Reviews: Necrowretch, Albert Cummings, Colosso, Paul Di'Anno (Paul H, Matt, Rich & Simon)

Necrowretch: To Ones From Hell (Season Of Mist) [Paul Hutchings]

2017’s Satanic Slavery certainly earned the seal of approval from fellow write Rich, a connoisseur of all things evil and gnarly. Within minutes of Pure Hell Fire, the opening track on the French blackened death metal masters latest release I can see why. It’s brutal, bludgeoning and aggressive and dripping with a devilish fever which is maintained for the whole release. Luciferian Sovrenty is next, the pulverising blast beats and dirty riffage cascading out of the speakers, the urge to bang the head almost irresistible. Whilst I am not as familiar with their catalogue as my colleague, there is no doubting that this is as good as their previous releases. The old school production remains, as does the hauntingly malevolent combination of thrash, death and black metal.

The title track opens with a riff that sears through the blackened heart, layered guitars and rhythm echoing with ominous intent, a brief respite from the intense barrage that you know is about to be unleashed. Less frenetic, To Ones From Hell instead heads for the crushingly heavy, frontman Vlad’s guttural vocals as sinister as ever. Codex Obscuritas may well be one of the most harrowing songs I’ve heard, its demonic, almost funeral feel at times edging into the dark doom territory. Through the Black Abyss maintains a suffocating approach, thick riffs, enveloping darkness which builds and then sweeps over in an unstoppable tsunami of punishment, the pause only serving to allow Vlad to unleash a vicious scream before a black choral chant closes the song. All this and then Necrowretch itself, a furious four and a half minutes complete with death-like screams and effects which round off a blisteringly good album.

The sonorous drums of Ilmar ring in the deep, the barrage of blast beats all sinewy muscle and intense power. Vlad’s vocals are matched by his agitated guitar, the speed at times almost uncontrollable whilst bassist Wence makes a solid recording debut. Recorded as a three-piece in February 2019, the session lasted over ten days at the Blackout Studio in Brussels with ‘Phorgath’ from Emptiness as producer. Alan Douches, who worked with everybody from Baroness to Cannibal Corpse then carefully took care of the mastering job. This album has been almost a year in the making. I invite you to take the journey. It’s worth every minute. 8/10

Albert Cummings: Believe (Provogue Records) [Matt Bladen]

Another guitar toting bluesman from Provogue Records. This one is Albert Cummings who has recorded hi eighth album, Believe in FAME Studios,Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with help of Grammy Award-winning producer, Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana). So really you can sort of expect what's to come, slick rhythm and blues with nods to funk and soul, a smokey vocal, soulful backing singers and slinky guitar playing, now this is a little bit different to his normal firebrand style, drawing from those classic Muscle Shoals albums from yesteryear. It's a mixture of original material and covers with the usual suspects such as Freddie King, Van Morrison and Chas And Dave along with another re-treading of Red Rooster. Now covers like these are all par for the course in blues music but his originals also stand up, mainly due to Cummings' versatility as a performer straddling multiple genres, though he never really strays outside of the American songbook. A 20 year veteran of the blues game Believe is a slick album performed by a talented individual. 6/10

Colosso: Apocalypse EP (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Rich Oliver]

Apocalypse is the new EP from Portuguese death metallers Colosso. It is the seventh release by the band with four albums and two previous EP’s under their belts and sees the band releasing their most ambitious material to date. Apocalypse is comprised of four songs with each song representing one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Each song also features a different vocalist with guest spots from members of fellow Portugese bands Oak, Bleeding Display and Analepsy. The music put forward on Apocalypse is varied with each song having its own identity but all fall very much into the contemporary death metal category. Opening song Pestilence is a slow crushing beast that almost veers into death doom territory with its lumbering pace. It is followed by War which is the most straightforward death metal song of the EP being fast and brutal with plenty of blast-beats. Death is the most experimental song of the release with its strong melodic lines, clean vocals and melancholic atmosphere whilst the finale Famine is the most pummelling of the release being bowel rupturingly brutal. It is a fairly short release and an interesting idea and concept. The variation throughout is nice and refreshing and despite each song being different it by no means makes the EP inconsistent. A nice but brief showcase of the skills of Colosso and of the variation that can exist in one of the most extreme subgenres in metal. 7/10

Paul Di’Anno: Hell Over Waltrop – Live In Germany (Metalville) [Simon Black]

We all know and respect the influence that Paul Di’Anno had on Maiden and metal in general, being such a crucial part of their origins and arguably still two of their best of their numerous back catalogue of albums so many, many decades ago. Give the guy his dues, he’s kept hammering at this for decades ever since his unceremonious exit from Maiden, with varying degrees of success, for me probably peaking with Killers in the 90’s despite the fact the world was moving in a different direction.

This live album sees him in energetic form at a festival in Germany way back in 2006, and invokes what you expect when he gets up and does his thing – rawness, energy, and a crowd loving every minute of it in an unbridled orgy of nostalgia. Maiden hits make up only half of the set list, with a peppering of songs from his various projects stopping this from being a one-trick album, so respect for the restraint. Di’Anno is at his best when he has something to prove, and this album is no exception, as he works his socks off to win over a crowd, many of who have probably never heard of him. No mean feat-this was not a metal festival, but I don’t hear that slowing him down, and let’s face it this man kicked down many musical doors back in the day…and a few physical ones too if his autobiography The Beast is anything to go by.

Like many mid-size festival slots, the recording quality is far from great, but you can feel the vibe, and hearing him growl out Prowler, Phantom Of The Opera and Running Free live is always going to send a tingle down my spine. For a recording made from the front of house desk by the sound man, not released back at the time due to technical issues but made possible now by digital kung-fu magic, what we have is a remarkably solid recording of a top notch performance, and what rough edges there are actually what I would expect from this legend. What is sad, is that we will probably not get the chance to see him again, as his health has deteriorated significantly recently, and with no prospect of some more solo material, which I would be interested to hear, this looks like this is the last hurrah of an absolute one-off. Play it loud muthas…8/10

Reviews: Archon Angel, Starbenders, Stone Temple Pilots, Moon Reverie, (Matt, Paul H, Simon)

Archon Angel: Fallen (Frontiers Records) [Matt Bladen]

Archon Angel is a new band project from producer/guitar player Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere) and former Savatage and Circle II Circle vocalist Zak Stevens, the two met during their time recording Timo Tolkki's Avalon's Return To Eden album. They discussed a project with Frontiers and here it is the debut release from Archon Angel. Now there is a very deliberate attempt to recreate the sound of one of Stevens' previous bands, that band being the legendary American metal juggernaut Savatage,m Aldo, Zakk and the co-writers of this record Simone Mularoni (DGM and Sweet Oblivion) and Alessandro Del Vecchio (Edge Of Forever, Jorn, Hardline, everything Frontiers related) have tried to stay as true as they can to the bombastic metal sound of Savatage, albeit with some Religious lyricism that focuses on the system of Gnosticism, especially the idea of a modern day Archon (messenger of God). 

It's certainly brought the conceptual nature of Savatage's lyrics to this album but do they manage to capture that brilliance of the brothers Oliva? Well let's start with the title track the first track; big pianos and orchestrations? check, soulful vocals? check, broad guitar riffs? check. That's pretty much Savatage sound nailed, yes it's a slow start but business picks up with The Serpent full of double kicks and a heavier sound yet still having the full orchestral sound. Rise gets the pulse racing with some rockier riffage while Twilight brings symphonic metal mastery and a killer guitar Chris Caffery-like guitar solo. Now I will say for those who know their Savatage, Archon Angel are very much in the latter Stevens fronted style rather than the earlier Jon Oliva fronted band, still they channel the best of one of America's best metal bands well with the dramatic Who's In The Mirror a stand out. Basically if you love Savatage then you will want this album! 8/10 

Starbenders: Love Potions (Sumerian Records) [Matt Bladen]

Grab your stacked heels and flared trousers as Starbenders are bringing punky glam rock back, though they've manipulated it through the lens of modern art rock  Looking like they are fresh out of those heady days when Bowie, Slade and The Sweet ruled the airways and fronted by the irrepressible Kimi Shelter (vox & guitar), who's take no prisoners attitude and vivid, multi-hued dress sense inform everything about this band, from the poppy choruses full of open chord riffs, to the strutting rock n roll sound of the burgeoning New York or Detroit scenes. Love Potions is a swaggering paean to the glory days of when rock was full of glitter and grit, numbers like Getting Harder rock away but Precious has an almost emo-disco feel to it Kimi's ravaged voice in synch with that of Remington Leith of Palaye Royale.

The sexually charged Holy Mother is driven by the thumping bass of Aaron Lecesne as the snarling Bitches Be Witches takes its cue from Stevie Nicks with the acoustic scrubbing, Emily Moon's big drum sound and Kriss Tokaji's lead break, he also shimmers on London where we get almost a Brit Rock style slide solo. Now at various places, they are about as far from a glam rock band as you can get, Love Potions is the pumping amalgamation of Bowie, Queen, Nicks, Bjork and even some modern Muse thrown in. A 14 track journey through the mind of Shelter, it grabs you by the lapels and drags you through a kaleidoscopic tunnel of rock n roll. 8/10

Stone Temple Pilots: Perdida (Rhino Entertainment) [Paul Hutchings]

2018’s second self-titled album was the Stone Temple Pilot’s first album with singer Jeff Gutt who joined the band in 2016. It was a decent release which I enjoyed. Album number two, written by Gutt with brothers Dean (guitar) and (bassist) Robert DeLeo, and eighth overall sees a shift in direction with a fully acoustic stripped back release. Barely an electric guitar in sight or sound. Perdida means loss in Spanish. Is it the band’s cathartic response to the death of Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington? Or is it an identity crisis which the band find themselves in, direction wise? It certainly has a melancholic feel to it without being over sombre. Fare Thee Well opens the album and sets the scene, whilst Three Wishes sees Gutt demonstrate his strong voice, accompanied by simple percussion and DeLeo’s sensitive guitar playing. Flashes of the trademark STP sound emerge through the album but this is a distinct departure which may well divide opinion amongst the band’s fan base. Perdida adds a Latin edge to proceedings, delicate and gentle.

The problem is that by I Didn’t Know The Time arrives, Robert DeLeo tinkling keys and the arrival of flute aside, this is already becoming a little generic. There is little to suggest this is the band who ripped up the 1990s with those ragged riffs. Zeppelin style acoustic style guitars on songs such as She’s My Queen provide a 70s feel but Gutt’s delivery cries out for a more dynamic approach, to stand out and make the song his. Years is thin and weak, not helped by Robert DeLeo’s vocals, whilst Miles Away is similarly bland with the fiddle merely pushing it further away. With a host of musicians adding backing vocals, keyboards, saxophone and viola, as well as Deleo’s marxophone, this could have been an interesting release. By the time you reach You Found Yourself Whilst Losing Your Heart, a limp effort which cries out for William DuVall to take by the scruff of the neck, it’s likely that disappointment will have kicked in. An opportunity that may have been missed. Let’s hope that the return to the electric sound will be an improvement next time around. 6/10

Moon Reverie: Moon Reverie (Rockshots Records) [Simon Black]

You sometimes know from the opening seconds, that this is an album that ticks your boxes. So let’s be clear, if European Neo-Classical Progressive/Power Metal is not your thing, you may want to skip to the next review. If like me, you’re a geek for this sort of thing, strap yourself in. This is the solo project of Italian guitar virtuoso Luca Poma, finally stepping into the limelight after many years of providing the supporting licks for the likes of Uli Jon Roth, Vinnie Moore and too many more to name. It’s refreshing that this genuinely is a ‘solo’ album, as apart from the drum work and some supporting keyboards/back-up vocals, this is all the work of the man himself, so for me has that genuine feel to it that reminds me of how impressed I was when Joe Satriani first went Surfing. But when it comes to the music, this is something else entirely. Luca also has a remarkably good singing voice (yup, he does the lead vocals too) – rich and melodic, and more than capable of heading up to the roof to strip the paint off the ceiling with the best symphonic / power voices (think of Stratovarius’ Timo Kotipelto when being subtle, from whom he’s a dead ringer for on acoustic ballad Far Above).

However, this album notably avoids the trap of veering into the self-indulgent overlong epics, whilst still showing off the man’s blistering ability to shred when required in the solos and bridge licks, giving you just enough virtuosity to make you sit up and notice, without turning you off by going too far. Song-wise, there is some good structuring going on here, but I am struggling to find a stand out signature song here, although single Eyes tries its best to be the anthemic powered hit that you need to move forward in this game, but it's for solid Power ballad In My Heart that I can most envisage a myriad of phone torches waving along to in a field in Germany sometime this summer. These songs are the length they need to be, and are the stronger for it, with only one instrumental epic, where it belongs, at the end as the finale to an album that is well worth a listen to. 7/10

Reviews: Kreator, Godthrymm, Jason Kui, Plague (Paul H, Paul S & Matt)

Kreator: London Apocalypticon, Live At The London Roundhouse (Nuclear Blast) [Paul Hutchings]

The culmination of 150 dates supporting the Gods Of Violence album, Kreator rolled into the iconic Roundhouse in London as part of their co-headline tour with Dimmu Borgir and support from Hatebreed and Bloodbath. This album captures the Germans at their most intense, with a 72-minute set that covers their entire career. Live albums are always a challenge to review. If you were there at the actual gig, then what a souvenir. If not, it’s often a rather ropey greatest hits plus tracks from the latest album package. With Kreator you know what you get. There are no ballads, slow numbers or progressive meanderings. This is all out thrash from a band that are as vital today as they were when they roared out of Essen in the late 1980s. 

Opening with Enemy Of God it’s immediately apparent that Kreator were intent on smashing through every barrier in front of them. If you don’t know what Kreator sound like by now, then you need to leave the room and catch up. The set list writes itself. Newer tracks like Satan Is Real and Fallen Brother nestle comfortably alongside old school classics such as the raging Flag Of Hate, Mille Petrozza urging the thrash loving audience to circle pit time after time. Incredibly tight, Kreator power through their set heading to the culmination of the show, the duo of Violent Revolution and of course, breathless set closer Pleasure To Kill. 

