A View From The Back Of The Room: Ghosted, Painted As Monsters & General Waste (Live Review By Liam Williams)

Ghosted (Ghost Tribute Band), Painted As Monsters, General Waste, The Bunkhouse, Swansea, 27.10.2024

On Sunday I was back at the Bunkhouse to celebrate the spooky season with a live show from Ghosted, the UK's number 1 tribute to Ghost, with support from Painted As Monsters and General Waste. So here’s my short review of the show.

Pop-punk band General Waste kicked off the show in spectacular fashion. They only played a short set of about 5-6 songs, including a cover of All American Rejects classic track Dirty Little Secret. They put on a fantastic performance and they sounded great. I think the bass could have done with being a bit louder but other than that the sound was spot on. 

I was quite impressed with their high energy performance, especially from the vocalist and the guitarist who were both really getting into it and having some fun on stage. Their original material sounds like a mix of Paramore and My Chemical Romance. A very nice combo!

Next up, we had Painted As Monsters who brought the heavy! Fantastic three-piece alt/prog band who sound like a blend of Muse and Breaking Benjamin. The whole band sounded great and gave a solid performance but I was very impressed with their drummer, the guy was an absolute machine on the kit and I was completely in awe watching him play.

I really loved the vocal harmonies from the guitarist and bassist too. They treated us with a performance of their newest single which I believe is being released this Saturday. Definitely worth a listen to when it’s out!

Finally we had the headliners of the night, Ghosted. You can say all you want about Ghost, but you can’t deny that they do put on a really fun show, and Ghosted, being the number 1 tribute in the UK, do exactly the same, albeit on a much smaller scale, but the energy and the dedication is on par with the real deal. There were some technical issues at the start of their set but the band quickly overcame them and delivered a brilliant performance!

They played all of my favourites, such as Rats, Year Zero, From The Pinnacle To The Pit and more. There was some great banter between songs from the frontman, aka “Papa”, which gave me a good laugh, and about halfway through the set there was a little guitar duel between the 2 guitarists which went back and forth before the bassist came in right at the end to put them both to shame and win the contest. They played for almost an hour and half in total and I enjoyed every second of it.

So it was a very fun night, everyone in the crowd looked like they were having a great time, lot’s of singing and dancing and smiles all around. I enjoyed myself, the bands did amazing and I look forward to seeing all of them play again!

Reviews: VOLA, Beardfish, Slower, Volume (Reviews By Matt Bladen & Rich Piva)

VOLA - Friend Of A Phantom (Mascot Records) [Matt Bladen]

Sound the horns as Denmark/Sweden’s VOLA return with their latest opus Friend Of A Phantom, continuing the path they have been forging since 2006, they have come from djent/tech metal beginnings and slowly but surely evolved into a more refined and expansive musical beast. 

Really it was 2018’s Applause From A Distant Crowd that spearheaded this conversion into arena ready machine, whereas that album was overall lighter than their debut Inmaze, Witness brought their two sides together and won critical praise leading to a relentless session of touring where many venues were sold out or upgraded as VOLA’s recognition increased.

So they are now back with fourth studio album Friend Of A Phantom, another record where the light/shade of VOLA’s song-writing is explored, heavy rhythmic patterns and atmospheric passages collide in harmonic union with arena-ready choruses and swirling/oscillating electronics on tracks such as Break My Lying Tongue where the poppy propulsion dives into a heavy crush at the end, the aggression focussed into catharsis on the soaring We Will Not Disband.

Asger Mygind’s emotive vocals a defining part of the VOLA experience, here sounding more accepting of things than they did on the melancholic Witness, in fact Friend Of A Phantom is an overall much more upbeat sounding album but introspection and thoughtfulness are major influences lyrically so there is a beautiful underlying tinge of sadness to the brighter track but it’s right upfront on the haunting Glass Mannequin.

Mygind’s guitars shift between techy metal grooves and post metal ambiance, on the former Nicolai Mogensen’s bass underlining how heavy they can be on Hollow Kid, while when they swell into spatial realms on the latter Martin Werner’s keys are more pronounced though always important, Adam Janzi’s drumming to is an anchor point to all of the tempo and style shifts these songs contain (I Don’t Know How We Got Here).

I have been following the band from the Applause From A Distant Crowd tour, I do find that their heavier style songs always go down better so the fact that they haven’t abandoned this early influence of bands such as Meshuggah but rather merged their two polar hemispheres together is probably why they are a band that are so popular with their fan base.

Be it the riffy Cannibal which features Anders Fridén of In Flames on vocals, the grooving Paper Wolf or the closing purge of Tray, VOLA keep their creative engine running hot with their fourth album, adding new textures but never completely forgetting their beginnings. 9/10

Beardfish - Songs For Beating Hearts (Inside Out Music) [Matt Bladen]

Beardfish are back, you can't really blame anyone for the near nine year hiatus, Rikard Sjöblom (vocals/guitar/keys) has been and integral part of Big Big Train for those years so the fish has been sleeping. Thankfully the beards are once again lustrous and the guppys are whizzing around the tank for some more traditional prog rock loveliness. For those that don't know Beardfish are a Swedish prog rock band formed in 2001, having released 8 previous albums their last was in 2015 before they imposed a hiatus in 2016.

Now they're back with new album Songs For Beating Hearts, Rikard Sjöblomagain joined by band co-founders David Zackrisson (guitars), Magnus Östgren (drums) and bassist Robert Hansen who joined the band in 2002. So it's the 'classic' line up and the return of their classic sound. A sound inspired very heavily by Genesis and Yes, as well as fellow Swedes Kaipa and The Flower Kings, the album composed of 5 songs one of which is a 20 minute suite.

It's this one Out In The Open that contains the most Yes influences, from the fleet fingered bass lines, the analogue synths, acoustically laced guitars and strong vocal harmonies, the entire song is a homage to the UK prog legends, but also will remind anyone who forgot how brilliant Beardfish are as a band. Heavily leaning on the sounds of Yes but with their own individuality that resides in these tracks that collectively unify the four men through love, loss, friendship and finality. 

The establishing theme of Ecotone continues through the main part of the album, the string-driven Beating Hearts and the romantic In The Autumn, which features some additional female vocals from Amanda Örtenhag, until Ecotone (Reprise) puts it to bed before the 8 minute southern gothic finale Torrential Downpour. The reunion no one expected, produces and album anyone who knows the band will absolutely love. Welcome back Beardfish. 9/10

Slower - Rage And Ruin (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich Piva]

I am so happy that Slower was not a one-off project. In case you missed it, Slower is a stoner/doom supergroup that does Slayer covers all doomed up with haunting female vocals. The first record from January of this year was excellent, and the second is just as good or maybe even better. For Rage And Ruin the band for all six tracks consists of Amy Tung-Barrysmith from Year Of The Cobra on vocals and bass, Esben Willems from Monolord on drums, and the legend and hardest working man in rock (along with Tony Reed) Bob Balch (Fu Manchu, Big Scenic Nowhere/Yawning Balch) on guitar.

So why is this one maybe even better? Slower originals combined with Slayer covers! Let’s start with the originals. Hellfire is spooky and heavy doom lead by Balch’s riffs but headlined by Tung-Barrysmith’s layered vocals. The riff is pure Slayer worship and fits perfectly with the Slower vibe. Gates Of Hell is more Slayer worship riff -wise, but is also some amazing traditional doom that could hang with anyone doing it these days. I hear some early Trouble in Balch’s guitar work which works perfectly with the vocals. A more Sabbath-like riff greats us with the equally cool and equally doomy Sins Of The Dead. There is a sparseness to this track that really works to its advantage. 

Soft and creepy keys greet us on the closing title track along with more layered vocals until the riff kicks in and the seven minute closer consumes you. My favourite track on the record. As for the Slayer covers, their version of Chemical Warfare rules. The shredder classic is slowed down, doomed up, and even has a bit of a psych feel to it, with Tung-Barrysmith’s vocals transforming it into an evil siren song. Balch’s chug and solo rule too. So great. Haunting The Chapel works wonderfully too, as the Slayer classic becomes almost unrecognizable in only the best possible way.

There were definitely hints that more Slower stuff was coming but I did not expect an album made up of mostly originals. While I love the Slayer covers, at some point that was going to run its course, but combining their interpretations with original material is the perfect recipe for this group of talented individuals. Rage In Ruin is the perfect second offering from Slower. 9/10

Volume - Joy Of Navigation: A Trip Through The Eternal Unknown (Golden Robot/Kozmik Artifactz) [Rich Piva]

Yeah right, like I’m not going to like an album from a band made up of guys who were in Monster Magnet, Nebula, Queens of the Stone Age, Mondo Generator, and a bunch of other cool bands and that calls out Monster Magnet’s 25...Tab as a reference point. It will come as no surprise that I love the frantic, scattered, and amazing heavy ass psych that Volume brings on their new EP, Joy Of Navigation (A Trip Through The Eternal Unknown). The band has been a rotating cast of players, all of them awesome, and all of them bringing a rawness to the heavy psych that I am constantly craving in a world of overproduction.

Right off the bat you know this is going to rule when the sitar starts up on the opener, Mercury Pull, which is nine minutes of pure heavy psych awesome. I get MM Cyclops Revolution vibes from this one which, well, you know. The dual guitar work of Patrick Brink and Ed Mundell is killer and Brink’s sing-talk vocals is just perfect for this song. The second track, Joy Of Navigation, gives me more early Monster Magnet vibes but one of the more straight ahead rockers than a long freak out. To me it sounds like everyone is having an amazing time playing in Volume with this song being the prime example as the band just seems to go off. 

