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Friday 18 March 2022

Reviews: Ghost, Eric Wagner, Hath, Children Of The Sün (Reviews By Matt Cook & Rich P]

Ghost – Impera (Spinefarm Records/Loma Vista) [Matt Cook]

Love them or hate them, there’s no doubting Ghost’s exuberant rise to the top of modern hard rock (with a tinge of the blues) since the Swede’s inception back in 2006. Sharing stages with Iron Maiden, Volbeat and the like is no accident. They deserve to be here in part because of routinely polished production, an outstanding live sound and a bevy of catchy tunes. Though Impera doesn’t have a litany of hooky tracks, Ghost – aided by unabashed confidence – unflinchingly created an album as unique as their aura. acoustic intros, marching-band snare drums, pop-punk attitude, orchestral compositions, brass horns and even guitar work that sounds a lot like the late great Eddie Van Halen. 

This record has it all. And the patented “pop” of the drum kit remains (Call Me Little Sunshine). Three of the last six tracks can easily be described as avante-garde; Dominion opens as a brooding interlude helped along by an orchestra; Twenties is simply unlike anything Ghost has made up until now; and Darkness At The Heart Of My Love includes repetitive snapping and a pounding bass drum. This effort was constructed by a team not worried about appeasing everyone. Rather, each song brings undiscovered motifs to be independently found by everyone who listens. Kaisarion most caught me off guard, what with the pick slide into a wail combination which turns fast-paced and up-beat. 

That feel-good vibe infests Spillways and Watcher In The Sky, the latter a massive toe-tapping affair featuring groovy dual-guitar harmonizing. Showing off some flair, Griftwood begins with a familiar-sounding tone of a certain Frankenstrat and is enveloped throughout by a warm piano. Ghost has shown us they can dispatch straight-up hits (look no further than Ritual, Square Hammer, Witch Image, etc.). Now we start to hear a different side that comes off as unique as it is firmly Ghost. Papa Emeritus IV mans the altar as confident and daring as any incarnation of the entity has done before. 8/10

Eric Wagner: The Lonely Light Of Mourning (Cruz Del Sur Music) [Rich P]

This one is a tough one for me to write. Eric Wagner sang on what is my favorite of all time album, Manic Frustration, and countless other metal, doom and even a little bit of psych classics with Trouble, The Skull, Blackfinger, and Lid. When he died last year, it hit me hard. His voice has been with me from when I head the opening riff to C’mon Touch The Sky (I was a bit of a late adopter but hey, I was pretty young when Manic was released) so this was a big blow. So, after spending a few weeks listing to all his stuff and tearing up every time Breathe came on, it was bittersweet to hear that there would be a posthumous release of a solo album as fitting tribute to has amazing and influential career. 

The Lonely Light Of Mourning is the solo album he always wanted to do and he completed it right before he passed. A bunch of his long-time friends and collaborators lend their talents here, and the result is a fitting sendoff to a metal legend. Musically, I can say definitively if you like any of Eric’s work you will enjoy this for sure. But be ready for an emotional ride if his music meant anything to you (or if you have one thread of emotion in your body). 

Kicking off with Rest In Place, we get some serious Trouble/Skull vibes (how could you not) and the beginning of what seems to be a premonition of his impending passing, with lyrics like “A breath of wind, here at the end.” Next, Maybe Tomorrow which sounds like could be from the Plastic Green Head sessions recalling “girls with flowers in their hair” and more chilling lines like “Where will I be, this time tomorrow, If I die today…” We get more of the same doomy Trouble-esque goodness with Isolation, which reminds me of something off Simple Mind Condition (maybe Trouble Maker, more on this later). Great riffs with that iconic voice makes this track one of my favorites. Strings accompany lyrics like in my “in time of dying with the pain” on If You Lost It All which is a slowed down, haunting track that is a perfect vibe for this record. 

A riff straight out of The Skull opens Strain Theory, which could have been on any of the first three Trouble records. He seems comfortable that the end is near as he sings “don’t be afraid to look for the light…” The title track is where, if you cared about this man or his music, becomes almost too much, as you can picture his future suffering as he sings “lying here on my pillow, at the end of my days, here beneath my window, I can hear them pray…” and “I always knew you would love me when I’m dead.” It’s a tough listen, but at this point it is supposed to be. In The Lonely Light Of Mourning ends with a full on ripper that could have been on one of the Rubin era Trouble records and perfectly ends the album not with a sad note, but a fitting goodbye to this metal icon as he sings “If you are in heaven, or in hell, either way, I wish you well.”

