Reviews: Thirteenth Sign, Sollust, Chestcrush, Snowy White (Dave, Simon, Rich & Matt)

Thirteenth Sign: The Ashes Of A Treacherous Silence (Self Released) [Dave Marcovecchio]

This pesky Corona business has certainly given us all a lot of spare time which has found people doing new and interesting things to take up time. While some have spent the time learning new skills others have spent it eating biscuits and catching up on Netflix and listening to true-crime podcasts. UK underground Melodeath/Thrash stalwarts Thirteenth Sign, however, have spent it knocking together their 4th album The Ashes Of A Treacherous Silence. This alone would be an impressive feat, but paired with a total reshuffle of the bands line-up, the end result is nothing short of unbelievable. Taking cues from famous concept albums (Chiefly Queensryche's iconic Operation Mindcrime), The Ashes Of A Treacherous Silence explores the loose theme of the inner workings and inner-thoughts of some of Britain's most notorious killers. While a few of these tracks wear this concept very firmly on their bloodied sleeve (such as the news snippet in the intro of The Bone Collector) others are a lot more subtle in their delivery. Musically though, they all tread a similar path, with some absolute belters on display (a personal highlight being lead single Electric Hammer).

The music on offer here is a great mixture of modern thrash and melodic death metal, giving off a modern metal vibe that is instantly familiar, but with a few extra touches layered on top. New vocalist Reno Ramos' turns from a bellowing guttural scream to a sonorous croon at the drop of a hat and the use of orchestral elements adds an epic feel. For an album of it's length (an impressive CD filling 70 minutes) the pace is nicely moderated with long instrumental sections and clever use of samples and pre-recorded dialogue adding a cinematic flair. For the most part, this prevents the music from ever becoming too same-y or fatiguing. Fitting to it's theme, The Ashes Of A Treacherous Silence is much like a Sunday night crime drama in that while it ticks a lot of boxes and at times borders on the formulaic, there's enough chills, spills to keep you interested. The songwriting skill and individuality on display elevate it beyond typical melodic-metal fodder and make something a touch more ambitious and daring. Stay Sexy, don't get murdered, and listen to Thirteenth Sign. 8/10

Sollust: (In)Versus (Self Released) [Simon Black]

Portuguese bands don’t come across my bows very often, so I was keen to hear what this five piece sounded like. Despite the fact that this bunch pf Progressive Gothic Metallers have been around for a while (since 2003 in fact), this is the first actual product since 2012’s The Last Bird Song EP and so to all extents and purposes is actually their proper debut album. Like any release that’s had a long gestation period, there is the opportunity for tightness and polish in the song-writing department and certainly the track structures are tight and surprisingly to the point, despite the strong Progressive influence.

The production is not as rigorous as perhaps best benefits the moodiness of the Gothic and Doom genre where let’s face it, a shed load of reverb goes a long way. However I’m quite forgiving when it comes to self-produced first releases, especially when the musicianship is as tight as this, and the focus on songwriting and mood so effectively delivered instrumentally. Duality is a big thing thematically on this record and they play the same game with many of the songs’ basic structures – splicing different genres together quite successfully. These transitions are then handled very well – Lost In Oblivion starts off hard and brutal, with moody sweeping guitar-scapes and some effective but surprisingly intelligible Black vocal tropes, which segue into a haunting clean vocal break mid-song and gradually back to angry very, very well. Supported by some clever technical fills and progressive tricks this song leads you along Sollust’s path for over seven minutes without you realising the overall length. And there’s many other great examples of this technique on the one hour run time of this record.

Even when you get a track that makes you think it might be a weaker moment on the record, it pulls a surprise out of the tail and stings you positively. Take Creed In Life, which from the opening bars makes me think is going to be a dirge filler evolves, body swerves and surprises, becoming one of the most moody, epic and engaging songs on the record. Where the album perhaps lacks slightly is that the slow, doomy pace (whilst immaculately done) wears one down after a while, and we’re fully halfway through the album at Blame Yourself before we get anything up tempo, or dare I say it, fast – even if only for part of the song. Do I mind? Not so much because the Gothic elements are so well done, and if Paradise Lost can spend an album just seeing how slow a song can go before it actually stops, I can forgive the mid to low tempo pitch of this album very easily as it grows on me the more I listen to it. 

That band are also clearly a strong influence as well, particularly with regards to guitar sound, and the overall effect is similar to some of those 90’s era albums. Exolventur and Reflection though are the tracks I come back to, and really summarise everything that works with this band. A good, but overdue debut, which well deserves several listens to deconstruct and appreciate fully. 7/10

Chestcrush: Demo (FHED Label) [Rich Oliver]

Chestcrush are a band hailing from Edinburgh and 2020 sees the release of their debut demo released digitally through Bandcamp and in physical form by cassette via the Cardiff based FHED label. Chestcrush are a two piece consisting of DM on vocals and Evan on guitars, bass and programming and like any good extreme metal two piece they make one hell of a sweet racket for two people. Musically what Chestcrush offers up is a filthy depraved mix of black metal, death metal and sludge metal. The riffs have that simplistic brutality that works so well when combining elements of sludge and death metal and work even better when mixed with the oppressive atmosphere of black metal. As well as solid musicianship, the vocals by DM are a nice mix of blackened screams and deathly gutturals. 

The demo is comprised of four songs with opener Burden being the longest of the bunch and sets the tone of the release with a sinister sludgy riff building to some wonderfully nasty death metal and second song Grudge opens with a nasty tremolo riff which oozes black metal malevolence before erupting into death metal chaos. The demo gets more unhinged as it progresses into its latter half with Crushed being some absolutely disgusting and discordant blackened sludge whilst demo closer Agonal Breath sounds positively hellish with ever building levels of feedback and discordance. Chestcrush have a great little demo here which gives you a feel of the capabilities of the band and showcases their depraved mix of black, death and sludge metal. It’s a short, sweet and promising listen. 7/10

Snow White & The White Flames: Something On Me (Soulfood Music) [Matt Bladen]

Snowy White is no stranger to the stage, he has served time with Pink Floyd, Roger Waters and Thin Lizzy but between these jaunts he has enjoyed a lengthy solo career with his band The White Flames. Those expecting any Floydian soundscapes or a Thin Lizzy hard rocking won't get that on Something On Me, as The White Flames have always been a blues based outfit, very much 'English' styled blues that Snowy developed while jamming with Peter Green. So does it differ much from his previous album The Situation? Well not really, it's full of relaxed blues jams, White taking the gritty vocals and fluid guitar playing. He's backed by the locomotive rhythm section of Thomas White (drums) and Rowan Bassett (bass) along with various The White Flames members making themselves known on more expansive numbers such as I Wish I Could. Basically if you love the kind of bluesy sound coined by Peter Green but brought to the masses by Dire Straits, Chris Rea and Steve Miller then Something On Me will be for you. 6/10  

Reviews: Sinner's Blood, Gargoyl, R.I.P, Mountain Tamer (Matt, Rich, Stuart & Paul H)

Sinner's Blood: The Mirror Star (Frontiers Records) [Matt Bladen]

There are hundreds of bands that seem to appear from nowhere every day, we can only cover so many but Italian label Frontiers do have knack of finding these bands/artists and signing them. Whether it's a collaborative effort by established artists or brand new acts from around the world, they can't ever be accused of not being an active label. So to their latest signing Sinner's Blood who come from the South American country of Chile and bring to the table muscular melodic metal. Formed by producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Nasson and vocalist James Robledo (who is in several South American bands) it's a way for Nasson to showcase his songwriting talent. He's collaborated on the Chaos Magic projects before but there he really shows how good he is here, the songs on this record are heavy and melodic with a mixture of a classic heavy metal sound but with some melodic touches you always expect from any Frontiers act. 

Due to Robledo's gravelly yet soulful vocals The Mirror Star remind me very much of any band involving Jorn Lande (Masterplan/Jorn etc). Rounding out the band are Nicolas Fischer (bass) and Guillermo Pereira (drums), they are the guts to the heavy tracks on this record such as The Mirror and Kill Or Die which have that American power metal sound while the rampaging duo of Phoenix Rise and The Path Of Fear are more European. Obviously there is some variation as Remember Me brings some AOR hard rocking and there are slower moments on Forever and Who I Am. This is a superb debut record from Sinner's Blood, bouncy, heavy and melodic it's a fine opening statement! 8/10 

Gargoyl: Gargoyl (Season Of Mist) [Rich Oliver]

Gargoyl is the side project from Luke Roberts of Ayahuasca and David Davidson of Revocation who met whilst on tour and realised a shared musical kinship and admiration for one another. After being joined by Brett Leier on bass and James Knoerl on drums the Asomatous demo was recorded and released in 2019. From there the band have been  picked up by Season Of Mist for the release of their self titled debut album. Gargoyl is a very interesting and challenging release and very far removed from the main projects of the band members. It is a swirling and jarring mix of jazzy prog and 90’s grunge though a lot of the time it defies classification sounding at its most basic like a hypnotic concoction of Opeth, Voivod and Alice In Chains. The Alice In Chains influence is massive especially in the stellar vocals by Luke Roberts whilst the music is an ever shifting, complex mix of dissonant chords and jazzy time signatures which on paper sounds like a discordant mess but it is wonderfully captivating. The writing skills of the band must be wholly applauded as they have managed to mix memorable vocal lines over very complex musical progressions. 

