Grand Magus - Sunraven (Nuclear Blast Records) [Mark Young]
Ok, so I might as-well get this out in the open now. Everyone will have a band or bands they will drop everything for in order to catch them live. This also applies to their recorded output, no matter what others say or write, you will always buy it.
I hold Grand Magus in that high regard in the same way I hold Anthrax, Slayer, Mastodon, Lamb of God and a new addition to that list is Heriot. Every time I’ve caught these live, they have never disappointed. Obviously, recorded outputs will vary, and intensity and quality will change as a band age but for Grand Magus, they have never let me down. Ever.
What they bring, is metal. Anybody who says differently can leave the hall. What I will say is that they are like Judas Priest, or AC/DC. You know what you are going to get right from the start.
Their first album since Wolf God, and in part based/inspired by Grendel, Its vibrant, powerful and always pushing forward and what’s more it makes you lose your shit live. Skybound kicks this off and it slots straight into that black book of bangers that JB and co have consistently written since forever. Its quick, with that knowing arrangement of riffs that comes from being steeped in the classics as well as being able to put together the ‘right’ sort of song that announces exactly what this album is going to be about. Lead breaks, double bass drumming, what’s not to like?
What they bring, is metal. Anybody who says differently can leave the hall. What I will say is that they are like Judas Priest, or AC/DC. You know what you are going to get right from the start.
Their first album since Wolf God, and in part based/inspired by Grendel, Its vibrant, powerful and always pushing forward and what’s more it makes you lose your shit live. Skybound kicks this off and it slots straight into that black book of bangers that JB and co have consistently written since forever. Its quick, with that knowing arrangement of riffs that comes from being steeped in the classics as well as being able to put together the ‘right’ sort of song that announces exactly what this album is going to be about. Lead breaks, double bass drumming, what’s not to like?
The Wheel Of Pain (by the way, I always love how they come on stage to the theme from Conan) is an immediate head banger, triplet riffs that underpin what feels like a pre-cursor to battle and a stormer of a lead break.
Everything is there, its just metal. They write songs so that you sing it back to them live, with melody lines that stick in the brain. Title track Sunraven does exactly that, nestling an earworm of a guitar line in amongst those powered riffs and is completed by an emotive lead break. Three tracks in and I’m a happy soul.
Each track has a moment of class, Winter Storms wearing its power metal love like a battle vest as they deliver a mid-paced tale that just drips metal from every pore. It’s the glorious kind of metal that they are so good at, its not technical and there isn’t a blizzard of notes picked at inhuman speeds and it has a traditional ending boom that lovers of old-school rock will love.
The Black Lake has that lurching measure to it, with an epic build, and one of those solo’s that take you on a journey whilst Hour of the Wolf ups the tempo, echoing their earlier works whilst dropping another corker of a guitar line that you will be humming for days.
Grendel heralds the last three tracks and keeps that tempo going, with a 3 and half minute’s blast for the main villain from Beowulf, delivered with a real fire to it with a sing a long chorus that is going to be awesome live. As is JB’s calling card, there is a grandiose lead break with a perfect chord set behind it which then sets up To Heorot, which is another major part of Beowulf. It is a mead-hall, and this is a song that evokes that scene in your mind. Its central theme is built to drink to (if you do) and it gives us a quick-fire run through of those events before a face-melter of a solo.
Grendel heralds the last three tracks and keeps that tempo going, with a 3 and half minute’s blast for the main villain from Beowulf, delivered with a real fire to it with a sing a long chorus that is going to be awesome live. As is JB’s calling card, there is a grandiose lead break with a perfect chord set behind it which then sets up To Heorot, which is another major part of Beowulf. It is a mead-hall, and this is a song that evokes that scene in your mind. Its central theme is built to drink to (if you do) and it gives us a quick-fire run through of those events before a face-melter of a solo.
We finish with The End Belongs To You and in keeping with their overall vibe, this is metal, strong riffs, drum breaks and a solo that has to become as anthemic as Hammer Of The North. It is a strong closing track, bookending a collection of songs that sees them return with their fire reignited. They have always brought it, and with them being away for so long I think it’s easy to forget just how good they are. They understand that they must bring the riffs and those soaring vocals that are the main ingredient of the best heavy metal. This they can do, and they make it look so easy. 9/10
Cortez - Thieves And Charlatans (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]
Boston’s Cortez have been bringing the stoner doom heavy since 2006, but now, in 2024, the band has created their best work with their new record, Thieves And Charlatans, brought to us via Ripple Music. The band has always kicked ass and has been one of the top tier outfits of the genre, but Thieves And Charlatans brings a complexity and a variability in styles that has not been as prevalent on their previous four other full lengths. Add that, with some next level songwriting and their usual killer playing, and you get the best Cortez record till date and an album of the year candidate.
Opening with the most straight up party rock song (I hear late 80s hard rock) the band has ever done (in the best sort of way), Gimme Danger sets the tone for a different sort Cortez experience. It is not like the band has gone and done some kind of prog concept record and added a brass section, but Gimme Danger is enough of a departure to certainly notice something different here, and I am so here for it. Leaders Of Nobody has an Ugly period Life Of Agony feel to it with a killer riff and excellent vocals from Matt Harrington. I love the tempo changes and how it seemingly crawls to its end.
