Reviews: Hardline, Starbenders, Glorious Bankrobbers, Fighter V (Matt Bladen)

Hardline - Shout (Steamhammer)

Hardline are a band now on their eighth album, though for frontman Johnny Gioeli, Shout is officially the 108th album he's been a part of.

In the current version of the band he's joined by keyboardist/producer Alessandro Del Vecchio, bassist Anna Portalupi, drummer Marco Di Salvia and guitarist Luca Princiotta who joined in 2023. Now Hardline have always been a band that have had a lot to live up to.

Their debut album, Double Eclipse featured the talents for Journey's Neal Schon and Deen Castronovo so they made a mark and established the band they wanted to be very early and while they have never again reached the heights of that record. They have been chugging away since then, their albums II and Danger Zone featuring an eclipse to celebrate the 10th and 20th anniversary of their debut, so it's always been a very significant part of their career.

In 2026 they again want to make music that has a connection to Double Eclipse, Gioeli going as far as saying “This band doesn’t want to reinvent its music." and with Shout they don't reinvent anything, this is an album that puts the retro with the modern.

With gloriously 80's rocking on the strutting Candy Love, Rise Up and It Owns You, while the title track, the emotive Welcome To The Thunder and the heavy Rise Above No Fear are all very contemporary.

There's of course balladry too with a cover of Scorpions' When You Came Into My Life, and Glow which is a song dedicated to the all the dogs Gioeli and Del Vecchio have had in their lives, the band even raise money for dog trust when they're on tour so it's something close to their hearts.

Ultimately Shout is a record of radio-friendly rocking that Hardline are known for and while they may never truly surpass Double Eclipse in terms of impact, they are still producing quality rock n roll for their fanbase and beyond. 8/10

Starbenders - The Beast Goes On (Sumerian Records)

Atlanta rockers Starbenders return with their fourth record of moody, glammy, synthy poppy punky, rock n roll. The Beast Goes On follows their 2023 record Take Back The Night, a record that put them more into the public consciousness but they don't play it safe with The Beast Goes On, writing music that feels right and will be picked up by mass media, not music that is explicitly written for it.

The Beast Goes On features new drummer Qi Wei joining band founders Kimi Shelter (vocals/guitar), Aaron Lecesne (bass) and Kriss Tokaji (lead guitar) for another blast of radio baiting riffs and shout along choruses that are sneered by Kimi over some bouncy riffage, twisty synth phases and a fusion of styles that create a sound that is both sexy but tinged with gothic danger.

Like the twisted cousin of Cheap Trick (Chantilly Boy and 21st Century Digital Boy), with a hint of Deep Purple on To Be Alright, they stick with the modern hybrid thrills of Palaye Royale and The Velveteers on Cold Silver, there's a post punk throb on Tokyo, Saturday borrows from The Cure while Forever Mine has the sexy gothics of Ghost, as Hello Goodbye dreamily shifts into 90's alt rock.

The Starbenders strut back onto the scene with guitars set to stun, beware the beast as it brings rock n roll. 7/10

Glorious Bankrobbers - Intruder (Wild Kingdom)

Swedish sleaze rockers Glorious Bankrobbers are legends in their native country. Their 1989 record Dynamite Sex Doze, became THE record in the Swedish sleaze/action rock scene, influential to bands such as Hardcore Superstar, Mustasch and The Hellacopters.

They broke into America with shows at CBGB'S and on Headbangers Ball. In a familiar story labels screwed them, band members changed and there was a split resulting in inactivity. They did return in 2007 but recently they have more adversity with drummer Oden passing away leading to another lengthy lay off.

However rock n roll never really dies and Glorious Bankrobbers come backed armed and dangerous with new album Intruder their third album since returning in 2023 following that years Back On The Road and 2024's Rock ’n Roll Church.

So GB are back, a meatier sound, veteran instincts and songs that bring sleaze, punk and bluesy rock n roll that will appeal to fans of The Quireboys, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Status Quo and The Ramones as they shove their attitude down your throat with rhythm blues on tracks such as the punchy Rabbit Hole and the rollicking Rollin' In Hollywood.

Signed to Wild Kingdom Records, Intruder has the band coming back, firing on all cylinders, rock that's as classic as it gets, inspired by sleaze, punk and proper rock n roll, Intruder will be a welcome guest in your house from these Swedish legends. 8/10

Fighter V - Déja Vu (Frontiers Music Srl)

Swiss 80's rock revivalists Fighter V return with their third album of music inspired by Journey, Survivor and Bon Jovi, imbued with a modern energy.

The title Déja Vu is perfect what they do as you'll feel like you may have time travelled back to those 80's glory days as soon as Raging Heartbeat pumps out of your speakers, you know just as Rocky gets ready to fight the big Russian, that sort of vibe.

Emerging with a debut album in 2019, it was on the follow up that they started to diversify catching their ear of Frontiers Music who picked them up for album three as Fighter V have that mix of nostalgia and modernity that Frontiers are known for.

From the glistening synths that are the lead instrument on Victory and Hold The Time, the clean guitar lines the strutting Stand By Your Side and For All This Time as there's huge vocal harmonies ala Def Leppard on Foolish Heart, the title track and let's face it throughout.

If retro AOR is your thing then Fighter V do it with flair and most importantly proper skill, grab your hairspray and get rocking. 7/10

Reviews: Holosoil, Golgotha, Gout, Resumption (Matt Bladen, Mark Young, Spike & Joe Guatieri)

Holosoil - Look Up EP (InsideOut Music) [Matt Bladen]

Holosoil FKA R3VO were fromers founded in 2019 but with a change of singer, Emelie Sederholm in, Eleonara Barbato out the remaining members of the band Victor Nissim (bass), Jan Kurfürst (guitar) and Altaïr Chagué (drums), thought changing the name and resetting as this new line up was better than continuing.

R3VO had been featured in Metal Hammer, performed at Euroblast Festival and supported Vukovi on tour, so Holosoil will be looking to achieve more under their new banner and the Finnish/German band come armed with a five track EP of inventive, explosive modern prog metal that spans multiple genres and influences.

Drawing comparisons to musical boundary pushers such as Björk, The Mars Volta, Muse and Tool, Look Up is based around the first single and opening track of the same name, about how insular humans are and that sometimes we need to look up, it's got janky, djenty guitar riffs, shimmering synth moments, propulsive analog/electronic drumbeats, off time grooves and vocals that have a lot of Anneke Van Giersbergen about them.

The inspiration of electronic metal comes through on the woozy Cracks, while Animal has a thumping pop metal motion to it, all very modern and very experimental, a track like Freakshow putting the intense vocals against bass grooves, ambient moments and flashes of riffage.

An intense, inventive EP from Holosoil and while the name has changed the musical adventuring continues. 8/10

Golgotha - Hubris (Abstract Emotions) [Mark Young]

Its always nice to be surprised, unless it’s a gas bill attached to an arrow, but generally it’s a positive. Such is the case with Golgotha and their latest release, Hubris. 

Once again, those pesky tags applied here don’t fully paint the picture of the band, and its sound noting it as being melodic doom/death metal. Its all of those, for sure but at the heart is the push/pull between those two singing styles demonstrated so well by Maria J Lladó and Andrew Espinosa. The cleans have that goth tinge, the sort that I grew up on and that was prevalent at metal nights.

It’s the kind that manages to convey so much without resorting to histrionics or unnecessary vocal gymnastics. Its pitched perfectly, so when the harsh vocals are deployed it’s a real shift. They get this rolling on the opening track A Simple Life, and lets not forget about the music behind, without a solid backing these vocals would be for naught. Its heavy in the right areas, melodic in others, as is The Weight Of The Weak where Maria dominates for the most part, but still it doesn’t forget the need for a heavy touch.

