A View From The Middle-Left Of The Industrial Warehouse: AFI (Dean Palmer)

AFI & TR/ST – Prospect Building, Bristol, 27.08.26

Over the last few years Bristol has had a complete upheaval in live music venues. 

The sad loss of Motion and Marble Factory left many of us concerned that this would give the O2 Academy (which remains the worst venue in the UK, one I will not buy tickets for no matter who is playing) a total monopoly on larger gigs. 

Electric remains a strong contender with an incredible sound system, but once a band has need for a capacity above 1000, the natural draw was, for a while, the Academy.

Thankfully The Prospect Building was wished into existence and has absolutely smashed it in terms of both being an incredible large venue for live music, and it only takes a quick peek at their “what’s on” page to realise which venue bands prefer.

Which brings us to a drizzly but warm Thursday when Hardcore/Punk/Horrorpunk/Emo/Post Hardcore/Anthemic Rock/Goth/New Wave (they’ve cycled through a lot of styles in their time) legends AFI finally rolled back into the UK as headliners for the first time in over 16 years, and the first time in Bristol for 20 (when they played the above mentioned Academy).

First up, support act TR/ST (7) take to the stage. Robert Alfons being the only official member of the band, he is joined by Robin Hatch who provides most of the keyboards and controls the drum samples (I am informed they usually tour with a drummer, which fits with a remark I made after their set which I felt they would definitely benefit from some live drums). 

TR/ST are coldwave electronica in its purest form and I could very easily imagine myself dancing to them at 4am in a warehouse in Berlin on any given night. 

Tonight they perform well, but the crowd are in the most part disinterested which is a shame (and does say a lot as to which material from the headliners will be best received right from the outset). 

Even so, if you get the chance to see them in a dark and dingy club – do so.

Which brings us to the headliners. 

The crowd are positively fizzing it to get dark, and as the lights drop we start the night with the earliest cut from the AFI (10) catalogue we will hear tonight (disappointment for those fans of the Hardcore punk era of the band, but they don’t go that far back these days) as they open with Strength Through Wounding, the intro track from 2000s Black Sails In The Sunset.

Once intro duties are disposed of, it is banger time, as the band launch into lead single from 2003’s Sing The Sorrow with Girls Not Grey, quickly segued into DECEMBERUNDERGROUND’s Love Like Winter. It is clear we’re getting the hits and then some tonight, and the crowd are very, very happy this is the case.

That’s not to say Davey and co are resting on times of yonder tonight, as they’ve got a recent album to promote in last years’ Behind The Clock and we get four cuts from it in Behind The Clock, Marguerite, Voidward, I Bend Back and Holy Visions throughout the evening. 

These songs are played utterly beautifully, with the band showing that for every post-hardcore banger they deliver, they can match it with some beautiful synth-tinged gothic rock, however it is noticeable that portions of the crowd present tonight are perhaps not as well versed with the newer material as the golden oldies.

This doesn’t stop the band in any sense though, and with a back catalogue as deep as AFI has there is plenty on the menu to appease almost every attendee. I Hope You Suffer from Burials is belted out with absolute fury, and follows a surprise addition of 37mm as a pretty deep cut from the DECEMBERUNDERGROUND days.

We get two songs from the ultra polished 2009 anthemic Crash Love – Beautiful Thieves and End Transmission mid-set. Both of which really do showcase how well Davey Havok has looked after his voice during his 50 years on the planet, as he hits every note perfectly and still finds the energy to be a charismatic frontman whirling his way around the stage. 

He is a man who has changed image more than underpants (maybe), but the man under that huge moustache and considerable barnet of hair is still as slick as he ever has been.

Having closed out the main set with The Days Of The Phoenix, the band are quickly back on stage for a two-song encore of Silver And Cold and a big singalong to Miss Murder before the lights go up, and everybody in the room hopes it isn’t another 20 years before AFI return to Bristol. 

Outstanding entertainment from true underground veterans of the game.

Review: Black Spikes, Rising Insane, Catch Your Breath, Riff Dealer (Matt Bladen)

Black Spikes - Ydos (Napalm Records)

Ydos is Lithuanian band Black Spike's first for Napalm Records and comes after their nomination at the M.A.M.A award which is similar to a Grammy. So there's an expectation of big things from this progressive metal act who are already booked to be playing Uprising festival next year.

Performed in their native language, Ydos is the story of the human condition, lived through ethereal soundscapes, haunting moments of unnerving bliss, punishing modern prog metal riffs, diverse vocals and a love electonic beats that saturate tracks such as Melas

To my ears, and eyes Black Spikes remind me of The Great Discord, taking an avant garde passage through their music but also adding a feeling of one of Eurovision's weirder offerings (Apatija). Ydos is a very dark, spellbinding and distinctive record.

Tracks such as Zelvar features angular riffs against lullaby-like spell casting as Revana gets to the heavy side with rapid fire rap vocals, that heavy side increasing for Aurea and Senas Demonas as this record is sequenced in a way that it builds into the heaviest moments at the end.

Ydos brings metal but maybe not how or where you would expect it to come from, at times baffling, at others brilliant Black Spikes could be the newest metal superstars. 8/10

Rising Insane - Deathrace (Long Branch Records)

German modern metal act Rising Insane have been making a name for themselves for nearly a decade now, their story reaching a peak when they signed to Long Branch Records in 2019, this led to a shift towards a style that kept their live show ferocity but brought more melody and dynamics.

A cover of Blinding Lights by The Weeknd opened then up to larger audience and with their previous record they further welcomed more kudos for their deeper and more experimental sound, never shedding their metalcore beginnings but adapting them into something more palatable for a larger audience as so many bands do these days.

They keep up this hybrid modern sound with new album Deathrace, with a record that will appeal to fans of Polaris and Caskets, whom they collaborated with on single, and final track Good Enough, but with this record they have made sure to make this Deathrace their most visceral and raw record yet, with every song, even the ones that have more of their clean side still feature crushing heavy riffs.

