Reviews: Sylosis, Kvelertak, The Flower Kings, Pomegranate Tiger (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Sylosis – A Sign Of Things To Come (Nuclear Blast)

There’s a reason why I love Sylosis, it’s the same reason why I love their American contemporaries Trivium who were formed a year before them. These were the bands that I first discovered by myself when I got into heavy music. Not bands from my parents or older friends, these bands that came from metalcore but added thrash, death and classic heavy metal together always caught my ear and brought me my love of harsh vocals (having never cared for them before). So whenever there is a new Sylosis album (or a new Trivium album) I’m always very excited. 

Even more so when said album, throws back to recapture that enthusiasm and directness of that early 2000’s sound. This is exactly what Sylosis main man has done on A Sign Of Things To Come, never being a band to shy away from a longer song format, here he has deliberately tried to write the shortest and most concise Sylosis album of their career. Consider it job done as A Sign Of Things To Come balances the technical savagery of their last couple of records, with the maturity of band able to write a track such as the emotional Thorns and the passion for playing that’s on their debut.

You can make Trivium comparisons all day long as both bands share similarities and influences, though the influence is extremely strong on Eye For And Eye and Judas, this sixth album wears it’s influences proudly and channels them through the expansive songwrtiing of Middleton, peeling off thrash, death and sludge riffs alongside Alex Bailey, this duo carving up each track with ease, from the crushing cinematics of A Godless Throne, to the thrash feast of Deadwood (a killer opener) and moving onto all styles of heavy music in between, this duo are one of the UK’s brightest axe duo. 

Though not to be outdone Ali Richardson is a monster behind the kit, exploding like gunfire on the death metal blasting of Poison For The Lost and Sylosis wouldn’t be half as heavy without the bottom end of Conor Marshall, he keeps the pace fast on the chugging Descent and leads those breakdowns in Judas. As it’s their sixth album and 23 year, you’d expect slickness and it’s here in droves, locked down tighter than New Zealand during a pandemic, the foursome are untethered from the opening shredfest of Deadwood, Josh’s vocals at their apex both with his diverse growls/roars but also his cleans. 

Co-produced with Scott Atkins (Amon Amarth/Cradle Of Filth) it sounds colossal, the sludge stomp of the title track hammering your ear drums with the influence of Slipknot, carried over into Pariahs too. The gothic atmospheres of Absent, slows the breakneck pace before Eye For An Eye brings it back, with huge choruses added. A Sign Of Things To Come is Sylosis coming of age, buoyed by the inability to tour their last album they have created 10, streamlined, show ready, slices of heavy. Staking their claim as the kings of British Metal. 9/10

Kvelertak – Endling (Rise Records/Petroleum Records)

 
2020’s Splid was a turning point for Norway’s premier (maybe only) blackened punk metal band, critically acclaimed and well received it was an album that dealt with folklore and legend. Something which Norway has in abundance. On Endling, they have continued this exploration, delving into as guitarist Vidar Landa sums up “the stories of the extinct and dying men and women of Norway”. Always a raging ball of energy live, Kvelertak are almost always able to convey this live assault on record, biting punk riffs, classic rock grooves and squawked black metal vocals the triumvirate to what makes them so unique in the scene. 

Endling opens with the first single Krøterveg Te Helvete, the discordant tremolo guitar opening that builds into a repeating drumbeat, feedback coming through the speakers as if the band were live in your living room, the slow build, notching up the tension. It can do this because its 8 minutes long so if you don’t like drama or pathos with your music then you’ll want to get to about 3 minutes in where the fur really begins to fly and we’re brought into some hyper-speed Status Quo riffs and that wild and reckless punk attitude. 

It’s a wild opener that will pull you back into the musical conundrum that is Kvelertak, Fedrekult however is more straightforward with black metal blast beats brought in between the stomping groove, the bluesy stoner riffs of Likvoke rounding out three distinct changes in sound on just the first three tracks. But this is what Kvelertak have always been able to do, vary things enough to keep you guessing and interested while retaining the atmosphere of a party. 

Endling is an album that you’ll want to throw yourself around to, but if you look deeper you’ll find songs about some, bewitching folklore and historical legends of their native land. That is of course if you speak Norwegian, but I urge you to try to work out what these songs are about as there’s more than just the Scandinavian history you see on TV or in movies. 

Back to the music and Motsols is storming biker rock, Skonggangr more thundering stoner. Døgeniktens Kvad which shifts between black metal and hardcore, the distinctive classic rock vein strong even on the skate punk of the title track, the only time things calm is on the beginning of Svart September which is awash with acoustics as the fuzzy punk of a band like The Hives then cuts in. 

They have managed to bookend the album with another near 8 minute song which twists and turns through heavy riffs, punk and rock trappings. Kvelertak have defined themselves as sort of their own genre, with a couple of bands following in their mixed up footsteps, Endling shows that the originals are still the best. 8/10

The Flower Kings – Look At You Now (Inside Out Music)

Sixteen studio albums is a milestone for any band, but it could be seen as hardly trying for prog bands, they either seem to be ridiculously prolific or they release a new album ever decade. Swedes The Flower Kings are the former, bandleader Roine Stolt is also part of Transatlantic, The Sea Within and is a former member of Kaipa and The Tangent, singer Hasse Fröberg has his own group too called Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion. So as well as releasing 16 The Flower Kings records they have plenty more under their collective belts. Stolt however is made for The Flower Kings, it’s very much his baby, combining all the elements of classic prog rock you could want, they are now highly respected in the prog scene. Not bad for a band started as a touring band for Stolt’s third solo record. 

Anyway enough about the history and on to Look A You Now, again it’s a cinematic journey through 70’s prog/psych inspired by the Canterbury scene with soundscapes torn from the songbooks of from Yes, Genesis (Gabriel-era), King Crimson and Gentle Giant, approached without fear of experimentation, jazz, funk and blues, each song layered symphonically, for a rich sound. Take a track such as Scars which leans heavily on keys and screaming guitar leads, behind it there’s choirs and tubular bells which remind me of Frank Zappa’s crossover shenanigans. 

The multiple vocal, bassist Michael Stolt gets in on the act, means yet more layers to unravel, the complex arrangements stuffed into songs between 3 and 7 minutes which is not long for progressive rock, vocally Iamthemorning singer Marjana Semkina add her ethereal tones too. Only the final title track goes above 7 minutes as a 12 minute finale, but it’s worth it. In fact due to the sequencing, the record feels like one long song, segueing between all the different varieties of musical experimentation. If you’ve been in the court of The Flower Kings you’ll know what to expect, if you haven’t then get ready for a progressive journey. 8/10

Pomegranate Tiger – All Input Is Error (Self Released)

Pomegranate Tiger is the nom-de-plume of Martin Andres, multi-instrumentalist and virtuoso musician who arrived on the prog scene in 2010. By 2013 he was on everybody’s lips with his impressive songwriting and playing skills, utilising the instrumental style of bands such Intervals, Chimp Spanner and Plini, to create whole expansive worlds, breaking boundaries with instrumental music and being held in high regard with progressive music fans.

