Rich's Top 20 Of 2016

2016 has been a shitty year in general but thankfully has been an exceptionally good year for heavy music with a plethora of jaw-dropping releases. With so many impressive albums released a top 10 list would have been a very tough call but thankfully I was allowed to do a top 20 list which was a much easier yet still daunting task. Here goes..

20. Epica - The Holographic Principle

Epica released one of the best albums of their career with 2014's The Quantum Enigma but with The Holographic Principle they just about surpassed it with both the symphonic and metal elements cranked into overdrive. Epic in every sense of the word and one of the best albums the band has released.

19. Rotting Christ - Ritual's

Rotting Christ have been on a roll since the release of Theogonia in 2007 with a batch of incredible albums. 'Rituals' is no exception with the Greek's brand of melodic black metal taking a more atmospheric yet epic direction.

18. Vektor - Terminal Redux

Vektor are one of the most exciting young thrash bands to emerge in recent years. With two fantastic albums already under their belts 'Terminal Redux' takes the formula previously laid and ramps up the songwriting and compositions to unleash a devastating technical thrash metal attack.

17. Dark Tranquillity - Atoma

Dark Tranquillity are one of Sweden's most influential melodic death metal bands and after a couple of disappointing releases they upped their game with Atoma releasing easily their best album since 2007's Fiction. Brilliantly atmospheric and melancholic melodic death metal.

16. Anthrax - For All Kings

Their second album with Joey Belladonna back behind the mic and easily the best album they have released since 1990's Persistence Of Time. A mix of old school thrash and modern heavy metal 'For All Kings' is anthemic and melodic yet hard and thrashing.

15. DGM - The Passage

DGM are a band I have heard odds and ends by but never really given the time of day to but this album absolutely blew me away. Progressive power metal which is soaringly melodic and catchy but at the same time brutally heavy and intense. A must hear album for any fans of melodic metal.

14. Testament - Brotherhood Of The Snake

The Bay Area thrash veterans released one of their most eye wateringly intense albums with Brotherhood Of The Snake taking some cues from modern thrash and extreme metal and adding to their classic thrash sound. Brutally heavy and also insanely catchy. Another fine addition to the Testament discography.

13. Evergrey - The Storm Within

Evergrey released one of the finest albums of their long career with 2014's Hymns For The Broken but have somehow managed to top that with The Storm Within. The album takes the bands signature sound of dark melancholic melodic metal and gives it a modern twist. A fine album in an already incredible discography.

12. Solitude - Reach For The Sky

This album really took me by surprise as it was the first thing I had ever heard by this band and it blew my socks off. Hailing from Japan, Solitude play a devastating combination of traditional heavy metal and speed metal but with a passion and intensity I haven't heard in a long time. If this doesn't get your blood pumping not much will.

11. Death Angel - The Evil Divide

Another Bay Area thrash veteran and another stunning thrash album. Like Testament, Death Angel take their classic thrash and mix it with a modern metal sound to create an album that is fast and pummeling but equally melodic and anthemic plus a career best performance from vocalist Mark Osegueda. The finest thrash release of 2016.

10. In The Woods... - Pure

After an absence of sixteen years, In The Woods... returned with their fourth album and a mighty fine comeback it was. Straying from the avant-garde progressive metal sounds of their last album In The Woods... took a more atmospheric, doomy and melancholic route. A fantastic return.

9. Moonsorrow - Jumalten Aika

Moonsorrow with their seventh album built upon their established epic folk sound but this time around added in a bit of a more raw black metal sound. At times more epic sounding than they ever have and also more grim and evil. A fantastic album.

8. Katatonia - The Fall Of Hearts

Sweden's masters of gloom returned with another spellbinding addition to their discography. Taking their dark melancholic sound and adding more progressive elements than previously this album sounded like classic Katatonia mixed with a bit of Opeth, Steven Wilson and Tool. An absolutely beautiful and mesmerising release.

7. Insomnium - Winter's Gate

Insomnium released their most ambitious album to date - a concept album made up of one song split into seven parts. A bit of a bold move but one that ultimately paid off as this is probably the finest release by the band. Taking their already established melancholic melodic death metal sound and incorporating more progressive elements this is one of the must hear metal albums of 2016.

6. Ihsahn - Arktis

Ihsahn has been releasing some of the finest progressive metal albums of recent years in my opinion. After the oddball more avant-garde leaning Das Seelenbrechen album in 2013, Ihsahn released a slightly more straight forward but also increasingly diverse album with some of his finest songwriting to date.

5. Oathbreaker - Rheia

Oathbreaker turned heads with the release of Rheia. Previously known for their blackened strain of hardcore Oathbreaker went in a different direction and produced a masterpiece of atmospheric black metal highly influenced by shoegaze but with also a few touches of hardcore. An absolutely breathtaking and intense album.

4. Anaal Nathrakh - The Whole Of The Law

Anaal Nathrakh are one of the most terrifyingly intense sounding bands in extreme metal and with The Whole Of The Law they seemed to push their sound into further depths of intensity and terror. A mix of black metal, grindcore and industrial that absolutely destroys everything in its path.

3. Alcest - Kodama

After 2014's stripped back and metal free album Shelter, Alcest have returned to their established sound mixing together atmospheric black metal, shoegaze and dream pop in their own unique style whilst taking influence from Japanese culture. A true return to form and one of their finest releases.

2. 40 Watt Sun - Wider Than The Sky

40 Watt Sun took a different approach with this album by removing the dense distorted guitars of their debut album The Inside Room resulting in a very natural stripped back sound. This works gloriously and the result is one of the most heartfelt, melancholic and emotionally charged albums I have heard since the last Anathema release. Although not doom in sound this album is doom in spirit. Essential listening.

1. Devin Townsend Project - Transcendance

I will fully admit that I am a massive fan of all things Devin Townsend very rarely being let down by his music. Unfortunately with the Z2 double album I was very underwhelmed so went into this new album with a bit of trepidation. I needn't have worried as Devin has released one of the absolute finest albums of his career. A very spiritual and emotional sounding record with Devin's trademark wall of sound I literally had goosebumps from the moment this album started to its end. A may be a bit biased as a Hevy Devy megafan but this was clearly the album of the year for me.

Reviews: Perzonal War, Freerock Saints, Thunderwar (Albums from 2016)

Perzonal War: Inside The New Time Chaoz (Metalville) (2016)

Germany's Perzonal War have been playing classy power/thrash since 1996, flying slightly under the radar for all these years they have released eight albums of chunky, thrash metal with melodic influences, more American in sound than the Big 3 of german thrash Perzonal War have more in common with Testament, Forbidden and Overkill than Kreator.

