Kaipa - Sommargryningsljus (Inside Out Music) [Matt Bladen]
It's weird isn't it? Certain record labels make me think of certain bands. Inside Out Music weirdly makes me think of Kaipa. Back when I voraciously bought CD's, every little inlay catalogue from the label seemed to feature another Kaipa record, their bright, gleeful album covers standing out in what was usually a colour palate of black and blue. The reason for that is that Sommargryningsljus is the 10th album that Swedish prog legends have released on the label.
They signed when they looked to release their 2002 comeback album Notes From The Past and have stayed ever since, this being 15th album overall for a band founded by keyboardist/vocalist Hans Ludin in 1973 (joined by The Flower Kings' Ronie Stolt in 1974), but it features songs, Seven Birds and Spiderweb Train, that were written for the 2002 comeback. So this is the way Kaipa are choosing to celebrate the 25th anniversary on the label. They are part of concept though, the folk/prog band writing Sommargryningsljus (Summer Dawn Light) as a nocturnal journey from dusk until dawn.
Kaipa have the their style nailed, Ludin has 60 years in the music business to draw on so can create musical tapestries that will colour this journey-like record. He's flanked by a band who have been part of Kaipa for a long time; the duelling vocals of Patrik Lundström and Aleena Gibson working very well after all this time together. Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings) supplies the jazzy basslines with most recent member (though it's been almost 10 years) drummer Darby Todd as guitarist Per Nilsson shows off his non metal side (his day job is in Scar Symmetry).
Elongated folky prog rock which owes a lot to Yes, Van Der Graaf Generator, Renaissance and even The Enid, they capture the attention with their broad artistic strokes and the addition of violin from Elin Rubinsztein, recorders and whistles from Fredrik Lindqvist, especially on Reveleationview, while Olof Åslund adds saxophone. It's prog rock that's been refined over a few decades so it was always going to impress. Welcome the sun with Sommargryningsljus. 8/10
Altar Of Oblivion - In The Cesspit Of Decay (From The Vaults) [Joe Guatieri]
Altar of Oblivion are a long-running Doom Metal band from Denmark, forming all the way back in 2006 and they’re here with their latest full-length, In The Cesspit Of Decay.
We begin with track one, Nothing Grows From Hallowed Ground, with the use of the keyboards and the forever moving guitars, I could immediately tell what this band was going for. That being a sound that is a love letter to 80s metal, another big sign of this was the operatic vocals which weren’t really my bag, they were attempting to trap me with the catchy refrain sung within the chorus.
Moving on from there we have track five, Altar Of Oblivion, with a song named after the band I had high hopes for it. One of the few off the record on the shorter side, it sounds like a long journey stomping through the desert. A soundscape filled to the brim with a lead guitar, big pounding drums, the best vocals yet with a deep delivery and of course keyboards yet again, all portraying the strong winds blowing on your person in hopes to whisk you away. It all paints the picture of the album cover very well, combining grit and fantasy, reminds me of Lord Of The Rings in a way.
Continuing we have my favourite song on the album with that being track eight, Damnation. It was the first moment throughout In The Cesspit Of Decay which genuinely wowed me, its quiet nature came at the perfect time. Two guitars harmonize with each other and dance across a plain, whilst a lone flutist observes, sitting on a rock in the distance, hauntingly beautiful.
Cesspit Of Decay is definitely one for more patient listeners, it tested me and made me worry with the midpoints that it had, it left me wanting more. Thankfully there were a handful of bright sparks which pulled me back in again and kept me going. I consider it to be one of those rare albums where it’s considerably back-loaded, saving the best till last. There is a solid structure to this fortress but it’s missing a mystery. 7/10
Cold Wives - Cold Wives (Roman Numeral) [GC]
The word ‘’supergroup’’ is used in the press release for the Cold Wives self-titled release and that word usually fills me with dread because it seems like the people involved are way to up themselves and already think what they have released is gong to be the best thing ever and for me the bands that Cold Wives are made up of wouldn’t really classify as well known, Made out of Babies? Dining with Dogs? Red Sparowes? Honestly? Never heard of them! Unsane & Glassing are also represented and that’s where my familiarity ends, anyway, enough negativity what does it sound like I hear you ask?
It doesn’t start off particularly well to be honest Unwashed And Misunderstood is sparse sounding and a bit messy and is probably leaning toward sounding like Unsane and while its not really a bad song it just sort of squeals and shouts but never really hits the mark and is bout 2 minutes too long, Foreign Matters is more of the same its trying its best to be chaotic and unhinged and the timescales are all over the place mixing the dull thud of post punk with the noisecore aesthetic and trying its best to sound like no one has control, while having ALL the control and honestly its just doing nothing for me so far.
