Another Point Of View: Saxon (Review By Paul)

Saxon – Bristol 02 Academy

The Musipedia crew headed en masse across the bridge to yet another Bristol gig, this time for one of our favourite bands, Barnsley’s finest, the mighty Saxon. Here at Musipedia Towers we were disappointed to learn a few weeks ago that Northern Irish power metal outfit Stormzone had pulled out of the opening slot and instead had been replaced by German outfit Beyond the Black.

Beyond The Black

Given the links that Saxon has with Germany, it was unsurprising that a German band were given the opportunity to providing the initial warm up. Hitting the stage shortly after the doors opened they delivered a short symphonic metal set, with most of the focus on female vocalist Jennifer Haben. The Mannheim based outfit had an interesting image, with Haben in leather trousers and boots and chiffon robe flowing, whilst other members of the band were kitted out in muscle vests and shorts! Apparently the band made their live debut at Wacken earlier this year and whilst their set was pretty routine symphonic metal, the band gave it a really good go and appeared to be having a good time on stage, something that always makes you warm to them a little more. A solid start to the evening. 7/10

Hell

Next up was a band much more familiar to us, the resurrected kings of NWOBHM, Hell. This band is a firm favourite of the Musipedia gang, and as usual they were on excellent form. Kicking off with Age Of Nefarious, Hell delivered a fiery (sorry) set with the twin guitars of Andy Sneap and Kev Bower shredding away. Frontman David Bower is the obvious focal point for the band but given the cramped stage, the theatrics for which he has become renowned were limited. However, his presence at the front of the stage was as captivating as ever with his vocal delivery continuing to impress with every viewing. The set comprised of tracks from both albums, The Oppressor following the set opener whilst Something Wicked This Way Comes eased towards set closer On Earth As It Is In Hell. Having seen the full spectacle of Hell at BOA last year, in the smaller venues it is the music that has to do the talking and with two full albums to choose from, Hell don’t have a problem. I appreciate that they may not be to everyone’s taste but the reaction from the Bristol crowd suggested that they certainly impressed the majority of those present. 8/10

Saxon 

Saxon need no introduction. Regular readers will have noted my long standing affection of the first band I ever saw back in 1982. The lyrics to set closer Denim And Leather mean a huge amount to me as it describes those first steps into the world of heavy metal over 30 years ago. Yes, we did queue for tickets through the ice and snow; we did listen to the radio every Friday night (the much missed Tommy Vance and his Friday Rock Show to be precise) and we did wear denim and leather (and some of us still do!). 35 years after their first release, Saxon can still compete with the best. It is fair to say that the past five or so years have seen a massive surge in popularity for the band, with the audience containing a huge mix of ages. Our party had two generations with ages from 19 – 48. So why are Saxon so damn good? Well, it is mainly the songs, with classic after classic filling their first few albums. Opener Motorcycle Man set the pace, closely followed by their most recent release, the excellent Sacrifice. Despite being billed as an evening of old school music from Wheels Of Steel, Strong Arm Of The Law and Denim And Leather, Saxon chose to liberally sprinkle the set with tracks from a range of other albums as well. Lionheart, Solid Ball Of Rock, Power And The Glory and I've Got To Rock all got rare airings, and stood shoulder to shoulder with the stone wall quality of And The Bands Played On, a vicious Heavy Metal Thunder and 747.

However, to have the songs you also need the musicians and in Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt Saxon possess two damn fine guitarists who unleashed solo after solo as the evening developed. The solid and powerhouse drumming of Nigel Glockler (no drum solo too - bonus!) is complemented by the energetic enthusiasm of bassist Nibbs Carter who must burn calories by the bucket load as he charges around the stage. And then you have the main man, Biff Byford. Is there a finer frontman in rock? Apart from Robert Plant few vocalists have the presence on stage like Biff. His long hair flows as he swaggers around the stage, his banter is pitched exactly right and his voice can still carry a note. Calm and measured during The Eagle Has Landed and Crusader, and anthemic during main set closer Princess Of The Night and genuinely endearing all round, Biff is the very essence of British Heavy Metal. He’s also as fit as a butcher’s dog; compare him to the husk of a man that Lemmy has been reduced to. Biff also acknowledged our Welsh flag on the balcony, which buys the band an extra point in this review. Although the set lost a little momentum in the middle section, with a couple of real oldies, Suzie Hold On and Frozen Rainbow struggling to maintain the momentum, the encores of Dallas 1PM and the inevitable Denim And Leather ensured the evening climaxed on a real high.

A set that lasted just shy of two hours, with huge energy and effort expended from a band who had been on the road for six weeks (with five days off), Saxon once again proved that there are few who can compete with them in the live arena. I’d be more than happy if Paul Gregory rectifies what he should have done this year and gives them the Friday night headline slot at BOA 2015. I know it won’t happen … but it would be bloody brilliant if it did. Then we could see the Eagle rise on British soil once again. 9/10

Reviews: AC/DC, Soundgarden, Persian Risk

AC/DC: Rock Or Bust (Columbia)

Legends, the word is bandied around a lot but AC/DC are one of the few bands that can lay claim to this title, Rock Or Bust is the bands fifteenth studio album and the first without founding member rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young who was diagnosed with dementia, it will probably be the last album with drummer Phil Rudd who has some serious legal problems! Still the band have not let any of these things affect the album as from the title track (which could be seen as the bands motto), through Play Ball and from then on we have the leg stomping, blues guitar based hard rock that the 'DC have always been known for. You know what you are going to get with Acca Dacca and here you get it in spades, Rudd has his one two shuffle which backs the walking rhythms of Cliff Williams bass and Stevie Young's (Malcolm and Angus' nephew) rhythm guitar. Despite the change in the engine room, Captain Angus is still present soloing with aplomb while the Geordie screamer Brian is once again belting it out like a man half his age. AC/DC are one of those bands that will never change (there won't be a ballads album) but also they will never die, the riffs are still iconic and most of all instantly recognisable see Dogs Of War a song which the O'Keefe brothers would kill for, the filth factor is up to maximum on Miss Adventure and Sweet Candy and tracks like Baptism By Fire and Rock The House ramp up the rocking. I go back to that first word I used, AC/DC are rock and roll legends and because of that they will never change or move with the times, thankfully they can still write an album of hard rock songs to blow away most modern bands, despite the loss of key members the 'DC will never die. 7/10   

