A View From The Back Of The Room: Karmen Field (Live Review By Matt Bladen)

Karmen Field, Risperidrone & Cemetery Dogs, Fuel Rock Club, 24.11.24

With so many big things hitting venues at the moment it's quite nice to have a local gig in a local venue (without sounding too much like a League Of Gentlemen sketch). 

The sudden closure of The Moon just two days before still very fresh in the mind of everyone there, it was made reference too by all the bands, a reminder that even in a "Music City" like Cardiff local independent venues that don't rely on membership, financial backing form other means or aren't tied in with a bigger promotions company will not survive if we don't go to the gigs they promote. 

Little rant over and on this Sunday night in we were getting three bands who bring some big riffs, two established and one quite new to the scene all for the princely sum of £6. That's a bargain in anyone's money but how much of a bargain it was wouldn't be really known until later. 

Due to a raging storm, it being a school night and Fontaines D.C (me neither) playing the Utilita, it was perhaps a little quiet in Fuel but for what there lacked in crowd they made up for in fervency. 

First up was new trio Cemetery Dogs (7), playing just their third gig, the first being at The Moon, the second at Tiny Rebel, they've now played all the venues on Womanby Street except Clwb Ifor Bach, which is quite an achievement. They play a style of stoner/doom inspired by High On Fire, Sasquatch, Red Flag and any other heavy riffing Sabbath worshipping, trifecta you want to mention, so long as they've got SG driven riffs, raw shouted vocals and fat grooving bottom end

They're a band who are a work in progress, there were a few mistakes, the new songs are being worked through live in front of you but this rough and readiness added to their easy to like charm. Experience breeds finesse, they've got the songs and the talent, all of the components are there, they need a few more gigs under their belt to nail it down. Local bookers snap them up as these dogs are ready to howl. 

Next up something a bit slower and proggier, Risperidrone (7) are band who have been cutting about the circuit for a while, featuring members of Bloodstock Metal To The Masses South Wales 2024 winners Root Zero, Riperidrone are a different sort of beast playing psychedelic doom metal that is driven by repeating, fuzzy riffs, intricate lead bass and mournful vocals. 

Their set was plagued by a few technical issues but the gremlins were thwarted after a couple of songs but as with the nature of doom bands they only then had a couple more songs to play. Each time I see Risperidrone I see a band who get more confident, while they need to lay down some tracks proper to have on their merch stand, the set that they have gets louder, heavier and adds technicality behind a wall of distortion and fuzz. 

Speaking of confidence I don't think there is as fully formed band on the South Wales scene as Karmen Field (9), I'll admit I didn't really understand what they did at the beginning but with repeated exposure they have morphed into a favourite. Hard to classify, impossible to ignore and taking influence from everywhere, they've built a very strong, die-hard following on the back of many shows, their multi-media approach to drip-feeding singles, accompanied by videos and release shows, focus on making the visuals as important as the songs while also cultivating an inclusive atmosphere around them.

At a Karmen Field show you can just be you, glitter is encouraged, as is head banging, the macarena and letting yourself hang loose. Oppression and negativity isn't tolerated and with political themes merging with escapist ones a Karmen Field show can feel like an LSD trio without the drugs. Musically they're diverse taking from Faith No More, The Flaming Lips, Frank Zappa, Alice In Chains and Tool. It's metallic music fully in the avant-garde but catchy and groove driven. Prog grunge that I once referred to as like having a trip without the necessity of drugs. 

Playing a set that comprised mainly the songs from their as yet unreleased/unrecorded album. While they look to record that soon, the songs are fully formed already, honed with plenty of live performances, while also adding some cuts from debut record Black Star Emperor. With Joe Roper steering the set from behind the kit, he's got power and poise controlling the grooves alongside bassist Lewis Goold, his technical but muscular basslines balance finesse with ferocity.

Building the set up in a really clever way they began with the lighter groovier material before getting heavier and angrier towards the end. Will Bird peeling off riffs and solos like no ones business, be it with the bludgeoning Breaking The Cycle, the epic Black Star Emperor and their already classic funk rock thing Sticky Jam where Will takes co leads with Molly McBreen the effervescent singer of Karmen Field. 

You can't deny the impact Molly makes on the audience and her importance in the band. A great voice delivered with raw, bluesy passion, part Janis, part Stevie with grunge twist. She's also got her stagecraft down perfectly, be it the jokes and stories told between the songs, her rapport with the audience, encouraging them to make more noise, throw their middle fingers up at the previous government or the way she brushes off some of the more inebriated members of the audience who were making a nuisance of themselves, Molly is a natural frontperson for this creative act. 

Debuting almost all new material can be difficult but that new album is going to sound great from what I saw in Fuel on a Sunday night. Karmen Field really shine when they play live, one of the best bands on the South Wales scene the unique noise they make will get louder and louder in the next year! 

A View From The Back Of The Room: Wheel & Múr (Live Review By Duncan Everson)

Wheel & Múr, Thekla Bristol, 24.11.24

Wet windy and flooded was the journey to Bristol but the promise of some modern heavy prog action. The first support was due to be French band Molybaron but due to injury had to pull out of the tour.

They were replaced by Múr (8) who have just released their debut album (reviewed by Matt last week), their frontman/keyboardist Kári Haraldsson is the focal point here whether it's his great cleans or powerful harsh roars, his voice works well with the atmospheric sounds created by his keytar and the band behind him. Their live sound mix was great, you could hear every instrument, making you take notice when it changes from light to dark. It's a shame they were crowded into a small space on stage, as there was barely any room to move. We got a keytar solo, some militaristic drum patterns that worked well with lighting effects, showing that the band have thought about their live staging and how they present themselves.

I'm not sure if they were supposed to be on this tour as a third band but they really have put the work in to impress in this special guest slot. When Haraldsson put his keytar down for the final song it created more space for a bit of movement from the band and for him to be more expressive in his gestures/emote more, he's very expressive in his movement, when not constrained by the keys and as they closed with their heaviest cut, which had a great guitar solo I was already looking forward to seeing them on a bigger stage in future. They have a BIG sound needs more space.

Next up though it was our headliners who had to follow a great set from Múr, thankfully Wheel (10) never really fail to take your breath away. Again blessed by great sound, much like Múr but more of everything. Everything was so clear, the gorgeous guitar tones, the big, booming bass from Jere Lehto, who joined as live bassist prior to this tour, combining excellently with expert drumming. It all just worked.

There is a Tool comparison, which is inevitable but Wheel are far more than that. (Though they will be featured on Tool's festival thing in Costa Rica), Wheel have monster, crushing riffs, highlighting the band ability to metal-out if they want to, then they immediately switch to gentle, delicate atmospherics is hugely impressive and effective, this is what they did on the brilliantly on Dissipating. Wheel are a band who also should be on much bigger stages. Stages that match the scope of their songs.

Vultures for instance has massive heaviness at the start. It features riffs, ALL the guitars, huge vocals. Just brilliant. Very Tool, very fucking good. The orange lighting worked well with strobes at the end adding something extra. The lighting, yes well it was great for the crowd, less so for us photographers but you do what you can. The strobes were used sparingly later on, they were very impressive on one of the new songs. In sync with the drums a la the One video (for a short section). Then backlit in slow, quiet section. Atmospheric and effective, it had clearly been well thought out and reminiscent of far bigger shows/venues. There was also a snare sound like gunshots on this one.

I'd seen the band once at ArcTanGent but never a full headline set so some of the other highlights for me were; Hyperion where both guitarists using those finger devices to make continuous notes and while there was a foot pedal missing at transition into Lacking, but then it was found and the transition was "seamless" as singer James put it, even though it wasn't we were encouraged to "tell everyone it was!" So it was ok? Elsewhere, Lacking was brilliant. Excellent lighting and huge sound and power with massive vocals, Hyperion has brilliant chorus harmonies.

My favourite part of the night was that they played Synchronise. It's a massive, building song. Starting quiet but builds, led by drums and bass, eventually huge guitars and vocals. Blue strobes blazed before solo, I had not seen that before. This was a prog metal masterpiece, staccato riffing at the end, it was totally goose bump inducing. Drenched in blue lighting things quickly switched into all oranges and reds for next song to maximise the contrast.

Wheel, the final song, was just incredible and great one to finish on. Time flew by – I checked my watch at 9:30 then it 10:30, the played until 10:45, so around 1hr and 45 mins. I was totally engrossed for the whole time. No encore – none needed. Magnificent

A View From The Back Of The Room: Breed 77 (Live Review By Debby Myatt & Tony Gaskin)

Breed 77, Red Method And Black Water Fiend at The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham 21.11.24

Tonight’s outing sees us stay local for an evening of three very different metal bands at The Castle and Falcon in Birmingham.

Opening up tonight are local(ish) band Black Water Fiend (8), a modern rock band from Coventry that fuses together complex riffs with a mellow progressive vibe. They’ve attracted a lot of attention locally and I can see them doing well with the NWOCR crowd given the chance. Their soulful melodic rock has enough edge and heaviness to it to keep your attention, keep an eye out for them. 

Now for something completely different! You’ve not seen anything quite like Red Method (8). This is fast, heavy and energetic stuff, straight from the off the wall of sound hits you, no compromise is given. Frontman Jeremy Gomez stands atop a plinth that has a red light up lighting his towering figure, lit like a demon in the flames. He has a maniacal look in his eyes has he scans the crowd, perhaps looking for a victim! His vocals are visceral and pierce you to your soul.

