Is there a cooler man in the world of rock than the Reverend Willie G? No, you are wrong. The hustler of the masters of boogie, the mighty ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons is back with his second solo release and after the delicious Cuban flavour of 2015’s Perfectamundo, it’s a natural shift back to the blues, where the big man feels most definitely at home. As Gibbons said, “blues influenced from the beginning – and it’s never let up”. Well, for those of us who love the great man, this is music to the ears and even if you don’t like the blues that much, The Big Bad Blues will still offer something.
Opening with the Mrs Gibbons penned Missin’ Yo’ Kissin’ (there’s a lot of dropping of the ‘g’ here y’all), The Big Bad Blues is 11 songs which swing from self-penned tunes such as Second Line and Hollywood 151 to classics from Muddy Waters (Rollin’ And Tumblin’, Standing Around Crying) and Bo Diddley (Bring It To Jerome, Crackin’ Up). With an all-star cast including the harmonica of James Harman, the drums of Matt Sorum and Greg Morrow, the funky bass lines of Joe hardy’s Fender and some mean Hammond from Mike Flanigin, adding quality, heart and soul to the album, this is one to put on and just sit back and enjoy. 8/10
Supersuckers: Suck It (Acetate Records)
Having been around for many years, you could forgive Supersuckers for really not giving a shit whether you like them or not. According to Lemmy, “If you don’t like the Supersuckers, you don’t like Rock ‘n’ Roll”. Strap yourself in, and allow Eddie Spaghetti (bass and vocals), ‘Metal’ Marty Chandler (guitars and backing vocals) and ‘Captain’ Chris Von Streicher (drums and backing vocals) deliver 35 minutes of routine but enjoyable hard rock, which includes elements of country and punk.
Tracks such as the powerful All The Time, the boogie of Breakin’ My Balls and the decent closing cover of ZZ Top’s Beer Drinkers And Hell Raisers all work well, and are thoroughly enjoyable. Unsurprisingly, the topics of Supersuckers’ songs include drink, ladies, drugs and the odd scuffle. Suck It is the uninvited guest who you eventually end up sharing a beer with. Good stuff. 7/10
Dragonlord: Dominion (Universal Music)
The tolling of a lone bell, operatic harmonies and a Dimmu Borgir riff to die for; this is Entrance, the opening track from the third album from Dragonlord, the atmospheric black metal side project of Testament guitar god Eric Peterson. Initially formed with band mate Steve Di Girgio, the latest line-up sees Peterson on vocals, guitar and bass, current trivium drummer Alex Bent, Lyle Livingston on keyboards and Leah on female vocals and choirs.
The first album in 13 years, finally following 2005’s Black Wings Of Destiny, Dominion is 45 minutes of quality black metal. Peterson delivers the vocal style necessary with ease, Livingston’s keys work neatly alongside the racing pace of Bent’s drumming. Tracks such as Ominous Premonition and the closing duo of The Discord Of Melkor and Serpents Of Fire are anthemic and memorable. Dominion may not be the best black metal album of the year, but 13 years after their last release, this has plenty to get excited about. 7/10
Betzefer: Entertain Your Force of Habit (Metalville Records)
Betzefer: Entertain Your Force of Habit (Metalville Records)
Aggressive and ferocious, get a slab of groove metal with a solid underlay of sheer hard rock on this impressive fourth album from Israeli veterans Betzefer. Entertain Your Force Of Habit is a superb release from a band that, having hit the heights of being on Roadrunner in 2005 when their debut Down Low was released, almost collapsed after the trauma of album number two, Freedom To The Slave Masters. Their 2013 album, The Devil Went Down To The Holy Land was a return to form and then founder Avital Tamir left the band.
Thankfully, Aharon Ragoza was invited for a trial in 2016. Fast forward two years and you get a quality product, which is crammed full of powerful metal which could move the dead. Ain’t No Party ‘Til You Hurt Somebody, Crash and Dead Lines all ooze menace, with Ragoza’s style picking up neatly where Tamir left off. Huge chunky riffs offer little respite, although the band’s groove and hook approach do at least provide the odd gasp of air to help maintain life support. Founder member and guitarist Matan Cohen-Grumbi is joined by long-time members Roey Berman on drums, Rotem Inbar on bass for an album that will hopefully get the band the exposure they most definitely deserve. It’s a beast. 8/10
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