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Monday 24 February 2020

Reviews: Biff Byford, Kvelertak, Runescarred, Saturnalia Temple (Paul H, Paul S & Matt)

Biff Byford: School Of Hard Knocks (Silver Lining Music) [Paul Hutchings]

It’s been a long time coming but the Saxon frontman has finally released his debut solo album. 11 songs, a mixture of self-penned and co-written track with Opeth guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, and Saxon bandmates Nibbs Carter and Paul Quinn. As well as personal reflections, Byford continues to explore the themes of the Middle Ages and Medieval history which he has dipped into with regularity during his time in Saxon. Byford has charted a new band, with the bulk of the music performed by Åkesson, drummer Christian Lundqvist and bassist Gus Macricostas.

There’s plenty of Saxon spirit in the two songs that open the album. Welcome To The Show is an enthusiastic introduction and a delightful old school heavy metal feel, and whilst Byford’s distinctive vocals immediately associate him with the band he’s fronted for 45 years, the polish of more recent Saxon albums which has seen them modernise their sound is deliberately absent. “I’ve been waiting for this for ever, and now we’re here” he sings. The autobiographical School Of Hard Knocks is next, charting the harshness of his upbringing in the English North through to the challenges of being in a rock band.

“I was brought up on the streets, British working class, my mother played piano, it echoes from the past, my father was a drinking man working all his life, Keeping us together through the trouble and the strife.” [Byford’s mother died when he was 11 and his father, a violent alcoholic lost an arm in an industrial accident just two years later] School Of Hard Knocks charts his desperation to escape from the grim industrial boiler houses of the pits into the world of rock and roll. At 69 years of age, he’s also well positioned to consider his mortality as his peers pass away at a rapid rate. “Playing in a band, it’s harder than you think, trying to keep away from the drug abuse and drink, I last of friends but I had to make a choice, to find another path and hear my inner voice”. Echoes of Live To Rock are undeniable, but this is not Saxon and a bluesy solo from Phil Campbell enhances the track superbly.

The first collaboration between Byford and Åkesson is the interesting arrangement Inquisitor, which has Byford narrating Edgar Allan Poe over Åkesson’s exceptional flamenco style guitar work. The Pit And The Pendulum is Byford and Åkesson’s take on Poe’s short story of the same name. A dark feel to the track, with the definitive overtures of Opeth a feature as Åkesson’s explosive guitar work takes the lead. It’s on the science fiction themed Worlds Collide which sees the first real steer towards Saxon, with Byford in full flow, Åkesson’s fluid playing and the second track to feature drummer Nick Baker (the other being The Pit And The Pendulum, both of which also feature Nibbs Carter on bass). And then we reach Scarborough Fair. The traditional folk song made famous by Simon and Garfunkel as well as a million others and although the arrangement by Byford and Åkesson is clever, if you cannot stand this song, no amount of sexing it up will make it any more appealing. And anyway, I can never hear this without being reminded of Bill Bailey’s Rammstein version.

Pedal To The Metal sees Nibbs Carter join Byford as co-writer and it’s a typical head down Saxon track, written very much in the vein of Wheels Of Steel. Classic heavy metal, but nothing that wouldn’t be out of place in the middle of a Saxon album. Solid drumming from ex-Rhapsody Of Fire’s Alex Holzwarth and a charging riff are the highlights whilst Byford’s screaming vocal at the end shows that at 69 his voice is still strong. The second Byford/Carter collaboration is Hearts Of Steel with its focus on the Medieval realms of knights and battles. Again, a solid song with a searing solo from Åkesson, but if you told me this was from a new Saxon album I would not be surprised.

The Medieval theme continues on Throw Down The Sword, a fabulous cover of the Wishbone Ash song from 1972’s Argus, and in reality, a showcase for Åkesson’s superb playing, Byford’s smoky vocals just about coping with the highest notes but elsewhere providing a smouldering performance. It’s penultimate track Me And You (The Anniversary Song) which is for me one of the best on the album. A complete diversion from the usual heavy metal thunder, this is a love song in the true sense of the word and it’s bloody good. Co-written with Saxon guitarist Paul Quinn and featuring saxophone and keyboards from Dave Kemp, it obviously mushroomed from something quite different. “I didn’t mean to write a love song, it’s not what I’m supposed to do” Biff sings ironically. 

The album concluded with Black And White, a fine melodic slab of rock, and one that provides the perfect summary to an impressive debut. Biff’s life hasn’t been easy, he’s had tragedy and hardships but Black And White is a song of hope, and one that sums up Byford’s approach since those early Son Of A Bitch days. “This is my life, this is me, Nothing’s easy, nothing’s free … Nothing’s ever black and white”. An album that will grow on you with repeated plays, overall, this is really rather enjoyable. 8/10

Kvelertak: Splid (Rise Records) [Paul Scoble]

Kvelertak have been in existence since 2007, and since their self-titled debut was released in 2010, have been making a lot of noise on and off stage. The Norwegians have made headlines, sometimes not for the right reasons, since that release. The band have some very famous fans (most notably James Hetfield of Metallica), but have also made headlines due to volatile inter-band relations. In 2018 those volatile relations broke down completely when lead singer and original member Erland Hyelvik left the band. So, Splid is the first Kvelertak album to feature new vocalist Ivar Nikolaisen, it’s also the first album to have english lyrics on a couple of tracks. so, how have the band dealt with the changes? Well, if this album is anything to go by; very well. The eleven track album is a mix of short metaly punk (or possibly punky metal) tracks, and several much longer songs that have a very varied mix of styles.