Heavy Sunshine has all the same greatness of the first two tracks, but I need to call out the work of Mike Amster on drums here as he is a complete beast. The Golden Age is the tamest song on the record, but tame does not mean less awesome. Acoustic guitars drive this one with Brink doing his most straight ahead singing. The guitar work and especially solo by Mundell is ridiculous. The shiniest gem out of the batch is Spacebaby, which sounds just like you would think a song call that from these guys would sound. I love the vocals on this one and like the other songs on Joy the band just goes off, especially Abraham Parker on bass. So great.

If you like heavy psych, early Monster Magnet, things that are awesome, and bands having fun making killer music, listen to the new Volume record. My only complaint with Joy is that is short at under 30 minutes, and I always want more Volume, but hey, in this case you can listen to it twice in one sitting. 9/10

Reviews: Triumpher, Eldingar, Leatherhead, Innerverse (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Triumpher - Spirit Invictus (No Remorse Records)

Following on from 2023's Storming The Walls, here's the Greek version of Manowar/Virgin Steele, Triumpher, although they do have some black metal influences too due to the participation of George Emmanuel behind the desk for the massive production, it's the macho masculine metal of Manowar that is the heaviest comparison here.

Just listen to Arrival Of The Avenger and you'll see why, Mars Triumph puts on his Corinthian helmet and belts out the victorious Battle Hymns with a vocals style that's exactly like Eric Adams, this track sounding like Wheels Of Fire due to its bass heavy thrashing from Agis Tzoukopoulos (drums) and Stelios Zoumis (bass).

The armies of Greece will be swarming around Triumpher, a band who have performed at Up The Hammers and alongside Tom Gabriel Warrior's Triumph Of Death. As Overture To Elysian swells, we are welcomed into the cinematic sounds of Triumpher, choirs opening Athena (1st Chapter) which has a war-like chug for Greece's Warrior Goddess as more epic battle metal comes on the title track.

There's an ode to the Great Conqueror on Alexander Christopher Tsakiropoulos and Mario Ñ Peters' guitars trem picking adding those black metal influences I mentioned earlier while we're back on familiar ground with Shores Of Marathon and Triumpher, the latter thrashier because of Agis Tzoukopoulos' drumming and Stelios Zoumis' booming bass.

Epic, fantasy metal that is a homage but as I said in the review of the last album, it's far too much fun for fans of epic heavy metal. 9/10

Eldingar - Lysistrata (Vinyl Store)

Eldingar are something of revelation on the Hellenic black metal scene. They of course pay homage to the bands who began this scene but infused their tremolo picking and scarred vocals croaks with melodic death metal blasts, thrash metal chugging but mostly they use a lot of folk elements. Plenty of acoustics are used to break up the moments of extremity, whether they are accompanied by violin on Myrrine, some wind instruments on Inside Cosmos which reminds me of Greek traditional music.

The finale Where To Stand is a powerful way to culminate the album, those acoustics used brilliantly as this last track is purely folk/pagan music, the electric guitars put down in favour of acoustic mysticism, the same mysticism that opens the record on Dryope, a gothic darkness covering this record as they deal with Ancient Greek philosophy, an anti-war position and love of nature.

The entire album attempts to confront whether revolutionary idea of rejection of desire for power would lead to a better world. Lofty ideas, I suppose you could describe it as Philosophical Metal, the blend of extreme passages and delicate phases is brilliantly done making Lysistrata an interesting listen. 8/10

Leatherhead - Leatherhead (No Remorse Records)

Formed in Larissa, only two years ago, Leatherhead play speed/thrash/heavy metal, particularly US power metal, influenced by bands such as Jag Panzer, Helstar and Metal Church. Horror themed heavy metal puts thrashy riffs with high-pitched vocals, it's obviously got a lot of Mercyful Fate to it as well.

Signing to No Remorse Records in Athens, Leatherhead fit into the NWOTHM style that this label is all about. A twin axe attack from Zach Karambasis (lead guitar) and Thanos Metalios (rhythm guitar) adds the flavours of early Metallica on Dressed To Kill as song which has a big bass groove from George Bradley.

The production is exactly what you'd want, feeling a rough and retro, Leatherhead playing on that 80's influence with Vampire's Kiss a track where Tolis Mekras' vocals reach their highest peak. The horror themes are a little tried and tested, Helstar practically made a career out of them but it's all quite good fun if you're a classic metal fan, with percussive chug from drummer Michalis Zounarakis and bassist George Bradley comes on Judge Steel.

In the absence of a band like Hell, Cirith Ungol and Manilla Road, Leatherhead provide a theatrical style of old school heavy metal that has been missed. 8/10

Innerverse - Awakenings (Self Released)

This album threw me a little, as it's been in production for over 10 years, it's been a long term slog for composer Lampros Marantos. As Lampros is the only one here, the album is basically a solo record, and it's also instrumental, with the exception of The Promise, which features Lampros' brother Vaslis on vocals.

He's decent singer so I'm not sure why he couldn't lay down vocals for the rest of the album as for all the progressive/symphonic virtuosity on this record, there is something that is lacking and I think that's a vocalist. Produced and mixed by Bob Katsionis, Awakenings is just that, the beginning of what Innerverse do, hopefully the next album doesn't take as long and they shift away from being totally instrumental. 7/10

Reviews: Beth Hart, Rosalie Cunningham, Skarlett Riot, Spineless (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Beth Hart - You Still Got Me (Provogue Records)

A new Beth Hart album is always a cause for celebration, especially if you're a fan of the blues, the Grammy nominated singer is one of the best vocalists on the block, live she's captivating, the epitome of a diva; fiery and ferocious, winning over the crowd easily and drawing you in to songs about lust, life and inequity. 

It's not always been easy of course but in the last 10 years Hart has broken through and becomes the recognised name, she has always deserved to be in rock/blues circles, though she's into year 28 of her career, battling to claim her place. On 11th album You Still Got Me, she returns to the classic bluesing after her dalliance with Zeppelin on the previous album. 

Evoking Tom Waits on the dark vaudeville of Never Underestimate A Gal, while Drunk On Valentine adds a smokiness of an off-Broadway jazz bar, it's that parping brass. It's an album of differing influences all showcasing thoses sultry, soulful pipes, the title track especially poinant as a tribute to her team and her husband while Wonderful World details the lineage of the women in her family.

If you're after rockers then there's a bit of rockabilly on Wanna Be Big Bad Johnny Cash, the massive Don't Call The Police. While there's some blues rock on Saviour With A Razor which opens the record and features 'The Cat In The Hat' Slash. He's not the only guest though as Eric Gales peels off some funky riffs on Suga N My Bowl.

The modern days answer to someone like Nina Simone, Hart and her piano again produce evocative, inspiring, rootsy, gutsy music. We still have her and we're all the better for it. 9/10

Rosalie Cunningham - To Shoot Another Day (Esoteric Antenna)

To Shoot Another Day is the new album from the retro loving Rosalie Cunningham. With cover art that blends Bowie with Bond and a title that screams Roger Moore. The title track too is replete with John Barry-like swells and knowing nods to the Chubby Broccoli classics. Cunningham follows up her last release Two Piece Puzzle with more music that pays homage to the 60's and 70's. 

From the beginnings of Purson the woozy psychadelia has been ever present but since going solo the more doom edged material has been replaced by corduroy wearing, flare sporting glam, flute wielding (from Ian East) folk on Heavy Pencil, some late night jazz on In The Shade Of The Shadows and power pop perfection on Denim Eyes. 

That word perfection being exactly what Rosalie strives for in every release but in this one especially as it was totally recorded and mixed at her home studio, so every moment was studied and scrutinized. She again uses her brilliant vocals and plays guitar/bass/keys and percussion, accompanied mainly by Rosco Wilson who co-writes and co-produces, drummer Raphael Mura and piano/hammond from David Woodcock, there's even a cameo from Rosalie's dog. 

With the Beatlesesque, possible ode to the red faced, fake news promoting owner of the famous UK pub chain (Timothy Martin's Conditioning School) or the vaudevillian blues swagger of Good To Be Damned, there's plenty of that Purson/Cunningham charm but To Shoot Another Day, tickles new soundscapes and takes a broader range of styles on top the influence of bands like The Move, Mott The Hopple and The Moody Blues, there's space rock, pop and plenty of jazz and even some distortion-led proto metal on Spook (y Tooth?) Racket. 

To Shoot Another Day is a true solo record, written/recorded totally by Cunningham and Wilson it takes the formula established back in the Purson days and broadens the scope through virtuoso musicianship. 9/10

Skarlett Riot - Caelestia (Despotz Records)

British alt metal band Skarlett Riot emerge from another writing hole with their fourth album Caelestia, it's an album that shows growth musically, main writer guitarist Danny Oglesby collaborating more with frontwoman Skarlett for some of their most personal and raw songs of their career. They've taken time here treating the songs with a hyper critical mind to make sure the come out the best that can be.

Skarlett's vocals as always on top form while Danny's riffs are techy and inspired by djent as Danny also adds some screams, his brother Luke drives the more aggressive songs with powerful percussion the alt metal grooves still strong in Tim Chambers bass. Latin for Celestial, Caelestia is a sum of four long term collaborators conspiring together to evolve their sound.

If you're a long term fan of the band they the added screams may be a little jarring as they begin Chemicals but soon Skarlett's more familiar vocals come in and it all levels out to become another element of Skarlett Riot's more modern sound. 

From the dramatic Lullaby and Who Do You Think You Are, through the anthemic Run, aggressive Violence and ballad Hold Tight there's much to love here if you enjoy modern heavy metal. 8/10

Spineless - Dysphonia (Submersion Records)

Dysphonia is the second album from Spineless aka vocalist/musician Chrysa Tsaltampasi, she brings in musicians from the Greek music scene. It's the follow up from 2018's Speaking Of Chaos And Relative Peace and continues the visceral, experimental music Chrysa brought on her debut. 

