Reviews: Shining Black, Nite, Hawxx, Without Waves (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Shining Black - Postcards From The End Of The World (Frontiers Music Srl)

Shining Black, or to give the band its full title; Shining Black - Boals & Thorsen, is a melodic metal band formed by guitarist Ölaf Thorsen (Labyrinth, Vision Divine) and vocalist Mark Boals (Ring Of Fire, Yngwie Malmsteen), as the band title probably gives away. This is their second collaborative effort and like the debut it's more of the same kind of intensely melodic music with a virtuoso metal sound. If any of the bands these two men have been in are of interest to you then you'll enjoy Postcards From The End Of The World. 

Despite opening with two of the records weakest songs, by the time we get to We Are Death Angels that melodic metal sound is fully realised Boals in full voice while Thorsen riffs and solos away merrily, the classical guitars and keys rounding out that neo-classical feel, Summer Solstice Under Delphi's Sky continues with some Greek mythology themed power, Thorsen again ripping out solos like they are second nature. As I've said there's no significant departures from what was established on the debut record but then the expectation is for this kind of fiercely melodic, emotionally charged metal that fans of Labyrinth and Ring Of Fire will get hyped about. 

A Hundred Thousand Shades Of Black and Mirror Of Time both go full power metal, Faded Pictures of me is ballad for Boals to open up is lungs for, while the final track Time Heals, They Say ends the album on an upbeat style. I will say that I'd have spread the blasting power metal tracks out a little bit more, perhaps keeping one as an opener, but other than that Postcards From The End Of The World (no phone service clearly) is a mighty melodic metal offering. 7/10

Nite - Voices Of The Kronian Moon (Season Of Mist) 

Ah The Bay Area, the San Francisco Bay Area to be totally accurate, is one of the most fertile breeding grounds for heavy metal around, the birthplace of thrash metal, speed, aggression and technical wizardry are all synonymous with the region so then the expectation would be for Nite, to at least have some of these traits. Anyone who has heard their 2020 debut Darkness Silence Mirror Flame will have had ample amount of proof that the band, led by vocalist/guitarist Van Labrakis, have all the trademarks of that Bay Area scene, drawing from both NWOBHM and thrash, while also incorporating growled vocals and a blackened edge. 

Labrakis and Scott Hoffman both bring some superb six string wizardry to the record, carving up the riffs like it was soft cheese, and soloing as if they'd die without them. Nite take more from the classic British/European style of metal with bands such as Judas Priest/Mercyful Fate, than the American style but it's still a galloping trad/speed metal, just with a darker feel. Driven by the pummeling drumbeats of Patrick Crawford and bass playing of Avinash Mittur, who replaced original bass player Bryan Coons last year, Voices Of The Kronian Moon feels a little like Nergal fronting a band like Demon, Satan or Angel Witch, in fact who they really sound like is Venom with better production and twin axe harmonies. 

A record to get your fist pumping as the blackened NWOBHM sound, though Edge Of The Night has a Zeppelin thunder. Embrace the dark of the sunny Bay Area. 7/10

Hawxx - You're Only As Loud As You Shout Right Now (Self Released)

Now just a a trio of Anna Papadimitriou (vocals/guitar), Hannah Staphnill (guitar/vocals) and Jessica Dann (drums) after parting ways with their bassist Iman Ahmed in January, You're Only As Loud As You Shout Right Now is the second EP from London based Hawxx, is jammed with searing modern metal, grooving alt rock and lyrics that deal with "self empowerment, lies of the diet industry mental health struggles" and of course "the challenges of being a sexy bastard". Their debut EP was well received by the press and they won Metal 2 The Masses London in 2021, giving a noteworthy performance at Bloodstock. 

So riding high it was only a matter of time that they would record a new music. So what does You're Only As Loud As You Shout Right Now offer the listener. Well, straight out of the gate, you're met with a brooding riff, the first track Death Of Silence is a defiant opening statement, the album title shouted back at you in the pre-chorus, leading into the euphoric chorus, as towards the end there's a neat little breakdown to ease you into Hawxx's proggy, anthemic music. Much of the EP is palm muted and down tuned, the post metal power of Hologram giving you a some futuristic psych feeling. 

It's the heavyweight six stringing from Anna and Hannah, but juxtaposed by the soaring, operatically delivered vocals of Anna, that makes a song such as Heart Play Dead a very unique cut, feeling a bit like Muse in places, Jessica's drumming shifting between ferocious and furtive easily. Closing out with the explosive Detonation, (sorry for the pun) this follow up EP delivers Hawxx's signature sound with more refinement and focus than before. Playing numerous gig this year, including Radar Festival in July, You're Only As Loud As You Shout Right Now is their raison d'être. 8/10

Without Waves - Comedian (Prosthetic Records)

There's prog and then there are bands like Dillinger Escape Plan, Between The Buried And Me and Devin Townsend, redefining the idea of 'progressive' music with every release. Well you can add to that list Chicago band Without Waves, five years since their previous album Lunar, the third record in their discography is a musical headfuck from the first minutes, for 10 songs it's intensely heavy, vicious and violent, but also brain meltingly odd and packed with shifting time signatures and styles. Part Hevy Devy, part Mike Patton/Mr Bungle, part Deftones, Comedian isn't a laugh a minute, it's a bloody hard work needing several listens to fully understand what the bloody hell is actually going on. 

The band have built the record around the feeling on anxiety and I'll say that it gave me anxiety listening to it, the first two tracks Good Grief and Animal Kingdom slamming multiple styles and pace shifts your way before you can even ease yourself into the record itself. From there things get heavier and  weirder, avant-garde compositions packed with intensity will shock the majority on first listen but with each play, you start to understand the immeasurably strange mindset Without Waves inhabit. 

In .algorithm vocalist/guitarist Anthony Cwan whispers the words "you'll always be alone" and "art is anything you can get away with" perhaps unveiling their feelings and their ideology as a band. They get away with tonne in the name of art here, crushing grooves from Gwan, Zac Lombardi (guitar) and John Picillo (bass) as Garry Naples takes his place as a machine behind the kit. As Sleep Deep finally slows into some post rock/meets sludge "jahhms" you get the briefest of rest bite from the frenzied carnage, as Do What Scares You returns to more aural abuse. 

The sort of album Mike Patton, Frank Zappa, Devin Townsend and Slipknot would create if they ever worked together, Without Waves redefine prog with Comedian. Listener beware and open mind is required. 8/10