Spine chilling stuff, but it’s more than just theatrics. Red Method blend numerous metal genres to create their own sound. Blackened metal screeches with doom laden death metal riffs are combined with industrialised synth effects and keyboards, a cacophony of sound but somehow as a whole it works, This is as much a visual show as it is an aural one, the grimy red costumes and the make-up all add to the overall effect. They certainly get your attention and it’s a blisteringly fast show that’s over before you know it.

When Breed 77 (10) announced that they would be performing at Uprising in Leicester, we hoped that this would signal a return of the band and we’d get more live dates and new material, we weren’t disappointed. So, do they still have that fire and passion that they were renowned for 20 odd years ago?

They open up with the epic Individuo from their breakthrough album Cultura and instantly were transported back to those early days when this blend of heavy metal and flamenco inspired sounds first grabbed our attention.

Paul Isola is back in fine form, his vocals are as passionate as ever, and he seems perfectly at ease as he talk in between songs. The mix of electric and acoustic flamenco guitars is joyful thing to hear. We get all the hits tonight, along with a couple of new ones, a spine tingling rendition of their big hit The River has the crowd singing along, but it’s the final three tracks that made it a special night for me.  Insects a political song as relevant today as it was back when it was first released back in 2009. Zombie the ultimate anti war anthem and my personal favourite La Ultima Hora,

Yes they still have the fire and passion, welcome back guys!

Reviews: SKAM, Poppy, Ritual Fog, Healthy Junkies (Reviews By Simon Black, Matt Bladen, GC & Zak Skane)

SKAM - From The Depths (Independent/Earache Digital Distribution) [Simon Black]

This Leicestershire 3 piece have been around for thirteen years now, yet I can’t help in my mind thinking of them as a new band, despite the fact they have released three studio albums, one live one and a swathe of EP’s since 2014. From The Depths is the first full length since 2020, when Covid ground they’re growth plans into the ground, and the band wisely switched to a series of EP’s to keep things ticking over. I had the pleasure of reviewing both Intra and Venous in these ever-growing pages, and both really hit the back of the net for me with their strong 90’s infused hard rock/indie vibes vibe.

Both of those releases were short and punchy, so I was keen to see how they would approach a full-length release, and the answer is with exactly the same energy, fire and freshness that keeps me thinking that they are fresh off the starting blocks. Those 2021 EP’s were subtly different in tone one full on hard rock, the second more measured and less intense, showing the two sides of the band. The album covers both aspects as you would expect, but more importantly often demonstrates both characteristics within individual songs, sometimes almost leaning into the progressive with their arrangements.

They’ve also lost none of the groove that is the backbone of their sound – tracks like The Grind nail this perfectly, and it’s still impressive at how rich they sound for a three-piece. I’m made comparisons to Therapy? in the past, and I stick to that analogy. Not because of how they sound, write or play, but for their ability to sound like a five piece with sixty per cent of the resources. It has the same root cause though – damn fine musicians who know how to write and not sound like they are going through the motions because there isn’t a duff track on here.

It's got all the energy that I expect from them, but a richer maturity that knows when to pull them and exactly when to land a sucker punch, managing the pace and flow of the songs perfectly and showing how much better these guys have become as musicians over time, whilst still retaining that essential frisson of immediacy that they built their fan base on. The band know what they are doing, and at several moments lyrically pour derision on those who told them what they ought to be doing. One spin of this new opus confirms they were wasting their breath and should let this fiercely independent and powerful trio do their thing. Back of the net and into the stands. 9/10

Poppy – Negative Spaces (Sumerian Records) [Matt Bladen]

Poppy is something of a media darling, the GRAMMY nominated (2025 Best Metal Performance alongside Knocked Loose and as a solo artist in 2021) singer/songwriter/performer has unique take on metal as a genre, forging together djent, metalcore, death, industrial, synthwave, pop punk and just plain old bubblegum pop, Poppy has become in a genre all by herself and rightfully is being lauded for that.

So we get to Negative Spaces her new record and it’s just one part of a sprawling artistic vision, one that has performance art, video direction, graphic novels and countless tours and features, her tour next year is with the BabyMetal, a perfect fit in my estimation. In the music side of Poppy, like the rest of her ventures there are no rules. There are 15 songs though, 15 songs on this album, however don’t fret as Negative Spaces has little interludes to split up the main songs, creating a fully immersive experience.

From the NiN-like Have You Had Enough, there's 2000's Nu-Metal on The Cost Of Giving Up and brutal death metal on They're All Around Us, just these three songs alone show you the multifaceted style of Poppy's music. From there though it gets wilder with the Euro-pop of Crystallized, some Orbit-like trance (think Ray Of Light) on Push Go while The Centers Falling Out is wild mathrock and the title track has the sneering alt rock of a band such as Hole or Smashing Pumpkins.

Negative Spaces is a definitive statement of what Poppy is about. Transcending genres norms while fully embracing her influences it's a multifarious mélange of music and you should experience it for yourself. 9/10

Ritual Fog - But Merely Flesh (Transcending Obscurity Records) [GC]

Another release week and another Transcending Obscurity release has landed in my inbox. This week I have But Merely Flesh by Ritual Fog, not much in the way of background info and even my old friend, the internet doesn’t hold much info on this lot, could be a good thing, could be a bad thing, let’s find out.

The intro Misticism opens the album up with 30 seconds of electronic pointlessness so its Desolate Chasm that actually gets us going for real and what we get is a combination of doom and thrashy death metal that feels like its mixed muddily on purpose to really add to the scuzzy nature of the music, it all works well and is a refreshing approach to the old school death metal style.

Slimeblade ticks all the right boxes and has a galloping rhythm that introduces some echoey solos that screech and cut then the main section of the song kicks in with the mix of thrashy and doomy sections once again mixed together and while there isn’t much you won’t have already heard here its all done with enough vigor and energy to make it sound interesting and fun.

The same is the case on Nocturnal Suffering, which starts off fast and blasty then falls into the slow doomy section that then in turn mixes these both together and creates a big stompy death metal track I feel like it has to said that maybe the snare drum and vocals are a bit high in the mix for me because sometimes they both overpower the guitars but it’s not like it ruining anything so this is easily overlooked as when the guitars do pierce through they always sound big and scuzzy in the best sort of way. 

On Demented Procession the formula is followed to a tee again and starts slow, drops into the fast bit and the segues in between the 2 styles for the rest of the track and while it’s all enjoyable enough to listen, all the tracks seem to just have one set way of sounding that’s a bit annoying as you already sort of know what is coming before you even hear anything which can make the whole album sound a bit samey throughout which is getting to be the case here.

Fog Sermon doesn’t do anything to mix up the formula at all and again its not that the songs are bad or anything they just all sound the same, here we have a slow and brooding opening and then it all explodes into life with some enjoyable if not a little predictable at this point thrashy death metal there is the addition of some more nice guitar solos to mix the sound up a little bit and overall its an enjoyable listen but the other main sticking point here is no vocals, I personally don’t really like instrumentals as they break up the flow of an album, here though it actually doesn’t but it just seems slightly pointless? 

Carnal Pain starts fast and goes all out as a head down death metal rager and of course the pace change happens but here it benefits the song so much more and seems more focused and precise and is probably my favourite track on the album! Sentient Chamber carries on the more focused attack and hones in with more beautifully done scuzzy lo-fi death metal which has a big rhythm filled body and shows a real early Sepultura influence to the sound which is an absolute compliment but also a shame its taken this long to be shown. 

Merely Flesh is a great way to end the album as it throws the shackles off completely and has some of the best parts on the whole album musically its sharp, fast and savage but with enough of a mix of what they have done previously not to sound alienated from the rest of the record, but again why didn’t the rest of the album sound like this??

On the whole I can’t really complain too much about, But Merely Flesh as it was a solid death metal album that had lots of good thigs about it, but I just felt it lacked the wow factor and did get a bit predictable in places but when it was good it was very good, just don’t expect too much maybe? 7/10

Healthy Junkies – Listen To The Mad (Banana Castle Records) [Zak Skane]

Formed in London in 2010 Healthy Junkies was born from Nina Courson and Phil-Honey-Jones creating a project which will allow them to explore their musical desires. Since them the band have recruited Dave Whitmore on bass, and Tony Alda on drums they’ve toured Europe and the UK to spread their mixture of New Wave, Punk and Grunge assault. Released via Bannana Castle Records the band have their recent LP Listen To The Mad.

Through out the album the band do what they do best and that’s providing meat and potatoes retro styled new wave crossed with punk. For example on the opening track Favourite Place we are getting some classic hyper energised grungy riffs with the guitarist coming in with some over the 12 fret power chords before the we are launched into some retro style early nineties sounding alt-rock choruses. 

The following track Desire ebbs and flows with the guitars going from laid back sleazy riffage whilst additional guitars provide retro styled ambience, before it picks up the pace by giving us bluesy solos and sprinting bass lines. Son And A Daughter brings in some reggae influences of the likes of the Clash and No Doubt with the guitars coming in with some classic off beat chord progressions whilst the bassist brings in some smooth bass runs. Media Whore brings in some slow paced Soundgarden vibes with sleazy fuzzed up riffs and swinging rhythms.

Through out the album Nina Courson oozes punk energy from start to finish from the quirky alt-rock attitude of their opening track Favourite Place channelling a mixture of Perry Farrell’s with some Gwen Stefani. Nina brings in some 80’s bubblegum choruses on the song Dead Souls with these shoegazy delivered verses along with the flanged guitars. 

Even though through out the majority of the album the band show their fun side they can still be serious with songs like Media Whore, which I can gather is about the exploitation of female public figures whilst the raw emotion is channelled on the closing song World On Fire. World on Fire talks about oppression through a venomous performance with screaming harsh vocals contributing the climatic build up leading to a closer.

