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.
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.
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
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
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