Reviews: Beyond Salvation, Seven Crowns, Dark Divine, On Borrowed Time (Matt Bladen)

Beyond Salvation - The Final Nail (Self Released)

Manchester thrash/groove act Beyond Salvation deliver The Final Nail with their debut album.

If you're a fan of Machine Head, Sylosis, Trivium or Hatebreed then you'll be banging your head the instance Descending Into Darkness gets going with the technically impressive, bludgeoning modern thrash metal, inspired by the sounds of the US mid-2000's scene.

With three EP's under their belts, The Final Nail is their debut full length and it's a real bruiser of a debut, the blistering Incarcerate, exactly the sort of track that will go down a storm live, speed, precision and power that will get pits moving for sure, while the Title Track has a stomping groove to it that shifts to atmospheric realms.

Their skill should not be a surprise as Jon Pedley (vocals/rhythm), Arun Kamath (lead), Luke Entwistle (bass), and Owen Ashworth (drums), have been moulding their technical thrash/death/groove hybrid for a few years now, a very D.I.Y unit all the band members has a had in producing the album, which sounds meaty and aggressive from the first seconds, but its also slick and polished as Lee Calpee handles the mastering.

Gaining new followers and thrashers with each show, be it Bloodstock or supporting Shrapnel and Krysthla, they have been taking the UK by storm and have translated a lot of this live ferocity into their debut, as rapid pace riffs on tracks such as the melodeath-like Cleansing or the hardcore punch of Scorned, soon switch gear into neck wrecking breakdowns on Broken Reflections, the drumming always intense, the riffs burly and the solos a widdly as you want.

While not a concept album there is a loose theme to the album charting "an individual’s journey of self-reflection" which leads to some emotionally driven vocal shouts the choice to leave off the clean vocals that so many bands bring now, a positive move as it would dilute the power of the record in my opinion.

Beyond Salvation's album may be called The Final Nail but its just the beginning of the story for this impressive UK metal outfit. 8/10

Seven Crowns - Haunted Head (Pale Wizard Records)

20 years ago a punk band from Bath played their first ever show in New York City in support of Subhumans. Since then they have circumnavigated the globe with some of hardcore punks best and loudest, but rarely set foot on a stage in their native country, perhaps because the music scene in Europe and South America still has that D.I.Y ethos, and punk as genre is all about rebellion, so will be much better appreciated inside a Venezuelan toilet venue than any Live Nation branded enormo-dome.

Haunted Head is their fourth album and it comes from a place of immense sadness, born out a time where many of the bands loved ones passed away, they recorded the album with Josh Gallop in Stage 2 Studios in Bath, returning home to convalesce in the loudest way they can to create a way to work through their grief with some music they call “heavy as fuck psychedelic punk” now that seems a weird description but it is very accurate to what Seven Crowns deliver here.

The industrial synthesisers bubbling up at the beginning of the title track, the sludgy, heavy groove riffs, dragging their self to life, as the raw throated screams come it to exorcise those demons and celebrate their lost loved ones. Seven Crowns also celebrate musical diversity; their music is inventive using instrumentation that is a lot more expressive and interesting than many hardcore punk acts. Latin rhythms come on the drums and bass via NWOBHM gallops on Headstone, Side Effects goes from a shouty bounce into bass-driven industrial weirdness and angular guitars.

Ways To Be Gone and Acts Of Mindless are more like it if you’re a hardcore punk fan, as both have got that drive that will bring the spin kicks. However, Ways To Be Gone goes all desert rock in the middle to keep you guessing, Seven Crowns end this chapter with Some Are Broken, Some Are Lost as song that turns everything before around, a cathartic pseudo-ballad, it’s this punk collective releasing these feelings of grief for the final time. Haunted Head is not just a punk album, it’s a punk album from a band, who lay their hat abroad, coming home to celebrate family with music that never feels restrictive or reductive.

Seven Crowns’ fourth album and their collaboration with Pale Wizard Records, may just introduce a new listeners to punk music that can be, antagonistic and uncompromising while also being inventive and emotional. 9/10

Dark Divine - Undead Melody (Thriller Records)

There's been an upsurge in bands recently blending goth aesthetics, horror movie clichés and industrial driven metalcore. Brutal music, big breakdowns, fizzing electronics and a cinematic style that is obsessed with slashers and the undead.

Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills and Mister Misery are all a part of this "spooky core" scene and now coming out of a Halloween Horror Night at Universal Studios it's Orlando band Dark Divine. They've recently been across the UK with Smash It To Pieces and it's on stage where they really show what they can do through an immersive live experience that is sure to please their fanghouls and fanghosts.

How does it translate to album though? Well on Undead Melody they don't have their visual elements so they're reliant on their music alone, which is good, I mean it's not groundbreaking but there's a much broader sound than you may expect from the emotional angst and processed beats of the title track to the brutality and breakdowns of Midnight Masquerade.

It's an album that draws from metalcore, post-hardcore and nu metal to create a hybrid sound that is very on trend right now. Undead Melody invites you to enter Dark Divine's Black Magic Kingdom. 7/10

On Borrowed Time - In The Dark Before The Dawn (Omen Records)

Melodic hardcore from Dorset now, as On Borrowed Time deliver their debut album In The Dark Before The Dawn, through Omen Records. Formed in 2018 they've been refining a style of melodic hardcore that is emotional and aggressive, richly layered in clean guitar lines, anything post-haedcore choruses and a gritty mix of hardcore and punk. 

On Borrowed Time are a band where all of the members are veterans of their scene having played in various bands before merging their talents here. It's this experience and understanding of their sound that means that this debut album arrives with a band instantly showing you who the band are. 

Preceded by several singles (all about them streams baby), In The Dark Before The Dawn begins with Twilight an instrumental intro that sets the tone for the whole album, it feels anthemic and insistent, from the snap of the snare, to the distorted riffs merging with melodic leads, it's a build into Burden which explodes like a track firmly plucked from the 90's skate scene, punk rock speed which breaks down into shoving aggression. 

They've been compared to Have Heart and Comeback Kid, these comparisons are hard to disagree with. For every punchy riff and shouty verse there's an ambient moment and an introspective chorus that's designed to be shouted back, the raw emotion distilled and put friendly breakdowns distilled with complexity in the compositions. 

If like and me and I assume them you were fed a diet of Kerrang/Scuzz TV and Tony Hawks Pro Skater growing up, then there will be a sense of nostalgia to this record but let me be clear, the style is reminiscent on In The Dark Before The Dawn but On Borrowed Time make sure their debut is contemporary and cathartic. 7/10

A View From Uprising 9 (Debby Myatt & Tony Gaskin)

Uprising 9, O2 Academy Leicester, 23.05.26

Over a decade ago, the seeds were sown when founder and guitarist of Leicestershire base grunge outfit Resin started putting on gigs under the name of Resin Events. He hooked up with proprietor of Firebug in Leicester, Matt Kirk, and after promoting the regions M2TM competition, they hatched a madcap plan to hold an all day event at the iconic De Montfort Hall in Leicester, and Uprising was born. 

It was an instant hit with Midlands metal and rock fans and apart from the obvious gap year, it’s now in it’s 9th edition. But this ten year anniversary is bitter sweet with the future of the event uncertain as the ownership of the current site of the festival, the O2 Academy, is being handed back to the Uni and it’s not clear yet what will happen with the site. We had a chat with Simon and he says talks are underway with a number of venues, so fingers crossed they can get somewhere sorted,

As for Uprising 9, the usual eclectic mix of rock and metal lay in wait for hundreds of metalhead from all over the country. There was going to be 17 bands over 2 stages and about 11 hours of head banging, and we managed to catch them all!

Very Metal Art Stage  

First up lets look at the Very Metal Art Stage that was located in the Academy 2 room and despite having the doors open to the patio area outside, it was already a sweat pit on one of the hottest days of the year!

Opening up were Break Them (7) who laid down some heavy hard core grooves with punishing intent, whilst straight after them rising stars Pryma (8) brought a confident stage presence and relentless energy that only served to increase the temperature in the already sweltering room.

As is the nature with Uprising we are completely flipped with the next band, Crowley (9), who despite a few tech issues with sound pummelled us with some gloriously dark gothic doom. From the darkly beautiful to the beautifully ferocious. Maatkare (9) bring us monumental death metal that brings the ancient world of the Egyptians alive with brutal riffs, guttural vocals and hypnotic rhythms.

Survivalist (6) had a band hand dealt to them with a long delay again with tech issues. They bravely laughed it off, but it was a long uncomfortable wait and seemed to knock the wind out of them, but hopefully we’ll see a different Survivalist when we catch them at Call Of The Wild.

