The Spotlight: Interview With Embodiment (By Paul)

Interview with Embodiment

Ahead of their main support slot with the New York Death Metal Legends Suffocation at the Bristol Bierkeller we were pleased to spend some time in the company of local technical death metal outfit Embodiment. Lead singer Harry Smithson and drummer Leslie Preston did most of the talking.

We began by asking them to tell us about Embodiment.

Harry “Well, we’re from Bristol, and we won Bristol Metal To The Masses this year, played at Bloodstock on the New Blood Stage to a packed out tent earlier on in the month which was fucking amazing. We’ve been going about three years, yeah, Bristol technical death metal”

MoM: The South West and Bristol is a vibrant scene for death metal and we asked the band whether having so much competition was for keeping them on their toes.

Leslie and Harry: “Yes, MTTM helps a lot with that, it helps everyone up their game, you know, being as tight as they can and as entertaining as they can be; it’s where you really learn with your live shows definitely”

MoM: Whilst it’s clear with a death metal band that the genre has a wide range of influences, they often range wider than expected. We asked Embodiment who the major influences were for the band. Unsurprisingly it was Decapitated.

Harry and Leslie: “They have to be like, number one for us. Bands like The Faceless (extreme Death Metal band from Los Angeles) but we love all sorts, from Killswitch to Trivium, you know, Michael Jackson!” Of course, they also declared a love for 1980s pop music which was no surprise when you hear them live!

MoM: We then took a step back and asked how the band formed.

Leslie explained “Finn (Maxwell – guitarist) and I got introduced by a friend. Finn wanted to start a group and I wasn’t playing in a band at the time, and it started from that. A bit of a line-up change and then we got Harry and the bassist (Kieran Hogarty) and from there we’ve just been plugging away. We did an album, [the excellent self-titled Embodiment], and we are working on the second album now which we are hoping to release in February of next year”.

MoM: We moved on to Bloodstock. I was at Bloodstock and although I didn’t get to see the band, I wondered what caught Embodiment’s eye (apart from the obvious Decapitated show). It was ironic to find that they almost didn’t.

Harry“We were on just after Whitechapel so we managed to run over and catch the second half of their set”.

MoM: The band picked one stand out band; “Fallujah. Yeah, that was everyone’s … and then Abhorrent Decimation, they were a lot of fun”.

MoM: What about anyone that disappointed them? Interestingly it was Testament.

Harry quickly quantified that it wasn’t Chuck Billy and Co. “The sound was just crap. They had some issues. It was really disheartening as they were amazing last time I saw them”.

MoM: I noted the curse that Winterfylleth were under and Leslie noted that it was similar with Megadeth. “I’m not sure about Dave’s vocals although instrumentally they were there”. But the guys were positive about the festival “there was nothing I saw that was truly crap” added Harry. The band agreed that Skindred were awesome which resulted in us Welsh lads eulogising about Benji and co. We all agreed that Skindred are the ideal festival outfit.

Harry: “I can see them headlining in years to come”.

MoM: I noted that I was astonished at how good their reception actually was...

Harry said “The thing was that I watched Skindred and then every else was just a bit, flat in comparison”. Leslie added “It was a bit hard for Arch Enemy coming on after them, at the end of a three-year world tour … and they probably just wanted to go home and go to sleep!” he continued “Skindred had something to prove didn’t they whereas Arch Enemy was a safe choice. Loads of people were going to see them because of who they are whereas Skindred had to prove themselves which they did … and then some!”

MoM: Wrapping our short interview up I asked what we could expect from their 30 minutes?

“Brutality” promised Harry. “Three songs from our new album, we are opening with one of our new ones and closing with a new one, but then we’ve only played them 10-15 times …

MoM: (Ed) “So, no-one will notice if you fuck up?” cue much laughter!

Leslie continued“and we’re playing a few crowd favourites including The Beast (which was awesome and went down fantastically well); It’s a jam-packed set, we haven’t got a lot of time in between songs so it’s basically bang, bang, bang, bang!”

Embodiment were true to their word and their 30-minute set really was a brutal affair. Their Decapitated/Lamb of god style works brilliantly live and they put maximum effort in to their short set. Many thanks to Harry and Leslie for taking time to chat with us. You can catch Embodiment at Fuel on 30 September at Slamdozer and at the Cardiff Chaos Festival on 17 February 2018 as well as The Fleece on 25 September where they support Car Bomb.

A View From The Back Of The Room: Suffocation (Live Review By Paul)

Suffocation, Embodiment, Seprevation, Democratus - Bristol Bierkeller

The final bank holiday Sunday of the year and a gig that had whetted the appetite ever since it was announced. A bright sunny day faded into a dark malevolent night as US death metal legends paid a rare visit to Bristol. The Bierkeller was, as always, swathed in a murky half-light and with the temperature set to level sweat it promised to be a sticky one. Earlier flyers for this gig had promised Power Trip as main support. Unfortunately, this didn't appear to have ever been the plan but it wasn’t a problem as the promoters pulled in three local bands to increase the heat.