Inspired by the likes of Chelsea Wolfe, Mono and Ulver, all of whom are mentined in the accompanying information, Dysphonia begins with the throbbing industrial chug of Justice and keeps the post-metal obtuseness, as haunting electronics bleed into Disease.

Chrysa's vocals are impassioned and varied, from soaring emotional cleans, to haunting mids and even some extreme screams/roars used to terrifying effect on the Aphex Twin-like Nozz. Me and Where I Am twitch and oscillate with electronic beats, You is dramatic and simple, the piano giving Tori Amos before To The Core adds crushing doom. 

Spineless can proudly be compared to those artists I mentioned earlier in the review, written and performed with no boundaries. 8/10

Reviews: Vomit Forth, Turkey Vulture, Disarray, Smoke/Doomsday Profit (Reviews By Mark Young & Rich Piva)

Vomit Forth - Terrified of God (Century Media Records) [Mark Young]

It takes possibly about 12 seconds for Vomit Forth to brutally draw a line in the sand as they detonate Victim Impact Statement with a crushing tone and looowwwww guttural vocals. It literally sets the scene for the next 27 minutes as they blow through 12 songs of full-on metal that are equally as home with blasts as they are with slowing to almost sludge-like tempos. The result is the same, music that is attempting to remove your brains from out of your ears whether you like it or not. 

There is no off switch here, they hit that ceiling on that first song and then stay there, running into Sacred Apple that blasts into Blood Soaked Death Dream and it feels that there are no natural breaks between songs with the intent to cause maximum pain at every turn. What works in their favour is keeping the songs short, which ensures that each one hits home every time without allowing for any kind of repetition to set in which is massive when the songs themselves are delivered in the same way from start to end. 

What you have is a basic blueprint which is embellished depending on the track. Blood Lead Index differs from the above whilst keeping that overall theme of total over the top violently delivered extreme metal in place, the pace increased with an explosive start with drums that are hanging on for dear life before they rip the place up with Poison Child, a 2minute and 28 second trem pick nightmare. Moving onto later tracks, they squeeze a whispered interlude in under the name of the title track before squashing it with Fear Of Retaliation which takes in every death metal riff trope in a rapid-fire measure.

The final two, Rotting Wool and Salt, close us out with more of the same, mixing the fast/slow to admittedly great effect. Rotting Wool has this great grinding riff that comes in about 1minute 20, with some serious chugging straight after while Salt manages to up the energy further with a great riff/vocal build that just enhances the fact that played live this (just like the rest of the album would cause serious harm).

Considering that the mission statement was to dial everything up compared to their last release, you could say that they have succeeded with that. I do feel as though my review seems to reflect that I haven’t quite nailed down how I feel about the album. On one hand, it’s brutal, never stopping to see the carnage left behind and for that I applaud it because they stay on target right to the end.

On the other hand, because of that adherence to task and that blueprint you lose track of where one song ends and the other kicks in. Everything is there, as well it should be, but it’s compressed to fit within short runtimes but then going back to my comment about short songs = no boredom it makes me look as though I’m arguing for no reason. I guess this means that I’m ambivalent to it, which is annoying. I like it, but not enough to love it. 7/10

Turkey Vulture - On The List (Self Released) [Rich Piva]

Turkey Vulture are a low-fi punk/metal duo out of Connecticut who bring us a fun little six song EP called On The List which incorporates all sorts of heavy stuff in the most charmingly DIY sort of way. Twelve minutes of all over the place fun that is really hard to pin down label wise, but you will hear just about every heavy genre in that twelve-minute span.

Friends Like Us sounds like a garage punk ripper where the singer was pulled from a metal band and told to punk it up, and it really works. The chorus is classic 80s punk and would get the pit going for sure. Untitled sounds like it started out as lo-fi black metal but morphed into something more from a band like 7 Year Bitch, which is very cool.

Dollhouse has early Suicidal vibes but if it was sung by Satan instead of Cyco Miko. Or maybe it doesn’t. Whatever it sounds like it is cool. Adults Destroy is under a minute of black punk metal. Yup. Ripper. Someone has Black Flag records. Harvest Moon is not a Neil Young cover. It is old school black metal, until it is not. Jill The Ripper on the other hand is Murder By Death via Nick Cave and I am here for it.

Nothing is going to sound like On The List that you listen to this year, which is saying something. This is super fun and totally worth the short amount of time it will take you to get through it. Turkey Vulture have something to keep an ear out for in the future as there is something very exciting brewing in Connecticut. 7/10

Disarray - Religious Disease (Jawbreaker Records) [Mark Young]

And now a touch of Swedish Thrash.

 
Religious Disease is their second full length release, and it follows on from Evil Is Reborn which landed in 2023. A quick note on Jawbreaker Records who are doing sterling work in bringing the underground to the likes of you and me. Disarray formed in 2022 and since then have worked solidly to build themselves to be one of the bands to watch.

Their approach is simple – keep it aggressive.

On that front they have succeeded because it doesn’t take any time at all for you to realise that they are not looking to the usual suspects for their influence although there is a certain Slayer vibe in there (and if we are talking a period, let’s say 83 through to 88).

 
Forbidden Of Speech opens their account and it’s just 4-minute kicking that brings you what the classic thrash movement had – everything played as though they are hanging on for dear life. The tone is brittle, but instead of it being tinny like those releases of yesteryear, you can hear everything with razor sharp riff work from Valter Ernerot (Rhythm) and Lucas Lee (Lead, vocals) who also throws in a fret mangling solo too. So far, so good. There is a slow lumbering burn to Nightmarish Gaze before it throws those shackles off and boot it forward. 

This is the classic thrash one-two, the rapid opener followed up by a slower tempo that shows more of the band off in terms of how they put their songs together. Just for the record its still fast. But slower. If that makes sense. What it does show is that they know how and when to put those incendiary solo’s in. Its grab you and drag you along for the ride. There is no faulting Bound To Kill, it starts at an accelerated pace and keeps that fiendish pace in check. They do drop off to allow for what I believe will become a live shout along of ‘BORN TO KILL’ that is underpinned by some class guitar work that keeps feeling of movement going.

 
Hell’s Fire has that Slayer vibe to it, everything locked in and ready to move up through the gears. This is one of those where it builds in waves, the guitar then the drums all increasing in intensity, but I think would have worked better if it had been trimmed slightly. For me, some of the best songs are delivered in short, violent blasts but this has some class running through it. 

Psychosis keeps this theme going, and it hits like Malevolent Creation from The Ten Commandments era where the vocals are racing almost ahead of the music. Its frenetic and drops in some classic thrash motifs but it also highlights the need for the band to be a little ruthless in those track lengths. This and Hell’s Fire should have been shorter (again, in my opinion) because they both share common ideas which have been stretched a little too far. Guilty Until Proven Innocent has a massive riff that comes in once the gentle opening bars wrap allowing for them to rip through it, albeit in that slower, more measured way. 

In terms of application, there is nothing wrong with this at all, Its just that of the six songs so far they have all shared a similar length and now there is a sense of fatigue growing as the remaining songs come thick and fast – Realise You’re Already Dead is fast, riffy and also very similar to the earlier tracks whilst Religious Disease also suffers from that sense of familiarity. I feel that I must point out that each of these songs are well done and do a lot to establish that they have the sufficient tools to write songs that in the future could be held up as prime examples of how to do this right.

Inhuman Reign (Bonus Track) is a decent track as a bonus but if it wasn’t included, I don’t think it would be a massive disappointment. There is massive promise here with this, the main ingredients are here and there is an intensity to them in how they apply themselves to the craft that is amazing which bodes well for the future. 7/10

Smoke/Doomsday Profit - Smoke/Doomsday Profit Split LP (Olde Magick Records) [Rich Piva]

Three new songs each from Smoke and Doomsday Profit? Where do I sign up? How about on the Olde Magick Records Bandcamp page where the label is nice enough to offer you these slabs of heavy doom in multiple formats. I really dig both of these bands, especially Smoke, so I am very excited for what this one is going to bring. As you can imagine, there are a bunch of bands out there called Smoke. This one (my favourite one) is out of Lynchburg, Virginia and brought us the excellent record Groupthink back in 2022 which was filled with outstanding fuzzy doom. 

Now we get three more killer doom tracks, still fuzzy and just as good as the tracks on the amazing Groupthink. The first track, Appalachian Black Magick, sounds exactly like a song with that title should. This is eight and half minutes of doom straight out of the mountains of Virginia that is slow, heavy, and fuzzy in parts and faster, heavy, and fuzzy in others. I love the tempo changes and the overall sound of this song. The production is perfect and the vibe is exactly what I want from my Appalachian doom. Great stuff. Scavenger is more of a heavy rocker that picks up the pace and shows the band doesn’t need to crawl to be effective. This one has some grungily elements to it and has some AIC vibes to go along with the already killer stoner doom thing Smoke has going on. Heavy. I love when it shows a bit and that psych leaning guitar takes over towards the end. 

Speaking of heavy and psych guitars, Hellish Rebuke kicks all sorts of ass and just rocks. I love the scream from the bowels of hell too that goes along with all the riffs, until we settle in to something that gives me serious Trouble vibes in parts. Nice. I am less familiar with Durham, North Carolina’s Doomsday Profit, but what I have heard I really liked. These three songs are no different, but those of you who prefer the clean vocals may not dig the DP songs as much as the Smoke tunes, but give it a chance because this is some serious heavy. Sludgy doom goodness is what you get from these three songs, just crawling across the earth destroying all in its wake type of sludgy doom. 