Out of the shorter tracks, opener Rogaland is a cracking piece of taut Metal/Punk, it’s driving and powerful, whilst at the same time being tuneful, melodic and has a very strong chorus (something Kvelertak excel at). Crack Of Doom features Mastodon’s bassist Troy Sanders, and is an uptempo blast of punky metal. This is one of the songs that features english lyrics, which was probably easier than getting Troy to learn Norwegian. The other track to feature english lyrics is Discord (which is what album title ‘Splid’ means in english). Discord is a fantastic piece of driving punk, in places very reminiscent of the Therapy? track Going NowhereUglas Hegemoni is a short burst of new wavy punk, that is fast and has a fairly pop-punk styled chorus. Stevnemøte med Satan is aggressive mid-paced punk that is tuneful and melodic, and features a fantastic guitar solo.

The longer, more complex songs are interspersed between the shorter tracks, giving the album a very pleasing ebb and flow. Bråtebrann has a seventies feel to it; some of the riffs in the first half feel a little like Rush, if Rush were a punk band. There are also some very nice layered vocals, which in the second half of the song are joined by layered guitars and piano, by the end the song is sort of punky country rock, which might sound odd, but is in fact brilliant! Fanden ta dette hull! opens with mid-paced rock, and features some harmony guitars that are reminiscent of early Queen, and has a great chorus. Then about halfway through, this all stops and we are dropped into a blast of hardcore punk that is very similar to Suicidal Tendencies first couple of albums, in fact it’s similar to Won’t Fall In Love Today. The track then goes back to mid-paced rock for the last minute, as if the insane piece of hardcore had never happened.

Delirium Tremens has a very soft opening, which then builds until it is a forceful rock song, the track then ups the intensity and we are now in aggressive punk territory. The song then takes another turn back to driving melodic rock, and then we end on punk aggression. Delirium Tremens is a really great track, it never allows the audience to relax (in a good way). Splid is a fantastic album. If the band were nervous of their first album without Hyelvik, it does not show. The album is massively varied, whilst having a very consistent level of quality. The album shows a huge range of influences, some of them quite disparate, but nothing feels out of place or inappropriate. Splid is full of great riffs, amazing tunes and huge choruses; and all of them are eminently hummable. Kvelertak have had a lot written about them over the years, some good, some bad, but when you get past all the hype, what you get is a great band, who have made a fantastic album full of really great songs, and at the end of the day, that is what really matters. 9/10

Runescarred: The Distant Infinite (The Label Group) [Matt Bladen]

Now if you just listened to the title track of this record you'd be forgiven for thinking that it was an ethereal, Floydian prog band full of soaring guitar leads, even Sorrow Is would give  false impression with it's acoustic Blind Guardian approach but no this Texan mob are a metal band through and through, in fact with this variation they sit very firmly in the Nevermore/Iced Earth style of muscly USA power/prog metal that both those bands embody. There are thrash metal riffs throughout due to the distorted guitars and face ripping fretwork of Tim Driscoll and Skunk Manhattan who peel off lead breaks and stomping riffs with ease allowing Payton Holekamp's propulsive drumming and Josh Robins' dexterous bass playing to shift these songs into the progressive style the band strive for.

Especially on tracks such as Poison Oasis and Mammoth the latter reminding me a lot of Sylosis too as do ragers such as Hexit and Legionem Eclipsem. The Distant Infinite has a lot of cleverness to it musically meaning that vocalist Ven Scott has to be very adaptive behind the mic, luckily he is moving between croons, growls and shouts singing powerful on the doomy Swallow Your Tail along with changing his style frequently on the djent-like Minor Progressions. It rarely strays from under the wing of Nevermore or Iced Earth but The Distant Future is a good album, although releasing it on the same day as the return of Demons & Wizards may not have been the best idea. 7/10

Saturnalia Temple: Gravity (Listenable Records) [Matt Bladen]

Categorized as "black magic metal" Saturnalia Temple emerge from the deep dark forests of Uppsala, Sweden as a trio bringing what they call "crushingly hard electric blues". I'd say that's a correct description as Gravity could have easily soundtracked a drug-fuelled, bikesploitation film from the 1970's. Hypnotic reverbed vocals, float over the fuzzy riffage with a lot of the songs way past the 5 minutes mark some towards 10 minutes. The organ drenched Gravity brings some deathy roars while Elyzian Fields has a space rock throb as Between The Worlds brings some ominous darkness. As I said it's a journey through a tortured mind, the ideal music to accompany a mind-bending sci-fi thriller Gravity like it's namesake is very dense but a little unmemorable. 5/10

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