Reviews: Roine Stolt, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Jason Becker, Master's Call (Matt & Rich)

Roine Stolt's The Flower King: Manifesto Of An Alchemist (InsideOut) [Matt]

If you know anything about European prog rock then you'll probably know the name of Roine Stolt he's the guitar/singer/writer of numerous bands including Transatlantic, Anderson/Stolt and more recently The Sea Within, here though he returns to The Flower King moniker that he's always been associated with, he has with him a host of Flower Kings collaborators in the shape of Jones Reingold, Hans Froberg & Michael Stolt, this is not a Flower King's album, if anything it's a Stolt solo album using the sounds that he has always created no matter what project he's been apart of. On Lost America the first 'proper' song brings once again those huge progressive soundscape in a song that moves between floating The Beatles-like psych and big riffing rock music.

Here Stolt takes the lead vocals like he did on the first The Flower Kings album (he's the main lead vocalist for most of the album) but he's backed by many of his buddies with additional musicians being Marco Minnemann, Max Lorentz, Zach Kamins, Rob Townsend & Nad Sylvan all of whom have worked with Stolt on other projects. So it's a menagerie of prog rock musicians making some complicated but brilliantly realised melodic prog music from the buzzing synths that start off the 10 minute plus High Road which builds up into some soaring guitar playing before the triumphant conclusion, to the primal, jazz percussion of Rio Grande, Manifesto Of An Alchemist is 70 minutes of music that incorporates what Roine Stolt has been crafting his entire career, if intelligent progressive music that looks back but stays relevant is your bag then you'll need this album. 8/10

Anneke Van Giersbergen: Symphonized - Live With Residentie Orkest (InsideOut) [Rich]

Anneke Van Giersbergen is easily one of the hardest working singers in music. She has a career spanning 25 years from her tenure fronting The Gathering to her Agua De Annique albums, her solo records to her countless collaborations with artists such as Arjen Lucassen, Devin Townsend and countless other bands. To commemorate those 25 years Anneke performed two shows alongside the prestigious Residentie Orkest The Hague one of the most renowned orchestras in Europe and this is the result a stunningly beautiful live album containing jaw dropping renditions of songs from throughout her career.

Unlike a lot of live albums of this type where you usually have the band playing alongside the orchestra the music is provided solely by the orchestra. Anneke worked alongside artistic director Sven Arne Tepl to create new renditions of her songs and the results absolutely speak for themselves. Material is drawn from her solo albums, The Gathering, VUUR and The Gentle Storm and it sounds simply magnificent. Songs such as Feel Alive, Amity, You WIll Never Change, Freedom - Rio and Shores Of India are elevated to new levels sounding both gentle and intimate and huge and bombastic. Pretty much the entire duration of this live album I have had my arm hairs standing on end. Anneke is easily one of my favourite singers and she sounds simply incredible throughout the album.

This is simply a must hear live album. It will have broad appeal to fans of many genres of music not just rock, metal or classical. The choice of songs is strong and a great representation of Anneke’s 25 year musical career. I hope the shows were filmed as it was be amazing to watch this concert on a DVD or Blu-Ray. 9/10

Jason Becker: Triumphant Hearts (Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group) [Matt]

I'm not a musician, I've said this before, I did used to sing in a metal band, but I know very little about playing an instrument. However having said this I like to think I understand musicians and the story of Jason Becker has always been one that I've followed quite closely. Becker was a child prodigy and rose to prominence as one half of Cacophony with Marty Friedman (who later joined Megadave), he also took over from Steve Vai as David Lee Roth's guitar player in his solo band. Right as his career was on the rise he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, this debilitating illness meant that Becker lost his ability to walk, talk, play the guitar and even breathe on his own. This was 29 years ago and his struggle was documented in the documentary Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet which if you haven't seen it is both heartbreaking and inspirational as even though he has MND he still writes music, communicating through a series of eye movements with a system developed by his father, Jason spells out words as well as musical notes and chords, which in turn are notated by a computer for musicians to play.

So to the album and it's brilliant, Becker's knowledge of classical and orchestral compositions is on display throughout starting with the beautiful title track which has huge string swells from Glauco Bertagnin (violin) and cellist Hiyori Okuda with her husband Friedman contributing guitar playing at the end of this fantastic opening overture showing just how talented Becker is a musician. Friedman is not the only guest as Uli Jon Roth and Chris Broderick on Magic Woman, Joe Satriani and Guthrie Govan on River Of Longing all add their guitar talent along with Becker himself on Once Upon A Melody and We Are One (culled from old Cacophony tracks). it's not string wizards though he's also got the beautiful vocals of Codnay Holiday on the gospel-tinged Hold On To Love, Flypside singer Steve Knight on We Are One along with a Ukulele master and talented session crew bringing these dense cinematic compositions to life, this isn't a fret fest much of the music here is orchestral with the guitar used to embellish but it could be Becker's masterpiece. A thoroughly excellent album for any music fan to enjoy, the performances from everyone involved are at the very top of the class but it's the writing that makes it the fantastic album it really is. This has come late in 2018 but damn it may sneak on to some end of year lists. 9/10     

Master's Call: Morbid Black Trinity (Self Released) [Matt]

The debut EP by Master's Call has been conjured up by some of the most experienced members of the extreme metal world. It's blackened death metal at its most ferocious as Shayan (Trivax) barks, growls and snarls his way through the unholy darkness of blistering drum blasts and frenetic tremolo picking all stuck together with the thump of death metal. It's only three tracks long but the vast darkness of this record is clear from the off, the EP "encompasses darkness of faith, body and spirit" and splits this across three excellent tracks. Opening with From Once Beneath The Cursed which tells of the manifestation the hate and evil in the world into a physical embodiment as a groove-infected death metal track.

