A View From The Back Of The Room: Manic Street Preachers - BBC Radio 2 Live (Live Review By Matt Bladen)

BBC Radio 2 Live Presents: Manic Street Preachers, St David's Hall, Cardiff

A live gig! An actual live gig! Having been more cautious than a lot of the people around me and avoiding the first few weeks of 'freedom' by not going to some of the outdoor festivals that have happened recently. I forgoed Bloodstock this year due to work commitments (and my hatred of camping) but as luck would have it, tickets for BBC Radio 2 presenting the Manic Street Preachers, managed to find their way too me through the ballot and I was once again in the road to a live gig, after quite a lengthy layoff.

Taking place at the still closed to the public St David's Hall, this was a masked, socially distanced, fully seated, audience of around 100 people, spread out across the length of the venue in groups of two, this was a very rare chance to catch an arena size band in a very intimate venue. Having taken our seats been given our safety announcements by Jo Wiley herself, we were told to make as much noise as possible as this was being recorded for both audio and video, with numerous cameras on and in front of the stage as well as at the back of the venue. 

The stage dressing itself was reasonably bare, keys and rhythm guitar position/rack on the right hand side of the stage with drums in the back and the bass cab decked out in the Ddraig Goch. There was also a triple screen set up and lots of strip lights that would be used to great effect, but more on that later. Jo Wiley came back on to the stage, did her link and then as the place erupted, the applause and cheers echoing in the cavernous venue the Manics stode on to the stage in their unassuming style kicking off the night with an understated number before frontman James Dean Bradfield welcomed us all and drove straight into 'an old one' which was the first singalong moment of the night, the evergreen rock anthem Motorcycle Emptiness which brought a few tears to the eye, due to the power of the song itself but also, the magnitude of the show itself hitting home. 

Live music for some is vital, the bands especially and you could visibly see The Manics become more at ease as the hour long show wore on, Bradfield managing avoid blowing out his voice, which by the ned had that golden hue as Nicky Wire, decked out in his usual elaborate stage garb, began the night a little understated then started to throw shapes with the best of them. The set was a mix of tracks from their as yet released record, The Ultra Vivid Lament, some album tracks such as Let Robeson Sing and International Blue and some stone cold classics in the form of Your Love Alone Is Not Enough, If You Tolerate This (which still hits home) and You Stole The Sun From My Heart. The songs were more than musical spectacle, the screens carrying the words of Jack Kerouac, George Orwell and the most potent lyrics of each of their songs, "Reject All Propaganda" "So If I Can't Shoot Rabbits, Then I Can Shoot Fascists" "Culture Sucks Down Words"and "Libraries Gave Us Power" in large letters with the light show adding an artistic flourish. 

Towards the end of the show we were treated to a cover of Echo And The Bunnymen's Bring On the Dancing Horses and as the final notes rang out across the St David's Hall, all involved were enriched by the experience. The band finding their feet after the enforced break and the crowd possibly more appreciative of the music than if this gig had been in 2019. The show will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in September and will be on iPlayer and BBC Sounds before that, however you won't get the story of Jockey Wilson telling young Nicky Wire to fuck off at the International Darts Tournament in this very venue. It's tales like this that makes live music so vital, you can watch as many live streams or performance videos as you want but they just don't hold up, to the feel of a band cranking out their best songs to an audience! 9/10 

Reviews: Night Ranger, Circus Of Rock, Spektra, Alirio (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Night Ranger - ATBPO (Frontiers Music Srl)

With 17 million album sales under their belts, the near-legendary rock band known as Night Ranger return with their 12th studio album titled ATBPO (And The Bands Played On), no it's not a bunch of Saxon covers. The title is an ode to all the bands making music at a time when it is near impossible. It comes at a very creative, purple patch in Night Ranger's career where the men involved will never recapture that MTV baiting, radio destroying magic of Sister Christian but have settled into a very strong latter career much like compatriots Styx and Journey. Night Ranger 2021 is the founding membership of Jack Blades (bass, vocals), Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals) and Brad Gillis (lead & rhythm guitars) along with 'new boys' Eric Levy (keyboards) and Keri Kelli (lead & rhythm guitars). 

Together they have written an album of arena ready rock tracks with a complexity that belies the catchiness. Bring It All Home To Me has a radio loving chorus but also dual leads from Kelli and Brad Gillis and of course the dual vocals of Blades and Keagy who shift depending on the type of song. Night Ranger were always different to a lot of their 80's contemporaries adding classic rock and progressive rock flourishes to the AOR sound and again ATBPO has all of that in the mix, from the driving Breakout, through the bluesy Hard To Make It Easy, the technical Cold As December and the stomp stomp clap of Dance the album is Night Ranger doing what they do best. What I also noticed is how few ballad there are, most of the album is pumping hard rock and better for it. I've always thought Night Ranger were one of the better bands from the FM/MTV 80's heyday and on ATBPO they prove they are just as good now as then. 8/10 

Circus Of Rock - Come One, Come All (Frontiers Music Srl)

Ah the rock/metal opera, previously the bastion of Tobias Sammet (Avantasia), Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon), Ian Parry (Consortium Project) and even Timo Tolkki (Avalon). But now Finnish drummer Mirka Ranatanen (King Company, Kopitelo & Northern Kings) has thrown his hat into the ring, or perhaps the three ring? Yep Circus Of Rock is the debut rock opera project with Ranatanen at the helm and as with all rock opera's worth their salt there is a who's who of rock/metal vocalists adding their pipes to these theatrical rock offerings that straddle European power metal, AOR and the baroque sound of Meat Loaf. You can pick an choose which songs are your favourites, one of mine is Sheriff Of Ghost Town which has Marco Hietala's gruffness on it and as it stands may be his final song as a singer. 

However the remaining songs on the album such as Desperate Cry has Johnny Gioeli (Hardline), In Times Of Despair features Elize Ryd and is basically Amaranthe, Thunderstone's Pasi Rantanen adds a bluesy punch to Crossroads, while my second favourite track is the brilliantly boisterous Caught In The Middle with Tyketto Danny Vaughn. Ranananen wanted the songs and the performers to speak for themselves so there's no reliance on the overly flashy, and thankfully no extended drum solos. Come One, Come All is a decent addition to the rock opera staple, though it's more of a musical project like fellow Finn Timo Tolkki is a dab hand at. A debut that is very much up to scratch with the leaders of the pack. 7/10 

Spektra - Overload (Frontiers Music Srl)

The creation of vocalist BJ, Brazilian rockers Spektra are a band influenced by the sound of American melodic rock acts such as Journey, Winger and even the more virtuosic offerings from Dokken. The title track gets us kicked off in fine style the band of Edu Cominato (drums), Leo Mancini (guitars) and Henrique Canale (bass) firing on all cylinders, showing their experience with bands such as Tempestt and Jeff Scott Soto band, both of which BJ is a part of, the first as vocalist and the second as guitarist and backing vocalist. This link means that Jeff Scott Soto and one Mr Del Vecchio produce this record making for a massive sound that really sounds like those classic Journey records brought into 2021. 