After this he released another solo record that again displayed his incredible talent, in 2016 Pomegranate Tiger was put on hold, Martin joining Oni as a guitarist and collaborating as a producer with several artists, though he never really moved away from the progsphere. As with any first loves they will always live long in the memory, so after 8 years the tiger roars again. Andres returning with his man Friday, Matt Shaheen who plays additional guitar and co-produces.

All Input Is Error is a meditation on A.I, D.N.A Sequencning and robotics, how all three learn from eachother and become more and more reliant on the others. These intelligent subjects are explored through advanced polyrhythms (The Cryptographer), electronic breaks (The Great Filter), intricate lead breaks (Poison Pen) and virtuoso compositions that manage to tell a story without the nead for vocals, the masterful playing at every corner.

I'm not a guitar buff so I can't really go into detail about how things are played or what tone is used etc but what I can say is that instrumental bands often fall a little flat for me, but I was engaged in All Input Is Error from the outset the links to A.I really hitting home as the collusion between human talent and technological enhancement is very pronounced. A welcome return for Pomegranate Tiger. 8/10

Reviews: Asking Alexandria, Dethklok, Laurence Jones, Swami Lateplate (Reviews By Zak Skane, C Hunter, Matt Bladen & Paul Scoble)

Asking Alexandria – Where Do We Go From Here (Better Noise Music) [Zak Skane]

To open up this album we have Bad Blood, which the band tickle us with a cheeky pop line of the title track before we get smacked in the face with some thick ass breakdown styled riffage that would of happily come from their Reckless And Relentless era of fury. Once the brutality subsides the line light shines on Danny Worsnop's raspy soulful vocals, which sings the hyms of heartbreak, whist being backed by layers of ambient guitars, pounding toms until they crescend into blast beats and tremolo picking. The following track Things Could be Different provided some octave dropped effected guitar riffs, up beat organic dance beats provided by the underrated James Cassell's and electronic cinematic layers that elevate this self doubt filled anthem. 

The anthemic Let Go features a female guest vocalist to open the song with angelic flare whilst the band provides big chord riffs, arena-pounding drum beats and heart felt choruses. The pop-infused track Psycho provides Maroon 5-esque swaggered verses to bombastic choruses with sprinkles of hard rock and metal influences. From the beginning of the song with it’s cyborg chants, Dark Void returns the band back to it’s heavy form with huge riffs, soaring hard rock husky choruses to electronic layers which which remind of Danny triumphant return on their 2017 self titled album. Nothing Left contains jolty djenty riffs and soaring solos from Ben and Cameron whilst James provides some sourcey double kick grooves. 

Instrumentally one of the main highlights on this album is the track Let The Dead Take Me where the band swoon from genre to genre, stemming from fuzzy garage rock styled guitar riffs, Hip Hop sampled vocals, piano driven ballads with sprinkles of blast beast and anthemic choruses, all performed with artistic integrity. Their acoustic guitar driven closing track Where Do We Go From Here could easily be mistaken as one of Danny Worsnops solo material, but when you look further into the lyrical themes that display uncertainty and listen to the vocal performance that ooze hints of heartbreak this makes this track a perfect closer to an album that should be praised as one of their best works to date. 

Other than the punk driven track Kill It With Fire which just felt too much of a curve ball to the rest of the songs on the album, this triumphant release is up their along with their greatest. For fans Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omans and Beartooth. Solid 10/10.

Dethklok - Dethalbum IV (Watertower Music) [C Hunter]

It’s not every day you get to review the world’s greatest cultural force. Without need for introduction as I’m sure you’re all aware; The most popular and successful death metal band … band even! Have released their long awaited fourth album, the geniusly entitled Dethalbum IV. As this is the first album in ten years for the four musical legends plus Toki, I have had to wait until after the albums release to do my write up due to the very real possibility of having my home raided and family torn to shreds for being in possession of such an idol prior.

Opening with the sound of a lawnmower Gardner Of Vengeance is as brutal as Dethklok have ever been. No! Brutaler! Punishing bludgeoning riffs, the textbook melodic arpeggios of Skwisgaar Skwigeff and the screams of people on the wrong side of automatic horticulture instruments make the decade worth the wait. Wrapping up with Nathan Explosion’s gutturals and meaningful lyricisms “Your guts will be liquefied by a weed whacker “.

Aortic Desecration is four minutes of heavy melodic death metal that could have almost had Pickles going through more drum skins than drugs! Poisoned By Food is a sound track to gastronomic rupturing. Mutilation On A Saturday Night could be Dethkloks answer to a party anthem. With such brutalings as “We will interrupt you every time you try to make a joke”, “Where fucking with the thermostat” and “We have devalued your whole zip code”. Bloodbath sounds like early classic Dethklok, you know, like a much much much much better Arch Enemy. So melodious and canorus that when the faux orchestra kicked in I cried tears of blood. I Am The Beast has the brutalisms and hallmarks of a much much much much much better Slipknot with tasty leads.

DEADFACE breaks tradition as the soulful and slow-paced number dedicated to self hating and cantankerous William Murderface actually contains audible bass! I say soulful, but it is still heavier than the maggots on a bazillion mutilated elephants underneath a planet sized anvil. Satellite Bleeding Keeps up the tradition of the previous song of breaking tradition with a slower song that still maintains brutality. SOS is an emotional and possible end to the Dethkolk saga as the band throw down their egos in the shadow of the blazing star. “Fused , we’re the light” please see the film Metalocalypse: Army Of The Doomstar for reference. The last track of the album Murmaider III and third Murmaider related song … Hence the three, stacks harmonies on top of harmonies, eerie soundscape, orchestration and chugs for days for this epic finale .

After taking so long to reform. The legends … and Toki have done it again! Releasing the best melodic death metal album I’ve heard since their last one! It was so good in fact, that on completion, my laptop overheated and exploded. As I write this from the hospital bed, gushing red onto the page and looking like a really shit cyborg, the doctor tells me I have a slim chance of making it. Totally worth it!