Alongside Petrozza, the searing lead guitar work of Sami Yli-Sirniö cuts through the air with ease. This was the last recording with long serving bassist Christian ‘Speesy’ Giesler who left the band in 2019 and it’s a fitting send off to a man who played with the band from 1994 – 2019. Petrozza, with mere seconds to go, urges the London crowd “this is your last chance to kill … each other”. This sums up the intensity which Kreator give at every show. A fine record of an amazing night. 8/10

Godthrymm: Reflections (Profound Lore Records) [Matt Bladen]

A storm raged while I was listening to this full length, which was particularly apt due to the elemental nature of this crushing debut record from future UK doom titans Godthrymm. Formed by vocalist/guitarist Hamish Glencross (ex-My Dying Bride/Vallenfyre/Solstice) the band have already brought their miserable music to the masses with their EP A Grand Reclamation, this was a vision of the kind of towering riffs the band could bring to the table, built upon Glencross' history with legends such as My Dying Bride, it with MDB that Shaun Taylor-Steels also paid his dues behind the kit and after the EP he and Glencross wrote this full length record along with bassist Bob Crolla. Yes folks every single brain rattling doom riff here played by just three men, from the creeping Cursed Are The Many to the faster, Sabbath inspired The Grand Reclamation.

Godthrymm have a sound that harks back to the desolate, insular, mournful music of early Paradise Lost (previous touring partners), My Dying Bride and Draconian. Hamish's vocals veer between shouted sadness and growled grief while his guitar sings out with harmonic emptiness (Chasmic Sorrows), sorrowful solidarity (Monsters Lurk Herein) and of course crushing riffs on Among The Exalted. Crolla's bass playing adds the low end boom to The Sea As My Grave and The Light Of You which is given room to breathe from Taylor-Steels' expressive, powerful drumming. Reflections is a monsterous stab of doom from the 90's style, gargantuan songs that rips, crawls and drags like and Eldritch Horror. Play it loud, in a darkened room for full effect. 8/10

Jason Kui: Naka (Prosthetic Records) [Paul Scoble]

Jason Kui is a Hong Kong based session musician and solo artist. Naka is his second album coming 3 years after hid debut, Absence Of Words. As the title of his first album suggests, Jason does instrumental guitar music. The album has cameo appearances from 4 other guitarists; Andy Jones, Andy Timmons, Tom Quayle and Poh Hock. In many ways the cover art on Naka, gives you a good idea of what the album is going to sound like. Although it is made up of photos, it looks a lot like a David Hockney painting, and the music is just as bright, clear and full of sunshine as one of his canvases. The music is mainly rock or metal based, with a nod towards Djent, and packed full of strong melody leads, with some seriously good shredding. This all sounds great, but there is a pitfall that guitar instrumental albums fall into; that the lack of variety makes them, well, boring. Has Naka managed to avoid this? Yes and no, there is a sameness to some of the material, that might get boring over time, but Jason has clearly seen this pitfall, and has made an attempt to avoid it. Jason has tried to inject a little variety into the feel of the tracks on this album. 

The interlude Roseneath is full of romantic strings. Mean Bird is funk filled track featuring a huge bass-line and brass, as is the James Brown influenced Games Brown (Hey). Final track Then And Now is soulful, relaxed and bluesy. So, has the inclusion of different sounds helped to solve the “Boring” problem of guitar instrumental albums? In some ways, yes it has, however some of the variations don’t really work. The funk tracks feel a little cheesy (sorry) and in some ways feel like the theme tune to a daytime talk show. However, final track Then And Now isn’t in the least cheesy, and is probably the strongest track on thew album. Naka is a great album. It’s packed full of strong melodies, great tunes and some very impressive shredding. If it avoids the “Boring” issue of guitar instrumental album, only time will tell; but it’s clear that Jason Kui has identified the problem and has at least attempted to fix it. 7/10}

Plague: Portraits Of Mind (Nuclear Winter Records) [Matt Bladen]

Plague do one thing very well...sheer brutality, this Greek death metal band, play the filthy style of death that rampaged out of the United States in the 90's, born from the thrash scene but manipulated by the forces of evil into a much more blood thirsty beast. Plague cite influences as Death and Massacre as influences and on Portraits Of Mind these bands can be heard throughout, even in the fuzzy production they keep things authentic the guitars staying in a state of meaty distortion as the percussion explodes like a carpet bombing and the bass rumbles like thunder. Songs like Portals Into Reality have that early thrash progressive nature to them, switching between fast and slow dynamics with ease keeping you guessing and ready to start a pit throughout, though if you did that to Pandemic in the blazing Greek sun, you'd probably die. Not much else can be said about this album, if you love nasty death metal check it out and let this plague infect you. 7/10

Reviews: Psychotic Waltz, Ihsahn, British Lion, Anvil (Matt, Rich, Simon & Paul H)

Psychotic Waltz: The God-Shaped Void (InsideOut Records) [Matt Bladen]

The God-Shaped Void is the first album in 23 years from much lauded American progressive metal band Psychotic Waltz, to say it has been anticipated would be an understatement as the bands last release in 1996.  After their reformation in 2011 they played a few shows with Nevermore and Symphony X they began writing this fifth record in 2012 finishing in 2019. So was that time worth the wait? It's pretty obvious from the cinematic, orchestral opening of the record that it's a very clear yes. Devils And Angels is a perfect way to start this comeback from Psychotic Waltz, it's got huge orchestral swells before the huge riffs the band are renown for kick in. The record was written mainly by guitarists Dan Rock and Brian McAlpin with most of the guitar tracks not changed from the pre-production recordings, although the album was tided up by Jens Borgen who knows a thing or two about prog metal. It's Rock and McAlpin's masterful guitar playing that this album is grounded upon, songs like Back To Black and Stranded remind me of Nevermore due to the virtuosity displayed, but also the distorted darkness to them.

That's not to say the contribution of Ward Evans (bass) and Norman Leggio (drums) can be overlooked especially on the moody All The Bad Men. The God-Shaped Void is a densely layered record with many of the songs, such as The Fallen and the brilliant While The Spiders Spin build into epic numbers where Devon Graves' vocals can bewitch and lure you in to them with his wide range and excellent phrasing, he also plays a mean flute on Pull The String. Despite the 23 year gap in albums, it's like Psychotic Waltz haven't lost a step. Their music is very progressive but packed into shorter run times than many of their peers, meaning that the depth and musicality they have is much harder to achieve than it is when you have a longer time to explore, this is a band, who are well into their third decade, are playing around with what prog metal is, keeping things fresh while also retaining those sounds that saw them release four records between 1990 and 1996. You may have overlooked Psychotic Waltz before and to be honest no one would have blamed you as they never really reached the worldwide audience like contemporaries such as Fates Warning, however in Europe they did have a reasonable following. It's time to rectify overlooking this band by checking out this intelligent slab of heavy, progressive metal. 9/10

Ihsahn: Telemark EP (Candlelight Records) [Rich Oliver]

Telemark is the new EP from the Norwegian metal legend Ihsahn. The first of two EP’s due to be released, it is inspired and dedicated to Ihsahn’s home county of Telemark. Comprised of five songs this EP further cements Ihsahn’s status as one of the figureheads in current progressive metal music but also pays homage to his black metal roots with Emperor. The first three songs are all new and original material whilst the last two are selected cover songs. The new songs Stridig, Nord and Telemark are very much in Ihsahn’s established progressive metal style but far more stripped down and on the nose being more similar to his earlier solo material on The Adversary and angL. The keyboards are far less pronounced than his most recent material with the riffs very much having that cold and blackened feel. The lyrics are all sung in Ihsahn’s native Norwegian and the vocals on the most part are harsh apart from the odd moment here and there.

