The sort of reinvention that many searched for on Bury Tomorrow’s last album has clearly come from their lineup shift. Guitarist/clean vocalist Jason Cameron left the band on good terms so in his stead they have brought in Ed Hartwell on rhythm guitar and Tom Prendergast on clean vocals and keys, this influx of new blood having a restorative effect on a band who have been performing since 2006.
It’s Tom that makes this album feel like a definite shift in the style of these Southampton metalcore survivors, his keys add the atmospheric influences of bands such as Bleeding Through, or Children of Bodom, as well as the quirks and melodies of Between The Buried And Me. his clean voice is has enough power and yearning to hit home runs on Begin Again, with more than bit of Chester Bennington to them. A track such as the amazing Majesty, is something that could be considered left-field in their early days but the clean vocals and keys layer the drama before the inevitable release at the last part of the song.
Musically the band have managed to keep one foot in metalcore but have moved to melodic death metal in more recent times with Forced Divide the obvious example here, Kristan Dawson’s leads flowing freely over the ridiculous double kicks of Adam Jackson. There’s some djent and deathcore influences that bleed in, though Wrath leans on the electronics/orchestrals heavily. The riffs of Hartwell are biting and bassist Davyd Winter-Bates is a groove machine for the breakdowns and bouncing rhythms. His brother Daniel growling and screaming his cathartic personal lyrics with a much broader range and more aggression than on previous albums, his delivery on Boltcutter is a standout, as is Heretic which features While She Sleeps’ Loz Taylor.
The pace of the album is almost breathless, there’s a moment of quiet or atmosphere occasionally but most of the time, The Seventh Son is ripping your fucking head off with vicious, focused blasts or modern metalcore that understands melody as well as it does malevolence. 9/10
Floor Jansen - Paragon (Self Released)
Paragon is the first solo album from Floor Jansen. Before she joined Nightwish she had the Revamp project which was her solo band to bring her back into the metal world since she left After Forever. In that pre-Nighwish era she also wrote all of the material for Northward with Jørn Viggo Lofstad but the album wasn't released until 2018, it even had a song called Paragon on it. You could call both of these solo projects but I'll agree that Paragon is the first record featuring just Floor and musically it differs quite significantly from anything she's sung on before. Paragon is a pop record similarly to the way Sharon Den Adel released a very poppy solo album a few years ago.
Floor uses lots of Euro pop synths and huge choruses to drive tracks such as My Paragon, her voice still raising hairs on your neck even on top of Eurovision-like compositions like the opener. Daydream is slows it down with a bit of keening guitar work and orchestral notes for Jansen's first vocal workout, the repeating lament of "Can you hear me?" showcasing the full breadth of her vocals.
Elsewhere on this album, Come Full Circle is a bit Phil Collins, Me Without You goes a bit Bond. Invincible reminds me of Sara Bareilles alt-pop approach, while Hope is a beautiful ballad which has folksy approach to a band such as Mostly Autumn. Paragon is the sound of a singer who has gone through a lot of turmoil in both her personal life and before that her professional career, but she is still here, doing what she wants musically and thankfully held in the esteem she should be. 8/10
Last In Line – Jericho (earMusic)
In a similar trajectory to Black Star Riders, Last In Line formed as tribute to Ronnie James Dio in the wake of his death, featuring original Dio members Vivian Campbell (guitar), Vinny Appice (drums) and Jimmy Bain (bass), rather than re-tread old ground, from the beginning they concentrated on writing their own music with the spirit of RJD coming through their song writing.
Floor Jansen - Paragon (Self Released)
Paragon is the first solo album from Floor Jansen. Before she joined Nightwish she had the Revamp project which was her solo band to bring her back into the metal world since she left After Forever. In that pre-Nighwish era she also wrote all of the material for Northward with Jørn Viggo Lofstad but the album wasn't released until 2018, it even had a song called Paragon on it. You could call both of these solo projects but I'll agree that Paragon is the first record featuring just Floor and musically it differs quite significantly from anything she's sung on before. Paragon is a pop record similarly to the way Sharon Den Adel released a very poppy solo album a few years ago.