The slightly convoluted album title is actually the titles of their first two records together, this is because their ninth record takes songs from their first two records Inside and Newtimechaos and re-records them with the band's current line-up with only original members being Martin Buchwalter on drums and Metti Zimmer on vocals on guitar, they are aided by the more recent additions of Andreas Ballnus on guitars and Björn Kluth on bass.

The first five songs on this record belong to Inside and the last six to newtimechaos with The Inside starting the album strong with great thrash riffs and insistent drumming. This is classic thrash sounding metal with big stomping breakdowns on D.O.P, great clean leads throughout (just listen to New Time Bitch for a taster) and Metti's voice having a definite Hetfield ring to it.

It's a real eye opener that some of the best thrash metal to come this year has come from Perzonal War especially because some of these songs are nearly 20 years old, proper thrash metal as it should be, I know at least two Hutchings' that will lap this up. 8/10

Freerock Saints: Blue Pearl Union (Grooveyard Records) (2016)

American label Grooveyard Records comes up trumps again with yet another Greek blues rock band in Freerock Saints, unlike Super Vintage who were the most recent band I reviewed from this label Freerock Saints have a more traditional blues approach, throwing in hip shaking funk on Roll With The Wind and Take It while focussing on the vocals of Areti Valavanopoulou rather than the more guitar orientated sound of Super Vintage.

It's a good plan because her vocals are excellent having the soul and emotion of Elin Larsson (Blues Pills) and the grit and sheer power of Colleen Rennison (No Sinner) she is the key element of this record taking songs to the next level of their evolution although the rest of the band don't just leave her too it.

This is mainly because the rest of the Freerock Saints are also members of Super Vintage with Stavros Papadopoulos giving yet another stellar guitar performance (Shot Down In Flames) as well as producing and writing the songs bringing in Lazaros Simitsis from SV on drums and Dinos Maltezos on the bass for a solid foundation for both Stavros and Areti to work their magic.

The middle of the record slows the pace with solo filled ballad Blue Pearl and the country flavoured Still Bleeding but it rocks back up again with All I Need and Never Lost My Faith which sashays with an attitude. Blue Pearl Union is a strong debut from yet another blues rock band from Greece, this seems to be a trend recently and I suggest you follow it if you love soulful Black Crowes-like rock n roll. 8/10      

Thunderwar: Black Storm (Witching Hour Productions) (2016)

The people of Poland know their death metal, this is a fact, with huge acts such as Vader, Behemoth, Decapitated and Hate there aren't many countries who can be given the same level of recognition for their impact on the death metal scene except for possibly Sweden, it's the sheer brutality of these death metal legends mentioned that mean any band that comes from Poland playing death metal shouldn't be taken lightly.

So relative newcomers Thunderwar should be greeted with open arms if you like full throttle riffage, blastbeats galore and guttural vocals but this album has more than that there are creeping nuanced parts, big sweeping atmospheric changes and a lot of craftsmanship being put in to give Thunderwar their own identity, separating them from their more famous countrymen. Could you call this epic death metal? I'd say so as there are enough grandiose elements to make it leap out of your speakers as something more than just straightforward death metal ear murdering, although that still happens on the frankly head smashing New Age Prophecy.

At just 8 songs and 43 minutes it's a perfectly admirable debut record, they have enough of their own identity to separate them from their countrymen, the production lets it down a little but there is enough here to attract those looking for another Polish death metal fix. 7/10    

Matt's Top 20 Of 2016

So much like my colleague Paul narrowing down the year into 10 albums was just too difficult, so I to have gone for 20 (because it's my blog and I can) while some are similar there are others that are different to the other contributors to this blog. As you can probably tell I'm a bit in love with prog, but I also love stomping hard rock and power metal. My list is based upon albums that had a an immediate effect on me but also ones that I have played a multitude of times. Some of these records have spent weeks on my stereo, others have been played once or twice but only in full as a testament to the commitment you have to give them. In what was an incredible year for music albums, gigs etc and on that saw this little project go from strength to strength once again, we hope to bring you more content, reviews, interviews, features in 2017. For now though these are the records that made me laugh, cry and most importantly remind myself why I love music. So here you go folks:

20. Feeder - All Bright Electric

Who knew that in 2016, Welsh millennial darlings Feeder would return with possibly the album of their career. Modern, classy and accomplished All Bright Electric is the culmination of sonic experimentation, new found confidence and years of hard slog. A sparkling example of modern rock from a band any Welsh person should be proud of.

19. The New Roses - Dead Man's Voice

I'd never heard of The New Roses before 2016, but now I'm glad of it as these German rockers play the groove filled hard rock that I love taking from The Black Crowes, Aerosmith but with a 80's sleaze due to the rough and ready vocals. It'd suggest starting with this record over their debut as it is a more realised vision of what they are about.

18. Headspace - All You Fear Is Gone

Filled with prog virtuoso's the second Headspace album was never going to be a simple affair, however they stepped up their game from their debut remarkable, things were more nuanced, progressive and in parts heavier, the lyrics too advanced the story of the debut's protagonist into more emotional psychological territory. A prog-metal tour-de-force that I hope will be followed up in less time than the five years this took to make.

17. Ulysses - Law And Order

Just sneaking into my top 20 are Bath retroist rockers who mix pop, psych and hard rock for huge sing along songs. Law & Order is their second record and it takes their sound to a louder, more defined sound. Their influences are worn on the collective sleeves with The Cars, Syd Barrett, Thin Lizzy and even Sailor creeping in this is a potent homage to music of the late 60's and early 70's with kaleidoscopic colours and outlandish lyrics Law And Order has jumped headlong as one my albums of the year.  

16. The Mute Gods - Do Nothing Until You Hear From Me

Not content with being the long term bassist for Steven Wilson (and earlier Kajagoogoo) Nick Beggs formed his own band The Mute Gods and quickly released his debut record featuring top musicians (most of whom had worked with him or Wilson) this was almost an alt-prog album rippling with anger and paranoia but wrapped up in glorious melodies and intense musicality. With the second record coming next year I hope that the upward trend continues.

15. The Temperance Movement - White Bear

We've been following The Temperance Movement since their debut and they continue to impress both in the live arena and on record. Their second record is a more mature affair than debut using more acoustic elements and blues touches to add another string to their already impressive bow, it's less insistent than the debut but if you give it time and patience it unravels into a enriching musical experience.

