The 7th album from Danish BM veterans Horned Almighty is being touted as a rebirth, which I assume is the band looking to the past to move forward. I can’t confirm this as being true or not as I’ve not heard their music before and to be fair, I’m not the greatest lover of this genre. They promise to bring aggression and to make this an essential purchase. I’m all for artists revisiting what has come before, to identify what they excelled at and to re-energise their efforts in putting out the best material they can.
The Messiah Scourge is our starting point, and they waste no time in establishing a dark tone with a repeating guitar line that smashes into life. It is typical bombast, double bass firing on all cylinders, blast beats and those rapid traditional BM riff lines. It confirms early on that they are not here for nostalgia; they are here to attack. The tempos are pitched in that mid-zone which allows them room to speed up with trem picking or slow down as the song dictates. It shifts when it needs to and places a firm marker on where they are going.
Gospels Of Sickness is straight out of the traditional BM playbook – furious guitar and manic drums that just powers straight through. I think you can safely say that they have brought the aggression with them, it is oozing out of the speakers, but it isn’t a speed fest for the sake of it as they squeeze in some melodic moments which still have that dark undertone. Whilst Vermin On The Mount once again mounts that front foot attack with some storming drum fills in there.
There is no avoiding that for a good chunk of this song it shares a lot of common ideas with Gospels, but suddenly moves into its own light with a quality descending guitar line that comes in around 3 minutes 40, that lifts it clear of the preceding song. That motif continues through as they blast towards the end and onto Ascension Of Fever And Plague which has one of those spidery opening arrangements to it that expands into what I guess is a black metal swing as they slowly move through the gears into the expected blast beat section which is just rapid. What they do so well on here, is those little melodic fill moments, it is literally the calm before the storm.
Furnace Of Sulphur And Fire starts with another of those mint guitar passages that maintains a steady pace, full of those traditional BM chords (you know the ones I mean, especially when you hear them) and then BANG they put their foot through the floor. I know we praise drummer’s week in and week out for their herculean efforts, but special shout out to Harm for the powers of endurance displayed here. While I’m here I should also give props to S, the vocal delivery is volcanic, nothing less would have fitted the music here as it stamps its authority over everything.
Furnace Of Sulphur And Fire starts with another of those mint guitar passages that maintains a steady pace, full of those traditional BM chords (you know the ones I mean, especially when you hear them) and then BANG they put their foot through the floor. I know we praise drummer’s week in and week out for their herculean efforts, but special shout out to Harm for the powers of endurance displayed here. While I’m here I should also give props to S, the vocal delivery is volcanic, nothing less would have fitted the music here as it stamps its authority over everything.
Darken The World wastes no time, full pelt from the start and is that aggressive edge they promised. In a lot of respects, it works in its position as track 6, the album has prepared you to get to this point with the other songs having their melodic moments amongst the mayhem but on here they go for the throat. Even when they back off there is still that air of darkness and discord running through it, permeating every strike and growl. It is fabulous stuff and then we are at the end with the slow, misery filled arrangement that is Epilogue…Of Hades And Of Death.
Well, I’ll keep this brief. Like I said I’ve no idea if this is better than the music that has come before. All I know is that this is a stormer of an album and simply put is one of the releases of the year so far. 9/10
Thunder Horse - Dead Alive In TX (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]
Texas deliverers of the heavy, Thunder Horse, emulate their 70s heroes, like Kiss, and gift us a live album after three excellent full length studio LPs to start their career as a band. Unlike Kiss though, there was no studio wizardry or overdubs on this bad boy, as Dead Alive In TX is Thunder Horse in all of their live glory, warts and all, exactly how the band was intended to be heard, and whoa is it awesome. If I was going to see Thunder Horse this is pretty much the set I would have personally requested.
Thunder Horse - Dead Alive In TX (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]
Texas deliverers of the heavy, Thunder Horse, emulate their 70s heroes, like Kiss, and gift us a live album after three excellent full length studio LPs to start their career as a band. Unlike Kiss though, there was no studio wizardry or overdubs on this bad boy, as Dead Alive In TX is Thunder Horse in all of their live glory, warts and all, exactly how the band was intended to be heard, and whoa is it awesome. If I was going to see Thunder Horse this is pretty much the set I would have personally requested.
Opening with Let Them Bleed From Chosen One is always an excellent choice, with its slow burn opening and Sabbath worship tempo change, it is the perfect way to get the set started. New Normal, the protest song we all needed without having to pick a side, is up next, with Stephen Bishop seemingly even more angry at the state of things while delivering his vocals with an almost punk rock sneer, only done surrounded by heavy doom riffs.
