Joe Bonamassa: Redemption (J&R Adventures/Mascot)
Redemption is probably Joe Bonamassa's masterpiece, I mean it really is. He's finally managed to incorporate all the sounds he's played with throughout his now lengthy career. With the drum fill from Zep's Rock N Roll kicking off Evil Mama hard rock is expected but blues licks and brass parps is what you get from this strutting opening number, then it's time for some boogie on the frothy King Bee Shakedown and like that the tide changes again with Molly O bringing the Celtic influenced heavy rock of Ballad Of John Henry as Deep In The Blues Again brings to mind his lesser know second and third records which married blues and early 2000's.
So far four songs in an it's a run through of Joey Bones career and it doesn't stop there, he's gets atmospheric for Self-Inflicted Wounds has him bearing his soul in the vein of Gary Moore continuing the theme of redemption that is at the core of this record and comes back on Just Cos You Can Don't Mean You Should. As the man himself puts it “I’m going through some other stuff in my life I didn’t expect to be going through.
It’s a rising, it’s contrition, it’s acceptance, it’s everything. It’s painful, but knowing that there’s a rising coming,”you can hear that as on what his 13th album overall, and his third with no covers he is really upping his game in what he wants to sound like and what he wants to present to others. Pick Up The Pieces has a soulful New Orleans slide ala Tom Waits, he strips things back to their bare minimum for Stronger Now In Broken Places using the talents of drummer Anton Fig, bassist Michael Rhodes, and keyboardist Reese Wynans.
Added to this there are horn players Lee Thornburg and Paulie Cerra, some extra vocalists such as harmony vocalist Gary Pinto and background singers Mahalia Barnes, Jade McRae, Juanita Tippins. As an extra for this record super-producer extraordinaire Kevin Shirley introduced two additional guitar players, Kenny Greenberg and Doug Lancio who give the record it's more expressive tone. With guests including country singer Jamey Johnson on Ghost Of Macon Jones and Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie providing soundscapes on Stronger Now In Broken Places.
Kevin Shirley has said that there are at least two tracks missing from this album as they filled with recording right up to the last second, you can hear that it's a man who has been in the limelight for some time having a sort of creative catharsis and it's produced the best record of his career. I was losing faith a couple of albums ago but it's lucky (album) number 13 for Mr Bonamassa. Buy it! 9/10
Andrew Stockdale: Slipstream (Middle Man)
The second solo album from Wolfmother frontman Andrew Stockdale is not a Wolfmother album, his first was written while his main band was on hiatus so it was always going to have songs written for the his day job. This second album comes while Wolfmother are still showing concern so it means that Stockdale can experiment a bit more with the sounds that influence him away from the colossal slabs of heavy rock, there's proto-metal on Of The Dark, hazy Beatles psychedelia (Sunshine), Mott/Bowie glam stomping (Lazy & Remember) and folky pieces like Dreamy Afternoon.
It's the sort of songs that wouldn't sit on Wolfmother records too comfortably but show the incredible versatility of Stockdale. That's not to say he hasn't got rock on here as the title track is a pretty heavy prog rocker with some bluesy slide guitar that has the classic Stockdale finesse. Vocally unique as always and able to turn his hand to anything Slipstream is a rocking affair that sits as a side to his main band. 7/10
MaYan: Dhyana (Nuclear Blast)
The third album from Epica mastermind Mark Jansen and Ex-After Forever Jack Driessen once again is a cinematic, death metal record which puts various vocals styles, death metal and orchestrals together for a seriously epic music. This album goes one step further than previous efforts by recruiting a full live orchestra for this third album, they have managed to secure the participation of The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (who recently appeared on the latest Dimmu album), who do add another dimension to the cinematic metal of MaYan. it's almost operatic in tone the full orchestra bringing depth to the multiple vocal lines that has four sets of harsh vocals two female voices and one male clean vocal, see the title track for the purest form of opera on the record, but it's quickly back to thundering symphonic death metal on Rebirth From Despair.
They have also brought yet more musicians into the band with the addition of the grunts of George Oosthoek, the intense playing of Merel Bechtold (Delain) and Frank Schiphorst is relentless aided by the 6 -String bass playing of Roel Käller, while Adam Denlinger handles all the clean male vocals in the place of Henning Basse who is now a part of Firewind. The female vocals are Laura Macri (soprano) and Marcela Bovio (clean) letting Jansen, drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek and keyboardist Jack Driessen. It's a lot to take in (as usual) so take a breath and put aside an afternoon to fully experience this record, if you've always thought the Dutch metal scene was a little rinse-and-repeat MaYan turns everything up to it's maximum pomp. 8/10
Electric Citizen: Helltown (Riding Easy Records)
The third album from Cincinnati rockers Electric Citizen is somewhat of an ode to the past. Named after the part of Cincy they hail from it got it's name from the rowdy bars of the 1800's now though it's called Northside and is much more sanitary. This idea can also be used to describe Electric Citizen's new record on their previous effort they experimented a little adding cleaver riffs and more drawn out passages but found they didn't enjoy every aspect of this so Helltown is then reverting back to the form of their debut with gritty Sabbath-styled fuzz riffage and short 3 minute rockers driven by Ross Dolan's mean guitar licks (Ripper) and dramatic almost ghostly vocals of Laura Dolan, see Heart Attack. The album also welcomed back original bassist Nick Vogelpohl who forms a sturdy rhythm section with Nate Wagner for the groovier offerings like the atmospheric Father Time. Nine tracks of dirty Sabbath worship is what you get from Electric Citizen there's not a lot else I can say, if you worship the riff then go on down to Helltown. 7/10
Thursday, 27 September 2018
A View From The Back Of The Room: Winterfylleth (Live Review By Paul H)
Winterfylleth, Meus, Wolcensmen, The Canal Bar, Nottingham
Following the release of one of 2018’s best albums, The Hallowing Of Heirdom, Mancunian atmospheric black metallers Winterfylleth decided to take the acoustic album out on the road. Selecting a few choice venues which suited the neo-folk style of the album, the band took in Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham and London before heading to Belgium and Holland. The Dublin date fell to the weather, proving once again that the glamour of a touring band is non-existent. Travelling to Ireland and back by ferry when you have gigs book-ending the trip is challenging at any time.
Heading to Nottingham for the Sunday night gig on the tour, on first impressions the Canal Bar seemed to be an ideal venue. The function room about the main pub which stocks about a billion ales from all over the world was decked out with low lighting, many tealight candles and a couple of magnificent candle sticks which added to the ambiance and slow burning atmosphere. A seated gig, with a capacity of around 100, this was about as intimate an evening as you could get. Disappointingly, as the evening progressed, the behaviour of a few members of the audience soured what was a magical event; their constant chatter during key elements of the three sets was both infuriating and disrespectful to their fellow fans. Seeing these arseholes giving Winterfylleth a standing ovation was mighty irritating, given that they had talked loudly through most of the set.
Last year guitarist Dan Capp released a long-time piece of work, the debut album by his neofolk side project Wolcensmen (8). Songs From The Fyregen, described as epic heathen English folk, was amongst my top albums of the year. With Capp having provided most of the work on the album, he called upon his brothers in Winterfylleth to help live and the band and additional touring musicians were happy to oblige. A 30-minute set allowed Capp to showcase tracks from the album such as The Bekens Are Aliht, Hoofes Upon The Shymmeringe Path and The Fyre-Bough to an enchanted audience. Humble and unassuming, Capp led the band superbly through this acoustic set and whilst it was challenging to see the stage due to the layout of the room, the music was perfect. Transported away to a different time and place, it was easy to close one’s eyes and just relax. Maybe a bit too easy!
Next up was Meus (7), an English instrumental black metal folk band which consists of Tom Snelgrove and supporting musician. Meus played relaxing acoustic numbers which really encouraged you to sit back, close the eyes and allow the music to drift over and around. Despite the idiot quota rapidly increasing, the 40 minutes were enjoyable and perfectly in keeping with the atmosphere of the event. A solid choice of support.
The Hallowing Of Heirdom offered reprieve from the usual onslaught of black metal that Winterfylleth produce so well. Intimate and warm, melancholic and gentle, this is an album that you can get lost in for hours. The challenge was to deliver this perfect piece of music in the live setting. Well, I can assure you that this challenge was accepted and successfully met. The five members of the Winterfylleth (10), Dan Capp, Chris Naughton, Nick Wallwork, Simon Lucas and Mark Deeks joined by the beautiful strings of Ele Leckie on Cello and Bianca Blezard on violin produced one of the most fabulous evenings of music I’ve ever attended. Opening with The Shepherd, most of the audience was spellbound from the opening chords. Naughton, Capp and Deeks harmonised singing was fantastic, whilst there was rarely a note out of tune, some challenge in an acoustic show.
Following the release of one of 2018’s best albums, The Hallowing Of Heirdom, Mancunian atmospheric black metallers Winterfylleth decided to take the acoustic album out on the road. Selecting a few choice venues which suited the neo-folk style of the album, the band took in Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham and London before heading to Belgium and Holland. The Dublin date fell to the weather, proving once again that the glamour of a touring band is non-existent. Travelling to Ireland and back by ferry when you have gigs book-ending the trip is challenging at any time.
Heading to Nottingham for the Sunday night gig on the tour, on first impressions the Canal Bar seemed to be an ideal venue. The function room about the main pub which stocks about a billion ales from all over the world was decked out with low lighting, many tealight candles and a couple of magnificent candle sticks which added to the ambiance and slow burning atmosphere. A seated gig, with a capacity of around 100, this was about as intimate an evening as you could get. Disappointingly, as the evening progressed, the behaviour of a few members of the audience soured what was a magical event; their constant chatter during key elements of the three sets was both infuriating and disrespectful to their fellow fans. Seeing these arseholes giving Winterfylleth a standing ovation was mighty irritating, given that they had talked loudly through most of the set.
Last year guitarist Dan Capp released a long-time piece of work, the debut album by his neofolk side project Wolcensmen (8). Songs From The Fyregen, described as epic heathen English folk, was amongst my top albums of the year. With Capp having provided most of the work on the album, he called upon his brothers in Winterfylleth to help live and the band and additional touring musicians were happy to oblige. A 30-minute set allowed Capp to showcase tracks from the album such as The Bekens Are Aliht, Hoofes Upon The Shymmeringe Path and The Fyre-Bough to an enchanted audience. Humble and unassuming, Capp led the band superbly through this acoustic set and whilst it was challenging to see the stage due to the layout of the room, the music was perfect. Transported away to a different time and place, it was easy to close one’s eyes and just relax. Maybe a bit too easy!
Next up was Meus (7), an English instrumental black metal folk band which consists of Tom Snelgrove and supporting musician. Meus played relaxing acoustic numbers which really encouraged you to sit back, close the eyes and allow the music to drift over and around. Despite the idiot quota rapidly increasing, the 40 minutes were enjoyable and perfectly in keeping with the atmosphere of the event. A solid choice of support.
The Hallowing Of Heirdom offered reprieve from the usual onslaught of black metal that Winterfylleth produce so well. Intimate and warm, melancholic and gentle, this is an album that you can get lost in for hours. The challenge was to deliver this perfect piece of music in the live setting. Well, I can assure you that this challenge was accepted and successfully met. The five members of the Winterfylleth (10), Dan Capp, Chris Naughton, Nick Wallwork, Simon Lucas and Mark Deeks joined by the beautiful strings of Ele Leckie on Cello and Bianca Blezard on violin produced one of the most fabulous evenings of music I’ve ever attended. Opening with The Shepherd, most of the audience was spellbound from the opening chords. Naughton, Capp and Deeks harmonised singing was fantastic, whilst there was rarely a note out of tune, some challenge in an acoustic show.
Chris Naughton’s explanations of the meanings behind songs such as Acerbot and Elder Mother were enlightening, whilst the enchantment of The Nymph and Latch To A Grave performed flawlessly. Mark Deeks’ sympathetic synths added layered warmth with Simon Lucas’ simple and delicate percussion complimenting the three guitars of Capp, Naughton and Wallwork. It wasn’t just The Hallowing Of Heirdom though, with the beautiful and delicate Children Of The Stones from The Mercian Sphere and The World Ahead from The Divination Of Antiquity fitting into the set with ease.