The EP has great production finish to it and some progressive songwriting that twists these songs into gnarled Satanic death metal. They rally against dogmatic religion on The Spire Cranes which is the straight forward black metal rager Dave Powell and John Wilcox unleashing six string savagery while Adam Trickleback and James Williams unleash (un)holy hell with a pummelling rhythm section. The EP closes with the more gothic stylings of My Eyes Are The Night which is a triumphant way to finish this record, at just three songs it's a brief dalliance with what Master's Call are about but I hope they can conjure this evil again for a long player. 8/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: The Magpie Salute (Live Review By Paul H)

The Magpie Salute & Maker, The Fiddlers Club

A damp and drizzly night in Bristol saw a capacity house crammed like sardines to witness an impressive if slightly soulless show from The Magpie Salute, the band formed by Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes. A later start time is the norm at Fiddlers, and whilst I have been here a couple of times before, it doesn’t have the warmth or character of other Bristol venues such as The Fleece or The Exchange.

At 9pm support band Maker (8) ambled onto the stage. By this time the main room was already packed to the rafters and having secured a decent vantage point for Mrs H we spent some of the evening with a very inconsistent security guard who insisted on standing in front of us because “it’s where I have to stand” before wandering off and returning at various intervals during the evening. Anyway, Maker is a four-piece from Kent who play bluesy rock n’ roll which was perfect for the evening. Vocalist Alessandro Marinelli was in fine form, his soulful voice matching the music and his humour also impressed.

“We’d love to chat, but we’ve got thirty minutes to get through first”. Alongside Marinelli, Andre Donaldson played some fine guitar whilst brother Gavin laid down a steady beat on drums. The band is completed by John Austin on bass. Their swagger has a warmth which was heartening whilst their Zeppelin, Faces and Primal Scream sound was both retro and current. With a selection of tracks from their recent debut album Dead Ends And Avenues (recorded at Rockfield Studios) aired through their set, this is a band who are worth a listen.

With the temperature soaring still higher, the 40-minute wait for The Magpie Salute (8) was a bit uncomfortable. Penned to one side of the venue, the bar was inaccessible due to the huge scrum in front of it. Still, we were there for the music and eventually Rich Robinson, Marc Ford and Sven Pipen, all former members of the Black Crowes of course joined by John Hogg, Joe Magistro and Matt Slocum entered the stage to a huge ovation and proceeded to deliver an eclectic and compelling two hours of delightful musical magic, drawn from their vast history and influences. Opening with the explosive title track from their High Water I album (from which eight tracks were played), the quality of the musicians on stage, which was never in doubt, was immediately demonstrated by a ten-minute extended jam which allowed Ford and Robinson to flex their fingers. The remainder of the set was incredibly varied, with What Goes On and Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ by the Velvet Underground, a track from Marc Ford’s own solo work, the fabulous Smoke Signals and a Rich Robinson solo song Yesterday I Saw You amongst the setlist.

Hogg is an efficient frontman, with a smoky drawl and an interesting stage presence. At times it was difficult to tell whether he was amused or irritated by the constant heckling that a couple of boorish members of the crowd felt was appropriate to hurl at the stage after each song had finished. Despite this, the band moved swiftly through an 18-track set, which also included a slower paced three song acoustic set, featuring Hogg, Ford and Robinson on acoustic guitars as they played Sister Moon from High Water I, You Don’t Have To Cry (Crosby, Stills and Nash) and the first of five Black Crowes songs, Lay It All On Me. Unfortunately, this was somewhat marred by the inevitable chatter that appears so prevalent at gigs these days. People. Shut the fuck up!

As the set moved into Black Crowes territory, and despite the obvious quality on stage, Magistro looking almost disinterested as he moved around his kit with consummate ease, whilst I don’t recall Slocum breaking his frown all evening, there was a feeling of a band who despite their close bonds and long history, appeared to lack the warmth you might expect to see. Maybe that’s down to the individual members, but there was little laughter, few smiles and an absence of the camaraderie you might expect from musicians who’ve worked together, in some cases for many years. Musically superb, the songs were brilliant and there was no doubting that this was a gig where the opportunity to be up close and personal was not to be sniffed at. Yet at the back of the mind, a slight niggle that there should be a bit more enjoyment on display. This may have been as much about us as it was about the band, as the sound was also variable throughout the evening, despite the prolonged sound check.

As The Magpie Salute finished their main set with the Crowes’ Horsehead and their own Send Me An Omen, we decided to beat a retreat before the rest of the crowd. An enjoyable evening slightly marred by the overfull venue and the inevitable idiots in the crowd.