Terra Prime does fair a little better as it has a rich and driving nature to the slow and pulsing basslines and more paired back guitars, the vocals mix together well and create a more dark and menacing edge to the track showing that the previous chaotic nature of their sound is not really their best form of attack as on this song you can feel yourself just sitting and pay full attention to everything that is happening where as previously I just wanted the track to end and quickly and with Shrink they actually manage to meld the 2 contrasting styles together very well, you get the guitars that are creating the crazy dissonance and the bass and drums keep the more hypnotic sway going and it makes for something interesting and challenging which is probably what they were aiming for at the beginning but totally missed the mark.
Barney, King Of Rubble is clearly a very stupid song title (wrong - Ed) but musically continues the streak of decent songs on the album with more sparse guitars being led forward by a driving bass line and some nice mesmerizing drum work then when the vocals arrive they add the chaotic feel back into the mix and once again find the point to mix it all together to create something uneasy and off kilter on Furnace Tapes, the sound has now become more solidified and I am now finally getting the feeling for what is being done.
The sound continues to be uncomfortable and haunting and completely 100 miles away from the beginning of the album which I am pleased about because once you scratch the surface of their sound you can tell Cold Wives have a lot to offer BUT at the same time it has to be said that the closing tracks Supervention and Eventide don’t drastically change the sound one bit and are more of the same and they are both decent enough, but all started to get a bit to one paced and samey, they did mix it up slightly on Foxhole Buddies with a bit of a punk influence thrown in for good measure and rounded everything off nicely.
After a ropey start Cold Wives really came into its own in the middle of the album and carried a good sound all the way towards the end and actually became a decent listen! It created an uneasy and claustrophobic atmosphere and really gripped you and when they hit that mark it was a good listen, shame it wasn’t from the very beginning though otherwise this review would have been much higher. 7/10
After a ropey start Cold Wives really came into its own in the middle of the album and carried a good sound all the way towards the end and actually became a decent listen! It created an uneasy and claustrophobic atmosphere and really gripped you and when they hit that mark it was a good listen, shame it wasn’t from the very beginning though otherwise this review would have been much higher. 7/10
Anvil – One And Only (AFM Records) [Paul Hutchings]
Album number 20 for the Canadians who show no signs of giving up, and who can blame them. Their most recent UK tour saw sold out shows across the country, but how many of those who filled the clubs have purchased music from the trio in the last couple of decades? Yes, there will always be a few diehard fans, but do you genuinely have Legal At Last, Juggernaut Of Justice or Back To Basics in your record collection?
Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow, Robb Reiner and bassist Chris Robertson have been a solid unit for the past decade and once again, the musicianship is of a high standard on One And Only. Reiner’s drumming has always been underrated in my opinion, whilst Kudlow isn’t a bad guitarist by any means. He’s just a bloody awful vocalist and lyricist.
12 songs stretch over 45-minutes, and whilst they are delivered with the usual juggernaut tempo, some of the lyrics are absolutely laughable. On Dead Mans Shoes for example, the chorus is way too repetitive, with the words “wear a pair, if you dare” what you’d expect from a 12-year-old. Rhyming is stretched to the limit, as heard on single Feed Your Fantasy, one of the duller songs here and a real plodder. “Have a dream come true, it’s what you do, loving it too, through and through”; “Live to win, with a grin”. Yes, this is all about doing what you want, an admirable motto, but the song is just dire.
It's when Anvil get the bit between their teeth that things get a bit better. Dead Man’s Shoes may have a ropey chorus, but it rattles along at a fair pace, with some of Kudlow’s best guitar work in evidence and a huge drum sound that ensures everything is on target. In terms of subject matter, Kudlow has always been on point. Fight For Your Rights sees him raise the fist for music against the corporations, whilst Condemned Liberty is a rallying call for freedom of expression and rights. No band has been exploited more than Anvil, and Kudlow draws on personal experience throughout. You can’t knock his energy or enthusiasm.
Ultimately, whether you can tolerate the out of tone vocal delivery and the rather routine song structures determines if you can listen to One And Only more than once. Blind Rage, the closing song here, is a classic example of all that is both wrong and brilliant with this band. Reiner’s thunderous drumming powers the song, the riffs are hard and heavy, but the vocals threaten to undo all the good work. I’ve given Anvil scores from 4 to 8 in the past. One And Only isn’t brilliant by a long way, but there’s something bizarrely endearing about them which you can’t fail to like. 6/10
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