Opening the evening was South Walian melodic death metal outfit Democratus (8). These guys nearly made it to Bloodstock this year, losing out narrowly to Malum Sky in the final of the MTTM. Having seen Malum Sky at BOA, I was at a loss as to how they beat Steve Jenkins and co. Democratus took the bull by the horns and put in one of the shifts of the night. Older material was spiced up by a beast of a new track, the impressive and crushingly heavy Blind Torture Kill. Jenkins never stops working the crowd, his strong clean vocals mixing with a more traditional death growl to superb effect whilst the twin guitars of Kerrin Beckwith and Joey Watkins sliced through the venue. There’s a lot more to come from these guys and if you haven’t seen them yet then I suggest you rectify that over the coming months with a trip to one of the several local events they are playing at. A perfect start to the evening.

Bristol based Seprevation (7) seem to have been around for ever. It’s actually six years but in that time the band has established itself as a solid opening act for many a visiting band to the South West area. Backed by a partisan local crowd, Lluc Tupman, Joss Farrington, Ian Aston and Jamie Wintle ripped through their 30-minute set of intense death thrash. Tupman’s screaming delivery isn’t to everyone’s taste but it works with the aggression that the band channel into their sound. My position in the Bierkeller left Farrington and Aston’s shredding somewhat muted but tracks from recent EP Echoes Of Mercy settled comfortably alongside more familiar songs in the set.

Main support Embodiment (8) are another band to keep a careful eye on. The band won their regional MTTM event and graced the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock this year. For a four piece, they make a rather beautiful sound and their Decapitated/Lamb Of God reverberation soon got those sat down on their feet. Vocalist Harry Smithson prowls the stage, his unearthly delivery contrasting with his between song banter. Leslie Preston maintained the groove with his fine drumming whilst Kieran Hogarty and guitarist Finn Maxwell ensured that the headbanging didn’t let up. Maxwell’s guitar was lost in the mix for much of the set but emerged razor sharp for the impressive The Beast and new track Dragged Into Hell. Most excellent. Their self-titled debut is available for free on their bandcamp page too.

During our interview with the band earlier in the evening, Suffocation (9) had promised a wall leveling performance. This promise was kept in full as the New York legends laid waste to the venue. Their technical death metal is an experience best had live, as it’s here that you really begin to appreciate the craft and skill of the band. It was an hour of the most brutal aural pummeling I’ve taken for a long time and despite a few technical issues, mainly with the band appearing to blow their back-line and vocalist Kevin Muller’s muffled microphone, this was a master class. A set list that combined three meaty chunks from this years Of The Dark Light with plenty of choice cuts from the back catalogue gave all present something to enjoy and it was noticeable that the old school tracks such as Funeral Inception, Catatonia and Effigy Of The Forgotten from the band’s 1991 debut all earnt huge cheers. 

Suffocation don’t fuck around and whilst the visceral riffage of founder Terrance Hobbs and co-guitarist Charlie Errigo was astonishing, it was left to Muller to lead from the front. Muller, frontman for the Merciless Concept is on his first European tour with the band but it didn’t show as he coerced the small but enthusiastic pit at the front of the stage to a greater and greater frenzy. Meanwhile long-serving bassist Derek Boyer contented himself with laying down the bass lines from hell whilst drummer Eric Morotti is just a machine. It was like being hit by a jack hammer, repeatedly. If you’ve never experienced Suffocation live then you really need to correct that. It was vicious, but oh so impressive. The band closed off a show that will live long in the memory with Infecting The Crypts as my ears continued to bleed. A brilliant finale to an excellent night.

Reviews: Fragile Vastness, Primordial Flame, Badge

Fragile Vastness: Perception (Self Released)

Athenian progressive metal band Fragile Vastness seem to go through vocalists in the same way Spinal Tap do drummers, this is their third full length album with their third vocalist switching things up from the previous releases by bringing the soulful pipes of Elena Stratigopoulou who I think has a similar expressive range as our own Christina from Magenta.

The band last released an album in 2005 and since then they have added guitarists George Thanasoglou and Vasilis Batilas to the base trio of bassist Vangelis Yalamas, drummer Babis Tsolakis and his wife keyboardist Evi Katsamatsa and along with Elena they have adapted their progressive style moving away from the Dream Theater style prog metal of their first album, to a more mature sound that features shorter but still insanely technical playing with Vangelis' basswork standing out with his fingerstyle playing guiding the creeping A Face In The Mirror.

This record is a concept piece I believe, there are instrumental joins, lyrical links and a spoken word piece that starts the final instrumental. The band's superior musicianship means that the songs each have their own identity, the title track is very modern prog with the cinematic keys and unusual drum pattern, I Am The Fire kicks of the record with a slow burning song built on a repeating Marillion-esque riff. Heaven On Mars meanwhile sounds like the sci-fi prog metal of Pagan's Mind. Fragile Vastness are immensely talented band with top flight playing throughout and a technical songcraft, it's must have for prog metal fans. 8/10

Primordial Flame: S/T (Self Released)

I think Gothenburg band Primordial Flame have been listening to a bit too much Yngwie Malmsteen, their melodic hard rock is driven by founding member Wílliam Marchesini's neo classical guitar playing. He is most definitely a fan of messrs Malmsteen and Blackmore with the Deep Purple and Rainbow themes creeping in on Pushed To The Limit and the folky Up In The Sky while Evil In Disguise is Rising Force Malmsteen. Elsewhere Patrik Prim tries to be Dio, Jeff Scott Soto and Ian Gillan all in one and manages Gillan the best. Still there isn't much else to this record it's pretty much just a neoclassical clone, the songs aren't particularly memorable so it's really only for hardcore guitar lover. 5/10

Badge: If It Hurts It Must Be Good (Perennity Records)

Badge call themselves a hardcore blues band from Sweden and that's a pretty accurate description, they have an album that expertly fuses the acoustic pre-war blues of Robert Johnson and Mississippi John Hurt with the electric fuzz of The Black Keys and Jack White, it's an interesting mix that has acoustic layers underneath the distortion heaviness, tracks like Trapdoor are the best evidence for this as guitarist Matti Norlin plays some mean bottle neck slide while bassist Lennart Zethzon rings the strutting bass riff.

