Clutch - Sunrise On Slaughter Beach (Weathermaker Music) [Rich Piva]
Over the past two weeks I have been lucky enough to review new albums from two of my long-time favourite bands. Last week the excellent new King’s X record and now this week the newest offering from Clutch, Sunrise On Slaughter Beach. Like King’s X, Clutch has never put out a bad album, even with a double-digit studio output. Also, like King’s X, this is Clutch’s thirteenth studio record that their rabid fan base has been waiting for with great anticipation. To keep this thread going, like King’s X’s Three Sides Of One, Sunrise On Slaughter Beach is an excellent later career addition to their already amazing discography which has the songs and swagger to hang with any of them.
The first thing many fans will notice is that this is the shortest record in Clutch’s discography. At just about 33 minutes, SOSB is concise, with zero filler, a quick shot of what Clutch does best but also leave you wanting more, which is fitting since Clutch have become the kings of merch over the years. The songs are undeniably Clutch songs. Anyone who knows even a little about the band will recognise the telltale style of the band starting from Neil’s voice and Tim’s tone. Songs like Slaughter Beach, We Strive For Excellence, and Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone) are so very Clutch and will fit nicely in the set list with all the other classics.
But as with any Clutch record, you get some new directions as well, specifically using backup/layered vocals and female guest vocals on Nosferatu Madre and Mercy Brown. Neil keeps up his sense of humour on Three Golden Horns warning us to the perils of jazz on the youth of America. Jackhammer Our Names is an amazing closer, with an almost hymnal like feel and it is heavy, not in the normal Clutch sense.
Nine tracks in 33 minutes. Seems like you may be looking for more after four years, but every track on Sunrise On Slaughter Beach is a top-notch edition to the cannon and just keeps the string of killer Clutch records going. You get all you want with a Clutch album in a tight, compressed package ready for mass consumption. And just like King’s X, let’s hope there is a lot more of this later career output to come. 9/10
Talas - 1985 (Metal Blade Records) [Matt Bladen]
Dressed in Hugh Syme's depiction of a clapped out Delorean on the cover, 1985 is all about second chances, reflecting on past glories and living in the now. 1985 is auspiciously when the original version of Talas split up, having released three albums since their formation in the late 79's the fickle finger of fame never really landed on Talas and their progressively minded hard rock. However two of their early songs, Shy Boy and Addicted To That Rush found homes in other bands later joined by founding Talas bassist Billy Sheehan. So by 1985 Talas was dead but Sheehan went on to join David Lee Roth's solo band and be a founding member of Mr Big.
However after 37 years, Talas are back. Sheehan is back as are drummer Mark Miller and vocalist Phil Naro both of whom were in the most commercially successful version of Talas, joining them on guitar is Kire Nakdovski who proves to be ample foil for Sheehan's 'lead bass'. What you get from 1985, is authenticity, mainly as the songs on this record have been collecting dust since they were written in 1985, with the exception of Black And Blue this was meant to be their fourth album but with much more experience and a lull in their day jobs the time was right to record these tracks as the wizened musos they are now.
Simultaneously looking back and striding forward, it's unashamedly nostalgic for anyone that loves 80's hard rock. Much of the record feels like Van Hagar, from Naro's vocals to the funkier elements of Do You Feel Any Better and the driving On The Take there's a lot of the post Diamond Dave VH, with of course touches of Mr Big, Extreme and many of the bands that formed in the mid-80's bringing this music into the early-90's. Sheehan and Miller lock in for some head nodding grooves, Sheehan's bass high in the mix as you'd expect but he's comfortable sticking with simpler basslines than in other bands, though on Close To the Killer he gets a solo and the final track is all him.
1985 though let's Nakdovski show off his 80's guitar hero chops, he's joined by former Talas guitar slinger Mitch Perry for two tracks but gets to cause some fireworks on tracks such as Come When You Call (looks like 80's innuendo hasn't been lost). For me Naro's vocals are the stand out and this album is in tribute to him as he passed away on 2021 after recording his parts, his son James though seems to also be a great singer adding harmonies to the record. Naro is a such a talent that it's a shame he won't be able to see how bloody good this record is. Talas may have been overlooked in their heyday but after all this time away, it's far more than just name recognition of their famous founder, Talas sound like the cohesive hard rock unit Sheehan is so associated with. 1985 is hopefully a restart, but if not, it's a testament to one of the 80's unsung heroes. 9/10
The Necromancers - Where The Void Rose (Season Of Mist) [Rich Piva]
A new Necromancers record is excellent news. The French band’s third full length, Where The Void Rose, is six tracks of proto metal goodness spiced with some goth/doomy elements to make something fans of heavy rock will be digging for the forceable and dark future. The opening track, Sunken Huntress, is sweet, concise, proto-ripper that is a bit of a contrast with track two, Crimson Hour, which leans more on the doomy yet groovy side of the house but goes in all sorts of directions over the eight-plus minutes. I love the vocal stylings on both tracks and throughout Where The Void Rose, but nowhere is this more evident than on this track.
The Needle is the most gothic rock track on the record, like they have been listening to The Damned, a lot.
Orchard is the heavy, spooky doom track on
Where The Void Rose, but doomy with some groove in its step. The title track brings more goth to the table where the last track,
Over The Threshold brings more of a proto gallop back to this dark party to close the evening on a high note. This is an excellent proto metal/Seventies inspired doom goth extravaganza release that should be gobbled up by the people who dig dark and heavy rock. Fans of the gothic leaning metal stuff and seventies inspired proto stuff will really dig this. This one has some legs and will be on constant rotation in this house. 8/10
Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed (Wax Bodega) [Matt Bladen]
Phoenix band Holy Fawn revel in the atmospheric, long instrumental sections float into vocal passages before they return to more cinematic, esoteric soundscapes. Working with Mike Watts (Dillinger Escape Plan/Glassjaw) they have pushed their sound further than before owing much to bands such as Mogwai, Bossk and even Portishead and Massive Attack.
They are looking to improve upon their "landmark" debut album Death Spells with this more experimental affair that deals with the existence of a multiverse and timelines existing in unison, thankfully for the band comprise of Ryan Osterman (guitar, vocals), Evan Phelps (guitar), Alexander Rieth (bass), and Austin Reinholz (drums) they have the musical chops to pull off a high concept theme. The album drifts into life with Hexsewn, dreamily pairing whispered vocals and choirs with a single clean guitar riffs before the fuzzy piano and electronic beats come in for Death Is A Relief, a little like a Lo-Fi release it's not long before the more euphoric style of Holy Fawn's music appears.
Yes they rely heavily on the effects but as they build again from the shoegaze into the driving post-rock riffs, it's clear that Holy Fawn know a thing or two about dynamics and how to use them to the fullest extent. They play the clean/distorted card quite often, but each time it draws you in, welcoming you to the world where dreampop, shoegaze, trip hop and post-rock are brought wide-screen scope, hanging on their emotions to create their music.
There's not much on this record that is groundbreaking, genre wise but there is a definite expertise, from the trip hop of Empty Vials to the heaviness of the title track, the vapourwave of Sightless to the haunting True Loss, Dimensional Bleed is a record that gives more on repeated listens, Holy Fawn craft spectral magic here and it's well worth your time. 8/10
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