Proggy, really damn proggy. This was the initial response to Everflow Part 1: Frames Of Humanity, a mouthful of a title that's a concept record from Athena XIX. Previously known as Athena (1991-2002) and (2019-2022) since 2022 they have adopted the 19 suffix and released their first album since 2001's Twilight Of Days. Much of their potted history is due to singer Fabio Lione leaving and returning to the band at intervals. Mainly due to his time with Labyrinth and Rhapsody alongside countless other prog/power bands. Seriously if you put together a festival featuring bands where members of Rhapsody had been members you'd have enough for two days of music.
Lione is a founding member of Athena XIX and showcases his impressive vocal range on this record, of course you get his trademark soaring highs, so associated with Italian prog power but it's his gritty lows and even some growls that shine through here. Alongside the heavy technical prog/power metal Athena sound a lot like Americans Symphony X and have also been compared to Evergrey and Kamelot, former vocalist of that band Roy Khan joining Lione on the very proggy I Wish.
Opener Frames Of Humanity, is also very Kamelot in sound, the piano beneath the galloping riffing, Obscured The Sun meanwhile is more dramatic and brooding with some mid period Dream Theater, as there's much more prog on What You Most Desire. The music is grandiose, heavy and melodic all at once Simone Pellegrini (guitar), Alessio Sabella (bass), Gabriele Guidi (keys) and Matteo Amoroso (drums) fusing jazz with thrash, electronics abound (Idle Mind) with huge orchestral walls lending themselves to the conceptually dense story.
The first part of storyline with lyrics inspired by philosophy, futurism and technology wrapped in dystopian sci-fi narrative, Everflow Part 1: Frames Of Humanity is a brilliant prog/power record from this reactivated veteran band. 8/10
Electric Temple - High Voltage Salvation (Eonian Records)
Oh I like this! Proper heavy rock done by some veterans of the US rock/metal scene. Thankfully it's not a 'supergroup' project from another label where it's all a bit to mechanical and glossy, High Voltage Salvation has grit by the bucket load but also brings anthemic choruses and some stadium rock power.
Formed this year by former Shanghai guitarist Tony Childs, Last In Line/Lynch Mob vocalists Andrew Freeman, W.A.S.P bassist Mike Duda and Matt Starr of Ace Frehley/Mr Big on drums, Electric Temple was the band created by Childs to pay homage to the classic heavy metal sounds he was inspired by. Be it Maiden, Dio or more modern/grunge sounds Electric Temple is a way to worship a style of music that used to be so prominent on the radio. So High Voltage Salvation, released through Eonian Records, is exactly what they say it is. Childs' way of finding solace and salvation on music to escape the darkness of life and help him cope. A testament to the healing power of heavy music, it's 8 big heavy rock tracks, that fans of 80's & 90's rock and metal will love.
Blasting out of your speakers come Death Wish setting down what to expect from this record, chunky classic metal riffs and those killer vocals that have spent a long time singing RJD songs. Doomed gets slower with a swagger as Big Black Hole adds a AIC crunch adding those grunge sounds I mentioned earlier. Childs really treats the source material well paying homage without staying too much into slavish copycatting.
Whether it's the Sabbath like doom of Streets Of Pain or the anthemic, arena rocker World's On Fire, the Def Leppard meets heavy of Am I Damned? As The Storm completes the record with another solid heavy rocker. I didn't expect to enjoy High Voltage Salvation as much as I did, it's rock n roll as religion, turn up the volume and worship. 8/10
Among These Ashes - Embers Of Elysium (Alone Records)
Oh yes! Now this is up my alley, with the Hansi Kursch-like voice of Jean-Pierre Abboud (from Traveler) and the power thrash riffs from guitarist/producer/songwriter Richard Clark, Among The Ashes feel like the next instalment of Demons And Wizards, the collaboration between the Blind Guardian singer and that guy who stormed the Capitol Building. In fact there's a lot of IE here musically without the rampant lust for treason (I hope).
The follow up to their debut concept record Dominion Enthroned, Embers Of Elysium, contains 12 tracks the last four of which are part of the "Chronicles Of The Obsidian Reign" another sci-fi concept from this Detroit based band, which starts with instrumental Through Ethereal Voids. They've recorded a cover of Savatage and W.A.S.P in the past and they owe much more to the former than the latter, dramatic power thrash inspired also by Sanctuary, that also features Dylan Hamann on rhythm guitar, Kane Bochatyn on bass and Kyle Wagner on drums.
What hits you is the heaviness of the record, the battery of Serpents Among Rats, Of One Blood and Storm Within, this is the sort of thrash I can get behind with progressive metal and power metal influences throughout. Faceless War Machines and The Undertow both increase those time signature shifts with prog metal brilliance. Stronger Than Death grinds in the mid-pace with a bit of a post punk thump, while The Enemy In I is a natural single.
There's a bonus track called The Undertow which features Brooke Rousseau of Lady Luna And The Devil which is a great addition of a big rock track to this metal record. Among These Ashes are a new band to me but they impress on Embers Of Elysium. 8/10
Iron Slug - Unrepentant Grin (Self Released)
Kent sludge/doom trio Iron Slug follow up last years Debauched And Bored, Unrepentant Grin adds another track (4 not 3) but doesn't skimp on the cataclysmic heaviness of their debut EP. Iron Slug are Will Rayner (guitars/shouts), Tino Di-Donato (drums) and Will Bond (bass) and they make a din.
A good din mind you, be it the bell tolling spooky groove of My Eyes Learn or the thundering, Crowbar-like chug of Truth Served which builds into a percussive climax, this trio make a righteous racket the closing salvo of Final Proposal shifting their sludge beginnings to the fist pumping sound of Orange Goblin.
