Reviews: Benediction, Kingdom Of Giants, Adamantis, Mad Dog (Rich, Liam, Simon & Lucas)

Benediction: Scriptures (Nuclear Blast) [Rich Oliver]

After a twelve year gap, UK old school death metal heroes Benediction are back with their eighth album Scriptures. It also heralds the return of former vocalist Dave Ingram who was frontman of the band during the band's best era and featured on their finest albums including the legendary old school death metal classics The Grand Leveller and Transcend The Rubicon. It is this classic era of the band which is very much channelled on Scriptures and it is an absolutely glorious 47 minutes of uncompromising old school death metal.

Had this album not been recorded with 21st century technology you would be convinced that this album was written in the early 90’s. It is a perfect encapsulation of the death metal of that period with filthy riffs that veer into thrash territory, a pounding rhythm section and plenty of that dirty old school death metal groove. The return of Dave Ingram has definitely relit the fire in the band with original guitarists Darren Brookes and Peter Rew playing with the energy and intensity that they had in their youth. The songs they have crafted are purely designed for maximum damage to necks as it is virtually impossible not to bang your head throughout this album with killer tunes such as Scriptures In Scarlet, Progenitors Of A New Paradigm, Rabid Carnality and In Our Hands, The Scars guaranteeing a bitch of a bangover the next day.

I love my death metal simple, straightforward and sounding retro as fuck as Benediction deliver on all counts with Scriptures. This album has bags of energy and the songs are so much fun to listen to that this grizzled metaller had big grins on his face throughout. The album does lose a bit of steam towards the end due to its repetitive nature but you generally know what you are getting with an old school death metal album and whilst repetitive it is remarkably consistent throughout. Benediction have given us old school death metal fans 47 minutes of pure joy in 2020 and it is easily one of the best death metal albums of the year. If you enjoy bands such as Massacre, Bolt Thrower, Cancer and Asphyx then get on this immediately. 9/10

Kingdom Of Giants: Passenger (Sharptone Records) [Liam True]

The new age of Metalcore ha proved to be a hit and miss for many bands, as they either adapt to the newer style of stay stuck in the 2000’s, which ends badly for them. Kingdom Of Giants were formed from the remains of an unnamed band back in 2010 and have quickly adapted their sound to fit into the new age of heavy music. Sounding like the bastard love child of While She Sleeps and Architects they show they have the heavy hitting songs to make them one of the biggest bands in the scene. The northern californian sextet show on their third studio album, and their debut on Sharptone Records, that they can withstand the plight of the falling scene. 

From opener Two Suns the band begin ripping you apart as the start of the album is a build up to the band exploding into guitarists Max Bremer & Red Martin creating a heavy monster riff and drummer Truman Berlin hits harder than a punch from Mike Tyson to cause as much destruction as possible. By the time vocalist Dana Willax, the band have launched into their signature chugs but show they can create chorus after chorus with Sync, Burner & Bleach having the catchiest. The mix of heavy & melodic song writing on the album is the defining component that brings the record together. From the vicious vocals from Willax he also proves he can serenade you before hitting back with his snarls and growls. 

The guitar work is excellent from all players as they intertwine the chugs with the soothing chorus parts with the heavy punishing riffs to mark their stance within the album. From start to finish it’s the album that Metalcore needs at this time to resurface the genre to it’s soaring popularity. And with other contenders rising to the throne, Kingdom Of Giants have marked their place as a force to be reckoned with, and are climbing to the top. 9/10

Adamantis: Far Flung Realm (Adamantis Records) [Simon Black]

Adamantis hail from Massachusetts, USA, have been around building up a following for a few years, with support slots with the likes of Gygax and Ross The Boss and this is their debut album. It’s been four years in the making, with only an EP in 2018 to keep up their profile and the first release with new singer Jeff Stark. Musically this is pure European style Power Metal, and as often the case with USA Power acts, a clearly audible line back to those NWOBHM architects of the whole movement. They have had a number of challenges stabilising a line up and this one seems to work, with Stark being the final piece of the puzzle. Mixing duties are handled by Christian ‘Moschus’ Moos, which no doubt contributes to the Euro sound, but the band seem to know how to keep things focussed and although there’s plenty of speed and skill, this is not in any way a showy recording. The instruments do what they need to – no more, no less, and the song structure comes first. 

The danger with wearing your influences brazenly (and this album screams Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, Manowar and others so very, very loud) is that there are few moments when they distinctively stand by their own sound. Now, that might work in the States where these influence acts are a scarce sight, but in Europe this may prove a challenge for them to be distinctive from the competition. That said, when they do stand on their own two feet, they do so well. Imagination for example, takes things into more epic territory with a distinctive catchy harmonic opening and closing riff with a simple power chord rhythm, dripping in reverb and proving that you don’t need speed and virtuosity to create effective movements. It’s also lyrically one of the moodier and most effective moments. Perhaps what is missing here is the confidence to put the influences in the background and focus on their own unique sound. 

The first song on the album, Unbound Souls is another example. The speed and riffage is a bit more up tempo, and the vocal harmonics are more effective and distinctive. I have no idea of the relative ages of all these songs, but I am betting that when you have been gestating your first album for four years that some of these have some history associated with them, and the two songs I draw out sound very different and indicate a bit more maturity. So, I am listening, and let’s see what a second album brings, but in the meantime take the good bits from this one and enjoy. 6/10

Mad Dog: We Are Ready To Testify (Go Down Records) [Lucas Tuckwood]

In an ever complicating world of new, daring variations on the traditional rock and roll formula, it’s often hard to even think about turning the clock back fifty years and getting into that old fashioned groove. That’s what the spritely Italians Mad Dog are trying to do with their fresh album We Are Ready To Testify, but unfortunately they fail to hit the mark. The problem with traditional 70s rock and roll is keeping true to the roots, but also adding that spice that separates it from the rest. It’s a delicate tightrope act, and unfortunately Mad Dog fail to complete the trapeze. Now three albums in, their musicianship certainly speaks volumes of their experience, but still lacks that special something. Of the ten tracks, none really stood out, despite their best efforts. 

The energy’s here, no doubt about it, but what’s missing is any sort of bite that’ll keep listeners coming back for more. They’re going for that classic garage band feeling, but there’s none of that essential grit on offer here, and what you’re left with is a dull album from a band that ought to shake things up a little bit, and songs that you’ll swear you’ve heard a thousand times before. In all, this album is quite a bore, only redeemed somewhat by good musicianship. The ingredients are here, but the lack of any real creative oomph really holds it back from being better. As it stands though, there’s cats out there madder than these dogs. 5/10

Reviews: Infera Bruo, Inferi, Aphonic Threnody, Vice Squad (Rich, Dave, Paul S & Alex)

Infera Bruo: Rites Of The Nameless (Prosthetic Records) [Rich Oliver]

Rites Of The Nameless is the fourth album from Boston black metallers Infera Bruo (which means Hellish Noise in Esperanto). Another band whose existence I have previously been unaware of, Infera Bruo are a four piece, have been active since 2009 and are signed to Prosthetic Records. Although a US based black metal band Infera Bruo have a very Norwegian influenced sound with definite influences from bands such as Enslaved, Darkthrone and Emperor but include in their sound a use of clean vocals in contrast to and at times alongside the harsh vocals and a far more progressive song structure is used throughout. 

The Breath Of Chaos starts things off and is more in the vein of traditional black metal but progressive elements creep in soon enough and these elements become more ingrained into the sound as the album progresses. Frayed has a wonderful mid section which deviates from the rest of the song but is incorporated naturally whilst Cimmerian Shade has some great use of keyboards and some unconventional structures being the most progressive sounding song on the album. The closing epic title track is also a fantastic mix of progressive stylings and all out black metal fury. Infera Bruo have an excellent take on the Norwegian black metal sound on Rites Of The Nameless. The progressive elements keep things interesting throughout the album's length whilst not diluting the raw black metal sound. An impressive release. 8/10

Inferi: Of Sunless Realms (The Artisan Era) [Dave Marcovecchio]

After releasing a re-recording of their 2009 debut The End Of An Era – Rebirth only last year , Of Sunless Realms sees US Melodeath Heavyweights Inferi returning with an unexpected EP of new material. “We have been hinting at a new full length for a while now.” the band says , “However, since 2020 has had its fair share of surprises already, we thought we would do something unexpected and make something happen during this global downtime.” As it stands describing this EP as “Something happens” is a gross understatement. From the off we are treated to an atmospheric intro that mirrors the artworks eerie lovecraftian mood before exploding into a frenzy of razor-sharp melodic riffs, sweeping orchestral arrangements, syrupy bass and piercing blastbeats. 

