White Light Cemetery: Careful What You Wish For (Ripple Music)
Lafyette, Lousiana's White Light Cemetery have an ethos that so many can get behind for their first single, it's titled Quit Work, Make Music and is pretty much the goal for every band that's ever been, except KISS. The music these Cajuns make is swampy, Southern metal with abrasive, groove filled riffs, drawling vocals and swagger that is fuelled by Bourbon and jambalaya. Careful What You Wish For is the band's second album and it digs a rich vein of heavy blues metal.
There's touches of Skynyrd, Sabbath, Pantera and Cowbar with the riffs shining through every song and the vocals having the howl of a wild animal, it's not a happy record though, filthy, sludgy and much of it is is devoid of hope. Misery Loves Company is built on a throbbing bass-line with dirt encrusted guitar riffs doing the rest of the work, Looking Out (For Number One) has a hazy stoner sound and Bullet To Erase gets the head nodding.
The rest of the record is of high quality with hooks that resonate for days after, that are worthy of numerous plays. The band is comprised of Thomas Colley and Sara Miller on drums and bass respectively, Ryan Robin on guitar and Shea Bearden on guitar and vocals and this record has a 'live-in-the-studio' feel to it. Top Cajun metal don't be careful, snap it up asap. 7/10
Mercury Rust: Mercury Rust (Self Released)
Deep Purple that was my immediate thought when I heard the bubbling organ opening of Silent Storm and that Purple/Rainbow/Dio sound is a key part to this record, Behind The Gates could easily come off Heaven & Hell and on Overload the fusion of scintillating guitars and heavy keys just puts you in mind of the Blackmore/Lord glory days.
This record sits as a glorious tribute to the band's of Dio with the songs sprawling all of the great man's career, these Swedes have managed to avoid being a total pastiche though channeling the spirit in all of the songs but letting them take a life of their own. In fact they sound an awful more like the mighty Masterplan due to the frontman's uncanny resemblance to Jorn Lande vocally.
The seven songs on this record move from the rampaging Fuel The Fire to the colossal Hiraeth and after this record ends you can't help but feel good, with so many bands owing their existence to RJD, Mercury Rust pay it back the best way they can. 7/10
Rebel Machine: Nothing Happens Overnight (Self Released)
Rebel Machine play slightly alternative hard rock with a radio bothering edge, the songs on the record are accessible and played with passion. Released last year this has only just come to MoM towers, back in July when it first came out it could have had more of an impact but in the doldrums of the winter, it's impact is diminished a little.
Nothing on the record is revolutionary but the songs are listenable enough and the sound is grounded in the 90's rock sound, the stand out for me is the finale of Life Is Fuckin' Good which is the best track on the record, moving away from the more generic rest of the album. This Brazilian band will sound excellent in the height of the summer, the record has amazing production meaning the songs to sound very professional and if you like a bit of grungy hard rock it's worth a spin. 6/10
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