If you’ve been to one of Phil Campbell’s Bastard Sons headline shows, you may well have come across Leader Of Down, who although Wurzel is no longer with us have carried on and let’s face it, as a touring package it’s a great way of letting other Motörhead fans know that the band exists. Musically this is straight up pacey hard rock of the old school though, and that means broad appeal for a style that never goes away, and when done well reinforces the genre for the next generation. This is one such album…
What I didn’t expect is for this to be a conceptual piece loosely based on a C.S. Lewis book, as that sort of literary influence stuff is normally the stock in trade of the power metal end of the spectrum. It’s an odd piece of a book, written apologetically on behalf of Christianity and dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien, involving written to and fro correspondence between a demon known as Screwtape and his nephew Wormwood, to try and influence his victim away from Christianity in the face of the onslaught the second World War had on faith in general. Given what’s happening in Eastern Europe right now it’s thematically quite appropriate. It will probably turn up in a Ghost song somewhere along the line, but Leader Of Down got there first.
The music’s completely at odds with the concept though. The explosive frenetic Cat’s Eye Night kicks things off nicely, leaving no doubt where the act are coming from musically and anyone who grew up loving this sort of 70’s back to basics rock ‘n’ roll is going to find this fitting the glove nicely. The tempo is upbeat and bristling with energetic, and not downbeat at all regardless of the thematic source. There’s loads of full on riffage – nothing fancy or overtly technical, just catchy and blues-based melody lines, with simple yet effective solos and a hugely powerful and charismatic vocalist in the form of Matt Baker, a straight ahead rockin’ man in the Bon Scott mold. Wurzel may no longer be with us, but his disciple Alex Ward plays homage whilst keeping his own style intact.
This album is an absolute banger from start to finish and doesn’t waste your time with slowing the pace down, or drowning you with an unnecessary power ballad just straight ahead, catchy and hugely infectious rock ‘n’ roll baby. 8/10
Decasia - An Endless Feast For Hyenas (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich P]
Ready for some French psych/stoner/prog/Krautrock goodness? Well look no further than Decasia’s debut full length An Endless Feast For Hyenas. After very promising EP offerings in 2016 and 2017, Decasia took their time to deliver what is a strong heavy psych rock record that is complex and filled with skillful playing over the ten tracks and 46 minutes of An Endless Feast For Hyenas.
What I didn’t expect is for this to be a conceptual piece loosely based on a C.S. Lewis book, as that sort of literary influence stuff is normally the stock in trade of the power metal end of the spectrum. It’s an odd piece of a book, written apologetically on behalf of Christianity and dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien, involving written to and fro correspondence between a demon known as Screwtape and his nephew Wormwood, to try and influence his victim away from Christianity in the face of the onslaught the second World War had on faith in general. Given what’s happening in Eastern Europe right now it’s thematically quite appropriate. It will probably turn up in a Ghost song somewhere along the line, but Leader Of Down got there first.
The music’s completely at odds with the concept though. The explosive frenetic Cat’s Eye Night kicks things off nicely, leaving no doubt where the act are coming from musically and anyone who grew up loving this sort of 70’s back to basics rock ‘n’ roll is going to find this fitting the glove nicely. The tempo is upbeat and bristling with energetic, and not downbeat at all regardless of the thematic source. There’s loads of full on riffage – nothing fancy or overtly technical, just catchy and blues-based melody lines, with simple yet effective solos and a hugely powerful and charismatic vocalist in the form of Matt Baker, a straight ahead rockin’ man in the Bon Scott mold. Wurzel may no longer be with us, but his disciple Alex Ward plays homage whilst keeping his own style intact.
This album is an absolute banger from start to finish and doesn’t waste your time with slowing the pace down, or drowning you with an unnecessary power ballad just straight ahead, catchy and hugely infectious rock ‘n’ roll baby. 8/10
Decasia - An Endless Feast For Hyenas (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich P]
Ready for some French psych/stoner/prog/Krautrock goodness? Well look no further than Decasia’s debut full length An Endless Feast For Hyenas. After very promising EP offerings in 2016 and 2017, Decasia took their time to deliver what is a strong heavy psych rock record that is complex and filled with skillful playing over the ten tracks and 46 minutes of An Endless Feast For Hyenas.