Vocalist Stevie Bosier flits effortlessly from pounding gutturals to high pitched squawks, while the music is tight, punchy and everything one would expect from a band of this calibre. This ain't no quarantine rush-job, this has had some serious effort put into it. The 4 tracks on offer (5 if you're nasty and count the melancholic instrumental mantra aptly titled The Summoning, as a track in it's own right) showcase a broad range of influences and musical flavours, from slower deliberately paced soaring parts, to a full on assault on the senses. The orchestral touches, while not as in your face as acts such as Fleshgod Apocalypse or Septicflesh, certainly add some flavour and give every track here it's own identity. It's short, but incredibly sweet. 

Of Sunless Realms showcases a band at their peak cramming an albums worth of ideas into a 20 minute runtime that invites repeat listens. Repeat listens it will most certainly get! Every song here is a standout and manages to fulfil the rare feat of being technical, without being soulless and artificial. These 4 tracks show off more life than some of their contemporaries entire discographies. 9/10 

Aphonic Threnody: The Great Hatred (Transcending Obscurity) [Paul Scoble]

The last couple of years have been really good for Death/Doom. Last years Officium Triste’s album The Death Of Gaia was a stunning piece of work and The Drowning’s The Radiant Dark, released at the end of last year was superb, and this years new Marche Funebre album Einderlich has also been very well received. You could forgive Aphonic Threnody for being a little nervous of releasing their new Death/Doom into such a high quality field. However, if Aphonic Threnody are nervous, they don’t need to be as The Great Hatred is stunning, and definitely hold it’s own amongst it’s high quality peers. The band have been in existence since 2012, The duo is made up of Juan Escobar C. (Arrant Saudade) on Vocals, Bass, Guitar & Keys and Riccardo Veronese (Towards Atlantis Lights, Dea Marica) on Guitars. The band have made 2 albums before The Great Hatred; 2014’s When Death Comes, and their second Of Loss And Grief in 2017. Locura opens the album. Slow, deeply melancholic doomy riffs with harsh but not aggressive vocals draw you into the album, there is a softer more minimalist section with keyboard swells and soft, smooth vocals. The track gets heavy again and drifts to an end with beautiful mournful melodies. 

The next track Interrogation opens with soft guitar and whispered vocals before going into a very slow and heavy section with harsh vocals. A huge melody lead comes in and, combined with the relaxed tempo gives the song a hypnotic and trance inducing aspect. The second half returns to the heavy and slow feeling, but this time with a great melancholic guitar harmonies before the song tightens up for a section that feels taut, driving and purposeful. Things come to an end with soft, clean guitars and bells. Title track The Great Hatred has a soft opening before a slow, heavy and purposeful section drives the song forwards. The track then takes a turn towards a more relaxed form with a big heavy-hearted melody. The song then starts to get faster and more driving and forceful before drifting back to softer and relaxed feel that it had before. The song drifts to an end with a soft and ethereal violin. The second half of the album starts with Drowning. Drowning is a huge, deeply melancholic monster of a track. Most of it is huge and heavy, but the tempo is relaxed, dreamlike and hypnotic. The song has a mix of clean and harsh vocals that really help the dreamlike quality of the song, the clean vocals help to give this a slight gothic feel. In the second half of the track the hypnotic feel takes a back seat and the track becomes more driven and single minded, and pushes the song forward. The track returns to the more dreamlike aspect before the song drifts off to an end. The Rise Of The Phoenix opens with a huge riff and piano, at a very slow pace. There are lush harmonies added before the track becomes minimal and introspective with whispered vocals. The song then builds back up, the harsh vocals return as does the piano. 

The song then moves between huge and heavy and minimal and introspective a few times before soft guitar harmonies bring the song to an end. Final track The Fall opens with beautiful guitar harmonies, piano and vocals are added and the track has the hypnotic and dreamlike tempo that this band is so good at. The song becomes more driving and even verges on aggression as the song drifts into its second half, before the song returns to the drifting and hypnotic sense with a mournful guitar solo and the return of the piano. The song and album come to an end with some huge guitar melodies. The Great Hatred is definitely a very worthy addition to the last few years tally of excellent Death/Doom albums. Its achingly melancholic, with a beautiful, hypnotic feel to it. The balance between the heavy aspects and the less aggressive, dreamlike elements is done so well, nothing feels out of place, every note is right. This is an album that is full of emotion, ok it’s a fairly sad emotion, but after a couple of listens it really starts to be affecting. This is also an album packed with tunefulness and melody, I have been humming most of the tracks on this album this week, it really doesn’t take long before the tunes are stuck in your head. This is a stunning piece of Death/Doom, and is highly recommended. 9/10

Vice Squad: Battle Of Britain (Last Rockers Records/Cargo Records UK) [Alex Swift]

One fact I was surprised to find about Vice Squad is they have been part of the UK punk scene, almost since the beginning. The raucous and energetic three-piece was launched in 1979 in Bristol. Now on their 13th studio outing, they have a revitalized charm and strong emotions about the divided country Brexit and endless tory rule has turned the UK into. Make no mistake, this is retro-infused, classic punk, inspired by political discontent and trailblazers in the form of the Clash and The Stranglers. Singer Beki Bondage has a rough voice, evoking movements of Riot Grrrl and grunge. The rhythms are catchy and driving. There’s a strong underground fascination, yet also huge opportunities for singing along. In fact, considering the ambitious elements on display, it’s quite impressive to know that this was recorded and mixed in a do-it-yourself style home studio. In that sense, old-school punk fans will definitely thrive off hearing this call back to the sound that inspired generations and continues to have a lasting impact. 

All that said though, there are borrowings from pop, a strong theatrical presence on many of the tracks, and a powerful, layered production which adds gravity to the vicious, angry style of playing. You Can't Fool All Of The People is a great example of excellent and mature songcrafting. The song is a slow burner with a lot of emotion. I would have liked to have seen more of this complexity, yet even with its homages to the classics, this is still an impressive record. The content is of course about harsh social criticism. Born In A War contains the lines "National emergency, questioning for liberty, see how they treat refugees, that's how they would tread you and me." All the while the song structure keeps the listener locked in a constant state of tension, with the seething verses and the huge chorus. The Battle Of Britain not only protests against the prevailing politics and its grievances but also has a heartfelt, introspective core, which connects the listener with the human side of their struggles, as does the energetic When You Were Seventeen. The line from the former “The government has lied, welcome to Britain!” demonstrates a cynical yet strangely sarcastic attitude, which begs the listener to rise against the “suited hypocrites”. 

Even with the prevailing and conviction-carrying lyrics, you can still mosh to the music. The instrumentals ensure that there are clever subtleties laced throughout, which prevent the songs from drifting into monotony, even with the enduring hooks and melodies. Interestingly, despite a few moments feeling forced the band almost always manages to still have something to say after all these years without appearing frustrated or clichéd for a second. With the Battle Of Britain, Vice Squad present a strong late work. The sound is not being revolutionized, but hey - we're talking about a punk rock band that came around near the centre of the movement. By those standards, this is another battle that these musicians have triumphed in. 7/10

Reviews: Pure Reason Revolution, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, Cranial Separation, The Unguided (Matt & Paul H)

Pure Reason Revolution: The Dark Third (Inside Out Records) [Matt Bladen]

After releasing their first album in nearly 10 years it was only a matter of time before electronic prog rock twosome Pure Reason Revolution's sort after discography would start reappearing. Rather aptly Inside Out Music have re-issued their impressive debut album The Dark Third, now having bought this album when it first came out I will try very hard not to just rant about how I enjoyed it as it's been in the public domain for a long time and as such contains some of the PRR live favourites, what I'm going to do here is explain why it's worth seeking out again. The Dark Third is an album that basically saw PRR's sound fully formed, balancing that new wave of arty progressive rock spearheaded by Porcupine Tree et al with influences such as EDM and Trip Hop (parts of this record are almost Portishead-esque). 