In The Eye Of The Storm on the other hand starts with reverbed lap steel and just Fredrik Haake's bass drum before kicking in. The trio have released three albums in total (including this one) and they are constantly finding new ways to revive the old blues ways, for a lot of blues aficionados this music might be a bit of a step too far but personally I really enjoy the acoustic blues and almost stoner rock rhythms that slither through this record. Badge have a unique sound to them that will bewitch fans of both garage rock and blues. 7/10

Reviews: Adagio, Resistance, Droid (Reviews By Rich)

Adagio: Life (Scarlet Records)

French progressive/symphonic metallers return after an eight year absence and a number of line up changes with album number five Life. I'm not overly familiar with Adagio's previous work so have nothing to compare this album to but what we have with Life is an interesting mix of symphonic metal, melodic progressive metal and modern djent riffs. It's an unusual concoction and will have many melodic metal fans choking and foaming at the mouth but for the most part it seemingly works especially on heavier numbers such as Subrahmanya. There are some very fine symphonic parts scattered throughout the album with highlights being the epic opening title track and midway track Darkness Machine. 

Also special mention must go to the impressive vocals of frontman Kelly Sundown Carpenter (also of power metallers Civil War). What does let this album down is the seemingly average songwriting. You get tracks such as opener Life where there is so much going on that it seems like they put everything they had into that track and ran out of ideas for the rest of the album. A lot of the songs start off good before falling into mediocrity. This is not a terrible album by any means and is perfectly listenable but it's not going to maintain your interest throughout. 6/10

Resistance: Metal Machine (No Remorse Records)

American metallers Resistance return with their third album Metal Machine which is a mighty fine slab of US power metal. Resistance are yet another band that have slipped under my radar so I have not heard any of their previous works but judging on this one I think I may have to check out the back catalogue. This is very much old school US power metal (e.g. Metal Church, Vicious Rumors, Helstar etc.) but there is also a slight incorporation of the European power metal sound apparent as well. I can't help but hear a bit of Primal Fear in there somewhere. 

This is an album which is going to put a massive smile on the faces of old school metal fans the world round with opening title track The Metal Machine getting things off to a fine start with plenty of old school chunky riffage and the rough yet melodic vocals of frontman Robert Hett. Other songs which will get your pulse racing are Rise And Defend, Some Gave All and the impressive closing cover of Scorpion's Blackout. A massively enjoyable piece of old school US heavy metal that will have you raising your horns and banging your head. 8/10

Droid: Terrestrial Mutations (Nightbreaker Productions)

Terrestrial Mutations is the debut album by Canadian progressive thrashers Droid following on from their 2015 EP Disconnected. Since the rising popularity of Vektor there has been a bit of a resurgence of technical thrash metal and Droid very much fall into this category taking influence from Vektor and fellow countrymen (and progressive thrash legends) Voivod. The music on Terrestrial Mutations is overtly complex and technical thrash metal with a science fiction theme running throughout though far less frantic and intense than Vektor though and far more reminiscent of late 80's Voivod material.

The songs on the album range from more straight forward thrashers such as Suspended Animation and Cosmic Debit to longer more progressive numbers with long complex instrumentation such as Temptations Of Terminal Progress and Mission Drift. Terrestrial Mutations is far from an original sounding album with the aforementioned influences abundant throughout but the songwriting and playing throughout are to such a high standard that it is impossible to criticise for a lack of originality. If you like your thrash on the complex side then this is a must hear album. 8/10

Reviews: Dendera, The Virginmarys, Pretty Little Enemy, Sepulchre (EP Round Up)

Dendera: Part One - Blood Red Sky (Metalbox)

I reviewed Dendera's second album very highly in 2015 and we first caught the band live they were supporting Queensryche in Bristol a month after the review. They arrived on the stage with so much passion that it was extremely hard not to bang your head immediately, they play chunky modern British heavy metal that owes as much to Maiden as it doesn't Metallica. This records is an EP intended to release new material but without having to bring out a whole album, the fact that it's called Part 1 indicates that we may see a second part soon.

This will hopefully be after frontman Ashley Edison (who has a magnificent voice) has retured from his new position fronting British Power metal band Power Quest. Part One opens with galloping modern thrash instrumental The Awakening the heaviness continues on Final Warning where the counterpoint of Edison's high vocals and the rifftastic instrumental section are done very well, the title track speeds things up with yet more nods to Trivium, Machine Head or even BFMV, infact this is probably the heaviest material Dendera have produced owing more to the NWOAHM and bands such as Iced Earth and Pyramaze than the normal NWOBHM influences that are rampant in the scene.

