Ensiferum: Two Paths (Metal Blade)
I must admit that the Finns folk metal has never really grabbed me that intensely in the past although I’ve always enjoyed their appearances at festivals. Two Paths is album number seven for the band, and the follow up to 2015’s One Man Army. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable listen with the powerful King Of Storms, the gloomy God Is Dead and the accordion led Feast Of The Valkyries encouraging you to get up and jig around the office whilst banging the head. It’s full of chunky riffs and the jolly bouncing sing-a-long stuff you expect from the folk metal crews around these days. This would be even more enjoyable with a few beers on board, a field filled with metal fans and the sun beating down. Technically superb, with Markus Toivonen’s guitar work particularly neat, the band interchange vocals to great effect on tracks like Don’t You Say and the crazy opener For Those About To Fight For Metal. 8/10
Pänzer: The Fatal Command (Nuclear Blast)
Take Schmier of Destruction, ex-Accept drummer Stefan Schwarzmann, Hammerfall guitarist Pontus Norgren and Vo Pulver (ex-Messiah) and what do you get? 53 minutes of pumping testosterone Germanic heavy metal that will hit home with fans of Accept, Destruction, Kreator and the like. This is solid, raging metal which batters from start to finish. Pulsing with high speed drumming, lightning fast guitar work and guttural vocals, The Fatal Command looks at the chaos facing the world in modern times. We Can Not Be Silenced is anthemic and urges rebellion, challenging those in power to listen to their people. With the world going to shit at break neck speed this album hammers home the seriousness we face with the dictators and power hungry fools in charge. Stomping beasts such as The Decline (And The Downfall) make up for any lack of originality in pure power. If you like your metal with a Teutonic tint then this will be a must listen. 8/10
Wolves In The Throne Room: Thrice Woven (Artemisia Recors)
Washington’s Wolves In The Throne Room return with their first record for three years and their first unconnected release since Celestial Lineage. Featuring long-time touring guitarist Kody Keyworth as a full-time member of the band for the first time, Thrice Woven is a quite magnificent piece of aggressive black metal which immerses the listener from start to finish. The pummelling sound that was captured in their earlier records, particularly 2009’s Black Cascade, is evident throughout as are the signature riffs which are such a trademark of the band.
Guest appearances by Swedish vocalist Anna Von Hausswolff on Born From The Serpent’s Eye and Mother Owl, Father Ocean, and Neurosis’ Steve Von Till on The Old One Are With Us enhance the release which features themes of pagan nature throughout. Whilst all tracks are impressive, the atmospheric album closer Fires Roar In The Palace Of The Moon with the climatic waves crashing may take pride of place. Thrice Woven is a mountainous piece of work, one that should really be heard. 9/10
Game Over: Claiming Supremacy (Scarlet Records)
It was about 18 months ago that Crimes Against Reality, the third release from these Italian thrash merchants hit the decks here. I called it ‘a comforting package of old school thrash and fresh enthusiasm’. The band haven’t stopped since then with an EP Blessed Are The Heretics arriving earlier in the year, followed by album number 4. Claiming Supremacy continues in the same pattern of their previous releases. It’s fast, furious and totally old school. With a production sound that is reminiscent of the 1980s, the band deliver 40 minutes of fine thrash which sits comfortably in the early Testament era. Lots of aggressive shouty choruses’ ala Anthrax and the like, with the six minute plus Blessed Are The Heretics probably winning most interesting track on the album. Game Over’s game plan is clearly to maintain the status quo whilst producing piledriving thrash which will appeal to many. 7/10
Monday, 9 October 2017
Sunday, 8 October 2017
Reviews: Black Stone Cherry, Matt Cameron, R.I.P, V1
Black Stone Cherry: Black To The Blues (Mascot Records)
On their third EP Black Stone Cherry, have done something a little different while their fan base wait for their new album. Off the back of their most recent world tour the band have put together a compilation of their versions of blues standards, you may think Joe Bonamassa has probably got this market cornered, but BSC speak to probably a younger audience who will now be exposed to the blues standards of old. BSC play it reasonably safe covering songs that have been covered by numerous artists over the years, the two most recognizable being Muddy Waters' Hoochie Coochie Man which is given a heavier BSC overhaul and Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign that features some parping brass. The songs are fairly faithful to the originals but with a heaviness that BSC themselves have been lacking somewhat lately, Built For Comfort has a punching riff and a funky synth that Howlin Wolf could only dream of, they unsurprisingly bring some stoner touches to Waters' Champagne & Reefer and give a big Southern riff to Freddie King's Palace Of The King. To hear a band like this jamming old blues tunes in their own style is interesting, the covers are a little too well known but this is a record for the band and it's fans nothing more. 6/10
Matt Cameron: Cavedweller (I'm A Seahorse Music)
There aren't many musicians who can claim to be in four of the most influential bands in a genre, Matt Cameron is one of those people, a founder member of Skin Yard, Temple Of The Dog and Soundgarden in 1998 after Soundgarden split he joined Pearl Jam and has split his time between both of grunges heavy hitters ever since. Now he has tried his hand at being a frontman, guitarist, producer and writer for his first solo record, joining him are drummer Mark Giuliana and bassist Tim Lefebvre both of whom are from David Bowie's most recent backing band that played on Blackstar.
I can say that this experiment has been a hit, vocally he's more than capable having a nicely melodic vocal that means this record is a far away from his day jobs as possible and as a guitarist too he can hold his own layering synths and acoustic strumming with bluesy electrics on Blind. If you've heard Taylor Hawkins solo records then you'll get a hint as to what Cavedweller sounds like, Cameron indulges in psychedelic hard rock for Time Won't Wait, air guitar friendly riffs on All At Once a song that has cool drum outro to it, he dabbles with buzzing electronics and ambient textures for One Special Lady and goes deeper still on Real And Imagined. It's an interesting record this, some of these songs date back to the 80's but nothing sounds dated, equally it also stands on it's own merit by not being anywhere similar to either Soundgarden or Pearl Jam. Solo projects can be a shambles but this just adds another string to Matt Cameron's already huge bow. 7/10
R.I.P: Street Reaper (Riding Easy Records)
Portland, Oregon must be a scary place to live, at least that's the impression you get from R.I.P's second record. They play what they like to call sleazy street doom, this is doom metal that doesn't run over the same old tropes of wizards, goblins, no Street Reaper is horror movie occultism with dirty fuzzy riffs from Angel Martinez and Jon Mullett thundering in at every opportunity as Willie D bashes out a meaty rhythm and Fuzz hollers. It's classic doom that sits as a bridge between the occult doom of Electric Wizard and the sleazy proto-metal of Admiral Sir Cloudseley Shovell. Mother Road's snarling riff brings the bite back to doom metal, it makes the music unsettling and heavy but never falls into the so often used troupe of extended lumbering riffs, the pace is fairly brisk, if Mastodon were influenced more by Pentagram and Saint Vitus than Neurosis this is what they would sound like. Doom metal can be fairly repetitive but R.I.P are taking it back to it's grimy roots riff by riff, a good second album from the Oregon band but I think where they really shine is live, let's hope they make it to these shores soon. 7/10
V1: Armageddon - End Of The Beginning (Frog Juice Production)
The press release for this record says V! was formed by former Iron Maiden men Dennis Willcock (vocals/frontman) and Terry Wapram (guitars) in 1978 both men left the band to form V1. Former vocalist of Iron Maiden is a stretch, he never recorded anything with the group and as far as I'm aware never wrote any of the songs that would feature on their single releases. V1 are the latest in a long line of reinvigorated NWOBHM bands, reformed when the members are re-living their glory days in their latter years. Unfortunately it follows the trend for these projects to be depressingly average with middle of the road songwriting, basic performances and no real spark never mind any fire. There are so many bands both contemporaries and young upstarts that are far superior to this and I suggest you exhaust yourself seeking them out first before you even spin this disc. If this is really is the end then Armageddon out of here. 4/10
On their third EP Black Stone Cherry, have done something a little different while their fan base wait for their new album. Off the back of their most recent world tour the band have put together a compilation of their versions of blues standards, you may think Joe Bonamassa has probably got this market cornered, but BSC speak to probably a younger audience who will now be exposed to the blues standards of old. BSC play it reasonably safe covering songs that have been covered by numerous artists over the years, the two most recognizable being Muddy Waters' Hoochie Coochie Man which is given a heavier BSC overhaul and Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign that features some parping brass. The songs are fairly faithful to the originals but with a heaviness that BSC themselves have been lacking somewhat lately, Built For Comfort has a punching riff and a funky synth that Howlin Wolf could only dream of, they unsurprisingly bring some stoner touches to Waters' Champagne & Reefer and give a big Southern riff to Freddie King's Palace Of The King. To hear a band like this jamming old blues tunes in their own style is interesting, the covers are a little too well known but this is a record for the band and it's fans nothing more. 6/10
Matt Cameron: Cavedweller (I'm A Seahorse Music)
There aren't many musicians who can claim to be in four of the most influential bands in a genre, Matt Cameron is one of those people, a founder member of Skin Yard, Temple Of The Dog and Soundgarden in 1998 after Soundgarden split he joined Pearl Jam and has split his time between both of grunges heavy hitters ever since. Now he has tried his hand at being a frontman, guitarist, producer and writer for his first solo record, joining him are drummer Mark Giuliana and bassist Tim Lefebvre both of whom are from David Bowie's most recent backing band that played on Blackstar.
