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Tuesday, 18 February 2025

Reviews: Hangman's Chair, Wren, Möuth, Raise Your Fist (Matt Bladen, Mark Young, Rich Piva & Liam Williams)

Hangman's Chair - Saddiction (Nuclear Blast Records) [Matt Bladen]

Hangman's Chair don't really do what many doom bands do. Their music is more conceptual, more esoteric, more French. It's inspired by soundtracks to films that don't exist, colouring the often black and white world of doomy music with goth and industrial textures. Saddiction is their 7th album and it's the second album in a trilogy that started with 2022's A Loner. This one is about 'addiction to sadness' thus the portmanteau of the title.

The album itself is an explanation of the title, sad addictive music that builds from reverbed guitars and harmonised vocals, adding keys/synths for some glacial emotion. It's lyrical content follows the same route speaking of the loss of band members, drug overdoses and the cold emplitness of modern day Paris, in all it's great concrete depression.

Sound engineer Francis Caste is just as important to the overall sound as Julien Chanut (guitar), Cédric Toufouti (guitar/vocals), Mehdi Thepegnier (drums) and Clément Hanvic (bass), the doom heaviness of their early years now joined by some goth and post punk drive on The Worst Is Yet To Come. You can say that they now have as much in common with Inbound Suffering as they do with Sisters Of Mercy.

Another band they have been compared to is Life Of Agony and on the melancholic synth driven ambience of In Disguise, while 2 AM Thoughts has a longing of Type O Negative and Depeche Mode, much of the album is reflective of the sound Paradise Lost adopted from One Second until their self titled offering. Hangman's Chair shift their focus towards cinema on the second album of this trilogy, it's bold, it's brilliant, it's doom but not as you may know it. 9/10

Wren - Black Rain Falls (Church Road Records) [Mark Young]

I would think that an album titled Black Rain Falls would clue you in on what kind of musical journey you are about to embark on. A further nose at the accompanying bio and to their track titles and you know that this is not going to be for the faint of heart.

Upon my first run through it, it struck me that this uncompromising music made by uncompromising people. It is bleak sounding, punishing the listener by allowing you to share in their collective feelings. As they share it, they want you to stay that course and come out on the other side, using this music as a form of deep-seated release for your own personal ailments.

Flowers Of Earth and Toil In The Undergrowth are the opening one-two here and its on these that Wren perform most of the heavy work. On Flowers, its discord and grief with guitar lines that are just out of alignment with each other, but its purpose built that way. From the off there is no respite from Owen Jones vocals, they start at a harsh level and just stay there. 

I appreciate that extreme vocals aren’t new, but I’m continually surprised by those who can make it sound as though their soul is leaving the body every time they sing. This is the sort of song that turns into an event live, just listen to the closing jagged lines that come in from around 6 minutes that are supplanted by a massive riff and bang, you just made it through the first lesson. 

Toil In The Undergrowth starts with a relatively gentle opening, its still tinged with darkness and they use it as the literal calm before the storm. From about 2 minutes 40 onwards its all about stop / start guitars and feedback, of those vocals and this one focused view of where the song needs to go. Its hard work, but its good work because if you stay with it, you become invested in it. 

Betrayal Of The Self starts at an almost lightning pace, with Seb Tull’s drums exploding before they bring it back under control, its shorter length a blessing after the opening pair. Its no less effective though and is certainly more direct and efficient with how it lands whilst Cerebral Drift is their reset switch by way of a brief instrumental.

Metric Of Grief comes in with a similar start to Betrayal, in that they now seem keen to get their feelings down and away so they can continue with this form of self-healing and there is an almost imperceptible change, as you listen to it the song starts to feel lighter somehow. The vocals haven’t changed but it’s not as oppressive as the earlier tracks and I hope that Precede The Flint keeps that going. A spoken word narrative starts us off, whilst they provide a melancholic backing that continues after the voice departs. It wakes up and takes flight, those drums once again doing the heavy lifting and providing the feeling of forward momentum as it tears its way to the end.

They wrap up with Scorched Hinds, which possesses one of the lowest ends you’ll hear. It is entirely in keeping with the album as a whole in terms of how they deliver it but there is that lighter tack to it, similar to Metric Of Grief. Its still full of those sharp chords and feedback but feels as though its reaching for a conclusion to its own pain. Check out the last 30 or so seconds on this and you will get it straight away. I said that on my first listen, it was an uncompromising set of songs and that hasn’t changed. Where you listen to this will make a lot of difference in how you absorb it. 

I’ve mentioned my review playlists for the commute and some albums are suited to a car, others to headphones and doing little else. You have to give this your full attention, and in doing so you will appreciate it better. 8/10

Möuth - Global Warming (Bonebag Records) [Rich Piva]

Stockholm, Sweden’s Möuth are a power trio dropping their debut, Global Warming, for all of us lovers of stoner, proto metal, psych, doom, and 90s alt rock. Sound like a lot? It is, but it never sounds like too much on the nine tracks that make up Global Warming, which proves to be a killer debut from a band full of veteran musicians.

Möuth is not to be confused with Mouth (like I did), the really great German band who are of the same mindset of these guys. Yes, both are trios and yes both like the psych side of things, but our German friends lean more classic rock while the Swedes hang more in the 90s. of all the genres mentioned above, 90s alt rock rules the day on the nine tracks. The opening title track fits somewhere in 90s Seattle and some club in NYC where there is a killer post hardcore band playing. I am also hearing a nice bit of Therapy? in their sound, which is always welcomed. Love the fuzz this one brings as well as the killer solo. 

The track Dirt brings more of that fuzz and has a hybrid Husker Du/Therapy? thing going on. Speed Of Life has a spacy, fuzzy feel to it, and is sparce in a way that really works. The 90s reign supreme on tracks like Sheep and Alike, the latter which kind of reminds me of Radiohead but if Radiohead decide to rock and not get all weird and experimental. Or like Wire, but heavier. 

Appetite may be my favourite track on the record. It swims around that grunge pool but brings a whole bunch of stuff to the table. Fuzzy, grungy, a tiny bit of psych and even some post hardcore vibes. Good stuff. Mantra is right there too, especially with the frantic drumming and killer quiet loud quiet vibes. In The City rounds the record off nicely, reminding me of The Cars, but louder, and with Bob Mould somehow involved.

Möuth’s debut is super solid 90s love that leaves me wanting more and hoping the band can take the next step on record number two. A great starting point for a band. Global Warming is real. 7/10

Raise Your Fist – Leader Of The Pack (Self Released) [Liam Williams]

We have a new EP from Belgian metalcore band Raise Your Fist, titled Leader Of The Pack. This EP consists of 6 gut-punching tracks lasting just over 20 minutes long.

The EP starts with an intro track, simply titled Intro. It’s a short track which starts with some static radio clips and violins. Soon the static fades out and we get a speech telling us what this band and their music is about. Track 2, Inner Strain, is where the action really starts. With a nice heavy intro, it’s all go and no slow. There’s a great little chaotic part after the first chorus, leading into the second verse. 

We get our first guitar solo after the second chorus which unfortunately is a bit too quiet. Up next is The Pack, which starts with a volume swell from the guitars before a nice chuggy part with panned rhythm guitars. Then it’s all chugs with some decent clean vocals for the chorus. There’s some great brutal low guttural screams during the bridge leading into the breakdown.

Track 4 is Forced Freedom and, although it has a bit of a slower intro, it quickly gets into some more fun chuggy chaos for the first verse. Halfway through the track there’s a dirty distorted bass part that leads into the breakdown. This is probably my favourite breakdown on the EP. It leads into the final chorus before the song ends. Against The Order is another fun heavy track. I think the drums sound a lot better on this track compared to the previous ones (more on that in my summery). 

Then we end the EP with Never Out. There’s some more radio static in the intro before a cool lead guitar riff comes in with the drums building up to the first verse. The pre-chorus and chorus sections are really good in this track. After the second chorus there’s another guitar solo (unfortunately still a bit too quiet, but really well played). The song ends with a nauseating (in a good way) chuggy outro which gives off the feeling of being on a very rocky boat.

This EP is good for the most part, I think certain elements do ruin it though. The mix is generally quite rough. The drums sound kind of muffled throughout most of the tracks. The playing is good, but they lack that punch you come to expect from heavy bands like this. The guitars could have done with a bit more love, especially the 2 solos we get, they were a bit too quiet and didn’t really have a chance to shine. 

I’m also not a fan of the lead vocals. I think the clean parts were alright, but the other parts really didn’t sound great in my opinion. Instead of sounding like an intimidating angry rottweiler, they sound like a small yappy chihuahua. The backing vocals and the guest vocals sounded way better and it’s very noticeable. But all that aside, good effort! 6/10

Monday, 17 February 2025

Reviews: Dynazty, Crazy Lixx, Mantric Momentum, Ginger Evil (Matt Bladen)

Dynazty - Game Of Faces (Nuclear Blast Records)

Power metal, always a divisive genre for those who like it heavier but you know what music is supposed to be fun and Dynazty play power metal that is fun but also has a delightfully dark element to it as well. 

They’ve been around since 2008 so you’ll likely have seen them, supporting acts such as Sabaton, Powerwolf or Battle Beast, it’s this experience that is so obvious on Game Of Faces. The production glistens, bold and boisterous with Jens Borgen’s mixing making his wall of sound as firm as always, the clarity allows the songs to really make an impact, each instrument is huge and can be picked out from the muscular drumming (Fire To Fight), to the soaring vocals.

Dynazty play the more modern style of power metal, the one that is often classed as melodic metal, filled with poppy hooks and synths, fist pumping electro metal such as the first single Devilry Of Ecstasy. So yeah the synths are just as prominent as the guitars but never overtake their importance, tinkling in the background of the anthemic Die To Survive or Sole Survivor which take from the fantasy style of Hammerfall, Dark Angel though is blistering power metal al Stratovarius. It’s Euro-metal Jim and if Dynazty wanted to enter Eurovision they would absolutely smash it, each song imbuing you with joy and movement.