14. Purson - Desire's Magic Theatre

Continuing a theme of second albums Desire's Magic Theatre is probably one of the oddest, most gloriously technicolor releases of the year, Rosalie Cunningham's band of merry minstrels rammped up the weirdness for this second album. It's kitsch, kooky and most of all it rocks with Hendrix solos and psychedelia that looks to Jefferson Airplane and The Nice. With the band apparently calling it a day a mere week ago, this serves a sublime epitaph for a unique band.

13. Rival Sons - Hollow Bones

The Americans seem to get better with every release and Hollow Bones once again displays this, after being one of the highlights of an otherwise disastrous Download, the Californian four-piece carve a niche all of their own putting them in a totally different league to many of the bands having the modern retro sound. In their respective genre they are untouchable.

12. Haken - Affinty

Haken's fourth album saw them expand their musical palate yet again, pitching themselves in the technological analogue nostalgia of the 1980's releasing the record on LP, CD, MP3 and Cassette. A seriously impressive melodic prog record that mixes accessible songwriting with proggier than thou musicianship strained though the electronic music of the homaged decade.  

11. Devilskin - Be Like The River

New Zealand's Devilskin blew me away with their first album, I immediately fell in love with the heavy riffs and Jennie's amazing vocals. Their second record is bit more understated, the songs burn slower and it's only after repeated listens it reveals it's charms. The addition of more electronics and more solos mixed with bigger ballads gives the record a broader appeal. Mark my words Devilskin are going to achieve the same level of fame here as they have in their native country on the back of this record. Difficult second album? Not on your life!

10. Damian Wilson - Built For Fighting

The Threshold & Headspace frontman released his fourth solo record and it's probably the least 'rock' album I've reviewed, it has rock elements but there's far more acoustic, folk and pop touches to the songs on this record. It's a 'mainstream' album that desreves a lot of recognition, Wilson's voice is incredible as usual and when paired with the catchy-as-hell songs it meant that personally I played this album numerous times

9. Raveneye - NOVA

We are always a blog to support UK bands where we can and we've been supporting Raveneye since our first live viewings. (Personally I've been impressed by Oli Brown since he came to the scene as young man) Anyway NOVA is the long awaited debut album and it's truly stunning, taking a modern edge to the sounds of Zeppelin and Cream the three piece are heavy as hell and also have the riffs and hooks to win anyone round.

8. Avantasia - Ghostlights

Ghostlights is the first part of a new Avantasia project from Tobias Sammett, this one owes more to the AOR and hard rock than any of the previous efforts but sees Sammett writing some of his best material yet. Featuring all manner of guest artists it's a more than promising starts to this new set of albums and this one especially features a song more Meat Loaf than the entirety of this years Meat Loaf album (missing from this list)

7. Devin Townsend Project - Transcendence

Unless it's the god awful Ziltoid stuff Hevy Devy can do no wrong in my eyes, so with that in mind I went into his latest album with a rose tinted vision. Happily the spectacle weren't needed as Transcendence is quite probably the finest album Devin has made, it has all the pre-requisite heaviness, melody and mad genius that Devin has always made his own. A practically perfect Devin record from here he can do anything.

6. Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard - Y Proffwyd Dwyll

Wrexham masters of heavy MWWB came of age with this record it saw them being featured in the major published magazines and saw them exposed to a wider audience. Thankfully the music backs their press up with a frighteningly heavy, slightly experimental and haunting record that is disconcerting and ear splittingly powerful. With live shows already lined up for next year I personally can't wait to see these songs live.

5. Frost* - Falling Satellites

British on-again-off-again proggers returned with their first record since 2012 and it was one that blew many others out of the pool, an interesting engaging fusion of neo-prog and more classic themes with a distinctly pop sensibility from Gem Godfrey's merry crew. This is the sound of four men at the apex of their talents and it's simply glorious.

4. Crippled Black Phoenix - Bronze

Bronze sees Crippled Black Phoenix continue to redefine their own nature while remaining as uncompromising as ever. Its a record full of personal demons and political activism that features new members and a reinvigorated purpose, probably the most complete record of their career Bronze revels in it's misery but always aims towards the faint silver lining. I've been extolling the virtues of CBP for years and it's time they got the recognition they deserved.

3. Gojira - Magma

Gojira with clean vocals, clean guitars and less fret sliding? Yes it's happened folks Gojira have added a depth to their sound that has been lacking even though no one has realised, Magma was more subtle, deft and song driven than it's predecessors it saw the band take that step onto the next level, crowned by a thrilling performance at Bloodstock Gojira are now in the premiership of the metal game.

2. Marillion - F.E.A.R

After so many years a band like Marillion could have been forgiven for phoning in any future albums however this isn't what they do. F.E.A.R is quite possibly the bands best album with Steve Hogath behind the mic, incredibly political (more so than CBP) it's a terrifying and upsetting reflection of our current world shining the light on the less than perfect society we live in today. An acronym for Fuck Everyone And Run the title alone tells you everything you need to know, as far as the album goes it's a slow burner but after repeated listens is shines like the gold on it's cover.

1. The Struts - Everybody Wants

So number one, it took something truly special to beat Marillion in my eyes but Everybody Wants is an album that I loved as soon as heard it and even after a fortnight of repetitive plays it still had the same effect on me. I smile from ear to ear as the record starts and this continues until the last chord, the bastard love child of Queen, The Stones and Bowie The Struts are unashamedly British and this record is a celebration of fun, sex and rock n roll. With so much devastating news in the music world and beyond this year sometimes all you need is a bit of fun and The Struts are just that Everybody Wants is pure escapism, saccharine and sexy it's an album that makes you forget the real world for 30 odd minutes and just bask in the warm glow of rock music.  

Paul's Top 20 Of 2016

My top ten (well, it's 20)

What a year. It's that time again when we reflect on the magnificent and the rotten and as in previous years the challenge to pick a top ten from a field of fine music is a stiff one. In fact, this year began with an assault that has not really eased. High quality across the genres with The Temperance Movement and Megadeth setting the bar high, bookended by the first Metallica release since 2008. It's been another good year. Having reviewed countless releases for the blog as well as those I just listened to, the Ed has given me sanction for a top 20. Given that I had to also listen to some right rubbish at times I think that this is only fair!

It's also reasonable to give a shout to some of the shite that I've had the misfortune to review and head and shoulders above everything else this year, yes, even the turgid bloat of Dream Theater’s The Astonishing, was the utterly dreadful Dee Snider solo release We Are The Ones which contained the creepiest song of the year in Close To You. I'm still not convinced it was tongue in cheek and for that reason I give it top place in the golden turd pile.