I can say that this experiment has been a hit, vocally he's more than capable having a nicely melodic vocal that means this record is a far away from his day jobs as possible and as a guitarist too he can hold his own layering synths and acoustic strumming with bluesy electrics on Blind. If you've heard Taylor Hawkins solo records then you'll get a hint as to what Cavedweller sounds like, Cameron indulges in psychedelic hard rock for Time Won't Wait, air guitar friendly riffs on All At Once a song that has cool drum outro to it, he dabbles with buzzing electronics and ambient textures for One Special Lady and goes deeper still on Real And Imagined. It's an interesting record this, some of these songs date back to the 80's but nothing sounds dated, equally it also stands on it's own merit by not being anywhere similar to either Soundgarden or Pearl Jam. Solo projects can be a shambles but this just adds another string to Matt Cameron's already huge bow. 7/10
R.I.P: Street Reaper (Riding Easy Records)
Portland, Oregon must be a scary place to live, at least that's the impression you get from R.I.P's second record. They play what they like to call sleazy street doom, this is doom metal that doesn't run over the same old tropes of wizards, goblins, no Street Reaper is horror movie occultism with dirty fuzzy riffs from Angel Martinez and Jon Mullett thundering in at every opportunity as Willie D bashes out a meaty rhythm and Fuzz hollers. It's classic doom that sits as a bridge between the occult doom of Electric Wizard and the sleazy proto-metal of Admiral Sir Cloudseley Shovell. Mother Road's snarling riff brings the bite back to doom metal, it makes the music unsettling and heavy but never falls into the so often used troupe of extended lumbering riffs, the pace is fairly brisk, if Mastodon were influenced more by Pentagram and Saint Vitus than Neurosis this is what they would sound like. Doom metal can be fairly repetitive but R.I.P are taking it back to it's grimy roots riff by riff, a good second album from the Oregon band but I think where they really shine is live, let's hope they make it to these shores soon. 7/10
V1: Armageddon - End Of The Beginning (Frog Juice Production)
The press release for this record says V! was formed by former Iron Maiden men Dennis Willcock (vocals/frontman) and Terry Wapram (guitars) in 1978 both men left the band to form V1. Former vocalist of Iron Maiden is a stretch, he never recorded anything with the group and as far as I'm aware never wrote any of the songs that would feature on their single releases. V1 are the latest in a long line of reinvigorated NWOBHM bands, reformed when the members are re-living their glory days in their latter years. Unfortunately it follows the trend for these projects to be depressingly average with middle of the road songwriting, basic performances and no real spark never mind any fire. There are so many bands both contemporaries and young upstarts that are far superior to this and I suggest you exhaust yourself seeking them out first before you even spin this disc. If this is really is the end then Armageddon out of here. 4/10
Saturday, 7 October 2017
Reviews: Sons Of Texas, Lloth, Colour Haze, Opposing Motion
Sons Of Texas: Forged By Fortitude (Razor &Tie)
Sons Of Texas have A Vulgar Display Of Power if you know what I mean. They are from Texas and they play groove metal that is heavily influenced by Dime, Vinny, Phil and Rex, the riffs bounce and the vocals are haggard from shouting and whiskey. It's not all Pantera a worship although Feed The Need is pretty close, they shoot for the radio audience too with a dose of Stone Sour on Down In The Trenches, some stop/start riffs on the A7X sounding Cast In Stone before really lightening up on Beneath The Riverbed which could be a Black Stone Cherry song. This record has colossal grooves throughout, a thunderous percussive battery, flashy six stringing but most of all great songs with big hooks, ok so the influences are so audible you could get lawyers involved but this is a fun record that's full of big ballsy songs that have a Southern swagger, these boys from the Lone Star state really rock. 8/10
Lloth: Athanati (Sleazy Rider Records)
Hellenic black metal for me is as defining as anything from the Northern reaches of Europe, it seems that the more ingrained a country's religious dogma the better their black metal is. Rotting Christ are probably the most recognisable name but there a numerous acts that are still flying the black metal flag as strongly as Babis' men. One of these is Athenians Lloth who have been around since 1995, formed by bass player Tristessa, who went on to change the name of the band to Astarte they released numerous albums and disbanded in 2014 due to Tristessa sadly succumbing to leukemia. In 2014 Lloth reformed (with the T more prominent in their logo in tribute) by Tristessa's husband, vocalist Nicolas Maiis in 2014.
This means that Athanati (The Undead) is the band's debut record and it's a eye wateringly heavy but melodic tribute to their fallen comrade, the title track starts the record with some precision black metal mastery, the intense riffs of Setesh, Vaelor and Panthimis let Nicolas growl with malice as the band create epic and folk influenced black metal. The creeping Archos and Pan are the slower more deliberate tracks that are exhibit the bands more epic tendencies. There are some high profile guests at work on this record as well Nightfall's Efthimis Karadimas gives his death growls to In The Name Of Love (Sacrifice) and Rotting Christ frontman Sakis pops up on the furious Emptiness which unsurprisingly sounds like Rotting Christ.
They really play from the heart on this 'debut' it's powerful Hellenic Black metal at it's best, if you can't wait for the next Rotting Christ or indeed Amon Amarth album then Athanati will become close to being your record of the year, reanimated, reinvigorated and regal. 8/10
Colour Haze: In Her Garden (Elektrohasch Records)
Colour Haze have been peddling psychedelic trippiness over the course of 11 records they have turned from a Sabbath worshipping stoner band into a more ethereal interdimensional outfit who owe as much to fellow German's Tangerine Dream as they to jam merchants Grand Funk Railroad and The Grateful Dead. The trio of singer and guitarist Stefan Koglek, drummer Manfred Merwald and bassist Philipp Rasthofer don't cast their musical net outside of the 1970's but that's ok their mostly instrumental jams all blend reverbed guitar riffs, jazz drumming and deft bass work to the the record as they play through the 13 songs on this record with no gaps, each song melds into the next meaning that it's best enjoyed on headphones, the Allman Brothers sounding Arbores leads into a New Orleans trumpet break before Lavatera is slow creeping, percussive piece. I'm not sure what the titular she is growing in her garden but it's going to be some strong stuff, Colour Haze let their freak flag fly like it's the Summer Of Love. 7/10
Sons Of Texas have A Vulgar Display Of Power if you know what I mean. They are from Texas and they play groove metal that is heavily influenced by Dime, Vinny, Phil and Rex, the riffs bounce and the vocals are haggard from shouting and whiskey. It's not all Pantera a worship although Feed The Need is pretty close, they shoot for the radio audience too with a dose of Stone Sour on Down In The Trenches, some stop/start riffs on the A7X sounding Cast In Stone before really lightening up on Beneath The Riverbed which could be a Black Stone Cherry song. This record has colossal grooves throughout, a thunderous percussive battery, flashy six stringing but most of all great songs with big hooks, ok so the influences are so audible you could get lawyers involved but this is a fun record that's full of big ballsy songs that have a Southern swagger, these boys from the Lone Star state really rock. 8/10
Lloth: Athanati (Sleazy Rider Records)
Hellenic black metal for me is as defining as anything from the Northern reaches of Europe, it seems that the more ingrained a country's religious dogma the better their black metal is. Rotting Christ are probably the most recognisable name but there a numerous acts that are still flying the black metal flag as strongly as Babis' men. One of these is Athenians Lloth who have been around since 1995, formed by bass player Tristessa, who went on to change the name of the band to Astarte they released numerous albums and disbanded in 2014 due to Tristessa sadly succumbing to leukemia. In 2014 Lloth reformed (with the T more prominent in their logo in tribute) by Tristessa's husband, vocalist Nicolas Maiis in 2014.
This means that Athanati (The Undead) is the band's debut record and it's a eye wateringly heavy but melodic tribute to their fallen comrade, the title track starts the record with some precision black metal mastery, the intense riffs of Setesh, Vaelor and Panthimis let Nicolas growl with malice as the band create epic and folk influenced black metal. The creeping Archos and Pan are the slower more deliberate tracks that are exhibit the bands more epic tendencies. There are some high profile guests at work on this record as well Nightfall's Efthimis Karadimas gives his death growls to In The Name Of Love (Sacrifice) and Rotting Christ frontman Sakis pops up on the furious Emptiness which unsurprisingly sounds like Rotting Christ.
They really play from the heart on this 'debut' it's powerful Hellenic Black metal at it's best, if you can't wait for the next Rotting Christ or indeed Amon Amarth album then Athanati will become close to being your record of the year, reanimated, reinvigorated and regal. 8/10
Colour Haze: In Her Garden (Elektrohasch Records)
Colour Haze have been peddling psychedelic trippiness over the course of 11 records they have turned from a Sabbath worshipping stoner band into a more ethereal interdimensional outfit who owe as much to fellow German's Tangerine Dream as they to jam merchants Grand Funk Railroad and The Grateful Dead. The trio of singer and guitarist Stefan Koglek, drummer Manfred Merwald and bassist Philipp Rasthofer don't cast their musical net outside of the 1970's but that's ok their mostly instrumental jams all blend reverbed guitar riffs, jazz drumming and deft bass work to the the record as they play through the 13 songs on this record with no gaps, each song melds into the next meaning that it's best enjoyed on headphones, the Allman Brothers sounding Arbores leads into a New Orleans trumpet break before Lavatera is slow creeping, percussive piece. I'm not sure what the titular she is growing in her garden but it's going to be some strong stuff, Colour Haze let their freak flag fly like it's the Summer Of Love. 7/10
Opposing Motion: Inertia (Lion Music)
This record coming out on the Lion music label is instantly a give away to what Opposing Motion do. This Lyon based band play progressive power metal that sits down in the heavier sounds of Evergrey and also the UK's own Intense due to the vocal similarity. Musically the band are tight as you'd guess with the bass guitar running roughshod over the riffs and the drumming expressive. This is progressive metal as I've said with only the vocals, keys and widdly solos adding melodic touches to the distorted riffs. It's not groundbreaking and they don't have that epic touch of Evergrey but there's no faulting them this is their second full length and they are established in their sound, a great record for fans of prog/power metal. 7/10
This record coming out on the Lion music label is instantly a give away to what Opposing Motion do. This Lyon based band play progressive power metal that sits down in the heavier sounds of Evergrey and also the UK's own Intense due to the vocal similarity. Musically the band are tight as you'd guess with the bass guitar running roughshod over the riffs and the drumming expressive. This is progressive metal as I've said with only the vocals, keys and widdly solos adding melodic touches to the distorted riffs. It's not groundbreaking and they don't have that epic touch of Evergrey but there's no faulting them this is their second full length and they are established in their sound, a great record for fans of prog/power metal. 7/10
Friday, 6 October 2017
Reviews: Von Hertzen Brothers, Grave Pleasures, 10 Years, Set The Charge
Von Hertzen Brothers: War Is Over (Mascot Records)
If you use the analogy of Star Wars films, Von Hertzen Brothers's seventh record could be subtitled The Prog Awakens opening and closing with magnificent 10 minute plus songs it sees them rediscovering the elongated classic prog songs of their earlier albums, but with the new stadium confidence they brought to their more recent efforts, much like Episode VII re-discovered the magic of the original Star Wars while maintaining their post Millennial blockbuster styling. Following New Day Rising the trio wanted to invert themselves, strip everything back and except for drums, play all of the instruments and produce the record themselves. “We wanted to re-invent the inspiration and energy in our doing" Kie says and it looks like a successful experiment, they've reverted back to the band I fell in love with on Approach off-kilter prog with 70's pop explorations, they've even drafted in Approach drummer Sami Kuoppamäki to maintain the sound of that early period.