Moving position for the last couple of songs also afforded a better view of the band on the small stage and allowed me to experience the title track without the constant chatter from those at the bar. It was worth the move as the band concluded this special evening with the hairs on my neck standing up. Atmospheric, haunting, inspirational and exceptional. This was an evening to remember and for most of those present, one that will live long in the memory.
Moving position for the last couple of songs also afforded a better view of the band on the small stage and allowed me to experience the title track without the constant chatter from those at the bar. It was worth the move as the band concluded this special evening with the hairs on my neck standing up. Atmospheric, haunting, inspirational and exceptional. This was an evening to remember and for most of those present, one that will live long in the memory.
Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Reviews: Ann Wilson, Hawkwind, Nashville Pussy, Tantara (Reviews By Paul)
Ann Wilson: Immortal (BMG)
For someone who once professed to hate cover albums Immortal is a radical turnaround. Of course, the voice of Heart, Ann Wilson, has already released a covers album in 2007, Hope & Glory, with tracks focusing on war the plight of refugees. With Immortal she focuses on more obscure covers of musicians who are no longer with us, with at least one eye on the world as it exists around us today. With Warren Haynes and Ben Mink amongst the musicians on board, this is a beautifully crafted album which allows one of rock’s most powerful and recognisable voices to once again reach out.
With Heart on indefinite hiatus following their well-publicised bust up in 2016, it’s certainly good to hear that the 68-year-old remains on good form. Immortal tackles those fewer lesser known tracks, making this release even more essential. The smoky paced, Parisian themed cover of Tom Petty’s Luna is haunting. I Am The Highway, originally performed by Audioslave and Wilson’s acknowledgement of Chris Cornell produces a lump in the throat. Probably the most well-known tracks here are the Eagles’ Life In The Fast Lane, and the Gerry Rafferty track Baker Street, both of which are delivered with Wilson’s typical panache. With a heart breaking Back To Black (Amy Winehouse) and the album opener George Michael’s A Different Corner, it’s clear that Wilson has carefully chosen these songs not only honour those no longer with us but also because of their resonance on the world around us.
As Wilson stated in Classic Rock recently, “I tried to choose songs from artists who cried out about the world”. With Bowie’s I’m Afraid Of Americans, Cream’s Politician also included, and a performance from Wilson that is fabulous, this is an album very much worth taking the time to listen to. 9/10
Hawkwind: Road To Utopia (Cherry Red Records)
Forever associated with space rock and sacking Lemmy, there is so much more to Hawkwind. Half a century and counting, their 30 studio albums have assembled a back catalogue of magical music, along with some right dross. It’s inevitable. A chance meeting between Dave Brock and songwriter and conductor Mike Batt in the queue at the US embassy for a visa has led to this unlikely collaboration on album 31, and it’s a bit of a marmite release. Reworked versions of some of Hawkwind’s classic songs, with big brass and string quartets has left some of Dave Brock’s guitar hidden in the mix. Opener Quark Strangeness And Charm may lack Bob Calvert’s original vocal but there’s something quite appealing to the brass section that dominates. The Watcher, from 1972’s Doremi Fasol Latido, written and sung by Lemmy on his first Hawkwind album, has a guest appearance from old Slow Hand Eric Clapton whose laid-back blues style combined with Dave Brock’s harmonica gives the song a complete overhaul, but you still feel the heart of the song.
Brock takes lead vocals on We Took The Wrong Turn Years Ago, from 1971’s In Search Of Space, and it’s a joy to hear the Hawkwind main man singing again; something he will do more of on the forthcoming tour with Mr Dibs having recently departed the band. Another departure since Road To Utopia was recorded of course is bassist Haz Wheaton, who has taken up position in Electric Wizard. The acoustic approach to Psychic Power lacks the gravitas of the 1978 original and Calvert’s vocal genius but it’s still a decent version, even with the school brass band feel. Batt’s influence is recognisable throughout, and at times I’m not convinced that the songs are enhanced by his approach.
The drawn-out string section on The Age Of The Micro Man along with an overblown saxophone adds an additional two minutes to the original with little benefit and the less said about the album cover the better from a band who once captivated me with their artwork (Sonic Attack, Chronicles Of The Black Sword etc.) I love Hawkwind and have tickets to two of their forthcoming dates. This isn’t a bad release, and at times it soars high. It just could have been better. 7/10
Nashville Pussy: Pleased To Eat You (EarMusic)
Strap yourselves in for the latest instalment from the psycho billy hard rock of Nashville Pussy, all the way from Atlanta, Georgia. Over 20 years since their formation, the band, whose line up is currently Blaine Cartwright, Ruyter Suys, Bonnie Buitrago and Ben Thomas. The good time hard rocking no shit given band have established a cult following over the years and seventh long player Pleased To Eat You is another slice of their groove ridden pie. Possibly not one to play for the mother, tracks such as Testify, with it’s chunky Hammond sound, the snarling One Bad Mother and the closing Motörhead like thunder of Tired Of Pretending That I Give A Shit (aren’t we all?) all demonstrate that there is plenty of life in the Pussy yet. 7/10
Tantara: Sum Of Forces (Indie Recordings)
Sometimes a good old bit of Bay Area thrash works wonders. Tantara fit that bill perfectly. Album number two, following 2012’s Based On Evil is unashamedly Bay Area all the way, with early Metallica, Exodus, Heathen and Vio-lence all influences evident on first listening. The chugging bass of Emil Sigstad Moen links sweetly with Stian Sannerud’s frantic drumming whilst there is no shortage of heavy riffage from lead guitarist Per Semb and Fredrik Bjerko. In fact, there is little to dislike about this 35-minute release providing you can deal with the rather high-pitched screeching of Bjerko’s somewhat disconcerting vocal delivery.
For someone who once professed to hate cover albums Immortal is a radical turnaround. Of course, the voice of Heart, Ann Wilson, has already released a covers album in 2007, Hope & Glory, with tracks focusing on war the plight of refugees. With Immortal she focuses on more obscure covers of musicians who are no longer with us, with at least one eye on the world as it exists around us today. With Warren Haynes and Ben Mink amongst the musicians on board, this is a beautifully crafted album which allows one of rock’s most powerful and recognisable voices to once again reach out.
With Heart on indefinite hiatus following their well-publicised bust up in 2016, it’s certainly good to hear that the 68-year-old remains on good form. Immortal tackles those fewer lesser known tracks, making this release even more essential. The smoky paced, Parisian themed cover of Tom Petty’s Luna is haunting. I Am The Highway, originally performed by Audioslave and Wilson’s acknowledgement of Chris Cornell produces a lump in the throat. Probably the most well-known tracks here are the Eagles’ Life In The Fast Lane, and the Gerry Rafferty track Baker Street, both of which are delivered with Wilson’s typical panache. With a heart breaking Back To Black (Amy Winehouse) and the album opener George Michael’s A Different Corner, it’s clear that Wilson has carefully chosen these songs not only honour those no longer with us but also because of their resonance on the world around us.
As Wilson stated in Classic Rock recently, “I tried to choose songs from artists who cried out about the world”. With Bowie’s I’m Afraid Of Americans, Cream’s Politician also included, and a performance from Wilson that is fabulous, this is an album very much worth taking the time to listen to. 9/10
Hawkwind: Road To Utopia (Cherry Red Records)
Forever associated with space rock and sacking Lemmy, there is so much more to Hawkwind. Half a century and counting, their 30 studio albums have assembled a back catalogue of magical music, along with some right dross. It’s inevitable. A chance meeting between Dave Brock and songwriter and conductor Mike Batt in the queue at the US embassy for a visa has led to this unlikely collaboration on album 31, and it’s a bit of a marmite release. Reworked versions of some of Hawkwind’s classic songs, with big brass and string quartets has left some of Dave Brock’s guitar hidden in the mix. Opener Quark Strangeness And Charm may lack Bob Calvert’s original vocal but there’s something quite appealing to the brass section that dominates. The Watcher, from 1972’s Doremi Fasol Latido, written and sung by Lemmy on his first Hawkwind album, has a guest appearance from old Slow Hand Eric Clapton whose laid-back blues style combined with Dave Brock’s harmonica gives the song a complete overhaul, but you still feel the heart of the song.
Brock takes lead vocals on We Took The Wrong Turn Years Ago, from 1971’s In Search Of Space, and it’s a joy to hear the Hawkwind main man singing again; something he will do more of on the forthcoming tour with Mr Dibs having recently departed the band. Another departure since Road To Utopia was recorded of course is bassist Haz Wheaton, who has taken up position in Electric Wizard. The acoustic approach to Psychic Power lacks the gravitas of the 1978 original and Calvert’s vocal genius but it’s still a decent version, even with the school brass band feel. Batt’s influence is recognisable throughout, and at times I’m not convinced that the songs are enhanced by his approach.
The drawn-out string section on The Age Of The Micro Man along with an overblown saxophone adds an additional two minutes to the original with little benefit and the less said about the album cover the better from a band who once captivated me with their artwork (Sonic Attack, Chronicles Of The Black Sword etc.) I love Hawkwind and have tickets to two of their forthcoming dates. This isn’t a bad release, and at times it soars high. It just could have been better. 7/10
Nashville Pussy: Pleased To Eat You (EarMusic)
Strap yourselves in for the latest instalment from the psycho billy hard rock of Nashville Pussy, all the way from Atlanta, Georgia. Over 20 years since their formation, the band, whose line up is currently Blaine Cartwright, Ruyter Suys, Bonnie Buitrago and Ben Thomas. The good time hard rocking no shit given band have established a cult following over the years and seventh long player Pleased To Eat You is another slice of their groove ridden pie. Possibly not one to play for the mother, tracks such as Testify, with it’s chunky Hammond sound, the snarling One Bad Mother and the closing Motörhead like thunder of Tired Of Pretending That I Give A Shit (aren’t we all?) all demonstrate that there is plenty of life in the Pussy yet. 7/10
Tantara: Sum Of Forces (Indie Recordings)
Sometimes a good old bit of Bay Area thrash works wonders. Tantara fit that bill perfectly. Album number two, following 2012’s Based On Evil is unashamedly Bay Area all the way, with early Metallica, Exodus, Heathen and Vio-lence all influences evident on first listening. The chugging bass of Emil Sigstad Moen links sweetly with Stian Sannerud’s frantic drumming whilst there is no shortage of heavy riffage from lead guitarist Per Semb and Fredrik Bjerko. In fact, there is little to dislike about this 35-minute release providing you can deal with the rather high-pitched screeching of Bjerko’s somewhat disconcerting vocal delivery.
If you can tolerate it, then the Norwegian thrashers deliver some meaty high paced tracks, all of which are eclipsed by the instrumental final track White Noise, which at over ten minutes long allows the band to let rip, paying homage to Metallica in fine style, although it does drag a little by the eight-minute mark. Minor quibble aside, it may not be original, but sometimes you need something a little less challenging without letting standards slip. Sum Of Forces does exactly what is required. 7/10
A View From The Back Of The Room: Vodun (Live Review By Paul H)
Vodun, Made Of Teeth, Kong Lives, Le Pub, Newport
The community run space known as Le Pub is a cracking venue. A large bar area, with the pub serving a range of different beers, stacks of alternatives for the non-drinker and even the option for tea and coffee, a vegan and vegetarian menu that is all delivered in biodegradable packaging, decent background music and an alternative feel, it’s a place where all can feel comfortable in their own skin. All prejudices left at the door thank you very much. Swing first right through the front door and you enter the live venue, which is a decent size which would accommodate 150 people at a push but comfortably hold up to about 100. Dog-leg to the left and you see the stage, low and small but certainly on a par with that of Fuel Rock Bar in Cardiff.
A fabulous evening’s entertainment was marred only by the fact that so few people were present. I counted 25 punters at the end of Vodun’s set, which is a travesty for a band who are just astonishing live. It’s a huge round of applause for Jamie of Pity My Brain Productions for having the guts to stick this event on; I only wish you had been rewarded with a better turnout.