It sounds excellent too, the lows are low whilst staying clear, and a key example of this is Broken Toy, with a blackened start, bringing dense guitars into play before they bring Maria in once more. I appreciate that having the clean/harsh styles running through each song may be considered nothing new, but there is always room for bands who can do it well. 

Golgotha is one of these as they know how to arrange the music so it is all aligned. There is a sumptuous lead break here that comes in and flies without being overlong, and if anything could have been longer. As a statement, it’s a very strong one from them and considering that they are able to find new avenues to run down after being in existence since 1992 its no mean feat. 

There are moments of brutality here amongst the doomed beauty; Empty Minds with its ying/yang approach is immensely satisfying, as is Too Late with its lumbering early moments that roll over you. It’s an album that has a lot to say, and yes it uses the dual approach as its base it doesn’t repeat the same trick as it progresses. For fans of the band, and of this style of metal there is a lot to enjoy knowing that these will evolve once they play them live, especially the atmospherics of Blind which is made for the stage.

It’s a consistent affair, achieving a high level of quality early and then staying at that level right through. Its their approach to songcraft that makes the album so worthwhile, even to someone like me who leans into the more aggressive and quick forms of metal. There is a lot to recommend, so it’s a worthy 8/10

Gout – Actual Bastard (Independent) [Spike]

There is a certain type of noise that can only be manufactured in the shadow of a derelict industrial estate, somewhere between a broken intercom and a fistfight. Gout have managed to bottle that exact frequency on their debut EP, Actual Bastard. It’s a five-track jolt of street-level grit that refuses to be polite, trading the high-gloss sheen of the modern circuit for a sound that feels like it was recorded in a space where the ceiling is permanently sweating.

The EP hits the ground running with Inmate, and the intent is clear from the first vibration. This is pugnacious, low-end-heavy noise that feels like it’s been dragged through a hedge. It’s followed by Too Bleak, which lives up to its billing with a rhythmic instability that reminds me of that specific, early 80s industrial-punk friction, think the raw-nerve energy of The Birthday Party mashed into a modern, subterranean weight. It’s unpolished, honest, and possesses a level of "dirt under the fingernails" that makes most current metalcore look like it’s been through a car wash.

The absolute jewel in the crown here is track three: I Am A Beacon Of Health And Wellbeing. Beyond having arguably the best title I’ve seen on a track-list this year, it’s a masterclass in sarcasm-as-art. The vocals are delivered with a dry, caustic vitriol that perfectly punctures the self-help obsession of the modern age. Musically, it’s a slow-building monolith of tension that eventually explodes into a wall of noise.

The final stretch, Junk Sick and Tarmac doubles down on the attrition. Tarmac, in particular, feels like a literal representation of its name: hard, grey, and unforgiving. The production allows the guitars to scrape against each other with a surgical precision that hasn't been sanitized for radio safety. It sounds like a band playing in a room that is far too small for the ambition of the noise, which is exactly where this kind of music thrives.

Gout didn't come here to make friends or offer a "testament to resilience." They came here to document a very specific kind of urban rot, and Actual Bastard is the jagged, essential result. It’s a record that understands that the most vital art often comes from the people who have stopped trying to be liked and just started being loud. This is a reminder that the underground still knows exactly how to leave a mark. 8/10

Resumption - The Respite (Self Released) [Joe Guatieri]

Resumption is a one man Death Doom band made up of Wilhelm Lindh, who is known for being the guitarist in The Gardnerz. Previously he has also been involved in both Allamedah and Tristita, the latter band only broke up fairly recently in 2023. The man has been around the block, consistently putting out releases for years so it seems time for him to open up his solo account, how will he hold out on his own with The Respite.

The album opens with Self Reliance, it starts at a low frequency and puts you into a dark world, full of uncertainty. Scratchy guitars, plodding bass and pingy high hats make me dream up visions of staring up at a high tower in the rain. Everything feels at home being nestled underneath a blanket of Lo-fi production, as Wilhelm’s deep growl rumbles on for eternity.

Going into track three with Worship, it seems very familiar from the get-go. It starts with a call and response pattern that attempts to be evil. After some chugging, the guitars then go for a more hypnotic rhythm but it doesn’t capture what it sets out to do and sounds undercooked as a result. It refuses to let the song breathe and focus, simply by doing too much at once. The pace does pick up a bit at the back half but it doesn’t save the song, for me Worship is Death Doom 101.

Next is Leave It Alone, a track that marks a change of pace for the album, leaning into a more Death Metal style with drums that are so loud, they shout out into the void. The song is frantic throughout, like it’s running away from the unknown but that all comes to a crawl by 2:35 where we are presented with watery refrains. The bass shows it’s still alive, hitting after the guitars sing but then almost immediately after a seconds silence, we are thrown back into the same traffic again. The bulk of the song doesn’t change and that slow build up meant nothing.

Later on we’ve got track seven with Invest In Yourself. This sees a change from old habits as an idea is presented and built upon, sounding complete. The way that all of the instruments move together here has a really good sway to it, it’s like the hero in an action film, walking away from an explosion, it sounds regal. I think that there is a strong Crowbar influence here, it just cuts through you and this is complete with a Death Metal freak out by the end of the track, spider riffs for days! Definitely my favourite song on the record.

Despite Wilhelm Lindh’s evident prowess, this release remains uneventful. It might call out to classic Doom and Death acts, with a dash of New Orleans Sludge but it doesn’t act upon instinct, neither inventing something new. It commits a sin and that is doing something that most metal fans have heard before.

The whole experience of Resumption's The Respite is like stumbling on an apparent old metal demo on YouTube from the late eighties, or early Nineties that was recently uploaded. I am not impressed by this record. 4/10

Review: Crippled Black Phoenix - Sceaduhelm (Matt Bladen)

Crippled Black Phoenix - Sceaduhelm (Season Of Mist)



Another hour and a bit languishing in the "Macabre Rock" of Crippled Black Phoenix, a band who when we last met were reactivating old glories, offering not a celebration but a cementation that they are still here and still alive... just. 

It's that lingering just that inspires their latest creation Sceaduhelm, here Justin Greaves and his cohorts don't seek to bring grandeur and flash but rather look inward at the steady collapse of a human being as time progresses.

It's a theme of exhaustion, of unease, a collected set of works from a band who are not ok but can't do much else about it rather than just survive and live one day at a time. Sceaduhelm is their most emotional record in a long time.

While more recent works were filled with rage and outward hostility, here it's introspection and personal doubt that drives the overall narrative of the record, which was recorded sporadically, deliberately so, to make sure that the songs Greaves has written could remain fluid and adaptable until the time they were recorded with whichever vocalist was the best fit. 

As with all CBP records, it's a collaborative and while Greaves writes the music and plays a lot of the instruments, he is joined by co-conspirators and long time partners to flesh out his initial demos into the multi-faceted tracks you hear on the record, but there's very little grandeur this time around, it's an album of rawness and sparsity that makes for uneasy but compelling listening.

With songs that address topics like burnout, grief, surveillance, institutional violence, and damaged intimacy, there's lots to be scared of as time here is the enemy, and while they may have looked back momentarily on their last releases, they creep ever forward as individuals and as a unit, always looking to define CBP and their music as an exercise in persistence over anything else. 

In the liner notes there's a thank you to Converge's Kurt Ballou and with Sceaduhelm, CBP carry a flame for the US force of nature, particularly with that raw bite of the production. 

Beginning with One Man Wall Of Death (which is two men fewer than my last wall of death attempt), the record opens with a slow build, clean guitars set to samples for obscurity before the bass crashes in to make it a deafening start that fades off into some fret slides. 