Frequent collaborator Jørgen Munkeby (of avant-garde band Shining) has a big role on this EP with his saxophone frequently providing the melody lines under the dissonant riffage and blackened shrieks. All three songs are solid Ihsahn but Nord is definitely my favourite of the three with a mid paced black metal feel to it. The last two songs of the album are the cover versions with the first being Rock And Roll Is Dead by Lenny Kravitz which is full of groove and hard rock swagger whilst the second is Wrathchild by Iron Maiden which is a damn awesome cover. If you want to hear Maiden riffs played on a saxophone (and lets face it who doesn’t) then this is worth a listen. Telemark is a decent listen. If you have never heard any of Ihsahn’s work before then there are other starting points but if you are a fan then this bite sized EP with prove to be an enjoyable prog metal snack. 7/10
British Lion – The Burning (Parlophone) [Simon Black]

I’ve not had any exposure to Steve Harris’s side project before, which is frankly incredible, given how I’ve gone out of my way for decades to take in Maiden shows whilst travelling for a living and religiously bought every album since I first was converted at their first Donington headline in ’87 (yup, even Virtual XI). So coming to this cold, I have tried to keep an open mind…

What we have is a solid, very traditional radio-friendly rock sound (as if that matters any more) from a man who doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone and which does not sound like a solo album at all. This sounds like what it is - a very tight band on their second album, having humbly honed their craft in the live toilets the length and breadth of the country into a tight music machine. They are a band, pure and simple. And a darned fine one at that, as I can’t find a weak song on the album which, having now gone back to listen to the first one, blows the socks off the debut - particularly vocally.

Musically, it’s what you expect from an expert songwriter like Harris – well-honed songs, a pile driving rhythm section (well, I heard the bass player was quite good), subtle layering and spot-on production despite still having a raw edge to it, with just the right amount of production to add atmosphere. Harris’s distinctive bass is up there in the mix as you would expect, but he’s definitely only part of the overall picture. Although it’s definitely in the classic rock vein, they can’t quite restrain some of the more epic qualities that you expect from latter day Maiden creeping in (Elysium and Lightning are a great examples of this), and to be honest the songs in this vein work better than the more stripped back rockers such as single The Burning or Last Chance, without being overproduced.

Like recent Maiden albums, this takes more than one spin to get the groove going, but it’s absolutely worth the persistence, as what we have here is a very well-crafted and subtle rock’n’roll album with enough tinges of metal in the pace and beat to keep the fan base happy and with sufficient layering of instruments to create that fist pumping sense of the epic that is the reason I still listen to this stuff after all these years. Can’t wait to see them live…9/10

Anvil: Legal At Last (AFM) [Paul Hutchings]

The millionth album from those street fighting Canadians is here and once again it’s a real challenge to go in too hard. We all know the history of the band, and you cannot help but love their enthusiasm even if their songs are in the main, utterly rubbish. Two years after the release of Pounding The Pavement, it’s another 50 minutes of similar songs with the band’s unique approach. Surprisingly, bassist Chris Robertson is still with the band, amazing given their history of losing more bassists than Spinal Tap lost drummers. Alongside Robertson, Robb Reiner remains the pounding engine room of the band, and as usual his drumming is superb, solid and heavy. That leaves us with Lips. Guitar wise, the man is on fire, his playing sharp and energetic (his lead break on Chemtrails is magnificent). But his vocals. Oh. My. God. Once more they are all over the place, up and down the tonal Richter scale, and the lyrics are utter dog shit. Whilst the band tackling issues around the environment, in tracks like Chemtrails, Gasoline and the utterly ponderous Plastic In Paradise, is commendable, much of their lyrical work is just dire.

Anvil also appear to have plundered the Sabbath catalogue for many of their riffs, noticeably on Plastic In Paradise and Said And Done, the latter might as well have been called Lord Of This World such is the plagiarism. Add in the recycled riff from Metal On Metal in the ridiculous Nabbed In Nebraska (a story of being pulled over for possession of dope). Once thought of as an utter joke, in recent years Anvil have pulled their reputation back somewhat. This album is unlikely to help much further with the slow ascent to the fringes of the top tier. It’s a retrograde step, not aided by one of the worst covers I’ve ever seen. 

Still, come March and the Canadians arriving for an extensive tour on this shore, I guarantee that their shows will be bursting to capacity with people whose hearing is certainly impaired. I’ll go to see if these songs do anything in the live arena where they are always entertaining (apart from the dildo guitar solo). It might be an interesting night. This album certainly has its moments, but unfortunately, they are 99% when Lips’ mouth isn’t open! 5/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Alex Band Of The Calling (Live Review By Matt Bladen)

Alex Band Of The Calling, Psycho Village & Paul Bartolome, Sin City, Swansea

The things we do for love...10cc's big hit pretty much summed up this gig for me. This was penance I suppose as it was my other half (our talented photographer) that wanted to go to this gig due to her affinity with early Noughties music. Now I suppose I drag her to enough gigs featuring sweaty men in corpse paint that it was only right to make our way to Swansea for the second UK date of what was going to be a 52 date total tour!

First off let me say that we didn't see every band, that is because there were 4(!) support acts and a 6pm start, so there was no way we were going to make it from Cardiff for all of them. We managed to get into the room halfway through the first song of Paul Bartolome's (5) set. He was supported by two other musicians a drummer and guitarist/bassist as well as backing track. A yes the backing track, possibly the loudest one I've ever heard, it was actually painful though not as painful as Paul's strained vocals, at least he was a humble talking about having his mum and dad on the merch stall and joking about being professional in front of a particularly raucous, inebriated audience. The music was sort of latter day Linkin Park with the electronics doing more work than any of the live instrumentation. I mean there was even a rapped section from the drummer on one song. All a bit safe but the crowd lapped it up, probably due to the alcohol ingestion.

Still this was only support band 3 of four the forth were Austrian sleaze rockers Psycho Village (6), they gave a marginally better showing of themselves. Certainly one that were a little more polished having been in existence since 2013. The trio have been on tour since September of last year and it showed as they were slick and professional, they brought the crowd on side with their hard rock style but for me it fell a little flat due to sameness of it all. They were the only band who had played Swansea before with an unnamed artist where they were fired from the tour. This aside they showed themselves as an ideal support keeping the energy high.

