Reviews: The Abbey, Winds Of Tragedy, 66Crusher, Starspawn Of Cthulhu (Reviews By Matt Bladen, GC, Mark Young & David G)

The Abbey - Word Of Sin (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]

If you compare the Ghost of Opus Eponymous to the Ghost of Impera you get two very different bands, since their debut album the Swedish band have shifted to a more pop-infected sound, using the occult themes but doing away with the doom stoner riffs of their debut for more hard rock and 80's synthpop. However if you want band who sound like Ghost did back then, please welcome The Abbey. 

The gloomy doomy moods of Pentagram and Cathedral are fused with the occult rock riffs of Blue Oyster Cult and keening vocals of Ghost on this Finnish bands debut album. Inspired by Aleister Crowley's Abbey Of Thelema, it was the hedonistic playground of "The Great Beast" in Sicily, the study and mastery of Magick at it's strongest here, marred in controversy and ultimately closed by Mussolini it is definitely the right sort of lyrical inspiration for a doom band like The Abbey. 

Jesse Heikkinen (guitars/keys/percussion/vocals) and co-vocalist Natalie Koskinen draw from the mysticism and majesty of Crowley's teachings and ethos on every one of these cinematic, progressive doom driven heavy rock tracks, that reminds me of Lowen, Huntsmen, The Devils Blood and hell I also heard a lot of influence from Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds record. Conjuring bewitching soundscapes such as the slow burning Starless, the use of both sets of vocals having a glorious choral effect that is matched by the huge sounding riffs coming from Heikkinen's keys, and of course organ, as his guitars are joined by bassist Henri Arvola and fellow guitarist Janne Markus. 

The songs taking on a jam-like feel, sort of like doom Gov't Mule as I can hear that there will be plenty of room for improvisation live. Even shorter, more direct tracks such as Desert Temple feel like they could go in another direction at any moment, getting bolder and longer. Much of this due to the fantastic drumming of Vesa Ranta who served his time in The Man-Eating Tree and Finnish goth/gloom legends Sentenced (who I love and miss dearly as a band), he has that galloping power on Desert Temple but then the slow, dreary half beat on Widow's Sill to bring the gothic touches of Sentenced and Type O Negative. 

There's so much happening on Word Of Sin that you need to listen to it a few times, to hear everything they are doing on each track, considering that it's 53 minutes, that's a lot of commitment but completely worth it as I think this album is absolutely brilliant. Jesse Heikkinen has said he's influenced vocally by John Wetton as well as E.L.O and Queen which you can hear in the harmonies, Natalie Koskinen's voice in sync perfectly as the ethereal counterpoint to Heikkinen's Tobias Forge-esque delivery. Also featuring guest musicians that bring additional guitars, keys, lute and percussion, this collaborative, improvisational, dark record has instantly made it's way into my top ten of the year. 

As Crowley himself put it "The joy of life consists in the exercise of one's energies, continual growth, constant change, the enjoyment of every new experience" the energies are exercised here and all the experiences deserve to be enjoyed by as many as it can be. 10/10 

Winds Of Tragedy - Hating Life (Meuse Music/Tragedy Records) [GC]

Before I even get going I can tell this review is going to be shall we say, difficult?? Certainly not a lighthearted romp of an album, today I have Winds Of Tragedy’s second album Hating Life, if a title tells the story of an album then I am bracing myself, I’m going in………

It all floats into your ears on an acoustic and light guitar that lulls you in to a false sense of security before exploding into a brooding and atmospheric black metal beating, the vocal from the mastermind behind Winds Of Tragedy, Sergio González Catalán, probably wasn’t what I was expecting, its more death metal than black metal but it fits in nicely and doesn’t take away form anything and at about 3 minutes in this song really takes off and combines some groove into the all out attack and really fills the song out nicely for until it gets to another acoustic section that is made to again lull you into that false sense of safety before continuing to drag you down to hell, nicely done!

I feel that starting with the longest song on the album was probably a bold choice, but I imagine it was deliberate, so you can suffer as much as Sergio has, and I don’t mean this in a disparaging sense! I Chose To Die then drops the pace significantly and feels like a funeral march, it has grandiose guitars and thunderous drumming form collaborator Emidio Alexandre and it all suffocates you and drenches you in a sense of suffering and sadness, it really remarkably beautiful and then just as you give up it grabs you by the throat and throttles you with a sublime savage and outro section.

Title track Hating Life doesn’t let up in any way and is probably the most nailed on black metal track so far, its chaotic drums and buzzsaw guitars are both relentless and punishing and again there is a breakdown filled with a groove not many black metal bands would use and its nice to have that mix in sounds that keeps everything fresh and interesting.

Changing up the temp and vibe completely is the haunting and atmospheric No Reason To Go On, this song take you away with is violin filled beginning that cascades into a sombre and melodic symphonic sounding song that then of course doesn’t let you just wallow in the pity, it then adds in the anger and misery before again being in the sublime guitars, this song is a beautiful piece of work. Wake Me Up From This Act compared to everything else so far is actually a bit more straight forward metal. 

It has an almost Iron Maiden riff to open with and then proceeds to just saunter along for a bit before remembering what it should be and reintroduces the black metal and it seems a bit of a weird choice for me and interrupts the flow slightly but I needn’t have worried as Death Love is right back to business again and is more of the harrowing and emotional terror that has formed the main body of this album, Remember We Died is the upon us to finish us and the album off and it does so in a decidedly sorrowful and death metal drenched way, its slow, focused and sludgy beginning then explodes into a cutting and violent barrage that has you hooked and wanting more but then its all over and you are left wondering what has just happened to you.

In all honesty I wasn’t expecting much from this but, it delivered so much! It was emotionally draining and savagely beautiful in places but also ugly and devastating at the same time, this is a real gut punch of an album and made all the more remarkable that its just one man behind it all! A definite must listen, highly recommended. 8/10

66Crusher - Limbo (Gymnocal Industries) [Mark Young]

Norwegian progressive thrash metal band 66Crusher have returned with their fourth album, their first since 2015. Looking at online information for them is that their hallmark is technical thrash which is where the progressive tag comes from. They have all the right influences In their music but look to take the thrash blueprint and stamp it into their own image.

 
The songs are not short by any stretch, averaging over 6 minutes but they do them so well, so they do not become dull or make you go for the skip button. They are content not just to batter you over the head with multiple riff changes and 100 mph drums and are comfortable in going quiet so that the loud bit really hits home.

 
I really picked up a Megadeth vibe on here, again I struggled to find any real information on them online, their website is under construction at this point, but the way the riffs land at sometimes what feels like a right angle to the song played just moments earlier. There is a lot of stuff on here that I would play and get a buzz from doing so. It’s like they picked the best parts of thrash and technical music and built this album from the ground up.

Retribution brings massive Megadeth vibes straight off, the vocals here delivered clean as almost a back seat to the triplet riffing being provided then the solo’s kick in and its great. It’s just over the top and just great. The hope is that it hasn’t set the bar too high, followed by Strife which has a slower pace but with enough bite to maintain interest with almost anthemic chorus that doesn’t sound twee in relation to the song itself. Opeth sounds come on Phantom in the clean opening guitar passages and in the vocals here do the heavy lifting and then bring Megadeth back in, which is just spot on.

The songs themselves are not faster than light for the sake of showing just how fast they can play and each one just seems to have the right tempo. Its crisp, but heavy and they know when to thrash and when to dial back. Its technical when it needs to be and is one of the best I’ve heard in a while, and I would recommend you get onto it quickly.

Descent is razor-sharp, Distrust feels like Gojira while Unscarred brings yet more clean acoustic driven underpinned by some great soloing and the acoustic melody is just building and building all the way through it. Closing with Limbo it weighs in at 10 minutes long and just rips, solo’s where you want them with an epic slow section that just has Dave Mustaine all over it. Excellent.

 
I only hope that they continue in this vein and develop further as this is a strong effort that deserves so much more attention from the metal loving public. 8/10

Starspawn Of Cthulhu - The Cursed Vision (Talheim Records) [David G]

This curiosity from Italian duo Starspawn Of Cthulhu is an interesting one. Naturally inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and specialising in a rather somber blend of dark/doom metal, SOC provide a short but mostly sweet five-track album in The Cursed Vision.

With an acoustic intro Iranon is a solid opener that displays one facet of the band’s approach. The main body of the song leans towards the Candlemass style; pairing morose, flat vocals with slowly staggering backing, however the arcing guitar melody that runs underneath the “singing” creates an unusual and slightly off-kilter effect.

The Last Rift opens with another gentle acoustic lilt, that sounds practically nursery rhyme-worthy. There’s a slight twang of Swedish stalwarts Lake Of Tears in this one, more maudlin and adding clean guitar motifs over a chunky, distorted rhythm. By the end it starts to go a bit strange with guitars feeling like they are pushing each other to arms-length and the effect seems to make things more discordant.