What about songs of the year? For the death metal aficionados Abbath’s To War, Vader’s Send Me Back To Hell and Obituary’s Loathe were exceptional, whilst the Phoenix rising from the ashes of Bolt Thrower, the mighty Memoriam hit incredibly hard with War Rages On.  For sheer heaviness Gojira’s The Cell and Lamb Of God’s The Duke pulverised and battered. Old school thrash was well represented with the immense Reset from Metal Church, Dystopia by Megadeth, Metallica’s triumphant Spit Out The Bone and Atlas, Rise! Along with Death Angel’s The Moth and legends Testament’s Brotherhood Of The Snake. In the progressive rock section Opeth’s haunting Will O The Wisp, Living In Fear by Marillion, the stunning My Book Of Regrets by Steven Wilson and In Exile from The Pineapple Thief were amongst a vast selection of quality. However, my favourite track of the year is from a band whose album didn't even make my top 20. That band is The Answer and the song is Solas, a quite stunning departure from their previous sound, full of atmosphere, smouldering and moody with a quite super hook. Brilliant stuff.

Before I get into my top 20, it's worth the honourable mentions to those who didn't make it. Obscura, Obzidian (who were so close with their storming fourth release Obliteration Process), Megadeth’s Dystopia (which was a front runner for the top 10 for much of the year), Darkthrone, Messenger, Magnum’s millionth release Sacred Heart Divine Lies and Rival Sons Hollow Bones, all brilliant releases.

So, in true award style, here’s my top 20 counting down from 20 to number 1.

20. Death Angel – The Evil Divide

When the Bay Area thrash machine that is Death Angel hit with The Dream Calls For Blood back in 2014 I thought it unlikely that they would ever top it. The Evil Divide proved that time only makes things better as it stomped all over the thrash world. There wasn’t a bad song on this album.

19. The Mission – Another Fall From Grace

It had been a long time since I’d listened to Wayne Hussey and The Mission but this album grabbed the attention from the opening bars of the title track through the single Met-Amor-Phosis to closer Phantom Pain. Haunting in a way only the gothic movement can be, this was a brilliant release. The band proved they could deliver in the live arena too at a splendid gig at Bristol’s O2 in October. Alive and kicking at 55.

18. The Temperance Movement – White Bear

The much anticipated follow up to the self-titled debut arrived so early in 2016 that it was almost forgotten. However, a couple of plays quickly refreshed the memory. White Bear’s swagger and confidence demonstrated how far the band had come in a short space of time. With the recent departure of drummer Damon Wilson, it can only be hoped that the band can maintain their zest and passion in 2017.

17. Insomnium – Winter’s Gate

A band that define consistency, the 7th release from the Finns was a brave concept piece that totally delivered. Nothing about this was anything but astonishing, with the variation between light and dark working in all aspects. How about a decent slot at BOA in 2017?

16. The Pineapple Thief – Your Wilderness

Bruce Soord’s Somerset based outfit delivered one of the most delicate and beautiful releases of the year. The band’s tenth album showed a continuation of the growth of a truly underrated band. Kscope have several magical acts on their label but few come near the excellence of a ridiculously talented bunch of musicians.

15. Blackberry Smoke – Like An Arrow

The Smoke must be one of the hardest working bands in the business and are currently spearheading the burgeoning Southern Country rock sound. Their 6th album expanded on 2015’s Holding All The Roses with a wider variety of tracks, allowing the band to flex their musical muscles in a number of different directions whilst still retaining the good time feel we fell in love with. In Charlie Starr the band possess a true icon, and the best pair of chops in rock.

14. Cheap Trick – Bang Zoom Crazy, Hello

For a band that formed in 1973, Cheap Trick are just remarkable. Enormous in Japan, Bang Zoom Crazy, Hello was the band’s 17th album and the first not to feature drummer Bun. E. Carlos. It contained several infectious rock cum pop tunes, some right royal rockers and the beautiful Bowie like When I Wake Up Tomorrow. Robin Zander’s vocals remain quite magical whilst Rick Nielsen is a guitar god in the true sense of the word.

13. Grand Magus – Sword Songs

Who doesn’t love Grand Magus? Formulaic perhaps. Anthemic - completely. But bloody good time after time and superb in the live arena. The follow up to Triumph And Power contained enough battle rousing hymns to power a Viking invasion and with the mighty Forged In Iron sporting the year’s best chorus this was a shoe in for a top spot.

11. Lacuna Coil – Delirium

The Italian outfit has blown hot and cold in recent years but Delirium took the bull by the horns, ramped up the heaviness enormously and crashed in with a very impressive release. The contrast of Cristina Scabbia’s soaring vocals and the almost death growl of co-vocalist Andrea Ferro works magnificently. The album contained some real stomping tunes, including the title track and the vicious The House Of Shame which worked perfectly in the live arena.

10. Winterfylleth – The Dark Hereafter

One of the most underrated British bands, the fifth release from Black Metal legends Winterfylleth was one of the most anticipated of the year. It didn’t disappoint with a blistering delivery and a quite immense cover of Ulver’s 1995 track Led Astray In The Forest Dark a highlight on an album of nothing but highlights. .

9. Blues Pills – Lady In Gold

Psychedelic, stoner and steeped in the sounds of the 70s, Lady In Gold was another sophomore release which lived up to all the hype. Blues Pills debut was so good that you did wonder how they would match it but Lady In Gold topped it comfortably. The storming title track was one of many memorable songs on an album full of quality blues soaked rock. Check out Bad Talkers for one of the best songs of 2016.

8. Katatonia – The Fall Of Hearts

They have been dubbed as a bit boring in later releases but to the naysayers I say you are totally wrong. The Swedes rode the loss of drummer Daniel Liljekvist to produce an album which continued their melancholic bent but with superbly crafted songs. The Fall Of Hearts contains some of the most structured and haunting music Katatonia has released and the heaviness of their earlier work remains on tracks like Serein and Serac.

7. Metal Church – XI

The return of Mike Howe provided the mighty Church with all the impetus they needed to move one massive step forward. Under the ever-watchful eye of founder Kurdt Vanderhoof XI was not out of the CD player for months after its release. Full of razor sharp riffs and pounding rhythms, there wasn’t a dull track on the album. Check out the blistering opening song Reset for a statement of intent. Howe’s vocal performance is as good as the day he delivered Blessing In Disguise way back in 1989.