Dendera are a band that need to be heard, this EP is a good place to start but i urge you to go back and pick up their two full length albums as well, it's excellent heavy metal that they can replicate live (Check out Paul's Bloodstock review for details). 8/10

The Virginmarys: Sitting Ducks EP (Self Released)

The Virginmarys' debut record was very well reviewed by myself shortly after it's release in 2016,  the record and subsequent tour were widely critically acclaimed, after a long tour the band reconvened to record this EP of four tracks to bring some new music to their live set. The Sitting Ducks EP opens with the stuttering title track which brings the band's trademark loud-quiet dynamics with some funky disco synths. It's a strong opener that is a trade off between The Black Keys and QOTSA, it leads into the percussive is Sweet Loretta which is a previous Classic Rock Magazine 'Tracks Of the Week' winner, it's evident that this is the track that deserves the radio play, it's catch, build on the hand-clap percussion meeting with Danny Dolan's drumming.

The Virginmarys have always been a band difficult to categorize, they are a little to rock for and indie band and too indie for hard rock but with their garage influences abound they have made themselves a very vital part of the British rock scene. Frontman/guitarist Ally Dicktay says that the matra for this EP is 'Peace, Love, Truth, Music' and that rings true from the opening notes. Sitting Ducks provides a reminder about what makes this band so unique in their field, it's an ideal introduction to new fans and a worthy addition for fans. 8/10

Pretty Little Enemy: Second Load (Self Released)

Any band that call themselves Metal ABBA can only go one of two ways and happily Somerset rockers Pretty Little Enemy are a band that can live up to their reputation, see a song such as Collide which is power pop at it's best but with some fat riffs backing up. The four piece are made up of a two blokes and two birds the rhythm section is Jason Coles (bass) Ben Dean (drums), while Georgina Bell plays a mean guitar and Louise Body sings her heart out.

The band have a real knack for crafting hook driven songs that have bite Play By The Rules has a crunchy groove to it while It's All Just A Show ramps up the heavy on a song that could easily have come from Paramore before the breakdown. Pretty Little Enemy are know for having an explosive live show and they try to channel as much of their fun-loving attitude into these four tracks as possible. Second Load has been put out to add to the bands live show and nothing here is particularly cerebral, it's just fun party pop metal. 7/10

Sepulchre: Great South Western Depression (Self Released)

Swansea three piece Sepulchre play an extreme form of metal that moves itself between the chaotic thrash noise of Slayer (Move Or Die) through the death metal mastery of Morbid Angel and the blistering Carcass (Bed Bound). Aimee Coppola thunders behind the drums as Chris Zoah Williams' bass leads Ignored's proto-grind, for a self produced EP the production here is good, nice and nasty but all the instruments are perfectly clear which means you can hear every distorted riff and growled vocals from Darren Evans. Having seen the band live I can vouch for their talent and it's writ large all over this EP, 6 tracks of death metal fury that whizz by in a flash making you want to do it all again. 7/10

The Spotlight: Interview With Karl Wilcox of Diamond Head (By Paul)

Email interview with Karl Wilcox drummer from Diamond Head

MoM: Hi, Paul here from Musipedia. Many thanks for agreeing to the email interview. Much appreciated.

Karl: No worries.

MoM: You've been with the band for a long time. What does being in Diamond Head mean to you?

Karl: Yes, I've been with the band almost 27 years. I was a big fan back in the day. It’s a strange feeling, singing songs from the stage you used to sing from the audience. Being part of the band that influenced a new generation of music and inspired the biggest Metal band in the world is very humbling. Having the responsibility of handling a lot of the backroom business is very satisfying although stressful at times.

MoM: The band appears to be as popular as ever. I've seen you several times in recent years at various festivals, what do you put the popularity of Diamond Head down to?

Karl: Perseverance and the will to keep going no matter what the naysayers have to comment on and the fans are starting to see and respect that.

MoM: Talking of festivals, I've seen you opening for the Big 4 at Sonisphere, at Hard Rock Hell and at Bloodstock. Every summer there seems to be more festivals around Europe. How does the band select which ones to play at, and when was the last time you had a summer where the smell of portaloo didn't permeate your senses?

Karl: There's over a 1000 Music festivals in the UK alone according to Radio 4 and almost 70 major Rock/Metal festivals in Europe. Some we are invited to play others our Agent or myself make an approach. *Laughs* it's par for the course portaloo smell. It's been a few years for sure. Hopefully there will be more.

MoM: I didn't get to see you at Amplified. The weather was pretty grim. What attracted the band to Amplifed, how did you find it and how did your set go?

Karl: We were invited to be part of the inaugural festival. The lineup was varied which suits us. DH are not a thrash band and we are at times put in with the Thrash Guys. The weather yes was horrible; our set was great we closed the show with a full roar.

MoM: You're always asked about the Metallica connections and there seem to be more and more bands who list Diamond Head as an influence. I know you weren't in the band in the very early days but I'm sure that Brian and the band must be proud of the Diamond Head influence. Which were the band's that influenced you to take up music?

Karl: Correct I was not part of the original line up. I've been working with Brian since 84-85 and I worked with Sean on the ill-fated Notorious project. I was part of the NWOBHM movement with a band called Requiem now Rekuiem. Being championed by Metallica is a humbling experience, at the same time a very rewarding feeling, it can be an albatross at times though. Lots of bands we meet state DH were a big influence on their playing or style.

Way back I played trumpet for 10 years. Made it to the county orchestra and big band. The drummer quit and I thought I would give it a go as he seemed to be getting all the solos and applause. So the Jazz Kats were a big influence on my playing. Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa etc. Slade as a youngster were a massive influence for me and I've had the pleasure of working with Jimmy Lea.