Ravenettes locks into steady drumbeat from Greaves locked down by Wes Wasley's bass, who is the only other person to appear on every track, the guitars shimmer and glimmer with some post punk influence, Belinda Kordic's sneering vocals an ideal kick in the face to begin Sceaduhelm properly. 

The woozy Things Start To Fall Apart is the perfect debut for American artist/doom-punk Justin Storms to make his mark on the band, brings a psychedelic, blissed out quality to this post rock performance piece that thrives on conflicting atmospheres. 

For Ryan Patterson's first mark on the album, No Epitaph, we have the biggest 'band' yet Rene Misje and Andy Taylor joining for guitar as Iver Sandøy gives extra percussion with melotron and synths brought in to join the dulcet baritone of Patterson for an apocalyptic Western soundtrack. 

It wouldn't be a CBP album if there's wasn't a little borrowed from Pink Floyd and No Epitaph does so liberally in the middle, like the bastard son of Morricone and Waters as it segues into frantic The Precipice. 

Emotion is wrought here with shouts of "one step away from the void" as The Void brings more samples over instrumental dissonance, Lucy Marshall contributing the spectral synths, hanging around for off keel dirge of Hollows End, where you definitely understand that these songs were written by Greaves specifically to fit one of the trio of vocalists.

So much that it would sound odd if one of the others had sung it. The grungy Hollows End is followed by the grumbling, deep space, trip hop of Dropout where a Kaosolator is employed to make it properly fuzzy. 

I talked about Sceaduhelm not being as incendiary or grandiose, but that for me makes it a more interesting album, you can feel the humanity, in it, the passing of every second filled with pain and humility. Even when they get rocking, with tracks such as the gothy post punk of Vampire Grave, it's never over the top. 

Complexly arranged, Robin Tow adding percussion this time, but never too stately, rather grounded and fragile. Storms slithers back on Colder And Colder another slice of alt-Americana or maybe anti-Americana. Under The Eye, plays at being a ballad, although more of a Nick Cave murder ballad, instilling a sense of disquiet and distrust about our constant surveillance and how that can be exploited. 

The final two tracks on the record are two of the most potent. Tired To The Bone is one that resonates with me, right at the moment, it even moves at the same pace I currently do, as Belinda croons it's a song that "weighs heavy".

A dreamy apparition of a spectral load that covers your whole body, leading it's way into 8 and half minute closer Beautiful Destroyer which is the first proper duet. Though more of a confliction with Patterson and Kordic sharing the vocals on a brooding, bold, final moment, that paints a vivid picture of times ravages.

In addition to the 12 originals there's three covers on the special editions as they put their spin on A-Ha's Manhatten Skyline, False Prophet's Invisible People and That’s When I Reach For My Revolver from the film Mission Of Burma.

Maybe looking back to their first albums was a good thing as Sceaduhelm, feels like CBP pre Crafty Ape, an experimental collective of musicians creating personal, introspective music. Pink Floyd once mused "Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way" and while CBP have always been a multinational outfit, and this record is not always quiet. 

Sceaduhelm dwells in that same sense of suffering in silence, that things may not always get better and if they do it won't be a change in itself just and acknowledgement of a change that is needed. 

I'm getting older, you are too, I've definitely been feeling it recently and god it's depressing, let Crippled Black Phoenix's Sceaduhelm be the soundtrack. 10/10

Reviews: Immolation, Archspire, Dying Realm, Hamarr (Matt Bladen)

Immolation - Descent (Nuclear Blast)

When death metal was in it's infancy there was a particularly fertile scene in New York City with bands such as Suffocation, Incantation and Immolation producing what would become genre classic albums and forging long careers destroying stages around the world.

37 years later and Immolation is still an absolute steamroller of a band, flattening everything in their path with ugly, ferocious death that pummels and punishes, occasionally giving you a moment of atmosphere, using orchestral moments or slow burns, to clear your head before the death machine fires up again.

Descent is their 12th studio album and it's wrapped up in all the dogma the gnostic teachings that the material world is actually hell and only with learning divine knowledge will humans be able to break free of it. So it has a sense of hopelessness about it that is easily captured by the crushing death charge of Immolation.

They're a band who have always moved in more cinematic/philosophical realms than their contemporaries, a testament to their stoic resiliance, they've never split, never aimed at the mainstream, never really had too many members change (a few drummers).

Mostly it's been Robert Vigna (lead guitar) and Ross Dolan (bass/vocals), driving Immolation forward with drummer Steve Shalaty on board since 2003 and guitarist Alex Bouks having been locking down the rhythm for a decade.

The disillusionment of the subject matter is brought through dynamic riffage, constantly switching pace, the melodic strains at the beginning of These Vengeful Winds soon destroyed by technical brutality, as they shift into full bore death on The Ephemeral Curse.

Thankfully as I've said they know when to slow down the pace a little drawing from doom on tracks such as Gods Last Breath and the rolling dissonance of Attrition, while the interlude Banished is a proper stop and movement to something else. These all help control the flow of the record, most still heavy and mechanical but it means that it's not just one blast fest from beginning to end.

Playing with dynamics and taking an intelligent approach to death metal has always been the way Immolation do things. So if you're new here and you love bands like Gorguts, Ulcerate and even Gojira, they all owe a debt to Immolation. 9/10

Archspire - Too Fast Too Die (Self Released)

There's a couple of ways you can describe Canadian band Archspire, they have dubbed themselves "the worlds fastest band", you can call them tech death but I suppose the most accurate would be absolutely f*cking ridiculous.

Their music is inhuman, right at the fringe of what extreme metal can be, virtuosity bleeding through every instrument with the most intense blast you'll ever hear, guitar solos and melodies that would scare Yngwie Malmsteen, bass playing that would require fingers made of steel and fry screams from Oliver Rae Aleron, that are often totally unclassifiable as sounds that can be made by the human throat.

This is their first album released independently, choosing to take the route of Kickstarter rather than a label due to royalties and cut labels make on bands records. It's also their debut with Spencer Moore behind the kit after winning a contest to be their drummer, though I'd demand a recount as he's clearly not a real person but some kind of percussion robot with sticks for hands and a jackhammer for feet.

His drumming is immense even when the riffs do slow into melodic chugs on Carrion Ladder, he's still going full pelt. However when every member of a band is playing at their highest level you need to be good, Dean Lamb (guitar), Tobi Morelli (guitar) and Jared Smith (bass) all fighting over who gets to play lead, shifting between technical carnage, classical acoustics and piano driven atmospheres.

Archspire are far Too Fast Too Die on album five, it's D.I.Y tech metal that will cause an aneurysm if you think about the complexity too much, exactly as it should be. 9/10

Dying Realm - Siege The Walls (Dry Cough Record/Cavernous Records)

Siege The Walls is the debut EP from Brummie death crew Dying Realm. Comprise of ex members of Iron Tomb, Bound By Blood and Nerve Agent, it's a four tracker that's an ode to the British death metal scene, which was so important to West Midlands back in the early 90's.

The ghost of Bolt Thrower coming on the mechanical chug of Grave Of Gods, while there's also inspiration from Carcass, Benediction, placing them firmly in the same group as Celestial Sanctuary and Cryptworm, as a new band playing an old school sound.

Villainous Incantations brings some harsher tones, inviting evil with pummelling blast beats and rapid grooving riffs. While the hardcore/grindcore influence comes with Mace Buried Deep, smashing you in the face with tremolo guitars and a lot of pit inciting.