For those who did venture out, this was glorious. First up was the stoner/doom and post metal four-piece Kong Lives (8) whose thunderous set got the evening off to a crushingly heavy start. The Newport band, who’ve been together since 2016 crashed through a storming 30-minute set of tracks from their first release, Kong Saves. Dai, Dibble, Luke and Kane certainly hit the right spot with their intense stoner drive proving captivating viewing. Kong Saves is available on Bandcamp and tracks such as the paint stripping Dimitri and the sludgy groove of McMaggot are well worth checking out.
Next up was the punk rock driven MC5 rawness of Made Of Teeth (7), a three-piece who certainly weren’t going to let the paltry audience affect their performance. Formed by former Taint member Chris West and Steve Jones (The Witches Drum, Oblong), who also perform in Spider Kitten, and joined by bassist Tom Cole (also of local band Lacertilla), Made Of Teeth produced an infernal racket which was to everyone’s liking, with plenty of heads nodding as the band blasted their way through tracks from their eponymous debut release. With West and Cole sharing vocal duties there was plenty of action to watch and with West earning bonus points for an excellent Celtic Frost shirt, Made of Teeth are another local band well worth a listen.
Of course, the main reason we were at Le Pub was to witness the sheer live experience of Vodun (9), the London based three-piece who’s recently released second album Ascend was being promoted. The band, Ogoun, The Marassa and Oya, were scintillating when they supported Church Of The Cosmic Skull in Bristol in 2016 and once again they proved to be absolutely astonishing. With Oya channelling the spirit with her powerful vocals, percussion and sheer presence, Ogun battling with her kit as if in combat with the devil himself and The Marassa laying down unspeakable riffage, Vodun delivered a 50-minute set crammed full of tunes from the new release and Possession, their debut album.
There is something deeply spiritual about this band and their performance, and the minutes flew by as the crowd was enchanted by their swirling, mysterious music. By the end of the set the audience, who had participated in some enthusiastic percussion were as exhausted as the band. Taking time to talk to all as we left the venue, Vodun and their two supports deserve to have a much bigger audience next time they hit South Wales.
The community run space known as Le Pub is a cracking venue. A large bar area, with the pub serving a range of different beers, stacks of alternatives for the non-drinker and even the option for tea and coffee, a vegan and vegetarian menu that is all delivered in biodegradable packaging, decent background music and an alternative feel, it’s a place where all can feel comfortable in their own skin. All prejudices left at the door thank you very much. Swing first right through the front door and you enter the live venue, which is a decent size which would accommodate 150 people at a push but comfortably hold up to about 100. Dog-leg to the left and you see the stage, low and small but certainly on a par with that of Fuel Rock Bar in Cardiff.
A fabulous evening’s entertainment was marred only by the fact that so few people were present. I counted 25 punters at the end of Vodun’s set, which is a travesty for a band who are just astonishing live. It’s a huge round of applause for Jamie of Pity My Brain Productions for having the guts to stick this event on; I only wish you had been rewarded with a better turnout.
For those who did venture out, this was glorious. First up was the stoner/doom and post metal four-piece Kong Lives (8) whose thunderous set got the evening off to a crushingly heavy start. The Newport band, who’ve been together since 2016 crashed through a storming 30-minute set of tracks from their first release, Kong Saves. Dai, Dibble, Luke and Kane certainly hit the right spot with their intense stoner drive proving captivating viewing. Kong Saves is available on Bandcamp and tracks such as the paint stripping Dimitri and the sludgy groove of McMaggot are well worth checking out.
Next up was the punk rock driven MC5 rawness of Made Of Teeth (7), a three-piece who certainly weren’t going to let the paltry audience affect their performance. Formed by former Taint member Chris West and Steve Jones (The Witches Drum, Oblong), who also perform in Spider Kitten, and joined by bassist Tom Cole (also of local band Lacertilla), Made Of Teeth produced an infernal racket which was to everyone’s liking, with plenty of heads nodding as the band blasted their way through tracks from their eponymous debut release. With West and Cole sharing vocal duties there was plenty of action to watch and with West earning bonus points for an excellent Celtic Frost shirt, Made of Teeth are another local band well worth a listen.
Of course, the main reason we were at Le Pub was to witness the sheer live experience of Vodun (9), the London based three-piece who’s recently released second album Ascend was being promoted. The band, Ogoun, The Marassa and Oya, were scintillating when they supported Church Of The Cosmic Skull in Bristol in 2016 and once again they proved to be absolutely astonishing. With Oya channelling the spirit with her powerful vocals, percussion and sheer presence, Ogun battling with her kit as if in combat with the devil himself and The Marassa laying down unspeakable riffage, Vodun delivered a 50-minute set crammed full of tunes from the new release and Possession, their debut album.
There is something deeply spiritual about this band and their performance, and the minutes flew by as the crowd was enchanted by their swirling, mysterious music. By the end of the set the audience, who had participated in some enthusiastic percussion were as exhausted as the band. Taking time to talk to all as we left the venue, Vodun and their two supports deserve to have a much bigger audience next time they hit South Wales.
Tuesday, 25 September 2018
Reviews: Ultha, Iamthemorning, Snakes In Paradise, Junkyard Drive, Into Eternity (Reviews By Paul H)
Ultha: The Inextricable Wandering (Century Media)
Black metal huh? A massively wide-ranging genre which encourages the elitists amongst the metal community to exercise their ‘superior’ knowledge of Bathory, Behemoth and Belphegor whilst mere mortals merely dabble. There are so many black metal outfits around these days that it’s nigh on impossible to keep tabs on them all if you also want to listen to any other genre. Hailing from Koln in Germany, Ultha’s melancholic yet ear splitting dark art peaks interest from the opening bars of The Avarist (Eyes Of A Tragedy). Although reminiscent of the atmospheric power of Wiegedood, Fen, Wode and Wolves In The Throne Room, Ultha instead insist they are focused towards the thicker end off grunge (Alice In Chains), noise rock (Helmet) and the gothic style of The Sisters Of Mercy and this certainly plays out.
Whatever they insist, the Germans third full length is a superb collaboration. Consisting of only six songs, it manages to clock in at over 65 minutes in length. With Knives To The Throat continues in the frenzied technical blur of the opening track before There Is No Love, High Up In The Gallows changes direction completely. Opening with haunting bird calls, this is six and a half minutes of electronic tone, individual notes held for the duration whilst an eerie symphonic concerto reminiscent of the music from the opera in The Phantom Menace plays out.
Cyanide Lips opens with ugly down tuned guitars, the beat of a lonely drum merely a precursor to the hell that follows, the track building incrementally on a single guitar riff before exploding into chaos. Use of repetition has long been a favoured tactic for the black metal musician and Ralph Schmidt and colleagues employ it to great effect throughout this descent into melancholia. We Only Speak In Darkness is mesmeric, the slow beat, darkened lyrics and echoing tone transport the listener into The Fields Of Nephilim territory before the quite magnificent 18 minute I’m Afraid To Follow You There, with its opening coldness enveloping the listener and draws you in. Whilst Ultha start this album in a true black metal style, there are many more elements in this complex machine. The Inextricable Wandering is an album that demands attention, commitment and repeated plays. The rewards for committing to this endeavour are massive with one of the most richly crafted releases of 2018. 9/10
Iamthemorning: Ocean Sounds (Kscope)
Russian duo Gleb Kolyadin and Marjana Semkina, known as Iamthemorning, have already released three albums, with their last two Belighted and Lighthouse highly-praised. Ocean Sounds is a new intimate studio film shot and named after a remote recording studio on Giske, a Norwegian Island. As well as the film, there is an accompanying CD with a setlist from the three albums along with an unplugged recording of Blue Sea, from their forthcoming fourth album (only on the Blu-Ray release unfortunately). With Lighthouse winning the 2016 Progressive Music Award for Album of the Year and Semkina also winning female vocalist of the Year in Prog Magazine in the same year, the band has clearly laid strong foundations on which to build.
Ocean Sounds is certainly a delicate and delicious release. Semkina’s vocals are a delight, crystal clear, ranging from ethereal to full out rock chick, whilst the beautiful compositions of Kolyadin and the additional musicians provides an almost spiritual experience. Unlike many of their peers, the tracks are not unduly long, with only three of the 12 tracks lasting over four minutes. Ocean Sounds is at times totally captivating. There is the dramatic Scotland with its spiralling string section. Or the thought provoking Os Lunatum with its wild solo piano accompaniment joined towards the end by additional strings and drums. Although there is no doubt that chamber prog rock is not a taste shared by all, Ocean Sounds is an album that is well worth a listen, even if just for a change from the norm. 8/10
Snakes In Paradise: Step Into The Light (Frontiers Records)
Another Frontiers band to cross our paths, Snakes In Paradise are from Stockholm, Sweden. Step Into The Light is the band’s fourth album, but their first since 2002’s Dangerous Love. Having released their debut album way back in 1994, you kind of wonder why it’s taken until now to get album number four out. Heavy on the 1980s melodic rock style, rich synthesisers merging with dual guitar work, smooth bluesy vocals and soaring harmonies as 12 tracks of pulsating melodic rock cascade over you. With a huge nod to the late 80s Whitesnake present throughout, it’s nothing new but AOR is always a bit of fun when done well. Will You Remember Me is super ghastly, but like a rabid earworm the bastard is also hauntingly catchy, much like an STD. Think Asia’s most stomach-turning tunes and this is roughly where we are.
There are elements of Europe, Eclipse and the like all over this album. A couple of ballads, such as After The Fire Is Gone, ensure the full AOR album blueprint is followed. “From a distance, I can see those broken lips, that used to be full”, Wow! Things ensures that at least one anthem is on board, and yes, the lyrics are spectacular here too: “remember the summer nights, when we were making love”. It’s so bad it’s great. Liza encapsulates everything about AOR in under four minutes. Catchy high-pitched harmonies in the chorus, awful lyrics, (“let me be the one to take you through the night”), thumping rhythm section and jumping keyboards all combine to hideous effect. If you love your AOR you’ll no doubt be familiar with Snakes In Paradise and so you should be. Melodic rock at its worst and its best. 7/10
Junkyard Drive: Black Coffee (Mighty Music)
Apparently, if you are into straight forward honest rock and roll, Denmark’s Junkyard Drive are the answer to your prayers. I assume that’s if you ignore the thousands of other bands who deliver the same type of generic rock today. Black Coffee is the follow up to the band’s 2017 debut Sin & Tonic (aha. See what they did there?) and it is a reasonable piece of work. Southern swagger mixed with melodic hard rock, there is a touch of Guns n’ Roses and Aerosmith about them. Sweet Little Dreamer offers some neat guitar work, and you can’t fault the smokey roar of vocalist Kris. The problem I have with Junkyard Drive, is that they offer absolutely nothing new.
So, in a similar vein to Those Damn Crows, Ginn Annie and the myriad of other bands who churn this stuff out, they are enthusiastic, powerful and create decent music; it’s just so bloody generic. I have no doubt that in the burgeoning world which is the new wave of classic rock Junkyard Drive will go down a storm. Black Coffee is perfectly listenable, and the band are tight. Good luck to them. However, I like my coffee hot and this just leaves me cold. 6/10
Into Eternity: The Sirens (M-Theory Audio)
A sweeping orchestral introduction momentarily disorientated the listener before the battery of blast beats and power metal scales crashes in. A brief pause allows you to catch your breath before The Sirens really opens out into a rather schizophrenic cacophony which combines progressive rock with death and black metal in a somewhat uncomfortable merger. It’s fast, to the point of Dragonforce pace, and just about controlled in the same way that a race horse may push the limits. Into Psychosis follows, in much the same vein, although we do get the first vocals from Amanda Kieran, who provides clean vocals alongside the growls and screams of guitarist Tim Roth and bassist Troy Bleich.