Once I got into Rock it was AC/DC I saw them 9 times on the Highway to Hell tour, UFO. Deep Purple. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath all the bands really from the late 60' through the 70's Tubular Bells. When I started I thought " this would be great to make a living doing. However, As a I was a trumpet player when I started my journey into rock my goal was The London Philharmonic or the BBC Radio Orchestra.

MoM: The last album was the first to feature Rasmus. I reviewed it for the blog and called it a solid slab of hard rock. What was the reaction to the album like?

Karl: The reaction has been phenomenal. Way beyond our expectations and thanks for the plaudits. We never imagined it would be so well received.

MoM: It was your first album for several years. I'm interested to know how the recording process had changed in that time. Were there any particular challenges which you hadn't encountered before?

Karl: This time we went into a studio as a band. On What's In Your Head? I put the drums down at my place in California and sent the files back to the guys; which is a way folks work these days. We wanted to make the album more like the old days when you get a smile when it starts feeling good or you drop a clam and the guys say, “you fucked up there but it sounded great keep that”. No real challenges only how we were going to work as a band in the studio.

MoM: And you've just laid down your work for the new album. What can we expect and when does it drop?

Karl: More of the same we hope and April / May next year. Again, it was old school in a room going through the parts. We booked Circle Studios in Birmingham and I nailed the drums in just under two days.

MoM: Congratulations on the Murat Diril endorsement. What does that mean in practical terms for you?

Karl: For me it's a crowning achievement. We played Bang Your Head Festival and it's the first time I've done a show as a Cymbal (Murat Diril) drumhead (Remo) drumstick (Vic Firth) and drum (Crockett Tubs) endorser. CT have just finished a 26" bass drum set for me in antique mother of pearl finish. Be using it in Vegas and the upcoming US / Canadian tour. I stoked about that. Old school baby

MoM: What music do you listen to? Is there anything that would surprise us?

Karl: I listen to most things. I'm a big Jazz (Big Band) fan. When you here the drummer swinging and driving the band it's like a freight train and nothing's going to stop it. Stuff with groove and a pocket. When I studied at the Drummers Collective in NYC I became exposed to lots of stuff. Afro Cuban, Fusion, Be Bop etc. I've always listened to Motown and RnB. There's a couple of Kats that I listen to for inspirational moments. When I was invited to be part of the Bonzo Bash which was a great experience. I got to hang with many of my peers. I started re-listening to Zeppelin. There's a lot of Jazz and RnB in Bonzo's playing.

MoM: I'd like to finish by asking you to tell us something interesting about Karl Wilcox.

Karl: I'm a huge Humphrey Bogart fan and a fan of Film Noir. I'm currently looking to buy a house in France and raise a few goats I enjoy 4 X 4 desert roaming in a jeep and listening to plays/audio books. I'm constantly working on improving my playing and technique. I enjoy talking and debating.

MoM: Good luck with the album. I really appreciate the time taken for this.

Karl: Thanks for asking Paul. Hope to meet up at a gig or festival in the near future.

Reviews: Kim Seviour, Arturius, Doom Side Of The Moon

Kim Seviour: Recovery Is Learning (White Star Records)

Kim Seviour is the former vocalist of British prog act Touchstone, she had to step down from the band she was with for the best part of a decade due to health issues. However despite not being with the band anymore she was still focused on writing and recording new music. The music on this record as the title probably suggests was written while Kim was coming to terms with her CFS, she found solace in the music and art she loved so the record acts as part of her catharsis.

The record was written in conjunction with John Mitchell (Frost, Lonely Robot, Co-Owner White Star Records) who I believe not only co-wrote most of the music but also plays most of the instrumentation and produces the record, the collaborations between John and Kim grew naturally with Kim putting her heart on her sleeve for most of the albums lyrical content.

As I've said it's a cathartic record and interviews have revealed it gave her a sense of freedom to explore a little more with the compositions despite being very ill during the recording. Kim's vocals have always been beautiful, playful and pure, her angelic tones are perfect for the emotional Where She Sleeps and Fabergé which are both slow burning tracks with a lot of drama, but she also shows she can still go pure prog of The Dive while Recovery Is Learning is an uplifting anthemic title track.

Every song has different style to it letting you explore her musical freedom with every listen, personally I think she's hit gold with the prog pop of Mother Wisdom which is one of my favourite songs on the record. I've always been drawn to Kim's voice Touchstone ranked very highly in the UK prog scene for me and it was pleasure seeing her on their final tour dates, this solo record has everything good from that period but this frank and earnest record take more creative risks, which can only be a good thing. 9/10

Arturius: Arturius (Self Released)

Well this came out of nowhere, Arturius are a Swedish symphonic metal band, they have apparently been around fro 10 years but this surprisingly is their debut album. What attracted me was the mythical story line, the moody masquerade promo shots and the inclusion of Spiritual Beggars, ex-Firewind front man Apollo who returns to the power/symphonic metal genre for the first time since leaving the Greek band. Arturius are a different prospect than Apollo's previous employers though the use of orchestral synths and cinematic flourishes mean that the record has more in common with Kamelot or Serenity.

The whole album carefully treads the balance between hard rock anthems, galloping metal and classical overtures (the track Arturius Theme is a stirring instrumental while Emperor's Herd to lures you in as a Zimmer-like piece) meaning that despite the rough and readiness of the production the record doesn't just pass you by.