Then the excitement was palpable the mostly female audience rushed the stage as the backing band came on to stage building up the opening chords of One By One then the man himself Alex Band of The Calling (7) came out to a huge scream and unleashed that smooth baritone like it was 2001 (though I'm aware this was from their 2004 album Two). It wasn't long before The Calling's world beating debut Camino Palmero was visited with Adrienne, Stigmatized and Could It Be Any Harder all eliciting big sing alongs resulting in a solo acoustic rendition of Things Will Go My Way. It wasn't all The Calling stuff though, a few songs from Band's solo album were played along with his song For You from the Daredevil soundtrack, Why Don't You & I his collaboration with Santana (special mention to his guitar player for the almost flawless Santana-like playing) and Tonight the song Band wrote for the World Cup performed by Shakira. These were well received but it was The Calling stuff that got the crowd moving, unfortunately due to time restraints Anything was cut as the encore the finale was 'that' song yes folks if you ever wanted to hear a room full of Jacks (people from Swansea) shouting along to Wherever You Will Go, the song that eased a million break ups, then this was your one and only chance. Band still has a great voice and he can write a anthemic song, there is also still a hunger for his music so I'm sure everyone in the room will be waiting for the new album due out this year.

As personal note, despite the supports, the main act himself was actually quite enjoyable. Konstantina? She bloody loved it, score some brownie points of me then!       

Reviews: Loathe, Delain, The Cadillac Three, Titan Breed (Liam, Matt & Paul H)

Loathe: I Let It In And It Took It Everything (Sharptone Records) [Liam True]

Since discovering this band in 2016 I’ve always kept a close eye on them when they’re been playing shows around the UK and have seen them everything they’ve played in Cardiff since I first saw them. A year later they released their phenomenal first full length The Cold Sun. Fast forward three years and they’ve become one of the biggest underground Metalcore acts of the decade playing festivals headlining and support shows. Now unleashing their second full length and their sound is bigger and as brutal than ever. Their blend of Metalcore, Nu-Metal and all things progressive provide a meaty base for their ideology and the perfect platform to make their mark in the scene. In the build up to the album since September 2019 they’ve released two singles and music videos for Gored & New Faces In The Dark respectively.

Now the album is upon us and it’s just as beautiful as I expected. First track Aggressive Evolution is aptly named as the musically fused sounding album kicks into full swing. From here on in it’s an unrelenting force hitting you from all sides with destructive breakdown coinciding with Kadeem France’s deathly growls and Erik Bickerstaffe’s choir like cleans. There’s no room to stop. No room to breathe. The only room you’ll have is to comprehend what’s going on with the experimental sound and how damn entrancing it is. The entire album itself is just an entire thrill ride through the eyes of the Liverpudlian band’s last few years since The Cold Sun. Now leading into the new chapter of their careers I Let It In is the biggest leap they’ve taken since releasing their music. And if you haven’t already, they’re a band you need to keep an eye on and if you’re in the area on their album release tour this month, then check them out. Their live presence is just insane. 10/10

Delain: Apocalypse & Chill (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]

The fourth album from Dutch Symphonic metal band Delain sees them still on the path to distance themselves from the huge glut of symphonic metal bands that were around at the time they formed, over time they've added lashings of electro pop, some Goth and emotive/personal lyrical content, much of this driven by their EP's where the experimentation pointed towards the direction they were going to take next. While they may not have the outright theatrical bombast of Nightwish or Epica, they do have a keen ear for good songwriting and even with the additions they have never really differed from what they did on their debut album, they have just refined it to a point where even those cynical about symphonic metal can admit to enjoying Delain. So what of Apocalypse & Chill? Well once again it's a record built around bouncy metal music, keening synths/electronics from Martijn Westerholt and the brilliant vocals of Charlotte Wessels who carries the drama of the apocalyptic lyrical content well on numbers like Creatures.

This time though they are without rhythm guitarist Merel Bechtold, though she does appear on the heavy Masters In Disguise this means that it's Timo Somers who handles all the guitars, giving a clinic on daring instrumental Combustion, along with giving some co-lead vocals on opener One Second, you also get Beast In Black man Yannis Papadopoulos on Vengeance pairing with Wessels well. Charlotte herself gives the most diverse vocal performance she has done on a record especially on the cinematic Ghost House Heart. Some of the albums best songs come towards the end of the record Legions Of The Lost is a case-in-point, a Danny Elfman-esque grandiose number, replete with choir, that serves as a condemnation of the difference between the social media world and the real one. Apocalypse & Chill sits as another fine example of symphonic metal from Delain, they are in a league of their own when it comes to their overall image and appeal, one of the exceptions to the rule, without doing anything too drastically different, but while they ramp up the heaviness yet again they have enough to seperate them from an ever-expanding pack. 8/10
  
The Cadillac Three: Country Fuzz (Big Machine Records) [Matt Bladen]

I will admit now that I used to love The Cadillac Three, they were always a little more than Southern rock band, bringing a massive amount of country swagger due to Jaren Johnston's history in the country music world. Now unfortunately their last record wasn't as it could have been, the band becoming a bit more of a generic classic rock act. On Country Fuzz they have reconnected with their roots, this is a record that can be considered Outlaw Country, hell it even name checks Bocephus and Zak Brown. It's the Cajun trio taking back their roots. Hard Out Here For A Country Boy swaggers with some mouth harp blues as Slow Rollin' and All The Makin's Of A Saturday Night channel the Little Ol' band from Texas.

Now there does seem to be an overarching theme on this record and it's something that has bothered me about the last time I saw the band live, every single song on this record, without fail, references or is directly about drinking beer and smoking weed. Not that there's anything wrong with either of these things (despite the obvious illegality of one), it is a little draining when 14 songs on album are basically about getting drunk and high. I thought we left that sort of thing behind in the 80's but TC3 seem to want to bring it back. Country Fuzz is something of a return for TC3 musically, looking back at their debut album which still holds up. However they may want to put down the bottle. 6/10 

Titan Breed: Legacy EP (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]

M2TM alumni Titan Breed follow up their debut EP Edge Of The World with Legacy, a five track EP which covers a range of metal genres. If I had to put one of the cursed labels on the EP, I’d be looking at a cross over between nu-metal and metal core. Heavy on the riffs and the breakdowns, cleans interspersed with roaring gruff vocals and underpinned with plenty of melody. Vocalist Johnny Malice’s cleans echo Howard Jones although his gruff vocals align more with Sully Erna of Godsmack, albeit in a much lower capacity. Legacy opens the EP, a slow paced, heavy riffed track which benefits from the harmonies on the chorus. Destined To Fail comes right out of the Democratus stable, the battery of drums cements the duel guitar work of Stewart ‘Raggy’ Brown and Pete McCoy whilst Malice goes full roar. Track three bring Key To Fear, with a thrash chug that is reminiscent of Lamb Of God before it strangely fails to really ignite.