Crowd favourites Gurt (9) were up next and the sludge lords happily picked the pace up again with an intensely groove laden set that got the room bouncing, we’d been going 5 hours now and barely time to catch a breath! It was the turn of Hawxx (8) to get the claws into our minds next, Punk tinged, alt rock is the best way to describe them. Powerfully emotive, unapologetically confrontational and no holds barred fury. A slick set justifying their place on this line up.

After a few hours of some very intense performances across both stages, it was good to just have a laugh and you’re guaranteed that with everyone's favourite punky thrashheads Lawnmover Deth (8) who brought the unique brand of humour to lighten the mood, it was a welcome dose of hilarity, before closing out the VMA stage with hard core legends Stampin’ Ground (10) who tipped the room over the boiling point with the old school hard core fury and aggression, it was literally raining sweat as the veterans showed that they still have the vim & vigour to mix it up with the youngsters, a brilliant end to a pretty full on day on this second stage.

Main Stage

Whilst the VMA stage was boiling over the Main Stage at the O2 was a tad cooler, but the bands would still have that fiery intensity, and first up were techy prog meisters Fractions (9) who got things going with a sublime set. The local lads have been quiet of late but were bang on form today with their complex layers of soaring vocals, intricate riffs and mesmerising drum and bass beats.

They were followed by another local legend, Tom Reynolds, otherwise known as Foul Body Autopsy (8), a one man death metal machine. A phenomenal guitarist who creates a cataclysmic wall of sound with his guitar, pedals, loops and backing tracks. At least the rider will be small! But seriously he’s one talented guy with an impressive catalogue of material.

There was a big emphasis on atmospheric and visual acts on the main stage today and Mayfire (8) have both in abundance. Monumental soundscapes and moody stage presence are the order of the day with this atmospheric black metal band from Norway who describe themselves as “cinematic” which we totally get, very Scandi Noir.

For visuals and performance there are not many around at the moment who can match Ward XVI (9). The stage setup is impressive and and the performance is straight out of the Alice Cooper book of rock theatrics. The maniacal minds of this dark horror band create a whole world and it’s grisly stories with which to entertain us, the big stage here is perfect for their show and even though they only have a half hour slot they cram so much in.

From the blood and gore of the asylum we are taken into a much darker place. An atmospheric gloom descends on the crowd as The Suns Journey Through The Night (10) creep into the darkest recesses of our senses. A complex wall of sound, raw and ritualistic from this black metal band, it has a dark beauty that will take your soul and leave you emotionally bereft. This sort of extreme metal is not for everyone, but get past the tags and pigeon holing and listen to the music that is being created, simply stunning.

From soul crushing black metal to heart wrenching flamenco and North African inspired alt rock in the form of Gibraltars greatest musical export Breed 77 (9). Their heavy rock incorporates the musical melting pot of their homeland making for a unique sound that is unmistakable and add in the soulful vocals of frontman Paul Isola overlaying those haunting guitar riffs and it makes for a beautifully heavy mix.

Another veteran band from the late 90’s early 00’s that has made a comeback in recent years are Essex boys InMe(8). They exploded onto the scene with their highly acclaimed albums Overgrown Eden and White Butterfly and soon had a strong loyal fan base. Frontman Dave McPherson wears his heart on his sleeve, his songwriting is powerfully emotive, full of angst, anger and hope. His vocals are unmistakable, a style that help them stand out from the crowd.

And finally, after a very long and very hot day, the culmination of a brilliantly curated day of rock and metal sees the return of a much loved, and you might even say greatly underrated industrial stalwarts Pitchshifter (10). They have achieved an almost cult status amongst their die hard fans and they treat us to a hour long set of their best tunes. 

You know it’s going to be a full on set when they kick off with Triad and Microwave two of their heaviest hitters! They finish off with a triple whammy of W.Y.S.I.W.Y.G., Please Sir and Genius the floor is bedlam, the crowd is hot, sweaty and very happy. That was a mad cap ride of pure chaos!

If this is to be the last Uprising then what a way to bow out, but at the time of writing these last few lines, Uprising have posted a couple of cryptic updates on their page, including a logo saying Uprising X and the date “10-04-2027”, so I guess the Uprising will continue. Metalheads assemble! We just don’t know where yet!!

Reviews: The Ghoulstars, Hysterese, Embrace Of Souls, Hellforce (Matt Bladen)

The Ghoulstars - The Dark Overlords Of The Universe (Season Of Mist)

Some Finnish horror metal/punk now with The Dark Overlords Of The Universe, from The Ghoulstars. Influenced by The Misfits, White Zombie and Murderdolls, there's a certain expectation coming into the record that is cemented with opener Too Ghoul For School thundering with schlock horror lyrics, wavy melodic guitars, big drum sound and gang vocals it's creepy, kooky, woozy and spooky. 

Emerging from the grave in 2021, they're something of a Finnish supergroup featuring members from Kuolemanlaakso, Hooded Menace and Thermate, their experience is second only to their fandom as The Dead In Purgatory is Morricone meets Volbeat as Zombie Apocalypse goes full Mr Only & Co. 

Inspired by an 80's VHS B-Movie aesthetic every song is brimming with retro gold lyrically there's more to it than just catchy references to 40 year old media, a few of the songs deal with personal and emotional issues but mostly this album is about fun and if ghoulish, horror punk rock gets you bouncing and wanting to paint a skull on your face then you'll get a lot out of The Dark Overlords Of The Universe. 7/10

Hysterese - Hysterese V (This Charming Man Records)

Hysterese have been cranking out riffs since 2009 which explains why this other the cult metal acts fifth album. 

They're a band who do things very D.I.Y, punk, metal, hardcore fan base the whole thing, the dual vocals and guitars of Helen Runge-Kehle (guitars/vocals) and Moritz Kehle (guitar/vocals) rage and roar, with the rhythm section of Lukas Anderer (bass/vocals) and Kai Hirt (drums) thunder with a raw pace that emerged from the garage. 

With album five though the band have done a bit of refining to their rough sound, with 80's sounding melodies on Love Hurts, sleaze on No Dreams, post punk on Nightfall, classic metal on Obsidian and even cover of Necropolis by Manilla Road, switching up their garage punk with the leather and studs of heavy metal. 

It's an album that stalks, struts and strikes, punk and metal in a noisy unison, Hysterese still do it raw, loud and heavy. 7/10

Embrace Of Souls - The Battle Of The Dead (Rockshots Records)

It's fair to say that after two records Italian band Embrace Of Souls know their sound. Dual vocal symphonic power metal, richly produced with orchestrations augmenting more tradibal European power metal gallops. 

The vocal interplay between Giacomo Rossi's powerful heavy metal voice against Martina Mazzeo soaring soprano tell these conceptual stories of "medieval world consumed by a mysterious plague that corrupts human souls" well as the records narrators, letting the band made up of Valerio Edward De Rosa (guitars), Xavier Rota (bass), Davide Baldelli (keys) and band founder Michele Olmi (drums) create the cinematic, music to accompany them. 

Be it muscular power metal gallops on the opening Title Track, the neo-classical Spine, the dramatic Betrayal, the powerful The War or the symphonic brilliance of The Dark Lord, there's not much the band can't turn their hands too, moving through various aspects of power metal and doing all of them all well, the top tier drum work a highlight. 

Will some of this be familiar to fans of power metal? Yeah of course. However Embrace Of Power have the experience to make it a unique, enjoyable, listening experience. 7/10

Hellforce - City Of Dis (Self Released)

Formed just under a year ago from the home of Sabaton Falun, Sweden, Hellforce are young band with a lot of talent and some very old school influences, inspired by classic heavy metal they cite Grave Digger, Savatage and Accept as who they want to sound like.

They kick off with The Cursed Land, a raging heavy metal romp that's got all those influences in it, from the galloping bass and drums to the shredding guitars. It's classic metal so it's not the most complex sound but what is ultra impressive is that none of Hellforce are even 18 yet!

Leonard Hansson (vocals/bass) is 16, William Ols (guitar) is 14 and drummer Leo Mullback is only 12 but they already sound like they've been playing together for a decade or more, their skill is very high, just listen to the solo sections in Dawn Of Evil and Pain & Suffer.

Really all four songs on this album are well written and very well performed, not just for musicians of their ages but for bands with many more years on the clock. Lots of potential and some classic metal riffs from Hellforce on their debut EP. 7/10

Reviews: Redshift, Erdve, Kristoffer Gildenlow, The Scalar Process (Matt Bladen, Joe Guatieri, Cherie Curtis &

Redshift - Down The Wire (Pale Wizard Records) [Matt Bladen]

We're long past the days when HyBriD_tHeOry.exe used to curse your computer to hell and back, technology has evolved exponentially since then and we've all had to keep up. The issues of A.I have inspired many songs, albums, most in the prog metal genre, much of this due to prog's inherited links to Sci-Fi I would think. 

