As with all genres and classifications, you envision a certain aesthetic, a certain sound or style that immediately lets you know what you are getting into.
The press sheet that comes with My Silent Wake’s latest album, describes the band’s material as Epic/Doom Metal and there are plenty of Doom elements, particularly on the intro to the track Lavender Garden; When You Look Back and The Last Lullaby are great examples of Doom, the latter holding fast to the tradition of lengthy tracks.
No Time is another great example of Doom in all its splendour, it opens with drawn out chords, a semi whispered vocal and the sound of a church organ; it’s a solemn track and my initial expectations of the album are certainly fulfilled. The songs named are personal highlights in a really strong album, the rest are as good, showcasing the band’s talents honed over their ten year plus career; there’s a blend of clean and growled vocals throughout, a style I find particularly effective.
It’s not all Doomy riffs and solemn church organs however, there are moments of more upbeat tempos, adding weight to the mix, simultaneously contrasting and complimenting the slower pieces.
Definitely an album and band that I will be looking into a bit more. 8/10
Back Jack – Back Jack (RidingEasy Records) [Paul Scoble]
Back Jack were a short lived rock band from the early Seventies. I don’t have much information about the band other than what is on the Bandcamp page for this album issued for the first time by Riding Easy Records. So, the band existed from early 1971, they used the name Trellis until early in 1974, when they changed the name to Back Jack.
The album features 13 songs which mainly fit into a Blues Rock / Hard Rock template, the band have a talent for memorable choruses, great guitar solos and Mike Collier has a very good voice. Obviously, the album has lots of straight up rockers, Bridge Waters Dynamite and As You Were are the most aggressive, with a definite Hard Rock sound, they are both purposeful and dynamic pieces of Rock music.
The album has a couple of big power ballads as well as the stomping rock tracks. Satisfied Man and Tomorrow are both great power ballads, big, emotive songs that have a real epic quality to them, they are also the two longest tracks on the album. Both tracks feel more powerful and a lot less cheesy than a lot of power ballads done in the eighties.
The albums final two tracks have a different sense to the rest of the album. Second to last track Phonic Voyage is Prog Rock instrumental with some nice piano work from Gary Reed, and Silver Star is a short but very beautiful ballad with just vocals and piano.
Back Jack is a great album that should have made much more noise had it been released. The early Seventies was a time when albums were mainly promoted by live shows, if the band split shortly after the album was recorded then they would not have been able to promote it.
Later tracks are also impressive, keeping that quality there whilst staying true to that Finnish sound. What you find is that the runtime soon passes, as each song unfolds, they share a common musical theme and approach that doesn’t fall away. However, as good as they are for me there isn’t a Holy Crap moment of sheer brilliance. Through Sorrow And Grief uses the considerable vocal talents of Gogo Melone to counterpoint the roar of Joni Hakulinen and is a hypnotic track, possibly my favourite here.
The press sheet that comes with My Silent Wake’s latest album, describes the band’s material as Epic/Doom Metal and there are plenty of Doom elements, particularly on the intro to the track Lavender Garden; When You Look Back and The Last Lullaby are great examples of Doom, the latter holding fast to the tradition of lengthy tracks.
No Time is another great example of Doom in all its splendour, it opens with drawn out chords, a semi whispered vocal and the sound of a church organ; it’s a solemn track and my initial expectations of the album are certainly fulfilled. The songs named are personal highlights in a really strong album, the rest are as good, showcasing the band’s talents honed over their ten year plus career; there’s a blend of clean and growled vocals throughout, a style I find particularly effective.
It’s not all Doomy riffs and solemn church organs however, there are moments of more upbeat tempos, adding weight to the mix, simultaneously contrasting and complimenting the slower pieces.
Definitely an album and band that I will be looking into a bit more. 8/10
Back Jack – Back Jack (RidingEasy Records) [Paul Scoble]
Back Jack were a short lived rock band from the early Seventies. I don’t have much information about the band other than what is on the Bandcamp page for this album issued for the first time by Riding Easy Records. So, the band existed from early 1971, they used the name Trellis until early in 1974, when they changed the name to Back Jack.
The band carried on as Back Jack until late 1974 when they split up, existing under that name just long enough to record an album. The line-up that recorded this album was Mike Collier on guitar and lead vocals, Kim McKinney on bass and backing vocals, and Hans Myers on drums. The album also has a Guest artist in Gary Reed who played piano.
That is all the information I can give you on this band, but the good people at RidingEasy Records think this is worth a release, were they right? Is this album worthy of RidingEasy Records, and your time?
The album features 13 songs which mainly fit into a Blues Rock / Hard Rock template, the band have a talent for memorable choruses, great guitar solos and Mike Collier has a very good voice. Obviously, the album has lots of straight up rockers, Bridge Waters Dynamite and As You Were are the most aggressive, with a definite Hard Rock sound, they are both purposeful and dynamic pieces of Rock music.
Reefer Madness, Gearhead, Assault And Battery and She’s Been Down So Long are all softer Rock songs with more of a Blues Rock feel. Reefer Madness has a slight Southern Rock feel, Assault And Battery is a good song but does have slightly naff lyrics in the chorus (Assault and Battery…….. With Electric Guitar), and She’s Been Down So Long has a great dramatic chorus.
The album has a couple of big power ballads as well as the stomping rock tracks. Satisfied Man and Tomorrow are both great power ballads, big, emotive songs that have a real epic quality to them, they are also the two longest tracks on the album. Both tracks feel more powerful and a lot less cheesy than a lot of power ballads done in the eighties.