This is essentially a project to highlight BJ's voice and it does that very well, his history with multiple bands and styles paying off as he can easily move from slinky balladry, Since I Found You, into storming rockers such as Breakaway and the choppy Don't Matter. You can hear the JSS influence on this record throughout, the mixture of slickness, melody and also heaviness really making the album stand out above numerous other melodic/hard rock bands. Spektra are a fully formed veteran band, making an international splash with this debut record, nifty guitar playing, anthemic songwriting and that great voice make Overload a superior slice of melodic rock! 8/10

Alirio - All Things Must Pass (Frontiers Music Srl)

Yet another member of the Brazilian music scene added to the ever-expanding Frontiers roster. Alirio is a newer name on the music scene but on first listen his voice brought good memories of a much missed countryman Andre Matos (even replacing the great man in Sharman). The soaring ballads such as Here I Am and The First Time showing his great measured vocal delivery, that has been honed on stage as part of the Mexican and Brazilian production of Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as being the new voice of The Queen Extravaganza. So he's a very experienced singer and across this debut album his talent is very much  on display, having also had experience in some Brazilian rock and metal bands, such as the aforementioned Sharman. 

On this international debut album Alirio has worked with writers to make a record that will firmly establish his credentials outside of South America, the album features big ballads, the most effective being Grey which features Journey frontman Arnel Pineda and driving rockers such as I'm Still Here and Back To The Roots which draws from Shinedown's modern rock sound, Your Hate having . The main album is 10 tracks but there are 5 additional tracks on the digital versions making for a lot of content on this record and if you enjoy the music here then you'll want to come back again and again, however there are a few too many ballads that affect the pacing of the album. Alirio has made a mark on the international scene so it'll be interesting to see what happens from here. 6/10 

Reviews: Long Shadows Dawn, Blood Red Saints, Cruzh, Mayank (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Long Shadows Dawn - Isle Of Wrath (Frontiers Music Srl)

Persuader guitarist Emil Norberg is obviously a massive fan of Rainbow. A style in contrast to his day job with thrashy power metal act Persuader, Long Shadows Dawn is an homage to Rainbow. Albeit the  Bonnet/Lynn Turner era with a sprinkling of Dio as well. Now obviously to capture that style properly you need a versatile vocalist, preferably one who has also performed with Rainbow (in 1994). The voice on Isle Of Wrath is the excellent Doogie White, a man with a stunning range, delivery and the ability to mold his voice to any style. It's no wonder he has sung for Yngwie Malmesteen’s Rising Force, Tank, Michael Schenker Fest and Alcatrazz as he pretty much has the blueprint hard rock vocals. 

I'll be honest it's White that makes this album, Norberg's playing is him indulging in as much Blackmore worship as possible, On Wings Of Angels coming on like MK III Purple, as Deal With The Preacher is out and out Dio. There's lots of explosive, fluid Strat playing (at least I hope it's a Strat), the galloping, rocky riffs shifting into expansive solos. I mean, they could have gone down the route of getting Ronnie Romero, a man who is often held in high regard for this style of music and even fronts Rainbow, however I much prefer Doogie White's voice, he's got a grit that comes from years of experience. Yet again another project curated by the Frontiers President but one that brings together a perfect vocalist with a Rainbow superfan for songs that sound-like Rainbow. It's a project that pays off well, worth a listen for Rainbow fans. 7/10 

Blood Red Saints - Undisputed (Frontiers Music Srl)

The fourth album from UK melodic rockers Blood Red Saints sees them return to the warm embrace of Frontiers, it's allowed them to move back towards the synth heavy, FM radio rock of that debut. It's the kind of music that never left your tape deck back in the 80's on the way to watch Tron. Well I say never left it would probably be swapped with Frontiers the album by Journey, funny then that it's the return to Frontiers (the label) that has brought back these massive Journey influences. Love Like War especially has that strut of the San Francisco AOR legends. The record was written throughout the Pandemic recorded at guitarist Lee Revills' studio. 

There was no set sound in mind for this album when it was being recorded but it was a natural fit to return to their debut as even though the band were formed in 2014 they are very much in that 80's sound of American acts such as Journey and REO Speedwagon but also Brits like FM and Dare. Pete Godfrey's voice is silky smooth, with a touch of the Steve Perry as Revill's guitars peel off tasty licks against the solid rhythm section of Rob Naylor (bass) and Andy Chemney (drums), a song such as Caught In The Wreckage highlights this well as does the rocky Karma which moves into some Def Leppard rocking. Clearly a positive move returning to Blood Red Saints they have re-established their melodic rock credentials with Undisputed. 7/10

Cruzh - Tropical Thunder (Frontiers Music Srl)

Not a concept album surrounding the 'comedy' movie featuring Robert Downey Jr in blackface, Tropical Thunder is the second album from this international (though Sweden based) melodic rock band Cruzh. This record sees a line up change adding Alex Waghorn's air raid siren vocal to the band adding more glam and modern AOR elements that reminds me of Reckless Love, Brother Firetribe or even Van Hagar with the virtuoso guitar playing from Anton Joensson a highlight. He has Dennis Butabi Borg (bass) and Matt Silver (drums) as his anchor meaning that there's always a thump on tracks such as Turn Back Time which also has tons of keys and synths from Erik Wiss, who is key to the sound. As with Blood Red Saints there's also some Def Leppard style on Are You Ready the band clearly writing this for stadia, mega-ballad Cady also created for a Billboard charting, in 1984, but still. Thankfully it's followed by the dramatic New York Nights taking away the sugar with some sin. There's been quite a long wait for a follow up Cruzh record and for fans it's been worth the wait, however Cruzh is a bit like the fruit flavoured ciders you see everywhere; far too sweet and not as satisfying as it could be. 6/10

Mayank - Mayank (Frontiers Music Srl)

