Visceral, intense, explosive. Three words that summarise the latest EP from Kent band Chemical Storm. Another band who makes a necessary social observation about society’s reliance/obsession on electronic devices; one wonders if they are the exception to the rule backstage. Are they reading books instead of being glued to social media?
Regardless, this is a very pleasing old school thrasher that doesn’t pull any punches. It’s meaty, full of violent riffs, aggressive vocals and big drums. The drum sound is huge, as demonstrated in the opening section of opener God Forbid and the slower driving Blunt Force Drama.
It’s been six years since their sole EP, Doomed From Day One was released, and from what I can find, the band have been stable in line-up. This EP appears to be a statement – it’s time to make up some lost time and if the beast has finally reawakened, they’ve brought it big time from start to finish.
There may only be four tracks, but it’s a respectable 22-minutes in length, opening with the pulsating God Forbid which rolls into a 100mph rage early on, building in tempo and power as it develops. Yes, there’s plenty of Slayer amongst the sound here, but it is solidly delivered with more guts than many recent thrash releases I’ve heard. It’s a swirling maelstrom that is designed to drive the circles pits.
Liam ‘Big Lez’ Underdown’s vocals aren’t hugely strong, wavering slightly at times, but they do the job, although one does wonder how they will fare in the live setting. Dave Austin’s lead guitars slice through the torrent of chaos and thunder, an impressively fluid burst of solos that catch the ear.
Chemical Storm don’t press the brake throughout the four tracks, with the intensity built on God Forbid carried into Shadow Hole. This isn’t the most impressive song, a little 80s Bay Area thrash by numbers, but the sheer velocity of the song does make an impression. It’s Blunt Force Drama that takes the ear, with a slightly slower vibe that makes it a more considered and thoughtful song.
That leads to another spinning beast, the title track that ensures things finish with as much spikiness as they started. There’s no subtlety with Chemical Storm, just in your face good old fashioned thrash metal. Whilst there is much amongst their peers which is downright ordinary, the sheer power and infectious groove that this quartet bring just might give them a chance to power out of the also rans and challenge for a seat near the top table. Good stuff! 8/10
Arka’n Asrafokor - Dzikkuh (Reigning Phoenix Music) [James Jackson]
Implementing traditional instruments and techniques from a band’s country of origin and ancestral heritage isn’t a new concept, it adds a touch of authenticity to the craft and has in some cases been hugely successful. There’s a very Groove/Nu Metal style to the songs, opening track The Truth contains some of those traditional, in this case, African, instrumentals, behind the onslaught of guitars and more traditional drums are an accompaniment of tribalistic drums.
Implementing traditional instruments and techniques from a band’s country of origin and ancestral heritage isn’t a new concept, it adds a touch of authenticity to the craft and has in some cases been hugely successful. There’s a very Groove/Nu Metal style to the songs, opening track The Truth contains some of those traditional, in this case, African, instrumentals, behind the onslaught of guitars and more traditional drums are an accompaniment of tribalistic drums.
Whilst Not Getting In Line feels a bit more straight forward and run of the mill, Walk With Us offers Rap style vocals, an almost Obituary sounding riff but more importantly the sounds of the band’s West African culture are far more prominent and not only in the percussion but also within the use of the traditional language of the region. It’s not really until Mamade, that I really get a feel for that stereotypical African culture, a crushing midsection is bookended by a more traditional sounding sound and it’s that that I have expected to hear a bit more throughout the album, there’s a “tribal” sounding drumbeat that feels overplayed at times, it pops up as a repetitive pattern throughout the album, either a sample or just extremely similar every time.