Their new record has Rising Insane living up to their name with breakneck shifts in tone, there's punk/nu-metal on Outrage, massive aggression on the Title Track, soaring clean choruses on Traumatized, while tracks such as Narcissist and Dirt skillfully bring both the clean and harsh sounds, the interlacing of electonics and beatdowns seeing Countdown absolutely wreck you.

While other bands seem to head towards the lighter side of the metalcore sphere, Rising Insane have chosen to get nastier on this new album, strap in an enjoy the ride. 7/10

Catch Your Breath - Not Broken Enough (Thriller Records)

I will say this at the beginning of the review that there were times when I thought I had the 'repeat track' button pressed while playing this record, mainly in the middle of the record where a lot of the songs have a big drum, a moody verse and shout out loud chorus.

Not Broken Enough is the latest set of emotional cuts from American band Catch Your Breath and while they write from the heart, their songs full of vulnerability and personal reflection shown here through their blend of soaring courses and punchy riffs drenched in electonic beats.

Right on the peak of modernity Catch Your Breath have been crafting their sound on stages across the world amassing a strong fanbase behind them. However the Austin, Texas band don't seem to devuate too far from the multiple bands doing this hybrid of emotional metalcore, alt metal and electronic synths like Bad Omens, Dayseeker and others where pop is the priority.

Not Broken Enough showcases Catch Your Breath boldly and whether you enjoy this record will depend on how much you like this modern style of metal anthems. 7/10

Riff Dealer - New Blood (Self Released)

When you're a band containing members from bands that have previously won Bloodstock Metal To The Masses, then calling your album New Blood just makes sense, as this is the stage that all M2TM winners play at Bloodstock Festival.

So Riff Dealer are experienced there's no doubt about that, so expectations are high for their debut album and they deliver on them if you're a lover for late 90's early 2000's heavy music. Riff Dealer take their influences from the NWOAHM sound with groove and nu-metal being the two major styles they play here.

A love of thick basslines, start stop riffs and barked vocals are needed to really get enjoyment out of this album. I can't say I was ever fully committed to that scene so while there's bits of this record that found myself banging my head to, like Weight Of The World, tracks like Deadends & Daydreams and Voices do nothing for me.

While this record is called New Blood, there's a lot of old ground being gone over here which never really feels massively original. 6/10

Reviews: The Barbarians Of California, God's Hate, RAD, Sunscorched (Spike & Matt Bladen)

The Barbarians Of California - Megatons (Villains For Good) [Spike]

Every now and then, an album lands on the desk that completely bypasses your critical brain and hits you straight in the chest. Megatons the second full-length from The Barbarians Of California, is a total riot from start to finish. Behind the wheel are Aaron Bruno (frontman of AWOLNATION) and producer Eric Stenman, but don't let the mainstream pedigree fool you. This isn't a glossy side project designed for radio playing; it’s a massive, aggressive slab of metallic hardcore that sounds like a band having the absolute time of their lives.

From the moment The Gnarlycore Class and Vanilla Latte kick down the door, the level of aggression on display is incredible. The riffs are thick, heavy, and played with a lethal amount of groove. But what really sets this record apart is the sheer, unadulterated sense of fun baked into every single bar. At its core, this is big, loud, ridiculously heavy music crafted by musicians who obviously know their way around a song, and it put a massive, unabashed smirk on my face from the first spin. In a genre that can sometimes take itself far too seriously, there’s zero shame in making heavy music that is this enjoyable.

Take a track like Bomb To A Knife Fight, it’s got one of the meanest breakdowns you’ll hear all year, paired with a completely absurd hook that you’ll be shouting around the house for weeks. Then you hit Really Really Rad, which starts as a thrashing, riff-heavy assault before pulling a wild 180 and turning into an electro-dance party at the end. It shouldn't work, but because they commit to the madness with total conviction, it rips.

By the time you get through the thrashy chaos of Earthquake and the Mario-esque shouting on This Is Shredical, you realise this is an album built entirely for the stage. It’s one of those rare records that instantly made me pull up my browser and start hunting down their touring schedule. You can practically smell the spilled beer and feel the floorboards flexing just listening to it. I want to see and experience these tracks in a packed, sweaty venue as soon as humanly possible.

They even know how to stick the landing. Dropping an acoustic breather like Shark Out Of Water right before the crushing finale of I Am The Submarine shows a band that understands pacing and drama as much as brute force. Megatons is a loud, furious, and joyously unhinged record that proves heavy music can be as fun as it is dangerous. An absolute blast. 9/10

God's Hate - Won't Be Disgraced (Closed Casket Activities) [Matt Bladen]

God's Hate play hardcore. Aggressive, antifascist, straight edge, metallic hardcore that deliberately antagonizes those who try to spread hate, marginalise and generally be horrible human beings.

Musically threatening with songs full of punishing breakdowns, shifting pace and punishing stomps. They're also physically stacked as Gods Hate were formed by professional wrestler, imposing man mountain and former AEW World Trios and World Tag Team Champion Brody King on vocals and Twitching Tongues frontman Colin Young on drums/vocals.

They live by the credo of Life Is Hard - Be Harder and this is music for the resilient, a call to arms to fight back against oppression of all kinds and when someone like Brody is barking at you, it's worth listening. Colin sets the blistering pace, locked in with bassist Alec Faber and guitarist Anthonie Gonzalez while brother Taylor (also of Twitching Tongues) gives lead guitar blasts.

Won't Be Disgraced follows two full length records and while only three tracks long, it begins with a Bolt Thrower-esque grind on the title track, before I Am The Cure crushes with blast beats as the dual vocals used for maximum rage as it builds into a cry of "straight edge" before a disgustingly slow breakdown and solo section ensues which moves to the punishing finale Warriors Will Reign.