Another project put together by the Frontiers President and it's a the age old tale of talented vocalist supported by a Frontiers go to studio musicians. Alessandro Del Vecchio is of course involved on bass/keys and production and it's Frontiers in house musicianship at it's best. Slick and melodic Gui Oliver's voice similar to Steve Perry as anyone who has listened to Auras or Landfall, both bands who have signed to Frontiers. Impressed by his voice with Landfall, Alessandro began to write the record with Gui and other writers, due to the pandemic, finally settling on the record they wanted to create this record together. They brought in Rolf Nordström of Perfect Plan on guitar and Nicholas Papapicco on drums to round out the band but as I said this is pretty middle of the road, modern melodic rock. 5/10

Reviews: Caskets, The Ugly Kings, Lorna Shore, Fearancy (Reviews By Matt Bladen, Megan Jenkins & Paul Hutchings)

Caskets - Lost Souls (Sharptone Records) [Matt Bladen]

So I've often lamented the modern style of metal with bands such as BMTH drawing my ire. Most of the time it's due to the emotional, often vulnerable lyrics, the radio baiting quality and the excessive use of electronics. However every so often I'm forced to eat my words, band such as Architects are a prime example for this, their metalcore sound has evolved into one that takes them into being one of the true future festival headliners. Other additions to that list are Wales' own Holding Absence, but I'm going to go out on a limb and put Caskets in that list of soon to be arena headliners too. The Leeds bands are a five piece and are following up their EP 2019 with Lost Souls their debut full length album. 

Recorded in a garden shed, Lost Souls sees the band, and frontman Matt Flood especially bearing his across the 11 tracks here, with heady, introspective and emotionally difficult lyrical themes. It's a record that talks with uncompromising openness deal about loss, fear and abuse but also retain an hopefulness that comes from the move towards an atmospheric sound. The crushing metalcore/djent heavy riffs counterpointed by soaring melodies, of course are boosted by the use of electronic blips and synths adding yet another layer to this dense musical offering. The band initially wrote the songs  in a similar ragey style to their debut but then decided to add mellower moments, relying more on passionate clean vocals and musical additions such as the synths and strings on the more introspective moments such as Hopes & Dreams.

Matt's voice is brilliantly raw but tuneful adding pathos to the lyrics of these songs his musical compatriots providing the captivating music. The driving rhythm section of Chris McIntosh (bass) and James Lazenby (drums) that makes Glass Heart a perfect single for Kerrang and Radio 1, they also power the anthemic Clarity with a dynamic bottom end that shits the feeling of it multiple times. Benji Wilson and Craig Robinson are a formidable guitar duo, cranking up the distortion on the massive sounding Lost In Echoes, which has the audio print of producer Dan Weller (Holding Absence, DreamState, Enter Shikari and Bury Tomorrow) all over it and again is natural single/live shout along. Taking me by surprise Lost Souls has quickly put itself on my albums of 2021 list. Poignant without being mawkish and passionate without being aggressive, it's a clarion call to all lost souls around the world, your voices are heard and projected through Caskets music. Fantastic! 10/10 

The Ugly Kings - Strange Strange Times (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]

From the country that brought us AC/DC, Rose Tattoo and Airbourne, Australian band The Ugly Kings eschew that pub rock sound of these legends of the Aussie rock scene, for a musical palette that is a little more haunting and much darker. Their sound is rooted in the offshoots of the Sky Valley scene, brimming with dark, bruising desert rock, as it transitioned into riffy, blues driven garage rocking that comes from the locker room of Queens Of The Stone Age. Add to this some punk of Iggy Pop and the mysticism of Jim Morrison sliding in to the moody, razor-sharp rock n roll. There's also some influences that loom large in the Greek metal scene with bands such as Planet Of Zeus, 1000mods and Deaf Radio.  

Frontman Russell Clark's deep, brooding vocal carrying the psychedelic, wooziness of Do You Feel Like Your Paranoid? or In The Shadows which has the start-stop riffing of Jack White building up into the the heaviest track on the record. Now there are a lot of bands that take from that alt rock sound of QOTSA, but The Ugly Kings are almost bang on to those early records, with a bit of oddness and danger in their music, packed into tracks that never give away too much about their lyrical content. The swaggering Spaghetti Western style of Lawman and the pulsing The Devil Comes With A Smile adding new strings to the stoner alt rock bow of The Ugly Kings. 

Along with Russell Clark, we have a rocksteady engine room of bassist Nicholas Dumont and drummer Joel Martin, The Devil Comes With A Smile one that is definitely all about them, while cranking out those riffs is guitarist Christos Athanasias who attacks his guitar with indignation, ferocity, while also being keenly aware of a move to slower, adroit playing for tracks such as Another Fucking Day which closes the record. We are indeed living in Strange, Strange Times so crank it up and let The Ugly Kings' guide you through the madness. 8/10  

Lorna Shore – And I Return To Nothingness (Century Media Records) [Megan Jenkins]

Though the band have been regularly releasing music since 2010, And I Return To Nothingness has forced me to start paying attention to Lorna Shore. At only three tracks long, I expected to listen to the EP from start to finish within 10 minutes and be mildly content, yet I cannot stop listening to it. The first track, and the title track of this release, is full of blast beats and in my opinion is an extremely solid start to the EP. 

The change between guttural and high-pitched vocals is impressive and seems so effortless for vocalist Will Ramos. Though he’s only been in the band for just over a year, he’s truly cemented his place within the group and proves that he is most definitely the right choice for them. Track 2 Of The Abyss is my personal favourite of the three. It begins with operatic vocals and then quickly incorporates a kick drum that sounds like a machine gun, but it works so well together even though it really shouldn’t. 

Intricate guitar playing quickly cuts to a breakdown that had me pulling gurns I didn’t even know my face could pull – absolute pure filth is the only way I can describe everything from the 3.5-minute mark. Then I’m given whiplash by the beginning of the final track To The Hellfire with an acoustic guitar riff that wouldn’t sound out of place on the soundtrack to The Last Of Us video games. Then of course it kicks in properly and we’re back to blast beats, gutturals and half speed breakdowns that are as disgusting as a broken septic tank but in the absolute best way. Thank you Lorna Shore for forcing me to pay attention to you. 10/10

Fearancy - Dæmonium (Black Sunset Records) [Paul Hutchings]

It may have been five years since the Austrian four-piece’s debut Paranoia but as the saying goes, all things come to he who waits, and in the case of their second album, it certainly has paid to be patient. 40 minutes of thrash blended with melodic death metal over ten tracks and each one brings something to the table. The band’s combination of styles brings a pleasing chug which underpins the fast and furious approach that is the blueprint throughout. Opener Last Disease provides a false dawn with a gentle intro that gives way to a thick groove-ridden thrasher which immediately piques the interest. Markus ‘Max’ Straub’s roaring vocals soar above the guitars, with Benjamin ‘Benji’ Jeram reliable and punishing drumming underpinning an overall ferocity that works well.