A View From The Back Of The Room: You Me At Six (Live Review By Alex)

You Me At Six, Marmozets & Xcerts, Cardiff Students Union

You Me At Six have grown up musically, which adds up as their audience have as well. Taking a quick look around Cardiff University Students Union, the fans are mostly young adults, and likely the same people who fell in love with the band upon the release of their critically acclaimed debut, Take Off Your Colours. As adored as that album is though, there’s only so many times one group of musicians can sing about petty relationship drama while lacing their lyrics with not so subtle innuendo, before they outgrow the look. I personally switched off shortly after that debut and haven’t really thought about Josh Franceschi and co. much since. I am pleased to say that on the show today, is a far more refined, matured YMAS, playing a style of Indy, which while still bearing the marks of late-era pop punk is not bratty or teenage, but rather memorable and inspired.

New and upcoming act the Xcerts (7) are an enjoyable opener. Their bright and danceable style of Indy-pop proving rather infectious, as the colorful keyboard work complements the equally vivid guitar melodies. Standing out most though is vocalist Murray Macleod’s part confident and part pretty, audience interaction between songs. ‘We have a new record out called, Hold On To Your Heart, who has heard it?’ he shouts at one point before singling out a group of people on their phones, asking ‘have the people your texting heard it?’ To be fair though, seeing people actively taking a lack of interest in your set can't be appealing, and the rock world is no stranger to smug arrogance. While his demeanor is somewhat more meaningful than joking, it does not detract massively from my enjoyment of the fast and uplifting music

Next up to impress is Marmozets (9) and I do mean Impress. Their particular style of traditional hard rock, mixed with Riot Grrrl Punk, is only enjoyed by a certain subset of the crowd tonight, probably owing to the somewhat strange lineup. Yet their ferocious performance undoubtedly wins over some people tonight. One concertgoer behind me expresses to their friend, a distaste for the main support act beforehand, yet gushes glowing praise after the end of the last song. Pooling mostly from their new album, Knowing what you know Now, Becca Macintyre’s entire performance is commanding and brave, as are those of the rest of the band. My initial reaction is that they would prove an extremely difficult act to follow, especially given my relationship with each of the bands performing tonight. Little did I know, next up was my turn to be pleasantly surprised!

Let me be clear, as much as I may kid, I have no resentment towards You Me At Six (8) none. They can certainly play, have kept playing despite not exactly gathering many new fans over the years, and even their amateurish debut was decent for an introductory release. Even more so, the dancing and singing they inspire from the crowd is a pleasant sight indeed. From old favorites – Loverboy, Stay With Me, Save It For The Bedroom – to newer songs – Cold Night, Straight To My Head, Night People – our collected voices climb above the blaring amplifiers to create a chorus of excited fans. Franceschi confesses that he is struggling to sing tonight, and is visibly overjoyed to see the audience helping him out at every opportunity. Clearly feeding off the energy in the room the band play and perform as if this is their first time having the privilege of performing for the Welsh. They do however make clear their love for playing here, our frontman reeling off a list of venues that he has enjoyed playing before - Newport Centre, Brangwyn Hall, TJ’s - before proudly reminding everyone that he is, in fact, half Welsh himself.

Finishing on Underdog, there is seemingly a competition of how much crowd surfing can there be in five minutes, adding to the fun in the room, at least for those of us who aren't crushed. Overall, I am incredibly surprised at how much I enjoyed You Me At Six, given my years of overlooking them. While I’m perfectly aware that this may say more about me than anyone, it’s a great experience to rediscover a band in a live setting, finding that they've matured and grown as musicians.

Reviews: Death Is Just The Beginning, Hundred Year Year Old Man, Goblinsmoker (Reviews By Paul S)

Death Is Just The Beginning MMXVIII - Various Artists

Nuclear Blast have been releasing Death Metal since the late eighties. Part of their output has been their Death Is Just The Beginning compilation albums. Before the internet the record label sampler was an important way to find out about bands, and a way to decide which albums to risk your hard earned cash on. Well, Nuclear Blast have brought their well loved compilation back, but is it any good?

Benediction - Tear Off These Fucking Wings (Demo) (8) Old school death/doom. Brutal, guttural and heavy as fuck. Being a demo it’s raw and low-fi, perfect sound for the material.

Kataklysm - The Awakener (Re-recorded) (7) Fast and brutal old school death metal. Nice melodic break in the middle of the song.

Hypocrisy - They Lie (Exploited Cover) (8) Death metal band covering a punk song. Sounds quite thrashy, which is fair enough. Enjoyable blast of energy.

The Spirit - Illuminate The Night Sky (8) Cracking piece of Watain / Dissection style Black Metal. Tuneful, melodic whilst also being pretty brutal. Probably the strongest track from their album Sounds From The Vortex.

Memoriam - The War Wages On (Demo) (8) Mid-paced old school death metal. Driving and powerful, with a really good sound considering it’s a demo.

Insidious Disease - Soul Excavation (Unreleased New Song) (7) Fairly melodic and tuneful track from this Death Metal super group.

Possessed - Abandoned (Unreleased Demo Of New Song) (7) Quite thrashy death metal from these pioneers of the genre. Enjoyable head banger!

Thy Art Is Murder - The Son Of Misery (7) Technically proficient deathcore. Not too bad, considering it’s deathcore.

Immolation - Morbid Visions (Featuring Max Cavalera) (Sepultura Cover) (8) Really fast cover of one of Sepultura’s best songs. Lead singer sounds very familiar!

Nailed To Obscurity - King Delusion (Unreleased New Song) (6) German Melodic Death Metal. Doesn’t flow very well, I can understand why this track hasn’t been released before!

