Papa Emeritus IV and his nameless ghouls return with collection of covers for latest EP Phantomime.
Now this isn’t the first time the band have done something like this as possibly one my favourite releases was 2013’s If You Have Ghost which was the band’s first EP produced by Dave Grohl a decade on this one does differ as it is made up entirely of covers.
First up was a track I was unfamiliar with, Television’s See No Evil so therefore I had to do my due diligence and first checked out the original and I think the collective have done a fine job and I hope that many including myself will check out the band Marquee Moon album because of this.
Next up is quintessential Ghost for me, the Genesis track Jesus He Knows Me is a perfect tongue in cheek choice, this was the first taster of the EP and has a great accompanying video. This is followed up by the band’s take on The Stranglers Hanging Around.
Something that was only released very recently and for me was easily the most anticipated track, Iron Maiden’s Phantom Of The Opera which frankly is sublime, personally as big maiden fan I am really glad that something from the Paul Di’Anno era was selected. I pre ordered this EP the moment it was released, and this alone justifies the purchase.
If that wasn’t enough the EP concludes with the Tina Turner classic from the movie Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome We Don’t Need Another Hero compliments the previous track wonderfully as there is no denying just how powerful the track, and well the solos sound wonderful do.
Again, The band have demonstrated just why they are one of the biggest bands on the planet, they haven’t picked predictable choices and they have covered artists from different genres and decades. A Collection of Sermons that the congregation will be thankful for. 8/10
Gozu - Remedy (Metal Blade Records / Blacklight Media Records) [Rich Piva]
Gozu rules and now they are back with their fifth album, Remedy. Lovers of all things fuzzy and riff-filled rejoice, because this new record kicks a lot of ass. The Boston, Massachusetts band brings their perfect blend of heavy stoner rock with touches of the grunge (and excellent track names) back to the ever-loving fanbase, honoring us with nine absolutely killer tracks that will cement this band as one of the best ever doing what they do.
Why does Gozu rule and specifically why does Remedy do the same? Well let’s check out the first track, Tom Cruise Control, because it has it all. A killer, driving riff right from the open? Check. Excellent vocals? Check. Harmonies? Check. Great song title? Check. This checklist can be completed for all nine tracks on Remedy, and there is not anywhere close to a stinker in the bunch. This album sounds excellent from a production standpoint where you can see they have upped their sound game but not to the point where it is in any way polished. Another cool riff kicks us off with CLDZ, a track that you get that grunge influence, and if Gozu was going to have a hit it would be this song. How about those background vocal ooooohs and harmonies? Outstanding. That solo is not too shabby either.
Rambo 2 is where we head into Soundgarden territory, as this starts like something that could have been demoed for Louder Than Love (Gozu really should have a track on one of the upcoming Soundgarden Redux records, but that is for a different review…). A Thayil-like riff with some crunching groove and more killer harmonies (I love the bapbapbaps), this will be a favorite track on Remedy. Joe Don Baker (I had to Google him, but one I did I knew) is a quick blast stoner ripper leading into Pillow Talk, with another cool riff and probably the best vocal performance on Remedy. Naming a song after one of my favorite 80s wrestlers will make me happy no matter what the song sounds like, but The Magnificent Muraco is a slower paced stoner jam with (surprise!) another great riff and a nice groove that would make even the beach bum happy and adds some different background harmonies and layered vocals that makes this track stand out.
Be Gazzara Loves No One continues the tuned down riff party and is the slowest burn on Remedy until midway through the pace picks up and punches you in your stupid stoner face with the one two of guitar and vocal harmonies. Ash has my favorite riff on an album (a bit Wizard-like, no?) full of them until it dips its toe in a pool filled with magic mushroom tea as we get a little mind bending on this one. Gozu goes doom on the closer, The Handler, but with almost falsetto vocals to start, which I was not expecting, but adds something special to the crushing final chapter to this nine-track masterpiece.
Gozu, once again, does not disappoint, as Remedy may be their most complete album yet. Remedy has everything a Gozu fan would want from a new record, and if you are not familiar with the band this would be a fine place to start. The harmonies really make Gozu stand out amongst the other playing similar styles, and combine that with the riff party, excellent songwriting, and expert playing and here you have an album of the year candidate. It’s pretty much a perfect Gozu record, and one that should go down as possibly their best. 10/10
Gozu, once again, does not disappoint, as Remedy may be their most complete album yet. Remedy has everything a Gozu fan would want from a new record, and if you are not familiar with the band this would be a fine place to start. The harmonies really make Gozu stand out amongst the other playing similar styles, and combine that with the riff party, excellent songwriting, and expert playing and here you have an album of the year candidate. It’s pretty much a perfect Gozu record, and one that should go down as possibly their best. 10/10
Henget - Beyond North Star (Season Of Mist) [Paul Scoble]
Henget is a new project from two established metal musicians; Jesse J. Heikkinen from The Abbey, and Iterum Nata, and King Aleijster De Satan of King Satan and Saturnian Mist. The intention is that Beyond North Star will “depict a Violent hallucinatory journey to the depths of the mind and beyond with psychedelic and syncretistic outlook”. The duo is joinded on Beyond North Star by Lasse J. Lounimaa on keyboards and Ville J. Rissanen on drums.
