Reviews: Joe Bonamassa, Raging Speedhorn, Rusty Eye, Mors Principium Est (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Joe Bonamassa: Royal Tea (Provogue Records)

Joey Bones returns with his new record and even though recently he has been indulging in American Big Band, instrumental Jazz side projects and a myriad of styles. The spirit of that young guitar slinger who burst onto the scene with, the recently re-released New Day Yesterday, was a New Yorker heavily influenced by the British Blues scene spearheaded by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton & Cream. Maybe it's due to A New Day Yesterday's re-release but things seem to have have come full circle with his 14th studio album Royal Tea, recorded at Abbey Road Studios, Bonamassa going back to his musical roots with some hard driving, soulful, British blues rock. We ge 10 original tracks kicking off with the 7 minute When One Door Opens, we go into the music that burnt strongly in the heart of that guitar slinging kid all those years ago.

With powerful, emotional numbers such as Why Does It Take So Long To Say Goodbye the thundering Lookout Man and the 43-year old is rediscovering his heroes, filtering it through the incredible talent and world weariness he has now.  Co-written with former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden, ex-Cream lyricist Pete Brown and Jools Holland, the record really sizzles with that British Blues Explosion power as tracks like High Class Girl and the flashy A Conversation With Alice has a gutsy almost Southern swagger to it (maybe it's the slide guitar) and I Didn't Think She Would Do It sees the band in some Cream-esque psych-western freakouts. Once again produced by Kevin Shirley and backed by his insanely talented touring band of Anton Fig (drums), Michael Rhodes (bass) and Reese Wynans (keys), along with the soulful backing vocals and brass section he now  Royal Tea is Joe Bonamassa showing to his old fans that he hasn't forgotten where he came from and for new fans, used to his more eclectic sounds, it's a seasoned pro delving deep into the history of the blues. Stylish, sophisticated but most of all honest to the source material, Royal Tea is another superb blues record from Bonamassa. 8/10  

Raging Speedhorn: Hard To Kill (Red Weed Records)

The veterans of the UK heavy scene Raging Speedhorn have mostly been on pretty much any festival bill you'll have seen in the last 10 years, they get everywhere delivering their thunderous brand of hardcore/sludge influenced groove metal to pack crowds. They are very much a band with 'cult' status inspiring near worship and devotion from their faithful fans. Since their reformation a few years ago they have really upped their appearance schedule and this has been reflected with their previous release Lost Ritual which cemented the come back. However there have been some line up changes since then with guitarist Dave Leese and former Hundred Reasons bassist Andy Gilmour joining guitarist Jim Palmer, and founding drummer Gordon Morison. 

This isn't the only change though as Dan Cook picks up the co-vocalist role alongside founding co-vocalist Frank Regan, he replaces John Loughlin who left the band after 21 years. So with these changes in place and with potted history it pretty easy to see why this record is called Hard To Kill. Musically then the record is classic Speedhorn full of Diamond-hard grooves, raging firestorm riffs and slow heavy doom-laden numbers that are like audio black-treacle, Hard To Kill (the song) unleashes face breaking aggression, while first single Snakebite brings that oh so familiar groove, welcoming you like an old friend. But as I've mentioned we go into the crushing waves of doom for aptly Doom Machine and the steel beating Hammer Down. Dan Cook makes his mark as an ideal foil for Frank Regan both of them spitting venom throughout blending as one unit on ragers like Brutality. I mean the cover of T-Rex's Children Of The Revolution is wholly unneeded but the remaining 8 songs on this album are Raging Speedhorn doing what brought them to the dance, Hard To Kill indeed. 7/10    

Rusty Eye: Dissecting Shadows (Bloodblast)

Another addition to the Bloodblast distribution network are LA/Mexican trio Rusty Eye. Originally from Mexico City they now reside in Hollywood and the spirit of cinema is never far from this new record. Albeit the type of cinema they are focussed on are Italian Schlock-Horror B-Movies and the exploitation/Grindhouse flicks that Quentin Tarantino has based his career on! To deliver this grimy, often blood drenched lyrical influence the music needs to match and Rusty Eye's music is dirtier than a Miner in a Coal Pit! Easily showing influence of bands such as Sir Lord Baltimore, Blue Cheer and our own Budgie they also bring quite a large amount of punk raging. (Defacing Effigies)

It mainly puts then in the same kind of dirty biker rock sound as Admiral Sir Cloudselley Shovell, Gentlemen's Pistols and at times even Orange F'kn Goblin but with the occasional foray into something that makes the listener prick up their ears and think "what was that?" Be it some black metal tremolo picking or some haunting synths which creep in at the end of Can't Wait To Go To Hell and drive a prog metal sound on the title track.

The key to the band forging a unique sound is that while Baron Murtland plays some mind expanding solos and lead explorations Mr Rust (bass) and Miss Randall (drums) not only power the gritty riffs and rhythms which move between crunchy biker rock grooves, through thrash metal and into black metal ferocity but also share vocals Miss Randall having a sneering clean voice opposed to Mr Rust's more extreme growls that both lend themselves well to this album menagerie of styles. Defiantly D.I.Y and fearlessly independent of any genre labels Rusty Eye's music sounds as if The Ramones and Motorhead made a film soundtrack jamming with Voivod and John Carpenter, it's clever, interesting effortlessly cool Dissecting Shadows is unlike many albums you'll hear this year. 8/10

Mors Principium Est: Seven (AFM Records)

Surprisingly Seven is the seventh album from Finnish melo-death mob Mors Principium Est  and after six previous efforts the bands trademark use of bombastic symphonic touches and guitar heroics EVH (R.I.P) himself would be proud of. Obviously being Finnish the main reference point would be  Children Of Bodom but Mors Principium Est have greater depth to their sound than COB, meaning that they could easily be the band COB fans will latch on to now, of they haven't already. MPE do deserve the same kind of worship COB seemed to garner as for me they are the better band, not just vocally but playing wise they have that virtuoso edge, with keening lead breaks and mind melting solos but also their songs bring with them more intricate playing in the rhythms to the point that they almost get progressive. 

Much of this scope is due to the band being a two piece in the studio, Finn Ville Viljanen the screams/growls and production while Brit Andy Gillion is the six string wizard that handles the guitars and programming. While the lyrics on this record are somber and downcast the music is anything but keeping the album moving at Warp One seldom dropping out of hyperspace unless required to it's necessary to add some atmosphere or where the synths are used to full effect. Equally brutal and melodious Seven continues MPE's journey at the leading edge of the Scandi melodeath sound. When things get back to normal they are heading out on tour with Wolfheart and on the strength of Seven there will be many a pit induced. 7/10