It’s frenetic stuff, with frequent time changes and movement of styles. At times it feels more a showcase of how fast the band can play. Which isn’t particularly exciting. Add in elements of classical to the mix, as well as acoustic moments, such as the opening to Sandstorm which is quickly consumed by a viciously heavy riff and it all appears a little uncoordinated. The Canadian outfit has been together since 1997 and have released several albums, experiencing several line-up changes since their formation. Whilst the band are technically superb, The Sirens feels as if the very soul of the band has been sucked out and replaced by ludicrously complex and unnecessarily overblown lengthy pieces. It’s all rather unsatisfactory. 5/10
Black metal huh? A massively wide-ranging genre which encourages the elitists amongst the metal community to exercise their ‘superior’ knowledge of Bathory, Behemoth and Belphegor whilst mere mortals merely dabble. There are so many black metal outfits around these days that it’s nigh on impossible to keep tabs on them all if you also want to listen to any other genre. Hailing from Koln in Germany, Ultha’s melancholic yet ear splitting dark art peaks interest from the opening bars of The Avarist (Eyes Of A Tragedy). Although reminiscent of the atmospheric power of Wiegedood, Fen, Wode and Wolves In The Throne Room, Ultha instead insist they are focused towards the thicker end off grunge (Alice In Chains), noise rock (Helmet) and the gothic style of The Sisters Of Mercy and this certainly plays out.
Whatever they insist, the Germans third full length is a superb collaboration. Consisting of only six songs, it manages to clock in at over 65 minutes in length. With Knives To The Throat continues in the frenzied technical blur of the opening track before There Is No Love, High Up In The Gallows changes direction completely. Opening with haunting bird calls, this is six and a half minutes of electronic tone, individual notes held for the duration whilst an eerie symphonic concerto reminiscent of the music from the opera in The Phantom Menace plays out.
Cyanide Lips opens with ugly down tuned guitars, the beat of a lonely drum merely a precursor to the hell that follows, the track building incrementally on a single guitar riff before exploding into chaos. Use of repetition has long been a favoured tactic for the black metal musician and Ralph Schmidt and colleagues employ it to great effect throughout this descent into melancholia. We Only Speak In Darkness is mesmeric, the slow beat, darkened lyrics and echoing tone transport the listener into The Fields Of Nephilim territory before the quite magnificent 18 minute I’m Afraid To Follow You There, with its opening coldness enveloping the listener and draws you in. Whilst Ultha start this album in a true black metal style, there are many more elements in this complex machine. The Inextricable Wandering is an album that demands attention, commitment and repeated plays. The rewards for committing to this endeavour are massive with one of the most richly crafted releases of 2018. 9/10
Iamthemorning: Ocean Sounds (Kscope)
Russian duo Gleb Kolyadin and Marjana Semkina, known as Iamthemorning, have already released three albums, with their last two Belighted and Lighthouse highly-praised. Ocean Sounds is a new intimate studio film shot and named after a remote recording studio on Giske, a Norwegian Island. As well as the film, there is an accompanying CD with a setlist from the three albums along with an unplugged recording of Blue Sea, from their forthcoming fourth album (only on the Blu-Ray release unfortunately). With Lighthouse winning the 2016 Progressive Music Award for Album of the Year and Semkina also winning female vocalist of the Year in Prog Magazine in the same year, the band has clearly laid strong foundations on which to build.
Ocean Sounds is certainly a delicate and delicious release. Semkina’s vocals are a delight, crystal clear, ranging from ethereal to full out rock chick, whilst the beautiful compositions of Kolyadin and the additional musicians provides an almost spiritual experience. Unlike many of their peers, the tracks are not unduly long, with only three of the 12 tracks lasting over four minutes. Ocean Sounds is at times totally captivating. There is the dramatic Scotland with its spiralling string section. Or the thought provoking Os Lunatum with its wild solo piano accompaniment joined towards the end by additional strings and drums. Although there is no doubt that chamber prog rock is not a taste shared by all, Ocean Sounds is an album that is well worth a listen, even if just for a change from the norm. 8/10
Snakes In Paradise: Step Into The Light (Frontiers Records)
Another Frontiers band to cross our paths, Snakes In Paradise are from Stockholm, Sweden. Step Into The Light is the band’s fourth album, but their first since 2002’s Dangerous Love. Having released their debut album way back in 1994, you kind of wonder why it’s taken until now to get album number four out. Heavy on the 1980s melodic rock style, rich synthesisers merging with dual guitar work, smooth bluesy vocals and soaring harmonies as 12 tracks of pulsating melodic rock cascade over you. With a huge nod to the late 80s Whitesnake present throughout, it’s nothing new but AOR is always a bit of fun when done well. Will You Remember Me is super ghastly, but like a rabid earworm the bastard is also hauntingly catchy, much like an STD. Think Asia’s most stomach-turning tunes and this is roughly where we are.
There are elements of Europe, Eclipse and the like all over this album. A couple of ballads, such as After The Fire Is Gone, ensure the full AOR album blueprint is followed. “From a distance, I can see those broken lips, that used to be full”, Wow! Things ensures that at least one anthem is on board, and yes, the lyrics are spectacular here too: “remember the summer nights, when we were making love”. It’s so bad it’s great. Liza encapsulates everything about AOR in under four minutes. Catchy high-pitched harmonies in the chorus, awful lyrics, (“let me be the one to take you through the night”), thumping rhythm section and jumping keyboards all combine to hideous effect. If you love your AOR you’ll no doubt be familiar with Snakes In Paradise and so you should be. Melodic rock at its worst and its best. 7/10
Junkyard Drive: Black Coffee (Mighty Music)
Apparently, if you are into straight forward honest rock and roll, Denmark’s Junkyard Drive are the answer to your prayers. I assume that’s if you ignore the thousands of other bands who deliver the same type of generic rock today. Black Coffee is the follow up to the band’s 2017 debut Sin & Tonic (aha. See what they did there?) and it is a reasonable piece of work. Southern swagger mixed with melodic hard rock, there is a touch of Guns n’ Roses and Aerosmith about them. Sweet Little Dreamer offers some neat guitar work, and you can’t fault the smokey roar of vocalist Kris. The problem I have with Junkyard Drive, is that they offer absolutely nothing new.
So, in a similar vein to Those Damn Crows, Ginn Annie and the myriad of other bands who churn this stuff out, they are enthusiastic, powerful and create decent music; it’s just so bloody generic. I have no doubt that in the burgeoning world which is the new wave of classic rock Junkyard Drive will go down a storm. Black Coffee is perfectly listenable, and the band are tight. Good luck to them. However, I like my coffee hot and this just leaves me cold. 6/10
Into Eternity: The Sirens (M-Theory Audio)
A sweeping orchestral introduction momentarily disorientated the listener before the battery of blast beats and power metal scales crashes in. A brief pause allows you to catch your breath before The Sirens really opens out into a rather schizophrenic cacophony which combines progressive rock with death and black metal in a somewhat uncomfortable merger. It’s fast, to the point of Dragonforce pace, and just about controlled in the same way that a race horse may push the limits. Into Psychosis follows, in much the same vein, although we do get the first vocals from Amanda Kieran, who provides clean vocals alongside the growls and screams of guitarist Tim Roth and bassist Troy Bleich.
It’s frenetic stuff, with frequent time changes and movement of styles. At times it feels more a showcase of how fast the band can play. Which isn’t particularly exciting. Add in elements of classical to the mix, as well as acoustic moments, such as the opening to Sandstorm which is quickly consumed by a viciously heavy riff and it all appears a little uncoordinated. The Canadian outfit has been together since 1997 and have released several albums, experiencing several line-up changes since their formation. Whilst the band are technically superb, The Sirens feels as if the very soul of the band has been sucked out and replaced by ludicrously complex and unnecessarily overblown lengthy pieces. It’s all rather unsatisfactory. 5/10
A View From The Back Of The Room: MAN
Man & Glas, The Globe Cardiff
So when a band is on their 50th anniversary tour it would be remiss of us not to attend, when that band is from Wales and something of a legendary act round these parts then it would be positively criminal. Playing just three dates in Wales I went down to the show in The Glob and as the room filled with a mature fan base, sprinkled with the odd younger psych fan like myself, there were stories of the band Padget Rooms Penarth gigs. their early tours and multiple member changes.
First up though decked out in the best shirts of the night was Blackwood trio Glas (8) opening with Blackwood Boogie this three piece then proceeded to get the crowd going with classic R&B that brings in country, rock n roll and blues for a very loud noise, Dai John on vocals and bass, works it playing some groovy finger-style rhythms that could have been coming from a stand up bass rather than the electric, he's got the tick-tock drums of Sam Andrews behind him adding the shuffle to every track. On lead guitar James Oliver peels off lick after bluesy lick bobbing his head like Wilco Johnson as he plays surf slides and staccato jagged riffs. A rollicking opening band who were forced into an encore by the crowd taking full advantage of The Globe's drinks offers, a neat country number later and they managed to leave the stage.
So with the crowd now filling the room the Welsh psychedelic rockers Man (8) took to the stage with longest serving member Martin Ace (bass/vocals) leading from the middle of the stage. He's flanked by Josh Ace on guitars/vocals/keys, James Beck on guitar either side of him, Malcolm Morley on keys and acoustic guitar (who was member of Man between 1974 & 1976) with over 423 releases, on 75 labels they had a lot songs to choose from so to take a risk on two new unreleased songs called Manor Farm and The Holy Flame Of Freedom but they mixed it with classics like Romain which had James Beck playing some mean slide. Long psych jams turned to short blues driven rockers in an instance Martin is a warm, mild mannered frontman cracking jokes with his Welsh humour striking a chord with the audience. Backed by the young(er) band the performance was infused with energy as Martin and Josh traded vocals replicating the sound of the early material well. With a new album on the way there seems to be no signs of slowing down so here's to another 10 years of Man!
So when a band is on their 50th anniversary tour it would be remiss of us not to attend, when that band is from Wales and something of a legendary act round these parts then it would be positively criminal. Playing just three dates in Wales I went down to the show in The Glob and as the room filled with a mature fan base, sprinkled with the odd younger psych fan like myself, there were stories of the band Padget Rooms Penarth gigs. their early tours and multiple member changes.
First up though decked out in the best shirts of the night was Blackwood trio Glas (8) opening with Blackwood Boogie this three piece then proceeded to get the crowd going with classic R&B that brings in country, rock n roll and blues for a very loud noise, Dai John on vocals and bass, works it playing some groovy finger-style rhythms that could have been coming from a stand up bass rather than the electric, he's got the tick-tock drums of Sam Andrews behind him adding the shuffle to every track. On lead guitar James Oliver peels off lick after bluesy lick bobbing his head like Wilco Johnson as he plays surf slides and staccato jagged riffs. A rollicking opening band who were forced into an encore by the crowd taking full advantage of The Globe's drinks offers, a neat country number later and they managed to leave the stage.
So with the crowd now filling the room the Welsh psychedelic rockers Man (8) took to the stage with longest serving member Martin Ace (bass/vocals) leading from the middle of the stage. He's flanked by Josh Ace on guitars/vocals/keys, James Beck on guitar either side of him, Malcolm Morley on keys and acoustic guitar (who was member of Man between 1974 & 1976) with over 423 releases, on 75 labels they had a lot songs to choose from so to take a risk on two new unreleased songs called Manor Farm and The Holy Flame Of Freedom but they mixed it with classics like Romain which had James Beck playing some mean slide. Long psych jams turned to short blues driven rockers in an instance Martin is a warm, mild mannered frontman cracking jokes with his Welsh humour striking a chord with the audience. Backed by the young(er) band the performance was infused with energy as Martin and Josh traded vocals replicating the sound of the early material well. With a new album on the way there seems to be no signs of slowing down so here's to another 10 years of Man!
Monday, 24 September 2018
Reviews: The Bleeding, Allegiance, Deathhammer, Leatherjacks (Reviews By Paul S & Rich)
The Bleeding: Rites Of Absolution (UKEM) [Paul S]
The Bleeding are a four piece based in London, they have been going since 2010 and have released one EP in 2013, this is their first album. The band play a combination of death metal and thrash. The feel of the material is fairly old school in both areas rather than the more modern sound of the other bands playing this combination of genres (Revocation and Reprisal).
After a short intro, the album blasts off with the thundering Consumed Existence, which sounds like great old school death metal, reminds me of Asphyx’s track Deathhamer. Second track Dreams Of Hatred has a bit more of a thrash feel to it, tight fast riffs, crashing drums, just great thrash. The album carries on like this, always surfing that knife-edge between thrash and death metal, so some songs move from one sound to the other in a way that is really effective.