The band are helped by their intelligent compositions which are progressive and melodic enough for broad appeal, the record is made by the players with all of them at their best as the synths are the major element of but the guitars shred and solo, the bass gallops like a thoroughbred at Kemptown and the drums rumble and rock from the outset. The record is moody, heavy, dramatic and does sound an awful lot like Apollo fronting Kamelot especially when the female vocals come in for the duets of 7 Days & 7 Nights before the  the female singer (there is very little info on band members) takes the lead on the breezy love ballad Always Will.

This record is a bit of mystery, I've never heard of the band, I know none of the members (other than Apollo) but the music is right up my street, conceptual, symphonically led metal that is equally as influenced by Andrew Lloyd Webber as it is Iron Maiden. A strong debut record that would be very special if given better production values, still you can't fault the music on offer. 8/10

Doom Side Of The Moon: Doom Side Of The Moon (Self Released)

I'm a massive Pink Floyd fan, I've got every album, seen every DVD, watched every tribute act, seen both David Gilmour and Roger Waters and hell I even saw Floyd reunite at Live 8 (watching them twice in 2 days). Because of my fandom I have also heard every iteration of every Floyd song, from Gvt Mule, through to Blue Floyd there is very few Pink Floyd covers, reinterpretations or projects I haven't heard.

I will admit though most of them are shit, some are good and some even come close to abysmal but on the whole it takes a special kind of band to really nail the other-worldliness of the Floydian soundscapes (Anathema & Crippled Black Phoenix stand up please). So coming out of Texas like a Pig On The Wing, the Doom Side Of The Moon project have formed to play, you guessed it, a doom metal tribute to Pink Floyd's seminal album (the 7th highest selling album of all time and the highest album in the list never to be number one).

The whole project was the idea of The Sword guitarist Kyle Shutt who came up with it after consuming some suspect substances. Roped in to help him are The Sword band mates Bryan Ritchie (bass), Santiago Vela III (drums) along with Alex Marrow of Brownout/Brown Sabbath (vocals), Jason Frey (Sax) and Joe Cornetti (keys) and rounding out the project is Stuart Sikes who sits int he Alan Parsons chair of being engineer and mixer. 

For a project it's pretty ambitious, not content with maybe a cover song on an album the band have set about covering Dark Side Of The Moon in sequence in it's entirety but with a heavier emphasis on low tuned guitars. Due to the reasons stated in my preamble I expected to hate this but I really, really don't. It's actually really lovingly done, the rock elements are heavier by a country mile but they don't detract from the iconic songs, there are still those long instrumental sections you know. 

However tracks such as Money, Time and Us And Them are given a meaner sound but the heaviness is never overwhelming, this is more Clutch than Electric Wizard with dreamy desert rock and fuzzy stoner the major soundscapes. What I found particularly interesting was the way they adapted the songs, The Great Gig In The Sky for instance hasn't got Clare Torry's immense vocal performance but a sterling effort from the sax. Many will hate this and label it blasphemy but not me, I like this album I played it back to back with the original and it is so faithfully recreated that I loved every second of it, now if only I could by a physical copy in the UK? 9/10    

Reviews: Dyscarnate, National Suicide, Overoth (Reviews By Rich)

Dyscarnate: With All Their Might (Unique Leader Records)

Back in 2012 with the release of their previous album And So It Came To Pass, Dyscarnate were the centre of adoration in the UK metal media cited as 'The Kings Of UK Death Metal' but seemingly went into hibernation afterwards. Now with the release of their third album With All Their Might they are ready to take back that title and with the strength of this album Dyscarnate are going to be conquering everywhere. This is a hulking colossus of an album with riffs that could flatten a city and the aural intensity of being hit by a lorry at 90 mph. 

Songs twist and turn from the bludgeoning groove of Iron Strengthens Iron to the explosive attack of All The Devils Are Here to the almost Godflesh-like ominous atmosphere of closer Nothing Seems Right. This is an absolutely no thrills death metal album with no flashy technicality but which uses the simple power of the riff to absolutely annihilate everything in its path. It's an approach used by many bands but the quality of music on display here is far and above nearly every death metal album I've heard this year. An absolutely flawless release and possible contender for album of the year. 10/10

National Suicide: Massacre Elite (Scarlet Records)

Since the thrash metal resurgence in the early 2000's the metal scene has been absolutely bombarded by bands trying to recapture that 80's thrash metal sound. Some of those bands have done tremendously well and are now looked on as fondly as the original thrash bands from the 80's but at the same time there is an ocean of these retro thrash bands that get lost in mediocrity or simply don't get noticed. National Suicide are one of these bands who have slipped under my radar and I'm a massive thrash metal addict which is a damn shame as Massacre Elite is a brilliant piece of old school thrash metal. 

Massacre Elite is the third album for these Italian thrashers and it is one of those thrash albums which really recaptures the spirit of the 80's scene with a sound that is frantic, chaotic and damn good fun. There is an absolute plethora of riffs on display which will not fail to get your head banging included in songs such as I'm Not A Zombie, Take Me To The Dive Bar to the all out speed of the title track. The vocals of frontman Stefano Mini have that old school appeal sounding like a cross between Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and Udo Dirkschneider. If you don't like thrash metal then this album is definitely not one for you but if like myself you love a good thrashing then this album is definitely recommended. It completely lacks in originality but 100% channels the party spirit of old school thrash metal. 8/10

Overoth: The Forgotten Tome (Hostile Media)

The Forgotten Tome is the second album by Belfast death metallers Overoth. Overoth are a band that seem to have attained a lot of hype in the UK extreme metal scene and that hype is most rightly justified with this album. Overoth perform a very dark and brutal style of death metal which although rooted in old school death metal has a very modern sound to it. There are also hints of black metal through some of the tremolo picked riffs in the albums duration. Overoth also incorporate a symphonic element with a huge sweeping orchestration which sounds cinematic and epic in scale. 