I love the guitar work on No Salvation and the chanting type vocals that go along with the growls on I Am Your God, which also has some killer instrumentation and more of that great guitar work. The closer, Void Ritual, is more of the same heavy goodness and my favourite of the three tracks. I love split albums and I love them even more when they are as good as the songs that Smoke and Doomsday Profit bring to the table. Excellent heavy goodness from some of the best the U.S. has to offer on the doom front. 8/10

Reviews: Entheos, Underdogs, Lay Of Autumn, The Pale Horses (Reviews By Mark Young, Liam Williams, Zak Skane & Rich Piva)

Entheos - An End To Everything (Metal Blade Records) [Mark Young]

I reviewed their last full length release last year and was blown away by just how good it was. So, when this landed in my ‘to do box’ it truly lifted my spirits. An End To Everything is a 5 track EP which they hope will be received with the same positive reaction whilst showing that there is tangible growth from that last release.

Chaney Grabb is one of the most talented vocalists going in extreme metal circles and the performance on here is outstanding, bringing some of the most guttural sounds you are likely to hear on record this year. Kicking off with the title track, this is a controlled burst of musicality that allows Grabb to showcase that voice, slipping from the growls through to ethereal cleans and back again. Its that mix of technical ability and pure fury, with some absolutely massive riff drops. 

It’s the perfect start that shows that they can dial in the heaviness and melody required to immediately elevate them above their peers. All For Nothing brings the brutality, lyrics spat like bullets that cannon off a simple but effective arrangement. That economical build isn’t the fastest you will hear, but it doesn’t need to be as the vocals drive the tempo onwards. There is a subtle change in singing style too which gives it an edge. It’s difficult to explain why that is, I think its possibly that I am receptive to it given that a single vocal attack can render the best music stale.

Life In Slow Motion is anything but, here the speed is given a kick and we have a propulsive blast that lifts the EP to another level. That economy of arrangement is present once more, combined with a well delivered lead break which sets up the cleans once more. The work done in support of the clean section is magnificent, with a touch of the drum-nastics taking place as the speed returns. The double bass in the final 40 or so seconds are excellent, as the track closes amongst feedback. 

A Thousand Days is a stomper, with some fiendish fret work taking place that is matched for execution by the drums once more. Chaney changes up the singing style again, the vocals now possessing a raw feel, like skin dragged over broken glass. Watch for the solo too, showing that you can wring emotion from a technical style of play.

Final track is Return To Me. A quiet start is supplanted by pure technical fury. This is a barnstormer and is super-tight in its application. Those drums again are spot on, with the song building with each of the key components coming together as one. It is a storming end to proceedings and shows that they are growing in how they go to work.

If anything, choosing to release an EP has allowed them to apply a laser beam like focus to song writing and arranging, resulting in a storming release that provides a welcome respite from the fact that we are nearly into November. It takes everything you loved about Time Will Take Us All and amps up those qualities. Brilliant stuff!! 9/10

Underdogs – Nine Ties (Go Down Records) [Liam Williams]

Italian stoner grunge band, Underdogs, are back with a brand new album, Nine Ties, their first in 10 years! They are the answer to the question “what would you get if you stuck Queens Of The Stone Age and Alice In Chains in a blender and sprinkled a little bit of Metallica and Tool in for extra flavour?” Really great grungy sounds with a hint of heavy and a tiny dash of prog.

First track, Dogs Reunited, start things off with a very nice Kyuss sounding bit of riffage. It has a great chorus which sounds a lot like Alice In Chains to me. There’s a little bass solo just before a sustained distorted guitar and clean guitar come in to build the song up towards the end. And a nice little nod to Fuel by Metallica in the vocals too.

Knockin On Hell’s Door is up next and this one is a bit faster and heavier than the previous track. I really like the pre-chorus and the choruses. There’s a good little drum bit, which reminds me of Demon Cleaner by Kyuss, before the guitar comes in and does a little solo full of hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Die Or Dance has a cool intro on the guitar. Another nice pre-chorus. Great playing from the guitar and bass throughout but I do love the little bass solo which is followed up with a very Tool sounding guitar solo with layers of guitar coming at you and causing your head to feel like it’s spinning. Very nice! The vocals on this track in particular sound a lot like James Hetfield to me.

Crawl And Burn starts off with a great fuzzy bass intro. Almost sounds like Cliff Burton but not quite as fast and flashy. It’s soon joined by a really cool little guitar riff before the whole band pick up the speed. When the vocals come in, the song gets epic. It had a very bouncy feel to it which is sure to get your head bobbing along! It has a very groovy guitar solo and again does a brilliant job of using layered guitar tracks.

A Grass Saga has another cool intro and sounds almost thrashy when the song kicks in. The vocals in this one are also pretty good. B.O.G. is another dirty grungy track which slows down halfway through for another groovy but chill guitar solo. Matrix has some quite interesting verses and gets a bit more lively and energetic in the choruses. There’s a pretty repetitive guitar part halfway through but the drums manage to keep things interesting.

In Days Unchained, although the guitar comes in first, it almost feels like the drums have the lead part in this track. There’s a nice part with panned vocals before a very fuzzy guitar solo. Stoner Land has a nice drum intro but it sounds like there’s an effect being used on the drum tracks, almost like a fuzzy sound, which was a pretty cool little addition.

That effect is gone by the time the song kicks in properly and some nice dirty, heavy sounding guitars help drive the rhythm of the song. It changes about halfway through and gets a bit more upbeat and bouncy. But then it slows right down again for the outro.

I really enjoyed this album, there are some parts which don’t quite add anything new or interesting, but most of it was really fun to listen to. The songs are cool and you can hear each of the band members pretty clearly in the mix for the majority of it. Really good, solid playing and the vocals were pretty good too. Very well done! 9/10

Lay Of The Autumn – Of Love And Sorrow (Rockshots Records) [Zak Skane]

The first part of the album starts off as a slow burn, for example the opening instrumental track When It Rains opens up with soothing piano melodies, whilst gentle rain fall pitter patters in the back ground whilst subtle reverse sound effects play in the background. The following track again opens up with the pianos pounding in before walls of guitars, double kick beats and elevating synth layers come in with majestic force, whist Irina's gentle voice rides on the back of it the metallic strength to guide us through the vortex of chaos till the track descends into gently strummed acoustic guitars and keys. 

The sci-fi inspired track Lost In Your Eyes brings in some retro sounding sci-fi keyboard melodies with it’s filtered Moog synths and pumping 80s toned arpeggios along with the spacey sound effects that are buried in with their power/synthonic metal approach. After All This Time smoothens the edges out with its piano driven rock ballad showcasing Irina's vocal abilities which can swing to tinkling high falsetto notes to powerful tenor ranges whilst the track harnesses up lifting strings and heavenly choirs. 

To close the first half of the album Thrown Away comes in as the heaviest song on the album by bringing the yin and yang approach with the guitars, keys and drums upping the anti by providing heavy chugging patterns and the drums approaching more extreme territories by pushing the tempos to match the intense keyboard runs. Throughout the track the singer goes into operatic territories that would approve of any Nightwish Fan. 

When it comes to the second part of the album the band really takes it up a notch, for example Undergo Deconstruction continues with the heavy approach with it’s chugging patterns which stride along side furious double kick grooves whilst the elevating choir sections ramps up the tension of the track. The track also brings in interesting instrumental sections from Cesare bass parts collaborating with Michele drums to create these proggy elements. 

Other highlights on this album is the musical virtuoso filled track Si Sta Come D'Autunno which brings in the technical intensity with it’s odd meter drum beats, technical hammer one and pull off riffs from Davide, L whilst Davide, S’s key board work takes another level giving Jordan Rudess from Dream Theater good run for his money. 

The closing track Who Is To Blame ends the album with all members firing from all cylinders, the lead guitarist come straight in with mimicking the chorus melodies followed by the key boardist tagging along with the Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) level of keyboard playing backed by the spectacular drum parts. The vocalist brings in some high octane vocal melodies along with the angelic harmonies for the albums closer.

Of Love And Sorrow brings a promising start to the bands sound. Tracks like Si Sta Come D'Autunno, Undergo Deconstruction and Lost In Your Eyes really showcases the bands musical abilities and how they can push their limitations whilst also adding something new to the symphonic metal sound. 

Other tracks like After All This Time and Love You To Death show cases their ability as songs writers. The only caveat this debut release has is that the first half of the album sounds formulaic with every song pretty much starting softly before the track gradually build and has a gentle end which I feel makes the albums momentum linger, but don’t let that stop the band from creating a promising debut. 7/10

The Pale Horses - Enchantress (Black Throne Productions) [Rich Piva]

Black Throne Productions is turning into one of my favourite record labels, delivering us killer heavy rock from bands like AAWKS, Sons Of Arrakis, Occult Witches, The Hazytones, and many others, representing the Canada stoner/doom scene in all the best ways.

Now they bring us the 70s leaning occult/stoner rock band The Pale Horses with their debut four track EP, Enchantress, which hangs with all the other excellent music the label is putting out these days. The Toronto band love Satan and make this very clear on Enchantress, as this is some evil occult rock straight out of 1976. This is some seriously fuzzy and scuzzy goodness that is ready to invoke the evil father at any moment. The title track flat out rules, with its riff that sounds like Kiss’ War Machine but done by a band that is actually scary. I love the production on these tracks, particularly the guitar sound. Bands such as Sahg and Early Moods come to mind when thinking about some contemporary sounds.

The opener, Never Know, has more of that very cool guitar sound partnered with shadowy vocals that sound like someone with a hood needs to be delivering. Every good and evil EP needs an old horror movie opening sample and this is what you get before the killer riff of Morning Star kicks in. This is the fuzziest of the four and leans in on some psych guitar vibes and a countdown to the apocalypse. Speaking of fuzzy, the slower and doomier Bad Love is killer too, turning up the evil even more and firmly planting these four top notch tracks as some of the best stuff put out this year.