The general vibe, for want of a better word, is that the band are hitting Nu Metal and throwing in, at times, very groove and at times sludgy death metal riffs for added emphasis; the African music or tones of their homeland could, I feel, be far more prominent than it is, I’m reminded of BloodyWood and how full on their Indian roots are planted within their songs; Arka’n Asrafokor could push those roots harder at times and it would add depth and intensity to the more straight forward Metal that they’re playing. Other than that slight quibble, a solid enough album. 6/10
Inner Strength - Daydreaming In Moonlight (Divebomb Records) [Matt Bladen]
Initially founded as a crossover hardcore band in 1986, vocalist Scott Oliva revamped the band in 1990 to make it a progressive metal sound similar to bands such as Fates Warning, Psychotic Waltz and Queensryche. They released only the on album and two demos and then things in the music world changed their label crumbled, in the midst of them opening for fellow New Yorkers Dream Theater, and by 1993 that was that.
However a reissue campaign in 2019 brought the four of the original (1990) members back together, but by 2021, 3/4 of them had become another band Sunrise Dreamer. I'm sure with this album many thought there would never be a new release by Inner Strength but on 2024 here we are, the classic four piece of Scott Olivia (vocals), Joe Marselle (guitar), Joe Kirsch (drums) and Justin Hosman (bass) reinstated and the first album of new material in 30 years.
Guitarist Joe Marselle calls it "the album we might have made in 1991 if we had the skills and experience we have today." so with all this experience behind them and the decision to be as good as they could possibly be musically before they started recording, how does Daydreaming In Moonlight stack up to those prog metal bands who continued to thrive after grunge "killed" progressive music in the 1990's.
Well it's prog metal in the vein of the bands I mentioned earlier in the review, emotive vocals, melodic guitar lines and shifting time signatures, tracks such as Face Another Hero have all that, and makes me think of Enchant as well. They shift into doom, jazz and much more prog on The Strength Within Part 2. They have Dream Theater-like moody balladry on Dearly Departed while Compelled seems to half inch the beginning of Pull Me Under.
Technically impressive but without sacrificing the songs themselves Daydreaming In Moonlight comes as an impressive return for Inner Strength. 8/10
Inner Strength - Daydreaming In Moonlight (Divebomb Records) [Matt Bladen]
Initially founded as a crossover hardcore band in 1986, vocalist Scott Oliva revamped the band in 1990 to make it a progressive metal sound similar to bands such as Fates Warning, Psychotic Waltz and Queensryche. They released only the on album and two demos and then things in the music world changed their label crumbled, in the midst of them opening for fellow New Yorkers Dream Theater, and by 1993 that was that.
However a reissue campaign in 2019 brought the four of the original (1990) members back together, but by 2021, 3/4 of them had become another band Sunrise Dreamer. I'm sure with this album many thought there would never be a new release by Inner Strength but on 2024 here we are, the classic four piece of Scott Olivia (vocals), Joe Marselle (guitar), Joe Kirsch (drums) and Justin Hosman (bass) reinstated and the first album of new material in 30 years.
Guitarist Joe Marselle calls it "the album we might have made in 1991 if we had the skills and experience we have today." so with all this experience behind them and the decision to be as good as they could possibly be musically before they started recording, how does Daydreaming In Moonlight stack up to those prog metal bands who continued to thrive after grunge "killed" progressive music in the 1990's.
Well it's prog metal in the vein of the bands I mentioned earlier in the review, emotive vocals, melodic guitar lines and shifting time signatures, tracks such as Face Another Hero have all that, and makes me think of Enchant as well. They shift into doom, jazz and much more prog on The Strength Within Part 2. They have Dream Theater-like moody balladry on Dearly Departed while Compelled seems to half inch the beginning of Pull Me Under.
Technically impressive but without sacrificing the songs themselves Daydreaming In Moonlight comes as an impressive return for Inner Strength. 8/10
Thousand Limbs - The Aurochs (Azathoth Records) [GC]
When I investigate my inbox and see an album by a sludge band my heart usually sinks slightly because as I have mentioned many times before I get very bored very quickly and songs that have unnecessary long run times just get on my nerves. Sludge can be beautifully grim and disgusting but can also feel boring and labored, so where does The Aurochs by Thousand Limbs fall? Time to find out!