Healthy Junkies still continues their take of retro style punk and alt-rock but with a more refined production. The retro sounding reverbs on the vocals really cut through the mix especially on songs like Dead Souls and their closing track Word On Fire. The shoegazy layers on songs like the opening track Favourite Place and the plate sounding reverbs on the reggae inspired track Son And A Daughter really bring those 90’s rock sounds that No Doubt were established for. Healthy Junkies Listen To The Mad keeps their retro sound consistent, genuine but more refined. For fans of The Clash, No Doubt and Soundgarden. 7/10

Reviews: Warpstormer By Matt Bladen

Warpstormer – Warpstormer (London Doom Collective)

Finally! An album from London based riff monsters and never ceasing merch machine, Warpstormer, after triumphant live shows including Bloodstock, Desertfest and a slot opening for Orange Fucking Goblin at their album release show, there’s finally a living breathing record out there for you to lose your shit too at home. 

Formed as a project during the pandemic, any fans of a particular table top game will recognise where a lot of their influence comes from and until they get sued, they’ll stick with it, using their early shows as a way to flaunt their sick merch, but they are a band, they do write and perform excellent stoner/thrash inspired by High On Fire, The Sword, The Obsessed and of course Orange Goblin, they shift between various riffscapes to create their own sci-fi inspired set of songs.

Initially vocalist Richard J Morgan, drummer Matt Foley and Green Lung guitarist Scott Black, the current line up features Adam Davies on guitar, Simon Doggett on bass/vocals and James Loh behind the kit, all have played in countless other bands so bring experience and a diverse musical influence to this debut record which heightens their sound several degrees since their Here Come Hell EP. 

While the word stoner or doom will be thrown about a lot with this band they can be quite hard to classify, they call it ‘speed doom’ the chunky, groove driven riffs of doom/stoner metal, enhanced by some pedals/effects for psychedelic tones and raw fuzz, played often in conjunction with the volatile punk/speed metal basslines that bring bounce and pace. Capping it off with drumming that can be studious, atmospheric and ‘big’ or blitz like a mounted Heavy Stubber (Google it).

With a maelstrom, or should that be Warpstorm of riffs coming with a sonic intensity, the vocals tell of the human condition through fantasy and sci-fi themes, Morgan as captain of this spaceship has the gruffness of OG’s Ben Ward but the commanding presence of Freddie Mercury (anyone who has seen the band live can attest to this). 

Perfect music for mirrored aviators, the debut is 7 (well 6 and an intro) tracks that will grab you firmly by the shoulders and drag you through Warpstomer’s Stargate into forgotten worlds and futuristic hellscapes. Produced by Wayne Adams (Green Lung) it’s got a severe weight to it, the Matt Pike influence on Oracle strong and shirtless (of course) as this speedy opener shifts into the dooming of Cursed, Cold, the vocals shared by Morgan and Doggett as those sludge twinges of Baroness/Mastodon creep in, continuing into the psychedelic groove of Beyonder.

It’s with Beyonder that they flex their prog muscle, the transition from the first two tracks into this one, almost feels natural, re-establishing Warpstormer to anyone who has seen them before then taking them away into the further reaches of their musical galaxy. Climaxing with a solo and chorus repeat, we’re now deep in the world of Warpstormer, A Liar’s Crown bringing more familiarity to what you’d want from a ‘stoner/doom’ band. 

It’s the little things that you pick up on repeated listens, a use of a phaser peddle for what I think is a bass solo on A Liar’s Crown, the way a fuzzy repeating riff can transition into a fret melting solo or a drumbeat can a switch with a little technical fill, from full on battery into a broad doom groove. The latter on Fester where the drumming is in opposition to the chuggy simple riff, there’s no such thing as simple on the last track of the record though. The Conan-like doom of The Edge Of Time is the last song here and it’s a monster that shifts from a slow head bang to a raging riff-fest, classic metal solo section and then doubles down on the distorted heaviness until the close.

Warpstormer’s debut is a statement, a knowing nod to what has come before, a dalliance with their influences but sees them defining their own course through the riff universe. This is just the beginning imagine where they go from here? 10/10

Reviews: Silent Winter, Saisei, Harmonize Oracle, Disorientated (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Silent Winter - Utopia (No Remorse Records)

There's something very familiar about Silent Winter, something very German. The Volos band only came back from hiatus in 2028 after 19 years but haven't slowed down a moment, releasing two albums and an EP in that time. the Volos band pay homage to Helloween, Gamma Ray, (early) Blind Guardian, Running Wild and others, but they are really contemporaries, founded in 1995 they first went in hiatus in 1999.

So they're old school and lean towards the Teutonic speed metal sound, using high velocity vocals, rampant drumming and more shredding than a cheese only restaurant. Engineered, mixed and mastered by Steve Lado, who has worked with other Greek bands such as Sacred Outcry, Sunburst, and Need, he gives it a sheen that has it burst out of the speakers We Burn The Future which moves into Hellstorm a track that reflects it's name perfectly.

Now Silent Winter have added a keyboard player to their line up for this album meaning that lead guitarist and main writer Kiriakos Balanos can make a track such as Hands Held High more epic, shifting the Silent Winter style a bit more this track really showcasing Mike Livas' vocals. It keeps a pretty decent pace as Reborn kicks in with a bit of Stratovarius melodic power while Silent Shadows is bold and orchestral but has some fancy double kicks too.

Like I said, Utopia sees a Greek band being German in their style of heavy metal. Uptempo speed metal is the way here, turn it up and enjoy. 8/10

Saisei - Saisei (Self Released)

If you thought Metalcore with dual vocals was just limited to the UK and USA then think again as Saisei have a Japanese name (it means Rebirth) but are from Athens Greece. Stathis and Apostolos have a clean/harsh dynamic intertwined through angst, bristling electronics and mid-2000's metalcore and post-hardcore..

Stamatis and Thanos are the guitarists, of the band but also the masterminds, programming, samples, synths and production is all by them as well. I'm not a massive metalcore fan as anyone who reads this blog may now, but Saisei's debut album draws from the mélange metalcore bands.

With the pulsing electronics on Impetus as on Saisei Goes Punk they do exactly that as Kellin Quinn from Sleeping With Sirens adds his nasal vocal style. They do what they do, it's an Americanised sound but delivered well. 6/10

Harmonize Oracle - Before The Oracle (Self Released)

Harmonize see themselves undergoing a rebrand. Now known as Harmonize Oracle they have cemeted this name change with an EP. It's come about as their singer is now fronting Gloryhammer so they've released this EP as the last recorded tracks with him behind the mic.

While I won't debate that move, it means a new beginning for Harmonize Oracle and while they look for a new singer, this EP, entitled Before The Oracle has new songs, cuts from the previous album Warrior In The Night and a Blind Guardian cover.

Before The Oracle is a bit all over the place, especially with the vocals, there's death growls on Shield Wall, a low boom on Phoenix and the trademark cleans elsewhere. While they look for a new singer this is a little EP puts them on their way to their new guise. 6/10

Disoriented - Crossed The Line (Self Released)

Groove metal, it’s aggressive, abrasive and built on grooving riffs that you can bang your head to. It’s often associated with death metal but often has a lot of thrash and hardcore influences to it as well. Well Disorientated are very much a band who plough a furrow in the groove sound, you can feel the bite of a Dean Razorback with every song as Disorientated’s debut album Cross The Line is extremely inspired by Pantera. 

Tracks such as Self Made and Losing Side have that choppy Dimebag style riff and plenty of solos too, the vocals are growled but audible. The most impressive part for me though is the bass which is really technical and plays a big part on tracks such as Wait For The Bullet, it helps that it’s really high in the mix on a song like In Between. I can’t say a lot more about Crossed The Line, if you’re a fan of Pantera or (early) Lamb of God you’ll love it. 7/10

Reviews: Lions In The Street, Perfect Storm, Magick Potion, Brown Acid (Reviews By Matt Bladen & Rich Piva)

Lions In The Street - Moving Along (Interior Castle Music) [Matt Bladen]

Oof this is a throwback, like fellow Canadians The Sheepdogs or early The Trews, and much of the Canadian rock scene, Lions In The Street are a proper throwback to a time where you didn't need loads of flashy riffs, solos and production. You needed a foundation of the blues, some mouth harp, honky tonk piano and attitude, plenty of attitude. Lions In The Street are a band who will appeal to anyone who has loves The Stones or The Faces.

Sean Casey peeling off the Richards/Wood riffs and not bluesy solos as Chris Kinnon adds his extra six strings and that sneering, soulful vocals of Mick Jagger, his brother Jeff keeps the propulsive Watts'-like beats of Walking Back To You with Enzo Figliuzzi bass the Wyman shuffle. The band had the world at their feet then when they walked away from TVT Records they had work their way back from obscurity, blacklisted and lambasted they were cast into the wilderness which had them working as a garbageman, surviving cancer, serious workplace injuries, car accidents and going back to school.

But rock n roll never really dies and with modern technology comes a new lease of life. Moving Along is their debut album, finished, remixed/remastered ready to throw those tumbling dice and show that these Lions are street fighting men. The Faces can be heard on the strutting Walking Back To You and Gold Pour Down, while much of the album comes from The Stones influence, especially Lady Blue. With four bar blues and slide on Already Gone, bubbling organs and more slide on Shangri-La, some rollicking Chuck Berry riffs on Hey Hey Arlene and moments of Americana such as Truer Now.