I found myself nodding my head involuntarily with every listen, though the lyrics are about the essence of the human mind and existence, self-discovery, spiritual death, rebirth and re-invention, the music is so bloody catchy that it could be a food recipe, Georg (drums and Jonathan’s (bass) rhythms move at pace. 

Set often against the synthetic elements they’re the backbone of proggier tracks such as Fortune Favours The Brave and drive the AOR of Phoenix too. Love and Mike trade off guitars, sharing the shredding and widdly power metal solos on Call Of The Night or the huge balladry of Dream Of Spring. This latter song also stretches the vocals of Nils Molin a man who adds so much Joey Tempest to Dynazty’s music.

Yes Europe, that’s the one! I may have said this before but Dynazty remind me so much of Swedish melodic rock legends Europe, especially the classic era of 1983-1992, but what I like is they know people know this and have put a little synthy Easter Egg in final song Mystery. Dynazty are leading the new wave of power/melodic metal, it’s bags of fun and will leave you smiling in the Game Of Faces. 9/10

Crazy Lixx - Thrill Of The Bite (Frontiers Music Srl)

The Swedes do hard rock well, Crazy Lixx do it very well, putting together a concoction hard rock, glam and hair metal. 

Let’s get the elephant in the room out in the open, with tracks such as Little Miss Dangerous, there’s a huge sonic influence of Def Leppard, the sneered vocals, the big chorus vocals, it’s straight out of Sheffield, via Sweden. 

Thrill Of The Bite follows Street Lethal in 2021 and their compilation of re-recorded tracks and covers Two Shots At Glory from 2024. These two albums showed a shift towards the Leppard slickness, the band having always been one that revels in the sounds of the late 80’s and early 90’s but now they’ve elevated with the current line up.

The Leppard sound is down to Danny Rexon’s vocals, he and bassist Jens Anderson have been the creative force since 2015’s Ruff Justice and this period has been the most fruitful for these retro rockers, but the glam posturing of their earlier records has been dampened by the continued movement towards a more guitar-driven sound, even when they bring the strutting Motley Crue-like Recipe For Revolution.

There’s a definitive focus on walking bass and the twin guitars of Jens Lundgren and Chrisse Olsson. It’s got that ‘street metal’ sound of Too Young To Fall In Love, while Robin Nilsson’s drums give pace to melodic rockers like Midnight Rebels and Final Warning.

This album continues the high quality of Crazy Lixx’s recent run of albums, don’t let them leave you High and Dry, come and feel the Thrill Of The Bite. 8/10

Mantric Momentum - Alienized (Frontiers Music Srl)

A Melodic metal act comprised of vocalist Terje Harøy (Pyramaze) and multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Christer Harøy (Divided Multitude, Crossnail), it certainly is going to up the epic scale. 

The first song, an intro, does this with choirs and strings and really it does stop being just full frontal bombast from here. Influenced by Pyramaze of course, but Kamelot, Firewind and Symphony X as well. Alienized is their second album and it doesn’t try to reinvent Mantric Momentum, chuggy riffs, melodic sections, strings and powerful vocals, but unlike the first album it features just one vocalist Terje, who happens to be the cousin of Christer.

If you like his superb vocals in Pyramaze then you’ll love them here as musically it’s a bit more straightforward than the Danish prog veterans but still has all the cinematic presence. Jacob Hansen produces so you know it will sound massive but with Terje singing on the compositions of Christer, Mantric Momentum feel more like a real band than just a one man project. 

Though instrumentally it is just Christer, he has a couple of guests but it is him from guitars through to drums. Be it the anthemic metal of Siren’s Call, the heavier A Stronger Stance or the big ballad Remember, Mantric Momentum deliver some great melodic metal on this second album, which is really the debut for them as an actual band format. 8/10

Ginger Evil - The Way It Burns (Frontiers Music Srl)

Finnish rockers Ginger Evil, began their life as Moonshine Inc, they couldn’t find a vocalist and played with some other bands but then brought it back, finally discovering the soulful vocals of Ella Tepponen, founding members Tomi Julkunen (guitars) and Veli Palevaara (bass) finally finding their singer and gaining in drummer in Toni Mustonen completed what was now Ginger Evil. The songs came quickly with the bluesy rock vibes of their first incarnation, put together with the modern alt rock/grunge sound, of a band such as Foo Fighters. 

It’s very radio friendly, a track like Flames bordering on pop rock with its dreamy composition, that’s part Cranberries, part Sheryl Crow. There’s some Rolling Stones, a bit of Pearl Jam and a smattering of The Who, a band that have collaborated with music producer/film director Richard Stanley in the past, Stanley was inspired by Ginger Evil’s music and wrote them some lyrics. 

So The Way It Burns is crafted for the mainstream, to reach the biggest audience possible, warts n all production that adds some smoky strings to the beautiful Beth Hart-like ballad Arrowhead, while the scrubbed acoustics are used well on the trippy middle section of the funky Better Get In Line as Whispers has some Heart or Fleetwood Mac aping to it.

There’s a lot of talent but it basically sounds like the acceptable face of the 90’s alternative scene? Listen to it and you’ll know what I mean. It’s very catchy and un-offensive good time rock, the vocals being the best part. 7/10

Reviews: Black Eyed Sons, Jinjer, Tumbleweed Dealer, Novarupta (Simon Black, Matt Bladen, Rich Piva & Chris Tsinzrias)

Black Eyed Sons - Cowboys In Pinstriped Suits (Off Yer Rocka Records) [Simon Black]

Don’t you just love it when your favourite artists split acrimoniously and try and fight over the scraps? Probably not - I know I don’t. There’s been a lot of this in recent years and it never ends well, as two competing splinters fight for the same audience – L.A. Guns, Queensrÿche and Great White are some recent examples of this. 

Not helped by a legal framework in the USA that allows these two parts to basically trade under the same brand name and let market forces and evolution decide the winner, but it’s not fair on the fanbase when that happens. More often not this also ends up divided, as the two sets of fans favour the side they feel most aligned to, with common ground that is happy to support both elements usually being thin on the ground as the two parts of the Venn diagram move further apart with much diminished circles of influence.

When this happened to The Quireboys here in the UK a couple of years back, I feared that a similar process of diminution, dilution and eventual dissolution was the most likely outcome (unless everyone swallowed their pride and cleared the air), but this one is heading in a different direction. I don’t know the details of why Spike and the rest of the band fell out, and frankly I don’t care, but for a while Spike carried on solo whilst the remainder of the band now fronted by guitarist Guy Griffin retained the name, but things have changed somewhat. 

With the release of the excellent Wardour Street and recent tour, the Spike incarnation which brought back some founder members is definitely ploughing a furrow focussed on nostalgia, but Griffin et al have taken the wise decision to rebrand as the Black Eyed Sons and create their own identity and band, and here, is the result.

And jolly good it is too.

First off this is not The Quireboys, although it clearly shares musical influences. Where that act carved a niche based on fusing the mid 70’s groove of the Faces with the tail end of the 80’s Glam / Sleaze movement, this feels like it owes more to Sticky Fingers era Rolling Stones and good old-fashioned Blues that never gets old and never lost its audience. It’s not trying to be anything; it just shamelessly is what it is…

Griffin has a great bluesy timbre to his voice with a lot more range to it than Spike’s distinctive Geordie Shore snorts Rod Stewart vibe, which is why not pretending to be a different incarnation of their time together is perfectly sensible. In addition, the eleven songs have a lot more variety than I was expecting, and this really feels like what it is – a newborn act, happy to inherit what they can of their erstwhile fan base, but determined to build a new audience that appreciates them for what they are, which is something new and distinct.

They’ve got some fascinating help here too which contributes to the variation, with guest appearances from an impressive alumnus of artists (Charlie Starr, Chip Z’Nuff, Dan Reed, Joe Elliott, Josh Todd and Stevie, Mike Tramp, Roxy Ryan, Scotti Hill – the list seems endless) but the musical mix is eclectic too, adding some almost Country elements to the blues. The point is experimentation is key, and this feels like a band choosing to do whatever the darn tooting they feel like, rather than trying to constrain themselves by becoming their own tribute act as Spike has. Long may it continue, because this feels like its got legs because there is not a bum track on here. 9/10

Jinjer - Dúel (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]

Jinjer have five albums now and they don't show any signs of slowing down yet. Each release is followed by an unstoppable touring schedule and has gained the Ukrainian band a very strong following from fans and critics alike.

I last saw Jinjer supporting Bruce Dickinson and like every previous time their show was well performed, especially vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk the shining star but I've never really gone all in on their progressive groove metal so I did find them a little one note.

On record they again have always impressed but never wowed me like they have many of my press colleagues. Their musicianship is outstanding bassist Eugene Abdukhanov a lead instrument for much of the record. Roman Ibramkhalilov's chuggy riffs, chop and change from metallic toughness and ambient moments as the driving is done by drummer Vlad Ulasevich.

Jinjer's appeal though is in Tatiana and as a frontperson she gives her all, relying more on her clean vocals now and using the established growls as a way to sing in contradiction to the cleans. She's a great vocalist but once again I find myself never really blown away by Jinjer. Their fandom will welcome this record with open arms though as it's more of what Jinjer do well. 7/10

Tumbleweed Dealer - Dark Green (Self Released) [Rich Piva]

Tumbleweed dealer is an instrumental stoner/psych/prog band out of Montreal, Québec, Canada, where all sorts of great music is coming out of these days. Dark Green is their latest offering and it is a fun/yet uneven listen. The band was pretty prolific in the 2010s, but this seems to be the first new music from the band since 2016.

Tumbleweed Dealer’s fourth record has some cool sounds and great instrumentation. My favourite track is Sparks Adrift In The Louisiana Night Sky, which is some damn cool instrumental stoner prog rock. The guitar work and start and stop motions on A Plant That Thinks It's Human is very cool, and then it turns into an 80s synth song and somehow it works. I am not a big horns guy, except for that brief ska phase in the 90s, so there is a bit too much brass on the record for me, but kudos for going outside the lines, but there are a lot of horns. 