It’s fair to say that Fearancy aren’t going too far to reinvent the wheel with Dæmonium but their style should capture the interests of a fair number of metalheads. The title track weaves classic heavy metal in a way that should appeal to fans of more mainstream metallers although the vocals are slightly heavier and more demonic in sound and delivery. Elsewhere Voices is neatly crafted with an atmospheric intro which soon gives way to one of the fastest bludgeoning songs on the record. This is where the band ensure that there is no confusion in approach, but still manage to include some quality melody amidst the mayhem and frenetic aural assault. 

Rise Again brings chainsaw guitars and has a welcoming Arch Enemy feel. Fearancy have delivered a robust sophomore release, with a solid mix and mastering courtesy of J-F Dagenais (Kataklysm) and a stunning piece of cover art from Diego Gedoz de Souza (Hatebreed, Cypress Hill, Heathen, among others). I’d be very interested in seeing and hearing how this can be delivered in the live arena. 8/10

Reviews: The Helicopter Of The Holy Ghost, Grand Collapse (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

The Helicopter Of The Holy Ghost - Afters (Kscope) [Matt Bladen]

This is an album that shouldn't have happened, originally written by Billy Reeves after he left Brit pop/indie rock band theaudience (the springboard for Sophie Ellis Bextor). However Reeves' Morris Minor was hit at 90 mph and he spent a large amount of time in coma, undergoing many operations and then being housebound for a year. The demos for the Yours project seemed lost to the ether, Reeves' memory of the accident and that period of time pretty much gone. However in 2017 his brother gave him two mini-discs (remember them folks?) which had the demos on them. With these Reeves set about writing Afters the album that should not be.

Reeves takes the synths here, making the inspired choice of The Bluetones vocalist Mark Morris behind the mic. On piano Crayola Lectern (Lost Horizons/Departure Lounge) and guitars come from Mark Peters (Engineers). In the writing sessions the original Brit pop sound was disregarded for one that delves into the Canterbury scene along with the more modern art rock sound. A genre that Reeves championed when he was a journalist and broadcaster. The jangly, atmospheric guitars of Reeves, keening indie vocal of Morris and the piano of Crayola Lectern conjuring musical soundscapes of Steven Wilson, Robert Wyatt, and Gazpacho, whose Thomas Anderson is a special guest along with Cocteau Twins' Simon Raymonde and some other high profile names. 

Afters begins magically with Slow Down, this dream-like sound evident throughout the record, the beautiful strings behind Difficult Song, the jangly guitars and emotive keys of Tony Got A Car. Reeves and co-producer by Richard Archer of Hard-Fi bringing a esoteric ambience to these songs that Reeves himself, says he has no idea what they are about, in fact the band name is also a source of mystery. A wonderful collaborative project, taking victory from the jaws of defeat. 8/10

Grand Collapse - Empty Plinths (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Welsh politically charged hardcore/punk foursome, return to the fore with their first album since 2017. Since then of course there has been a little bit of political upheaval to say the least, so this album has a hell of a lot to rage about and rage it does. Calvin is the bile filled voice of Grand Collapse, he rages as the instrumental trio of guitarist Jon, drummer Glenn and bassist Blag bust out with biting riffs, the songs usually sitting around the 2 minute mark, using the short timing hammer their ideologically charged music home. Empty Plinths is a maelstrom of fury but with some nuances throughout as things move into some hardcore breakdowns, atmospheric passages and some clean melodic flourishes too to stop it from just being just an all out assault. A strong, punchy return for The Grand Collapse. 7/10

Reviews: Sepultura, Act Of Denial, The Cold Stares, Blacktop Mojo (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Sepultura - Sepulquatra (Nuclear Blast)

A live album that has been cut together from Brazilian metal legends Sepultura's quarantine project, which kept them busy throughout 2020. Now it is a live album as these tracks were all laid down live in the studio but it has been produced to sound like a studio album. On these sessions they played a mixture of their own tracks and some covers from their respective studios. Additionally to make things interesting they also collaborated with numerous guests a lot of whom add additional guitars in unison with Andreas Kisser or vocals with Derrick Green. Now there's a an eclectic range of guest musicians, some from the Brazilian metal scene but also some friends from international bands. What we can all be glad about though is that opening track Territory, which features David Ellefson, is audio rather than video. 

As things progress we get Scott Ian on Cut Throat, the vocal trio of Fernanda Lira (Crypta), Angélica Burns (Hatefulmurder) and Mayara Puertas (Torture Squad) add to Hatred Aside, Devy being heavy on Mask, Matt K Heafy on Slave New World and Alex Skolnick of Testament on Vandals Nest. If I'm honest the guests don't really add that much to the songs leaving you with a Sepultura compilation with a couple of differences. It ends with a cover of Orgasmatron, one they have performed many times, though this time it features Phil Campbell. I admire that Sepultura have spent their time highlighting some of their compatriots with these sessions as well as joining some of their mates for some Sepul-karaoke but this is basically a fan-only curio. 6/10

Act Of Denial - Negative (Crusader Records)

Something of a supergroup, Act Of Denial are a melodeath band formed by Croatian guitarists Voi Cox and Luger, in searching for band members they have recruited Björn Strid (Soilwork/The Night Flight Orchestra) on vocals, Steve Di Giorgio (Death, Testament) on bass, along with drummer Kerim "Krimh" Lechner (Septicflesh) and keyboardist John Lönnmyr (The Night Flight Orchestra). So it is pretty much an extreme metal supergroup, albeit with Cox and Luger the only two members who have been in the same studio, I would think. Negative is their debut album and it's a heavy, aggressive mix of melodeath and groove metal. Driven by Cox and Luger's wall of riffs they come storming out of the gates with Puzzle Heart which with Strid on vocals has more than a little Soilwork, In Flames and At The Gates to it. 