Siege The Walls has all the UKDM/OSDM best hits across four tracks and as Abundant Mutilation keeps your head banging until it fades out. Dying Realm tell you exactly what they are with their debut EP, not big not clever but damn good death metal. 7/10

Hamarr - Necrotic Rituals (Iron Fortress Records)

It's called Necrotic Rituals, it's on Iron Fortress Records, it's got to be death metal right? Correct young grasshopper, Necrotic Rituals is the debut full length from Indianapolis duo Hamarr and it's going to be a must listen for those who love the buzzsaw riffs and occult darkness Entombed and Dismember.

This is raw, gnarly, d-beat driven death that has punk and grindcore moments of nastiness strewn through it. Languishing in the mid-pace crush with tracks such as Boneless II, Headstone, Necro and Wither, there's pinched harmonics, punishing hammer blow grooves and throat shredding shouts as they counteract these grinding marches with blasting on songs such as Mausoleum, Lich and Catacomb.

Chris Issac (vocals/guitar) and Nick Stephens (drums) bring the vulgar death display, as Caleb Lewis manipulates it to sound deafening (and gives it the low end). Joining them for extra clout are Alex Cloutier of Primal Horde and Kurtis Hall of 1 Body 6 Graves, resulting in debut album of HM-2 savagery. 7/10

Reviews: Crimson Glory, The Cosmic Dead, The Paradox Twin, Valyear (Matt Bladen)

Crimson Glory - Chasing The Hydra (BraveWords Records)

Whenever we're comparing a band to the US style of power/prog metal then we'll often refer to Queensyche, Fates Warning, Dream Theater and Crimson Glory. 

Having formed in 1983 they are seminal and influential band in the history of American progressive metal. As with many bands from this time there been gaps between records, the band pretty much ceasing activity on 2013 but with Chasing The Hydra, Crimson Glory return with their first new music in 26 years.

The band still features 3/5 of their classic line up with Jeff Lords (bass), Ben Jackson (rhythm guitar) and Dana Burnell (drums) still keeping the Crimson Glory flag flying with the off time grooves of Redden The Sun and Indelible Ashes, displaying that they've maintained their heaviness after all these years. However they aren't scared to play around as Beyond The Unknown puts Faith No More synths/bass drops with 80's street metal

Now while their last studio album features Wade Black (Leatherwolf) and they had Todd La Torre as touring singer since then, really it's original vocalist Midnight, who passed away in 2009, that any new vocalists will be compared too and Travis Wills is the perfect fit with that piercing histrionic high pitch that he shared with Midnight and Geoff Tate, adding the theatricality to Angel In My Nightmares and emotion to Broken Together.

Joining him as part new boys is lead guitarist Mark "Borgy" Borgmeyer who plays with that flair and fire you'd want from them on Armor Against Fate and the thrashy closer Triskaideka. With renewed energy but moulded by the same old hands, Chasing The Hydra, sounds like they haven't been away. Crimson Glory are legends, inspirations and still on top of their game! 9/10

The Cosmic Dead - Beyond The Beyond (Heavy Psych Sounds)

Prepare to fall into a trance with the 10th studio record from Glasgow band The Cosmic Dead. Like a musical Derren Brown, you will lose all notion of self and time when you press play as the band pull you into their black hole of psychedelic space rock to explore the furthest reaches of the universe.

Recommended when you have a slipped disc and are on strong pain killers like have been for the last few weeks, Beyond The Beyond, features four gargantuan slabs of riffage that gradually unfurls into mind bending brilliance. The urgency of their previous album is all but gone, replaced by slithering Middles Eastern rhythms that wouldn't be out of place in the Dune film series.

The wah is all over this record, every member playing it to create a cacophony of feedback and insistent riffage, it's especially prominent on the persistent blissed out grooves coming from Omar Aborida who handles bass and guitar, connecting both as the main rhythm muscle of this cosmic engine. Driven ever forward into a starless sky by the powerhouse percussion of Tommy Duffin.

Locked in and setting a course for uncharted territory they are the rudder of this psychedelic spaceship creating the foundations for Luigi Pasquini's swirling synth vortexes, making your head spin with their layers of electronic wonder as they make way for the lost ancient melodies of Calum Calderwood's fiddle, a superb addition to this huge noise cutting through with that tone that is often only heard in orchestras and folk bands.

Beyond The Beyond is a cacophonous record from a band who have no use for vocals, you're not supposed to understand it, you're supposed to feel it, a primal, bottom of your guts kind of sound that speaks to you like the earliest forms of tribal noise making. The Cosmic Dead go Beyond The Beyond with album 10, hitch a ride on their cosmic journey! 9/10

The Paradox Twin - A Romance Of Many Directions (White Star Records)

There's pretty decent odds that if an album comes via White Star Records, the label set up bud John Mitchell and Chris Hillman, I'll probably like it. Most of the time it'll be a band who languish in the modern emotive prog of the bands that Mitchell himself has been a part of, the kind where pop and prog mix for anthemic emotional choruses over technically minded melodic rocking.

The Paradox Twin have been on the label since it was founded and have released two albums previously to this gaining critical and fan acclaim. Their music is always conceptual, spring from the creative mind of Danny Sorrell (writer/vocals/guitars/keys) who approaches the progressive sound with darker style than most, inspired by 80's goth bands on Operator, as much as 70's prog dinosaurs with If Else.

There's a dark romance element to this album for sure, as the concept blurs the lines between real and digital worlds, strongly focussed on themes of isolation and the power of digital immersion, thus the synthwave moments on Null The System and My Main Function, but it's a record that comes from a very real place for Sorrell who has fought a lot of battles in the making of this record, channelling them into the most introspective album yet.

Joining Danny here are Graham Brown on drums and Sarah Bayley adding atmospheric co-lead vocals to counterpoint and collide, swelling out the cinematic elements of the band very well with John Mitchell's mix and master giving everything life while his bass playing locks the rhythms down on the heavier end of things such as Pixel Shader, though he can't resist a cheeky guitar solo on the final track.

A Romance Of Many Directions is yet another concept record from The Paradox Twin, a band who understand what a concept piece is and crates music unafraid of genre constraints to match the story they're trying to tell. Another hit for White Star Records. 9/10

Valyear - An Invitation To Chaos (SelfMadeRecords LLC)

Formed by Toronto based vocalist Chad Valyear, Valyear like many of the best alt metal bands take their name from the singer but are a fully fledged band featuring Geoff Wilson (guitars), Joe Petralia (bass), and Mane Rebeiro (drums) along with Chad.

So yeah I mentioned alt metal there and man, if you love Alice In Chains fused with some Faith No More, or Stone Temple Pilots joined by Godsmack then you'll want to accept this Invitation To Chaos, however be warned that Valyear sound an awful lot like these bands, mirroring the swagger. The riffs and the vocals phrasings at every moment possible, so if you have no time for that alt-metal/grunge sound you won't get much out of this second album.

Now as the band are based around their singer, it's his band basically, but I'm not the biggest fan of his voice if I'm honest, more so when he shouts, the sneering lows are decent, add to this that the riffs are just a little bit basic and don't do much for me either, Valyear are band I may not be returning too.

However like I said not much chance of losing the guy who formed the band so this is definitely my problem, so I suggest you give it a go if it sounds like your thing. 5/10

Reviews: Robben Ford, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Timeless Rage, Growth (Matt Bladen)

Robben Ford - Two Shades Of Blue (Provogue Records)

Down into the blues now with Robben Ford, the 74 year old veteran bluesman still delivering the goods on what I think is is thirteenth solo album, who who knows as he's been a sideman for some of the best, in multiple bands peeling off those sophisticated guitar licks with ease.

From playing with Jazzman Jimmy Witherspoon, folks songstress Joni Mitchell, the mighty Bonnie Raitt, the man himself Miles Davis and even a damn Beatle in George Harrison. He's five time Grammy nominated, constantly in flux, constantly hungry for something new and here he comes again with an eclectic new record.