Soundgarden: Echo Of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across The Path (A&M)

This is an odds and sods collection, from the Seattle kings of grunge. It is a compilation of B-sides, EP tracks, non album singles and songs featured on compilations. There are two versions with both a single disc and a massive three disc collection, I only have the single disc album as it seemed the most concise, it kicks off with two tracks from the Loudest Love EP both of which have that early psychedelic haze that featured heavily on Loud Love and Nothing To Say. Cornell's voice is almost unrecognisable on Heretic until he starts to shout and the unmistakeable voice kicks in. H.I.V Baby too is not very Soundgarden more Stooges style punk, Cold Bitch is Soundgarden through and through and provides a strong b-side to the classic Spoonman, Show Me is a trippy pop song from an AIDS benefit and the feedback fuelled Birth Ritual comes from the soundtrack to the film Singles. Because of the nature of this album there are highlights and indeed lowlights, I personally could do without the punky stuff but the more heavy riff based songs like She Likes Surprises, the excellent Black Rain (from the Telephantasm compilation) and Live To Rise (from Avengers). The album ends with two previously released songs first up is Kristi which carries on where their last album King Animal left off with Kim Thayll and Cornell's guitars down tuned and dirty and Storm has a more psych delivery with some lead bass from Ben Shepard. The single disc is a great little stop gap featuring some of the bands more hard to find songs in one place, the three disc is for collectors and die-hards only, still with the talent of Soundgarden the quality is always going to be high and both will appeal no matter which version you go for. 7/10     

Persian Risk: Who Am I? (Self Released)

Formed in the late 70's by Phil Campbell and Jon Deverill Persian Risk were one of the few NWOBHM bands to come from Cardiff, always popular in the scene frontman Deverill left to join Tygers Of Pan Tang and was replaced by Carl Sentance, the band continued with Sentance at the helm even when Campbell left to join Lemmy and Co finally though the band broke up but Sentance has always tried to keep the name alive. The reactivated Persian Risk returned in 2012 with Sentance at the helm being the sole original member of the band bringing in a wealth of musicians to aide him on the recordings; their first album since reforming Once A King received a warm welcome and was reviewed even better so finally 2 years later they are now on their second album (third overall) and yet again it's pure NWOBHM fury. Don't Look Back gets things firing on all cylinders with the twin guitar intro before the gallop kicks in and Sentance starts hollering with his amazing voice which can reach some very high peaks, the title track is pure Maiden and features Sentance in full Dickinson mode on a song that this bathed in light and shade. After two rampaging tracks the pace needs to slow and it does on the bass heavy walk of My Creation which is part Dio, part Foreigner and features some organs from Don Airey (a long time collaborator of Sentance). I could talk about Sentance's voice all day but his cast of musicians don't disappoint either the Wayne and Jason Banks supply the bass and guitar respectively, Tim Brown is the percussive powerhouse, used to great effect on Writing On The Wall, with extra guitar coming from Danny Wilson, Manny Maurer and Sentance himself. The real guest star of the record though is Phil Campbell who supplies guitar on the two re-recorded old school tracks Dark Tower and Calling For You both of which are classic NWOBHM but as good as these tracks are for nostalgia fans the newer tracks like the speedy I Feel Free, the anthemic Ozzy-like Facing Your Demons and the final jazz influenced I Thought It Was You which harks actually sounds a bit like Diamond Dave's solo stuff. A great album from a band that hold a special place in any Cardiff metal fans heart, happily the band aren't resting on their laurels they are prepared to look back to their history and also move forward with their sound. Another great album from these NWOBHM survivors. 9/10     

Reviews: Crazy Lixx, Divine Ascension, Sky Valley Mistress

Crazy Lixx: S/T (Frontiers)

Crazy Lixx have been doing the rounds since 2002 and since then they have been one of the bands at the forefront of the 80's Glam rock revival. So this self titled album is their fourth and once again they bring together G'N'R, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue and bands of their ilk to put together 11 tracks of top drawer glam metal. From the anthemic Sound Of The Loud Minority, through the swaggering Outlaw (surely the follow up to Blaze Of Glory). With the two guitars driving the sleazy riffs and double tap soloing and a locked in rhythm section its the job of frontman Danny Rexon to take up the mantle of Joe Elliot and JBJ himself with his strong melodic vocals. The backing the Elliot influence is at it's strongest on Girl's Of The 80's which has some big backing harmonies, Missed The Mark and All Looks, No Hooks are little Steel Panther like but keep things straight enough not to be considered parody. All of the tracks on this album are strong, rocking 80's style songs with big hooks, huge choruses and a real sense of fun throughout, thankfully the band have focussed more on the rock side things than the massive ballads that plague this genre, in fact there isn't a single slow paced song on this album just a lot of fun hard rocking songs, the with Call To Action and Wrecking Ball Crew being two of the strongest on the album. With bands like Reckless Love, Outloud and Brother Firetribe all flying the modern AOR flag Crazy Lixx are another band at the forefront of the melodic rock renaissance, much like the first time round many will hate this kind of bubblegum tinged rock but for those that just want to rock out like it's 1984 then Crazy Lixx is the perfect record. 8/10

Divine Ascension: Liberator (Nightmare Records)

Progressive/power metal from Australia? A rarity indeed but Divine Ascension are just that; female fronted and brimming with blast beat drums, powerful guitar work and strong keyboard rhythms throughout all backing the strong vocals of Jennifer Borg who unusually doesn't have the normal classically trained vocal but a more mainstream almost Maria Brink style vocal that is a refreshing relief. her vocals are great and work well with the rest of the band who are rooted deep in the Euro power metal tradition but with a lot of progressive tenancies. the Progressive tendencies start on the first track which breaks into a piano led middle section before ending in an explosive guitar solo. The title track features some time signature changes and a keyboard solo from David Van Pelt. My Contender Lies is heavier, slower more modern metal style track but still maintains the power metal keyboard melodies and orchestrations, before Sorrow's Sacrifice starts off with a slower balladic style before turning into faster, heavier chorus. Over the 11 tracks the band play some great metallic music with a strong progressive vein, its nice to hear a band with a female singer, take a shot at the more male orientated progressive metal style of Symphony X, Shadow Gallery etc rather than fall into the more symphonic classical style of Nightwish, Within Temptation and bands of their ilk. The musicianship is virtuoistic and songs are well constructed and delivered with style. A good second album from these Aussie prog metallers that really shows their skill. 7/10      

Sky Valley Mistress: Rival, Hounds & Rebel Sisters (Holy Roller Records)

There does seem to be a a resurgence in female fronted blues at the moment with The Blues Pills, Black State Highway, Saint Jude all featuring Joplin-like vocals set to a bluesy rock backing. Sky Valley Mistress from Darwen, Lancashire are new to the party but they come in ready to challenge the big hitters with their "Dirty Blonde Blues". The band set about playing groove laden hard rock that merges the classic bombast of Sabbath and Zeppelin with the sledgehammer rhythms of the bands such as Soundgarden and QOTSA while rapping it all up in a package that Jack White would be proud of. The rhythm section rattles the brain with Russell's bass and Maxwell Harvey William Newsome III's drums providing the chunky bottom end for Squire's dirty guitar licks and Kayley 'Hell Kitten' Davies' sultry vocals, she is all about the presence a man eater of the highest calibre with a mic in one hand and a knuckleduster in the other; see her croon through She Is So for this. As the Hell Kitten beckons, the band rock out royally setting hips shaking and fists pumping. This is just a four track EP but is does a lot to endear you to the band, the songs are well written, expertly (and menacingly) delivered with some fat fuzzy riffs and voodoo rhythms. A great little snippet of what Sky Valley Mistress can do and as the band sign off with the shamanistic Blood, Sweat & Blisters they leave you wanting more of their fuzzy, garage blues rock. 7/10 

Reviews: Neonfly, Axenstar, Yama

Neonfly: Strangers In Paradise (InnerWound)

Neonfly's first album Outshine The Sun is played often on my stereo so I was looking forward to their follow up and thankfully it is here and delivers what their debut did in spades and also improves on it greatly. Having witnessed the band supporting Dragonforce I was blown away by how great they are live and this bombastic, melodic heavy metal translates on to this second album. The multi-European crew bring, dual guitars galore from Patrick Harrington and Frederick Thunder, a hearty bass gallop from Paul Miller and some amazing drums from Boris La Gal. The band merge the classic metal of Maiden, the melodic metal of Firewind, the huge hooks of AOR, the baroque nature of Met Loaf and loads of technical progression all thrown into the mix. Highways To Nowhere is a great example of Neonfly at their best as it has huge modern sounding metal riff, a percussion driven Middle Eastern middle section, tight concise solos all of which is paired with some rapid fire vocals from Willy Norton to create a song to too dissimilar to Disturbed. However they can also deal with the pomp of AOR on Better Angels on which Norton shows off his excellent and somewhat unique set of pipes, the 80's sheen continues on the overwrought Bon Jovi-esque Rose In Bloom and indeed the entire album sounds like it could easily fit in that decade due to the production of  Pink Cream 69/Unisonic's Dennis Ward This album works through all types of music hoovering them up and adding them to the mix, the double header of Heart Of The Sun and Aztec Gold have a symphonic metal basis with some great keys from Gunter Werno and some great bass and drum work on the instrumental Aztec Gold. Before being plunged into the war on the Dragonforce-like Fierce Battalions and the rampaging Chasing The Night before the album ends with the firelight acoustic balladry of Falling Star which is pure cheesy but is an uplifting climax to this excellent album of glossy, crunchy melodic metal that will appeal to a wide audience. If you love some excellent songwriting, powerful tracks and a huge mix of ideas thrown into the pot then Neonfly could be your new favourite band. 9/10    

Axenstar: Where Dreams Are Forgotten (Inner Wound)

Swedish power metal, it's nearly always a by-word for quality, not necessarily invention but quality nonetheless. Axenstar started plying their brand of power metal in 1998 (as Powerage before changing to Axenstar in 2001) and now they are on album number six (I do sometimes wish I lived in the middle of the EU so I didn't find these bands so late). As the rapid fire drumming kicks of Fear all bets are off this is Euro power metal at its most bombastic, the guitars soar and Magnus Wintefield provides the bottom end, the keys and the strong European vocal style. With nods to Sonata, Dragonland and countrymen Hammerfall fans of Power metal will eat this up as the songs gallop like a band of wild horses, the vocals are emotive with choirs galore, the solos burn up the fret board, the keys are tasteful and understated and the album rarely gives you a break from the madness songs like My Sacrifice (thankfully not a Creed cover), the drum heavy Curse Of The Tyrant, the thrashy stomp of Greed and the Maidenesque The Reaper Axenstar really show off their power metal credentials, they a definitely a band that have been doing this for a long time indeed and as I've said the album doesn't slow down until the mid paced Sweet Farewell which is a very modern sounding track with a cracking choir in the chorus and a chugging middle eight that builds into a solo any power metal fan would get excited by. As with many genres of metal these days Sweden seems to be the place to be at the moment, but they do seem to excel at power metal and Axenstar are no exception to that rule; strong songs, great playing and a big heaving whack of fist pumping metal tuneage. 8/10