A brief interlude leads to the absolute ripper, Demon Speak, from the self-titled debut record. I’m not sure I would call TH a tight band live, but why the hell would you want them to be? There is a bit of heavy chaos going on which makes this one of the realist live records I have heard in a long time. This is not to say they don’t sound amazing, because they do, it is just so organic. I love the placement of Song For The Ferryman too, acting as an epic doom bridge between the two halves of the set, and boy does this one bring the crunch live. I love when the band gets all heavy blues on us in the second half of this song.
The new record is represented well on Dead Alive In TX, with the addition of my (and many other apparently) favourite TH song Monolith, which just crushes you even more in live form, and according to Bishop is a fan favourite that will be a set standard for the band and thank goodness so because it is somehow even better live. What a way to end the set too, with the one-two punch of the slow burn (until it is not) crunch of Liber Ad Christ Milites Templi and my other favourite TH track, Chosen One. But we are not done yet, as the band leaves the crowd on a serious high note with their version of Ace Of Spades.
There has been a surprising amount of great live records over the past two or so years (thank you HPS), but Dead Alive In TX may be my favourite. This show is a perfect representation of Thunder Horse in all of their glory. If they keep going in the Kiss pattern, the next record should be their Destroyer, and I can’t wait for that next chapter in their story, but for now play this very, very loud. 9/10
The Commoners – Restless (Gypsy Soul Records) [Paul Hutchings]
My first and only encounter with The Commoners came in April 2023 when they squeezed into the Louisiana in Bristol on a co-headline tour with Tory Redfern. Despite their Southern swagger, they are Canadian, but don’t let that put you off. These Wicked Rivers are from Derby after all.
Restless follows 2022’s excellent Find A Better Way release, and it’s another perfectly crafted release that fits in with a multitude of occasions. Restless is the perfect singalong album for a long journey, for the emotive romantic dinner accompaniment, or as the soundtrack to an evening gathering with friends. Rich organ, a deep groove, and whisky soaked vocals, it all adds up to an album that sits very much in The Black Crowes/Rival Sons/Blackberry Smoke ballpark.
Ten tracks spread over just shy of 45-minutes provides value for money, and the band have paced it right. Devil Teasin’ Me is the ideal opener, Chris Medhurst’s smoky vocals backed by some lovely harmonies and whilst The Commoners don’t bring anything to the table that hasn’t been done before, their sound is distinctive, and infectious. It’s impossible not to be tapping your foot or humming along with the chorus after just a single listen.
They do the simple stuff right, the guitar work is crisp without being flashy, the melody delicious and provocative, and the rhythm keeps the movement without being in your face. Boot stomping up tempo feels come next with the vibrancy of Shake You Off. A raucous, in your face track that is sure to be in the set for years to come. It’s an addictive tune that gets the blood pumping with an ease that only comes with high levels of talent and plenty of hard work. When Ross Hays Citrullo decides to peel off a lick or two, he does it in style, with a subtle and understated style that works neatly with the band’s overall sound.
The title track is one of a couple that slow things down a little. The Country Western Rock sound that is inevitable on every Southern Rock record, there’s a bit of slide work here, and they pull it off with ease. It’s a smooth song, with little flourishes that provide the extra needed to keep you locked in. Gone Without Warning and Who Are You both rock along nicely, before the band depart slightly, with the darker atmosphere of Body And Soul that has an edge to it that hasn’t been present before. It's one of the best songs on the album, the interplay between vocals, organ and guitar created a delightful kaleidoscopic combination. It’s certainly the darker twist here though that makes it stand out.
Every album of this type needs that lighter aloft anthem, and it duly arrives with Too Soon To Know. A track that could easily feature in the soundtrack to a gritty series like Sons Of Anarchy, it’s another highlight and leads into the acoustic finale of the emotional All That We Have. This sees Medhurst give a gorgeously intimate finish with acoustic accompaniment.
The Commoners were fantastic at that Bristol show, and this album has whetted my appetite for another encounter with them in a few weeks at the Steelhouse Festival. 8/10
Amongst Liars - By Design (Earache) [James Jackson]
Channelling a mix of Punk, Grunge and Rock, Amongst Liars based in the coastal towns of Brighton and Eastbourne, release their second album By Design. The band formed in 2019, a year later the pandemic hit and plans to perform live were obviously put on hiatus, according to their bio however, this wasn’t a time to rest on their laurels and the band pushed singles and wrote their debut album, released in the summer of 2022.
