Lucifer: III (Century Media)
After the changes of location that came before their previous record Swedish occult revivalists Lucifer have returned with their third full length as a much more established act than they were before. Still lead by the bewitching Johanna Sardonis behind the mic and Nicke Andersson behind the kit, the well is nowhere near dry in terms of inspiration as this record once again sees them cherry picking parts of Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac and Blue Oyster Cult for a sonic brew that is pure rock n roll. From gothic/apocalyptic album cover to the analogue production from Andersson III just shouts 'retro' from the rooftops, Ghosts is a stylish opener, Midnight Phantom is much more grimy slithering like a serpent, the energetic blues of Flanked By Snakes gives way to the funky Stay Astray which swirls with some psych hints as Johanna wails. It's Leather Demon that really catches my attention, a slow burning evocative song it's a much more restrained measured approach that works well. The guitar work of Martin Nordin and Linus Björklund is stellar you can hear those classic Explorer/SG tones in full effect while the pulsating bass of Harald Göthblad rubs some stink on moody closer Cemetery Gates. III just reinforces Lucifer as one of the big hitters in the world of nostalgic hard rock, they continue to climb their way to the top of the mountain but they aren't far from the top. 8/10
Spell: Opulent Decay (Bad Omen Records)
Oh...now...here's something for an old schooler like me to enjoy. Coming from Vancouver, British Columbia, Spell have clearly hit upon a time vortex to the 70's. Their music is rich in bass pedals, Moog synths and progressive music that countrymen Rush spearheaded in those heady 70's glory days. Opulent Decay is their third album and sees Spell continuing on their journey to play hypnotising evocative rock n roll music that is far too dense and musical for trios (though Canada does have form). Yes you read right Spell are a trio comprising Cam Mesmer (bass/vocals), Al Lester (drums/vocals) and Graham McVie (guitar) and they are devotees of the occult and the shamanistic as their songs conjure thoughts of BOC and also (early) Ghost with a musical backing anchored around Mesmer and Lester's grooving, mesmeric rhythms with Sibyl Vain the ideal way to emphasise this.
McVie's guitar playing is bewitching, churning fuzzy riffs, towering solos, scinitllating leads and even acoustic meandering on Primrose Path. Mesmer has said his lyrics are influenced heavily by "Keats, Shelley and Coleridge" as the album deal with the themes of "opulence and austerity" so we have almost romantic poetry set to distinctly dark progressive music. Now you'll probably see that I've tried to avoid the word retro in this review, for good reason as Spell certainly take a lot of musical cues from the past but somehow it sounds very 2020, the 'retro' elements aren't forced flowing naturally as they bring in such elements as wind instruments and synths to expand the sonic template of this album. Opulent Decay is Spell reaching their nadir, the best of their three records it's a sprawling epic album with a wide ranging scope perfect for any isolation (social or otherwise). 8/10
Video Nasties: Dominion (APF Records)
Blood Feast. Anthropophagus. Absurd. Flesh For Frankenstein. Just 4 of the 72 films banned by Mary Whitehouse (amongst others) between the 60's and 90's. These films were dubbed by the British press as 'video nasties' films so violent and sexually explicit that they were said to be corrupting the youth. What's interesting when I was looking at this list is how many I've seen (been exposed too?) and not killed anyone (yet). Though it goes without saying that Scouse band Video Nasties have probably seen more of these movies than me, though I'm not sure how many people they've killed, they have basically dedicated their career to the blood and guts of cult, often low budget horror movies. This love has inspired them to create this debut album called Dominion, laced with samples from numerous B-Movie horrors that were only available on VHS.
Dominion is a brutal, vicious slab of death metal that rarely relents in it's quest to smash your head in with a hammer. Only the title track stops the onslaught with a short piece of John Carpenter-like synth, the rest of the album is as vicious as drill into the eyeball. From the battering stomp of Viva Deth to the destructive Stay Gold, the frenzied attack of Stabbing Nightmare. It's the death n roll of Drone Eagle, Helvetica amongst others that show you Video Nasties overriding influence, this is music made with tonnes of HM-2, ripping up old Entombed riffs and restitching them into a brand new skinsuit. If you love your death metal filthy then pick up the latest grime ridden release from the ever reliable APF Records, just make sure you get it on cassette for authenticy! 8/10
A Thousand Voices: Overthinking Kills Happiness (Self Released)
A Thousand Voices (ATV) hail from Norwich (a-ha!) England. Overthinking Kills Happiness is their debut 6 track EP featuring all new tracks (thy have previously released 3 stand alone singles). Their 'big break' came after winning Our Hollow, Our Home's ‘Road To Holloween’ competition which saw them open that bands sold out annual Halloween show. The band fuse melody and aggression taking a lot of influence from the UK metalcore sound with the djent mixture of start-stop heaviness, ambient tones and lyrics Walls starts kicks the EP off with the shortest track, starting with dense synths it ramps up into some rage before evolving into the bouncing I Am Not Myself where the band show their modern metal chops as the ambient sounds built atmosphere behind the groove-laden guitar riffs and aggressive vocals, Sick End Of Truth brings some shout along hooks and also a really technical lead break under the massive breakdown. Overthinking Kills Happiness is a savage modern metal record with huge melodic hooks, these six tracks are a statement of intent for A Thousand Voices. 7/10
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