So when I saw Bath based prog metal trio Redshift were making their long awaited return with concept album in six chapters, telling the story of a "world surviving without independent thought, where human-made art became outlawed, and A.I generated art propagandises obedience." So taken straight from the dystopian Science Fiction of the 70's but more resonant culturally than it ever has been. 

It's the story of an artist who acts in defiance of this New World Order, creating the most experimental and human art that he can where freedom and expression is paramount, creating a resistance to the machines. If any band can really lean into this idea, it's Redshift who have been impressing us in these pages since their debut,their style of Opeth meets Rush via Dream Theater, instantly making a mark with their debut and it's follow up scoring high. 

Unfortunately the band faltered a little after their second record as co-founding guitarist Joshua Boniface left the band so live shows to promote that record were limited. But with guitarist Tiago Martins joining drummer Jack Camp and Liam Fear vocals/bass/keys, they've injected some new life and creative vision into their third album. 

Down The Wire bursts to life with The Singer, heavy, melodic, breakneck, there's virtuosity everywhere but used to propel the vision and storyline. Moving through Dream Theater, Opeth and early Haken (when they still had harsh vocals), all the big hitters are ticked off as another story driven journey begins the production sound of Ben Turner and Jamie King, right bang on with the modern prog metal crowd. Into The Machine and there's more Dream Theater, with a bit of Styx vocoder work, black metal snarling and then a solo section Rush would be proud of. 

Needless to say if you don't like prog then this is an album to avoid as it somehow gets madder on The Clown where the band show they've been listening to too much Mr Bungle, Primus and ELP, the carnival atmosphere, the haughty spoken word vocals, the banjo, arpeggios from hell, it's a wild ride that goes wilder when John Hare adds Trumpet and Flugelhorn to increase the jazz fusion quotient on The Rogue, where the organ/keys are very familiar, and they should be, as Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater/Michael Schenker) is the guest for this one, prog keyboard royalty on this most muscular of proggers, which lovers of bass will get all gooey over. 

After this venture into the prog fusion sphere, Down The Wire ends with the 13 minute The Redemption, a song where every facet of the band is on show, each previous track is referenced, all of the virtuosity is at a paramount, from guitars, to bass, to keys and drums and even the vocals are the most varied, adopting some Geddy Lee tones when it moves into the dreamy acoustic section that precedes the intense finale. Redshift embrace the change in their line up to create their most expansive album yet! 

Another perfect prog record from this special band. 10/10

Erdve - Epigrama (Season Of Mist) [Joe Guatieri]

Erdve are a band from Lithuania whose sound falls somewhere between Hardcore and Metal, they formed back in 2016. Over the course of their career so far they have put out two albums, that last one being 2021s Savigalia. Now in 2026 they bring us their latest effort, Epigrama.

The record opens with a song that takes its name from the album title, the track presents a metallic explosion with deeply heavy riffing. The guitars are piercing, trying to break through the glass ceiling with their intensity. This attack is paired with Post Metal solace in the chorus that feels heavenly, it’s a battle between good and evil which is something that Erdve loves to do throughout this LP.

Next we have track two with Nyra. It’s a song that has a lot more Sludge elements at play, in my mind it takes influence from Primitive Man in it’s destructive nature. The bass adds so much weight with its thick tone, this song is pulverising.

Later on we go into track five with Trukme. At first this song verged into a territory of sounding too similar as what came before it. However, this song proves to be the most daring and experimental song on Epigrama as after a great buzzing breakdown, Trukme transforms. It dances between Ambient and EDM with a glitchy drum machine and massive low-end. I wasn’t crazy about it but it shows how inventive Erdve can be.

Directly following that is a Blackened Metalcore number called Svertas. It’s incredibly catchy as is the rest of the record with its headbang-inducing drums, impossible not to move to it. By 3:13 the track almost comes to complete silence as a lone guitar is heard only by its left breath, sounding defeated until 3:41 when you are blasted into space with an incredibly victorious riff. It’s the perfect resolution to the song and presents excellent use in dynamics and patience and shows how beautiful Erdve can sound, they always move forwards! No doubt, Svertas is my favourite song on the album.

Overall, Erdve have put together a tight and expansive listening experience with Epigrama. The band has got a rock solid formula in place balancing sheer force in hefty riffs, pace and creativity with blissful guitar passages that float in the sky above all of the darkness. I’m impressed with Erdve and the band have definitely proved their worth to me. Epigrama is great but I think that this band are truly capable of doing something even better. 7/10

Kristoffer Gildenlow – Humanised (New Joke Music) [Cherie Curtis]

Kristoffer Gildenlow brings 9 dark, weirdly fascinating and magnetically intimate tracks to his newest album, Humanised. What strikes me most about this album is the level of articulation and control there is between stifled passion and controlled ferocity.

Humanised is rich with layers of punching and detached main vocals complimented by affecting backing ones, It’s atmospheric and technological with tense riffs and resounding drums that provide a dynamic build to a towering point followed swiftly by a gratifying breakdown, that's less of an explosion and more surgically precise which shifts the tone back and forth between melancholy and passionate.

There is heavy emphasis on being enigmatic paired well with measured yet coarse power. It’s certainly not a neck breaker of an album but a moodier one that can only be described as sitting comfortably in the eye of a storm. The Fields, is a personal favourite of mine and I feel like it’s the track that captures this sentiment the most.

Gnarled and abrasive but around the 1 minute mark it switches up completely into one of the most gripping and harrowing, soft spoken bridges I've ever heard in a song, and I desperately need this bridge in an IV attached to at all times. The Almosts is a close second, a cinematic build up with a stunningly textured chorus that feels more like a lament than the rest of the album and will stay with you long after the album finishes.

All in all, Humanised, offers us something interesting as well as distinctive. It's always great to hear when an artist bends genres by contrasting styles and sounds, especially in this album. It doesn't feel experimental but very well established and thought out, giving us prog metal with some symphonic fusion and that's why this one feels so special. 

There isn’t a comparison I can think of, and even though Kristoffer Gildenlow has been around for a while and has put out a good few albums, this one manages to feel like a one off without being inauthentic. 10/10

The Scalar Process - Agnomysticism (Transcending Obscurity) [Adz Redpath]

The Scalar Process from Besancon, France are a self coined progressive/tech death band which is an accurate description to say the least, fitting in the pocket with bands covering everything from Fallujah to Rivers Of Nihil onto the mighty Periphery. Having a cohesive and tight musical metric that shines throughout with a tasteful use of keys and sampling that adds to a huge sonic assault on show here with this their second full length outing on Transcending Obscurity Records they are making a real statement.

There is tight and cohesive musical vision on show here from musicians who clearly know their craft and the genre traits that serve their vision best. Truly peak vocal layering and production are on show throughout with my only personal critique on the mix being that I feel a touch more of the low end sonics and frequencies are missing giving it not as much bass and rhythm guitar punch, this does not detract but is something that would elevate this band to a genuine head turner although this is a negligible quibble at best as finding fault in this release is hard. 

This being said I know the battles of trying to balance the clarity a band seeks with note definition and separation on a record with the required low end shift that many have these days in the metal scene and whilst this doesn't shake rooms with its low end it provides a soundscape that is truly captivating for fans of the genre and whilst considered tech death I don't find it contrived or overtly technical in a pretentious or self gratifying way, the band have struck a great balance and it genuinely sounds like they are writing for the song rather than to satisfy personal wants for overtly tech sections that will usually only interest fellow musicians.

The vocals truly shine here with intricate layering and a great balance from Mathieu Lefevre when needed between heavy and clean exemplified on a track like Incessant Continuum. The guitarwork from Eloi Nicod and Lucas Martinez shines throughout with a heavy lean towards the stylings of Rivers Of Nihil at their best, both intricate and tasteful in equal measure. 

Adding in stunning soundscape interludes scattered throughout as in the incredible Affluent Marea and the haunting Sigil which gives goose bumps as a reprieve from the sonic assault that these guys hit with and the whole opus being knit together by the consistent weight of the rhythm attack from Thomas Giroud on drums and Vincent Amar on bass.