The style on Beyond North Star is a mix of black metal with lots of influences that on the surface seem disparate, but are treated by Henget in a way that makes them seem to fit together as if they were made that way. During the course of Beyond North Star there are influences from jazz, electronica, 70’s prog rock, second wave black metal, psychedelia, progressive metal and Eighties synth pop, all seamlessly melded together with a great sense of the dramatic.
The music and vocals are both deeply creative and complex, with impressive performances from everybody involved, this is doubly impressive as most of the performances were improvised in the studio, with Vocalist King Aleijster De Satan working from written notes rather than from prewritten lyrics.
The album opens with Dive, which is a mix of synth heavy blasting black metal sections and sections where the black metal is tempered with what sounds like a saxophone to give a jazz infused feel. There are similarities with Oranssi Pazuzu and Imperial Triumphant, but in many ways these similarities are superficial as both band have used these combinations of instruments, however Henget definitely have their own unique sound, they are fellow travellers, rather than bandwagon jumpers. The next track I Am Them drops us staight into a blast of aggressive black metal with a beautifully unhinged vocal performance from King Aleijster De Satan, elements of jazz are added and the tempo becomes more staccato, this them morphs into a slow and very heavy riff with a prominent synth riff. The song has a short minimal section, a brief breather before battering the audience with some synth heavy blasting black metal.
Henkivallat is a glorious mix of savage blasting black and progressive metal sections that full of melody, very bright and have a slight reminiscence to some of Devin Townsends more aggressive prog metal. The Great Spiral is a great piece of keyboard heavy black metal that is fast and flowing and has huge amounts of inertia. The second half of the song has some slower passages with some really impressive guitar work.
Title track Beyond North Star mixes dramatic black metal with lots of keyboards, quieter more minimal sections that have much less aggression, blasting fast, savage black metal sections, a fairly jazz influenced guitar solo and ends with a sample of babies crying. Lovi is a great track, probably my favourite on thew album. On Lovi Henget have mixed the black metal with a great keyboard line that very 70’s prog rock, the song is full of great melodies and a lot of guitar solos that, as with all of the solos on this album, is melodious and really adds to the song. The vocals are great as well!
Nouse is a short instrumental interlude that feels quite prog rock with the guitar becoming more prominent in the second half. The album comes to an end with the song The Chalice Of Life And Death, a piece of dramatic, driving extreme metal with a very distinctive synth line that is quite 80’s synth pop in feel. The song has a relentless, quality that works very well and keeps on pushing the song forward all the way to a very abrupt ending.
Beyond North Star is a brilliant piece of deeply creative extreme metal art. The album is full of ideas, full of layered creativity, in some ways the album feels like a complex piece of construction that should could have been an out of control mess, but is in fact a masterpiece of measured, considered creativity. The fact that Henget have mixed all of the different elements together into such an affecting and impressive debut is so impressive. The performances are superb as well, the Music and Vocals are stunning, if you like your extreme metal to be challenging, interesting, creative and absorbing then this will be an album for you. 9/10
Servers - The Vertical Plane (Undergroove) [Matt Bladen]
Henget is a new project from two established metal musicians; Jesse J. Heikkinen from The Abbey, and Iterum Nata, and King Aleijster De Satan of King Satan and Saturnian Mist. The intention is that Beyond North Star will “depict a Violent hallucinatory journey to the depths of the mind and beyond with psychedelic and syncretistic outlook”. The duo is joinded on Beyond North Star by Lasse J. Lounimaa on keyboards and Ville J. Rissanen on drums.
The style on Beyond North Star is a mix of black metal with lots of influences that on the surface seem disparate, but are treated by Henget in a way that makes them seem to fit together as if they were made that way. During the course of Beyond North Star there are influences from jazz, electronica, 70’s prog rock, second wave black metal, psychedelia, progressive metal and Eighties synth pop, all seamlessly melded together with a great sense of the dramatic.
The music and vocals are both deeply creative and complex, with impressive performances from everybody involved, this is doubly impressive as most of the performances were improvised in the studio, with Vocalist King Aleijster De Satan working from written notes rather than from prewritten lyrics.
The album opens with Dive, which is a mix of synth heavy blasting black metal sections and sections where the black metal is tempered with what sounds like a saxophone to give a jazz infused feel. There are similarities with Oranssi Pazuzu and Imperial Triumphant, but in many ways these similarities are superficial as both band have used these combinations of instruments, however Henget definitely have their own unique sound, they are fellow travellers, rather than bandwagon jumpers. The next track I Am Them drops us staight into a blast of aggressive black metal with a beautifully unhinged vocal performance from King Aleijster De Satan, elements of jazz are added and the tempo becomes more staccato, this them morphs into a slow and very heavy riff with a prominent synth riff. The song has a short minimal section, a brief breather before battering the audience with some synth heavy blasting black metal.
