Ah Nero the final Julio-Claudian Emperor, who famously (but inaccurately fiddled while Rome burnt), Roman Legionary Metal force Ex Deo have focused their latest record on the The Thirteen Years Of Nero, which also manages to coincide with almost the fall of Rome itself. It follows on four years from their previous release and once again Ex Deo bring a cinematic death metal, that deals with one of the most brutal and historically famous periods in Roman history. Tracks inspired by the full sublimation of Britain, the revolt of Boudicca and the Iceni (Up The Celts!), the burning of Rome and the rise of Nero's successor Galba, through uprising, are all dealt with here with metallic intensity and historical accuracy.
As per usual the charge is led by Praefectus Castrorum Maurizio Iacono, whose imperious roars and creative mind focus the songs along with his Tribuni Angusticlavii Jean-François Dagenais who handles production and guitar. They are aided by long time soldiers, Stéphane Barbe (lead guitar) and Dano Apekian (bass). This album also sees two new additions to the cavalry in drummer Jeramie Kling and Clemens Wijers who handles the marvelous orchestral scores. Ex Deo work best with a concept as their second album Caligvla and as the powerful Fall Of Claudius starts things off with the death of the previous Emperor (who has not been given the same treatment by the band as his predecessor and successor).
It's the majestic Imperator where things get going the Roman Lyra (what Nero actually played) throughout the track fleshing out the heavy groove of this triumphant number. As Ex Deo begin to unleash their newest opus on the world, the riffs, strings and roars all displaying the power and passion of Ex Deo. Viciousness comes from Britannia: The 9th at Camulodonum which moves into a cascading string section, The Fiddle & The Fire brings both folk and doom metal while Boudicca (Queen Of The Iceni) is the albums most accessible track features a duet with Brittney Slayes as the Warrior Queen (apt really considering her day job in Unleash The Archers). The Thirteen Years Of Nero is Ex Deo in full formation here, bringing another brilliantly executed attack with this fourth full length. 9/10
Enemy Inside – Seven (ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records) [Megan Jenkins]
I’m always a sucker for a female fronted band and this new release from Enemy Inside is no exception to the rule. Seven is the first release since their debut album in 2018 and it was definitely worth the three-year wait to get some new content from the German five-piece. The album opens with Crystallize, which was the first taste we got of this new sound. It incorporates heavy guitar with electronic elements seamlessly. The next track Alien has an unbelievably bouncy riff at its core, and it builds up to a breakdown with aggressive vocals, yet again incorporating electronic sounds to enhance the driving beat. The vocal harmonies throughout this album create an unusually haunting and eerie atmosphere in what’s otherwise upbeat instrumentals.
Nastassja Giulia’s vocals remind me an awful lot of Evanescence’s Amy Lee. A prime example of this is Break Through; a slower piano ballad that seems oddly placed within the album, but it shows us the range of their skills as musicians and songwriters. For me, I don’t particularly believe that it belongs as a part of this album, yet I can appreciate why they may have included it. In My Blood sounds an awful lot like Hybrid Theory era Linkin Park, in the absolute best way. Something about it makes me feel oddly nostalgic and was a nice surprise after the previous song. Bulletproof and Dynamite show the band’s skill set within electronic music. The synths that carry both intros don’t seem out of place, no matter how much of an odd choice they may seem during your first listen.
The title track, Seven, is my immediate favourite. It has all the best elements of the album and their entire sound melded into one. Haunting melodies, chunky guitar riffs, and an aggressive breakdown that made me go ‘oooooooooh’. It’s a song that instantly made me nod my head along to the beat with its bouncy opening riff and use of a guitar scale most people would just describe as ‘exotic’ - you’ll see exactly what I mean when you hear it – that enhances the entire instrumental. The next track, Black And Gold, is also a slow one. I’m glad they split up the softer songs - even if this one doesn’t stay soft for very long with the addition of distorted guitar. Still though, I think it doesn’t really have a place within the album – wherever they put the slower songs, they would seem completely out of place because of the sound of the rest of the album, but again I can appreciate what they were trying to do.