Never wanting to repeat anything before, Two Shades Of Blue is an that spans the traditional funky blues on Make My Own Weather, some brass fuelled slickness on Black Night, while The Light Fandango and The Fire Flute, show off his six string skills, while a ballad like the title track is a tribute to his songwriting.

Ford's move to London giving him the idea to make an album that's a tribute to the legendary player Jeff Beck and it seems that Ford is very much channelling Beck on The Fire Flute especially, though there's also a cover of Jealous Guy from another UK music icon John Lennon.

With about half of the record being instrumental you get a glimpse of Ford's vocals but mostly it his guitar skills and the virtuosity of his band Ianto Thomas on drums, Jonny Henderson on keys, Robin Mullarkey on bass and a brass section of Paul Booth (saxophone), Ryan Quigley (trumpet) and Trevor Mires (trombone).

On their instrumentals there's guests in the shape of Rollling Stones bassist, Darryl Jones, keyboardist Larry Goldings and drummer Gary Husband, these collection of players bolstering just how good this record is, and how diverse and talented the pool of London UK musicians is.

After a 67 year career you may think an artist like Robben Ford may rest on his laurels, but with Two Shades Of Blue he's inspired by a whole country and a legendary artist to bring some of his best work. 9/10

Anneke Van Giersbergen - La Mort (Self Released)

The second part of Anneke Van Giersbergen's trilogy of EP's La Mort, which translates to 'the death' is another beautifully, introspective offering which follows the overall concept of love, loss, and grief.

The EP's are inspired by the passing of her parents within two months of each other, so these like the ones on La Vie some of her most personal songs and while not every song is about death, the atmospheric closing number Sail Towards The Sun, is about a boat her father built and how those journeys still hold a strong memory as part of the life of her father after his passing.

It's a beautiful closing piece but not a solitary one as Van Giersbergen's vocals are some of the most wonderful in the rock spectrum, they carry weight and fragility behind them, very like Dolores O'Riordan in terms of delivery and power, she's adaptable to any sort of genre, as anyone who has followed her career will know.

On La Mort you get a mixture of styles with Anneke and her large live band, which features strings and horns, playing everything very well indeed. Be it the reverb drenched guitars of Fade In Fade Out, the throbbing 808 drumbeat of Blondie-like Handle Me With Care, the punky, funky, groove of Red Sky.

With The Gathering reunion dates on the way, the third part maybe a bit more of a wait but with La Mort and La Vie before it, there's enough beauty and brilliance here to keep you excited for part three, if you can control your The Gathering fandom that is! 8/10

Timeless Rage - My Kingdom Come (Metalalpolis Records)

My Kingdom Come is the second record from German symphonic power metal band Timeless Rage. Their album Untold was reviewed here well but since then they have changed both their frontman and their bassist, but has this changed the band?

Nope not really, if anything it's made this second album have a much more theatrical edge to it. Good thing too as My Kingdom Come is a concept album where the band can really flex their creative muscles. Whether that's power metal, symphonic metal, melodic metal and any manner of gothic/mystical tones to it.

Be it when they draw inspiration from the likes of Kamelot and Myrath on the dramatic A Vampire's Legacy but also Helloween and Stratovarius as dramatic symphonic elements of Conquistadors merge with speedy neo-classical ones on The Devil's Masquerade.

The concept is driven by power, freedom, love, rebellion and more, the six piece the dual guitars switch between riffs and solos, blending with the keys which bring the symphonic moments as the rhythm section switch from galloping power metal on The Enemy Is You and thrashier We All Shall Fall.

My Kingdom Come is a glorious follow up to Untold, it's a more audacious, heroic offering than their debut from Timeless Rage. 8/10

Growth - Under The Under (Wild Thing Records)

Started in 2017 as a way for brothers Tristan (guitar/bass/artwork) and Nelson Barnes (drums) with vocalist LF, to explore trauma, mental illness and grief. The music they create is not just catharsis for them but to highlight the journey towards recovery to anyone who has felt the same, drawing it into the cold light of day without any trappings or sugar-coating. They were joined by Nick Rackham (bass) and Ben Boyle (guitar), their debut album was released in the height of the pandemic.

Six years later they unleash the second part of their trilogy Under The Under a brutal six tracker that bring about 50 minutes of technical death metal which brings the Avant Garde tendencies and crush of bands like Ulcerate and Gorguts. That start-stop battery begins on Remember Me As Fire, the technical death metal coming with a sledgehammer fist before it shifts tones with the title track, a nine minute movement though different styles of extremity as the massive grooves go into clean vocal doom at the end.

Under The Under is an album that continues where their debut left off, crawling up from rock bottom, to try and work out whether it's self destruction or self repair that is the answer to dealing with grief, every moment of hurt and and anguish comes through Slings That Shatter and Pain Is Never Far Away as they both undulate with shifting heaviness and thick extreme grooves.

Part two of this trilogy of albums has had a long but deliberate gestation, however it's now out in the world and ready to take you through a the immensity of their pain. 7/10

Reviews: Tedeschi Trucks Band, Nervosa, Void Of Light, Mallavora (Matt Bladen)

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Future Soul (Fantasy Records)

After their long awaited tribute concert to Leon Russell's Mad Dogs And Englishmen, one of Americana's foremost live acts Tedeschi Trucks Band return with their sixth studio album of original material, Future Soul.

The Grammy winning duo of Susan Tedeschi (vocals/guitar), her husband Derek Trucks (guitar) and their extensive band, have been releasing and performing music together as one entity since 2010, after being solo artists and band members before that, Derek in particular spent time in The Allman Brothers and lots of that collaborative Southern brilliance can be heard across every TTB album.

With Future Soul the eyes are fixed to the future but with one foot still in the melting pot of inspiration that is blues, soul, funk and the musical traditions of the USA, the writing team of Tedeschi, Trucks Mike Mattison (guitar/vocals), Gabe Dixon (keys/vocals), and Tyler Greenwell (drums/percussion) leading to the widest set of musical influences to date.

As they brush their canvas with punk rock, straight country and old school rock n roll, all delivered with Susan's impressive and honest vocals. However these new sounds come on a more focussed affair after their more conceptual 2022 record, Future Soul is a bit more laser guided and direct, as they run through the this album in 42 minutes.

Produced with modern embellishments by producer Mike Elizondo as Trucks co-produces to keep the analogue feel, executing his trademark guitar skills with pure skill, while doing some things that you may not have heard. Future Soul is Tedeschi Trucks Band lurching into the future without forgetting the past. 8/10

Nervosa - Slave Machine (Napalm Records)

Extreme thrashers Nervosa seem to get nastier with every album. Each release moves them closer to the megastars of the genre, doing so in their own unflinching, uncompromising way.

With founding member Prika Amaral now established as the vocalist of the band, having taken the role on Jailbreak, with Slave Machine she broadens her vocal abilities on tracks such as 30 Seconds and Crawling For Your Pride, adding cleans to her snarling growls to heightened the melodic and atmospheric moments of this record.

Amaral is of course part of the guitar duo along with Helena Kotina, the duo creating these torrents of molten metal where modern battery is joined by old school technicality. Whether they bleed into one another or counterpoint each other, the riffs are sharp and explode from the first moments of Impending Doom until the closing Speak In Fire.

The rhythm section coming with renewed power as Michaela Naydenova returns to the drumstool for plenty of blasts and bludgeoning, driving the ferocity of the while the bass is now shared between Hel Pyre and Emmelie Herwegh both locking down the speed and groove of these 10 killer cuts.