As with their latest release the driving force here Jon Courtney who plays guitar, bass, keys and gives programming too his lower soulful tones work brilliantly in conjunction with Chloe Alper's more ethereal voice and her intricate basswork. If you've heard Eupnea then you'll know how well they compliment each other but it's here that you can hear that initial collaboration that they were striving to repeat on Eupnea. Masterfully recorded and produced by Paul Northfield (Rush, Porcupine Tree), the record flows almost in a dreamlike narrative, linking to the concept of the title which alludes to, the third of a person's life spent asleep and dreaming. It's a stunningly accomplished debut record and while their sound shifted as on the next two this remains the foundation of the band. Just as a heads up that this is the reissue of the Inside Out re-release in 2007 which features the U.S tracklist, not the original U.K tracklist, but is does also include the second disc which is a 5-track EP based around Aurelia by Gérard de Nerval. Well worth picking up if you are new to PRR, discovered them on Eupnea or indeed are completist/haven't been able to get a copy of this. The entire Pure Reason Revolution experiment was birthed from this record so it stands as a slice of history, and a damn good album to boot. 9/10   

Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown: Pressure (Snakefarm Records) [Matt Bladen]

Pressure is the second album from Nashville rockers on Spinefarm's imprint dedicated to Southern/Blues/Rock. Coming less than a year after their previous release Truth & Lies, Pressure, like The Struts album above, is a lockdown record born out of frustration, focus and the inability to tour. Recorded as a trio Bryant handles guitar and bass, with Caleb Crosby (drums) and Graham Whitford (guitar) the other two members on this record. Pressure is not a victim of it's circumstances, in fact it's Tyler and co playing their most hard rocking, diverse album yet. There's slide playing blues on Hitchhiker, some muscular balladry on Holdin' My Breath which features Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke (a major influence on that can be heard here), while Like The Old Me is stripped back song with just Bryant with an acoustic doing the work it's Misery where we go right back to sonorous country   

There's a real maturity to Pressure with Bryant and co stepping into the the shoes they've been threatening to fill and those shoes are those of the late, great Tom Petty. Tracks like Automatic and Wildside have that breezy Californian hard rock edginess but coming from the American blues and folk traditions, obviously Bryant has brought it into the 21st Century but much like Petty the songs here feel timeless as if they could have come at any time in the last 40 odd years. The most telling is Crazy Days which half inches the verse rhythms from Listen To Her Heart and also features Bryant's wife Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe on backing vocals. It's a record brimming with both hope and defiance moving Bryant into the next level of his evolution as an artist. Intelligent, honest, blue collar southern hard rock is what you get her and at this point for Bryant now it would be simpler just to rename the band The Heartbreakers and have done with it, he's got that same multi-genre, ultra modern sound wrapped up in bluesy Americana as Petty did and that is no bad thing at all. 8/10  

Cranial Separation: Bound In Barbed Wire (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]

Those lovable death metal protagonists from South Wales finally release their debut album, Bound In Barbed Wire. 32 minutes of pummelling explosive death metal that has one intention. To level you and anything in its path. For those in the South Wales region, these guys are unlikely to be new to you, given their presence on the scene for several years and their success in the 2018 M2TM competition and subsequent chaotic appearance on the Jagermeister Stage at Bloodstock. Book ended by an ominous intro and outro (the latter ringing the Crowbar bell), four of the tracks here featured on the band’s 2017 EP Separated From The Cadaver, and they blend nicely with the brain mashing tracks included here. Sam Heffernan’s drumming is ferocious, his BPM count elevated to brutal levels at times. There are of course, huge swathes of disgusting downtuned riffing which link with Chris Machin’s gut bursting bass lines. 

And of course, we have Ray Packer’s guttural offerings. Sonically deep enough to wake the dead, one wonders if Packer has taken ownership of Chris Barnes original vocal cords without the SFU frontman’s knowledge. Is anything a surprise? Probably not, with old chestnuts Fucked By A Jackhammer, Rancid Insertion and Eternal Decay warming the soul. There is, however, the arrival of Solitary Cannibal, a brooding opus at over five minutes long and which has a huge outro as it slows in pace but not in heaviness. Elsewhere, it’s explosive death metal which rips through you like a dose of dysentery. Maybe that’s what Cranial are the musical equivalent of? Whatever you think, this is a swarthy punch to the face from a fist wrapped in a stinking soiled cloth. Ideal for the virtual Christmas party soundtrack this year. Give your gift bound in barbed wire. You know your manager deserves it. 7/10

The Unguided: Father Shadow (Napalm Records) [Paul Hutchings]

I’d been largely unaware of The Unguided. A melodic death metal band from Sweden, the band initially were all former members of Sonic Syndicate although the current line-up only retains Richard Sjunnesson (scream vocals) and Roger Sjunnesson (rhythm guitar, keyboards) from the original members. The band is completed by Jonathan Thorpenberg (clean vocals, lead guitar) and drummer Richard Schill. Father Shadow is their fifth album and as I’m unfamiliar with their work, I’m basing this review entirely on this one album. I’ve charted my unease with metalcore in many a review before. I rarely find it a genre that I enjoy, and The Unguided slip into that domain with a regularity that shifts them far away from the more traditional Gothenburg sound of thirty years ago. That’s not to say that The Unguided don’t embrace the melodeath sound because it is evident throughout the album. But and it is a big but, the blend across styles, and with the inclusion of some electronic elements make it a more challenging album to listen to. 

Songs like Where Love Comes To Die highlight the conundrum. Whilst the band draw from the melodic style of Linkin Park, they retain an edge of In Flames thrown in for good measure. Sjunnesson’s screaming vocals jar with the cleaner delivery of Thorpenberg. The echoing effects stunted choppy style and swirling keyboards clash violently with crashing riffs and pounding drums to the extent where at times it sounds like several songs are playing at once. From there, the band segue into Crown Prince Syndrome which is a much more face-melting track, and one that you can imagine halls of fans happily bouncing in time with. At times, the album soars majestically, such as during the classic old school style of Never Yield, with the snarling vocals and thick riffs which combine with some sweet melodic harmonies. It is fist pumping tracks like this that stand out on the album although The Unguided have a habit of swinging in the odd curve ball. Stand Alone Complex utilises some thoroughly harsh drumming to underpin a short sharp track that sees rich synths slot in alongside the more rampant parts. Eyes Wide Open’s Eric Engstrand guests on Gaia, adding a ferocious and feisty vocal. 

The album concludes with three covers of Sonic Syndicate songs, Jailbreak, Denied and Jack Of Diamonds which means little to me, but all are punishingly decent tracks which sit comfortably with the more modern songs. The challenge with any album is the mark it leaves in the memory. The Unguided’s latest offering is full of earworms that explode on initial exposure, but which fade from the memory relatively quickly. Father Shadow will no doubt delight the fans of the band. The musicianship is excellent, the band are tight, and the production is crystal clear. But one of my benchmarks is whether I am clamouring for the back catalogue. I’m afraid I won’t be desperately searching out their early material with any urgency. 7/10

Reviews: Saltatio Mortis, Sons Of Otis, Ramblin Roze, System Decay (Simon & Matt)

Saltatio Mortis: Für Immer Frei (We Love Music) [Simon Black]

I may not be any kind of expert when it comes to the German language, but I know a damned fine Folk Metal album when I hear one - despite the fact that the band prefer ‘Medieval Metal’, this has deep veins of pure Folk Metal running through and through. Like many bands of the genre, the line-up of this incarnation is huge, with no less than eight musicians involved. I had not come across them before, but their back catalogue is extensive and their output prolific (this is their twelfth studio album since 2001, plus five live ones and a compilation for good measure). But then you can be prolific and distinctly average. This album, which translates to Forever Free, is anything but.

Like all good Folk, the music is deeply angry and political, and in this instance seems also to have taken a good snort of Norse mythology to spice things up. Freedom has become a hot topic of the moment, and the deep root of so many folk influenced rock acts since the Levellers started, err Levelling things… and it’s used as an emblematic theme throughout (and we’re really pushing my pigeon German to its limit here). For those who haven’t got a hope of unpicking the lyrics, the musical locus is absolutely spot on. What we have there are thirteen lively, emotive and thoroughly banging tracks (plus an intro) whose 46 minutes of run time fly by in a moment.

