Reviews: Raphael Weinroth-Browne, Winter At Sea, Wyrdstæf, Til The End (Spike & Mark Young)

Raphael Weinroth-Browne – Empyrean (Self-Released) [Spike]

If you had told me a few years ago that the cello would become one of my favourite instruments in heavy music, I’d probably have laughed you out of the room. But watching bands like IAN tear up the floor at The Holloway with a cello planted right in the middle of suffocating guitar sludge opened up a whole new corridor in my listening habits. 

That friction between delicate acoustic beauty and raw heaviness is something special. Canadian multi-instrumentalist Raphael Weinroth-Browne takes that premise and pushes it into stratosphere on his third studio outing, Empyrean.

Empyrean was born out of a commission from James Wilton Dance for a contemporary piece titled Bach Reimagined, Weinroth-Browne has reshuffled the deck to create a continuous, nine-track dialogue between 18th-century Baroque counterpoint (this is his explanation – yep I had to look it up) and modern extreme metal. It sounds like an impossible tightrope to walk, yet he pulls it off with jaw-dropping authority.

The album takes off with Speed Of Light, and the technical precision hits you immediately. Instead of using the cello as a weeping background ornament, Raphael attacks the strings with blistering speed, using looping pedals, percussive bow strikes, and distortion to mimic the relentless chug of an eight-string guitar. It doesn’t just sound ambitious; it sounds physically demanding, rattling with genuine kinetic force.

Tracks like Remnant and Evocation dive deep into darker, moodier waters. He layers haunting multi-tracked harmonies that feel ancient and church-like, before sweeping into polyrhythmic grooves that fans of Meshuggah will instantly recognise. It’s got that progressive metal edge where technical virtuosity doesn't get in the way of emotional weight.

The centrepiece run of Murmuration, Integration, and Dissolution showcases just how far he can stretch four strings. By weaving post-rock dynamics, electronic pulses, and subtle Middle Eastern scales into Bach's contrapuntal architecture, Weinroth-Browne creates music that feels boundless. You get moments of pure, fragile silence followed by crushing, feedback-drenched waves of low-end rumble that rumble right in your chest.

By the time the introspective quiet of Sanctum and Reflection swells into the triumphant finale of Empyrean, you realise you’ve experienced something completely outside ordinary genre confines.

Naturally, the genre gatekeepers will spend hours arguing on message boards about whether an instrumental cello record can officially be classified as "metal." Honestly, let them argue. If you care about sheer technical skill, fearless songwriting, and heavy, boundary-smashing art, Empyrean is an exhilarating listen from start to finish. A fascinating, hugely impressive record. 8/10

Winter At Sea – Hearts (A Cheery Wave Records) [Spike]

Writing a single twenty-minute track is a risky gamble. In the post-rock and post-metal world, it’s far too easy for a long-form piece to wander off into ambient background noise or disappear up its own backside.

However when a band actually understands pacing, dynamics, and structural weight, twenty minutes can feel like twenty seconds. London’s Winter At Sea have taken that gamble on Hearts, and they’ve pulled it off with style.

I’ll be completely honest: this wasn’t love at first spin. In a world of quick-hit three-minute singles, sitting down with a continuous, unbroken twenty-minute composition demands patience. It took me three or four listens to properly dial into the frequency and understand the map they were laying out. But am I glad I put the time in. Once the architecture clicked, the whole thing opened up into something genuinely special.

Structured across five linked movements, the piece behaves less like an EP and more like an unfolding storm. It opens quietly with Glimpse Of The Horizon, building a delicate, atmospheric foundation before the tension tightens into Heart In Mouth. The shift from delicate, melodic guitar lines into heavy, physical rhythm work feels completely natural, there are no clumsy joins or forced transitions here.

The middle stretch of Gathering Dark and A Sleeping Mist brings that cinematic, brooding weight that fans of bands like Russian Circles or Mono will recognize, but with a colder, distinctly British edge. The band described this release as "larger, fiercer and more commanding than anything Winter At Sea have composed previously," and that claim holds water. The drums hit with a dry, punchy weight, and the guitars swell into thick, textured waves that feel designed to shake the walls of a proper venue.

By the time the final movement, Descent Into The Undertow, drags the piece toward its crushing conclusion, the sheer momentum is breathtaking. It’s heavy, cathartic, and refuses to rely on cheap crescendo tricks to make its point. The volume builds because the emotion demands it, leaving you sitting in stunned silence once the final notes fade out into the room.

Hearts isn't music for casual background listening while you check your emails. It’s an immersive, demanding piece of work that rewards your full attention, and easily the most formidable thing Winter At Sea have put their name to. If you’re willing to give it the time it deserves, it delivers in spades. 8/10

Wyrdstæf - Primordial Bloodlines (Apocalyptic Witchcraft) [Mark Young]

It’s amazing to think that after nearly 40 years of loving heavy metal in nearly all of its off shoots (not you, Folk) that you can come across another new description, or label or tag. Wyrdstæf are proponents of Atmospheric Blackened Tribal Metal, which as a whole term is new to me. 

Tribal via Sepultura in the 90’s has distilled itself into different areas and I’ll admit it now that my knowledge of other tribal bands is scant. Hailing from the UK, they are tapping into something different than trying to ape a particular sound and the titles therein suggest looking to the distant past for inspiration. In any event, Primordial Bloodlines represents one of those albums that excites and frustrates in equal measure.

Just before we dive in, I need to tell you about how good this sounds, with major props to the drum sound and the drumming that is displayed on here. You know yourself that any band that has Tribal anywhere near them must be able to pound those skins and on here Malang is serving up first class drum clinics. White Spring is our start, any fears of it being a throwaway intro are removed after an elongated period of chants that sound similar to a Haka (feel free to put me right on this) they bring in the guitars and then set us up for Great Migrations which detonates and doesn’t stop.

This leans into that blackened edge – blasts, dual vocals all played at a ferocious pace until they pull that speed back to allow them to slowly build the middle out. You know it’s built with the live stage in mind and it sounds colossal, especially with those drums exploding around you. It’s a great start, and Hyperborean is up next. By rights, you would expect them to blast into this from the off and keep that momentum in place. Instead, they slowly drift into it which does lessen its impact once it get’s going.

Like Migrations, this is another great offering from them, a direct attack that is in your face and keeps bounding forward. It’s when we hit Parhelion that things start to falter. So, depending on where you sit with this genre the tribal chanting that starts this off and then seems to continue forever will either be fine, or like me will have you reaching for the skip button. The energy built up getting to this point evaporates with this one developing without doing anything, at least for the casual listener. It means that from my perspective they are starting again, and at the last minute.

The title track, Primordial Bloodlines is their last act and starts with a more melancholic and restrained approach. Its tonally different than the others, the laid back opening revealing a more thoughtful side of the band which allows them to do the expected and go loud, which is where this track takes flight.

It goes some way to repair the damage done by Parhelion. I make no apologies for that statement, hence my frustration with this because I should be having a different conversation about this album. As noted, it sounds fantastic, the guitars have a clarity to them as well as being heavy and when they are going loud the songs rip. If this is your thing then give this a go. 7/10

Til The End - Til The End (Lifeforce Records) [Spike]

Ah, it had to happen. I’ve had a good run with reviews up until last week, and its happened again this week with Til The End, a slide of melodic death metal who note that they wish to pay tribute to the Gothenburg scene whilst forging ahead with their own style. Which is admirable, because as a homebase for some of the best extreme metal of the last 30 or so years, there is a certain pedigree and expectation that music which originates from those shores is going to be of a decent quality.

So, it is disappointing that Til The End doesn’t reach the heights its obviously aiming for. It has everything you associate with melodic metal, its just that its served up with a lack of energy, or maybe raw aggression. Take your pick, but for me there was something missing that rendered the music here as lifeless. You can argue that Lava, which on the surface has those ingredients but feels like they are here because its expected to put that section there, and put that lead break there. 

Its all very mechanical and without emotion. The problem for me, is that I’ve heard so much of this since I started reviewing and before that when the Gothenburg sound started breaking through, is that I’m probably very jaded by it all. I don’t want to hear acoustic interludes or lyrics that feel as though King Diamond would have used them in the mid-80s, there something here that I detest and I can’t adequately express what it is.

From Dismal Paradise through These Little Voices, they use the same tack of the soft intro before launching into the song proper and I’m sick of it. Its boring, do something else. It’s likely that anyone else reviewing this would like it, but I just can’t get on with it. The guitarwork is good, so is the drumming, the core requirements are here but are coated in a sheen, polished to death which makes the songs catch in the back of the throat. It needed less of that and more of a raw approach, because this is just too clean. 5/10

Review: Mother Of Millions, Paranoid Reverb, Edouarth, The Mute (Matt Bladen)

Mother Of Millions - T (ViciSolum Productions)

Over the years we've charted the continuing musical evolution of Greek prog band Mother Of Millions.

From their modern prog metal/Djent beginnings, like so many that came from that genre they now reside at a place that still has moments of crushing modern heaviness but these are now part of a larger musical cityscape where the likes of Soen, Riverside, Katatonia and more have ventured.

Blending experimental structures with emotionally charged performances and a layered depth that draws in strings, synths and a cinematic feeling. There's touches of Vola on The Innocent, Floyd on The Circle, Soen on The One and the spectre of Muse is a large one but it's difficult to pick out individual tracks on this record, better to heard as a complete whole because Mother Of Millions have evolved again since 2023's Magna Mater.

While Magna Mater ignited the change towards the anthemic and melancholic style that is favoured more highly now, T defines it by restructuring again for crushing riffage and progressive rhythms that feature on the industrial majesty of The Sun, while the tracks that have haunting female vocals and ambience realise the tension in the heavy moments through beauty.

The world is a harsher place, endless war, oppression and corruption have all pushed the band to bring back their heavier side with a sense of resilience, a feeling that with these songs they won't crumble under the weight of life, but fight, scratch claw and eventually win, it's a message of hope, more balanced than the last record but heavier in it's overall sound and it's emotional weight. 9/10

Paranoid Reverb - Red River, Black Roots (Octopus Rising)

The Greek stoner scene is extremely fertile, there just something about the Greeks and a love of heavy riffs, psychadelic wanderings all played through a cloud of smoke.

From Thessaloniki comes the second album by psychadelic stones Paranoid Reverb, who have inhaled too much of the herb, picked up their guitars and written another record of woozy heavy psych that takes inspiration from Nightstalker and 1000mods.

They shift from hypnotic journeys like Come Undone to metallic rhythms on Quicksand, building on their debut, Billion Drops with an all round heavier and more mature outing, focussing on the themes of decay (river) and transformation (roots) by building tension and then releasing it in a burst of massive riffage or fluid leads.

Approaching the album like they did their live set, it ebbs and flows like a river, recording it as live as they can so it's easy to replicate on stage, keeping it sounding organic but keeping complexity that doesn't require overdubs or studio trickery.

Just a band who knows how to work with dynamics, utilising pedalboards and effects they can use on stage, to take you on this journey through psychadelic sounds driven by some heavy stoner riffage. Red River, Black Roots holds strong inspiration from the Greek stoner scene and carried that into a strong second album from Paranoid Reverb. 8/10

Edouarth - Street Vengeance (Sleaszy Rider Records)

The second album from Greek NWOTHM Edouarth is a lot more mature than their debut but that's probably because there's a lot more experience from two of the members involved.

Fronted by James Edouarth of Spider Kickers on vocals and bass, the band also features his sons, 14 year old George (drums) and 12 year old Peter (guitars), who have been putting in the practice between this and their debut record 2 years ago.

Street Vengeance has more variation too it, the guitars especially are more varied than on the debut, while the drumming gets a bit more expressive as well. As this is music that apes the NWOBHM sound favoured by Holocaust, Angel Witch, Venom and the nastier side of that scene, there doesn't need to be much virtuosity, just galloping riffs.

However there's plenty of talent in these kids that will mean the band get more technical with every record, keep an ear open for Edouarth. 7/10

The Mute - Oscillating The Void (FYC Records)

FYC Records have always given a very varied output, from DBSM to outlaw country, torchlight death ballads and now with the signing of The Mute, electronic ambience.

The Mute is the musical project of Nick Chalntoupis, a composer, sound designer, live sound engineer and mix/masterer who last released his own music five years ago but now signing to FYC Records has found a home for his latest offering Oscillating The Void.

Oscillation being the keyword as this record is built around modular synth, analogue modular synth, at that and as such is inspired by the likes of Tangerine Dream, Vangelis (obviously) and Isao Tomita as Nick draws from Japanese scales to create soundscapes that flow organically with no editing just the alchemy of it's creator.

Not metal but an interesting exploration of electonic instrumentation from The Mute. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Pantheïst & Monolithe (Matt Bladen)

Pantheïst & Monolithe, Fuel Rock Club, 09.09.26



First of all before I start this review, this was another South Wales gig where the crowd was disappointing, both of these bands deserve much bigger audiences, as witnessed by the other shows on this tour.

So there's clearly an audience out there, what's even more dissapointing is that this marked the debut UK show for one of the bands on the bill as they came to the UK for the first time, to be presented with a lack lustre crowd, which was no fault of the promoter or the bands, must have hurt.

Cardiff, if a couple from Boston who were on their honeymoon can come to Fuel on a Wednesday night then you can too.

Anyway that out of the way it was time for the gig itself and it was a two band bill, I did think that maybe a another local band as an opener may have bolstered the audience a little more. However it meant we got two extended sets from both bands, which is useful when both are in the doomsphere, so the chance of having elongated tracks is pretty common.

It was French progressive doom crew Monolithe (9) that began the evening with their psychadelic, sprawling, doom metal, that draws heavily from tech-noir and synthwave in their style.

Dropping an excerpt of Vangelis' Blade Runner theme between Soyuz and To Wander The Labyrinth as their tracks swirl around you with some gorgeous twin guitar harmonies, swirling keys and lumbering riffs, driven by drummer Antoine de Mieulle.

What was impressive about having him behind the kit is that he's not actually Monolithe's drummer, both he and vocalist Antoine Dumortier joined the band for this tour due to Thibault Faucher and Quentin Verdier unable to take part due to personal reasons.

If you didn't know that though you wouldn't have noticed as both fit into the Monolithe perfectly. Monolithe are a band who feel like music from the future, French cyber doom that deserves your attention so let's hope they return soon.

Pantheïst (9) however are a band who hail from Cardiff but recently they have been bewitching audiences across the Europe, with a few festival appearances this summer. Back on home territory though they were using this show as a home town warm up for the Plymouth, Ipswich Liverpool and Sheffield dates on this tour alongside Monolithe. 

Bookending their set with tracks from their upcoming record Uncanny Times, both The Final Journey and Ithaca Out Of Sight have been worked on the live stage and are at their best now, delivered by a version of the band that is at the height of their powers.

The classical keys, 70's prog rock synths and ecumenical organs all add to the funeral/atmospheric sound of the band as Kostas Panagiotou conducts the doom symphony. His screams and sonorous cleans are of course joined by the incredible soprano range of Linda Dumitru, who's addition to the band I've celebrated since it happend back in 2023.

Together they play off against each other and combine together bringing the dramatic and theatrical elements to Pantheïst, with Be Here particularly marking the second time within a week I've cried at a gig.

