Strap in because this is about to get grindy! From the very beginning note to the very end, Knoll proceed to absolutely ruin you with their harsh and unrelenting take on grindcore. When the riffs kick in the guitars stand out as crips and clear which makes the frantic riffing really take hold of you and drag you into the vocals which are obviously horrible in the best way, the highs are ear lacerating and the lows are full and bottom heavy and rounding it all of are the drums and bass that really round up the sound perfectly and don’t drown everything out which is need as missing anything here would be a crime!
The songs come at you in a relentless barrage of noise, and some are even past the 3-minute mark which some purists may sneer at, but they never let up and always keep providing more and more brutality there are even the 2 instrumental offerings sound like you are being dragged through hell backwards and don’t give you a feeling that they are slowing the beating down! My personal pick of a favorite has got to be Tether & Swine, as they throw in a slow drone beatdown that is just unreal! For such a relatively new band there is a lot of buzz following Knoll around and from what is produced here it is very easy to see why!
This is modern grindcore done to near perfection and they will be standard bearers for this type of music for many years to come and I for one cannot wait to see where and how far they can go! Knoll really are the real deal, and you should not sleep on this! 9/10
Billy Howerdel: What Normal Was (Rise Records) [Erick Willand]
Once the guitar behind A Perfect Circle, What Normal Was is Billy Howderdel’s second solo album but first under his own name. Although you think you can hear little pieces of A Perfect Circle, in truth you wear really hearing pieces of Howerdel the whole time. Clearly there is a personal element to this album, obvious by the “cover art”, and yes, I’m rolling my eyes right now. Selfish Hearts opens the album with a quiet hum that slides into the song proper like a note under your door. It’s a short song at only 2:50 but a solid open. This song tells you how the rest of the album is going to play out, a love letter to late 80’s goth pop through and through.
Billy Howerdel: What Normal Was (Rise Records) [Erick Willand]
Once the guitar behind A Perfect Circle, What Normal Was is Billy Howderdel’s second solo album but first under his own name. Although you think you can hear little pieces of A Perfect Circle, in truth you wear really hearing pieces of Howerdel the whole time. Clearly there is a personal element to this album, obvious by the “cover art”, and yes, I’m rolling my eyes right now. Selfish Hearts opens the album with a quiet hum that slides into the song proper like a note under your door. It’s a short song at only 2:50 but a solid open. This song tells you how the rest of the album is going to play out, a love letter to late 80’s goth pop through and through.
The second track, Free And Weightless to me, is the real opening track, the synths flow, the bass hums and the drums pop in every way you would expect. Ani, the third track, starts to bring in some of the goth gloom properly. His voice is more haunting, almost distant in parts while the drawn out pop beat never lets up. If there was a video for Ani, it’s Billy Howerdel singing alone from the shadows of a rain drenched city. To be fair, the next two tracks could have similar videos and absolutely get away with it. Having said that, don’t get it twisted. Track 5, Beautiful Mistake, is straight up the strongest and my personal favorite track on the album. Haunting vocals entwined with a melancholic guitar lick backed by an insistent bass and drum rhythm, it’s perfect goth-synth-pop and it lodges in your memory like a wood sliver in the palm of your left hand. Spotify tells me track 6, Poison Flowers, a solid track in its own right, gets more plays than Beautiful Mistake, I think it’s lying.
However, Mr. Howerdel does play some amazing guitar here and I dig the creepy intro vibe. I have to mention the end of Poison Flowers and how it quietly sets the next track, Follower, into motion. The moment feels effortless, had to mention that. Follower is the synth pop anthem of the album in my humble opinion, with it’s driving beat and memorable chorus it’s a must for a Cyberpunk 2077 or Shadowrun playlist. Bring Honor Back Home has a decent dreamy quality to it but just doesn’t click for me, there’s something remote about it and that goes for track 9, EXP as well. Both songs feel like background soundtrack extras.