My only complaint with Enchantress is that I want more. Four songs are a nice introduction, but it is also a tease. I can’t wait for the full length from The Pale Horses and what additional evil they have in store for us. 8/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Lacuna Coil (Live Review By Daniel Howell)

Lacuna Coil & Blind Channel, KK’s Steel Mill Wolverhampton, 22.10.24

Editor's Note: Massive thanks to Daniel for reviewing this show and helping me out of big pickle. He was attending the show and said that he would review it for me. I think he's done a brilliant job.

Tonight’s show is at the KK’s Steel Mill, a fantastic modular venue with great sound and a great atmosphere. Helping that atmosphere is a healthily large crowd, this tour hasn’t sold out any venues, but that’s ok as it makes a refreshing change to being crammed in like sardines. What is clear from the chattering of the queue, is the anticipation and excitement of seeing one of the most exciting bands in gothic metal, for some it’s a first time, but not for me who has followed this band since my early teens, and saw them back on the Karmacode tour in 2006.

First up though is the support act, whom I had not heard of before tonight, Blind Channel (7). A support act’s key role is to warm up the crowd, and they certainly understood the assignment. With influences ranging from nu-metal, to rap and hip-hop it was certainly a strange mix, but the energy was there, and they dragged the crowd with them getting us to crouch down, jump up and sing along. The solo rapping section was impressive and not unwelcome, as were the metal breakdowns that swiftly followed. 

They misread the crowd a little, asking us to part for a wall of death with no one really moving bar a couple, but they went with it and quickly moved on. Peppered into their set was a decent cover of System Of A Down’s B.Y.O.B. (cue much singing along) and their penultimate song was a metal version of Everybody by the Backstreet Boys which was both amusing and entertaining in equal measure. Even if they were a world apart from Lacuna Coil, I along with the rest of the crowd couldn’t help but to bop along and thoroughly get lost in the vibe.

After a fairly brief changeover, it was time for what we were all here for, and we were not disappointed. Kicking off with Blood, Tears, Dust we were treated to the pounding base line and ferocity of Andrea’s growls intertwined with the hauntingly soaring highs of Christina’s voice. Lacuna Coil’s (9) stage presence can be best described as less is more, with very little equipment aside from instruments, combined with a modicum of makeup, showing us that what you see is what you get.

What we got was a great mix of old, new and renewed, featuring songs from Karmacode, dark adrenaline, up to black anima, new songs from next year’s yet to be released album and a smattering of songs from Comalies XX, a reimagining of songs from their 2002 album. 

Christina asked if we remembered how to sing along with our truth, and with an enthusiastic response she got her answer and it felt like we were one with her singing through the opening vocalisations. Entwined XX into Heaven’s A Lie XX was a similar fantastic singalong with the band clearly thriving off the energy we were freely returning to them.

After quickly dealing with an interrupting heckler by informing him again of the new albums release date (Sleepless Empire is due for release February 2025), to raucous laughter from the audience, they launched into another new track which on the album will feature Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe, called Hosting The Shadow. The relentless drums and guitars notwithstanding, Andrea is no Blythe, but that doesn’t stop him from absolutely smashing it taking nothing away from the live performance.

A quick break before the encore, featuring 3 songs from Comalies XX, with Aeon XX into Tight Rope XX showing off Christina’s epic range, before another classic singalong to Swamped XX to much approval from myself and those around me. To finish? Nothing Stands In Our Way, with the band getting us to scream ”We fear nothing!” over and over as loud as we can, to prepare our part in what’s coming, and we gladly oblige. Ending the show with a photo and a group bow to constant whooping and applause, Lacuna Coil gave everyone a fantastic night out, and definitive proof they will be back again on our shores, bigger and better than ever. 

Reviews: Jerry Cantrell, Pyrogaric, Assassin, The Hypothesis (Reviews By Rich Piva, Matt Bladen, Paul Hutchings & Mark Young)

Jerry Cantrell - I Want Blood (Double J Music) [Rich Piva]

When it is all said and done Alice In Chains will be one of, if not the most influential band that came out of the 1990s. This is one hundred present true for the music that I love, as I hear AIC in a huge chunk of the new bands I dig. 

The main reason for this is Jerry Cantrell for so many reasons. Jerry should be revered for all he has done for heavy music, as his guitar playing, songwriting, and use of harmonies is still widely heard in new music today. After Black Sabbath, Alice In Chains is the most mentioned influence I get when interviewing or reading about heavy bands today. 

All of this is to say that we should all celebrate when we get new Jerry music, this time in the form of his fourth solo record, I Want Blood. Jerry’s solo stuff has been anywhere from good to great to me, but somewhat of a mixed bag, relatively speaking for a guy who can really do no wrong to my ears. 

His solo stuff has veered a bit away from AIC stuff, but never too far, as you always know it is him, but leaning in to a more bluesy or straight-ahead hard rock feel then the dark gunge of what his band brings. I Want Blood, however, leans into his AIC past and present, with a heavier and darker record, filled with those riffs he is known for and some songs way closer to Alice songs then on his previous solo records, with excellent results.

You can hear this right off the bat with the opener, Vilified. Jerry’s guitar is in full AIC mode with vocals that could be from Dirt. This is a filthy solo Jerry track that we all are dying for when we hear there is new music from him dropping. Off The Rails is more like other solo material but somehow darker, especially the guitar work and how he merges two of his parts into one. I love the title track, a straight-ahead, no BS heavy rocker that fits perfectly with the nine tracks. 

Throw Me A Line is great too, a nice combination of AIC and Jerry solo wrapped up in one tune. Same idea with Let It Lie. Tracks like Afterglow and Echoes Of Laughter are solid Jerry solo tracks, and I enjoy them, but I like it darker, so while these tracks are not skips in any capacity, they are not my favourite on the record. The record ends in grand fashion, with Held Your Tongue which sounds like something from the self-titled AIC record and It Comes, one of those Jerry tracks that crawls along, catches you, and doesn’t let go.

I Want Blood is a great combination of the great Jerry solo stuff and more AIC leaning material. This may be Cantrell’s best solo work since Boggy Depot and a set of nine songs that should in no way disappoint his loads of fans. 8/10

Pyrogaric - The Serpent (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Welsh proto-doom band Pyrogaric return with their second full length album The Serpent, having been a duo before this, this second album sees them recording as a trio as bassist Rhys Hone joins guitarist Keelan Deri Powell and drummer/vocalist Jamey-Leigh Butcher. With this added bottom end grunt, it not only means these songs have a broader sonic palette, from the chugging Over The Line to the doomy I'm Invisible that added bass rumbles heavy letting Keelan get some chances to do some lead breaks as Hone takes the rhythm.

Jamey-Leigh's breezy drumming and wailing on God's Plan showcases her skills, the gothic moment of The Serpent harks to some Sabbath as does Fly On The Wall and they have added strings to some of their tracks here too especially on a new version of Sweet Insomnia. The Serpent takes Pyrogaric strongly into their trio era, these stage honed tracks of fuzzy proto-doom have finally been put to record and it will slither its way under your skin. 8/10

Assassin – Skullblast (Massacre Records) [Paul Hutchings]

Reach back in the annals of thrash metal and you’ll find Assassin. You can also read a review by Rich Oliver of 2020’s Bestia Immundis in these very pages. As Rich says, Assassin has never reached anything more than cult status, and with their first ever EP and first music for four years, it’s probably in the underground where the five-piece from Dusseldorf are likely to stay.

 
The first thing to say is that if you are a fan of no-nonsense savage thrash metal, then Skullblast is likely to be one worth checking out. It is ferociously played and delivered, with dual lacerating guitars and guttural vocals that rip through your heart. You want gang shouts? You got ‘em. You want paint peeling lead breaks? It’s all here. And there’s also a robust cover of Peter Green’s Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown) to irritate the purists. What more can you ask for?

The band have welcomed Patrick Pagliaro to add some vocals on Blood For Blood and Cut Your (Own) Throat, which brings added heft to proceedings. Think Sodom, Destruction and the like and you’ll have a good idea of what’s going on here. It’s well delivered, well produced and played loud caused me to break the speed limit on a drive a few times.

 
As a thrash fan, I found this perfectly acceptable, well-honed fare. It won’t propel Assassin to stardom, but if you saw these in a festival tent, you’d be hard pressed not to be raging in the pit within seconds. And for me, that’s all a thrash band can ask. Skullblast is uncomplicated, full of groove, but sharp enough to risk injury if you don’t handle with care. 7/10

The Hypothesis - Evolve (Noble Demon) [Mark Young]

Finnish Prog-metal outfit The Hypothesis bring their second full length release via Noble Demon to our ears and being honest it’s a mixed bag. I appreciate that we have limited time to get under the skin of new releases and some bring a more immediate reaction than others. There is a definite skill on display here in how they put their sound together, to make it sound as expansive as it does and opening track Wanderer makes a good fist of bringing that expansive effect to bear as they drop a slice progressive melo-death riffing, complete with harmonics and some exceptional drumming. 

My problem with it is that it takes a while for the vocals to kick in. When they do, they are spot on, adding and carrying the song until they switch to the cleans and then it falters. The cleans just flatten the song completely. The musicianship on display is faultless, the lead breaks that come in towards the end are spot on but the use of the cleans doesn’t feel right at all. Here I Stand comes in with a meaty riff and death style vocals that underpin, working in unison making it live. 

The addition of keys to the mix makes it that little bit more than just the standard melo-death material. It fits the song and gives it that little extra bit of oomph until the cleans come in once more. Here its slightly different, as the cleans work better within the context of this song but after two songs I’m building a picture of what the rest will sound like. And I’m honest enough to say that I’m not enthused to continue.

However, it would not be fair to stop without giving the rest a sufficient try. Watch The World Burn With Me brings those keys along for the ride, taking on a more prevailing role as the vocals switch from cleans to those impressive roars again backed by some decent riffing. When it’s like this, they really shine, everything coming together in a package that really engages you. And this takes me back to my comment about it being a mixed bag. Its apparent that there is so much they do well, and I mean really well. It sounds great, the production is spot on and when they are on it, it’s a glorious noise. 

