Every now and then wires are crossed, and the spectre of a Chucklebrother ‘To Me, To You’ mishap looms large. Which is a roundabout way of saying that this review of Zeal And Ardor’s latest, Greif is later than planned. So, let’s get straight into it. I caught them twice last year, once supporting Meshuggah and then on their own headlining run later in the year with Heriot in tow. Reaction differed between both gigs, and I wasn’t sold the first time round. Second time it was with a reduced team, with just vocals by Manuel Gagneux which seemed a better night. Crowd reactions on each night was insane so they must be doing something right.
So, on the strength of Greif, I’ve not heard anything here that is world-shattering. On each of the songs there are moments where it comes in like Nine Inch Nails, circa With Teeth, and other times like QOTSA where you have rhythm and counter-rhythm at play. Its ambitious and sounds great, with Kilonova a prime example of that attack, it’s a busy song and has plenty of zip to it. Elsewhere they go for that tried and tested quiet start and repeating vocalisation that will no doubt translate so well into the live arena. The use of Black Metal vocal stylings on Are You The Only One Now? Breaks up those repeated mantras before combining to a decent effect. You just know it will blow minds live because they have similar songs in their armoury that do this trick.
What you can’t disagree with is that Manuel is a top vocal talent, sublime voice and can make anything sound good, and I mean anything. They also don’t forget that they can make riffs with the best of them, giving them that quirk such as the stretching patterns on Clawing Out which hits like its two songs fighting for supremacy. Despite the heaviness of the riff, it has some downright filthy dance motifs running through it and the opening bars of Disease is as sleazy as it comes. On here you can see where some make comparisons to latter-day QOTSA, in the way the arrangement hangs, just flowing in the breeze with that repeating guitar line coming and going. It excels in its simplicity but doesn’t excite.
Making your way through the album will largely depend on how much of a fan you are. I’ve not listened to their recorded output so maybe seeing them live first has slightly skewed it for me. The songs on here are fine, but there isn’t one where you go ‘Wow’. The use of electronica fits well, Such as the instrumental Une Ville Vide or giving that extra sonic space to Clawing Out.
As they close out, Solace is a slow and melancholic number where you can imagine a single light being shone as these pained words are sung, as the arrangement gradually builds around him, lead break and double bass kicking in for those final moments as it gently dissipates into Hide In Shade, and finally the brakes are removed, those call and response vocals set directly against the extreme metal ones, it is one of the things that impresses on here. To My Ilk is a gentle, plucked affair that closes out what could be described as a mild disappointment to me.
Comparing this against what I’ve heard/seen live, it doesn’t have the same impact as those songs. Maybe it was because it was live, and those songs had grown in that live setting. Or maybe because they are not as good. It’s not made me want to listen to it on repeat, so maybe its me? 6/10
Thunderbird Divine - Little Wars (Black Doomba Records) [Rich Piva]
The new record from Philadelphia rock veterans Thunderbird Divine took me a few listens to grab onto, but when I did, I held on tight. The band mentions Monster Magnet, Hawkwind, Flower Travellin' Band, The MC5 and Grand Funk Railroad in their bio (I would throw The Doors in there too), so with that kind of musical taste how could they go wrong? Well, they could, given how bands have a habit of putting names and tags that don’t always paint the full picture, but rest assured, Thunderbird Divine is the real deal, and their new record, Little Wars, pushes all the right buttons for me.
The bio also calls Thunderbird Divine “riff heavy psychedelia/stoner/doom”. Yup. The first full track after the instrumental opener Pony Express, Times Gone Bad, has all of that and more. You hear the Monster Magnet influence, the keys that add the Hawkwind element, and there is a heavy rock circa 1974 vibe that permeates through this one. The riff is heavy and the song is overall heavy, but it still manages to float around you at the same time. I think the vocals didn’t do it for me the first couple of listens as they are more shouted that sung at times on this track, but after a few listens you see how it works perfectly. Musically this song has everything I want to hear in my heavy rock.