Melodic flourishes of technical lead guitars and keys, on top of the thrash/death metal assault have that traditional melodeath sound, the credentials boosted by the production of Fredrik Nordström who was so key in making the sound of most of those bands just mentioned. Along with the high profile membership they have also sought out the six string wizardry of Bobby Koelble (Death), Peter Wichers (ex Soilwork), Matias "IA" Eklundh (Freak Kitchen) and Ron ‘’Bumblefoot’’ Thal (Guns N' Roses, Sons of Apollo) for some solos. Negative is an album that really embraces everything good about the melodeath genre but adds more elements to it, mainly the incredible guitar playing and Strid utilizing his clean voice a lot on songs such as Reflection Walls but also roaring like a good one on Controlled, Down That Line and Clutching At Rays Of Light. For a debut Negative is very impressive, hopefully this can become more than a studio project as gigs start to re-appear. 8/10   

The Cold Stares - Heavy Shoes (Mascot Records)

Big, riffy two pieces are usually very good. Bands like The Black Keys, Royal Blood, The Picturebooks and Wales' own Henry's Funeral Shoe all provide grungy, fuzzy, blues-influenced garage rock. So when it's a thriving genre to which The Cold Stares are adding their mark. Heavy Shoes is Chris Tapp (vocals/guitars) and Brian Mullins (drums) fifth album but their first on Mascot Records. Tapp draws from his own life along with American Gothic writers such as Edgar Allen Poe, though Tapp has lived through more traumas than Poe could conjure in a lifetime, adopted, the great-grandson of a Bootlegger, divorce and being diagnosed and thankfully in remission from cancer, Tapp explores all of these themes on Heavy Shoes his guitar playing moving between blues rock, Americana, desert rock and even doom as Mullins' drumming shifts the time and pace of each track, both men in a mirror-like unison. Musically acts such as The Picturebooks, Rival Sons and even good old Grand Funk Railroad themselves are all clear musical comparisons for The Cold Stares, the album hinges on tracks such as Strange Light, Election Blues, the title track and closer Dust In My Hands. Pure, blue collar rock n roll born out of struggle, just like it used to be. 7/10

Blacktop Mojo - Blacktop Mojo (Self Released)

We've reviewed Blacktop Mojo a few times on this blog. Paul Hutchings gave their 2nd and 3rd albums Burn The Ships and Under The Sun 6/10 while Simon Black gave their 2020 EP Static 8/10 so they've had a mixed fortune in these hallowed pages. So what about this third full length? Well I'm afraid I have to move more towards Mr Hutchings than Mr Black as for me Blacktop Mojo's music falls too often into the realms of Shinedown and Daughtry to really leave a mark. Soppy ballads like Jealously are too throwaway, Latex trys little too hard to be sexy, while Bed Tundy is a clever pun but it's Alter Bridge-lite.  You should expect that from a band that are dubbed Texas Grunge. As with a lot of the bands that aim towards radio success, like Blacktop Mojo do here, there are too many slower ballads consecutively, meaning that by the time Do It For The Money brings back the riffs, I was loosing interest. There's a place for this, it'll sell, mainly in the states or on rock radio but for me it's another addition to that long list of bands who attempt to reach the same level as Alter Bridge or Nickelback. 6/10

Reviews: Daemonicus, Grisly, Guhts, Eldingar (Reviews By Paul Scoble, Richard Oliver, Simon Black & Matt Bladen)

Daemonicus - Eschaton (Black Lion Records) [Paul Scoble]

Swedish band Daemonicus have been making nasty, brutal music together since 2006. The four piece made up of P.O. Wester on Vocals and Guitar, David Ekevärn on Drums, Jögen Persson on Guitar and Martin Pudas on Bass, have made 2 albums before Eschaton; Host Of Rotting Flesh in 2009 and Deadwork in 2012. The band play a very old school style of Death Metal, most of the influences on Eschaton come from the late eighties or early nineties Death Metal scene, back when Old School Death Metal was just known as Death Metal. Clearly Daemonicus like a bit of Metal nostalgia, but is this on the same level as albums made in this exciting, early Death Metal period, or is it a pale imitation?
The material on Eschaton is mainly a mix of very fast and brutal Old School Death Metal, and very slow, crushingly heavy and no less brutal Death Metal. The song The Double Edge Sword is a good example of the faster end of the spectrum. The track is fast, driving and beautifully flowing, it features a very pleasing guitar solo, and just to mix things up a bit, the track has a very slow and heavy ending. 

Another place where things get pretty rapid is the track The Grand Inquisitor which, after a chanted intro, is insanely fast. The fast parts have a definite D-Beat feel to them that is wonderfully energised. The Grand Inquisitor also has a very slow chorus, wherever Daemonicus slow things down it works very well, the riffs are breathtakingly heavy and remind me of Bolt Thrower, Autopsy and probably most of all it reminds me of Asphyx. The material on Eschaton also boasts some melody mixed in with all of the brutality, the track Fate Sealed Faith boasts some very fast and brutal riffs, but there is also a lot of melody in the chorus, and the song has a very tuneful and melodic section in the second half of the song. 

The band have managed to balance this mix of Brutal and Melodic in a very enjoyable way.
Eschaton is a very good Old School Death Metal album, it isn’t that original, but that isn’t really the point. In many ways this is a very simple and direct album, most of the songs are short and to the point. They turn up, kick your head in and then leave almost immediately, but they do leave an impression, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks humming all the riffs, and that is a great sign of a good album. If you are pining for some late eighties or early nineties style Death Metal then this is an album to seek out. 8/10

Grisly - Salting The Earth (XStreem Records) [Richard Oliver]

Three words that always manage to warm my cold dead heart are Swedish death metal. That filthy HM-2 guitar tone sounds as killer in 2021 as it did when it first reared its blood crusted chainsaw self in the late 80’s and early 90’s. There are a legion of younger bands paying homage to the old school Swedish sound and although they don’t hit the heights of luminaries such as Entombed, Dismember, Carnage and Entrails most bands do a damn good job of emulating the sound.

One such band is Grisly who have a killer second album of HM-2 worship with Salting The Earth. It is one of the countless bands featuring Rogga Johansson (seriously look at his page on Metal Archives) who performs vocals, guitars and bass and is also joined by Håkan Stuvemark on lead guitars and Nicke Ohlsson on drums. Basically if you have heard Swedish death metal then you know what you are getting here and that is filthy riffs, punky rhythms and a guitar tone that makes you feel like you need a bath after listening. Grisly aren't a Swedish death metal by numbers band though as they incorporate a lot more melody than most of their contemporaries into their sound such as in songs like By Inferno’s Light, Mutilator and Last Days In Fear. Although melodic this album doesn’t stray into melodeath territory with a near perfect balance between the melodic moments and the usual HM-2 death metal filth.