Yama: Ananta (Lighttown Fidelity)

Big sledgehammer grooves from Tilburg, NL now with Yama's debut album. As the tile track swaggers in with cocksure stoner riff the scene is set for a album of bluesy, grungy, doomy metal with a narcotic haze. Yama are named after the Verdic God Of Death and their songs are the sound of of aural deafening in the style of former tour mates  Orange Goblin, Graveyard and Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, Anchor Of Time is bass heavy and rumbles along with aplomb, things slow down on the psych influenced Hollow which sounds just that with it's reverbed guitar which starts things off before crashing into the heavy middle section, but it still keeps things mid-paced with it's swirling riffs, the shadow of the blues comes a looming on the mouth harp driven Ruach Elohim. The four men in this band obviously know their roles inside out the drums drive the rhythm in conjunction with the big low end, the riffs come with big layers of thickness and the vocals shout and snarl on top of the aural assault. Over these eight songs Yama have constructed an album full of fist pumping rock anthems that will get heads nodding, beers drunk and weed smoked like salmon. If you like huge slabs of stoner rock with a grungy underbelly Yama will be right up your street. 7/10 

Reviews: The Tea Party, Benjamin Booker, Goat

The Tea Party: The Ocean At The End (InsideOut)

The Canadian originators of Moroccan roll have returned with their first album since 2004 (not to be confused with the right wing American political movement) . After their previous release the band all but gave up citing creative differences which led to frontman Jeff Martin's solo career and eventual downfall due to his extra curricular activities. The band seemingly buried the hatchet in 2011 reforming with their three original members all returning to the fold, most importantly Martin and drummer Jeff Burrows both of whom were the reason for the initial implosion. This reformation has led to a new album and thankfully very little has changed in The Tea Party camp, the band still merge, prog, rock and middle eastern influenced music flawlessly with Martin supplying guitar, sitar and a multitude of instruments and Stuart Chatwood handling bass, keys and again a plethora of instrumentation much of it coming from the Middle East, all these instruments are anchored by Burrows who is no slouch himself using drums, tabla etc to drive the songs along. Things kick off with The L.O.C which is sonically similar to fellow countrymen Rush albeit with Martin's sonorous baritone rumbling over the top of it, The Black Sea comes next and is a heavier track but still has the Middle Eastern flavour, something that continues on Cypher which also ramps up the prog stakes with it's big synths and off kilter rhythm straight into the airy electronica of Brian Eno's The Maker which shows off Martin's emotive vocal. It's a case of business of as usual for this virtuoso band as the songs move through various genres from progressive rock the title track, hard rock on The Cass Corridor, electronica on the industrial Submission as well as working through indie rock, soul, funk and of course their trademark Middle Eastern flavour see The 11th Hour. Black Roses is a countrified, shanty, Brazil has the percussive yet dark and political message built on Burrows drums and Martin's distorted guitars. The Tea Party are definitely back with a vengeance on The Ocean At The End this eighth album reaffirm the band as one of the most innovative and indeed exciting bands around. If you like your music intelligent, progressive and very competent then you need this in your life. 10/10         
Benjamin Booker: S/T (Rough Trade)

25 year old Benjamin Booker hails from Virginia and when he was younger he moved to Tampa Florida where he was involved with the the D.I.Y punk scene. This influence is paramount in Bookers debut album which is lo-fi, garage, blues with an attitude. Violent Shiver kicks you in the teeth as it starts the album with punk guitar stabs mixing with the  tumbling drums and Bookers superb howl screaming the lyrics at full force. For a debut album this is very accomplished Booker is a great guitar player relying more on the rhythm than the firework soloing of modern blues men like Gary Clarke Jr. and Joe Bonamassa, that's not to say he is a slouch or indeed adversed to some fret bending, he can still chuck in the odd lead break and solo; see Chippewa. In fact for the most part Booker has a lot in common with the modern main man of garage blues Jack White (a former tour mate of Booker's). For the most part Booker plays with a punk rock snarl and stabbing his guitar violently, but he can also slow down on Slow Coming and I Thought I Heard You Coming, he brings in some hip shaking R&B on Have You Seen My Son? which features a drum solo and moves seamlessly into the organ drenched country of Spoon Out My Eyeballs. He also adds the 70's rock vibe of Happy Homes before returning to the explosive blues finale of By The Evening. The myriad of influences on this record means that it is never boring or stagnant, which does do a lot to set Booker apart from the many garage blues propagators around at the moment, the songs are immediate, punchy and played with a real fire. A great debut album from this young man who has a huge career ahead of him. 8/10

Goat: Commune (Sub Pop)

