Since reuniting with their original singer Kenny Leckremo on their previous album in 2022, H.E.A.T seem to have been given a new lease of life, taking their place at melodic rocks top table.
The Swedish band's last album saw them get back on track with a sound that is "modern retro" heavily influenced by the AOR/melodic rock sounds of the 80's but with 21st Century production skills and performances that have been honed through touring doggedly.
Those retro themes come on The End which is very Journey-like especially the keys and the guitar tone, (think Separate Ways). The Journey influence has always been strong with H.E.A.T and here it's quite potent as keyboard player Jona Tee is the main songwriter on most of these tracks, it is a collaborative effort though meaning that there's other styles present here too.
The slightly sleazy Tear It Down (R.N.R.R.) has the big backing vocals of Def Leppard while Rock Bottom draws from both Leppard and from Europe, another band who are a major influence on the music of H.E.A.T, be it their 80's melodic rock heyday or the bluesier modern era, you know where they sound like Whitesnake, the same way H.E.A.T do on Bad Time For Love.
Keeping their fires burning it seems there's no cooling off for H.E.A.T, Welcome To The Future of these modern melodic rock titans. 8/10
Game Over - Face The End (Scarlet Records) [Simon Black]
Italy’s Thrashmeisters have been ripping people’s faces off very effectively since 2014’s Burst Into The Quiet ripped the world a new one back in 2014. Their discography really runs the gamut of the history of the original Thrash movement I grew up with in the 80’s, starting as a raw and energetic four piece whose song writing and production values moved and evolved fast over their first five albums, much as its influential progenitors did as they hacked their way out of the underground and broke the movement into major label mainstream territory.
Album number six is a big jump for them, and fortunately a hugely positive one. 2024 saw the departure of founding bassist / vocalist Renato Chiccoli, with his role being expanded into a full five piece with newcomers Danny Schiavina on vocals and Leo Molinari on bass. The richer, more commercial sound they pushed forward with 2023’s Hellframes is added to significantly here, whilst recovering some of the frenetic energy of their earlier records.
The challenge of any vocalist trying to deliver melodies whilst keeping the Thrash rhythms brutally moving forwards frequently sees the delivery of the two melody lines rolling together in staccato fashion (even the best such as Tom Arya struggled with this, at least to start with), but separating the two players frees both musical elements up and allows them to expand.
Keeping their fires burning it seems there's no cooling off for H.E.A.T, Welcome To The Future of these modern melodic rock titans. 8/10
Game Over - Face The End (Scarlet Records) [Simon Black]
Italy’s Thrashmeisters have been ripping people’s faces off very effectively since 2014’s Burst Into The Quiet ripped the world a new one back in 2014. Their discography really runs the gamut of the history of the original Thrash movement I grew up with in the 80’s, starting as a raw and energetic four piece whose song writing and production values moved and evolved fast over their first five albums, much as its influential progenitors did as they hacked their way out of the underground and broke the movement into major label mainstream territory.
Album number six is a big jump for them, and fortunately a hugely positive one. 2024 saw the departure of founding bassist / vocalist Renato Chiccoli, with his role being expanded into a full five piece with newcomers Danny Schiavina on vocals and Leo Molinari on bass. The richer, more commercial sound they pushed forward with 2023’s Hellframes is added to significantly here, whilst recovering some of the frenetic energy of their earlier records.
The challenge of any vocalist trying to deliver melodies whilst keeping the Thrash rhythms brutally moving forwards frequently sees the delivery of the two melody lines rolling together in staccato fashion (even the best such as Tom Arya struggled with this, at least to start with), but separating the two players frees both musical elements up and allows them to expand.
The consequence is a solidity to the rhythm that is little short of monolithic, with Schiavina able to focus on being the front man as well as the singer. Which he does incredibly well. For my money his vocal talents improve on the past significantly, adding more of a lower end, powerful vibrato roar, whilst still scaling the octaves well, which evokes Testament’s Chuck Billy. He’s a powerful addition to the lineup and has shifted things up several notches from what was to start with, a really solid baseline.
In the age of short attention spans, it’s an absolute delight to pick up a record that rockets past in this way and which without thinking I found myself replaying several times end to end before remembering that I really ought to start writing something down.
In the age of short attention spans, it’s an absolute delight to pick up a record that rockets past in this way and which without thinking I found myself replaying several times end to end before remembering that I really ought to start writing something down.
No-one wants a Thrash album to linger around too much, and the ten brutally delivered, melodically effective and perfectly crafted songs on here can never be accused of that. The guitar interplay is fluid and superbly delivered, the songs clearly differentiated style and pace-wise and are over in thirty-four short minutes.
This is very traditional melodic Thrash which has enough commercial polish to turn almost any metal head around, and I really find myself wondering how this will come over live, although sadly this is one of many acts who don’t seem to play the UK much, but who definitely should. This is a huge step forwards for a band who were pretty darned fine to start with. More please… 9/10
Phantom - Tyrants Of Wrath (High Roller Records) [Thomas Megill Jr]
Phantom wasted no time as they've released their second album only a year and change after their debut. Tyrants Of Wrath was unleashed to the world through High Roller Records. This is a very diverse album, a lot of elements of all types of metal. To be clear, this is clearly a thrash album, but with flavours of Norwegian Black Metal, Power Metal and sprinkles of death metal. It almost sounds like you blackened Judas Priest's sound and interchanged King Diamond and a young Tom Araya on vocals. It's an energetic listen, and digs new layers upon every subsequent listen.