The album starts in immediately unorthodox fashion with the brooding acapella of Truth Of A Tyrant whilst Plastic Nothing showcases the Alice In Chains on an acid trip mentality of the album. This approach continues for much of the album with songs such as Electrical Sickness, Waltz Dystopia and Ambivalent I bombarding the listener with ever sprawling twists and turns. There are a few songs which are slightly more straightforward in their approach such as the driving Nightmare Conspiracy and Acid Crown and the gentler songs such as Wraith and Asphyxia showcase some beautiful haunting melodies. There is no denying that Gargoyl is a complex beast of an album but it is one that unlocks itself and rewards the listener with more things you missed the more you listen to it. The label in trying to label this album have termed it progressive grunge rock and that is certainly one way of describing it but this is far more progressive in nature than grunge and at times even veers over into avant-garde territory.  

The complex and challenging nature of this album means it definitely won’t be for the casual listener but despite the challenges it presents this is a very fulfilling album that should definitely land on the playlists of any prog fan. 8/10

R.I.P.: Dead End (RidingEasy Records) [Stuart Blythe]

Portland, Oregon’s R.I.P. loudly proclaim themselves as “Street Doom”. What the f**k is Street Doom? I found myself asking as I delved into their new release Dead End. Well, it turns out that it is a garage style, early Nirvana-worshipping, Sabbath-scuzz infected brand of punk rock. Not at all what I had expected when envisioning Street Doom in my head, although Wino and Candlemass doing shit ollies on their skateboards outside the local council offices… in slow motion… in the rain… is probably not a viable musical path to tread to be fair. Getting past my initial surprise at the overall sound of R.I.P. it immediately becomes clear that the band have a definite style which comes across as something that would easily sit alongside 80’s era Alternative Tentacles releases, vocalist Fuzz (the clue is in the name) can, and frequently does sound like a Jello Biafra who discovered Trouble and Saint Vitus instead of Crass and the Subhumans. 

The lo-fi production sounds like it could actually have been recorded in your Mum’s garage on an old, slightly broken 4-track, and there is a clear aesthetic of punk ‘n’ roll DIY. Not the doom I was expecting (not really doom at all), but there is indeed some fun to be had here. Tracks like Nightmare, Judgement Night and One Foot In The Grave rattle along like a monolithic juggernaut f**ked on a cocktail of cheap bourbon and acid, with some mountainous riffs and Misfits style “everyone go Whoaaaa” choruses. Death Is Coming has a slight Deep Purple 70’s rock vibe complete with cowbell, used sparingly much to my disappointment (MORE COWBELL!!).

R.I.P. have taken all of their influences and proudly wear them on their sleeves for all to see with Bleach-era riffs easily leading into NWOBHM gallops, 80’s punk fast paced attitude and the odd 70;s rock style solo all wrapped in a fuzzy sound that sounds like what I can only describe as if Spinal Tap got hold Fu Manchu’s superfuzz pedal and turned it up 11! Dead End is a fun listen. It isn’t going to break any musical boundaries, but then I don’t think it was ever intended to. 7/10

Mountain Tamer: Psychosis Ritual (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Paul Hutchings]

Journey with three-piece outfit Mountain Tamer in an exploration of the psychedelic arts. Their first release Psychosis Ritual transports the listener on a trip through occult rhythms and the sounds of forgotten worlds. The album may only be just over 30 minutes in length, but it is a voyage well worth embarking on. The album opens with the intoxication of the title track, a true ritual which transports you skyward in a happy daze. The tempo changes throughout with the fuzzed-up Warlock dominated by huge downtuned guitar riffs. 

Jangling guitar and echoing percussion introduce the trance-like qualities of Turoc Maximus Antonis, a deep, hazy song with Andru Hall’s vocals resonating as the song travels on its way. Jagged distortion throws discomfort as the monolithic lumbering of Scorched Earth follows, the riffs huge and challenging, Hall’s vocals changing in step with the record. Death In The Words retains the fuzz and utilises a driving monotone delivery that soon snares, its repetitive riff helping to induce a trance like state. With a punk attitude underpinning the stoner psychedelia, and Hall’s Perry Farrell style tone, Psychosis Ritual is cleverly named. 

The linking of Casey Garcia on drums and David Tegart on bass ensures the rhythm is always anchored. It may be mellow in feel, but there is a captivating pull that you are helpless to avoid. I’d just go with the LA outfit as they explore uncharted territory. 7/10

Reviews: Crippled Black Phoenix, The Waymaker, Arcadian Child, Gallows Circus (Matt & Paul H)

Crippled Black Phoenix: Ellengæst (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]

Justin Greaves' Crippled Black Phoenix project has always been a collaborative effort either by accident or by design, over the years they have had almost as many lineup changes as they have stylistic ones. However despite what is thrown at him and CBP the band carries on resolutely forging its own path in a world full of copycats. It's speaks volumes then why their latest effort is a mini-album called Ellengæst which translates to "strong spirit" in Old English as it sees CBP once again having to deal with not just internal strife but also the multitude of issues that arise in the media, politics, life etc seemingly everyday. As tracking was beginning for this album they lost Daniel Änghede as a vocalist leaving just Justin Greaves (guitar/drums/bass/samples/saw), Belinda Kordic (vocals/percussion), Helen Stanley (grand piano/ synthesisers/trumpet) and Andy Taylor (guitar)

As the key members, though again Ben Wilsker (drums) and Rob Al-Issa (bass) are part of the recording process. Whereas other bands would crumble this is par for the course for CBP so Greaves opened his filofax (maybe) and called in some help from various friends and colleagues, to lend their voices to the record. The opening twosome of House Of Fools and Lost sees Belinda and Anathema's Vincent Cavanagh trading lead and backing vocals with Vincent's aching tones leading House Of Fools as Belinda angelically soars behind, things switch on Lost where Belinda takes the lead as Vincent comes in for the anthemic chorus. These two more enveloping numbers are followed by the doom-laden, moodily aggressive In The Night which features guest vocals from Gaahl who askews his normal black metal roaring for a cleaner boom, while The Invisible Past has Tribulation's Jonathan Hultén drawing you in to the albums most heartbreaking, ethereal moment. 

As we progress through the album once again it's incredibly hard to pinpoint any style for too long as Everything I Say is a raw, noisy slice of Pink Floyd on a bad trip with Belinda's vocals echoing through it like a siren calling you to your doom, while Cry Of Love has Ryan Patteson (Coliseum/Fotocrime/ex-Crippled Black Phoenix touring bassist) singing on top of a song that is 'poppy' an open chord rocker with Suzie Stapleton adding vocals, she reappears cranking out some fuzzy guitars on the closing cover of Goth icons Bauhaus' She's In Parties. Ellengæst sees CBP on yet another shift in their line-up but their music endures, never falling (in my opinion) below genius. 9/10

The Waymaker: Kingdom Of Heaven (Black Lodge) [Paul Hutchings]

Polished, bombastic, melodic metal praising the Lord God above. Yep, it’s music to go to Church to in this debut album by The Waymaker. Formed in Summer 2019, the band comprises vocalist Christian Liljegren, guitarist Jani Stefanovic, and singer Katja Stefanovic. Both Liljegren and Stefanovic had been involved in Divinefire, who had established a large following in Japan and South America between 2005-11 whilst Stefanovic has released several solo albums in Finnish and English. Their sound is the type of Scandinavian melodic metal that we’ve come to expect, with the trio sharing vocal duties whilst Stefanovic’s fiery guitar work bursts out with tricks and licks at regular intervals. The band favours the big, semi-Eurovision style with soulful, powerful female vocals. 