Standout Black Lotus is built around a wonderfully melancholic lead part delivered over slow, chugging chords. The track leans more into that Gothic/dark metal style that relies on the sentimental, creating an aching feeling out of its melody. It’s also the first song where the vocals, which if we’re being honest are not the most adept, feel too flat, coming across as matter of fact and detached in what is a more emotionally impactful track.

Blind God introduces harsher vocals which befits the musical approach, chords left to hang in the air before piercing, dissonant notes serve to contrast their density. Towards the end of the track the pace picks up the pace to a chug, with little tendrils escaping the surface. Finally ...But Now I’m Suffering closes out the album, beginning with twanging bass before opening into a more landscaped sound than evident on previous tracks. Here we find the resonance filling out the stage as the chords hang out with the crash cymbals. The laboured drumming really emphasises the point here, it has a lethargic quality that underscores the music really well and holds it slightly in check.

The Cursed Vision sounds a bit out of time and place; its production is unpolished and the approach has a bit of a dated feel. With that said, I keep coming back to the word curiosity; it is a bit out of place but that is part of its charm, and it is quite easy to engage with despite its little eccentricities, or perhaps because of them. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Karnivool & The Ocean Collective (Live Review By Duncan Everson)

Karnivool And The Ocean Collective, O2 Academy, Bristol 03.02.23

I have to start this review by saying that I was disappointed with the turnout for this gig, as it wasn’t completely sold out. My disappointment comes though, not because of any lack of numbers in the audience, but because I had a “hilarious” joke all prepared based on sardines and The Ocean, which I obviously can’t now use, damnit! (I laughed - Ed) If ever there was a venue, I thought I was guaranteed to be able to use it in, then this was the place. As it was though, the O2 Academy was nicely packed but not dangerously so, so not far short of capacity and just right to give an excellent atmosphere throughout the night.

And what a night it was! I’d only managed to listen to the latest album by German prog metal band The Ocean Collective (to give them their full name) once ahead of time so wasn’t very familiar with what they were going to play but knew it was sort of like TesseracT who I like, so all good. What I wasn’t expecting, though, was to be so completely blown away by the band, as they were just amazing. Being live you expect everything to sound heavier and so it proved, with the quieter passages of music just making the “loud stuff” all the more crushingly heavy. 

The songwriting of this band is just something else, with so many changes in musical style throughout their songs, sometimes quiet and slow, other times loud, fast and on at least a couple of the songs, nearly death metal levels of intensity. And it was during one of these most intense passages that I had an epiphany of sorts – I suddenly realised that I was enjoying every part of what was being played on stage, including the harsh vocals, something I haven’t been able to stand for the last 35+ years since I first heard and disliked them in the ‘80’s. Bloody hell, what a band!

As there were only the two bands playing, it gave The Ocean (10) more time on stage, which can only be a good thing. During the last song, the singer even sent the microphone into the crowd for one member to sing/scream a verse, and he did a damn good job of too – well done that man.

This was truly a headline-worthy set and I can’t wait to see them again next time they’re in the country, which could well be ArcTanGent in August. It has been announced since the gig that they are also releasing a new album on May 19th, so even more good news.

Now, following that was always going to be a very tricky prospect for Karnivool (10), but I believe they may have raised their game to do just that, as they didn’t put a foot wrong throughout their set.

With a setlist taken mainly from Sound Awake, most of their second album was aired, which was a little unusual for a band to largely ignore their latest album in favour of an older one but it worked for me as that’s the one I was most familiar with. Clearly Bristol had been waiting to see the band for some time now as the crowd were in excellent voice throughout, even leading the singer to mention how loud they were on one occasion. And singing the percussive intro to Simple Boy was a joy to hear and clearly pleased the band too, who seemed to be having a great time all night.

The evening could be summed up as being an absolute showcase for this type of music’s best exponents as it was truly a memorable night and I can’t imagine anyone walking away disappointed. - just amazing! In fact, between them, these two bands could well have my bank manger coming round to do my kneecaps to stop me buying even more of their CDs, so it’s probably just as well that Karnivool record at the pace they do, although a new album at some point in the next 10 years would be nice chaps.

Reviews: Narrow Head, Motive Black, Infinite And Divine, Fredlös (Reviews By David Karpel, Zak Skane, Mark Young & James Jackson)

Narrow Head - Moments Of Clarity (Church Road Records/Run For Cover) [David Karpel]

This album grabbed me by surprise. So much 90s, but so solidly a sound for 2023. Out of Houston, Narrow Head has released two previous albums, both of which showed promise now fully realised on their latest full-length, Moments Of Clarity. Grunge-gaze or dreamy darkpop grunge or whatever you want to label it, their third full-length reveals a reflective yet forward thinking range that combines seminal 90s influences like Smashing Pumpkins, Ride, Hum, Quicksand, maybe Seaweed, and others to make a darkly seductive sound for these dissonant times. In addition to deeply personal lyrics that resonate on a universal level throughout the 12 infectious songs, Narrow Head lulls you in melodies that drench your cerebellum and hippocampus with something you recognise as a need. Resistance is futile.

Opening track The Real sets the tone – musically and lyrically. Tight loud/quiet grooves driven by walls of warm guitars, solid drums, and deep bass lines immediately reference the Pumpkins, but Jacob Duarte’s singing is a warmer concoction. A reflection on the difficulties of being true to who you are, Duarte asks, “How does it feel?/ To be you/ To be real.” The tension between the riffs and Duarte’s voice makes it impossible not to consider all the opposing possibilities of how to answer that question.

The title track follows with Duarte expanding his vocal range and maintaining the themes of the challenges of self discovery and connection in an often hostile and lonely environment. I’m such a sucker for this sound, that Sunny Day Real Estate catchiness that grabs your neck before it grabs your consciousness. That reference isn’t meant to be cheeky when the next track, Sunday, goes ever deeper, with percussionist Carson Wilcox creating a storm-ridden playground of groove for Duarte and band to jam and lay down those dreamy vocals. Next thing you know, though, Narrow Head takes a Deftones-like turn with Trepanation.

Duarte’s almost ethereal vocals are deceptively sweet while they convey often difficult subject matter, and the crunch on Trepanation hint at an undertone of rage that gets a fuller hearing later in the album’s heavier songs, Gearhead and Flesh & Solitude. It’s this range that puts Narrow Head in the same category as similarly addictive newer bands like Abrams, InTechnicolour, and perhaps even Astronoid. Breakup Song does what it’s supposed to do nestled there after Trepanation, slowing us down before the more sugar-pop infused rockers Fine Day and Caroline commence to sweep you off your grubby feet.

While The Comedown goes from quiet to grand, The World and Soft To Touch show Narrow Head’s quirkier sides, with seamlessly infused synths, effects, and drum machine programming. Having lived through the nineties during my formative 20s, I’m sure my bone-deep bias for the sounds Narrow Head taps into makes me an easy target for Moments Of Clarity. Nevertheless, the album is undeniably chock-full of caffeinated grooves and contemplative lyrics that create an enticing, gripping tension. Listening becomes an act of sublime catharsis. 8/10

Motive Black - Auburn (AFM Records) [Zak Skane]

Motive Black peels back the layers to reveal the dark and turbulent emotions that dwell in the heart of vocalist Elana Justin. In collaboration with Grammy winning guitarist/producer Nick Rowe (Bloodsimple, Vampire Weekend), the duo have reworked songs from Elana's former NewYork band, taking the music in a much heavier direction. Add special guests in the studio such as Marcos Curiel (guitars - P.O.D.), Ray Luzier (drums – Korn), and Carla Harvey (vocals – Butcher Babies), and something immensely powerful and visceral emerges

Lift Me Up starts this album on a hypnotic note introducing us with tribal drum grooves met with eastern sounding leads, whilst Carla Harvey and Elana Justin are weaving through the track in a seductive yet deadly manner. Carla Harvey's guest appearance on this track adds the Yin to the singers Yang by adding some harsh vocals in the main lines of the song whilst doubling on choruses to create some cynical harmonies. We definitely not going to get enough of this track…see what I did there. Broken instantly makes an absolute curve ball on the albums sound by going into a more pop punk meets hard rock. In the this track we get to hear one of the best vocal performances and choruses on this album.

Let Down ramps the heavy back into the mix with clanky bass sections, thrashy-hardcire crossover guitar riffs combined with the radio friendly hard rock choruses. Caged brings in some classic 90’s vibes with Ray Luzier doing some classic Faith no More style tom grooves whilst Elana’s choices of vocal melody and harmonies could make any fan of Janes Addiction gleam with pride. The rebellious thrash metal charged Cellophane pushes Elana’s vocal ability to new territory with the venom soaked harsh raspy verses to angsty soaring choruses. In this track we also get to see a new layer Ray Luzier drumming from firing an all cylinders by kicking off the song with some blast beats whilst throwing in his classic tom grooves to make his stamp on this songs.

Other highlights on this album is Bad Decisions which pushes the sound of this album into another direction by going into a dance metal crossover. The seductive verses met with electronic drum beats sound like they come from a Pierce Brosnan-era James Bond sound track but when it comes into the choruses the track goes into riff city and hard rock choruses. The tempos are spot on with the bouncy track Fake, again pushing the boundaries of their performance with Elana adding venom with very word she is producing, the guitars are performed with finesse and Ray in the pocket whilst pushing them tempos.

This is an album that takes what works and runs with it, with a team which members consists of Marcos Curie from POD and Ray Luzier famously from Korn complementing Elana Justins vocal range this is an force to be reckoned with. 7/10

Infinite And Divine - Ascendancy (Frontiers Music Srl) [Mark Young]

From Malmö, Sweden Infinite And Divine are a two-piece offering up hard rock and metal in a melodic style. Already at this point I’m feeling uneasy because in my house you are either hard rock or metal. I know it is limiting in the kind of music I listen to, but you know I like what I like and its metal. And 60’s psychedelia.

So here we go with Infinite And Divine who offer what could be described as EU driving music. We have keyboards and riffing guitars that are loud at the right point and are competent in delivery and in some ways remind of latter Deep Purple (the Deep Purple stuff I’m not keen on). We have breathy vocals that remind me of Roxette but it is just so… meh. There is nothing approaching metal until you get to Silent Revolution which has a metallic sheen, but the song structure is so similar to the others it barely qualifies.

Each of the songs are just so inoffensive to the point that they could have appeared in an 80’s coming of age film or a training montage atop a snowy mountain whilst dragging a cart. It is entirely possible that I will have to throw the towel in on this one because I don’t want it to be an exercise in me taking the Michael out of this band especially when they have expended effort in writing, arranging, and performing the music here.

Of the eleven songs here, there are probably 4 that move in a way I would consider rock, but the rest are just by the numbers which will have a market somewhere, but it just does nothing for me at all. 5/10

Fredlös - Fredlös (Threedown) [James Jackson]

From the off the self titled debut album from Swedish band Fredlös is dark and brooding, it’s a funereal lament accompanied by a sorrowful melody courtesy of a violin and nothing says Doom more than a violin. The first three songs Vat Varm Jord, Otto and Farsot have all the hallmarks of something worth listening to, female vocals sung in the bands native language adds to the atmosphere, all the more haunting due to the unfamiliar tongue. Throughout these opening tracks male vocals adorn the heavier elements of the songs, adding a touch of diversity to the proceedings; violin and a church organ precede dirge like guitar riffs as the music spins a tale; I know little of the band or it’s intent but a quick decoding of the song titles leads to a theme of hardship and despair. Suiting for a band that reminds me of one of my favourite acts, My Dying Bride.

Someone once told me that doom metal wasn’t, couldn’t be exciting but I beg to differ and the blend of folk, doom, multi layered instrumentation alongside male and female vocals that both duel and duet proves my point, you don’t get that song structure from continual blast beats and guttural vocals. From the fourth track, Missvaxt onwards things take a bit of a turn, whilst the main riff is still quite slow in and marching there’s an almost black metal sound to the bridge, it’s an interesting mix. Fredlös and Uprror follow both of which have taken the tempo up a step, male vocals take the lead on Fredlös performed by Erik Grawsio of Viking/black metal outfit Manegarm. 

It’s worth noting that Entombed guitarist Alex Hellid is amongst the lineup and that death metal influence can be heard throughout this midsection of the album. Undergang brings back the melancholy without the violin, relying on a lead melody and stripped down instrumentals backing the female vocals once more before building into a more distorted element, it’s a rollercoaster of a track building and falling but always haunting. The penultimate track, Deus is quite a Folk, reminding me of Skald, a spoken word interlude with a steady solitary drum beat accompanied by an instrument which sounds like to my untrained ear an accordion; I’m most likely wrong there but whatever it is, it works.

Requiem brings the album to a close and it’s giving it all, much like Undergang it’s taking the listener on quite the journey… and the violin is back !! Whilst that middle segment lost some of its excitement for me, that violin was sorely missed; nothing seems out of place, with its woodcut image on the cover to my hopefully correct interpretation of the song titles there’s a theme to this album of famine, plague and death and the music does it justice; I’ve added this album to my library and am most certainly going to be playing it for awhile. 7/10

Reviews: Bridear, Unto Others, Wig Wam, T3nors (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Bridear - Aegis Of London... Live! (Setsuzoku Records)

Recorded at London's Boston Music Rooms in September 2022. Aegis Of London...Live! Is the first live album (they've previously released DVDs) from Japanese metal band Bridear, intended to capture the band on stage during their tour supporting Aegis Of Athena their latest studio album. Unlike other Japanese bands such as Band-Maid or Lovebites, Bridear try to avoid the overt power/shred metal style relying more the thrash/classic metal mix of American bands such as Trvium etc on the opener Side Of A Bullet, but even when they kick back into galloping power metal it's very Americanised, delivered much heavier than many of their fellow acts.

This NWOAHM, Gothenburg scene influenced take is helped by Frederick Nordström (In Flames/At The Gates) mixing/mastering this run through of the bands career in front of a rabid fan base. With the power metal Daybreak lightning the mood it's The Moment that brings back the heavy with lots of guttural growls from the melodeath arena. Their fusion of putting the heavy melodic metal with poppy hooks is quite a Japanese idea as the virtuosity is off the charts for all involved, the vocals do need a bit of getting used to but if you've ever heard a band such as Loudness then you'll get there.

It's certainly an interesting listen if you're you're not familiar with the band or the uniqueness of the Japanese metal scene, dynamic songwriting brings prog on Brave New World Revisted, the NWOBHM-like Dimensions and the pop driven Determination. The tracks positioned well in the set to make sure the audience get the best of the band, their most known numbers coming last as the mighty Again finishes things off. If I could tell you in a sentence what to expect then I'd say Alanis Morrisette fronting Trivium but they were from Japan, well worth a listen if you're curious about what Bridear do. 7/10

Unto Others - Strength II...Deep Cuts (Lone Fir Records/Eisenwald Records)

When recording their last album Strength, Portland, Oregon goth rockers Unto Others wrote 25 demos. Unfortunately for them the record label only wanted am album with around 12 tracks on it (standard length), this meant that extras were condemned to the cutting room floor or the ideas drawer.

Thankfully because the band are now on the verge of being stratospheric they have sated the appetite of their fans with this new EP which features six songs recorded during the Strength sessions with producer Arthur Rizk, three full fledged new tracks, two demos and a cover. First to the cover and it's Passion Rules The Game by Scorpions, the Unto Others version turning it into a Maiden song. The EP gets going though with the galloping Sailing In The Darkness, Over Western Shores also feeling epic and nautical, the NWOBHM chug paired with those brilliant booming vocals.

You can just hear Gabriel Franco bellowing down the mic with his mirrored aviators. Even the two demos sound great, a little rougher but they are still enough to get your head nodding along, while The Fire Of Youth is the most jangly goth rocker the band have produced. Yet more Strength from Unto Others, a band on a meteoric rise to superstardom. 8/10

Wig Wam - Out Of The Dark (Frontiers Music Srl)

Norwegian rock band Wig Wam have had a lot of people discovering who they are recently due to their track Do Ya Wanna Taste It being used as the theme to HBO's Peacemaker (starring John Cena). On the back of this you'd expect there to be a much wider audience trying to see what Glam (vocals), Teeny (guitar), Flash (bass) and Sporty (drums) sound like in 2023. Well happily exactly like they did in 2010 when Do Ya Wanna Taste It was released.

Wig Wam have an easy sound, not complicated, inspired by glam bands such as Ratt, Warrant and countless more they have seen a lot of success throughout their career having played in the Eurovision Song Contest (obviously doing better than us!) They split in 2014 but reunited in 2019 with Out Of The Dark being their second album since the reformation and their first since James Gunn chose their song as the main theme for Peacemaker. Wig Wam celebrate by releasing an album that will appeal to this new set of fans acquried from the series.

So does Out Of The Dark do anything different? Well the title track is a little more brooding than many of their songs but High N Dry returns to the sleazy ways of old as does the anthemic Bad Luck Chuck. The changes in style are more noticeable though with Forevermore becoming more of a folk metal offering, 79 getting the Gary Moore blues, The Purpose reminds me of Mr Big the majority of it though is the at the heavier end of the glam metal sound with bits of Alice Cooper on the darker toned tracks. A great way to enjoy the band if you've just discovered them, it's Wig Wam doing what they do. 8/10.

T3nors - Naked Soul (Frontiers Music Srl)

Similar to the Three Tremors project but from a different musical direction. Three excellent singers all from the AOR background combining their talents to another Frontiers collaboration records. The singers in question are Americans Robbie LaBlanc (Find Me), Toby Hitchcock (Pride Of Lions) and Swede Kent Hilli (Perfect Plan) all of whom have a distinct melodic rock vocal but they blend well on this album the songwriting from Alessandro Del Vecchio, pitched perfectly for all three men. This idea of the trio of singers had been floated for a while around Frontiers but the pandemic made it a reality.