However, when the cleans are in, such as on Evolve it doesn’t work anywhere as good as when it is the full-throated roar. The musicianship is first class, just listen to the opening bars of Where The Dreams Come To Die for that. From The Ashes is another that has a top build, mixing in the melodic and the heavy in such a brilliant manner as it drops some quality guitar lines as it shows their progressive class. Extended solo breaks that are just royal. 

What is frustrating is that the other songs are equally as impressive in how they are played, the craft is there but the use of the cleans is a misstep. Dead Cold Silence is another belter, showing that the growls fit their sound so well. Its heavy, aggressive and takes the momentum built by From The Ashes and pushes it further. Thousand Skies opts to slow it down, letting the melodic come flying through whilst allowing their progressive edge to take flight. 

Stray is the ending track and comes flying out of the traps with those drums doing some heavy lifting along with their knack for melody until they break out the cleans again. Stray pelts down that dirt/clean road with considerable effort and some mental guitar work and it almost brings the album to a satisfying close.

As I said, it’s a mixed bag with some truly brilliant music on display here. The later tracks are monumental and for me it shows that they need to decide which path to go on because their extreme vocals are fantastic and fit so well with the music behind it. There’s no doubt that others will dig both styles on here, its just not for me. 6/10

20 Years In The Hole: Lacetillia's 10 Year Anniversary And South Wales Stoner Scene By Matt Bladen

Lacertilia 10 Year Anniversary, Featuring Suns Of Thunder, Infinity Forms Yellow Remember & Made Of Teeth, The Globe Cardiff, 20.10.24

No scores for this one as its a celebration. Not really review either to be honest but a homage to a scene that made me who I am today.

Back when I was young and first started going to gigs, you latch on to bands, many of them are bigger band that play arena but as you start to go to local shows you find 'your people' the group you can latch on to. For me it was the South Wales (and beyond) stoner, doom, greebo, riff scene. While I didn't smoke the green at that time, I was always warmly embraced, included and made to feel welcome on my frequent visits to The Full Moon, The Moon and Bogiez too.

Maybe it's the fact that my parents were brought up into the 70's or that I wish that I was but there's something about big fat riffs and grooves that just spoke to me and while my other favourite style was prog, this scene was livelier, grittier, they didn't come to shows in Mercs like prog fans. I'd see as many bands as I could and those band merged into other bands, making it all one big riffy, rowdy, rocky family. By the time I was in my twenties it was these bands, this scene that took me out of my awkward teens and made me fall in love with live music, providing the inspiration to start this very publication.

I want to shout these bands names from the roof tops, make sure everyone knew what they were missing when they rolled into town. One such band who I've been an avid supporter of is Lacertilia, the South Wales equivalent of Monster Magnet meeting with a little Hawkwind, wild shows, reckless abandon and just a bloody good time for all.

I've featured them many times, supported shows, albums, more, over the years they've become buddies, familiar faces, friends even. On the back of this I've supported the other bands their members joined, or were also in and this has culminated in these being the shows that are cannot miss, these are the shows that make me love what I do, especially as I deep dive into the even more mature Swansea side of things but more on that later.

This was a gig to celebrate ten years of Lacertilia, a show, a party, hell, a family reunion. Four bands closely linked through membership and friendship and room, pretty sold out packed with familiars and family. It was going to be loud (we were warned on the door) and probably emotional too.

First though the ear splitting supports, kicking off with Made Of Teeth, three piece hardcore/sludge that makes your tinnitus worse with every note. Aggressive, abrasive and in it for the raw power I've seen Made Of Teeth many times but here they were louche and loud, loving the moment drinking it in as a salute to old comrades. Loving the moment a little to much as they ran through a set of new ones promising a few older cuts at the end and then ran out of time. But I mean what's more punk than that right?

Next it was time to take a collective trip to the next dimension. The only band I hadn't seen on the bill, extra-terrestrial space rockers Infinity Forms Yellow Remember, who are a bit like The Stone Roses if they stepped on the fuzz pedal and took the Brown Acid, driving towards a lost horizon several lightyears away, their cacophony of noise was brain frying as the thundering hypnotic rhythms were cut with plenty of synth and searing blues guitar.

I suppose professionally chaotic is how you could describe Suns Of Thunder. Swansea riff merchants wield riffs the intent to stun. The most tenured band of the night, they managed to keep everything going despite it nearly always looking like it's about to come off the rails. Dual trade off shouts, punk rock snarling and grooves galore, the Suns are always a bright spot to any show and deserve their flowers too. Stepping up as the main support for tonight, their energy is infectious, the breaks letting you get your breath back ready for the next round. Surf stoner, with the strutting riffs to get everyone ready for the main event and get this party properly started with a set of songs their going to record very soon. 

The alcohol and other substances were flowing and had been all evening, revelry was teetering on the point of debauchery as it was time to celebrate some more, the room filled more, packed to the rafters, photographers readied, videographers stuck gaffa tape everywhere as things were about to reach a fever pitch at The Globe.

Then bang! Crashing Into The Future and we're off! Some thanks for everyone and everything then more riffs on Abstract Reality into the primal spaghetti psych of Furthur, Matt wild and unleashed in face paint and rubber gloves, Mike and Ed shifting the grooves as Carl flays his kit wildly. This rock solid foundation leaves room for Lukas to sweep in with screaming solos.

Combining older stuff with a couple of new tracks, new one Nothing Sacred brought Sky Valley to Albany Road, the long slow building atmosphere putting another side of the band across with bluesy guitar melodies and some expressive drumming, slow and steady into a massive climax towards the end. It's a masterpiece of pace and form, showing that even after 10 years and some moments of relative inactivity live due to families etc this engine is still burning strong creatively.

Limited by time it was two more older ones and a new one to close the night leaving some euphoric faces and plenty of proud people. All of whom made their way into the centre of Cardiff to party long into the night.

Ten years of supporting Lacertilia, (check out the Bloody Hammers review of April 2014 if you don't believe me) Many more of this scene, many fucking more to come. Worship the riff!

Reviews: Gaerea, Kings Of Mercia, Schammasch, Mindless Sinner (Reviews By Mark Young, Matt Bladen, Liam Williams & Simon Black)

Gaerea - Coma (Season Of Mist) [Mark Young]

Ok, I’ll be honest. When this starts off with The Poet’s Ballet, its softly delivered words and gentle music I thought that the boss had stitched me up. Steeling myself for 50 or so minutes of this, it was kettle on and see what words I can up with. At 2 minutes 43 seconds everything changes. Gaerea just burst into life, and I mean that most sincerely. It’s the best transition from one medium to another I’ve heard in ages. It its just so effective in bringing the traditional black metal tropes but with that modern approach of wanting you to hear every last nuance. The growls are immense, the arrangement is amazing as they just trample you into the dust. I breathe a sigh of relief and get to work, the words now coming from a place of joy. 

There is so many things going on – the addition of the rising chorus, the Uzi rattle of the double bass all coming together as the song wraps. It hints at what is to come, which is just a fabulous collection of metal (never mind black metal) that knows it is just about better than everyone else. Hope Shatters tears through, those melodic twists and turns taking centre stage. There is rhythm on rhythm as the guitars plot a path that sees them take dissimilar routes, combining to magical effect. Its simply brilliant, and this trajectory is continued on the controlled fury that is Suspended. Would you believe it’s more difficult to put into words when an album is one you like? 

Prior to joining the team, my knowledge of black metal was limited to the murky world of the early 90’s with music that sounded as though it was recorded in a shoe box by people who you wouldn’t trust to make a jelly. The atmosphere and expanse at hand here is like night and day compared to those early days. Similarly with World Ablaze, there is a positive momentum amongst the riffs here that builds a joy within you, it’s absolutely massive and any of these songs could have kicked the album off, any of them (there is a pattern forming here). I’ve said before that if a song inspires you to want to learn how to play it in order to replicate the emotional feelings its brings then it is doing something right. That is World Ablaze.

Coma changes that pace slightly, a lurching riff that allows them to take a little time in building it up to the same levels of intensity as the others. It is an earworm of a thing, the guitars doing that same but not the same pattern of attack that just fills the air so well. This is the thing, the command that they are showing in how to put things where they are putting them is just light-years beyond other bands and I know this is a matter of opinion but I’m writing this not you. Everything sounds massive, even when they go quiet such as on the start of Wilted Flower. 

Its what they are doing in and around it, and I know that there is a 50% chance it will kick over into something noisy, but I don’t feel as though it is derivative. It just feels right. Wilted Flower does kick over, and they combine the full speed with the slower moments in an organic way that just flows so well. Reborn buries the needle into the red with another storming set of guitar lines that come and go in a flurry of activity whilst Shapeshifter runs the gamut from quiet introspection into that full belt attack again and stays on that course to its end as Unknown follows up, bringing more of that perfect storm with it.

Kingdom Of Thorns comes in and stakes its claim for one of the best closing songs of 2024. Remember that emotional connection with certain arrangements? It’s chock full of them, absolutely full of them. I’ll be honest, I though that there was a little bit of repetition coming in the two tracks before it but its wiped all of those worries away with what could technically be described as a blinding track. Sometimes you try to hard to find the right words, maybe something witty or a new way of saying how good something is. I’m struggling in that respect except to say that this is an album that you need to listen to from start to finish. 