At 40 minutes, Kingdom Of Heaven musically isn’t too bad, but the lyrics are fucking atrocious. I hate Christian metal with a passion and despite the anthemic nature of their songs, their praise filled lyrics make this album unpalatable. Songs include The Name Above All Names, one of several reasonable, fist pumping tracks on the album, and there’s an opportunity for a bit of showboating on the instrumental Prophet’s Sign. The choice of Stryper’s Soldiers Under Command confirms any lingering doubts because let’s face it, who the fuck apart from a god squad outfit would cover them? Musically the band are tight, and the production is refined, but I’m afraid the overall hallelujah bullshit leaves me cold. I’m off to buy the new Necrophobic record instead. 5/10

Arcadian Child: Protopsycho (Rebel Waves Records) [Matt Bladen]

Based in Cyprus Arcadian Child are the epitome of psychedelic rock with slow burning, shamanic tracks that bring fuzzy, mind-expanding riffs that from Snakecharm onwards bring a mixture of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern sounds referencing the bands homeland. Like with many bands in the psych sound these tracks have a dreamy, hallucinogenic feel to them, the plodding Sour Grapes especially brings you into a psychotropic state while The Well is a more blissed out number with a percussive beat and jangly opening chords. These songs stand as a basis to the band's philosophy of jamming when playing live, what you have here are the foundations to aural explorations with nods to 13th Floor Elevators, Ozric Tentacles, Hawkwind and Greek band Naxatras. You can hear why the band have achieved critical acclaim and if you need a soundtrack to your next cosmic journey then you can do worse than using Protopsycho as your musical companion. 7/10       

Gallows Circus: EP II (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]

Another band who are creating a stir on the British Hard Rock circuit, Kent based quartet Gallows Circus’s second EP release is a pleasing five track release that draws deep on a myriad of influences. The band comprises Steve Kitchener – Drums/Ben Attwood – Guitars/Ian Day – Vocals/Richard Tunbridge – Bass and they possess quite a swagger. Anthemic, three and a half minute songs which have catchy grooves and hooks, Gallows Circus draw from the likes of Thin Lizzy, Rival Sons and even the arrogance of Zeppelin. It all adds up to a decent release which is drenched with melody and which should find a niche in the already bustling classic rock market. The litmus test is always whether I’d stop to watch them at a festival and the answer is a most definite yes. If you like the type of new rock that Planet Rock churn out on a weekly basis, Gallows Circus will probably be one to watch. 6/10

Reviews: Anaal Nathrakh, Warlung, Ascension Of The Watchers, Lonewolf (Lucas, Matt, Paul H & Dave)

Anaal Nathrakh: Endarkenment (Metal Blade Records) [Lucas Tuckwood]

Birmingham’s finest lunatics Anaal Nathrakh are back and more mental than ever- it’s their latest record, Endarkenment. Brimming with ten utterly filthy tracks that venture across just about every single solitary subgenre within extreme metal, it’s a ceaseless assault of black metal-infused grind that’s sure to leave listeners in awe. Let me be the first to say folks, that this album is absolutely crazy. As stated by the artists themselves, it’s “a musical bath in sulphuric acid”, and that’s as good a description as any. While programmed drum tracks are a divisive topic, I find that here they hit far more often than they miss, as they machine-gun away beneath the riffs. Musically, Nathrakh incorporate rapid grindcore blast beats with black metal style riffing, but this time, certain songs incorporate melodic choruses akin to traditional power metal. 

It’s a strange blend, but it pays off tremendously well, as these tracks are some of the most memorable songs on offer here, as Dave Hunt not only demonstrates his ability to growl like an evil beast, but the ability to hit some real melodic notes too. There’s still plenty of that traditional, truly filthy grindcore these lads are known for, and though I’m not grindcore’s biggest fan, I found every track to be pretty enjoyable. These more melodic songs include the title track, The Age Of Starlight and Feeding The Death Machine, and they’re some really incredible experiments in genre blending. In conclusion, what you’ve got here is in equal parts a great grindcore album with black metal influence, as well as an excellent splicing of power metal trappings. There’s even a song here called A Pig With Cocks In Its Eyes, just in case you were thinking that this album lacks that loveable, huggable extreme metal obscenity. Thoroughly recommended. 8/10

Warlung: Optical Delusions (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Matt Bladen]

Optical Delusions is the third album from Texan heavy rockers Warlung following their previous releases Sleepwalker (2017) and Immortal Portal (2019). They have honed their sound on various shows around the USA opening for bands such as High Reeper, Forming The Void and King Buffalo. So what you can expect here is occult-themed doom filtered through the leather clad NWOBHM anthemia mixed with classic rock overtones. Driven by the twin guitar attack and dual vocals from George Baba and Philip Bennett you get the same kind of hazy echoed sound that Ghost and Uncle Acid, as well as the hard rocking Aussies Wolfmother. 

Phantasmagoria (not an Annihilator cover) locks you into their bewitching world from the bubbling organ opening before the bouncy riff gets you grooving to a NWOBHM styled stomp from the rhythm section of Chris and Ethan Tamez (bass & drums). Warlung have been met with critical acclaim and it's clear to hear why as they have hit on a style of music that is currently very on-trend sounding an awful lot like fellow Texans The Sword on tracks such as Scorpion In The Sand, the choppy Snake Eyes and big riffing Order Of The Solar Temple. They also often fall into the psychedelic fuzziness on Sun Eater and No Man's Land which adds an extra level to their already windscreen sound. Optical Delusions continues with Warlung's hot streak, they are certainly shifting from 'ones to watch' into a bonafide threat to the crown held by Ghost et al. Groovy and head nod inducing Optical Delusions should be on your playlist asap. 8/10   

Ascension Of The Watchers: Apocrypha (Dissonance Records) [Paul Hutchings]

Formed in 2002, Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell had retreated to Pennsylvania under John Bechdel’s mentorship for seven months. The result was Iconoclast, a demo that combined textured melodies with Bell’s distinctive vocals and a combined gothic and industrial sound. In 2008 the debut LP, Numinosum, was released through 13th Planet, the label of Ministry legend Al Jourgensen. As well as playing some intimate shows, the band supported Killing Joke for their reunion tour in honor of their fallen friend, Paul Raven, who had played a key part on Numinosum.

12 years later, and the sophomore release has arrived. Recorded at drummer Jayce Lewis’ Northstone Studios near Bridgend in South Wales, the album was beset by the collapse of the crowdfunding venture Pledgemusic that had seen the band raise 124% of their target. And to be honest, it’s a shame that it did claw it’s way upwards because this is one of the most boring records I’ve heard in eons. Whilst I appreciate that this album is full of ambient atmospheres, melancholic moods, and deep, prophetic visions. But it is just dull.

The likes of Honorė and the disastrous cover of Terence Trent D’Arby’s Sign Your Name are amongst the tracks that litter this 64-minute release. Repetitive, miserable, and just plain dreary, two spins meant that I’d lost over two hours of my life to this. The odd industrial twinge couldn’t prevent it from dropping into one of the worst albums of 2020. I wasn’t expecting Fear Factory and that was just as well. Turgid, bloated and monotonous, this is an album that you should really give a listen to, just to remind yourself of how much good music is out there. 4/10

Lonewolf: Division Hades (Massacre Records) [Dave Marcovecchio]

Not very many bands can lay claim to releasing 10 albums. For French Speed-Metallers and cult favourites Lone Wolf, Division Hades represents this particular milestone in full. Having been blasting out trad speed metal for the best part of a quarter century, Division Hades acts not only as a new chapter in the bands history, but also a celebration of their history up to now.

Starting at a subdued pace with the lovelorn ballad The Last Goodbye the album quickly shifts into 50 minutes of meat & potatoes speed metal. The dual-guitar onslaught of lead lines is instantly satisfying and there are some fantastic examples of guitar acrobatics on display that would rival other more “virtuoso” bands like Children Of Bodom and Dragonforce. And while Jens Börner's vocals may be suitably rougher and gruffer than your standard speed metal falsetto, the album is staunchly traditionalist. While this ticks the boxes for your run-of-the-mill “Brothers of the power of metal of Iron and Steel” enthusiast, it's not something we haven't seen before and does very little to break new ground.

While the music itself not fitting in with the 21st century is understandable, the context changes rapidly when the same happens to the lyrics. At the risk of your dear reviewer here sounding like a snowflake millennial, it's difficult not to feel a bit perturbed when presented with the lyrics in the title track, Division Hades “You eat some meat and you're a murderer / one joke about minorities and you're a racist / and so it goes on and on”. It's clear that the band is striving for some kind of political statement, but it's executed with fists of ham and reads like something that Uncle you never speak to would post on Facebook (Hey Bobby, what's the French for “O.K Boomer”?*).

A couple of “yikes” moments aside though, the album is a solid, albeit no-frills, slab of speed metal that fans of the genre will enjoy blasting. The inclusion of a bonus disk featuring new re-recordings of tracks from throughout the bands career makes it great value for long-time fans and provides a good jumping on point for those who are new. Not many bands can lay claim to the tenure that Lone Wolf have had in the underground, and it's clear this is something they take pride in, something they reference with unintentional comedy on Underground Warriors (“One thing that we're really proud of / is to release our 10th album” Yes. These are actual lyrics). It probably won't win any new fans over, but for devotees of the old-school, Division Hades should provide some enjoyment. 5/10

*D'accord Dinosaure

Reviews: Blue Oyster Cult, Corey Taylor, Bleedskin, Goditha (Reviews By Paul H & Matt)

Blue Öyster Cult: The Symbol Remains (Frontiers Records) [Paul Hutchings]

It’s been nearly two decades since Curse Of The Hidden Mirror was released. 20 years? How the hell was this allowed to happen? Well, at long last, the hard-rocking pioneers Blue Öyster Cult are back with their 15th long player. The New York outfit have been well eulogised in these pages for their live shows, but it’s incredibly satisfying to get the listening gear around some new music at long last.
BÖC is an outfit that is unphased by the passage of time. They play the music that they want to play, combining beautiful harmonies with hammer down heavy riffs, intricate melodies with jazz forays, thick heavy metal with more melodic, AOR styles. That’s the whole attraction about BÖC. You get what the band feel they want to deliver. The Symbol Remains may have taken a long time to arrive, but it certainly does provide value for money with 14 tracks spanning over an hour of top-quality music.