A retro feast that Canada seems to be very good at these days, let's hope they don't go the way of the Temperance Movement. Blue collar, old fashioned rock n roll. 8/10

Perfect Storm - Stairs (Glassville Music) [Matt Bladen]

Signed to Glassville Music who knows their way around esoteric, arty rock bands. It's prog for chin strokers, melodic and impressive, it's for bands who are influenced by Porcupine Tree, Marillion and bands of that ilk. I Am Tomorrow for instance has that beautiful elongated solo guitars from Gert-Jan Schurer in Rothery mode. He's the writer of these musical forays and that lush guitar cuts through everything here.

Stairs is the second album from this Dutch group, their first was in 2021 but this one improves on the aspects they established there. From the dreaminess of the title track which is constructed around that bassline of David Klompmakers, a seven minutes of Yes meets modern prog as those keys from Jan Munnik unsettling and jerky.

They get a more classic though on the 11 minute finale Depraved Mind, a song that not only has the killer drum switches from Wieger Dijkstra, who is also so important to the crunchy Demon's Dance but also the dual vocals of Hiske Oosterwijk and Adel Saflou, Hiske's soft soaring melodies put against Adel's low passionate croon.

The dual vocals and lengthy melodic passages featured in interesting, accessible prog rock, Perfect Storm's second album sees them ascending to bigger things. 8/10

Magick Potion - Magick Potion (RidingEasy Records) [Rich Piva]

Throwing around the phrase “debut record of the year” is easy to do. These days there are so many new bands that come ready to rock right out of the gate. I bet I have mentioned that term in a half dozen reviews or more this year. Now though, along with the amazing Kitsa record, we have my co-debut of the year (for real this time) with the self-titled record from Magick Potion. This Baltimore trio is the real deal, from their sound to their look, these guys came from their time machine where they were on a bill with Blue Cheer and stopped to see a Grand Funk show along the way before dropping these eight killer new tracks that capture that era of music better than pretty much any other band out there today.

Fever Dream opens the record up and it is chock filled with Blue Cheer vibes and total heavy psych out 60s goodness. The sound of this record is amazing; my sweet spot for production is Magick Potion. The trio is super tight and have honed these songs over a couple of years to perfection. Empress is next and is even better than the first track. I love the drum work here as well as the guitar tone that is top shelf stuff. I love the tempo changes and the serious echoey reverb on the vocals. These guys are not just about the straight-ahead heavy psych; heavy psych yes but not always straight ahead is what we have with the one-two punch of Wizard and Chateau. Damn, what a trippy journey.

Wizard is a mind-melting psych love song that is more atmospheric than rocking, that seamlessly leads to some psych crooning, as Chateau is pretty much psych lounge rock and boy am I hear for it. The addition of the organ draws me in even more to this track. The boys go full psych out in the middle of this one and it is flat out awesome. This is the weirdest and best track on Magick Potion. Never Change gives me some proto vibes, almost a less evil but more stoned Witchfinder General sound. Never Change does though, as you go from a slower, almost doomy sound to some killer up-tempo jamming that you cannot not think of Sabbath while listening to. 

Magick Potion get their Zeppelin on with Pagan, not with a big rock song but one of the more melodic and ballad-type Zeppelin tunes, executed flawlessly. I get more Zeppelin vibes with Ultra Violet, but more like Zeppelin meets Grand Funk. I once again need to call out the drumming here, as Jason Kendall seems to be channelling Keith Moon. You want real psych? Go for the closer, Wild Perfumes, which is super trippy, has some serious Page worship, while singer/guitarist Dresden Boulden seems to have a direct line back to 1970 with his playing and delivery.

There are a lot of bands out there who try to cop the sounds of yesteryear. Some successfully, others terribly but somehow find a fan base, but Magick Position do it as good or better than any of them. Yes, even the ones who somehow fill arenas. Go listen to this. Magick Potion is the most real and raw new rock band out there today who really gets it. Yeah, the sound is from the past, but this is true rock and roll, as true as anything I have heard all year. If any band I have listened to in 2024 deserve to be stars, it’s Magick Potion. 9/10

Various Artists - Brown Acid: The Nineteenth Trip (RidingEasy Records) [Rich Piva]

I am going to start this review like I did the last five additions to this collection; I love the Brown Acid series that has been curated by the great RidingEasy Records. If you are not familiar with the set the basic concept is that Lance Barresi, owner of L.A.-based Permanent Records, searches the far corners of the US in dusty record store bins, garages, attics, and confirms musical urban myths to bring us lost and the most underground of underground songs from long forgotten bands that in some cases may have only release one song on a promo single. These songs come together to populate the now nineteen volumes of some of the best 60s and 70s proto metal and psych rock that you have never heard before. Never ever do these comps disappoint. This one is no different, with another ten lost treasures for your listening enjoyment.

Highlights include the heavy Blue Cheer-esque fuzz of Dick Rabbit’s You Come On Like A Train. The early Who vibes paired with Grand Funk on Be Myself by Blizzard out of Oklahoma City kicks all sorts of ass. The guitar work on Sun City – Part II by Fox is amazing. The blues rock of Bringing Me Back Home by Sweet Wine is another standout. Where it lacks in production, Get You, by Flight, makes up for it with its super cool Grand Funk vibes and fun bounce. I’m Leavin’ from Cedric is really out there garage rock that is quite an experience, while Zane brings the Hawkwind but even more weird fuzzy with Step Aside.

I am still amazed at Volume 19 we are getting sets of songs that have no clunkers or skips amongst them. I have no idea where these songs keep coming from, but RidingEasy is doing us a major solid by bringing all this great stuff to light with the Brown Acid Series. 8/10

Reviews: Defences, Ante Inferno, Lord Goblin, Mallavora (Reviews By Zak Skane, Mike Pickett, Mark Young & Matt Bladen)

Defences – Shadowlight (Long Branch Records) [Zak Skane]

Formed 10 years ago in Hertfordshire, Cherry and crew have been conquering stages across the UK featuring festivals such as, Download Presents: Roadie Take Over, Our Hollow Our Homes festival Holloween. The band have also gained media coverage from Metal Hammer whilst also being guests at the U.K treasured Heavy Awards. In the last 10 years the band have released a 5 track E.P Stitches In Sanity back at the start of their journey in 2014 and have released numerous of singles such as Losing Time, Grow and Two Steps Back before getting signed to Long Branch Records to release their debut album Shadowlight.

Through out the album the band have raised their electronic arrangements up to new levels with the opening track The Curse giving us haunting sounding pianos followed along with some modern electric drums. The throbbing sub bass synths on the track The Almost will make the earth shake whilst still keeping the crowd jumping with it’s bouncing rhythms. Following this spacy effects on the vocals on Greatness bring in this cyber punk vibe whilst the closing title track on the album brings in some twinkling pianos that sound fresh but yet nostalgic.

On this album the band have departed from their melodic metalcore riffs in exchange to a more modern sound. The up beat but yet Meshuggah sounding riffs on Perish where technical metal intensity is smothered with post hardcore energy. Ego(Maniac) brings in Wage War style arrangement with the bouncy low tuned riffs which are sandwiched in between ambient electronic verses whilst they build up into radio friendly choruses and finally the gentle strums from the acoustic guitars that close the title track really end the album on a angelic note.

Through out the album the band has shown massive leaps and bounds in relation to their song writing ability since their debut E.P. For example Cherry Duesbury's vocal melodies on Gold In The Dark soar through highs and lows gliding effortlessly through the chaotic low tuned riffage whist the following track. Perish shows off some pop styled vocal phrases whilst displaying some vicious trade offs along with keyboardist and harsh vocalist William Young. Inspirit shows the band pull back the heavy to replace it with soft ambient layers and angelic vocal harmonies.

Shadowlight brings an illuminating mark into Defences journey which is going to shine a light onto a promising new path for the Hertfordshire crew. The djenty bowl rumbling tracks like Gold In The Dark and Perish can easily win over the most snobby of tech metal fans whilst track like The Almost and Ego(Maniac) will win over casual Download Festival goer. For fans of Dayseeker, Wage War and Dead by April. 9/10

Ante Inferno - Death’s Soliloquy (Vendetta Records) [Mike Pickett]

Ante-Inferno’s latest offering, Death’s Soliloquy, is a dark, sombre, and foreboding journey into the depths of Black Metal. Hailing from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, this quartet—Gary Stephenson (drums), Kai Beanland (vocals and guitars), Nate Lewis (bass), and Ben Gladstone (guitars)—delivers a carefully constructed album that showcases both technical precision and haunting atmospheres.

From the opening moments, it’s clear that Death’s Soliloquy embodies everything one expects from Black Metal. The opener, The Cavernous Blackness Of Night, pulls no punches, combining angry, pained vocals with precise blast beats and tremolo-picked riffs that define the genre. There’s an underlying anguish in the track’s composition, leaving you with an almost palpable sense of hurt by the time it ends.

The album’s true strength lies in its ability to blend traditional Black Metal elements with unexpected twists. Longer tracks like Towards Asphyxiating Darkness take you on an immersive journey. This nine-minute track opens with two minutes of instrumental build-up before the vocals enter, merging eerie harmonies and sliding chords to create a haunting, hair-raising soundscape. 

Meanwhile, the epic An Axe. A Broadsword. A Bullet traverses every corner of Black Metal’s sonic landscape—from blistering tremolo riffs and relentless drumming to atmospheric interludes of ghostly clean vocals over sparse, haunting instrumentation. Despite its 14-minute runtime, the track never overstays its welcome, unfolding like a journey through darkness that keeps you captivated.