So like the Three Tremors metal project, it's a strong selection of songs that utilises the three pronged vocal well, Hilli, Hitchcock and LaBlanc, giving their all on each track, the harmonies pretty much perfect across all of these, I'll admit pretty standard melodic rock tracks. Mainly mid paced keyboard driven rockers and some big balladry is what you get topped by the three voices. There's also three additional songs which are three songs, sung by just one of the singers by themselves. They don't really add anything but are decent enough. Naked Soul is another quality collaborative record from Frontiers. 7/10

Reviews: Khymera, Deviser, Godiva, Victor Smolski (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Khymera – Hold Your Ground (Frontiers Music Srl)

Dennis Ward is a legend in the melodic rock/AOR/power metal scene, having been the bassist of Pink Cream 69 since 1989, being the current bassist of Magnum, as well as playing with Gus G, Unisonic and Sunstorm. He’s also one of the go-to producers/mixers for melodic/AOR/power metal genre, Khymera has been the band he has fronted between 2005-2008 and from 2015 until present.

They released their last album Master Of 1llusion in 2020 so along with guitarist Michael Klein, keyboardist Eric Ragno, drummer Michael Kolar and fellow producer extraordinaire Pete Newdeck on backing vocals, Khymera return with yet more perfectly positioned melodic rock, that has all the choruses of bands like Journey (Hear What I’m Saying), but with more technical elements of Styx and Kansas (Khymera was originally a union between Italian producer/musician Daniele Liverani and Kansas singer Steve Walsh) but with Ward behind the mic (and on the bass) there’s more of a rock n roll soul to this band that brings to mind Magnum or TEN, tracks such as Sail On Forever or the proggy On The Edge, bring those European/British AOR sounds.A sound that is different to the way the Yanks do it and even though Ward is American he is well versed in the European style so it’s no wonder the songwriting is skewed that way.

Only really the ballads such as Believe In What You Want and Our Love Is Killing Me, which steals it’s keys from Heart’s Alone, do they move into that saccharine American AOR sound. Still Ward’s great vocals and production means that everything sounds great, and the focus on more rockers rather than ballads make the pacing much better, giving the ballads room to breathe but ensuring that you’re nodding your head throughout. With a much shorter gap between these last two albums, it shows that Khymera still have the quality but can also do quantity too. More please! 8/10

Deviser - Evil Summons Evil (Hammerheart Records)

Having been in existence as long as Hellenic Black Metal legends Rotting Christ, you would think that Deviser would be more recognised, and more prolific, than the are, definitely more of underground act, having only released four albums and two EP's before Evil Summons Evil, they are one of those bands that are lauded by the trve kvlt black metal fans as not being "commercial", filthy enough for loves of the first Norwegian waves but polished enough to have the orchestral parts Rotting Christ, Septicflesh and others put so much value in.

Psychon of Septicflesh is behind the desk for this, so it has that pin sharp production that lets the strings work their magic on Tenebrae and Of Magick. After a lengthy gap of 11 years it's seems it seems evil really does summon evil as Deviser have come back more satanic than before. Packed with lightning fast tremolo picked riffs on Absence Of Heaven then alternating into the chugging mid pace on tracks like Cold Comes The Night, they are very much ingrained into the Hellenic extreme metal sound, the blast beats never stopping even on the slower tracks such as Where Angels Fear.

Hopefully this album, released on Hammerheart Records will get them as much recognition as Rotting Christ, Varathon and Septicflesh as they definitely deserve it. 8/10

Godiva - Hubris (Self Released)

 
The Portuguese band Godiva have been away from things for 11 years but in 2023 they have finally graced us with their debut full length record, entitled Hubris, they are obviously very proud of their deity defiance as this symphonic death metal band take a similar approach to “the good book” lyrically and musically as Greek band Septicflesh. Dark gothic orchestration, pulverising death metal drumming and snarled vocals are all very similar to the long established Greek band but Godiva do it just as well with tracks such as The All Seeing Eye managing to hook itself on huge orchestral parps and a solo ala Behemoth. 

They also allowing the black metal sound to be further explored on tracks such as Death Of Icarus. Both the symphonic parts and the metallic ones work well, the slick production helping no end, but it feels a little like Godiva have arrived into quite a crowded field with their time away. Having come back to life in 2018, their progress was obviously hindered by the pandemic however this album is as vicious and voracious as they were on their early 2000’s EP’s, but with better production really. It’s these records that made them an underground sensation in their native country, but Hubris looks like it could be the album that breaks them to a wider audience. 7/10

Victor Smolski – Guitar Force (Massacre Records)

Former Rage guitarist and Sir Ben Kingsley lookalike, Victor Smolski has released a instrumental guitar album…yay. These so called ‘shred’ albums were extremely popular in the late 80’s with Vai, Satriani, Malmsteen, Michael Angelo Batio, Jason Becker and Marty Friedman all worshipped as gods by young axe slingers trying to go faster and more technical than anyone before. Now I’m not a guitarist so I’ve never really had much of an interest in these sorts of records, as I do like to have some dynamics in my instrumental music and vocals with my neo-classical metal style playing. So this may be a challenge, not because I don’t understand the dedication and discipline that goes into being this bloody good at your instrument but as just pure listening experience I found my mind wandering off.

Now I like Rage, I like Almanac and most of the bands Smolski has been involved in so to hear some of those songs on this compilation along with the overdone trope of playing J.S Bach compositions through an electric six string makes it at least a bit more enjoyable to the ear. There’s some variation in style for sure with use of both electrics and acoustics, but the album pretty much stays in the neo-classical/power/classic metal category just without vocals. There are also some guests, the highest profile being Rage founder Peavy Wagner contributing bass to Unity, Tim Rashid of Almanac giving bass to the first three songs.

He employs the use of the Inspector Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Virtuoso and Orquestra Barcelona Filharmonia on all of the tracks except Unity so the record sounds cinematic and as OTT as you'd want it to be. If you're a guitarist with an interest in the shredders then you'll love this, for anyone else it may not be as exciting. 6/10

Reviews: Xandria, STAHV, Various Artists, Nothing Sacred (Reviews By Simon Black, Mark Young, Rich Piva & James Jackson)

Xandria - The Wonders Still Awaiting (Napalm Records) [Simon Black]

I really hate way the term “female-fronted Symphonic Metal” is used currently. Not the genre itself, you understand, but the fact that bands or their management/PR feel constantly obliged to make the fact that one or more members of the band are in fact female the most important point that any potential listener needs to be aware of. Not say, the quality of the music, performance or songwriting. This has always felt like an over-compensation for decades of bias, which in this day and age should be completely unnecessary. The way to move on from that is to simply not draw attention to it and focus on the three pillars I just listed and their relative quality. Germany’s Xandria, fortunately have no need for any of this nonsense, and do just that.

And then there is the other challenge I have - that it’s now an insanely crowded market, and one in which only a very small number of bands have achieved a modicum of success, with a style that can be quite limiting in terms of originality. Given that they actually pre-date Nightwish (who are let’s face it the style that the many thousands of clone bands out there are trying, and often failing to emulate) again, Xandria have an edge, because if you literally are one of the true sub-genre pioneers (alongside Therion), then no-one can really accuse you of being a copycat.

That said they have not achieved anything like the same level of impact as either of those two acts, and a huge part of that challenge has been in maintaining a stable line-up. It’s triply hard when the majority of that churn takes place at the main mike stand, because the voice is often the most distinctive part of any act. I’ve read interviews with Tuomas Holopainen who has expressed his frustration that on the two occasions Nightwish have replaced their frontwoman that they’ve had to win over fans all over again, and there are one or two people I can think of who even now refuse to acknowledge anyone other than their particular favourite over the years as the true voice of that band. Xandria have this problem and then some, with no less than six lead singers having been in role since 1996 (seven if you count the fact that one of them came back for a short second stint). To be fair the changes elsewhere in the band have been significant, but it’s the signer the public associates most with a band, so changing your frontwoman is not something to be entered into lightly.

The Wonders Still Awaiting is the debut for the latest incumbent Ambre Vourvahis, and she wastes no time claiming the role as if she was both born to it and, in fact, had been doing it all of this time. OK, so for the a significant portion of the time there’s the usual Operatic clean style associated with the genre in play here, but just when you think that’s she’s a one trick player, she switches styles completely and throws in an extreme vocals style that Alissa White-Gluz would be proud of, or just some good old fashioned traditional gutsy metal rock n roll sounds. The challenge was recognising that those different sounds were all coming from the same larynx, because there’s an awful lot going on in on this record, with a 40-piece classical choir adding some very rich backing vocals (not to mention a guest turn from Primal Fear’s Ralf Scheepers), so I incorrectly assumed that these different styles were coming from different singers. That will teach me.

Musically this is also quite a dark and moody piece and way heavier than is normal for many symphonic acts, which again works brilliantly when Vourvahis throws in the growls to accompany the blast beats. With a lavish production job, this feels like an awful lot of time and money has been spent on the finished product, but as always with this genre you really need some time to unpick it all and appreciate that. They way the intense and extreme counterpoint with the choral is impressive, and not an easy trick to pull off, but if I have a criticism it’s the lack of a couple of catchy ‘everyman’ songs to hang the album on. Everything in here is quite meaty, and with the thirteen racks taking up and hour and a quarter of run time, it feels like a little pruning and trimming would have gone a long way. That’s a minor quibble though, as this is a rich piece of work that I feel I’ve only scratched the surface of in the limited time I have available. 8/10

 
STAHV - Simple Mercies (Independent Release) [Mark Young]

One of the best things about reviewing new releases is when I get sent a random pick of music to have a go at. It’s a great way to be exposed to new genre’s which has seen me listen to some absolute stormers in the last month and a bit. Tonight Matthew (see what I did there?) its STAHV with Simple Mercies, with 6 songs clocking in at 19 minutes. No idea what to expect, and I didn’t expect a cracker like this. Sometimes you want something softer to offset your death metal footprint and this is it.

It harks back to the 80’s but luckily ignores the cringy bits and goes for the best bands that this decade had to offer but is presented through a modern filter. This isn’t surprising when you investigate the band, which comprises a one-person act who previous bands shared stages with Sleep and Kyuss. The songs are both light and dark, heavy without the gain but are incredibly catchy. The keyword here is catchy.

Cold Caseis 80s, early synth, Gary Numan, Echo And The Bunnymen on the one side having a fight with later period QOTSA with melodies running through it and it is incredibly catchy. It’s almost as though it should have been released in summer. P vs. P continues with the theme of the 80’s but this time with a country and western twang underpinning it. 

Love 4 Nothing has the QOSTA appreciation firmly on display here, it delivered in his goth-rock standard that evokes The Dammed. Its immediate and sits in the brain like all the best tunes do. Snake Key meanwhile has Police chord stabs with another cracking chorus. My Riddle Finger is up tempo and draws more from late 50’s Carl Perkins with Jonny Marr playing guitar for him. While Too Far Yo See comes through like Pink Floyd employing Monster Magnet to baby sit the kids with that spacey, echoed out vocal delivery.

The best is that none of the songs are overlong or overblown for that matter and suddenly the album finishes and it’s like it was too short. Maybe that was the plan just to put the best on this release and test the water. Its one of the best releases I’ve heard in a while and a good sign for me is that each track was individual from the one before. 8/10

Various Artists - Scrap Metal: Vol 2 (RidingEasy Records) [Rich Piva]

Riding Easy Records has me as a fan for life with the always awesome, super prolific Brown Acid Series that brings us lost proto gems from the late 60’s and 70’s and has never ever disappointed over the span of 15 volumes.  Last year brought us their newest comp series, Scrap Metal, which brings us the same lost gem theme but this time focusing more on thrash and NWOBHM material. 

Volume One was excellent, and you get more of the same from Volume Two, but I am not sure if this series has the legs the Brown Acid Series does where that series has maintained or even improved the quality over the 15 volumes, where with Scrap Metal you get more of the same quality for the most part but with a couple of questionable inclusions that make this not quite on par with Volume One but still worth multiple listens for the bangers that are present. 

JJ’s Powerhouse opens us up with some serious Priest worship and it is a ripper indeed. Their track Running For The Line may be the best track on either volume, it is that good.  Not sure what happened to them but I would have been all over a full record from JJ and the boys. Storm Queen’s Raising The Roof almost sounds like something off Too Fast For Love, production value and all. Fun track. Half Crue half NWOBHM. 

It’s A Crime by Jameson Raid has some very early AC/DC vibes, but if they were socially conscious.  Its one of the more interesting tracks on here. Motorhead if they were on the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal '79 Revisited comp is what you get from the A.R.C. track Homemade Wine, which is not one of my favourites but  can see how some could dig it. The Raven by Metropolis starts out like an Ozzy solo song off one of the first two records before heading more towards something like early Saxon. Another cool track. 

Prowler and their offering Temporary Insanity is some of that early Metallica vibes we got on Volume One, just not as good but still fun. Need Your Love is like really, really early Def Leppard or maybe Y&T without the production value. Dig it. Sidewinder by Black Rose is perfect NWOBHM and could hang with any of the bands from that era while Star Trippin is some serious, recorded in a garage attempt at early thrash which falls a bit flat. The most know band on here, Sorcery, brings us what is in the running for the best track, Whales, which is just excellent and rips in all of it’s early thrash glory.  

The fun of these comps is to dive deep and look at the history of the bands on here which makes this review one tick higher than it may have been as I love this concept so much. Riding Easy rules and this comp, while not their best, is still super fun and worth your time for multiple spins.  8/10

Nothing Sacred - Leviathan EP (Rockshots Records) [James Jackson]

Nothing Sacred have a thrash inspired sound that at times has a more melodic groove to it, accompanied by a more heavy metal vocal style similar to that honed by the likes of Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson.

They’ve been around awhile, originally forming in the 80’s, enjoying quite the underground notoriety in their home country of Australia, releasing a number of albums and EP’s before disbanding to reappear during the 2010’s. Leviathan is their latest offering, consisting of five tracks and a remix.

First up is the title track, Leviathan, a typically anti establishment song that many a thrash band has sung, all in equal measure urging us to “take a stand”. It’s got some good hooks in there, that bounce from Thrash to the more Groove laden riffs their bio promises. 

Second track Drone has the most infuriating intro, purely because it sounds like something else and I just can’t recall the song that to me, it seems to emulate; it’ll come to me but it’s distracting me from the rest of the song; for reasons unknown this track is also the one that’s remixed; Drone (Trance Remix) sits at the end of this EP and it really doesn’t differ too much from the original, literally the same with the addition of a few effects and minus the guitar solo. 

Following tracks Guardian and the bizarrely titled SirMegma lyrically follow a Maiden like storytelling of Demons and Earth scorching battles, musically each is as I’ve come to expect, Thrash with a bit of melody thrown in to the mix. Sudden Death, a tale of duelling diesel heads and there are no surprises musically; vocally the kind of wails you associate with Bruce Dickinson are abundant but with less of an impact. It feels like an album that’s trying hard but just isn’t quite there yet, nothing really stands up and makes me want to give it another shot. 4/10

Reviews: STORMO, DDENT, Sermon, Cadaver Shrine (Reviews By AV4Apod, Mark Young, Paul Scoble & Rick Eaglestone)

STORMO – Endocannabalismo (Prosthetic Records) [AV4Apod]

The subgenre descriptor of “post” was once explained to me as when a band uses the conventions of their chosen musical tribe in a way that transcends the historical understanding of that genre; or when a band includes elements from beyond their own subgenre to synthesize their sound in a new and unconventional way… like putting a Hammond organ on a death metal album. Plenty of human organs; rarely a Hammond organ.

Endocannabalismo is the fourth LP by the Italian post-hardcore quartet STORMO and while they certainly do fit the bill for a band that has transcended their own subgenre through a synthesis of both the conventional and unconventional, their latest release contains a depth and variety of sound and poetry that “post-hardcore” barely scratches the surface of a description.

The band hurtles through 29 minutes of loosely associated influences like Rage Against The Machine and Minor Threat, even the down-tuned and distorted bass of Nu-Metal outfits like Korn and System of a Down make an appearance but nothing about Endocannabalismo is anything but entirely unique.

From the opening moments of a single, distorted guitar, exploding into a heavily syncopated drum track and ascending riff on Valichi, Oltre the dynamic, forceful energy of the album gives the listener only the briefest of moments to catch their breath like the acoustic intro to Sorte only two songs later before a crushing return to the record’s brutal pace. Endocannibalismo the song offers another anticipatory respite before delivering what is the emotional high-point of the record following up the title track with Disequilirio, that starts like another highly syncopated banger before descending into a heart-rending riff around the midway point.

The album closes with the haunting, cacophonous echoes of Sopravvivenza e Forme and though I don’t have enough room to give you a full account of the lyrical beauty of the record, I will leave you with a single line from the album which centres thematically around the practice of eating one’s ancestors (always a Human, never a Hammond). From the song Deserti “Searching in the dunes I looked for the meaning of the Shadows / In empty streets I looked for what burns beyond.” 8/10

DDENT: Ex Auditu Part 1 (Chien Noir) [Mark Young]

DDENT is the brainchild of Louis Lambert, as writer, arranger and performer of this instrumental release from Chien Noir, released this week.

I’ve said this previously that reviewing music you get chance to listen to a style that you wouldn’t normally try and this in that vein. Ex Auditu Part 1 has 4 tracks on it and tonally it is different from just about everything else going at the minute. The closest I could find is Zombi in that they are also instrumentalists and produce similar arrangements such as these which really could be used in film, TV and games. Where this differs is that each song is taking from the one before and expanding that theme, so it builds to a natural progression.

Caute is the start, with barely audible keys that swell to bring track 2 into play. Neceffe Eft Vivere then is a slow, one note melody with the heaviness coming from the accompanying drumming, with a constant guitar melody line supported by the shimmering effect from How Soon Is Now which just moves over the 7 minute song length and is an epic track. It isn’t heavy in that there are lower than low guitars and blast beats but that doesn’t really matter here. The music seems to exist outside of normal genres, picking bits from here and from there but made with an underlying dark motif. With the album being Part 1 I’m assuming that there is a Part 2 which will complete his vision here and provide the listener with the whole concept that you can absorb in one sitting.

Calidum Innatum brings a slow build once more, possibly written as the middle act as you would find in a screenplay. Here it plays out as melancholic melody is repeated, with keys and bass at the front with the guitar providing support. Vale brings black metal tremolo picking in the background and then towards the end it lifts off with muscular riffing and then stops. The thing with this is that had there been vocals over it in any style they would have been a detriment and would take away from each of the passages below. February is being very good so far, and I’d recommend that you should check this out 8/10

Sermon - Till Birth Us Do Part (Bitume Productions/Earache Records) [Paul Scoble]

Firstly, before I get into any reviewing I should point out that this Sermon is a Turkish death/doom band, not the progressive metal band that is releasing an album next month who share the same name, and very nearly share release dates.

The story of Sermon starts in 1997 when the band formed, released two demos and got a small amount of interest from the Turkish music press. After a few lineup changes the band wrote some new songs but were not able to do anything with them and ended up splitting up in 2004. Fast forward to 2021 and sole original member rhythm guitarist Cem Barut decided to get Sermon going again by recruiting multi-instrumentalist Durmus Kalin on lead guitar, keyboards and drum programming, and lead singer Harun Altum (also of Turkish death/doom band Forgotten) was then recruited to make up the full lineup. It’s taken Sermon twenty six years to get their debut album recorded and released, after all that time, has it been worth the wait?

The sound on Till Birth Us Do Part is dense and heavy, with hefty riffs and tuneful melody leads over the top, so this is fairly traditional death/doom. The album is very heavy and the leads are melodic, memorable, and very hummable. The vocals are harsh throughout the album, Harun Altum has a deep and guttural voice that fits with the bands sound very well.

A good example of Sermon’s style can be found on the albums opening track Posthumous, huge and heavy riffs pound the listener in a slow but persistent way, harsh vocals come crashing in closely followed by a melody lead that helps to sooth the heaviness. The song feels relentless as it drives ever onwards with the leads wailing away, there is a guitar solo that adds a little more tunefulness, before the song slowly pounds to its end. So, heavy as all fuck, but tempered with great tunes and interesting vocals.

Sermon have a great base sound that I have just described, but they have also added lots of different sounds and moods to keep everything interesting. The track Flawless Entropy is a good case in point; the song opens with layered strings, which stay with the song for most of the way through. In many places the strings take the place of the melody leads and are the main melodic part of the song. Flawless Entropy also has a couple of sections that are much more minimal than the rest of the song, and contain some spoken word vocals. There is also a really melodious guitar solo, so the lead guitar doesn’t feel left out with all those melodic stings.

Another really interesting track is Requitement, which has a far more open structure than a lot of the other material on Till Death Us Do Part. There is a lot more space around the riffs which allows the tunefulness and melody to shine through, it isn’t quite as dense as the other tracks so it stands out, and, as with most of songs on this album, there is a great solo.

Most of this album is big and heavy and also very melodic but the song Destined To Decline has a sound that is closer to funeral doom, the slowest and saddest form of doom. The song opens with a church organ before slow and very sombre riffs crawl in, the song is crushingly heavy and has less melody than a lot of the other material, probably by design. The organ returns nearer the end to cement the Funereality of all this desolate sadness.

The drums on Till Birth Us Do Part are processed, in a few places this gives the song a very slight Industrial feel, but on Gnostic Dissensus Sermon jump right into the dancey industrial vibe. The song opens with a synth riff before an uptempo industrial beat drops in, the vocals have a fair amount of processing on them, and this is far closer to industrial than to any death/doom I’ve heard. The track is the shortest on the album and despite being different to the other tracks, still feels like Sermon and doesn’t sound incongruous.

Till Death Us Do Part was worth the wait. It’s a great album full of crushingly heavy death/doom that works well as individual songs and is even better as a whole album listened to as a complete piece of work. I think it is also testament to how having the fortitude to keep going to attain a dream, can result in making a great album. Cem Barut never let go of his desire to get a Sermon album recorded and released, and here it is, a cracking piece of work that he can be rightly proud of, it might have taken twenty six years, but this album has been worth the wait. 8/10

Cadaver Shrine – Benighted Desecration (Chaos Records) [Rick Eaglestone]

A new deathly entity emerges from Maurice De Jong, reeking of eternal rot Cadaver Shrine unearth debut Benighted Desecration. The aptly named opener The Reverberation is greatly positioned as it is laden with a brooding, yet crushing aura, with slow purposely delivered lyrics that leave you craving more of the putrefied rot. This is followed by the dominance of destructive drum patterns and lurking bass lines on And Death Crawls.

Highlight track for me has to be the dread filled Dragged Away as for the most part it leaves the listener is a state of doom laden awe in the early part, and then it takes a heavier approach which has some wonderful guitar parts embedded in whereas The Black Door is death doom personified with Tongues Spread giving off early Morbid Angel for good measure.

Firing through the gates of hell at a furious speed is title track Benighted Desecration it’s a change of pace I wasn’t expected but as soon as it hit was immediately ready for and breaks up the album nicely then if that wasn’t enough the skull smashing Faceless Abomination crashes in like a Khorne Berzerker ready for battle and thirsty for blood.

Final offering The Shattered Corpse lingers very much in the murkier depths and like the opening track is slow, purposeful and ready to leave a message of ominous intent.

A delightfully destructive debut. 8/10

Reviews: eMolecule, Klone, Delain, Divided By Design (Rerviews By Matt Bladen)

eMolecule - The Architect (Inside Out Music)

Released in 2013 Dimensionaut by Sound Of Contact was one of my favourite albums that year and is on regular repeat even now. The combination of Simon Collins, Kelly Nordstrom and Dave Kerzner made magic, but the band never released another album, Kerzner performing in several other bands including Yes off shoot Arc Of Life. You can never keep a creative mind down, especially two creative minds that have been friends and collaborators since 2005. Collins and Nordstrom have worked together on Collins' solo project, the most recent one being Becoming Human where the two men wrote the demo version of the song eMolecule, choosing to keep it back for another band rather than on the solo record.

This was the spark that started The Architect and I for one am very glad they have returned with another band format, choosing to take a new name than use their previous one. Blending the best parts of SOC's classic prog sound with Collins' electronica driven solo music The Architect is really a showcase of how good these two men are musicians. This concept album was recorded throughout 2020 and it's packed with modern progressive traits, plentiful genre switches and a cinematic approach. 

Collins' yearning vocals still brilliant, often drenched in reverb, he adds to the natural/artificial themes that are explored on the album. Nordstrom’s scintillating guitar playing can soar amongst the clouds or on industrial NIN-like thumpers such as Mastermind evoke a sense of heavy dread, this track being one of the best on the record, as there’s not just NIN but Reznor/Ross orchestrations towards the climax.

Opening with the 10 minute eMolecule this is the overture for the rest of the album, several thematic shifts, plenty of instrumental exploration and returning to the chorus numerous times. From here the title track is very reminiscent of Porcupine Tree’s Fear Of A Blank, the concept of isolation and being just a small fragment of an expanding universe used here and on Prison Planet which concentrates on a lockdown world, the frustration building on Dosed, continuing the introspective leaning of this album, rather than the more upbeat SOC.

Still The Architect is just as good as Dimensionaut, in fact it’s more varied; Kelly and Simon going into some thrash riffing on the end of The Turn, which made me think of Fear Factory. After The Turn, The Architect gets a bit less oppressive, bringing some of the forward thinking prog rock of Sound Of Contact on Beyond Belief, Collins’ drumming propellant on this shorter number that shifts into the euphoric The Universal and the ballad My You, which is simple but carries a lot of weight to it.

Modern prog from the school Porcupine Tree started, eMolecule is a natural continuation of Sound Of Contact, synth heavy, drum and guitar driven progressive music that carries emotional and ideology. 9/10

Klone - Meanwhile (Kscope)

There are bands that can always trigger something in you, be it a feeling, an emotion, a hazy memory to a simpler time, there are bands who carry a lot of weight on their shoulders from their listening audience.French art rockers Klone are one such band for me, their previous albums all came at quite emotional times in my life so each of them has a different feeling to it. Something that I revisit every time I listen to them. Now of course if Klone were thrash or death metal you could argue how much emotional support you could actually put on an album but the anthemic, impassioned music of Klone allows you to lose yourself.