Phantom is a 4 piece band out of Mexico, formed in 2022. They've been very busy writing and recording music, and their sound has been maturing over time. The diversity in the songs keep the whole album fresh and keeps the listener engaged. The Tower Of Seth was an awesome opening track, as the youngling would say "thrash as fuck". The track Nimbus was an entertaining listen with the largely clean, power metal vocal approach. Every song on this record has a unique identity. Nocturnal Opus 666 had an nice piano section that was a cool change of pace.
This album was like a portal into the early 80's traditional metal and Bay Area thrash. Very energetic, very catchy, very fun. A must listen for all fans of thrash metal, new and old. 8/10
Various Artists - Brown Acid: The Twentieth Trip (RisingEasy Records) [Rich Piva]
I am going to start this review like I did the last six additions to this collection; I love the Brown Acid series that has been curated by the great RidingEasy Records. If you are not familiar with the set the basic concept is that Lance Barresi, owner of L.A.-based Permanent Records, searches the far corners of the US in dusty record store bins, garages, attics, and confirms musical urban myths to bring us lost and the most underground of underground songs from long forgotten bands that in some cases may have only release one song on a promo single.
This is very traditional melodic Thrash which has enough commercial polish to turn almost any metal head around, and I really find myself wondering how this will come over live, although sadly this is one of many acts who don’t seem to play the UK much, but who definitely should. This is a huge step forwards for a band who were pretty darned fine to start with. More please… 9/10
Phantom - Tyrants Of Wrath (High Roller Records) [Thomas Megill Jr]
Phantom wasted no time as they've released their second album only a year and change after their debut. Tyrants Of Wrath was unleashed to the world through High Roller Records. This is a very diverse album, a lot of elements of all types of metal. To be clear, this is clearly a thrash album, but with flavours of Norwegian Black Metal, Power Metal and sprinkles of death metal. It almost sounds like you blackened Judas Priest's sound and interchanged King Diamond and a young Tom Araya on vocals. It's an energetic listen, and digs new layers upon every subsequent listen.
Phantom is a 4 piece band out of Mexico, formed in 2022. They've been very busy writing and recording music, and their sound has been maturing over time. The diversity in the songs keep the whole album fresh and keeps the listener engaged. The Tower Of Seth was an awesome opening track, as the youngling would say "thrash as fuck". The track Nimbus was an entertaining listen with the largely clean, power metal vocal approach. Every song on this record has a unique identity. Nocturnal Opus 666 had an nice piano section that was a cool change of pace.
This album was like a portal into the early 80's traditional metal and Bay Area thrash. Very energetic, very catchy, very fun. A must listen for all fans of thrash metal, new and old. 8/10
Various Artists - Brown Acid: The Twentieth Trip (RisingEasy Records) [Rich Piva]
I am going to start this review like I did the last six additions to this collection; I love the Brown Acid series that has been curated by the great RidingEasy Records. If you are not familiar with the set the basic concept is that Lance Barresi, owner of L.A.-based Permanent Records, searches the far corners of the US in dusty record store bins, garages, attics, and confirms musical urban myths to bring us lost and the most underground of underground songs from long forgotten bands that in some cases may have only release one song on a promo single.
These songs come together to populate the now twenty. Yes, twenty volumes of some of the best 60s and 70s proto metal and psych rock that you have never heard before. Never ever do these comps disappoint. This one is no different, with another ten lost treasures for your listening enjoyment.
Highlights of the latest volume include the opener from Iowa band Afterflash doing a killer cover of the Damnation Of Adam Blessing song Cookbook (boy does it cook), Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s Hot Candy bringing the Zep vibes and cool trippy slow down part during Darkened Passage, the California band Banana Bros bringing a bit of Southern rock funkiness with Suck You In, and the organ-led boogie of Lazy Day’s track Don’t Dance In My Song. My favourite track is the Sabbath and Zeppelin do prog of Osage Lute’s Watch Em Shine, but there are no bad tracks included, only levels of good to great.
I am still amazed at volume twenty we are getting sets of songs that are as solid and enjoyable as we have here. Twenty volumes take up a lot of room in my vinyl collection, but boy does RidingEasy make the Brown Acid series sets so worth it, with this one being no exception. 8/10
Highlights of the latest volume include the opener from Iowa band Afterflash doing a killer cover of the Damnation Of Adam Blessing song Cookbook (boy does it cook), Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s Hot Candy bringing the Zep vibes and cool trippy slow down part during Darkened Passage, the California band Banana Bros bringing a bit of Southern rock funkiness with Suck You In, and the organ-led boogie of Lazy Day’s track Don’t Dance In My Song. My favourite track is the Sabbath and Zeppelin do prog of Osage Lute’s Watch Em Shine, but there are no bad tracks included, only levels of good to great.
I am still amazed at volume twenty we are getting sets of songs that are as solid and enjoyable as we have here. Twenty volumes take up a lot of room in my vinyl collection, but boy does RidingEasy make the Brown Acid series sets so worth it, with this one being no exception. 8/10
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