Comparing this against what I’ve heard/seen live, it doesn’t have the same impact as those songs. Maybe it was because it was live, and those songs had grown in that live setting. Or maybe because they are not as good. It’s not made me want to listen to it on repeat, so maybe its me? 6/10
Thunderbird Divine - Little Wars (Black Doomba Records) [Rich Piva]
The new record from Philadelphia rock veterans Thunderbird Divine took me a few listens to grab onto, but when I did, I held on tight. The band mentions Monster Magnet, Hawkwind, Flower Travellin' Band, The MC5 and Grand Funk Railroad in their bio (I would throw The Doors in there too), so with that kind of musical taste how could they go wrong? Well, they could, given how bands have a habit of putting names and tags that don’t always paint the full picture, but rest assured, Thunderbird Divine is the real deal, and their new record, Little Wars, pushes all the right buttons for me.
The bio also calls Thunderbird Divine “riff heavy psychedelia/stoner/doom”. Yup. The first full track after the instrumental opener Pony Express, Times Gone Bad, has all of that and more. You hear the Monster Magnet influence, the keys that add the Hawkwind element, and there is a heavy rock circa 1974 vibe that permeates through this one. The riff is heavy and the song is overall heavy, but it still manages to float around you at the same time. I think the vocals didn’t do it for me the first couple of listens as they are more shouted that sung at times on this track, but after a few listens you see how it works perfectly. Musically this song has everything I want to hear in my heavy rock.
Last Laugh is up next, and you get some heavy blues to go along with all that other goodness, with some seriously soaring female background vocals that brings you to the church of the Thunderbird Divine. I love the psych guitars that accompany the serious riffs and how freaking back end heavy this one is. That Doors thing I mentioned is all over Black Rhino Mantra, but in only the best ways, because I have to be careful when I mention Mr. Morrison and crew, but this is for another review. This track is Monster Magnet meets The Doors, and that is all you need to know.
These Eyes has an absolutely thundering riff before the pace slows a bit and you get doomy goodness paired with organ. I love the vocals when they do the call and response like they do on this one and other tracks on Little Wars, and the spacy freak out and more of those female voices at the end of the song are awesome. The instrumental Tides has a killer organ intro and an amazing heavy galop to it, bringing me some feelings of Deep Purple to go along with all of the other great influences Thunderbird Divine brings to the party, and how about that spacy freak out at the end? Monster Magnet with lots of organ is what Highway Dawn is all about. The album closes a bit strangely, with Old Black Crow which is a fun little dusty western type ditty and the instrumental Carousel, which sounds like the soundtrack to an evil one. An odd way to end, but it does not distract from the overall awesomeness of Little Wars.
It took me a second, but the New Thunderbird Divine record kicks all sorts of ass. The heavy riffs, the 70s vibes, the organ, the Monster Magnet meets Grand Funk meets Hawkwind vibes, what’s not to like about Little Wars? Great stuff. 8/10
Spectral Wound - Songs Of Blood And Mire (Profound Lore Records) [Mark Young]
With an album title like that, I’m praying to my lord and saviour Jeebus that this is a cracker. It's as stripped back as you can get, the accompanying bio is straightforward, Spectral Wound plays Black Metal. It’s this kind of up-front, warts-and-all all approach that you can get behind.
And they do, straight off the bat as Fevers And Suffering comes in, hitting like a Black Metal tsunami that delights in crushing all in its path. It sounds as you might expect – double bass is there, the extreme vocals, guitars worked furiously and song lengths that are a little on the lengthy side, its all there. Because it’s all there, once you have delved into Song 1, the following tracks won’t hold any real surprises for you, especially if you are an avid devotee of the scene. Where it excels are in its unwavering approach to maintaining this traditional Black Metal attack, they are totally focused on it and if you like it, great. If you don’t, go and listen to Nickelback.
At Wine-Dark In Mouldering Halls is superb, a relentless journey that delights in taking us around gothic piles at the dead of night, whilst the awesomely named Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal is just nuts. They are played completely straight, and I love them for it because it feels like its Black Metal, written by fans of Black Metal for fans. There is some quality riffing on Aristocratic, the arrangement coming together exactly as you would hope – it’s fast, furious and takes no prisoners with an ace lead break that comes in, does what it needs to do and leaves without overstaying its welcome. Its that kind of thing that I love, its built properly by fans of the scene.
Whilst I know that this is not the longest review I’ve ever done, I’d like to think that it is a fair one. As I’ve said, the complete focus on writing and recording their vision of Black Metal means that there is little wriggle room for offering anything that could be considered new within the scene. But what it does mean is that every song on here is played to an inch of its life, there is no chance that they could be accused of slacking on the job. A Coin Upon The Tongue has this sliding riff amongst its incendiary start that devolves into this almost mid-paced arrangement.