As I said earlier the record opens with the 10 minute euphoric, magisterial title track, all the VHB trademarks are their, Mikko's light airy vocals, the triple threat backing vocals, melodic keys, rocking oddly timed riff, but what stands out are Kie's bringing back searing guitar solos to nearly every song, something that was missing form their last couple of more straightforward records. They don't shy away from their arena rock styling though, the gutsy To The End Of The World is driven by Jonne's bass, first single The Arsonist is one of the records weaker tracks but it retains the albums theme that peace and love which is nowhere better displayed than on Jerusalem which features guest keys from HIM's Janne ‘Burton’ Puurtinen and much like how ELP covered the hymn of the same name this is as much a homage to Keith Emerson as anything else VHB have done, it's and epic track built around keyboards, keyboards and more keyboards, while Who Are You has the ethereal nature.
Mikko spent a month in India writing the lyrics for this record and those influences are obvious on Blindsight and the glorious finale of Beyond The Storm. This record stands as a milestone for the Finnish brothers, they have tirelessly adapted their sound to get a wider audience, this has seen them play festivals and get wider critical acclaim without becoming too stale then on the back of probably their most 'mainstream' record they are now at a point where their fanbase will happily accept them as 'proper' prog band again. 9/10
Grave Pleasures: Mother Blood (Century Media)
Apocalyptic post punk, built on a nihilist mentality but riddled with 80's pop hooks, the record is a fast paced, breathless stab at the heart of all things good but conjures a romanticism for misery. The deep, sexy, resonance in the vocals of Mat McNerney will tickle your lovely bits, like Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan, as the Juho Vanhanen plays jangly angular Telecaster riffs, while the rest of the band thunder along with aplomb bringing the sing along choruses many of the post punk crowd would have killed for, swaddling the music in a Gothic velveteen at times, getting you to dance to its death-rock rhythms before laying more esoteric aural stimulation and some good old fashioned fang bearing punk. The record whizzes by in haze of joyous melancholy as Doomsday Rainbows, Infatuation Overkill and Joy Through Death all juxtapose light with dark, elsewhere though Be My Hiroshima belies the title for what is a thoroughly romantic song a trick repeated on Falling For An Atom Bomb.
I loved the first Grave Pleasures album and before them I was always welcomed Beastmilk with open arms despite them not being in my normal spectrum of listening. The ten tracks on this record fly by at speed probably due to the punk background of the band but they sink in, none are throwaway and need a few spins to really get their teeth into you. I've always had an ear to the obscure and the unique, Grave Pleasures are that, owing as much to Ghost, Danzig and The Doors as they do to The Cure, Siouxsie And The Banshees and even the throbbing electronic preening of Duran Duran they pick sounds, from a very short but influential part of British music history, they are an will always be more Bauhaus and Bowie than Purple and Zeppelin but when the music is this good no matter what you classify it as it's still dazzling. 9/10
10 Years: [How We Live] As Ghosts (Mascot Records)
After the Knoxville alt-metal bands previous album From Birth To Burial it felt as if they were done, founder members guitarist/drummer Brian Vodinh and guitarist Matt Wantland had left the group before it's release for personal reasons and it seemed as if this record was closure singer Jesse Hasek puts it like this "I thought it was our final record because it just didn't feel like 10 Years without Brian and Matt" however roll forward to 2017 and both Brian and Matt have returned to the band, theri return has had a regenerating effect on this band as (How We Live) As Ghosts is probably the most organic vital sounding record the band have done. Working with acclaimed producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Deftones) he coerced them into coming out of their collective shells and trying new ideas, one of these was stripping back the usually layered vocals of Jesse, who delivers an excellent performance.
The music on this record has number of roots but mostly stays true the bands alternative/post grunge ethos relying on emotive, anthemic, heartfelt modern metal songs with reflective lyrics and a lighter more optimistic feel casting away the gloom of their previous record with a sneer of Placebo and the muscular all for one ethos of Shinedown on Novocaine. I hadn't heard much of 10 Years before this but after doing a bit of searching in their history I can categorically say this is my favourite album of theirs and it should be yours too. 8/10
Set The Charge: Sky Goes On (Self Released)
Have you ever seen the YouTube video series called 10 Second Songs? Basically vocalist Anthony Vincent sings a song and every 10 seconds changes the style, artist or genre of it, some of them are very good indeed, his expressive vocals mimicking the artists he's trying to sing like. He has over 2.4 million subscribers and over 139 million video views, so he's not a flash in the pan internet celebrity. He also has a band called Set The Charge and much like his genre bending videos on YouTube the record has many styles mingle throughout it at their heart they are an alternative rock band with progressive and electronic elements, think Muse, Coheed and 30STM jamming to some Queen and you'll be able to get a clearer picture of their sound, Youngin best shows this with it's vaudeville piano and swaggering drums.
Tell Me has ambient melodies driving it, Right Side Of History is an expansive rocker, with a poppy chorus, Don't Let Them In has a reggae sound to it, while Yes And No is a massive radio ballad that deserves radio play as does Betsy Brown. Anthony has found himself an impressive band for this record all playing their roles he duels six strings with Tom Dicarlucci throughout as bassist Derek Ortiz drummer Frank (Anthony's brother) support with the killer rhythm section. Every song on this record has multiple layers that peel away on each listen, it's a multi tracked, progressive record that features Vincent's expressive vocals and songs that have been crafted for maximum impact, more than just a YouTube sensation Anthony Vincent and Set The Charge are something special and in a time of so many bands doing nothing new, Set The Charge really do try to set themselves apart. 8/10
If you use the analogy of Star Wars films, Von Hertzen Brothers's seventh record could be subtitled The Prog Awakens opening and closing with magnificent 10 minute plus songs it sees them rediscovering the elongated classic prog songs of their earlier albums, but with the new stadium confidence they brought to their more recent efforts, much like Episode VII re-discovered the magic of the original Star Wars while maintaining their post Millennial blockbuster styling. Following New Day Rising the trio wanted to invert themselves, strip everything back and except for drums, play all of the instruments and produce the record themselves. “We wanted to re-invent the inspiration and energy in our doing" Kie says and it looks like a successful experiment, they've reverted back to the band I fell in love with on Approach off-kilter prog with 70's pop explorations, they've even drafted in Approach drummer Sami Kuoppamäki to maintain the sound of that early period.
As I said earlier the record opens with the 10 minute euphoric, magisterial title track, all the VHB trademarks are their, Mikko's light airy vocals, the triple threat backing vocals, melodic keys, rocking oddly timed riff, but what stands out are Kie's bringing back searing guitar solos to nearly every song, something that was missing form their last couple of more straightforward records. They don't shy away from their arena rock styling though, the gutsy To The End Of The World is driven by Jonne's bass, first single The Arsonist is one of the records weaker tracks but it retains the albums theme that peace and love which is nowhere better displayed than on Jerusalem which features guest keys from HIM's Janne ‘Burton’ Puurtinen and much like how ELP covered the hymn of the same name this is as much a homage to Keith Emerson as anything else VHB have done, it's and epic track built around keyboards, keyboards and more keyboards, while Who Are You has the ethereal nature.
Mikko spent a month in India writing the lyrics for this record and those influences are obvious on Blindsight and the glorious finale of Beyond The Storm. This record stands as a milestone for the Finnish brothers, they have tirelessly adapted their sound to get a wider audience, this has seen them play festivals and get wider critical acclaim without becoming too stale then on the back of probably their most 'mainstream' record they are now at a point where their fanbase will happily accept them as 'proper' prog band again. 9/10
Grave Pleasures: Mother Blood (Century Media)
Apocalyptic post punk, built on a nihilist mentality but riddled with 80's pop hooks, the record is a fast paced, breathless stab at the heart of all things good but conjures a romanticism for misery. The deep, sexy, resonance in the vocals of Mat McNerney will tickle your lovely bits, like Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan, as the Juho Vanhanen plays jangly angular Telecaster riffs, while the rest of the band thunder along with aplomb bringing the sing along choruses many of the post punk crowd would have killed for, swaddling the music in a Gothic velveteen at times, getting you to dance to its death-rock rhythms before laying more esoteric aural stimulation and some good old fashioned fang bearing punk. The record whizzes by in haze of joyous melancholy as Doomsday Rainbows, Infatuation Overkill and Joy Through Death all juxtapose light with dark, elsewhere though Be My Hiroshima belies the title for what is a thoroughly romantic song a trick repeated on Falling For An Atom Bomb.