Since their previous album Le Grand Voyage and even the one before that Here Comes The Sun, they have all but done away with their groove metal history, having sculpted for themselves a much more expansive, melodic musical style, that still has nods to Tool due to the insistent, chop and change riffs/rhythms on The Unknown but now they proudly sit in the same pile as Leprous, TesseracT and Riverside. The production of Chris Edrich, who has worked with two of those bands helping with this comparison. On the back of Le Grand Voyage they have played festivals and tours, honing their skill ready for this seventh studio. Casting off from what their last album brought to the table, Klone go further into the realms of the euphoric and the cathartic with Meanwhile, if a track such as Elusive doesn’t give a lump in the throat then you’re dead inside.

Yann Ligner’s insatiable vocals and conceptual lyrics, weave their way over the melancholic music, that produces soundscapes that feel not of this world, yes there’s a gritty riff from Guillaume Bernard and Aldrick Guadagnino on every song, Apnea being one of the heaviest, while the djent sound guides Disobedience but much of the guitar playing is much more atmospheric and haunting, about creating a feeling. This leaves the groove quotient to bassist Enzo Alfano while the drumming of Morgan Berthet spacious and formidable, the production of Edrich allowing the tracks such as Night And Day sound absolutely massive.

As they kick your head in with Within Reach and float you out on the title track, Klone are creating more core memories for long term fans like myself and are making their way to the top of their mountain with each album they release. Join them on their journey asap. 9/10

Delain – Dark Waters (Napalm Records)

The spilt between the main creative force behind Delain was well publicised but still retains an air of mystery and privacy. Charlotte Wessels has released a few records since then both solo and with other bands but keyboardist Martijn Westerholt has been rebuilding the ranks of Delain behind the scenes. I say rebuilding but as soon as I listened to Dark Waters, I felt as if I was caught in a time machine, not just because original guitarist Ronald Landa and original drummer Sander Zoer return to the fold but it seems that the songwriting for this album very much Delain’s first two albums Lucidity and April Rain in mind, forgoing a lot of the pop element Wessels brought in to their latter records for a more traditional symphonic metal sound like Within Temptation. I get why they would want to do this as this is a fresh start for the band, a new era that is trying to re-establish themselves.

This new line up also features bassist Ludovico Cioffi and its Diana Leah who takes the mic. Leah is a bit of an anomaly as she’s spent most of her career singing for trance projects so this is the first metal band she’s been in. I will say her vocals are perfect for this sound especially on tracks such as Mirror Of The Night which adds crunchy metal riffs, to swelling orchestration and electronic beats. Elsewhere on the album The Quest And The Curse, features some harsh vocals, last used on April Rain, while Tainted Hearts is classic symphonic metal that Martijn Westerholt is one of the originators of. Moth To A Flame brings delicious 80’s pop chorus to shredding guitar riffs and the album closes with the rollicking Underland.

It’s symphonic metal that is exactly what you’d expect from Martijn Westerholt, something of a throwback much of the elements they incorporated from We Are The Others, have been used much less here, that does mean Dark Waters for me was a little by the numbers, an ode to a time forgotten. Still it’s enjoyable and good to have the band back. 7/10

Divided By Design - The Fear Of Being Forgotten (Self Released)

Divided By Design are a Scottish duo and if I was being snide and journalistic about things I'd call them "the tech metal Proclaimers" but I'm not that kind of person. (No matter how much of good tag line it would make). Liam Stephenson (guitar/bass/vocals/programming) and Tom Chambers (drums/bass/vocals/programming) creating interesting, dynamic, modern progressive metal music that is inspired by bands such as Animals As Leaders, Plini, Scale The Summit and bands such as Dream Theater.

Though Divided By Design are an instrumental group, they do feature some vocals from the talented throat of Barnaby Tomlinson who fits perfectly into his progressive, experimental and brutally heavy duo well, as do the additional vocals of Cameron Gray. The fusion of Liam's virtuoso guitar playing and the complex rhythms from Tom, have been honed over two previous albums and countless gigs, including being the house band for Blóðlína - The Viking Musical at The Edinburgh Fringe.

The duo focusing on creating 'progressive' music in the purest sense of the word, letting no genre constraints get in their way. Injecting funk into Construct, brass and synth into Deconstruct and wrapping them all in heavy prog dressing, The Fear Of Being Forgotten is a interesting record for fans of technically gifted playing. 7/10

Reviews: Conspiracy Of Zero, Dødsferd, Seer Of The Void, Manos Six And The Muddy Devil (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Conspiracy Of Zero - Athos Arouris (Self Released)

Thessaloniki based band Conspiracy Of Zero play the kind of progressive death metal so often associated with bands such as Opeth, Coroner or anything Dan Swåno is involved with. Blisteringly heavy death metal riffs from Paris Stamatiadis and John Hatziarapis which are driven by repentless blastbeats from George Baltas (also Mother Turtle) as the complex rhythms are built around Vasilis Papantoniou's bass playing.

Their second album Ahthos Arouris opens with One Of The Same Kind, one of the shortest pieces here it's got great lead guitars, that are pure melodeath as it gets this album off to a strong start before Divine Creatures brings more technicality but delivers it in just under 5 minutes, the bass especially good here as Kostas Radounislis' growls evolve into cleaner tones towards the end of it as the clean solos come in with some lush melodies. The real shift in the album comes on We Both Bleed, fans of progressive death metal will recognise some similarities to seminal band Cynic, the song dedicated to Sean Reinert and Sean Malone who are the rhythm section of that band, who both tragically passed away in 2020.

From here the first part of Ahthos Arouris I brings more Middle Eastern jazz, breaking up the heavier styles which returns on Athos Arouris II, the track that is the most similar to Opeth or even Orphaned Land. Unknown Protester keeps the death metal straightforward but it's on I Feel where Conspiracy Of Zero show off across 11 minutes of orchestrally backed progressive music, that comes from the Dan Swåno influence. Athos Arouris is a great progressive death metal album, drawing heavily on it's influences but doing so in their own way. 8/10

Dødsferd - Suicide And The Rest Of Your Kind Will Follow II (Fucking Your Creation Records)

Formed as a one man band by Nikolaos Spanakis aka Wrath (founder of FYC Records) Dødsferd is a raw black metal project that is his mothership, the band he's been in for 20 years. This two track EP is the sequel/follow up to his 2009 album which served as a part 1. Recorded in Crete during 2020 it's a very introspectiv, nihilistic album written and recorded by Wrath in solitude and it is drenched in hatred, self loathing and claustrophobia. The grinding, black metal riffs, raw production and anguished screeched vocals all making for a tough listen for anyone who isn't totally down with this style of music.

At only two tracks they are long building atmospheric explorations that rage at the state of the world, along with Wrath, M. Sarvok has bass solo, lead/acoustic guitars, cello, keys, sax and sound design and N.D has drums. Across two songs; Suicide And The Rest Of Your Kind Will Follow: The Red Lake Of Your Innocence and Servants Of Ego And Filth: The Bastard Sons Of Nature, you are brought kicking and screaming into Dødsferd's world of torment. 7/10

Seer Of The Void - Mantra Monolith (Venerate Industries)

Greek doom band Seer Of The Void have returned to bring more fuzz-laden doom from Athens, like fellow doomsters like Acid Mammoth, Windhand and Monolord, there's lots of sludge elements but there's a much more classic sound to songs such as Electric Father as soaring solos cut through the fuzz and echoed vocals that's all very Electric Wizard.

Continuing where they started on Revenant, Mantra Monolith is where you'd expect them to go as a band, more aggressive at times, groovier and more accessible at others, the pumping rockers such as Seer Of The Void, the rampaging Demon's Hand and more are all driven by some impressive drumming, that Sabbath worship coming back on Hex and Necromancer, this final two very Birmingham but with different vocals.

Mantra Monolith is perfectly serviceable doom metal album from these occult riff slingers. 7/10

Manos Six And The Muddy Devil – Swamp Suicide (Fucking Your Creation Records)

Manos Six And The Muddy Devil are Manos Six (vocals, banjo and percussion) and Stamos Abatis (acoustic bass), recorded/mixed/mastered by George Emmanuel they are an acoustic duo that merge Americana with outlaw country, folk and even black metal. Utilising mainly a banjo (electric/acoustic) and acoustic bass they also incorporate instruments such as music saw, harmonica, some atmospheric keys and lots of electric/slide acoustic guitar from George Emmanuel on Lucifer and Willow Tree.