In some respects, The Symbol Remains presents as almost a summary of the band’s career, it demonstrates the fluid, easy style which has always been a constant in their music. Opening track That Was Me is the traditional hard driving rock song that BÖC do so well and sees the return of founder Albert Bouchard on cowbell and backing vocals. There’s the frantic old school rock n’ roll of Train True (Lennie’s Song), the smouldering Edge Of The World and the retro rocker The Return Of St Cecelia with the thick layered keyboards of Ritchie Castellano, finally making his recording debut with the band along with long serving drummer Jules Radino. Alongside Castellano and Radino, founder member Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser and Eric Bloom play some mean guitar, whilst bassist Danny Miranda, back for his second spell keeps it simple with his dependable performance. It would also be unfair and cruel to say that BÖC are simply phoning it in. Even the more simplistic sounding songs have subtle nuances, time changes and additional tweaks that ensure that there is ample to enjoy. 

There’s the heavy metal grind of Stand And Fight, the gentle Florida Man and the dramatic, dark riff heavy The Alchemist, all delivered with a supreme sophistication that few musicians can match.
Several of the tracks here have input from novelist John Shirley, a long-time contributor of the band, whilst Roeser, Bloom and Castellano have done a fine job on the production of the album. The Symbol Remains is a fine return and a clear statement that BÖC remain an important band in the world of hard rock, over 50 years since they first delivered their eponymous debut. It’s a warm welcome back to one of the slickest bands in rock music. 8/10

Corey Taylor: CMFT (Roadrunner) [Paul Hutchings]

If you want to discover the musical definition of schizophrenia, this might just be the place to start. Frontman of one of the biggest metal bands on the planet over the past 20 years, Corey Taylor needs no introduction. In fact, the only surprise here is that given how hyperactive he is, that it’s taken until now to release his debut solo album. Renowned for leading the nine masked boiler suited machine Slipknot for over two decades, it’s worth stating from the start that if you expect the bone crushing, percussion driven carnage from the Des Moines outfit, you are going to be brutally disappointed.

As the man himself says, his musical tastes are all over the place. What we get here is 13 tracks which are basically a mind storm of songs that Taylor has written. They range from country blues, rapping riff driven hip hop through to raging rock and even pop soaked ballads. The album was recorded at Hideout Studio in Las Vegas with producer Jay Ruston, CMFT features Christian Martucci (guitar), Zach Throne (guitar), Jason Christopher (bass) and Dustin Robert (drums).

Opening with the furious stomp of HWY 666, Taylor and band kick things off with a bit of fast and frantic country rock which has more than a nod to The Charlie Daniels Band’s The Devil Went Down To Georgia. What comes to mind more than anything is that despite the ego, Taylor possesses one of the finest voices in rock today. The man can sing. After HWY 666, it’s a real eclectic mix of styles and songs. The pop song Black Eyes Blue, one of the pre-released singles is a ghastly pop ballad and best skipped over, but the powerpunk sensibilities of Meine Lux bursts with energy, and demonstrates that Taylor is definitely his own man when it comes to writing.

Taylor makes no secret of his love of ‘good music’, and he’s clear that you can find it in any genre. "I think because of that, that has really influenced me over the years – not only influenced my musical styles in the writing that I've done, but also the song writing that I've done”. Nowhere is this more evident than in the brooding Silverfish, which showcases not only Taylor’s soulful vocals but the quality of the musicians he has assembled to support this first record, with some beautiful steel guitarwork.

The dark Culture Head is possibly the heaviest track on the album, whilst Taylor returns to the pop punk driven riffing on Everybody Dies On My Birthday, his ever-bubbling angst surfacing with dramatic effect. The other single from the album, CMFT Must Be Stopped is both brilliant and frustrating in equal measure. A song aimed at the WWE market, it’s anthemic, with a driving riff which is over-layered by several rounds of rapping, not just from Taylor but from the double guest appearance of rappers Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie adding depth and gives the track more credibility. [of note is Taylor’s guest appearance on Tech N9ne’s Bitch Slap, which is well worth a listen]

CMFT is most definitely closer to Stone Sour than Slipknot and I don’t think that is a surprise. Taylor’s ability to separate his styles from project to project is one of his main strengths. This won’t appeal to some of the hardcore metal fans but then Taylor is no longer an underground artist. It’s certainly a more enjoyable album than I was expecting. 7/10

BleedSkin: Blood Reign (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Blood Reign is the debut from Belgian death metal band BleedSkin. According to their bio they are influenced by bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Abnormality, Behemoth, Dying Fetus, Benighted, so you can very much guess how they are going to sound, they have also toured with bands such as Sinister and Blood Red Throne so have to be able to come up with the goods to stand up with extreme acts like this? Well they certainly have the 'extreme' tag sorted with songs such as Perverted Feelings, Perversion Of Mankind and The Dead Sale all full of lyrics about butchery, violence and dismemberment so it moves into the Cannibal Corpse realms very often. Explosive, double kick drumming comes Julien Vanhees, there are some rusty buzzsaw riffs from Rémy Adam (bass) and Céline Mazay (guitar) while Benjamin Lefèvre explodes with some lead guitar fireworks as Anouk Debecq screams like Corpsegrinder in a bad mood. Blood Reign is a bloody, brutal death metal record from this Belgian mob. 7/10

Goditha: A Rock Opera (Symmetric Records) [Matt Bladen]

I'm quite partial to a rock opera, I love Avantasia and the various Ayreon, I even had a soft spot for the very rare Aina concept album. So I was quite excited to check out this new rock opera created by Greek songwriter-composer Elina Englezou with help from the polymath Bob Katsionis her vision of a theatrical, cinematic concept record has come to fruition. This is a medieval fairy-tale in which Goditha, a young girl is betrayed and blinded by hatred. She surrenders herself to Daeva, the Princess of Darkness in order to get revenge. So it's a dark occult fantasy record that blends metal music and classical instrumentation such as strings and wind instruments. 

Elina plays classical & 12-string guitars, balalaika and ocarina as well as creating the concept and writing the lyrics/music with Bob Katsionis having acoustic & electric guitars, bass, keyboards as well as production and mixing duties. They have also brought in various classical players along with a multitude of singers to give the characters life. The most notable of all of them are Maxi Nil (Jaded Star), Henning Basse (Firewind/MaYan/ Sons of Seasons), Angel Wolf-Black (Triaxis/Vivaldi Metal Project), Iliana Tsakiraki (Enemy Of Reality), Marios Karanastasis (The Silent Wedding), George Eikosipentakis (Inner Wish) with narration coming from Greek actor-singer Stratis Steele (Endomain). 

Now this is all well and good but unfortunately the album itself has a few problems. Most of the album is quite slow with the majority of the tracks here relying more on the classical balladry than the heavy metal/hard rock/progressive rock of Ayreon/Avantasia, this and the deep narration makes things creep slowly across the 18 song run time. Herein lies the other issue which is that the album is extremely long with the plot meandering a little, I thought the record had ended with the main characters sister taking revenge (SPOILER) but it was only track 12! Kudos for the concept and writing as well as the musical dexterity shown but this is just a little too middling for me to really sink my teeth into. 5/10

Reviews: Sumac, All Souls, Iron Angel, I Am Waiting For You Last Summer (Rich, Paul H, Simon & Matt)

SUMAC: May You Be Held (Thrill Jockey) [Rich Oliver]

May You Be Held is the fourth album from Canadian atmospheric sludge metal band SUMAC. SUMAC is a name I have seen mentioned but not a band I have previously listened to anything by. They are a trio comprised of Aaron Turner (ex-Isis) on guitars and vocals, Brian Cook (Russian Circles) on bass and Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists) on drums. An impressive resume and promises for some dense and challenging music. Challenging is certainly a term that can be used for this album. The sound presented is a mix of dense and crushing atmospheric sludge metal in the vein of bands such as Isis and Neurosis mixed with improvisational pieces which are more in the vein of noise rock. 

 The chunks of the songs which were far denser and sludgier and altogether heavier were very much my thing and very enjoyable with some clobbering heaviness in songs such as Consumed and the mammoth title track. Where I struggled was in the improvisational segments which to my ears sound like aimless meandering with little in the way of form or structure. I particularly struggled during The Iron Chair which to me sounded like a cacophony of noise (which is probably the intention). I appreciate there is an art to this improvisational style but being someone who listens to a lot of tight rhythms in music this is not a style I can get along with. I struggled far less with the closing song Laughter And Silence which although consisting of soundscapes had a flow and an ebb to it and a wonderful atmosphere. SUMAC were a mixed bag for me. There were parts of this album I loved and parts that I did not agree with at all. This is very much an album of art driven music which on the whole I found a bit pretentious and unfulfilling. Give me a whole album of crushing sludge and I’ll be far happier. This is an album where I appreciated the intent but it just wasn’t really for me. 6/10

All Souls: Songs For The End Of The World (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]

Los Angeles quartet’s sophomore album Songs For The End Of The World is the culmination of a whirlwind four years where the band have progressed from their formation and local gigs to support slots with the likes of Tool, The Jesus Lizard and Melvins. It’s not hard to see why. Their lyrically dark, desert style rock n’ roll contains catchy hooks, driving riffs and a rolling fusion of rock, indie and alternative style anthems. They are unafraid to steal the odd riff, such as the Jam’s Beat Surrender on Twilight Times. They launch into dreamy soundscapes on the seven minutes plus Winds which explodes with a dramatic climax and elsewhere the jangling guitars and ethereal tones bring together everything from the raw power of The Stooges to the polish of the Foo Fighters. 