Slave Machine is a record that exudes confidence, the Devin Townsend-like moments on the title track, the thrashing Hate, the explosive Beast Of Burden or the hanging grooves of You Are Not A Hero and prog from The New Empire, all are the songs of a band who have secured their place at thrash's top table. 8/10

Void Of Light - Asymmetries (Ripcord Records)

For fans of: Cult of Luna, Isis, Neurosis, The Ocean etc etc. I think you can get a decent idea what Asymmetries the debut album from Glasgow six piece Void Of Light will sound like.

Although perhaps don't get too complacent as the bands I've name here do have a habit of shaking up the sound they are 'known for' with all of the experimentation that comes from the post-metal soundsphere, something which Void Of Light do with Asymmetries, taking from the influences but working in their own sound too, such as the grooving bass driven beginnings of Still The Night Skies.

Having released two EP's before this and honed their approach on stage (ArcTanGent is calling), they are a band who play with the dynamics the way all great post metal acts do. Delicate fragility of ambient structures swoop into massive cathartic, distorted heaviness, both sides unified by intensity but made different by volume.

Beginning with the immediacy of The Passing Hours, the album begins it's look at perspective, reflection and internal conflict, a journey through past trauma and future acceptance, just the kind of esoteric, introspective themes you want from post metal band with those influences. It's with this opening number, one of five, that Void Of Light's trio of guitar players prove their worth as layers of leads and melodies are built towards the end of the track when as the blast beats increase the tempo to a breathless conclusion.

With Ends though they manage display the other side of their skill with discordant riffs and those pained screams, as the album closes with the glistening chug of Mirrorings, a cinematic climax to this impressive debut album from Void Of Light, where the clean vocals work brilliantly to really capture the emotional release of this final number. While it may only be five tracks long, Asymmetries is a debut album that collects a huge body of music together, from the trenches of post-metal, Void Of Light shine like a beacon through the massive body of acts labelled 'ones to watch' with an impressive album one. 8/10

Mallavora - What If Better Never Comes? (Church Road Records)

Mallavora are a band with a message, seen by many to be one of the most exciting new bands doing the rounds they also strike me as one of the most important too.

Vocalist Jessica Douek not only has a mesmerising vocal range that encompasses growls, shrieks, screams, wails and almost operatic delivery as well. She and guitarist Larry Sobieraj both use their music as a therapy to do deal with chronic illness/disability they both suffer with and in Jessica's case vocally campaign about. They are a band with a moral fibre that's hard to maintain in the music world, only playing venues that offer accessibility for them and their audience as they create spaces for anyone who resonates with the music, the ideology or anything else Mallavora stand for.

Since arriving on the scene in 2020 they have been resolute in their goals and have achieved big things, but with their debut What If Better Never Comes? they have produced their manifesto for change, or at least their excuse to rage. A 'conceptual exploration of sickness - personal and societal', there's a a huge mass of emotions on this record, a catharsis for the band or anyone that identified with their struggles as they try to negotiate whether things do get better? Or will they be forever on the outside of what is considered "normality" (overrated in my opinion).

With Jessica's incredible vocals and Larry's incentive riffs, bassist Ellis James and drummer Sam Brownlow, round out this gritty alt rock quartet who play anthemic heavy music that includes R&B, soul and Jessica's Jewish-Middle Eastern ancestry in the mixture of wonderful noises that come on What If Better Never Comes? Mallavora's debut record is a very strong introduction for anyone who has not listened or seen them before. Genre spanning alt metal driven by frustration and the need for change. 8/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Ba'al (Matt Bladen)

Ba'al, Cairns & Pluto, Frog & Fiddle, Cheltenham, 20.03.26

Almost let this one slip under the radar! Thankfully I actually managed to pull myself together and get it written up before my memory was too faded.

Though on the day itself, I wouldn't have been telling you much of what happened as two of my bestest buddies and spent most of day preceding the show visiting the Deya brewery alongside a few of Cheltenham's most appealing watering holes.

Many delightful beers were drunk, some delicious food was ingested and we finally arrived from our odyssey at The Frog And Fiddle which had yet more treats for the taste buds and of course more importantly the ears.

I've been to Frog And Fiddle before, however it was for professional wrestling, so this was my first gig at the venue and while the high stage is tightly packed into one end of the room, complete with a big screen on the back to show graphics for the bands. the sound is perfect, coming through the speakers into the cavernous room and it's imposing wooden beams.

It's a long and thin venue running the length of the outside bar, which offers seats and refuge from the loud noises inside the gig area. In short more venues should take the time and effort that Frog & Fiddle do as it's a pleasure to watch bands there.

A particular pleasure when the bands are this good. Presented by promoters Road To Masochist, getting the evening started were Midlands based Pluto, who combine ear bleeding molten sludge with blackened post-metal blasts, thick basslines come with tremolo picking that shifts into heavy grooves.

Squashed onto the stage there was little room to move but their singer commanded the stage with his presence and voice as the rest of the band locked in for this melting pot of genres that created a seam that linked them to the other, more well known I'd wager bands on the bill, but Pluto for my money stood their ground as an opener to get the heads nodding.

Next up though we're two bands we had seen before, as if in One For Sorrow Plymouth replay it was Manchester band Cairns who took tongue stage yet. Their frontman bemoaning, with tongue-in-cheek, that he was missing football to come and play for Cheltenham, as they dove into their atmospheric post black metal ferocity.

Never a band without a crowd, they seem to bring a dedicated fanbase with them wherever they play and that does give this Manchester band a cocksure attitude that bleeds into how sickly they're able to storm through their set, playing their 2022 EP Keening in full alongside a brand new song that seems to be of the same high quality musicals offence that Cairns are known for.

The fire was stoked by Cairns ready for the headliners to take to the stage, and as with every show from Sheffield band Ba'al tissues need to be at the ready as their style of blackened post metal is always emotionally cathartic no matter how many times you experience it. That's the key word for Ba'al they're a band you experience, rather than listen to, or enjoy, each of their songs if fuelled by trauma, rage, sadness and the search for closure.

These emotions wrought through the intense vocals of Joe Stamps, who lets the music and lyrics overwhelm him. Though it would be just a man screaming without the layered heaviness of guitarists Nick Gosling and Chris Mole, drummer Luke Rutter and bassist Richard Spencer who weave the intricacies of Ba'al's blackened post metal menagerie.

The bulk of their set coming from their tremendous The Fine Line Between Heaven And Here album, with one from Ellipsism and another from Soft Eyes sprinkled in-between, but as always with Ba'al the whole set is mesmerising, drawing you into in with their introspective aggression that closed a brilliant night of music after a great away day for team MoM.

Cheltenham will be on our gig list from now on as the whole city is buzzing with good times and their music scene is very strong. 10/10

Reviews: Witch Ripper, Masheena, Neptune Power Federation, Waste A Saint (Rich Piva & Matt Bladen)

Witch Ripper - Through The Hourglass (Magentic Eye Records) [Rich Piva]

Telling a cohesive story across an album is hard. Doing it over two records is even harder. But when you are storytellers like the guys in Witch Ripper are, you make it look (and sound) easy. It started on their amazing record The Flight After The Fall back in 2023 and continues, and possibly concludes, with the band’s new record, Through The Hourglass, which somehow tops what was one of the best records from that year. The story continues, but so does the awesome heavy, proggy melodic goodness that these guys from Seattle have come to be known for.

Part two of the epic journey begins as the last one ended, which is super cool, and which also leads to the absolutely crushing track, The Portal. The drumming on this record is insane and you hear that right off the bat. This is what metal should sound like in 2026, as Witch Ripper is the new standard bearer. The harsh and clean vocals work perfectly together and the way this record sounds is perfect. The unique thing about Witch Ripper is how a band that brings the heavy and brings it in this proggy, complex way, in songs usually over six minutes, is how catchy and melodic they can be. I mean, that bridge with the clean vocals? Awesome.