I loved the first Grave Pleasures album and before them I was always welcomed Beastmilk with open arms despite them not being in my normal spectrum of listening. The ten tracks on this record fly by at speed probably due to the punk background of the band but they sink in, none are throwaway and need a few spins to really get their teeth into you. I've always had an ear to the obscure and the unique, Grave Pleasures are that, owing as much to Ghost, Danzig and The Doors as they do to The Cure, Siouxsie And The Banshees and even the throbbing electronic preening of Duran Duran they pick sounds, from a very short but influential part of British music history, they are an will always be more Bauhaus and Bowie than Purple and Zeppelin but when the music is this good no matter what you classify it as it's still dazzling. 9/10
10 Years: [How We Live] As Ghosts (Mascot Records)
After the Knoxville alt-metal bands previous album From Birth To Burial it felt as if they were done, founder members guitarist/drummer Brian Vodinh and guitarist Matt Wantland had left the group before it's release for personal reasons and it seemed as if this record was closure singer Jesse Hasek puts it like this "I thought it was our final record because it just didn't feel like 10 Years without Brian and Matt" however roll forward to 2017 and both Brian and Matt have returned to the band, theri return has had a regenerating effect on this band as (How We Live) As Ghosts is probably the most organic vital sounding record the band have done. Working with acclaimed producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Deftones) he coerced them into coming out of their collective shells and trying new ideas, one of these was stripping back the usually layered vocals of Jesse, who delivers an excellent performance.
The music on this record has number of roots but mostly stays true the bands alternative/post grunge ethos relying on emotive, anthemic, heartfelt modern metal songs with reflective lyrics and a lighter more optimistic feel casting away the gloom of their previous record with a sneer of Placebo and the muscular all for one ethos of Shinedown on Novocaine. I hadn't heard much of 10 Years before this but after doing a bit of searching in their history I can categorically say this is my favourite album of theirs and it should be yours too. 8/10
Set The Charge: Sky Goes On (Self Released)
Have you ever seen the YouTube video series called 10 Second Songs? Basically vocalist Anthony Vincent sings a song and every 10 seconds changes the style, artist or genre of it, some of them are very good indeed, his expressive vocals mimicking the artists he's trying to sing like. He has over 2.4 million subscribers and over 139 million video views, so he's not a flash in the pan internet celebrity. He also has a band called Set The Charge and much like his genre bending videos on YouTube the record has many styles mingle throughout it at their heart they are an alternative rock band with progressive and electronic elements, think Muse, Coheed and 30STM jamming to some Queen and you'll be able to get a clearer picture of their sound, Youngin best shows this with it's vaudeville piano and swaggering drums.
Tell Me has ambient melodies driving it, Right Side Of History is an expansive rocker, with a poppy chorus, Don't Let Them In has a reggae sound to it, while Yes And No is a massive radio ballad that deserves radio play as does Betsy Brown. Anthony has found himself an impressive band for this record all playing their roles he duels six strings with Tom Dicarlucci throughout as bassist Derek Ortiz drummer Frank (Anthony's brother) support with the killer rhythm section. Every song on this record has multiple layers that peel away on each listen, it's a multi tracked, progressive record that features Vincent's expressive vocals and songs that have been crafted for maximum impact, more than just a YouTube sensation Anthony Vincent and Set The Charge are something special and in a time of so many bands doing nothing new, Set The Charge really do try to set themselves apart. 8/10
Thursday, 5 October 2017
Reviews:, Foo Fighters, Diablo Blvd, Blazon Stone (Reviews By Paul)
Foo Fighters: Concrete And Gold (RCA)
There was a time when the Foo Fighters were so impressive. Masters of the radio rock single, they could also really hand your arse to you live. 2014’s Sonic Highways made me yawn and the nicest man in rock, Dave Grohl appeared everywhere I looked. His pearly whites flashing all over the place. The band now attract a mainstream audience and the thought of seeing them live in some soulless arena fills me with dread. This is album number nine, a rock meets pop collaboration with a massive sound, guest artists falling over themselves to get involved and as a result another collection of stadium songs which have little to hold the interest. First single Run is dreary, The Sky Is A Neighbourhood overblown in a Sergeant Pepper/ELO manner whilst La Dee Da is throwaway, with a riff pinched from the Motorhead/Girlschool epic Please Don’t Touch (originally by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates - Birth of Rock N Roll Ed). Grohl’s screams irritate quickly, adding nothing to the tracks. The lounge room feel of Dirty Water at least changes the direction quite dramatically with the band’s reliance on harmonies at the fore.
Concrete And Gold is polished, it’s classy and it’s just the same as before. Despite its despairing view of the future of humanity and the desire for escapism which form much of the subject matter, it’s nothing new musically, not remotely dangerous and little to challenge the listener. It’s music for Radio 2, department stores and those dinner parties for people who think the Foos are a little bit edgy – you know, the event wankers, those that spend all their time in the main arena at Glastonbury and who have a festival on their ‘bucket list’. The arrival of Justin Timberlake on Make It Right doesn’t, whilst the husky drawl of Taylor Hawkins and the dull thud of Paul McCartney’s drums on Sunday Rain just rubber stamps McCartney’s ghastly sound that runs through it. It’s just a bit too safe. Maybe I’m kidding myself to expect anything else. After all, everyone loves Dave Grohl. He’s a nice man. The Foo Fighters are a band in his own image. He could put out an album of his bottom burps and it would sell thousands. The inclusion of Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman on the grindingly tedious title track which closes the album does nothing to improve a disappointing release. 5/10
Diablo Blvd: Zero Hour (Nuclear Blast)
Now as a South Wales based outfit, we all know that there is only one album entitled Zero Hour, the mighty third release from the best line-up of Triaxis. However, the fourth release from Belgian band Diablo Blvd runs it close, in a totally different way. A superb mixture of influences, from Sabbath to Killing Joke, from Type O Negative to Godsmack, Danzig to The Cult weave their way through this release. Vocalist Alex Agnew’s vocal style is akin to the American style of Sully Erna and Aaron Lewis, clean and warm but with an edge that always says metal. The riffage is solid and meaty, courtesy of Dave Hubrechts. Each track is different, and with the industrial edge on tracks like Demonize balanced by the more straight forward hard rock of Like Rats and the classical instrumental 00 00, Zero Hour makes for enjoyable and thought-provoking listening. At times measured, at other times racing like a roller coaster ride, the Belgians have produced a gem of a release which is well worth investing the time to give it a listen. 8/10
Blazon Stone: Down in the Dark (Stormspell Records)
It was a mere nine months ago that I reviewed Blazon Stone’s War Of The Roses, giving it a healthy 8/10 for it was a beautiful slab of heavy power metal. Time flies and Cedrick Forsberg has bashed out another album which continues in a similar vein. Relying on the same line-up as before, Down In The Dark retains the power metal style of previous releases and follows a nautical theme, a concept if you will, with some fine sing-a-long shanties; check out the high speed Watery Graves or the heads down Rock Out! In fact if you like your power metal at full throttle then every track on this impressive release will get your neck moving. Erik Forsberg’s strong vocals carry the songs with ease. It would be fantastic to see these Swedes in the live arena so let’s hope they get a slot at BOA soon. 8/10
There was a time when the Foo Fighters were so impressive. Masters of the radio rock single, they could also really hand your arse to you live. 2014’s Sonic Highways made me yawn and the nicest man in rock, Dave Grohl appeared everywhere I looked. His pearly whites flashing all over the place. The band now attract a mainstream audience and the thought of seeing them live in some soulless arena fills me with dread. This is album number nine, a rock meets pop collaboration with a massive sound, guest artists falling over themselves to get involved and as a result another collection of stadium songs which have little to hold the interest. First single Run is dreary, The Sky Is A Neighbourhood overblown in a Sergeant Pepper/ELO manner whilst La Dee Da is throwaway, with a riff pinched from the Motorhead/Girlschool epic Please Don’t Touch (originally by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates - Birth of Rock N Roll Ed). Grohl’s screams irritate quickly, adding nothing to the tracks. The lounge room feel of Dirty Water at least changes the direction quite dramatically with the band’s reliance on harmonies at the fore.
Concrete And Gold is polished, it’s classy and it’s just the same as before. Despite its despairing view of the future of humanity and the desire for escapism which form much of the subject matter, it’s nothing new musically, not remotely dangerous and little to challenge the listener. It’s music for Radio 2, department stores and those dinner parties for people who think the Foos are a little bit edgy – you know, the event wankers, those that spend all their time in the main arena at Glastonbury and who have a festival on their ‘bucket list’. The arrival of Justin Timberlake on Make It Right doesn’t, whilst the husky drawl of Taylor Hawkins and the dull thud of Paul McCartney’s drums on Sunday Rain just rubber stamps McCartney’s ghastly sound that runs through it. It’s just a bit too safe. Maybe I’m kidding myself to expect anything else. After all, everyone loves Dave Grohl. He’s a nice man. The Foo Fighters are a band in his own image. He could put out an album of his bottom burps and it would sell thousands. The inclusion of Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman on the grindingly tedious title track which closes the album does nothing to improve a disappointing release. 5/10
Diablo Blvd: Zero Hour (Nuclear Blast)
Now as a South Wales based outfit, we all know that there is only one album entitled Zero Hour, the mighty third release from the best line-up of Triaxis. However, the fourth release from Belgian band Diablo Blvd runs it close, in a totally different way. A superb mixture of influences, from Sabbath to Killing Joke, from Type O Negative to Godsmack, Danzig to The Cult weave their way through this release. Vocalist Alex Agnew’s vocal style is akin to the American style of Sully Erna and Aaron Lewis, clean and warm but with an edge that always says metal. The riffage is solid and meaty, courtesy of Dave Hubrechts. Each track is different, and with the industrial edge on tracks like Demonize balanced by the more straight forward hard rock of Like Rats and the classical instrumental 00 00, Zero Hour makes for enjoyable and thought-provoking listening. At times measured, at other times racing like a roller coaster ride, the Belgians have produced a gem of a release which is well worth investing the time to give it a listen. 8/10
Blazon Stone: Down in the Dark (Stormspell Records)
It was a mere nine months ago that I reviewed Blazon Stone’s War Of The Roses, giving it a healthy 8/10 for it was a beautiful slab of heavy power metal. Time flies and Cedrick Forsberg has bashed out another album which continues in a similar vein. Relying on the same line-up as before, Down In The Dark retains the power metal style of previous releases and follows a nautical theme, a concept if you will, with some fine sing-a-long shanties; check out the high speed Watery Graves or the heads down Rock Out! In fact if you like your power metal at full throttle then every track on this impressive release will get your neck moving. Erik Forsberg’s strong vocals carry the songs with ease. It would be fantastic to see these Swedes in the live arena so let’s hope they get a slot at BOA soon. 8/10
Wednesday, 4 October 2017
Reviews: Caligula's Horse, Fozzy, Evil Invaders, 10Rogue
Caligula's Horse: In Contact (InsideOut)
Australian progressive band Caligula's Horse are named after Incitatus the equine companion of the Roman Emperor Gaius (nicknamed Caligula which means Little Soldiers Boot fact fans) who he made promised to make consul (basically an MP) but made a Priest instead. Now any band who use this as their name are never really going to play it safe and would play a more highbrow style of music than many of the typical Aussie bands. In Contact is full of complex and intricate progressive music that has jazzy, off time rhythms, scintillating melodic guitar/keyboard lines and passionate vocals. The Hands Are The Hardest is the best way to show their more listener friendly nature with it's colossal chorus, it leads beautifully into the gorgeous Love Conquers All. Songs For No One stands out for me as one of the best tracks on the record it's all elements of their music in one song and it's a perfect piece of modern progressive music that doesn't last longer than it needs too, with a simply astounding guitar solo from Sam Vallen.
