Doro – Warriors Of The Sea (Nuclear Blast Records) [Cherie Curtis]
Doro Pesch is back at it again with Warriors Of The Sea. This album includes live tracks as well as two new releases and an outstanding rendition of Touch Too Much by AC/DC.
This one is action-packed, pure rock and roll with cinematic theatrics thrown in just in case that weren’t enough. Warriors Of The Sea feels like a hidden gem I found buried in a record shop instead of a 2025 new release. It’s timeless yet classic and a crowd pleaser for all.
Doro’s 30 years of experience is obvious with this one, everything feels authentic and raw. Doro’s showmanship is constantly engaging and really makes this one feel special. Doro doesn’t have the notoriety she deserves!
What stands out to me is the attention to detail that went into the creative decision making. The choral elements which turns a rock and roll ballad into an almost sea shanty, as well as Doro’s perfectly timed vocal inflections which pairs nicely with her natural rasp, turns what could be a sleazy rock bar single into a passionate rock hit.
Seelied is a gorgeously gentle song sang in German which is Doro’s mother tongue.
Overall, it’s pure rock and roll fun. Warriors Of The Sea is a catchy, head banging, sing as loud as you can album. The instrumentals are gritty and rumbling gloriously messy and they compliment the vocals perfectly while uplifting the complexity of the overall dynamic. It’s clear here who the star is and we are here to listen.
It’s worth noting that the vocals are just as good in the live tracks as they are in the pre recorded. The audio is a bit rough in quality but that could very well be my own copy . 9/10
Mastiff - For All The Dead Dreams (Church Road Records) [Matt Bladen]
To coincide with an upcoming run of dates, these Hull-raisers return with 15 minutes of brand new battery.
Bitter, misanthropic and brutal as anything Mastiff have been beating down audiences with their black edged sludgecore for a decade and with two albums and countless shows and festivals under their belt. As well as appearances in both the Cyberpunk Videogame and Anime. They have joined forces with Church Road Records, a label that loves heavy, and this new EP is their first release.
If you don't know what to expect from Mastiff then be prepared as it's hyper aggressive downbeat hardcore that blasts out of the speakers with venom, throat shredding vocals and breakneck riffs that shift into lumbering slabs of sludge. The dream team of Joe Clayton and Brad Boatright mixed and mastered the record, making everything sound deliciously raw, metallic and as abrasive as 24-Grit sandpaper.
Soliloquy is not the beautiful set of words it pertains to be, instead it's a beatdown driven beginning to this visceral EP where angular hardcore joins on Rotting Blossoms the snarls of "fear lives longer than any f*cking love" staying with you as they shift into the grunting OSDM infused Decimated Graves. Mastiff's music isn't made for escapism or joy, it's there's to show you how collectively screwed we all are, nihilistic metal for the end times, For All The Dead Dreams is a 15 minute eulogy for the planet. 8/10
Secret Rule – X (Rockshots Records) [Cherie Curtis]
With their 10th anniversary tour around the corner, Secret Rule has given us 11 tracks of melodic, easy to listen too and intimate anthems. The guitars are clean cut and rhythmic accompanied with some really resonating lyrics.
Angela Di Vincenzo is a talented singer, her vocals are poignant and are able to carry through each track amongst stronger instrumentals. The music itself is alive with bass with some orchestral elements. It goes in heavy with texture and layering without being distractingly heavy in the sense that we all know well.
X, seesaws in and out of genres throughout. Tracks like Collapse for example, feature stylistically interesting vocals which would have been far more exciting if it was explored further in the rest of the album.
X, seesaws in and out of genres throughout. Tracks like Collapse for example, feature stylistically interesting vocals which would have been far more exciting if it was explored further in the rest of the album.
The same with Echoes Of The Earth, it feels like 2000s industrial. The much harsher vocals veering on spoken word was such a great change of pace but only lasts for a few verses. I feel like we could have had it all if they had pushed this style a bit more and I found myself waiting for something similar to come along and it didn’t.
Overall It didn’t take me to where I wanted to go, I felt like it was pulling me in different directions. X is good and technically very well done but it pedals the middle line when the potential for something truly great was there all along. 6/10
Overall It didn’t take me to where I wanted to go, I felt like it was pulling me in different directions. X is good and technically very well done but it pedals the middle line when the potential for something truly great was there all along. 6/10
Ars Onirica - 2.5 Nighttime EP (Ardua Music) [Matt Bladen]
Alessandro Sforza reformed Ars Onirica as a solo project in 2018 after being a full band in the early 2000's. With just Alessandro as the only member he's been a bit more prolific with two albums behind him already and now he's gearing up to continue the journey with this little pit stop called 2.5 Nighttime EP.
Recorded, mixed and mastered again with Alessandro Sforza in partnership with Lorenzo Carlini, both of whom were involved with the two previous albums. Sitting as an interlude between album two and the upcoming album three, this is a five track exploration of the themes that have been touched upon on the previous records while moving forward towards where they will be going.
Built around a thrilling, multi-layered three part title track, things start off with the atmospheric Dusk (An Ode To The Stars) which features clean vocals and ambient Floydian guitars, evoking the dreamscapes that come in the central part of the album.
As we shift into Nighttime Part I the sounds of Anathema permeate here but it's not long before the death/doom side comes in for Nighttime Part II (Your Silence Around Me) as he channels that Peaceville three sound with dual harsh/clean vocals and melodic but slow moving doom. The speed is injected on the blistering Part III where black metal seeps in against some clean leads guitars as Dawn adds the ambience of Steven Wilson (RTRTS) as a form of closure to this interlude between full-lengths.
Alessandro Sforza puts everything into his music even when it's an EP he makes it cinematic and expansive. If this hints at what's to come on album three then expect something wonderful. 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment