Revies: Alcatrazz, Omnerod, Unmaker, Sunbeam Overdrive (Reviews By Rich Piva, Matt Bladen, Mark Young & James Jackson)

Alcatrazz - Take No Prisoners (Silver Lining Music) [Rich Piva]

Alcatrazz has been on a little roll since 2021’s album V and since the band fractured into two Alcatrazz's with original singer Gram Bonnet creating his version of the band on one side and the band that produced this album that contains original members Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea and since the V album has had the awesome Doogie Jones on vocals. Yes, this is the Alcatrazz that had Vai and Malmsteen in it (Joe Stump plays guitar now, some shoes to fill, huh?) back in the day and had a couple classic releases. Got all that? Now that all of that is out of the way, the new record, Take No Prisoners, absolutely rips. This is an excellent straight ahead metal record led by Joes excellent vocals that as the boss of this site says, makes any band better, and boy is he right.

This record rocks you from go, kicking off with Little Viper that has some nice shredding and Doogie’s voice right up front where it should be. The album sounds good, if maybe a tad overproduced for my taste, but there are no sins with how this album was produced overall. The drum work is great and the vocals, of course, are excellent. I would not mind seeing an East Coast West Coast bill with these guys opening for the also ageless Overkill. Different band but I am getting similar vibes in that they both have something to prove at this point in their careers. Don’t Get Mad is more melodic and more on the 80s lyric side of the house, but nothing too cheese that you cringe. I like the keys on this one and Stump delivers a strong solo. Battlelines is some driving heavy rock and may have a message for that other version of the band disguised as a history lesson. Great layered vocals and heavy and catchy at the same time. The keys are subtle but appreciated in the mix. 

Doogie rules the next track, the slowed down Strangers, where he absolutely kills it. This could have been a lull on the record, but it is anything but given how he handles it, oh the middle part where the pace picks up with its Maiden vibes is pretty sweet too. More Maiden-eque (Think Seventh Son era) work is happening with Gates Of Delivery and I am here for it. Stump really brings his A Game on Take No Prisoners. Having a song named after your band at this point in your career is a boss move, and Alcatrazz delivers. Maybe my favorite track on the record and how about a keyboard solo! The back quarter of the album is solid too, with more Maiden meets Purple vibes with a track like Power In Numbers, and the kick ass closer that lives up to its name, Bring On The Rawk.

 
To recap, this version of Alcatrazz rules. Doogie’s vocals take this record to the next level. The band seems full of energy and anything but a nostalgia act. Take No Prisoners has the songs, the playing, and the balls that are missing from many bands out there today. Could this album have been two songs less to make it a bit more digestible in one listen? Maybe, but you could debate it either way. These guys are old school as hell but rip it up just the same. This reminds me of how the band Satan came back after forever and is somehow way better than before. I am not saying Take No Prisoners is better than the two 80s classics, but this record, in 2023, stands against just about any metal record I have heard so far. Excellent stuff from the version of Alcatrazz that I will remain interested in. 8/10

Omnerod - The Amensal Rise (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Belgians Omnerod's third album The Amensal Rise is instantly reminiscent of Devy when he was Heavy. They themselves have said BTBAM, Opeth, Leprous, Gojira and SYL as influences all of which are featured here. Modern prog metal with odd signatures and crushing grooves is the name of the game and ideal listen if you like to bang your head to angular riffs. Erupting with some Hans Zimmer like dynamic "womps" Sunday Heat is a slow burning start as the band ramp up the heaviness trading off with more ghostly melodies as second song Satellites progresses. 

And on it goes, the band switching between brain crushing heaviness, quirky synth driven moments and emotional melodies. The problem I have with it, is that it's too much, the experimental sound is fine but a lot of ths songs don't feel cohesive, just a fusion of virtuoso sounds put together, though Spore is quite good. If bands such as Meshuggah are your thing then you'll love this album but I couldn't quite get into it. 

While I understand the talent I just found my attention wandering a little, even with just 7 tracks (though they're quite long!). Still there'll be a big quantity people that love it. 6/10

Unmaker - Limb From Limb (Self Released) [Mark Young]

Naming your album Limb From Limb will effectively set the scene for the aural carnage that is about to descend, and Unmaker start this off with To War, an angry statement of intent that tells you about who they are and what they are trying to do. This is classic thrash updated and filtered through a European lens. There are hints of Corpsegrinder’s solo album here and some frankly insane pinched harmonics as the song lays waste through its 5-minute run time. The breakdown is spot on with the vocal / guitar face off and absolutely necessary solo left until the final moments for maximum effect. Solid start!!!

Drop Dead slows with that restrained headbang tempo that allows it to build and move gears. This one has that controlled riffing, with its neck stretched tightly. The solo again is what you would expect on any classic thrash album and ushers in the change in pace that gives this the ending it deserves. The title track avoids the slow third song syndrome and just motors along, again with that fine balance of brutality and dexterity and they bring in some Lamb Of God phrasing to mix up the attack on track 4 Control and to be fair its as good as anything they have done in a while (heresy yes, yes) and has a fair bit of groove to it which just adds to the overall sound. 

And then Point Break comes in. It is an instrumental that shows off the prowess of the band but just saps that momentum built with the preceding songs. Rise tries to shake us up and is sat in that more NWOAM genre than the modern thrash and it shows. Its perfectly fine but is missing something that the earlier songs had. Fake Disciple brings us back on track with that combination thrash / groove movement to it. Again, this should be massive live especially with the solo break as it is exceptional. Breathe is the last track and they go out with a strong one and is a great album closer that should be used a ‘what is modern thrash’ example. 

I’ve got to say the whole thing sounds great, its heavy and has that clarity to allow you to hear everything. There is a hunger on display, and you get the feeling that these songs will increase in speed once they are brought out into the live environment. Any criticism I have is with that instrumental, it really affects the flow and like I said sapped the momentum built up which the album struggled to recover from. In their defence the final two songs go some way to addressing this and overall, it is a solid, modern take on thrash metal. 6/10

Sunbeam Overdrive - Diama (Tentacles Industries/Season Of Mis) [James Jackson]

Something about the word Overdrive that reminds me not of BTO but instead it’s the 90’s sketch show, Harry Enfield’s Television Programme featuring Harry and Paul Whitehouse as DJ’s for the fictional radio station FAB FM; they’d play You Aint Seen Nothing Yet in every episode with the push of a lever.
Sunbeam Overdrive however play a blend of styles under the rather umbrella like term of Prog; throw enough guitar virtuoso ramblings and some odd time changed into the mix and you can potentially call it whatever the hell you want. 

One of the things I find interesting about this album is that there are some great riffs on display but for every time I feel connected to the music something comes along and ruins it; I’m all for solos, I like a good guitar solo, but this kind of guitar wankery is just not my thing. I like to hear layers within the music, one of my favourite styles is that of the likes of Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, not the screaming Black Metal but the Symphonic Gothic elements to how they sound. I find the layers of the traditional sound of guitar, bass and drums mixed with keys and choral harmonies makes the music feel whole, really turned it up to 11. 

Oh and I love a good violin piece mixed with that sound too, here however there’s too much going on and not enough to actually make me want to listen to it. A lot of it sounds disconnected where it ought to feel whole, a sum of its parts but maybe that’s just me. It’s been a struggle to be honest and, I think I’ve said this before, life’s too short to be forcing yourself to listen to an album that’s doing nothing for you. 3/10