mix on the suitably named I Hate To Dance, to build their sound before adding some intelligent lyrics and lots of classical backing tracks that add an extra dimension to the tracks, see the title track. This album is a marked improvement on their last album it sounds more like their earlier works with lots of hard hitting songs that clobber you around the head with their full pelt riffing, the tracks on this record make you want to raise your fist in the air and moves you on All My Life. Mustasch have again released a strong metal album that will be ignored en masse but for those that seek it out will be rewarded. 8/10

Reviews: Alcest, Blackberry Smoke, Within Temptation

Alcest – Shelter (Prophecy Productions) (Review By Paul)

At Bloodstock in 2012 I watched Alcest headline in the Sophie Tent and amidst the clouds of weed marvelled at a band whose roots lay ensconced in black metal and yet delivered some of the most delicate and beautiful music I had ever heard. Two support sets with Katatonia later that year encouraged me to familiarise myself much deeper with the French duo of Neige and Winterhalter. 2012’s Les Voyages De L’ame provided the clearest indication that their direction was heading about as far away from their earlier leanings and the latest release, Shelter has continued the journey. The album opens with the instrumental Wings before the delicate Opale provides a sweet taster for what is to come. Dreamy passages, clean lyrics and graceful time changes are very much the staple throughout and La Nuit Marche Avec Moi continues the theme of hope which is very much in evidence. Neige has referred to his childhood experiences as an influence on his writing and there is a poignancy which runs throughout this tender gentle piece of work. Alcest has been described as ‘shoegaze’ and there are clear influences; My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive come to mind on first listen (indeed, Neil Halstead from Slowdive guests on Away). L’Eviel Des Muses soars and dives, dipping in and out of the clouds whilst carrying the listener along before the title track, measured and serene bring a smile of joy as it washes over you. The album’s stand out track is saved until last; Deliverance, which provides more wistful lyrics from Neige and a passage which contains a string section and can only be described as breath-taking. This is an album which will lift your spirits when you are feeling down, an album that evokes warm feelings and quite simply makes you feel released from every care you hold. Put it on whilst relaxing in front of a warm fire with a glass of red and it will refresh your soul. This album is nowhere near metal, or even close to its predecessor but one of simple, fresh and fragile music. Quite simple: listen and enjoy. 9/10

Blackberry Smoke – The Whippoorwill (Southern Ground) (Review By Paul)

I must confess I had not heard of Blackberry Smoke until Team Rock played a session from the Atlanta outfit on Nick Horne’s Classic Rock show late last year. Being partial to a bit of Southern rock they quickly caught my attention and I took a punt on their 2012 offering The Whippoorwill. What an album it is. Released in the UK shortly, the opener Six Ways To Sunday sets out the blueprint. This is straightforward Southern country rock with Charlie Starr’s soaring vocals providing the focus throughout. Pretty Little Lie has some sterling guitar work and whilst this is nothing new, Blackberry Smoke provide a new slant on a genre which has seen some of the world’s most awesome musicians. Lovely tinkling keyboards from Brandon Still are a welcome and essential addition to tracks such as Everybody Knows She’s Mine. As with all great Southern bands, the rhythm section of bassist Richard and (drummer) Brit Turner provides the backbone on which the rest of the band can demonstrate their range, with elements of bluegrass, soul, arena rock and even a bit of gospel all thrown into the mix. Like many of their compatriots, the emphasis is on good time rock ’n’ roll with heartfelt stories such as One Horse Town. The title track is much more of a slowed down tune but still retains heart and soul and a beautiful 70s blues feel. Vocal harmonies are always a feature of Southern rock and Blackberry Smoke are no exception with Starr’s lead vocals complemented by Turner and guitarist Paul Jackson. There isn't a bad track on this album. However, penultimate song Shakin’ Hands With The Holy Ghost is already a favourite with a large amount of radio airplay on Team Rock and you can see why. A real foot stomper with driving guitar and a real feel of one of my Southern favourites Molly Hatchet all over it. Closing track Up The Road is a beautiful country ballad which moves into gospel territory and I am sure would be a smash in all those country bars down South (and I don’t mean Bournemouth!) Blackberry Smoke have been around for over a decade but their third album, which will finally arrive in the UK in February delivers everything you could want in a Country/rock album. Well worth a listen. Now to see them live! 9/10

Within Temptation: Hydra (Nuclear Blast) 

