Ok, so I had the pleasure of reviewing their Last Day Of Sun, their second full length back in 2023 and found it to be a positive experience.
The main man, Mark Whelan had fought back against life threatening conditions and the album reflected that struggle, and I remember it being an excellent release, and hoped that they would continue on. The band themselves has changed a little, adding ex Slipknot man Jay Weinberg on drums and Pat Merson moving from bass to guitar has hinted at a level of flux within them. I’m not here for that drama, I’m just here to see if this takes the next step.
This is death metal where each of the component parts are wired in and on plan. The Ringing Bell decides that they have spent enough time looking back and are now pushing forward, with Cheat Death kicking things off for us with an unapologetically short gut stomp of a songs. There isn’t any drawn out interludes or rising orchestral movements, press play and you are off, a HM-2 grind dominating proceedings along with La Whelan’s uncompromising vocal delivery.
Ripper – Towards Rebirth (Dark Descent Records) [Cherie Curtis]
Hailing from Chile, death metal band Ripper brings us their newest album Towards Rebirth. This album has 10 tracks and is their first full length album since 2016 and it’s not one to skip past. What makes this album a great one is a strong sense of narrative, it feels very theatrical in style and the texture is so thick it’s visible, but it’s done in an effortless way.
The composition is luxurious and all-encompassing which makes for a very cinematic feel as well as being very versatile even though they don’t stray away from their usual style, as well as staying very genre typical, they show creativity and uniqueness in the technicalities, their riffs and their instrumentals feel very experimental.
Overall, it’s a great album. I was on the fence with it at first as its not usually something I'd listen to as I find it’s very distracting, it does command 100% of your attention. It’s not something to have on in the background and is meant to be something you can move to, and it will get you moving. This album is professional, crisp and well-made, you can tell that it was made with a mighty sense of purpose and articulation. Give it a go if you have the chance, it is worth a listen. 8/10
This is death metal where each of the component parts are wired in and on plan. The Ringing Bell decides that they have spent enough time looking back and are now pushing forward, with Cheat Death kicking things off for us with an unapologetically short gut stomp of a songs. There isn’t any drawn out interludes or rising orchestral movements, press play and you are off, a HM-2 grind dominating proceedings along with La Whelan’s uncompromising vocal delivery.
It’s not speedy and I thank them for that as its methodical pace means you don’t miss a trick. Add in a lead break that is part incendiary and you have a strong opening statement, one that is then backed up by Self-Exhumed, with a guitar tone that scrapes the enamel off your teeth. In some respects they are sides of the same coin and provide us with a fine start and in effect set up the base for the rest of the album to flow from.
Its on Finally Fearless, that the brakes are taken off and whilst its not achieving high BPM there is a greater sense of movement within it. It feels like it’s the first opportunity for Jay Weinberg to add a stamp to proceeding and as a result we are treated to a monstrous break down around 2 minutes in. There is a real strength in this, and it’s the kind of thing that causes mass flailing of limbs if its played live.
Its on Finally Fearless, that the brakes are taken off and whilst its not achieving high BPM there is a greater sense of movement within it. It feels like it’s the first opportunity for Jay Weinberg to add a stamp to proceeding and as a result we are treated to a monstrous break down around 2 minutes in. There is a real strength in this, and it’s the kind of thing that causes mass flailing of limbs if its played live.
Running through the crushing riffs are some cracking melody lines too, providing a little spice to proceedings. I’d hoped that they wouldn’t take a backward step, and its evident that they haven’t, A Blaze Of Nihilism refocusing our attention with yet another massive breakdown before handing that baton over to After Oblivion.
Now, before I get carried away, I need to point out that there is a lot of similar approaches going on here. Of these two songs, it feels that that they are saying the same thing. Now, how much this changes things for you will depend on your own personal preference. For me, you could have dropped either one or it wouldn’t have affected how the album flows.
