You can find more detail about this interesting Dutch outfit in the previous reviews on the blog. Matt enjoyed their last studio album Thrust back in 2018 and the band released a second live album in spring 2019. Tascarn Tapes is slightly different though. It’s totally stripped down. No drum kit, no Hammond and no guitar amps. Yes, this was written, performed and recorded on the road for less than 50 euros. For that alone, you must commend the band. Singer Pablo Van de Poel explained that the reason for this was “partly because it seemed fun and it was about time to do something completely different and partly out of necessity. It was recorded in tiny crammed little spaces like the back of our touring van or in some tiny backstage somewhere, so we had to use portable stuff like a drum sampler and pocket synthesizer to make it work.” Recorded on a Tascam Porta Two, a four-track cassette recorder from the 1980’s. The only equipment they used was a sampler with some rare soul and funk sampled drumbeats loaded in by drummer Luka Van de Poel, a battery powered synthesizer and a guitar, all plugged directly into the recorder.
Not being familiar with their previous work made it easier to be objective. For a start, at 32 minutes in length, it’s not going to over burden you too much. The longest track is just over three minutes duration. The soulful Northpole Blues starts things off, the harmonies of the trio (completed by Robin Piso on keys) instant before the track veers crazily into an electrobeat conclusion. The fuzzy riff for Blood Meridian I brings the guitar into play; Pablo’s high-pitched vocals high above Piso’s soaring keyboards. The song is inspired by Cormac McCarthy book of the same name with the later Blood Meridian II is written through the eyes of the outlaw in the story. Elsewhere the gentle organic meander of Rain echoes Rival Sons, and the road trip lifestyle ode of Made It To 27 has a Robert Plant blues vs world music hybrid feel. Awesomeness Of Love blends a Zeppelin riff into its body whilst Love Is Such A Waste combines The Beatles and ELO in unique style.
At times raucous, at other times gentle and delicate, this is an album like few others. With much of the music now stale and repetitive, DeWolff have taken old ideas and brought them fully into 2020. This is interesting, stimulating and when you consider the way in which it was collated, it’s no wonder that the band can count Seasick Steve and Roger Glover amongst their admirers. 8/10
The Murder Of My Sweet: Brave Tin World (Frontiers Records) [Rich Oliver]
Brave Tin World is the fifth album from Swedish melodic metallers The Murder Of My Sweet. Another band I have never heard of before I had no idea what to expect going into this album but what I got was a very ear pleasing blend of melodic hard rock and symphonic metal. This album has a very nice relaxed energy about it with some very well written and hook laden songs. The symphonic elements are very subtle and not in any way overblown whilst the AOR elements give the songs a very slick melodic sheen. The performances are all very good and singer Angelica Rylin has a very pleasing voice. The songwriting is excellent with highlights including Tin Soldiers, Reasons To Live, Hit The Ground and Keeper Of The Flame. Brave Tin World is a great melodic rock/metal release and whilst not something I would generally listen to out of choice it was definitely not an endurance to get through. Well crafted and well produced songs. 7/10
Lovekillers Feat. Tony Harnell: S/T (Frontiers Records) [Matt Bladen]
American singer Tony Harnell is probably best known for fronting Norwegian rock band TNT, he was the bands longest running singer until recently along with stints in various bands the most notable of which being Skid Row. Lovekiller's is the newest release to feature Harnell's wide vocal range, written along with producer/keyboardist extraordinaire Alessandro Del Vecchio, and some other writers as well as being produced by Del Vecchio. It means that Lovekillers is an album of slick, melodic hard rock, AOR of the highest level pairing big ballads such as Bring Me Back with more straightforward rock tracks such as Now Or Never, Alive Again which are wrapped around the huge keyboard swathes of Del Vecchio and the insistent guitar and drums of Gianluca Ferro and Edo Sala, this is premium quality AOR, the likes of which Harnell hasn't been apart of since those heady days of the 'classic' TNT albums, his vocals soar on on Higher Again, but he can croon with emotion on numbers like Heavily Broken. Yes it suffers from ballad bloat but if polished melodic rock is your thing then this album featuring one of 'the voices' of the genre. 6/10
Elyrean: Blacken The Sun (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
This debut E.P from Staffordshire technical thrashers Elyrean has been a long time in the making, numerous line up changes have hindered the band but they now have a solid four piece line up and after a fair few gigs Elyrean have unleashed their debut on the world, the EP is 7 tracks long but one is a string prelude and one is an instrumental interlude, the first track proper Unhallowed has blasting drums, technical thrash riffs and underlying strings to give a grandiose feel to the song. It's no surprise that they state their influences as Sylosis, Machine Head and Bloodshot Dawn as they have tried hard to make this album as virtositic as possible bringing various musical styles to the over-arching thrash sound but mainly there's death and black metal fury mixed with some more cinematic sounds.
Now what I would say is that the true scope of this EP is limited by the production a little, still that never really detracts too much from what are some good songs, my head was nodding throughout and the choice of putting a orchestral interlude is inspired as it gives you a chance to regroup for the final two numbers the starting with the excellent Fallen Ground and ending with the mini-epic Swarming Darkness. When you see that all the additional instrumentation was also played by the band members you can see how talented they really are, but it never really reaches that level it aspires to. I suggest you pick up Blacken The Sun if it sounds like something you like and keep an ear out for Elyrean in 2020. 7/10
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