Crook And Flail is a slower, heavier, more powerful track that just crushes the listener. Rights Of Absolution feels a little like early Slayer, do I need to say more about it than that? The album is brought to an end with a cracking cover of Death’s Open Casket which is fantastic. If I was going to criticise this album, it would be that it isn’t long enough, but that isn’t really a criticism, I wanted more! Really great album, full of energy and creativity. Highly recommended. 8/10
Allegiance: Beyond The Black Wave (Self Released) [Paul S]
Allegiance are a black metal band from Toulouse, France. They have had as many as 5 members, according to the bumf that I got with the album, but by the time of writing this they may be down to 3 or as few as 2 (the bumf is a little confused). Although there is a much bigger problem with the press release than a little confusion about how many members this band has. The PR refers to the band as being ‘Emperial’ black metal, the band has tied their whole sound to the Norwegian black metal band Emperor. Those are big shoes to fill, and they haven’t done a very good job. This album is a massive rip off of Emperor. This isn’t an homage, it’s simple copying.
First song The Fall Of The Black Heroes is Ye Entranceemperium, pretty much note for note (yes including that really distinctive riff). And it’s like that all the way through, it’s all made up of bits and pieces of Emperor’s career. The song I Wrath I Death has the spoken word bit from The Loss And Curse Of Reverence in it. Sorceress Queen is I Am The Black Wizards. You’ll find one track that is Beyond The Pantheon, up to about halfway through when the strings from In The Wordless Chamber come in and really confuse things.
The Bleeding are a four piece based in London, they have been going since 2010 and have released one EP in 2013, this is their first album. The band play a combination of death metal and thrash. The feel of the material is fairly old school in both areas rather than the more modern sound of the other bands playing this combination of genres (Revocation and Reprisal).
After a short intro, the album blasts off with the thundering Consumed Existence, which sounds like great old school death metal, reminds me of Asphyx’s track Deathhamer. Second track Dreams Of Hatred has a bit more of a thrash feel to it, tight fast riffs, crashing drums, just great thrash. The album carries on like this, always surfing that knife-edge between thrash and death metal, so some songs move from one sound to the other in a way that is really effective.
Crook And Flail is a slower, heavier, more powerful track that just crushes the listener. Rights Of Absolution feels a little like early Slayer, do I need to say more about it than that? The album is brought to an end with a cracking cover of Death’s Open Casket which is fantastic. If I was going to criticise this album, it would be that it isn’t long enough, but that isn’t really a criticism, I wanted more! Really great album, full of energy and creativity. Highly recommended. 8/10
Allegiance: Beyond The Black Wave (Self Released) [Paul S]
Allegiance are a black metal band from Toulouse, France. They have had as many as 5 members, according to the bumf that I got with the album, but by the time of writing this they may be down to 3 or as few as 2 (the bumf is a little confused). Although there is a much bigger problem with the press release than a little confusion about how many members this band has. The PR refers to the band as being ‘Emperial’ black metal, the band has tied their whole sound to the Norwegian black metal band Emperor. Those are big shoes to fill, and they haven’t done a very good job. This album is a massive rip off of Emperor. This isn’t an homage, it’s simple copying.
First song The Fall Of The Black Heroes is Ye Entranceemperium, pretty much note for note (yes including that really distinctive riff). And it’s like that all the way through, it’s all made up of bits and pieces of Emperor’s career. The song I Wrath I Death has the spoken word bit from The Loss And Curse Of Reverence in it. Sorceress Queen is I Am The Black Wizards. You’ll find one track that is Beyond The Pantheon, up to about halfway through when the strings from In The Wordless Chamber come in and really confuse things.
There's bits of Curse You All Men, An Eulogy Of Icarus, there's even an outro to one song that is Opus A Satana. Ok I’ll admit it, these guys have got some balls to rip off one of the biggest and best black metal bands of all time, and to tell people they are doing it (Emperial Black Metal) takes even more bare faced cheek. But I can’t see the point of this album. The few bits that aren’t nicked are lack lustre and lacking in imagination. The only good thing about this album is that it has reminded me of what a great band Emperor were. Just listen to the originals, they are so much better! 6/10
Deathhammer: Chained To Hell (Hells Headbangers) [Paul S]
Deathhammer are a duo from Oslo, they have been going since 2005 and this is their 4th album. The 2 piece play black trash / early eighties style thrash. The album kicks off with the track Rabid Maniac Force, a song that kicks you in the bollocks, nicks your wallet, and spends the money in it on cheap speed. Just total blasting fast thrash, in an early Sodom, Slayer or Kill ‘Em All era Metallica mould. Fast simple riffs, screamed vocals that do that slightly weird early eighties thing where the last word of each line is sung in FALSETTO. I think Tom Araya used to do this on Slayers first 2 albums. Pretty much all the album is in this style. More modern bands to compare this to would be Toxic Holocaust, Necromantheon or Nifelheim.
Deathhammer are a duo from Oslo, they have been going since 2005 and this is their 4th album. The 2 piece play black trash / early eighties style thrash. The album kicks off with the track Rabid Maniac Force, a song that kicks you in the bollocks, nicks your wallet, and spends the money in it on cheap speed. Just total blasting fast thrash, in an early Sodom, Slayer or Kill ‘Em All era Metallica mould. Fast simple riffs, screamed vocals that do that slightly weird early eighties thing where the last word of each line is sung in FALSETTO. I think Tom Araya used to do this on Slayers first 2 albums. Pretty much all the album is in this style. More modern bands to compare this to would be Toxic Holocaust, Necromantheon or Nifelheim.
There is a small amount of progression on this album with the song Into The Burning Pentagram, which is a little slower and has some more complex riffs and a bit more of a structure (most of the other songs don’t really have a structure, insanely fast all the way through, isn’t a structure). The album doesn’t have many solos, but in the few places they are used, you can see why they don’t do many solos as they are crap! But that just fits into the early eighties/ black thrash style. The album cover is also very eighties; it’s awful. Looks like a still from a Commodore 64 game, absolutely, goppingly awful, but again that's very eighties thrash; remember Artillery’s Terror Squad, or Anthrax’s Fistful Of Metal covers? This isn’t in any way groundbreaking. It isn’t big or clever, but my god it’s a lot of fun. If you want to be reminded why thrash was so exiting when it first appeared, buy this album! 7/10
Leatherjacks: Leatherjacks (Self Released) [Rich]
Leatherjacks is a self titled EP by the Brazilian hard rock band which works as a preview for the upcoming album Songs For The Strangest Ones which is due to be released later this year. This EP is the first release under the bands new line up with the previous album The Lost Arks Of Rock And Roll all written and performed by Mauro Cordeiro. The EP is made up of four songs one of which (I Hate To Fall In Love) has previously been released as a digital single. The EP is pretty bog standard hard rock with a few influences from old school heavy metal and AOR. The playing throughout is pretty good but the vocals are very weak and quite strained. This is a pretty average release with no songs being particularly memorable and the poor vocals standing out particularly. 5/10
Leatherjacks: Leatherjacks (Self Released) [Rich]
Leatherjacks is a self titled EP by the Brazilian hard rock band which works as a preview for the upcoming album Songs For The Strangest Ones which is due to be released later this year. This EP is the first release under the bands new line up with the previous album The Lost Arks Of Rock And Roll all written and performed by Mauro Cordeiro. The EP is made up of four songs one of which (I Hate To Fall In Love) has previously been released as a digital single. The EP is pretty bog standard hard rock with a few influences from old school heavy metal and AOR. The playing throughout is pretty good but the vocals are very weak and quite strained. This is a pretty average release with no songs being particularly memorable and the poor vocals standing out particularly. 5/10
Reviews: Stoned Jesus, Be The Wolf, Groundbreaker, Enterfire (Reviews By Rich & Paul H)
Stoned Jesus: Pilgrims (Napalm Records) [Paul H]
Formed in Kiev, 2009, Stoned Jesus play a blisteringly heavy style of stoner and doom rock which is guaranteed to trip you out. The band’s doom-soaked occult sound incorporates a range of styles which include the likes of Mastodon, Tool, Neurosis as well as the riff heaviness of Sabbath and Zeppelin. Most of the tracks on this 50-minute album are lengthy animals, winding and meandering through several musical territories whilst always bringing the heavy.
It starts with the pulsating Excited, all bristling energy and spunky groove. Then you have the Mastodon feel of the trippy Hands Resist Him which contrasts with the thundering journey on the nine minutes plus Water Me, with its soaring space rock style. Stoned Jesus won’t meet the requirements of all, as some of their direction takes a more indirect path. With several albums already under their belt, Pilgrims is a solid addition to a catalogue of high-quality music. 8/10
Be The Wolf: Empress (Scarlett Records) [Rich]
Empress is the third album by Italian hard rockers Be The Wolf which is due out on Scarlet Records. Be The Wolf play melodic hard rock with a number of different influences from classic rock to modern hard rock to traditional heavy metal resulting in a variety in the songs from the heavy metal driven Burn Me Out to the hair metal swagger of You’re My Demon Tonight and the groovy hard rocking of Trigger Discipline. The only song which sticks out like a sore thumb is the pop and electronic inspired Action which is a truly dreadful song. Empress is a solid hard rocking album played with love and passion which whilst not groundbreaking by any means is an album I would recommend to hard rock fans. 7/10
London based Enterfire’s debut album, Slave Of Time is an average affair. Melodic thrash in the vein of Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium, the songs are well constructed and performed. Driven by vocalist/lead guitarist Niki B, a Greek born musician, the opening salvo work well, with the title track a driving thrash tune. Open Sky follows and it’s from here on in that interest in the album starts to wane. Throw away tracks which last seconds in the memory. Weapon Of Broken Dreams starts like a BFMV track but morphs into a Maiden-style romp before fading. Unfortunately, most of the 29 minutes here are rather mundane and the album fades from the memory shortly after it finishes. 5/10
Formed in Kiev, 2009, Stoned Jesus play a blisteringly heavy style of stoner and doom rock which is guaranteed to trip you out. The band’s doom-soaked occult sound incorporates a range of styles which include the likes of Mastodon, Tool, Neurosis as well as the riff heaviness of Sabbath and Zeppelin. Most of the tracks on this 50-minute album are lengthy animals, winding and meandering through several musical territories whilst always bringing the heavy.
It starts with the pulsating Excited, all bristling energy and spunky groove. Then you have the Mastodon feel of the trippy Hands Resist Him which contrasts with the thundering journey on the nine minutes plus Water Me, with its soaring space rock style. Stoned Jesus won’t meet the requirements of all, as some of their direction takes a more indirect path. With several albums already under their belt, Pilgrims is a solid addition to a catalogue of high-quality music. 8/10
Be The Wolf: Empress (Scarlett Records) [Rich]
Empress is the third album by Italian hard rockers Be The Wolf which is due out on Scarlet Records. Be The Wolf play melodic hard rock with a number of different influences from classic rock to modern hard rock to traditional heavy metal resulting in a variety in the songs from the heavy metal driven Burn Me Out to the hair metal swagger of You’re My Demon Tonight and the groovy hard rocking of Trigger Discipline. The only song which sticks out like a sore thumb is the pop and electronic inspired Action which is a truly dreadful song. Empress is a solid hard rocking album played with love and passion which whilst not groundbreaking by any means is an album I would recommend to hard rock fans. 7/10
Groundbreaker: Groundbreaker (Frontiers Records) [Rich]
Groundbreaker is the self titled debut album of the new project featuring FM singer Steve Overland where he is collaborating with Robert Sall of Swedish melodic rockers Work Of Art. With these two collaborating the style of this album is as you guessed is melodic hard rock. This is very saccharine coated melodic hard rock with soaring melodies and hook laden songs. It’s a decent album for those that love this style but it’s very much by the numbers with very little variation throughout the album and so the songs do seem to all blur into one.
There are one or two which stand out a bit more such as the ultra saccharine Eighteen Til I Die. All the staples of the genre are in place here - super sweet vocals, melodic lead guitar playing and retro sounding synths but there’s very little to differentiate between the countless other melodic hard rock bands out there. If you are a big fan of the genre you will love this. Groundbreaker is out now on Frontiers Records. 6/10
Groundbreaker is the self titled debut album of the new project featuring FM singer Steve Overland where he is collaborating with Robert Sall of Swedish melodic rockers Work Of Art. With these two collaborating the style of this album is as you guessed is melodic hard rock. This is very saccharine coated melodic hard rock with soaring melodies and hook laden songs. It’s a decent album for those that love this style but it’s very much by the numbers with very little variation throughout the album and so the songs do seem to all blur into one.