A change comes with Hidden In The Moor, the need to crush replaced by a more expansive approach that provides that necessary injection to keep things alive. That gnarly guitar tone is in place, there is no change there but that addition of a dominating melody line at key intersections makes the song stick with you after it finishes. Coming at the point it does, it gives the album a slap in the face,
Vivid Revelations strides in, taking its time to assert itself with a monstrous build that belies a relatively short run time whilst Flourishing Flesh provides this album’s stab to the neck, a very speedy minute and a bit that acts in some ways as pressure release. I can’t deny that I would have loved to have heard more like this on here, but I admire how they stayed consistent throughout. It’s the introduction of cleans on the title track that seems to allow them to expand further, in spite of the harsh style returning to close that song out.
Vivid Revelations strides in, taking its time to assert itself with a monstrous build that belies a relatively short run time whilst Flourishing Flesh provides this album’s stab to the neck, a very speedy minute and a bit that acts in some ways as pressure release. I can’t deny that I would have loved to have heard more like this on here, but I admire how they stayed consistent throughout. It’s the introduction of cleans on the title track that seems to allow them to expand further, in spite of the harsh style returning to close that song out.
Personally I get the impression that the early songs provided that bedrock for them to do what they needed to do later, providing them the room to manoeuvre. Like Hidden In The Moor, The Ringing Bell is another stand-out moment for them, joined by Barbarian Scourge which hits like a hammer from the middle ages. There is a storming melody line employed on here which calls back to Phantasm in the way it spins around, maybe some of you might remember Entombeds version of it, if not check it out online. In any respect, this is another massive statement from them and sets them up for their closing piece, Respect Mortality.
The hard work is already done and it isn’t in a rush to unfold itself. It just grinds its way to the finish line; the pace never changing and closes things out in a solid manner.
Now we get to the hard part. This is an album where the positives outweigh the negatives by a massive number but I’m still compelled to mention it. Basically, there is a sense that some songs sound the same and I’ve captured it above.
The hard work is already done and it isn’t in a rush to unfold itself. It just grinds its way to the finish line; the pace never changing and closes things out in a solid manner.
Now we get to the hard part. This is an album where the positives outweigh the negatives by a massive number but I’m still compelled to mention it. Basically, there is a sense that some songs sound the same and I’ve captured it above.
This could be partially due to the overall tone present, but in any event its there for you to hear. But, in its favour are some stunning tracks, especially the run from Vivid Revelations through to Barbarian Scourge where its cracker after cracker which take that strong early work and then really go to town with them.
There’s no doubt they have made some massive steps with this, and this Is a very good album to get your hooks into. 8/10
Ripper – Towards Rebirth (Dark Descent Records) [Cherie Curtis]
Hailing from Chile, death metal band Ripper brings us their newest album Towards Rebirth. This album has 10 tracks and is their first full length album since 2016 and it’s not one to skip past. What makes this album a great one is a strong sense of narrative, it feels very theatrical in style and the texture is so thick it’s visible, but it’s done in an effortless way.
The composition is luxurious and all-encompassing which makes for a very cinematic feel as well as being very versatile even though they don’t stray away from their usual style, as well as staying very genre typical, they show creativity and uniqueness in the technicalities, their riffs and their instrumentals feel very experimental.
Towards Rebirth shows us that Ripper are fully aware of who they are and what they want to create and they execute it well. Their overall style consists of cold opens where there is already a huge amount of tension then swift breakdowns, it feels very much like a push and pull back and forth like a frenzy. They’re incredibly energetic and they will have you on the edge of your seat. What makes this a great album is that there’s a strong sense of story and narrative it feels very theatrical and grand but in an effortless way.
The composition is luxurious and encompassing which makes for a very cinematic and atmospheric feel as well as being very versatile considering that they don’t stray away from their usual style this album is similar to their previous one and doesn't really stray away from the death metal thrash genre but they do tend to get very creative in the technicalities of their riffs and their instrumentals.
They also experiment with the form and genre which is absolutely fine because genre isn't something that a band would usually mess about with, they're not a gimmick they know who they are and what they make and they know what they're good at so they deliver it they give us what we want.
Their overall style consists of cold opens and tension build-ups and heavy breakdowns they'd like to drop you straight into the action they knock you off your feet until a long drawn out hurricane of instrumentals whisks you off your feet and into the action again it feels very much like a push and pull back and forth can overall frenzy it's incredibly energetic with some metal screams and vocal sustains sprinkled in for a battle cry effect they will have you on the edge of your seat.
One of my favourite tracks from the album is World Of Darkness it’s the second track after a gentle and ethereal interlude so it came as a huge surprise. It’s loud racing and very frantic with piercing and spiralling refs and a deep gravelly shouted metal vocals which is stereotypical within the genre but very nice to hear.
Their overall style consists of cold opens and tension build-ups and heavy breakdowns they'd like to drop you straight into the action they knock you off your feet until a long drawn out hurricane of instrumentals whisks you off your feet and into the action again it feels very much like a push and pull back and forth can overall frenzy it's incredibly energetic with some metal screams and vocal sustains sprinkled in for a battle cry effect they will have you on the edge of your seat.
One of my favourite tracks from the album is World Of Darkness it’s the second track after a gentle and ethereal interlude so it came as a huge surprise. It’s loud racing and very frantic with piercing and spiralling refs and a deep gravelly shouted metal vocals which is stereotypical within the genre but very nice to hear.
It is pure mosh pit fuel it’s very thrash and it will get you throwing it back at a gig and the repetitive earworm instrumentals are very technical complex and dynamic each track sounds different. Though he’s not the best vocalist I’ve ever heard the instrumentals are outstanding and unrelenting there’s no downtime just a massive build and breakdown after build and breakdown.
One of my favourite tracks from the album is World Of Darkness it’s the second track after a gentle and ethereal interlude so it came as a surprise. It’s loud and frantic with piercing riffs complimented by deep and gravelly death metal vocals, it’s very thrashy and it will get you throwing it back at a gig. The instrumentals are hypnotic and complex, though the vocals aren't the best I've ever heard within this specific genre, the overall composition is impressive.
One of my favourite tracks from the album is World Of Darkness it’s the second track after a gentle and ethereal interlude so it came as a surprise. It’s loud and frantic with piercing riffs complimented by deep and gravelly death metal vocals, it’s very thrashy and it will get you throwing it back at a gig. The instrumentals are hypnotic and complex, though the vocals aren't the best I've ever heard within this specific genre, the overall composition is impressive.
Towards Rebirth, the title track is much slower but more powerful. It's classic sounding and very reminiscent of 80s style thrash with thunderous drums, it’s more beautiful than it is a floor filler. The vocals are interesting here, they are direct, punchy and very strong, it commands your attention which adds to the theatrical aspect to the atmosphere with some masterful vocal sustains sprinkled in for a fun battle cry effect. Ripper is not for the faint of heart, if it's not your genre then it'll be hard to stomach but lovers of death metal and thrash will love this one.
Overall, it’s a great album. I was on the fence with it at first as its not usually something I'd listen to as I find it’s very distracting, it does command 100% of your attention. It’s not something to have on in the background and is meant to be something you can move to, and it will get you moving. This album is professional, crisp and well-made, you can tell that it was made with a mighty sense of purpose and articulation. Give it a go if you have the chance, it is worth a listen. 8/10
Sigyn - From Nation To Chaos (Noble Demon) [Matt Bladen]
Symphonic melodeath now from Helsinki who will be on the playlist of every Children Of Bodom/Wintersun fan as there's a thrilling mix of virtuoso guitar and keyboard playing on From Nation To Chaos, the twin axe assault rapid and ravenous as thrashy shredding, death metal grunt and power metal melodies all combined as any good melodeath band should.