All Souls are no fresh behind the ears outfit of course. The band features Tony Tornay (Fatso Jetson, Josh Homme's Desert Sessions, Deep Dark Robot with Linda Perry) Antonio Aguilar and Meg Castellanos (Totimoshi) and Erik Trammell (Black Elk). Having released their eponymous debut in 2018, they then crafted the follow-up, recording this record in late 2019. Songs For The End Of The World is a polished, intelligent piece of work. Just shy of 40 minutes in length, the band traverse darkness into light, with Aguilar's distinctive vocals at times bleak, the music clever and intricate. 

You Just Can’t Wait steers the line between The Cure and Rival Sons, the powerful emotive feel surging through with just the odd tinge of seventies psychedelia cast into the mix. An album that demands repeated plays, this is more than your meat and two veg guitar led rock. As their PR states, “one could say they are connecting the dots between Led Zeppelin to the Pixies, Soundgarden to The Cure all the while carving their own road with authenticity”. That’s as good a summary as there is. 8/10

Iron Angel: Emerald Eyes (Mighty Music) [Simon Black]

Hamburg’s Iron Angel have been hammering at this lark since the early 80’s, being one of the main influences on the German Speed Metal scene back in the day, although sadly not making much more of an impact since then off the back of a couple of albums that aren’t too well known outside of Germany. Then nothing for years. The reformation game hasn’t been an easy ride for them either it seems, as this is the second time they’ve tried it over the decades, although since they now have 2 albums under their belt in recent years I think we can safely say they’ve found their corner and are coming out fighting with this, their fourth album. This record definitely feels like they have something to fight for, despite the passing years and has all the energy and aggression that made this musical movement so relevant back in the day. 

It’s fast, furious and flies past effortlessly, with blistering drum work, good old fashioned twin axe attacks deploying some equally old fashioned top-notch metal shredding - taking me back to the kind of material that opened my eyes to this world of music in the first place. Vocalist Dirk Schröder’s voice is down, dirty and hailing from the Lemmy end of the spectrum, although at times you feel he’s trying to pull of tricks that need a slightly younger larynx. Actually that really adds to the raw immediacy of the overall sound that so many bands try to capture with technology and tricks, when all you really need is limited cash and time in the studio to provide a sense of pressure, energy and creativity. Think early Priest, Slayer and Motörhead in a blender and you won’t be too far off the mark. 

Stand out tracks include the blistering Demons, the heartfelt shredder What We’re Living For, the inescapable old school thrashiness of the title track (complete with middle eight time changes) and the superb Sacrifice, which takes all the elements that work and beats you round the ears until you like it. I was ready to write this off as a middle of the road thrash metal affair on first listen, but actually I’ve found them growing on me as that honest rawness, the no nonsense approach to songs and a focus on delivering the goods made this worthy of multiple spins. Even if the pace and tone of the songs didn’t vary too much, this was an entertaining and enjoyable forty-six minutes of life that feels like a launchpad for bigger and better things. 7/10

I Am Waiting For Your Last Summer: Self - Defence (Trou Blanc) [Matt Bladen]

I'm not overly sure whether or not we should be covering this album from Russian instrumental band I Am Waiting For Your Last Summer. There is very little here that can be considered to be metal or even rock as the majority of this record sits in the ambient/synthwave style of music, however this sound has broken the barriers of the rock world with acts such as Ghost taking bands of this type on tour with the so I can't really jump on the "thatz not metulz" bandwagon here. What you get on Self-Defence is keening post-rock atmospherics with layers and layers of synths occasionally cut through with some rippling clean guitar playing. There are some influences drawn from Mogwai here but also I can hear a little Portishead too with a trip hop pulse. Apparently the band draw heavily from Sasha Sokolov's (multi-instrumental/guitar) work on the trailers from Jurassic World, Captain America: Winter Soldier, and Insurgent. This imposing instrumental sound is cinematic in it's delivery, it's almost all-encompassing but it is just instrumental synth music. If you're looking for something that doesn't involve blast beats, screaming or songs about wizards then Self - Defense may be worth looking into, especially if you've got a late night journey planned and you feel as if you want to be Ryan Gosling. 6/10 

The Spotlight: Interview With Agrona By Matt Bladen

The Spotlight: Interview With Agrona By Matt Bladen

MoM: So first we'll address the elephant in the room, at the end of last year it looked as if it was a bright new chapter for Agrona, (well as bright as black metal can get) you slimmed the line up and were well on your way to becoming a powerful touring machine again. Obviously Covid put pay to this so did you lose any shows?

Agrona: At the outset we considered ourselves relatively fortunate to be honest. We had a number of shows booked that were quickly able to be rescheduled towards the end of the year such as Eradication, supporting 1914, SouthWest HeavyFest & the UKEM all-dayer. So in that light we were very lucky to not lose out financially or otherwise, it's just been a case of “well we'll play these shows when we play them”, and instead focus on what we do have some semblance of control over which is writing new material.

The bigger impact we've found has been off the back of the more ongoing nature of the pandemic. There's still a huge amount of uncertainty with the venues and shows are now being postponed for second if not third times. It's also making it increasingly difficult to plan shows for the future without being wilfully optimistic that there will be a government change of heart so that gigs can be held again. With the bulk of our postponed shows also being rearranged for next year there's a potential for our calendar to be pretty busy already and that's before looking at commitments from outside of the band. So whilst we haven't lost out much yet, there's still a lurking potential to.

MoM: As a supplementary question then, the reason for this interview is obviously due to your second album coming out soon. Was this always on the horizon or has lockdown allowed you to focus more on it?

Agrona: It has always been there bubbling away in the background. We're not ones to rush things and if we take “Realm Of The Fallen” as an example, the tracks were written over 2-3 years, recorded in the latter half of 2016 and then finally released in 2018. The process was quite long, but that also means that there has been a good few years to write more material. So it's a bit of column A and a bit of column B, the pandemic has definitely meant that rather than just moping about the hiatus of live music we've concentrated on getting the album fleshed out and completely written so it's allowed this to happen ahead of any potential “schedule” we might've had, it's actually arguable that it's been a good thing for us...

MoM: What are the themes and concepts of this second record?

Agrona: Black/blackened metal has often held ties with history, heritage and folk-lore, to the point where it can be considered a trope amongst the war or death themes. So broadly speaking we've approached this in a cliched fashion however the upcoming record will be interpreting different tales from predominantly Welsh folklore, so the album title is “Straeon Gwerin”, which is literally that. Folk Tales. I said predominantly because as our vocalist is Czech, there is a contribution from Slavic folklore too (which as it turns out is also pretty fucked up). Every track will explore a different tale and tell the story through both the musical and lyrical medium which works for us in so much that it allows the record to have a thematic cohesion we didn't necessarily have with the debut. What also helps is that Welsh folklore themes typically tend to be around loss, tragedy, bloodshed and death; all of which fit in just fine the genres we involve in.

MoM: Has the themes of Folk tales always been something you wanted to explore, or did it happen more organically?

Agrona: It's always been there as a potential concept “go-to” amongst other ideas. As much as it would be a cliched subject matter for the genre, we couldn't really see that it had been done before by a Welsh band, and Welsh bands of any genre by and large don't really approach this as a theme. The light-bulb moment really came when reading the story of “Beddgelert” and listening back to some of the riff ideas we'd kept aside. From a writing perspective it made itself happen and the pieces started coming together. Once we'd really sat down and did some research on the stories and topics which is something we hadn't really found as much time for prior, it cemented itself. It also definitely helps that if you do some research into Welsh folklore – and we've done a fair bit by now, the subject matter really lends itself to our type of music. It's typically intense, bleak and/or violent. If people listen to it after and use any of those three adjectives to describe us, then we won't complain. Writing music about tales embedded in folklore also has an advantage in a artistic capacity where we can potentially do some exciting things with the physical packaging of the release.

MoM: Did you go out of your way to make it different from your debut or try to stick to what you know?

Agrona: It's going to be different organically regardless. The debut was written by multiple band members over a few years with differing line-ups and multiple contributing song-writers and if you listen to it with that in mind, you can definitely tell. So looking back has a slightly less joined up overall picture even though we're definitely fond of the variety and we remain happy with the album as a whole. The second record is mostly written by myself as it happens but there will no doubt be plenty of changes and adjustments made during the studio process by the rest of the band to stamp their own imprint on the framework. Having listened back to it in demo form a few times now it definitely feels like a more consistent album. We learned an awful lot from the recording process of the first one and I believe we've taken that growth to definitely produce something more ambitious and epic that still retains the aggression that people crave from the genre. If you listen to the final track of the debut “Summoning the Void”, as that was the final track written for that record, that's probably the closest indicator of what is to follow.