Vocally, Kai Beanland delivers a standout performance, combining low gutturals, demonic tones, and the occasional piercing scream for dramatic effect. A particularly unique element emerges in select tracks, such as No Light Till Life’s End and An Axe. A Broadsword. A Bullet, where clean vocals echo a traditional, almost folk-like quality reminiscent of old English or Celtic seafaring songs. This unexpected touch adds a layer of intrigue and depth to the album.

The album is not without its atmospheric touches. Shorter interludes like Into The Eternity Of Death provide breathing room, with ambient sounds and clicking noises that build tension and set the stage for the next sonic assault. Tracks like these make the transitions between blistering aggression and introspective moments feel natural, adding a sense of cohesion to the record.

While Death’s Soliloquy stays rooted in Black Metal tradition, it occasionally flirts with Atmospheric and even Avant-Garde influences. The bass guitar, often understated in this genre, plays an important role here, creating a fuller, more balanced sound that complements the intricate guitar work and relentless drumming.

Overall, Ante-Inferno delivers a strong addition to their catalog with Death’s Soliloquy. While it may not be a ground-breaking release, it offers enough variety and precision to satisfy fans of the genre. It’s an album that demands to be experienced as a whole—preferably in a darkened room with no distractions. 7/10

Lord Goblin - Lord Goblin (No Remorse Records) [Mark Young]

Lord Goblin’s Self-titled debut release comes from an unwavering belief in their own ability and trust in their art. It has seen them pitted against adversity and yet they have managed to turn this to their advantage, steeling them in their quest to bring the epic back to metal. Released digitally earlier this year, this review is to tie in with the physical release that is out on the 22nd.

So, with that in mind, what do we have? From the off Northern Skyline looks to meld black metal with a vocal delivery that is ripped from classic 70’s rock and early 80’s NWOBHM. The song itself rips along at a far pace, using speedy guitar with a class organ sound which builds a grandiose atmosphere. The leads are frenetic, and to be fair Lord Goblin’s vocals have that gravitas to it but there is something that is not sitting right. Let’s be honest, I think the majority would struggle to sing in that register, but it doesn’t feel powerful enough for the music behind it. It’s a similar story with The Wanderer, another great song that has all the right parts in place but again it’s the vocals that let it down. It’s likely I’m being harsh but it’s a review and therefore I can only call it as I see it (hear it). One thing they have in their favour is that they understand the brief that the songs have to be big, and they do this very well. Like Northern Skyline, the music side is spot on, and it sounds great with each of the moving parts working well together.

Where it does come together is on The Oracle. The slower measure fits the Lord really well and gives them opportunity to really go large. This is a proper fist raised banger from them and has some classic riffing in there that comes across like Maiden on speed. Again, it’s a matter of personal taste of why this one lands better than the opening two, and as a reminder the opening two were not bad at all and reflecting I think had they both received a grittier vocal they would have been better received. Freedom Rider puts the speed up a notch, barrelling along into a fairly exciting instrumental with some face-melting lead breaks. I know I normally complain about them but on here its only right that they should do one, it feels completely correct to do it and when considered within the context of what they are about it totally works.

However, I can only excuse one instrumental. Thunderous Smite serves as a showcase for drummer Althanor F.D.H considerable talents behind the kit, which is good, but lads you have had an instrumental, no one said anything about drum solos. Knowing that there is ground to be recovered, its straight into the two-part Light Of A Black Sun, which is about as epic as you can possibly get. Now, despite that increased speed it works in the same way as The Oracle and for the life of me I can’t accurately describe why this works and the openers didn’t. Its likely that as the album has progressed there has been some form of spell cast upon my ears. Part 1 again nails that balance between guitar and organ. There are some nifty guitar lines on here which continues into the slower outro they strip it back, providing melodic heft to proceedings. Part 2 picks up the pace, giving a more triumphant attack with vocals to match. Add in some of ‘those’ solos (you know the ones I mean, those mightily impressive ones) that epic metal must have and it’s a great one-two to close out on.

So, I can say that this is one album that was able to grow on me over the course of its 7 tracks. It certainly ends on a high, and for me they have been true to their aim of delivering some epic metal. I still stand by my comments that something wasn’t quite there on the first two songs, but as a whole it is a bundle of fun. Even with the drum solo. 8/10

Mallavora - Echoes (Marshall Records) [Matt Bladen]

Bristol band Mallavora's new EP Echoes is a heavy release in more ways than one. Chunky, alt metal, with a touch of Middle Eastern rhythms, lyrically it deals with chronic illness, neuro diversity and identity. Compared to bands such as Spiritbox or Northlane, I'd say there was also some comparisons to Deftones and System Of A Down.

Jessica Douek's Middle Eastern heritage is on display with Skin, her vocals are powerful and take the trilling coloraturas sound of Arabic music. Guitarist Larry Sobieraj and Emma both live with chronic illness and are advocates for more accessibility on the music industry, using personal experience to influence the lyrics and the rage on tracks such as Vultures where there's moves to heavy growls against the cleans.

Produced by Skindred's Mikey Demus and mixed by Lewis Johns (Rolo Tomassi, Pupil Slicer, Palm Reader), Echoes is a four tracker of modern alt/nu metal which crashes in with some interesting influences. 7/10

Reviews: Conjonctive, Weite, Defeated Sanity, Die For My Sins (Reviews By Liam Williams, Mark Young, GC & Simon Black)

Conjonctive – Miserè de Poussière (Self Released) [Liam William]

Swiss blackened deathcore group Conjonctive is back with their 3rd album, Misère de Poussière. This album is absolutely brutal! All fast and aggressive tracks that combines your favourite death metal elements, consisting of blast beats and tremolo picking guitar harmonies with some nice dirty doom/sludge metal inspired chuggy riffs. This album is nice and heavy from start to finish, all killer, no filler!

Each track is jam packed with some great guitar playing, absolutely amazing drumming and some fantastic back and forth screaming vocals between the male and female vocalists. Track 1, II Pleut Sur Les Cendres kicks things off with a dirty, fast guitar intro, with the rhythm guitar, bass and drums joining in before the first verse begins and we get treated to our first (of many) bits of blastbeat action and the vocalists make their epic presence heard. There’s really no stopping from that point on and the rest of the album is just as fun and chaotic. These tracks aren’t too long, with the longest being just over 4 and a half minutes and I feel that is probably for the best. It wouldn’t make much sense to have the tracks be any longer. They’re short but they hit hard!

Some standout parts for me are; the brutal bridge section in Summer Hunt, the nice guitar solo (unfortunately the only one on the album) in the title track, the marching beat sounding guitar parts towards the end of Ombre Et Ordure, the entirety of Dying Melody (the shortest track on the album but easily my favourite) and the chuggy, groovy section halfway through Decémbre Noir.

The only real problem I have with the album is that there’s not much else to it than that, but I don’t really consider that to be much of a bad thing. The songs are the right amount of length, there’s no slower tracks or interludes, it’s hard and heavy all the way through. The mix is pretty good. 2 very nit picky things I will say is at the very end of Ombre Et Ordure you can hear a metronome in the background which I felt could have easily been cut out, and the ending of the last track ends a little bit too abruptly and it might have been better to have a bit of guitar or something to fade out just to give it a proper ending.

But overall, I very much enjoyed listening to this album, it’s absolutely chaotic and heavy and I love it. Fantastic playing from each of the band members and some really great work from the vocalists. Good effort! 9/10

Weite - Oase (Stickman Records) [Mark Young]

Oase is the second release from Weite, an international collective who describe themselves as ‘Weirdos’ and produce Progressive/Psych rock for other Progressive/Psych loving weirdos.

Probably. The last part about producing music for weirdos. I mean, they produce Progressive/Psych... it doesn’t matter. The boss is aware that I have a love/hate affair with instrumental music and although Mountain Caller are one of my favourite bands, the genre on the whole is one I am not too fussed over. So, which way do I fall with this one? Well, its pretty cool.

Honest.

It’s the kind of music that has a calming effect on you as they start to manage your mood with Versteinert, bringing in some glorious guitar tones that have the right amount of delay on them as the notes themselves dance in the air. It is a stunning piece of music, one that flows from one measure to another and despite weighing in at 9 minutes, it doesn’t feel like it all. One thing I get from it is that live, this would develop a life of its own just from the way it’s been put together. 

Its quality and leads into the woodwind opening of Time Will Paint Another Picture which is fabulous. I sometimes talk about songs having that certain something that makes you want to play along/jam to it, and this has that. There is a great opening pattern which in itself forms the base of this. They change it around to suit lead licks and these have a late summer feel to them, which is ironic considering it snowed last night. Everything here is pitched perfectly, each moment a logical extension of the one before.

(einschlafphase) is next, changing direction as a pure electronica piece and I guess it is a refresher before Roter Traum comes in with solid drums that gently set up the next 10 minutes of music to come washing over you. Remember what I said about playing along? Well, this one occupies that same space. One thing it has is a sense of yearning, of reaching beyond its current position and should be used as a soundtrack for any science fiction film.

It is an epic track, never looking backwards and as it moves to the end the rising addition of electronica to it just lifts it to another level. After this, they turn their attention to lighter fields. Woodbury Hollow is a majestic 2 and half minutes of calm. In comparison to Roter, it is incredibly simple and a welcome change of pace because we spend the next 22 minutes in the company of these two:

Eigengrau

The Slow Wave

As much the same way as Woodbury Hollow occupied a mellow position, Eigengrau opts for a similar approach, but with a more expansive build. A slow burn, a sound scape that expands and twists through various forms with keys that swirl, guitars that rise and fall in an extended jam that at its heart is a simple arrangement until about 6 minutes in they change direction and suddenly the sound is stripped back to the basic core of drums, guitar and bass that takes an almost melancholic turn until it changed again. The way that they go through these differing approaches is something else, moving from one theme into another with ease. 