6. Hawkwind – The Machine Stops

With Dave Brock now in his early 70s, you could have forgiven him if he’d slowed down a bit. Not a chance. The band delivered one of their best ever albums with their concept release based on EM Forster’s dystopian novel. Full of the innovative space rock that Hawkwind have rightly established as their own, tracks such as The Machine, Lost In Science and Synchronised Blue demonstrated that the band could still rock out with the best of them. The usual craziness was there in spades; Yum Yum for example whilst the overall concept matched the novel to a tee. Their live set was magnificent too.

5. Raveneye – Nova

Hardly a new band although Nova was their first full release, Raveneye have been catching the eye and ear for a couple of years now. Their debut EP Breaking Out was a taster of their quality which we’d lapped up through their stunning live performances; however, I don’t think we were quite prepared for the sheer brilliance of Nova. Full of classic hard rock, songs like Come With Me and Hero are irresistibly toe tapping whilst the band showed they could craft the more complex sound with the epic Supernova. Astonishingly good live, Nova provided what we all wanted, the live experience captured on record.

4. Dark Funeral – Where Shadows Forever Reign

The first album for seven years from the Swedish Black Metal masters turned out to be an absolute belter. Full of the expected blast beats, razor sharp riffs and guttural vocals, Where Shadows Forever Reign was blistering from start to finish. With more melody and hooks than one might expect, the album opened with the hauntingly powerful Unchain My Soul and didn’t let up until the immense title track.

3. Opeth – Sorceress

The first play of Sorceress was a total let down. The songs felt disjointed and weak. Repeated plays totally changed my view and this has become one of my favourites in 2016. Full of variation and Mikael Akerfeldt’s love of 70s rock, Sorceress contains something few other releases did. Variety in buckets. From the pomp of the title track to the fuzzy Strange Brew and the delicacy of Will O The Wisp and Persephone. This was a statement from a band who are finally reaping the long overdue rewards. An album I grew to love. Beautiful.

2. Marillion – F.E.A.R.

There is little to be said about this release. It is just stunning. Spectacularly crafted from start to finish, prophetically accurate and scarily reflecting the current state of our country, F.E.A.R. is enormous. A band that has retained a massively loyal fan base over the years but always saddled with the Fish-era reputation, F.E.A.R. may finally be the release that shakes that off. To be honest, Steve Hogarth and co. won’t give a fig. They’ve just sold out the Royal Albert Hall in minutes.

1. Gojira – Magma

There was never going to be any dispute about the number one slot. As soon as Magma hit the CD player the intake of breath was immediate. From the opener, The Shooting Star to closer Liberation Magma just screamed class. Intense, powerful but with a delicacy maybe not always so obvious in other releases the French technical giants delivered an album that moves them into the premier league. By all accounts they blew Alter Bridge and Volbeat out of the water on their recent tour. For those of us who’ve followed the band for several years this was totally unsurprising. Any band that can create the brilliance witnessed in the likes of Silvera, Pray and the brutality of Only Pain wins 2016.

One final note: many will be surprised that Hard Wired …To Self Destruct doesn't feature at all. I love Metallica. I've played this album to death. It rocks hard. I think it is a worthy top five release. But so many others will vote for it I wanted to raise awareness for some of the other brilliant stuff out there. I don't think the family will mind.

Reviews: Deathvalves, Debackliner, Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side

Deathvalves: Dark Stories From The Past (New Dream Records) (2016)

I was informed that Thessaly band Deathvalves were an alternative metal band but my how wrong that was this is sublime heavy metal/hard rock with groove and thrashy sounds influencing the record. As the Intro commences we get a Morricone flavoured Western Theme with the sounds that made those Leone movies so iconic.

The Morricone sounds make their way into Vengeance that pairs thunderous drumming with layered wall-of-sound riffs that stop and start like Gojira's. Dark Stories... is the band's third record and it is a strong third shot the songs have good mix of fuzzy distorted guitars, heavy echoing basslines, especially on Pantera which has Dimebag-esque tapping solo, along with vocals that fit the music well, they are gritty and raw perfect for the heavyweight instrumentals. Like I said this isn't 'alternative' metal there are too many other components with stoner and doom on So Much To Kill and some grunge filtering through meaning it's a cerebral but aggressive record. Burn The Sun could be the missing Mastodon song such are the atmospherics and incredible drumming while Into This Ocean has an insistent riffing from the tech metal scene.

The record culminates with The Emperor which uses brass and synths as part of the very evil triumphant feel, it would sit comfortably on a Behemoth record and even the vocals get harsher on this song with many of the black metal trappings. Dark Stories From The Past is a superior metal release using a plethora of influences to make sure it doesn't become stale. For a record that will tide you over until the next Mastodon or Gojira release Deathvalves third record could be the worthy alternative. 9/10
          
Debackliner: Debackliner (Pitch Black Records) (2016)

Pandora the song that kicks off this debut record record has a dirty riff, withs some melodic leads over the top of it, there is a power metal tinge to the song with Maiden-like galloping and some muscular expressive vocals. It's a good start to the record merging power metal style soloing and orchestrations with heavy groove passages much like Nevermore with a hint of latter Metallica thrown in. On Rise Of The Angel the vocals become deeper and more resonant even adding in some growls to the mixture of a song with numerous time signature changes and a stomping middle eight. There is a lot going on on this record a fusion so styles mean that all of the songs twist and turn, the one curve-ball is Jolly Roger which is the sort of Pirate-themed madness Rockin' Rolf would write, but the song speaks volumes about the rest of the record, it's all over the shop with many schizophrenic changes of pace in throughout the songs on this record, some are needed some less so, despite strong performances from the Marseille group, especially the guitars, in parts it loses its way. With a little bit of streamlining on the next record they are well on their way to something quite good. 7/10
    
Jonas Lindberg & The Others: Pathfinder (2016)

The debut full length album from the Swedish progressive group, formed by band leader/bassist/keyboardist and namesake Jonas Lindberg, he has a very audible obsession with the more pastoral, melodic style of prog favoured by Spock's Beard, Enchant, The Flower Kings, Marillion and Genesis. It's the intensely progressive but well structured, accessible music that makes this band so appealing to someone like me.