Australian progressive band Caligula's Horse are named after Incitatus the equine companion of the Roman Emperor Gaius (nicknamed Caligula which means Little Soldiers Boot fact fans) who he made promised to make consul (basically an MP) but made a Priest instead. Now any band who use this as their name are never really going to play it safe and would play a more highbrow style of music than many of the typical Aussie bands. In Contact is full of complex and intricate progressive music that has jazzy, off time rhythms, scintillating melodic guitar/keyboard lines and passionate vocals. The Hands Are The Hardest is the best way to show their more listener friendly nature with it's colossal chorus, it leads beautifully into the gorgeous Love Conquers All. Songs For No One stands out for me as one of the best tracks on the record it's all elements of their music in one song and it's a perfect piece of modern progressive music that doesn't last longer than it needs too, with a simply astounding guitar solo from Sam Vallen.
On the other hand the gigantic Graves is a prog fan's wet dream, at over 14 minutes long it's got more twists and turns than Le Mans, even having a sax solo in the middle of it. With all the lighter sounds they don't sacrifice their natural heaviness as Will's Song (Let The Colours Run) is full of great chugging but their sound is so layered and immersive that you can't help but think the heaviness is just a little one sided in comparison to what else they do. Vocally Jim Grey gives another incredible performance his honeyed tones are measured and delivered perfectly. Caligula's Horse have constructed a fantastic concept record for their fourth album and it backs up the hype around this band, they yet to put a foot wrong and it doesn't look like they will, it's more than the promise of bread and circuses this delivers and is one the progressive records of the year. 10/10
Fozzy: Judas (Century Media)
I've mentioned before how influential WWE/F was on my early music tastes, many of the bands have stuck with me and led me to go on and listen to other acts broadening my musical taste. Professional wrestling has moved into the the music world as well, I won't bore you with what they are but most have been vastly unsuccessful. The exception to the rule had been Fozzy, fronted by Chris Jericho, the band has always been a separate entity away from his wrestling career, yes they've contributed a few songs to PPVs but for the most part Fozzy is successful in spite of Jericho's other job not because of it. So successful in fact that soon they will be running their own cruise that features numerous bands playing with them on the high seas.
So with all this I suppose they need a new album and happily they have obliged with their fifth record (of original material), Judas is another strong showing from the band full of American Radio metal with Rich Ward churning out riff after riff as Jericho belts out the darker toned lyrics with his unique vocals. The title track opens the record and it's probably the strongest song on the record and a definitive single. As things progress there's the normal mix of hard rock, nu-metal riffs and 21st Century hard rock on Weight Of My World, some industrial parts to Wordsworth Way, a bounce on Elevator and they even add some rap and death vocals to Three Days In Jail. There's an eclectic mix but it rarely strays away from the tried and tested Fozzy formula that means that will be with us for years to come. 7/10
Evil Invaders: Feed Me Violence (Napalm Records)
Evil Invaders motto for life must be thrash until death and then thrash a bit more. The Belgian band's second full length is packed with buzzsaw riffs and shrieked vocals from the off, it's the very early thrash sounds here, Overkill, Kreator and Exodus are the influences as the drums blast away and the riffs come thick and fast.There are a few slow Slayer-like grooves here but they are used sparingly to give you a rest from the whirlwind guitars of their speed metal fury. Evil Invaders have matured their sound since their debut, there they were young guns playing fast and loose, here their music has been tweaked a little as Oblivion, Shades Of Solitude and Among The Depths have more melodic, deliberate cinematic touches that build and build into yet more rapid fire riffs. Feed Me Violence is a tornado of speed metal madness that stands up as one of the top pit inducing thrash albums this year, my advice, buy, play loud, bang head, done. 8/10
10Rogue: Serpentine (BUT! Records)
Well this is dreadful any song that has the lyric referring to a woman as "Everybody's wet dream" is not for me I'm afraid, to have this kind of sleazy sex rock track followed by a soppy ballad, then a big chunky SoiL style rocker it makes me believe that they haven't really got their sound nailed down. I'm not sure what 10Rogue want to be to be there's a overarching Motley Crue vibe (a band I've never liked) but with some grunge too. It means that for me after about 3 tracks it was time to turn off and listen to Caligula's Horse again. 2/10
Fozzy: Judas (Century Media)
I've mentioned before how influential WWE/F was on my early music tastes, many of the bands have stuck with me and led me to go on and listen to other acts broadening my musical taste. Professional wrestling has moved into the the music world as well, I won't bore you with what they are but most have been vastly unsuccessful. The exception to the rule had been Fozzy, fronted by Chris Jericho, the band has always been a separate entity away from his wrestling career, yes they've contributed a few songs to PPVs but for the most part Fozzy is successful in spite of Jericho's other job not because of it. So successful in fact that soon they will be running their own cruise that features numerous bands playing with them on the high seas.
So with all this I suppose they need a new album and happily they have obliged with their fifth record (of original material), Judas is another strong showing from the band full of American Radio metal with Rich Ward churning out riff after riff as Jericho belts out the darker toned lyrics with his unique vocals. The title track opens the record and it's probably the strongest song on the record and a definitive single. As things progress there's the normal mix of hard rock, nu-metal riffs and 21st Century hard rock on Weight Of My World, some industrial parts to Wordsworth Way, a bounce on Elevator and they even add some rap and death vocals to Three Days In Jail. There's an eclectic mix but it rarely strays away from the tried and tested Fozzy formula that means that will be with us for years to come. 7/10
Evil Invaders: Feed Me Violence (Napalm Records)
Evil Invaders motto for life must be thrash until death and then thrash a bit more. The Belgian band's second full length is packed with buzzsaw riffs and shrieked vocals from the off, it's the very early thrash sounds here, Overkill, Kreator and Exodus are the influences as the drums blast away and the riffs come thick and fast.There are a few slow Slayer-like grooves here but they are used sparingly to give you a rest from the whirlwind guitars of their speed metal fury. Evil Invaders have matured their sound since their debut, there they were young guns playing fast and loose, here their music has been tweaked a little as Oblivion, Shades Of Solitude and Among The Depths have more melodic, deliberate cinematic touches that build and build into yet more rapid fire riffs. Feed Me Violence is a tornado of speed metal madness that stands up as one of the top pit inducing thrash albums this year, my advice, buy, play loud, bang head, done. 8/10
10Rogue: Serpentine (BUT! Records)
Well this is dreadful any song that has the lyric referring to a woman as "Everybody's wet dream" is not for me I'm afraid, to have this kind of sleazy sex rock track followed by a soppy ballad, then a big chunky SoiL style rocker it makes me believe that they haven't really got their sound nailed down. I'm not sure what 10Rogue want to be to be there's a overarching Motley Crue vibe (a band I've never liked) but with some grunge too. It means that for me after about 3 tracks it was time to turn off and listen to Caligula's Horse again. 2/10
Tuesday, 3 October 2017
Reviews: Nocturnal Rites, Voltage, Massive Assault, Ardenne Heavy (Reviews By Paul)
Nocturnal Rites: Phoenix (AFM Records)
For a band that started out as a death metal outfit, Nocturnal Rites current sound is about as far removed as you can get. The Swedes ninth release, their first for the best part of ten years is a slick, power metal/AOR flavoured slab which wouldn’t sound out of place at the HRH AOR Festival. Oozing melody and harmonies on the choruses, songs such as Repent My Sins have a deeply melodic feel about them. The band can churn up the waves in a heavy weight style mind, as demonstrated on The Poisonous Seed, What’s Killing Me and the operatic Welcome To The End. Vocalist Jonny Lindqvist leads the line well, his clean vocals containing a harder edge which works superbly on the tracks. There’s even some industrial flavouring which occasionally rears its head, such as the intro to Nothing Can Break Me. A decent amount of chunky guitar adds the heaviness to an album which becomes more impressive on repeated plays. 7/10
Voltage: Around The Bend (Self Released)
So, the South arrives in the Low Countries with Voltage, a four-piece rock ‘n’ roll outfit from Brabant whose sound is modelled exactly on the Southern drawl of Lynyrd Skynyrd and their brethren. One listen to Around The Bend, which is perfectly enjoyable, and there is only one band that you can picture. Georgia’s Blackberry Smoke. Voltage sound so much like them that you’d be forgiven for thinking this was the follow up to 2016’s Like An Arrow. Vocalist Dave Vermeulen is uncannily like Charlie Starr in his delivery whilst the guitar sound of Vermeulen and Gijs Heijnen fits snuggly into the Smoke’s sound. It’s decent stuff, a cross between country, Southern rock and Americana, beautifully performed. You can take your pick from any of the 11 tracks and you won’t be disappointed in the quality. But if I want to listen to Blackberry Smoke, then I’ll listen to Blackberry Smoke. 7/10
Massive Assault: Mortar (F.D.A Records)