Dutch symphonic metal legends Within Temptation and much like the titular monster this album has many different heads and spans a wide range of styles all of which are anchored with the bands symphonic metal past. This is nothing new the bands last album The Unforgiving was much more hard rock than symphonic metal however unlike that one this does not have an overarching concept it is just a collection of very strong metal tracks. The band have seem to done what is popular currently and added various guest vocalists on the record, after the chunky modern metal opening of Let Us Burn (which still has big choirs and orchestral passages) the next three songs differ wildly and they all feature guest vocals. Dangerous has the unmistakable vocals of Mr Howard Jones who provides the super speed metalcore style track with some classic metal style crooning, next up is the symphonic-rap-metal madness of And We Run which features Xzibit in the verses spitting rhymes over the piano led track that Jay-Z and RUN-DMC would be proud of. The third song in this trifecta is the first single Paradise which is a symphonic metal fans wet dream as it features vocals from Sharon den Adel and Tarja Turunen in a dramatic, OTT, orchestra backed, opera-metal that both artists have done excellently through their careers (and yes it does sound like Nightwish). The rest of the album is filled with more symphonic influenced metal with some killer riffage from Westerholt (no longer a touring member) and Ruud Jolie who also provides some Maiden-like solos on tracks like the galloping Silver Moonlight which has to be a Grand Magus song surely? There are also some more left field choices with Edge Of The World having the sound of a modern electronic chart hit ballad, like some Katy B mixed with Imagine Dragons. Tell Me Why is a progressive song from the bands past full of harmony vocals and Westerholt doing a good guttural roar, the album closes with another guest this time Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner who provides his rasp to the Celtic sounding ballad The Whole World Is Watching. Within Temptation have matured on this record, they are now comfortable with their past and are looking forward to their future; this may be one of their career best albums. 9/10            

Reviews: Axel Rudi Pell, Animus Complex, Dragonhammer (Nick Hewitt)

Axel Rudi Pell: Into The Storm (Steamhammer)

16 albums in a career filled with nothing but highs, well… maybe the one low; Axel Rudi Pell returns in fantastic style here with Into The Storm. More vocally focused than previous offerings but still filled with the signature crunching guitars and eponymous solos we've come to know and love. After the standard brief instrumental intro Axel introduces us to his new album with a fierce boom, Tower Of Light. Filled with the aforementioned guitars and vocals, Tower Of Light sets the album up perfectly leaving me hoping to any higher being that cares to listen that there is much more of this to come. Into the next few tracks Long Way To Go and Burning Chains that provide what I was hoping for; Axel at his sheer best. Two slightly more melodic songs here, but certainly not lacking in the crisp sharp hallmark riffs that we expect from the German metal master. A brief few minutes of calm are served next with the first of two new ballads When Truth Hurts. Throughout Pell's career I've always appreciated the slower ballads that he produces, sometimes for all of his wondrous skills on the guitar the vocals can go unnoticed, and this for me, is a tragedy, as at times Jonnny Gioeli's voice can be so magnanimous in expression and contributes more to his music than people realize. If the second ballad Hey Hey My My (A Neil Young cover. Matt) doesn't prove this then what will? ...Beautiful. Following both ballads the album proceeds to pick up and kick you in the face once more with Changing Times and final track Into The Storm. Accompanied by the slow pounding drums the mix between harsh riffs and perfectly melodic solos epitomize the album. Brimming with sounds that a heavy metal album should deliver yet at the same time served with style and calm that allows you become easily hooked, Into The Storm is an outstanding addition to Pell’s discography and should be to your own collection too. If you haven't been lucky enough to discover this genius yet, this is a great place to start. Metal as it should be constructed, with thought and care. 10/10.

Animus Complex: Animus Complex (Advancing Art)

Animus Complex combines intelligent groove and soaring melodies to make for a mysterious audible adventure with a slight djent edge. Opening with a crunching rip roaring track Admission Of Guilt the band from Arizona set out what they stand for… pounding relentless bass and as already mentioned, endless soaring melodies. Layered nicely throughout the dual vocals of Jeremy Davis (clean) and Matt Turkington (growls) provide this album with a solid depth to keep your ears pricked from start to finish. The album persists with the ear bashing until the more progressive tracks Survive and From The Bottom Of Your Soul enter the frame which highlight the versatility this band have, yet at the same time keeping the pace and tone of the album constant. Within these two tracks, especially Bottom Of Your Soul Davis really shows off a strong at times powerful voice that is able to deliver real emotion. The Forest sends the album back into crushing guitars that make you want to bend your knees and bang your head Till Lindeman style at times, this time Turkington rasping his throat and lungs to bring the darkness and power back into the album. The eight-song debut does have some flaws, mainly The Way Things Should Have Been which quite simply does not belong on this album. Slow, stagnant and well… totally out of place. Finally sliding into the final two tracks I.D and Astral Projection the album finishes where it began shredding melodic solos and endless bounding bass. Not a perfect album but for a debut its brave consistent and damn good! Some good potential shown here, definitely worth checking out as it could satisfy many different tastes of metal. 8/10.