Salting The Earth is a very fun, solid, catchy and enjoyable piece of HM-2 death metal. It doesn’t try and reinvent or breathe new life into the genre but simply plays to all its strengths. The incorporation of a more melodic edge helps these songs stand out as really killer death metal songs with tunes such as Mexico (Reign Of Bullets) guaranteed to wreck some necks. It is a very short album with ten songs running in at just under half an hour but this is very much quality over quantity. 8/10

GUHTS – Blood Feather EP (Self Released) [Simon Black]

GUHTS is a Post-Metal side project from the husband and wife team at the centre of Witchkiss (Scott and Amber Prater from New York) and was born out of the song writing process for that act and the realisation that these sounds were sufficiently different from the more Doom/Stoner sounding Witchkiss to warrant birthing them in a project in their own right. Personally apart from adding a lot more emotional angst and some Gothic keyboard layering, it still feels like it could be from the same band, due to the presence of Amber’s distinctive vocals, but I guess sometime you need to do a project with new faces as well and in this instance the rest of the players are borrowed from North Carolina’s Black Mountain Hunger. 

The four tracks on this EP very much feel like part of a contiguous whole. It’s moody, dark and ethereal, with Amber’s haunting but punk-tinged and angst ridden vocals wailing over the top of the heavy and threateningly doomy feel of the instrumentation. She’s a drummer as well as a singer (although not on the stool on this project) and you can hear that in the way she phrases her lyrical delivery. It makes for a different sound, as usually in this style the vocal melody lines complement the rhythms, but in this case they follow the beats and time signatures very closely. 

Her voice is harsher than the normal clean and symphonic tone that this style delivers, which gives it a much harsher and more effective edge. At first it did not appeal, but on the second and third listen I really found it growing on me. The song writing could perhaps do with a little tightening up, with the final two tracks having just that little too much run time but this is an interesting enough project for me to be curious to see where a full length album might go. 6/10

Eldingar- Maenads (Pest Records) [Matt Bladen]

Hellenic black metal is a genre unto itself, because of this there is no end of evolution in the genre, though most of the bands stay true to that Hellenic black metal sound originated by Rotting Christ, Necromantia and Varathron. From Athens, Greece, Eldingar are a two-piece made of Stavros Londos (guitars/compositions) and Andreas Simitzis (vocals/lyrics) but despite there only being two members there's nothing simple about Maenads which is their debut album. They have collaborated with Markos Samaras (arrangement/production), Nefeli Karra (drums), Gregory Londos (bass) and Dimitris Zigras (cello, Cretan lyra and lute), giving them a much fuller sound with the folk, death and thrash influences strewn throughout. 

Maenads kicks off with the raging Maenads Crave full on Hellenic black metal with tremolo picking, moving into some thunderous death metal riffs, Stavros unleashing his guitar prowess as Andreas roars with vitriol. The acoustic interlude of Height leads into the epic doom sounding Height Of The Moon over 7 minutes of death doom that shifts between slow doom metal and full black metal speed. Serenity's Anger is full on thrash and once again followed by another interlude called Serenity's from where we are taken into the classical guitar and strings of Inside Trauma which shifts into the progressive Trauma. Maenads is a slow burner of a record, it needs repeated listens for you to really get into it but once it unveils it's charms you are captivated by this excellent black metal record. 8/10

Reviews: Bill Fisher, The Kite Experiment, When Darkness Falls, Sorceress Of Sin (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Bill Fisher - Hallucinations Of A Higher Truth (Septaphonic Records)

Church Of The Cosmic Skull's leader and spiritual talisman Bill Fisher returns with his second solo album. While the first was more in the vein of his Mothership project, the singer songwriter influence creeping into the prog, doom style of COTCS, on this second album, Fisher has embraced the jazz sound that has roots in the style of Duke Ellington and Herbie Hancock. Shifting from the big band of In The Morning to the lounge style cover of Status Quo's Caroline. Yep you read that right, Fisher turns one of The Quo's heaviest hits into a smoky ballad is a brave move but pays off due to Fisher's reverence to the original. If you come into this record expecting heavy guitars you'll be surprised to hear the piano taking pride of place, with some metronomic drumming to accompany the keys. 

Now I said that there's some jazz greatness on the record but as it unfolds before you Answers In Your Soul takes the Billy Joel/Paul Simon route of soulful balladry, that shifts into a more jaunty, proggy coda towards the end. Following this is People Should Be Friendly which reminds me of Tom Waits, while Time & Death comes out of the Leonard Cohen songbook. The album ending with a gospel, stripped back rendition of Evil In Your Eye from Is Satan Real? COTCS's debut album. An interesting listen that is unlike most of the bands Fisher is associated with. Open your mind to a higher truth and welcome to jazz club...nice. 7/10

The Kite Experiment - Atmospherics (Self Released)

I'm always a fan of anything multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer/songwriter John Mitchell does, so the prospect of this surprise EP dropping on Friday 30th was enough for me to buy it immediately. However it gets better for prog fans as The Kite Experiment is a collaboration between Mitchell on vocals and piano, virtuoso drummer Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson, Steve Hackett) and classically trained guitarist Chris Hargrave of electro/art rock band Fishtank. Musically there isn't much different from any of the members day jobs but then I suppose that is supposed to be the point as all three have been involved with very eclectic projects throughout the years. I guess if I were trying to pinpoint it I'd say this is art rock taking from Peter Gabriel but also AOR heros. Temple Road kicks off the EP with a shimmering driving anthem Don Henley would be proud to write, although of course there's still that prog leaning of John Mitchell's back catalogue. 

Following this is The Bridge, an atmospheric piece, a simple repeating guitar chord, tapping high hat and understated synth, powers the verse as it leads into the more fully rounded chorus and then a carnival-like coda into the guitar solo, it's the longest song on the record at 5:38, but like with all the songs here, there's a lot of musicianship packed into the short run times. Alpha Omega brings a 80's synth pop sound of Duran Duran and the piano-driven pop of Keane, Domus is a slick, funky ballad that speaks of home (neat huh Latin fans?), in the Peter Gabriel/Eric Serra as the EP is rounded out with a prime piece of Celtic pop prog, that must come from Mitchell's time in It Bites. Atmospherics is a brilliant surprise EP from this virtuoso triumvirate and one worth investing in for fans of Mitchell, Blundell or Hargrave. 8/10

When Darkness Falls - What We Leave Behind (Self Released)

From Colorado, When Darkness Falls are a melo-death/metalcore band, What We Leave Behind is their second album and it's a technically proficent, heavy and stylish slice of modern metal. I'll not mention the drumming as I'm not sure if it is a computer or not as the official membership seems to be Eli on vocals/guitar, Kayla on bass and Will on guitar. Whatever the membership their is a brilliant unison on this record, the songs sounding like a band who are much more experienced. As their darkness descends on Heavy Blood the raging torrent of riffage brings to mind that of The Blackening era of Machine Head (before things went completely off the rails). 