Pantheïst though are heavy, colossal doom riffs that driven by the distorted, intense riffs of Atanas Kyurkchiev (guitar) and Matt Strangis (bass) as Fanel Lefterache's commanding drums mesh the whole performance together as Pantheïst delivered a set of atmospheric funeral doom to a small but passionate crowd which did increase as the night wore on.

Two of the genres most innovative acts together one stage made for a exemplary evening of doom in the capital city.

A View From The Back Of The Room: Downcast (Rowan Rumble)

Downcast, CF98, Stay Safe, Say It Anyway & We Are Zero, Fuel Rock Club, 27.09.26

Wilding Promotions were at it again bringing a while host of pop punk/emo to Fuel Rock Club and with five bands on the bill it was an early start and straight to it with We Are Zero (6) who brought punchy driving riffs from their Jesus lookalike guitarist, punctuate their Midwest emo vibes. I can't fault their crowd interaction was good even getting some of the more reluctant members of the audience to get involved, their new song had some Sum 41 vibes (more from them later) however the vocals need some work, but I love their 2000's punk vibe. 

Next came Say It Anyway (7) who have reminded me of Pierce The Veil, very crisp vocally, band gel well together on stage after what seemed like and awkward soundcheck that left the top end weirdly high and grating, but this was technical issue not the bands fault. No one seemed to notice though as they looked like they were having a great time, getting the crowd clapping along with them before they really got them on side with the rest of their hard hitting set. 

The energy was still high as Stay Safe (5) took to the stage as they brought a great stage presence to Fuel with their pop punk that takes more from pop then punk reminding me of All American Rejects with similarities to Ray Hawthorne but they don't take themselves too seriously live.

Next up it was getting a bit heavier as breakout Polish pop punk band CF98 (8) blew up Fuel with a killer mix of punk and mental breakdowns. There's great energy and vocals from Karolina Duszkiewicz as the band have a really polished sound. Having returned in 2017 they've really used the last ten years to define themselves and their punk rock style, full of fun and funky basslines that got the crowd feeling it. Their standout song for me was Find Your Own Way but closing out the set with some crowd pleasing pop/punk classics is always a popular choice. 

The headliners were Bristol emo/punks Downcast (9) who opened with Face It and from there were in your face for the whole of their set. 

Downcast have hardcore energy mixed with pop punk/emo lyrics delivered with energy by their excellent frontman. They are unapologetically emo, low heavy rhythms and breakdowns driving their music and they have a bass player that just slaps on every song. Bittersweet got the crowd fully engaged, remembering a friend who passed away, it's a passion filled moment of their live show that has them at their most introspective but also their most anthemic. 

Their own tracks are just as welcome as their fantastic cover of Fat Lip by Sum 41 as Downcast channel these genre legends in their own way to a big applause from the Cardiff crowd. 

Reviews: Green Lung, The Meffs, Neolith, Cartilage (RIch Piva, Spike, Mateusz Stefanow & Mark Young)

Green Lung - Necropolitan (Nuclear Blast) [Rich Piva]

The first three Green Lung records were solid 9-10s for this reviewer. I love this band. 

This kind of love, however, creates an almost impossible mountain to climb to match the revered status of Woodland Rites, Black Harvest, and This Heathen Land, that make up an almost perfect discography and one of the best first threes in recent heavy music history. 

It took me a second, like maybe ten listens, but record four, Necropolitan, is starting to settle in nicely amongst their (now) classic offerings.

I am not sure why it took that second to sink in, but when the genius of the nine tracks that make up Necropolitan finally hit, they hit hard. 

Like when the opening intro of Open The Hellmouth ends and leads into the absolutely crushing riff from Dance To The Grave, it is a goosebumps moment. One of the best riffs from a band filled with them. 

The keys matching with the guitar is right on point and Tom Templar’s vocals are as great as usual; his unique style and how it partners with the organ really makes this one special. 

Black Magick Radio next is one that worms into your brain and sounds like something from a 1970 occult film with a $100 budget, in the very best sort of way. 

Love the solo on this as Scott Black’s tone continues to be one of the coolest out there today. I love when this one slows down and dooms it up, which is a nice contrast to the upbeat ripper that is Necropolitan Line, which screams like a more evil Deep Purple, organ solo and all. Killer stuff. 

Speaking of killer stuff, Demon by way of Mercyful Fate vibes are blasting off of Evil In This House, which is probably my current favorite track, with those vocals and that guitar work. Classic Green Lung. 

Together In Death is the one that may have the listener take pause, but once you get it, it totally works in the flow of the record. Green Lung has perfected the scary, evil ballad, with Templar nailing his vocals, of which may be his best singing performance ever. 

The most Iron Maiden Green Lung has ever sounded is on Ozymandias and it works perfectly. Alostrael (Be My Babalon) with Riley from Castle Rat guesting (perfect) is another very cool, classic GL kind of track, which leads to the closer, To The Gallows Born, which is epic proto perfection and could not have been a better closer to this record.

Yes it took a second. No, it is not better than the first three. Yes, it is still awesome and Green Lung still rules. It just didn’t hit me right away like the others have in the past, but when it is all said and done, the Green Lung discography still remains pretty much perfect with the addition of Necropolitan. 9/10

The Meffs – Business (Frontiers Label Group) [Spike]

There’s a lot of polite rock music floating around the UK right now that desperately wants to be invited onto daytime radio. Essex duo The Meffs are having absolutely none of that. 

Lily and Lewis have built their reputation on being "louder than a four-piece," tearing through the underground with a sharp, two-person assault that trades in zero compromise. 

On their second full-length, Business, they sound properly furious. It is a snarling, pointed, and deeply cathartic record that takes aim at everything from corporate music industry parasites to the slow-motion decay of modern Britain.

The album kicks straight into gear with Dreamin' and What A Nightmare, laying down thick, overdriven guitar hooks and punchy, battering drums that hit you square between the eyes. There’s no throat-clearing here. 

By the time they roll through Where Did It All Go Wrong?, you’re reminded why two-piece punk works so well when the chemistry is right: there's nowhere to hide, no studio gloss masking lazy songwriting, just sheer raw kinetic energy.

The title track, Business, is an absolute standout and probably the most direct middle finger to the industry you'll hear all year. Taking aim at music industry suits with their patronizing "feedback sandwiches" and demands to conform, Lily delivers her lines with razor-sharp contempt. 

It’s got a stomping, Queens Of The Stone Age groove running through its veins, but the attitude is purely rooted in British street-punk and riot grrrl defiance. If you've ever had a boss or an executive tell you to smile more and fit into a neat little box, this track is your anthem.

What makes the record hit so hard across its eleven tracks is the pacing. Tracks like Law, Fight, and Disorder (Wake Up) are short, breathless bangers that never outstay their welcome. Lewis’s drum work is frantic and physically demanding, driving the tempo forward while Lily’s spitting vocal delivery keeps your ears glued to the lyrics. 

They aren't writing abstract metaphors; they're talking about real, everyday frustration, burnout, and standing your ground when society expects you to roll over.

Later cuts like So Modern (Keep Up) and God Complex show they know how to write genuine hooks without sanding down their rough edges. Closing out with Like Gravity, you’re left feeling like you’ve just survived a breathless half-hour in a packed, sweaty basement club where the walls are running with condensation.

Business is loud, confrontational, and completely unapologetic. In a world full of safe, focus-grouped guitar bands, The Meffs are making heavy punk rock that actually has something to say, and they say it with teeth bared. This is an absolute riot and I love it. 9/10

Neolith - Inbir (Deformeathing Production) [Mateusz 'Thew' Stefanow]

The Polish metal scene has always been rather insular, as a result of their position on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. 

With Inbir, Neolith transcend this stereotype, with the entire album bringing to mind inspirations from Polish death metal icons Master or Magnus, but with cleaner mixing and greater variety of sonic soundscapes, with each song being clearly distinct yet forming a cohesive album.

