Reviews: Grave Pleasures, Tanith, Through Fire, Texas Hippie Coalition (Reviews By Mat Bladen)

Grave Pleasures – Plagueboys (Century Media Records)

Sordid, sexy and obsessed by dystopia, Grave Pleasures have been kicking out post-punk goth jams since evolving from Beastmilk. This is body moving music, full of lust, death and nihilistic intent, it’s the soundtrack to an apocalyptic disco, the kind of party where everyone wears black and sways into the welcoming arms of oblivion. Previous albums Dreamcrash (2015) and Motherblood (2017) were lapped up by the music press and for latent goths such as myself who weren’t around for the heyday of The Mission, Sisters Of Mercy, Siouxsie Sioux and Killing Joke, its bands such as Grave Pleasures and Unto Others are a way to fully embrace the hopelessness of existence but with some juxtaposed upbeat rhythms.

Plagueboys climbs one step up from Motherblood going deeper down the misery hole with an album about “civilisation and savagery”, tears streaming from their eyes as the blacklights shine and timer ticks down to the doomsday. Staying true to their 80’s new wave influences, this is where the band have really honed their songwriting as the echoed guitars of Imminent Collapse could come from The Unforgettable Fire, the bass-heavy throb of Conspiracy Of Love is deep in lust with Killing Joke and even references frontman Mat McNerney’s bright burning but short lived Beastmilk. It’ll get your foot tapping but carries with it a menace, that carries through into the title track, all insistent bass and layered guitar noise, the final song Tears On A Camera Lens making me think of an alternate universe Duran Duran.

The yelps on Heart Like A Slaughterhouse are pained, dark Americana, while High On Annhilation is like scitzophrenic Joy Division. Gorgeously morose, but infectious, Plagueboys is the next symptom of Grave Pleasures condition, you’re going to want to let it consume you. 9/10

Tanith - Voyage (Metal Blade Records)

Ah the 70’s such a nostalgic time, it looks like everyone is trying to hark back to those golden years when we were outside of the EEC, there was strikes about pay conditions, massive inflation, blackouts, a cost of living crisis and politicians that couldn’t care less about the people they’re supposed to represent. It all seems a little too real now, but for music it was one of the most fertile times in music history, pop, to rock, to prog, to disco and funk as electronics came in towards the end of the era, it really started many of the genres we know today and gave birth to what we understand as classic rock and prog rock today in 2023.

So as long as the rest of life feels like the 70’s why not the music? That’s where Tanith come in, formed in 2017 and with a previously well received (in these pages) album under their belt, the British/American act are music from another time, a psychedelic, prog rock journey through space time and science fiction novels. Twin vocals from Russ Tippins (guitars) and Cindy Maynard (bass) are cleverly used for duality on all the songs the vibe entering into Fleetwood Mac play Rush. They are retro act for sure, aggressively so, the stereo sound designed for vinyl listening as analogue and vintage equipment was used in the recording process, at Excello Recording in Brooklyn with engineer Hugh Pool, of both the debut and this follow up.

Called Voyage, Tippins wanted it to sound like the albums he listened to growing up in the 70’s the twin guitars of Wishbone Ash with the quirky prog of Jethro Tull and the versatility of Red-era King Crimson. The production of the record was a voyage in itself as Covid forced them to work on it separately Russ in the UK as Cindy and drummer Keith Robinson were stuck in the US. Then finally as they were able to record guitarist Charlie Newton left the band the day before tracking started, hit with this revelation all the remaining trio could do was carry on regardless their bond getting stronger, the result of this triumvirate being another cracker of an album. The dual guitar harmonies are still there Andee Blacksugar brought into to be the Downing to Russ’ Tipton maintaining them as two guitar band but the creative decisions taken by just the three of them.

The opener Snow Tiger comes at you like the feline in its name, proto-metal riffs and gallops shift between acoustic scrubbing and intricate basslines before a twin axe solo section, Falling Wizard reminds me a lot of Uriah Heep as Rush influences come on Olympus By Dawn. It’s not an album that languishes, the songs are all quite contrite and to the point but pack lots of variation and experimentation in with Seven Moons (Galantia Pt.2) the big prog moment of this record (Pts.1 and 3 were on the debut). Voyage is an adventurous follow up from Tanith, stuck in the past but for all the good reasons it’s a throwback that’s clad in Paisley and smell of patchouli oil, prog rock with a proto swagger get your ticket for this fantastic Voyage. 9/10

Through Fire - Devils Got You Dreamin' (Sumerian Records)

The Omaha, Nebraska band Through Fire are modern hard rock with vitality that comes from the American post-grunge sound of bands such as Breaking Benjamin,Three Days Grace, Shinedown, Crossfade et al, with the trappings of nu-metal bands such as electronics, the opening track Karma Kills especially feels like Linkin Park with its dark electronic atmospheres. 

Founded by guitarist Justin McCain, he and vocalist Grant Joshua Kendrick are the only remaining members as previous drummer and bassist left after the release of their previous album in 2019. With brothers Tyler (bass) and Zack Halverson (drums) instilled in 2022, we now have Devil’s Got You Dreamin' their third studio album through Sumerian Records. The band have big following in the USA, their songs having been used for WWE events, the Stanley Cup and a film starring UFC fighters, all of which are common for radio friendly alternative metal/rock bands from America. 

They fall just on the right side of the heavy melodic divide, with riffs that distorted enough to bang your head to but feature huge emotive choruses that will be sung back at their shows, the refrain of “Are you dead or alive?” on Wake Up a prime illustration, or the hard hitting Over The Influence or the slower Devolution. Along with the rock tracks like Straightjacket they also have some big ballads such as Blindsided but these don’t flood the release, so the pace is high. Recorded as a therapeutic experience for the band, Devils Got You Dreamin’ brings Through Fire back after four years with some rock radio anthems. 7/10

Texas Hippie Coalition – The Name Lives On (MNRK Heavy)

If like me you think that the best thing the Abbott brothers were part of (other than Damageplan), was the Rebel Meets Rebel project with legendary Outlaw Country performer David Allan Coe, the brother have I got a band for you! Texas Hippie Coalition have actually supported DAC in the past along with Scottish boogie masters Nazareth and Southern rock trailblazers Lynyrd Skynyrd, so you’ll probably know what you’re in for on the name alone but this seventh studio album doesn’t radically shift the direction of what THC have been doing since the early 2000’s. 

Heavy grooving Southern metal that is more Molly Hatchet than Skynyrd (although Roadrunner Skynyrd comes close), just check out those country grooves on Built For The Road, wrapping it up with some NOLA stoner grooves of Corrosion Of Conformity on Licence To Kill, BLS on Hellhounds and even some hard rock similar to Van Hagar on Hard Habit. The self-styled ‘red dirt metal’ band are a big bubbling broth of several influences but are undeniably Texas born and bred, the bellowed vocals of Big Dad Rich part DAC, part Danny Joe Brown with touch of Sammy Hagar, his lyrics having a blue collar poeticism on songs such as I Teach Angels How To Fly, reminding everyone that this was a band of misfits and outlaws who have worked their way to where they are with true grit. 

Speaking of grit Cord Pool and Nevada Romo’s dual guitar sound is dirty and raucous, Rado Romo’s bass deep and thunderous and the drumming of Joey Mandigo is robust driving the grooves. The name of Texas Hippie Coalition will live on so long as they always deliver this consistent Southern metal, join the coalition and start rocking out. 8/10