Opening with Ilion, you can tell we are about to go on a heavy trip. Ilion sets the tone nicely with an absolute ripper to start us off. The guitar work is excellent which is a trend throughout the record. Hrosshvelli’s Ode is the first single off the record and it continues that heavy psych journey and leans more to the stoner rock side of things with the rolling bass line and some nice use of some quiet loud quiet structure that rips your head off during the heavy parts. I really dig singer/guitarist Heavy Seas (great name) vocals to go along with his excellent guitar work. You get another absolute ripper with Cloud Sultan.
These songs are heavy psych rockers that also manage to be extremely catchy, with the choruses sticking with you throughout the day. Cloud Sultan being a perfect example of such an ear worm, even if I have no idea what they are singing during certain parts. Override may be my favorite track on the record, bringing some stoner/space vibes and once again highlights the manic riffing from Heavy Seas. Another stand out track is Skeleton Void which brings the full-on Krautrock but with their heavy psych twist, and they do it very well, like everything else on An Endless Feast For Hyenas. I could probably throw out some bands that influence Decasia, but you are better off just checking this one out so see how Heavy Seas and the boys put their unique twist on all the genres I personally love. It’s a trip worth taking a revisiting often. Highly recommended. 8/10
Theigns & Thralls – Theigns & Thralls (Rockshots Records) [Matt Cook]
Folk Metal doesn’t nearly receive as much adoration as it deserves. Maybe it’s written off because of the unconventional instruments (hurdy-gurdy, accordion, bagpipes, etc.) or the idea that the word “folk” by nature turns people’s 21st-century ears off. That’s a real shame, because the sub-genre is chock full of magnificent work that stretches the boundaries of metal and creates massive tales of both reality and fantasy. Theigns & Thralls are here to ensure Folk Metal creeps evermore into the modern zeitgeist.
Their self-titled debut sees seasoned veterans of the scene crafting 11 glorious tracks of eclectic compositions and entertaining feelings. Spearheaded by vocalist and songwriter Kevin Ridley (Skyclad), 25 – yes, 25 – bandmates and guests contribute for a colossal undertaking. John Ryan takes care of violin and cello; Dave Briggs oversees guitars and whistles; Arjon Valk wields the bass; and drummer Mike Verhof rounds out the group. With resumes featuring Cruachan and Waylander, this is a talented bunch on quite the journey. In true Folk Metal fashion, you can find drinking songs (Strive, Today We Get To Play) and a bevy of beautiful bagpipes (Procession, Life Will Out, Flora Robb, Drinking).
Ridley’s stunning singing truly makes for an exciting and amusing album. The titular track is hooky and smooth; the closer Not Thru The Woods Yet is a true bopper. It’d be so unfortunately simple to imagine this work being swept under the rug in favor of more popular genres and releases. To that I say poppycock, because Theigns & Thralls deserves its rightful place in discussion with any other prodigious album that’s come out in the last calendar year. Think of Braveheart a thousand years later or the Dropkick Murphys (but actually true folk music. Sorry, lads). There is no doubt I will be spinning this album for many months to come. Each song is more exhilarating than the last. So grab a stein, find a friend and let’s drink and share tales of valor until the sun comes up. 9/10
Colours Of One - Vessels (Self Released) [David Karpel]
Michael Simmonds-Dickens (vocals, guitar), Lewis Morgan (bass), Miff Tuck (guitar), and Paul Jones (drums) form the Welsh rock band Colours Of One. Emotional, super melodic, and chock-full of radio ready hooks, their debut album Vessels shows them to be a polished band with chops who are rooted in an emo pop punk sound that populated the indie bins in the mid-90s with glimmery bands like Promise Ring and Jimmy Eat World and the radio rock of the aughts. Crater’s Lip and Eden come out wearing those indie college emo-punk roots like a new hairdo.
Meanwhile, songs like Nail In The Cause, Bones Of Hope, Stay Awake, and Things That Have Learned To Walk also evoke the big breath, electrified versions of Mumford & Sons. Personal lyrics about struggles or social perspectives feed the sense of drama in their emotive delivery. While this isn’t my cup of tea, their skills at lustrous songwriting are undeniable. I’m sure there are still radio stations that will play these songs, and surely there’s a fanbase out there for them. If you like easy-listening rock that’s skillfully put together, full of head swaying hooks and melodies, crisply produced, and, well, generally harmless, you may find you’re part of that fanbase. 6/10
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