Reviews: Killswitch Engage, Yawning Balch, Enbound, Caballero (GC, Rich Piva, Matt Bladen & Liam Williams)

Killswitch Engage - This Consequence (Metal Blade Records) [GC]

If you think back to the mid/late 00’s and the huge metalcore boom that happened described as ‘’The New Wave Of American Heavy Metal’’ there was a massive influx of bands that you either could ignore or take on board, one of, if not the main name form that movement was undoubtedly Killswitch Engage, they were EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME! Between their formation in 1999 till now they have released 8 albums that in my opinion have wildly varied in quality but when they hit their stride there aren’t many better at what they do, so on album number 9: This Consequence do they still have what it takes?

Abandon Us kicks things off and shows that the anger is still there with some familiar sounding twin guitar work, dusted with pitch harmonics & soloing and of course the huge anthemic chorus that lets Jesse leach grab hold of your heart strings and pull hard, yet even with all this it just feels like a bit of a tame start? Discordant Nation feels more like a band trying to prove a point and it’s a driving and urgent song that still manages to throw in the lighter vocals and mix that in with the relentless and forward-thinking song it’s a match made in heaven and probably would have served better as the album opener!!? 

Aftermath has a slow build up and builds towards yet another massive chorus that you can feel directly hitting your soul, Jesse has talked recently about his struggles with confidence and other issues, on this song he should have absolutely no worries as it’s a stunning vocal performance, backed by an emotional and stirring band performance after this we get Forever Aligned which is peak KSE, this song has everything that made this band the behemoth it is today, razor sharp guitars full of groove and rhythms so catchy you need to listen to them repeatedly to appreciate their brilliantness backed by yet another out of this world vocal performance, I am flabbergasted that Jesse ever questioned his ability because the performance he gives here covers me in me goosebumps, it is fucking spectacular and I cannot wait to hear it live! 

To then have the nerve to follow this up with a track as immense as I believe is just downright rude because to have one track as good as what has just been is brilliant but to then follow it up with something better is just unbelievable really! Absolutely every second of this song is pure perfection, the mellower tempo and structure cover everything in a blanket of comforting brilliance and the mix of Adam and Jess’s vocals are once again beyond description and when they sound like this it’s clear to see just why they got where they are today, jaw droppingly good stuff!! Where It Dies struggles to follow on, but most tracks would really, it’s a decent enough attempt at a thrashy, stompy track and harks back to the early days of their sound but for me it just somehow lacks the delivery that would really take it to another level. 

Collusion sort of follows the same route and feels like a mid-album track as it doesn’t feel like it is leading anywhere and is just mishmash of everything you have already heard and would expect but without ever really doing very much. The Fall Of Us kicks back into gear and throws the mid-paced shackles off with aplomb, powerful drums push the song forward backed by the usual skilful guitars and of course the real star of the album so far are the vocals and here they fit perfectly around everything, and it feels like we are back on track.

With Broken Glass the uplift is instantly stopped as this is just a bit of a weird one, its just a mid-tempo crawl that never really lifts out of first gear there is an attempt to get going about halfway through but its just sort of drags on and on without really ever doing very much and when its over I’m not sure what the point of this track was? But straight away Requiem brings us back into the room with its galloping guitar passages backed up by another thrilling drum performance that is the solid backbone of the song, there is a lot more of Adam’s vocals on show on this track and it’s a nice way to change things up but of course when Jesse is leading the song sounds superb, and closes the album on a breath-taking high.

So? Do Killswitch Engage still have what it takes to be a force in today’s metal scene, 26 years after they have formed and now 9 albums into their career? The answer is an emphatic yes! This album has everything that makes Killswitch Engage great, it has melody, heaviness, power, emotion and most of all a career high vocal performance for Jesse Leach, who at times sounded out of this world! Are there some parts that don’t hit the mark? Of course there are but the majority of This Consequence is flawlessly executed and hits every mark you want for a great metalcore record from one of the pioneers of this genre. An absolute must listen. 9/10

Yawning Balch - Volume 3 (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich Piva]

Volume 3 of the Yawning Balch project is more of the same. 

Now, in certain scenarios this would be a knock on the record, but in this case, it is not, because the two previous volumes have been amazing instrumental desert psych led by one of the two busiest men in heavy rock, Bob Balch of Fu Manchu fame and maybe a couple hundred other projects over the last few years. 