MoM: Will you be doing any special versions of this album similarly to your debut (cassette box etc)?

Agrona: Never say never, especially because we'd love to. We've always sold well regardless of medium so if there's demand then we'll likely produce it but it will also depend on our distributor. I know we're hell-bent on ensuring vinyl's make a return though.

MoM: So obviously you'll be looking at touring the show next year (Covid willing) have you got any shows lined up that you can tell us about?

Agrona: Well coming back to the first question, we know that we definitely plan on fulfilling all of our postponed 2020 shows including supporting 1914, a long-overdue return to Nottingham for the UKEM all-dayer, likely multiple Eradication appearances as one of their house bands which will also involve catching up with our friends in Gra whom we toured with previously. This is all before we get to the big one which is finally out of the bag – the Sophie Stage for Bloodstock's 20th anniversary. Bloodstock means a hell of a lot to us as the M2tM events were our first shows, and the experience as a whole gave us the drive and impetus to do everything that has followed. 

 Without it who knows? We could've just have become another band that folded over time. I'm a firm believer that if you get on a stage like that just once and if you're at all human, you'll want more, and you'll work for it. It'd be a huge understatement to say that we're totally made up with being invited back to perform, and it goes without saying that we've got some plans in the works to make the most of the occasion.

Reviews: Amaranthe, King Mothership, Emerald Lord, The Erkonauts (Stuart, Alex, Dave & Lucas)

Amaranthe: Manifest (Nuclear Blast) [Stuart Blythe]

Amaranthe have gone from strength to strength in recent years, particularly with the addition of Dynazty’s Nils Molin in 2017 and the utterly superb Helix album in 2018. And while Amaranthe’s vein of gleaming , electro-fused modern metal mixed with the three pronged vocal attack of Elize Ryd, Nils Molin and Henrik Englund Wilhelmsson is certainly not for everyone. Huge, monstrous riffing collide with the sugar coated choral hooks and, often death metal leanings, all underpinned by pulsing EDM style keyboards. It is an aural assault not often repeated and certainly never bettered, but it can split the average metal fans right down the middle. Some finding it too saccharine and cheese filled, some finding it the perfect tonic to a bad day, uplifting and most of all… fun! So lean back in your favourite comfy chair and dive into the newest release if you dare. This is 100% more of the same from the band, which will either delight or disgust you depending on your stance. 

Personally I absolutely adore Amaranthe and their carefully crafted, shimmering world. Manifest kicks off with the excellent Fearless and it is immediately apparent that this is a band who are now firing on every single cylinder available to them. Huge (and I mean HUGE!!!) production values highlight a new, more aggressive sounding unit. Olof Mork’s guitar work has taken a giant leap forwards here, with some genuinely excellent solos and syncopated riffing. Manifest just keeps going with the one two punch of stomp fest, Make It Better and the, more traditionally Amaranthe sounding Scream My Name leading into the epic single Viral. All of which contain the now trademarked Amaranthe hooks and vocal interplay. All three vocalists seem to have stepped up a notch here, most notably Nils Molin, who showcases just what a powerful voice he has, and perfectly illustrates why he is one of the best singers out there right now. Manifest finally takes a breather with it’s first ballad, the emotionally charged Strong featuring the female Dio herself, Battle Beast’s insanely talented Noora Louhimo. An absolute belting track which also showcases how amazing Elize Ryd is as a front woman. 

The Game, stripped back slow burn ballad Crystalline and the heavy as balls Archangel continue Manifest’s non-stop rollercoaster each perfectly highlighting the many different weapons Amaranthe have at their disposal, luscious harmonies, more aggressive heavy parts and those choruses! All the while the whole record is brilliantly guided by some incredibly effective and technical drumming from Morten Lowe Sorenson. The final three tracks perfectly complete Manifest. Starting with BOOM!1 (actual name, not joking, there is indeed a “1” at the end). This is a track along the lines of GG6 from Helix, with Wilhelmsson channelling his inner 90’s nu-metal child. It has a full on f**k off breakdown, which simultaneously made me piss myself laughing “Oh wow GG, what else goes boom?” and also get the stank face when something hits just right. 

It is absolutely brilliant! Die and Wake Up channels a slightly mid-eastern vibe and Do Or Die completes the album in stunning fashion, although here it is without the empress of death metal Angela Gossow (although I’m reliably informed that the version with her on is going to be a bonus track) Jeff Loomis is on both however, with a typically flamboyant solo. Both versions are equally excellent and perfectly encompass Amaranthe in 2020, a highly honed, more aggressive monster. Manifest is not as immediate at 2018’s Helix, but upon repeated listens it becomes an absolute triumph of cheesy, sugary starship, electro metal. Let’s face it 2020 has not been the best year for… well pretty much anyone! Manifest is the perfect 40 minute antidote. Highly recommended! 9/10

King Mothership: The Ritual (Century Media Records and 3DOT Recordings) [Alex Swift]

As I’ve pointed out countless times before, transcending the balance between the compositional and the technical side of progressive music can prove a challenge for the most talented of musicians. Spencer Sotelo has spent his career trying to find that sweet equilibrium. His main project, Periphery – despite spilling into self-indulgence sometimes seeks to bring together the technical versatility of all the players involved with a desire to create something artful and inspiring. King Mothership seeks to continue this mission yet under a different guise. There's a sense of intricacy and imagination at play, yet our frontman placates the visceral screams and turgid rhythms with for a sensation of otherworldly immersion, which draws on influences ranging from emo to classic rock. Almost everything here is still prog, yet feels like the sort of album I would recommend someone trying to get invested in the genre, for which you always want to choose a piece that proves both arresting and excitedly interesting.

After an orchestral intro, Cosmic Meltdown beguiles the listener with jaunty rhythmic textures, beautiful keys, and a sense of optimism which captivates the listener right out of the gate, before surprising them with a speakeasy-style transition into weird territory. Here’s how you make an impression, and start an album that you know will appeal to those who like their complex music to bear a quality of theatricalism. By contrast, Gold inspires with a sinister strut and swagger, which grants the attitude of early 2000’s alternative and the ambition of early psychedelia. That’s another aspect that gives this album character, the personality on display is fiery and ferocious, even if the music may be more soothing than one would expect from this vocalist. This is continued on to the funk-inspired Only You and the eloquently inspired epic of Babby. As our exuberant narrator declares ‘come on, bitches! Sing!’, I immediately realize how much fun he was having creating this piece and how he has not lost his signature sense of humour – an element I’ve always admired about Periphery's off-stage persona. 

Death Machine plays out like a visceral juggernaut of an anthem, the riff proving memorable, while the lead guitars alongside Sotelo’s soaring voice climb to gigantic heights. 

With each moment the musicianship on the show keeps the listener locked in a spiral of fascination, of the tone of the songs constantly shift and swell, certainly past my expectations. Be clear though, the second half of this record is where King Mothership's weird and wonderful captivations pour out. Take The Ritual – an illustrious lamentation on the perils of fame and superstardom, featuring the characters of the enthused explorer and the twisted villain. A riotous replica of musical theatre such as this may not seem an easy sell, yet sell they do, in such a fashion as to make the listener spellbound to hear more! Ego 101 is another rambunctious rager of a track, with the instrumentation firing on all fronts, creating a feeling of sonic absorption, of being lost in the music and surrendering yourself to its spectacular movements. On an equally outstanding note, The Devil's Train is a demonic and seething number, reminiscent of a soundtrack to gothic horror fiction, or an equally imposing elegy to debauchery. 

Finishing on the eight-minute I Stand Alone, the cascading cavalcade of notes and dramatic elegies, conveys the impression that these musicians have succeeded in the task of combining colourful melodies with complicated deliberations. This may not be the greatest album they have been or will ever be involved in but The Ritual definitely shows musical growth and showcases many of my favourite aspects of the progressive genre as a whole. 8/10

Emerald Lord: Quest For Immortality (Self Released) [Dave Marcovecchio]

Quest For Immortality is the first release from enigmatic Indianapolis based death metal mystics Emerald Lord. Beyond the band name and artwork there is precious little information about this group, their members or their history. Of course, this just lends an extra layer of curiosity to proceedings and intrigues the listener about what is yet to come. Unfortunately, the album stumbles from the starting block straight away with an unforgivably long and repetitive ambient noise intro. Guitar feedback and stock sound effects clash over the course of 3 minutes that feels much longer than it really should, bafflingly the rest of the introductory track (Ironically titled Intolerable, Burning Pain Of Ignorance) is actually a very decent moody slow opening riff, reminiscent of Nile in their slower moments. Why this alone was not the albums opening is a frankly baffling choice, unfortunately one of several the album commits. 