God's Hate then are band who look and sound imposing but have their ideologies aligned in the right way, their music is about triumph over adversity and the only ones that should be scared is if you wear a red cap with snow infamous phrase on it. 8/10

RAD - Rad To The Bone (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Gnarly crossover skate thrash now from RAD who bring the spirit of the Californian skate culture to Southern England influenced heavily by Suicidal Tendencies as they play songs that are about the camaraderie of the skate scene along with classic cult films, the sort of thrash meets hardcore that often leads to two-stepping inside the bowl of a skatepark.

Andy Mansell (vocals), Ben Swanson (guitar) Ben Watson (guitar), Warren Bennet (bass) and Kieran Stanley (drums), play music for the escapists, a way to get away from the drudgery of modern life with homages to VHS classics such as Rambo (First Blood), Cyberdyne Systems (Terminator), If It Bleeds (Predator) and Point Break which is possibly the ultimate skate/surf action movie.

They use these cinematic influences to speak about broader issues such as governmental corruption and the influence of technology but it's all done with thrashy riffs, solo guitar fireworks, hearty chugs and shouted vocals primed for shouting back, as there's rarely a stop for breath, the six cuts here coming at you like karate kicking madman.

Rad To The Bone and decked out in dayglo shorts and massive white sneakers RAD come straight outta your local skatepark and get radical with this new record. 8/10

Sunscorched – Blood Of The Badlands (Bölverk Collective) [Spike]

One of the best things about Musipedia of Metal is stumbling across something you’d never normally find on your own, only to realize within a track or two that you need to buy a copy for your physical collection immediately. Blood Of The Badlands by Arizona trio Sunscorched is exactly that kind of discovery. Coming off a stack of modern hardcore and metalcore, this record is a complete change of pace and a damn impressive one at that.

Instead of the usual cold, snow-covered Norwegian forests or burning European cathedrals, Sunscorched takes black metal out into the sun-bleached desert. It trades classic goth-black tropes for a cinematic, dusty Western atmosphere where blood, revenge, and the sheer weight of the universe crushing down on an unforgiving landscape. If you're a fan of bands like Wayfarer, this sits in that same sun-baked territory, but it carves out its own bitter path.

For me, Stranger's Land is the absolute standout track of the record. It opens with the sound of crackling campfires and distant dogs calling across the dark, setting an outlaw-style acoustic undertone before the heavy riffs drop. The way it transitions with Whiskey And Oak, weaving sharp, abrasive black metal tremolo with that dusty narrative weight is fantastic. You can practically feel the grit in your teeth as the storm rolls in over the ridge.

What gives the record its real spine is how it handles historical grit without relying on theatrical gimmicks. Slaughter At Camp Grant tackles the brutal 1871 massacre of 140 Apache people, delivering a punishing, fast-thrashing assault driven by Austin Kruger’s raw, scraping vocals and Rory James’s battering drum work. It's bitter, dark, and uncomfortable, exactly as history should sound when set to heavy music.

They aren't afraid to bring unexpected textures into the noise, either. The Gallows Tree incorporates haunting slide guitar licks beneath a mid-tempo, crushing stomp, while Thousand Year Drought lets Mitch Wilson’s lead guitar spiral into chaotic, blistering solos. By the time the instrumental title track closes things out, surprising you with moody acoustic passages, weeping violins, and a subtle, jazzy swing, you're left with a record that feels like a complete journey.

Blending the bleak atmosphere of black metal with the unvarnished grit of the American Southwest shouldn't work this seamlessly, but Sunscorched pulls it off with total conviction. It’s a brilliant, unexpected find and a release I’m genuinely excited to add to my shelf. 9/10

Reviews: Iconic, Lalu, Ian Parry's Consortium Project, Zan/Cody (Matt Bladen)

Iconic - II (Frontiers Music Srl)

Another Frontiers supergroup combing the talents of some of the labels highest profile stars.

Iconic features Micheal Sweet (Styrper), Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake/TSO) on guitar, Marco Mendoza (ex-Dead Daises/Black Star Riders) on bass, drummer Tommy Aldridge (Whitesnake) and vocalist Nathan James (Inglorious) so they're a pretty super supergroup by anyone's metric.

II is their second studio album and it's the sound of a band who are at ease with each other, their debut Second Skin was the coming together of musical muscle from across the years, II then is them working as one classic rocking body, producing music that all at once is inspired by their experience but is also totally their own.

On album number 2, Sweet and Hoekstra cement their guitar partnership, trading off on each other as Sweet shows a side to him you may overlook in Stryper keeping up with the hotshot almost a decade younger with the killer riffs (Take Me To The Place) and leads that are packed into these eleven tracks.

Beneath them are grooving bottom end of Mendoza and Aldridge who have huge also have gelled combining their experience to power tracks such as Open My Eyes, where Antonio Agate adds some Hammond organ to firmly define the era of rock we're looking at here.

Thankfully with all these late 70's, early 80's rock anthems coming from Iconic they have a powerhouse vocalist who can summon the likes of Robert Plant, Ian Gillan, David Coverdale and Chris Thompson (shown with his role in Jeff Wayne's War Of Worlds), bellowing in the low end and soaring up high on Tears Keep On Falling.

II defines the band Iconic want to be, a classic rock supergroup that pick up where Whitesnake left off in 2022. 8/10

Lalu - A Mythmaker's Demise (Frontiers Music Srl)

Vivien Lalu's progressive rock/metal project returns with a new album and a 20th anniversary as well.

Founded in 2005, the recent Frontiers records have opened up his melodic prog metal to a whole new audience with influence of Yes (Prince With The Swift Warning), Toto (Tears Of The Muse) as well as Rush (Cordial Weaves), Threshold, Porcupine Tree and any band who divide their time between classical, rock, folk, metal and even pop textures.

Lalu has been making 70's inspired prog rock fused with progressive metal grunt for 20 years and you get every day of this experience on A Mythmakers Demise, Lalu's vision to create albums without too much trickery: "no drum samples, next to no EQ, just real performances captured in their natural state”.