The production is absolutely spot on, with every single one of those eight musicians clearly present in the mix without detracting from the emphasis of the songs, or risking descending into a cacophony of chaos, and this comes down to darn well-focussed song-writing and phrasing. Every single track is catchy and would stand up well to a live rendition. The metal aspects are subtly melded in and allow the tracks to rock out when they need to, without sounding like the folk instruments have merely been bolted on the side like some bands I could mention. The band have done incredibly well in their native Germany, with three number one albums in the rock charts to date, and I have no doubt that this one will be joining them in what is an absolutely cracking release to deliver for their twentieth anniversary. 9/10

Sons Of Otis: Isolation (Totem Cat Records) [Matt Bladen]

Sons Of Otis have been making a heavily reverbed, colossal riffage since 1993. This trio sound as if they have come straight from the bowels of hell, led still by the down-tuned to oblivion guitars and wild vocals of Ken Baluke the band have been through ten drummers between their 1996 debut and 1998. They are a band that bring little and often, their releases are reasonably consistent however they are a band that languish in underground with supports of Electric Wizard (a major soundalike), Voivod, Fu Manchu and Kyuss they have achieved semi-legendary status due to their crushing ethereal psychedelic stoner doom, which is doom in BIG letters as the bass and guitars are indistinguishable from one another both carving huge furrows with their crushing waves of thunderous riff, slowly dragging these songs such as Blood Moon into a weed-smoke induced fug. Isolation is an ideal name for this record as we are deep in quarantine so this claustrophobic record will punctuate those extended periods of silence with an eardrum shaking heaviness that is an acquired taste but one that will leave doomsters wanting much much more. 7/10 

Ramblin’ Roze: Howl Of The Coomb (SloomWeep) [Simon Black]

When I receive these lovely items for review, one of the first things I try and do if I am not familiar with them is find out a little more about the band, other than what the press release would like to tell me (when we have one). So, about these guys I can find nothing – nada, zip, even though they’re on their fourth album. I guess that’s because we don’t get too many Southern Rock bands from Beijing in China.

The musicians seem more than competent, although sometimes the high notes seem a little forced as singer Tone pushes his voice to its limit, but at the same time the honest rawness of this works in their favour. In fact, the production is a little unusual and probably needs a more experienced hand in the final mix down. Sound levels tend to jump up for certain musicians significantly during solos for example, but then this might be the norm in Chinese recording circles, but it has the net effect of emphasising very clearly the part of the song that they want you to focus on right at that point. To be honest I think that’s the way their news media works as well.

It's Southern/Stoner Rock with a distinctly early metal mixed with punk edge, so has a very mid-70’s feel. It’s also raw as hell, with the atmosphere of an expensive demo, rather than a full album, which actually really helps because this style of music always sounds far more fun, dangerous and live than the frankly over-produced approach that USA bands in the genre favour. Lyrically there’s many of the usual genre tropes and clichés, as titles like Devil Woman and Space Cowboy make clear, but things can also take a distinctly darker lyrical tone, as the most Stoner epic Mountain Of The Dead highlights well. This is the standout track on the album, and an epic eight and a half minutes long. To be honest the Stoner elements work better than the Southern Rock even though it successfully fuses the two, although might not have a market in their home territory, but it’s their strength and should be played to a bit more. Raw, but honest, 6/10

System Decay: Crown (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Metalcore/Groove Metal has always been a little hit-and-miss for me for every band such as Architects who impress there are bands such as Killswitch Engage who have never excited me at all. I always tread carefully when reviewing a metalcore album as I try not to let my own bias influence my decision. However I didn't have to do this on the third album from Athenian's System Decay, they are very much in the category of bands such as Architects, Parkway Drive, While She Sleeps and Northlane skillfully balancing pit-inducing heavy grooves with Freefall standing out, with soaring lighter phases on the more melodic numbers such as No Quarter Given as the vocals move from frankly disgusting (in a good way) harsh screams to powerfully gritty cleans on songs such as Engage which bring to the record the technical ferocity of bands such as Trivium, while Waves has the thunderous grooves of Lamb Of God. System Decay take their name from a Kreator song, and you will find some little flashes of classic thrash on the title track but most of Crown is fiercely modern metalcore that shifts from thumping heaviness to huge hooks with ease. 7/10 

Reviews: Lindsay Schoolcraft, Artillery, Suicide Of Society, Army Of One (Matt & Paul H)

Lindsay Schoolcraft: Worlds Away (Cyber Proxy Records)

Many metal fans will recognise Lindsay Schoolcraft as a collaborator of British extreme metal band Cradle Of Filth amongst others. The Canadian multi-instrumentalist released her debut last year, but due to the Coronavirus crisis, she has once again flexed her creative muscles, this time stripping things down to harp and strings, she has re-visited songs from her previous records with her harp the lead instrument here as she once again reunited Rocky Gray who provides electronic backing on a number of songs giving them the cinematic feel of dark romance. There is certainly a haunting overall atmosphere as the Schoolcraft's breathy soaring vocals evoke memories of Dolores O'Riordan through Christina Perri occasionally ascending into Sarah Brightman reaches but never to the detriment of the 'campfire' feel of these songs. 

The two new songs here are the sparse title track and the delicate Dance On The Strings both of which are fully committed to the concept of this record with the latter standing out as one of the best along with my favourite Fading Star which to me has the sound of Touchstone/The Reasoning/Panic Room. With Autumn in full swing this is the perfect record to pair with a Dark Burgundy, some cheese and a log fire. It was created due to the lockdown and it could be played a fair few times in the run up to the festiveness, with the dark nights drawing in be taken Worlds Away with Lindsay Schoolcraft's reinvention. 7/10

Artillery: The Last Journey (Metal Blade Records) [Paul Hutchings]

On 2nd October 2019 Morten Stützer, founder member and guitarist of Danish thrashers Artillery suddenly died. Having been a member of this seminal band since 1982, it’s fair to say the band were rocked but decided that they would carry on with new guitarist Kræn Meier. Now the band have written a song in his honour and release it as a special single. The Last Journey features former singers Flemming Rønsdorf and Søren Adamsen. It’s a challenging song to review, mainly because of the sentiment involved but being critical it’s not a particularly good track. Opening with gentle guitars and keys, the lyrics are emotionally crafted and centred on their departed friend. It’s hard to be too critical so let’s just say this is a track that Accept might write. There’s none of the frenetic thrash we’ve come to expect from the Danes, and the vocals are of variable quality. It’s more standard heavy metal ballad with some decent solos punctuating the slow chug. A cover of Metallica’s Trapped Under Ice is on the flip side, and its exactly as you’d expect it to be. A faithful cover of an all-time classic. Thankfully, Artillery are working on a new album, and I have every hope that this will be a much more exciting affair. 5/10

Suicide Of Society: War Investment (Black Sunset) [Paul Hutchings]

I’ve got little information about Suicide of Society. What I do know is that War Investment is their debut album, ten years after their original formation. They are a five-piece from Germany who blend a pleasing old school thrash with some typical Germanic flourishes. What we get is just shy of 40 minutes of solid riffing, pile driving drumming and an overall feeling of good, reliable thrash metal. The vocals work well, the variation from growling guttural delivery to more Slayer-esque scream matching the frenetic pace and explosive passages. Suicide of Society can do balls out thrash as well as the slower placed chugging, such as Planet Babylon which ebbs and flows from full on assault to grinding rager. Produced and recorded last year, Suicide of Society are yet another full fat thrash outfit who raise more than a passing interest. It’s definitely old school, and it’s definitely worth a listen. 7/10

Army Of One: EP (Self Released)

Army Of One is the solo project from Brad Rogers, co-vocalist of metalcore band Chapfallen. It has been around from six years and is very much solo in the respect that Brad plays everything here except for the solos on Vicious Cycle and Palpitate which come from James Phillips and Tom Longshaw (from Chapfallen). Created in his bedroom in Stoke Brad has clearly had a productive lockdown as this record sounds like a commercially released one, with tracks that are still very much in the metalcore template but with some deathcore slams, industrial electronics and an overall sense of fear and foreboding that comes through mainly on the discordant Palpitate. The album whizzes by at a fair pace but the songs never move away from a mid-pace mosh, which is not a bad thing when you're aiming your music at the metalcore audience who do love a goot pit. How Brad will ever translate this to the stage is anyone's guess but for a studio/bedroom project it's got a lot of talent behind it showing that Rogers can do more than just roar/scream. 7/10

Reviews: Mr Bison, Yovel, Wreck Defy, Yersin (Lucas, Paul S, Paul H & Rich)

Mr Bison: Seaward (Subsound Records) [Lucas Tuckwood]

It’s time for some psychedelia folks, so let’s dig into Seaward from the Italian earful Mr Bison. It’s their fourth full length, and eschews some of their previous heavy psychedelic bluesy sound in favour of a more progressive, technical style that still feels good, but doesn’t always hit the mark. Having established a healthy reputation across three great albums, Bison has decided to its hand with a concept album, incorporating the Legend Of The Seven Pearls Of The Tyrrhenian Sea. Seven pearls, seven tracks, each depicting Greek legends, as well as mythical tales of the sea, earning the album its name. It’s an intriguing idea that might sound a little pretentious, if the songs weren’t so well made, and each track presents its story rather well. 

As for the music, things get a little lighter with this release in comparison with Bison’s previous outings. The opener and title track is a deliciously heavy little morsel that builds up with slow atmospherics and explodes into that groovy, fuzz laden goodness one might come to expect from this band. Later tracks tend to differ from the standard formula however, often slowing down and changing into slow melodic pieces once the riffs are finished. The heavy is still there, but it can sometimes result in tracks feeling like they did not reach a satisfactory conclusion. 