It's hard to pick favourites here although for me A Breathing Moment is a genuine high point amongst an absolute monster of a release, this is a band that anyone into the extreme genres should absolutely not sleep on and one I will be not only following but would love to see live, An easy and very high recommendation. 8/10

Reviews: Devin Townsend, Sarcasm, Brocarde, Galvanist (Simon Black. Mark Young, Matt Bladen & Adz Redpath)

Devin Townsend - The Moth (Inside Out Music) [Simon Black]

This is going to be a really tricky review to write…

The remarkably talented Mr Townsend is an incredibly prolific writer. He has on average produced an album of new studio material in one incarnation or another since he first appeared out from behind Steve Vai’s shadow in the early 1990’s, and even Covid only slowed him down and forced him to clear the archives of live material to keep momentum going. 

In that time, he has stylistically ping-ponged in so many directions (even to more conventional rock ‘n’ roll territory as a collaborator with the equally prolific Ginger Wildheart), to the point where it’s pointless trying to attach labels to his work, as frankly he’s a sub-genre all on his own.

People either seem to love him or hate him, yet whenever I play haters a few choice tracks without telling them to whom they are listening they often declare a liking, because there’s so much variety in his discography that almost every taste is catered to somewhere. 

I’ve come across him fairly late in the day myself and have generally been rather blown away by the bulk of what I have heard, so when this piece was offered to me, I leaped forwards greedily… then proceeded to hit a wall. 

Because here’s the rub – it’s probably his masterwork, which has been gestating for a decade because the scope of his vision was way more than he could realistically achieve in a normal album / tour cycle.

I, however, found it an impossibly challenging listen…

My esteemed editor is probably contemplating brutal and bloody ends for me as he reads this, because on paper it should absolutely hit my sweet spot. It’s a hugely intricate 24 track conceptual record, it goes beyond progressive into full-blown orchestral – and not with synths, but a full blown orchestra, a choir and a plethora of guest voices in an Avantasia style Rock Opera (not operatic in the musical sense, but in the mode of distinct characters personified by the guests) and it’s the brainchild of probably one of the most talented musicians currently writing and recording today.

But no, I found it really challenging to digest.

I’m no stranger to gritting my teeth on concept albums – I’ve trudged through enough Euro Power Metal albums in the reviewers’ slush pile to know very quickly where the gems and the dirt are to be separated, but this record took me four full spins and still I’m struggling to articulate my thoughts (bearing in mind I usually know what I’m going to write about an album a couple of tracks into the first spin, because I’ve been doing this off and on for 30 years). 

Usually by this point familiarity wins me over to a band’s side, but the whole point of this piece seems to be to unsettle the listener. It’s a deeply self-reflective about coming to terms with yourself, and Townsend brilliantly translates that traumatic experience to record. 

You aren’t going to find a hit single here, and I very much doubt it will ever get played live, because this record veers all over the place and would probably require someone like Terry Gilliam to turn into a concert movie to do it any justice.

It’s mostly a lot lower tempo, and when the rock parts arrive, they don’t stay around long – often dropping into create a point of crescendo mid-point in a song, before dropping back to eclectic but softer territory. 

Vocally the bulk of Townsends lyrics are delivered in a soft but high falsetto, with his more distinctive rock voice barely used. Yet all his vocals take a remarkably diplomatic role in the mix, with the choirs and orchestration dominating the soundscape (as they would live), and he and his more traditional instruments of mayhem scaled back into the mix. 

The effect is to create the sense that he’s just one more instrument in the mix, but the challenge is this makes unpicking the material much more difficult for the listener, who let’s face it is not going to bother to read the helpfully supplied lyric sheet as mere hacks like me when trying to sound like we know what we’re talking about. 

I don’t like it; I love it because this is a true marmite album. The thing about Devin Townsend is that even if this one doesn’t pull all your strings, even as a fan of some eras of his output, there will be another one along very soon. 

I can also see this album ear worming its way into my psyche over time, even though I know each and every time it will be a tough and challenging listen, because real art should not be shallow and simplistic. 8/10

Sarcasm - Lifeforce Omnibound (Hammerheart Records) [Mark Young]

The incredibly reliable Hammerheart Records have done it again, with Sarcasm casually serving up a slice of old school Scandinavian death metal as if it was a back hand return at Wimbledon.

Sarcasm, as an entity have been around since the 90’s with what could be described as a stuttering, stop-start existence. The current line-up contains one member from that early period, vocalist Heval Bozarslan, who brings that experience to the table. 

Lifeforce Omnibound is the 6th album since the bands rebirth and is really what you would expect from them. Starting up hot with Essence Of Existence, its straight in with a furious statement of intent; Riffs at speed, that classic pummelling drum sound and an overall feeling of momentum that you look for in the opening song. 

As a scene setter, it leaves you in no doubt as what is coming next, and basically tells you that if you like this, then the following 7 songs are a doozy. If not, off you go. Personally, I loved it; no introductory instrumental that goes nowhere, just bang, off we go. 

Same with Altering The Perception, that class swedeath approach is in full view here and as a one-two it’s a belter. I appreciate that there a thousand bands who do this and its strange for me that I don’t always react the way I do here, but I’m enjoying this. 

The Reward Of Adversity represents this albums masterwork, starting on a burning build that allows them to pull back ever so slightly just before they come back in. It has a swing to it, almost classical in the way that they unwrap it but shows that they are unafraid to push themselves when it needs to. 

They are noted as atmospheric depending on where you look online, I didn’t get that vibe but what I did get was that they know how to put songs together. The main riff is a sliding beast of a thing, with hints of Carcass in there. Its just a good song, one that combines everything we love about metal into one place. 

It also settles the rest of the songs to be able to come in and shine; Crumbling Mind Edifice tears along whilst Plunged Into A Paradox is crushing. It’s a healthy mix that stays within the overall DNA first shown with Essence Of Existence and its delivered to a high standard too. That level of quality is maintained throughout, with a latter high point being A Concept Older Than Time, the shortest track here that seems to have the most going on in it. Empirical Life Metaphysical maintains both speed and brutality, bringing these 8 tracks to a satisfactory close.

Now, it’s a shoo-in that if you have any appreciation for Scandinavian metal then this is going to tick so many boxes for you. I’m not suggesting that it’s the pinnacle of form, but I am saying that it is a damn good album, one that knows what it wants to do and achieves it. 8/10

Brocarde - Good Attendance At Sunday School (Self Released)

Brocarde is an artist who dwells on the fringes, outside of music she has married and divorced the ghost of a Victorian soldier, which led to appreances on Say Yes To The Dress, This Morning and First Dates and writing a paranormal column in a newspaper.

So a less than ordinary life for a less than ordinary artist, but then this entire album is inspired by being an outsider, a "one woman horror story" whose music is just as intense and vibrant as her fashion sense, both just as important to the overall theatrical, gothic, witchy aesthetics.

Appearing on the music scene for the first time in 2019, Brocarde immediately got people talking with her debut single which was praised for being innovative and dynamic, combining multiple genres without any fear of alienating gatekeepers, but appealing to those who feel themselves drawn towards the more experimental side of the rock/metal sphere.

On the back of that she led ghost hunt at Download and seance at Wacken, the collision between horror and music, closely linked as she tells stories drawn from her own experiences and her influences, written over the course ten years, this a multicoloured journey through her journey to where she is today.

A twisted fairytale of rock, goth, punk, industrial, classical and more colliding as Feed My Soul blends Three Blind Mice with some haunting goth rock, there's twitching electronics and huge orchestrations on Last Supper and a vocal prowess that reaches the heights of Maria Brink but with a distinctly British diction, which lends itself to the Victorian Horror aesthetic.

I can hear the likes of Kittie on Haunted, which is about her spectral ex and features stinging Steinman like strings against some Nu-Metal riffs, while Identity Theft has the aggression and rage of Lauren Tate/Delilah Bon and Blank Pages, which ends the album could be a Kate Bush song in its fragility.

Brocarde's debut won't be for everyone but that's by design, it's avant-garde, experimental music with a dark mantra, a strong feminist power and a dalliance with the occult on every track. I urge you to listen to it as you just get bewitched by it. 8/10

Galvanist - The Space Between Stars (ATMF) [Adz Redpath]

Galvanist are from Bozeman, Montana, they weave an intricate and brutal soundscape which manages to balance true heaviness and anger with a haunting melancholy that is genuinely intriguing and a blend that many fail to accomplish yet this group manages with aplomb. 

There is a striking balance between doom, death metal and several other sub genres within the extreme sector, to narrow this sound to a single genre would be disingenuous as this is a group truly trying to have their own voice with an unrelenting fist to the face.

These are not short tracks, once the intro has set the stage as it were then the shortest track clocks in at over 7 minutes so be ready for a journey. 

The Production on show here is reasonable although not top tier however with that being said I think it adds to the feel and attitude on display here and in particular on the tracks Dreich and the haunting Spiorad, this could be jarring for some but for myself I genuinely had goosebumps and on a damn hot day that's a success in my mind. 