Brutal death metal is ten a penny these days it seems and we get huge numbers of releases to review. Massive Assault’s third album Mortar is fast, furious and raging. Themes of death, violence and aggression rarely make for sweet, calming subject matter and it’s the same here. Suffer In Terror, Deranged Humanity and the skull hammering of Empty Shell all explode like a roadside incendiary device, towering riffs, roasting drumming and guttural vocals of Carl Cristian doing the business. The hugely impressive Anger Overdrive maintains an assault which really doesn’t let up, as you’d expect. This is a fine thrashy piece of death metal with riffs that could crush an elephant. Strap in, bang your head and let the explosions hit you. 7/10
Ardenne Heavy: No Nuts No Glory (Self Released)
Not content with pinching the majority of Airbourne’s album title, Belgian thrashers Ardenne Heavy have also managed to obtain one of the worst singers I’ve heard in a long while. Although the band has apparently been together for seven years, vocalist Simon Gaudron sounds like he’s stumbled into the recording studio directly from a heavy session in the pub. His abysmal voice means that any hope of determining what the band’s actual music sounds like is limited. When he has finished his garbled gibberish what you glean is some pretty routine, almost binary thrash which is of extremely limited interest. By the end of track two, the quite stunningly bad Exodus it was time to hit the stop button. Possibly the worst thrash album I’ve ever heard. 2/10
For a band that started out as a death metal outfit, Nocturnal Rites current sound is about as far removed as you can get. The Swedes ninth release, their first for the best part of ten years is a slick, power metal/AOR flavoured slab which wouldn’t sound out of place at the HRH AOR Festival. Oozing melody and harmonies on the choruses, songs such as Repent My Sins have a deeply melodic feel about them. The band can churn up the waves in a heavy weight style mind, as demonstrated on The Poisonous Seed, What’s Killing Me and the operatic Welcome To The End. Vocalist Jonny Lindqvist leads the line well, his clean vocals containing a harder edge which works superbly on the tracks. There’s even some industrial flavouring which occasionally rears its head, such as the intro to Nothing Can Break Me. A decent amount of chunky guitar adds the heaviness to an album which becomes more impressive on repeated plays. 7/10
Voltage: Around The Bend (Self Released)
So, the South arrives in the Low Countries with Voltage, a four-piece rock ‘n’ roll outfit from Brabant whose sound is modelled exactly on the Southern drawl of Lynyrd Skynyrd and their brethren. One listen to Around The Bend, which is perfectly enjoyable, and there is only one band that you can picture. Georgia’s Blackberry Smoke. Voltage sound so much like them that you’d be forgiven for thinking this was the follow up to 2016’s Like An Arrow. Vocalist Dave Vermeulen is uncannily like Charlie Starr in his delivery whilst the guitar sound of Vermeulen and Gijs Heijnen fits snuggly into the Smoke’s sound. It’s decent stuff, a cross between country, Southern rock and Americana, beautifully performed. You can take your pick from any of the 11 tracks and you won’t be disappointed in the quality. But if I want to listen to Blackberry Smoke, then I’ll listen to Blackberry Smoke. 7/10
Massive Assault: Mortar (F.D.A Records)
Brutal death metal is ten a penny these days it seems and we get huge numbers of releases to review. Massive Assault’s third album Mortar is fast, furious and raging. Themes of death, violence and aggression rarely make for sweet, calming subject matter and it’s the same here. Suffer In Terror, Deranged Humanity and the skull hammering of Empty Shell all explode like a roadside incendiary device, towering riffs, roasting drumming and guttural vocals of Carl Cristian doing the business. The hugely impressive Anger Overdrive maintains an assault which really doesn’t let up, as you’d expect. This is a fine thrashy piece of death metal with riffs that could crush an elephant. Strap in, bang your head and let the explosions hit you. 7/10
Ardenne Heavy: No Nuts No Glory (Self Released)
Not content with pinching the majority of Airbourne’s album title, Belgian thrashers Ardenne Heavy have also managed to obtain one of the worst singers I’ve heard in a long while. Although the band has apparently been together for seven years, vocalist Simon Gaudron sounds like he’s stumbled into the recording studio directly from a heavy session in the pub. His abysmal voice means that any hope of determining what the band’s actual music sounds like is limited. When he has finished his garbled gibberish what you glean is some pretty routine, almost binary thrash which is of extremely limited interest. By the end of track two, the quite stunningly bad Exodus it was time to hit the stop button. Possibly the worst thrash album I’ve ever heard. 2/10
Monday, 2 October 2017
A View From The Back Of The Room: Gary Numan
Gary Numan & Jayce Lewis, Tramshed Cardiff
The man they call Numan arrived in Cardiff after a considerable absence, the tour was in support of his excellent new album Savage, the Tramshed was the first date of the tour and we took our photographer with us to the sold out venue for what was actually one of the loudest gigs of the year.
Before the headliner though support came from Bridgend's answer to the great man himself, the Darth Vader approved Jayce Lewis (7) who brought a heavy industrial aesthetic to his performance from the stage dressing to the music, it was a post apocalyptic menagerie of light up pillars and a doom laden end of days vibe. Lewis ramps up the thunder with two bass players and a drummer as the omnipresent electronics fizzed and buzz in the background, due to the extensive use of pedals of both bass players.
Playing a lot from his most recent Protafield project, the vocals suffered on the first few songs but gradually they got better in time and were at there best for the thumping Solitaire and the heavy as lead Electric Medicine which closed the set. With a new album on the way and promise of a return Jayce was the ideal opener for a man who practically invented this stuff.
The stage was changed and it was time for the master, the performance was honed to perfection, it was a set of industrial battery from the off, instrumentation delivered with robotic precision and at ear splitting volume, the baselines could loosen your colon and the lights and visuals may induce seizures, but that's exactly what you'd want from a the man that help to popularise the synth and industrial music. Like a hot and sweaty Berlin club the Tramshed was one sold out undulating mass clad in their best PVC, leather, lace.and fish-netting. Gary Numan (8) is wild frontman beating himself up as he delivers his android vocals over the crackling metallic industrial. His band are well skilled and are equally as animated plying riff after riff to an adoring crowd of Numan addicts.
He relies much more on a the classic guitar, bass, drums, keys set up than Lewis and it did seem as if his music had more depth to it. The older material perhaps obviously got the best reception, the dirtier version of Cars made everyone go nuts, (power of advertising folks) but do prefer his more recent moodier, harder edged material that goes into the realms of Rammstein and KoRn at its heaviest. Just witness My Name Is Ruin and you'll see it's a future classic, but we also got Metal, Down In The Park, Mercy, Love Hurt Bleed and the main set ended with always warmly received A Prayer For The Unborn.
To stop the 80's stuff standing out as lighter it gets a sonic overhaul on the loudness front but it is noticeably more melodic and danceable as the countless shapes being thrown proved. Blinded and deafened we were taken through much of Numan's career and for a first show of the tour it was a polished performance all round. Gary Numan and Depeche Mode are the flag bearers for this music and for both of them to be going strong and really hitting hard like a boot to the face is an odd joy to behold. Are friends electric? I still don't know but they certainly can pound out a tune, I urge you check this tour out on one of the remaining dates as you won't regret it.
The man they call Numan arrived in Cardiff after a considerable absence, the tour was in support of his excellent new album Savage, the Tramshed was the first date of the tour and we took our photographer with us to the sold out venue for what was actually one of the loudest gigs of the year.
Before the headliner though support came from Bridgend's answer to the great man himself, the Darth Vader approved Jayce Lewis (7) who brought a heavy industrial aesthetic to his performance from the stage dressing to the music, it was a post apocalyptic menagerie of light up pillars and a doom laden end of days vibe. Lewis ramps up the thunder with two bass players and a drummer as the omnipresent electronics fizzed and buzz in the background, due to the extensive use of pedals of both bass players.
Playing a lot from his most recent Protafield project, the vocals suffered on the first few songs but gradually they got better in time and were at there best for the thumping Solitaire and the heavy as lead Electric Medicine which closed the set. With a new album on the way and promise of a return Jayce was the ideal opener for a man who practically invented this stuff.
The stage was changed and it was time for the master, the performance was honed to perfection, it was a set of industrial battery from the off, instrumentation delivered with robotic precision and at ear splitting volume, the baselines could loosen your colon and the lights and visuals may induce seizures, but that's exactly what you'd want from a the man that help to popularise the synth and industrial music. Like a hot and sweaty Berlin club the Tramshed was one sold out undulating mass clad in their best PVC, leather, lace.and fish-netting. Gary Numan (8) is wild frontman beating himself up as he delivers his android vocals over the crackling metallic industrial. His band are well skilled and are equally as animated plying riff after riff to an adoring crowd of Numan addicts.
He relies much more on a the classic guitar, bass, drums, keys set up than Lewis and it did seem as if his music had more depth to it. The older material perhaps obviously got the best reception, the dirtier version of Cars made everyone go nuts, (power of advertising folks) but do prefer his more recent moodier, harder edged material that goes into the realms of Rammstein and KoRn at its heaviest. Just witness My Name Is Ruin and you'll see it's a future classic, but we also got Metal, Down In The Park, Mercy, Love Hurt Bleed and the main set ended with always warmly received A Prayer For The Unborn.