Not many bands can do heavy, complex, and melodic so well. The opening to Symmetry Of The Hourglass is the most metal thing you will hear this year in the most glorious fashion. These guys are compared to Mastodon a lot, and this song is one of the reasons why. The call and response between the harsh and clean voices rules here, but while you can hear Mastondon, this song is uniquely Witch Ripper all the way. I love the solo on this one too. Echoes And Dust continues the vibe with its chunky riff, insane drumming and proggy changes. My favourite track on the record is The Clock Queen.

From their last record, The Obsidian Forge was not only my favourite track on the album but one of my songs of the year. This is the same way I feel about The Clock Queen. The heavy, the melodic, the complexity, the skill level, the vocals, it is all just so great. Proxima Centauri slows the pace down a bit, perfectly sequenced as part of the story, but the build to when the quiet gets loud shows how much these guys get the prog side of things in the best ways.

The end of the journey is The Spiral Eye and it all makes so much sense. There are such amazing little details on this record of how it pushes the story forward and keeps the consistency across the two records. Things you may not notice the first time or even the tenth time you listen, but there is something new to discover every time and when you figure it all out, the genius of Witch Ripper is revealed.

The Flight After The Fall and now Through The Hourglass are stand alone amazing proggy metal records that hang with all of the big names out there who you may hear Witch Ripper compared to. Putting these two records together creates something that is so epic, so unique, and so perfectly executed that only a small handful of bands could pull it off. Witch Ripper is one of the bands who can, as they move into the upper echelon of heavy music out there today. 10/10

Masheena – Let The Spiders In (Majestic Mountain Record/Ripple Music) [Matt Bladen]

A Scandinavian band calling their debut album West Coast Hard Rock, is a bold claim but when it’s the perfect descriptor for their musical style then it’s hard to argue. The Bergen band featuring Luis Salomon (guitar/vocals), Tarjei A. Heggernes (bass) and Bård Heavy Nordvik (drums) on the album line up but they have expanded to a foursome live with Martin Holmes on drums and Heine A. Heggernes on guitar. This line up shift coming as their ‘West Coast Hard Rock’ is a bit more complex and layered on sophomore record Let The Spiders In.

The compositions are bolder and stadium reaching, ten tracks to highlight how this Norwegian act can deliver a sound that is so entrenched in the American rock scene. Let The Spiders In then refines what Masheena are about, it’s slick and shimmering but has heavy bones, moving between party grooves on ­­­­­You Owe Me, which is all dual harmonies to grunting, the Southern slide of Been Waiting, stoner slabs such as A Game You Don’t Wanna Lose and Riffy. The trio of Life Is But A Sin, Sarah Lost Her Way and In Her Eyes all have that reverb drenched approach of Chris Cornell’s solo stuff with nods to the Black Crowes as well, showing that behind the groovy rocking, Masheena can also give a more laidback atmosphere.

Leaning on Black Spiders, Spiritual Beggars, Tom Petty, and if you’re Welsh then the woozy haze of Super Furry Animals on Don’t Tell Her What To Do and One Eye, all via a lot of KISS harmonies, it’s a record that will get you grooving from the off with Southern blues rocking meeting arena filling melodies Scandi stoner fuzz. Let The Spiders In evolves Masheena’s 'West Coast Hard Rock' with a larger scale than before. 8/10

Neptune Power Federation - Mondo Tomorrow (Cruz Del Sur) [Rich Piva]

Is it possible to know what to expect from a band going in, but it still sounds different and is surprising and exciting every time? Records by the Australian band Neptune Power Federation are going to sound like NPF albums; big, bombastic, energetic, arena-worthy rock and roll. Even with that the band always goes just enough in another direction to make things interesting. From Heart, to Meatloaf, to doomy stuff, to power pop, to hair band leaning, to heavy metal, to proto, to glam, to just downright awesome, Neptune Power Federation rules no matter what they do. This hypothesis is confirmed with their latest record, Mondo Tomorrow.

You cannot talk about NPF without mentioning the amazing frontwoman, Screaming Loz Sutch. That voice, the energy, the costumes. She is all you want in a lead singer and so much more. Her vocals are amazing on Mondo Tomorrow (of course) with The Grip Of Death being a great example of her crazy range. Adding the organ to this track takes it to an even higher level of cool.

The opening track is power pop awesomeness from a band who is super tight and really knows what they are doing and what they are trying to achieve, and then making it even better. Loz harmonizing with herself at multiple crazy different ranges makes And The Bones Decay so great; the song lies just between power pop and 80s hard rock and just kicks ass. I love when the pace slows on this one too. Speaking of 80s hard rock, Living In The Gutter is one of the best songs in that style since 1989. So wonderfully sleezy.

Handclaps! If you like the Go Gos (I do) you will certainly dig Mind Controller. Cybernetic Times also has this 80s rock bop to it and is more killer energetic rock and roll, but has some layers and complexity to it; there is a ton happening on this song, all of it very cool. Rhapsody In Blue has this almost punk and psych weirdness going on but still the super catchy NPF you know and love. NPF are so good at ending albums with big, epic tracks. Mondo Tomorrow is no different with the six-plus minute killer The Barbarian Dominion.

I am sure I have said this in the two (or more) reviews I have done for Neptune Power Federation records, but this band just rules and Mondo Tomorrow is no different. The band is firing on all cylinders again, and continues to create amazing rock, leveraging bits and pieces of a dozen or so genres but always making it their own. NPF makes me happy and should do the same for you. 9/10

Waste A Saint - …And It’s Evergreen (All Good Clean Records) [Matt Bladen]

Coming from Trondheim Norway, Waste A Saint return with their third album ...And It's Evergreen. It's one that come from a bit of adversity as just as they were starting to write the record their drummer left, meaning they not only had an album to write but a new drummer to find, which if anyone who has been near a band will know is no easy task.

Thankfully Bogey Stefansdottir (vocals), Alexander Skomakerstuen (guitar), Ole Nogva (bass/synth) recruited Trym Solan Renolen as their new drummer and he has injected something into the band that possibly wasn't there before, there's a bristling energy and renewed focus on album three, as if the band are reborn. ...And It's All Evergreen goes through a number of different musical phases to keep you guessing. Still the base layer is stoner rock but they bring a lot of 60's psych or even some 70's post punk while they also draw heavily from 90's alt rock oddness, with the obtuse riffs and vocals definitely.

A positive change in line up then for Waste A Saint, as they focus down on going further than their influences may have allowed before, refreshed with a wider percussive prowess and a more comprehensive instrumentation, ...And It's Evergreen will leave a long lasting impression. 7/10

Reviews: Magenta, Sugar Horse, Dimwind, Nick Oliveri (Matt Bladen, Cherie Curtis, Mark Young & Joe Guatieri)

Magenta - Tarot (Tigermoth Records) [Matt Bladen]

Welsh prog unit Magenta are about to get medieval on your ass! In quite a literal sense as their new album, their tenth(?), studio recording Tarot is inspired by the the band Renaissance, who have always been a huge influence to main writer Rob Reed. So with this being their 25th Anniversary as a band they do a bit of retrospection to their debut album Revolutions where the inspiration of Renaissance, Yes and the UK Neo-Prog acts like Marillion and Pendragon impacted the style of the band on that debut record.

Since that debut they have added all sorts of elements to the band from alternative rock, symphonic cinematics, massive conceptual pieces, heavy rock and more, but it seems that with this milestone in their history coming up, the idea of this record was to bring it all back to where they began, one distinct style based around the Neo-Prog journeying of Renaissance, et al.