The title track opens with a roar over a sample of clashing swords, immediately setting a scene of a medieval battlefield, with the powerful drumming courtesy of Semuss further cementing this- each beat sounds like armoured knights charging towards a fortified castle. 

The guitar trio of Conrad, Zi’aR and Kriss show tremendous skill, with grand flourishes and well-placed technical segments, the ending of the title track being an excellent example, allowing for the seamless blend of death and black metal, which complements the epic medieval feel of the album. 

Similarly splitting the vocal responsibilities between Levi, Zi’aR and Kriss keeps the album feeling fresh, with the pleasant surprise of Modlitwa Na Marny Czas being sung in Polish. This is rather rare, even within the Polish metal scene, and the more prominent focus on black metal of this song temporarily downplaying the death metal influence over the next couple tracks keeps the album fresh and balanced. 

Unfortunately, I found the key weakness of the album to be the vocals, they feel very clipped, in how they sharply cut off at the end of each word. This shows undeniable technical skill, however it feels a little disjointed with the drumming which feels more serrated and harsh. 

By dragging out some of the vocals, this could be amended while retaining the sonorous DNA of this refreshing band. 7/10

Cartilage - Operating Altar ( Everlasting Spew Records) [Mark Young]

And the award for the most unhinged release should go to Cartilage, whose Operating Altar collects 9 songs and fashions them into a fever dream that forms a gorecept album instead of just banging the songs together. Now, I’m lifting the following from Bandcamp in order to provide some flesh to the bones of this album:

“At St. Petersen’s University Hospital, nightmares become coursework”

I mean, that should do you really. Basically, the band just tear through these songs in short order with a focus kept on making them as brutal and as fast possible. That’s it, no more, no less. Now I appreciate that could put some off, and maybe it should as this isn’t music for those who want to get in touch with their feelings or anything like that. 

This is purpose built music that leans into the gorefilled side of heavy metal and just runs with it. The songs don’t fall off a cliff by offering a knowing wink, these are brutally titled and the music that accompanies them is frenetic and frenzied. If you are a fan of extreme, speed laden metal then this is for you.

Once you press play on Metal, Bone And Sinew which deploys like a car crash in front of your eyes, there is barely a pause for breath as they waste no time in getting to where they want to be in each song. 

Just because I’m writing this with a bit of a dismissive air to it, don’t be mistaken in thinking that the songs are without merit. They are expertly put together and show that they are equally adept as writing blitzkrieg tempos as they are as writing slower (not by much) music. 

The riffs come thick and fast, inventive and not reliant on just aimless pummelling; check the mid song break down on A Lymphatic Labyrinth Of Rolling Rot that sees them hit the brakes and drop in a rolling riff that upon completion allows them to put it back in high gear. 

This is take no prisoners music, written by fans who probably got burnt by bands of their youth slowing down and have no wish to do the same to anyone else. The thing is, they have the tools to back things up, and a way of squeezing in some infectious arrangements – Among The Offal when the lead kicks in, or the start of Anatomical Incantations, both are top class.

As mentioned at the top of the review, you can’t mistake who this album is aimed at; It is for fans of grindcore/deathgrind/goregrind which on the surface would possibly cause the death metal casual to pass them over and that shouldn’t be the case. 

They live in those genres, but you can’t argue that they do the death metal basics well – its fast, aggressive, sounds heavy and there are no acoustic interludes anywhere on this album. Ok, there is a church organ that leads in Stitch By Stitch but no interludes, no introductions, no momentum sapping of any description. 

Its just death metal. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Soulfly & Nailbomb (Alex Tobias)

Soulfly, Nailbomb & Dosed, O2 Institute, Birmingham, UK, 05.09.26

I am Midlands-bound this evening for the UK tour of Soulfly, with support from Nailbomb and Dosed. Let's get inside and check out how it all went down.

I arrived early in Brum to get into the O2 Institute, as first up this evening we have Dosed (8), a band ironically from where I set off two-plus hours ago to get here, my home town, Newport, South Wales. A hardcore punk/thrash band that has been on a big rise since the band's formation in 2024, from early local gigs to venturing out to much bigger venues and farther places, each step of the way adding Bloodstock Festival to their already impressive line-up of appearances so far.

The band walk onto the stage with that air of confidence that shouts, "We are here to bring the noise." We kick off with Chewing On The Entrails Of A Dying Dickhead from the band's latest EP release, No Signal, a song that gets this sold-out crowd moving from riff one. Guttural vocals from Foz and circle-pit-inducing drums from drummer Chong set us off for the chaos that we are all now a part of.

The band get huge applause and cheers after that opener. In four short minutes, they have turned the venue into a sweaty mess. We get another new song in the shape of A Pitiful Attempt At Life from the same latest EP, then onto Aquarius from the band's first EP, Jawbreaker. By this time, the pit has opened up big. Aquarius really shows off the band's punk side but still keeps that brutal hardcore riffage going; the circling of mosh goes hard in this one.

The band take some time to say thank you to all and any support they have had playing this and the previous tour date in Southampton. Foz explains they commented on Gloria Cavalera's social media post asking what bands want to open up on the tour, and then the next morning they had a message to ask them to open up on the Soulfly tour. A very surreal experience, but a very honoured one, explains Foz.

A song that stood out for me was Self Doubt Is For The Weak from the band's first EP, a more thrash-influenced song that gets your blood pumping for the first half, then lets you stomp it out for the remainder.

The band end their set just as we started, with more circle-pit madness with the song Fucked With A Pickaxe from the latest EP. By this time, everyone is in a bliss of hardcore/punk/thrash metal sweatiness. A perfect opener and a band that pulls no punches in letting you know who and what they are about. Really enjoyed the set, and I wasn't on my own in this opinion if you heard the roars and cheers at the end.

I first heard the cult album Point Blank around 2005. My best friend invited me to try out for a band called Sick Cell at the time, and they were heavily influenced by the Nailbomb (8) album, and I loved it ever since. So many memorable songs; it has been an album that I go back to many times and always include my favourites on any playlists I make.

I never would have thought I would be hearing those songs live, so I was so happy to be here to witness this tour. The band is mainly just Max Cavalera's ensemble of talented musicians, including his son Igor Amadeus Cavalera, as since the band's reunion in 2024, Alex Newport did not join back up with Max.

The roars and cheers rang out as the band walked onto the stage while the intro to the first song on the album, Wasting Away, played, and just like that, we are at peak mosh adrenaline again. Barring a few songs, we kind of get the album tracks in order, with the band going straight into Vai Toma No Cu and then onto 24 Hour Bullshit.

By this point, everyone here is packed in like a furious tin of sardines, layered in a thick helping of juice from the pit of the circle. Max and son Igor take a breather to thank the crazy crowd and everyone that has come out to see the tour so far.

The sound of these songs is just perfect tonight in the Institute. Kudos to the sound guy. We get the next four songs in track order, before missing Cockroaches and For Fucks Sake and moving onto World Of Shit, a personal favourite.

Coming to the end of the set, we get Shit Pinata, Religious Cancer, and we end with the last song on the album, Sick Life. A set that I won't forget. Being able to hear these songs live was a real pleasure, and Max and the rest of the band did not disappoint at all. What a night so far.

Having never seen Nailbomb and not even hearing the one and only album they made ten years later to a band that I own nearly all of their back catalogue of music, yet I have only seen Soulfly (8) once before, and that was in 2001, so this was going to be another memorable set for me.

We get a small break before we are hit with the tribal sounds of an extended intro to Back To The Primitive from the band's 2000 album, Primitive. Huge roars and cheers crank the volume up when the band walk onto the stage.

Max, now sporting an Aston Villa home shirt, walks back to the stage to give his second performance of the night, and he did not miss a beat throughout. From there, we go straight into Seek'n'Strike from 2002's album 3, and then we go all the way back to the first album with No Hope = No Fear.