There are one or two which stand out a bit more such as the ultra saccharine Eighteen Til I Die. All the staples of the genre are in place here - super sweet vocals, melodic lead guitar playing and retro sounding synths but there’s very little to differentiate between the countless other melodic hard rock bands out there. If you are a big fan of the genre you will love this. Groundbreaker is out now on Frontiers Records. 6/10
Enterfire: Slave Of Time (Self Released) [Paul H]
London based Enterfire’s debut album, Slave Of Time is an average affair. Melodic thrash in the vein of Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium, the songs are well constructed and performed. Driven by vocalist/lead guitarist Niki B, a Greek born musician, the opening salvo work well, with the title track a driving thrash tune. Open Sky follows and it’s from here on in that interest in the album starts to wane. Throw away tracks which last seconds in the memory. Weapon Of Broken Dreams starts like a BFMV track but morphs into a Maiden-style romp before fading. Unfortunately, most of the 29 minutes here are rather mundane and the album fades from the memory shortly after it finishes. 5/10
Sunday, 23 September 2018
A View From The Back Of The Room: Necrot, Shallow Graves, They Live We Sleep, Void Titan
Necrot, Shallow Graves, They Live We Sleep, Void Titan, Fuel Rock Club
So this was a pretty mixed group of styles from those folks from Eradication Festival. The original opening band was supposed to be Pupil Slicer however they were not able to make the show so it was Bristol doom crew Void Titan (7) who opened the evening with some lumbering heavy doom with lyrics inspired by the Warhammer universe, playing about 4 songs one of which was the first half of a 20 minute track!
The young band were very accomplished musicians and there music was heavy as all hell. It was a low turnout unfortunately (wet Wednesday's in Cardiff a week before freshers can be like that) but for those in attendance we were already getting our ears abused by the heaviest band on the bill. Void Titan will be supporting Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard in Bristol at the end of the month and there they will fit right in to the sonic discord.
Next to up to bat were South Wales act They Live We Sleep (7) who played an aggressive, frenzied style of hardcore, crust, grind which had the crowd getting involved due to the frontman getting in the thick of it while the band riffed like fuck on the stage. Bringing to mind Converge, Nails and All Pigs Must Die they were uncompromising with their live style the only issue for me was their excessive use of feedback which really affected my tinnitus so I retreated outside (getting old) but outside of that they really took the crowd by the scruff of the neck after the deliberately slow start.
Bringing the biggest crowd of the night was Shallow Graves (6) who are a Cardiff based hardcore outfit, hardcore is a genre I've never really warmed too but as the performance area of Fuel filled up I did start to question whether I'm wrong. Shallow Graves play your typical style of breakdown heavy hardcore with breakdowns moving into breakdowns causing pits to open. A great band (especially the drumming) but I'll never be a fan of the style.
Finally the band I was there to see, Californian trio Necrot (8) they're marketed as death metal crossed with punk but I'd say there was less punk and more proto-thrash, covered in studs and bullet belts Luca Indrio, Sonny Reinhardt and Chad Gailey have been touring the UK demolishing stages. With a reasonably small but dedicated crowd still there the pits started again this time old school thrash pits. It's the sort of early thrash Venom invented and Slayer perfected with songs about death and horror such as Blood Offerings, The Blade and Rather Be Dead, Chad Gailey beat seven shades out of his kit as Sonny Reinhardt plays vicious riffs. Their set flew by in a frenzy Luca barking down the mic while keeping up with the blasting drumming. I'd expect better from the South Wales metal scene (still a long way to go) but for anyone that missed this show, you missed a variety of South Wales/South West's most interestign acts along with some good old American death metal.
So this was a pretty mixed group of styles from those folks from Eradication Festival. The original opening band was supposed to be Pupil Slicer however they were not able to make the show so it was Bristol doom crew Void Titan (7) who opened the evening with some lumbering heavy doom with lyrics inspired by the Warhammer universe, playing about 4 songs one of which was the first half of a 20 minute track!
The young band were very accomplished musicians and there music was heavy as all hell. It was a low turnout unfortunately (wet Wednesday's in Cardiff a week before freshers can be like that) but for those in attendance we were already getting our ears abused by the heaviest band on the bill. Void Titan will be supporting Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard in Bristol at the end of the month and there they will fit right in to the sonic discord.
Next to up to bat were South Wales act They Live We Sleep (7) who played an aggressive, frenzied style of hardcore, crust, grind which had the crowd getting involved due to the frontman getting in the thick of it while the band riffed like fuck on the stage. Bringing to mind Converge, Nails and All Pigs Must Die they were uncompromising with their live style the only issue for me was their excessive use of feedback which really affected my tinnitus so I retreated outside (getting old) but outside of that they really took the crowd by the scruff of the neck after the deliberately slow start.
Bringing the biggest crowd of the night was Shallow Graves (6) who are a Cardiff based hardcore outfit, hardcore is a genre I've never really warmed too but as the performance area of Fuel filled up I did start to question whether I'm wrong. Shallow Graves play your typical style of breakdown heavy hardcore with breakdowns moving into breakdowns causing pits to open. A great band (especially the drumming) but I'll never be a fan of the style.
Finally the band I was there to see, Californian trio Necrot (8) they're marketed as death metal crossed with punk but I'd say there was less punk and more proto-thrash, covered in studs and bullet belts Luca Indrio, Sonny Reinhardt and Chad Gailey have been touring the UK demolishing stages. With a reasonably small but dedicated crowd still there the pits started again this time old school thrash pits. It's the sort of early thrash Venom invented and Slayer perfected with songs about death and horror such as Blood Offerings, The Blade and Rather Be Dead, Chad Gailey beat seven shades out of his kit as Sonny Reinhardt plays vicious riffs. Their set flew by in a frenzy Luca barking down the mic while keeping up with the blasting drumming. I'd expect better from the South Wales metal scene (still a long way to go) but for anyone that missed this show, you missed a variety of South Wales/South West's most interestign acts along with some good old American death metal.
Saturday, 22 September 2018
A View From Another Country: MetalDays 2018 (Review By Rich)
Metaldays Festival 2018
Metaldays is truly an experience and an experience that I recommend all heavy metal maniacs to experience in their lifetime. The first thing that has to be mentioned is the setting which is the beautiful town of Tolmin in the Soca valley in Slovenia. It’s difficult to describe how stunning the scenery is but the town is surrounded by mountains some of which are snow peaked. The festival site itself contains fields, forestry and also has the Soca river running through it which you can swim in (but beware the water is cold!).
The festival runs for five days Monday to Friday across three stages so there are an astounding amount of bands to see. The Newcomers stage runs for seven days with some bonus bands on the preceding Saturday and Sunday. The bands don’t start until later in the day giving you plenty of time to explore the town, get supplies from the nearby supermarket, swim in the river or simply relax in the sun.
My party arrived at the festival on the Sunday afternoon and after grabbing our wristbands plus some supplies from the supermarket we had the daunting task of setting up camp during a thunderstorm. It was hard not be in awe at the lightning striking the surrounding mountains but at the same time you did not want to be outside in it especially when the rain came falling down. With the campsite all set up and a few drinks down our necks it was time to explore the festival site, get some food and sample a few drinks from the various bars dotted around the festival site.
The site itself is fairly expansive and due to a lack of signage it was very easy to get lost as I did when the night plunged the site into darkness, I only managed to catch one band on the Newcomers stage and that was Dutch symphonic death metallers Bleeding Gods who despite playing on the smallest stage at the festival brought enormous stage presence and an enormous crowd. I only managed to catch the last two songs of their set so cannot provide a score for their performance. With the festival starting good and proper the following day an early night was had ready for the next five days of metal…
Monday 23rd July
After the rainy Sunday evening the sun came out for Monday morning and thankfully stayed for the remainder of the festival. Following a refreshing morning swim and some food it was time to grab a beverage and head over to the Ian Fraser Lemmy Kilminster stage to watch some bands. Starting the day off for me was the magnificent VUUR (8). I am a massive fan of Anneke Van Giersbergen and the only times I have seen her perform live have been alongside Devin Townsend so it was a joy for me to see her perform her own material live. The majority of the set was taken from VUUR’s sole album In This Moment We Are Free - Cities with songs such as Time - Rotterdam and Days Go By - London sounding magnificent. We were also treated to a brilliant cover of Strange Machines by The Gathering. Throughout the whole set Anneke sounded phenomenal and the band played fantastically.
Next up were Jinjer (8) who are a band I have reviewed an album previously and didn’t impress me very much. Live though it is a different matter as Jinjer put in an incredible performance with their fusion of metalcore, death metal and progressive metal. Highlights from their set included Words Of Wisdom, I Speak Astronomy and Pisces. Frontwoman Tatiana Schmailyuk absolutely commands the stage with her incredibly versatile vocals. Her range is absolutely incredible.
It was time for one of my most anticipated sets of the week by one of my favourite bands the mighty Leprous (8). I have had the pleasure of seeing Leprous perform live multiple times and they never disappoint being one of the finest live acts I have seen. This was no exception with a set covering their last three albums including Bonneville, Stuck, From The Flame, The Price, The Flood and Foe. Frontman Einar Solberg sounded as mesmerising as always and the whole band put in a exceptionally tight performance despite seeming to be suffering in the strong Slovenian sun. There are more songs I would have liked to have heard but the band unfortunately only had a short time on stage.
The next band I managed to see was Carpathian Forest (4) playing on the Bosko Bursac stage. I was very much anticipating this set having never seen Carpathian Forest perform live but wish I hadn’t bothered as the band were clearly drunk as shit especially frontman Nattefrost who could barely get a coherent word out. The band were appallingly sloppy and were just frankly an embarrassment and a huge disappointment. I headed back over to the main stage to catch the majority of Eluveitie (8) who I should have watched from the start as they were magnificent. It had been a while since I had last seen Eluveitie live and the first time since their dramatic lineup change. It has to be said that getting Fabienne Emi as the new singer is a brilliant move as her voice is absolutely incredible. The band performed a great set including songs such as Thousandfold, Quoth The Raven, The Call Of The Mountains before closing with fan favourite Inis Mona.
Headlining the first night were the mighty Behemoth (9) who brought their full show to Metaldays complete with pyrotechnics and theatricality. We were treated to a fantastic set which delved into the Behemoth back catalogue with opener Ov Fire And The Void setting the scene. Plenty of fire and smoke engulfed the stage as the crowd fervently responded to Behemoth classics such as Demigod, Conquer All, Alas Lord Is Upon Me, Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel, Decade Of Therion, Slaves Shall Serve, Chant For Eschaton 2000 and O Father O Satan O Sun. We were treated to two special songs as well the first being a brand new one entitled Wolves Of Siberia which shows great promise for the new album plus a cover of The Cure’s A Forest where the band were joined on stage by Shining frontman Niklas Kvarforth. Behemoth showed themselves to be worthy headliners and brought the first night of the festival to a very satisfying close.
Tuesday 24th July
The second full day of the festival involved a lot more running in between stages. Due to the cancellation by Lords Of Black the first band of the day I managed to see was Italian doom merchants Caronte (7) whose huge crushing sound threatened to level the second stage. I had not previously heard any Caronte but was suitably impressed by their performance.
Another band who I am not very familiar with was Pallbearer (8) who played an absolute beauty of a set of emotionally charged doom metal had me absolutely mesmerised and rooted to the spot for its entire duration.
It was over to the main stage for the next band Battle Beast (9) who seriously brought the party to Metaldays. Battle Beast inject a big wedge of pop music into their power metal sound and the audience reacted very positively partying away to tunes such as Straight Through The Heart, Bringer Of Pain, Bastard Sons Of Odin, Black Ninja and Touch In The Night. The band have tremendous energy on stage running around but none more so than frontwoman Noora Louhimo who runs and jumps around the stage yet still manages to sing flawlessly with her powerhouse vocals sounding absolutely incredible.