Bleeding Gods - Beloved By Artemis (7) Fast Death / Thrash from the Netherlands. Brutal moments, separated by nice melodic parts.

Decapitated - Sane (Meshuggah Cover) (6) I’m afraid I’ve never been much of a Decapitated or Meshuggah fan, not sure why, they’ve always left me cold. So this cover of a Meshuggah track by Decapitated really isn’t my cup of tea, but if you are a fan of these bands it’s probably brilliant. But, I have to give my honest opinion, which is: Meh.

Aenimus - Before The Eons (Unreleased New Song) (7) Very technical Deathcore, clearly great musicians, melodic and tuneful.

Paradise Lost - Frozen Illusion (Previously Released Japanese B-side) (8) Really heavy piece of doom from Paradise Lost, verging on Death/Doom. Harsh vocals throughout. Similar in style to their album Lost Paradise.

Carcass - A Wraith In The Apparatus (6) Choppy technical death metal, mid-paced and a little lacklustre. Definitely not Carcass’s best.

Brujeria - Viva Presidente Trump! (Previously Only Available Digitally And On Vinyl) (7) Bonkers, Trump hating hardcore, lots of samples, lots of fun!

So, there you go, not bad at all. Lots of good, interesting music with only a couple of duff tracks. I’ll be giving the whole thing a mark based on the average of those scores (which should annoy our editor, as we aren’t meant to give scores that aren’t in whole numbers, however, that's how averages work so he’ll just have to argue with Maths about that). One observation that I’d like to make (not a criticism, just an observation) is that this wouldn’t work very well as a sampler, as most of the tracks are rarities or oddities of one sort or another, so you aren’t hearing what the bands usually do. Obviously that isn’t a problem now, as we have YouTube and Spotify to check bands out on, so compilation albums can be collections of rarities as this is. Death Is Just The Beginning MMXVIII is on the whole, a very good collection. Definitely worth a go. 7.1875 /10 (One time you're allowed it - Ed)  

Hundred Year Old Man: Breaching (Gizeh Records)

Leeds based Hundred Year Old Man describe themselves as ambient post metal, which is a label I’m not going to argue with. The bands style isn’t immediately obvious, they aren’t a band that fits easily into any predefined genre, and ambient post metal is a good description. In addition to the ambient and post metal elements I can hear some doom, sludge and drone in there as well. Breaching is the bands first full length, released only a few months after their an EP called Rei.

The album starts with a dissonant ambient intro called Breaching, which draws the listener into the album. Next track Black Fire is a huge, slow droney doom song. The pace is slow but powerful, like continental drift, with angry sludgy vocals that cut through the huge riffs. The song has a couple of very soft ambient sections that intersperse the huge crushing riffs. The Forest is a more aggressive and relentless track than Black Fire. Despite the power and aggression of this track, it also manages to have a mournful feel to the layered guitars. This song also has a softer middle section, complete with spoken vocal samples (something that happens on several tracks). Next is a short ambient piece called Clearing The Salients. It has a drone quality to it that gives the track an ethereal and minimalistic sense. Clearing The Salients has a palate cleansing effect on the listener, a brief respite from the heaviness and anger.

Long Wall starts with slow and unrelenting riffs, played in a restrained way. The song gets more and more powerful and intense as the song goes on. The second half of the song has a faster, more attacking pace to it, until the last part of the song where the layering of instruments gives it a slightly more ethereal feel. Disconnect has a mellower feel to the material that comes before it. There is more melody and the track has a floaty, dreamlike quality to it. The song does get more intense as it goes along, and the vocals are more measured, and maybe a little less angry. Cease is another palate cleansing piece of ambient, similar to Clearing The Salients but a little more dreamlike.

Final song Ascension has a similar feel to Disconnect. The track fades up slowly, with simple guitar riffs and single tones, before an uncomplicated undistorted riff comes in and introduces a drum beat to the song. The song has the same dreamlike quality that we met on Disconnect, there seem to be many layered instruments by the time we get to the last third of the song. The final two songs; Disconnect and Ascension have a less aggressive, or angry feel to them. The album seem so be moving from anger and pain on the first few tracks, to a resolution on the last two tracks, and this feels so satisfying. Breaching isn’t an album that will be rushed, all the songs take their time to get going, and the band is quite happy to fade songs out over a long time. This is a band that takes their time, but that is a great thing. The songs have time to develop properly, and this gives the album real depth. I’ve really enjoyed listening to it, if you are patient and give the album the time it deserves, you will get a lot out of it. 8/10

Goblinsmoker: Toad King (Sludgelord Records)

Goblinsmoker are a 2 piece from Durham, Toad King is their debut EP. Goblinsmoker is A (Guitar, Bass and Vocals) and C (Drums). So, what do we have from Goblinsmoker as their first try? Well we get 3 tracks of horrifically heavy sludge. First track Toad King is a massive slab of huge, aggressive sludge. The riffs are immense, with a guitar sound that is as fuzzy as it is huge. The tempo is slow, but with an energy that makes you head-bang, whether you want to or not. There is a similarity in feel to early Electric Wizard to the riffing and guitar and bass sounds. The vocals are unbelievably harsh and nasty. The vocals wouldn’t be out of place on a black metal album, the anger is visceral and rasping; or to put it another way, they’re fantastic.

