Alluvial – Death Is But A Door (Nuclear Blast)
Alluvial follow up their 2021 riff fest Sarcoma with this four track EP to kick off 2024. Intended to be a bridge between that album and their next full length, Death Is But A Door, was written this summer, but the musical influence is darker than ever. It’s a deliberate move as Alluvial feel they need to try to make things darker, heavier and maybe even slower on every album, Wes Hauch (vocals/guitar) comparing it to the Raining Blood/South Of Heaven/Seasons Of The Abyss trilogy.
Opening the EP is single Bog Dweller, check out their very NSFW video if you have time as it’s a treat, it’s got the propulsion that Alluvial have made their own. The drums carrying an inhuman pace as the polyrhythms a driven into breakdowns. Down-tuned to hell but with some melodic flourishes from the lead guitars. So far so similar to what has come before but on Fogbelt they slow, adding the brooding atmospheres and crushing slowness of deathcore adds a new ambience to their music, keeping them within the death metal sound but stretching out from its maelstrom.
The real shift though comes on the title track which ups the angst and emotion for a track that reminds me of many of today’s modern metal(core) bands. Still stopgap EP’s are for experimentation and if it leads to another Alluvial record where more risks are taken it can only be a good thing. 7/10
Last In Time – Too Late (Rockshots Records)
One of the first melodic/prog rock records of the year comes from Last In Time an Italian band formed as a studio band by guitarist Massimo Marchetti in 2021. He is the main songwriter/producer/arranger of the band. It’s his creative vision and influence from bands such as Toto, Ten, TSO, and others that gives Last In Time their bombastic sound. The fact that this record is also a collaborative effort will also show you that there’s a lot of Avantasia here too as rock, prog, metal and AOR are all brought together on Too Late, Marchetti playing ring leader to a large circus of performers making sure each was chosen to be at their best for each song they appear on.
It’s a debut album with a long gestation period due to the number of musicians but the main trio are Marchetti, Luca Nicolasi on bass and Giacomo Calabria on drums, working with them are three keyboard players, a pianist and a trio of vocalists, making this album more like a theatrical performance than a straight ahead record. Opening duo The Way To Rock and How Long go some way in establishing what Last in Time do, vocally the grittier sound of Igor Piattesi is counteracted by the cleaner strains of Caterina Minguzzi while the music draws from the 90’s sound of Whitesnake. Road To Redemption moves closer to AOR with layered acoustics and a proper duet, as Caterina gets her main vocal lead on Moonlight Dreamers which also features a piano solo.
Closing with the ballad Winter In May which features Mirko Marchetti on guest vocals, Too Late unveils as a melodic rock record that isn’t afraid to be a bit experimental but keep the song writing accessible. 7/10
A classic metal band from L.A, Ruthless are a familiar story, they formed in 1982 folded on 1988 after an EP and an album. Then then reformed in 2008 and since then they have produced two albums, with The Fallen being their third since reforming.
They are a US power band who are influence by UK and US acts in the NWOBHM/Speed Metal. Similarly to Judas Priest, Manowar, Riot they play traditional heavy metal which also brings in the likes of Metal Church, Helstar and Canadian heroes Exciter. So there's a lot of thrash here Glen Paul shredding like a beast against the galloping rhythm section of Sandy K. Vasquez (bass) and drummer Bob Guitrau on cuts like Dark Passenger.
Signed to Fireflash Records and produced by Bart Gabriel they are still led by founding vocalist Sammy De John, they've made an album that is deliciously old school on a track such as Betrayal which reminds me of early Anthrax while No Mercy has the strut of Saxon.
The Fallen manages to overcome the issues that many reactivated bands have is that they show why they gave up in the first place. However Ruthless have been releasing great classic metal albums since they got back together with The Fallen the best so far. Mixing a classic ethos with modern songwriting and years of experience. 7/10
Peyton Parrish - Soul (Parrish Entertainment)
The third album from rocker Peyton Parrish will probably be the one to help him catch fire across this side of the pond. His previous albums were Rise Of The Viking, inspired by Norse mythology it gave him a some tracks that went to #1 on the iTunes chart as well as cover of a track from Assassin's Creed Valhalla. More covers came on his 2023 album The Most Magical Album On Earth which was heavy rocking versions of Disney songs.
Soul though is his most recent album of original material, it seems him shifting from his country/post grunge roots to a much heavier style of metal. His throaty, grizzled vocals range is broad and melodic, shifting from a snarl to a croon. The explosive Kaboom and Fist Into The Air shows how good his voice really is, throughout this new record his vocal shifts from David Dramian (Disturbed) to Corey Taylor (Stone Sour/Slipknot) perfect for the radio friendly metal that Parrish writes and performs.
Emotional country ballads such as I'm Still Here are met by pop rockers such as Poetry Glass, or heavier tracks such as Cavity or Refuse It All. Musically similar to a lot of acts, it's Parrish's voice that sells this record. Emerging from the Viking/Disney label, Soul is Peyton Parrish establishing himself as an artist in his own right, a hard rock artist. 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment