Silvertomb - The Interpretation Of Nightmares (Steamhammer) [Matt Bladen]
At the risk of being released probably two weeks too late for Halloween, The Interpretation Of Nightmares is an ideal soundtrack for the frigid nights of November where it's dark at 4pm, the winter chill frostbites the extremities and everything seems a little bleak as the ever encroaching madness of the years end looms over you like a Mariah Carey shaped sleep paralysis demon.
Silvertomb are the embodiment of this winter bleakness, their music is an overspill from Samhain, into the season of darkness, they have auspiciously waited seven years to follow up their debut but this is a supergroup that have languished in the gothic realms of doom and desolation as Silvertomb features two members who have served time with Type O Negative/Danzig.
Vocalist/guitarist Kenny Hickey and drummer Johnny Kelly are the ones that have been in these gothic legends but they are joined by guitarist Joe James (ex-Agnostic Front), bassist Hank Hell (ex-Sheer Terror) and guitarist/keyboardist Aaron Joos, to make a super group of sorts that put their musical fingerprints across this record, their second studio release delayed by a global pandemic and Hickey's struggle with alcohol addiction.
This gap has probably actually been a boon to Silvertomb as this is a stunning record if you like your metal with a a diverse creative influence, as Prayer For The Paranoid and No Way To Live, worship of Iommi, Ozzy and co, the shadow of Sabbath one of the strongest of the styles visited on The Interpretation Of Nightmare.
As the latter gets all trippy in the middle, it opens up some of the other styles that Silvertomb bring to the table with a progressive streak that has some major Pink Floyd inspiration on the middle section of When Will You Learn which shows off the guitar skills on offer from the three guitarists, Graves In The Sky dreamily letting acoustics seep into this psychedelic nightmare.
There's Black Label Society on the big riffing Distorted, Hickey's carrying the same weight and drawl as Zakk as he sings about his addiction and the recovery that came afterwards on You Know, and rejoice as there's Type O nihilism on the opener Brain Matter No God, raw and dirty with thundering bottom end.
If you have even even a passing interest in the bands I mentioned in this review then you need The Interpretation Of Nightmares, a supergroup of epic proportions. 9/10
Scarlet Rebels – Flawed By Design (Earache Records) [Keith Boswell]
The Llanelli four piece will very shortly be releasing their fourth studio album on the Earache Record label entitled Flawed By Design on the 13th November 2026. Emanating from the Arch Recording Studios under the tutelage of producer Chris Clancy is the eleven-track offering from one of Wales’s most popular bands around at the moment Scarlet Rebels.
The album is centred and written around a tragic loss and the reflection of how flawed life is to let that happen. At this point I think it prudent to admit that I am probably the only person in Wales who has not listened to a Scarlet Rebels track ever! So, I go into this review with my eyes open and based upon recent media reaction I am in for a treat! Historically critics have really pushed and praised the Rebels previous album, Where Colours Meet, released in 2024, so no pressure on the band to keep this quality product going then!
So straight into proceedings with the first track Gods Honest Truth which sets the tone for the album, it’s very polished and has some good riffs and hooks, it almost makes you feel comfortable, like a warm duvet, further listening unveils a great solo towards the end of the track from lead guitarist Chris Jones.
Interestingly the intro for track two This Is Happening Now, in my opinion, could almost have been written by the Stereophonics or the Manics, it seems just so typically Welsh with that opening riff that drives the song along, it’s a given that Wayne Doyle certainly has his own voice but I think the listener will understand especially when the hooks continue throughout in the same or similar vein. After listening to a few more tracks, I’m starting to get the feeling that this will be the tempo / style that will be a constant throughout and indeed after a few listens this proves to be the case.
Now I maybe a little controversial here, but I find the songs very similar, and dare I say it somewhat bland. I know I will be shot down by the whole of Wales I’m sure, but it just doesn’t appeal to me. I know that fans of Scarlet Rebels will love it and enjoy this album which is great and so they should. I will endeavour to try and find some love for it by listening further but I’m not convinced that will happen. Technically a well-polished and produced album just not for me. 6/10
Wraith - Descent Into Darkness (Prosthetic Records) [Matt Bladen]
Descent Into Darkness is the sixth album from Midwest thrashers Wraith. Some thrash bands like to have a bit of fun or show off Wraith are not like that, their focussed and ferocious, yes there's lots of guitar solos for the air guitar fans but this Indiana band want to start a riot.
They even play the siren on Atomic Queen to warn you of their impending aggression, it's extreme and packed with lyrics drawn from the darkest parts of history. Rapid pace drumming, razor's edge riffs but melodies that come from twin guitar assault on Misery And Malice that brings similarities to tourmates Midnight and Exciter.
The album is about the horrors of war, World War I, a particularly strong influence for frontman Matt, the blood-drenched fields of Verdun, the Somme and Passchendaele, explored on Over The Top and No Mans Land, these vivid depictions of futility driven by a barbaric thrash metal assault and the shouted vocals.
The band say that Descent Into Darkness is hinged on No Man's Land and Back In The Trenches, the final two songs. Both giving you depictions of the dirt, blood and brutality of WWI in the no nonsense style that Wraith have sharpened to lethal efficiency over five albums, Descent Into Darkness, is on the nastier edge of thrash, with thought provoking lyrics and technical dexterity. 8/10
Yngwie Malmsteen – Hell Or High Water (Music Theories Recording/Artone Label Group) [Keith Boswell]
After forty years in the music industry Yngwie Malmsteen delivers his twenty second studio album Hell Or High Water on the 13th November 2026. Released by Music Theories Recording / Artone Label Group the piece of work consists of nine both instrumental and vocal tracks for a duration of just over forty minutes.
The album is typically Malmsteen, a neoclassical form of fast guitar metal, impossibly fast some may say. After listening to the first few songs, it becomes apparent that this album deserves to seen on the stage in some symphonic manner played by a first class symphony group and not offered out necessarily to rock fans in purely an album format. The music is certainly atmospheric but unfortunately after a few listens it is evident that the music is uninspiring and repetitive.
This may upset the Malmsteen faithful and that’s ok because I’m sure they will hold this piece of work in high regard. I love a guitar solo as much if not more than the next person but even this is too much for me! I take my hat off to Malmsteen and the career that he has had to date but unfortunately this album is very much not for me. 5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.