To stop the 80's stuff standing out as lighter it gets a sonic overhaul on the loudness front but it is noticeably more melodic and danceable as the countless shapes being thrown proved. Blinded and deafened we were taken through much of Numan's career and for a first show of the tour it was a polished performance all round. Gary Numan and Depeche Mode are the flag bearers for this music and for both of them to be going strong and really hitting hard like a boot to the face is an odd joy to behold. Are friends electric? I still don't know but they certainly can pound out a tune, I urge you check this tour out on one of the remaining dates as you won't regret it.
Sunday, 1 October 2017
Reviews: Living Colour, Kadavar, Act Of Defiance, Monolord (Reviews By Paul)
Living Colour: Shade (Megaforce Records)
This is the sixth album from New York’s Living Colour, and their first since 2009’s The Chair In The Doorway. It’s been a long time since I listened to the band who came to the attention of the world in 1988 with their debut Vivid and of course, Cult Of Personality, a track that remains their signature song. The line-up for Shade remains the same as it has been since 2000’s reformation, with Vernon Reid holding the guitar duties and Corey Glover giving it his all on lead vocals. Will Calhoun on drums and Doug Wimbish make up the rest of the band. Shade retains the funk, rock, hip hop fusion of previous releases, with subject matter combining political commentary with a variety of social observations.
The band slip in a riff heavy cover of The Notorious B.I.G’s Who Shot Ya? a track that remains as relevant today as it was when it was first released. The fusion of sounds has always made Living Colour unique in terms of their status in the rock and metal world. They can do it all and tracks like Blak Out, Pattern In Time and Glass Teeth combine the hip hop influences with funk and hard rock. Reid has always been an underrated guitarist and he shows his chops time and again here whilst Glover’s voice is outstanding. I’ve never been bored with a Living Colour album and Shade is no different. 8/10
Kadavar: Rough Times (Nuclear Blast)
2015’s Berlin was an exceptionally good album. The Berlin three piece’s third release contained a plethora of hard stoner rock full of groove and hooks which were stuck in the head for days afterwards. Two years on and Rough Times is here; a more eclectic and varied album, Rough Times still retains the psychedelic vibe that surges through the band’s music and expands into a variety of sounds and styles which are all aurally stimulating.
It kicks off with huge fuzzy distortion on the title track, Christoph Bartelt’s thumping drums and Simon Bonteloup’s snorting bass lines providing foundations for Christoph Lindermann’s floating vocals and soaring guitar. Into The Worm Hole is dripping with 70s Sabbath groove whilst there is variation throughout the album; Tribulation Nation veers towards the Hawkwind space rock genre and You Found The Best In Me is pure Zeppelin. It’s heavy, it fucks with the brain and it’s a trip you should not miss. 8/10
Act Of Defiance: Old Scars New Wounds (Metal Blade)
Huge slabs of groove, thrashing riffs and snarling vocals continue the style started two years ago with Act Of Defiance’s solid debut release, Birth And The Burial. With the same line up in place, Old Scars New Wounds builds neatly with some impressive tracks. Henry Derek’s vocals range from the positively scary, MIA and Molten Core to the more melodic harmonies of Overexposure, which sits in the Killswitch Engage territory. Chris Broderick, as we know, can shred with the best of them and it’s no exception here with some tasty fret work.
Pounding bass and drums from Matt Bachand and Shawn Drover create tidal waves of power on Circle Of Ashes and Reborn. As with the previous release, Old Scars New Wounds maintains a high tempo throughout. Conspiracy Of The Gods could have fallen right off a Testament album, Drover’s high tempo drumming impressive. Two years and two albums. Act Of Defiance have established themselves in the metal world, with my only criticism the rather repetitive way many of the songs sound. It’s a solid metal release. 7/10
Monolord: Rust (Riding Easy)
We head to Gothenburg for the doom-laden sounds of Monolord, a powerful three-piece whose third album Rust conjures images of evil and horror. A filthy distortion greets the listener, the massive wall of sound that the band’s vocalist and guitarist Thomas V Jäger intended easily achieved. This is no easy throwaway listen mind you, with the six tracks hitting a huge 54 minutes. Opener Where Death Meets The Sea may be somewhat deceiving, pacey and relatively snappy in comparison to the crushingly slow Dear Lucifer which focuses more on piling on intense weight.
I like the band’s inspiration for their music though as Jäger, bassist Mika Hakki and drummer Esben Willems have previously stated. “The disgust for what humans do to each other and to the planet is constant. Religion, greed, and power madness run through humanity like incurable diseases, which is, consequentially, a constant stream of inspiration for us”. Quite so. We are truly fucked as a species.
The Hammond organ intro on the title track gives way to a mammoth riff which is so heavy it buries you in its path. Don’t put the headphones on to this as it will stove your head in. Rust may lumber but it is always on the right path, pounding like a herd of rhinos in search of a water-hole. The mountainous riffs continue with Wormland, another bone snapping track which haunts the listener with eerie violin, all the while pounding like the sea on the shore. Imperious crashing chords maintain the intensity of substantial impact.
This is no small moon. It’s a fully operational battle station. When you thought it could not get any more concentrated, the band hit you with two massive tracks, the 13-minute Forgotten Lands which is sufficiently substantial to carve holes in the sky (or blow up a planet - Ed) and album closer At Niceae, all 15 and a half minutes of pulverising mesmeric roaring doom. It’s a cavernous release. Dare you take the challenge? 8/10
This is the sixth album from New York’s Living Colour, and their first since 2009’s The Chair In The Doorway. It’s been a long time since I listened to the band who came to the attention of the world in 1988 with their debut Vivid and of course, Cult Of Personality, a track that remains their signature song. The line-up for Shade remains the same as it has been since 2000’s reformation, with Vernon Reid holding the guitar duties and Corey Glover giving it his all on lead vocals. Will Calhoun on drums and Doug Wimbish make up the rest of the band. Shade retains the funk, rock, hip hop fusion of previous releases, with subject matter combining political commentary with a variety of social observations.
The band slip in a riff heavy cover of The Notorious B.I.G’s Who Shot Ya? a track that remains as relevant today as it was when it was first released. The fusion of sounds has always made Living Colour unique in terms of their status in the rock and metal world. They can do it all and tracks like Blak Out, Pattern In Time and Glass Teeth combine the hip hop influences with funk and hard rock. Reid has always been an underrated guitarist and he shows his chops time and again here whilst Glover’s voice is outstanding. I’ve never been bored with a Living Colour album and Shade is no different. 8/10
Kadavar: Rough Times (Nuclear Blast)
2015’s Berlin was an exceptionally good album. The Berlin three piece’s third release contained a plethora of hard stoner rock full of groove and hooks which were stuck in the head for days afterwards. Two years on and Rough Times is here; a more eclectic and varied album, Rough Times still retains the psychedelic vibe that surges through the band’s music and expands into a variety of sounds and styles which are all aurally stimulating.
It kicks off with huge fuzzy distortion on the title track, Christoph Bartelt’s thumping drums and Simon Bonteloup’s snorting bass lines providing foundations for Christoph Lindermann’s floating vocals and soaring guitar. Into The Worm Hole is dripping with 70s Sabbath groove whilst there is variation throughout the album; Tribulation Nation veers towards the Hawkwind space rock genre and You Found The Best In Me is pure Zeppelin. It’s heavy, it fucks with the brain and it’s a trip you should not miss. 8/10
Act Of Defiance: Old Scars New Wounds (Metal Blade)
Huge slabs of groove, thrashing riffs and snarling vocals continue the style started two years ago with Act Of Defiance’s solid debut release, Birth And The Burial. With the same line up in place, Old Scars New Wounds builds neatly with some impressive tracks. Henry Derek’s vocals range from the positively scary, MIA and Molten Core to the more melodic harmonies of Overexposure, which sits in the Killswitch Engage territory. Chris Broderick, as we know, can shred with the best of them and it’s no exception here with some tasty fret work.
Pounding bass and drums from Matt Bachand and Shawn Drover create tidal waves of power on Circle Of Ashes and Reborn. As with the previous release, Old Scars New Wounds maintains a high tempo throughout. Conspiracy Of The Gods could have fallen right off a Testament album, Drover’s high tempo drumming impressive. Two years and two albums. Act Of Defiance have established themselves in the metal world, with my only criticism the rather repetitive way many of the songs sound. It’s a solid metal release. 7/10
Monolord: Rust (Riding Easy)
We head to Gothenburg for the doom-laden sounds of Monolord, a powerful three-piece whose third album Rust conjures images of evil and horror. A filthy distortion greets the listener, the massive wall of sound that the band’s vocalist and guitarist Thomas V Jäger intended easily achieved. This is no easy throwaway listen mind you, with the six tracks hitting a huge 54 minutes. Opener Where Death Meets The Sea may be somewhat deceiving, pacey and relatively snappy in comparison to the crushingly slow Dear Lucifer which focuses more on piling on intense weight.
I like the band’s inspiration for their music though as Jäger, bassist Mika Hakki and drummer Esben Willems have previously stated. “The disgust for what humans do to each other and to the planet is constant. Religion, greed, and power madness run through humanity like incurable diseases, which is, consequentially, a constant stream of inspiration for us”. Quite so. We are truly fucked as a species.
The Hammond organ intro on the title track gives way to a mammoth riff which is so heavy it buries you in its path. Don’t put the headphones on to this as it will stove your head in. Rust may lumber but it is always on the right path, pounding like a herd of rhinos in search of a water-hole. The mountainous riffs continue with Wormland, another bone snapping track which haunts the listener with eerie violin, all the while pounding like the sea on the shore. Imperious crashing chords maintain the intensity of substantial impact.