Swedes Goat are not strictly metal but I think they will appeal to any fans of powerful music. The band play experimental music fusing hard rock, world music and psychedelia endowed with a sense of power that many heavy bands don't possess. The bands music is pulsating, percussion driven psych rock that will take the band and the listener on a journey and will help them reach a higher plane of conciousness (or something). Commune is a perfect name for this record as it is the type of music that would be played in a bazaar or in the presence of the Maharishi, this is a musical journey that at it's core is the kind of voodoo psych that the 60's was made of. the band themselves are an enigma as they wear colourful costumes and masks and as yet have not revealed their identities (going by names only); with the two female vocalists who's echoed chants are backed by the reverb drenched guitar, funk laden bass work and overarching percussion that is at the core of their sound. The trippy, hallucinogenic music is punctuated by the occasional spoken word piece that gives breathing room between the freak outs, however despite the louche, lucid almost liquid natural nature of the music and possibly even because of it; the band are all clearly top drawer musicians moving between the frantic driving delivery of Talk To God and Goatslaves, the Nick Cave goes funk of Goatchild and the hippy trail serenity of To Travel The Path Unknown. As I've said the power behind this album is very strong, the percussion particularly is fantastic, it draws you in and helps you just enjoy the vibe the band are trying to create, this is not the kind of album that will have hit singles and it is indeed hard to mark out individual songs. Commune is a collection of music that winds its way around your mind and takes you on a journey, that sounds like a cliché but when music has the power to move you like this then really it's the only way to describe it, I can only imagine what this band are like in a live setting with their propulsive music merging with their dervish of colours and movement, I hope I can see it soon! For now though I'm giving the record another spin, I urge all music lovers to do the same!! 9/10        

Another Point Of View: Skindred (Review by Stief, with contributions by Nicola and general ramblings by Rhod)

Skindred, The Globe

After a quick drink in the Pear Tree with our designated driver, Nic and our designated drinker, Rhod, we headed down the road to what seems to now be a frequent haunt for the Musipedia crew, The Globe for a night of English, Polish and pure welsh metal.

Feral Sun

Starting the night off is London based Hard Rock band Feral Sun. Although playing to a small crowd, the quartet seem to enjoy the atmosphere nonetheless. Their slow-to-medium heavy rock, chugging riffs seem to be a strange fit considering the headliners of this gig, but their sound is pretty much solid. Mick Burns' voice (which, although good, doesn't jump out), Alex Nikitin's heavy bass riffs paired with Marco lo Coco's guitar gives a good steady flow to the beginning of the night  The highlight of the band however is drummer Jay Stephenson, whose expressions range from determined to pure happiness, showing he's there to have fun and play music. 6/10

Chemia

Next up is Chemia from Poland...or Isengard as lead singer Łukasz Drapała keeps telling us. Much like Feral Sun, Chemia start off with heavy riffage, sounding very much like a lesser Grand Magus at points. This isn't a bad thing, however, as Łukasz's singing sounds just shy of JB Christofferson's soulful voice. As they continue through their set, Chemia pick up the pace with each song building with tempo, getting the crowd pumped up for the headliners. Having already played Hard Rock Hell earlier in the month, I'd say Chemia are a band to look out for. 7/10

Skindred

Not many bands can get away with using two songs to introduce themselves, but Newport's Skindred are one that are exempt. After pumping the crowd up with AC/DC's Thunderstruck in its entirety, the band file on stage to a remixed Imperial March, with the crowd going haywire at the sight of front-man and all around snazzy dresser, Benji Webbe. Adorned in a white top hat, dyed white Jacket and white sunglasses, he immediately tears into Rat Race. Throughout their entire set, Skindred keep it going with Benji giving no quarter to the Cardiff crowd, letting us know exactly how he feels about sub-par responses to Cardiff chants and lack of dancing. Benji's vast vocal range is backed up by the excellent musicianship of his fellow band members, Mikey Demus' guitars, Arya Goggin's drums and Dan Pugsley's bass relentless in their attack on the crowd's ears. Songs from this year's Kill The Power are mixed with classics such as Pressure and Destroy The Dancefloor, the night ending with crowd favourite Warning. We're even treated to a few remixes over the night, the first being Macklemore's Thrift Shop,which is interwoven with Metallica's Sad But True and Skindred's own Trouble, which the band blast into afterwards. However two major highlights of the night occur towards the end of the night, the first being a singalong of Slipknot's Duality which breaks unexpectedly into a huge, heavy drop halfway through. The second highlight of the night is a Christmassy singalong of McCartney's Wonderful Christmastime with a personal spin on the lyrics by Benji. Overall a blistering set and as we file out of the venue, there's not a single frown to be seen. 10/10

Reviews: In This Moment, Bloodbound, Celestial Decay

In This Moment: Black Widow (Atlantic Records)

In This Moment are totally unrecognisable from the band they were 7 years ago, gone are the American metalcore, band fronted by a shy female singer with a great voice but who seemed naive in the face of the music industry. As they evolved their sound, getting more melodic elements along with their trademark heaviness, culminating in 2012's Blood which was a industrial flavoured, stomping metal album that melded big metal anthems with melodic sensibilities and frontwoman Maria Brink's newfound confidence and liberation. She became every inch a rock Goddess on that album using her supreme vocals and an almost animalistic sexuality to eat up and spit out any other band that wants to fuck with them. Black Widow has the same producer as Blood (Kevin Churko) and stays in the same vein as the previous effort. There is atmosphere in the intro taking in ITM's (and Brink's especially) penchant for the dramatic before the pulsing electronics kick in as Sex Metal Barbie starts things off in real modern style with the industrial song starting the album with Brink almost speaking her vocals and crooning on the chorus. The music as usual is all the work of Chris Howorth who provides the guitars and is the silent partner to Brink's OTT image. Big Bad Wolf is a little more straight forward maintaining the industrial theme, before Dirty Pretty has to be a lost Marilyn Manson song before things slow down on Sexual Hallucination which features Brent Smith from Shinedown and is a sexually charged duet. Brink's voice is truly unique and she effortlessly switches from singing to screaming like a demon and she is complimented by the bouncy riffs of Howorth and co. All the songs on this album ooze sex, violence and empowerment in equal measure. Since their last album and indeed their last tour (which tried to out prop both Messrs Cooper and Zombie) In This Moment have reinvented themselves as a modern metal tour-de-force providing the missing link between Lady Gaga and Rammstein (in fact that would be a hell of a tour package). 8/10         

