Coming nearly three years after their celebrated last album Applause From A Distant Crowd, Witness is the latest release from Danish/Swedish band Vola. Witness opens with three tracks that will be instantly recognised as why Vola are considered to be near the top of the prog tree. Deep, down-tuned grooves that were born out of their djenty record Inmazes carry things along, especially on first single Head Mounted Sideways, but vocalist there's not much of the shouting, Asger Mygind continuing to use his resonant clean vocals for added emotional weight. In fact Witness is all about added emotional weight, it's a much darker, at times more introspective, record than its predecessor. This is because the band have explored themes such as misuse of power, societal fracturing and broken relationships. Head Mounted Sideways, deals with the idea of turning away and ignoring the decline of civilization while Inside Your Fur is about the dangers of nostalgia, a fitting climax to the record.
Trick Or Treat - The Unlocked Songs (Scarlet Records) [Richard Oliver]
The Unlocked Songs is the new album from Italian power metallers Trick Or Treat. Despite being a fan of power metal Trick Or Treat are a band that have managed to elude me despite containing one of the best singers in the genre - the mighty Alessandro Conti (Lione/Conti, Twilight Force, ex-Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody).
This is a bit of an unusual album to get a first impression of the band as this is a compilation which consists of unreleased material, rarities, oddities and cover versions. It’s a bit of fan service ahead of a new album but it really is rather enjoyable. I’ve always been a sucker for the flowery European power metal sound and these Italians really know how to do cheesy power metal. The songs themselves are fairly varied from high energy power metal songs such as Hungarian Hangover and Aries Hall, epic symphonic power metal such as Dragonborn - Skyrim, power metal ballads such as Almost Gone, silly songs such as Heavy Metal Bunga Bunga & cover versions such as Scream (Misfits) and a live version of I’m Alive (Helloween). There are acoustic songs, a Christmas song, an old demo and much more.
As this is a compilation with material of varying styles and from various sources it is a bit inconsistent though if you are a fan of Trick Or Treat then there is plenty here for you to get your teeth into. This was a bit of a weird one to garner a first impression of a band but I was suitably impressed and it gave me an insight into the various sounds and styles the band can put out. Far from an essential listen but this is good fun. 7/10
Herman Frank - Two For A Lie (AFM Records) [Matt Bladen]
Ah Herman Frank, the Hanoverian axe man known as being a member of Victory and ex-Accept, is now on his fifth solo album. Two For A Lie continues his collaboration with vocalist Rick Altzi (At Vance/Masterplan) and bassist Michael Müller (Jaded Heart) and once more we're treated to pumping Teutonic riffage as the album lets rip ironically with Teutonic Order, it's a track that basically shows you what to expect Frank and new boy Mike Pesin giving that grunting twin axe attack while the other newbie is drummer Kevin Kott, this injection of new membership has got Frank, Altzi and Müller set out all guns blazing. Hard rock come from Danger and Venom, the nastier Hate follows with a bit of speed metal, but the majority of album sticks to that German metal sound developed by Accept, Grave Digger, Running Wild etc. Altzi has a great voice in that classic sort of screaming demon delivery on Hail The New Kings. Two For A Lie is nothing you wouldn't expect from Herman Frank, no surprises but lots of muscular trad metal flexing. 6/10
Ice War - Sacred Land (Fighter Records) [Richard Oliver]
Sacred Land is the new album from Ice War which is the solo project of Jo “Steel” Capitalcide of Canadian speed metal band Aphrodite. Formed in 2015 from the ashes of Iron Dogs, Ice War have been steadily releasing albums and EP’s since 2017 with Sacred Land being the fifth full length album from the project. And it is very much a solo project with Jo performing all vocals and instruments. Although formed as a speed metal band, Sacred Land sees Ice War slowing things down with a heavily doom influenced epic metal sound. This is very much a meeting of Black Sabbath, Count Raven, Cirith Ungol and Manilla Road. The album is an absolute riff fest with songs such as Crystal Mirror, Nuclear Gods and Black Horse guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of any self-respecting old school metalhead. And then we come to the vocals. To put it lightly Jo cannot sing and to put it more bluntly his vocals are dire. They are perfectly serviceable when Jo sticks to a lower register but as soon as he tries to go into a higher register that is where things fall apart and become at times wince inducingly bad.
The songs themselves are well structured and packed full of those beautifully doomy riffs which makes it a shame when Jo decides to open his mouth and bring things crashing down. I wouldn’t say his vocals totally ruin the album but they definitely put a big dampener on things. Thankfully the great riffs somewhat redeem this album and if you can stomach the vocals then I take my proverbial hat off to you. Had another vocalist been brought in on the album then it would be far superior but it is what it is. Some fantastic doomy epic metal let down by awful vocals. 6/10
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