Some of the bluesy flair of their previous records has been put to the side, in exchange for a more progressive, technical style. It’s still great, and it’s always good to experiment with one’s sound, but I find it doesn’t hit quite as hard as their straightforward sludgy blues. Overall, this is a great album, but I feel that the decision to ditch some of the bluesy trappings places it just a few inches below Bison’s previous albums. It’s still good, but it bears a cursory mention. 7/10

Yovel: Forthcoming Humanity (Self Released) [Paul Scoble]

Yovel are a Greek RABM band. I’d like to tell you who they are and when they formed but there is no information available on this band. They released their self titled debut in 2018. This album is based on the poetry of Tasos Leivanditis and features narration by Antriana Andrcovits. The style of Black metal Yovel play is a mix of Lo-Fi orthodox Black metal and a softer more folky sound, that occasionally dips into Pagan Metal. This album is fairly clever structurally. All of the songs feature sections of narration and samples, as most of it is in Greek, I can’t tell you what it is all about, some of the samples are of news reports. Debout Les Morts | Chapter I is a short intro that has a spoken word section over clean, slightly folky guitar, there is a melody lead in the second half and has a heavy ending that takes the audience into the next track. Peace | Chapter II opens with a harsh blast beat and tremolo picked riffs, the style is fairly Dark Throne and Lo-Fi. 

The second half of the song is more melodic. Woe To The Vanquished | Chapter III has a spoken word and acoustic guitar intro, this then goes into a mid-paced section that feels more Pagan Metal than Black Metal. The track also has a softer section that features some layered tremolo picked riffs that feel quite Post Black Metal. To Arms | Chapter IV again starts with soft guitar and spoken word section before the fast and savage Black metal comes in. There is a slower but no less viscous part and the track comes to an end with melody lead. Epitaph | Chapter V starts with a spoken word section this time with a fairly uptempo clean guitar. The rest of the track is a mix of very fast and savage Black Metal and a slower more mid-tempo parts. The mid-tempo parts on this song are some of the best riffs on this album, they are driving and purposeful and really make this song. So Our Flags Were Born | Chapter VI as with all the tracks, this opens with clean guitar and spoken word before some very pleasing tremolo picked riffs come in, the song then takes a turn towards the savage with more lo-fi Dark Throne style nastiness. New Planet Earth | Chapter VII has the obligatory spoken word opening, but this time the clean guitar is strummed. 6:8 time drums are added to this, giving a feeling of hugeness and expansiveness. 

The song has a central section with that is full of blast beats and then returns to the very pleasing strummed guitar part. Forthcoming Humanity | Chapter VIII opens with some nicely layered riffs, before going into some very savage blasting with really great, impassioned clean vocals, a melody lead is added and the vocals return to harsh and viscous. The track comes to an end with a section of mid-paced riffs. The album comes to an end with Love | Chapter IX is an outro and is the last of the soft guitar and spoken word sections. Forthcoming Humanity is a great album. It’s full of great riffs and melodies, and is clearly a complex album that has been realised with passion, skill and verve. I wish I could tell you more information about the band, but after hours of searching online I couldn’t find any. Whoever Yovel are, they are very good at making savage, but very intelligent Black Metal, which is complex structurally, whilst still having enough nastiness to keep it interesting. Highly recommended, 8/10

Wreck-Defy: Powers That Be (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]

The third album from the band that features former Testament Greg Christian, ex- Annihilator vocalist Aaron Randall and drummer Alex Marquez (Malevolent Creation) is a bit of a mixed bag. With the band’s pedigree one might expect to be steamrollered by brutal riffing and there are certainly moments when things hot up. The engine room is tighter than the proverbial nun’s chuffer, Christian’s raging bass lines rampage like a bull on heat whilst guitarist Matt Hanchuck applies the thrashing riff with liberal aplomb. The title track is a ferocious beast, and once you acclimatise yourself with Randall’s roaring screams then things become even more enjoyable. Hell, the band even dabble with a bit of Alice In Chains style melody on occasion - Drowning In Darkness one of several tracks that benefit. So far so good. 

And then we hit the one song which should never have been written. This Is Skin, a song clearly motivated by the racial unrest in the US over the past few months. There are no doubt good intentions behind it but the song crashes and burns from the opening bars. I’m afraid guys, this is clumsier than a 14-year-old boy on his first date. I can’t comprehend how the band finished this and said, “nailed it”. Simply no. Elsewhere, there is, as I said, some very solid thrash metal and a battering in the song I Am The Wolf which reassure you that when Wreck-Defy do what they do best, they are good. With the taste tainted, Powers That Be unfortunately suffers from the memory of one song which simply doesn’t deserve to be included. 6/10

Yersin: Guilt (Self Released) [Rich Oliver]

Guilt is the debut full length album by Sunderland grind bastards Yersin. Not a name I am familiar with but Yersin set out to impress with all out intensity with Guilt which rarely lets up during its half hour length. Yersin have influences ranging from Napalm Death and Wormrot through to more traditional metal such as Black Sabbath, Slayer and Pantera with the band describing themselves as somewhere between black metal and grind. This is an apt description of the band who mix a myriad of extreme metal sounds with grindcore aesthetics - the black metal influence is clear as well as heavy doses of thrash and death metal and even divergences into sludge metal territory at times. 

It is an absolutely pummelling release with songs that make your bones ache from their sheer levels of violence and intensity from the carnage of Massive Headwound, the absolutely crushing Fritzl, the unhinged ferocity of Destroyer and my personal favourite, the completely devastating Northern Stronghold. Guilt is an enjoyable slab of violence but like a lot of grind it can get a bit repetitive and suffers from a lack of memorable riffs but these are minor nitpicks.  If you like some disgustingly heavy music then Yersin certainly delivers the goods. 7/10

Reviews: Calyces, DGM, Molassess, Brothers Osborne (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Calyces: Impulse To Soar (Self Released)

Now I'll admit that I got a little excited when I saw the PR/Info/Announcement about Greek band Calyces. I'll head back a little by professing my love for Athenian modern prog metal band Tardive Dyskinesia, their latest record Harmonic Confusion was one of my favourite records released by any band in 2016. So you can imagine my heart breaking when they announced they were going on hiatus, I had to forcefully put them into the back of my mind with just their discography for company. However Calyces brings a ray of light for any fans of Tardive Dyskinesia as they will recognise the powerful, gruff-yet-melodic vocals of Manthos Stergiou. So with my little fanboy heart appeased it was actually time to see if Impulse To Soar would stand up to my lofty expectations. 

Well as the thundering riff of False Awakening gets the motor running my head started nodding in unison, "yep" I thought to myself "this is very much what I like", you can very much hear why they have been likened to Mastodon and Baroness, there is plenty of aggressive, off-kilter, polyrhythmic, almost jazzy riffage that is blended through 70's space rock and psych elements meaning that it's very much Mastodon pre-The Hunter sitting very much in that Crack The Skye sound, where the classic prog influences loomed larger over the hitherto massive groove/sludge metal sound. Joining Manthos, who also plays guitar, are Giannis Golfis (guitar), Stelios Tragos (bass) and Alexis Stavropoulos (drums) they lock together well adding a grunt to numbers such as Those Flames Are Dancing Wild which has a fat groove and some fluid melodic leads, it shifts into the hip shaking Parasites which brings some proggy dreamscapes as The Great Void as we dive back into Mastodon-like heaviness on Wired Crown. 