Bloodbound: Stormborn (AFM)

I first witnessed Swedes Bloodbound at Bloodstock and their brand of cheesy power metal left me banging my head and smiling like a loon. Their music is very feel good with songs about fantasy and metal (and that's about it) throughout, meaning that they are as cheesy as fondue however when the songs are played by a band with some serious chops you know they are not a joke. Stormborn is the bands sixth album and it kicks off with Satanic Panic (which I will admit brought a snigger) on which the band starts as they mean to go on with rampaging speed/power metal with speedy dual guitars riffs from Tomas and Henrik Olsson, blasting drums from Pelle Åkerlind, the big keys of Fredrik Bergh and vocals from Patrik "Pata" Johansson that are part Halford part Hammerfall, part Sabaton. From here the pace rarely lets up with Iron Throne having chanted gang vocals, Nightmares From The Grave has a swaggering delivery and really emphasises the bands power metal roots until things slow up with the sledgehammer march of the title track which is pure Sabaton with it's huge keyboard stabs throughout, in fact the spirit and sound of their Swedish brethren looms large on this record as fans of there brand of epic power metal will really get a kick out of this album with it's big synths, gang shouts and powerful metallic anthems. Things pick back up on the classic metal styling's of We Raise The Dead before everything goes all Grand Magus on Made Of Steel which has the chorus "Made of metal, made of steel" and gave me a smile a mile wide! Then everything goes super speed again from then on with Blood Of My Blood before Anders Broman's bass drives the brooding When The Kingdom Will Fall. Stormborn is yet another great entry into Bloodbound's power metal legacy. 8/10  


Celestial Decay: Quantum X (The Music Alliance)

More Swedish power metal but this time with an emphasis on the symphonic, Celestial Decay is made up of guitarists' Hobbe Houshmand and Freddy Olofsson and they bring together a group of musicians to create this album of symphonic, progressive, power metal that is part Blind Guardian, part Rhapsody Of Fire, and on Enlightened they have the sugary elctro-pop sound of Amaranthe (who's Andreas Solveström provides the screams). This is a cinematic musical journey playing to all the session players strengths with two drummers sharing the tracks they both have the pacey and powerful style favoured by the genre, the bassists both show their metal anchoring the rhythm so Olofsson and Houshmand can show off with some neo-classical guitar wankery. As I previously mentioned there are screamed vocals but the major vocals come from unmistakeable Aeon Zen front man Andi Kravljaca which means that the band share similarities with the British mob as they blend prog and power effortlessly see tracks like Ashes Of Decay for the faster, heavier side but equally on Power Of Will they show how well they can deal with slower more romantic songs (and also throw in the odd heart stopping epic solo). This album is a real journey and earlier I mentioned that it has a cinematic feel and the metal combined with the orchestral elements topped with Kravljaca's emotive and adaptive vocals, the album also flows like a film building in it's latter half into more complicate compositions including a metallic cover of Total Eclipse Of The Heart which leads into the stunning Final Symphony. Sometimes bands like this can get a little lost in their own virtuosity Celestial Decay don't they write strong songs with passion, melody and incredible skill. 8/10

Reviews: Foo Fighters, Nickelback, Sister Sin

Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways (RCA)

The Foo Fighters have gone through an interesting career, starting as almost a Nirvana offshoot, they have now overtaken Nirvana in terms of popularity and recognition eight albums into their career and The Foo's seem to be in a position where they can do whatever they want; their previous album Wasting Light saw them turn into a five piece and expanded their musicianship a lot as it was a very organic record drawing from their influences. Sonic Highways then carries on this audio experimentation as the album is an accompanying piece to a documentary which sees Grohl travelling around America taking in the music of those cites. Grohl wrote all the music for the songs after the visit to each city and then recorded the vocals later taking lines from the interviews he conducted. So a difficult recording process then but how does that translate to the album itself, each track is representative of a city so it is eight cities, eight tracks starting with Something For Nothing (Chicago IL) which has a echoing opening and turns into a stomping blues piece with a little bit of funk in the middle with guitar by Rick Nielsen, next up is Feast And The Famine (Arlington, VA) which is snotty punk rock featuring members of Scream (Grohl's first real band). Congregation (Nashville, TN) which definitely evokes the spirit of Country with it's uplifting message and jangly guitar lines, while also staying true to the Foo Fighters sound. Things get a little more soulful on What Did I Do?/God As My Witness (Austin, TX) with a really rocking track with some big guitar riffs from Texan Gary Clarke Jr. and a real change of pace in the final part. The album is a little disjointed but for the most part the songs are strong enough to stand on their own, one of the best is Outside (Los Angeles, CA) which features Mr California himself Joe Walsh on guitars. As the album draws to a close the songs we get the excellent Subterranean which is a laid back paen to his adopted home before we get the finale of I Am A River  (New York, NY) which is a swelling ballad on which Grohl sings his heart out. Overall this is another solid album of arena baiting rock music aimed at a wide audience, but Sonic Highways shows that Grohl and his band can now do whatever they want to and Sonic Highways is a testament to a band unafraid to whatever they want. 8/10     

Nickelback: No Fixed Address (Republic)