A true soundscape is what is brought to you here, the musicianship is of a high level on all fronts but not in a pretentious way which I truly am glad to see, it feels like the whole band is writing for the song and not themselves, blending a sound that is homogenous and endearing in its scope. 

Huge vocals and drums with a great and tasteful use of keys and samples throughout whilst not overdoing that side of things which is so easily done within the doom centric genres. The standout here though are the vocals which convey true emotion and angst throughout and are truly compelling.

The production on the guitars and bass could do with some fine tuning in future to add more definition and separation and maybe a touch more clarity on the guitars and maybe pushing the vocals forward in the mix if I were to nitpick but these are genuinely just minor tweaks that would only elevate in future releases and don't detract from what is a group that brings to mind so many sounds even the likes of Neurosis at their peak and I don't say that lightly.

Whilst this might not be for the casual listener or a newbie to the styles on show here it is a release that has a lot to offer and whilst not their first ( I believe it to be their fourth from what I can find online ) The discordant soundscape and vocal attitude on display here will have a true fan of death and doom hungry for more.

An EP that you will play again and has truly undeniable potential. 7/10

Review: Hecate Enthroned - The Corpse Of A Titan, A Lament Long Buried (Rick Eaglestone)

Hecate Enthroned - The Corpse Of A Titan, A Lament Long Buried (M-Theory Audio) [Rick Eaglestone]

Seven years. Seven long years since Hecate Enthroned last graced us with new material, and the wait – as it turns out – has been entirely, emphatically worth it. The Corpse Of A Titan, A Lament Long Buried is the band’s seventh full-length, and on the strength of this record alone it stands as one of the finest things they have ever put their name to.

Run through the entire discography and it is there, unwavering in its commitment to orchestral darkness intertwined with savage black metal fury. Those sweeping symphonic passages married to razor-sharp tremolo riffs and A commanding vocal presence – it makes no apology for its theatrical grandiosity, and why should it. This is the very essence of what made British symphonic black metal such a force in the late 90s.

Once again produced by the band alongside Dan Abela, who also handled mixing and mastering, The Corpse Of A Titan sounds absolutely enormous. Every element breathes – the orchestrations are genuinely cinematic without overwhelming the metal foundation, and the guitars cut through with precision. The production serves the songs rather than drawing attention to itself, and that is exactly what you want from extreme metal of this calibre.

Lyrically the album plants its flag firmly in ancient British myths and legends – Welsh folklore, Celtic spirits, peat bog sacrifice, sacred woodland – and the thematic consistency gives the whole record a genuine sense of place and purpose. As Dylan Hughes puts it, these are “huge, epic, hard-hitting songs carved in the traditional Hecate Enthroned way with a menacing veil delivered with a crisp punch.” He is not wrong.

The album opens not with an assault but with an invitation. In Welsh mythology, the Adar Rhiannon are the birds of the goddess Rhiannon – creatures whose song holds power over the boundary between the living and the dead. Hecate Enthroned lean into that mythology here with layers of orchestral synths and low spoken word that draw you gradually inward rather than kicking down the door. It is atmospheric, it is deliberate, and it sets the tone for everything that follows without overstaying its welcome. Exactly what a great intro should do.

The introduction dissolves directly into the album’s first full track, Spirits Stir Within Our Ancestors Tombs and the contrast is immediate. Joe Stamps throws himself into proceedings with a commanding, extended shriek that declares his intent before the riffs have even had a chance to settle. From there the track is a statement of purpose – thunderous, orchestrally rich, and driven by a rhythm section that provides the kind of foundation you can build a cathedral on. 

Holmes behind the kit is relentless when the song demands it, and Dylan Hughes’ bass work anchors everything with real authority. The track’s mid-section briefly steps back into something more melodic – clean guitar tones and a moment of genuine atmospheric restraint – before the storm reconvenes. The lyrical theme runs through the record like a thread: the past is never truly buried, ancient voices echo through the living, and the dead leave marks that time cannot erase. One of the album’s clear highlights.

Where the previous track charges at you, The Arcane Golem is more patient and more imposing for it. This is Hecate Enthroned operating at mid-tempo, which in their hands does not mean restrained – it means giving each element room to breathe and register properly. The guitar work from Nige Dennan and Andy Milnes is dense and deliberate, with Pete White’s keyboard arrangements weaving around the riffs rather than sitting on top of them. 

Stamps prove just as effective at lower registers here as he is unleashing full-throated shrieks elsewhere, and the interplay between vocal styles keeps the track from ever feeling one-dimensional. Lyrically the song presents nature as something animate and intelligent, and the music matches that sense of something vast and alive.

This is the moment on the record where Hecate Enthroned show the full range of what they are capable of, and it is genuinely impressive. Steed Of The Still Water opens with restraint – clean strings, a delicate melodic thread, and Stamps’ vocals pitched against something that sounds more like traditional folk music than black metal. 

It is unexpected, and it works completely. From that quiet opening the track moves through several distinct phases: passages of full-tilt black metal aggression, a groove-oriented section with real rhythmic momentum, and a keyboard-led stretch that would not sound out of place on a film score. The thematic concern is human arrogance and the destruction that pride invites, and the compositional ambition mirrors the subject matter. If one track on this album is going to convert an uncommitted listener, my money is on this one.

The pace shifts entirely here. Pwca – a shape-shifting trickster spirit from Celtic tradition – is the album’s most atmospheric and measured piece, built around piano, hushed guitar, and the kind of whispered spoken word delivery that belongs in folklore by firelight. Where the surrounding tracks push and drive, this one reflects and recedes. 

The lyrical imagery deals with autumn, with seasons turning, with the earth drawing everything back into itself. Some listeners will find this too much of a gear change, and I understand that reaction, but for my money it is exactly the right compositional decision at the album’s midpoint. Give the listener a moment to surface before taking them back under.

Released ahead of the album, and it still hits with full force in context. Deathless In The Dryad Glade opens with something ominous and slow – guitar and keys circling each other, the sense of something approaching – before erupting into some of the most ferocious playing on the record. 

The concept here, as Stamps has described it, is being led astray by malevolent woodland spirits and the permanence of the transformation that follows – cosmic horror with a specifically British mythological flavour. The second half of the track opens up into something genuinely cinematic; all scale and darkness, and Stamps’ performance throughout is one of his best moments on the album.

The album’s lead single, A Gallery Of Rotting Portraits is still one of the record’s finest moments. Dylan Hughes has explained the concept: the peat bogs of ancient Britain, bodies like Lindow Man preserved for centuries, used here as a metaphor for devotion stripped of its power – ritualised belief unearthed and found hollow. 

The music translates that jarring disconnect into something that moves between blackened aggression, keyboard passages of real orchestral weight, and a gothic-tinged slower section that lands with real impact. Back-to-back with Deathless In The Dryad Glade, this is a stretch of the album that keeps the second half moving at full momentum. I have listened to this track more times than I can count since its release and it gives up new details every time.

A sacred place where beauty and decay exist side by side, where the natural world marks its own slow rhythms against the permanence of stone – that is the thematic territory of The Boreal Monastery, and the music is equal to the image. This is one of the album’s longer tracks and earns every second of its runtime. The arrangement pulls between raw force and something more considered, and Hecate Enthroned navigate that balance with the kind of confidence that only comes from three decades of doing exactly this. A strong penultimate track.

And the album closes as it should – on a grand, sweeping, fully committed note. Dennan and Milnes combine on riff work that hits with real physicality, while White’s keyboards give the track scope and the rhythm section drives it home. There is significant layering in the arrangement – Into A Vale Of Endless Snow is a track that rewards headphones and proper volume – and the way everything builds toward the closing passage feels genuinely earned rather than imposed. A monumental ending to a monumental record

Is this going to convert anyone previously unmoved by symphonic black metal? Almost certainly not – and that is fine. This is a record made for the people who already understand why Hecate Enthroned matter, and for that audience it delivers in every possible way. 

Joe Stamps continues to prove himself one of the finest vocalists currently working in this space, the rhythm section of Holmes and Hughes is ironclad throughout, and the twin guitar work of Dennan and Milnes strikes that perfect balance of melodic sophistication and raw aggression that has defined the band at their very best.

The Corpse Of A Titan, A Lament Long Buried is not just a welcome return. It is a career statement. 9/10

Reviews: Albion, Godthrymm, Escaping Aghartha, Midnight Rider (Matt Bladen, Adz Redpath, Mark Young & Cherie Curtis)

Albion - It Was In The Month Of May (Self Released)

Folk rock from past and current members of Jethro Tull, roll up your trousers legs and erect the maypole as, It Was In The Month Of May will gladly fill any emotional void you have from seeing the recent (and probably final) Jethro Tull tour.