The balance between the lighter moments and the heaviness is done well with moments of unbridled creativity as the jangling guitars on Unfair Labour give way to a some explosive saxophone from Shining's Jørgen Munkeby while Chrysa Tsaltampasi brings some haunting backing vocals on the Floydian middle section of Beyond Sight before the percussive groove comes back in at the close. With 10 tracks with the band in full, well 10 with Manthos Stergiou singing, the last two numbers here are instrumentals with the post-metal ambience on Uneven Loops bringing some hints of Plini while We're Lost, But It's Ok is a delicate acoustic piece that has a live-in-the-studio feel. With crisp mastering from Grammy winner Alan Douches (who mastered Leviathan amongst others) and a beautiful cover from Manthos' sister Maria Impulse To Soar is a brilliantly realised debut that is a rebirth for all those involved, beautifully formed and masterfully performed Impulse To Soar is an almost perfect first record. 9/10

DGM: Tragic Separation (Frontiers Records)

Tragic Separation is the 10th album from Italian progressive metal legends DGM, with multiple line up changes they have been in their current incarnation since 2008 following on from their acclaimed previous album The Passage which continued the band develving deeper into carving out a unique and personal style. Yes you get the classic prog metal sounds of Dream Theater, so expect big vocal phrasing and technical playing but they have brought into this some djenty riffs, synth/electronic elements and some huge AOR sing alongs. In the blurb that came with this, names such as Symphony X and Kansas were mentioned, the latter is very much a feature of the brilliant title track, completed by some stirring violin. ]

The former is splashed all over the galloping Turn Back Time, Marco Basile using some very Russell Allen turn of phrase Tragic Separation is a concept record about life choices and life paths, this is why there are cinematic pieces such as Flesh And Blood, songs such as Hope mix heaviness with emotional weight continued on the fist-in-the-air anthemia of Stranded. I've mentioned Marco's excellent vocals but he's the cherry on a perfectly executed pie (Paul Hollywood would be proud), from the time changing grooves of Fabio Costantino (drums) and Andrea Arcangeli (bass), through the classical piano and fuzzy synths from Emanuele Casali to the sheer virtuosity of guitarist Simon Mularoni Tragic Separation is another top flight release, that delves deeper into a wider influences. DGM's tenth album is well worth it for any progressive metal fanboys (such as myself). 9/10

Molassess: Through The Hollow (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]

The story of Molassess is a story of finding light in darkness. The fire was brought to life on stage at Roadburn last year as a tribute to The Devil's Blood guitarist Selim Lemouchi who tragically took his life in 2014. That seemingly one-off performance featured The Devil's Blood members Farida Lemouchi (vocals), Oeds Beydals (guitar), Job van de Zande (bass) along with Ron van Herpen (Astrosoniq/guitar), Bob Hogenelst (Birth Of Joy/drums) and Matthijs Stronks (Donnerwetter/keys), has spawned into something that reflects the band name, a formidable, unbreakable bond that has been drawn from the sadness of a lost collaborator, not as a celebration but a way of dealing with the shock and striving forward in a creative process. After the single from that Roadburn performance the stage was set for a full length and Through The Hollow is the culmination of this beasts return from out of the shadows. 

The album is over an hour of audio healing a meditative, mystical, evil and transcendent collaboration by friends and comrades that kicks off with the driving title track where the early occult doom bands such as Coven resonate throughout the jangling, surf-like guitars and 11 minute run time Farida's once again the embodying the devil through her haunting, fervent, bewitching voice. On the undulating Get Out From Under washes over you as both guitarists let loose behind the hypnotic repeating riff. Musically similar to The Devil's Blood, Molassess is defiantly analogue occult rock which as I've said sounds like Coven and Black Widow but also more modern acts such as Lucifer and Blood Ceremony we are taken into kaleidoscopic psych domain with the mind-expanding Formless Hands which shifts into the the folksy Corpse Of Mind with the record floating through several stylistic mood changes such as the shimmering Tunnel and the closing ritual of The Devil Lives.  A musical journey into a the collective souls of those involved Through The Hollow is a captivating, retro, occultist slice of primeval energy drawn from a shared event into a bright new prospect. 9/10

Brothers Osborne: Skeletons (EMI Nashville) 

Ah now this is a big ol' slice of down home country rocking from Maryland, duo T.J. (lead vocals) and John (lead guitar, background vocals) who are the titular Brothers Osborne. Skeletons is their third album and continues the Brothers' style of whiskey drinking, blue collar country rock. John is the major instrumentalist but it's his guitar playing that really shines mixing between furious chicken picking and some solos that move into the Skynyrd realms. It's T.J though who really resonates with me as vocally he has soulful approach that sits between David Allen Coe and The Reverend Willie G, he weaves these yarns about love, both lost and found, drinking, travelling and the general Country shenanigans. 

As with most country records there a fair few co-writers on this one with Ian Fitchuk, Daniel Tashian, Natalie Hemby, Casey Beathard, and Hayes Carll all contributing to the album, as we get some electronic drumbeats on funky tracks such as All Night and All The Good Ones Are as well as the moody High Note however the attitude filled I'm Not For Everyone and Back On The Bottle have a more traditional sound. Brothers Osborne do outlaw/country/southern rock with slickness and will appeal to a mass audience, which is probably the point. 6/10

Reviews: Venom Prison, Necrophobic, Spirit Adrift, Paradise In Flames (Paul S & Matt)

Venom Prison: Primeval (Prosthetic Records) [Paul Scoble]

If you are unaware of Venom Prison, then you have missed out on the best Death Metal band to come out of Great Britain in at least the last 10 years. The 5 piece based in South Wales is made up of Ash Grey on Guitar, Larissa Stupar on Lead Vocals, Mike Jefferies on Bass, Ben Thomas on Guitar and Joe Bills on Drums, and have been making nasty music together since 2014. The band's debut, Animus was released in 2016 and was very well received and hinted at huge potential. The band's second album Samsara came out in 2019 and delivered on the promises made by Animus. 

The first thing I should say about Primeval is that this is not the new Venom Prison album. Primeval is a collection of the bands first 2 Ep’s re-recorded, and 2 new songs. So, we get the bands first EP/Demo Defy The Tyrant and the bands second EP The Primal Chaos, both recorded originally in 2015, plus the new tracks Defiant To The Will Of God and Slayer Of Holofernes. Clearly the band wanted to revisit their first material, and re-record it as I would imagine the original EP’s are now difficult to find and were probably recorded in studios that were considerably cheaper than the studios the band record in now, so this is probably also about having a well recorded record of that early material. The two new tracks give a good idea of the direction the band is heading in now, so this recording is about both looking back to where the band have come from, and it is also looking forward to the bands future. 

The material is in date order so the Defy The Tyrant EP comes first, then The Primal Chaos EP, then the 2 new tracks. The 2 EPs from the beginning of the bands career have a clearly different style to the 2 new tracks. Venom Prison’s original sound was a mix of Grindcore and Death Metal, the fast parts tend to have a D-Beat feel to the percussion. The song lengths are shorter and the songs simpler than their newer material, in most cases there is a mix of Grinding, fast Death Metal and super slow and monumentally heavy parts. The first 9 tracks have nods to early bands like Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death and Bolt Thrower, the energy of these early songs really have to be heard to be believed. 

The final 2 tracks Defiant To The Will Of God, and Slayer Of Holofernes are far closer to the material on Samsara, which is to be expected. They have the same, almost ridiculously intense feel to them, as if they were written and recorded at the heart of a neutron star. Musically the last 2 songs are incredibly impressive, the 2 guitars and bass interlock and work together so well. The songs have lots of layering of riffs, so at times there is a feeling of chaos, but there is definitely control behind the chaos. These 2 tracks are more complex and in many ways show a much more mature songwriting ability than the first 2 EP’s, that's not to say the first 2 EP’s are badly written; Venom Prison are a band that have never released bad material, but in the 5 years between them and these new songs, the band have developed and in many ways blossomed as songwriters. 

Primeval is a great collection. The older material is presented in a really great way, and the newer songs really shine. This is a great album for people who are already fans of the band, but it would also be a very effective introduction to the band as you get to see where they have come from, but also what direction they are heading in, and if the two new tracks are anything to go by, Venom Prison’s future is going to be very bright! 8/10

Necrophobic: Dawn Of The Damned (Century Media Records) [Paul Scoble]

Necrophobic have been making music since 1989. The Swedish five piece who took their name from the Slayer song, have released 8 albums before Dawn Of The Damned. Their first The Nocturnal Silence was released way back in 1993, and the last, Mark Of Necrogasm was released 2 years ago. After 2 years what have the band, who are made up of Joakim Sterner on Drums, Anders Strokirk on Vocals, Sebastian Ramstedt on Guitar, Johan Bergebäck on Guitar and Allan Lundholm on bass, managed to bring to their ninth release?

The album is 9 songs and a short intro track, the 9 tracks are broadly Blackened Death Metal, although the Death Metal isn’t that brutal so maybe Blackened Melodic Death Metal with a healthy dollop of Blackened Thrash in the mix as well, the vocals are harsh throughout the album. So, fast but also dripping with melody and great tunes. Tartarian Winds is a good example of the vast levels of melody and tunefulness that this album contains. The track opens in a savage, ultra fast way before going into a slower and tauter section that has a fantastic melody lead, which continues for most of the song. The slower, melodic sections feel controlled and driving, which is a nice counterpart for the fast and savage sections as they feel chaotic and out of control. 