Lalu's keys, organs, Moogs, pianos playing a core part of these dense soundscapes, though on three of the tracks Jens Johansson of Stratovarius and Yngwie Malmsteen provides some solo genius as he is so very known to do in both those bands.

Vivien's longtime musical partner Joop Wolters also getting plenty of scope to play some killer guitar and bass parts, adding folky touches with A Drop Of Water, while taking solos and melodies and riffs for all of these tracks, his guitar playing stellar but his bass work also needing to be highlighted.

He's been a frequent collaborator with Lalu for a while now so their synergy is well honed, but A Mythmaker's Demise features some guests from the past such as Jens but also Martin LeMar returns on vocals having been the first vocalist of the project while behind the drum kit is Simon Phillips who also comes back to the project from the early days.

20 years of progressive rock finery, Vivien Lalu doesn't seem to be running out of ideas or musicians to collaborate with. Classic prog fans rejoice as A Mythmaker's Demise, album number five, is another quality addition to the legacy. 9/10

Ian Parry's Consortium Project VI: Legacy Of Empires (Frontiers Music Srl)

If there's an artist who embodies the idea of collaborative projects it's the grandfather of progressive metal concept projects himself Ian Parry, a contemporary of Arjen Lucassen he's been in the prog opera industry around the same time and with this new album, the sixth chapter of the Consortium Project, he's celebrating 45 years in the music industry.

It's the first Consortium release since 2011, and while Parry has been busying himself with his solo career and Rock Emporium project, so he's not been sleeping but a big chunk of his fanbase will have been clamouring for this record for a long time. Parry then returns to the Consortium world reuniting with the who's who of artists that have been part of the project for a long time.

He's got a core band that share the major bulk of the recording, three guitarists, who play, rhythm, acoustic and some lead on nearly every track, two of them also adding keys/synths to the majority of the songs, as Allan Sørensen plays all the drums except when Kamelot man Casey Grillo takes the kit for the final track.

It's in the bassists where there's the most guest slots as Kristofer Gildenlöw joins alongside three more guests and the two "main" bass players. There's some guests vocalists and organists all adding to the sweeping cinematic arrangements of Consortium, Ian Parry gathering musicians that do or have played with Vanden Plas, Kamelot and Pain Of Salvation to create a progressive metal band worth several supergroups.

With Ian Parry's distinct vocals leading every track, this return to the world of the Consortium Project continues a legacy that will keep fans very happy and will surely bring a whole new set of listeners into the Parry progsphere. 8/10

Zan/Cody - Beautiful 'N Damned (Frontiers Music Srl)

Formed by Shotgun Messiah's guitarist Harry Cody and original singer Zinny Zan, with that Swedish sleaze institution now put to bed, the duo have reconvened to form Zan/Cody, another collaboration act through Frontiers Music.

Beautiful 'N Damned is the debut album for this new project and it brings Harry and Zinny together for the first time since Shotgun Messiah's debut album in 1989. What's changed over that time? Well not much as Beautiful 'N Damned brings swaggering street metal riffs and solos, along with a sleazy, sneering vocal delivery, wrapped up in modern rock production.

It's gritty and melodic with references to Ratt, Warrant, Pretty Maids and Shotgun Messiah of course, but they also bring their experience factor to the tracks to rekindle the songwriting partnership they had all those years ago, merging those sleaze beginnings with musical genres that have happened since.

From the Def Leppard thump of I Am The Shit, Ride Or Die which reminds me of the The Cult, as Damn shifts like latter Thin Lizzy. While Suffer City could easily be on Winger's Pull record and She Walks With Violence is Depeche Mode moodiness, however most of you will be here for Let's Be Heroes, Bad Bad Man and Tear It All Down.

Keeping the Shotgun Messiah legacy alive under the name of the founding members, Zan/Cody are still rocking hard 37 years later. 7/10

Reviews: The Night Eternal, Holissstik, Cemetery Echo, Vordermann (Matt Bladen)

The Night Eternal - Cold Velvet (Metal Blade Records)

The third album from German metal band The Night Eternal takes them further towards the dark, while also adding more authenticity to their sound by defining it with the use of analogue instruments to make sure they encapsulate the late 70's early 80's influences that are so important to them as a band.

I've always been a fan of the band but seeing them in Manchester supporting Blind Guardian made me realise that they were a band that understood the beginnings of heavy metal and with this new record they owe as much to The Mission as they do Iron Maiden, as much to Type O Negative as they do Tygers Of Pan Tang.

It's still packed with melodic riffs, clean vocals for big choruses and melancholic atmospheres but with an added drive and focus that has come from teaming up with producer Michael Zech. He's guitarist of Secrets Of The Moon and has produced acts such as Sulphur Aeon, Triptykon and The Ruins Of Beverast.

Working like a 'fifth Beatle' scenario he has had input into the record bringing his background in extreme metal to make sure The Night Eternal are tighter and more intense than before. Not a moment is wasted as they charge through tracks such as Eurydice (Don't Look Back) and Caught In A Spell, both evidence of the duality on Cold Velvet.

With a longer recording period than before, helped by a gap in the middle, these songs have been able to develop and evolve from their initial sketches into some of the most impressive yet, the concepts from previous records Fatale, expanded on here.

Cold Velvet is the culmination of what The Night Eternal have been reaching for on previous records. Come hear their final form. 9/10

Holissstik - Chapter 1: This Endless Solitude (Season Of Mist)

There is a huge guest list on this record and I mean huge. Sixteen different musicians join band leader and multi instrumentalist Tor-Helge Skei to create these thrilling dark electronic soundscapes from the depths of Trondheim, Norway.

Coming from the Greek word Hólos Holissstik means while "whole" and that is what drives the collaborative nature of the record, explaining why there's so many extra musicians adding their parts to Skei's musical sketches.