There has been a surprising amount of great live records over the past two or so years (thank you HPS), but Dead Alive In TX may be my favourite. This show is a perfect representation of Thunder Horse in all of their glory. If they keep going in the Kiss pattern, the next record should be their Destroyer, and I can’t wait for that next chapter in their story, but for now play this very, very loud. 9/10
The Commoners – Restless (Gypsy Soul Records) [Paul Hutchings]
My first and only encounter with The Commoners came in April 2023 when they squeezed into the Louisiana in Bristol on a co-headline tour with Tory Redfern. Despite their Southern swagger, they are Canadian, but don’t let that put you off. These Wicked Rivers are from Derby after all.
Restless follows 2022’s excellent Find A Better Way release, and it’s another perfectly crafted release that fits in with a multitude of occasions. Restless is the perfect singalong album for a long journey, for the emotive romantic dinner accompaniment, or as the soundtrack to an evening gathering with friends. Rich organ, a deep groove, and whisky soaked vocals, it all adds up to an album that sits very much in The Black Crowes/Rival Sons/Blackberry Smoke ballpark.
Ten tracks spread over just shy of 45-minutes provides value for money, and the band have paced it right. Devil Teasin’ Me is the ideal opener, Chris Medhurst’s smoky vocals backed by some lovely harmonies and whilst The Commoners don’t bring anything to the table that hasn’t been done before, their sound is distinctive, and infectious. It’s impossible not to be tapping your foot or humming along with the chorus after just a single listen.
They do the simple stuff right, the guitar work is crisp without being flashy, the melody delicious and provocative, and the rhythm keeps the movement without being in your face. Boot stomping up tempo feels come next with the vibrancy of Shake You Off. A raucous, in your face track that is sure to be in the set for years to come. It’s an addictive tune that gets the blood pumping with an ease that only comes with high levels of talent and plenty of hard work. When Ross Hays Citrullo decides to peel off a lick or two, he does it in style, with a subtle and understated style that works neatly with the band’s overall sound.
The title track is one of a couple that slow things down a little. The Country Western Rock sound that is inevitable on every Southern Rock record, there’s a bit of slide work here, and they pull it off with ease. It’s a smooth song, with little flourishes that provide the extra needed to keep you locked in. Gone Without Warning and Who Are You both rock along nicely, before the band depart slightly, with the darker atmosphere of Body And Soul that has an edge to it that hasn’t been present before. It's one of the best songs on the album, the interplay between vocals, organ and guitar created a delightful kaleidoscopic combination. It’s certainly the darker twist here though that makes it stand out.
Every album of this type needs that lighter aloft anthem, and it duly arrives with Too Soon To Know. A track that could easily feature in the soundtrack to a gritty series like Sons Of Anarchy, it’s another highlight and leads into the acoustic finale of the emotional All That We Have. This sees Medhurst give a gorgeously intimate finish with acoustic accompaniment.
The Commoners were fantastic at that Bristol show, and this album has whetted my appetite for another encounter with them in a few weeks at the Steelhouse Festival. 8/10
Amongst Liars - By Design (Earache) [James Jackson]
Channelling a mix of Punk, Grunge and Rock, Amongst Liars based in the coastal towns of Brighton and Eastbourne, release their second album By Design. The band formed in 2019, a year later the pandemic hit and plans to perform live were obviously put on hiatus, according to their bio however, this wasn’t a time to rest on their laurels and the band pushed singles and wrote their debut album, released in the summer of 2022.
Some of the band’s influences are listed as Rage Against The Machine and the social, political views within some of the tracks definitely have that influence stamped all over them, another influence which is quite dominant within songs like Mind, is Shinedown, following that is Vice which holds a strong Electro influence to it, the intro a Techno beat away from being played at a rave, ultimately being my favourite track upon the album, there’s a BMTH vibe to it, another cited influence.
The song writing is done well, the choruses catchy, lyrics relevant, the hooks driven to do their job, even the stripped down track Say has an impact as poignant as any of the other more punchy rockier tracks that precede it. There’s quite the blend of influences throughout the album that the easiest thing for me to say is that if you’re a fan of BMTH, Shinedown, Queens of the Stone Age and Rage Against The Machine, bands that are credited as inspiration for Amongst Liars, then this really is a band worth checking out. 7/10
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