The energy and inertia that the material on this album has is staggering, if it could be harnessed you could probably power a city with it. Title track Dawn Of The Damned has this massively energised feel to it, the riffs and melody leads feel so full of energy and drive, this is aided by a rhythm section that really excels itself in driving forward and filling the track with exuberance and passion. The only track that doesn’t have the fast and energy packed feel is the longest track on the album The Return Of A Long Lost Soul. The Return Of A Long Lost Soul is slower, never moving faster than mid-paced. The track has an epic sense to it, it feels huge, this is helped by a softer and more minimalist section that gives the track a lot of depth, before it builds back up to a climactic ending. In my opinion the standout track on the album is The Shadows. It’s mainly mid-paced, but feels full of energy and unstoppable. The track is packed with great riffs and melody leads that stick in your head and are eminently hummable, every time I listened to it I had the urge to skip back and listen to it a second time. 

Dawn Of The Damned is a great fairly melodic Blackened Death Metal album. The album is all about energy, inertia and melody, and these are the things that it really excels at. It’s an album that relies on great songwriting rather than anything more gimmicky; this is an album full of great songs that have been developed and realised in a very impressive way. 8/10

Spirit Adrift: Enlightened By Eternity (Century Media Records) [Matt Bladen]

Divided By Darkness the previous release from Spirit Adrift saw them achieving a new level of success. It was their classic metal-meets-stoner doom sound that nabbed them a record deal with Century Media records. Previous albums were re-released on the label making way for this fourth album to be their 'debut' on the label. Enlightened By Eternity is an album that takes Spirit Adrift further in the direction of focussing a 'retro' sound into a more modern edge. Astral Levitation displays this really well starting out with some groovy riffs and echoed vocals that sit between Grand Magus and The Sword, it shifts towards the climax into some glorious Maiden-like twin guitar harmonies cramming it all into a 6 minute run time for maximum effect. What's always so impressive about Spirit Adrift is that like their musical soulmates Haunt, everything you hear on the record is the result of one man, except the drumming which comes from Marcus Bryant, Nate Garrett is the multi-instrumentalist leader of the band, it's evolved from being a mere solo project (outside of Gatecreeper) to being his mothership. 

This is obvious by the scope of this record, taking his musical endeavours into realms that have only been alluded to on earlier outings. A menagerie of traditional and modern metal vibes come together on this record tracks such as the Cosmic Conquest having a bass and drum driven classic rock (very Lizzy) grunt making you raise that fist and yell, Harmony Of Spheres adds some proto-thrash, along with a sexy left-right speaker effect, while numbers such as the closing Reunited In The Void sneak in some swirling psych doom notes and Screaming From Beyond is a slow burning anthem really accentuating how good Garret is a vocalist and Bryant is a drummer deftly giving the track the space to hit home. Enlightened By Eternity feels like Spirit Adrift with a new focus, the songs here are the best the Garret has written, the performances at the highest level and it's Spirit Adrift stamping their authority as one of the best bands around today. 9/10

Paradise In Flames: Devil's Collection (Blood Blast Records) [Matt Bladen]

Released on Blood Blast (the new distribution service for extreme music from Nuclear Blast and Believe), Devil's Collection is the third record from Paradise In Flames. The band's ethos has been always to disturb the status quo eschewing the traditional Brazilian sounds of thrash/death and power metal in favour of a symphonic black metal approach, that has also been fiercely anti-Christian The band cite Belphegor and Dimmu Borgir as influences, with Dimmu being the most obvious due the Paradise In Flames' extensive use of orchestral elements, however in the place of ICS Vortex they have the soaring soprano of O. Mortis (who joined the band in 2019) working in conjunction with A. Damien's guttural roars. 

Paradise In Flames' history is a little potted seeing as they have had numerous hiatus' A. Damien the only consistent/original member. It's his evil vocal roars and blistering guitar playing that drive the extreme metal assault of songs such as It's All Wrong or Hell's Now where you can hear bands such as Behemoth as well, drummer W. Adrian battering the unholy crap out of his kit as R. Aender's bass has the gallop of a horse of the apocalypse. Along with the more traditional black metal approach featured on It's All Wrong Paradise In Flames' real showpiece is when they incorporate the symphonic elements on the dramatic The Tepes. For some it may not be cvlt enough due to the symphonic elements but Devil's Collection is the album that will surely give them a bigger following. 7/10

Reviews: Devildriver, Teramaze, Tallah, Fortress Under Siege (Liam & Simon)

Devildriver: Dealing With Demons I (Napalm Records) [Liam True]

I’ve never been a huge fan of Devildriver as I was more of a Coal Chamber kind of person. However Dealing With Demons I has shifted the weight of where I lay with Dez Fafara. DWD has taken the previous effort of DD and has moved them to a bigger stage as the entire album is engulfed with the treacherous riffs from Mike Spreitzer & Neal Tiemann. While the previous album was a country cover album it still had the sound of the band, and on this album they sound more ferocious and angry. Full to the brim with riffs, catchy chorus’ and air guitar/drum moments it’ll keep you listening for a while to come. The band do make the album seem as unique as others as they have their heavy fast paced sound on songs like Vengeance Is Clear, Iona & the spectacular title track Dealing With Demons. 

With the mix of their hard hitting lyrics, wailing guitars and a tight sounding drum sound, the band lay waste to your ear canals and feed the part of your brain that is in need of some heavy sounding Metal thrashing madness. And while they have their fun with their faster songs they also have a few slower moments. Still has heavy as the album is but with a pace that invites you in as the next song blows your brains out. Keep Away From Me, Witches and the phenomenal Nest Of Vipers proves they can slow themselves down and still be as heavy as a beached whale. Tremendous and down right evil, DWD has to be their best album since Pray For Villains. It’s nasty. It’s stomach churning. But it’s one of the best outputs this year. 9/10

Teramaze: I Wonder (Wells Music) [Simon Black]

Australia’s Teramaze have been around for a while, and are certainly quite prolific in their output, with this, album number six. Much is made online of the fact that the members of Teramaze converted to Christianity, and that around that time their earlier thrashier sound was abandoned in favour or a more Progressive and Power Metal feel. They also aren’t renowned (musically at least) for coming from the happy-clappy end of the religious spectrum - this is a very dark and bleak sounding record, dripping melancholy from all its pores and I don’t get any sense of anything religious being pushed here. There’s some good musicianship on display here, and the drum stool is certainly giving it some welly from the back, although the stringed instruments are creating a more moody soundscape. It’s an odd contrast that mostly works. At an hour and nine minutes run time you get your money’s worth too, with only one track coming well under the five minute mark (most are between six and nine minutes long). 

This brings me to my challenge with the album – although I can’t fault the playing, the song writing tends to ramble somewhat and some of those lengthier run times could have been trimmed to create a more dynamic impact. Musically there is a strong sense of mood over structure throughout, and to be honest in the metal scene they aren’t going to be to everyone’s taste although I can really see them working well in a live environment with some effective lighting and a shed load of dry ice accentuating the mood. Single A Deep State Of Awake benefits from a mixed vocal style guest slot, and brings the album out of the doldrums temporarily, but at nearly nine minutes it’s a real attention span killer as it doesn’t have a strong enough thematic structure to keep you engaged. 

Despite the higher tempo pace of the track and much needed aggression in the vocal turns occasionally, I can’t get excited about it. Idle Hands The Devil’s Workshop turns the pace up for the better and is tighter in its delivery despite being the longest song on the album, but the topical This Is Not A Drill is for me the strongest track on the album. Despite being quite rambling, it’s more overtly progressive with some really nifty keyboard and guitar interplay straight out of the Dream Theater playbook and works as a result. 6/10

Tallah: Matriphagy (Earache Records) [Liam True]

Blending genres is a good way to make your band stand out and get a bit more attention because of the nature of the outcome. Tallah have tried this by mashing multiple genres together. You can clearly see they come from a Nu-Metal background as they sound like a mix of old school Korn & Slipknot. They also tie in other genres such as Hardcore, Deathcore & Rap. But It doesn’t work. It feels disorientating and like they’ve mixed two or more songs together in some tracks. I hate to say it but the album is piss weak. The bands line up is something to dream of as you have Youtube star Justin Bonitz on vocals with his whirlwind vocals ripping through the fabric of the record creating the atmosphere, but also being let down of some parts as his style doesn’t fit most songs. You then have Derrick Schneider & AJ Wisniewski battling on guitars creating crushing riffs, but feel somewhat under used playing some simple parts. 