Although many who dwell in the folk sphere of Tull, Fairport Convention and others may find some of the music on this second record a bit too rich for their cider fuelled blood as Albion gather up the harvest of spring inspired flutes and lilting acoustics while also reminding you of lashing rain and bleakness of this land with a heaviness that comes from Baroness. 

Beginning with Mis Mai, translating from Welsh to Month Of May, we begin this auspicious and joyous celebration of spring with, band founder and frontman Joe Parrish-James singing in Welsh, and rapidly I'm transported to Eisteddfod's of long ago and the dead lifeless eyes of Mr Urdd. 

Still that past trauma fades away quickly with the pastoral tones rapidly moving into the flute driven 70's prog of The Green Knight, a tale of Arthurian Legend that deals with whether it is better to be great or good. 

Joe's vocals are suitably soulful for the music, telling the story's with passion, his guitar playing is of course also excellent (not just anyone gets into Tull) and he's also taking the Ian Anderson of being the flautist which here like it is in Tull is a main instrument. 

Joe duets with Rhiannon Parrish-James throughout, prompting comparisons to Steeleye Span with Down With The Hero as Jack Clark adds the rest of the guitar, Peter Szypulski on bass and Ollie Medlow behind the kit, all virtuosos who blend the folk, prog and modern metal influences perfectly, creating the sort of band Mikael Akerfeldt would absolutely love! 

The influence of Akerfeldt coming though on the vocals of Cherry Hill (Maya II) which has an ambience that could have easily come off Damnation. 

Since their debut Albion have spent two years crusading all around their namesake, refining their sound to shift from a 70 minute record to one that clocks in at 53 minutes but still contains the same scope as that debut. 

I've noted before that all folk bands need a song about Tolkien and Albion have written an epic about his most interesting/powerful character Tom Bombadil, The Eldest which is song about music itself, swathes of flute and orchestrations built on euphoric folk rock which has a vein of Stan Rogers' song Barrett’s Privateers running through it. 

From here we've got acoustic She Is The River (Goldberry) which is a jaunty, instrumental jig built on the acoustics and the flute which takes us neatly into Hymn To Elbereth which stirs with the likes of Selling England By The Pound or Moonmadness. 

To close Albion return to their month of choice with the epic Calan Mai, translating to May Day a celebration of spring, the band making it their most impressive cut, taking Tull, Genesis, Span influences and making them their own, as they shift into a heavy chugs, classic metal harmonies and even symphonic stylings to create a stirring, jubilant end to this incredible record. 

I'm a sucker for 70's prog and as a historian I've always been a lover of any music that takes from the traditional music heritage of the land, and even though Albion are from London there is a very strong, defined Celtic heart to this record which as a Welshman I can't not identify with. 

Albion are playing two shows in Wales this weekend with Adfeilion and if I could I'd be at both I would, though Cardiff will have to suffice, as It Was In The Month Of May is an album that will be on a repeat for a long time to come. 9/10

Godthrymm - Projections (Profound Lore Records) [Adz Redpath]

This is a band that immediately intrigued me, hailing from the U.K. and featuring prime ex members of the mighty My Dying Bride and Anathema who are both personal favourites of mine and calling themselves a UK doom metal juggernaut my expectations are very high and understandably so for this their third full length release. 

Godthrymm are not a band I have followed to this point so this is my first introduction to their music and whilst 6 tracks is less than I expected from an album these days it certainly has a lot of scope. 

The essence and core of the sound definitely harks back to the early Peaceville days of early doom and has some truly strong core elements especially emphasised by the guitar work from Kris McLaughin and also the mighty Hamish Glencross who also handles the bulk of the lead vocals here joined by Catherine Glencross who certainly helps to give the group a more ethereal sound and vision with some adept work on the keys as well her own obvious vocal skills.

There are some very strong tracks on display here with the clear highlight for myself being Endure My Skin featuring the legendary Aaron Stainthorpe ( now ex My Dying Bride ) lending his iconic vocals to the track, also musically the most reminiscent of early My Dying Bride and the most cogent as a whole and probably the heaviest on display here. 

The production is consistent considering this was recorded throughout a year and in several studios by Andy Hawkins and Glencross, although this studio inconsistency does show at points when listening closely to the guitars and drums in particular, there are slight fluctuations especially with the bass drums tone and the balance between the guitars gain staging and clarity at volume but these are negligible at best.

It's nice to hear actual real drums mic'd up although some of the levelling is a touch harsh on the ear at volume with the cymbals meshing into the high end with the pushed guitars limiting the audible separation on occasion.

A standout track with a noticeable change in drum production for example is Jewel which has a very individual voice on this release with the lead vocals from Catherine Glencross truly shining and a tone to the music that adds true individuality within the Doom metal genre. 

The bass guitar is comfortably in the mix but more to fill the frequency space for the majority of the release and doesn't stand as tall as I would personally prefer however that is more personal taste and does not detract from the musicianship on all fronts which is without any critique as the strength of what's on offer here is more than obvious. 

My only other real critique if I was pushed would be the lead vocals, on the first two tracks in particular the have an almost Hetfield esque tonality and maybe not the Doom stylings I would have expected and that are possibly more suited to this style and heaviness, that being said they are tuneful and heartfelt but would maybe benefit in future from heavier layering in the studio.

I can appreciate this may not be the most in line with the vision aimed for here however I do feel it would elevate the tracks greatly this being said it is in no way off putting unless you are a true stalwart of the style, the best vocal balance for me comes on The Sun Never Fell which feels like a truly epic balance is struck between both vocalists and the music, and shows a band with huge vision and future potential.

For any criticism aired here this release truly harks back to the early MDB material in particular Turn Loose The Swans and Angel And The Dark River in both production and songwriting, whilst not as iconic in those areas Godthrymm are on their way to having a voice of their own and I would genuinely recommend this to any doom metal fans no matter the age. 

This is an honourable and powerful tribute to the heyday of the genre that will hopefully open doors further afield as they progress. The potential here is undeniable and I will definitely be listening to and following Godthrymm moving forward and I sincerely recommend you do also. 7/10

Escaping Aghartha - Lurkers Of Languid Water (Hypnotic Dirge Records) [Mark Young]

Using music as a tool for education is no bad thing, especially when its channelled through an extreme filter. Escaping Aghartha has a goal, with mainstay Avery Dart handling practically everything on here barring an individual performances on a number of tracks. This is a project that was started with the intent of education and has consistently delivered new music year on year since 2016. With Lurkers Of Languid Water, Escaping Aghartha present a cracker.

Did I mention that there are some epic run times on here? And that it is probably one of the most unique albums you will hear this year. I know that I’ve used that expression already this year, but it really is. I’m guessing that if you have heard these before then you have a better appreciation of what comes next. It starts with Eel Black Market, which is in turn a pummelling and mesmerising experience. I know we have talked about avant-garde metal already this week, and rightly or wrongly I’m comparing this to that release. 

The key difference for me is that despite the changes in tack, the use of organs it doesn’t forget that we need riffs, it needs direction and movement and it’s something that Eel Black Market delivers on. Its explosive, whilst being vulnerable at the same time. 

The second half of this blinding start is The Phantoms That Haunt And Linger, a slow burning affair underscored by its full throated delivery. It keeps a keen balance of melody and that black aggression, a grand arrangement that moves constantly with one thing on its mind, to build organically before it collapses under its own weight. 

Its straight into Altered Currents, possessing a different vibe, not faster but with a greater impetus that drives it forward. The same can said for Degrade and Impede, the pair deploying like shackles that had previously been placed are now removed. Its build differs, electronica is now at play, twisting its sound and then dropping in one of the worst ear-worm passages that somehow completely works.

Cradle Of The Sargasso Sea takes a step back, a hauntingly beautiful stop before Eaten To Obliteration breaks in and we restart our journey. It is powerful in its message, its can’t be any clearer with an arrangement that is suitable in its execution. One of the masterstrokes on here is that amazing sense of balance that manifests in these songs. 

It’s the same here, the final moments giving way to synths that provide some form of closing salute. Following in its wake is Transformations whose style lies more in the grandiose, almost Norse melody lines. Of course, it doesn’t stay like that, devolving in a way that raises your eyebrows. With anyone else, it would seem almost cringe but here it just fits. Don’t ask me to explain how or why, just accept that it does.