Take The Dead has a long slow intro that just makes the opening riff even huger, and more powerful. The dynamics of this song are off the scale, so monumentally huge, and the vocals are even nastier that the opener. Last track Time To Ride goes strait for the enormous, right from the start. This song is off the charts in terms of how heavy and how huge it sounds, I’m genuinely impressed they have managed to fit it into the known universe. Toad King is a great EP. I’ve really enjoyed listening to it. It has the thing that all great EP’s have; I wanted more. If I get to the end of an EP and feel sad that it wasn’t an album, then that is a great sign. Superb EP guys, now make a full length so I can enjoy being beaten to a pulp for a bit longer! 8/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Those Damn Crows, Blind River & Tayn (Review By Paul H)

Those Damn Crows, Blind River & TAYN, The Patriot, Crumlin

It’s been hell of a year for all of the bands on this bill, with Those Damn Crows hitting new heights across the classic rock world. A number of high profile tours, the most recent as support to Skindred has seen their music played with regularity on Planet Rock. Further appearances at Planet Rockstock and main support to Stone Broken in the New Year suggest that the Bridgend boys will hit even greater popularity next year. However, it wasn’t them that Mrs H, the Ed and I were interested in. Nope, it was Blind River, who we saw at the same venue in June as support to Marco Mendoza (don’t worry, we didn’t watch that strutting cock).

We’ve described The Patriot MC before in these pages; suffice to say it was brilliant to return to this fabulous welcoming venue once more. A relaxed approach to timings saw doors at 8 but no bands hit the stage before 9. Opening act TAYN (8) were a pleasant discovery. The Cornwall four-piece play a doom soaked gothic tinged dark rock which was slightly out of kilter with the other bands but as their set developed the blues edge to their music came through more and more. Led by the enthusiastic Lucian on vocals, the band blasted their way through a number of songs which will hopefully surface in the near future as I’d really like to spend a bit of time listening to them. Bassist Darren threw ever increasingly hysterical shapes as the set progressed whilst I had hat envy over drummer Tats’ choice of headwear. TAYN were an impressive opening act who would be worth checking out again.

Whilst TAYN have some exciting potential, Guildford’s Blind River (10) are on a different level. This was the fourth time I’d seen the band and they are improving with ever show. Honing their craft with hard work and numerous gigs, the band are confident and have a swagger that never comes across as arrogant. Kicking off with Going Nowhere, the band quickly hit warp speed. Having released one of the albums of 2018, it was a joy to hear tracks such as Enter The Creature, Bonehouse and Peacemaker live once more. Led by the fabulous Harry Armstrong, the crowd swelled and the dancing increased in number and veracity. Sharp guitar work from Dan Edwards and Chris Charles is assured with this band and they showed their experience as the set developed. With a semi naked rhythm section attracting attention from many in the room, the set flew by and it was suddenly time for Can't Sleep Sober, an anthem that resonated with many in the room. The band have a support slot with Inglorious in the New Year; disappointingly they aren’t on the slot at Bristol but if you do get to see them, you certainly won’t be short changed. A superb band who deserve all the plaudits they are getting.

After that, it was a real challenge to maintain any interest in Those Damn Crows (7). The Bridgend boyos have worked exceptionally hard and have proved themselves the masters of self promotion. The number of shirts bearing their name in the packed venue is evidence of that . I just find them a little bland and after four numbers their songs were already blurring into one with their format too repetitive to maintain my interest. I remember being very impressed with the band at Hard Rock Hell a couple of years ago. They were raw and full of energy. Whilst that energy and hunger still remains, they have inevitably smoothed out their songs and their radio friendly hard rock just doesn’t do it anymore. Good luck to them though; another Welsh band that are breaking into the mainstream and I wish them every success. I’m unlikely to be there for the ride though.

Reviews: Metal Church, Sigh, The Three Tremors, Sarah Longfield (By Paul H & Matt)

Metal Church: Damned If You Do (Nuclear Blast) [Paul H]

Two and a half years after the excellent XI announced the return of Mike Howe to the Metal Church, the San Franciscan powerhouse is back with a thunderous new release. Bolstered by the arrival of new drummer Stet Howland who has been behind the kit for their live commitments for the past 18 months, this is ten tracks of solid, enjoyable and thoroughly magical old school Metal Church. The title track opens proceedings, Howe on superb snarling form, his lower tones complimented by his ability to still hit the higher notes with ease. The Black Things follows, a thick beefy tune which chugs along at pace, guitarists Rick Van Zandt and Kurt Vanderhoof exchanging visceral riffs. If XI was an intense ride, Damned If You Do at the very least accelerates even harder. The riffs are bigger, heavier and more crushing, whilst Howland and Steve Unger have the rhythm section locked down perfectly.

This is the band’s 12th album and they show no signs of weariness. Mike Howe always stated that the intention of the band was always to put out more music or as he put it “then it’s time to go away for me”. Well, Mike might as well settle in because if the band continue to deliver quality at this level there will be no chance that he will be allowed to leave. By The Numbers is a standard Metal Church song, punchy and ferocious, whilst Revolution Underway is doused in melody and a hook big enough to catch Moby Dick, the calmer less thrashing approach providing welcome respite after the intensity of the opening three songs. Metal Church has always delivered the epic piece well, and this is no exception.