The Slow Wave is our goodbye song, a repeating riff that is teased along with some exemplary drumming that keeps the interest in place. This is one of the difficulties I have sometimes when reviewing material that is this good all the way through. Finding that you have used up most of your words on the first two songs is a pain, and what I probably should do is say this: Are you fan of instrumental progressive psych rock? Then buy this. Get the merch. Go see them live and even if you don’t normally go for this, please try it out. I’m glad I did. 10/10

Defeated Sanity - Chronicles Of Lunacy (Season Of Mist) [GC]

Brutal Death Metal, three words that send a shiver down my spine and make my insides hurt a bit, not because it’s so heavy or anything like that, no, it’s usually because its not what I want, now I love most varieties of death metal but always struggle with ‘’brutal’’ death metal, some of it is good but the vast majority of it is complete toilet, so with that ringing endorsement today I have Chronicles Of Lunacy the latest release form brutal death metal band Defeated Sanity, sigh.

It starts exactly as you would expect on Amputationsdrang with about as much subtlety as a steel toe capped boot to the gonads, it’s all blasting drums and guttural vocals which both completely drown out the guitars and any good work they may be doing and the speed at which the music is played is impressive but that also hinders any real patterns forming and it all just blurs into one long noise, The Odour Of Sanctity predictably follows the same heads down, play everything as fast as we can because that’s what makes it heavy right? 

Wrong, it makes for an annoying listen trying to pick any specific thing out that I enjoy becomes the theme of this song and I can tell you that there isn’t much really apart from when the guitars do get a chance to shine, they sound full and groove nicely but this is not very often.

Things get slightly more interesting on Accelerating The Rot as there seems to be a bit more focus on letting the different instruments shine instead of the drums being the main focus and once again the jazzy intersections are here in force throughout and not just tacked on and it helps the song to flow differently which helps a lot as it doesn’t all just mesh into one long noise.

Temporal Disintegration has a weirdly timed opening that then flows into the main part of the song, its like if Dillinger Escape Plan went death metal and when they slow the pace down and incorporate these two styles together its good to hear something a bit different and more interesting instead of just pure speed and avoiding the tunnel vision of just blasting the shit out of everything.

There is this in there of course but it stands out here instead of getting boring, Extrinsically Enraged is another one that takes a slower approach and when I say slow its not like doom or anything its just slower than most things played on the album so far and it shows that when you mix up your focus and try new things there is a benefit to be had.

I mean they are never far away from ultimately throwing in a relentless attack section but when its combined with different ideas as opposed to being the only option it works so much better, after the more focused songs A Patriarchy Perverse is a bit messy in places and the differing styles and sections just sort of crash into each other and get in each other’s way a bit, the slow mid section is done really well but is the only part of the song I really enjoyed. 

Condemned To Vascular Famine just outstays it welcome and is too long, they try all the different tricks that have been used on the album so far, jazzy mathcore death metal only really works if it’s concentrated in a short period of time here it just gets repetitive and about halfway through, I find myself kind of giving up, Heredity Violated ends the album with nothing new or anything that hasn’t already been done, I mean, its ok but it’s also not mind-blowingly good.

As usual I am not convinced with another brutal death metal album, Defeated Sanity definitely have talent and Chronicles Of Lunacy is impressively played and has decent parts in most of the songs but overall it just lacks soul and feeling, I understand that brutal death metal is meant to be heaviest of the heavy but it just all feels so forced and I find that I just get lost in the nonsense and always just feel that something is missing. Worth a listen but don’t get too excited. 6/10

Die For My Sins – Scream (ViciSolum Productions) [Simon Black]

When a new collaboration cum Melo/Power metal Supergroup pops into my queue, my first thought always is that this is probably something to do with Italian label Frontiers Records. 

OK, the project is a collaboration from two brothers with Italian names (check), it’s got Ralf Scheepers doing guest vocals (double check) and there are lots of Italian session players filling other roles (triple check), but actually it’s from Swedish label ViciSolum (although given that this translates from Latin as “I won only” it’s an easy mistake to make). If you’ve not come across them before their range of output is more much broader than Frontiers in terms of sub-genres, and they seem to focus on more underground acts, so clearly one to keep an eye on in future.

Die For My Sins is a side project built around the brothers Fabio and Nicolas Calluori from Italian power metal act Heimdall and is much more traditionally heavy metal in tone and sound than their parent outfit. Having Ralf Scheepers handling the bulk of the vocals (8 of the 9 tracks) means that there’s an inevitable amount of homogeneity here, because as well as the numerous Primal Fear records.

He contributes to so many of these projects that it’s hard to stay fresh, which is also the problem Frontiers so often have with their cookie cutter approach. OK, things evolve a little when Ian Parry (Elegy) takes a turn on one track but given that he’s very close in tone and timbre to Ronnie Romero (who like Scheepers does loads of these projects), it doesn’t really solve the challenge of sameness.

This is a solid enough album, and I can’t fault any of the playing or vocals, but it doesn’t have any stand out songs to differentiate it from its soundalikes, and in a ridiculously overcrowded market that’s a bit of a shame. 6/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Baroness & Graveyard (Live Review By Matt Bladen)

Baroness, Graveyard & Pallbearer, Marble Factory, Bristol 21.11.24

Just look at line up! If you wanted riffs you were definitely going to get them from these three bands. No wonder then that Bristol's Marble Factory was full to the gunnels from the off, a positive thing when it's a little brassic outside. It was actually so cold that the Swedish band on the bill complained about how cold it actually was! Let that sink in.

Thankfully the weather didn't dampen the excitement as this was billed as a co-Headline tour Bristol doomsters Pallbearer (8) got the show going with their long slow atmospheres ready for heads to be nodded in perfect unison. Comprising four songs, two from their most recent record, the psychedelic elements of their music captured the imagination of the whole crowd.

It was all going well but a lead problem stopped the momentum mid song, for a short moment of silence as they tried to fix it, but once it was sorted we were back on the riff train. The fact that everyone was still so invested and stayed quiet as they tried to fix things was quite impressive. A polite applause welcomed back Silver Wings and then the two more melodic offerings from the most recent record.

I've watched Pallbearer a few times and in Bristol they were as good as I've seen them for a while, a well curated setlist, crushing heaviness and moments of dreamy atmospherics, with a brilliant light show too, they were an ideal beginning to the night as their sound sat somewhere in the middle of both headliners.

So to the headliners, first Sweden's retro riffers Graveyard (9), the pace noticeably quickened when these hip shaking rockers took to the stage busting out the 70's inspired jams, it was a a bit of a throwback set with most of it from Hisingen Blues and Lights Out, the crowd delighted that they got to hear Uncomfortably Numb, Slow Motion Countdown and Ain't Fit To Live Here, expanded to a five piece with and extra, dedicated guitar player, there was a more depth.

The addition of another guitar playing freeing up the Joakim Nilsson to just be a singer and let his inner Robert Plant out. Especially towards the end of the set. If you want a lesson in pacing Graveyard are the band to watch, as their set built up to a heady climax, stoner/psych and good old rock n roll with biting guitars and wild vocals, it whipped up the audience into a frenzy, the heat rising considerably by the time Walk On and The Siren hit hard.

With a jolly good rocking behind them it was time for another hour with our other headliner. This would be something different though as Graveyard are about enjoyment, Baroness (9) in Bristol especially are about catharsis. It's actually encouraged, John Baizley saying as much as they moved towards the end of the show. Baroness want inclusivity, crowd and band in unison to heal through the power of the riff.

There were plenty of riffs, bucket loads of them Baizley the architect of them alongside bassist Nick Jost, they are the duo that keep the sludge beginnings of the band with distorted chugging beneath the more ethereal presence of lead guitarist Gina Gleason, she's been a perfect addition to the band since joining in 2017, permently smiling and shredding like hell, playing every melodic nuance and solo section as Baroness took songs from all of their studio albums.

While the earlier tracks from Red Album and Blue Record were the best received, as were the three from Yellow & Green, the most potent were the ones taken from Purple; If I Have To Wake Up (Would You Stop The Rain?)/Fugue and Shock Me, these written as way for Baizley to cope with the bus crash he and the band (at the time) were involved in just outside Bath. As this area holds an odd set emotions for him, these two songs hit particularly hard. Again the light show was incredible, the colour palettes of albums the songs featured in matching when they were played.

It's little things like this that have made the fandom for Baroness so intense. They bring massive riffs, psychedelic journeys, emotive vocals and sense of community and inclusion to their shows that allows you to experience them not just through your eyes and ears but your soul. If there was a better night for psychedelic riffage and the human experience, I haven't found it. A collective of individuals, huddled from the cold, worshipping the riff, together. What more could you want?

Review: Linkin Park By Simon Black

Linkin Park - From Zero (Warner/Machine Shop) [Simon Black]

For the last couple of months, it seemed like my internet feeds were getting absolutely swamped with all things Linkin Park, and one thing I hate more than most is overhyping… To be fair this band are no stranger to this viral marketing effect. Their debut Hybrid Theory was probably the last physical media release to experience this phenomenon before we all went digital. That hype turned me off at the time, but when it did eventually hit my platter, it stayed there. This from someone who generally despises everything that Nu-Metal contributed to the genre, but I’m happy to be honest and confess that it’s going to be one of my desert island disk albums, come the increasingly inevitable apocalypse. But Hybrid Theory was a thing way back in 2000, and 2024 is a very different world.