I do really dig when they unleash the Organ on tracks like Moss On The Mind and A Soul Made Of Sludge. They give the drummer some love on the cool track Body Of The Bog. I also enjoy how this is an instrumental record where all the songs are relatively short, creating a nice flow to the album, especially for those with short attention spans.

Dark Green
is a mixed bag to me. There is some cool instrumentation and wow can these guys play, but the horns are a bit much for me and there is not a lot that grabs me and keeps my attention to warrant additional listens. Those who like their instrumental stoner with some proggy and even jazz elements may dig this, but the new Tumbleweed Dealer did not fully connect with me. 6/10

Novarupta - Astral Sands (Suicide Records) [Chris Tsintziras]

The new album from the post-Metallers Novarupta arrives under the title Astral Sands. This new release includes 9 songs, each one of them linking together to create a whole journey through an emotionally darkened atmosphere, traversing ominous landscapes and vocals that are enriched with pure melancholy. Each track has a different singer, making it a wider art project more than a band.

Astral Sands is the final part of a concept that began with their first album. It's amazing that Novarupta is just the vision of two people Alex Stjernfeldt and Arjen Kunnen with Roger Andersson of Suicide Records backing them in this endeavour.

Overall, Novarupta mixes hard rock with an essence of metal and progressive elements for a wide reaching style. 7/10

Saturday, 15 February 2025

A View From The Back Of The Room: Firewind & Fury (Matt Bladen)

Firewind & Fury, The Underworld, Camden, London, 09.02.25

Well here we are again! After a one off at the end of their European dates last year the Greek metal heroes Firewind returned to the UK for a tour with our good friends Fury in support for every date.

Clearly Fury (10) made a mark on Gus G and co as we managed to catch them once again at The Underworld in Camden. Now we were slightly less inebriated this time around so it was into the bowels of Camden ready to get a jolly good rocking. To a large cheer, the Midlands(ish) five piece took to the stage and hit everyone round the head with new songs Interceptor. Engines pumping, the pace was set by the human drum machine Tom, while the riffs from JJ and Becky came racing. 

From here it was into old favourites Prince Of Darkness and Rock N Roll, the Ozzy worshipping former track now fully the realm of Nyah on vocals as the latter has the Rickenbecky paying homage to the boom of Lemmy. With no time to talk it was all about making an impact and we got into Hell Of A Night, the crowd chanting "monster movies" along with JJ, Nyah and the band at large. 

Now this is the one thing I noticed watching Fury for the first time in a while with the addition of Aki on lead guitar they not only have someone who clearly LOVES guitar solos, but an additional vocalist to join in with Becky on the backings to JJ and Nyah. We got into the "power metal" part of their set with Lost In Space and Dragon's Song upping the epic fantasy. These were both Aki's time to peel off some more killer solos, harmonising with JJ for those classic metal sounds. 

Again JJ had to watch himself, but he didn't need the normal bigging up of the crowd, they were on side, some had only come to see them in fact and as the now permanent closing duo of Burnout and Road Warrior capped off this fantastic opening set from Fury. A band who are always favourites of mine live, are now in the strongest position they have been for a long time due to near constant touring. A new album is on the horizon and Fury will be headlining The Underworld soon. Mark my words! 

Next then it was Greek metal veterans Firewind (10), with Herbie Langhans now firmly the frontman of the band, they crafted a set that gave us the best of what they do, taking at least one song (I believe) from every album in their catalogue, the majority came from Stand United but there was a grand total of 6 from the albums recorded with Apollo and Bob who recently joined the band for a special Greek show. 

These classics excited the countless London Greeks who had turned out on a Sunday night, but the whole set was captivating, Johan Nunez and Petros Christodoulidis set the rhythms going for the anthemic metal track such as Stand United, I Am The Anger and Destiny Is Calling. Petros always impresses me, his bass playing is effortless, he carries the riffs when Gus shreds, transforming into the lead instrument and locking in with Johan's technical drumming. 

Herbie too was on the best form I've seen him in, singing with his full range, looking like he was having a ball with Ode To Leonidas and spinning like a madman on their cover of Maniac. The band brought our Nyah from Fury to duet with Herbie on Breaking The Silence, both absolutely killing it on a stolen cold and rarely played classic. Even on the encores of Rising Fire and Head Up High, Herbie's vocals were perfect, so I hope he sticks around for a long time to come. 

Of course most of the eyes in the room were on Gus G, the hotshot axeman who has played with Ozzy and others should be much better known as the leader of his own band, as he's not only a killer guitar player but great songwriter too. His riffs are precise and have virtuosity but every solo was greeted with huge cheers. The Fire And The Fury again brought one of m'colleague's to tears and still stands as one of the best metal instrumentals out there. 

Fury were perfect Firewind were perfect it was an incredible way to finish off a weekend with two of my best mates. We all sang Falling To Pieces at the top of our voices knowing that gigs that are this much fun are very rare. 

Friday, 14 February 2025

Reviews: Warlung, Obscureviolence, Days Of Jupiter, Ephemera (Dan Sierras, Mark Young, Chris Tsintziras & GC)

Warlung - The Poison Touch (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Dan Sierras]

Warlung returns just over two years from releasing their previous LP Vultures Paradise, with its fifth release in just eight years, with the release of The Poison Touch. Another excellent entry into their catalogue with great vocals and blazing guitar work.

Warlung takes 80s metal, and puts a modern, heavy touch to it, and starts off strong with the track Digital Smoke. With great riffs and soaring guitar work, it’s a great start to this album. The riffs and high energy continue on the next track White Light Seeker. Mourning Devils is a short transitional track with haunting guitars and what sounds like a touch of synth. And a fuzzy bass riff starts the next track Spell Speaker. I can’t tell you how much the greatness of the dual guitar work is throughout this album.

Some more great riffage and harmonies on the next track Holy Guide, followed by the howling guitar on Rat Bastard, a true call back to 80s metal. The Sleeping Prophet changes it up with a strong ballad with great vocals by George Baba once again. Finally, 29th Scroll, 6th Verse is an epic conclusion to this great album, filled with some heavy guitar riffs and wah pedals throughout.

Overall, Warlung continues to bring the heavy, with great guitar solos and vocals. They show no signs of slowing down with the release of yet another outstanding album. 9/10

Obscureviolence - Refuting The Flesh (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Mark Young]

Those folks at Transcending Obscurity have an eye for the brutal and with Refuting The Flesh, they have found another outlet for a wicked combination of black and death metal. Obscureviolence, with two members from Horror God bring you a 21-minute beating that takes in blasts, jangling chords and of course some low-down vocals. It has that air (or stench?) of old school extremity in how they churn through each of the tracks here.

Exodus is our leaping in point, discordant noise that ushers in a nifty build that will definitely be used as their intro music when they play this lot live. Segueing into the title track, Refuting The Flesh is the core example of how they have melded the two together, the chug, the blast and some righteous whammy abuse at the end. With this they know that they have to get their (meat) hook into you and make it absolutely imperative that you stay the whole course. In terms of achieving that, it is a powerful start and they balance having the two styles in play quite well.

Source Of Life charges in with one of those delicious percussive riff after a frankly discordant intro, a build that having been executed is then dropped off a cliff. Its aim is to crush and to do so they deploy every trick at their disposal. Its high on aggression and thankfully low on subtlety and closes with an atonal lead break which is always welcome and then into Spiritual Agony, which has a cheeky nod to Morbid Angel at the outset and then they are straight into total demolition mode. 

Its just 3 minutes of organised chaos with the bulk made up of a frenzied attack which hits exactly like you want it to and is carried over into The Absurdity Of Existence, with the growled vocals that are barely legible whilst there is a serious drum clinic being provided. Having this and Spiritual Agony side by side shows that they are unafraid of saying the same thing, they just want to cave your skull in.

Pulse Of Subconscious Cruelty is their final song and keeps that intent and momentum in check. They don’t back off at all, it is either all or nothing from them and rightly so. There have been a lot of bands that promise a lot and deliver little and with Obscureviolence they promised and made sure that they delivered. Once Exodus starts running it is a full-on assault and battery from them, and they make sure that every song stays true to that promise. I won’t tell you that this is new or ground breaking or a refresh, its just good honest extreme metal, made by fans of extreme metal for fans of extreme metal. Give it a go!! 7/10

Days Of Jupiter - The World Was Never Enough (Reigning Phoenix Music) [Chris Tsintziras]

Days Of Jupiter are a Swedish band and their music is a fine blend of modern metal and classic rock, always sealed with their own stamp. They have millions of streams on Spotify and widespread acceptance all over the globe, the band has certainly a huge fanbase who will get very excited about this new album. This time, Days Of Jupiter with their new album The World Was Never Enough, on this fifth record they aim to please their huge and undeniable fanbase, and at the same time to attract new listeners who may not have heard them before signing to Reigning Phoenix Music. 

The album consists of 10 songs, which have a fine music blend that is all over the genre sphere. Whether it's the modern metal of bands such as Avenged Sevenfold or Lamb Of God, something from the 80' rock sound inspired by Scorpions or Europe, it's got song that will have wide appeal. My favourite track is My Heaven, My Hell but that is definitely a hard choice because of how good this band are. Days Of Jupiter's foundations are solid. They have their own identity you won’t say that you have heard it elsewhere. I personally loved this album! 8/10

Ephemera - For Those Afraid To Die (Morning Star Heresy Productions) [GC]

Whenever I see something described as melodic hardcore, I always wonder what exactly does that mean? And as Ephemera are described as this, I sort of go into this with trepidation but none the less For Those Afraid To Die is waiting for my thoughts.

The one thing an EP does not need is an intro and unfortunately Origin is just that and seems like a very annoying way to start as it doesn’t really show anything or give you any idea of what to expect, For Those Afraid To Die offers a bit more but doesn’t really do much for me as it sounds like the guitars are non-existent in the mix, I can hear the drums and vocals clearly but that’s about it and it’s just an overall frustrating listen because I imagine even if I could hear the guitars they wouldn’t be doing anything interesting? 