It’s followed by Guillotine, another five-minute chuck of angry vociferous thrashing metal which may not be the strongest but certainly isn’t a filler of a song. I particularly enjoyed the stomp of Monkey Finger, maybe a little bit different to their usual approach but it certainly ticked boxes with me, a catchy chorus and robust structure getting the head nodding. A final cracking double of Out Of Balance with its speed and power and the thumping The War Electric with Howe’s shrill pitch working overtime bring this extremely strong album to an epic conclusion. 9/10

Sigh: Heir To Despair (Candlelight Records) [Paul H]

Extreme black metal legends Sigh have evolved their sound over many years since they emerged from Japan back in 1989. They are very much more experimental and avant-garde in their style today and their latest release, Heir To Despair is an interesting combination of extreme thrash, symphonic black metal which combines industrial and even jazz elements into one massive ball of crazy. Homo Homini Lupus is case in point, with a 70s style Hammond breakdown sandwiched between some full on 100mph metal which verges on the power metal boundary. The introduction of a flute adds to the Rammstein style Hunters Not Horned, which has gallons of groove underpinning it. With percussion, woodwind, vocoder and saxophone amongst the instruments engaged across the entire breadth of this album, there is both variety and bat shit craziness. The three part centre-piece of the album, Heresy I – Oblivium, Hersey II – Acosmism and Heresy III -Sub Specie Aeteritatis illustrate the sheer variety on offer. It’s certainly retained some of the early sinister darkness but really, you just have to listen to this for yourself to form a real opinion. No boxes or pigeon holing of one of the most interesting albums of the year. 8/10

The Three Tremors: S/T (Steel Cartel Records) [Matt]

The Three Tremors (I know, I know) are a band featuring Tim 'Ripper' Owens, Sean Peck and Harry Conklin their mission statement is to be “Three times louder than a sonic boom" and the "three fingers on the hand of doom!" so as soon as you press play you can hear why there is such hyperbole around this record, it's mad from moment one with three insanely powerful voices working in unison screaming to the heavens over the top of speed metal riffs. Tim Owens is probably best known for his tenures in Judas Priest and Iced Earth, Sean Peck is the voice of Cage and Death Dealer meanwhile Harry Conklin fronts Jag Panzer.

With so much vocal power and machismo on display it's hard to think this record is going to be subtle and it isn't, it's full of chest beating, sabre rattling heavy metal based on classical and fantasy themes. The backing tracks are supplied by guitarists Dave “Conan” Garcia and Casey “The Sentinel” Trask alongside bassist Alex Pickard and drummer Sean Elg but all three voices blend into one another due to their similarity which is no bad thing as it adds depth to this album that doesn't differ much from any of these three men's normal bands. If you're looking for lullaby's or prog noodling this won't be the album for you, however if you want some balls to the wall metal posturing then The Three Tremors are a seismic force to be reckoned with. 7/10 

Sarah Longfield: Disparity (Season Of Mist) [Matt]

Sarah Longfield is a Wisconsin based multi-instrumentalist and YouTube star, her guitar tutorial and other videos seem to be the scourge of some of the guitar playing members of the MoM. She's renowned as one of the best 7 & 8-string guitar players in the world and on this album she shows that guitar playing is not just full on shred, here she plays technically proficient guitar full of appreggio's but there is no Friedman style distortion, the tracks on this album are all played cleanly, with ambient soundscapes that build the amount of instruments on every track bringing in horns, keys, loops and of course Longfield's lilting voice.

Musically it's all over shop with some heavy grooves The Fall giving way to soothing smooth sounds (Citrine) and world music influences (Sun). It's a complex album for sure but with broad appeal those not musically accomplished as it can be fluid music to relax too and enjoy, while those who are musos will obsess over the playing on this record. If you can imagine Anneke Van Giersbergen fronting Terria-era Devin and you'll understand what Disparity sounds like. An interesting eclectic album worth investing in. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Conan (Review By Rich)

Conan, Conjurer & Made Of Teeth, Clwb Ifor Bach

Whilst Wales was being battered by Storm Diana, Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff was about to have its own storm of epic proportions unleashed upon it. One that would have the venue shaking as if the building would collapse entirely provided ably by three incredibly loud and heavy bands.

Despite knowing most of the band this was the first time I had seen local noisy bastards Made Of Teeth (7) perform their own brand of noise (sorry guys). Drawing from material off their self titled debut album and their upcoming second album Made Of Teeth made sure to set the tone for the night and that tone was loud and ugly. The band draw from a wide range of influences and to me they sounded like a cross between the heavier side of Melvins and Black Flag with dirty sludgy riffing mixed with hardcore punk ferocity. The riffs were plentiful, the drums were battering and the dual vocal attack of Chris West and Tom Cole was gnarly and pissed off. A great way to get things going.

I have previously gushed about my love of Conjurer (9) and how they seem to improve every time I see them live and they carried on this tradition by absolutely stealing the show. The band have a vast and varied sound and so they cannot be pigeonholed into a specific genre taking cues from sludge metal, death metal and post-rock amongst others. Conjurer are simply utterly mesmerising live with their songs are so perfectly crafted between atmospheric build up and crushing pay off. Conjurer songs can make you feel like you are floating in a warm soundscape before dropping you back to earth and pummelling you with gargantuan riffs. Conjurer are still one of the most exciting underground UK bands and I implore you all to see them live if you haven’t already.

