Toto – With A Little Help From My Friends: Live (The Players Club) [Alex Swift]
This concert does not include
Africa. This can be a double-edged sword – on the one hand fans of Toto who are so inclined to see them live, at a socially distanced concert no less, probably hold more fondness for them outside of their most notable songs, and a band should never feel obliged to play the hits just as a matter of “crowd-pleasing”. The problem being, to someone like me,
Africa, and to a lesser extent
Hold The Line and
Rosanna (which they did play admittedly with admissions of reluctance) the only defining factor of this act. Without that the song that initially catapulted them to success and recently got people talking about them again when the internet made the song a meme. Without that they are just another Album Oriented Rock artist. Again, ironic given that the only album worth possessing from this band is the greatest hits.
Outside of that though this sounds like a great concert – it’s technically faultless except for a few live mixing issues which result in a few awkward moments between the song of the band shouting instructions back and forth to the sound man, and joking amongst themselves (their jokes are as cheesy as some of their music, evidently), I might even say the show is a little too note for note although I can hardly blame them for imperfection, even if the faint smatterings of applause in between songs does not help in giving the listener the impression of being at a concert in the way that great live albums do.
Admittedly, this is another element I can’t exactly blame the band for, because as far as I know toto did not cause pandemic. All that being said, this is an album firmly for the fans and that’s not a category I count myself as being in in. However, if you’re a fan of Toto and you’ve brought all their other work, you’ll definitely enjoy this as well. The record is a crowd-pleaser in itself in that sense. 6/10
Crashface - Heavy Infectious (Self Released) [Alex Swift]
Cultivating a deliberately chaotic atmosphere in their music, Crashface fuse industrial atmosphere with a thrilling raucousness. A track like the opener, ultraplasticplanetkiller may make submerging the listener in sonic disorder its primary aim but dig a little deeper and the myriad of effects and samples proves intriguing. The writing and performances remind me greatly of the work of Enter Shikari, Bring Me The Horizon or even some of the early work of Nine Inch Nails – on a surface level it’s just volatile, and extreme yet there a lot to engage with on a deeper level should you wish to. Molotov Smile proves erratic and changeable, the punk inspired energy combining excellently with the sheer scale and ambition of the piece.
On a different note entirely, Loading Screen Infinity is anxious and existential and tone – in a sense this feels like the perfect quarantine album as its surrounding atmospherics and deepening sense of panic reminds me of being locked in a room and witnessing the world collapse from the convenience of an i-phone. This is also the most notable instance of this duo being genuinely contemplative and emotional as the song slows to a mournful and sombre dirge before allowing anger to rule once more. Cold is a brilliant example of how this band bring together entrancing electronics with a strong guitar and drum presence while not allowing either element to dull their unique and intriguing sound! We end on You’re the Worst Thing That’s Ever Happened To Me, Ever and it’s the perfect closer.
Wild, Loud, yet also melodic and meaningful, if you just listen to one song off this EP listen to this one as to this writer at least, this feels like the one to win over potential fans. While elements of Crashface’s sound can come across as derivative, by the time I got to the end of this release I was excited and enthralled despite the copycat tendencies that lurk in the background. This is a great start to a career that seems like its going to be boisterous, lively, and impressive! 7/10
North Of South - The Tides In Our Veins (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Founded by Spanish multi-instrumentalist Chechu Nos North Of South is basically a collaborative solo project for Nos who contributes guitar, vocals, bass, drum programming, keyboards and synths, so this is very much the music of one man, and he experiments with various sounds throughout shifting between hard rock, melodic metal, Latin/Jazz but mainly sitting in the dark progressive metal sound of bands like Evergrey. A track such as White Blindness is very much in the Evergrey style, however Evergrey frontman Tom S Englund features on third track Soul Cartography which brings some touches of Opeth.
It's a dark evocative style of music across 50 odd minutes and along with Englund there are some featured vocals from Rebecca Stanley (The Mariana Hollow) who provides a wide ranging style to the songs she has co-lead and backing vocals on the biggest being A Pinch Of Stardust and In The Margins Of The Script Of Life. There is also some flamenco vocals from Javier Caminero on Just Fourteen Seconds along with screams from Rotting Christ man Sakis Tolis makes me feel things moving towards a band like Moonspell. The Tides In Our Veins is an expansive solo prog metal record with some high profile guests. 7/10
Mourn The Light - Suffer, Then We're Gone (Argonauta Records) [Matt Bladen]
Mourn The Light are formed by Dwayne Eldredge, who is the founder of The New England Stoner and Doom Festival. A man who knows about doom, Eldredge's band Mourn The Light is a definite homage to the legends of the epic doom scene. They claim bands like Saint Vitus, Candlemass and The Obsessed are their main influence but there is a very distinct progressive sound that to me makes them have touches of Atlantean Kodex and even Rush when they morph into acoustic passages like they do on When The Fear Subsides and Wisdom Bestowed. On the other end of the record the crunchy I Bare The Skies has the mid-paced thrust of Grand Magus. These lighter moments are one facet of their sound, the other though is all powerful doom, which rears its head on the title track, adding some extreme vocals ala My Dying Bride. Featuring all the styles of doom you would want (not funeral) Suffer, Then We're Gone is a strong doom metal record, made by a band who are well established in the sound. Mourn The Light and let the darkness in, though don't lose all hope if you enter here. 8/10
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