Are Nickelback the most hated band in the world? Well some would say yes, but I've always had a soft spot for Mr Kroeger and co but it seems even his long term supporters are casting him adrift as this is the first album not on their long term label Roadrunner, they are now on Republic home to  Amy Winehouse, Akon, Lil Wayne, Nelly, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Lorde, Drake, Lil Wayne, Weezer and Enrique Iglesias to name a few, so not a step down really but a shrewd marketing step; cast off the hardcore rockers and pitch yourself to the manstream. But I digress No Fixed Address is Nickelback's eighth album and as such it is the sound of a band with nothing to prove, they don't care what people think. From the bass led punch of A Million Miles An Hour which is a thumping rocker to start proceedings straight into the government baiting Edge Of A Revolution which has a chanting clarion cry chorus, cue mass gang shouts. So here is where things start to get a bit weird, What Are You Waitng For? is a typical Nickleback ballad but features some chart style synths in the background (it is also the first song co written by rapper Jacob Kasher), She Keeps Me Up is almost Stevie Wonder mixed with Maroon 5 style funk with Kroeger trying his hand at rapid fire rhymes and duetting with a female almost Rhianna-like singer. The most jarring track on the album is Got Me Runnin' Round which features rapper Flo-Rida doing his trademark stuff on a song laced with horns. So a bit of a weird one this there are some classic Nickelback-style songs, a lot of ballads mainly with very few rockers but most of all there are just too many songs that are a bit too poppy, meaning that this album is very disappointing especially when compared to their last album and their mid 2000's heyday. Many may have thought Nickelback sold out years ago, I never did, I always thought they were a rock band that have appealed to the mainstream however unfortunately this album reeks of a sell out. 2/10
 
Sister Sin: Black Lotus (Victory)

Sister Sin are one of theses bands that have been on my periphery, having seen a bit of them at Bloodstock I was impressed enough to give this latest album a spin. Sister Sin hail from Sweden and as such they play old school, leather clad heavy metal straight out of the 1980's with the banshee like vocals from Liv Jagrell echoing Warlock, the Teutonic axe attack of Accept,  the bouncy hard rock of former tour mates Lordi. Jagrell's vocals are scarred and raw but they fit the music perfectly with bass gallop, stun gun riffs and pounding drums. Au Revoir has the same metallic swing as Grand Magus, Desert Queen is a doomier feeling song with some big organs augmenting it. This is Sister Sin's fifth album and it continues in the same old school style they have played on their last four albums but this doesn't mean that this album is repetitive in fact far from it Count Me Out is a orchestral backed hard rocker and The Jinx is straight out of the Halestorm song book (Jagrell sounds a lot like Lzzy vocally actually). Sister Sin are a great little band from Sweden that play some top quality metallic hard rock. Well worth checking out if you like your metal with a female bite to it. 7/10 

Reviews: Ancient VVisdom, Pain Of Salvation, Cavalera Conspiracy (Reviews By Paul)

Ancient VVisdom: Rise Of An Ancient Evil (Prosthetic)

Texan outfit Ancient VVisdom have been plying their dark material for several years, with their 2011 debut A Godlike Inferno virtually all acoustic but having some of the most sinister undertones around. What struck me at the time was how demonic the band could sound, much of this due to the clarity of the vocal delivery of Nathan Opposition. The construction of their songs was complex and yet straightforward, acoustic riffs combining with the percussion and bass. Their latest release, Rise Of An Ancient Evil builds on the debut and their last release, Deathlike. With a heavier guitar sound chugging away throughout the album, the Sabbath influence oozes throughout. However, as well as the guitar work of Michael Jochum and Justin Mason, there are several other musical comparisons, most notably the melodic yet eerie delivery of Ghost. The title track opens the album before the distinctive acoustic guitar of Mason leads into Chaos Will Reign, Jochum’s electric riff kicking in. Blood Offering is possibly the outstanding track on the album, a colossal doom laden dirge, with Opposition’s melancholic tones underlying the heavy satanic themes that are the staple lyrical themes of the Ancient VVisdom stable.
 As the album progresses, the darkness increases; The Devil's Work needs no explanation, grinding guitar work and homage to the dark one continuing, underlined with a healthy dollop of groove and melody. Ancient VVisdom’s lyrical focus is on one subject and they do it well.  Blind Leading The Blind maintains the momentum, leading to the downright rifftastic doom-laden Worm Ridden Skull (great title), which really takes a massive scoop of Sabbath guitar and crunches on the back of your neck. And so it continues throughout, huge riffs, pounding bass lines and Old Nick as the subject matter. Opposition’s vocals fit ideally with the monster sound that the band generate, melancholic and angst ridden. By the time you arrive at the penultimate track, City Of Stone, you've kind of heard it all and are beginning to think that their approach is slightly formulaic but suddenly they change the tempo slightly, sludgy guitars with a couple of brief solos cutting through the mist. Album closer Higher Into The Black Flames opens acoustically before crashing riffs bring a decent album to a fitting close. Definitely worth a listen, VVisdom have built on their two opening albums to deliver another work worthy of an audience with the Devil himself. 8/10

Pain Of Salvation: Falling Home (InsideOut)