What a start to the set. Three songs that have everyone here bouncing around like they were given free pogo sticks on entry. A little break for Max to thank the crowd, but then we get the intro for Prophecy, and we are back at it.

We then get our first song from the band's latest album, 2025's Chama, No Pain = No Power, a song that is that awesome blend of old-style Soulfly but has that newer edge of modern metal riffage in it without sacrificing any of those dreamy tribal parts.

Max then entertains us with his berimbau, which leads to the intro of another classic song, Tribe from the band's first album. A ripping performance so far. Everyone here is enjoying this a lot, me included, as we move onto I And I from the band's 2005 album Dark Ages, and then we go back to 3 with Downstroy.

To end the set, we get a mix of Jumpdafuckup from Primitive and Eye For An Eye from the first album. The noise coming from the crowd after this could write this review and tell you everything you needed to know about the set we just got from Soulfly.

It has been so much fun seeing them again, and hearing songs I listen to often played live by legends is just pure bliss.

A night I won't forget any time soon. Enjoyed every single thing about it.

Reviews: Airbourne, Bleeker, Mad Max, Stormbringer (Matt Bladen)

Airbourne - Airbourne (Spinefarm Records)

A self titled album, especially one that's a band's sixth record usually indicates a change of membership or a reinvention, so I was interested to see that Warrnambool's favourite sons Airbourne new album is called Airbourne and I braced myself for some trad jazz. It never came. Obviously. Airbourne will never, ever do away with their blue collar rock n roll sound inspired by AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, Motorhead and any band that party's hard and rocks harder.

They even say as much on album closer Send Me To Rock N Roll Heaven, where they pay tribute to those rock heroes we've lost, shouting that heaven will have "one hell of a band" (Ain't that the truth!), as they carry the flame from that generation to this. They showcase some of their other influences on Bogotá which features Joel O'Keefe using Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstein guitar to hail Colombia and it's frankly scary love of rock n roll.

It's all part of Joel, drummer brother Ryan and brothers in arms Justin Street and Brett Tyrrell wider plan for this record which was to play rock n roll the way it should be played with vintage instruments, recorded onto tape at some legendary locations in Aussie rock history by Mike Fraser, produced by Brian Howes, mixed by Zack Cervini and mastered by Ted Jensen, to make sure it's dirty and loud but also polished and powerful.

Airbourne, is like a runaway freight train, no ballads, no slow songs, just four on the floor rocking from the opening riff of Gutsy and we're in familiar territory, through Alive After Death (Last Plane Out), Kid In A Candy Store, Last Man Standing that history of pub rock takes priority, even on the the filthy Christmas Bonus (in September?), there's that wink wink nudge nudge of Bon Scott, the brothers Young and Die Hard too.

Airbourne have shown they can also embrace the slicker side of rock with two songs on this record, Here She Comes and Who Put The Rhythm In You? which are co-written by Robert 'Mutt' Lange and Bryan Adams, the former famously helmed Back In Black making it a smash hit. So on album number six Airbourne, there's no massive reinvention, no sonic overhaul, just good ol' honest rock n roll, as Airbourne carry the torch. 8/10

Bleeker - Elephant (Known Accomplice)

That's Bleeker. Not the tube headed guy that meeps from The Muppets. Bleeker are an Ontario based rock band who play massive fuzzy riffs, bugger choruses and meld together emotional moments and songs about resilience with fun rockers and some tongue-in-cheek lyricism.

The alt rock four piece have had quite a glittering start to their career in the lead up to this third full length, with songs featured in NFL and UEFA coverage along with tours alongside Airbourne, Dinosaur Jr and Papa Roach. With album number three, called Elephant, they aren't looking to give up the sound they have established, taking it to a more experienced place where they have the heaviest riffs yet along with the most emotionally intelligent songwriting, that runs the whole emotional spectrum, inspired by the majestic creature the album gets it's name from.

Musically Bleeker take from The Black Keys on the thundering Boom Boom, great use of "whole enchilada", Royal Blood and even Queens Of The Stone Age on the angular title track and the groovy Boring. Bleeker play loud as hell alt rock that never sacrifices it's volume for accessibility, but can bother radio play with tracks such as the Kings Of Leon-esque More.

Equally Elephant has a vulnerability of fellow Ontario band The Trews on Laundry and an anthemic side that reminds me of The Struts on the glammy Outside, Bleeker switching between their different sides with ease, putting throbbing basslines beneath the acoustics and stadium ready choruses against walls of fuzz riffs, this Elephant stampedes in as a glammy, boisterous, alt rock treat from Bleeker that you should pay attention to. 8/10

Mad Max - Stories Of Destiny (ROAR - A Division of Reigning Phoenix Music)

Misinformation is a terrible thing as we all know and somewhere down the line I was convinced that Mad Max were a power metal band. So when I listened to Stories Of Destiny their new album I was a little distracted by the fact it was melodic rock/AOR.

However it turns out I was wrong and it seems Mad Max have always been a melodic rock band, stretching all the way back to when guitarists Jürgen Breforth founded the band in 1981. He's been the driving force behind the band for over four decades and with their 45th anniversary this year Breforth has taken a retrospective look at his career while redefining a new chapter of it.

It means that Mad Max now features the vocals of British singer Alan Clark, from Dark Heart but their album also has two contributions from Andreas Baesler the original Mad Max vocalist for the first time in 45 years on Piece Of Candy, one of their earliest songs and a Spanish version, Dulces Falsos, which is a tribute to their South American fandom.

Having Baesler on the album is just one way that Breforth celebrates his band, the other being filling this record with songs that Jürgen has co-written with some high profile Germany based musicians such as Sascha Gerstner (Helloween), David Readman (Pink Cream 69), Andreas Broon and Micheal Voss, as the album also features two unreleased songs written in 1991.

Stories Of Destiny sees another Mad Max record that's packed with guitar driven melodic rock, nothing too dissimilar from what they've been doing for 45 years but these songs have some special significance and celebrate the lasting legacy of the band. 7/10

Stormbringer - Transcendence (Attic Records)

We've been following and covering Stormbringer for a long time now, their mix of classic rock and heavy metal has seen them release four albums and take to some high profile stages, always bringing an anthemic sound that often means they can fit into any kind of festival be it as heavy as anything or full of radio friendly rock.

It's this adaptability that's so obvious on their fifth release Transcendence as they bring some Alice In Chains grunge to the soaring Dirt & Bone and Cut The Vein, while Grow lets loose with driving rock and some Scott Weiland-esque vocal sneers.

This record continues the outward looking perspective from their previous album, while MMXIII was deeply personal and introspective, AIIV saw them looking at the problems of the world at large. Ones that affect everyone and this approach is continued, with vocalist Mike Stockley calling Transcendence an album about "growth through adversity", something which tracks such as All Along and Whole Again highlight.

Produced by Russ Russell he brings his veteran ear to this record, looking back to their earlier style of classic rocking but with the grittier/heavier sound they've developed over the years, album number five is the most complete package from Stormbringer. 8/10

Reviews: Kamelot, Exumer, Audrey Horne, Static Abyss (Matt Bladen)

Kamelot - Dark Asylum (Napalm Records)

Kamelot are a band not aversed to a concept record, they released a fair few in their time, the storytelling and thematic aspects suiting the dramatic and theatrical and cinematic sound the American symphonic metal band have been the forefathers of for thirty years now.

Their new album is set within the walls of Ravenhill Asylum, during the Victorian-era, the former cathedral is now a place where these dark, compelling stories unfold. The long time line up of founder Thomas Youngblood (guitars), Oliver Palotai (keys), Sean Tibbetts (bass), Alex Landenburg (drums) and Tommy Karevik (vocals) are well gelled now, each virtuosos in their own right.

They give Kamelot their signature style of melodic, progressive, power and symphonic metal, that is crafted into the anthemic tracks you hear here and across their discography, all made to sound huge by producer Sascha Paeth (alongside additional guitars) and mix/master extraordinare Jacob Hansen, bringing the full force of this record to your ears.

The title track is massive, euro metal gallops and colossal choruses, these returning on The Sleeping Mind (Orphic Paradigm), while on the other side of the Kamelot songbook there's drama on Kaleidescope, balladry on Cassandra’s Disease while there's Celtic tones on Ivy, My Dear and Enigma (Think Of Me).

Dark Asylum features a host of guests, as many Kamelot records have in the last, it's become something if a calling card for the band, usually giving harsh vocals or as duets between different characters and that doesn't change in Dark Asylum as they have some old and new joining them.

These include the current Miss World Chile, Ignacia Fernández of Decessus, Visions Of Atlantis singer Clémentine Delauney, both featuring on the anthemic Sanctuary, however on the dramatic One Last Masquerade the unmistakable tones of Avantasia/Edgy genius Tobias Sammet.

There's also violin from Lea-Sophie Fischer of Eluveitie and evocative additions from Rannveig Sif Sigurðardóttir and Sólveig Sara Leupold on the Icelandic folk of Beneath The Moon (Tunglið), all these guests bringing their own unique sounds to the record adding positively to the overarching story.

Kamelot bring so much experience that the chances of any weakness are very low, and yet again they create another exemplary symphonic metal record. 8/10

Exumer - Death Mask Messiah (Metal Blade Records)

When we talk about the US thrash scene we often mention the 'Big Four' but Germany too has it's own 'Big Four' usually Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, and Tankard are the bands peirll include but I would say there's a very strong argument to replace one of them with Exumer.

They are a German thrash band that formed in 1984 however perhaps their excluding factor was that they broke up in 1991, however after reforming in 2009 they released their third record in 2012 and now in 2026 they bring us Death Mask Messiah their fourth full length since reforming.

Produced by Dominic Paraskevopoulos (Kreator, Caliban) and mixed/mastered by Arthur Rizk (Soulfly, King Diamond), Death Mask Messiah is a record with aggression flowing through it, while their albums post reforming have seen them attempting to sound like a modern band with original thrash roots, this new record steios back some of the modernity, opting for head banging thrashing.

It's definitely their most 80's sounding material, although with modern production, it still has a rawness that comes from the new rhythm section of Alex Voss (bass) and Jerome Reil (drums) who set a youthful pace for guitarists Marc B and Ray Mensh to try and match on Serpents, Frozen Ground and Fratricide.

With this muscle behind him, Mem V. Stein's vocals are still strong as ever, probably more versatile now than they were in the 80's, as he sings of misinformation, the Waco Siege and all manner of ideological, political and environmental (Ravishing Waste) ideas. He's joined by Nasty Ronnie of Nasty Savage on a cover of that bands song Unchained Angel.

Death Mask Messiah is the sound of thrash band who are resolutely in their second life and proving that they should no doubt have the same reverence as their fellow Teutonic Thrashers. 8/10

Audrey Horne - Achilles (Napalm Records)

Norwegian heavy rockers Audrey Horne are band and all is right with the world, myself and a former contributor to this publication have been big fans of the band for a number rof years now, always excited when a new record of there's drops. One hasn't dropped once 2022's Devil's Bell, due to guitarist Ice Dale being needed in Enslaved is assume but now they launch their eighth record, Achilles but like there titular inspiration will it have a fatal flaw? 

Well we're into a good thing with the Title Track as Dale and Thomas Tofthagen let the retro rock riffs do the work as they bring some Zeppelin inspiration (you can probably guess the track from the riff) to start the album strongly.

We take a journey into the strutting twin harmonies of the 80's with In The Eye Of The Hurricane, the choppy guitars that remind me of Rudolf and Matthias, the rhythm section of bassist Espen Lien and drummer Kjetil Greve, bring the groove, pace and power to Vampires, which has to be a lost Maiden song right? 

Lipen also takes lead vocals for Lizzy-like strut of God Damn Beautiful, giving the triumphant tonsils of Toschie a rest, though he again shines like always, perfecting a balance between some of the best heavy rock singers from the 70's and 80's, (with a lot of Glenn Hughes) and it's this understanding and love of these classic bands that make Audrey Horne such a fun listen. 

It's never a copycat, it's a jukebox of rocks best bands but on original songs that could have come off their definitive albums, each captured the way they sounded at their very best. Even their balladry on tracks such as Pretty Little Lies feels authentic and never saccharine, as they storm through tracks such as Running Through The Night which puts Deep Purple with The Sopranos in glorious union. 

Audrey Horne never fail to make me smile and always make me bang my head, probably the best classic hard rock band out there today. Fatal flaw? Not on this Achilles, just rock n roll that could launch a thousand ships. 9/10

Static Abyss - The Dying Hunt (Peaceville)

Autopsy offshoot Static Abyss are now on their third studio album and thereby dispel any notion of this being just another vanity project outside of Greg Wilkinson and Chris Refert's "day job" in the US death metal legends. 

Static Abyss are not a death metal band, not a death metal band in the traditional sense anyway. If you've heard their previous two record the you'll know they're a doom band that adopts the evil, unnerving sound of death metal. 

On third record The Dying Heat, which is the first not to have a rapid release. Their previous two albums had a year between them, this one has has a bit more of gap but still has urgency, they've enlisted Necrot's Chad Gailey on the drums, keeping up their tradition of having death metal musicians as part of the band. 

With the doom tag stretched by the opening track Skull Blasted, it's with Lobotomized At Last that they slow at the end finally adding the doom to death which continues on the ominous title track. Static Abyss though never get too far away from their history as even when they slow things down it's not for too long.

No 20 minutes funeral dirges here, just some glacial frost and chilling grooves such as Bleeding In The Fog and Nowhere Forever that joins the blizzards such as Wall Of Delusion and Once A Corpse (Always A Corpse), none of the cuts going longer than five minutes but packing in riff after riff. 

Static Abyss' third album isn't a huge step in any evolutionary direction, it's just more death doom from these scene veterans. 7/10

A View From The Trinity Centre: Bristol Extreme Fest (Matt Bladen)

Bristol Extreme Festival, Trinity Centre, Bristol, 29.08.26



The return of Bristol Extreme Fest was long awaited around these parts ever since the team behind Blastonbree and South West Heavy Fest announced that they would be bringing Greek Black Metal legends Rotting Christ to Bristol for first time in 22 years!

To get everyone ready for that though, a full day of extreme treats was organised inside and outside Bristol's Trinity Centre with the former church itself serving as the indoor stage sponsored by Black City Records while the outdoor stage was pitched up under a tent near the expansive gardens and had The Gryphon as stage sponsor, speaking to the strong links the festival has with the Bristol Metal Quarter and overall alternative scene. (South Wales promoters take note)

With excellent food options, plenty of merch available, a well stocked bar both inside and out and lot of room to relax if it all got too much, the entire day ran smoothly, was well organised and an absolute joy to experience. They even looked after those of us in the 'press core' even though we're sub human scum.

So already filled with a sense of excitement and in a good mood, we did have the bad news that outside stage headliners Benighted wouldn't be able to play due to some health issues, which was a major blow to the festival and the fans however they Bristol Extreme Fest promised a secret band which we'll get to later, but let say as a veteran of the South Wales/South West scene I had my ideas which proved to be correct.

Anyway all is to be revealed so it was a beverage that myself, my photographer/wife and colleagues from other publications moved to the outside stage, where things began with the grindcore assault of Public Execution (7).