His bass playing really underpins the rest of the music on this record having the delicate, jazz infused playing style of Pete Trewavas, his band on this record are all as equally talented as Lindberg, Calle Stålenbring provides the guitar playing adding heaviness to the jazz fusion styled Zenith and Square One but also putting in the more acoustic textures to Closer To The Sun before giving the record one of it's most beautiful solos (live Nicklas Thelin has joined to flesh out the Gilmour meets Ronnie Stolt six stringing)

In the back room Johnathan Lundberg takes the drums and while Maria Olsson takes the percussion meaning that rhythm-wise the record is very dense with both doing more than just keeping time, they are the ones that change time signatures and back Lindberg's bass. As with Spock's Beard the music is very keyboard heavy, Michael Ottosson is the main provider of synth and keys and he does a mighty fine job his keys are thick and melodic fleshing out the tracks with swathes of majestic melodies on Peace Of Mind, giving the darker sounds to Lost and the electronic beats to Zenith.

With so much musical proficiency on show you need a vocalist with the sweep of Neal Morse, Steve Hogarth and even Phil Collins and Jonas Sundqvist definitely fits the bill his emotive handling of the lyrics shines through and he blends effortlessly with Jenny Sandgren who reinforces the vocal melodies. Pathfinder is a superior record with some outstanding performances throughout, it's a fantastic progressive rock album and I urge you to seek it out asap. 9/10

Reviews: Blackfield, Boneyard Dog, Psycho Kiss

Blackfield: Blackfield V (Kscope)

Blackfield V is the fifth collaboration between Steven Wilson and Aviv Geffen and it sees them returning with yet another Blackfield record even though Wilson did say he intended to leave the project as his solo career increased in stature. Wilson's solo career had meant that Welcome To My DNA and Blackfield IV were primarily written by Geffen over Wilson, however once again the collaborations are shared equally like they was on their first two records. Over the course of 18 months they created this record with famed producer Alan Parsons in England and Geffen's native Israel with Wilson and Geffen interchanging between vocals, guitars and keys while Tomer Z re-takes his seat at the drum kit.

The songs of the high quality you would expect from the pair, taking a more alternative influenced approach that has been key to the Blackfield since the outset, much of this is due to Geffen's background in the pop/glam and alternative rock field, his vocals are part of the bands charm blending with Wilson seamlessly on Lonely Soul which also has some beautiful female vocals to while his solo voice adds emotion to We'll Never Be Apart.

The record is a concept piece with all of the tracks loosely themed around the ocean and the life cycle so it means lots of emotive pieces that have rapidly become part of the Blackfield trademark, especially when the musical arrangements are augmented by the London Sessions Orchestra who provide the delicate string sections on tracks such as How Was Your Ride? I always welcome a Blackfield album as it is a chance for Wilson and Geffen to stretch their remit outside of their already expansive musical influence. With gorgeous arrangements throughout, produced by legend of the craft it's another sublime album from this duo. 8/10

Boneyard Dog: Bluesbound Train (AOR Heaven)

Imagine the titular dog, a dog in a boneyard, nothing else just a yard full of bones, imagine how happy he is. Now what this has to do with blues rock is anyone's guess but sometimes these are the images that come to mind when looking at a bands name unless of course you're Unforeseen Prophecy because any images of prophecy would be unseen naturally.

Still I digress Boneyard Dog are a new name but as far as membership it's old dogs new tricks with the the main duo of the band being German/Italian singer Rob Mancini (Hotwire/Crush) and Irish blues guitarist Davy Kerrigan, they are the backbone of the band and take the bulk of the songwriting, helping them out on the percussion is Ron Wisko who has played with Cher, Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), Foreigner, David Lee Roth (Van Halen), The Storm, Gregg Rolie (Santana/Journey) amongst others, rounding out the group is keyboardist Tony Carey who is probably most well known as the man supplying the keys to Rainbow's seminal Rising record.

The record is full of bluesy hard rock music on which Kerrigan gets to channel the blues rock heroes, Rory, Stevie and The Reverend Willy G with Carey's classy organs and keys providing the foil as guest bassists Marc Lynn (Gotthard) and Neil Murray (Ex-Whitesnake) work well with Wisko's tub thumping. Atop the powerful blues rocking are the rough, smoky vocals of Mancini who has the atypical blues singer delivery and suits the style down to the ground especially on Mother Lode and Lay Down The Law, they play heavy when they can, funk things up on Paid My Dues and get a little dirty on Fire Down Below it's a blues rock album that smacks of quality with everyone involved at the apex of their power.

In the positives too is the info that the band have created the Boneyard Foundation, it benefits victims of motorcycle accidents or their immediate families. A very philanthropic gesture especially when all the proceeds from the track Lonely Road goes towards the foundation, with the track itself featuring Gotthard's Marc Lynn who's singer Steve Lee tragically died in a motorcycle accident in 2010. A great album and from what seems to be a very charitable bunch of fellows, Boneyard Dog are ruff (sorry) an ready to rock. 8/10

Psycho Kiss: Grit (Self Released)

Neath/Swansea band Psycho Kiss are local favourites on the South Wales music scene, Grit is their third record and it maintains their mix of heavyweight riffage and infectious hooks. The five piece are fronted by Helen Ceri Clarke who has very tough vocals matching the riff heavy backing that has nods to Alter Bridge and Halestorm especially on the thumping Scream Queens. The band use a lot of dark horror themes in their music with odes to sociopaths on the twisted Sociopathic Superstar the antichrist on Devil Inside and the intro to the record is happily titled The Ballad Of Pennywise (the killer clown from Stephen King's IT).

The musical backing is muscular Pete (rhythm), Tom (bass) and the brilliantly named Penfold (drums) taking the rhythm section by the collar and shaking it around a bit as Paul plays the searing Tremonti like leads. Psycho Kiss are an outfit that sound very professional, years of touring and three albums in they have managed to channel their energetic live show into the record, they rock hard put power into songs like Even Better If aren't afraid to take risks on The Haunting and I Grieve which are both slower injecting more drama, they also put a bit of southern flavour into Down which has the always appreciated cowbell. A really classy, modern rock record from these folks from West Wales. 8/10

Reviews: White Widdow, Heaven Below, King Hiss

White Widdow: Silhouette (AOR Heaven)

When I say Australian rock music to you what comes to mind? Probably big power chords, brawny vocals, heavy drinking and a man in a school boy outfit who should know better. Yes Australia does tend to get stereotyped with their rock music, with AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, Airbounre however they do a good trade in modern metal (Parkway Drive), power metal (Black Majesty) and as I've demonstrated on a few occasions they can really pull off the sunshine AOR of the Sunset Strip with bands such as The Radio Sun evoking the melodies of Journey and their contemporaries. Well here we are again in FM radio territory with White Widdow who've been around since 2007 and who I have actually listened to before but never realised were Australian until now.