It took me a second, but the New Thunderbird Divine record kicks all sorts of ass. The heavy riffs, the 70s vibes, the organ, the Monster Magnet meets Grand Funk meets Hawkwind vibes, what’s not to like about Little Wars? Great stuff. 8/10
Spectral Wound - Songs Of Blood And Mire (Profound Lore Records) [Mark Young]
With an album title like that, I’m praying to my lord and saviour Jeebus that this is a cracker. It's as stripped back as you can get, the accompanying bio is straightforward, Spectral Wound plays Black Metal. It’s this kind of up-front, warts-and-all all approach that you can get behind.
And they do, straight off the bat as Fevers And Suffering comes in, hitting like a Black Metal tsunami that delights in crushing all in its path. It sounds as you might expect – double bass is there, the extreme vocals, guitars worked furiously and song lengths that are a little on the lengthy side, its all there. Because it’s all there, once you have delved into Song 1, the following tracks won’t hold any real surprises for you, especially if you are an avid devotee of the scene. Where it excels are in its unwavering approach to maintaining this traditional Black Metal attack, they are totally focused on it and if you like it, great. If you don’t, go and listen to Nickelback.
At Wine-Dark In Mouldering Halls is superb, a relentless journey that delights in taking us around gothic piles at the dead of night, whilst the awesomely named Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal is just nuts. They are played completely straight, and I love them for it because it feels like its Black Metal, written by fans of Black Metal for fans. There is some quality riffing on Aristocratic, the arrangement coming together exactly as you would hope – it’s fast, furious and takes no prisoners with an ace lead break that comes in, does what it needs to do and leaves without overstaying its welcome. Its that kind of thing that I love, its built properly by fans of the scene.
Whilst I know that this is not the longest review I’ve ever done, I’d like to think that it is a fair one. As I’ve said, the complete focus on writing and recording their vision of Black Metal means that there is little wriggle room for offering anything that could be considered new within the scene. But what it does mean is that every song on here is played to an inch of its life, there is no chance that they could be accused of slacking on the job. A Coin Upon The Tongue has this sliding riff amongst its incendiary start that devolves into this almost mid-paced arrangement.
Almost, it is still punishing, drums pushing onwards and onwards with a face-melting solo whilst the final track Twelve Moons In Hell is full on, just apocalyptic drums from the off and that furious riffing that the genre is famous for. For me they left the most visceral till the end and I can’t see any fans being disappointed by this which I think is the key. I mentioned that you get the feeling that its by fans for fans, which could be wrong but that is how it comes across. They delight in just battering you with this and it is one of those ‘out of nowhere’ releases that deserves to do well. 8/10
Earth Lux - Earth Lux (Metalville Records) [Rich Piva]
Earth Lux - Earth Lux (Metalville Records) [Rich Piva]
Earth Lux is a melodic hard rock band and the brainchild of French composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Steph Honde and Brazilian composer and drummer Fred Mika. They were in a band called Sunroad together. Earth Lux features former members of incarnations of Eloy, Lionheart, MSG, and Yngwie Malmsteen’s band, which should give you a bit of an understanding what these guys sound like.
Their debut self-titled album is straight out of the mid to late 1980s, before Mr. Cobain sang about that deodorant and ruined it for bands like them, and may have done well back then too. To me, now, this is kind of stale, with nothing that really stands out or gets me very interested in what these guys can bring. Sure, they can play, check out the solo at the end of the closing track, Lorraine. Sure, some of the songs are catchy and kind of rock, like Stormy Tower and the almost funky Kyrie Eleison.
But if I really wanted to listen to something like this, I would pull out records from Dokken, Slaughter, Winger, and maybe even Van Hagar stuff, minus the Eddie shredding. Not the cheesier songs from those groups, but the ones where they didn’t smile as much in the videos. Like those bands, the lyrics on Earth Lux can go from cliched to the aforementioned cheese, like on In Your Room, where the singer can still smell her perfume, making it a cringe listen at some points.
Earth Lux definitely has talent, but may be a few decades too late, because their self-titled record feels very much done before and offers nothing fresh. The skill of the players cannot save this melodic hard rock from mediocrity. 5/10
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