Reviews: Rick Wakeman, Ponte Del Diavolo, Elettra Storm, Grin (Reviews By Matt Bladen, Paul Scoble, Paul Hutchings & Rich Piva)

Rick Wakeman - Live At The London Palladium 2023 (Fragile Records/Esoteric Recordings) [Matt Bladen]

For some, 4CDs of "The Caped Crusader" may be asking to torture but I'm a bit of prog junkie, so having a copy of these two nights is a bit special for me. Capturing his two shows at the London Palladium in February 2023, it sees Grumpy Old Rick performing three of his solo albums and a set of Yes classics in front of a rapturous crowd with his band the English Rock Ensemble and the English Chamber Choir. If you've not heard the three solo albums performed here, then I'd suggest picking up this live set as for me they're the best way to experience them a highly drilled band and choir bringing out the best in Wakeman as keyboard maestro as they perform new arrangements especially for these shows. 

All three are conceptual kicking off with the fully instrumental The Six Wives Of Henry VIII, each one of the wives given a song, the keys of Wakeman taking centre stage alongside the band featuring Dave Colquhoun (guitars), Adam Falkner (drums), Lee Pomeroy (bass), Adam Wakeman (keyboard/guitars). Instrumental muscle flexed in the first set, we get the more in-depth with The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table, which features yet more virtuoso performances along with vocals from Hayley Sanderson and the English Chamber Choir conducted by Guy Protheroe. 

If you want conceptual you have it here as the fantasy elements of Avalon's one true king and his faithful knights are brought vividly to life along with narration from the recently deceased Ian Lavender. The bigger concept though is on the monstrous Journey To The Centre Of the Earth which features actor Peter Egan telling the story. If you've heard the albums before you'll want to listen to them again here as the new arrangements will excite even long time fans but for me the main selling point is the Classic Yes set where tracks such as Roundabout, Wonderous Stories, And You & I and Starship Trooper/Wurm are all performed brilliantly as if it's the first time. 

Hayley's vocals adding some soul, the links between Yes and Wakeman's solo records identifiable. This is 4 discs and a few hours but for fans it will be one of the best collections this year, anyone who is attending what may be his last every UK tour later this month will be in for a treat. 8/10

Ponte Del Diavolo - Fire Blades From The Tomb (Season Of Mist) [Paul Scoble]

Fire Blades From The Tomb is the debut album by Italian band Ponte Del Diavolo. The band has been in existence since 2020 and in that time have released three EP’s, one in 2020 called Mystery Of Mystery and two in 2022, the first was called Sancta Menstruis and then an Ep called Ave Scintilla! Ponte Del Diavolo is made up of Abro on bass, Laurus also on bass, Segale Cornuta on drums, Nerium on guitars and Erba Del Diavolo on vocals. Yes you did read that right Ponte Del Diavolo have two bass players, the bands sound is very thick, dense, big and dynamic which could be due to the surfeit of bassists, the album sounds great and I’m sure they sound immense live. 

Ponte Del Diavolo play a very heavy style of blackened doom, so the album contains slow, heavy and melancholy material, and fast, blast beats with tremolo picked riffs that are full of savagery and drive. The other slight oddity with this album, other than two bassists, is the vocals, which are great, but are also clean, sung vocals rather than harsh vocals, which is what I would have expected with blackened doom, particularly with how fast and blasting some of this material is. However, never fear, Ponte Del Diavolo have a very talented singer in Erba Del Diavolo who has a very strong and beautiful voice, so it works very well, and she works hard on the drama of her performance, so they might not be harsh vocals, but they are always appropriate.

The album opens with the song Demone, which mixes fast, blasting black metal with powerful drumming and great tremolo picked riffs and amazing frenzied vocals, with huge and very heavy doom sections that drip with melancholy. Next comes the track Covenant which has the balance on the side of the doom styled material, which also has elements of gothic rock. The verse is minimal and subtle with a bigger chorus with tremolo picked riffs. The song has a very distinctive melody near it’s end that is played on something that sounds like a Theremin, it gives the song a great sci-fi / spooky feel to the ending. 

After Covenant comes Red As The Sex Of She Who Lives In Death, a song that is mainly minimal and brooding with occasional dramatic drumming, except for a blasting section of black metal with dissonant tremolo picked riffs. The song ends softly with sung “La La La’s” which would sound sweet in another context, but backed by blackened doom they feel unnerving and borderline psychotic. La Razza is another fairly minimal track that is slow and in places very heavy. The song does have two sections of blasting black metal with great beats and tremolo picked riffs, but the thing you take away with you is the Slow and heavy. 

