Reviews: Devin Townsend, Incinery, Nuclear Power Trio, Hydrogyn, (Rich, Simon, Lucas & Paul H)

Devin Townsend: Order Of Magnitude - Empath Live Volume 1 (InsideOut Records) [Rich Oliver]

Over seven months into a global pandemic and with the live music industry shut down I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of us are missing gigs and other live music events terribly. Live albums are a nice reminder of something that was definitely taken for granted by all of us and help maintain the hope that we will be able to return to watch our favourite bands on stage at some point in the near future. Order Of Magnitude is the latest live release from madcap Canadian genius Devin Townsend and was recorded at The Roundhouse in London in December last year during what was meant to be the first phase of touring for his amazing Empath album (a tour that myself and a few of the other MoM writers attended in Cardiff).

Empath Live Volume 1 saw Devin taking a different approach with his live show removing the backing tracks that he had previously relied on and hiring a bunch of insanely talented musicians to perform everything live in a far more loose, relaxed and improvisational style. The setlist itself is far more obscure and experimental and light on the ‘hits’ and usual crowd pleasers that a Devin show is usually chock full off with a good bunch of material pulled from the Empath record and a good chunk of the set dedicated to the Ki album. The songs from these albums are definitely suited to this more improvisational style with Borderlands and Sprite sounding wonderfully playful whilst Gato and Heavens End are full of brooding malevolence. There are of course some guaranteed crowd pleasers such as the stunning Deadhead, the wonderfully silly Lucky Animals and the epic Kingdom. 

The highlights for me are the songs which are given a slight overhaul with War from Infinity sounding more rich and layered with the fantastic Che Aimee Dorval sharing the vocal duties with Dev whilst Spirits Will Collide is stripped down to an acoustic version with the backing singers taking centre stage turning this song into a beautiful emotive ballad. As to be expected with the calibre of performers on stage, the levels of musicianship are incredible with special mention going to drummer Morgan Ågren, guitarist Mike Kineally and keyboard player Diego Tejeida. Despite the musical intricacy there is plenty of fun to be found in this live recording with Devin’s usual ridiculous stage banter and a great cover of the classic Disco Inferno.

Order Of Magnitude is a great live release. It offers something a bit different from Devin’s previous live releases and the playful atmosphere of that tour is very much captured in these recordings. With this being Empath Live Volume 1 let’s hope that one day we can get to see the further volumes that were planned. 8/10

Incinery: Hollow Earth Theory (Self Released) [Simon Black]

It’s always nice when a band from my home town of Nottingham get themselves on the map, and Incinery have certainly being doing that over the last few years. I’ve been aware of them for a while courtesy of my friends’ Facebook feeds, but this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to listen to their material properly. Growing up in that Midlands city in the late 80’s Thrash was an unavoidable phenomena and a huge part of the scene in the city that gave us Sabbat and Earache Records. Over time the aggressive underground scene burgeoned beyond anyone’s imaginings and those obscure underground acts became the grand-daddies of a genre which, a lifetime later, has now splintered beyond all recognition. Periodically, the pure form of the Thrash style comes back into fashion, but no-one has truly managed to capture the freshness and energy of those early days whilst still sounding young, new and relevant. Enter Incinery - who absolutely have, in case you hadn’t guessed.

Influence wise these guys are pure 80’s heyday stuff, with the added squeaky clean production tightness of Cowboys-era Pantera, and then some. Simultaneously sounding fresh from the Underground and squeaky tight is no mean feat, but these boys manage it - giving them an absolutely crisp and unique sound. It goes further, that modern twist is distinctly part of their essence and Incinery have managed what others often miss - to wear their influences like armour without sounding like a tribute act; to capture the essence of thrash in the production with modern techniques instead of trying to copy methods long defunct.

The album takes its title from an obscure concept of a subterranean civilisation between our feet and although I am fairly vociferous in my contempt to this kind of conspiracy theory fodder which is far too mainstream these days, it’s the perfect kind of nonsense for Thrash lyrics and a regular source pot for Incinery. If you are about to get judgemental, don’t. Metal doesn’t exactly have a good record when it comes to lyrical subject matter choice (yes you, Power Metal) and in the name of entertainment it’s all part of the fun. The title track opens and sets things off to thundering pace and the pace is kept up for the first half of the album before taking a more adventurous, almost melodic turn to its tone whilst not losing the blistering riffage and thundering rhythm work that is their trademark. And keeps it up to the end, which is no mean feat, as some of the best thrash records of their day barely managed thirty minutes of material, but this album keeps the pace and attention for nearly fifty-five minutes without wearing the slightest bit thin.

Pure, crisp and utterly excellent Post-Thrash. It’s out on Friday the 30th on Bandcamp and you know you want to… 9/10

Nuclear Power Trio: A Clear And Present Rager (Metal Blade Records) [Lucas Tuckwood]

The world can collectively breathe a sigh of relief, safe in the knowledge that three of the world’s most divisive leaders have decided to put aside their differences in the name of metal. Presidents Trump, Putin and Kim Jong-Un have seemingly found common ground in their love for some good old headbanging, and decided that instead of channelling their funding and energy into their arsenals and/or twitter accounts, it would be better to put the effort into music, and thank Lemmy they did. A Clear And Present Rager is a clear and present masterpiece, as each of the three pour a whole country’s worth of energy into some truly fearsome metal, featuring jaw-dropping slap bass groove, shredding guitars and lightning-fast drums. 

It’s tricky to know where to begin when a fantastic album simply pops out of nowhere. While still a metal record, Nuclear Power Trio implement not only traditional Latin-style guitar, but even some killer slap-bass. I’ve no idea what they used to teach in the KGB, but clearly their slap-bass lessons are on point, as shown by Putin’s truly excellent fretwork. And given Trump’s attitude to those of Latino descent, it’s rather surprising to see that his Latin guitar is absolutely fantastic, as well as his ability to lay down some truly fearsome solos that interweave with Putin’s frantic slapping. These are both accompanied by Kim’s laser precise footwork, as the drums thrash away with the speed and vigour only 1950’s Soviet nuclear weapons could ever muster. 

Best track? Pick a dart, each of the five charmingly titled songs on offer here offer their own distinctive bite, fusing metal and groove in a truly electrifying manner. In conclusion, the collaboration of these three most unlikely of friends is not to be missed. Each leader delivers their own distinctive sound and style, culminating in a truly fierce record, and with just days to go before the election, this may be just what Trump needed to really secure the win. I can’t wait for Boris’s collab with Macron and Merkel…

10/10

Hydrogyn: The Boiling Point (RFL Records) [Paul Hutchings]

The Boiling Point is the 11th album from Hydrogyn, an American Hard Rock/Metal outfit from Kentucky. The last review on this site was in 2017, where Redemption was roundly slated. Move forward three years and vocalist Erica Parrott has been pushed off the perch, replaced by Holly Hines Freed. The driving force behind the band remains Jeff Westlake, who wrote all the songs (sans the three covers obviously) and also produced the album. Formed in 2003, you must admire his longevity and determination in keeping the band name going.

What lies underneath the hood of album number 11? Well, to be brutal, things haven’t got much better. Hydrogyn haven’t solved the vocalist problem which has existed for the past six years, as Freed’s smoky drawl cutting across punk, rock and even country in style is rather dull with little emotion or distinction between songs. The production value is high, with the guitars turned up to 11; at times it’s a little too polished. Well performed, the main problem is the songs which are routine and bland. Minutes after I’d finished listening, I could only remember the cover versions

Ah yes, the cover versions. Firstly, we are treated to a mediocre version of Blondie’s One Way Or Another, which really does nothing. But that cannot prepare you for a hideous cover of Elvis’ Suspicious Minds, which puts Freed under pressure, the squealing guitars and double bass kicking crucifying the song.

After that mangling, there is at least a break with three original songs, all similar standard fare. Widowmaker is meant to be some face-melting riff fest, but presents as lightweight, crude and overall limited. Overall, it’s just the generic standard of the tracks which let this album down. And then it concludes with Tears For Fears' Mad World. Jesus, this was painful to listen to. Rather than destroy it, I just advise you to avoid it at all costs. Freed’s delivery is bizarre, brings nothing to the table and I have a sense that there was a little bit of studio help as well. With so many good albums out there in 2020, it would be a travesty to spend any money on this release. 3/10