No dipping in, putting it on shuffle, nope play it old school. Individually each song is great, even as we get later into it and I’m sure would find their way onto your playlist of choice. But as a whole piece, that is where its power lies. That is where you will get maximum enjoyment, from taking the time to sit/drive/walk/pogo to the whole thing. It needs to be listened to this way. Anything less would be a shame. 9/10

Kings Of Mercia - Battle Scars (Metal Blade Records) [Matt Bladen]

The most unlikely of bands I didn't think there would be another Kings Of Mercia record but I'm happy to be wrong. A band where you need to spot the odd one out, it contains Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos, Armored Saint/Fates Warning bassist Joey Vera, ex-Toto drummer Simon Phillips and Steve Overland the vocalist from AOR legends FM. Brought together by journalist Dave Ling their debut was a highly regarded (in these pages at least), louder and grittier then Phillips or Overland's backgrounds while being more melodic and catchy than Matheos and Vera's. 

The chemistry was evident Matheos and Overland writing the bulk of the material sitting in the middle of what they do individually. Whether it's the bluesy anthem such as Between To Worlds, the atmospheric balladry of the title track or the dynamic propulsion of Don't Ask or Hell N Back. On Battle Scars this collaboration goes further, both men now more at ease with each other, so there's more definition to what Kings Of Mercia is. On the debut there was a lot of good music a band of veterans finding their feet as a group but on Battle Scars, but there's a lot of good music from a band of veterans who have evolved what their group is. 

That is a band that plays melodic rock songs such as Eye For An Eye, choppy hard rock riffs and those soulful vocals from Overland, while Aftermath and the epic Angels & Demons shows the other side with some dramatic moodiness inspired by the FM side of things. I'm glad there is a second Kings Of Mercia album, their first was excellent and this is just as good, sometimes the weirdest concoctions produce the best results. 9/10

Schammasch – The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean (Prosthetic Records) [Liam Williams]

Here we have a new release from Swedish band Schammasch. This is the new album The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean. The second album in their Maldoror Chants series. It’s a very unique sounding album and one I had to listen to a couple of times to wrap my head around it.

The first track, Crystal Waves, is the longest track on the album, lasting just over 13 and a half minutes. There’s a little bit of synth at the start which is gradually joined by the sounds of waves and guitars. 2 minutes in and the drums and vocals join in with some spoken word and whispering vocal parts. Soon after that a distorted guitar starts to come in and about a minute later the full band kicks in. Then there’s some singing before the track changes from calm to heavy, gradually building up to the songs climax which has some fantastic drumming from about 10 and a half minutes in. The song ends with some strings. A pretty good track to demonstrate what you’ll be hearing throughout the rest of the album.

A Somber Mystery is the shortest track, lasting just over 2 minutes long. There are no vocals. Just some very creepy sounding acoustic and clean guitars and some drums. Your Waters Are Bitter has a great guitar intro which builds on the creepy sound from the previous track. The drums come in to build up the song before the full band kicks in with some nice heavy sounds, including some harsh vocals. The song changes halfway through. There’s some great playing from the guitars and drums and the song gets heavy again at around 7 and a half minutes in and maintains that heaviness until it fades out at the end.

They Have Found Their Master starts with some guitar and bass, one of the only moments on the whole album where the bass can be heard clearly. There’s a nice little guitar part with a bit of a delay effect. Then the band kicks in, joined once again by some harsh vocals. This track has some fantastic guitar parts. It gets very fast and heavy around 7 minutes in. Then it goes a little bit too crazy and it sounds like everyone is playing in different time signatures which can be a little bit disorienting to listen to.

There’s a nice guitar solo but you can barely hear it with all the other chaos going on. The track slows down towards the end and there are some female vocals that come in to calm things down a bit which I think is a nice little touch after the absolute chaos that came before it. Image Of The Infinite is a slower and calmer song. It has a nice bass and guitar intro. The vocalist is once again joined by a female vocalist halfway through.

I Hail You, Old Ocean is the final track on the album and at the start it almost sounds like a different band playing. There’s some nice, crunchy distorted guitars driving the rhythm of the song. Then there’s a very fast and aggressive part around 3 minutes in, filled with tremolo picking guitars, blast beats and harsh vocals. This part is followed by a bit of a groovy section before things go back to fast and frantic. There’s another little guitar solo which, again you can barely hear because there’s so much going on. The song closes with some amazing drums followed by a nice string section to end the song and the album.

This album felt a lot like a ship in a storm. There was some really great parts, particularly with the drums and guitars, but the rest just felt a bit too chaotic. The mix could have been a lot better which might have made it easier to listen to. I felt that the vocals and the bass suffered a lot because of this since a lot of the time you can’t hear the bass at all and the vocals are way too quiet in comparison to the guitars and drums. But definitely an interesting album. There’s some good stuff in there and it sounds very original. It's just a little bit of a rough ride. 7/10

Mindless Sinner - Metal Merchants (High Roller Records) [Simon Black]

Mindless Sinner are a NWOBHM band who didn’t break out of their native Sweden first time out, and like many acts of late have decided that in this globally distributed media world that the time is right for another go. They managed a 5-track EP and an album back in the day, but bounced around minor local labels, suffered from the endless line-up challenges and finally threw in the towel in 1990 before Grunge gave them no choice in the matter. And in 2015 they were back, because let’s face it you’ve got to do something whilst waiting for governments around the world to start paying our generation of the population a pension.

 
Sadly, their timing was not great, since that comeback album The New Messiah ended up coming out just before Covid, preventing them from getting out there and touring it, so they still remain a relatively unknown quantity. Which is a shame, because whilst I haven’t heard any of their previous material, if it’s anything like what I have on my platter here is perfectly respectable. And it’s not like there isn’t a market for this NWOBHM authenticity, judging how bands like Tailgunner have carved an impressive following after only one album, so we should at least give someone who was there first time round a fair hearing, and to be fair with eighty percent of your line-up dating back to the 80’s it certainly feels the business.

Musically this is straight Traditional Metal, with energy, melody and drive throughout. It’s not the most technically showy album instrumentally, but it focusses on the basics and does them very well, leaving vocalist Christer Göransson to steal a fair amount of the limelight with his strong and charismatic delivery, which has enough power that my own diaphragm is rattling in sympathy with his.

At over an hour’s run time there’s plenty of bang for your buck, although I would have been tempted to hold a few tracks back and gone for a more short and punchy delivery to make the more stand out moments (like the distinctly catchy Hedonia) feel more distinctive, but I can’t fault any of the songs themselves and I would be keen to see what these boys could do in a live setting. 7/10

Reviews: Devin Townsend, Iotunn, Seething Akira, Trucker Diablo (Reviews By Simon Black, Matt Bladen, SJ & Rich Piva)

Devin Townsend – PowerNerd (Inside Out Music) [Simon Black]

Another year, another Devin album.

This man has a somewhat prolific rate of output, across a whole bunch of projects spanning the last thirty years, and whilst each and every studio album can stand up genre-wise on its own two feet distinct from each of its fellows, there is that common thread of the progressive running through many of them (at least the ones I’ve heard).

That said I came to Townsend quite late, so catching up on everything he’s created in the studio (never mind the live material) feels a bit like someone deciding to read the entire bibliography of Stephen King in a month might do. And that’s because whilst it’s one thing to listen to a Devin Townsend, and indeed listen to each and every one in short order from Strapping Young Lad et al to today, it’s quite another to truly hear each one.

There lies the rub with good Progressive music. It usually takes the musicians involved a while to bake everything in, and that means there’s usually a lot to unpack, with good albums in particular normally needing multiple spins and a bit of contextual background to truly appreciate their contents, which takes time. But remember this is mostly the work of one man, with additional support. And apparently, he cranked it out in eleven days flat… Oh, and it’s part one of a loosely-linked three album trilogy, for those that thought he had been resting on his laurels during 2023…

This does not surprise me; neither does it impact the quality. 2022’s Lightwork felt like a high-water mark that couldn’t be bettered, but then so did Empath, and the reality is that Townsend has a depth of creative content that isn’t slowing down any time soon and album twenty-eight, PowerNerd is no different.

It still has some elements of the more moody and ambient elements carried over from Lightwork, but he hasn’t lost his ability to be moving and catchy at the same time (it seems that whilst apparently starting out trying to craft a fun record whilst you are dealing with personal loss makes for some very strange, but highly effective musical melding).

For those preferring a bit more welly to proceedings there’s enough high tempo material particularly towards the start, with some outright humour thrown in for good measure in closer Ruby Quaker (whereas in former decades artists might close out with a thinly veiled adage to their favourite illicit substance, Townsend is quite open in his homage to his beloved coffee).

At first spin the whole thing feels somewhat eclectic, but like all good Prog, and indeed all good Devin projects, it really grows on you quickly, and you just want more, which is probably just as well considering there’s two more in the pipeline… 10/10

Iotunn - Kinship (Metal Blade Records) [Matt Bladen]

Front their 70's space rock/prog rock beginnings, Danish/Faroese band Iotunn, settlers on becoming a metal band not long after, band founders Jesper and Jens Nicolai Gräs went through several phases before establishing what Iotunn were to be as a band before they released their debut album Access All Worlds.

This was an album that was more progressive power metal influenced but as they set about recording their follow up a lot of that power metal influence has been replaced by a wider scope. “Everything is related, and everything has an impact, and we all must find our ways to our true selves and true freedoms in our choices in this interconnectedness of everything" says singer Jón Aldará.

He goes on to say "The album explores themes of conformity versus following your own path and the consequences your choices have for relationships." These relationships are explored through a concept that follows a prehistoric tribesman through the paths of good and evil, right and wrong and human nature as a whole.

So with lofty lyrical concepts, philosophical inspiration and an approach where nothing is off limits, Iotunn took to the studio for their second album crafting a colossal cosmic journey which is simply stunning from the first moments of Kinship Elegaic through to the last dying notes of The Anguished Ethereal.

Bookending your album with a 13 minute and an 11 minute song is brave for any band but nothing here is under 5 minutes the shortest song being the fireside acoustic lament of Iridescent Way. A song that speaks to their Danish/Faroese heritage, until the atmosphere gets blacker on the raging melodeath of Earth To Sky. Earth To Sky is blistering the brothers Gräs' tremolo picking on top of the battery from Bjørn Wind Andersen blastbeats.