Musically, Emerald Lord have the chops, this is abundantly clear. Monolithic slams clash with ghoulishly spacey riffs, that channel enough cosmic horror to make H.P Lovecraft blush as well as some absolutely fantastic lead work (Highlighted in particular on the excellent Relentless Suffering, arguably the albums high point). Regrettably this talent is not mirrored in the song-writing department, which is sadly where they shoot themselves in the foot. Arrangements vary massively from tight song structures to prolonged instrumental sections that frustratingly seem to serve no purpose other than to push tracks past the 5 minute mark. 

Structurally the album is somewhat confused with what it wants to be. The handful of memorable tracks on offer show some spectacular promise, the (I'm assuming) bedroom production is punchy and above its weight and I am a big fan of the overall cosmic and esoteric Death Metal vibe that they're shooting for. While Emerald Lord may indeed be a band to keep an eye on, in trying to brute-force this release into album-length it has been diminished with unnecessary bloat which, much like space itself, is mostly an empty void. 4/10

The Erkonauts: I Want It To End (Self Release) [Lucas Tuckwood]

Fresh from the Swiss prog metal wizards The Erkonauts is their latest album, I Want It To End. A notably darker record than their previous outings, it still bleeds that distinctive proggy edge, blended seamlessly with a crushing heaviness that scorches the ears. Here you’ve got thrashers, hard rockers and slow ballads alike, each track performed with masterful precision and skill. Blasting out of the gate with a slap bass infused thrasher named War Flamingos, this album lays its cards out early; It’s controlled chaos, fused with fierce aggression. Be it the dark yet anthemic The Future Ends With You, the slow, sombre It Could Be Over Soon, or the melodic Caravaggio, this album seldom fails to deliver razor-sharp prog metal, aided by a healthy shot of thrash. 

What stood out to me however was the presence of lightning fast slap bass, giving the few tracks that feature it an almost Primus-like feeling, exemplified by the hectic, free-flowing form that the faster songs take, particularly exemplified on Losing Is The First Step. The bass is paired with ferocious vocals, sharp riffs, and utterly crushing drums. It’s a match made in heaven, and these tracks are my absolute favourite on offer here. The two slow tracks, albeit expertly performed, and according to the band far more emotionally driven, tended to drag a little for me, despite both featuring hard and heavy riffs interwoven with the slow melodies. 

The other heavy tracks in-between, while still excellent tracks, felt a little out of place when paired with lightning fast scorchers like War Flamingos or The Curse Of Scotland. In all, this is a bitingly heavy record that’s bursting at the seams with that funky prog goodness, masterfully mixed with thrash that, while it features a few slower tracks, still kicks all kinds of ass. 8/10

Reviews: White Dog, Red Spektor, Rumours, Attick Demons (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

White Dog: White Dog (Rise Above Records)

Austin retro rockers White Dog have seemed to pulled it out of the bag with their debut album signing to Lee Dorrian's Rise Above Records, a man who knows about retro if you've read anything written by the man about rare LP's from the 60's and 70's. White Dog's debut album has a real sense of being a lost classic, especially if you love the dual guitar harmonies of bands such as Thin Lizzy who White Dog have an uncanny audio resemblance too. The band are formed by five troublemakers from Austin, brought together when brothers Carl (guitar) and John Amoss (drums), joined friends Rex Pape (bass), Clemente De Hoyos (guitar) and Joe Sterling (vocals), they closed ranks and brewed their own style of hard rock that pays tribute to the classics while retaining a fire of their own, you can hear their friendship imbue this album with a sense of camaraderie that bleeds into a record of frothing heavy, progressive, psychedelic, hard rock. 

Opening with the Sawtooth the dual guitars coming with wild abandoned, as Black Powder has Humble Pie-esque blues dirtiness to it The Lantern brings a groovy edge that's inspired by the numerous retro occult rockers around today, but never strays too far to make the record feel too convoluted or far away from their goal of playing music the old school way, even in the production there's an analogue warmth with a resonant guitar in each ear, a throbbing bass rumble meeting with the pulasting drumming that adds an edge to rockers such as Crystal Panther and the fizzing Pale Horse. White Dog have come straight out of the gate swinging with this classy record full of proto-metal, they are very welcome addition to the Rise Above roster, expect big things. 8/10   

Red Spektor: Heart Of The Renewed Sun (Kozmik-Artifactz)

Stoke-On-Trent psychedelic blues trio Red Spektor return to Earth with their second full length album of fuzzy heavy rocking driven by the crunchy, thick as syrup bottom end from Jonny Esp (drums) and Rob Farrell (bass) along with the wild vocals and biting guitar playing of John Scane, Heart Of The Renewed Sun is a throwback to the late 60's early 70's heavy riffing of bands such as Blue Cheer and Atomic Rooster with obviously a little Sabbath worship and a sprinkling of the Jimi Hendrix Experience for balance. 

The band's previous releases have been critically acclaimed and you can hear why this is as soon as the funky, untamed opening riff of Wallflower which evolves into a swirling psych guitar solo as the mind melting psych builds up on the Revol a track where the vocals don't even kick in until about a third of the way through as we yet again go higher into the interstellar realms on Guilded Tears where they take things into a more elongated form with a lot of transient leads and hypnotic underpinned groove. Heart Of The Renewed Sun is Red Spektor refining and tweaking their stoner rock sound with some space rock horizons allowing them to spread their wings on the more widescreen explorations on Hell To Pay. If their previous releases were key to their ascension to the top of the stoner rock scene then Heart Of The Renewed Sun s them adding yet more to their armoury ready for their conquest. 7/10  

Rumours: Neither Innocent Nor Wavering (Lupercalia Records)

In keeping with a theme we have yet more occultish, retro-infused, stoner styled hard rocking this time from Germany. Neither Innocent Nor Wavering is a four track explosion of noisy open chord riffs, punky abrasive vocals and a real attitude problem which moves through bands such as Clutch and Red Fang but also more post-hardcore sounds like Kvelertak and Blood Command while Black Milk has the slinky Indie-goth of Grave Pleasures. Take this EP as a four track overview of what Rumours offer and it'll show you that their punky, rawk n roll will have ears pricking up and anticipation of a full length sooner rather than later. 6/10     

Attick Demons: Daytime Stories...Nightmare Tales (Rock Of Angels Records)

Portuguese heavy metal band Attick Demons have something of an identity problem, they desperately and I mean desperately want to sound like Iron Maiden, to the point that singer Arthur Almeida is a dead ringer for the Air Raid siren himself Mr Bruce Dickinson and many of the riffs sound suspiciously similar to latter day Maiden (Brave New World onwards) and also Bruce's heavier solo outings. So yeah you are going to get bass heavy gallops that you do with classic Maiden but you do get is distorted, battering thrash-like riffs across every song here as Almeida wails above the noise with his dead on impression. Now you can take this album as one of two ways, either it's a spot on homage to their main influence or they are a shameless copy. Either way there is a lot to enjoy here as Maiden fan, but that's about it, it doesn't do much else than exclusively appeal to Maiden fans 5/10  

Reviews: Enslaved, Nightmare, Mind Wars, Hexx (Reviews By Paul S & Paul H)

Enslaved: Utgard (Nuclear Blast Records) [Paul Scoble]

Way back in 1991 when Ivor Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson formed Enslaved (aged 13 and 17), I doubt they had any idea that the band would have lasted 29 years, or produced 15 albums. The Norwegian band started out playing savage Viking themed Black Metal, but over those 15 album the band have added more and more progressive elements. They are now seen as one of the worlds foremost Progressive Metal bands, however they have never lost their love of Black Metal and always manage to inject some aspects of Black Metal into their Progressive Metal sound. During that 29 year career they have moved from highly respected Black Metal act to one of the most loved acts in Heavy Metal (If I’m being honest, I don’t trust Metal fans who don’t like Enslaved). The bands constant need to push their music forward and create albums that are creative, innovative and unique has garnered them this huge respect. Have the band; whose lineup is now Ivor Bjørnson on Guitar, Keyboards, Piano, Electronics, Percussion and Backing Vocals, Grutle Kjellson on Bass, Vocals, Mouth Harp and Electronics, Arve Isdal on Lead Guitar, Håkon Vinje on Keyboards and Clean Vocals and Iver Sandøy on Drums and Clean Vocals, managed to produce another amazing album of Black Metal infused Progressive Metal?

The album opens with the track Fires In The Dark. Gently strummed acoustic guitar and chanting opens the song before a big Progressive Metal riff comes in, it feels dramatic which is emphasised by harsh vocals. This then goes into a section that is faster and very purposeful with harsh vocals. The Progressive Metal sections on Utgard are similar in feel to the Progressive parts on Enslaved’s album Riitiir. The progressive style is pushed further by a part that feels huge and expansive, Enslaved have an ability to make Progressive Metal seem limitless, sweeping and spacious. The song drifts off into softer guitars and keyboards. The next track Jettegryta is a slightly harder proposition. The song opens with mid-paced, very heavy riffs with harsh vocals, the track then gets much faster with some savage Black Metal tremolo picked riffs again with harsh vocals. These two feelings; Heavy and driving and F=fast savage Black metal juxtaposition a few times before the song goes into a lush and melodious Progressive section, the song then comes to an end with one last bit of huge and heavy riffs.