As the song fades out, he is singing the line to Trouble Maker, which is an amazing way to round out this album, this career, and this life. If you like anything Eric Wagner has ever done, you need to spend time with this album. It is a full-on emotional roller coaster and a perfectly fitting tribute to his body of work. I would be praising this if he was still with us, but the emotional punch you get knowing the circumstances makes this a true experience. Now it’s time to leave, need air to breathe. 9/10

Hath – All That Was Promised (Willowtip Records) [Matt Cook]

Personally, the most endearing quality about tech-death/deathcore is how the genres routinely weld together highly intricate musicianship with obscure and complex lyrics to create songs that can satisfy metal heads and intellectuals (or both). The newest installment arrives thanks to Hath and their All That Was Promised release. Steeped in anti-religion overtones and themes invoking Ancient iconography, the band’s sophomore album is nine tracks of gnarly metal that boasts precision and excellent chemistry among band mates. 

The full-length touches on the Ancient Greek term for when a base metal becomes gold (Iosis), a renunciation of divine nature (Kenosis) and even a large, black, metallic beetle which has armor and a blowhole (Lithopaed). Hath don’t sacrifice the integrity of their music, either. Frank Albanese is monstrous on here, most notably on opening track The Million Violations. Decollation – a fancy way of saying “the act of beheading someone” – sees Albanese working in tandem with Greg Nottis, developing a formidable Metalcore-style hook. There is a consistent utilization of throttling metal and somber lines throughout, which makes for a stellar back-and-forth. It never feels out of place or at odds with each other. Albanese and fellow axeman Peter Brown shine most with their extensive, dazzling shredding featured on Kenosis

The balance of soloing and structure thrives for the entire duration of the 51-plus-minutes. Circling back to the lyrics: Lithopaedic chills by declaring, “Setting and reshaping into my serpentine form / the time will come to emerge.” Kenosis flat-out proclaims :”I have sinned and I will sin again” as if the very act is a macabre badge of honor. Finally, the gravel grunts layered on top of sharp and fast pedaling is adeptly crafted. Hath doesn’t even incorporate a keyboard but still devise suitable and enticing atmospherics. I have nothing negative to say. This group crushed it. The diverse songwriting keeps things fresh and clear talent shown by all involved comes together magnificently. 8/10

Children Of The Sün - Roots (The Sign Records) [Rich P]

Children Of The Sün take us on a time machine trip back to the late sixties/early seventies with their second album, Roots, which is an excellent album title follow up to their debut record, Flowers. Let’s see if the content is a clever as the album name. Children Of The Sün are firmly planted in the retro rock stylings that have become so prevalent in the scene theses days, calling out Hendrix, Joplin, Cocker, and other Woodstock era bands and hitting the mark perfectly on those comparisons. 

One thing that stands apart from several of the bands out there do this style today are the amazing vocals of Josefina Berglund Ekholm throughout Roots. You get to experience this right off the bat with the opening track, Reflection. Dripping in Sixties hippie vibes, you know what you are getting right away over the thirteen-track offering. The first single from the record, Gaslighting, is an upbeat seventies Heart-esque rocker again focusing on Ekholm’s amazing voice and showing that these peaceful hippies can rock on what is the strongest track on Roots. Even when the topics are about gas lighting, you still get this vibe of positivity throughout Roots that, depending on your outlook, may be a plus or minus of the listening experience. 

The title track is another strong offering that draws on the vibe that they have been pushing for the six previous tracks and brings the bluesy groove and is a nice centerpiece to build around. The Soul is another strong track that reminds me of what the Black Crowes would sound like if Chris Robinson was replaced with a female vocalist. My issue with Roots is that it is too long. I found myself wondering if the track I was on was the last track starting around song nine. The album drags, especially in the second half, and could have been a more effective effort with some editing down to, say, the ten strongest songs to make this album way more impactful. 

The playing, the production, and especially those harmonized vocals are major pluses of Roots. Some editing may have enhanced the experience but overall Children Of The Sün know how to bring the retro rock and would have had some afternoon spot on day two of the famous show they are so influenced by. If that’s your thing then check out Roots. 7/10

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