The Didcot foursome play aggressive hardcore that takes from the underground scene, this meant there was a lot of start stop across the set every song ending quickly and into relative silence while these moments were full of banter as they called out politicians and those that oppress, it meant it was a a little disjoined. However when the loud and abrasive band let loose with the flurries of grindcore intensity, the pits and hardcore dancing was unstoppable.

As they finished up, we shuffled back inside for local act Oskaria (8) who bring Lovecraftian influenced heavy sludge/death doom, much like Conan, this three piece are crushing, trading off shouted vocals across their massive grooves. It was the first showcase of how varied 'extreme' metal can be as while the first band brought short and violent extremity. Oskaria are slower, more deliberate, with atmospheric passages that move into horror inspired ear drum rattling riffs.

As these rattled around our brain it was outside again for another local act, disgusting death metal crew Embodiment (7). Veterans of the local scene they pulled a big crowd and as soon as their tech death began you could instantly see why they are held in high regard locally. Intense and full of virtuosity, the beats were blasted, riffs whipped up the pits and vocals growled, playing mostly their new EP Cryptomorph, it reminded me why watching Embodiment has always been such a disgusting pleasure.

Far away from local though, next it was a Scottish death metal assault from Scordatura (7). Inspired by Vader and Suffocation, along with Cannibal Corpse and Dying Fetus, there's a myriad of classic death metal influences in their sound, which are all blended together through a tornado of blasts, growls and string abuse. A few modern touches creep in from the tech scene but mostly Scordatura are a homage to the best of death metal, channeled in their own impressive way.

Shifting back outside for the Manchester slam of Visions Of Disfigurement (7) and you know it's slam, you know what you're going to get but if you love to throw down in the pit while a band play songs with horrific titles then they'll definitely be the band for you. I don't know what else I can say about it, slam on stage is always more exciting than it is on record but there's certainly a 'sound' in the genre and VOD bring it completely.

Speaking of complete, it finally seems that Welsh atmospheric black metal crew Ofnus (9) are the complete unit they have always promised to be, on stage. With their new vocalist they have been given an injection of intensity and intimidation, Brendan stalking the stage, wide eyed and aloof.

As is usually the case with a band who have, sprawling songs that features numerous shifts in tone and pace, they only managed to play four tracks, but two of those were new tracks from their upcoming third album. Now I've heard these before but they come refined again in Bristol, with more potency, power, atmosphere and ferocity, the room held captivated by Ofnus as they moved towards the closer of Zenith Dolor which, as it normally does, brought even the most hardened metal fan to tears.

With cheeks wiped and protestations that it was foam from the beer, you can't help but be cheered up by Foetal Juice (8) who bring songs of gore, murder and perversion all delivered with and old school death metal aggression.

The Manchester unit tip their hat to Cannibal Corpse and to Deicide, unleashing disgusting death metal that cries out for Hawaiian shirts and going absolutely mental in the dust of the outside stage. Again the titles are something to behold and while your gran may be shocked there's definitely a lot of filthy fun to be had.

A more serious tone to follow though as The Infernal Sea (8) returned from a hiatus and long term fans of the band may have been shocked when they stepped on to the stage without the plague doctor masks that have become so engrained with their image.

This is deliberate choice as after the festival they explained that there are now too many masked bands today and that they didn't want to be considered amongst these gimmick acts so they want to let their music say everything rather than their visual image.

A noble thing to do and as if to continue the idea of rebirth this was a special show celebrating 10 years since their second album The Great Mortality was released, choosing to play the record in full, perhaps may alienate newer fans but for a lot this is where the journey started.

So to my eyes and ears it was only right to christen this new era by revisiting who they were a decade ago but stripped of the visual distractions. I will say it worked as I've not seen them sound this ferocious.

With The Infernal Sea in their new iteration, welcomed back warmly we rode a wave of excitement for another exclusive set, this time from international brutal slam crew Kraanium (8) who were playing a UK exclusive show (probably due to the geographical differences between the band).

You know how I said slam was slam? Yeah maybe not this time as with a crowd full of inflatable hammers, Kraanium are certainly fun visually but their music is more than just disgusting grooves and gutter dwelling vocals, there's a technicality beneath the brutality, a constant volatility that kept the circle pits coming and the riffs as battering as a sledgehammer (non inflatable).

I'm never normally a fan of the whole slam genre but Kraanium are an exception to the rule, they're just too fun to ignore but it was back inside for a band who trade off on fun for mysticism and atmospheric intensity, as Scottish black metal apparition Fuath (8) made their way to Bristol.

Led by Andy Marshall who also spends his time with folk driven black metal act Saor, Fuath are a heavier, more uncomfortable prospect. Still drawing inspiration from bleak winters and mysticism, they are an atmospheric black metal band who bring melancholy to the evening, filtered through intense black metal work outs.

The perfect soundtrack to the setting sun, Fuath set a glacial tone ready for the indoor stage headliners, however first a secret needed to be revealed and it didn't stay a secret for long that it was the mighty South Wales death metal maniacs in Desecration (8) that stepped into Benighted's place at extremely short notice.

Almost two months before their scheduled return gig, this 'warm up' reminded me just how much I'd missed watching them live. Formed by Ollie Jones (vocals/guitars) in 1993, the Newport death crew have been through countless members over the years, resulting in long periods of in activity, mainly because Ollie and drummer Mike Hourihan are both part of Extreme Noise Terror.

Their most recent live hiatus has led to the recruitment of Charlie Rogers on bass and the trio took the outdoor stage by storm with their snarling, feral death metal now given some lead bass for added potency, this is death born from the 90's scene full of grind and gutturals, it's about as old school as it comes.

Always good to see Desecration and while some may have been disappointed about Benighted not playing you cannot argue with the calibre (and geographical closeness) of their replacement, more Desecration shows please!

Finally the entire mass of Bristol's (and beyond) metal community made their way onto the once consecrated ground of the Trinity Centre to witness the first live ritual in Bristol for 22 years from arguably the most important Greek metal band in history. Co-Founders of the Hellenic Black Metal scene they have transcended it to become a band who appeal to broad selection of the extreme metal crowd, adapting their early black metal rawness into the symphonic, cinematic blackned death metal band they are today.

Usually performing on stages much bigger than this seeing Rotting Christ (10) in such an intimate space was absolutely magnificent, surrounded by long time fans, newer converts, members of the other band who revere them as well as one or two Greeks who were absolutely losing their shit, Rotting Christ commanded the stage as soon as they stepped foot on it.

Brothers Sakis (vocals/guitar) and Themis (drums) Tolis still lead the band to this day, the living embodiment of the cry of "Non Serviam" that Rotting Christ have been living for 37 years! The irony of them performing in a former church was not lost on anyone but they were all about business, Sakis and Themis flanked by the two Kostas', lead guitarist Foukarakis and bassist Heliotis as they kicked off the set with Dies Irae.

Drawing mainly from their newer, I mean from 2010's Aealo onwards, material it was the perfect set for anyone who hasn't seen them in those 22 years since they last played Bristol but has watched them ascend to the lofty position they are at today, which has off the back of that album. Being so close to the band meant that you could see every emotion on the bands face, Sakis especially was having the time of his life, playing up to the crowd both at the front and at the side of stage.

For the long time fans there was of course older material including the ever present Non Serviam along with King Of The Stellar War but every song was greeted as if it was an old friend and while they've been away from Bristol for a long time, Rotting Christ came roaring back like they have something to prove and remind us what we've been missing.

An imperious headline set to top of a stellar day of music. Bristol Extreme Fest was a perfectly curated day of the best extreme music the UK and beyond has to offer, with special sets, returns and a headline set that will be difficult to top, we'll be keeping a close eye on the plans for 2027, but you should definitely be there!