DragonHammer: The X Experiment (My Kingdom Music)

Hailing from Italy DragonHammer (one word) is your plain and simple no frills power metal band, nothing more and nothing less. Riffs, solos and fantasy galore this is a fun album. Opening with a sombre instrumental the album slips nicely into the first track The End Of The World; keyboards and guitar together offer what you come to expect from any power metal album, symphony and melody supporting powerful higher octave vocals supplied by frontman Max Aguzzi, who sounds a little like an Italian Kiske at times (not necessarily a bad trait). The album carries on in much the same vein throughout with heavier tracks such as Seek In The Ice and title track The X Experiment, the latter being dominated by flickering keyboards and grungy riff, finishing with a decent solo from Giuseppe De Paolo. The stand out track from this album is Escape, filled with a multitude of different pace and depth this beauty of a ballad manages to combine power metal riffs with a thrash base, throw in Aguzzi’s voice and this particular song really is a treat. From here on out the album reverts to similarity, tracks such as My Destiny and Follow Your Star although solid and delivered with aplomb really do not break any boundaries, and here lies the problem I have with this album. This album is very much for your avid power metaler, it delivers what it says on the tin and nothing more, which for me is a disappointment. DragonHammer clearly posses some talent but they seem to be content delivering what they have always produced; fun honest power metal without breaking any new ground. If you're a power metal fan grab your air guitars, as this will not be a disappointment, if not maybe look elsewhere first. 7/10.

Reviews: Bruce Springsteen, Suicidal Angels, The Brew

Bruce Springsteen: High Hopes (Colombia)

So what can the Boss do on his 18th album that he hasn't already done? Well on the previous record Wrecking Ball he made a pseudo-concept piece tackling economic injustice so this time he lets his hair down so to speak by creating and album of covers and never recorded and reimagined songs from his past. This makes the album span multiple genres and styles a fact that was added to by its hotchpotch recording history with Springsteen recording when he could while on the road during the mammoth Wrecking Ball tour. This myriad of genres means that the album has a rougher and ready sound than some of his previous releases, but this is not a criticism far from it. Things start well with the title track (originally by Gothic bluesman Tim Scott McConnell) which has R&B shuffle too it that makes your hips want to shake, obviously Springsteen is joined by his E-Street Band with Lofgren, Talent, Van Zandt, Scialfa and Weinberg making up the major players, with the dark noir-like Harry's Place featuring departed member Clarence Clemons on some smoky sax. Still the major contributor in terms of sound is the unmistakable guitar sound of Tom Morello who puts his funk-rock stamp all over this record with a killer guitar solo on previously unreleased live favourite the haunting American Skin (41 Shots). Morello contributes to 9 of the 12 tracks and his stamp is all over them most notably on the reimagined version of The Ghost Of Tom Joad which moves away from its introspective acoustic roots and turns into a guitar solo filled stadium rock epic with both Springsteen and Morello trading guitar solos and vocals (Morello sounds a lot like The Boss vocally). The rest of the album is made up of electronic-country ballads like Down In The Hole which features the late Danny Federici contributing some scintillating Wurlitzer, the gospel of Heaven's Wall, Celtic battle cries with This Is Your Sword and love letters to small town America with The Wall. This is pure Springsteen Americana condensed into a selection of choice cuts from his vaults as well as some well-chosen covers. So 18 albums into his career The Boss is still just that! 9/10       

Suicidal Angels: Divide and Conquer (NoiseArt Records)

Suicidal Angels are a thrash band who hail from the Greece the land of Firewind. No power metal here though this is for fans of Kreator and Slayer with speed of sound riffage and lighting fast solos that break into the middle of the song much like Kerry King's mob. The songs are all based on horror, gore and war the subjects of King and Petrozza, from the opening of Marching Over Blood the band immediately lay down their baton with shouted vocals, great thrash riffage and the barked vocals of Nick Melissourgos before moving into the marching stomp of Seed Of Evil. The songs do this throughout the record, moving from face melting speed metal through fist pumping classic metal, Control Of A Twisted Mind starts out with a classical opening and moves into some strong thrash. I am at a loss to say anything else really because if you are not a fan of Slayer, Exodus and Kreator then you will love this if not then you will find it very samey and repetitive pit causing thrash. 6/10   

The Brew: Control (Jazzhaus Records)

The Brew are a classic rock influenced trio hailing from Grimsby and this is their fourth album and quite frankly I'm disgusted with myself that I haven't heard of this band before, they are staggeringly good. Lots of blues based fuzzy guitar riffs, powerhouse drumming and driving bass lines that are reminiscent of Cream (Mute and Pause) Jimi Hendrix on Repeat, The Who on Fast Forward and lots of Zep especially from Kurt Smith's drumming. Obviously they don't just stay in the classics they bring forward a more modern vibe which shows that the band are drawing on their influences rather than copying them wholesale. Guitarist/vocalist Jason Barwick has an anguished blues howl an squeezes as much emotion out of his guitar as possible, this along with Kurt's drumming and Tim Smith's voodoo bass lines see Repeat, give the band a hip shaking, hard rocking modern rock vibe but with just enough retro to keep the Classic Rock crowd happy. The band have obviously drawn on their extensive touring schedule with bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chickenfoot and the Tres Amigos ZZ Top as this record is chock full of great rock and roll songs that burst to life thanks in a big part to Toby Jepson who has become somewhat of an extraordinaire and makes this album crisp and bright in the producers chair, obviously the other half of the bands power comes from their excellent song craft and supreme musicianship. This album is a hell of a record and has everything I like from a hard rock band, personally I will be seeking out the bands back catalogue but for now I just going to play this one until my neighbours hate it!! 9/10