Henkivallat is a glorious mix of savage blasting black and progressive metal sections that full of melody, very bright and have a slight reminiscence to some of Devin Townsends more aggressive prog metal. The Great Spiral is a great piece of keyboard heavy black metal that is fast and flowing and has huge amounts of inertia. The second half of the song has some slower passages with some really impressive guitar work.
Title track Beyond North Star mixes dramatic black metal with lots of keyboards, quieter more minimal sections that have much less aggression, blasting fast, savage black metal sections, a fairly jazz influenced guitar solo and ends with a sample of babies crying. Lovi is a great track, probably my favourite on thew album. On Lovi Henget have mixed the black metal with a great keyboard line that very 70’s prog rock, the song is full of great melodies and a lot of guitar solos that, as with all of the solos on this album, is melodious and really adds to the song. The vocals are great as well!
Nouse is a short instrumental interlude that feels quite prog rock with the guitar becoming more prominent in the second half. The album comes to an end with the song The Chalice Of Life And Death, a piece of dramatic, driving extreme metal with a very distinctive synth line that is quite 80’s synth pop in feel. The song has a relentless, quality that works very well and keeps on pushing the song forward all the way to a very abrupt ending.
Beyond North Star is a brilliant piece of deeply creative extreme metal art. The album is full of ideas, full of layered creativity, in some ways the album feels like a complex piece of construction that should could have been an out of control mess, but is in fact a masterpiece of measured, considered creativity. The fact that Henget have mixed all of the different elements together into such an affecting and impressive debut is so impressive. The performances are superb as well, the Music and Vocals are stunning, if you like your extreme metal to be challenging, interesting, creative and absorbing then this will be an album for you. 9/10
Servers - The Vertical Plane (Undergroove) [Matt Bladen]
Compared to numerous bands such as Gojira and Devin in their PR. For me Servers have the proggy sludge metal of Baroness with the alt rock weirdness of Therapy? and Killing Joke. It makes a very interesting listen as this Yorkshire quintet release their fourth album The Vertical Plane. Since their last album in 2019 they have added a new guitarist in Will Price giving them the triple guitar harmonies of modern day Maiden though on a track such as Try To Get Some Sleep, they have managed to have a similar vocal stanza as Maiden's Prowler.
Like Baroness and Mastodon, who they also sound a lot like on the tracks such as Despond To Despair, Servers use dual vocals well new boy Price and founder member Lee Storrar harmonising, but not sweetly, their voices unify in frustration and fear while their guitars along with those of Jamie Beaston are impressive, the melodic lead lines often counterpointing the heavier riffs on Stranglehold, which is a tough cut that leads into the avant garde You Still Come Willingly which uses either a bouzouki or a balalaika for its main furious rhythm.
The title comes from the tale of an allegedly haunted BBC computer, inspiring the overall concept of the paranormal and religion that seems to be a lyrical theme on all of their albums. His dealings with theism, philosophy and the otherside mean that this record is experimental, while thunderous bass and drums of Lee Wilde and Liam Power are key parts of the record on the final track Incorruption and the industrial-tinged opener Absolom but there is no fear of adding a lighter moment, or some psych flights of fancy on King Of Nothing and Despond To Despair, as the alt rock influence is at its biggest on Here There Everywhere, the scintillating synths undulating behind the main riffs.
Formerly the frontman of GU Medicine Storrar's his dirty rock n Roll roots infiltrating Servers more progressive style. I'd not been that aware of Servers before this but on this fourth album they have converted me so I'll be heading back to their previous albums. 8/10
Like Baroness and Mastodon, who they also sound a lot like on the tracks such as Despond To Despair, Servers use dual vocals well new boy Price and founder member Lee Storrar harmonising, but not sweetly, their voices unify in frustration and fear while their guitars along with those of Jamie Beaston are impressive, the melodic lead lines often counterpointing the heavier riffs on Stranglehold, which is a tough cut that leads into the avant garde You Still Come Willingly which uses either a bouzouki or a balalaika for its main furious rhythm.
The title comes from the tale of an allegedly haunted BBC computer, inspiring the overall concept of the paranormal and religion that seems to be a lyrical theme on all of their albums. His dealings with theism, philosophy and the otherside mean that this record is experimental, while thunderous bass and drums of Lee Wilde and Liam Power are key parts of the record on the final track Incorruption and the industrial-tinged opener Absolom but there is no fear of adding a lighter moment, or some psych flights of fancy on King Of Nothing and Despond To Despair, as the alt rock influence is at its biggest on Here There Everywhere, the scintillating synths undulating behind the main riffs.
Formerly the frontman of GU Medicine Storrar's his dirty rock n Roll roots infiltrating Servers more progressive style. I'd not been that aware of Servers before this but on this fourth album they have converted me so I'll be heading back to their previous albums. 8/10
If you think their current album is good wait till you’ve heard the other 3. The opening on Save me from myself from Leave with us had me buying the album before I’d even seen them as support to Dundee’s The Discovery back in the day when they played Downstairs in Aberdeen. Been a fan since
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