Sequence opens with mid-tempo Progressive Metal, with a mix of harsh and clean vocals, this part builds in intensity and feels both positive and energetic, the song then takes a bit of a turn for a fast and frenetic Black Metal section. After this savage section the track then heads in another direction by dropping down to a softly strummed guitar, this softer section then slowly builds, clean vocals are added and the song now feels ethereal and dreamlike. This section builds to a progressive, instrumental section that reminds me of Peaches En Regalia by Frank Zappa. The song then goes back to driving Progressive Metal til the end of the track.

Homebound is a simpler song. The track is a mix of expansive and positive feeling Progressive Metal, and very fast and harsh riffs. The fast and more aggressive sections share the positive feeling that the Progressive parts have. Utgardr is a short electronic track with spoken word vocals. Urjotun is probably the most interesting and in many ways least traditionally Enslaved track on the album. Urjotun opens with a simple keyboard riff. A taut, simple drum beat comes in accompanied by electronica. Next a huge driving, pulsing Bass line is added and this suddenly feels like Joy Division. As the track develops deep vocals that are verging on chanting are added, the track builds, new progressive elements arrive until it sounds like Joy Division playing Progressive Metal.

Flight Of Thought And Memory is a stunning track. It opens with a fast and thrashy part that is packed with energy and inertia. This then heads off into a very Black metal part full of tremolo picked riffs and blasting drums. After this savagery the song then goes into a stunning piece of Progressive Metal that is expansive, cathartic, ethereal and beautiful. The track then takes a turn back to savage Black metal again, this time with a fantastic melody guitar lead. The track drifts off to an end with a part that is soft and introverted.

Storms Of Utgard opens with huge, sweeping Progressive Metal that reminds me of Pink Floyd a little. Then we get an interesting tempo change to a galloping horse rhythm with harsh vocals, which is an interesting tempo for Progressive Metal, but Enslaved manage to pull it off without it feeling odd. There is a soft section with chanted vocals, before things get heavy and expansive to the end of the song. The album comes to an end with the song Distant Seasons. The song stars with soft strummed guitar and clean vocals, there is a gentle guitar solo before the track gets heavier and tauter. The track comes to an end with a soft section with clean vocals and a dreamlike and drifting feel.

So, to answer the question I asked earlier; Yes Enslaved have released yet another brilliant piece of Black Metal infused Progressive Metal. The main feeling on Utgard is beautifully expansive and huge Progressive Metal, but the band always seem to have half an eye on their past with the Black metal elements, whilst seeming to have an eye on pushing boundaries as well with the electronic parts. What is particularly impressive on this album is the balance between all the different parts. There are some very disparate ingredients on Utgard, yet despite how dissimilar some of the parts are, they are combined without anything feeling glaring or out of place. The transitions between different sections are seamless and feel totally natural. This is a stunning album, a beautiful, ethereal, savage piece of Progressive Metal that is going to be near the top of all the AOTY lists in December. 9 / 10

Nightmare: Aeternam (AFM Records) [Paul Hutchings]

There are 85 bands called Nightmare according to Metal Archives, including a slew of thrash and death metal outfits from South America. This version are the French metal veterans who were founded in 1979, and so are naturally pioneers for the entire metal movement in the land of decent cheese and wine. The band’s big break came supporting Def Leppard in 1983 after which their classic line-up produced two full length albums before they split in 1988, only to reform in 1999. Since then, they have swerved through a variety of musical styles, currently favouring a symphonic power metal approach, with 2016’s Dead Sun featuring Maggy Luyten receiving a solid 7 from yours truly before the vocalist moved on after completing the touring cycle for that album.

Aeternam’s line-up comprises founder member and bassist Yves Campion, long serving guitarist Franck Milleliri, fellow guitarist Matt Asselberghs, and new members Neils Wuiais on drums and Madie (Marianne Dien – Faith of Agony) on vocals. And it is a quality release, perfectly crafted, polished, crisply produced and professionally performed. The guitar work is top class, the rhythm section locked tight and the symphonics rarely threaten to overwhelm, adding a nice touch without drowning any of the songs. It’s Madie’s vocals that make the main difference though with a strong and impressive performance.

There’s plenty to get excited about during the 48 minutes which Aeternam spans. The band possess a sharp cutting edge on tracks such as the riff-heavy Black September which has an epic feel, the majestic Downfall Of A Tyrant and the thunderous Annaliese which concludes the record (although I’m not sure about the message contained in the lyrics) There’s a blend of melody mixed with a more urgent metal sound which makes this a pleasing listen, albeit at times the tracks do tend to merge. Mixed and mastered in Simone Mularoni’s Domination Studio in Italy, it’s unsurprising that this album is being lauded as Nightmare’s finest album to date. Whilst I can’t make that judgment, there is certainly a continued desire and passion to take their music forward. 7/10

Mind Wars: The Fourth Turning (Dissonance Productions) [Paul Scoble]

Mind Wars are a four piece based partly in Turin, Italy and partly in Los Angeles. The band, made up of Danny ‘Z’ Pizzi on Guitar and Bass, Roby Vitari on Drums, Mike Alvord on Guitar and Vocals, and Rick Zaccaro on Bass, have been making music together since 2013. Mind Wars have released 3 albums before The Fourth Turning; The Enemy Within in 2014, Sworn To Secrecy in 2016, and Do Unto Others in 2018. Clearly Mind Wars are a band you can set your watch to, as 2 years after their third album, the band have released their forth. Musically Mind Wars play Thrash Metal, and as with all Thrash metal bands there is a huge reverence for the nineteen eighties. Mind Wars style of thrash is closest to Exodus, with a little bit of early Slayer, out of their New Thrash contemporaries their sound is a little bit reminiscent of Bonded By Blood, with maybe a little Warbringer as well. So, this is strait down the line Thrash, no progressive elements, no (obvious) keyboards.

Just fast, tight riffs, pounding tempos and screaming vocals. All of the song lengths are 3 or 4 minutes long, short blasts of hugely enjoyable thrash. The level of energy and vigour of this album is really high, riffs crackle with exuberance and drive, the drumming is very good, driving everything forward, and in the few slower parts the patterns are appropriate and interesting. The vocals are in the upper register with a bit of a rasp, maybe halfway between Steve Souza and Bobby Ellsworth. Most of the material on The Fourth Turning is fast and frenetic; the track MindWars is a blast of high energy thrash, as is (Who'll Stop The) Aryan Race the track that comes strait after it, both have really fast, tight choruses, with slightly slower choruses. Both songs are standout tracks and feel energised and exiting. There are slower parts on some of the songs and these are very well done as well. The opening of Fall In Line is slow and very heavy, it’s also very atmospheric. 

The beginning of The System has some very effective slower harmonies that show this band can be melodious as well as savage and fast. The album comes to an end with a cover of Slayer’s Criminally Insane; it’s a decent cover and feels like a genuine homage to a band that every Thrash band owes a debt to. The Forth Turning is a great piece of Thrash Metal. It has what all thrash needs to be effective, and that is Excitement. If Thrash isn’t exciting, then it’s missing the point of Thrash; this album is very exciting. It’s full of energy and drive and that makes it exciting and ultimately great fun. 7/10       

Hexx: Entangled In Sin  (High Roller Records) [Paul Hutchings] 

If you take a minute and glance at the history of San Francisco’s Hexx, you may be surprised to see their history dates to 1978. That is, until you listen to Entangled In Sin, or specifically the opening track Watch Me Burn, for this is what immediately ages the band. Their sound is firmly rooted in the 1980s. A combination of thrash and speed metal, the retro vibe that thumps through this album is both warming and a little dated. Hexx were known as Paradox between 1978 – 83, morphing into Hexx until their demise in 1995. And then a return in 2013, fourth album Wrath of the Reaper arrived three years ago which brings us to the current day. The modern day line-up bears little resemblance to those early days but there are two stalwarts of the band in guitarist Dan Watson and drummer Jon Shafer who are joined by new bassist Don Wood and returning for album number two, guitarist Bobby Wright and vocalist Eddy Vega. Now, this isn’t a bad metal album by any stretch. It’s sharp, fast and at times rocks comprehensively. The main challenge is trying to distinguish between songs because after about five tracks they started blurring into one. In fact, it wasn’t until track ten, Over But The Bleeding that the tempo, style and approach changed in any significant way. 

Over 40 minutes before I looked up and noted the variation surely suggests that Hexx may be overcooking the formula. And the formula is decent enough for several tracks. Over But The Bleeding stands out just for being different and not because it is the best track on the album, which is probably the brute force of Internal Enemy with its Metal Church feel. The other challenge about this album is the length. 55 minutes is a long player, especially when the tracks are somewhat similar in style. It’s more interesting towards the final few songs, with the thick riffage of Signal 30 I-5 a brave attempt at a Megadeth style; disappointingly the vocal delivery jars rather than gels. Ultimately, the choice is obviously down to the listener. I’m a huge Metal Church fan and this album bears many similarities with them. Throw in a bit of Exciter, some Megadeth and a bit of prototype Accept and there you have it. It’s retro speed metal, delivered well enough but with just a little bit of the sparkle missing to make it a truly exciting record. 6/10