Basing the songs on the characters that appear on Tarot cards, with four folksy Études splitting their labyrinthine cuts, featuring flute from Katie Axelsen and oboe from Sam Baxter, some harpsichords and a lot of Nylon string guitar fit for Henry VIII's court. Those nylon strings and soaring, expressive lead guitar moments are still the reserve of Chris Fry, who plays with feeling, emotion and virtuoso skill, throwing in Gilmourisms, Hackett classicism and even a bit of jazz on The Empress.

The rest of the instrumentation meanwhile come from Rob Reed who plays the keys, organs, synths, piano, rhythm guitar, the ever present guitar which is high up in the mix like it should be and even some recorder for more folking. Though he doesn't provide the drums, so it's a good job they have all round tub thumper extraordinaire Nick D’Virgilio to do that in between his stints with Big Big Train and Steve Hackett.

Reed has also said that this is the first album he's written explicitly for singer Christina Booths voice, and she gives a brilliantly emotive performance, perfectly pitched for the romantic notions of the past and fate explored on this album, joined on the gospel tinged title track by Peter Jones and Steve Balsamo. Tarot plays the cards out in the open, with a record of brilliantly delivered prog rock that sees Magenta in nostalgic and celebratory mood after a quarter of a century. 9/10

Sugar Horse - Not A Sound In Heaven (Fat Dracula Records) [Cherie Curtis]

Sugar Horse offers a fresh new perspective on modern metal. Its cinematic, loud and chaotic with the grandeur of a perfect storm. 

Not A Sound In Heaven brings thunderous instrumentals and heavy breakdowns with their own spin by carefully sprinkling in some euphoric harmonised choruses and highly technical beats. Sugar Horse’s title track, Not A Sound In Heaven, is a light and airy with glorious technical symphonies without the harsh metal vocals of the rest of the album that's more to serve the concept while capturing the atmosphere. 

All throughout you're being pushed pillar to post by the vocal range between soft and harsh with hardcore bone shaking metal vocal sustains complimented by hard-hitting drums giving the album a modern-day alt rock twist. Sugar Horse is an interesting fever dream and not at all what i expected, i found myself on the fence a couple of times before being drawn back in by complex dynamic builds of intensity that makes for a well-articulated piece. 

Overall, this one is strong and wondrous. It won’t get you into a moshpit but I don’t think it's supposed to as for me, it’s an album to accompany you on a moody day and the vibe feels summery yet pessimistic, allowing you to fester in melancholy comfortably. 7/10

Dimwind - The Carrion Waltz (Self Release) [Mark Young]

Entering the arena with an album that moves with ease and grace between different musical approaches is Sweden’s Dimwind. They are one of those bands where you can give them a tag, say ‘post metal’ or ‘progressive’ or ‘sludge’ and it doesn’t really tell the full story of what they sound like or indeed what one can expect from them. They can be a lot of things to a lot of people; such is the spectrum they ride with The Carrion Waltz.

Again, like a lot of my reviews this represents my first time with them, and as I understand it sees them add a vocalist to the mix in order to expand further. What is apparent is that the music behind the vocal lines still has priority in terms of how it lands with you. If you imagine a Mastodon where the style moves from person to person, and as a result it is changing because of that, its exactly what you get here. 

The difference here is that Dimwind are writing with a vigour and energy that has been missing from Mastodon. That is a different conversation so getting back on track I’ll just point you in the direction of the melodic change in the main verse of opening track The Chime. It’s a little touch but something that in the whole scheme of the song makes a massive difference to me in how I respond to it. It’s a massive way to start things off, its one of those songs where they have a lot to say, and they give it the space to unfold. Its closing moments are triumphant, moving forward in a perceived wave of positive melodic lines. 

As strong as that opening statement is, there is no time for resting, with My Uninvited Host trampling all underfoot, mixing groove in with its crushing arrangement. It suddenly comes to a halt, reaching backwards to lighten the mood. You know its not staying there for long and it starts to punch forward in the most satisfying way. Lovers of the riff will be at home here because its filled to the brim with them. Again, check out the closing minute or so for a prime example of this.

They have a definite knack of being able to meld good riffs with abrasive vocals and still sound like a moment of beauty. The Antagonists Speech, circa 2minutes in or Counterglow, where they gently apply the brakes and just relax for a while during the mid-point. I’m not just saying that these are relative high points, just examples within each. They balance heavy and soft in a way that seems intuitive, at least to them. 

What this means as a listener is that we are spoiled from start to finish. I appreciate that is quite the statement, but from my perspective it’s the truth. I’m not quite sold on the whole post-metal thing, I suppose its because Its not thrash metal, but I’m not going to sit and say that this is poor because it’s not played at a 1000mph. Its an album that has moments of stark beauty to it. 

You only have to listen to it to understand that, even I can hear it. I mentioned that audio kinship with Mastodon, where they share that similar ability to turn on a sixpence within a song. Here, they do it two or more times, and they land it every time. 

The closer, Absorbing The Infinite Impermanence is magnificent in how it develops, building itself until it gets to the end. Looking at those pesky tags, yes, they are all of those things, I don’t think you or they could argue with that. But to pigeonhole them to those tags, well I think you would be missing the point. 8/10

Nick Oliveri - N.O Hits At All Vol 10 (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Joe Guatieri]

There is no other way to say it, Nick Oliveri is one of my favourite musicians of all time. The man has played a big part in so many bands that I love like Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age and has even more projects and collaborations that he’s put his name to. With his own band Mondo Generator, they have hit a height of consistency in fantastic releases also.

Today we’ll be diving into Nick’s long running series of compilations, N.O. Hits At All, which covers songs that he’s been a part of throughout his career. I have previously reviewed the last two releases, volumes 8 and 9 which I really enjoyed, how will it fare with volume 10?

The record opens with Luv Is Fiction, a track that sees Nick singing over a song which doesn’t know whether it’s Hair Metal or Hardcore Punk. The song revolves around a riff that sounds like vanilla Rage Against The Machine, yeah it’s bouncy but it doesn’t go anywhere and ends up being uninspired. The chorus has what sounds like back-up singers with headbands on all singing into the same microphone whilst Nick is up front. It doesn’t match his style whatsoever and has no bite to it.

Track two presents us with Up And Down Under which is a much more welcome addition here. The instruments swirl together like a tornado with punchy drums and a smooth bass. Its classic Stoner Rock stylings stand out from being derivative as there is a big emphasis on attack in the song and thanks to its use of dynamics, it feels like that it’s forever moving forwards, capturing people in its groove.

This is where my frustrations with this album come to boiling point as with the next not two but six tracks, they have all been used as part of the N.O. Hits At All series before. This is beyond disappointment and utter laziness on Nick Oliveri’s part. All he had to do was type in the songs already and seen that he had picked them before, even on the last fucking release with one of them! No wonder why they started sounding so familiar as I have heard them all before.

There is one more song on here which hasn’t been on a compilation and this is track nine with Bad Boy For Love. It’s a classic acoustic song in Nick’s style, a weird psychedelic synth hums in the background as the guitar sends us off to space. Then all that’s good goes to shit again, as the next two songs have once again been used on previous compilations.

Three original songs to volume 10 is a joke, it’s so much more than just an admin error, it lacks any sort of common sense and feels like a blatant lie. The song Lockdown is the most egregious, it was previously used on volume 1 and it makes me want to tear my hair out, HOW?!

This is a plea to Nick Oliveri himself. You can still make wonderful music that I connect with but please stop with N.O. Hits At All before it’s N.O Fans At All. This isn’t a celebration, it’s starvation! 1/10