In the States the Dogs D'Amour were lumped in with the hair band stuff. Part was when they came out, part was their look, and part was there sound. But like a band like Cinderella, under all that hair and makeup was an English heavy blues rock band, more Stones than Poison but with just enough Hanoi Rocks to cover that glam side of things.
Our friends at Cherry Red have taken all of the band’s material from their formative years and given us one nice place to ingest it all in the form of this 8 CD box set. Yes, 8 CDs. That is a lot, and some of this is for fans only, but these guys were solid and it is about time we had an all-inclusive set for fans and people looking to check out what these guys were all about.
You get their studio albums from this era, including he must listen In The Dynamite Jet Saloon which is killer from start to finish. You get the other three studio albums as well, with my favourite being Straight??!! But all are worth your time if you dig the Dogs sound.
You get their studio albums from this era, including he must listen In The Dynamite Jet Saloon which is killer from start to finish. You get the other three studio albums as well, with my favourite being Straight??!! But all are worth your time if you dig the Dogs sound.
The first CD, The (Un)Authorised Bootleg Album, is a cool look into some shelved tunes meant for a Japanese release. For fans this thing is a goldmine, with more live tracks and B-sides than a DD nut could possibly go for, but a lot of it is for huge fans only, which is the fun of a set like this. Use it to get familiar as a newbie or dive way deep as a fan.
Once again, Cherry Red is the place to go for these sets. The do such a good job with all of it; the music, the packaging, all of it. So if you are a fan or if you are looking to potentially be, Dynamite China Years – Complete Recordings 1988-1993 can be a place to start or even complete your Dogs D'Amour fandom. 8/10
Wizard Tattoo - Living Just For Dying (Garage Fire Records)
The weird and wonderful world of Wizard Tattoo is back as the epic journey continues with the latest EP, Living Just For Dying. This one is four songs that are very chill and defiantly more of a slow burn than the previous material, but really fun nonetheless.
The opening title track leans more towards folk metal and is the acoustic driven set up for this leg of the story. Wizard Tattoo does Nick Cave if you will. The Wizard Who Loved me is also a slower track with beautiful female vocals to go along with our hero. The chill stops there as we go black metal with Tomorrow Dies.
Once again, Cherry Red is the place to go for these sets. The do such a good job with all of it; the music, the packaging, all of it. So if you are a fan or if you are looking to potentially be, Dynamite China Years – Complete Recordings 1988-1993 can be a place to start or even complete your Dogs D'Amour fandom. 8/10
Wizard Tattoo - Living Just For Dying (Garage Fire Records)
The weird and wonderful world of Wizard Tattoo is back as the epic journey continues with the latest EP, Living Just For Dying. This one is four songs that are very chill and defiantly more of a slow burn than the previous material, but really fun nonetheless.
The opening title track leans more towards folk metal and is the acoustic driven set up for this leg of the story. Wizard Tattoo does Nick Cave if you will. The Wizard Who Loved me is also a slower track with beautiful female vocals to go along with our hero. The chill stops there as we go black metal with Tomorrow Dies.
You get growled vocals and the whole Black Metal experience, excited very well. If WT decided to stay in one lane Black Metal may not be a bad choice, but who wants WT to stay in one lane? No one does, that’s who. That is where the heavy ends as Sanity’s Eclipse takes us back to acoustic driven, with an almost internal fight closing out the story, the Tattoo vs the man, with a strings accompaniment, synths, and crickets. Yup. The closer builds nicely and is so not the end of this epic adventure.
The story continues, and I hope it keeps going, as the wacky world of Wizard Tattoo has a fun new chapter in the story, as Living Just For Dying is delightfully all over the place and once again totally worth your time. 7/10
Various Artists - The Devil Rides In Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 66-74 (Strawberry/Cherry Red Records)
The late 60s was a time where there was a true satanic panic in the world. Certain members of society, rightly or wrongly, thought the dark lord was driving society in a negative direction, creating a boogie man in the form of the devil. All these long hairs were chanting incantations in their basements and selling their souls.
This comp is big and there is a lot to absorb here, but all of these tracks are influenced by Satan in some way, either directly calling him out or being a bit more subtle. Either way, there are some great tracks on here. Death Walks Behind You by Atomic Rooster is a classic amongst classics. Early Genesis, Free, and Argent are standouts for bands you may be familiar with. The Arthur Brown track (not Fire) is great too.