In fact, after the promising intro it’s probably the most disappointing song on the EP. Predictable and routine. Shades of 5FDP emerge on A Change Of Fate, some djent style bass breakdowns and a single riff giving it an industrial tinge. The chorus is another let down though, the song construction weak with the gravel-soaked vocals struggling. The EP closes with We Bring Destruction, a five-minute, muscular track with a decent stomp. Unfortunately, it isn’t particularly memorable and half-way through my attention had wandered. As an EP it works fine, but with several songs unremarkable, Legacy isn’t anywhere near the most exciting release you will hear this year. 5/10

Reviews: Giöbia, Odious Mortem, Giver, Invictus (Paul S & Charlie)

Giöbia: Plasmatic Idol (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Paul Scoble]

Giöbia have been making psychedelic noises since 2004. In that time the 4 piece has produced 6 studio albums and 1 live album, the first of which came out in 2004. The main sound on Plasmatic Idol is psychedelic rock, although the album does contain some elements that are a little different. This is shown right from the first, instrumental track Parhelion. Parhelion is mainly electronic, with an early eighties feel, at some points there is a trance feel to the electronic elements, as the track goes on there is more guitar added to the track, so it feels more ‘rock’. Next track In The Dawn Light is a relaxed piece of psychedelic rock. It’s got a slight country rock sense to it, so it has a similarity to Elder, and in some of the softer sections it reminds me a little of some of Primal Scream’s less up-tempo material. Title track Plasmatic Idol is a short soft electronic instrumental. Haridwar is a mellow track that features (what sounds to me like) a Fender Rhodes keyboard, giving the track a slight Doors feel. The Escape is a piece of minimalist psychedelic rock, it’s mainly electronics and keyboards, but does get faster and more purposeful, the last quarter being much more rock.

Far Behind is an instrumental that has a slow and brooding feel, and also features some very pleasing slide guitar, before getting heavier and darker nearer the end. Heart Of Stone has a folky feel to it. Strummed, clean guitar parts mix with psychedelic elements to make this a very interesting piece of minimalist psychedelia, with some really lovely melodies. The album comes to a close with The Mirror House, which is relaxed and mellow, that is a little reminiscent of Green Lung’s excellent album Woodland Rights. The second half of the song is a bit more aggressive and purposeful and gives the album a really nice rocky ending. Plasmatic Idol is a great piece of psychedelic rock. It’s packed with great melodies and fantastic riffs, it’s relaxed when it needs to be, but is always ready to get heavier and more driving. It takes a little time to get into your head, but when it does, it just won’t go away, which I see as a sign of a really great album. Highly enjoyable psychedelic rock, that is highly recommended. 8/10

Odious Mortem: Synesthesia (Willowtip Inc) [Charlie Rogers]

As a big fan of tech death, I jumped on the chance to give these guys a listen out of the MoM bag of goodies, and am very glad I did. The album rips open with a clanking bass riff, and pulls no punches as it proceeds to noodle your ears off with the sweet spot between brutality and technical ability. I’m a big fan of being able to blend frantic fretwork with infectious heavy grooves, and the album delivers on both fronts.

The vocals have an echoey feel to them, more of a distant growl than ear piercing screeches, and they blend well with the layers of guitar, drums, and bass. It’s not quite down at the gurgly end of Demilich or Chthe'ilist, but it gave me the same sort of vibes as bands of that sort. Fitting really, as the technical aspects of the riffs were certainly nodding towards that end of the tech death spectrum, rather than the highly melodic Obscura end, for the most part. That’s not to say there’s an absence of melody, but rather a more complex weave than you’d be able to whistle along to at first listen.

Upon first listen, however, a lot of the detail blurred into a haze, and I didn’t recall anything of note. I had to give the album a few listens before I had a stronger feeling than “yeah, pretty good, I guess”. While the musicianship on display is clearly of a high calibre, perhaps more memorable songwriting would help retain new listeners who only heard the tracks once. How they could do that, I don’t know, but certainly this album is a grower rather than a show-er. Overall, I enjoyed Synesthesia, and will dive into their back catalogue to give them a proper go. 7/10

Giver: Sculpture Of Violence (Holy Roar Records) [Paul Scoble]

Giver are a German five piece, and Sculpture Of Violence is the band's second album, coming 2 years after the bands debut Where The Cycle Breaks. The band class themselves as ‘Modern’ Hardcore, which gives you a clue to whats on offer on this album. This does feel a little like Hardcore, but a slower, less intense sound, softer than what I would class as Hardcore. This feels a little like Metalcore, and in some places more like Pop Punk. One of the problems are the vocals, which are more Angsty rather than Angry. The vocals are too high in the mix as well; in some places being louder than all of the music. So, what we get is punk riffs played in a melodic, mid paced way, that only occasionally feels like hardcore.

In some ways, the band have made a rod for their own backs, as there are a couple of places where the band put their collective feet down, and the music reaches speeds that I would call Hardcore. In opener Night Season and the track The Same Stream, there are parts that are great, fast, savage, and in your face. Pure undiluted aggressive Hardcore that is just great; but just as you are celebrating this, the band’s heads drop and we are back to lacklustre, plodding not quite hardcore. The only track where this fast and aggressive feel keeps up is New Gods, which is a short, fast blast of a track.
It’s a shame that most of this album plods rather than rages, the band is quite clearly capable of raging. But most of this album is plodding and uninspiring. If the band can take the fast and aggressive elements of this album and try to build from them then they might well produce some decent material, but what's on offer here is quite frankly Boring. 6/10

Invictus: The Catacombs Of Fear (F.D.A Records) [Charlie Rogers]

A trip down the more traditional style of death metal here, Invictus bring forth a little over half an hour of solid death metal. And it is indeed solid, the album feels very well structured. This sonicwall has deep foundations - the rumbling bass and tasteful thuds of double kick cement a sturdy platform for the guitarwork to shine, from gutsy riff to panicked lead, each instrument has it’s own space in the ear. I enjoyed the vocal performance, which harks back to the older styles of death metal, rather than the modern obsession with grotesque gutturals or incomprehensible noises that you can’t even pretend to understand - some lyrics even stood out, which is a refreshing change from the standard fare of death metal these days. Stand out tracks for me are Bizarre Dreams, Diabolic Intent, Sinkhole Of Ghouls, and the title track The Catacombs Of Fear. 

There’s a lot of groove splattered across the album, with feel changes and a real understanding of how to keep you engaged for the whole of the song, which is exactly what you want for an album of songs lasting less than 4 minutes each. My only complaint is there’s not enough of it, but perhaps Invictus have found the sweet spot where you get just enough of their music here without letting it bore you. I found myself unconsciously nodding along to many of the passages while trying to write this up. If that’s not what you want from an album, then you’ll have to look elsewhere, but if you want to inject a fun, fast, rifftastic album into your head, you can’t go much wrong with this one. 8/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Wheel (Live Review By Matt Bladen)

Wheel & The New Death Cult, Exchange Bristol

For less than 10 of your British pounds you too could have been at Bristol's Exchange for what will probably one of the best gigs of the year. Into Bristol's community hub/venue after an easy commute to the city from South Wales the waiting area was jam packed with all manner of punters. It seems that since we last frequented this venue it has gained another performance area downstairs in it's 60 person cap basement. There was soemthing else on as well as the gig we were here for luckily we were in the bigger room for the evening.