Stove Up is the trademarked Cortez rocker with killer riffs and excellent vocals that has always made Cortez so great. No Heroes is a gigantic song. It is huge all around, from the playing to the singing and goes in all sorts of excellent directions. It is on Levels when we really get into the genius of Thieves And Charlatans. This is like the stoner doom version of Jane’s Addiction’s Three Days which is to say this absolutely rules and is my favourite Cortez track ever and one of my favourite songs in a long time. I am not overstating this. Eight minutes and twenty-two seconds of brilliance.
Odds Are and Liminal Spaces are songs that remind you how much the band understands both the heavy side of things as well as melody, with the latter using some cool vocal effects. The closer, Solace, is almost on the level of Levels and is a huge, dynamic, and intense way to close out a record. It would have been easy and probably still excellent if Cortez put out a record of riff heavy rockers in the stoner doom vein that they excel at. Instead Thieves And Charlatans takes a band almost 20 years in down a path of creating their masterpiece by flexing their creative muscles and taking some risks, with a seriously amazing payoff. 10/10
Veiled - SE//CT (Seek And Strike) [Mike Pickett]
SE//CT by Veiled is a masterfully crafted deathcore album that feels like a journey through despair, hopelessness, and rage. While I’ve been a long time fan of death metal, this album makes me feel like I’ve been missing out on deathcore, and if this is the standard, I’d listen to little else. Each track flows into the next, taking you deeper into a story that Veiled is telling. One standout track, Hellbound, perfectly captures the band’s ability to blend slow, aggressive guitars with a variety of vocal styles—ranging from low growls to goblin-like screeches, even some clean vocals. The shifts between these voices feel natural and balanced, adding depth without ever sounding out of place.
Veiled - SE//CT (Seek And Strike) [Mike Pickett]
SE//CT by Veiled is a masterfully crafted deathcore album that feels like a journey through despair, hopelessness, and rage. While I’ve been a long time fan of death metal, this album makes me feel like I’ve been missing out on deathcore, and if this is the standard, I’d listen to little else. Each track flows into the next, taking you deeper into a story that Veiled is telling. One standout track, Hellbound, perfectly captures the band’s ability to blend slow, aggressive guitars with a variety of vocal styles—ranging from low growls to goblin-like screeches, even some clean vocals. The shifts between these voices feel natural and balanced, adding depth without ever sounding out of place.
The overall production is top-notch. Each instrument is clear and well balanced. The distortion on the guitars adds a gritty texture, and the vocals never get lost behind the music. Even the small interlude tracks, featuring news broadcasts, enhance the album’s atmosphere, pulling you further into the experience. At 14 tracks and 44 minutes, SE//CT is a cohesive listening experience, with every song fitting into the emotional narrative. Fans of deathcore, or even those looking to transition from metalcore or traditional death metal, will find a lot to appreciate here. Veiled has delivered an album that will resonate with listeners across heavier genres. 9/10
Nameless - Shapeshifter (Self Released) [Liam Williams]
This is the brand new, second album, Shapeshifter, from Birmingham based nu-metal band Nameless. An album with gut-punching guitar parts, sick screams and a blend of other interesting sounds, all packed into 7 nice little tracks, lasting just over half an hour in total.
First track Tempest is just an intro track. It has some really nice and haunting strings playing and building up to the first proper track, Worth Of Man. This is when the band kicks in and from the start it’s high energy, heavy, nu-metal goodness. I love how the chorus in this track follows the same melody as the previous track. It’s done quite well. There’s a great little dissonant guitar part going into the bridge section which sounds like it would fit well into a slasher horror film.
Next up is the title track of the album. They dial back the heavy a little bit and go for more of a sort of grungy sound which reminds me of some of the heavier Alice In Chains tracks. This track features a lot of clean singing and even some rapping. Rosaline has an excellent intro which sounds a bit like Not Long For This World by Slipknot to me. It has some massive choruses which sound incredible. There’s some more rapping in the second verse and screaming in the bridge section. Showing the vocalist’s capabilities of doing a bit of everything.
The first few notes of the intro riff in Pacify And Reason almost tricked me into thinking I was about to listen to The Diary Of Jane by Breaking Benjamin. There’s also a groovy little riff right before the first verse comes in. This song also features a nice little guitar solo in the second half.
Finger On The Pulse is the heaviest track on the album. Really interesting guitar effect in the intro. It has a brutal breakdown but an even more brutal outro. Just as the song is coming to an end there’s a part which I can only describe as having a scary circus vibe to it.
The last track on the album, Crystalise, has more of a post-hardcore sound to it. It has a nice clean guitar intro with some strings backing it up. It builds up to the second half of the song which gets a little bit heavier but not quite as heavy as other parts of the album. There’s another nice little guitar solo and the outro features a short but sweet little piano part to close out the song and the album as a whole.
Overall, a really good album demonstrating this bands talents and creativity. I could hear a lot of inspiration from bands like Slipknot and Korn, amongst others, and I like how they keep things fresh and entertaining from track to track. Throwing in other sounds like a bit of grunge and post-hardcore here and there. Really good stuff and I’m looking forward to seeing how they evolve their sound in the future. 9/10
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