As Eskil Rask's inventive bass playing is the foundation of this odyssey, the brothers guitar playing though is what will bring in the shredheads, their play offs between each other create the majority of the melodies on this record, one minute they have euphoric power metal, then sprawling progressive metal on Mistland into death metal blasts and black metal fury and there's NWOBHM gallops on The Coming End. Iotunn taking every advantage to show how absolutely incredible they are as a collective.

With a track such as Twilight, they remind me of Nevermore, Jón Aldará's vocals evoking Warrel Dane here perfectly, the same on the evocative I Feel The Night. If bands such as Wilderun, Witherscape, Oceans Of Slumber and Evergrey are in your top 10% most listened to artists then you will definitely find a Kinship here. Iotunn's second album is magnificent and there's nothing else to be said. 10/10

Seething Akira - Cancel Estate (Independent/Earache Digital Distribution) [SJ]

It's no secret that Seething Akira have been at the top of my most anticipated acts after hearing a few of their unreleased songs from Cancel Estate at Radar 2024. As soon as I heard them live, I went straight to my Spotify to try and find the songs I just heard, to my dismay, they weren't on there. After Nikaela and I had a chat with Kit and Charlie after the show, they revealed that the songs weren't yet available, and I would need to wait until the album release. Here we are, so let's dive into it.

Seething Akira are back with the 10 track Cancel Estate after their previous Nozomi 2022 album, doing what they excel in by providing a fresh twist of genre blending nu metal, electronica, rap and drum and bass.

Seething Akira kicks right off with Ixnay, an upbeat and catchy “We both know that you are bad for me” – this will be on repeat long after the song has finished. It’s a pure genre blending track with elements of rave, dance, metal which flows in a seamless way that encapsules what Seething Akira are to the core. I recognised this song immediately as it was one of the songs they performed at Radar 2024. If a song can have that long of a lasting impact, it’s worth giving it a listen and it’s a personal favourite of mine from the album. Decayed Remains Of Today bounce back with heavy drums in the intro then coming back to the electronica ”Can you feel the grip slipping…You can beg but you won’t be forgiven”. This track felt formulaic in nature and easy to find the groove to, staying strong in the track list so far.

Again, another song I recognised from Seething Akira’s live performances, Resilient. I heard this live when they performed it at Mangata Spotlight Sessions 2024 and the crowd were two-stepping, head bobbing and mosh pit forming. “Resilient. Resistant.” After the second chorus, my stank face came right out after hearing that stripped back mix up, it’s a creepy little spiced up bit as I didn’t expect it. The drum solo from Stu near the end, lyrics “I’m cutting out the venom bit by bit” everything makes this a standout song on Cancel Estate.

Up next is, Times Change “Can’t break me, don’t you understand.” Halfway through the song we get an instrumental mash up of electronica, synth wave style. Sunflower Shadows initially felt a bit more light-hearted with the guitar riffs, a little reminiscent of older Sum 41 and I could envision this being on the soundtrack of American Pie. Next up is the track, How Are Things Up North, it’s alreet pet, thanks for asking. This has the longest instrumental intro on the album showcasing the drums and guitar. The vocals are slowed down and less rap focused albeit still projecting the deep lyrical meaning Seething Akira master.

The intro on D.R.I.L.L.E.R is a head banger; they aren’t missing a shot with this track. This provides another high energy, angsty track to throw back to. Halfway through there’s a soft change up before hitting back into the chorus again. The throwback attitude cascades into Blame Pain where the instrumentals take the forefront, with a hard-hitting drum beat throughout and guitar riffs to elevate the track. The drum and bass make a welcome appearance alongside the spitting raps before the chorus “I’m losing love for everything. You need someone to take the pain”. This is another top track from the album that stands out to me as the lyrics are quite vulnerable and raw.

You Don’t Want None made me question if I hit play on the right track at first after hearing a sample of kids cheering “You don’t want none”. Albeit, it was the right song. The track has a lot of redeeming qualities, and I can see how it’s more experimental than other songs on the album, but something didn’t quite click for me on this track and I'm not sure what it was. Hyperbolic slams with grandiose drums and has amazing guitar riffs. It starts in their usual style but halfway through, they yet again somehow shock me a little as I question what I am listening to. The haunting strums with ineligible echoes elicit an eerie tone which provide a new sound for Seething Akira. I can feel them stretching to new genres and leaning into the experimental, which I like.

Cancel Estate will be drilled into your mind as they’re coming out swinging with this album and making no apologies for doing so. Seething Akira are excelling at slamming a fresh new feel of music. Overall, it’s a solid album where they've found the right balance of exploring new dimensions whilst maintaining the identity we love Seething Akira for. 9/10

Trucker Diablo - Social Hand Grenade (Self Released) [Rich Piva]

I first heard Trucker Diablo when I was diving deep into the Ripple Music back catalog a few years ago. I really enjoy their 2013 record Songs Of Iron which sounds like a heavy Southern Rock band with grunge and stoner elements that has songs that are just catchy as hell. When I asked Todd from Ripple why they were no longer on the label after that great record, his answer was that the band wanted to go in a different musical direction. The band was always a bit twangy, but the twang factor and the production levels seemed to get turned up every record after. The band is still catchy, but to me seemed to lose their edge over the years. 

That brings us to their new record, Social Hand Grenade. The band is still very slick and overproduced for my taste, but there is more to this record that can get me past that, which is really saying something for how much overproduced stuff really gets to me. The first listen of this record I hated it. The second time was like the first. But then, the catchiness latches on and you are in trouble because the earworms infest you and have you singing along when you don’t even realize it.

 
These guys sound like they are from like Tennessee or Alabama, but they are actually Irish, which is something, given their very U.S. sound. The first track on the record gave me some real hope, as Kill The Lights is a fun little hard rock ripper. Stop The Bleed is the heaviest track on the record and brings some of their trademarked catchiness too. The band reminds me of Crobot, which is a band that is a dilemma for me given how I want to like them but the overproduction on their records never allows me to get there. The difference is Trucker Diablo is even catchier and know how to incorporate melody and big choruses perfectly. 

California On The Run sounds like The Drive By Truckers, which is a complement. So does Here Comes The Vultures which is painfully catchy. The track Dig rocks and is a huge stadium anthem that really works and We Are Forever is a late 80s influenced track (they even mention 1989 that is cheesy in the good way, and look out for that chorus. Not all the songs connect, as Together We Rise is a bit too modern country and is extremely cheesy lyrically. I have the same gripe with Here’s To Heartbreak, but maybe more. But the good outweighs the bad by a longshot.

 
There are going to be a ton of people who like this record. There are a bunch of bands who are super successful with this slick southern rock style. Generally, this style does nothing for me, but Trucker Diablo have a skill with melody and catchiness that forced me to enjoy big chunks of Social Hand Grenade, which really surprised me. This is my favourite TD record since Songs Of Iron by a longshot. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Tailgunner (Live Review By Debby Myatt & Tony Gaskin)

Tailgunner, Battle Born & The Rattlebacks, KK’s Steel Mill, 16.10.24

Back at our home from home, here at KK’s Steel Mill for a night of adrenaline pumping heavy metal with NWOBHM upstarts, Taillgunner.

The night began with a completely unknown band to us, The Rattlebacks (9). Hailing from the Brighton area, this combo shook KK’s to it’s foundations with a blistering opener of a track that was groovy, doomy and superbly heavy. Aptly entitled The Taste, as it was a taste of things to come, it’s the opening track off their forthcoming album Sidewinder, from which we get another teaser from later on in the set with the track The Waste. 

The rhythm section is boil and punchy, reverb bouncing off the walls, whilst the guitars pay homage to the down-tuned riffage of Iommi, but with added grooves. Front man, Josh Clarke, is the epitome of a ‘70s cool dude, and is the final piece of this enigmatic jigsaw. The top it off by getting Tailgunner bassist Tom Hewson to join them on stage for an excellent cover of Priest Breaking The Law. What a great start!

Next up is a band we’ve seen previously, Power Metal stalwarts Battle Born (9). This is the polar opposite to the doom laden grooves of Rattlebacks. Fast, exuberant and unashamedly fun. With tracks like Dragon Heart, Blood Or Fire, Power Force and who can forget Down Your Drinks and Raise Your Swords, it’s stirring, infectious stuff, but done incredibly well and with great musicianship. This was clearly in evidence when they did a cover of Survivors Burning Heart. The Power Metal genre is often looked down upon by the metal elitists but personally I think it’s great fun, very entertaining and usually visually interesting. Love ‘em!

Tailgunner (10) have simmered for a while now, but with some recent line up changes and the release of their highly acclaimed album Guns For Hire they’ve finally reached their potential, and who knows where they can take this. Bassist and driving force Tom Hewson has persevered with his vision of what Tailgunner should be, and now it’s paying dividends.

They open up with the albums title track Guns For Hire, a classic British Heavy Metal anthem. Heavy, fast riffs, mind-blowing solos and headbanging rhythm sections. The influences of and love for NWOBHM is obvious, but nothing wrong with that.

Front man Craig Cairns is a real find and a perfect fit for this band. An incredible vocal range and full of confidence and bravado. In amongst their set, which is predominantly made up from tracks off the album, they slot in a couple of covers which showcase, not just Craigs, but the whole bands abilities. They perfectly nail Painkiller with Cairns hitting those high notes faultlessly and if that wasn’t impressive enough (with KK himself rumoured to be present tonight), they treat us to a stirring cover of Dio’s Don’t Talk To Strangers

Photographer Tony was never into that first wave of NWOBHM, but to me, this feels like being back there at the beginning , with those bands on the cusp of greatness, is this what Tailgunner can go on and achieve? Is this the future of British Heavy Metal? You better believe it!