Formed at Vara (Sweden) Academy of Music & Business, Thermality are a disgustingly young, disgustingly talented band playing the style of metal Sweden is most associated with. Yep it’s melodeath, influenced by Dark Tranquility, In Flames, At The Gates, Arch Enemy, Soilwork etc etc. Going through a few line-up changes as they were all basically still in school, they are now a solidified five piece with one album, mixed by Fredrik Nordström and an EP behind them.
In quick succession, just five days total, they have recorded a follow up album, again mixed by Fredrik Nordström and have been signed to Sound Pollution/Black Lodge Records, which explains why something recorded din December 2023 is only now being released. So does The Final Hours expand upon their debut? Well not really, there’s more maturity in the writing as the members used it as part of their course so, there’s more studious refinements, but mostly Thermality leans on technical guitar interplay, thrash/death metal riffs and screaming vocals, all the trademarks of melodeath. I will concede that they’re a talented bunch and with a band so young there’s always time to progress in their musical journey.
Hopefully now their studies are out of the way they can focus on perhaps adding some new wrinkles to their love of classic melodeath. 7/10
Massive Hassle - Unreal Damage (Septaphonic Records)
Marty and Bill Fisher return with the second Massive Hassle record and the brothers again combine their influences and their other bands to make another stomping 70's garage, blues, doom rock amalgamation, composed and performed with the duality only brothers can muster.
The Nottingham duo again sing in unison from Crap Is Your Life to Somewhere Sane, choppy, fuzzing riffs and muscular drumbeats are the major focus but on tracks such as Chorus Of Dawn there's some bluesy soloing ala Jeff Beck, the blues sticking around on the strutting Stay Sound, going a bit Clapton while Right Time merges Dire Straits with Thin Lizzy.
What's excellent about Massive Hassle is that you can pick out Mammothwing, Church Of The Cosmic Skull and Dystopian Future Movies (Walk Of Shame) but it has it's own undeniable flavour, from the gospel ruminations of Tenspot, the singer songwriter machinations of Somewhere Sane, to the twisty QOTSA-like Lost In The Changes and the glam rocking of Crap Is Your Life. Their first album was the brothers starting Massive Hassle as grandly as possible, Unreal Damage is them settling into their position amongst both men's vast output. 7/10
Positive Reaction - Dreaming Of Violence (Engineer Records)
A South Wales 'supergroup' Positive Reaction is a collection of musicians from the South Wales scene who are all devotees of NYHC and Detroit punk, its music with a message, delivered brashly and aggressively through the snorting, sneering vocals, the four-piece, soon to be five, cite bands such as Agnostic Front, Negative Approach and Discharge as influences and with this four track EP they bring so much of those bands but with a bit of Welsh grit.
A track such as Why? has a repeating vocal line, shouted by vocalist Mike, as it's mirrored by a riff from Jon. In the back room Gav's bass is high in the mix and gives open bass grooves. It's anthemic and makes you want to shout along, while Building Something has a lot of punk, 90's groove too hooked on Chris' expressive drumming as Burn It Down rages as the final act of defiance, a solo coming through the background. Dreaming Of Violence is an incitement to rebel, to fight anyone who wishes to oppress. Positive Reaction's second album adds more maturity, cohesion and attempts to merge old and new school hardcore. 8/10
Myrk - Instinct (Self Released)
Savage death from Bristol created by drummer Adam Myrk- Robertshaw (though it's him only on the EP) and joined by Will Jones, vocalist of Dehumanut, along with a live band made of Drew Lanfear (lead guitar), Adam McKay (rhythm/lead guitar) and David Harris (bass).
Instinct is the debut EP from Myrk (stylised as Myrk-) a three track assault on the senses which attacks from the outset. It's the sort of aggression that saw them playing alongside Terrorizer and Damin recently so Myrk- must have the chops and the potential to hold their own.
Vicious and violent, the Bristol battery of Myrk- is something to behold if you like it heavy. 7/10
Massive Hassle - Unreal Damage (Septaphonic Records)
Marty and Bill Fisher return with the second Massive Hassle record and the brothers again combine their influences and their other bands to make another stomping 70's garage, blues, doom rock amalgamation, composed and performed with the duality only brothers can muster.
The Nottingham duo again sing in unison from Crap Is Your Life to Somewhere Sane, choppy, fuzzing riffs and muscular drumbeats are the major focus but on tracks such as Chorus Of Dawn there's some bluesy soloing ala Jeff Beck, the blues sticking around on the strutting Stay Sound, going a bit Clapton while Right Time merges Dire Straits with Thin Lizzy.
What's excellent about Massive Hassle is that you can pick out Mammothwing, Church Of The Cosmic Skull and Dystopian Future Movies (Walk Of Shame) but it has it's own undeniable flavour, from the gospel ruminations of Tenspot, the singer songwriter machinations of Somewhere Sane, to the twisty QOTSA-like Lost In The Changes and the glam rocking of Crap Is Your Life. Their first album was the brothers starting Massive Hassle as grandly as possible, Unreal Damage is them settling into their position amongst both men's vast output. 7/10
Positive Reaction - Dreaming Of Violence (Engineer Records)
A South Wales 'supergroup' Positive Reaction is a collection of musicians from the South Wales scene who are all devotees of NYHC and Detroit punk, its music with a message, delivered brashly and aggressively through the snorting, sneering vocals, the four-piece, soon to be five, cite bands such as Agnostic Front, Negative Approach and Discharge as influences and with this four track EP they bring so much of those bands but with a bit of Welsh grit.
A track such as Why? has a repeating vocal line, shouted by vocalist Mike, as it's mirrored by a riff from Jon. In the back room Gav's bass is high in the mix and gives open bass grooves. It's anthemic and makes you want to shout along, while Building Something has a lot of punk, 90's groove too hooked on Chris' expressive drumming as Burn It Down rages as the final act of defiance, a solo coming through the background. Dreaming Of Violence is an incitement to rebel, to fight anyone who wishes to oppress. Positive Reaction's second album adds more maturity, cohesion and attempts to merge old and new school hardcore. 8/10
Myrk - Instinct (Self Released)
Savage death from Bristol created by drummer Adam Myrk- Robertshaw (though it's him only on the EP) and joined by Will Jones, vocalist of Dehumanut, along with a live band made of Drew Lanfear (lead guitar), Adam McKay (rhythm/lead guitar) and David Harris (bass).
Instinct is the debut EP from Myrk (stylised as Myrk-) a three track assault on the senses which attacks from the outset. It's the sort of aggression that saw them playing alongside Terrorizer and Damin recently so Myrk- must have the chops and the potential to hold their own.
Vicious and violent, the Bristol battery of Myrk- is something to behold if you like it heavy. 7/10
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