Calyces: Impulse To Soar (Self Released)
Now I'll admit that I got a little excited when I saw the PR/Info/Announcement about Greek band Calyces. I'll head back a little by professing my love for Athenian modern prog metal band Tardive Dyskinesia, their latest record Harmonic Confusion was one of my favourite records released by any band in 2016. So you can imagine my heart breaking when they announced they were going on hiatus, I had to forcefully put them into the back of my mind with just their discography for company. However Calyces brings a ray of light for any fans of Tardive Dyskinesia as they will recognise the powerful, gruff-yet-melodic vocals of Manthos Stergiou. So with my little fanboy heart appeased it was actually time to see if Impulse To Soar would stand up to my lofty expectations.
Well as the thundering riff of False Awakening gets the motor running my head started nodding in unison, "yep" I thought to myself "this is very much what I like", you can very much hear why they have been likened to Mastodon and Baroness, there is plenty of aggressive, off-kilter, polyrhythmic, almost jazzy riffage that is blended through 70's space rock and psych elements meaning that it's very much Mastodon pre-The Hunter sitting very much in that Crack The Skye sound, where the classic prog influences loomed larger over the hitherto massive groove/sludge metal sound. Joining Manthos, who also plays guitar, are Giannis Golfis (guitar), Stelios Tragos (bass) and Alexis Stavropoulos (drums) they lock together well adding a grunt to numbers such as Those Flames Are Dancing Wild which has a fat groove and some fluid melodic leads, it shifts into the hip shaking Parasites which brings some proggy dreamscapes as The Great Void as we dive back into Mastodon-like heaviness on Wired Crown.
The balance between the lighter moments and the heaviness is done well with moments of unbridled creativity as the jangling guitars on Unfair Labour give way to a some explosive saxophone from Shining's Jørgen Munkeby while Chrysa Tsaltampasi brings some haunting backing vocals on the Floydian middle section of Beyond Sight before the percussive groove comes back in at the close. With 10 tracks with the band in full, well 10 with Manthos Stergiou singing, the last two numbers here are instrumentals with the post-metal ambience on Uneven Loops bringing some hints of Plini while We're Lost, But It's Ok is a delicate acoustic piece that has a live-in-the-studio feel. With crisp mastering from Grammy winner Alan Douches (who mastered Leviathan amongst others) and a beautiful cover from Manthos' sister Maria Impulse To Soar is a brilliantly realised debut that is a rebirth for all those involved, beautifully formed and masterfully performed Impulse To Soar is an almost perfect first record. 9/10
DGM: Tragic Separation (Frontiers Records)
Tragic Separation is the 10th album from Italian progressive metal legends DGM, with multiple line up changes they have been in their current incarnation since 2008 following on from their acclaimed previous album The Passage which continued the band develving deeper into carving out a unique and personal style. Yes you get the classic prog metal sounds of Dream Theater, so expect big vocal phrasing and technical playing but they have brought into this some djenty riffs, synth/electronic elements and some huge AOR sing alongs. In the blurb that came with this, names such as Symphony X and Kansas were mentioned, the latter is very much a feature of the brilliant title track, completed by some stirring violin. ]
The former is splashed all over the galloping Turn Back Time, Marco Basile using some very Russell Allen turn of phrase Tragic Separation is a concept record about life choices and life paths, this is why there are cinematic pieces such as Flesh And Blood, songs such as Hope mix heaviness with emotional weight continued on the fist-in-the-air anthemia of Stranded. I've mentioned Marco's excellent vocals but he's the cherry on a perfectly executed pie (Paul Hollywood would be proud), from the time changing grooves of Fabio Costantino (drums) and Andrea Arcangeli (bass), through the classical piano and fuzzy synths from Emanuele Casali to the sheer virtuosity of guitarist Simon Mularoni Tragic Separation is another top flight release, that delves deeper into a wider influences. DGM's tenth album is well worth it for any progressive metal fanboys (such as myself). 9/10
Molassess: Through The Hollow (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]
The story of Molassess is a story of finding light in darkness. The fire was brought to life on stage at Roadburn last year as a tribute to The Devil's Blood guitarist Selim Lemouchi who tragically took his life in 2014. That seemingly one-off performance featured The Devil's Blood members Farida Lemouchi (vocals), Oeds Beydals (guitar), Job van de Zande (bass) along with Ron van Herpen (Astrosoniq/guitar), Bob Hogenelst (Birth Of Joy/drums) and Matthijs Stronks (Donnerwetter/keys), has spawned into something that reflects the band name, a formidable, unbreakable bond that has been drawn from the sadness of a lost collaborator, not as a celebration but a way of dealing with the shock and striving forward in a creative process. After the single from that Roadburn performance the stage was set for a full length and Through The Hollow is the culmination of this beasts return from out of the shadows.
The album is over an hour of audio healing a meditative, mystical, evil and transcendent collaboration by friends and comrades that kicks off with the driving title track where the early occult doom bands such as Coven resonate throughout the jangling, surf-like guitars and 11 minute run time Farida's once again the embodying the devil through her haunting, fervent, bewitching voice. On the undulating Get Out From Under washes over you as both guitarists let loose behind the hypnotic repeating riff. Musically similar to The Devil's Blood, Molassess is defiantly analogue occult rock which as I've said sounds like Coven and Black Widow but also more modern acts such as Lucifer and Blood Ceremony we are taken into kaleidoscopic psych domain with the mind-expanding Formless Hands which shifts into the the folksy Corpse Of Mind with the record floating through several stylistic mood changes such as the shimmering Tunnel and the closing ritual of The Devil Lives. A musical journey into a the collective souls of those involved Through The Hollow is a captivating, retro, occultist slice of primeval energy drawn from a shared event into a bright new prospect. 9/10
Brothers Osborne: Skeletons (EMI Nashville)
Ah now this is a big ol' slice of down home country rocking from Maryland, duo T.J. (lead vocals) and John (lead guitar, background vocals) who are the titular Brothers Osborne. Skeletons is their third album and continues the Brothers' style of whiskey drinking, blue collar country rock. John is the major instrumentalist but it's his guitar playing that really shines mixing between furious chicken picking and some solos that move into the Skynyrd realms. It's T.J though who really resonates with me as vocally he has soulful approach that sits between David Allen Coe and The Reverend Willie G, he weaves these yarns about love, both lost and found, drinking, travelling and the general Country shenanigans.
As with most country records there a fair few co-writers on this one with Ian Fitchuk, Daniel Tashian, Natalie Hemby, Casey Beathard, and Hayes Carll all contributing to the album, as we get some electronic drumbeats on funky tracks such as All Night and All The Good Ones Are as well as the moody High Note however the attitude filled I'm Not For Everyone and Back On The Bottle have a more traditional sound. Brothers Osborne do outlaw/country/southern rock with slickness and will appeal to a mass audience, which is probably the point. 6/10
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