However, the last track Stars, is the complete opposite, you can’t help but listen to it. Sly move on Mr. Howerdel’s part to slap the most epic track at the end, top shelf sir. Stars closes out the album on an up swing with the best vocal performance of the album and just a general uplifting vibe that absolutely will get multiple listens and lands Billy Howerdel’s What Normal Was at 6/10
Seven Kingdoms - Zenith (Distortion Music Group) [Finn O'Dell]
Seven Kingdoms are back with their new album released June 17th. For anyone unfamiliar, they are a power metal band hailing from Florida. This album is a metal music "hat trick" for me: power metal, smooth female vocals and a cover of an 80's hard rock classic.
Seven Kingdoms - Zenith (Distortion Music Group) [Finn O'Dell]
Seven Kingdoms are back with their new album released June 17th. For anyone unfamiliar, they are a power metal band hailing from Florida. This album is a metal music "hat trick" for me: power metal, smooth female vocals and a cover of an 80's hard rock classic.
So, let's.dig in. When I saw the tracklist that concluded with I Hate Myself For Loving You, I jumped right to it to see what they did with this Joan Jett standard. I expected a power metal interpretation, but was pleasantly surprised they opted to alter it very little (if at all). Sabrina Valentine delivers with her sassy vocals. Diamond Handed, the album's opener, demonstrates their power metal skills with impressive guitar work from Cameron Cruz and Kevin Byrd alongside the stellar drumming of Keith Byrd. A Silent Remedy keeps up the adrenaline fueled tempo. Then, a shift happens on Love Dagger, which had it's official music video released the same day as the album.
I wouldn't call this power metal but more modern rock/metal, but it isn't bad at all. Catchy riffs showing their ability to do more than just one style. Chasing The Mirage starts with some guitar work that reminds me of I Want Out by Helloween bringing back the power metal vibe. Valonqar slows things down and the vocals are as passionate as Amy Lee of Evanescence. Empty Eyes bounces back to that modern rock sound. Magic In The Midst comes out of the gate back in power metal mode with upbeat tempo. That traditional power metal sound prevails through the next 3 tracks: Universal Terrestrial, The Water Dance and Life Signs. This album may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. 9/10
Sole Syndicate – Into The Flames (Scarlet Records) [Rick Eaglestone]
I must admit that the start to this album took me a little by surprise as the opening track Forsaken is
full of melody and insanely catchy riffs with some great vocal parts which is followed by Count To
Zero which has stadium written all over it and times it reminds me of Thunder although there is just
a little too much cheese for me. Brave Enough is easily the standout track of the album, guaranteed live favourite for sure which is then followed by the first real ballad the aptly named Shadow Of My Love.
I must admit that the start to this album took me a little by surprise as the opening track Forsaken is
full of melody and insanely catchy riffs with some great vocal parts which is followed by Count To
Zero which has stadium written all over it and times it reminds me of Thunder although there is just
a little too much cheese for me. Brave Enough is easily the standout track of the album, guaranteed live favourite for sure which is then followed by the first real ballad the aptly named Shadow Of My Love.
Last of this trilogy, Miss Behave fires up the NWOBHM cannon and is a direct hit. The album is definitely a grower, and I am enjoying the album, but it is really the chorus in Dust Of Angels that saves it from being skipped, this is however rectified by the synths and solos at the start of Sunset Strip – great track! Some nice basslines on Do You Believe but still not enough to distract from all the vocal fillers which was a shame. Another ballad up next and actually In The Absence Of Light may just be the strongest track of the whole album, this is followed by Freak Like Me and Back Against The Wall – this section of the album is still my favourite parts even after a few playthroughs
The title track is saved to last Into The Flames is a myriad of soundscapes and at 10 and a half minutes it’s certainly ambitious and gives the album a whole a new dynamic that I wish would’ve made more an appearance throughout the rest of the album as it really is a beautiful track and I could just listen to it over and over again. Packs a punch but does not quite deliver a knockout 6/10
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