Heaven fares slightly better as I can hear the guitars here and it features Jesse Leach from Killswitch Engage but that’s about the best thing really, it just sort of plods away and never really gets out of first gear, nothing grips you or demands your attention, so it just sort of passes me by really? And just like that its onto final track House Fire and once again the drums and vocals drown everything out completely and the pace of the music is just far too slow and plodding and they add in an almost rap type verse that just makes me want to turn it off and give up, I don’t and my reward for perseverance is? Well, nothing really? Just more of the same uninspiring stuff and then it finishes and I’m not sure if I am pleased or just disappointed?

This really was not for me, I found everything that I could actually hear boring and uninspired, its just felt like they didn’t know how to really push a song forward to get that killer hook in and grab your attention. The fact For Those Afraid To Die was only 3 tracks long is probably a blessing as the longer it went on, I know the more annoyed I would have become with it. I really can’t say anything very positive about this so I’m just going to stop now. 2/10

Reviews: Lacuna Coil, Marko Hietala, Spiders, Demolyn (Matt Bladen)

Lacuna Coil - Sleepless Empire (Century Media Records)

Far removed from the band that recorded Comalies in 2002, the Lacuna Coil of 2025 is a much heavier prospect. Continuing on the journey they embarked upon with 2014’s Broken Crown Halo, the transition from clean to harsh vocals from co-lead vocalist Andrea Ferro in conjunction with the powerful cleans of Cristina Scabbia has meant their past few records are much more modern in their approach, adding djent riffs, groove metal breakdowns and nods to death metal too. It has resulted in a new audience discovering the band, making them probably more popular than they were back in the mid 2000’s.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Comalies, they re-recorded it in 2021/2022 in the style they favour now, the gothic metal influences replaced by extreme metal, while recording the anniversary record they had the spark to continue to create and thus set about writing and recording Sleepless Empire. The majority of the writing, most of the playing and the production again is helmed by Marco Coti Zelati (bass, guitar, synth), the band rounded out by Richard Meiz on drums, so what is Sleepless Empire like?

Well it’s not too unlike their last few albums, aggressive metal put with anthemic choruses, blending modern heaviness with their alternative/gothic metal beginnings. If anything Sleepless Empire draws more from Comalies since these songs would have been freshly re-recorded, so on tracks such as Gravity you can trace a link back to that record and with I Wish You Were Dead, Karmacode too. The themes behind the record are about being trapped in a digital world, shackled to social media, and trying to rebel and become human again. To link to the themes of this record they will release a special edition board game and to further play through stories of the album.

For me Lacuna Coil’s recent history is much more attractive than their early years, I’ve talked before about how Andrea changing his style has made for a much more intriguing style, it also has meant Cristina’s vocals are the best they’ve been as she’s the only clean vocalist. Though both get some help on Sleepless Empire as Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God grunts through Hosting The Shadow while Ash Costello of New Years Day drops in on In The Mean Time. On their tenth album and in their 30th year, Lacuna Coil sit in their own niche in the metal world, this Sleepless Empire shows no signs of falling yet! 8/10

Marko Hietala - Roses From The Deep (Nuclear Blast)

With his solo albums former Nightwish man Marko Hietala moves toward a more progressive, classic rock sound. His 2019 debut was released in English in 2020, as Pyre Of The Black Heart but Roses From The Deep is his first since leaving the Finnish symphonic metal band he is so associated with, though many still consider him to be a member of Tarot first.

Marko’s bass and his powerful vocals were ideal counterpoint’s to all three singers of Nightwish, as well as being a major part of Northern Kings and Sinergy, but for anyone who wants to relive those early days may want to just skip ahead to the excellent Left On Mars which is a previously released duet beside Tarja Turunen, these two voices in tandem as if it’s 2002 again. To hear them both perform together will delight older school fans but there’s much more to discover on this second album.

Hietala has always said he’s inspired by the likes of Glenn Hughes and Ronnie James Dio and these classic rock heroes can be heard on this record, it’s got huge progressive moments, some Finnish fireside folk, throwbacks to his symphonic metal beginnings and a dark introspection that draws me to an artist such as Alice Cooper who can set very ugly, socially documenting lyrics against catchy hard rock and make you sing along. 

It’s beauty is in the eclecticism, Hietala surrounding himself as the anchor of the band with some high level musicians that can easily handle the frequent changes in tone and style. Marko left Nightwish due to exhaustion and depression and these feelings and thoughts are expressed through the music here, be it on Proud Whore or Impatient Zero, there’s personal element to these songs some obvious but others hidden on the epic tracks like The Dragon Must Die or the title track.

The album apparently is about finding light in shadow and with Roses From The Deep, Marko Hietala has made sure to find a lot of light and some excellent songs from his darkest days. A brilliant vocalist and songwriter, on this second solo album he becomes an indelible part of the Finnish metal scene in his own right rather than just a band member. 8/10

Spiders - Sharp Objects (Wild Kingdom)

Spiders are a hard rock band from Sweden. Formed in 2012, they have had three albums before this and he a established themselves on the worldwide scene with a sound that takes its cue from glam, power pop, new wave and some bluesy hard rock. So there's some Blondie to the snotty What's Your Game (Miss Insane), while Fun In The Sun and Schizoid both have a Rolling Stones strut, the latter with some loose open chords, slide guitar and shaker percussion.

John Hoyles' guitar gets to go wild, with twin harmonies, the slide, the power rock chords, it's based in blues but adds much more as the boiler room of drummer Ricard Harryson and bassist Olle Griphammar adds a glam stomp of Bowie or Sweet on Mess With My Emotions, while singer Ann-Sofie Hoyles lets loose on Too Hard For You, her voice often compared to Debbie Harry and you can hear that for sure on Life Mission. Taking it's cues from various era's without veering away from them too much, is Sharp Object essential? Well no, but it's great fun if you're a retro rock n roll lover. 7/10

Demolyn - Slay The Godhead (Self Released)

Oscar Medblom is Demolyn, he plays everything here making it the definition of a solo project. Now he's already released a debut album in 2022 but has now followed it up with this new five track EP called Slay The Godhead. It features Fabio Alessandrini (Annihilator/Enforcer) on drums and his power adds to the extreme metal textures Demolyn has.

The debut was black metal, raw and aggressive, Oscar building on this with Slay The Godhead as he brings some death metal styles too, a track such as Warwhores for instance has black metal tremolo picking but is driven at the speed of thrash or early death metal, imagine Celtic Frost or Venom. I Shall Transcend is the first track that has that death metal grunt to it, every song creating it's own individual world to explore.

Medblom describes these song as a "self-contained tale" the most progressive of these being Misery, Rain Over Me, where the pace shifts a number of times, evolving into a melodic middle section before the speed returns. If you like you black metal ferocity with death metal muscle then Demolyn will have you sharpening that massive sword ready to do some slaying. 7/10

Thursday, 13 February 2025

Review: Bleeding Through (GC)

Bleeding Through - Nine (Shaprtone Records)



Before I get started, I need to let you know that I LOVE Bleeding Through! It wasn’t always the case when they first arrived on the scene, I was full emersed int the hardcore/metalcore scene and turned my nose up at them because as we all knew at the time keyboards weren’t metal! I then decided not to be a total tosser and actually listen to them and when I did, I was suitably blow away and retracted all my previous ‘’that’s not metal’’ bullshit and I have been a massive fan ever since. 

They are a band that in my opinion have not released 1 bad album, they always deliver, so news they were releasing a new album was received with excitement and nerves at the same time, because after a 7 year break and being so far into a career does this band still have the fire to create something that matches up to their past glories?

After the first 25 seconds of opener Gallows you can feel that the fire is still there and everything you have come to expect from Bleeding Through is stamped all over this song, dark atmosphere and furious anger mixed with the more melodic parts and of course scathing metalcore riffing all rounded off with some spectacular drum work, great start! 

Our Brand Is Chaos starts off with a slightly cringey ‘fuck with us and find out’ chant which while as expected, is delivered with some force its not for me and it carries on through the song and is a slight disappointment if I am honest because once again musically its spot on and doesn’t stray far from the usual BT template so is always going to hit the mark just that lyric could have been binned off in my opinion? 

Dead, But So Alive suffers from no such issues with lyrics or brutality, this is just a full blunt force beating of a track and when the more melodic sections are introduced, they fit in seamlessly and the song absolutely loses no power or force which shows just how well they know how to create dramatic effect in songs. Hail Destruction the drapes everything in brooding atmospherics and has a more subdued pacing to begin with and it merges more punishing sections with the slower pace to spectacular effect throughout and the soloing that cuts through towards the end is another wonderful layer. 

Lost In Isolation really allows the backing vocals from Marta Demmel to now take a front seat and it is a wonderful juxtaposition and when you throw in Byron Davis of God Forbid into the mix you get some of the albums best lyrical work and just shows that they will always allow different styles lead the way and aren’t afraid to try new things.

I’m not keen on Last Breath as its just a mid-album atmospheric piano led interlude that just stunts the flow a bit, frustrating but instantly forgotten as Path To Our Disease wastes no time in firmly re-establishing what you actually want to hear and once again Marta takes a front seat in this track with her vocals leading the track in and then it segues into the most hardcore influenced parts on the whole album and its glorious to hear because its all done so effortlessly and sounds like a band 1 or 2 albums in making a statement not a band 9 albums and 20+ years into a career which is testament to how good Bleeding Through really are! 

This far in you may expect a couple of the tracks to become fillers but this is not the case with I am Resistance which has an album highlight guest appearance from Comeback Kid’s Andrew Neufield his vocals bounce perfectly off Brandon Schiepatti’s and it’s a match made in heaven musically it has an epic feel and everything is delivered with such unrelenting perfection you cant help but be impressed with it! Emery then shows that, when necessary, they don’t have to be full throttle and head down to be heavy, when they want, they can dial down the brutality but still execute an at times ridiculously beautiful but still ultimately heavy track. 

War Time sounds exactly how you would want it to with a title like that, full of ruthless aggression and violence that has the added voice of Shadows Fall, Brian Fair to help hammer the messages home, so it falls down to Unholy Armada to close the album and how do you close an album of such monstrous savagery? Exactly as it began, more of the same! 

Usually you may get bored of someone just trying to be heavy and unrelenting for the sake of it, but you never feel that Bleeding Through are doing it just for the sake of it, you believe everything they say and can feel the passion burring through in every track and that what makes this band so special and still so important in 2025, most bands of this kind have mellowed our or changed their direction to the disgust of fans and reviewers, I can guarantee you if you played this to someone and told them it was this band 9th record they would only believe you because of the title! Truly breath-taking stuff.

As I have already said, I love Bleeding Through but wasn’t really 100% sure what to expect from this album, after all it has been 7 years since their last release, I seriously needn’t have worried one bit! They have returned and have delivered an album that slots perfectly into their body of work and could be picked out and listened to by anyone and not just a fan like me! In 2025 you could ask, what has Bleeding Through got to offer me that any other metalcore band hasn’t?, all I would do is sit you down and get you to listen to this album and then ask you to pick me a better release in the last 5 years and I guarantee you would struggle to!! 

This is an urgent, angry, unrelenting, uplifting and important album because it ushers back one of the most important metalcore acts of all time back to the top of their game and here’s hoping this continues for many more years to come. 10/10

Wednesday, 12 February 2025

A View From The Back Of The Room: Brant Bjork Trio (Joe Guatieri)

Brant Bjork & Earl Of Hell, Strange Brew, Bristol, 01.02.25



Stoner Rock has been one of my favourite genres for a long time now. Bristol has been spoiled over the past few years having seen bands like Fu Manchu, Slomosa, Mondo Generator, Nebula and Yawning Man all pass through. There are a couple of bands who have still eluded me though who knows what’s around the next corner…

Strange Brew has become the home of the weird and wonderful and on a chilly Sunday night, things were about to heat up. The Scottish rockers Earl Of Hell (9) opened the proceedings and I’ve been keeping a keen eye on them after they played with Alain Johannes at Exchange last year and they impressed then so I was excited to see them this time as well. 

They opened their set with a bang, having both technical prowess and an ear for the hook, something that everyone would enjoy. Combining classical influences like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin with a modern flair, reminding me of Made Of Teeth at times. This really makes me excited for the release of their self-titled debut album which comes out in April. I have to give massive credit to the sound technician for their set as well as for a five piece band, I could hear each individual element as clear as day, very well balanced.

Then at 9pm sharp, the room erupted as the Brant Bjork Trio (10) took to the stage consisting of absolute legends including the aforementioned Brant, Mario Lalli and Mike Amster. Starting smooth with the Cream inspired jam, Sunshine Is Making Love To Your Mind

I was caught in a trance from the beginning, dancing and head banging like a fool. I’ve seen so many gigs recently where bands were so intense and gritty but the Brant Bjork Trio gave me a different feeling which was just about having fun! The songs were upbeat and strung-out, it painted thoughts of lazy hot beach days but the playing was so not that way.

The band were on top form throughout, Mario especially looked like he was hitting every single note the bass had to offer to him, it was a beautiful sight. With Brant stretching the notes on his guitar as far as they could go, I always forget about how great of a player he is, massively underrated and Mike, he’s the master behind the kit and one of the heaviest hitters around. 

It’s disappointing in a way that Ryan Gut, the drummer who played on the album that the band was touring, Once Upon A Time In The Desert and with Stoner, couldn’t make this tour as he’s a brilliant musician but Mike is the perfect person to step in and make an impact.

My favourite song of the night was when the band played Low Desert Punk off of one of Brant’s solo albums, Jalamanta. It’s an anthem of the scene and one of the best songs that has ever been written in it. Played with all the style and grace of a king, it made me jump in the air with joy!

Overall, I was so glad that I finally got to see Brant Bjork in person for the very first time as well as Stoner Rock icons Mario Lalli and Mike Amster again. The thing that is always a worry about gigs like this is the level of expectancy. People who only came to see the band because of the Kyuss connection and only want to see Kyuss songs being played can ruin experiences because of their anger but we never got any of that. 

Everyone in the crowd was cool and polite and no unpleasantries were exchanged, it just goes to show that songs that are this good can stand on their own merits. Get a load of this man!

A View From The Back Of The Room: H.E.A.T (Debby Myatt & Tony Gaskin)

H.E.A.T. Art Nation & Chez Kane, KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton, 01.02.25


The invasion of the Swedes continues as we welcome the arrival of H.E.A.T. and Art Nation to these shores. But first we had some home grown talent in the shape of Welsh rocker Chez Kane (8) and her band.

Chez has an incredible voice and puts it to good use for this short set of 80’s inspired rock. Close your eyes and you are taken back to an era of the heavy aroma of hairspray, glitz, glamour and lycra. This is unashamedly a celebration of all those female rockers that had all the young men glued to their TV screens watching the latest videos on MTV from the likes of Femme Fatale, Vixen and Lita Ford.

Chez has a huge stage presence and voice to match and brings that 80’s glam bang up to date, I particularly liked the tracks Get It On and Powerzone which have a much more NWOCR feel to them. Great way to kick off the night.

And now for something completely different!

The lights are dimmer, the ambience is darker as Art Nation (8) take to the stage. There’s dramatic intro, building the tension, the band take their spots and we’re catapulted into a classic set of Scandinavian melodic power metal.
 
Opening track Brutal & Beautiful is marred by the technical issues plaguing singer Alexander Strandell’s mic, but they make light of it and play through it. The band are lively on stage as the power through quite a short set, just six songs, but what we do see is a band having fun despite the tech problems. 

They’ve definitely upped their game with their latest releases in anticipation of a new album. Thunderball is a power metal anthem and latest single Set Me Free is an instant classic. They look the part in their dark fantasy costume and make-up, I’d love to see these guys headline somewhere like Power Metal Quest Fest.

It’s unusual these days for a band to tour before a new album is released, but H.E.A.T. (9) are doing just that. With just one song released at the moment, the classic heavy melodic anthem we’ve come to expect from these guys in the form of the song Disaster, they’ve gone out on the road to drum up excitement for the impending release of their new album Welcome To The Future which is due out at the end of April and they open up with that first single.

The gremlins are really mucking about tonight as guitarist Dave Dalone loses all power to his board, and again the band make light of it, carrying on without the guitar for a while. Singer Kenny Leckremo keeps the crowd entertained when the problems persist and Jona Tee on keyboards has a bit of fun playing the intro to The Final Countdown which spontaneously leads the rest of the band and the crowd launching into Europe's classic. It’s a great moment and shows the experience and class of the band that they didn’t get flustered and continued to have fun with their fans.

Eventually the guitar issues are sorted and we get back on track with the band playing through a set list of crowd favourites, we even get time for Don Crash to show off his flair on the drums as well as his fabulous hair! They play most of their big favourites, Nationwide being a highlight with the huge Tearing Down The Walls closing out a special night.

Hopefully they’ll be back later on in the year after the festival season to share their new album with us. H.E.A.T have probably had to live in the shadow of Europe for many years, but this new stuff is strong, powerful and giving the band a new impetus, it’s finally their time to shine and it’s long overdue.

Tuesday, 11 February 2025

Reviews: Pothamus, Greybeards, Fvzz Popvli, Thlipsis (Mark Young, Dan Sierras, Rich Piva & Chris Tsintziras)

Pothamus - Abur (Pelagic Records) [Mark Young]

From one extreme to another!! It’s crazy to think of just how strong the releases have been so early in the year and I know that any mention of AOTY is probably met with an eye roll but we have what we have. And this one certainly touches down in that category.

This is one of those albums where you can go back to it repeatedly, as Pothamus bring you an enthralling and heady mix of sludge and tribal elements which as a description of what they sound like does them no justice at all. It is a massive release from the trio, which as their bio suggests moves them away from the conventional sound of others. 

In some respects, it’s almost like dance music in the way they are constructed with the pounding drums taking a central role in driving each song forward. Everything is built around them, the soundscapes continually expanding so that they are so much more than just Sludge. Or more than just this or just that, its an album which you just must sample and then go from there.

Zhikarta starts and its almost immediate in announcing that this is not going to be your typical release. The drumming that underpins everything is rock solid and carries it along as ethereal vocals swirl around it. Guitar is used as an embellishment instead of a hammer, and suddenly its finishing as Ravus continues in with that constant percussion ruling the day. 

Vocals are switched between cleans and grit and by now you are firmly entrenched on the journey that they have embarked on. This is music to sit and contemplate with, deeply textured and it demands your total concentration with it, lest you miss any of its wonder.

It also makes for a difficult review (poor me) in that anything I've said about those two songs basically repeats for the remainder of the album. Each track does follow a blueprint of sorts where like a painter they have an idea of what it should look like and then start to embellish the canvas in front of them. Its like this here and each one is a masterwork in bringing an atmosphere right into your ears. On Savartuum Avur, when heaviness kicks in with throat shredding vocals and an up-front guitar the landscape changes but the drums do not lose their place as being the central piece of this audio jigsaw. 

The last song, Abur takes all of this and gives you a 15-minute lesson in how to build and arrange a song. You could spend the first listen just entranced by Mattias M. Van Hulle’s drums which are just sublime. Its when you take your second or third walkthrough the rest becomes visible to you and I think that if you put that effort in with this then you will be rewarded on a deep level. In some respects, this song represents a crystal-clear version of sludge – it’s a long song, with repetitive music but it’s the way that they do it. It doesn’t feel like a long song at all and that is a testament to their ability.

Your appreciation of this will depend on how you take your extreme music. If you are looking for typical riffs, double bass, machine gun vocals of the clean and dirty variety then you will be disappointed. If you are looking for (or are a fan of) something that sits within the sludge circle (just) of a metal Venn diagram but offers a sonic landscape that is so much more, then you should try this. 9/10

Greybeards - Out Of The Red (Rexius Records) [Dan Sierras]


Swedish band Greybeards return with its EP Out or the Red, and to me, lead singer Olle Westlund seems to be dialing it up a notch on his vocals.

On their previous albums, Westlund seemed to yell much more (which wasn’t a bad thing) while singing, and in this EP he trying more to “sing”. I can hear much more vibrato in his vocals. Songs like When The Levee Breaks and Remember Me really showcase this.