The album is based around Satan worship and the occult, their own songs merged with traditional tracks such as Ain't No Grave, with gospel choirs and backing vocals on tracks such as Old Time Religion, there's also some moments of spoken word, where some Bible thumping is used to continue this occult theme to the album as the genres meld together on the banks of the bayou (I'm assuming there's a bayou somewhere in Greece?) for a dark mainly acoustic record. 7/10   

Reviews: Doomsday Outlaw, The Winery Dogs, Jupiter Zeus, Cerbère (Reviews By Matt Bladen, Simon Black, Rich Piva & David G)

Doomsday Outlaw - Damaged Goods (Republic Of Music) [Matt Bladen]

Third album, third time to shine and Doomsday Outlaw have seemingly grabbed the gauntlet, smashed it with a hammer and told everyone else to feck off as they now deserve to be spoken about with such leading lights of the NWOCR bands such as Rival Sons, The Temperance Movement (R.I.P) and the Answer as well as the bands that inspired them such as Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and Free. 

Signed to Republic Of Music for this new record they are always the band they threatened to become. Evolving from stoner riffers, into Southern rockers, Doomsday Outlaw are now firmly a blues based classic rock band playing rollicking rock n roll. Those influences of The Faces, Free et al shine brightly on If This Is The End, this records first showcase for the incredible vocals of Phil Poole, his soulful tones being one of the reasons I've loved Doomsday Outlaw for a good while now. 

Here though he is at his most raw and honest the songs on this album are "filled with heartbreak and redemption" it's his catharsis from the last few years. COVID having put paid to their European tour, these lyrics and life lessons started to flow and Damaged Goods was born. 

Tracks such as Make It Easy and Runaway surefire FM Radio hits which reminds me of the arena ready hits of Black Stone Cherry and Alter Bridge. Behind the vocals of Poole, the rest of the band; Alez and Rowan (guitars), Indy (bass) and Nic (drums) all stretch their muscles with some of the bands most impressive compositions yet. Doomsday Outlaw working with Chris D'Adda at Vale Studios and Dave Draper to bring this album to life.

It is bursting with life too, mainly Poole's life writ large on the page, but they make this record ring out, from the opening AC/DC-like apreggio on In Too Deep to the Midnight blues of The Little Things, Damaged Goods is the strongest collection of songs they have produced to date. 

My Woman Comes On Strong is a full on blues rocker, which keeps that Southern swagger, drenched in Hammond organs and a strutting riff, as Nowhere Left To Hide again hints at bigger crowds and larger audiences with its blue collar grandiosity, while One More Sip has a regretful jollity that The Black Crowes have built their career on.

Having been building a avid following over there past few albums Doomsday Outlaw are one of the UKs best proponents of rock around. Much more than Damaged Goods, they're like precious stones; polished, rare and a wonder to behold. 9/10

The Winery Dogs – III (Three Dog Music LLC) [Simon Black]

I’m always a bit cautious when it comes to “supergroups”, on the grounds they’re rarely deserving of the term, given many are neither truly super or an actual group in the long term sense of the word. This isn’t helped when you have whole labels out there whose business model is about prefabricating bands from the well-known ashes of long gone acts and making up the numbers with Italian session musicians (you know who you are, Frontiers s.r.l.). 

For them to really qualify as a Supergroup then, they really need a line up where every member is a draw in their own right, and for the act to actually last beyond a one-off studio project into a sustained artistic unit that writes, records and tours - although they can be forgiven for not doing this constantly if their main projects are still on the go (Mike Portnoy wins this all on his own just for managing to juggle about 18 different Neil Morse projects in parallel). The Winery Dogs tick both of these boxes.

I picked up a copy of the debut self-titled album from The Winery Dogs back in 2013 on the strength of the pedigree alone and wasn’t disappointed. I somehow missed out on 2015’s Hot Streak, so coming back a decade later to album number three is an interesting experience. Messrs Kotzen, Sheehan and Portnoy are all old hands in every respect, and they all of them have enough projects on the go to not need to return to any one in particular but listening to III it’s immediately obvious that they do because it’s simply a joy to do so. Fortunately, dear reader, it’s a joy to listen to it when they do…

As always, the tunage is classic rock influenced, but with that bristling underbelly of restrained prog that can’t be avoided when players as technically gifted as Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan are, who let’s face it are going to struggle to pull their punches. Ritchie Kotzen should not be underestimated however, even if he is pulling double duties with vocals and guitar. Although many know him from his days in Poison, the fact that he was right alongside Sheehan in Mr Big means this is not a player without considerable talent in his own right, whose fluid guitar playing completely fools the ear into thinking that there are two players in their alternately weaving through the rhythm and lead parts. That’s not happening – it is just him, and when you focus down you can hear that it’s all individual lines without overdubs, making it all the more commendable for the faked restraint going on there.

What stands out most of all is the cohesiveness of their playing, despite the fact they are each bringing a multitude of stylistic influences to bear here. But where it stands loud and proud is the strengths of the songs themselves, which retain a beautiful, raw and thoroughly soulful edge throughout, although to be fair Kotzen’s gutsy vocals need to take yet more applause here. Sharp, yet loose; focused, yet raw – this is an album of contradictions bolted together that works really well and doesn’t really have a duff track on it. 9/10

Jupiter Zeus - Frequency Prison (Self Released) [Rich Piva]

Australia trio Jupiter Zeus bring their take on psych stoner doom on their latest record Frequency Prison. It is an interesting listen, as I have spent a lot of time with this album and I am still not 100% sure how I feel about it. Let’s try to dig into this a bit together. Positives include the riffs, outlined on a track like Dystopia Nightmares. The vocals, but only sometimes. I love the reverb baritone during the clean signing parts, but can do without the cookie monster parts, which I am usually fine with in small doses in this kind of rock. I just find them unnecessary, as these guys are heavy without the guttural screams. But give me forty minutes of these guys playing a more straight-ahead alt metal/90s vibe record any day.  

I mention forty minutes because that is about the time when I started to become fatigued with Frequency Prison. The hour plus run time is a bit much; I would have been happy with nine of the best tracks instead of the fourteen we got. But give me tracks like the 90s grunge leaning Stationary any day, which is catchy and may be my favorite track on this record. It sounds like a very early Screaming Trees track. This one will be with me for a while. A track like Dangerous Freedom is a double edged sword with the catchy as hell 90s alt melody and the unnecessary growls. But a track like It’s Not Happening sounds like it could have been on Children Of Nuggets. There is a consistently clash throughout all of Frequency Prison making it a very uneven listen. 

Overall, Frequency Prison has its highs and lows. Give me a consistent record from Jupiter Zeus where they focus on the highs, they keep on task, and they self-edit, we would be looking at a next level album from the band. For this one, focus on tracks like Stationary and It’s Not Happening, where they focus on the 90s leaning, psych-tinged early Trees vibe that they execute extremely well. The record even sounds like it was recorded back then and released on SST, so if you dig that there are some great nuggets on Frequency Prison. 7/10 

Cerbère - Cendre (Chien Noir) [David G]

Cendre the debut album from French sludge metallers Cerbère is a weird one. Three tracks clocking in at a total of 42 minutes this is a largely dirge-ridden affair and seemingly aiming for a sense of monolithic crawl, though it feels disjointed.

Cendre kicks off its eleven-minute trawl with feedback and lurching bass, an unsettling and drawn-out beginning to an unsettling and drawn-out track. The guitars lumber painfully and the drums smack and splash in a manner that seems diseased. The vocals, best described as background squawking, feel a little misplaced almost like something that fell off the Deathcrush EP into the wrong recording session. About two-thirds of the way in and suddenly there’s a sense of more purpose with a little stoner-ish verve thrown in and rounding off with a little jam solo.

 
Sale Chien begins with a more purposeful approach, cycling on a crunching riff that has some oomph to it. It’s more your traditional sludge style, with the overt leaning toward classic doom. That is until the final third of the track when things get kind of break down, the vocals return, the guitar becomes indecisive, is it going? Is it stopping? Is it staying overnight? Hard to tell.

Les Tours De Set is near 23 minutes, which feels particularly ambitious as to this point things haven’t particularly felt cohesive. Sure enough after the feedback stops a raunchy riff kicks in for the most upbeat section of the album, this section lasts a minute before it descends into a fuzzy mess, with the squawking over bass and feedback. By the time (12 minutes in) we have a rough approximation of what I imagine Mogwai would sound like doing drone, which elicits intrigue. The final eight minutes of fuzzy distortion is mystifying, though it pricked at my like of the eccentric.

There’s no anchor to the tracks on Cendre, they feel groundless, like a bit of a jam session sprawling out from a couple of ideas (recorded in two days, this could well be the case). Given the ultimate root of where this music descends from, that it stabs at a freeform approach isn’t necessarily bad in itself, but it feels a little too loose and unfocused. The contradiction is that what most appeals about the album is the stuff that actually feels less traditionally doom in nature, the opening section of Cendre being a particular highlight. 

In all, it’s an album that shows Cerbère have something about them, but I’m holding out hope more of that shows on the next one. 5/10