The aptly named California and Over And Over have a slightly more sun drenched sense to them, as they have a real So-Cal Pop / Rock feel to them. Up-tempo, clean riffs and lots of melody. Over And Over does have a harder and Rockier section in the middle of the song, but it quickly reverts to a So-Cal feel that is full of sunshine.
The albums final two tracks have a different sense to the rest of the album. Second to last track Phonic Voyage is Prog Rock instrumental with some nice piano work from Gary Reed, and Silver Star is a short but very beautiful ballad with just vocals and piano.
Back Jack is a great album that should have made much more noise had it been released. The early Seventies was a time when albums were mainly promoted by live shows, if the band split shortly after the album was recorded then they would not have been able to promote it.
It’s a shame this album was never released, but that is why labels like RidingEasy Records are looking out for forgotten gems like Back Jack, I for one am very grateful they found they original tapes as this is an extremely enjoyable album that deserves to be heard. So, to answer my question from the beginning of the review; Yes it was worth everyone’s time! 8/10
As The Sun Falls - Kaamos (Theogonia Records) [Mark Young]
Just in time for the nice weather, As The Sun Falls drop their latest, Kaamos bringing with it an atmospheric blast of Finnish melodic death metal. They have certainly been prolific, with a mixture of EP’s and this which is their second full-length release since 2020. What strikes here is that they effectively bridge between the heavy requirements that this music has to provide and the quiet, more introspective needs without each jarring with the other. Pressing play, the album ebbs and flows so well, from the intro track Indrøø, slowly building with waves crashing onto a shore as the music swells behind.
Just in time for the nice weather, As The Sun Falls drop their latest, Kaamos bringing with it an atmospheric blast of Finnish melodic death metal. They have certainly been prolific, with a mixture of EP’s and this which is their second full-length release since 2020. What strikes here is that they effectively bridge between the heavy requirements that this music has to provide and the quiet, more introspective needs without each jarring with the other. Pressing play, the album ebbs and flows so well, from the intro track Indrøø, slowly building with waves crashing onto a shore as the music swells behind.
I’ve gone on record as saying that instrumental introductions are practically done to death but here it’s a worthwhile start. The atmosphere giving way into the frantic opening bars of Among The Stars. Instead of keeping that tempo right through, instead they go for a more measured approach that brings that sense of melody hinted at within Indrøø. When it does go, it really goes but keeps that clarity. The vocals are impressive, a full-throated roar and this is a great statement of intent from them. Black Lakes keeps that good work going, with some quality riffing driven by the immediate drumming of Paul Rytkönen.
There is something in how they are building the guitar parts so even in the lighter parts they still hit hard. In terms of opening songs, and the level of impact these are strong, setting the scene and the quality of build that continues through the album. Speaking of quality, The Wanderer with its gentle opening chords is an 8-minute stormer. Those opening moments are almost rudely stomped on by some razor-sharp heavy work. It doesn’t forget the brief that yes bring the melody but don’t forget that It needs to hit hard.
Later tracks are also impressive, keeping that quality there whilst staying true to that Finnish sound. What you find is that the runtime soon passes, as each song unfolds, they share a common musical theme and approach that doesn’t fall away. However, as good as they are for me there isn’t a Holy Crap moment of sheer brilliance. Through Sorrow And Grief uses the considerable vocal talents of Gogo Melone to counterpoint the roar of Joni Hakulinen and is a hypnotic track, possibly my favourite here.
The closing duo of The Great Cold sees them let the handbrake off a little. The Great Cold hits the ground running, that injection of pace giving it a welcome boost. There is still room for the melodic touches, and you wonder if they could have dropped more with that aggressive intent to it. We close with Kaamos using mournful strings that set up the arrangement to follow. The instrumental piece is decent enough, but after that blast that was The Great Cold, it comes as a missed opportunity to really close out with all guns blazing.
This is a good album, with a consistent quality level that they don’t fall below. For me, I would have like to have heard more aggression and having that closing track as an instrumental meant that it ended on a flat note. Fans of the genre will like this a lot, and I think it’s a worthy 7/10
Nine Moons – Caracaras (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
From the East of England Nine Moons are actually just two men; drummer Kenyon Albon and guitarist/vocalist Stuart Masters. They play Monday swirling psych rock driven by the thumping percussion and fuzzy Baritone guitars that always give extra engine room grunt. This six tracker steers a course through 60' & 70's acid rock, effects laden vocals and searing riffs that let their freak flag fly, while at times they shift 30 years later into the grunge and desert rock era of the 90's.
Nine Moons – Caracaras (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
From the East of England Nine Moons are actually just two men; drummer Kenyon Albon and guitarist/vocalist Stuart Masters. They play Monday swirling psych rock driven by the thumping percussion and fuzzy Baritone guitars that always give extra engine room grunt. This six tracker steers a course through 60' & 70's acid rock, effects laden vocals and searing riffs that let their freak flag fly, while at times they shift 30 years later into the grunge and desert rock era of the 90's.
Buzzing with energy track such as Smokehouse, bring their retro vibe to life, exploring psychedelia while The Crawl flickers with strutting garage rock. Bands such as The Black Keys, Kyuss and The Grateful Dead are all influences while more modern acts such as The Graveltones, our own Pyrogaric and Gyro are contemporaries. On top of the fuzz there's some oud that takes Hunters Moon towards a Middle Eastern aesthetic while Haunted Vista warps them into snotty alt rock.
Following up their debut, Nine Moons lock into some well worn grooves but proudly wear their influences on their Paisley. 7/10
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