This is a very polished band, and present that well on the tracks Holy Ghosts and Charade. Although the vocals are not similar, fans of Foo Fighters will probably dig a lot of what Greybeards have to offer. Finally, All Those Yesterdays dials it down a notch to close out this EP with a much more mellow track.

Overall, Out Of The Red is a solid offering for fans of radio rock ‘n’ roll. It’s nothing that really excites me, but there is definitely a future for this band if they can reach more of an audience. 7/10

Fvzz Popvli - Melting Pop (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich Piva]

Fvzz Popvli is tired of the same old same old. It even says so in their bio in the listing for their new record, delivered to us by Heavy Psych Sounds, Melting Pop:

“It’s not stoner, it’s not garage, it’s not punk, it’s not psych, it’s not even a traditional album. It’s melting, a blend of FVZZ POPVLI saying “screw the labels” and just going with the flow, all natural, like grown-ups with no preservatives.”

Cool. I am all for something going off the rails and creating a record so different that it leaves you wondering what happened. I am just not sure I feel that way about the eight songs on Melting Pop. Sure, they are a bit out there and not traditional stoner rock that they now seem to despise. The songs are really good, too. Is this something that is so fresh and new that I have never heard anything like it before? This is debatable.

I know the Rome, Italy band is not into labels, but I have to say something here so the reader can get a starting point, so I would call this record fuzzy garage psych rock. Temple Of Doom, the opener, is a great song, with all kinds of snotty punk energy to go along with all the fuzz. The trio sound great on the record and are super tight, despite me calling them “garage”. That is more the vibe and less the “sloppy” connotation that can go along with the label. 

Telephone is a very cool mid-tempo track with nice guitar work, dripping with psych goodness, and some harmonized (!) backup vocals. Salty Biscvits sounds like a combination of The Hives and The Dictators, which is a pretty cool formula. The garage label and MC5/Stooges vibes reign supreme on Erotik Fvel Pimp, leveraging that snotty punk side of the band. There is also this underlying Hanoi Rocks/80’s glam thing that I hear on just about every track, and it works for sure. The band has a pop sensibility to them, even if they want nothing to do with it. 

Take Kommando for instance. The melody will stay with you throughout the day, no matter how snotty the vocalist is trying to be in his delivery. Hey, you want the guys to doom it up a bit? Well, you can have the creepy Ovija for your enjoyment that also somehow sounds like The Beatles song The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill. Cop Sacher has this 90s vibe to it, especially during the “You’ll never catch me…” part. Oh yeah, there is a sax solo too. The Knight closes it out with snotty psych, which is what I am calling the band now, like it or not.

Is this record really good? Yes. Should you go into it thinking you have never heard anything like it before? No, because that would just be setting you up for disappointment. If you want some killer, fuzzy, heavy psych guitar rock with some serious pop sensibilities then the new one from Fvzz Popvli is for you. Snotty psych lives. 7/10

ΘΛΙΨΙΣ (Thlipsis) – Servants Of Apathy EP (FYCR) [Chris Tsintziras]

What we have here is another tremendous release from the well known Greek underground label Fucking Your Creation Records, they specialise in the underground, with a real focus on extreme metal. This new release is from a band is called ΘΛΙΨΙΣ (Thlipsis) and it is their new EP Servants Of Apathy. Though there are only three tracks: Servants Of Apathy, Laments Of A Dying Land and Ξυράφια Απελπισίας. Anger and rage floods the speakers from the beginning and we are beaten by very extreme style of metal. 

The guitars are furious and the fierce drums give the listener an understanding of what they are here to do. They are a band who according to their lyrics, are ready to take down everything that is rotten in this unfair world. As I listened to the album the clear favourite for me was Lament Of A Dying Land, but this doesn't mean the other tracks lack anything, it's just my stand out. Servants Of Apathy brings more aggression and political ideology on the FYCR label. 9/10

Reviews: VUKOVI, Call Me Amour, SABER, Inborn Suffering (Matt Bladen)

VUKOVI - My God Has Got A Gun (Sharptone Records)

Modern rock duo VUKOVI have traversed the globe on the back of an electrifying live show. On stage they are charged with excitement a d explosiveness, an all inclusive place to let loose and get lost in the music. Music that is incredibly personal to both Janine Shilstone (vocals) and Hamish Reilly (guitars), though very relatable with their audience, themes of love, the human condition, the environment and mental health are all filtered through bouncy, electro-tinged, modern rock that has fringes of metal.

My God Has Got A Gun is their fourth album but their debut on Sharptone. It seems them getting darker and heavier, their confessional lyrics put to huge metalcore influenced music. The Scottish duo have obviously been inspired by their most recent on stage ventures as this new record is bigger arguably than their last few, the tile track is cavernous but beats with a synthetic heart, there's orchestral backing on Fallen Beyond, Misty Ecstasy reminds me of Mindless Self Indulgence while Peel is highly Americanised and Kitty takes from J-Rock.

VUKOVI use albums to add new songs to their repertoire, now they're good on record but their live show is where they excel. These are going to sound huge. 7/10

Call Me Amour - Call Me Amour (Circular Wave Records)

An amalgamation of AFI and Papa Roach, Call Me Amour deliver their self titled EP. They're a new band with experienced members, HR (vocals), Danny Hall (guitars) and Geoff Murphy (drums) have played in multiple bands before this but walked away for different reasons.

They reconvened under the Call Me Amour banner and have set about creating electronically charged music with some anthemic choruses, drums you can pump your fist too and big guitar riffs that grab you with their hookiness on Good Day, a track that features Mikey Chapman of Mallory Knox joining on vocals.

This track is a clear future favourite but Call Me Amour can't help but write catchy tunes be it the percussive Where's The Chemistry or the twitching Bloom which features Scott Kennedy of Bleed From Within. Call Me Amour define what they want to be with this EP, expect them to be huge. 8/10

SABER - Lost In Flames/Without Warning Re-Release (ROAR-RPM)

L.A. NWOTHM band SABER return with their second album Lost In Flames. Their first for the newly formed ROAR-RPM label, who have also reissued their 2020 debut Without Warning too. Like fellow American NWOTHM acts such as Haunt and Visigoth, they play 80's inspired speed metal with blistering leads from Joel Dominguez as the rhythm guitars and bass from Jesus Delgado and David Sanchez gallops with a reckless intent.

It's standard speed metal worship but brings a smile to the face a s bend your fingers into some air guitar heroics. Singer Steve Villa has a histrionic scream and while Trevor William Church (Haunt) played drums on the debut, things have changed around Jesus Delgado now plays drums as Antonion Pettinato takes rhythm guitar and harmony guitars.

Once again the album was produced by Church and under his watch, Lost In Flames is sonically bigger than Without Warning, the debut had a more muffled analogue sound whereas this second record owes more to American 80's glam scene than the tougher UK scene. I think this will benefit SABER in the long run and could see SABER become a top player in the NWOTHM pantheon. 7/10

Inborn Suffering – Pale Grey Monochrome (Ardua Music)

The band name? Miserable, the album title? Miserable, the label? Known for carrying the best in death/funeral/doom. So there’s a good chance Pale Grey Monochrome isn’t an album for a sunny day. Inborn Suffering are a group from Paris and take ennui to whole new decibel levels with their return from the abyss. Sombre, sad and sobering, Pale Grey Monochrome is an album of gargantuan riffs, anguished vocals and plenty on influences from the Peaceville scene of the early 90’s.

Yep it’s death doom, music that laments the fact it has to exist, usually a forlorn experience weaving tales of woe around brief moments of melody sitting on top of long slow distorted guitar riffs, case in point here being From Lowering Tides or the acoustic section in the title track. Another acoustic moment comes on Of Loss And Despair which takes Chaplin’s speech from The Great Dictator and sets it to some classical strumming. 

At times blissful, at others punishing, it’s this merging of the two sounds that gives Pale Grey Monochrome a cinematic quality, a bleak cinematic quality though like a black and white French film without the silence but with the same longing and regret. Inborn Suffering haven’t released an album of new music since 2012 but they don’t seem to have lightened up at all, of course this perfect for death doom as the world gets darker and crazier than ever, there’s plenty to be terrified of, Inborn Suffering have the soundtrack. 7/10

Monday, 10 February 2025

Reviews: The Hellacopters, Hexjakt, Volt Ritual, Rats Of Gomorrah (Rich Piva, Matt Bladen, Dan Sierras & Chris Tsintziras)

The Hellacopters - Overdriver (Nuclear Blast Records) [Rich Piva]

The Hellacopters have been doing their garage rock thing since the mid-1990s, combining their love of bands like Kiss with early punk like The Damned, The Sex Pistols, and The Ramones, with some Motorhead and Blue Cheer sprinkled in to create a sound that, along with The Hives, created the so-called Swedish Garage Rock Revival. 

Starting out as a side project for some of the members, the band has developed a huge following and have been considered one of the best bands playing this style over the past few decades. The band went on hiatus until 2022 when they released Eyes Of The Oblivion to mixed reviews, mostly due to a change in their sound. Their new record, Overdriver, is more of the same, and if you liked that one you should have no issues with this one.

What I mean by a change in sound could also be described as a maturity. The earlier albums were definitely more dangerous and raw sounding. The newer material is more Cheap Trick, less the Stooges. I personally have time for both. 

The production is clean, there are key sprinkled throughout the record nicely, and the songs are all catchy as hell, like the opener, Token Apology. Fellow catchy band The Smithereens come to mind with a track like (I Don’t Wanna Be) Just A Memory, with some of that Cheap Trick included too. 

Wrong Face On may be my favourite track, as it has an upbeat garage tempo with some organ thrown in, bringing at least some of that rawer sound you may want from the band. There a few tracks that I just don’t connect with, like the meh Soldier On and the almost hair band sounding Doomsday Dreams, which sounds like what Hanoi Rocks may sound like today if they were able to keep going. 

The eleven tracks flow nicely and never overstay their welcome, but there is not enough grit on this record to grab me and the production is way to slick for anything that should have a “garage” tag.