However like the bands I've mentioned Sigyn also have some epic keyboard/synth playing that will impress on I Am Nothing, Blind Prophet and the closing drama of World In Flames. For me the fusion between orchestrations and blast beats on A New Nation and Creating My Own Chaos puts Sigyn up with those Finnish foundations of this power/melodeath genre.
They're able to move away though as the chuggy Break These Chains takes the inspiration from the Swedish style while The Crawlers injects a bit of black/folk metal, the result of it all being that Sigyn's second album, despite them being formed in 2008, is a slickly executed record of epic melodeath, that is heavily inspired from the Finnish originators. 7/10
Symphonic melodeath now from Helsinki who will be on the playlist of every Children Of Bodom/Wintersun fan as there's a thrilling mix of virtuoso guitar and keyboard playing on From Nation To Chaos, the twin axe assault rapid and ravenous as thrashy shredding, death metal grunt and power metal melodies all combined as any good melodeath band should.
However like the bands I've mentioned Sigyn also have some epic keyboard/synth playing that will impress on I Am Nothing, Blind Prophet and the closing drama of World In Flames. For me the fusion between orchestrations and blast beats on A New Nation and Creating My Own Chaos puts Sigyn up with those Finnish foundations of this power/melodeath genre.
They're able to move away though as the chuggy Break These Chains takes the inspiration from the Swedish style while The Crawlers injects a bit of black/folk metal, the result of it all being that Sigyn's second album, despite them being formed in 2008, is a slickly executed record of epic melodeath, that is heavily inspired from the Finnish originators. 7/10
Tesla - Homage (Frontiers Music Srl) [Rich Piva]
Generally Tesla is good at covers. They should be. One of their biggest hits was a cover, their live acoustic record that was a huge hit and helped to start the whole Unplugged thing (and that was great) was filled with covers, and they have multiple covers records, some of it good, some of it unnecessary. So it begs the question if we really needed Homage, their latest covers record, which has 14 songs and is over 50 minutes long, emphasis on long. The short answer is no, but that doesn’t mean there are not some fun covers on here that are done well.
I will just mention the good. Give A Little Bit is right in their wheelhouse, if not an over done cover, but it sure is a great song. Picking a Queen song that is mostly overlooked with Spread Your Wings was a cool idea and well executed. The Ballad Of Curtis Loew is another one that I feel like they could do in their sleep, and it was also done well. Their one original on the record, Never Alone was solid too. That’s about it for me. This certainly could have been an EP.
It pains me because I do think Tesla was one of the stronger bands of the “hair band” period, maybe because they really were never a hair band, but I digress. Their first three records are untouchable, and Five Man…was great too. Homage is pretty much a hard pass, but it doesn’t make me love Tesla less, only makes me want to turn on The Great Radio Controversy. 4/10
Generally Tesla is good at covers. They should be. One of their biggest hits was a cover, their live acoustic record that was a huge hit and helped to start the whole Unplugged thing (and that was great) was filled with covers, and they have multiple covers records, some of it good, some of it unnecessary. So it begs the question if we really needed Homage, their latest covers record, which has 14 songs and is over 50 minutes long, emphasis on long. The short answer is no, but that doesn’t mean there are not some fun covers on here that are done well.
I will just mention the good. Give A Little Bit is right in their wheelhouse, if not an over done cover, but it sure is a great song. Picking a Queen song that is mostly overlooked with Spread Your Wings was a cool idea and well executed. The Ballad Of Curtis Loew is another one that I feel like they could do in their sleep, and it was also done well. Their one original on the record, Never Alone was solid too. That’s about it for me. This certainly could have been an EP.
It pains me because I do think Tesla was one of the stronger bands of the “hair band” period, maybe because they really were never a hair band, but I digress. Their first three records are untouchable, and Five Man…was great too. Homage is pretty much a hard pass, but it doesn’t make me love Tesla less, only makes me want to turn on The Great Radio Controversy. 4/10
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