Unrepentant Grin sees Iron Slug evolving from the filthy shores of sludge into a band that adds the more approachable sounds of stoner and doom. 7/10
Lione is a founding member of Athena XIX and showcases his impressive vocal range on this record, of course you get his trademark soaring highs, so associated with Italian prog power but it's his gritty lows and even some growls that shine through here. Alongside the heavy technical prog/power metal Athena sound a lot like Americans Symphony X and have also been compared to Evergrey and Kamelot, former vocalist of that band Roy Khan joining Lione on the very proggy I Wish.
Opener Frames Of Humanity, is also very Kamelot in sound, the piano beneath the galloping riffing, Obscured The Sun meanwhile is more dramatic and brooding with some mid period Dream Theater, as there's much more prog on What You Most Desire. The music is grandiose, heavy and melodic all at once Simone Pellegrini (guitar), Alessio Sabella (bass), Gabriele Guidi (keys) and Matteo Amoroso (drums) fusing jazz with thrash, electronics abound (Idle Mind) with huge orchestral walls lending themselves to the conceptually dense story.
The first part of storyline with lyrics inspired by philosophy, futurism and technology wrapped in dystopian sci-fi narrative, Everflow Part 1: Frames Of Humanity is a brilliant prog/power record from this reactivated veteran band. 8/10
Electric Temple - High Voltage Salvation (Eonian Records)
Oh I like this! Proper heavy rock done by some veterans of the US rock/metal scene. Thankfully it's not a 'supergroup' project from another label where it's all a bit to mechanical and glossy, High Voltage Salvation has grit by the bucket load but also brings anthemic choruses and some stadium rock power.
Formed this year by former Shanghai guitarist Tony Childs, Last In Line/Lynch Mob vocalists Andrew Freeman, W.A.S.P bassist Mike Duda and Matt Starr of Ace Frehley/Mr Big on drums, Electric Temple was the band created by Childs to pay homage to the classic heavy metal sounds he was inspired by. Be it Maiden, Dio or more modern/grunge sounds Electric Temple is a way to worship a style of music that used to be so prominent on the radio. So High Voltage Salvation, released through Eonian Records, is exactly what they say it is. Childs' way of finding solace and salvation on music to escape the darkness of life and help him cope. A testament to the healing power of heavy music, it's 8 big heavy rock tracks, that fans of 80's & 90's rock and metal will love.
Blasting out of your speakers come Death Wish setting down what to expect from this record, chunky classic metal riffs and those killer vocals that have spent a long time singing RJD songs. Doomed gets slower with a swagger as Big Black Hole adds a AIC crunch adding those grunge sounds I mentioned earlier. Childs really treats the source material well paying homage without staying too much into slavish copycatting.
Whether it's the Sabbath like doom of Streets Of Pain or the anthemic, arena rocker World's On Fire, the Def Leppard meets heavy of Am I Damned? As The Storm completes the record with another solid heavy rocker. I didn't expect to enjoy High Voltage Salvation as much as I did, it's rock n roll as religion, turn up the volume and worship. 8/10
Among These Ashes - Embers Of Elysium (Alone Records)
Oh yes! Now this is up my alley, with the Hansi Kursch-like voice of Jean-Pierre Abboud (from Traveler) and the power thrash riffs from guitarist/producer/songwriter Richard Clark, Among The Ashes feel like the next instalment of Demons And Wizards, the collaboration between the Blind Guardian singer and that guy who stormed the Capitol Building. In fact there's a lot of IE here musically without the rampant lust for treason (I hope).
The follow up to their debut concept record Dominion Enthroned, Embers Of Elysium, contains 12 tracks the last four of which are part of the "Chronicles Of The Obsidian Reign" another sci-fi concept from this Detroit based band, which starts with instrumental Through Ethereal Voids. They've recorded a cover of Savatage and W.A.S.P in the past and they owe much more to the former than the latter, dramatic power thrash inspired also by Sanctuary, that also features Dylan Hamann on rhythm guitar, Kane Bochatyn on bass and Kyle Wagner on drums.
What hits you is the heaviness of the record, the battery of Serpents Among Rats, Of One Blood and Storm Within, this is the sort of thrash I can get behind with progressive metal and power metal influences throughout. Faceless War Machines and The Undertow both increase those time signature shifts with prog metal brilliance. Stronger Than Death grinds in the mid-pace with a bit of a post punk thump, while The Enemy In I is a natural single.
There's a bonus track called The Undertow which features Brooke Rousseau of Lady Luna And The Devil which is a great addition of a big rock track to this metal record. Among These Ashes are a new band to me but they impress on Embers Of Elysium. 8/10
Iron Slug - Unrepentant Grin (Self Released)
Kent sludge/doom trio Iron Slug follow up last years Debauched And Bored, Unrepentant Grin adds another track (4 not 3) but doesn't skimp on the cataclysmic heaviness of their debut EP. Iron Slug are Will Rayner (guitars/shouts), Tino Di-Donato (drums) and Will Bond (bass) and they make a din.
A good din mind you, be it the bell tolling spooky groove of My Eyes Learn or the thundering, Crowbar-like chug of Truth Served which builds into a percussive climax, this trio make a righteous racket the closing salvo of Final Proposal shifting their sludge beginnings to the fist pumping sound of Orange Goblin.
Unrepentant Grin sees Iron Slug evolving from the filthy shores of sludge into a band that adds the more approachable sounds of stoner and doom. 7/10
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