Reviews: Mastodon, Flotsam & Jetsam, Those Made Broken, Devil Master (Mark Young & Matt Bladen)

Mastodon - Marrow Deep (Loma Vista) [Mark Young]

It's Mastodon with their first post Brent LP.

So – lets get something out of the way now; I’ve seen comments like No Brent = No Mastodon. This is fine, it’s an opinion that you should hold to if its actually what you feel, instead of another way of saying you don’t like the band. 

Whilst Brent was considered by many to be the heart and soul of the band, personally I felt that his influence and involvement had diminished over time. 

There has been that falling out, and he left them behind. I’m not interested in the whys or wherefores of that, I like others weren’t going to be able change that status so you got on with it. 

That separation became permanent following his untimely death which may just have served as the catalyst for a rebirth for the band. I suppose this is a long winded way of saying that if the lack of Brent will stop you from even trying a song from this, then you should leave and listen to something else.

Ok, now to the album.

So as you follow their progression from battering ram with a mad smile through to the more complex progressions and dense storytelling, we land at the modern version of the band, where they had moved beyond just heavy metal, and just played heavy music that went wherever it needed to. 

The death of Hinds as well as Brann’s mother played a massive part in tone here, and the opening of Barbarians Blood is straight into that measure; its lush, built off a scale that is constantly moving. Its them, unmistakeably so. Guitar lines that fold in on themselves, the dual vocals of Troy and Brann are present and an arrangement that goes everywhere. 

It doesn’t sound that far removed from Hushed And Grim but possesses a greater urgency to it. Subconsciously needing to write the best material they could weighed heavily on them, and for me this is a much more accessible album. 

There is a section on Poisonous Weapons with Brann singing over one of those mint progressions that they just throw up on a whim. Do the lead breaks have the Brent Stamp? Of course not, how could they and it would be insensitive to try to do that. 

Your Ghost Again is a cracker, one that you assume would have had Brent’s singing on it but without they are pushing as hard as they can to excise any negative feeling remaining. One thing that is clear is that there is no scraping of barrels from albums past; They are still creative, still writing music that you want to play yourself. 

Snakes For Dinner with Josh Homme making an appearance is another strong effort which solidifies their approach – its heavy when it needs to be, but not if it doesn’t fit the song itself. 

There are softer moments on here such as In The Ruins where the everything is dialled back but you know it won’t stay like that for long and it doesn’t. The fact that it went the way you thought it would does not make it a lesser song because having that dynamic to it makes it a better song than if it had stayed in its meek form.

The lead work is very good, Golden Spires being a wonderful example of this, nestled in amongst a superb riff set that channels tasteful delivery and pure skill and its something that repeats across the album on the whole. 

They wrap up an hour or so with The Three Fates. In the past they have left a jewel at the end and with this one, I’m not quite sure. Of all the tracks this one could have been trimmed a little and it would have been better received.

It’s the sound of a band that has recaptured a feeling that was previously lost to them. The fact that Brent left has allowed them to move into their next phase, like marriage sometimes they fail and the separate parties have to move and evolve or risk repeating the same mistakes. 

Its recorded as a 5 piece now, with a keyboardist in tow to further fill that sound out. They do this in the right way, its not in your face and changing the sound dramatically, rather you just notice it and approve.

It is a song or two heavy; I will say that but if you consider that they had a lot to say I’m not going to penalise them for it. 

Each song has its own uniqueness to it, from a vocal delivery to a progression to a lead break, its so rich in what it offers the listener that even with a run time that could have been trimmed it is still one of the albums of the year for me. 9/10

Flotsam & Jetsam - Rats In The Temple (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]

RATS! RATS IN THE TEMPLE! I can almost see the face of the horrified priest as he screams, running from the pulpit as the mutated creatures gnaw their way through the walls. It's the kind of B-Movie silliness that has been closely associated with thrash metal.

However Flotsam & Jetsam are more than just your typical thrash metal band, yes they came out of the late 80's and even featured a bassist who would go on to be in Metallica, but since their 2019 album The End Of Chaos they have adopted a sound that sits them closer to the American power metal style.

Think Metal Church, Jag Panzer and you'll be in the right ballpark. Aggressive riffs, blast beats and tough vocals that come from the thrash side but with melodic lead guitars and choruses that are made to be shouted out loud as they deliver more dark tales of death, abuse, betrayal, and war, subjects that just fit the Flotsam & Jetsam aesthetic.

Eric AK Knutson's vocals are excellent, he snarls, shouts, wails, a powerhouse who has been leading the band since 1982, sounding as good now as he did then, better even.

Guitarists Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley share the rapid fire riffs on the blistering The Ghost Behind My Door and the widdly trade offs on The Edge Of Nowhere aland Last Rites, where Ken Mary (drums) keep the pace breakneck as William Bodily (bass) brings a tough groove to A Taste For War, locking in with Mary.

There are Rats In The Temple but Flotsam & Jetsam are ready to exterminate them with their sixteenth studio album and Napalm Records debut. 8/10

Those Made Broken - A Door You Can Never Close (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

I had to do some research when I started listening to A Door You Can Never Close, as over a decade ago there was a post grunge band from Glasgow called Logan, they sounded a lot like Creed and Nickelback but also managed to creep their way into classic grunge bands like Alice In Chains.

The research I did was to see if fellow Glasgow band Those Made Broken shared any members from that band as they also have a grunge/post-grunge sound, but there's brings the likes of Karnivool and Soen to mind with an emotional alt rock sound, perhaps a more refined version of what they were doing before.

It's turns out this was not the case as singer John Murray and guitarist Scott Wood met at Glasgow music college and formed a band, joined by bassist Paul Robertson (ex-Dirt) and drummer Martin John 'Hutch' Hutchison (ex-Vega).

A Door You Can Never Close is their sophomore record and refines their alt rock to its most melodic and atmospheric, hooked on huge choruses such as Monsters.

Those Made Broken make sure that the songs speak for themselves, little messing around, just hard hitting tracks that are made for the stage, performed with conviction by musicians that all excel at their individual roles.

From the spacious drumming of Martin John, through the sprawling bass of Paul on the grooving These City Walls, Scott's guitar playing has the technicality and feel of Mark Tremonti on These City Walls and Have Everything as John Murray has one of the clearest, emotive and refined voices I've heard in a long time..

Beneath all the songs there's a vein of synths/keys that run through the whole record just creating atmospheric expression, taking over completely on final track Rest. These electronics take the band to a more accomplished place than many would be on their second album in my opinion.

So while there's no link to Logan, much like I loved them, I love Those Made Broken, I just how that they manage to break out of being an underground sensation into being the the next big thing, as on this evidence they deserve it. 9/10

Devil Master - Bloody Dreams (Relapse Records) [Mark Young]

I don’t think it happens often that I don’t like something from the off. Bloody Dreams is one of those occasions where I just found it a massive waste of time. 

Is it me? Maybe, but let’s blame them instead. Its 6 songs that bounce between metal and punk, with a lo-fi sound that sits within the just about recorded state to give it a touch of authenticity. 

I couldn’t find anything here that I liked, and it’s not that I haven’t sat with this and give it a fair go. The songs just pass by without leaving a mark on me, and while I appreciate that they have a following and that the punk/crust approach works for some, I just couldn’t get onboard with it.

So, to try and avoid a hatchet job where I write some snarky words in an effort to make myself look better, lets settle on the fact that I didn’t like it. 

One positive is that the songs are by and large short affairs, and where they do stray into longer territory, they try to keep the speed up to ensure that you don’t get bored by them. Its likely that watching them live will be a different beast altogether, which is true for a lot of bands who excel on stage but struggle to capture it in the studio. 

It is certain that there will be more receptive people out there than me and this will appeal to fans of that blackened/crust/punk mix, delivered with a horror edge to it. I wish I could be more positive, but I can’t. I’m sure that they won’t lose any sleep over it. 5/10