After a few beverages, it was into the venue, a scout of the merch and before long show/tour supports The New Death Cult (7) came to the stage, dressed in all black with skeleton half masks and UV paint (guitarists orange, rhythm section green) they kicked off the evening with some jangly, propulsive rock music. As they cranked out their fiery alt rock-meets-indie-meets-prog two words came to my head, "Spooky Muse" this for me is a perfect way to describe the Norwegian band who reminded me a lot of the British masters of genre manipulation as their jangly guitars, passionate vocals and thumping rhythms kept the heads nodding through their support slot. There was enough groove and virtuosity to keep the hardcore proggers in the crowd interested increasing the temperature ready for the main event. Frantic and fiery The New Death Cult were the best kind of opening act, they differ from the headliners and get you moving.

There are few bands who have impressed most of the MoM the way Wheel (10) has, nearly everyone who has witnessed them has instantly fallen for their groove heavy, dark prog metal. Myself and Mr H alone saw the band at both Bloodstock and Damnation last year and both times they were mesmerizing, so when the chance to seem them at their own headline tour arose we jumped at the chance. This was not only their first UK headline tour but also their first show in Bristol and the first date on the tour itself. Some opening night jitters and technical gremlins were to be expected and forgiven but not with Wheel. They are the tightest, most technically precise band I've witness live, their setlist structured for maximum impact as the light show is programmed to link with the music, all controlled by a sound engineer who was banging her head and jumping to every single song. Now the band went through a few line up changes last year and just before this tour they had their most recent changes as long term guitarist Roni Seppänen left the band replaced by the mountainous JC Halttunen who joins Aki 'Conan' Virta (bass) and Santeri Saksala (drums) along with frontman/guitarist James Lascelles in this awesome foursome.

Once again taking to the stage in their hoods the addition of Halttunen added a new dimension to their songs as his lead chops and swirling solos are laid over the the Tool-like grooves. Ah yes the T word, I thought I would have avoided it in this review but it's only live that you can really appreciate how much an influence bands like Tool and Karnivool are to Wheel, however if given the choice between the Americans and Norwegians I'd go Nordic everytime, mainly due to the difference in price, but also that Wheel are a much more entertaining live act. Drawing tracks from their EP and their album Moving Backwards the first hour flew even when they indulged in the 10 minute prog numbers, it was like time was melting away in a hypnotic daze, the crowd banging their heads almost in unison. James' between song speeches were humble and appreciative that so many turned out to watch them on a Thursday night, however to me that proves how good the band are. A wash of disappointment came over the crowd when they announced their final song but it was a long one so no shortchanging here, then it was over a collective breath was taken and we filtered out of The Exchange with grins a mile wide. If Wheel tour again soon you can bet it won't be in venues of this size, a majestic act that in this humble writers opinion are a must see.      

A View From The Back Of The Room: The Wildhearts (Live Review By Matt Bladen)

The Wildhearts & Backyard Babies, The Tramshed, Cardiff

Despite only playing Cardiff in May of last year the band with one of the most fiercely loyal and eclectic fan bases around returned to the Tramshed with a co-headline band and support in tow. Unfortunately we got caught up in work so we only managed to catch the final song of opening band CKY. Happily it was that song that featured on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater so the nostalgia was very high. They seemed to have a fair share of support in the audience with a lot of T-shirts visible, almost as many as their were of the headliner. They also seemed to be a two piece now. Still it would be unfair to give them a score due to my tardiness. Maybe next time.

On the stage next, were this tours co-headliner, though they always came out first, Backyard Babies (6) a Swedish sleaze band formed in 1989, they don't tour these shores much so they had a lot of support as they laid down their punchy sleaze rocking. They certainly had no shortage of movement all three guitar players strafing the stage with lead guitarist Dregen spending more time on the monitors than on the stage. They relied heavily on dual vocals from Dregen and singer Nicke Borg though Dregen's mic was noticeably higher in the mix for some reason. After a few songs my attention started to wander, as they stopped a few times to talk to the crowd for a little too long and their music is a little repetitive so it was a little difficult to remain entertained. It was when they brought out the acoustic guitars that I popped outside to cool off due to the heat in The Tramshed. Perhaps being a support rather than a co-headliner would have been better as they were playing for a too long in my opinion, still he gathered masses enjoyed it enough and were warmed properly for the main event.

With a short change over we were ready and the one time UK's most dangerous band came on to their intro track, Don't Worry Bout Me, and they kicked off with Everlone, heavier than I've seen them before this was a sprawling version with Ginger, CJ and Danny McCormick all beating their strings down while Rich Battersby held down the rhythms behind the kit. Danny has recently come back on the wagon and looks all the better for it, though the entire band are always at their best on the stage. Especially with a setlist that rarely let the pace drop drawn mainly from Earth Vs The Wildhearts and their latest release The Renaissance Men with a few other classics thrown in, the punchy Diagnosis moved into Vanilla Radio and Caffeine Bomb which got the rabble jumping up and down singing back every line, a familiar site at and show by The Wildhearts (9). Very little chatting between the songs meant things moved quickly but when Ginger does talk he's affable and funny his Geordie brogue clear as day.

They don't stop as a live act with the The Revolution Will Be Televised, moving into TV Tan "So So Hey Oh!" and Top Of The World (for anyone who discovered the band through Kerrang TV) leading into the supremely heavy new track Dislocated which is almost thrash metal meets doom. The Wildhearts mixture of punk, metal and pop makes them a band with a very broad range of followers and their down to earth manner, very publicised struggles and catchy songwriting win over even the most po-faced music snob. Quite frankly if you don't sing along to Sick Of Drugs, I Wanna Go Where The People Go or My Baby Is A Headfuck then you don't know how to have fun. With a new album in the works The Wildhearts are back to stay, keep an eye out as I'm sure they'll be back before the end of the year.

Reviews: Those Damn Crows, Void Droid, Another Day Dawns, Theory Of A Deadman (Reviews By Matt & Alex)

Those Damn Crows: Point Of No Return (Earache Records) [Matt Bladen]

Those Damn Crows a band whose rise can be considered to be meteoric, their live reputation goes before them, they put 110% into every single show, which has earnt them not only a rabid, ever expanding, fanbase but also has seen them get signed to Earache Records who re-released their debut Murder & The Motive last year. Since signing to Earache the band have gone fro strength to strength honing their skills across stages UK wide supporting all manner of acts, most recently Monster Magnet at the Forum in London. They have also found time to record a follow up to their debut, the prophetically titled Point Of No Return is Those Damn Crows making a statement that they don't intend to look back, they are a band on the rise and ready for what's coming next. You can hear this as soon as you press play, it's brimming with confident, assured, fiercely modern hard rock. The kind of music that will be played not only on early supporters Planet Rock also with numbers like Sin On Skin they have songs with enough sing-along-ability and attitude for Kerrang and beyond.