The same goes for bassist Andrew Cooper who is the booming backdrop, but is also under used and doesn’t hit the stride he could. Then we have drummer Max Portnoy who creates the landscape with his twists and turns on the kit. In all fairness everything he pulls out is solid, but that snare sound. Jesus it almost rivals St. Anger. I was expecting more and to be left pleasantly surprised. But I've left the album feeling deflated and let down by the bunch of talented musicians. Granted it’s their first studio album so they are still finding their feet, but it’s a write off for me. There are some solid parts like the vocals of Bonitz does break the line of Chester Bennington & Travis Ryan. But it’s not enough for me to leave with a smile of my face. Only a sour taste in my mouth. 4/10

Fortress Under Siege: Atlantis (ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records/Metal Mad Music) [Simon Black]

Greek Power/Progressive Metal six piece Fortress Under Siege are back with their third full length album. They’ve been around since the early 1990’s but for some reason don’t seem to be too well known outside of Greece, which is a shame because this is a band that deserves a wider audience. Definitely more guitar-centric Power than Prog (at least on this release), Fortress Under Siege have here delivered a tight and well-crafted album. One would hope so, given its six year gestation period, but endless line up challenges have plagued this band for many years. The latest change has necessitated Tasos Lazaris stepping up to the microphone at the last minute, re-recording all the vocals and backfilling his rhythm guitar to new boy Themis Gourlis.

I’m not familiar with their back catalogue, but it doesn’t seem to be an issue, as his voice has presence and power and you wouldn’t know that he was new to the frontman role. I did think this was another cookie-cutter concept album from a cursory glance at the song titles, but in fact although there is an Hellenic mythology theme to some of the songs, they all stand alone. To be fair, our esteemed editor would probably have given this piece the most critical eye, given his close association with Greece and that degree in classics he is forever waving in our faces (well, not physically, none of us have seen him since February). That said my limited knowledge of the subject can recognise all the headliners like Achilles or Spartacus, but the album’s heroes extend beyond that mythology to include the odd Viking or comic book character, as even Conan gets a mention too! Musically we’ve got some solid guitar interplay, and a good use of melodic structure throughout. 

The progressive touches when they come are just that touches and flourishes that accentuate the core sound without being overly in your face. Probably the most overt piece is Spartacus, which although still a guitar driven piece first and foremost, has some nice technical touches in that guitar work, and keyboard virtuosity that doesn’t get in the way, but is there to be appreciated if you want to (a bit like Michael Pinnella in Symphony X). The production on this record is spot on, but then with Fotis Benardo (of Rotting Christ and Septicflesh fame) on knob-twiddling duties, this is perhaps to be expected. He certainly brings the best out of this band, understands their sound and has brought the new lungsman proud and clear to the front of the mix - proving that this was probably the best place for him all along. Let’s hope this is the one that gets them a wider audience, because they sound ready for them. 7/10

Reviews: Sacred Outcry, Paranoid Reverb, Solid Faith, Project Theory (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Sacred Outcry: Damned For All Time (No Remorse Records)

Formed in 1998 in Piraeus, Greece, Sacred Outcry entered the studio in 2001 to record Damned For All Time however after 2 years they stopped holding on to the rough mix in the hope that they would one day return to the. Well after some more solid work between 2015-2019 those rough mixes have finally seen the light of day as a fully fledged debut album, despite the components being recorded at different times in different place this 'final draft' was edited, mixed & mastered by Steve Lado at SL Studio, the Tardive Dyskinesia guitarist also adds a guest solo on Sacred Outcry. With so much time between the recording and the release obviously a few members have gone by the wayside with only Dimitris Perros (guitars), George Apalodimas (bass) and Stelios Darakis (drums) still the major contributing members but Giannis Skalkotos brings the cinematic keys. 

The biggest change comes behind the mic with original singer Vagelis Spanakis only contributing to acoustic guitar on this new version of the album, where the voice for this album comes from Beast In Black singer (and go to screamer) Yannis Papadopoulos. So the album? Damned For All Time is described as an Epic Metal record so it takes from the theatrical power metal assault of bands such as Blind Guardian, Hammerfall or even Manowar as layers of acoustics and backing choirs are spread throughout the album which builds from the intro Timeless before Legion Of The Fallen the galloping first proper track where they can spread their power metal wings on this album inspired by the literature of Michael Moorcock. 

So yes it's swords and sorcery, high fantasy power metal so it will always be compared to Blind Guardian and while it doesn't always reach the scope of current Blind Guardian tracks such as Sacred Outcry will carry enough speed to remind you of the work up to Imaginations Of The Other Side where they were developing into the colossal progressive unit they are today. One would think had situations been different Sacred Outcry would have gone the same way as you have to remember that all the music here was written in 2001 just as the power metal genre was experiencing it's most challenging time against the backdrop of Nu-Metal. Damned For All Time makes out that this never happened with the folky Scared To Cry is a break in the pomp that follows through into the rampaging Lonely Man. 

Towards the climax of the album they show that they can deal with the longer form songs as well with the title track clocking in at 14 minutes with all the ostentation you'd want for a track of this length. I'd have to say that if you were a fan of this band from back then that this album would be long awaited, on this evidence that patience has paid off as Damned For All Time is a brilliant Epic Metal record guaranteed to put a smile on your face and your fist in the sky! 8/10

Paranoid Reverb: Billion Drops (Made Of Stone Recordings)  

If you've read any of my reviews about Greek bands before you'll know that they love a fat, juicy, riff as much as they love a fat, juicy, gyro, so when Billion Drops kicks off with the crunchy Maze you know that there will be thousands of Greek riff fanatics will be sparking up a cigarette and reaching for the volume knob. Billion Drops is the Thessaloniki based Paranoid Reverb's latest record and it's certainly one for the stoner devotees. Most of the songs are played at trudging pace with fuzz-drenched guitars repeating ear-deafening riffs to a point of hypnosis the drums and bass keeping things moving forward on each of these grungy psyche cuts occasionally opening up into wild, lead breaks like on Rain. There are definite influences of Nightstalker and Planet Of Zeus here with the bouncy songs such as Deep Diver having that slightly acerbic quality of the Athenian Wolfpack. Add to this the gritty vocal shouts then you have a record that also brings some desert/space rock journeying as well. Billion Drops provides a healthy diet of riffs followed by more riffs making it a satisfying meal. 7/10   

Solid Faith: Eternal Quest (Alone Records)

Yet again another band lost in the mists of the Greek metal history. Formed as Secrecy in 1997 before changing their name to Solid Faith in 1999, it's taken a long bloody time for Athenian band Solid Faith to release their debut album. In this time they have evolved from a technical thrash band into a much more recognizable sound of progressive metal that moves between Symphony X and Fates Warning. Does this elongated creative period improve the record or is it to the detriment of the songs. Well the musical triumvirate of Pandelis Moudouris (guitar), Kostas Karapetsakos (drums) and Byron Gatsis (bass) are still the driving force of the band playing technically expressive metal that owes itself to Fates Warning and Shadow Gallery keeping much of the record in the mid-pace while occasionally branching out into their thrashy beginnings, boosting everything are the keyboards of Greek metal journeyman Bob Katsionis. 

So musically it's pretty standard progressive metal with extensive use of time signature changes and melodic passages mixed with heaviness. The only problem I have though is that vocalist Theodor Martinis is not the strongest of singers, he's very much trying to tap into that Ray Alder style of singing but can never quite hit the notes, in contrast to Sacred Outcry where the addition of Yannis is ideal and gives the record a needed boost, especially due to lyrical content. Still after so much time it's heartening to see that the band can still deliver quality, however vocally they can get a little grating. 6/10  

Project Theory: Blood & Theory (Self Released)

Sometimes you come across bands that surprise you for the better. Let me explain. The word on the street is that Project Theory are metalcore/rapcore band. This threw up red flags immediately but when I pressed play this tag seemed to be a little to simplistic, yes they are inspired by bands such as Papa Roach and Linkin Park but where this Thessaloniki four pieces sound really lays is with Chicago, facial piercing enthusiasts Disturbed. But I mean early Disturbed when they had some guts, the mixture of synthy, flicking electronics are met with grooving riffs giving these songs oomph while the melodic lead breaks/solos and the amazing Dramian-like vocals really give it those huge hooks that have been sung back at every rock night since the 1990's. 

There are also some touches of Bring Me The Horizon on Into The Black and also a Nu-Metal crunch of Korn coming through as well. Now I've publicly decried Nu-Metal and Metalcore for a long time with neither genre being at the top of my list, however I'm forced to eat my words with Project Theory, songs such as Clown Festival, Lucid Dreaming, the title track are just part of why this album really appealed to me despite my immediate reservations. Blood & Theory is probably the best early 2000's metal album released 15 years too late which is a huge compliment, honestly! 8/10