The last statement is writ by Journey To The Sargasso Sea. By now, it is my general expectation that the final song has the ability to make or break an album. You could have a run of frankly awful music that is redeemed by one stone cold classic, and vice-versa have the last one deflate the whole collection. This closing piece is firmly in keeping with the album as whole; lets make it epic, lets take the listener on a trip but let’s not make it an easy listen. In doing so, it ensures that you will come back to this again.

I’m glad its not called a concept album, because that would cheapen it in my eyes. When you look at the music released, it’s a continuation of a theme, one that is clearly very close to Avery’s heart. Stunning. 9/10

Midnight Rider – Limited Infinity (Massacre Records) [Cherie Curtis]

German heavy rock band Midnight Rider brings us Limited Infinity, an album that is not only highly addictive, but manages to capture the dusty beer foam-soaked desert sands of American summer rock, arguably better than most American rock bands do.

For a band on the smaller side, the production value isn't cheap or gritty in any way and neither overly computerized and modern - day; it’s the right amount raw and spirited that makes an album come alive from the blistering chemistry, slick and skillful solos you get from sheer hard work and love for the genre. 

The riffs are gravelly and repetitive with makes for a great catchy tune with the perfect amount of groove that will get your foot tapping whether you wanted it to or not. The instrumentals are fiery and intense complemented by clean and charismatic Sabbath- Style vocals that are powerful, charged and nostalgic which provides the perfect atmospheric soundtrack for the ultimate stress - free road trip.

I’ll be honest and say Midnight Rider aren’t trying to change the course of music history here; they use the same perfect formula as most 70’s hard rock classics but as that formula is not broken – why fix it? It’s like hearing a remastered version of an old classic with a bit more power, attitude with a side order of sleaze; it’s comfort food for your ears without any throat shredding intensity. There’s no need to be experimental when these guys have clearly managed to master their craft.

Overall, Limited Infinity is an easy listen. The natural old – school grit that shines through brings an effortless feel, balanced with the carefully polished sound that keeps the whole album fun, cool and incredibly feel –good. This one has made Its way into my commute playlist in the hopes that I'll be able to manifest a heatwave and a Monday morning that doesn't make me want to drive into a river. 9/10

Reviews: Dimmu Borgir, Blindead 23, As The Sun Falls, Atavistia (Matt Bladen)

Dimmu Borgir - Grand Serpent Rising (Nuclear Blast)

If you know anything about black metal then you will know of Dimmu Borgir, one of the bands at the forefront of the second wave of black metal. The Norwegian duo of guitarist Silenoz and vocalist Shagrath, have been one of the biggest success stories of that often most controversial of genres.

As with so many of these bands their approach to music has changed over the years with the raw, visceral beginnings transforming into epic, cinematic extreme metal opuses, where the orchestrations and atmosphere collide with tremolo picking and blast beats.

Dimmu Borgir are band who are unaffected by schedules, their post 2010 output arrive when they are ready, not a moment before, each moment is agonised over, written and rewritten, recorded and re-recorded and not unleashed upon their audience until they believe it's reached the right level of quality. 

So eight years after Eonian comes Grand Serpent Rising, the next chapter of symphonic black metal in the Dimmu Borgir bastion and it's a 13 track monster that was born out of marathon recording sessions where they produced enough material for two albums.

Ruthlessly culled to these 13 cuts, the loss of long time axeman Galder, meant a lot of the leg work was done by Shagrath and Silenoz as it always has been in the past. Daray (drums), Victor Brandt (bass), Gerlioz (keyboards), and Damage (guitars) all brought their own flavour to the record, the latter as many solos as he can pack in. 

The band again recording with Fredrik Nordström who produced the band back in the early 2000's so can easily capture what Dimmu Borgir sound like. Though the idea here was to capture what Dimmu sound like on stage as a refined, veteran outfit who put effort and care into every moment.

Beginning with a choral, spoken word intro that draws you into the record as Ascent welcomes frigid Northern darkness, sounding like their rawer early selves, the orchestrations swell in the background as we get a melodic solo section before the frantic riffs return.

It's an intense start that summons the Dimmu of old while the more recent style can be felt with the layered and expansive As Seen In The Unseen, though Silenoz himself says that "we scaled back the choirs and orchestration a little", they're potent on As Seen In The Unseen, an almost spectral track with a heavy chug to it.

On The Qyrptfarer, they add more power and dynamics when needed, the piano especially effective, to follow Ulvgjelr & Blodsodel (Wolf's Debt" and "Blood Law/Guilt) enters into the Viking metal realm of choirs and swashbuckling riffs, the lyrics in their native Norwegian to add to the tale of ancient heritage and folklore of ancestral debt.

However some tracks strip them away, to highlight that Dimmu Borgir still can be that visceral force that shook the world back in the mid-Nineties. Repository Of Divine Transmutation, The Exonerated and Slik Minnes En Alkymist all giving the feeling of that Second Wave ferocity, the latter again performed in Norwegian to fully relive their early years.

If you you were in love with frankly cinematic Eonian then you may find the reduction in grandeur a little confusing on Grand Serpent Rising, but serpents are very good at shedding their skin and becoming something similar but not the same.

This new album is Dimmu Borgir creating their most dynamic album yet, stringing together all the moments of their career in a fantastic exhibition of the human condition and masterful extreme metal. 9/10

Blindead 23 - Deuterium (Peaceville)

Blindead are dead, long live Blindead 23, or something, as the Polish avant-metal band return with a slightly altered name, a slightly altered sound and nearly all new members. After being on hold between 2019 and 2022, the original line up of Blindead decided to call it quits after six brilliant but perhaps under appreciated albums outside of the progressive metal sphere. 

In 2022 though guitarist Mateusz "Havoc" Smierzchalski founded a new version of the band and started recording a year later thus the addition of 23 to the name. The former Behemoth guitarist recruited Roger Öjersson (ex-Katatonia) on guitar, Pawel "Pavulon" Jaroszewicz (Vltimas, ex-Vader, ex-Decapitated) on drums and Patryk Zwoliński on vocals. This is the line up that recorded Deuterium, their debut for Peaceville and as Blindead 23 though seventh album overall. 

Enough about that though as Blindead 23 may share most of their name with their previous form but they have adapted their sound for this record to encompass the cavernous, atmospheric post/sludge heaviness of their earlier albums with electronics and ambience creating soundscapes you can liken to Opeth, Cult Of Luna and Katatonia. 

With this rebirth the band don't leave you short changed of you've been waiting with newly and hour of music where the songs all flow into one another to create enveloping soundscapes, where the synths/electronics interweave with the metallic dissonance, clean and harsh vocals merge and the result is music that is experimental, layered and textured with a virtuosity that songwriting ahead of showing off. 

Take the undulating Worst Laid Plans, its got a throbbing groove to it that shifts seamlessly into the extreme blast of the title track and then into the brilliant Towards The Dark, which is a sublime slice of melodic modern prog metal. Blindead 23 feels new and old, there's overspill from who they were under their previous identity, taking the post metal buoyancy and introspection of their latter work with the lumbering sludge of their earlier records, though this 23 edition add more glistening melody than the original line up. 

So if you liked Blindead you'll like Blindead 23, but on their debut with Peaceville, Deuterium, they have refined what they do for people who may not have knowledge of who they were before, opening them and their brilliant music up to a whole new audience. 9/10

As The Sun Falls - Songs From The Veil (Theogonia Records)

Third album from Finnish masters of melancholic melodic death metal has As The Sun Falls looking towards their past, the shadows of their Nordic history are explored through their most immersive album yet.

As The Sun Falls are a band who clearly have a lot of creative juice flowing as their previous albums have come in 2021 and 2024 so this is their third album in as many years and it's based around Finnish mythology, conceptually based around the tales of the Soulbird and the Fire Fox.

As The Sun Falls put one particularly personal song about loss in between all these mythical tales without losing the sense of mystery in the folklore but still retaining a human fragility. Songs From The Veil is an album of differences, heavy death metal growls and blast beats are met with atmospheric passages of clean voices and ambient guitars.

The result is an album that feels both ancient and immediate, cinematic yet intimate, where folklore, nature, and human fragility bleed seamlessly into one another, from the acoustic guitars of 9 Days Of Sorrow/Blood To The Soil, through the anthemic A Shimmer On The Tides/Burning Snow, to the blistering As The Night Devours/Silent Waters, the level of performance and playing here is very high.

Songs From The Veil features some of the most impressive music from the band, taking influences from Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum, As The Sun Falls invite us beyond the veil into their own world with album three. 8/10

Atavistia - Old Gods Awaken (Blood Blast Distribution)

From one frozen realm to another as we head to Canada now for the new album from the cinematic sounds of Atavistia, a band who sound profoundly Scandinavian but have a whole ocean between them and influences such as Wintersun and Ensiferum.