Back over to the second stage for something more on the violent side of things and suitably delivered by Rotten Sound (8) who played a blistering set of HM-2 charged grind with savage riffs, devastating blastbeats and plenty of groove which is what separates Rotten Sound from the majority of grindcore acts and in my opinion makes them better. It was my first time seeing Rotten Sound live and they definitely did not disappoint.
After a swift walk back to the main stage I managed to catch the last half of Coroner (8) who gave Metaldays a much needed thrashing. Thrash was one genre fairly lacking on the Metaldays lineup so it was nice to see one of the few thrash bands on the bill put in a suitably savage performance and full of classics from their back catalogue such as Masked Jackal, Grin, Reborn Through Hate and Die By My Hand.
Headlining the main stage this evening were Canadian death metal masters Kataklysm (9). Kataklysm are a band who have never gained a massive following in the UK usually playing small clubs whenever they tour but over in mainland Europe it is a whole different story as Kataklysm had one of the largest and most enthusiastic audiences of the entire festival. It was fantastic to see Kataklysm command such a large crowd and play easily the finest set I’ve ever seen them play.
The band had huge circle pits, walls of death and crowd surfers galore to accompany crushing death metal anthems such as Like Angels Weeping (The Dark), As I Slither, Push The Venom, In Shadows & Dust and Crippled & Broken, Songs off new album Meditations such as Guillotine and Narcissist also went down a storm with the fervent metal hungry crowd. Kataklysm played easily one of the best sets of the entire festival and proved they are more than worthy to fill a headlining slot.
It was back over to the second stage for the final band of the day Austrian blackened death metal horde Belphegor (6) who brought the day to a bit of a disappointing end. The band had the longest intro tape which tested the patience of a lot of the crowd and when the band hit the stage the band sounded flat and lifeless. Too much was played off latest album Totenritual which whilst a good album fans were hoping for more from the back catalogue. Things did pick up when older songs such as Hell’s Ambassador - Belphegor, Stigma Diabolicum and Lucifer Incestus but the band seemed to be uninterested and just going through the motions.
Thursday 26th July
I had started feeling unwell from the Thursday onwards so unfortunately didn’t get to the stages as early as I would have liked. I managed to get to the second stage to catch the end of the set by death metal pioneers Master but didn’t see enough to justify scoring the band. I remained at the second stage to catch another of the festival highlights which was New Zealand’s Alien Weaponry (9). This band has been making big waves of late due to their young age plus their unique incorporation of the Te Reo Māori language into their music. The hype though seems more than justified as the band put on an absolutely jaw dropping performance. The music is a mix of groove and thrash metal and whilst fairly simplistic it is devastatingly effective and it is impossible to resist the urge to bang your head along. The Te Reo Māori language mixed with aggressive metal riffs is such a winning combination and it really pumps and psyches you up. Alien Weaponry left the stage leaving an audience hungry for more.
I stuck around at the second stage to catch a band who have been on the line up of many festivals I have attended but have always clashed with someone else so this time it was time to give Wiegedood (8) a chance. Black metal is a difficult genre to get right at festivals due to so much of it being based on atmosphere but despite performing in a sunny forested area Wiegedood managed to perform a brilliant set and also maintain the atmosphere of a black metal show. Highlight for me was the fantastic title track of their latest album De Doden Hebben Het Goed III.
It was time for some good old classic rock ably provided by the fantastic Black Star Riders (8) who performed an energetic and particularly loud set. The band played a nice mix of songs from their three albums including All Hell Breaks Loose, Heavy Fire, Soldierstown and Bound For Glory. Of course having a certain Scott Gorman in your ranks you get the obligatory Thin Lizzy covers with Jailbreak and The Boys Are Back In Town going down a storm with the festival crowd.
The main stage arena was filling up nicely in anticipation of the nights headliners which meant that Hatebreed (7) played to a very sizeable audience. Hatebreed are one of those bands I find fairly monotonous on their albums but live are absolutely brilliant. It could be I was getting tired or the fact I wasn’t feeling 100% but I didn’t enjoy Hatebreed as much as I have previously. Another factor could be this was the longest set I have seen them play and an hour of fairly repetitive hardcore may have tested by patience. The band played a great set taking songs from their entire back catalogue including As Diehard As They Come, Live For This, Last Breath, Tear It Down, I Will Be Heard and Destroy Everything. It was a good set but I think I was feeling too burnt out to appreciate it plus I was saving my energy for the headliners…
Headlining the main stage and the main headliner of the whole festival were the legendary Judas Priest (10). The arena was absolutely jam packed for the metal gods and the excitement in the air was electric as Black Sabbath’s War Pigs came blasting out of the speakers. What followed was a fantastic set with a bit of something for everyone - a nice mix of new material, Judas Priest set staples plus a few more obscure ones for the hardcore Priest fans. The band kicked off with the title track from stunning new album Firepower and followed it with an all you can eat platter of heavy metal deliciousness including Grinder, Sinner, Lightning Strike, Bloodstone, Saints In Hell, Turbo Lover, Freewheel Burning, Hell Bent For Leather before the main set was brought to a close with the crushing ferocity of Painkiller.
The band returned for an encore of material off the classic British Steel album with Metal Gods, Breaking The Law and Living After Midnight prompting a huge singalong from the audience. The band performed brilliantly with Richie Faulkner performing fretboard pyrotechnics whilst Andy Sneap did a more than admirable job standing in for Glen Tipton. The metal god himself Rob Halford despite being 67 years old sounded absolutely incredible with his voice sounding like a man less than half his age. Judas Priest showed exactly why they are legends bringing the main stage to a close in epic fashion. The only drawback is I enjoyed it so much that it seemed over way too quickly.
Friday 27th July
Unfortunately I felt even more unwell on the Friday morning and it didn’t improve throughout the day so I didn’t end up seeing a single band instead wallowing in misery and self pity in the campsite. There wasn’t loads I really wanted to see on the final day but I did miss sets by the likes of Demonical, Goatwhore, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, Primordial, Municipal Waste and Cannibal Corpse.
Overall despite a disappointingly ill end to the festival I fully enjoyed my Metaldays experience and highly recommend it to anyone. It’s like having a holiday and attending a festival in one. I for one will definitely be returning in 2019 in improved health and enjoying the full experience.
Metaldays is truly an experience and an experience that I recommend all heavy metal maniacs to experience in their lifetime. The first thing that has to be mentioned is the setting which is the beautiful town of Tolmin in the Soca valley in Slovenia. It’s difficult to describe how stunning the scenery is but the town is surrounded by mountains some of which are snow peaked. The festival site itself contains fields, forestry and also has the Soca river running through it which you can swim in (but beware the water is cold!).
The festival runs for five days Monday to Friday across three stages so there are an astounding amount of bands to see. The Newcomers stage runs for seven days with some bonus bands on the preceding Saturday and Sunday. The bands don’t start until later in the day giving you plenty of time to explore the town, get supplies from the nearby supermarket, swim in the river or simply relax in the sun.
My party arrived at the festival on the Sunday afternoon and after grabbing our wristbands plus some supplies from the supermarket we had the daunting task of setting up camp during a thunderstorm. It was hard not be in awe at the lightning striking the surrounding mountains but at the same time you did not want to be outside in it especially when the rain came falling down. With the campsite all set up and a few drinks down our necks it was time to explore the festival site, get some food and sample a few drinks from the various bars dotted around the festival site.
The site itself is fairly expansive and due to a lack of signage it was very easy to get lost as I did when the night plunged the site into darkness, I only managed to catch one band on the Newcomers stage and that was Dutch symphonic death metallers Bleeding Gods who despite playing on the smallest stage at the festival brought enormous stage presence and an enormous crowd. I only managed to catch the last two songs of their set so cannot provide a score for their performance. With the festival starting good and proper the following day an early night was had ready for the next five days of metal…
Monday 23rd July
After the rainy Sunday evening the sun came out for Monday morning and thankfully stayed for the remainder of the festival. Following a refreshing morning swim and some food it was time to grab a beverage and head over to the Ian Fraser Lemmy Kilminster stage to watch some bands. Starting the day off for me was the magnificent VUUR (8). I am a massive fan of Anneke Van Giersbergen and the only times I have seen her perform live have been alongside Devin Townsend so it was a joy for me to see her perform her own material live. The majority of the set was taken from VUUR’s sole album In This Moment We Are Free - Cities with songs such as Time - Rotterdam and Days Go By - London sounding magnificent. We were also treated to a brilliant cover of Strange Machines by The Gathering. Throughout the whole set Anneke sounded phenomenal and the band played fantastically.
Next up were Jinjer (8) who are a band I have reviewed an album previously and didn’t impress me very much. Live though it is a different matter as Jinjer put in an incredible performance with their fusion of metalcore, death metal and progressive metal. Highlights from their set included Words Of Wisdom, I Speak Astronomy and Pisces. Frontwoman Tatiana Schmailyuk absolutely commands the stage with her incredibly versatile vocals. Her range is absolutely incredible.
It was time for one of my most anticipated sets of the week by one of my favourite bands the mighty Leprous (8). I have had the pleasure of seeing Leprous perform live multiple times and they never disappoint being one of the finest live acts I have seen. This was no exception with a set covering their last three albums including Bonneville, Stuck, From The Flame, The Price, The Flood and Foe. Frontman Einar Solberg sounded as mesmerising as always and the whole band put in a exceptionally tight performance despite seeming to be suffering in the strong Slovenian sun. There are more songs I would have liked to have heard but the band unfortunately only had a short time on stage.
The next band I managed to see was Carpathian Forest (4) playing on the Bosko Bursac stage. I was very much anticipating this set having never seen Carpathian Forest perform live but wish I hadn’t bothered as the band were clearly drunk as shit especially frontman Nattefrost who could barely get a coherent word out. The band were appallingly sloppy and were just frankly an embarrassment and a huge disappointment. I headed back over to the main stage to catch the majority of Eluveitie (8) who I should have watched from the start as they were magnificent. It had been a while since I had last seen Eluveitie live and the first time since their dramatic lineup change. It has to be said that getting Fabienne Emi as the new singer is a brilliant move as her voice is absolutely incredible. The band performed a great set including songs such as Thousandfold, Quoth The Raven, The Call Of The Mountains before closing with fan favourite Inis Mona.
Headlining the first night were the mighty Behemoth (9) who brought their full show to Metaldays complete with pyrotechnics and theatricality. We were treated to a fantastic set which delved into the Behemoth back catalogue with opener Ov Fire And The Void setting the scene. Plenty of fire and smoke engulfed the stage as the crowd fervently responded to Behemoth classics such as Demigod, Conquer All, Alas Lord Is Upon Me, Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel, Decade Of Therion, Slaves Shall Serve, Chant For Eschaton 2000 and O Father O Satan O Sun. We were treated to two special songs as well the first being a brand new one entitled Wolves Of Siberia which shows great promise for the new album plus a cover of The Cure’s A Forest where the band were joined on stage by Shining frontman Niklas Kvarforth. Behemoth showed themselves to be worthy headliners and brought the first night of the festival to a very satisfying close.
Tuesday 24th July
The second full day of the festival involved a lot more running in between stages. Due to the cancellation by Lords Of Black the first band of the day I managed to see was Italian doom merchants Caronte (7) whose huge crushing sound threatened to level the second stage. I had not previously heard any Caronte but was suitably impressed by their performance.
Another band who I am not very familiar with was Pallbearer (8) who played an absolute beauty of a set of emotionally charged doom metal had me absolutely mesmerised and rooted to the spot for its entire duration.
It was over to the main stage for the next band Battle Beast (9) who seriously brought the party to Metaldays. Battle Beast inject a big wedge of pop music into their power metal sound and the audience reacted very positively partying away to tunes such as Straight Through The Heart, Bringer Of Pain, Bastard Sons Of Odin, Black Ninja and Touch In The Night. The band have tremendous energy on stage running around but none more so than frontwoman Noora Louhimo who runs and jumps around the stage yet still manages to sing flawlessly with her powerhouse vocals sounding absolutely incredible.