Skei has history with extreme metal acts such as Manes, Høstsol, Atrox, Manii, Syning and Lethe with Anna Murphy of Cellar Darling, appearing here on the atmospheric Scandi prog of Obsession Six, she joins a cavalcade of names that supply vocals, guitars, bass, drums and synths.

Tor-Helge has been tormented by these songs, some for a long time, some more recently, creating the initial versions that are both patchy and fully formed, drawn from his history on the dark side of music, to make enthralling, claustrophobic and foreboding pieces which highlight the contribution of the guests as well as the composition skills of this bands creator.

Handling recording, production and mixing Tor-Helge turned over the mastering to Knut Prytz (ex-Necrophagia), finishing off these eight tracks that straddle darkwave, electronica, industrial, shifting from the progressive grooves of The Rhythm Of Silence, to the haunting Projections, Reoccurring Dreams embraces synthwave and Would You Take This Heart is a lucid dreamscape.

With referrals to Depeche Mode and Apex Twin, Holissstik begins this three part release with a unavoidable darkness and electronic muscle. 8/10

Cemetery Echo - Civitas Lacrimarum (Seeing Red Records)

Some New York "Haunt 'n' Roll" now from Buffalo band Cemetery Echoes who welcome us to Civitas Lacrimarum (City Of Tears - Latin nerds) with some blackend deathrock meets gothic post punk, through thrashy buzzsaw riffs, jangly melodic cleans, moody atmospherics and vocals that snarl and croon in equal measure.

Snakeland's Pull or Dungeon Of Love for instance has gothic overtones from that whole post punk sound while Hell Night or Cannibalistic Underground Nihilist Teens are a savage black metal assault, but much of the album ably blends the both sides for some introspective, blackend goth metal.

There's a lot of inspiration from the original bands that spearheaded the gothic rock sound while also leaning towards the modern bands doing it such Unto Others, Grave Pleasures and Tribulation, the latter very prominent as Cemetery Echo rise from the grave with an interesting hybrid of genres. 7/10

Vordermann - Feeding On Fireworks (Self Released)

Stoke Vordermann pay tribute, in their own weird way, to Wales' foremost maths genius and social justice campaigner Carol Vorderman.

Classing themselves as post-rock/rainbow doom, they follow up their debut EP Feeding On Flowers, with the more dangerously titled Feeding On Fireworks which is a three track manages to create a wall of noise which combines doom, sludge, shoegaze, grunge and stoner.

While there are few direct links to everyone's favourite mathematician there is a lot of esoteric, space noodling that reminds me of Cybernetic Witch Cult as they cross the genre streams as often as possible through their multi-dimensional music.

Ego Shake sees them in space rock weirdness while The Salem Shake manages to bring the heavy riffs of Mastodon as Something Sacred, Something Terrible closes this second EP with a progressive, anthemic post-gaze eruption that gives us the promised fireworks.

So plenty of vowels and consonants along with time signatures you'd need a calculator for, Vordermann bring more rainbow doom with this new EP. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Lacertilia (Matt Bladen)

Lacertilia, Cybernetic Witch Cult & Goat Major, Fuel Rock Club, 21.08.26

With my trips to gigs being stunted somewhat by a knackered spine, the ones I'm picking and choosing bands that I know will absolutely deliver on a live stage. I'd try to catch South Wales' psychedelic stoner riff warriors a few times this year already but life and physical pain got in the way meaning I had to abandon them.

However a Friday at Fuel Rock Club with support coming from some fellow Welsh riffers I know always bring the groove and psychedelic space rockers that I had not seen before wasn't going to be a gig I missed so it was a slow walk from the car ready to get as groovy as a man with a slipped disc can be.

Getting the night started, fresh from a triumphant show at Bloodstock festival it was the sludgy doom riffs of Goat Major that made sure the PA was working at full volume as they roared to life with a set full of occult doom for for an Argento movie. Mainly drawn from their debut record, the trio stormed through the Sabbath worshipping songs, with a crushing rhythm section adding the meaty grooves while the guitar brought some technical melodies to join the thunder. Goat Major are the heaviest thing to come out of Pembrokeshire in a long while and the one new track they played bodes well for their upcoming album.

Next up were Cybernetic Witch Cult, psychedelic weirdos with plenty of brain melting melodies. I'd never seen the band before and I'm not too sure if many inside Fuel but the volume did decline briefly when they took to the stage as this cult are much more about classic transcendental journeys than sledgehammer riffs. With a revamped line up, playing a set of mostly unreleased music, their was something if a return for the band and the crowd were receptive though I'm sure the majority would have seen anything they played as new, due to them being a rarity on this side of the bridge.

However they did manage to win over the crowd with dual vocals and spacial journeys through galactic soundscapes. Pushing further into psychedelic realms this witch cult was perfect cleanse from the heavy crush of the openers and moved perfectly into the headliners, they even found time to record the set and release it as live record which is mind blowing in a venue like Fuel.

Then it was time for the headliners, like conquering heroes, they once again stormed the Fuel stage with an unmatched energy. The last time I'd seen them in Cardiff was at their album release show (I think) and as with every Lacertilia show they were unbelievably good (spoiler), but while hearing them play the entire third record in full was a brilliant event, I was very interested to hear how those songs blend with their older material.

There's a nervous energy to frontman Fry, always balancing on the edge between mastery and madness, he's the conductor of this church of riffs, letting loose when the riffs of The Wired And The Weird and Weird Scenes kick off the Lacertilia party. Belting out the lyrics and prowling the stage it's hard to take your eyes off him, the between song asides bringing humor and humility.

Behind him though Lacertilia are band with an ease to them, virtuoso masquerading as your local biker club band, Carl's drumming laser focused driving the groove, probably because he's the only one who knows the setlist! With Ed's fluid basslines joining him they're a formidable rhythm section that can weave their magic between tracks as different as the Jane's Addiction like Tangled Up and the showstopping The Sun Is The Key.