Fusing melodic death, black and folk metal they've been performing Norse inspired theatrical metal since 2017, with every album increasing their cinematic skills, from layered orchestrations, to folk instrumentation and their involved storytelling.

With Old Gods Awaken, they write their next chapter, written in six month flurry, the focus was to get it as tight as they could, fast and furious as they streamline their attack while keeping the progressive and folk elements that have become their calling cards.

A track like Mystic Tavern illustrates this brilliantly by putting flutes and strings against the melodeath blasting, while Seeker Of Time leans deeply into the concept of this record, telling the story of time bending sorcerer with a track where the time signatures and genre styles shift

Old Gods Awaken is the first half of a two album concept, this on being the light side of the stories, which explains why the tracks all feel so upbeat and full of grandeur. To add more depth Atavistia recorded songs in English, Swedish and Finnish, bringing them closer to their Norse inspirations in more than just their music but their lyrics too.

Though it's not cultural appropriation as frontman Mattias Sippola has Scandinavian heritage so he's writing about his history and myth in these songs, filtering them through cinematic metal that few other bands have the skill to pull off.

If any of the bands I've mentioned are in your like then I suggest picking up this album, equally if ultra melodic extreme metal with folk styles used throughout sounds like a good time then awaken the old gods with Atavistia. 8/10

Reviews: Goddess, The Dead Collective, Beggars Bliss, Black Revelation (Matt Bladen)

Goddess - Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof (Majestic Mountain Records)

Goatess were a band from Stockholm, they released three albums of heavy riffing doom in 2013, 2016 and 2019 ripe in the Swedish heavy sound.

After that they went on a bit of hiatus with founding guitarist Niklas leaving the group, but remaining members vowed to carry on so with a slight change of name we have the 'debut' from Goddess, which really is the fourth album from Goatess, you with me? Good!

It may seem flippant calling it this but Ritual Of The Cloven Hoof, not only has goat imagery all over it it also continues the fuzzy musical path of their previous moniker, freshly signed to Majestic Mountain Records, this is stoner/doom with massive grooves and mountainous riffs and bellowed vocals.

Goddess come from the Swedish school of Monolord and Spiritual Beggars on Inquisition and Blood Fever. Throwing in some occult drone of Electric Wizard on Godless, Sleep on To Be King and anthemic nature of Orange Goblin on Devil's Reef.

Goddess will trample you under their cloven hooves and while the names have changed the songs remain the same, so turn up the volume and worship. 8/10

The Dead Collective - The Dead Collective (Self Released)

We've been following the exploits of Oli Brown in this publication since he was a young hot shot blues player, having massive recognition and success in the blues rock sphere, admittedly a but too much for such a young musician.

People get older, and they change, Oli formed heavy rock band Raveneye, where blues met hard rock, this made Brown a bigger success moving away from being a blues prodigy into a fully fledged rocker but as the pandemic hit Raveneye faded and The Dead Collective was born.

Brown joined by guitarist Sam Wood and drummer Wayne Proctor and again their music shifts with alt rock being the biggest influence on these four tracks. Well I say alt rock but I actually mean Chris Cornell as Brown's vocals have aged into a delivery similar to the much missed master of heavy grunge.

The emotion and power perfectly balanced on Goliath, where the atmosphere is soaked in the introspective anthemia of Cornell's solo sound. However opener Cracks brings the heavy style of Muse, Estranged moves in ambience, some emotive singer songwriter influences driven by the electronic beats.

Album closer Falling continues with the electronics, building from inauspicious beginnings into an anthemic last moment of this self titled EP. With The Dead Collective, Oli Brown drops his name from the project but expands his remit beyond what has come before. 8/10

Beggars Bliss - Beggars Bliss (Self Released)

I'm not quite sure what to do with this one. As keen as I am on bands in the NWOCR, listening to this record I had to do a double take a few times as there are riffs and melodies that have been ripped off other more famous rock bands.

Now having a style similar to a band like Zeppelin, The Stones, etc is all fine, it's reinventing these influences for a new audience and a new era while appealing to the original fans. However playing something that is exactly the same grates a little, though that may be my slightly spicy brain, I think there's something to be said for imitating a style rather than just copying it.

Beggars Bliss are a blues rock band from Derby and their influences are obvious, it's The Stones, The Black Crowes, Free and more recent bands such as Rival Sons. Their debut album kicks off with the strutting I Am I and they've got just what you want, big riffs, gritty vocals and plenty of organ, Peaches N Cream is a filthy rocker with lyrics from the 70's, exactly the time period where Beggars Bliss pitch their rock n roll.

Then the groovy Forbidden Fruit half inches Crosstown Traffic, Train Song sounds suspiciously like Pressure & Time as the beginning of Sunshine takes the solo from Thin Lizzy's Dancing In The Moonlight. These are the only ones though as most of the record wears it's influences very clearly but never strays into copying. Dusk 'Till Dawn adds a Allman ambience but is all their own as I'm On Fire slithers, Spiralling is the the heaviest song here while the closer Rabbit Hole is extremely similar to Pearl Jam.

Beggars Bliss' debut record is the sound of a band with a lot of experience on stage but still looking to lock down their own identity, they will definitely do that on future releases and there's a lot of great blues rock here. 7/10

Black Revelation – No Light Upon Us All (Nine Records)

Black Revelation are a heavy doom band from Germany but they borrow their sound from bands like Manilla Road, Candlemass, Witchfinder General etc, you know those bands that play 15 minute tracks that are just at the apex of classic heavy metal and epic doom. It’s the band’s second album and they’ve gone bigger than on their debut Demon. 

Over an hour but still only six tracks, well five and a cover of One Mind by Saint Vitus, No Light Upon Us sees this four piece increasing the vocal histrionics, elongating the riff fests, slicing through the doom fog with some heavy metal guitar heroics. It’s epic doom alright, both heavy and groovy but also melodic and what you get out of the album depends on your opinion of this style of doom. 

I personally love a record that’s clad in leather and bathed in the occult, drums carrying the steady headbang as the bass fuzzes beneath leading the gallops when the tempo moves to classic metal muscle on say Veil Of Eternal Night which is as close to a new Mercyful Fate song as you’re going to get. Black Revelation is epic doom with a heavy metal grunt and No Light Upon Us should be in your rotation if you dig it. 7/10

M2TM South Wales Semi Rundown (Matt Bladen)

Bloodstock Metal To The Masses Semi Final Rundown

"That's a Smith & Wesson and you've had your six!"

Much like Professor Dent in Dr No, we have our six as well, though hopefully James Bond won't have an issue.

I'm referring of course to the six M2TM South Wales Finalists who will take the stage at Day Of Wreckoning to not only play for a place at the pretty much sold out Bloodstock Festival but will also be there to showcase the talent of the South Wales music scene.

From over in the West side of things at Bunkhouse Swansea, it was a very tight hotlu debated show, with one band getting the fan vote it was up to the judges to choose between the other three and with nearly an hour of discussion they had finally made their choice.

Taking the fan vote as they have every time we're Grindhorse83 who will surf the wave of weirdness to Newport, as the judges made sure that the heavy, technical sounds of Inscape and the anthemic modern metal of House Of Hosts were there to join them to represent the West side.

It was Manumit who unfortunately fell here but the fact that a band this talented and impressive didn't get to Day Of Wreckoning shows just how good all the talent was on the night.

Over to East side now and it was a hot a sticky night at Green Rooms with four bands ready to do battle to get to Newport. Again fan votes were counted and the judges deliberated, agonising over every aspect to reach a decision all the while the crowd were drinking the bar dry (have to stay hydrated).

In the end though it was Excursia who managed to take the fan vote, yet again becoming a theme of their run while the judges thought that Disrupt The Continuum and Risperidrone were the acts that should join them at Day Of Wreckoning.

Unfortunately that meant that the bloodline of Blood Red Lips would not make it over the Newport threshold but they are certainly an entertaining hard rocking band and you should check them out as they held their own at every stage and getting better with every show.

So there we have it! Our six M2TM Finalists are:

Disrupt The Continuum - https://www.facebook.com/DisruptTheContinuum

Excursia - https://www.facebook.com/Excursiaband

Grindhorse83 - https://www.facebook.com/Grindhorse83

House Of Hosts - https://www.facebook.com/houseofhosts

Inscape - https://www.facebook.com/Inscapeband

Risperidrone - https://www.facebook.com/Risperidrone

They will be the first to play the Corn Exchange stage as they duke it out for a slot at Bloodstock, opening a multi venue day of brilliant music that will take over Newport, climaxing with a headline slot from the legendary The Wildhearts.

Secure your place here: https://ticket247.co.uk/Event/517805