I actually thought they were American or at least Scandinavian (the other big AOR stalwarts) but no these are Aussies that play the sort of synth heavy 80's rock that should be the backing track to a stylish, lens flare heavy movie starring Tom Cruise. Brothers Jules (formerly of Welshies Tigertailz) and Xavier are the soulful vocals and layered shiny keyboards of the band with Enzo Almanzi on the lead guitars, Ben Webster on bass and Noel Terry on drums.

The music on this record is as slick as Crockett and Tubbs dress sense, it purrs like a bright white Lamborghini, Silhouette is chock full of driving anthems like Stranded, Wild At Heart and Game Of Love that you can just hear playing out of s supercar as the sun glows orange over the bay on the horizon. The perfect album to do away with the winter blues White Widdow are sweeter than a candy cane dipped in Golden syrup, if you love this music Silhouette is a shining example of the genre. 8/10

Heaven Below: Good Morning Apocalypse (eOne Entertainment)

Reading the info for this band I made a lot of suppositions and I have been proven wrong on most of them. Good Morning Apocalypse is the third record from LA band Heaven Below, formed in 2007 by Patrick Kennison formerly of Union Underground, a band that I know from a theme they did for WWE Monday Night Raw in the early 2000's. After the breakup of that band Kennison formed Heaven Below, they have released two records and have gone through multiple line-up changes with Kennison being the only consistent member since the beginning.

For musicians that are normally associated with the Nu-Metal scene this record spreads its wings and adds choirs to Nefarious Angels which puts it in the realms of symphonic rock, while on Devilina And The Damage Done it's full heavy metal fury with Kobra Paige duetting with Kennison, Nightfall Comes Again brings some electronic touches then Killing The Deadman blows you out of the water with ferocious blastbeats. It's a very heavy album that sits in the harder rock bracket as there are big choruses but chunky riffs, while listening to the record I couldn't help but think of Sixx A.M as this record shares a lot of similarities with Nikki Sixx and James Michaels band.

This record is a concept piece based around one soldier (Corporal Todd Grant) that intersperses the songs with spoken word pieces however the songs stand up by themselves as individual pieces especially on the tracks that feature guest vocalists like Lita Ford (Running Under Satan's Hand) and Udo Dirkschneider (Black Sunrise/War Of The Gods). Don't let the previous bands of the members put you off Heaven Below are an excellent modern metal band and this record is very impressive, polished, slightly progressive and filled with towering heavy rock songs. 8/10

King Hiss: Mastosaurus (Self Released)

Another concept piece now but this one deals with themes that are black as tar, mainly the story of a doomed antihero fighting his own demons. Luckily King Hiss pack riffs strong enough to level mountains, Belgium is probably not the place you would immediately go for thundering stoner metal but my God King Hiss mean that you might do after this. The four piece are a musical hodgepodge with thick, sludgy stoner riffs (Renegade), crushing doom (Homeland), a rock n roll swagger (Killer Hand) and some hardcore influences (Egomaniac), hell they even throw in a breakdown on the rapid fire Tourniquet.

The music on this record is tight as hell and has genuine urgency to it, from the distorted We Live In Shadows and the drum fuelled almost tribal title track through to the acoustic laced, Alice in Chains-esque Stuck In A Hole. King Hiss are a mighty noise from the land of chocolate and much like their countries beer they hit hard and leave a lasting impression rattling your brain for a solid 36 minutes before the minor key piano of Requiem For The Lost plays you out giving rest-bite from the riffage yet still having ominous overtones. Mastosaurus is a superior stoner effort with these Belgians needing more your attention. 8/10      

Reviews: Piledriver, Vesen, Battery (Reviews By Paul)

Piledriver: Brothers In Boogie (Rockwall)

You've got to hand to the Germans. With their love of David Hasselhoff, sauerkraut and Grave Digger, they really don't give a shit. Enter Piledriver, a band formed in Essen in 1995 with one intention, “to preserve the legacy” of the original “Frantic Four”; yes folks, that is Status Quo. But none of this namby pamby acoustic shite, the original hard rocking denim clad pre-1981 band who used to be revered in the hard rock circles and who were responsible for the epic Quo Live.

Piledriver didn't leave it as a tribute band though, oh no. They decided to hit out on their own with their own Quo like boogie, four bars that will never die. Brothers in Boogie is the band’s third full release and mostly  work. It's alright, listenable and inoffensive. Ironically vocal delivery of Michael Sommerhoff and Peter Wagner sits closer to Udo Dirkschneider than Parfitt or Rossi and the stomping beat veres from Quo to Scorpions to Lightweight Accept. Rock In A Crossfire Hurricane? Yeap, that's here. Fat Rat Boogie, One Way to Rock and perfect Quo replica Good Times Again make you smile. In fact, these would be the ideal band at a party or wedding. You will either hate this or love it. I'd love to see them live. It must be hysterical. I think the Grammy can be put back in the cupboard for another year. 6/10

Vesen: Rorschach (Soulseller)

Straight out of Satan’s arse hole comes Vesen, a four piece thrash black metal who hit hard and don't stop. Some of the most gruesome vocals I've heard for ages, cut throats riffage and rampaging bass and drums all combine to make a fearsome noise. It's not pretty but then I don't think the band are looking for pink and fluffy. Rorschach is their fifth full length album, and it pounds like a hammer to the head. Pray for Fire has a galloping pace, with Ronny Ostil’s screaming haunted vocals reminiscent of Behemoth’s Nergal. In fact the whole release has more than a nod to the Polish lords of the black metal world. It's crushing stuff and with tracks such as the demonic Blood, Bones and Pride and the battery of Vulgar, Old and Sick Blasphemy (with a large nod towards old school Celtic Frost) it'll scare the shit out of those who think hard rock is Stone Broken.  Break out the black candles and the goat skull, time for a bit of  Vesen in your life. 8/10

Battery: Martial Law (Punishment 18 Records)

I went to Aarhus once. I saw Cardiff City get thumped in a European Cup match in 1988. It was a dismal game which matched the place. Battery are still stuck in that year, such is the dated style of their thrash. But it's not all dreadful with some fine aggressive riffage and speed the name of the game. Vocally it's bloody awful, with Chris Steel’s screeching voice a poor man’s combination of about a million better thrash throats, Bobby Ellsworth, Paul Balfour and Steve Souza for three. Andreas Joen batters the shit out his kit from start to finish whilst raw fury drives the guitars of Steel, Jokull Johannesson and Jesper Campradt. Jannick Nielsen’s rampaging bass lines impress in the Frank Bello style. It's unfortunate that the vocals do nothing to enhance any of the songs, with Battery By Authority particularly dire but with some harnessing Battery may yet fire a charge or two. 6/10