This is no small moon. It’s a fully operational battle station. When you thought it could not get any more concentrated, the band hit you with two massive tracks, the 13-minute Forgotten Lands which is sufficiently substantial to carve holes in the sky (or blow up a planet - Ed) and album closer At Niceae, all 15 and a half minutes of pulverising mesmeric roaring doom. It’s a cavernous release. Dare you take the challenge? 8/10
A View From The Back Of The Room: Winterfylleth, Wiegedood, Necronautical (Live Review By Alyn)
Winterfylleth, Wiegedood, Necronautical, Fuel Rock Club Cardiff
Larger name extreme metal billings don't often find their ways across the Celtic border, particularly on the black metal front. Prior to Nargaroth visiting earlier this year and the Eradication Festival Sunday events, one of the last notable showings was Gorgoroth playing with Vital Remains in the Globe some years ago. So when Old Empire and Eradication Booking Agency succeed in securing Winterfylleth's 10th anniversary tour to the capital, it's a boon for the local scene and it's right that people come in numbers and make the journeys that clearly happened last night to generate a better turnout. Following on from European shows in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, the only band on the tour billing who we were unfortunate not to see were the mighty Fen, but the good news is they're coming next year to Eradication 2018.
Necronautical (8) opened the evening with their own brand of Grim Euphoric Black metal. This is the 3rd time they've graced the city this year following on my first encounter with them on a show I was fortunate to also be playing supporting Scordatura back in February, and their return 2 months later playing the Eradication Festival Sunday. Led by Russell "Naut" Dobson (also of UK black metal titans Ethereal), the four-piece blitz through just shy of 30 minutes worth of synth-backed hook driven malevolence.
Trading overtones of the better parts of Dimmu with an undercurrent of the ferocity of Zyklon, Necronautical clearly had no difficulty winning over a quickly growing audience unfamiliar with their brand, and an invitation to a good ol' fashioned black metal sing-along was met well (spoiler: it's mostly just a shrill shriek accompanied by holding invisible grapefruit). As tight as you could expect of a band that's shared the stage with Dark Funeral and Hecate Enthroned, and no doubt one to keep your ears primed for when they next do the rounds. Be sure to check out their excellent 2016 album The Endurance At Night.
I did Wiegedood (9) a disservice by not investigating them prior to setting off to the gig, although I definitely should've heeded Old Empire's event post hours prior where they made no over-embellishment of their performance in London the night before. Hailing from Belgium, a country that not exactly known for its exploits in the genre outside of Saille, Oathbreaker (of whom they share some members) and Enthroned, I'm pretty sure that the bulk of the venue didn't really know what they were in for. Their name translates to "death in the cradle" - and they were about as loud and angry as a three-piece devoid of bassist could be - I'll iterate that it didn't matter too much given the guitars were also being driven through additional bass cabs to supplement the massive sonic presence they were generating.
They were also certainly not the most talkative band of the evening preferring to rely on noise-presence alone to any form of interaction, which is just as well given Levy Synaeve (vocals & guitars) had the dishevelled appearance of someone who'd recently emerged from a cave.
Wiegedood play an intense brand of atmospheric black metal and switches seamlessly between bleak low-gain melancholic passages and full throttle blast-beat powered malignance, letting the instrumentation do the leg work and with vocals as well-worked in punctuation. They never felt stale and switched up the tempo between songs, using ambience to connect the calm with the chaos. Definitely one of those bands that take you to a different place, 45 minutes passed far too quickly, and the whole affair was more akin to an experience rather than a gig.
I could entirely see why they were picked as a compliment to Winterfylleth as there's a fair share of similarities between the two, with Wiegedood being perhaps a more visceral counterpart to their more refined tour companions. If anything that served only to ensure that the UK lads would be on top of their game when they follow on as they knocked a crowd that was probably already struggling with heat exhaustion for six. I DEFINITELY had to buy a CD (although charging more than the headliners is a tad cheeky fellas! I hope that didn't put others off.)
This was headliner Winterfylleth's (8) first foray to Cardiff, and my only hope is that it won't be their last after Fuel quite possibly might have evaporated them. For the uninitiated, Winterfylleth play Folk/English history orientated Black metal with clear melodic influences, with memorable songs that can conjure just about every emotion simultaneously, and have enjoyed a good degree of success domestically and internationally as both a recorded and live unit.
A decades worth of experience and material was trimmed into just about an hours worth of uncompromising setlist that didn't disappoint in the slightest. Clearly the band the majority of the attendees were there for, opening track The Wayfarer Pt 1 is met with hypnotic nods of approval that barely stop throughout the set. The sound is a little muddied to begin with but once their travelling engineer gets to grips with the system they sound as good as the other bands.
Winterfylleth make every effort to cover as much of their busy back catalogue as they can despite their lengthy average song duration, picking out favourites such as A Valley Thick With Oaks from The Mercian Sphere, and songs from The Divination Of Antiquity and Threnody Of Triumph but not really drawing too much from more recent material, I didn't get the impression they could've done much wrong in the eyes of the crowd regardless.
Importantly, despite playing a mainstage slot at Bloodstock this year to a significantly bigger crowd, Cardiff was still treated to just as solid a set, and plenty joined in during iconic dual vocal choruses such as in The Swart Raven. Closing with a huge rendition of Defending The Realm the crowd was entirely agreed that enough wasn't enough and a chant of "one more song" unfortunately fell on deaf ears due to curfew
Larger name extreme metal billings don't often find their ways across the Celtic border, particularly on the black metal front. Prior to Nargaroth visiting earlier this year and the Eradication Festival Sunday events, one of the last notable showings was Gorgoroth playing with Vital Remains in the Globe some years ago. So when Old Empire and Eradication Booking Agency succeed in securing Winterfylleth's 10th anniversary tour to the capital, it's a boon for the local scene and it's right that people come in numbers and make the journeys that clearly happened last night to generate a better turnout. Following on from European shows in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, the only band on the tour billing who we were unfortunate not to see were the mighty Fen, but the good news is they're coming next year to Eradication 2018.
Necronautical (8) opened the evening with their own brand of Grim Euphoric Black metal. This is the 3rd time they've graced the city this year following on my first encounter with them on a show I was fortunate to also be playing supporting Scordatura back in February, and their return 2 months later playing the Eradication Festival Sunday. Led by Russell "Naut" Dobson (also of UK black metal titans Ethereal), the four-piece blitz through just shy of 30 minutes worth of synth-backed hook driven malevolence.
Trading overtones of the better parts of Dimmu with an undercurrent of the ferocity of Zyklon, Necronautical clearly had no difficulty winning over a quickly growing audience unfamiliar with their brand, and an invitation to a good ol' fashioned black metal sing-along was met well (spoiler: it's mostly just a shrill shriek accompanied by holding invisible grapefruit). As tight as you could expect of a band that's shared the stage with Dark Funeral and Hecate Enthroned, and no doubt one to keep your ears primed for when they next do the rounds. Be sure to check out their excellent 2016 album The Endurance At Night.
I did Wiegedood (9) a disservice by not investigating them prior to setting off to the gig, although I definitely should've heeded Old Empire's event post hours prior where they made no over-embellishment of their performance in London the night before. Hailing from Belgium, a country that not exactly known for its exploits in the genre outside of Saille, Oathbreaker (of whom they share some members) and Enthroned, I'm pretty sure that the bulk of the venue didn't really know what they were in for. Their name translates to "death in the cradle" - and they were about as loud and angry as a three-piece devoid of bassist could be - I'll iterate that it didn't matter too much given the guitars were also being driven through additional bass cabs to supplement the massive sonic presence they were generating.
They were also certainly not the most talkative band of the evening preferring to rely on noise-presence alone to any form of interaction, which is just as well given Levy Synaeve (vocals & guitars) had the dishevelled appearance of someone who'd recently emerged from a cave.
Wiegedood play an intense brand of atmospheric black metal and switches seamlessly between bleak low-gain melancholic passages and full throttle blast-beat powered malignance, letting the instrumentation do the leg work and with vocals as well-worked in punctuation. They never felt stale and switched up the tempo between songs, using ambience to connect the calm with the chaos. Definitely one of those bands that take you to a different place, 45 minutes passed far too quickly, and the whole affair was more akin to an experience rather than a gig.
I could entirely see why they were picked as a compliment to Winterfylleth as there's a fair share of similarities between the two, with Wiegedood being perhaps a more visceral counterpart to their more refined tour companions. If anything that served only to ensure that the UK lads would be on top of their game when they follow on as they knocked a crowd that was probably already struggling with heat exhaustion for six. I DEFINITELY had to buy a CD (although charging more than the headliners is a tad cheeky fellas! I hope that didn't put others off.)
This was headliner Winterfylleth's (8) first foray to Cardiff, and my only hope is that it won't be their last after Fuel quite possibly might have evaporated them. For the uninitiated, Winterfylleth play Folk/English history orientated Black metal with clear melodic influences, with memorable songs that can conjure just about every emotion simultaneously, and have enjoyed a good degree of success domestically and internationally as both a recorded and live unit.
A decades worth of experience and material was trimmed into just about an hours worth of uncompromising setlist that didn't disappoint in the slightest. Clearly the band the majority of the attendees were there for, opening track The Wayfarer Pt 1 is met with hypnotic nods of approval that barely stop throughout the set. The sound is a little muddied to begin with but once their travelling engineer gets to grips with the system they sound as good as the other bands.
Winterfylleth make every effort to cover as much of their busy back catalogue as they can despite their lengthy average song duration, picking out favourites such as A Valley Thick With Oaks from The Mercian Sphere, and songs from The Divination Of Antiquity and Threnody Of Triumph but not really drawing too much from more recent material, I didn't get the impression they could've done much wrong in the eyes of the crowd regardless.
Importantly, despite playing a mainstage slot at Bloodstock this year to a significantly bigger crowd, Cardiff was still treated to just as solid a set, and plenty joined in during iconic dual vocal choruses such as in The Swart Raven. Closing with a huge rendition of Defending The Realm the crowd was entirely agreed that enough wasn't enough and a chant of "one more song" unfortunately fell on deaf ears due to curfew
Overall, a quality evening of high calibre metal, not necessarily one for the pitters and someone looking for the showmanship and high-octane theatrics of their Norwegian counterparts, but a top tier lesson in how to be awed in a heavy way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)