What grabbed me with that debut was absolutely cemented by a live performance, where the interplay between the two frontmen made this something so different from the rest of the sub-genre, that I really did regard them as something entirely separate. Chester Bennington screaming his damaged soul out remains one of the most heart-rending and moving musical experiences, and one that has passes down the generations with both my children feeling the tug too. When he passed in 2017 like many, I thought that was it for them because how do you replace the most unique part of the band?

When Dead Sara vocalist Emily Armstrong was announced as the new singer bringing the band out of their hiatus, I have to say I was sceptical. Not because of anything to do with her abilities as a musician, nor any of the (mostly disinformed) controversies the internet got all worked up about, but simply because she was not Chester Bennington, one of the most unique frontmen I’ve ever come across. Can it even be said to be the same band under the circumstances?

Changing singers is a challenge for any established band, and it can go either way with regards to brand survival. One option is that you could just close the door on the past and treat them as a separate act that just share a name. One example here might be a Marillion - which almost feels like two completely different bands depending on your preference. The challenge with that analogy is that there are also two separate fan bases for the Marillion example – so radically different is the contrast between the two eras. Or there’s the other extreme, where perhaps Black Sabbath makes a better comparison, where the fan base appreciates them regardless of who is standing in front of the microphone, with the churn of singer just being part of the rich tapestry of their history.

 
But this is not about conjecture now – we have a new, full album on which to base opinions. Well, I say full, because at just under thirty-two minutes of run-time, including some faux studio fillers pieces with nothing over four minutes, it’s really not a lot to go on. What it lacks in run time, it makes up for in punch and then some.

 
The first thing that strikes going in is that this definitely has the musical feel of the Linkin Park of old, and Mike Shinoda taking the first few bars of vocals is reassuring before Armstrong kicks in and proves that she doesn’t need to fill Bennington’s shoes, because she’s got a perfectly good pair of her own. Opening with single The Emptiness Machine makes sense, as it’s an absolutely belting track in and of itself, and the one with the closest links to the past. After that From Zero ploughs its own furrow and I find myself not caring about the changes, because it’s a really, really strong record on its own terms.

The songs have a lot of tonal variety, and Armstrong has the same range and flexibility that any Linkin singer needs, but without the levels of deeply raw open hearted self-expressive exploration of Bennington’s deepest pains, troubled past and the damage done by them that sadly he ultimately could never escape from. When her screams come (and boy do they come), they are screams of anger, not personal angst; it’s her voice, not a lame copy of his. This is also an older, more mature band that we have been deprived of for some time, so it does feel like a large evolutionary leap rather than a step, but that’s fine because songs like the Pop-anthemic Stained, or the more aggressive Heavy Is The Crown are going to fill those stadiums just fine, thank you very much, especially if she can take that lengthy scream of the latter out on the road night after night.

 
Where this transition is different again from other examples is that all this deliberation on my part is not making the slightest difference on the impact of this new line up. This well-driven viral marketing campaign has worked. The news of the return, the careful delivery of a bridging single and a globally streamed live performance have all indicated that Linkin Park are very much back, and Emily Armstrong is very much capable of the role. The world thinks so too, or it wouldn’t be selling out the stadium sized shows that are coming up, so it’s a moot point, because the transition has happened, and very successfully. I guess what we all have to do as individuals is decide whether we actually like what see and hear now.

 
In my case, that’s a definite yes. 10/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Black Stone Cherry (Review By Dean Palmer)

Black Stone Cherry, Skillet & Ayron Jones, Utilita Arena Cardiff, 17.11.24

Ahh Sundays. A day for roasted foods, warm fireplaces, and finding religion by spending most of the day on your knees.

Or on this Sunday, a day to find your way to the centre of Cardiff to go see three American bands at the CIA/Utilita Arena/Whatever it is called this week.

So to Cardiff we did descend, arriving just in time for the ever wonderful Ayron Jones (8) who did what he does so well and brought a tremendous slab of blues-n-roll to open the evening, providing a perfectly succinct, six song, setlist of his best tunes. Highlights of his 25 minutes included the wonderful Filthy, which is a true anthem for spending a Sunday on ones knees as mentioned above, and his breakout single Take Me Away which closed matters perfectly. The passion his band have for what they do is palpable as the bassist bounces around the stage like a cross between Flea and Flavor Flav, and it's great to see. It was pretty well known in advance that the show was some margin off from a setlist and sadly this did mean Mr Jones was playing to a pretty small audience with such an early start, which as is usually the case with the venue meant the sound struggled to carry, but a fine way to start the evening.

Next on the menu for the evening was Skillet (7). I make no bones about the fact that I don't actually like Skillet's music. I have always found them to be incredibly generic, musically formulaic, lyrically bland and just not my cup of tea at all, so this is a tricky one to review as at times I felt like I was more enduring Skillet than enjoying them. However, it wasn't lost on me at all that a good proportion of people had turned out for the Memphis based band and whilst musically I felt they dragged on I can't deny the show was an upbeat one which so many present enjoyed, and the musicianship was top-tier for the style of rock they deliver. Skillet deliver their songs with a religious passion, in-keeping with their Christian-Rock roots and the majority of the crowd sung along with gusto. For me, however, the devil always has the best tunes, but John Cooper and co did a good job, despite not being the band for my ears.

And so we come to our main course for the evening as Kentucky's native sons Black Stone Cherry (9) took to the stage. Last time they played Cardiff was on the co-headline tour with The Darkness which I also attended and I felt was a poor move for BSC, as any band following Justin Hawkins' lot are going to have a tough time and Black Stone Cherry suffered that fate, coming across as pretty dull after the party which preceded them. Thankfully this time no such issues occur as they bring a take-no-prisoners approach to the stage. Opening up with Me And Mary Jane they bring a high tempo blues-rock energy which very quickly gets bodies grooving throughout the venue and sets the stage for a really well balanced setlist which really is the best of the band.

There are too many bangers in the setlist to pick out individual songs but a wonderful cover of The Cult's American Horse, with both Ayron Jones and John Cooper joining Chris Robertson on vocals, did feel like a pretty special moment to enjoy (it also helped that I had seen the Cult perform this themselves just two weeks prior, so hearing three bands do such a passionate cover of it was brilliantly fitting).

The main setlist was punctuated with the ideal trilogy of White Trash Millionaire, Lonely Train and, of course, Blame It On The Boom Boom (which needed a second go to get through due to a few punters deciding that they wanted a proper boom-boom by engaging in a fist fight close to the barrier) left only an encore of Peace Is Free with Chris Robertson venturing into the crowd to join the singalong.

Overall a successful evening in Wales' capital was had, and when Black Stone Cherry come back to our shores in the next few years I can strongly recommend picking up a ticket to anybody with ears.

A View From The Back Of The Room: The Quireboys (Live Review By Simon Black)

The Quireboys, Willie Dowling & Continental Lovers, The Corn Exchange, Newport 17.11.24

It’s a miserable Sunday night in November, and I’m regretting asking for this show as I walk up to the venue. I’ve got a raging hangover after a night helping a dear friend going through a messy separation drown their sorrows, Wales has just been thoroughly trounced by Australia in the rugby internationals and my slippers, the log fire and a quiet night in with the dog are all very appealing right now, especially as I’m driving thanks to the joys of Sunday train schedules, so there isn’t even the prospect of a pint to take the edge of my throbbing bonce.

I’m still grumpy when Continental Lovers (6) hit the stage. This 80’s Sleaze-rich four-piece hail from my hometown of Nottingham and have been building up a buzz for a couple of years with an EP and a self-titled album released earlier this year to their name to date, but this is my first exposure to them. 

The material is the sort of stuff I used to love in the early 80’s, but this venue is an acoustic concrete echo box when it’s empty and these guys have pulled the graveyard shift on a 3-act line up on a school night and the sound mix is really not helping them. Were it a tiny flea-pit like Fuel, this would not have mattered, but this place is a barn and hardly anyone is through the door yet. This clearly drags them down a bit, as the opening songs feel a bit less energetic than this style of music demands, but frontman Joe Maddox gets more chipper mid-way through the set, the band starts to buzz and run with it and by the end the applause is genuine.

I’m glad they are here at all, because for these sorts of shows it’s a slot more often given to a local act who might pull in early doors drinkers who know them, and winning over a crowd who are still queueing to get in or finishing their pints at the Rock Bar across the street is hard work. But sometimes you have to play like it was Wembley Stadium, even if it’s an empty one. That said you have to make some allowances for the relative newness of the band and they won it back by the end.

By comparison, Willie Dowling (8) has been around the block a fair few times. I haven’t seen him perform since the criminally underrated Honeycrack fizzled out in the late 90’s, but his musical history is very closely interwoven with that of the headliners, being a part of that particular musical melting that spawned both the Quireboys and the Wildhearts, and the various members of all three intermingled somewhat. What we got tonight was absolutely at an acute stylistic angle away from what might have been expected, however.

The set tonight is mostly comprised from his current solo offering The Simpleton, and very early on I realise that this is something that I need to give a proper listening to. Dowling is one of those people who can pick up and play pretty much any musical instrument, has a great voice and range to boot, but his talents as a songwriter are given full reign here. This stripped back piano-centric record was a product of lockdown, and live we get only Dowling plus bassist Andy Lewis (with drums coming from a click track). 

The focus is Dowling’s vocals and piano playing in the same way that an audience goes to see someone like, say Elton John, and probably misses the fact that there might be other musicians on stage (sorry Andy). Actually, his black and white checked suit could have come from Liberace’s dressing up box too, and it’s a good job the venue is in a pedestrianised area, because a zebra crossing might prove fatal on a night like tonight.