The riffs come from Mike and Lukas, the punk rocking of closer Fire Up The Engine Of God or the stoner chug of Deviate From The Plan are just as impressive as the more laid back moments such as Over And Out and Nothing's Sacred where the leads take a melodic turn into psych and prog realms.

I'll always support Lacertilia, every promoter in the UK should be on the phone to them as there's a magic they bring to the stage and after a decade as a band they're at the best they've ever been. A brilliant night in Cardiff with three excellent bands playing to a receptive and up for it crowd, worth the journey as usual. 10/10

Bristol Extreme Fest Preview

Bristol Extreme Fest Preview By Matt Bladen

End Of The World Promotions, who book such heavy gatherings as Southwest HeavyFest and Blastonbree Festival have brought their love of all things heavy to the city of Bristol this August Bank Holiday and it promises to be one hell of a debut event.

Based at the beautiful Trinity Centre in Bristol, Bristol Extreme Fest is a two stage, day long affair in conjunction with The Gryphon, Black City Records and RS Studios, celebrating all things heavy and on the extreme side in one of the best music cities around!

While we're not versed in every band performing, but that's part of the fun right? We can definitely run through some our picks for the show if you're heading over, but do so quickly as they're down to the last few tickets, so maybe we'll encourage you to snap some up.

The Gryphon Stage

The Gryphon Stage is the outside venue where most of the death side of the day will be taking place, so expect the biggest influx of camo shorts to be here.

We'll be looking forward to catching Public Execution and Visions Of Disfigurement for the first time however our first pick on this stage are local lads Embodiment who have been a staple of the Bristol Extreme scene for years now and will look to be welcomed as home town heroes when they take to the stage.

Next up would be Foetal Juice, possessors of the cleverest name in UK metal, this four man Manchester death squad have taken every stage in the UK by storm by now including Bloodstock, filling them with gore soaked death metal that will get you reaching for the Hawaiian shirts.

Then comes two UK exclusives that for many will be worth the price of admission alone as international slam unit Kraanium bring their putrid, brutal slam to the UK for the only time this year. While the lyrical content may be suspect, you won't really hear much of them behind the furious blasts, skull crushing grooves and bleghs.

Following then are the French kings of brutal death metal Benighted, who will be headlining and probably looking to collapse the outdoor stage with their steamrolling mix of brutal battery and grindcore grit. With nearly 30 years in the game, Benighted have evolved across the years but have defined themselves as one of the premier proponents of brutal death from Europe.

The Black City Stage

The indoor stage hosts more varied audio abuse with a lean towards black metal and while we've not seen Oskaria, Scordatura or Fuath previously but we'll be definitely catching them for the first time.

In terms of things we think you should definitely be watching then it would be South Wales based atmospheric black metal band Ofnus, who we're massive champions of here at Musipedia Of Metal. With a refreshed line up and a third album in production, you would be crazy to miss this potent live force when they take to the stage as it promises to be very special indeed.

Speaking of special, The Infernal Sea will be celebrating ten years of their second album 'The Great Mortality' performing the album in its entirety as part of three special shows. Having recently returned to the stage after a bit of a layoff this will be a set to behold from these plague mask wearing black metallers that will reward long time fans and newcomers alike.

The finale of the day though are band who need little introduction, Greek extreme metal veterans Rotting Christ co-invented the Hellenic Black Metal genre nearly 40 years ago and they have been the leaders of the genre since then, whilst over the years their style has moved away from the abrasive beginnings they now take a more epic blackened death route that is primal and unstoppable.

With a set that is bound to span decades, there's few live bands with the force of Rotting Christ and in an intimate venue it's going to be mind blowing. Raise your fists to the sky as a cry of Non Serviam will be heard across Bristol when these legends gather the black masses to the once consecrated grounds of The Trinity.

Come early, check out all the bands, all the stalls and indulge in some tasty looking food options and plenty of beverages (stay hydrated), Bristol Extreme Fest promises to be the loudest thing in Bristol this Bank Holiday weekend so if you're on the fence we suggest you snap up a ticket here:

https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/the-trinity-centre/sat-29-aug-bristol-extreme-fest-2026-142662#e142662

A View From The Park: The Cure (Spike)

The Cure, Slowdive & The Slow Readers Club, Wythenshawe Park, Manchester, 21.08.26



Getting to this one felt like a proper military operation. The train trip up from Norwich was a long, muggy slog, and once you get to Manchester, you quickly realize Wythenshawe Park isn't central at all. It requires another local train connection, tracking down the hotel, and then fighting through gridlocked city traffic in an Uber just to get near the site. But all that travel hassle evaporated the second I stepped onto the grass. Standing in an open park with over 35,000 people who are all there for the exact same reason creates a very special kind of atmosphere. You could feel the collective anticipation humming right across the grass before a single note was played.

Before getting into the music, credit needs to be given where it’s due regarding the housekeeping. In an era where gig prices are getting completely out of hand with dynamic pricing scams and obscene service fees, seeing tickets kept under £80 for an event of this scale is a total breath of fresh air. Even better, t-shirts were capped at £25 on the merch table. Robert Smith and the band clearly made a conscious effort to keep this accessible for real music fans, and that respect for the audience set a brilliant tone for the whole day.

I wasn't overly familiar with The Slow Readers Club (8) before stepping into the park, but they proved to be a brilliant way to kick off the afternoon. You could see on their faces just how much it meant to them to be playing a massive hometown show of this size. They didn't shrink under the pressure; they grabbed the opportunity with both hands, delivering a sharp, driving set of dark post-punk that had the early arrivals moving early on.

Then came Slowdive (9). I’d somehow managed to miss seeing them live across all these years, so catching them on an outdoor stage like this was high on my list for the day. They were simply wonderful. Their lush, dreamlike shoegaze swept across the field as the evening sun started to dip and the crowd continued to swell from the traffic jams outside. Layers of shimmering, delay-drenched guitars washed over 35,000 people in a way that felt hypnotic, peaceful, and tailor-made for a summer evening.