Conan (8) are one of the heaviest and most intense live bands out there with a severely downtuned and distorted sound which you can feel as much as you can hear so seeing them in a small room was definitely going to be a treat. Conan take the formula of doom metal and take out any complications or sophistication forging it into a force of complete and utter brute force. This is music as a weapon and is the equivalent of having boulders launched in your direction. The riffs whilst simplistic are so damn effective and it is impossible not to bang your head when those crushing moments come as many of the Cardiff audience very enthusiastically did. Whilst Conjurer were a very difficult act to follow Conan rose up to the challenge and delivered in spades. An absolutely fantastic and brutal show.

A View From The Back Of The Room: Lazuli (Review By Paul H)

Lazuli, The Exchange, Bristol

Racing across the country to get to a gig is never much fun, but having sat on the Transport For Wales train for 90 minutes longer than necessary because some poor sod got hit by a train, it was rewarding to find that French progressive outfit Lazuli (9) were playing a two hour set. With eight albums to choose from, there was no shortage of material to play and the Frenchmen set about their task with a vigour and enthusiasm that deserved and demanded a much larger audience than the 50 or soul hardy souls who made the effort. For those of you who have missed this fantastic band, Lazuli hail from Southern France and were formed in 1998 by brothers Claude and Dominique Leonetti. The band play everything from soft, instrumental progressive rock to harder, rocky songs but all with an unique style, although at times reminiscent of Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree. Claude uses a Leode which he invented and designed himself after losing the use of his left hand in a motorbike accident. Add in percussion, vibraphone and French horn as well as keyboards and guitar and you have a potent mix.

Despite the small audience the band soldiered on as if they were headlining a venue twenty times as big and although there were a few minor technical difficulties, the band raced through a fabulous set from their catalogue including several from this year’s fabulous Saison 8. Having seen the band three times before, I know what the band are capable of and with no support and free reign this was a couple of steps up from previous shows. Tracks from Nos Ames Saolues included the hauntingly beautiful Le Temps Est A La Rage, Le Lierre and the stunning Chaussures A Nos Pieds. Poignant moments included Dominique’s broken English as he wished that the UK would not split from Europe post Brexit, and the refugee references in the introduction to the spectacular Le Cotes. Humble beyond belief, the smiles of Dominique, guitarist Gederec Beyar, keyboardist Romain Thorel and percussionist Vincent Barnavol and Claude (once he had sorted his technical gremlins) were infectious and as you scanned the room, everyone was beaming with sheer joy.

This is a band that grab your attention and refuse to let you change direction for a second, such is the joy that they generate. Having played for over two hours, Lazuli concluded their evening in their usual style with a dramatic five person vibraphone climax. An enormous ovation saw the band take a lengthy bow which was totally deserved. If you like music, then Lazuli should be checked out immediately. They may not be bone crunching metal but they are some of the most talented musicians I’ve ever seen. A fabulous evening yet again from a band who are just astounding.

A View From The Back Of The Room: Tesseract

Tesseract, Between The Buried And Me & Plini, SWX Bristol

I'm a bit partial to Tesseract their style of anthemic djent has cemented them as one of the genre leaders along with Periphery. This was their biggest tour yet bringing with them American oddballs Between The Buried And Me and Australian guitarist Plini playing venues such as SWX in Bristol (which is rapidly becoming one of my favourites). The nightclub-come-venue was full when I arrived and due to the traffic I all but missed Plini's set arriving for the last two songs but he's an incredible guitar player backed by a very impressive band, due to the instrumental nature some could have been turned off but most of the room were nodding their heads in unison to the groovy riffs and fluid guitar lines, in between the songs Plini's warm nature shone through looking genuinely happy for so many people arriving early to watch his set.

A bit of break and the change over in darkness before American's Between The Buried And Me (5) took to the stage, now I'll admit that I've struggled with them on record but I never write a band off until I've seen them live and unfortunately BTBAM did nothing to change my opinion on a Tuesday night in Bristol. Their music is complex, jazz influenced almost improvisational similar to Van Der Graaf Generator or King Crimson although with a modern metal heaviness but where I really struggle is with the vocals which veer wildly from slightly off-key heavily vocodered clean mumbling to emo-screams neither of which sat right with music. The other major issue was the sound which made everything really muddy meaning nothing was overly audible. As they finished there was a real hardcore at the front that loved it but I just don't get the appeal I'm afraid.

No such sound issues for the headliners, bringing their own sound engineer with them, the change over was different to anything else as a slow steady pulse played over the PA, it was all deliberate building an atmosphere as their lighting rig was brought on to the stage. Having seen them play last supporting Devin Townsend it was their light show that really impressed me well this has been stepped up as soon as the pulse gave way to first track Luminary which saw the band take to the stage triumphantly the string section of James, Acle and Amos bringing thick chunky grooves mixed with more ethereal ambient textures over the top, the Acle and Amos moving and riffing away as James cuts a large figure on the left of stage.

It was all anchored brilliantly by drummer Jay who plays with flair and gives lots of space on the more recent melodic material. All eyes though were on frontman Dan who's voice I swear gets better every time I see them and his stage presence is brilliant leading the crowd in their enjoyment throwing his hands in the air and bouncing like and energiser bunny. The stage show was still majestic the lighting rigs span, flipped and flashed throughout casting the band in shadow for much of the set but occasionally giving you a glimpse of them in full flight, as they brought out their heavier songs early playing Concealing Fate Parts 2 & 3 in succession getting those who have been there since that first Concealing Fate EP going before moving into the more recent tracks from the brilliant Sonder and Polaris with Dystopia, Hexes, Juno and King the highlights each track matched by the visuals which were breathtaking. The obvious climax was Concealing Fate: Part 1 but with a 14 song setlist with definite peaks and troughs throughout it was an amazing set from the UK djentlemen who have outgrown that tag to be honest, turning into a much more mature prospect. Despite the supports not really floating my boat Tesseract (9) put on a masterclass in stage performance in Bristol.          