A Blessed Life To Suffer opens to the sound of soft and melancholic acoustic guitars that then are interrupted with some gargantuan and thundering guitars that are a mix of spacious notes with the familiar drone of sludge but one never takes away from the other and the harmonious qualities really balance each other out nicely.
When I investigate my inbox and see an album by a sludge band my heart usually sinks slightly because as I have mentioned many times before I get very bored very quickly and songs that have unnecessary long run times just get on my nerves. Sludge can be beautifully grim and disgusting but can also feel boring and labored, so where does The Aurochs by Thousand Limbs fall? Time to find out!
A Blessed Life To Suffer opens to the sound of soft and melancholic acoustic guitars that then are interrupted with some gargantuan and thundering guitars that are a mix of spacious notes with the familiar drone of sludge but one never takes away from the other and the harmonious qualities really balance each other out nicely.
A Dim Light To Guide drags as much life out of the bottom end of the instruments involved and doesn’t pick up the pace for one minute and while I appreciate the sense of discomfort this aims to create, I do find myself wanting it to try to be something else about halfway through, Only His Shadow comes and goes and doesn’t really offer much as its just some soft guitar noodling that is about as long as most hardcore bands epic tracks and I can kind of start to feel that this might be a frustrating listen.
Title track The Aurochs surprisingly then picks up the pace of things considerably and has a pulsating bass line that is driving and urgent and a crunch to the guitars that was needed to inject a bit of energy into proceedings, the more up-tempo sound is carried all the way through the song with a slight dip midway but then the end is played in a surprisingly pacey way and is a real unexpected but welcome shot in the arm!
Aligned falls into the middle of the pace ranges not exactly snails pace but also not breakneck either it has a nice paced hum to it and all the instruments compliment and support each other without one standing out or going missing, I do now feel though that the lack of any kind of vocal is probably a bit of a mis-step, I just feel that added layer would really make these songs stick out that little bit more as while there heavy enough I just feel they can be elevated a notch or two, Chapter is another interlude I guess, its just more atmospheric guitar buzzing and noises which again does nothing for me and as usual jut annoys me a bit!?
Form lumbers and lurches forwards on waves of big rumbling basslines with softer guitars it creates an atmospheric and roomy song that I can imagine if you smoke weed will absolutely be the sort of repetitive and one-dimensional sound you need, I don’t however, so I get unfortunately get bored of it very quickly and with Fall Of Body And Mind of course the pace does not quicken one bit and if anything is even slower like you know, bring the heavy bit back BUT SLOWER but instead here its bring the slower bit back and make it SOFTER when it does wake up the basslines are nice and scuzzy and the drums do a good job of cushioning you but its just too one paced for my tastes.
Beneath Soil And Stone is another couple of minutes of soft ambient noise this time with piano for added boredom, so A Boundless Heart rounds things off in suitably slow and low fashion, again its all big bass lines and atmospheric guitars surrounded by a comforting blanket of thudding drums but by this point it has all just sort of become a little underwhelming and I’m not bothered its ended.
I said at the beginning that I’m not usually sold on sludge, if it is done well I love it but if not I just kind of drift a bit and find myself picking out faults and feeling that this or that could be included to make the song better, and while it’s not my place to tell Thousand Limbs how or what to play its just how I feel. This is one of those albums that if you are into sludge, you will no doubt rate highly but if not, it is unlikely to get you into the genre and you can make of that what you will. 5/10
I said at the beginning that I’m not usually sold on sludge, if it is done well I love it but if not I just kind of drift a bit and find myself picking out faults and feeling that this or that could be included to make the song better, and while it’s not my place to tell Thousand Limbs how or what to play its just how I feel. This is one of those albums that if you are into sludge, you will no doubt rate highly but if not, it is unlikely to get you into the genre and you can make of that what you will. 5/10
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