Now we have often made a lot of noise about bands we consider to be a blatant copyists this means bands that stick rigidly to the classic rock style of the past resulting in numerous musical clones. For a while it looked like Those Damn Crows may be heading that way but Point Of No Return cannily avoids this by bringing together a more mature record, yes the rock swagger is still there with chugging Send The Reaper and choppy Kingdom Of Dust but songs such as Be You and the piano-laden Never Win channel the arena beating sound of Alter Bridge or Shinedown (as do anthems like Go Get It). Be You especially has Shane Greenhall giving his most intimate vocal performance on the album. This Welsh five piece are certainly in evolution, everything about this record is bigger than their debut, from Ronnie Huxford's massive drum sound, Lloyd Wood's driving bass and the twin axe attack of Ian 'Shiner' Thomas and David Winchurch which is as sharp as a tack, Point Of No Return sounds as far away from this bands Valley's roots as they can get, it's a polish Americanised sound that takes broad strokes with influences. Currently riding high in the rock album charts and in the midst of a sold out headline tour, Point Of No Return is and to an extent Those Damn Crows are the state of rock in 2020. 8/10

Void Droid: Bipolar (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Billed as a heavy/Southern rock band I'd say Patras' Void Droid fall more into the stoner rock category personally, but they stretch the realms of their musical style a little into the Southern rock grooves and some proggy touches too that separate this from many of the stoner bands. Having played in Greece with Orange Goblin and Monster Magnet along with countrymates Planet Of Zeus, Nightstalker and VIC. They are truly a band who live and die by the riff, there's plenty of Sabbath worship here along with some Pantera and Down touches too adding to that swampy Southern feel on Zarathustra with the country style coming in on the beginning of Milkaholic before it starts to grunt and dip between both styles throughout with lashings of tasty groove.

This might be the best song on the record as it perfectly sums up Void Droid's ethos when it comes to writing, it shys away from the formulaic, trying to subvert some of the conventions while also keeping true to them. Songs such as The Mars March are executed with style, despite only being an instrumental it has the drama of one Metallica write flowing into the slower paced The Venus Effect which keeps the heaviness at top level with it's crunching riffage and woozy style, as the title track, which is also instrumental, has an echoed, dreamy sound to it that leads into the crunching Puer Blue a dramatic final song that fades out to a single piano piece. Bipolar is a song with multiple sides to it, far beyond the realms of Southern metal, this is much more intelligent and interesting style of music than some of the more well known Southern bands, these Greeks have stepped up on their third record. 7/10

Another Day Dawns: Stranger (Self Released) [Alex Swift]

An alternative metal act it’s very difficult to talk about Another Day Dawns without immediately comparing them to acts in the same vein: Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, even elements of Slipknot, in the more aggressive moments. That’s not to pass any comment on the skill of these musicians display across the course of the EP – as you will see I have mixed feelings about that – rather, there’s a familiarity present in the fact that they perform the mainstream dominant version of metal. Beautiful Suicide, for instance, takes down-tuned riffs, anger ridden lyrics ridden with these of mental health and a marching beat. Personally, while I respect the forward motion of the track and the respect for the subject matter, the instrumentation here is too sparse and predictable to really seize my attention. Thankfully though that’s not the tone of the entire 17 minutes as the next track, Am I feel far more striving and passionate in tone, the guitars ferociously melodic and the transitions beautiful.

There is still that trademark alt sound on display, yet the anthem rings with a degree of emotion that exudes honesty. Taste Of Heaven is more unique, the jaunty hooks, effervescent riffs and exuberant experimentation making this the finest song here. However, we lurch back into tedious territory with the final two songs, Never Okay – an acoustic ballad which despite trying to create tone variety, feels meandering and whiney; and Forget Me Not, which has the openers problem in that it does not do enough to wrench itself of generic, copycat territory. Stranger is a decent release with some really great moments, yet with the noticeable lack of originality, the inconstancy in songwriting and the slavish devotion to trends, the piece lands sadly lower in my estimations than I would have preferred. 5/10

Theory Of A Deadman: Say Nothing (Atlantic Records) [Alex Swift]

I’ll admit from the off, I was not expecting much out of Say Nothing. Theory Of A Deadman, while not the worst act to emerge from the early 2000’s alternative, certainly hasn’t done much to win my praise. I’ve been aware of them since roughly 2008’s Scars And Souvenirs, which took a humdrum approach to songwriting that combined the ever irritating timbre of Nickelback with the unoriginality of mainstream country. Particularly, I took a distaste to Connolly’s lyrics, which intentionally or unintentionally, reek of narcissism, and don’t stop short of expressing his ire towards those who have screwed him over – ya’ know hobos who ‘just sit around and get paid’, women who ‘love to complain and never shut up’, his girlfriend – you name any jealous personality trait, these musicians have probably written a song for just that. I don’t mean to sound accusatory but when a band does interviews to clarify that they’re definitely not misogynists, red flags get raised. In 2017 the conveniently renamed act Theory joined the throng of mainstream acts trying to impersonate imagine dragons and scored a hit with the dozy Rx Medicate. Say nothing essentially proves a desperate attempt to rescue any credibility from within the rock scene, while struggling with their newfound identity as a pop act.

In the one and only positive I’ll aim towards the record, the song's history of violence is a surprisingly mature attempt to write a sombre song about the serious subject of domestic violence. The lyrics reflect a sense of captivity and paranoia, while the contrast between the mellow and harsh guitar tones helps accentuate the tone. While I can’t praise the use of minimalism and dramatics elsewhere, here it actually works in a way that is both emotive and sensitive.

I hope that last paragraph helps you sympathize with the frustration I’m about to express. Let’s start with Ted Bundy – yes really, a song written from the perspective of a man who kidnapped, raped and murdered several young women and girls. I’m not necessarily against the idea of songs seen through the eyes of awful personalities, yet the boisterous horns here and the hook of ‘Baby, you know that I love you to death, but I’m never gonna see you again’ reek of an immature, pitiful and deplorable attitude to the subject matter. This has always been Theory’s problem when they address real issues they look unsympathetic and callous, so they resort to deliberately cruel language, and bigotry disguised as humour; ‘who cares? Our fans will keep buying our records.’ The same could be said of White Boy, a piece about the subject of racism and terrorism, which succumbs to the same over simplistic narratives which fuel the problems they claim to care about while muttering their lyrics between monotone melodies and inapt rhythms. Whatsmore, they’ll typically follow these with an insultingly sunny fun-times, summer anthem in the vein of It’s All Good or Affluenza. There’s barely any change in the practically non-existent instrumental tone to indicate that we’re moving between these moments, yet somehow we’re expected to believe that they’re emotionally genuine when they sing about the trivial or the serious.

Are there any other points to make about Say Nothing? I could talk about how Black Hole In Your Heart is more of the same - ‘my life is awful and all my ex-girlfriends are to blame’ – narrative, that they have been beating to death for two decades. On the other side, I could talk about how there is more of an effort on this album to move towards addressing serious subjects, albeit in a clumsy and disrespectful way. I hoped when I heard the one half-decent song, that it would not be an anomaly. I now know that there’s a method to how Theory chooses their singles, plot out their albums and keep people hooked on their brand – many have used that same analogy to compare them to Nickelback. I would say that’s probably to generous. They are more cynical, monotonous and attention-seeking than any act currently inhabiting the admittedly dismal rock charts. With their desire to blindly follow popular sounds, and write deliberately provocative words, they will continue to plunge themselves further and further into irrelevance. 2/10