Darkness is the follow up to the Los Angeles metal band's debut Never Alone from 2016. There's no change of sound here from their debut, Darkness is full of thumping modern metal tunes, drenched in electronics and chunky groove-laden riffs the songs here have an ear to the pop scene due to expressive vocals of Mixi who channels Maria Brink of In This Moment, having that same attitude to her voice on slick numbers such as the chanting Warrior with the pop sound coming on Dirty Secrets. Unfortunately I can't really say anymore about this record as by Dirty Secrets I was really damn bored of the same style over and over again. It might be me but there was very little that would make me listen to this more than once, there will be a chunk of people who will love this music but for me it shows why bands like In This Moment have had to change their style. Disappointing. 4/10
Badd Kharma: Never Surrender (Rock Of Angels Records) [Matt Bladen]
Not put off by the slightly naff band name, I pressed play and I was taken into some classy hard rock that reminded me of Jorn so much I couldn't help but smile. The vocals of Nikos Syrakos remind me so much of the Duke with his soulful delivery carrying rockers like Land Of The Free while also having a set of pipes not too dissimilar to countryman Apollo Papathanasio. Nikos started the band in 2013 along with Gregory Giarelis (guitar) and George Papazoglou (drums) and they have only got around to releasing their album now in 2020 along the way they have added Tasos Ioannidis (bass), Manolis Tsigkos (guitar) and Dimitris Marinis (keyboards) to flesh out their ranks and the culmination is Never Surrender a record with 13 ballsy melodic hard rock songs, that have NWOBHM-styled dual guitar harmonies along with some big synths that add to that Whitesnake sound that cuts through Break Free and the acoustic song Fool's Parade. Never Surrender is a very slick hard rock record from this Athenian mob thought there are a few too many ballads. 7/10
Oath Of Damnation: Fury And Malevolence (Gore House Productions) [Paul Hutchings]
Fury And Malevolence is the sophomore release from this interesting Australian band who badge themselves as blackened death metal. Their debut called The Descent was released in 2014 to critical acclaim. The band have changed keyboard players with Haemorrh joining in place of Formosus, but otherwise the nucleus of Oath Of Damnation remains intact with Doomsayer, Bass/Vocals, Nekromancer on Guitar and drummer Constantinos. This is an album that blends intense driving black metal with atmospheric elements provided by the thick lush keyboards. The album’s opener for example, Imhullu’, is a bludgeoning assault on the aural senses, sheer riffing vying for air against the machine-like drumming, over which the vocals roar and rage. Throughout the album the themes of horror and other worlds cascade like an undammed river. An eight-minute Goliath of a song, Ardenti Haereticus, stands proud as the album’s centrepiece.
Bewitching time changes, punishing and explosive dynamism grasping and ripping, once the hook is caught there is no escape. The title track shows some variety, the interplay between keys and powerful riffing immense. As the album progresses, many influences reveal themselves but at the heart of this album is a desire and drive to deliver their own style. The blistering drumming, the scorching guitar work balanced by the keys give the band an individual sound. Clean vocals on penultimate song In Death’s Domain may echo elements of those giants Dimmu Borgir, yet closing track I Curse Thee, O Lord veers sharply away from the Norwegians. It’s a beast of an album, one that won’t be to the tastes of many, but it is in my view worth a listen. 7/10
Of Gods & Monsters: Sons Of Armageddon (Self Released) [Simon Black]
This outfit are a hard rock supergroup from the states formed by Kevin Goocher (former Omen vocalist), erstwhile Journey drummer Deen Castronovo, bassist Tim Gaines (Stryper,) guitarist Joey Tafolla (Jag Panzer) and ivories-tinkler Jimmy Waldo (Alcatraz). As you would expect from constituent parts like this, this is very much in the vein of 80’s Hard Rock, but with a bit more Dio-influenced metal in there than might have been expected. I can’t say I’ve followed or am familiar with most of the acts these guys cut their teeth and chops with, which I guess leaves me free to look at this without any expectations. The first comment I have on this is that for an album produced in 2020 by a bunch of experienced musicians, the production sucks through a non-recyclable but (defiantly metal) straw. Vocals and drums ride clear in the mix, but everything else is light and tinny, with the keyboards so far back in the mix that you cannot actually hear them. In this sort of album, the guitar should be deep, throaty and power chording it’s way to the front of the mix, but most of the time sounds like it’s been played on a practice amp, until the lead breaks hit and jump up in the mix, making you wonder where it had been for the last 3 minutes.
On a positive note, there is some really nifty rhythm work going on here, and sticksman Castronovo stands out as an incredibly tight drummer, but only by virtue of the fact that you can hear what he’s doing all of the time. It’s such a shame, because there is nothing wrong with any of the playing on here, it’s really, really let down by the mix and engineering. As you would expect from this sort of trad metal, the lyrics are cheesy as fuck with lots of beasts, dragons, sword and sorcery but I’m not really convinced by the vocals, again because the production is so thin that they simply sound strained without the rest of the band contributing to an all-round sound. Some albums leave you wanting more, but the sixteen tracks here drag on without a stand out song to at least feel that they were heading in the right direction. 4/10
This outfit are a hard rock supergroup from the states formed by Kevin Goocher (former Omen vocalist), erstwhile Journey drummer Deen Castronovo, bassist Tim Gaines (Stryper,) guitarist Joey Tafolla (Jag Panzer) and ivories-tinkler Jimmy Waldo (Alcatraz). As you would expect from constituent parts like this, this is very much in the vein of 80’s Hard Rock, but with a bit more Dio-influenced metal in there than might have been expected. I can’t say I’ve followed or am familiar with most of the acts these guys cut their teeth and chops with, which I guess leaves me free to look at this without any expectations. The first comment I have on this is that for an album produced in 2020 by a bunch of experienced musicians, the production sucks through a non-recyclable but (defiantly metal) straw. Vocals and drums ride clear in the mix, but everything else is light and tinny, with the keyboards so far back in the mix that you cannot actually hear them. In this sort of album, the guitar should be deep, throaty and power chording it’s way to the front of the mix, but most of the time sounds like it’s been played on a practice amp, until the lead breaks hit and jump up in the mix, making you wonder where it had been for the last 3 minutes.
On a positive note, there is some really nifty rhythm work going on here, and sticksman Castronovo stands out as an incredibly tight drummer, but only by virtue of the fact that you can hear what he’s doing all of the time. It’s such a shame, because there is nothing wrong with any of the playing on here, it’s really, really let down by the mix and engineering. As you would expect from this sort of trad metal, the lyrics are cheesy as fuck with lots of beasts, dragons, sword and sorcery but I’m not really convinced by the vocals, again because the production is so thin that they simply sound strained without the rest of the band contributing to an all-round sound. Some albums leave you wanting more, but the sixteen tracks here drag on without a stand out song to at least feel that they were heading in the right direction. 4/10
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