Reviews: Ulysses, Lux Divina, Saboter

Ulysses: Law And Order (Black Glove Recordings)

Bath based band Ulysses can rightfully claim to be the UK kings of Glam/Psych/Rock on the back of this their third full length record. It's one that I have criminally overlooked until now as it was released earlier in the year and I missed reviewing it so consider the balance redressed. My am I glad I revisited this record as it contains some of the most upbeat, dirty glam rocking since Roy Wood and Wizzard (very festive). Much like Purson, who's singer Rosalie Cunningham contributes vocals to this record, Ulysses make full use of the kaleidoscopic musical backing of the 60's and early 70's with stomping glam on the title track and Smiling a liberal sprinkling of The Beatles pop-psychedelia and the big wailing guitar riffs of Hendrix cutting through the cheeky lyrical flights of fancy such as Dirty Weekend and the proto-Quo of Mary Jane. Think Super Furry's with sparkling guitar solos and you'd be in the right stacked heeled, facial fuzz toting field.

The influences are worn on the collective sleeves with The Cars, Syd Barrett, Thin Lizzy and even Sailor creeping in. The record is deftly produced by Steve Evans (Robert Plant / Siouxsie / Goldfrapp) at the legendary Monnow Valley Studios and as such has an organic analogue quality to it which lends itself to the retro vibe of the bands ethos. The four piece are Luke Smyth on vocals and guitar, Julyan Wells-Cathedral on bass, Denny Peppers on guitar (lead) and finally Shane Maxymus on drums, with all of the these three contributing backing vocals for those gorgeous harmonies that Brian Wilson would lust after. The third record by Ulysses is their strongest to date encapsulating a sound from one of the most creative times in music, poppy, rocky and a little bit naughty get on your leather gloves and give in to Law And Order. 8/10

Lux Divina: Walk Within The Riddle (Einheit Produktionen)

Catalonian pagan black metal is not something you hear very often but Barcelona four piece Lux Divina have been the major exponent of this since 1998. Walk Within The Riddle is their third full length record and it takes traditional folk and Latin elements (The Oceans Are Bewitched) putting them with the black metal overtones of Ireland's Primordial or are own Winterfylleth. The guitars of Gangreal and Javi Bastard switch between frantic heaviness and more progressive touches on Waters Of Tomorrow - Woods Of Yesterday where things slow down as Iberian's bass adds groove.

It's musically very good with the slower sections punctuated by the blitzkrieg speed on Macchiajolo as Norax's vocals switch between demonic screams and booming clean vocals. Walk Within The Riddle is a powerful statement from the Spanish band, with the holiday season upon us I can't think of anything better than hailing Satan with this slab of pagan metal. 7/10

Saboter: Mankind Is Damned (Witches Brew)

Athens based Saboter have only been doing the rounds since 2014 but they have managed to release an EP and now a full length album, when I say full length I mean in the traditional sense of 8 songs and just over 45 minutes, much like the Maiden and Priest albums of the past. Saboter are a band that draw heavily from these acts with furious speed metal and NWOBHM trappings and songs dealing with political issues and war wrapped in a cover that features a robot wizard in a future world.

I said that the band have only been around since 2014 but that's not to say they are rookies three (both guitarists and the vocalist) come from a 90's thrash band called Overcast, the bassist has spent time in thrash/black metal acts and the drummer seems to have been in every underground band in the Greek metal scene.

Like a lot of 'traditional' metal acts the members have all spent time in the black/death/thrash metal circles before coming together, it means that some of the fury from these extreme acts comes through especially in the drumming but the songs have bigger hooks and lots of melodic guitar playing. Mankind Is Damned is a punchy debut album for this group of experienced musicians with fire of Priest and the slightly progressive sounds of Sanctuary, a superior addition to the traditional metal pack. 7/10    

Reviews: Deadwood Lake, Defiant, Gravebreaker (Reviews By Paul)

Deadwood Lake: Remembrance (Self Released)

This six track EP is astonishingly good. Created by vocalist and bassist Bruce Powell in memory of his late brother Gary, and available for free download with contributions to charitable causes, it is technically superb and blisteringly heavy. Powell’s vocals are spot on for a black metal band whilst his powerful bass combines with drummer Tom Warren’s assault. There is also some delicate moments, notably the opening of Garden Of Remembrance which takes the pace down for a minute or so. Guitarist Ryan Willis cuts some ferocious riffs and his playing throughout is impressive. UK black metal is often underrated but this trio from Chard demonstrate that there is some real talent out there. Awesome stuff! 9/10

Defiant: Time Isn't Healing (Self Released)

Power metal from Ukraine isn't a staple at MOM Towers but Time Isn't Healing, the second album from the band isn't that bad musically. What destroys it is the abjectly awful vocals. Unfortunately lead singer Stanislav Proshkin can't hold a note. That is a problem when. The rest of the band are actually quite tight. Tracks such as Funeral Feast, The Jericho and the title track have the right mix of hard edge and melody with the keyboards of Victoria Terzieva mixing nicely with the guitar work of founder member Andrey Turkovsky. It's disappointing as this has promise but in a world where power metal bands are ten a penny, it is superb vocalists such as Hansi Kursch and Tobias Sammet who set the benchmark. 5/10

Gravebreaker: Sacrifice (Gates Of Hell Records)

Jesus, where to start with this one. Gothenburg has produced some immense bands over the years. The sound of black metal, the home of melodic death metal as well as a myriad of other fabulous bands. But for every swan there is a multitude of ugly ducklings and we may well have the absolute minger here. Gravebreaker, a name which conjures up the most welcoming of images. Sacrifice has an album cover which screams STEREOTYPE and that's before the trio who use the monikers, I shit you not, Fury, Devastation and Nightmare have opened their demonic cake holes. Boy, then you really wish they hadn’t. With all the sound quality of a portaloo at Download this album wins the worst production of the year by a fucking mile. I really hate slating bands but this is just shockingly bad. Aiming at the punk edge of very early Iron Maiden but with all the panache of 1990s Anvil minus any talent whatsoever, it is turgid, dull and quite simply rubbish. The fact I had to listen to it twice to confirm I wasn't hallucinating the first time means they get the lowest rating I've ever given. Avoid at all costs. 1/10