By the time The Cure (10) wandered onto the stage, the field was packed solid as far as the eye could see. Robert Smith shuffled out to the edge of the stage, paused, and looked out with a expression that seemed genuinely surprised at the sheer size of the crowd stretching out in front of him. For a band that has been doing this for half a century, that humility and awe was fantastic to witness.

They opened with Alone, the sprawling lead track from their latest record. The long, atmospheric instrumental build-up built up a massive amount of tension across the park. When that music finally gave way to Smith's opening line "This is the end of every song that we sing" it sent an absolute chill straight down the spine. It was a dark, breathtaking entry point that locked everyone in instantly.

What struck me immediately, as it always does with this band, was Smith's voice. Decades into a punishing career, he sounds completely identical to the very first time I heard him on record. That voice acts like a total time machine. It immediately drags up decades of personal history, old friends, past gigs, long-lost times, and the raw emotion of growing up with this music as the soundtrack to your life. Sharing that cathartic moment with tens of thousands of other people, all singing along to every word, was something truly special.

The main set was a masterclass in pacing and stamina, balancing massive chart hits with darker album cuts. They glided through heavy classics like Pictures Of You, High, Lovesong, Burn, and a razor-sharp rendition of Fascination Street. The energy in the field spiked with In Between Days and Just Like Heaven, before they pulled out some rarely played gems like Treasure, a huge, unexpected treat for the diehards in the audience who recognized the intro straight away.

As darkness fell over Wythenshawe, the band dug deep into their darker, gothic repertoire. A towering version of A Forest had the entire field moving in unison to that iconic, hypnotic bassline, before closing out the main set with the emotional weight of From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea and Endsong.

Between songs, Smith kept his banter to an absolute minimum, letting the music do all the heavy lifting. He summed up his entire philosophy perfectly at one point, noting to the crowd: "I can speak, but I just don’t have very much to say. It’s on the songs; that’s why we sing them." It’s a refreshing lack of ego that so many younger frontmen could learn a thing or two from.

Then came an extended encore that would have been worth the ticket price all on its own. They returned to rattle off hit after hit in a glorious, continuous sprint: Lullaby, Wrong Number, The Walk, Mint Car, The Lovecats, Friday I'm In Love, Close To Me, Why Can't I Be You?, and a triumphant Boys Don't Cry to wrap the night up. To hear a band deliver nearly thirty songs with that level of energy and pitch-perfect execution is nothing short of incredible.

My own rookie mistake in picking a hotel miles away from the main tram and coach routes meant a long, freezing wait for an expensive Uber at the end of the night. But standing in that field watching a band at the absolute top of their game made every single mile of travel hassle and every pound spent completely worth it. An unforgettable night.

A View From The O2: Hollywood Vampires (Spike)

The Hollywood Vampires & The Jesus and Mary Chain– The O2, London, 12.08.26



Walking into the O2 on a Wednesday night to see The Jesus And Mary Chain (10) on a support slot feels a bit strange. Anyone who knows my taste knows what this band means to me. 

From the noise and feedback of Psychocandy right through to the present day, they’re part of my musical DNA. So treating them as an opening act was always going to be a hard mental adjustment.

That said, Reid and company delivered a fantastic, albeit short, seven-song set. They didn't mess about. Opening with JAMCOD, they locked straight into that moody, feedback-drenched groove. Hearing April Skies, Blues From A Gun, and Some Candy Talking back-to-back in an arena was a treat, even if the room was still filling up. 

By the time they rolled through Happy When It Rains, Just Like Honey, and a menacing Reverence, they had shown exactly why their influence still hangs heavy over modern rock and shoegaze. They were in top form, and seven tracks honestly just left me wanting a full headline set.

I’d caught Alice Cooper out in Daytona earlier in the year, so I knew what to expect from him as the frontman for The Hollywood Vampires (8) a proper, full-fat rock 'n' roll spectacle. And they certainly delivered on that front.

The Vampires set is essentially the ultimate high-budget covers night celebrating dead friends and rock royalty, anchored by Alice, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen.

I was sceptical about Depp on guitar but he can play, he did a few vocals too but the mix didn’t do him any favours.

The band kicked off with a couple of their own songs I Want My Now and Raise The Dead before diving headfirst into a massive list of classics. Alice sounded great on I’m Eighteen, and the band pulled off a surprisingly dark rendition of Velvet Underground's Venus in Furs and Killing Joke’s The Death And Resurrection Show.

The covers kept coming thick and fast, Jim Carroll's People Who Died (where Ozzy probably got the biggest cheer of the night as he appeared on the film of all the people mentioned in the song was shown), Johnny Thunders’ You Can’t Put Your Arms Round A Memory, Aerosmith tracks, The Who's Baba O’Riley, and a massive crowd-singalong for David Bowie's Heroes. Closing out the main set with School’s Out blended into Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall was pure theatrical fun.

Then came the encore. Bringing out Ronnie Wood for The Train Kept A-Rollin’, The Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar, and Jeff Beck’s Hi Ho Silver Lining was a genuine surprise and a great moment to end on.

I went to the O2 specifically for The Jesus and Mary Chain, but the Vampires proved to be a thoroughly entertaining bonus. A solid night of classic riffs, nostalgia, and top-tier showmanship.

Reviews: Gorod, Mob Rules, Noveria, Cutthroat (Mark Young & Matt Bladen)

Gorod - The Ember Gone (Base Productions) [Mark Young]

There are some albums that set their tone very early on, its not so much a case of showing their hand almost straight away its more that they can’t help but put their accomplishments in the window. The Ember Gone is one of these albums where they assume you are onboard with them and with the music they are about to bestow upon you. Their lead off starts and we are off on this technical journey. Now, we know that sometimes technical can equal boring, due to the bands themselves forgetting that it has to excite you as a listener. 