The other skill Dowling has in abundance is that of the standup comic. The crowd may still be filling up, but his sense of humour instantly disarms an audience slightly bemused at what might be going on stage. It brings them onside, creates intimacy and also means he can both underline and defuse any sensitivities that his more politically lyrics might inflame. What these gents do deliver though is a sterling and unexpected show that had me smiling throughout and kicked the remainder of my doldrums away.

I’m not sure if we can technically call this band The Quireboys (10) but they are bloody fantastic tonight regardless… Neither do I care about the details of the acrimonious split that briefly saw two incarnations fighting over the same audience, as the reality is the one that has Spike in it is the only one worthy of the name. With all that resolved now, Team Spike won out and put out a rather brilliant new album last month, which pulled back many original members of the band into the fold.

I’ve been rather blown away by their recent Wardour Street release, because it quite frankly is the best thing they’ve done in decades. A Bit Of What You Fancy is always going to be the hit of their career in terms of sales (due to the sad reality that no-one buys records anymore), but the sound was always a little too polished and commercial compared to what you got live, or the rough and ready sound of the debut single Mayfair in 1988. This new opus fuses the catchiness of the Fancy era songs, with that looser Mayfair groove, and is an absolute belter of a record. Live though the material on it kicks some serious botty, which is just as well since over a third of this quite lengthy set comes from it.

The only other original member joining Spike on stage is Nigel Mogg, with Willie Dowling pulling a double shift on the piano covering for Chris Johnstone, Thunder’s Harry James for Rudy Richman on drums and Luke Morley standing in for the late Guy Bailey. The sad reality is the reunification of the Spike / Bayley writing team is probably the reason why Wardour Street is such a solid street record, but this gig is not a wake, it’s a celebration of his life. Although Spike does generate the sense that he may have had a tipple or two when his road manager’s gaze was diverted…

When these boys hit the boards, the place erupts, and although this barn of a venue still has plenty of space, everyone packs down to the front and the atmosphere of the sweaty clubs these guys all cut their teeth in takes hold immediately. Spike is grinning like a kid from the opening bars of Jeeze Louise, and from then on, so are we as he makes eye contact with pretty much everyone and creates the atmosphere that this is a private party to which we are all guests.

As well as giving Wardour Street a thoroughly good airing, the remainder of the set completely disregards anything from their post-EMI 1990’s era and sends the very clear message that the splitting faction are welcome to the material. The audience are exceedingly happy with that decision. New beasts Like It Or Not or Raining Whiskey are set to become as staple a part of their set as Whippin’ Boy, 7 O’Clock or Hey You. I lost count, but the set list ran to well over fifteen songs, and every minute was an absolute joy, and I really hope that this incarnation of the band continues. My head is still throbbing, but in the best possible way. Welcome back Quireboys…

Review: 10,000 Years By Rich Piva

 10,000 Years - All Quiet On The Final Frontier (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]

I have been a fan of the Swedish trio 10,000 Years for a while now, but now that they have created their best work yet, their new record All Quiet On The Final Frontier, my fandom has been taken to the next level, just like what the band has done with the eight songs that make up their third full length. These songs are not just a step up, but a full flight of stairs to the top, as the band has incorporated some additional elements into their already awesome heavy fuzz to bring us a serious contender for my album of the year list.

So, what are these new elements? First, the band has incorporated more melody into the new songs, making the material more accessible to a wider audience. In no way is 10,000 Years moving towards the catchy pop metal of their countrymates Ghost, but there is a noticeable melodic element that has been purposely brought to All Quiet.

Speaking to vocalist/bassist Alex Risberg on an episode of the Rich And Turbo Heavy Half Hour (find it where you get all of your podcasts, cheap plug), Alex Risberg is a huge Kiss fan  as well of a fan of the aforementioned Ghost, so it was only a matter of time that the hooks and the catchiness caught on in his music even more. This is evident on the title track, that has a catchy as hell “chorus” to go along with some killer fuzzy riffs, as well as on the groove of Death Valley Ritual.

Or how about when they go all arena rock on us at about the four minute mark of Ablaze In The Now? Don’t worry though, you still get the serious High On Fire vibes that you came for with High Noon In Sword City and the closer, Down The Heavy Path. Second, the band has a new drummer, Alex’s brother, Alvin Risberg, who is a complete monster and makes a huge difference on the record. Just check out the opening to Ablaze In The Now and the closing of Death Valley Ritual.

Third, the production of this record has been optimized to what I think is the band’s true sound. I was amazed to find out that nothing has changed with the recording process from their other material, but this time everything came together and that sweet spot has been achieved. Just listen to what the guitar sounds like on Weight Of A feather and The Experiment, which just kicks all kinds of ass, as does all of the work of Erik Palm, who himself takes his performance to that next level on All Quiet. I need to call out Palm’s work on High Noon In Sword City here too.

Finally, hooking up with the best label in heavy rock, Ripple Music, can’t hurt either. Combine that with the quality of All Quiet and 10,000 Years can say they have moved up side by side with the best bands bringing the heavy today and should grow their fanbase exponentially.

All Quiet On The Final Frontier is 10,000 Years masterpiece. Everything has come together for the band: The right lineup, the right knobs twisted and buttons pushed, the right amount of melody, and the perfect label match. This formula has produced what is to me an album of the year candidate and one of the biggest steps up from album to album that I have witnessed in a long time. There is nothing quiet on 10,000 Years frontier, and that is just how I like it. 10/10

Review: Body Count By Liam Williams

Body Count - Merciless (Century Media Records) [Liam Williams]

Ice T and Body Count are back with another banger of an album, Merciless. I feel like their most recent albums since Bloodlust have been some of the best the band has put out. As much as I do like some of the older stuff, their more recent albums have been hit after hit for me. And this album is no exception. Featuring some great playing from the band members, some hard hitting lyrics from the main man himself and some absolutely great picks for guest musicians, this is a very fun album to listen to.
We start off with the intro track, Interrogation Interlude. This track isn’t anything special, and is the weakest part of the album by far. But everything that comes after it, more than makes up for it!

Merciless is the albums title track and the first proper track. (I would recommend skipping past the previous track personally, you wouldn’t be missing much). This track isn’t anything too special either but compared to the intro it definitely feels like a proper introduction to the album. It starts off with some simple drums and droning guitar in the intro which goes on for a large duration of the track. There’s some nice guitar in the choruses and the song features a great guitar led breakdown section before a nice little guitar solo.

Purge, is where the fun begins. Judging by the song title and the lyrics, it is obviously inspired by the film series and features a radio broadcast in the intro which people who have seen the films will already be familiar with. It’s a very thrashy song, there’s a great guitar solo after the first chorus. Followed by a bridge section with some alarms in the background before our first featured guest of the album, none other than Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse, comes in and delivers his signature brutal vocals which works so well with this band. Big fan of this dude, and his part in this track definitely brought a smile to my face.

After that, we have the track Psychopath. This is another pretty heavy track with a really cool lead guitar riff in the intro. Another guitar joins in, harmonising with the lead before the first verse starts. There’s a couple of sections with some cool guitar effects and chainsaw sounds in the background. The Joe Bad screaming part in the breakdown is excellent. The intro riff comes back in for the outro.

Fuck What You Heard, has a nice bass led riff with a dissonant guitar droning on in the background. The lyrics in this track has a big focus on politics but in typical Ice T style. He’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind and makes some good points. There’s some nice chuggy guitar playing for the outro.

Next up, we have my favourite track on the album, Live Forever, featuring some guest vocals from Howard Jones. This track is incredible! Some nice, heavily metalcore inspired guitar playing, the choruses are epic and all of Howard’s parts are just *chef’s kiss*. Dare I say it, but Howard absolutely steals the spotlight with this track. After that, we have Do Or Die. This track has a pretty groovy feel to it. Some nice lead guitar playing, some cool little hi-hat parts in the verses. It has an excellent bridge/breakdown section and the song ends with the sound of a gunshot.

Track 8 is a cover, a very different take on the Pink Floyd classic Comfortably Numb. I was sceptical before listening to this song, but I’ll admit, I do like this cover more than I thought I would. The lyrics that Ice T has added make it stand out so you can appreciate it as it’s own thing. It does feature David Gilmour on guitar, a collaboration I was definitely not expecting, but very welcomed. He plays all the way through which on my first listen I found quite distracting, but after a couple more listens I did grow to appreciate it. He has more of a typical solo at the end of the song and plays until the track fades out.

Lying Motherfuka starts with some nice chuggy guitars. There’s some more hi-hat action in the verses and the chorus has some eerie dissonant lead guitar. There’s a cool bridge section before a guitar solo comes in with some duel guitars in the background. Track 10, Drug Lords, is another thrashy fun track, featuring Max Cavalera. This track straight up sounds very Sepultura.

Then we come to the last couple of songs on the album.

Track 11, World War, has some excellent guitar, bass and drums playing. The track starts with a news headline broadcast before the band come in with the first chorus. It also has a tempo change halfway through for the bridge with some more dissonant lead guitar, chuggy bass and rhythm guitars going into the outro. Mic Contract is a fantastic final track. The band members play some bouncy riffs along with Ice T’s rapping. Some of the best playing on the whole album. It ends with the very fitting sound of a Mic Drop.

There’s a lot of bands who have attempted to cross rap and metal, but most of them just can’t seem to make it work so well and make it sound so effortless as Ice T and Body Count. These guys know what they’re doing, and the fact that they are still doing it just over 30 years since forming goes to show that it can work if it’s done right! An excellent album, great playing, great rapping, some fantastic picks for guest musicians. Great work to everyone who was involved with making it! 10/10