Black Stone Cherry: Back To The Blues II (Mascot Records) [Matt Bladen]
Black Stone Cherry released their first Blues EP back in 2017 and it was surprising for me as they deftly chose some of the more obscure numbers to cover rather than the blues standards. The EP went to number one on the Billboard Blues chart, mainly as it was very reminiscent of the BSC of old rather than more slick arena vehicle they are now, though previous album Family Tree brought back some of the Southern Blues rock the band had on their debut. On this EP they have brought in Yates Mckendree on organ/keys and also guitar, his organ skill is on show from the outset of Freddie King's Big Legged Woman while the guitar prowess of the band kick in on Down In The Bottom originally by Howlin' Wolf, though this is ramped up version featuring those soulful vocals from Chris inhibiting those early bluesmen as the riffs come. I say the word legends and they don't come much more legendary than Robert Johnson who's Me & The Devil Blues is covered here with a deft hand. Early One Morning has the guts of the Elmore James original but most long time fans will recognise Son House's Death Letter Blues as a long time set inclusion. Once again Back To The Blues II impresses with how well BSC interpret the blues music, on an album that will once again appeal outside of their normal fandom. 7/10
Hellyeah: Welcome Home (Eleven Seven Music) [Matt Bladen]
So here it comes, the final Hellyeah album to feature founding member and Pantera sticksman Vinnie Paul. While dealing with his death the band discovered all the drum tracks for this album had been recorded. So the band led by the other founding members singer Chad Gray and guitarist Tom Maxwell then set about writing the album around it from the thunderously heavy first song 333 is a rampaging thrash metal number, built on blastbeats. However the bands nu-metal roots come back on the groovy Oh My God a track that stomps around as does I'm The One which is a bit more sleazy as Chad Gray snarls down the mic though he brings a drawl to At Wick's End which has some great guitar work in it.
This is Hellyeah doing what they do best full of attitude, big drum sounds and chunky riffs galore with that Southern attitude and early noughties crunch. The album is a celebration of what Vinnie, Chad and Tom have done with this band big anthemic heavy metal made for stadiums. The album ends with Skyy And Water a tribute to their fallen comrade and it's a bittersuite note that shows how much he meant to the band, however it also hints that this is not the end of Hellyeah as they now feature the ex-Stone Sour man Roy Mayorga, this band are entering their next phase. 7/10
Kadinja: DNA (Dedication.Nostalgia.Addiction) [Liam True]
I never knew i needed a cover album of late 90’s & early 2000’s Nu-Metal songs from a Djent band. It’s never once crossed my mind. No one asked for it. But here it is. And it’s actually amazing. It’s got the bands you know and love, from Limp Bizkit to System Of A Down. Opening with an underrated Bizkit track Hot Dog just sets the ball in motion and gives you exactly what you’re looking for. Full on Djent. The most surprising thing about the album is how much vocalist Phillippe Dewandre sound just like who he’s covering. Points Of Authority proves that Linkin Park could have easily transferred to the Djent style of music and get away with it. Korn’s Falling Away From Me is just a battle of time signatures versus the gutturals of Dewandre. My Own Summer is just heavy Deftones, so an actual improvement of the real band.
This Is The New Shit is also Manson with a more beefy sound. Spit It Out with guest vocalist Aaron Matt (Betraying The Martyrs) is an explosive class in breakdown etiquette. The following three tracks Between Angels And Insects, Alive and Passive fall a bit flat, but still retain the sense of heaviness that’s needed. Ending on Aerials is a bold choice, but such a good song to finish with. And with that, the albums over. There’s nothing like it and it’s so unique that this will give the band the traction they need to build up a decent sized fan base. Hopefully the French quintet will tour Europe and the UK soon. This band needs to be seen. 8/10
Of Mice & Men: Earthandsky (Rise Records) [Liam True]
When Of Mice & Men first announced this record they said ‘We’re dumping a lot of heaviness on you.’ And they’re not kidding around. On their sixth album so far they’ve taken everything from each previous album, and just put it on a much bigger scale. The dark raspy vocals of Aaron Pauley entwined with the ball-crushingly heavy instrumentals create one of, if not, the best Metalcore albums of 2019. Seeing as they only released an album a year earlier & toured relentlessly, you’d think that they wouldn’t have the mindset or even time to begin writing a new album, nevertheless write AND drop one in a space of a year.
But that’s the beauty of OM&M, they don’t sound exactly the same on each record. They progress their sound and take inspiration from their older material and bands in the scene, and it shows. Some of the songs on the record, albeit the clean vocals, could have easily been written for a Death Metal album. Just the riffs alone are bone-crushing and are a cause for some high energy mosh pitting. These guys are on the top of their game right now. And are aiming to get even higher. 9/10
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