Back over to the second stage for something more on the violent side of things and suitably delivered by Rotten Sound (8) who played a blistering set of HM-2 charged grind with savage riffs, devastating blastbeats and plenty of groove which is what separates Rotten Sound from the majority of grindcore acts and in my opinion makes them better. It was my first time seeing Rotten Sound live and they definitely did not disappoint.
After a swift walk back to the main stage I managed to catch the last half of Coroner (8) who gave Metaldays a much needed thrashing. Thrash was one genre fairly lacking on the Metaldays lineup so it was nice to see one of the few thrash bands on the bill put in a suitably savage performance and full of classics from their back catalogue such as Masked Jackal, Grin, Reborn Through Hate and Die By My Hand.
I remained at the main stage to catch Ensiferum (8) who managed to absolutely pack out the field with their epic brand of folk metal. There was a definite party atmosphere throughout their hour set ably helped by the fact that most people had been drinking for several hours. It was very much a greatest hits set with songs such as For Those About To Fight For Metal, Twilight Tavern, Token Of Time, Lai Lai Hei and Iron going down an absolute storm with the crowd.
It was finally time for the nights headliners and possibly my most anticipated set of the entire festival. A band I had been listening to for around 15 years and had never had the chance to see live - the German heavy metal legends Accept (10). They played an absolutely flawless set which was definitely worth the 15 year wait with a perfect sound, note perfect performance and a setlist containing all the classics new and old. It’s testament to Accept that their latter day material is just as strong as their classic 80’s material and the set was a nice balance between the two with modern day classics such as Die By The Sword, Pandemic, Stalingrad and Teutonic Terror sitting comfortably alongside Restless And Wild, Princess Of The Dawn, Metal Heart, Balls To The Wall and I’m A Rebel. The entire set was an absolute joy to watch from start to finish.
It was back over to the second stage for the final set of the day which was a fiery performance from Watain (8). With all the flames the second stage looked like an inferno which was very suitable for the savagery of Watain’s set with songs off their fantastic new album Trident Wolf Eclipse sitting alongside older numbers such as Devil’s Blood, Malfeitor and Waters Of Ain.
Wednesday 25th July
Day three of Metaldays and although tiredness was starting to set in there was no rest for the wicked. First band of the day was 1000mods (8) who although playing early in the day absolutely commanded the main stage with their groovy stoner rock tunes. Not a band I am very familiar with but one I would 100% watch on stage again in the future.
The next band I watched was over on the second stage and that was old school death metallers Gruesome (7) who played a solid yet fairly unremarkable set of Death inspired death metal. The set was a mix of new songs such as Inhumane and A Waste Of Life played alongside older ones like Dimensions Of Horror and Savage Land. The band brought their set to a close with an awesome cover of Death’s Pull The Plug. A good set but just missing the wow factor.
Next up on the second stage were Swiss black metallers Schammasch (7) who were suitably impressive but their brand of avant-garde metal was difficult to get into and more suited a dark and gloomy stage indoors rather than an outdoor stage in the forest in glorious sunshine.
It was over to the main stage for one of the most crazy and unusual acts of the weekend and that was French genre defying project Igorrr (9). Igorrr incorporate an insane amount of different genres into their sound mixing extreme metal, dubstep, breakcore, classical and French baroque amongst other things. The majority of the instrumentation was pre-recorded and mixed and triggered by Igorrr himself who was backed up on stage by a live drummer and two live vocalists - Laurent Lunoir who handles the extreme vocals and the jaw droppingly awesome Laure Le Prunenec who handles the classical vocals. With all the different genres on display and smashed together in psychotic style Igorrr are a massive head fuck of a band but the on stage performance was simply sublime and truly memorable.
Next up on the main stage were Soulfly (7) who performed their groove thrash attack to a huge crowd. Kicking things off with the ferocious Frontlines the band ploughed through staples from their back catalogue such as Prophecy, Blood Fire War Hate, Rise Of The Fallen and Back To The Primitive. New song The Summoning sat well with the audience and showed promise for the new album.
It was finally time for the nights headliners and possibly my most anticipated set of the entire festival. A band I had been listening to for around 15 years and had never had the chance to see live - the German heavy metal legends Accept (10). They played an absolutely flawless set which was definitely worth the 15 year wait with a perfect sound, note perfect performance and a setlist containing all the classics new and old. It’s testament to Accept that their latter day material is just as strong as their classic 80’s material and the set was a nice balance between the two with modern day classics such as Die By The Sword, Pandemic, Stalingrad and Teutonic Terror sitting comfortably alongside Restless And Wild, Princess Of The Dawn, Metal Heart, Balls To The Wall and I’m A Rebel. The entire set was an absolute joy to watch from start to finish.
It was back over to the second stage for the final set of the day which was a fiery performance from Watain (8). With all the flames the second stage looked like an inferno which was very suitable for the savagery of Watain’s set with songs off their fantastic new album Trident Wolf Eclipse sitting alongside older numbers such as Devil’s Blood, Malfeitor and Waters Of Ain.
Wednesday 25th July
Day three of Metaldays and although tiredness was starting to set in there was no rest for the wicked. First band of the day was 1000mods (8) who although playing early in the day absolutely commanded the main stage with their groovy stoner rock tunes. Not a band I am very familiar with but one I would 100% watch on stage again in the future.
The next band I watched was over on the second stage and that was old school death metallers Gruesome (7) who played a solid yet fairly unremarkable set of Death inspired death metal. The set was a mix of new songs such as Inhumane and A Waste Of Life played alongside older ones like Dimensions Of Horror and Savage Land. The band brought their set to a close with an awesome cover of Death’s Pull The Plug. A good set but just missing the wow factor.
Next up on the second stage were Swiss black metallers Schammasch (7) who were suitably impressive but their brand of avant-garde metal was difficult to get into and more suited a dark and gloomy stage indoors rather than an outdoor stage in the forest in glorious sunshine.
It was over to the main stage for one of the most crazy and unusual acts of the weekend and that was French genre defying project Igorrr (9). Igorrr incorporate an insane amount of different genres into their sound mixing extreme metal, dubstep, breakcore, classical and French baroque amongst other things. The majority of the instrumentation was pre-recorded and mixed and triggered by Igorrr himself who was backed up on stage by a live drummer and two live vocalists - Laurent Lunoir who handles the extreme vocals and the jaw droppingly awesome Laure Le Prunenec who handles the classical vocals. With all the different genres on display and smashed together in psychotic style Igorrr are a massive head fuck of a band but the on stage performance was simply sublime and truly memorable.
Next up on the main stage were Soulfly (7) who performed their groove thrash attack to a huge crowd. Kicking things off with the ferocious Frontlines the band ploughed through staples from their back catalogue such as Prophecy, Blood Fire War Hate, Rise Of The Fallen and Back To The Primitive. New song The Summoning sat well with the audience and showed promise for the new album.
Headlining the main stage this evening were Canadian death metal masters Kataklysm (9). Kataklysm are a band who have never gained a massive following in the UK usually playing small clubs whenever they tour but over in mainland Europe it is a whole different story as Kataklysm had one of the largest and most enthusiastic audiences of the entire festival. It was fantastic to see Kataklysm command such a large crowd and play easily the finest set I’ve ever seen them play.
The band had huge circle pits, walls of death and crowd surfers galore to accompany crushing death metal anthems such as Like Angels Weeping (The Dark), As I Slither, Push The Venom, In Shadows & Dust and Crippled & Broken, Songs off new album Meditations such as Guillotine and Narcissist also went down a storm with the fervent metal hungry crowd. Kataklysm played easily one of the best sets of the entire festival and proved they are more than worthy to fill a headlining slot.
It was back over to the second stage for the final band of the day Austrian blackened death metal horde Belphegor (6) who brought the day to a bit of a disappointing end. The band had the longest intro tape which tested the patience of a lot of the crowd and when the band hit the stage the band sounded flat and lifeless. Too much was played off latest album Totenritual which whilst a good album fans were hoping for more from the back catalogue. Things did pick up when older songs such as Hell’s Ambassador - Belphegor, Stigma Diabolicum and Lucifer Incestus but the band seemed to be uninterested and just going through the motions.
Thursday 26th July
I had started feeling unwell from the Thursday onwards so unfortunately didn’t get to the stages as early as I would have liked. I managed to get to the second stage to catch the end of the set by death metal pioneers Master but didn’t see enough to justify scoring the band. I remained at the second stage to catch another of the festival highlights which was New Zealand’s Alien Weaponry (9). This band has been making big waves of late due to their young age plus their unique incorporation of the Te Reo Māori language into their music. The hype though seems more than justified as the band put on an absolutely jaw dropping performance. The music is a mix of groove and thrash metal and whilst fairly simplistic it is devastatingly effective and it is impossible to resist the urge to bang your head along. The Te Reo Māori language mixed with aggressive metal riffs is such a winning combination and it really pumps and psyches you up. Alien Weaponry left the stage leaving an audience hungry for more.
I stuck around at the second stage to catch a band who have been on the line up of many festivals I have attended but have always clashed with someone else so this time it was time to give Wiegedood (8) a chance. Black metal is a difficult genre to get right at festivals due to so much of it being based on atmosphere but despite performing in a sunny forested area Wiegedood managed to perform a brilliant set and also maintain the atmosphere of a black metal show. Highlight for me was the fantastic title track of their latest album De Doden Hebben Het Goed III.
It was time for some good old classic rock ably provided by the fantastic Black Star Riders (8) who performed an energetic and particularly loud set. The band played a nice mix of songs from their three albums including All Hell Breaks Loose, Heavy Fire, Soldierstown and Bound For Glory. Of course having a certain Scott Gorman in your ranks you get the obligatory Thin Lizzy covers with Jailbreak and The Boys Are Back In Town going down a storm with the festival crowd.
The main stage arena was filling up nicely in anticipation of the nights headliners which meant that Hatebreed (7) played to a very sizeable audience. Hatebreed are one of those bands I find fairly monotonous on their albums but live are absolutely brilliant. It could be I was getting tired or the fact I wasn’t feeling 100% but I didn’t enjoy Hatebreed as much as I have previously. Another factor could be this was the longest set I have seen them play and an hour of fairly repetitive hardcore may have tested by patience. The band played a great set taking songs from their entire back catalogue including As Diehard As They Come, Live For This, Last Breath, Tear It Down, I Will Be Heard and Destroy Everything. It was a good set but I think I was feeling too burnt out to appreciate it plus I was saving my energy for the headliners…
Headlining the main stage and the main headliner of the whole festival were the legendary Judas Priest (10). The arena was absolutely jam packed for the metal gods and the excitement in the air was electric as Black Sabbath’s War Pigs came blasting out of the speakers. What followed was a fantastic set with a bit of something for everyone - a nice mix of new material, Judas Priest set staples plus a few more obscure ones for the hardcore Priest fans. The band kicked off with the title track from stunning new album Firepower and followed it with an all you can eat platter of heavy metal deliciousness including Grinder, Sinner, Lightning Strike, Bloodstone, Saints In Hell, Turbo Lover, Freewheel Burning, Hell Bent For Leather before the main set was brought to a close with the crushing ferocity of Painkiller.
The band returned for an encore of material off the classic British Steel album with Metal Gods, Breaking The Law and Living After Midnight prompting a huge singalong from the audience. The band performed brilliantly with Richie Faulkner performing fretboard pyrotechnics whilst Andy Sneap did a more than admirable job standing in for Glen Tipton. The metal god himself Rob Halford despite being 67 years old sounded absolutely incredible with his voice sounding like a man less than half his age. Judas Priest showed exactly why they are legends bringing the main stage to a close in epic fashion. The only drawback is I enjoyed it so much that it seemed over way too quickly.
Friday 27th July
Unfortunately I felt even more unwell on the Friday morning and it didn’t improve throughout the day so I didn’t end up seeing a single band instead wallowing in misery and self pity in the campsite. There wasn’t loads I really wanted to see on the final day but I did miss sets by the likes of Demonical, Goatwhore, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, Primordial, Municipal Waste and Cannibal Corpse.
Overall despite a disappointingly ill end to the festival I fully enjoyed my Metaldays experience and highly recommend it to anyone. It’s like having a holiday and attending a festival in one. I for one will definitely be returning in 2019 in improved health and enjoying the full experience.
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