Well, if the Devil has all the best tunes, he may well wonder what the fuck to make of this album. I first saw Pain Of Salvation a few years ago supporting Opeth in Birmingham. Their progressive tinged indie and gothic fusion of rock was enjoyable to watch and listen to and I picked up a couple of their albums to follow up.  However, I've not followed them with much intent although I realise that this is a band who stretch boundaries with each release. Falling Home is their first album since 2011’s Road Salt Part 2 and it’s a reworking of several of their songs in an acoustic setting, something that they have wanted to do for some time. Full of jazz, funk and reggae elements, Daniel Gildenlöw’s outfit ramble their way through some of their previous works. It certainly takes a few listens to get your head around. Opening track Stress has shades of Zappa, whilst the reworked Linoleum echoes the purple one, Prince with a deliciously weighted duet. The progressive side of the band reveals itself on To The Shoreline, with some deeply crafted harmonies, oscillating time changes and almost a country rock feel to parts of it (at one point I thought it was going to merge into The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!).
 And then comes the track that has divided opinion on social media; the lounge room cover of Dio’s Holy Diver, which I have to admit is so smooth I thought it was Richard Cheese on first hearing before it morphs into the reggae breakdown halfway through. This is a brave move, given the reverence that RJD has been held in since his death. I've listened to it several times and I can't quite make my mind up about whether I like it or not. It’s not offensive and it certainly is more original than the highly rated KSE version. Maybe this is one which really is reliant on each listener to make their own mind up! 1979 highlights the keyboard quality of Daniel Karlsson and is a slow burner that increases into a rather pleasant meander with some quality guitar playing from Gildenlöw and Ragnar Zolberg. Long serving bassist Gustaf Hielm and drummer Léo Margarit comprise the rest of POS and they kick into action on Chain Sling, one of the favourites amongst the die hards. One new track, Falling Down completes an eclectic package which has ignited some strong opinions. As someone who is not massively familiar with the back catalogue of Daniel Gildenlöw, it is a rather relaxing album with some very accomplished acoustic works. If you are a diehard POS fan, I'm sure you have a different take on it all together. I like it. 7/10

Cavalera Conspiracy: Pandemonium (Napalm)

Well, if you want to be hit by the biggest truck in the world, step out in front of this bad boy. Kicking off at 150mph with Bablyon Pandemonium, the Cavalera brothers appear intent on destroying all in their path. Max stated in his recent autobiography that he wanted to get back to the heaviest ways he knew and this is one hell of a statement of intent. Hammering drums from Iggor, wailing guitars and vocals that sound like oompa loompas on speed. Three and a half minutes after the opening salvo, it’s time to catch one last breath before it starts again with the hysterical Bonzai Kamikazee; I think this got past 150mph to be honest but my head was pinned against the wall at the time so I can’t be sure. A demonic bass line from Johny Chow leads into the mind stomping Scum. A swift change of intro to Apex Predator explodes into an all-out race to get to the end of the track. Not Losing The Edge provides a welcome return to the old-school Sepultura/Soulfly that Max has patented and destroyed with over the years. This one has a massive hook and the slightly slower pace for their first few minutes is a welcome change amidst the all-out charging. And basically, that’s how it is for the entire album. Massive sound, swirling guitars from Max and the ever faithful Marc Rizzo who adds some vicious fretwork, head crushing drumming from Iggor, frantic direction and time changes combined with the usual guttural snarling and straightforward chant your nuts off choruses from Max. It’s no-nonsense in your face thrashing metal. If you like it hard, fast and totally aggressive, have a punt on this. You won’t be disappointed. If they tour, people will lose limbs in this pits. If you have a hangover or a nervous disposition, stay the fuck away. This will damage you. Permanently. 8/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: The Temperance Movement (Review By Paul)

The Temperance Movement, Bristol

Following a hard weekend of some excellent quality classic rock and metal at Hard Rock Hell, a quiet night would have been welcome for some of your intrepid reviewers. However, because we are plain stupid, a mere four hours after getting back home, Matt and I (accompanied by Mrs H) were off to Bristol for another viewing of one of the most exciting live bands that the UK has produced for a long time.

Support band Raglans (7), disappointingly from Ireland and not the dirty ‘Port, were the second support act up (apologies to the openers but we were in the Hatchet). Delivering pretty standard indie style rock, they received a good reception from the already heaving Academy crowd. Energetic and enthusiastic, Raglans sounded rather generic to me but I'm probably not the most well placed to rate such a band. Mrs H appeared to enjoy them, and she knows a bit about indie.

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to see TTM twice in three days. Their sets back in April and early May oozed class and energy, as they worked through a set that comprised mainly tracks from their self-titled debut which had been finely polished in the live arena as a result of the endless touring that new bands have to do these days. Both of those gigs were special, with large crowds and massively enthusiastic responses. Having been holed up in Rockfield for several weeks, this gig was a bit more of a challenge for them. It was the start of another short tour and that difficult period in the career prior to the new album release where unfamiliar material has to stand shoulder to shoulder with the established songs in the live arena and hold up.

Well, I'm happy to report that TTM managed to dovetail their set splendidly, with a generous helping of new material (including a beautiful closing track) sandwiched in between some of their superb debut songs.  TTM picked a balanced set, ensuring that frontman Phil Campbell could deliver in his usual energetic style delivery, whirling around the stage like a dervish in the manner he has made his own. Decked out in leather coat, shades and Cossack hat, he sensibly had the lyrics for the new songs on a stand at the front of the stage although I'm not convinced he looked at them more than to change to the next song. The new stuff, as you’d expect, didn't quite have the smoothness of their earlier material, but demonstrated a more thoughtful, layered and textured level of composition; the creative juices are obviously flowing well within the band and they've been allowed to move away from the immediacy that any debut album has to have. Of course, they still have to deliver the goods on the older stuff and they did that all right. Midnight Black, Only Friend, Be Lucky and Take It Back got the crowd bouncing whilst the delicate strains of Smouldering and Chinese Lanterns slowed the pace at appropriate junctures.

TTM is not just Phil Campbell of course, and the rest of the band really does provide the musical support that allows him to lead from the front.  Technically, TTM is as good as anything that is around these days, with their combination of The Faces, Stones and Black Crowes style attracting a wide cross section in the audience.  Earlier in the year I felt that the band was on the verge of getting almost mainstream appreciation. Now I am convinced of it. Their next album is likely to climb high in the charts and I would not be surprised if the next time we get the opportunity to see them it will be in venues substantially bigger than the O2 Academy. Their end of year tour will be followed by their first venture to the USA, supporting another big favourite of the Musipedia crew, Blackberry Smoke on a tour I would kill to witness. At this stage, the world is there for the taking. Once again, something special and a pleasure to be present. 9/10