Balch is beloved in the stoner/desert scene and is one of the best players out there, period. With YB he partners up with the killer Yawning Man and create epic soundscapes leveraging all of the super skilled players to create the soundtrack to your trippy desert adventure.

Volume 3 is made up of two tracks, both awesome. The Taos Hum is a bit over 20 minutes and transforms you to the desert, where shit just isn’t as it seems. Balch and the YM crew have perfect chemistry, never playing over one another and melting together perfectly. This never feels like 20 minutes, more like half that, and never does it drag. Balch’s work is amazing as usual, and shows he can play any style out there. 

The relatively shorter Winter Widow (14 minutes) is just as great, highlighted by Balch but never overpowered by him. The song flows perfectly, like a stream you find after wandering the desert for hours, that appears just to quench your thirst.

You could listen to all three volumes of the Yawning Balch project and just drift away, getting lost in all of the awesomeness these guys bring. Let’s hope YB don’t stop at three and keep giving us this amazing music to float through life with. 8/10

Enbound - Set It Free (Embrace The Fear) [Matt Bladen]

Melodic metal from Sweden, we've had quite a bit of this recently and Enbound look to bring a bit more of it with their third album Set It Free. 

It's the first album to feature new singer Toby and new guitarist Andy joining band founders Swede (bass) and Mike Cameron (drums/keys), both make an impact as Toby's voice fits well with the emotive, anthemic music Enbound create with ballads such as You Never Walk Alone and the more metallic sounds such as Assaulted Taste or electronic-tinged Extreme.

So the membership may have changed but the influences are still the same, it's Kamelot, Serenity and even some Sonata Arctica. Again they have brought in Jacob Hansen to master the album and have Linnéa Wikström (Therion/Kamelot) again bring some powerful vocals to meet Toby's. 

She's not the only guest though as previous singer Lee Hunter sticks around to pass the mic over to Toby on Actors and keyboard legend Kevin Moore brings his skills to final track Leave Them To The Night.

There's a lot of progressive metal that comes on Overload, with lots of synths beneath the muscular melodic metal. Set It Free comes from the darker side of the melodic metal sound but continues to impress even with the change in membership. 8/10

Caballero - Caballero (Gates Of Hell Records) [Liam Williams]

Finnish metal band Caballero release their debut self-titled album. A debut album for any new band/artist is such a monumental step in their careers. Now, very rarely does a bands first full-length release propel them to overnight success. Most debuts are very rough around the edges, and it’s expected to have a few mistakes here and there. 

Unfortunately this is one of those examples where a debut album kind of falls flat on it’s face. As a result, this review will be short. No track break downs, I’ll just be saying what I liked and what I think didn’t work in the hopes that the band might read this and take some notes for their next effort.

I’ll be honest, there’s a lot less things I liked compared to disliked with this album, but let’s start with the positives. The guitars absolutely carried this album for me. Good riffs, some nice solos and the few acoustic parts were pretty decent. The instrumental sections were pretty good too. I did like the last track of the album, they definitely saved the best ‘til last. Now moving on to what didn’t work... Unfortunately the mixing is pretty bad overall. I think the guitars got the most amount of love and attention but the drums really suffered here. They sound too quiet and not quite punchy enough for a heavy metal band. The drums also felt off in some parts. 

There’s a few moments where I noticed a missing beat here and there. There’s also parts where they don’t keep in rhythm with the guitars and bass very well. There’s a couple of riffs and solos which were a little bit sloppy, but as I said earlier, the guitars are easily the best part of the album. Now, it’s time to talk about the vocals. I’ll be brutally honest, I really really didn’t like the vocals. While not infuriating, they are generally disappointing. I think they could have done a much better job, or maybe find someone else to take over in that department. The songs could have been a lot stronger with some more attention put into improving the vocals.

I really hope this band can turn things around for their next release (if you’re reading this guys, I really want you to make me eat my words). Underneath the rough parts, they do have some solid ideas which could push them to that next level. They just need to focus on finding their footing and maybe take a bit more time with the mixing and production for their next release. So in summary, a bit of a rough start, but I hope that doesn’t deter them from doing what they love and I’m sure they'll improve as they go along! 4/10