The vocal style used by frontman Andy Ennis is suitable guttural and compliments the evil and malevolent feel throughout the album. Symphonic death metal is a style becoming more prevalent in extreme metal popularised by bands such as SepticFlesh, Fleshgod Apocalypse and Shade Empire and with strength of The Forgotten Tome, Overoth rightly deserve to stand up there with the other bands in this subgenre. A highly recommended release showing that the UK is fast becoming a major player when it comes to extreme metal in 2017. 8/10

Reviews: Venom Inc, Rex Brown, Dawn Of Disease, Thor (Review By Paul)

Venom Inc: Avè (Nuclear Blast)

Way back in the early 1980s a black metal band from the North East blew a hole in the metal establishment. Venom were the originators of early black metal. Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon, a three-piece outfit shook the world and their influence in whole movements of metal cannot be underestimated. Despite the contempt which many held them in at the time, there is no disputing that Black Metal, Welcome To Hell and At War With Satan are legendary albums. Since then of course, it’s all gone a bit weird with numerous line-up changes and tepid albums. Cronos continues to perform and record with his own line up under the band’s original moniker whilst Abaddon and Mantas returned with the rather unimaginative Venom Inc, alongside bassist and vocalist Tony ‘The Demolition Man’ Dolan, reuniting the Prime Evil era line-up of 1989-92.

Avè is the latest work and overall, it’s a decent release. For those of us around in the early 1980s, the most noticeable thing is how much more accomplished the musicianship is on this album. It retains some of that raw grit of the early days, with Mantas’ guitar riffs instantly recognisable on opening track Avè Satanas. Dolan’s vocals are gruff but work perfectly whilst Abaddon’s powerful drumming is impressive throughout the album. There’s little to grumble about on this release to be honest. It’s hard, aggressive and dripping with anti-Christian sentiment and Satanic imagery. The sinister Dein Fleisch with its industrial tone, the battering ram approach of War and the savagery of I Kneel To No God are all good honest neck breakers. Comparisons with From The Very Depths are inevitable and I still prefer the snarl of Cronos to Dolan’s growl but this isn’t a bad release in any way. Apart from the Saville impression that closes the release. Possibly the most sinister moment on the entire album. 8/10

Rex Brown: Smoke On This (Entertainment One)

The former Pantera man has kept a relatively low profile over the past few years (apart from his work with Kill Devil Hill) but he’s returned with a blues soaked rocker which improves with every listen. The rocking edge of Low Rider opens the album with Brown’s southern drawl impressing. His fuzzy bass lines are complimented by the lead guitar work of Lance Harvill and Joe Shadid whilst drummer Johnny Kelly keeps compact time on the skins. There’s also some sweet Hammond tucked away. It’s a refreshing release, veering towards country rock at times but the Cajun sound of the Deep South is never far away. Buried Alive has shades of Zack Wylde whilst the heaviness returns for Train Song. There’s also more than a bit of Brown’s early musical influences hidden amongst the tracks with The Beatles one of the more obvious, for example on the gentle Fault Lines. Best Of Me is a perfect calming song whilst album closer One Of These Days smoulders before allowing Brown to conclude a fine album in style. 8/10

Dawn Of Disease: Ascension Gate (Napalm Records)

Many death metal bands lurk in the shadows for years and years. German outfit Dawn Of Disease probably fit into that category. Their fourth album Ascension Gate is a solid if unspectacular offering with all the death metal checklist fully ticked. Mammoth riffs, cascading atmospheric arrangements and some quite delicious hooks at times. The band reformed in 2009 after a two-year hiatus and most of the original line up remain. Most notable is vocalist Tomasz Wisniewski, whose gravel gargling delivery draws immediate comparisons with Swede Johann Hegg of Amon Amarth. I’ve played this album several times and it does grow considerably. It just doesn’t quite capture the attention in the same way other bands can do. Perfectly competent, I’d really like to see these guys in the live arena where I bet they are monstrous. 7/10

Thor: Beyond The Pain Barrier (Deadline Music)

Back in the 1970s a Canadian body builder decided it would be a brilliant idea to combine rock with muscle. Thor the band was born. Jon Mikl Thor was the instigator; a former Mr Canada, Mr USA and no doubt Mr Small Penis. In 1984 Thor took up residence in the UK and we were subjected to the banality of Thunder In The Tundra, Let The Blood Run Red and other such gems. His 1985 album Only The Strong received reasonable responses but I recall at the time wondering how long he would last. Apparently, all those steroids prolonged his career and his back catalogue is quite astonishing.

Well kids, by Odin’s beard, the muscle bound one is back again and still unable to get that box down from the top shelf. However, he has managed to squeeze out a stinking turd of an album which is the worst piece of crap I’ve heard for many a long year. Completely out of tune, the singing is excruciating and the irony of listening to a wailing twat howling about Beyond The Pain Barrier is not lost on me. However, there are many contenders for the golden shite stick award of most dreadful song on the album. I present On Golden Sea as a challenger, whilst opener Tyrant sucks more than a toothless grannie with Wayne Rooney.