Signs has this current running through it where they pull the technical approach in but base it over what you might say is a simple progression. And that is the key in this song being an absolute belter. Because it has that simplicity at its core, it allows them to embellish the song around it with some quality touches that mean more than just a flurry of notes without meaning. It lives up to their bio declaration with an outro solo that is fleet of finger but still has an emotional heft to it. 

Further confirmation of their approach as being basics first is Devise. Its how they knit the different pieces together so we end up a with a song with no frayed edges. It gets the riffs in and done then decides to play around with you. Its exceptional stuff really and while I’m assuming that there could be more ‘technical’ acts out there I don’t think that there are many who can build a song they do. Even the vocal melodies and the overall delivery is in step, its just a complete package which makes me review it so easy. 

Where they extend their songs out, such as on Forgiveness, that additional time is not wasted in meaningless noodling. Its used to further flesh their sound out, moving with a cosmic grace to it. I’m happy to say that they also bring in some fiendish low end riffing on this one and in the course of three songs they have casually dropped in one of the albums of the year. Absolutely no doubt in my mind.

Is there such a thing as a technical-progressive swagger? There is now and its running through this on every song. We look to describe music in lazy ways and I’m certainly guilty of that and if you asked me, I’d say fluid. Which is probably not the best term but there you go. There is no reduction in the intent or execution from them, the later tracks are as immediate as that initial kick off – Ignite being an example of bringing you death metal with a sunny edge. Honest, once it starts you will get it straightaway. 

Remains brings the whole thing to an end, and bookends a strong collection of technical, progressive music, one that doesn’t seek to overwhelm the listener with super crazy rhythms or by playing more notes than anyone else. They have a very simple approach, which to write good songs that define a base from which to leap off from but never forget that they have to return to that base at some point. They treat every song as a new trip, something for us to enjoy and you will enjoy it from start to finish. 9/10

Mob Rules - Stories From The Verdant Vale (ROAR) [Matt Bladen]

This one is all about the vinyl as Stories From The Verdant Vale continues the narrative established on 2025's Rise Of The Ruler, these are songs from those sessions, originally released as part of the special edition of that album, on CD.

They are now getting a second lease of life as a standalone piece, on vinyl as a full length record that features these five "new" tracks as the Side A and as and extra treat on the Side B a few re-recorded versions of older tracks featuring a few guests.

Because Stories From The Verdant Vale links to early Mob Rules records these bonus tracks are ones from that era, re-recorded in 2014 with Udo Dirkschneider, Amanda Somerville, City Somapala and Bernhard Weiß as guest vocalists to make them a bit more than just a standard re-record.

It's the originals that do the legwork here though from the orchestral overture of Savage Land Reprise, through the bouncy Euro Power metal of Master Of The Black Crow. Then from the theatricality of Masquerade Ball, the ballad Above The Maelstrom and the hard hitting Balance Of Power, Stories From The Verdant Vale is Mob Rules taking you back to the beginnings of their career through songs given a new chance to impress. 7/10

Noveria - Becoming After (Scarlet Records) [Matt Bladen]

The cinematic prog metal experience that is Noveria return with a new record of prog/power. There's something about Italy when it comes to progressive power metal as a lot of the biggest names in this hybrid genre such as DGM and Labyrinth hail from the Mediterranean.

However Noveria have been building their own legacy with a sound that draws from the heavier, moodier US style favoured by Symphony X, Dream Theater and Swedes Evergrey. They get darker again with Becoming After, with Middle Eastern tones beginning The Only Way, it bursts to life with downtuned riffs, orchestral swathes and keys/synths that bring depth.

This is the fifth album and features the talents of pianist and composer Mike Moran on the cinematic Through Your Light, keyboardist Mistheria (Bruce Dickinson) on Cold Flames and string arrangement/performance from violinist Abigail Stahlschmidt and cellist Luca Basile. Though the band themselves shouldn't be discounted as they are all virtuosos in their own right.

All of the guests add more layers to these already dense compositions from a group who can bring melodic wonder, sprawling soundtracks, industrial electronics and the heavier side of metal as well through occasional harsh vocals, Noveria stepping confidently into a new era after major line up changes on Becoming After. 8/10

Cutthroat - The Purge (M-Theory Audio) [Mark Young]

Hard Times takes little time in announcing exactly what you can expect from The Purge, a 5 track EP from LA hardcore outfit Cutthroat. If there was band that completely matched their bio description, its these. The opener is as straight as you could find, its built on a foundation of tightly driven riffs and a traditional hardcore vocal delivery, in as much it reminds me of Biohazard from their Urban Discipline days. Its aggressive, its focus is on battering the listener with what could only be described as a massive sound. 

Sick One comes in, again its perfectly acceptable as an example of what hardcore should sound like. Unfortunately herein lies the problem. Historically, I’ve never been a massive fan of this genre on record. I’ve always felt that the live shows are where this music lives and breathes because that crowd energy feeds back to the band and together, the songs dynamically change. I feel that this is the case here; these tracks will take on new life on stage.

Feeling Disconnected continues on that ferocious path laid down, but stays within the lanes already set out, and by this point they have effectively settled down into what feels like the same song, partially rebuilt to suit. I feel that I’m sounding unimpressed by the material on here, that’s not the case. As I’ve said its incredibly tight, and its all about stomping you with some pummelling riffing. 

If you take the title track, Purge, its heavy, and will tick all the necessary boxes required for metal. It’s just that it’s too similar to everything else on here. They close out with Bullet Proof Mind, and it shows that they have no intention of slowing down or backing off in terms of intent. It maintains that aggressive nature that has been in place since track one, without departing from their core sound.

There’s couple of ways of looking at this in terms of reviewing it; If you consider this purely on the strengths/weaknesses shown, then I would say that for fans of the scene hey will lap it up. They do everything that you want from hardcore, massive riffs, insistent approach delivered with an authentic focus on what works for them. You know that live, these will cause the crowd to go off, there is no doubt in my mind. My issue is that I’m not a fan, and it’s not done anything to change my mind. 6/10