Reviews: Lacuna Coil, Broken Jaw, Riot City, Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Lacuna Coil - Comalies XX (Century Media Records)

20 years ago Lacuna Coil release their third album Comalies. This was the record that broke them internationally, with live staples such as Heaven's A Lie, Swamped and the title track, its probably the most important record in their career. Since then though Lacuna Coil have become one of the most recognisable bands in the metal scene, in that 20 years too their sound has evolved from those Gothic metal days into something that is a bit more aggressive, loud and heavy.

So for the 20th anniversary they didn't want to just release a re-mastered version record like every other band. They have chosen to re-write, re-record and re-perform the album as the band the are now. It means that they are move away from Gothic tones of the original to the style the band are now. Many of the changes on this record come from the absolutely powerhouse drumming of Richard Meiz, he brings a death metal power to the Lacuna Coil of 2022 and it means that the songs on this Comalies hit harder. The vocals too have changed, Christina Scabbia now having a warmer tone to her soaring style, on Self Deception especially. 

Counteracting her co-vocalist Andrea Ferro on tracks such as Humane. It's Ferro who has gone through the biggest change in his performance, no longer relying on his often hit and miss clean delivery, but using a more extreme screaming that has become common place on the last few Lacuna Coil albums. Ferro and Meiz are the two biggest contributing factors to this more monstrous Lacuna Coil. Of course that's not to downplay the contribution of Marco “Maki” Coti-Zelati, the band leader and main creative force who not only anchors everything with the done tuned bass but also gives the more industrial edge to the synths and orchestrations, a track such as Daylight Dance, showing this clearly as do the little segues such as Aeon and a more cinematic number like Angel's Punishment. 

There's also a broader, heavier style of guitar playing despite the band only now having on guitarist in Diego “DD” Cavallotti. Comalies XX redefines their seminal album with their modern style, keeping that feeling of breakthrough they had on the original with who they are today. 8/10

Broken Jaw - Purge Yourself (Oracle Management)

In thes days of mistrust and misrule, something must be done, some force needs to stand up and shout angrily in the face of oppression and division we find ourselves in. Gloucestershire band Broken Jaw have the right level of anger to do exactly this, so when their debut album kicks off with frontman/manger/DJ/South West notable Nutzie Shelley, screeching the words "fuck you all" you're inclined to believe that Broken Jaw's punk aesthetic and metallic violence are byproducts of being stepped on by higher powers and fuelled by the need to rally against authority and take the power back. 

From the rampaging The Truth Hurts Broken Jaw show exactly why they have been in high demand on the live stages around the country, causing pits wherever they go, a lot like Americans Devildriver, that bands frontman Dez Fafara running Oracle Management, who signed Broken Jaw in 2020, the album being delayed until now for obvious reasons. Shelley is a maniac with the vocal delivery of a Tazmainian Devil with too much Monster Energy running through his veins, hes sounds like a mix of Mike Patton, Seth Tankian and Corey Taylor. But the Slipknot influences don't stop there, the excessive use of the word 'Motherfucker' on Parasites Delight is backed by a human drum machine Sean "Garth" Watkins, who definitely 'likes to play' (one for the Wayne's World Fans), bringing together all three of the Iowa bands percussionists into one half man/half octopus (probably). 

Recorded and mixed by Dave Grange of Forge Studios and produced by Dave and Nutzie, the record was mastered by Scott Middleton (Cancer Bats), and there's some Cancer Bats influence here too on the thrashing Sapientism. The guitar duo of John Virgo (not the snooker player) and Sam Aston carving up their instruments across the 41 minutes of intensity that is Purge Yourself. There's very little time to rest, there's more attack here than a Doberman on a trespasser, but in the bits where they drive in a groove, bassist Joshua Hughes bass is right at the heart of it. Brutish, ruthless and designed to bash you around the head. Come Purge Yourself with Broken Jaw, it's nothing a few weeks of soup through a straw can't fix! 8/10

Riot City - Electric Elite (No Remorse Records)

Released on Athens based label/record shop No Remorse Records, mixed by Olof Wikstrand (Enforcer/Tribulation), mastered by engineer/A&R executive Bart Gabriel and produced by Anthony Blaine. Electric Elite is Canadian band Riot City's second album named after a song from their first album and it's eight songs of screaming heavy metal just how it used to be. Canadians seem to do fist pumping classic metal really well, drawing from the working class ethos of the original NWOBHM and thrash scenes to make music that is fast and furious. That's what you get on this album from the light speed opener Eye Of The Jaguar. 

The exception to the rule though is the sprawling final song Severed Ties. Crafted by atmosphere and dynamics, shifting from epic slow opening to a NWOBHM gallop from Dustin Smith (bass) and Chad Vallier (drums), like an Iron Maiden epic from the early albums. These two also bring massive Maidenisms to the strutting Tyrant. The rest of Electric Elite though is full on shout along that will have fans of Judas Priest reaching for their leathers. Jordan Jacobs' vocal shriek is as sky scraping as the Burj Khalifa, but he's got a mod range snarl that gives grit. Behind the ace attack are Cale Savy and Roldan Reimer who both carve up the riffs and peel of solos, like all great guitar duos, their choppy riffs and interplay on Beyond The Stars particularly effective. 

On this second album Riot City seem to have levelled up as a track such as Ghost Of Reality shows. Kudos and plaudits don't really matter when you play classic metal as it's by design contradictory, done for the love and not for the money. Still they're getting positivity from me! 7/10

Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol - Doom Wop (Self Relased) 

That has to be a band named discussed over a lot of bong hits right? The reality is that I think the Devil's Lettuce has had a major role in the creation of this fifth album from this Austin Texas Trio. Having only been around since 2016 they haven't quite got a King Gizzard, work rate but 5 albums since then is pretty good going, but then Rickshaw Billie okay the kind of heavily fuzzed, blissed out, grooves that often lead to plenty of material. 

RBBP taking the power trio label and emphasising the power as Leo Lydon plays an 8-String guitar down strung and crunchy in union with Aaron Metzdorf's chugging basswork. It's a pretty unique sound with the sort of vibes Dinosaur Jr and Pixies try to create as Sean St.Germain's drumming is metronomic and brings the groove. The dual vocals of Metzdorf and Lydon brings the ear tweaking delivery of Jack White meets Billy Corgan while songs such as The Bog and Jesus Was An Alien both highlight why the record is called Doom Wop, it's a funky party record about having a good time just played as if they're emerging from a tar pit. 

If you you're looking for maturity and po-faced seriousness you won't find it here as Doom Wop is big, dumb fun best enjoyed with friends and stimulants. 7/10