This really is 52 minutes of your life that you’ll never get back but if you want to listen to lyrics of utter bollocks, then I dare you to listen to Galactic Sun, three minutes of utter tripe. If a worse album than this exists then please lock it in a lead lined box and drop it deep into the Atlantic Ocean. Yes, I’ll permit the littering. If you step in this album be warned, you’ll never get it off your shoe again. To quote Marty Dibergi (Rob Reiner) in Spinal Tap, it’s a shit sandwich. 2/10

Reviews: Nightlord, Devil Electric, Subservience, EZoo

Nightlord: Reborn In Darkness (Evil EyE Records)

Nightlord come from that wave of British thrash bands that took on the American big boys in the late 90's as they morphed into more mainstream commodities bands such as Onslaught, Lawnmower Death, Xentrix, Acid Reign and Nightlord retained that all important spirit of the underground that thrash needs to really put across it's point. The band lasted for one Demo and an EP before splitting in 1993, but as is the circular nature of these things they returned in 2010 right as a new breed of British thrash was in full swing. In that time there have been tours along with the band organising Titanfest but new music has not been forth coming, fortunately they now have a full length album which is technically their debut full length.

So what is Reborn In Darkness actually like to listen to after all this time? Well the style is summed up by Very Metal Art's modern but retro artwork of chained Golem in the titular darkness, this record is a retro as it gets in 2017. Proper, snarling old school thrash, volatile riffs and a pounding rhythm section that get your head banging for all your worth, the record was produced by Chris Tsangarides (Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Dickinson, Exodus, Helloween, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy) who used analogue equipment to make this record sound as if it has come straight out 1990, Nightlord have got everything you'd want from a thrash band they can do chunky grooves (Last Rise Of Our Dying Sun), crunching doom on Ghosts From The Machine and pit inducing madness on Butcher's Bill. Reborn In Darkness is Nightborn returning to the metal scene with a statement of intent, British thrash has always been the underdog but that's the way we like it! Get in the pit! 7/10

Devil Electric: S/T (Kozmik Artifactz)

Do we need another occult loving, female fronted, doom band? Well if you follow Australian band Devil Electric then you'd answer yes as this is exactly what they are. When I reviewed the bands previous four track EP I said they had promise and this promised has developed into real talent, they have managed to bring a blues rock undercurrent to the classic Sabbathian (it's a word) riffs. The songs brood and swagger with a cocksure confidence as Pierina O'Brien conducts the ceremony with her banshee-like wail as the big riffs of Christos Athanasias (guitar) and Tom Hulse (bass) crash through on Acidic Fire, Lady Velvet as Mark Van De Beek is the anchor for everything.

Hulse brings the low end noise to the knuckle dragging heaviness of the instrumental Monolith which is followed by the albums doomiest song The Dove & The Serpent (which originally appeared on the EP). The debut from Devil Electric is a moody, mysterious record with huge doom riffs throughout, there are a wealth of occult doom bands at the moment but this Aussie mob bring a flair that will see them shashy out from the crowd. 7/10   

Subservience: Forest Of The Impaled (Black Bow Records)

Well shave my head and call me Ross Kemp, Subservience get it, they understand how death metal is supposed to be done. Complicated instrumentals, throat shredding roars, a drummer with footwork faster than Usain Bolt, it's all here and it comes at you like a swarm of angry bees from the very first second, the songs twist with a progression that is never overwhelming, time signatures change but the pure skull crushing fury is retained.

Make no mistake though this isn't 'core or djent or anything else that many believe have diluted death metal it's about as old school as you can get the band site Death, Cannibal Corpse and Carcass as influences and you can hear all those hear as well as big fat helping of British death legends Bolt Thrower whom Subservience owe a massive debt to, with the Coventry band the clear frontrunner in the influence stakes for this West Sussex mob.

Forest Of The Impaled is loud, brash with a underlying groove and a technical ferocity that never detracts from the main bulk of the song, the production is just raw enough and the songs while all similar do have enough individuality so as not to make the record boring. If you can think of nothing better than windmilling in a pit full of your own ilk than Subservience maybe the soundtrack to your next whiplash. 8/10

EZoo: Feeding The Beast

Dario Mollo has teamed up with some of the best, but in many respects underrated vocalists in rock and metal, he's probably most known for his Cage project with Tony Martin (the third best singer in Black Sabbath), Glen Hughes in Voodoo Hill and most recently his Crossbones project with Carl Sentance (Nazarath/Persian Risk), this time it's the man who perfected the Hawaiian shirt look while fronting a rock band, Graham Bonnet. Unfortunately it's Graham Bonnett at his worst, his vocals are cracked and out of tune which means tracks such as You Are Your Wallet is hard to listen to.

Mollo is a more than capable guitarist relying heavily as always on his neo-classical style of playing, but these projects are always made by the vocalists and in this case Graham wakes up, puts on his shoes and blows it big time. His vocals are even terrible on songs he actually sang, this album features 3 Rainbow covers, one a lighter shitter version of Since You've Gone, one is an appalling rendition of Eyes Of The World and also as a bonus track All Night Long where Bonnet sounds like an impersonator badly doing bad karaoke. Unless you are Bonnet or Mollo completest then avoid and if you are then you should still avoid it as you're clearly barking mad. 2/10