Nothing really made Overdirver stand out for me. The Hellacopters are still around and that is cool, and I can’t fault a band for their sound maturing, but I just am having trouble connecting with the material and differentiating it from a ton of other bands playing straight ahead, catchy rock today. 6/10

Hexjakt – Hexjakt (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]


Four tracks of fuzzy, sludgy doom from Sweden as Hexjakt deliver their self-titled album. Comprised of Hampus Henningsson (guitar/vocals), Toni Åkerman (bass/vocals) and Dan Nordin (drums), I guess the comparison you could make would be to a band such as Conan. 

A trio making the noise of ten. With only one song under 7 minutes, Hexjakt don’t get to their destinantionn quickly but on their way they steamroller through anything that was there. With that kind of name you can expect some summoning of the occult ala Electric Wizard, raw, shouted vocals calling for the “rites of flame” on Rites Of Fire, the repeating riff getting your head nodding. 

It’s a rugged sonic topography, traversing huge chasms of heaviness and climbing to the highest peaks to fall back down again. There’s a dark existentialism to their lyrics, giving them the atmosphere on Thunderous Skies as Neurosis, hypnotic rhythms and mind-warping riffs. Hexjakt play abrasive doom metal, though they can pay homage as Valley Of The Dead is classic Sabbath/Candlemass worship. Doom fans rejoice as Hexjakt bring the riffs. 7/10

Volt Ritual - Swamp Lake City (Self Released) [Dan Sierras]

Volt Ritual, a heavy rock/doom metal trio out of Poland, pack a punch on their two track EP Swamp Lake City. Filled with heavy riffs, this banger is sure to please fans of the genre.

The first track The Giant Awakes opens up with a heavy/space rock vibe. Coming in at just under seven minutes, they change the tempo a few times, but never lose the groove. Then with about a minute and a half, they just rip into it! This is a great song.

Miasto Wśród Bagien is the second track that doesn’t lack in the heavy department as well, even though I can understand a word their singing. It starts off with a great riff and about three minutes in, they change pace and the low end kicks in with a sick bass riff, leading into a nice guitar solo. Then they pick right back up with some great drum fills to close out this monster of a track.

My only disappointment with this EP is that it’s too short. Volt Ritual will leave you wanting more. It’s a great taste of what this trio has to offer. 8/10

Rats Of Gomorrah – Infectious Vermin (Testimony Records) [Chris Tsintziras]

Guitarist and vocalist Daniel Stelling and drummer Moritz Paulsen release another album under the band name Rats of Gomorrah, it's called Infectious Vermin and you can guess how it sounds.

Listening to this ferocious death metal album, I realized that the band play death that is very similar to many bands but in their own way so it sounds fresh. With a title called Infectious Vermin, the album underlines themes such as the degradation of society, oppression and betrayal, makes this album a strong music statement towards social plague. 

The songs are characterized by deadly razor riffs, intense death vocals that are often deep growls. Infectious Vermin is a heavy experience but Tower, Ropes And Knives stands out as the best one for me. For metalheads who dive into death metal music with a lot of brutality, Infectious Vermin will get you on board enjoying the death trip. 7/10

Friday, 7 February 2025

Reviews: Pathogenic, Majestica, Tayne, Sarkasm (Mark Young & Matt Bladen)

Pathogenic - Crowned In Corpses (Skepsis Recordings) [Mark Young]

From one extreme to another, Pathogenic come bringing some tech death goodness to warm the ears and befuddle the brain. Its straight in with Mass Grave Memory, which is just sublime. It is heavy and filled with an intensity in its approach that just grabs and doesn’t let go. It combines that required thrill factor whilst sounding fresh and they themselves state that it is their declaration of modern metal. For me, it hits in the exact way that this music should – hard, demanding that you get onboard or get out of the way and its even more remarkable that this is only the third album from a band that has been around since 2004. 

New Rot is next and has a build that is designed to blow minds. The first 50 or seconds are mesmerising, and once it settles down it becomes the soundtrack for an incoming storm where all will be laid waste in its path. I mention this quite a bit, but if a song can spark me wanting to actually play it then they are doing something well and New Rot does that. All of this good work with the music would be for naught if they didn’t have a vocal delivery to match and in Jake Burns, they have just that. Just when you think that this is just going to be a straightforward assault, they drop in a quality lead break in just to show that they are equally as adept at that side of things too.

And it gets better, Dead But Not At Rest has an almost gentle feel to it with an opening acoustic passage that soon turns heavy. This in itself isn’t new, but the way they change it again at 1 minute 30 into this rampaging beast is breath-taking. The guitars feel like they are coming from every angle, and the drumming is just amazing in how it keeps it all together. The breakdown here is massive and they way they have changed lanes in just three minutes is something else. And the lead? Forget it, just a face-melter of the highest standard. Its three songs in and I’m hoping that they can keep this going for the remaining five.

In a word – Yes.

Exiled From The Abyss is looowwww, with the use of keys to give it that expansive sound which is something that you will have heard elsewhere. As they have said its their interpretation of what modern is and given their desire to cross lanes at will and it sounds good, but not as good as the three leading to it. The lead is again exceptional but I’m not sure that this is too modern in the same way that certain sounds date music almost immediately after release. Obviously, this is just personal opinion and putting that to one side it still crushes. 

Fragments picks that baton up and lumbers into view and just to subvert your expectations once again, they eschew the grit for what could almost be described as choral vocal. This is their magnum opus on here, going full on into space rock with harmonies that come straight from Dr Brian May and ill stand by that statement all day long (and twice on Sunday). The solo’s leading up to here have been spot on, but on this they just take flight and checking online, its down to Chris Gardino. Take a bow, Son (obviously, if this is incorrect, the boss will sort it in the final edit) because that solo is exceptional. The outro is pure Tron (check out the original kids) and I can’t say enough about how good this song is.

Crowned In Corpses starts like they have wired some unfortunate up the mains and are giving him some electro treatment and we are back into the dirt and grime, dropping low once again as this one stomps its way into your skull and once that’s done they do it all again with murderous intent on Drag Your Crosses which is just brutal.

Silicon Regime is their closing statement and in the same way that the longer length of Fragments gave them room to breathe and spread out, it’s a similar arrangement here. For me, it coalesces everything into one spot – the melodic touches, crushing riffs, the eye for detail in how everything sits together and above all else, making it fly. There has been some astounding music dropped so far in 2025 and these have just popped up and said ‘have a blast of this’. 

Looping back to their comment about modern metal, I think with this album you have a benchmark for what it should sound like but more importantly have the songs to back that sound up. This is a colossal release, and if this translates live then it will cause absolute carnage. 10/10

Majestica - Power Train (Nuclear Blast Records) [Matt Bladen]


In 2019 Tommy Johansson (then with Sabaton) finally found a way to show Majestica, formerly known as ReinXeed, to a larger audience, releasing a debut album, then a Christmas album, all to great acclaim. Power Train is the second record under the Majestica banner and it's another 10 track symphonically driven power metal record, which is inspired by the likes of Rhapsody. Johansson's vocals come from the Helloween school, while his guitars link in with Petter Hjerpe's for some speedy melodic power metal, widdly solos and galloping riffs.

Battle Cry for instance runs at a rate of knots, though My Epic Dragon is faster, full Rhapsody myth and majesty. Much of the album is whizzy with the choirs/orchestral elements from the Christmas album rolling over into this one, fusing with the power metal of the debut, which can be heard properly on Megatrue a slow chest beater with Chris Davidsson (bass) and Joel Kollberg (drums). Victorious brings Stratovarius cinematics while Go Higher has 80's synth elements.

The one thing I found with Power Train is that a few of the songs at the beginning of the album all sound quite similar, maybe this is because of the crystalline production or the sound of the guitars but I did think one or two of the tracks were the same one repeated. Still it's power metal, there's only so many song about dragons you can write right? Majestica do power metal well, cheesy and silly it'll get you smiling if nothing else. 7/10

Tayne - Love (MNRK Heavy) [Matt Bladen]

UK trio Tayne are an experienced live a act, having supported the likes of Health, Author & Punisher and Greg Puciato already without a debut album so now they have one and it's heavily inspired by industrial metal pioneers such as Nine Inch Nails and Ministry along with more recent acts like Health and ††† (Crosses). Masterminded by Matt Sutton (bass/vocals), Tom Hancock (guitar) and Paul Traveller (drums)

It's an album that deals with love, how we define it, chase it and how it defines us, written during a period of dissociation, Matt found himself writing about his experiences but they reflected his father's experiences too. Matt's parents split when he was younger, his father coming out as a gay man after this are all part of the journey of this record, the music reflecting both of their experiences with love.

The duality of these stories comes through in the album cover, a black metal logo coloured with silver and pink, and the music does the same, thumping electro pop, paired with metallic industrial drive. Matt is an extreme metal fan and while his vocals are light and poppy, the trio have brought in Rolo Tomassi’s James Spence on Fear and Cage Fight’s Rachel Aspe on Coherent to bring the growls and screams.

Love is an album that, twitches, thumps, swaggers and swirls, industrial metal that owes so much to Mr Reznor and co, tracks such as In This Trend are fed by electronic drumbeats, Down is all fuzzy as Scars is just the sort of thing Tayne will become known for, anthemic industrial metal with emotive vocals. Love is a dynamic debut from Tayne well worth your time. 8/10

Sarkasm - Carnival Of Atrocities (Xtreem Music) [Mark Young]

And we say adios to the longest month ever and run straight into February where the new releases keep on coming. Next up is Canada’s Sarkasm who release their second full length album Carnival Of Atrocities. The band themselves have been going since 1990 with a couple of breaks in between and it’s safe to say that I didn’t expect them to play as hard as they have on here. Its that blend of death and thrash metal which whilst delivering the sort of instant aggressive music that we (those who primary source of metal is this) find so enthralling. It has an unmistakable feel to it, one that is born from the thrash heyday of the mid 80’s to the early 90’s and is full of riffs that are delivered in that direct manner.