Savage in their delivery but with a practically mechanical playing style things seldom let off the gas Eli and Will delivering riff after riff at frightening pace and intricacy, Deathless Rotting the shortest shot of anger. Kayley adding the crushing grooves to Another Grave To Dig which delves into the doom sound. Eli also is a quality vocalist his growling clear and resonant while his clean vocals are also very good as well. I'm seriously impressed with the high standard of songwriting, production and composition on this album, there's never a time when you would think this is only the bands second album (having formed in 2014). Tracks such as Order 270 are full on thrash workouts while Equidistance adds a melodic opening, ot the modern assault. A great melodeath/metalcore record, well worth your time. 7/10     

Sorceress Of Sin - Constantine (Self Released)

M'Colleague Simon gave UK melodic metal band Sorceress Of Sin a 8/10 when he reviewed their debut album in February of last year. Essentially a vehicle for singer Lisa Skinner and guitarist Constantine Kanakis, the band are a collaborative effort that came to fruition as a band on their debut album Mirrored Revenge, obviously no slouches they have spent the past year writing and recording their second album. Unfortunately unlike Simon, Constantine did absolutely nothing for me for one major reason, which I will go into later. I understand what they are trying to do, the album is a dark, thrash meets classic metal album with lots of theatrical elements that are in the range of Mercyful Fate and Hell. Musically it's decent if a little basic but the major fault for me are Lisa's vocals, yes their cinematic ranging from snarls to operatic warbling but none of it is in tune and varies too wildly to ever be too cohesive and keep the attention. After around four tracks I'd had enough but persevered to the end of the album, though it never got better I'm afraid. They play Bloodstock next week, listen to the album and watch the band to decide for yourself. However for me Sorceress Of Sin was all sin and no salvation. 4/10  

Reviews: Troy Redfern, Abdicatrix, Wasteland Coven/Nothing Is Real, Smiling (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Troy Redfern - The Fire Cosmic (Red7 Records)

Revered UK slide guitarist Troy Redfern kicks off his latest album The Fire Cosmic, with a piece of surf rock called Scorpio. It's a ballsy slab of hard rocking driven by resonator guitar that moves it into Dick Dale meets desert rock. Following on from numerous recent releases, by which I mean Troy is trying to compete with Joe Bonamassa in the workhorse stakes, releasing five albums in 2020. The Fire Cosmic distills the appeal of Redfern's Appalachian mountain rock, the swagger of Waiting For Your Love which is driven by big riffing and the powerful virtuoso rhythm section of Darby Todd (drums) and Dave Marks (bass), these three men holed up in Rockfield Studios to try and recreate the iconic albums that was recorded there, after which the album was sent to Though Redfern himself has had numerous brushes with rock legends having played with Robert Plant in the past. 

This experience and the magical surrounding of that studio has imbued The Fire Cosmic with a real sense of something special. Take a track like Love & War which is a mid paced anthem that I'm sure you'll hear on a rock radio station near you soon, but then compare it to the harder edged On Fire which features Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal on additional (double neck) guitar solo duelling with Redfern. Elsewhere Ghosts is a proper country pickin' slice of Americana that explodes into a killer solo. While Saving Grace comes straight out of the introspective balladry of Mr Big. A great album of blues/Americana flavoured rock which shows why Redfern is held in such lofty regard as a guitar player and also as singer/songwriter. I will also say it's got a properly cool album cover ala surfing with the alien. The Fire Cosmic will surely he Redfern's crowning achievement so far. 8/10

Abdicatrix - Melancholia (UKEM Records) 

Warning before you press play on Melancholia, the debut album from London based black metal band Abdicatrix, will probably wilt your plants and make the clouds draw in on even the brightest of days. This is a record that draws heavily from the seminal second wave of black metal, with a cauldron of  Darkthrone, Immortal and Emperor, the band stylistically are covered in black and white corpse pain, long metal spikes and from their promo pictures hang around in woodland clearings a lot. Of course there's little information about the band, to keep the identities of those involved a mystery (as is the black metal way), but in stark contrast to the genre as a whole Abdicatrix are 3/4's female, not that this is important in a musical sense but in the very male dominated black metal scene it's a rarity. 

Now musically there is a mix of all the bands named previously, as we get the discordant doomy delivery of Soteria which is punctuated by the explosive tremolo riffing that is so linked to the black metal sound. Tempest Quintessence once again is a long, slow creeping evil style track that bursts into an all out black metal assault. There is a lot of atmospheric gloom here, I mean the album is called Melancholia but there's also a lot of melodic flourishes on tracks such as Polarity's Blade where the guitars get cleaner and early on tracks such as Into The Depths bring a progressive bent that is reminiscent of Celtic Frost. 

The pace of these songs undulate and shift across their run times, once again having an affinity to bands such as Emperor, vocally as well it's a vicious, biting croak that tells these macabre tales with malice. A wicked treat for any black metal lovers Melancholia is an atmospheric, technically skilled record that has lofty ambition for a debut. I for one will be keeping a close eye on where they go from here. 7/10    

Wasteland Coven/Nothing Is Real - Turmoil Split (Transylvanian Recordings & Cursed Monk Records)

Turmoil is a split from two US heavy doom bands, taking the first three tracks on this split EP is Toledo, Ohio four piece are very much in the classic doom metal sound of Saint Vitus and Candlemass, the fuzzing basslines of Susan Mitchell are flanked by the crunchy gallops of Bill Anderson and Brandon Collins with a rhythmic drive from drummer Jason Wilcox. They've followed up their April 2020 EP with this split and Wasteland Coven's style remains full of groove as Susan's echoed, Ozzy-like vocals that works well with the D.I.Y stripped back production of the three songs they made for this record. 

Now as it starts off with the classic booming doom of Wasteland Coven, the split takes an esoteric turn for the three tracks from LA act Nothing Is Real. It's the solo of project of Nicholas Turner and he really unleashes his dark side with an experimental sludge attack. The three songs are all part of one suite where Turner shifts through various kinds of heavy and abrasive soundscapes giving you a peek into the music he has already composed on his March 2021 album. It's a swirling cacophony of noise with the sludge doom sound that does well in juxtaposition to Wasteland Coven more straightforward sound. Doom splits are always interesting and much like the Heavy Psych Sounds Doom Sessions Split records this one showcases both bands well. 7/10

Smiling - Devour (Rogue Wave Records)

Smiling is the wild, reckless psych rock project from guitarist/vocalist/composer Annie Shaw. She has plied her trade with numerous bands supporting bands like Against Me! Devour is her latest foray into the world of mind expanding, kaleidoscopic rock with a dark pop edge. The recording began in 2016, with Josh Pollock (guitar), Mark Nelson (bass) and Sonny Pearce (drums). The record was laid down on to analogue tape with analogue instrumentation. After the initial sessions the record was overdubbed, for that hazy layered vocal sound of psych rock and the post-punk of bands like Siouxsie And The Banshees. 