Seven finishes off with a cover of Jennifer Paige’s Crush. Its oddly satisfying to hear what was originally an upbeat pop song become its much darker, depressed younger sibling. It's one of the best ‘rock’ covers I've heard in recent years and should be the leading example to show those ‘Pop Goes Punk’ albums exactly what they should be going for. They’ve completely reworked the song and made it their own, and still left it recognisable as a version of the original – exactly what a cover should be. It’s the perfect end to a near-perfect album. 8/10
Grab your spacesuit and set the controls for the heart of the sun as Comet Control are ready to take you on a transcendental psych rock journey into the stars. These Canadian rockers owe as much to the psych rock pioneers such as Hendrix, Caravan, Soft Machine and Aphrodite's Child as they do to the 90's revivalists like The Stone Roses, The Charlatans and our own Super Furry Animals, throw in a bit of Flaming Lips weirdness and you'll be well on the path towards Comet Control's musical enlightenment. Although this one doesn't come through peace and meditation but fuzzy, reverb drenched guitars and propulsive percussion such as you can hear on Secret Life. Although it's not all thrust the keyboard heavy introspection of Good Day To Say Goodbye slows the pace while retaining the band's focussed take on psych rock.
The mix of the older and newer approach is well crafted with all the musicians well experienced in their native countries psych rock scene. But on this record the former Quest For Fire men Chad Ross and Andrew Moszynskialong with co-founder Nicole Ross have sculpted a record that is the band at their most effective and eclectic. It hard to put it into words, so I'll say that really you need to listen to this album to fully appreciate it. If you love mind warping psych rocking with all manner of other styles hiding in the details then Inside The Sun is a fantastic cosmic cacophony from Comet Control. 8/10
Gost – Rites Of Love And Reverence (Century Media Records) [Megan Jenkins]
Considering Gost has been releasing music since 2013 and has shared stages with the likes of Power Trip and The Black Dahlia Murder, I’m surprised I hadn’t heard his name until now. He began releasing synthpop music right at the beginning of its popularity in the early 2010s, but I’ll be brutally honest and say that ‘dark synthpop’ like his is something that I’ve never really listened to – my main experience in this genre comes from bands like Duran Duran or Bronski Beat. Some nice family friendly(ish) pop music. For me, the album doesn’t seem to know which direction it wants to go in. It seems very freeform and uses a lot of dissonant elements that I’m not overly keen on but it’s a defining characteristic of the genre, so who am I to judge when I will quite happily sit and listen to Bananarama unironically.
Gost – Rites Of Love And Reverence (Century Media Records) [Megan Jenkins]
Considering Gost has been releasing music since 2013 and has shared stages with the likes of Power Trip and The Black Dahlia Murder, I’m surprised I hadn’t heard his name until now. He began releasing synthpop music right at the beginning of its popularity in the early 2010s, but I’ll be brutally honest and say that ‘dark synthpop’ like his is something that I’ve never really listened to – my main experience in this genre comes from bands like Duran Duran or Bronski Beat. Some nice family friendly(ish) pop music. For me, the album doesn’t seem to know which direction it wants to go in. It seems very freeform and uses a lot of dissonant elements that I’m not overly keen on but it’s a defining characteristic of the genre, so who am I to judge when I will quite happily sit and listen to Bananarama unironically.
A standout track would be Embrace The Blade, which begins with a chunky guitar riff that’s been layered with God knows how many effect pedals. This guitar is probably the main reason why I like it purely because it adds to the ‘dark’ theme that Gost is apparently going for, without making the instrumental sound cheesy and gaudy. His wailing vocals work best on this track, even though they’re throughout the entire album. Coven is also another standout track for me, and it wouldn’t seem entirely out of place on the soundtrack to one of the Doom video games. If only it was an instrumental instead.
It could be because the synthpop I will usually listen to is bright and happy, but this album didn’t exactly do a lot for me. I can appreciate the amount of effort gone into making it but if I’m brutally honest, the dissonance and slow tempo just isn’t for me. 6/10
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