I Am Chaos is boot off point with a semi-acoustic pattern that is ripped out of the way by some super tight trem picking and we are off. Just by listening to the first minute or so you know exactly what you are going to get so if you don’t like that then the rest will not be to your liking. If this is your bag, then you will be happy to know that you get 8 songs of equal quality, all of which are dropped with the energy of a band that is just starting out on their journey.

That blend of death/thrash is captured so well, take the Blast/Trem into traditional thrash on Echoes Of Hyperion which transitions seamlessly from one to another, the outgoing riffs in which they drop a classically thrash slide (listen to it, you will get what I mean straight away) and it fits perfectly. The slight discordant touch on Disintegrate is again another class motif whilst Cold Empty Rooms calls up the spirit of Testament for a down and brutal exercise in how this style should be played.

There is a deep groove on display on Ex Umbris and an unbelievable chug to it that is just quality and final track Dead Weight brings the frenzied trem picking back for a final throw down. They end on the almost exact same note as the opener, frantic riffs which propel everything forward at a satisfactory speed. What you have here is the sort of music that is designed for giving you ringing ears and a knackered neck when these are performed live.

So, in terms of reviewing it I can tell you that it has everything you could possibly want from this style of music; down picking, palm muting, double bass bashing and riffs for days which guarantees a good time for fans. Did I mention triplets? I love triplets and to me they still represent a feeling of speed and power when playing the guitar and through that there is a visceral thrill to this music as well as a reminder of when it was new and exciting. Which obviously leads me into a ‘but’….

For those whose extreme musical intake does not place this genre on the pedestal that some do, who were born well after the golden period had fizzled out into grunge then nu-metal and possibly look to this style as being old and tired, and I suppose that if you look to those bands that are associated with it, Slayer have gone, Megadeth blow hot and cold and Metallica have tried to recapture that spark but can’t seem to find the edit button to trim any fat from their albums which results in collective yawns for those who just don’t get why they were massive in the first place. 

Don’t let your opinion of those bands put you off. This is not tired music, this is energetic, aggressive and does exactly what it says on the tin. 7/10

Reviews: SAOR, Obscura, Sidewinder, Di'Aul (Matt Bladen, Mark Young, GC & Dan Sierras)

 SAOR - Amidst The Ruins (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]

Andy Marshall returns with yet more 'Caledonian Metal' from the mists of the rugged, mystical Scottish landscape his project SAOR has been carving a niche for itself since 2013.

This is the sixth album from SAOR and with his sound fully established now there's an expectation of what it will sound like but this is always quickly washed away by the scope and beauty of each release. The core of SAOR's music is black metal, atmospheric black metal at that, influenced by the likes of Winterfylleth and Agalloch, similarly to both bands writing and composing music that uses the landscape itself as a source of greatest inspiration.

Amidst The Ruins sees them again in epic mood, Marshall again handling all composition, writing and instrumentation, this is a musical trail through the wild, barren beauty of Scotland through the folklore and ancient traditions but comparing and contrasting them with modern issues and how many reflect each other and how you can find solace in one away from the other. Conceptual in nature, SAOR's albums and live shows are like sacred rituals carrying the spirits of the ancestors channelled though the music Marshall creates. He is no longer alone, on record or live, he is the harsh vocals, tremolo picking, the furious black metal blasts, as well as the triumphant synth moments and clean croons add the duality. 

Marshall is joined by Carlos Vivas behind the kit, the percussive heart of this ceremony as Ella Zlotos adds the wind instruments for those Celtic phases. By wind instruments I mean Tin Whistles, Low Whistles and Uillean Pipes, the main triumvirate used in traditional Celtic music and the driving force behind Glen Of Sorrow. Ella also provides the beautiful female vocals too, the haunting whispers from the Glens and Highlands. As any classical music fan knows, SAOR can really be classed as a classic music act with metal trappings, you can't have wind instruments without strings and the strings here come from Miguel Izquierdo's viola, Samuel C. Ledesma's cello, Àngela Moya Serrat violin, the string arrangements are wondrous, a vivid compliment to the metallic and the Celtic folk.

On the dissonant, spectral The Sylvan Embrace, the brooding but shortest song here features a guest cello performance from the magnificent as always Jo Quail. Amidst The Ruins is the crowning achievement in the SAOR catalogue to date. An exhilarating journey through the history of Scotland's landscape, stunning. 10/10

Obscura - A Sonication (Nuclear Blast Records) [Mark Young]

And now a touch of German technical metal from Obscura, who drop a high-level 7th album in A Sonication via those lovely buggers at Nuclear Blast. Now, this is a band that has not been on my radar in anyway since their inception in the early 2000’s but that has certainly changed.

They waste no time at all in getting your attention as Silver Linings blows forth, mixing in some heads down riffola with virtuosity. The way they set it up in terms of battering you with high octane rhythms and the slower sections that show off those face-melting leads and melodic parts in one exceptional album opener. And while you could argue that it isn’t ground-breaking in terms of what it is, what you cannot argue with is how good it sounds and by extension the gusto in which they attack it. 

That technical feel is writ large on Evenfall in the way the bass takes a central role, setting it up for the whole band to come with a massive wall of sound. I have to say that listening with a decent set of earphones makes a difference as you hear all of the little moves each instrument makes as it navigates its way to the end. Like Silver Linings, it’s a showcase for their respective talents but is delivered in a way that engages as opposed to being technical just because they can.

In Solitude comes back with a punchy pace and a stunning drum performance from James Stewart who is on fire here. This is one of those tracks that rages in the right places and coupled with a shorter run time is just the sort of frenzied blast required to keep that engagement level high and then they go and punch harder with The Prolonging, which delivers a 2-minute masterclass in melodic technical attack.

Obviously, they have to go and ruin it by dropping an instrumental in there with Beyond The Seventh Sun (That is a joke, just in case) which gives them a near 5-minute platform to show off their skills and to be fair after the songs leading up to it I can forgive them. Normal service is resumed on Stardust, as they tear through what is another high-class arrangement from them. 

Some bands after dropping an instrumental half-way in lose some of that momentum or intensity but that is not the case here. It is like they have reset but without losing any of that energy built previously. Its machine built in its precision, with each part of it put together with an eye on what came before so that it fits perfectly. It has the riffs, the leads and a quality vocal performance from Steffen Kummerer who has the prerequisite grit to counter any clean parts of their sound.

The Sun Eater is just royal, a stomping riff set that brings a level of brutality to proceedings and some low vocals too. Its probably the most straight forward song here which works in their favour and shows that they are at home in bringing some quality death metal into the equation and once it finishes, we are left with the title track, A Sonication

I think you always look to the last song to deliver, and with this they are more than up to the task. This is where they have taken every good thing on here and put it in one spot. It is a blitzkrieg that combines not just speed, but stylistic intent too which is focused on making this final track the best it can be. Some of the work on this is breath-taking and weighing it up against the album as a whole represents the band in one song.

This is an album that should appeal to a massive cross-section of genre fans (ok, apart from Doom fans) as it has everything that is a joy about extreme metal. I’ll repeat what I said earlier about it not being ground-breaking because it has been done before. What I would like to say is that there are not many who can do it as well as Obscura who make it an essential listen. You must check this out and then after that, buy a ticket to their tour too because I reckon that these songs played in a live scenario would be something else. 9/10

Sidewinder - March Of The Eternal Heretic EP (Self Released) [GC]

When you think of thrash, the Bay Area springs to mind, the ‘’Big Four’’ and various other things one thing I guarantee you don’t instantly think of Leeds do you? Well, Sidewinder wants to put a stop to this with their latest release, March Of The Eternal Heretic. I can freely admit that thrash is very, very hit and miss for me, so I go into this hoping they can convince me otherwise!

It all starts off promisingly enough on Two, Zero, One with its slow and measured build up it doesn’t scream thrash metal but it doesn’t take long to explode into life and its got everything you need to make a good thrash track, its got all the groove, it’s got fast sharp riffs and plenty of thundering drums that all amount to a fun listen overall and a decent way to kick things off! 

March Of The Eternal Heretic has so many elements of one of those ‘’Big Four ‘’ bands you think this could be and unreleased Slayer track, granted probably not from peak era, but certainly one of their latter day releases, and there is an undoubted hardcore tone in the music also and look they wear their influences on their sleeves here for sure and it pays off in a way but I just cant help but just think, I have heard this so many times before, it doesn’t really shine as much as it should, shame really?! 

From Beneath They Shall Rise keeps the pace fast and the riffs tumble forward with out a care in the world and the little two-step rhythm they thrown in here is a real highlight from the song but once again it all just sound so familiar, if you like everything to sound like something you have heard before then that’s good but of course if you want to hear something new then maybe this isn’t such good news, I get that thrash has rules and codes or whatever but I want it to sound different and interesting also this song is about 2 minutes longer than it needs to be. 

Ashes Of Reality takes note of the point I just made and is a nice way to round things off, it again has all the elements that make thrash vital and interesting, and parts of this song are absolutely killer and some parts are just good and the guitar solo that they throw in is executed brilliantly and overall it’s a good way to end this EP.

So? Is this likely to add Leeds as a go to destination for thrash metal? Unfortunately, I don’t think so, what I heard I enjoyed but at the same time it never really blew my mind, everything was well played and sounded good but ultimately, have I heard it all before? Yes! Overall, March Of The Eternal Heretic is worth a listen if you don’t expect too much from it!? 6/10

Di’Aul - Eva Ave (Minotauro Records) [Dan Sierras]

Out of Milan, the quartet of Di’Aul return with its third full length LP, Eva Ave. A slow burn, sludgy-doom laden album that failed to capture my attention.

While this album may be a hit with fans of the genre, it just didn’t resonate with me. The opener Duende really didn’t leave anything to be desired for my tastes. Kind of a slow paced song that picks up towards the end. The next two tracks Tar Wing and Mad Dalena just kind of blend into each other. Unfortunately (for me) much of the same for the rest of the album.

Even though this album didn’t appeal to me, Di’Aul has been around since 2010 making music. Heck, they have released three LPs and a handful of EPs, so obviously they’re doing something right. 5/10