A View From The Back Of The Room: Skindred (Live Review By Alex & Konstantina)

Skindred, Those Damn Crown, Aaron Buchanan & The Cult Classics, Tramshed Cardiff

[Konstantina] When one of Wales biggest bands come to town you know it's going to be a party and because of that you need a opening act that lights the flame on the evening. It was up to Aaron Buchanan & The Cult Classics (9) to start the night creating a wild opening atmosphere. Brilliantly dressed in a fabulous suit to compete with the The 'Dred's always immaculate frontman while also adding a dash of Freddie Mercury. It was a frenzied performance from Aaron and his band that got the crowd going as the skilled band cranked out their now well worn, honed setlist of fiery rock tracks taken from their debut album (Fire In The Fields Of Mayhem) and the Heaven's Basement full length (Heartbreakin' Son Of A Bitch).

Having more space on stage than the venues we've seen them in previously it meant that master of ceremonies Aaron had more room to work his magic. As the set continued at full pace from the opening song he spent a lot of time in the crowd and completed his usual headstand, as security scrambled around. With hard rock passed through a Queen sound they even included snippets of Paranoid, My Sharona, The Trooper, Can't Stand Losing You during Dancin' Down Below again competing with the headliners. A brilliant way to start the night (although I am a little biased) setting the bar high for the local acts to follow.

Next up were Those Damn Crows (7) who we last saw supporting Aaron in Clwb Ifor Bach, since then they have signed to Earache Records and re-released their album for a bigger audience to hear. On stage they are still very impressive with Shane Greenhall commanding the stage as they play thick modern rock riffs, they do what they do very well but we have seen them do this numerous times (and will again very soon) still this local band got the Welsh crowd really going for it, the Steelhouse faithfull in full voice for every single sing-along anthem. As they played songs from their debut release showing their great stagecraft by getting the audience involved wherever possible. They continued to fan the fire started by The Cult Classics keeping the excitement at a high ready for the headliners and earning a pretty big applause because of it. 

[Alex] Newport’s finest dub-metal act, Skindred (9), bring one hell of a show to the Tramshed! Only a small venue, frontman Benji Webbe commands the room as if he is playing to a stadium. In fact, having seen them play to larger crowds, twice: Once at Merthyr Rock festival and again at Newport Centre, this gig is definitely the wildest, the intimacy owing perfectly to their unruly genre-blending and remarkable stage presence. Concertgoers chant in the unison as the lights dim and Thunderstruck by AC/DC blares from the speakers lined up above the small stage! Never ones to shun the opportunity to make a grand entrance the Imperial March from Star Wars sounds as the band members triumphantly saunter up to their positions. Powering into Big Tings, they refuse to let up the intensity across the first three songs, as we are also treated to Pressure and live-rarity, Selector. Surprises dispersed throughout include a homage to Back In Black, and the most awesome rendition of ‘If your happy and you know it, clap your hands’ anyone has ever seen!

Whereas for some acts the audience interaction is insignificant and trifling, in Skindred’s case it serves as a huge crowd pleaser, with Beji taunting us at every opportunity! ‘Who wants a t-shirt’ he screams at one point, prowling the stage, and watching audience members anticipation growing, before declaring ‘Fuck off, one of them’s £25, what do ya think we are? Made of money?’. At a later opportunity, the left and right side of the audience compete against each other in loudness, with our charismatic frontman sparing no mercy in playfully jibing both sides for being less enthusiastic than the opposite, with their chants of ‘Whoop Whoop’ and ‘That's My Jam’. Before playing Machine, an anthem with the powerful refrain of ‘Rock n Roll, Saved My Soul’, Webbe reels off a list of legendary acts – Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry David Bowie – every name eliciting huge cheers from the crowd, in a great show of respect

We do get an especially somber moment, with the addition of an acoustic ballad in the set. Saying It Now is dedicated to a recently deceased friend of our frontman. His intention in telling this deeply personal story in front of strangers is simple. ‘Tell the people close to you that you love them before it's too late, because we only get one life’ we are reminded before achingly relatable lyrics and sensual harmonies play out. While I am pleasantly surprised by the addition of a softer song at a Skindred show, it proves a wonderful opportunity to reflect and contemplate the inherent sense of community fostered by concert experiences.

As the set draws to a close and Benji strides back on stage in a gold coloured reflective jacket, we are presented with the two songs everyone here was undoubtedly excited to hear: Nobody and Warning. While large circle pits prove difficult in the small venue, the audience compensate with lots of smaller mosh pits, crowd surfing and unbridled energy. Completing the performance is the trademark, ‘Newport Helicopter’ whereby we are ordered in no uncertain terms to remove an item of clothing and propel it in the air, adding to the fun for the audience and surely proving an enjoyable sight for the band members, After all, to make a statement I’m sure our pals in Skindred will wholeheartedly agree with, at a show it is right that both the audience and the performers enjoy themselves.