Floor uses lots of Euro pop synths and huge choruses to drive tracks such as My Paragon, her voice still raising hairs on your neck even on top of Eurovision-like compositions like the opener. Daydream is slows it down with a bit of keening guitar work and orchestral notes for Jansen's first vocal workout, the repeating lament of "Can you hear me?" showcasing the full breadth of her vocals.
Elsewhere on this album, Come Full Circle is a bit Phil Collins, Me Without You goes a bit Bond. Invincible reminds me of Sara Bareilles alt-pop approach, while Hope is a beautiful ballad which has folksy approach to a band such as Mostly Autumn. Paragon is the sound of a singer who has gone through a lot of turmoil in both her personal life and before that her professional career, but she is still here, doing what she wants musically and thankfully held in the esteem she should be. 8/10
Last In Line – Jericho (earMusic)
In a similar trajectory to Black Star Riders, Last In Line formed as tribute to Ronnie James Dio in the wake of his death, featuring original Dio members Vivian Campbell (guitar), Vinny Appice (drums) and Jimmy Bain (bass), rather than re-tread old ground, from the beginning they concentrated on writing their own music with the spirit of RJD coming through their song writing.
Their debut Heavy Crown was more than enough to prove their legitimacy as a band as they completed it within the confines of their other commitments, the health issues of Campbell and the death of Bain. Despite this they came back with their follow up II in 2019, which was much slicker than the debut but still has that ‘Sacred Heart’.
With the powerhouse voice of Andrew Freeman behind the mic and Phil Soussan on bass, replacing Bain on bass after his death in 2016, they are now rock band who are out of the shadow of Dio but unlike BSR, they are playing the sort of gritty rock n roll RJD loved, along with a broader range of influences. Jericho is a much rawer, dirty affair than II, the basics recorded live in the studio with all four members to capture that live energy on the record.
With the powerhouse voice of Andrew Freeman behind the mic and Phil Soussan on bass, replacing Bain on bass after his death in 2016, they are now rock band who are out of the shadow of Dio but unlike BSR, they are playing the sort of gritty rock n roll RJD loved, along with a broader range of influences. Jericho is a much rawer, dirty affair than II, the basics recorded live in the studio with all four members to capture that live energy on the record.
It means that tracks such as runaway Ghost Town or the grungy Bastard Son get your head banging, while Dark Days goes a bit Beatles in the middle, continuing where their 2022 EP left off. Veering between NWOBHM, American rock of the 90’s and classic 70’s rock within the confines of modern heavy rock, Jericho is these veterans leanest, meanest record to date. 8/10
Wyndrider - Wyndrider (Self Released)
From the Mountains of East Tennessee, Wyndrider is the debut album from the band of the same name. With Chloe Gould's hollering vocals, slotting into the mold of Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick or Blues Pills' Elin Larsson. Wyndrider have the riffs to match worshiping Sabbath and proto-metal bands such as Budgie or Blue Cheer, increasing the psychedelic mind melting on the reverbed Creator. It's quite raw in its production to capture their live sound in the studio.
The guitar of Robbie Willis piling effects on his riffs, from the distortion of Strangled By Smoke to the fuzzy blues Mother In Horns, Joshuwah Herald's grumbling bass in swaggering sync with Richard Bucher's drums, as Sleeping Wizard is just all echoed bass, leading into the woozy finale Space Paper/Acid Saloon. Wyndrider is a psych/fuzz/doom treat that is based in the blues but builds up the heaviness, a brawny debut album from these Tennessean fuzz masters. 8/10
From the Mountains of East Tennessee, Wyndrider is the debut album from the band of the same name. With Chloe Gould's hollering vocals, slotting into the mold of Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick or Blues Pills' Elin Larsson. Wyndrider have the riffs to match worshiping Sabbath and proto-metal bands such as Budgie or Blue Cheer, increasing the psychedelic mind melting on the reverbed Creator. It's quite raw in its production to capture their live sound in the studio.
The guitar of Robbie Willis piling effects on his riffs, from the distortion of Strangled By Smoke to the fuzzy blues Mother In Horns, Joshuwah Herald's grumbling bass in swaggering sync with Richard Bucher's drums, as Sleeping Wizard is just all echoed bass, leading into the woozy finale Space Paper/Acid Saloon. Wyndrider is a psych/fuzz/doom treat that is based in the blues but builds up the heaviness, a brawny debut album from these Tennessean fuzz masters. 8/10
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