The Vintage Caravan: Gateways (Nuclear Blast)
Bubbling organs swell into a huge riff and the hazy days of Hendrix and his Experience wash over you with as the driving rhythms of Alex Örn (bass) and Stefán Ari (drums) power opener Set Your Sights into it's guitar heavy climax which has Óskar Logi setting his fretboard alight. It's shamelessly retro but has the swaggering confidence of youth, you must remember that this is Icelandic trio's fourth album, their first was released when they were still in school so they have had nearly a decade to craft their 60's styled sound. Having played all over the world Gateways is their most mature record, the songs whizz by without getting bogged down by some of the jams that plagued the earlier records.
They've also turned everything up to it's highest setting, the analogue production letting fuzzy rockers like Reflections make their mark, it's 48 minutes of classic rock song writing tweaked to it's most vital with Óskar's often reverbed vocal floating over the huge riffs and screaming solo freak outs that Hendrix, Purple and Rainbow all had in their arsenal, just listen to the stomping On The Run or the excellent Farewell and you'll hear the influence of Mr Blackmore coming out of every soulful note. I've been following The Vintage Caravan since their early days and I must say they have managed to put themselves on on a pedestal with The Blues Pills, Kadavar, Graveyard and Rival Sons as some of the figureheads in this retro rock revival, Gateways is an addictive record that makes you feel good when listening, it's almost primal, well worth a purchase. 9/10
Circles: The Last One (Season Of Mist)
Circles debut EP came about right as the 'djent' bubble was starting to inflate to full size, when many of the bands sounded similar only the bands willing to make a change managed to survive and these forward thinking Australians have adopted their mainly Djent beginnings by introducing stadium baiting melodies (Breaker) and soaring vocal lines that are a staple of Tesseract et al. This second full length takes things a little further by adding some ambient (The Messenger) and even jazz textures while also retaining the groove laden heaviness of their past. A track like the atmospheric Alone With Ghosts brings to mind Everything Everything due to percussion and Ben Rechter's clean vocal delivery, although kudos also to bassist Drew Patton for adding screams to the heavier tracks bringing an extra level of emotion to the frenetic Winter (which Patton's bass also drives). I do hope this isn't the last one from Circles as their brand of Djent is one that I really enjoy, it's melodic, anthemic and best of all heavy as lead at times. 8/10
Immortal Guardian: Age Of Revolution (M-Theory Audio)
Age Of Revolution is the debut full length album from Austin Texas band formed by Gabriel Guardian (guitars/keyboards) this has been a a few years in the making with a few line up changes the band have finally settled as a four piece that features the explosive pipes of Carlos Zema and a rampaging rhythm section of Cody Gilliand (drums) and Thad Stevens (bass) as Guardian himself handles all of the shred taking both guitar and keys (sometimes simultaneously) Since the release of their EP Revolution Pt 1 they have set about on a guerilla marketing tour playing US festivals on their 'Shred Shed' but finally after honing their 'Super Metal' they have managed to put out a full length, but is it a case of style over substance? Well once the orchestral intro warms you up it's heads down for finger twisting technicality as the keyboards and guitars intertwine with the blastbeats and thunderous bass for opening track Zephon where Zema just shows himself as being in a class above with his massive range that stretches from guttural roars to Kiske highs.
Aeolian and the political Hunters will satisfy those folks who want a bit of Dragonforce it's definitely super metal although Never To Return takes the title for the best representation of Immortal Guardian's sound with everyone getting a solo on this speedy number that turns into a sax backed Gary Moore-like outro. As a debut album it's pretty much everything you could want from a band who have been doing their best to get their shred metal to the masses through any means necessary. It's the culmination of a few years work but it pays off with a power metal album that stands out with its mixture of virtuosity and hook-filed numbers like the chest beating Stardust showing they're not style over substance. It's the Age Of Revolution so don't get left behind! 8/10
EverRise: After The Eclipse (Self Released)
EverRise are a melodic death metal band from Toulouse and like the sausage that bears its name they are a meaty morsel. Taking from the Gothenburg scene bludgeoning drum patterns keep the aggression in the red as the guitars bring technicality and the vocals a real brutality. The title track After The Eclipse has an almost relentless black metal blastbeats with groove driven riffs similar to Behemoth, but the comparisons don't stop there as My Kingdom is an In Flames song by another name and Anything gets chunky with so thick riffs. After The Eclipse is solid modern melodic death metal record from this French band, I'd you want a bit of rage then you can do much worse! 7/10
Forager: S/T (Self Titled)
Manchester band Forager are a five piece math rock band and this self titled EP sees them expanding their sound from it's instrumental origins by adding vocals. Floss Is Boss (not the anal variety that you may see on the South Wales music scene) opens the record with an immediacy bringing you into their expressive edgy alternative sound that brings in experimental influence from Fall Of Troy, Press To Meco and the technical toughness of Biffy Clyro. I'll admit it's not what I usually listen too but with a good vocalist in tow Forager have clear direction of where they want to in the future so it's hard to find negatives I would say if you're in need of pummelling black metal or heavy djent then stay away but if you want modern, dynamic music then stop looking in the bushes as you've found what you're looking for. 7/10
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