The story continues, and I hope it keeps going, as the wacky world of Wizard Tattoo has a fun new chapter in the story, as Living Just For Dying is delightfully all over the place and once again totally worth your time. 7/10
Various Artists - The Devil Rides In Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 66-74 (Strawberry/Cherry Red Records)
The late 60s was a time where there was a true satanic panic in the world. Certain members of society, rightly or wrongly, thought the dark lord was driving society in a negative direction, creating a boogie man in the form of the devil. All these long hairs were chanting incantations in their basements and selling their souls.
Sounds a lot like today, considering the reaction to the French Olympic Games opening ceremony and the reaction from the Right here in the US. Gojira apparently are super evil, who knew. The latest satanic panic is in full swing, which is why this new compilation from Chery Red Records, The Devil Rides In Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 66-74, is so timely, even though the songs are 50-60 years old.
This comp is big and there is a lot to absorb here, but all of these tracks are influenced by Satan in some way, either directly calling him out or being a bit more subtle. Either way, there are some great tracks on here. Death Walks Behind You by Atomic Rooster is a classic amongst classics. Early Genesis, Free, and Argent are standouts for bands you may be familiar with. The Arthur Brown track (not Fire) is great too.
Some other bands that shine that I was not familiar with include Third Ear Band, Mighty Baby, and Tintern Abbey. You get 55 tracks of early prog, proto proto, and creepy rock that are all worth a listen. It is a lot, but take the time because there is nothing on here that would be an automatic skip.
Cherry Red is the best and these comps, and if you love evil in your rock and love the late 60s and early 70s vibe, then The Devil Rides In Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 66-74 is for you. 8/10
King Zog - Second Dawn (Rue Morgue Records)
Is Australian doom metal your thing? Apparently, it is mine, as some bands from down under lately have really caught my attention. Bands like Oceanlord and Rocky’s Pride and Joy amongst others have really been getting a lot of love from me. The love affair continues with Perth’s King Zog and their new album of doomy goodness, the aptly titled Second Dawn. With a brand-new lineup and an expanded sound, including synths and other non-traditional doom metal instruments, King Zog bring us eight killer tracks that lines them up nicely with the other Aussie bands that are killing it in the doom metal scene.
Cherry Red is the best and these comps, and if you love evil in your rock and love the late 60s and early 70s vibe, then The Devil Rides In Spellbinding Satanic Magick & The Rockult 66-74 is for you. 8/10
King Zog - Second Dawn (Rue Morgue Records)
Is Australian doom metal your thing? Apparently, it is mine, as some bands from down under lately have really caught my attention. Bands like Oceanlord and Rocky’s Pride and Joy amongst others have really been getting a lot of love from me. The love affair continues with Perth’s King Zog and their new album of doomy goodness, the aptly titled Second Dawn. With a brand-new lineup and an expanded sound, including synths and other non-traditional doom metal instruments, King Zog bring us eight killer tracks that lines them up nicely with the other Aussie bands that are killing it in the doom metal scene.
The heaviness of the band is felt from the first riff and heavy drop in of the rhythm section on the short intro opener, Scelestic Dusk and into the first full track, Rat King. You like trad doom because this is some low and slow killer trad doom. Love the solo on this one too. The tuned way down guitars matches perfectly with the very cool layered vocals across all eight tracks on Second Dawn. Did I mention tuned down and slow doom? Hollow Man Blues is here for you too.
The riffs are for real on Second Dawn, strong enough to slay the zombies that adorn the album cover. Creep On tries to dare the band to go even slower and turn up the sludge, and wins that battle. Madagascar Tree picks up the pace ever so slightly as well as the creepy factor, as this one elicits some serious horror movie vibes. I love the vocals on this one too.
There is not a weak track on Second Dawn, with Brute Beast being probably my favourite track on the record, mostly due to the very cool tempo change and is that flute that shows up in the middle of the track? The epic doom title track closer pummelling you for eleven-minutes plus is the perfect way to close this heavy adventure out.
Australian doom is a genre into itself and I am here for it. King Zog is right up at the top of the list of killer bands, with Second Dawn its submittal for them to be leading the way. 8/10
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