Especially when songs such as The Well features violin from Sivan Lioncub for that quirky, dark pop sound though one focussed through 90's alt rock fuzz and dream pop mystery. Now Devour is a pumping record that rampages through its 10 song setlist that fans of Rosalie Cunningham will dive headfirst into and swim in the oceans of oddness. The record was completed not long after the recording sessions but house moves and pandemics slowed the release but finally it's here in all its retro, quirky glory. From the punky title track to the euphoric FPS, Devour is a look into Annie Shaw's musical mind, taking you with her into a journey of musical exploration. 7/10

Reviews: Insurgent, Trance, Hunter, Nitrate (Reviews By Zak Skane, Simon Black, Paul Hutchings & Matt Bladen)

Insurgent – Sentient (Self Released) [Zak Skane]

Insurgent came about when the foursome met in college to form a unique sounding Metalcore band that will have soaring melodic vocals combined with crushing rhythms. Recently (before COVID) the band have already took their music to the Ukraine and have an up and coming six track E.P coming out on August 6. Listening to this album, I got to say this is a really good addition to the Metalcore sound, Katie's vocal arrangements sound superb especially on songs like Colours Bleed, Counterpart and the closing song My Sentence Awaits. Mike's provides some serious drum grooves adding some serious punch on songs like Colours Bleed, Eclipse and Zero Sum. The guitar work (provided by Joe and Jake) throughout this E.P sound astonishing, you can hear the Jinjer and Tesseract influences in their music but it still has their own originality to it. In conclusion the four piece have a great E.P on their hands, their sound is current to the modern Metalcore formula but it still holds individuality as well sounding diverse allowing band open to explore other genres in the future. If you’re fan of Jinjer, Tesseract and Alter Bridge this an album worth checking out, 8/10

Trance – Metal Forces (Metalapolis Records) [Simon Black]

Trance are one of the real granddaddies of Rock and Metal, although not well known here in the UK these contemporaries of the Scorpions have been banging their drum since 1974. They have not had the benefit of a stable or consistent line up in the intervening time however, with several stop and starts meaning that they’ve not maintained the visibility of some of their contemporaries. I have to be honest, in that I’m not at all familiar with their history or back catalogue, so can only judge what I hear in my lugholes right here and now and that’s clearly a very NWOBHM influenced album, but one that has not benefited from the vast improvements in recording and production technology that have happened since they first appeared. That’s a shame really, as the vast experience of the players has meant that this album has some well-written and crafted slabs of Traditional Metal, and a couple of good hook laden anthem foot tappers to boot (of which As Long As I Live is one of the best).

It feels from a quick spin of their history that youthful new singer Nick Holleman has breathed a lot of new life and energy into the band. His voice is distinctive, clear and engaging and he does rather steal the show somewhat. The band are also not afraid to experiment a little, and in amongst the Trad Metal, there’s gems like Deep Dance, which has a positively Tribal rhythm and beat, which gives Holleman a chance to step forward and steal your attention. It’s not all roses though, and there are also a couple of fillers and clunkers in there, of which the title track is the most blatant. If the song writing had stayed consistent and the production was a bit beefier, then this would have raised the bar somewhat, but it does feel that continuing the experimentation may be the way forward for this Teutonic monolith. 6/10

Hunter – The Return (Metalapolis Records) [Paul Hutchings]

There appears to be no stopping the resurgent heavy metal bands from the 1980s. The latest to hit the speakers is Hunter, who released two albums in 1985 and 1987 before splitting up in 1989. The German outfit had quite a history, releasing Sign Of The Hunter and Keep The Chance on Earthshaker and Rockport Records respectively. A return to the studio for a jam session saw the formation of the revised line-up of Rusty Wayman – vocals, Steven Brandy – guitar, Jay Youngblood - guitar, T.H. Bongardinho - bass and Paul "Mosh" B. Herrmann – drums and the band then recorded The Return in four weeks.

If I was cruel, I’d have questioned why they bothered. But whilst the band are at times a bit pedestrian, there is still a market for the classic heavy metal that they play. The influences of Priest and especially Saxon shine out like lit beacons. 

The music is solidly performed, unpretentious and nothing special. Tracks such as the thumping Way To Nowhere, the AC/DC riffs of Call Me What You Want and Talk Of The Town and the reworkings of The Wheels Turn On (an ode to the touring life) and album closer. Watch Out For Metal are all enjoyable without making the listener work. This is music to clean the kitchen or wash the dishes. It doesn’t make you want to spin around or jump up and down and yet, if I saw them at a festival, I would certainly grab a beer and watch them for a while. The fact that they still want to play, the fact that they clearly enjoy it and the fact that they are a million times better musicians than I am makes this a limited but harmless feelgood album. Hunter has my full admiration. 6/10

Nitrate - Renegade (AOR Heaven) [Matt Bladen]

It's not usually we get an AOR album here that isn't on Frontiers Music, but AOR Heaven has been one of the major supporters of the AOR genre for a long while now. Their latest release is from UK melodic roeckers, Nitrate who have almost completely new line up with founding member Nick Hogg joined by Alexander Strandell (Art Nation) on vocals, Dario Nikzad (Hell To Pay) on lead guitar and  Alessandro Del Vecchio (yep him again) taking the keys. On this third album there's also rhythm guitar from Tom Martin and keys from James Martin of Vega, both of whom along with Kimber's Mikey Wilson, co-write with Nick Hogg. Now tracks such as Danger Zone and Addicted remind me a lot of American melodic rock legends Mr Big, Strandell's vocals with a similar range to Eric Martin. 

There's also a very strong Def Leppard sound to the album, the pumping Alibi and Take Me Back along with the massive power ballad Lay Down Your Arms all very similar to the British rock legends, the keys layered like a Greek yogurt, the drums pulsing and the guitars melodic but also riffy. While the title track shifts into early-Bon Jovi the majority of the album sticks with the Def Leppard, sing along quality, even bringing those Mutt Lange backing choirs. Renegade is the most accomplished Nitrate record yet, their third album embraces the changes for the better, so hopefully they can Nick can hang on to these members and the writing partnership for the next record. 7/10