Nocturnal Veil mixes driving, aggressive black metal with great blasting, with slow and heavy riffs that are very relentless in feel. The final doomy section has a slow droning melody that works very well, and is a very effective way to bring the song to an end. Zero opens with slow and minimal doom that is very rhythmic before the song then drops us into savage blasting black metal with great riffs and a savage and manic vocal performance that makes the song. 

The album comes to a close with The Weeping Song, a mid-paced piece of blackened doom with a brooding and dark verse and a really powerful chorus that you will sing along with. It’s a great song to end the album as it is so distinctive and memorable, in fact the chorus of this song has been stuck in my head for the last two weeks. 

Fire Blades From The Tomb is a great album. The sound is thick, dense and powerful, and the material works very well, the black metal sections are very well done with great riffs and excellent drumming, and the doom is melancholy, melodic and affecting, on top of all that the Vocals are very good, and in this context very original. In fact this is such a good album that I kept on forgetting that it was a debut, which makes this even more impressive, if this is their first try at an album, I can’t wait for the follow up! 8/10

Elettra Storm – Powerlords (Scarlet Records) [Paul Hutchings]

We do love a label in the world of heavy metal. Italians Elettra Storm will no doubt get the power metal tag attached to their debut album Powerlords. It’s not a surprise, because within a minute of listening to Higher Than the stars, there is no other style that could be more apt. Fast, frantic, but with glorious melody. And with the vocals of Crystal Emillani giving the band a different dimension, it’s a shoe in.

Having looked at the album cover, one might be forgiven for thinking this is Emillani’s solo album, for there is no sign of the rest of the band. This is even though all music and lyrics on the album are the work of bassist/keyboardist Davide Sportiello. Now, the cynic in me would suggest that Elettra Storm are playing to a few heavy metal cliches; put the eye candy out front to catch the attention of the predominantly male audience, especially the power metal crowd which let’s face it, is 95% sausage. But once you get into the album, then it’s certainly focused on the music, although Emillani’s vocals are rather fine and enhance the songs.

When it comes to power metal, it’s all about the rapidity of the pace for me, and Elettra Storm don’t hold back, with thundering double bass drumming underpinning gorgeous harmonies and melodies that are present throughout. From the opening Higher Than the Stars, the bumping title track and even the more routine Heirs Of The Descent, which is one of several songs to feature duets between Emillani and guitarist Francis D. Mary, there’s a vibrancy about the band that shakes the windows. Yes, there is the symphonic edge that Emillani’s vocals bring, along with the keyboards of Sportiello, but rather than dilute the songs, they merely add layered depth, giving each song a glow and energy that is impossible to ignore.

 
Now, if you dislike power metal, or symphonic metal, or both, then this album won’t be for you. There’s a driving pattern that is followed for many songs, with the maniacal pace of Sacrifice Of Angels and Redemption just two examples of the speed that can be achieved. Classical elements that are liberally dispersed through Spirit Of The Moon bring an extra dimension whilst closing track Voices In The Wind make it even better. Musically, it’s as exciting as any other power metal band, and with Emillani’s soaring vocals, Powerlords is overall a rather enjoyable listen. 7/10

Grin - Hush (Lasting Dose Records) [Rich Piva]

Grin is back with a new album, Hush, and the German duo bring their version of heavy, (mostly) sans guitar, to 16 tracks on their new album, Hush. That may seem like a lot of songs for a Grin album, and it is, but the approach here is not a much longer record, but one packed with shorter songs, with none of the 16 coming in over four minutes and a good chunk of them under three. What has not changed however is how downright heavy these two dudes are, belting us with their version on post metal/doom/psych like no one else can.

The title track starts us off with their trademarked heavy bass leading the way and the synths lending a ton of atmosphere to Grin’s version of heavy. Calice continues the post metal atmospheric feel, but bringing more of the clean vocals where the title track leans on the harsh side. This is more heavy shoegaze than anything else and I am here for it. On a song like Gatekeeper musically I am reminded of the brilliant Hum album Inlet, but this dissipates as the growl takes over the room, but it works. 

The shoegazey Hum with harsh vocals thing is a constant across Hush, but I even hear some Godflesh vibes on a track like Talons. There are hints of industrial throughout the 16 tracks, and the track Portal even gives me some psych black metal vibes. Neon Skies is my favourite track on Hush and the one they rock out the most on. None of the songs stray too far from the Grin formula for this one though no matter how many comparisons I throw out there; low end heavy, with traces of MBV and Hum with mostly harsh vocals underneath a swirling, post metal atmosphere.

If you dig Grin’s catalog and/or get pumped for an album described in the last sentence of the last paragraph, go ahead and check out Hush. This doesn’t stray too far for them but is definitely not a rehash of old ideas. Hush is a great next step for a band that has already gained a strong following and has done nothing here to not expand that fanbase even further. 8/10