Parodying a style gives you so much freedom. And with that freedom, Brendon Smalls has created something quite brilliant. Hitting all the desired beats without any need to worry about sounding contrived because that’s the point of it. The fantasy or joke of the ultimate death metal band has produced another album of great material without any of the tracks feeling “sewn back together wrong."
Great fun 9/10

Laurence Jones – Bad Luck & The Blues (Marshall Records) [Matt Bladen]

The second album on Marshall Records by Laurence Jones goes back to his roots. Now I think I said the same about the previous album Destination Unknown but Bad Luck & The Blues locks Jones back into the blues rock power trio format he started out in. It was a conscious choice from Jones who attempted something a bit more eclectic on the 2022 release deciding on New Years Eve 2022 that he wanted to scratch the itch of playing a more rock askew kind of blues again. 

Influenced by Cream, Ten Years After and Robin Trower, in fact the record was mastered by Christian Wright at Abbey Road who has worked with all of those named. Bad Luck & The Blues was recorded and mixed by Chris Sheldon who has recorded Foo Fighters and King King so there’s a modern meets retro style in the production. Perfect really when you consider that Jones wanted it to sound like those loud, hard rocking blues rock bands from the 60’s/70’s. With the PRS guitars pumping through Marshall stacks, tracks like the grooving I’m Gone are monstrous, a simple fuzz stomp riff, echoed vocal and noodling over the top and Jones shows what this new record is all about. 

With Jack Alexander Timmis once again on bass and Ash Sheehan who recently has been tub thumping for the Voice Of Rock Glenn Hughes, this is proper power trio rocking, with Jones paying homage to Hendrix and Gary Moore as well as more modern bands such as QOSTA and Jack White. Recorded pretty live in the studio as a trio to get the unity and fire This is all in the fuzz and the tone, though Jones says that his “main point of reference on this album was Robin Trower” you can hear that virtuosity right across Bad Luck & The Blues. Things get dirty on Don’t You Leave Me This Way, funky on Lost & Broken (more cowbell), forging some different grooves before returning to big blues rock riffs. 

There’s an urgency to this record, Jones spurred on by his health battles, changed his focus, looking back towards where he came from and bringing blues rock back. 8/10

Swami Lateplate - Doom Jazz II (Subsound Records) [Paul Scoble]

Swami Lateplate is a collaboration of two Jazz artists; Jamie Saft and Bobby Previte. Jamie plays Piano and Keys, Bobby is on Drums and Percussion, Jamie has worked with artists such as Iggy Pop, Beastie Brothers, Laurie Anderson and John Zorn, He has also scored films such as the 2006 Oscar nominated film Murderball. Bobby is a composer / performer who has won multiple awards for composition and was a seminal figure on the New York Downtown scene in the nineteen eighties.

Doom Jazz II is, the followup to Doom Jazz, an album originally released in 2012, and then re-released in 2021. The album features 3 long tracks that are instrumental, and feature a fairly minimalist take on Jazz with just drums, a vintage Yamaha Organ, or a distorted Hammond Organ. The Doom aspect of this album is more as an inspiration for the tempo and feel of the music rather than having sections of doom metal.

The album opens with The New Friend, which begins with a swing tempo, keyboard bass line and fast flowing vintage Yamaha Organ with the occasional dramatic drum beat. The tune builds and diminishes giving a very pleasing feeling of ebb and flow. There is a sense of repetition that is much more hypnotic than boring and in a strange way reminds me more of black metal than doom (black metal often uses passages that are purposefully repetitive to get a similar feeling of hypnotic repetition). Nearer the end of the track an extra keyboard line is added and the drumming becomes bigger and more taut, this part feels dramatic and purposeful with great drive before the song slows down and comes to an end.

Second track Everyone Is Aware has a more experimental feel to it, it’s a song of two halves, the first half is all keyboards with big keyboard swells forming a base with a soloing keyboard line over the top. After this first half the drums build up from nothing and a fast keyboard line is added, in this part it feels like these keyboard parts are made up of burst of scale fragments that become more and more manic as the track progresses. This then breaks down to just drums, before more scale fragments are added, becoming more agitated and frenzied until they almost feel like random notes. The song then breaks down and collapses to just keys and then silence.

The final song is Deception, this song is based around the Hammond Organ and so has a bit of a late Sixties / early Seventies psychedelic rock feel to it. The track opens with Hammond noodling, before the drums join in for some mid-paced hard rock Hammond. In some ways this sounds a little like Deep Purple if Jon Lord had been able to sack Richie Blackmore, get rid of the guitars and do the whole thing with hammonds. The song has a certain amount of the Blues in it as well in the soloing. The track builds to huge, awesome stature, with very dramatic, driving and purposeful sections, before the track slowly breaks down to silence.

Doom Jazz II is definitely a very interesting album. As a big fan of heavy metal, I do listen to jazz occasionally as a change, or if people I know who don’t like metal are visiting. However, listening to some Miles Davis, John Coltrane, or Django Reinhardt every now and then does not make me an authority on jazz, so I feel a little out of my comfort zone with this album. The first two tracks I find more interesting than enjoyable, they clearly have some experimental aspects that are fascinating and I can appreciate the art in them, but I’m not sure I’d listen to them more than a couple of times. The final track Deception is a cracking piece of psychedelic / hard rock without guitars, and as the track proves; sometimes you don’t need Guitars!

A very interesting album, if you know more about Jazz than I do then you’d probably appreciate this more than I did, however this has been a fascinating album to review, and I urge any metal fans with an interest in Jazz to definitely check this out. 7/10

Reviews: Bio-Cancer, Refuser, Forgotten, Sarcovore (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Bio-Cancer – Revengeance (Hammerheart Records) 

Clad in artwork by Dan Goldsworthy (Corpsegrinder, Aborted, Glory Hammer, Xentrix, Alestrom, Accept etc), recorded by George Emmanuel (Rotting Christ, Wothrosch, SepticFlesh) at Pentagram Studios in Athens and mixed/mastered by Pete Rutcho (Revocation/Havok) at Damage Studios. Revengeance is exactly the kind of extreme thrash metal you’d want with all of these men linked to it. 

Formed in 2010, the Athenian band Bio-Cancer were part of the new thrash explosion at the beginning of the last decade, inspired by the Bay Area style while also adding the extreme metal/crossover inclinations of the Germans, the second wave of thrash bands and also Scandinavian black metal, drawing comparisons to Greek bands, Flames, Acid Death, Suicidal Angels, but also Kreator, Testament and Dark Angel. 

Two albums under their belt, the last one in 2015, Bio-Cancer have had plenty of time to redefine themselves and my lord have they done that on this third record. Conceived during the pandemic, the first Greek metal band ever to play China, worked tirelessly to make this the biggest sounding record they have made, meticulously trying to outdo themselves, in every aspect of their sound. 

While highlighting both the thrash and death metal side of their music the latter on the crushing Footprints On My Back and the explosive title track and the former on Citizen…Down and Dream Merchants. The switches between styles, technically gifted playing, foreboding atmosphere and the vocals reminding me of Skeletonwitch. 

Tomek Solomonidis is frightening behind the kit, laying down blasts and double kicks with ease, Thanasis Andreou and Stavros Marinos’ guitars carving up the riffs between them, with speed metal ferocity and technical precision, bursting into flashfire solos as Giannis Lagoutaris’ virtuoso bass fills in any gaps in the musical assault. 

Assault being the operative word for what Bio-Cancer do, if it’s not the explosive instrumentals it’s the frankly terrifying vocals of Lefteris Hatziandreou, I can feel the soreness in my throat just from listening to him scream. Having been accused of being a little one note on previous albums, Revengeance is a true reinvention where musical ambition is met with the experience and maturity. Fantastic! 9/10

Refuser – Refuser (Sleaszy Rider Records)

Another addition to the Hellenic trad/heavy/epic metal scene, this self titled album from Refuser will have you digging out your leather gauntlets and bullet belts as it’s a record inspired by the 80’s glory days where the NWOBHM was looming large and over the pond Manilla Road, Manowar and Warlord were also showing their steel. It’s that latter two and Iron Maiden, that prove to be the biggest inspiration for Refuser as these Greeks lay down some bass heavy trad metal, which reminded me of Cauldron who are also a power trio. 

Tasos Kladas’ bass galloping in unison with Stergios Hatzidiamantis’ drums on Refuser (the song) as Restless adding a touch of sleaze, in the guitar playing, Devil’s Embrace opens with organ, moving into some Mercyful Fate-like schlock. The guitars, keys and vocals all come from Konstantinos Karakitsos, chopping out killer riffs and leads on In The Night while The Blasphemer must be a Metallica song surely? Refuser don’t do short songs, all are over 5 minutes but the album has two historical epics, Jason, which is about and features clips from Jason And The Argonauts and Pompeii which is about the Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD. 

Jason is heavily inspired by Iron Maiden while Pompeii takes more from Warlord or Manowar due to the extensive use of keys/orchestrations. On these two epics Refuser move themselves away from just being another retro metal band, understanding the epic metal sound totally. The only thing I really want is better production to make it sound huge but other than that Refuser will have you shouting yes as you pump your fist! 8/10

Forgotten… – Whispers Of Existence (Self Released) 

Whispers Of Existence, the debut EP from Forgotten... doesn’t hang around; Is This The Gift You Call Life, sets the pace for the remaining 5 tracks with raw, ferocious black metal. This band play music that is grim, frost-bitten and with nihilistic melancholy that is delivered through a veil of bleakness. Now settled on the trio of Retrofornicator (bass), Kostas.B (guitars) and Georgios Chatziioannidis (vocals/guitars), the EP actually has a few extra session musicians, though no one seems to drum, even though these songs clearly have a drum on them. 

Whispers Of Existence is black metal by the numbers, the mix/mastering designed to make it sound authentic to the tape trading days, it’s also a bit all over the place as Bound In Misery sounds audibly denser than The Illusion Of Life. Forgotten… they aren’t just tremolo picking and satan, there’s atmospherics attempted on trebly keyboards, clean guitar on Woods Of Torment and Pilgrims Of An Unknown Future where they try some Opeth but the guitar playing is pretty good overall, weaving in and out of aggressive riffing under anguished vocals. 

Whispers Of Existence ends with a musically backed reading of Edgar Allen Poe, this song following the come down of Pilgrims Of An Unknown Future. It’s an odd thing to do as I’d have put them first as a way to build before smashing into Is This The Gift You Call Life. Still if the bitter black metal is what you seek remember to find Forgotten… 7/10

Sarcovore – The Calling (Against Human Filth Records)

The Calling is 26 minutes of extremely brutal death metal, that I can’t fucking hear! ‘Blessed’ with two vocalists; Greg and Tasos that both gargle marbles, the riffs come from Theo but I’ll be damned if I can hear them as this album is so horribly produced that it’s just a big distorted mess. Occasionally you can differentiate when things stop and restart, or there’s an intro like on the title track but with the Coroner/Cynic reverb on the vocals, the similarity between all nine songs, and the drum programming just sounding like a jackhammer, this is less Uncompromising Death Metal, more unlistenable death metal. 4/10

Reviews: Fire Down Below, Kaiju, Eclipse, We Are Sovereign (Reviews By Rich Piva, Mark Young, Matt Bladen & James Jackson)

Fire Down Below - Low Desert Surf Club (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]

The Ghent, Belgium band Fire Down Below have released two pretty much perfect record in their time as a band, 2016’s Viper Vixen Goddess Saint and Hymn Of The Cosmic Man from 2018. So, it has been a very long five years that one of the more underrated bands on the Ripple Music roster has given us anything new to feast our ears upon. Well, that changes now with the third record from the band, Low Desert Surf Club, and let’s just say these guys are three for three on releasing killer, gigantic desert/stoner rock albums that incorporate all sorts of other elements, including psych, space, doom, and 70s inspired classic rock. These guys have solidified their status as one of the leading bands in worldwide scene today with Low Desert Surf Club.

 
If the last record was gigantic, Low Desert Surf Club is a world eater, because everything about the album is huge. The sound, the songs, even the length, as this is a three-sided vinyl effort, and I am here for it. There is a definite Kyuss/Fu Manchu vibe opening the album with first two tracks, Cocaine Hippo and California. California leans towards a band like Valley Of The Sun as well, which will make a lot of people quite pleased and is a definite candidate for a song of the year playlist. The production on Low Desert Surf Club is next level, including the amazing guitar sound and the upgraded vocals. I love the cool riffs on Airwolf, which brings more of the Kyuss vibes and has a killer groove to it, with its sweet rolling bass line. 

With a title like Low Desert Surf Club, you may have a certain expectation, and the boys deliver with Surf Queen which is a track that starts off sounding exactly like what you would expect it would when an amazing stoner rock band does a surf rock song. I hear the waves are amazing in Belgium. But the track morphs into something else halfway through, bringing you probably my favorite on the album, a VOTS-like atmospheric, heavy, and emotional jam with excellent vocals. Surf Queen is quite a ride. Speaking of rides, the beach theme continues with Dune Buggy which is a bouncy desert rock number that will be a live favorite for sure. I love the background vocals towards the end, as the mix continues to take this record to the next level. I love the transition to the next track, the slow burn/psych tinged Here Comes The Flood, which calls back to the previous track, recommending the listener to jump in that buggy and escape the rushing waters. You can hear it coming behind that rolling bass line. 

You want atmosphere, cool, because you get it with the opening of Hazy Snake, which then leads to the heaviest riff on the record, an instrumental track that allows the guitar work to shine. The Last Cowboy is an excellent way to close out Low Desert Surf Club, and absolute desert rock ripper that is catchy and will leave you out of breath from the whole experience. Did I say that The Last Cowboy was the closer? Well, how about instead the band includes a sixteen-minute masterpiece as the side three of the record in the form of Mantra (I hope the vinyl has this as a stand alone track on the vinyl).

 
Not that you were expecting something different from me when I review something from Ripple Music, but the new Fire Down Below record is a must hear if you dig anything in the desert/stoner rock territory. It’s hard to imagine a “next level” for a band with the first two records that they have in their discography, but taking the five years that it did has allowed the band to craft an even bigger and maybe even better record than those first two modern classics. Yup, another amazing release from Ripple music. 9/10

Kaiju - K2 (Prime Collective) [Mark Young]

Copenhagen natives Kaiju cite artists such as Spiritbox, Monuments and TesseracT as being influences on their sound, although I hear some Meshuggah in there, as well as Herod which gives you an overall flavour of where they are coming from. It wasn’t immediate for me, and I’ll be honest it took a few listens in different scenarios – working, driving to finally get onboard with it and allow me to complete the review.

 
Awakening Sign begins, with a twisty riff, coupled with traditional growls that are continually underpinned by stabbing chords. Vocal changes to cleans that switch to growls and its an effective tool to start off with. It has a swing to it without hitting any sort of frantic BPM. False Truth comes next, immediately bringing Zeal And Ardor to mind, with the cleans on display while the riffs continue to support, with some cracking bottom end chug. What is clear from these two songs is that they can really belt out both styles with no loss In clarity or quality or delivery. The guitars are working with some fiendish moves, and they do a sterling job of providing the metal without being one note chug-alongs. Singularity brings those head scratching motifs to play only to drop away to put the cleans front and centre. 

This one I’m not fond of, mainly it has something in it that reminds me of those rock songs from the 80’s that I hated. I just can’t warm to it. End Of Day rights that wrong, with a lead heavy intro, synchronised double bass and guitar and hits like you wouldn’t believe. Arrangement wise, it’s not too different from Singularity, especially during the clean moments like I said, it hits differently. Sue me.
Now my favourite one-two, You Will Dissolve and Golden Leafs. Both represent a top-drawer arrangement and understanding of what makes an exceptional song. You Will Dissolve has this climbing refrain in the vocals that is mint. Its cut short to drive straight into Golden Leafs which just highlight the quality. It’s an absolute belter, rage and fury straight at you, even when they deploy the cleans once more and its maintained right through. Love it.

 
Mirage represents the creative high point as it explores a softer side which no less interesting than those that have preceded it. When the expected heavy comes in, it is like a controlled demolition. Completely focused and so tight, it constricts as it winds its way to the end and shows another facet of the band.
Chains heralds the final act, with some maths for you to get your head around, even in the clean chorus there is still constant movement happening, with the heavy riffs building in the background and dual vocals that drag you forward once more. 

They take the brakes off to go for it in the final minutes and it’s a welcome thing, fingers burning up the fretboard which is fantastic. Hypothermia though, feels as though its rehashed some of the earlier ideas which takes me out of the song, leaving New Beginning to decide the final score. Similar to Mirage, it has that soft start that leaves me waiting for the heaviness to come in. And it does, but in a sort of classic rock sort of way. It’s the way its built and in terms of delivery its fine but I expected an absolutely screamer to close this album out.

 
And there we have it, it’s a collection of good songs on the whole. The standouts really cook, but there feels like there is just too much of a similar nature on display. There is a feeling to the album that harks back to the classic rock of the 80’s to these ears that jars with the modern, progressive music that accompanies it. It might just be me though. Moving beyond that, what they do have is undeniable talent for writing songs, this much is true.

I’m not completely sure about in all honesty. There feels as though there is something slightly off, possibly in my approach to it. 7/10

Eclipse - Megalomanium (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

Having toured all over the world on the back of their last album Wired, Eclipse wanted to get back to their rock n roll roots, having spent most of their careers (10 years) as one of the leaders of the Scandi melodic/AOR, Megalomanium is a tongue-in-cheek title that alludes to their way of expanding their sound on this album. Bringing new fans they may have got on their tours into the Eclipse family by writing songs that perhaps don't stick to their blueprint they are also paying homage to their interests. 

Over the last 10 years they've been building up this fanbase so this new album is there to appease both old an new. Opening with The Hardest Part Is Losing You, a track that along with Got It bring the bombast of bands such as My Chemical Romance, Panic At The Disco! as well Queen and The Darkness, it's a new string to their bow and will sever them well on a live stage. The Queen influences come on Anthem too, a track that nods to some modern country too the voice of Erik Mårtensson perfect for this broader selection of songs, from the gothy Children Of The Night, the punchy melodic rock of I Don't Get It and the more classic strains of Hearts Collide, he's the key to Eclipse's quality. 

A direct shot at the big time Megalomanium is Eclipse consolidating their position and showing the band they want to be going forward. 7/10

We Are Sovereign - Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone (Self Released) [James Jackson] 

With their debut album, East Midland’s based We Are Sovereign are aiming to encourage people to stand up for who they want to be, a message it would seem is very close to the heart of the band. Each track has a two titles for example the opening song: Keep Going (Survival), it would seem that We Are Sovereign mean business with their intention of making music with a message, in case you didn’t get the message - they’ve put it into brackets for you, neat and easy. 

Theirs is a blend of Synth and Metal, Electro Metal or just Metal these days as that experimental phase of using more Electronic synths in our beloved genre has grown into something quite common place, not restricted to the likes of Industrial acts or a slight veering of the path for an act, for them to return back to a more traditional form of Metal. And it works pretty well, the aforementioned opening track is instrumental but blends sampled vocals and a very Techno style lead, with a nice heavy chugging riff, it works and works well leading into Don’t You Dare Quit (Resilience) and there’s a dual vocal approach to it; one of those vocal tracks is ok, it’s clean and the message that the band are trying to convey is crystal clear in its intended tone. 

The other vocal offering is a screamed accompaniment that in all honesty I could have done without; as I’ve gotten older, vocals have become a huge factor in how quickly I’ll turn a song off, in some (very rare) instances I’ve overcome that urge but that’s always been because the music itself has been so damn good, so vibrant that I’ve taught myself to ignore the negative effects of a poorly imagined vocal and enjoyed the music. 

However this is not going to be the case, yes the instrumental arrangements across the whole album are pretty damn solid, the blend of heavy guitar riffs and a solid rhythm section with the samples and the synth sound is on point but those vocals are just too much and no more so than on These 4 Walls (Torment) as it’s ballad like in it’s composition, the clean vocals and piano, overlaid with a emotive guitar melody and then those damn screeching vocals kick in. 

It’s a shame, but this is obviously just my opinion, wind back on those screaming vocals and find a more fitting way of portraying your message. JJ 4/10.

Reviews: Empire State B*stard, Silent Skies, Polaris, ALT BLK ERA (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Empire State Bastard – Rivers Of Heresy (Roadrunner Records)

Having wowed at Download, Glastonbury and ArcTanGent, we now get to hear Empire State Bastard’s debut album in all its glory. What is essentially a supergroup, ESB answer the question: “What if Biff Clyro played extreme metal?” fronted by Biffy’s Simon Neil, who is at his most rabid, vicious and unhinged, Neil even saying; “Lyrically, it’s as misanthropic and nihilistic as I’ve ever written.”, the other half of ESB is Biffy live guitarist Mike Vennart who many may know as one of the founders of post-rockers Oceansize. Mike is a solo artist too as well as playing with Biffy but it’s on these tours that this agonising album was conceived, abrasive riffs, raging screams, creating “the most fucking poisonous vile music I possibly could” according to Vennart.

I’d consider that job done with just Harvest, the punishing drumming of Dave Lombardo (Slayer/Testament/Mr Bungle), gaining it metal kudos. Conceived as grindcore, I’d say the songs are a little too long mostly for that but they very much have the incendiary attitude of grindcore nailed, if you want anthems and musicality look elsewhere as Rivers Of Heresy is about impact. On Blusher Vennart has angular guitar stabs closing out the song, before Moi? builds from a stripped back opening where you can hear that distinctive Simon Neil croon before the aggression comes in with distorted sludge. Although not on the album Naomi Macleod of Bitch Falcon plays bass for them live and will be tuning down as low as possible here on Moi? the sludge/doom influence taken away by the rawness of Tired Aye? The primal percussion rumbles on Sons And Daughters, Dusty is just over two minutes of rage, unleashed intermittently these short blasts leading to the near 7 minute finale of The Looming which is like post-metal meets doom. 

If you had just heard Harvest or Stutter you may think that this is all ESB have to offer but with Sons And Daughters and The Looming, Neil, Vennart and Lombardo display a real understanding of various styles of extreme metal, not limiting themselves to just being one thing or another. Rivers Of Heresy proves that super groups don’t have to be watered down mish-mash of the members other bands, they can be something fresh and exciting. 8/10

Silent Skies - Dormant (Napalm Records)

The third collaboration between Evergrey singer Tom S. Englund and Vikram Shankar, well their third as Silent Skies but they have played together in both Evergrey and Redemption. Dormant continues to enchant and beguile like the two previous Silent Skies records as Shankar's electronic compositions augment the soulful vocals of Englund, these 10 new tracks (3 covers) are lush cinematic pop rock songs that usually take the form of ballads, but Englund has one of the most emotionally resonant vocals around so you feel the hairs stand up on Churches, a song that brings to mind Phil Collins and Mike & The Mechanics, that fusion of pop, gospel, strings and electronica crating a special atmosphere. 

Dormant like the two records before it; Nectar (2022) and Satellites (2020), is betrayingly simple. The dense orchestration met with introspective vocals for a relaxing atmosphere which also brings Peter Gabriel comparisons (Reset) as well as the New Age sounds of the 90's, there's of course a vein of prog as Above The Clouds features Leprous/Musk Ox cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne for added genius. This is music to touch you, help you make sense of the world, when the heaviness desists and the distortion fades, Dormant swells in a selection of musical moments, featuring two gifted performers in perfect union.

If their own tracks aren't enough to make you love this record, there are three bonus covers where famous tracks are interpreted into the Silent Skies sound. Iron Maiden's The Trooper, is piano heavy, with same intensity of Damian Wilson's Evil That Men Do Cover, Bruce Springsteen's radio friendly Dancing In The Dark is made to be a slow burning song of lost love and rebellion (which of course it always was) while the version of Linkin Park's Numb is devestating. Silent Skies maintain their position as the heaviest band not to use a single riff. If you're not a mess after listening to it, you have no soul. 9/10

Polaris - Fatalism (Sharptone Records)

Sydney melodic metalcore band Polaris' new album has taken on a meaning the band probably didn't expect it too. Since completing recording tragically guitarist Ryan Siew passed away so this album serves as his epitaph, Polaris' songs have always been immensely personal dealing with anxiety, depression and loss, so when these are played live they will have a new resonance. 

On Fatalism, the track Nightmare pays tribute to Ben Wrigley of Third Eye Visuals, the dystopian and anxious atmosphere, suiting his incredible visuals which accompany this single and three more on the record. Having released albums in 2017 and 2020, Polaris are on a creative drive, with a tonne of festival/tour experiences. It means that Fatalism has been honed as their progressive metalcore style explodes. 

Fat riffs and breakdowns that are, sliced through with melodies and brim with electronics. Rick Schneider and Ryan Siew doubling down on the groove with Jake Steinhauser's bass, Jake's clean vocals soar on the choruses as Jamie Hails' harsh shouts snarl over Parasite, the melodics coming through on With Regards, Daniel Furnari a monster behind the drums. Polaris make bigger and brighter pulses with Fatalism, a tribute to both a collaborator and now a band member Fatalism is their best work to date. 8/10

ALT BLK ERA - Freak Show (Self Released)

What’s very impressive about the heavy music scene at the moment is that many bands, have a social conscience, they write music about real life, about how they want to make things better, how they fight against injustice and the numerous ‘isms’ (race, sex, fasc etc etc) we find ourselves up against. What is also very heartening is how young many of these bands are, to have that much of a social conscience at that age is something has to be celebrated. One such band is ALT BLK ERA, a sister duo formed by Nyrobi (19yrs) and Chaya (16yrs), who not only advocate for safe spaces, making their gigs welcome to everyone free from prejudice but they also create music that breaks the boundaries that are so rigid in what defines ‘heavy’ music. 

Their debut EP Freak Show is an invitation to the outcasts of society to join them, their twin voices in devilsh synchronicity as the musical layers below them incorporate grinding metal, EDM, hip hop, synthwave and opera. Using a glitchy, pumping sound on I’m Normally Like This, Freak Show opens with a song that has the rebellious streak of Nova Twins, mixed with the beats of Pendulum. Sort of like Enter Shikari fronted by Skunk Anasie’s Skin, I’m Normally Like This, is them opening the door to their K-OS Family Community, it’s here, it’s now and it’s loud. The duality between Misfits: SOLAR and Misfits: LUNAR is marked, the former a bouncing defiant rocker, while the latter is a creepy gothic, operatic track. 

Freak Show is 15 minutes in the world of ALT BLK ERA, a constantly changing, musically dexterous, experimental, achingly modern 5 tracker, that will bring them new fans, or satiate those that have seen them storming UK festival stages this year. Tickets to this Freak Show will be a rarity very soon. 8/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Johnny Mental 20th Anniversary (Live Review By Matt Bladen)

Johnny Mental, The Death Of Money, Inerrant & Happy New Year, Fuel Rock Club, 26.08.23

There are bands that mean a lot to a scene, you can usually tell by how many people show up long after the band announce their departure. Johnny Mental are one such band, formed by now veteran members of the South Wales hardcore/stoner/doom/noise/etc scene they left a legacy that can be traced to some of my favourite bands of today. Back then you don't realise the significance, I've seen them before their hardcore/thrash sound vicious and vibrant but it's only once they are gone that you realise how much they mean.

So after a stupid idea from drummer Carl Richards (Lacertillia/ex Zinc Bukowski) and guitarist Gareth Rowley (Inerrant) a Saturday in August at Fuel Rock Club was the setting for a 20th Anniversary show and in what was an extremely heartening display it was sold the hell out with the best and brightest Greebos in South Wales descended on the capital for a celebration of music. The night was opened by Happy New Year (7) whose merch bears the legend "£5 ONO or fuck off", comprised of two thirds of Made Of Teeth, it's a bass and drums driven hardcore band, reverbed/echoed to hell to make a nasty noise getting the crowd going for what was to come.

The sweat creeping in, the walls melting and the beer flowing, next up was Inerrant (8). A band formed in lockdown by ex members of Johnny Mental, Hogslayer and others, they are style spanning, slab of pure aggression two vocalists duelling with each other and the crowd, antagonising, pushing and getting in the face of anyone and everyone, as they roared through tracks from the politically charged most recent album Life Or Deaf.

The instrumental part of the band peeled off hardcore/punk/metal riffs that tore down the house. The assembled masses terrified and enthralled by the screaming Lucha Libre on the stage and the pit starting wildman who is his partner in anger. If waited a while to see Inerrant on stage but they were just as violent as I'd expected.

Following this was the post metal weirdness of The Death Of Money (7) playing their first show since the day before the 2020 lockdown, they are one of South Wales longest established bands and reminded Fuel why that is so. Long repeating riffs that are inter-sliced with blasts of hardcore, bordering on sludge. A little slower, but a lot louder The Death Of Money showed no signs of rust after such a long layoff.

Speaking of long layoffs this happened to be the headliners first show since 2011. But you wouldn't have known as they arrived to a heroes welcome, the bodies older but the passion still as youthful as it ever was. Playing a set featuring all the songs you'd want, from their debut, their EP and their album. Beddau's loudest hardcore/thrash/grunge band, unleashed their fury in front of friends and family winding back the clock to the early 2000's to get Fuel pitting.

Alcohol induced, and buyoed by the thumping dance music that was coming out of Revolution across the road. Thankfully by the time Johnny Mental (8) had taken to the stage, the room was packed, the crowd inebriated and the band played like the last 12 years didn't matter, switching from thrashfests to grooves with ease and slickness despite the gap between performances. With the crowd shouting back every word this was a Saturday night part that few nights have compared too. A sold out show in a packed bar, it was a loud way to turn back the clock.

A View From The Back Of The Room: Obituary (Live Review By Rick Eaglestone)

Obituary & Pest Control - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, 24.08.2023

I know this tour is named the Barely Alive tour but with the current heatwave we seem to be experiencing it would’ve been better to rename it Faster We Melt

Up first were Leeds crossover thrash newcomers Pest Control (8) who wasted no time whipping the packed out Rescue Rooms into a frenzy - from start to finish they cradled the audience like a newborn calf but embedded in that was a bludgeoning intensity that at one point even the circle pit that formed looked like they all needed a hug,

Hearing tracks such as the title track Don’t Test The Pest from the band’s debut album in the flesh and also Buggin’ Out were certainly a highlight and although it’s not on tape it is on a captivating yellow LP which even though I was unable to pick up tonight will most certainly be added to my collection imminently. Alongside this the audience were treated to first live performance of latest track Enjoy The Show and the band’s namesake Pest Control from their 2020 demo.

Before headliners Obituary (8) hit the stage I may have played a quick game of spot the camo hat & yes full disclosure I did include myself on that list although I picked mine up on the last slayer tour which was the last time I had seen Obituary perform before tonight.

The ominous green lighting & introduction of Redneck Stomp really set the scene, before the Florda natives took Nottingham on a journey of both sublime new delivery from latest album Dying Of Everything to recent classics that still sound phenomenal such as personal favourite Visions In My Head 2014’s Inked In Blood. 

The encore chosen tonight was most certainly a crowd pleaser with the more notable Dying Of Everything and Slowly We Rot included which made for a thoroughly bludgeoning Thursday night.

Reviews: Undergang, S A R R A M , Repentance, Lord Of Shadows (Reviews By Paul Scoble, Ben Price, Mark Young & Rich Piva)

Undergang - De Syv Stradier Af Fordærv (Dark Descent Records / Me Saco Un Ojo Records [Paul Scoble]

Undergang have been making putrid music in their base in Copenhagen, Denmark since 2008. In that time the band have released 5 full length albums, 2 live albums, 10 split albums / EP’s and De Syv Stradier Af Fordærv is the bands forth Ep. Undergang is made up of A. Dødshjælp on drums, D. Torturrdød on guitar and vocals, Mads Haarløv on guitars and Martin Lee Andersen on bass.

Undergang play old school death metal of the nastiest kind. This is pure late eighties, early nineties death metal, so lots of short, tight, de-tuned, super fast blasting with a simple and direct feel to it. Opening song Død is a good example of the style, nasty tremolo picked riffs with horrible vocals. The riffs are fast and flow very well, giving the song a feeling of inertia and pace. It isn’t all fast either, Undergang are clearly fans of slower nastiness as well. Mælkehvid og gennemsigtigt opens with nasty grinding death metal that has a similarity to early (first two albums) Carcass, but then goes into a section that is slow anddeath metal, but this track is mainly about slow and nasty.

Some of the material on De Syv Stradier Af Fordærv has a bit of a D-Beat pacing that works very well. Livløs i en pøl af egne udskillelser has some sections that are have a fantastically rapid D-Beat pacing to them. Forrådnelse also has some great D-Beat parts to it, a feel that this band really excels at.

If all that nastiness isn’t enough for you, then Undergang also do as great line in old school death metal solos, full of delicious dive-bombs and a surprising amount of melody, the guitar solos are a standout feature on this EP.

De Syv Stradier Af Fordærv is a great osdm EP. It’s 21 minutes of blasts, D-Beats, savage riffs, putrid melodies, horrific vocals and grinding tempos. It’s a riot of fun for the whole family (albeit a family that loves death metal), and should not be missed.8 / 10

S A R R A M - Pàthei Màthos (Subsound Records) [Ben Price]

Learning through suffering - sounds a little bleak, don’t you think? Well, that’s exactly what Sardinian multi-instrumentalist Sarram is going for on new effort, Pàthei Màthos (literally, learning through suffering). This genre-fluid, largely instrumental album takes us on a journey through the darkness, encouraging the listener to choose their own adventure while emotionally exploring its depths.

Musically, there’s a lot on offer here. From the apocalyptic, Sunn 0)))-esque dirge dirge of the title track, through the soaring melancholy of the post rock-flavoured Lotus Quest and the synth-led respite of Calma, to the choral cacophony of the fearsome Korimai, S A R R A M leaves nothing to be desired in terms of compositional ability. Naysayers might try (and fail) to suggest in their loudest adenoidal voices that an album encompassing so many genres and making use of a suite of instruments including Zither and Cello alongside traditional rock instruments will inevitably lack focus, but such a criticism falls flat in the face of such carefully constructed soundscapes.

Perhaps the zenith of the record is the parting shot, Long Live, Farewell, which somehow amalgamates all of the genres and moods explored on the albupost rock ambience, gradually building into a wave of mournful drones before fading away into a shimmering serenity - quite literally learning through suffering and then coming out the other side feeling peaceful and elated. It’s a gorgeous track which I accidentally played on loop for seven or eight iterations before noticing and didn’t get bored of - you wouldn’t either.

There is, sadly, one flaw with this record. The lack of percussion does, at times, lend a listener the feeling that the tracks are moving somewhere, but then failing to arrive. During some of the heavier moments, for example, you’d be forgiven for asking when the drums were going to kick in. Fortunately, the solution to this problem is simple; don’t think about it. Lose yourself in this record and you won’t even notice the lack of drums.

 
This album is a bit of a rollercoaster; the lack of regular lyrical content allows a listener to project their own emotions onto its peaks and troughs, which makes for a highly personal and moving listen. An instrumental ambient album certainly won’t float everyone’s boat, but those who are prepared to give Pàthei Màthos a chance will find an awful lot to enjoy (and, indeed, learn from) here. 7/10

Repentance - The Process Of Human Demise (Noble Demon) [Mark Young]

The Process Of Human Demise is the sophomore effort from these Chicago natives. It starts as it means to go on – aggressively, with a tightly wound attack that sees them dropping a twelve-song salvo with the intention of battering your ears starting with the high octane Buried By Fear, which has a delicious bottom end chug with some twist and turn riff moments. In just the first song, they have set a marker and whilst its nothing new, it does what it needs to and will be a live classic. 

Storming straight into Withered And Decayed, they play an early ace by deploying the considerable talents of Milo Silvestro (Fear Factory vocalist) and the dynamic changes as It employs that bottom end but brings forth a balanced melody before dropping into a solid break down that thunders along. Upping the ante with Reborn which features the one and only Corey Beaulieu they really start to find their range. It’s a full on rager, with Brandon White knocking the skins off his kit whilst Adam Gilley pulling out the stops with a full-on vocal attack.

They slow down a little to let the groove in on The Process Of Human Demise, but its still a hard hitter, quality riffing at the fore and this is a very strong opening for them, and the best is that they keep this going, with some heavy stuff coming through that mostly avoids repeating what has come before. A subtle picked start to Down In The Water makes way for some muscular guitar work and Brandon once again in full swing. 

The guitar work should be mentioned, as the riffs are razor sharp and the solo breaks are suitably unhinged courtesy of Messrs Glass and Burns. Speaking of which there is a hint of Arch Enemy to be found on A Future Untold, but for me All The Misery just has that something that elevates it above the others on here. This is obviously my opinion, feel free to pick your own. There is a lot going on in this song, melody, blasts, stop start riffing all neatly arranged in a 4-minute ripper.

A Grave For The False Ones provides that moment of respite before they launch into the closing song, Venom Inside and they finish in the same way as they started. Foot to the floor, chugging away with Adam once again giving it his all.

All told this is a great release for Repentance. They do enough with the song arrangements so that they stick with you afterwards, but the main aim has been completed. It’s a heavy statement of intent, and a brutally honest one at that. Is it going to be for everyone? Of course, not it won’t satisfy the technical crowd, but for those looking to where they can find their next favourite band, they should try here. They do everything you want in heavy music, and they do it well. 7/10

Lord Of Shadows - Echoes Of Yore (Meuse Music Records/Tragedy Productions) [Rich Piva]

Here we have Lord Of Shadows, which is some over the top dramatic gothic doom with some clean, not so clean and spoken word vocals. The new record, Echoes Of Yore, will harken back to bands like My Dying Bride, but a bit more over the top than those legends. This is so influenced by MDB that Aaron Stainthorpe sings on all but one track. There is some interesting stuff here, and some stuff I would pass on, but let’s see if the positives outweigh the negatives.

The UK gothic doomsters leverage the piano, a lot, and that is exactly how this one starts us off, with some dramatic spoken word over said keys, that leads us into some of the MDB style doom that everyone loses so much. The rough vocals are a bit much for me, but I generally can be cool with them when coupled with other styles throughout a record, which is what we get on Echoes. More piano up next with Faith Of Thy Beloved. If you want to get more gothy and dramatic, and some powerful female vocals to the mix, which is exactly what is going on here, partnered with a death growl from the depths of hell. This is when I dig the harsh vocals most, when contrasted by the female and then the male clean vocals. 

At one point you get all three “harmonizing” which is pretty cool. There is a lot going on here, most of it good. At The End Of Our Eclipse (I love the titles on this album) is more of the same, heavy growl to kick us off, into the female vocals, and sone nice twin guitar action. Dig it. She Was But An Echo Of Yore also shares vocals with all three styles and is one of the most dramatic over the top goth/doom ballads I have heard in a while. This is a compliment in this case. The back half of Echoes Of Yore is more of the same, which is a good and a bad thing. The nine-minute track Through Memories, I Gave Her Life is long and drags the record a bit, which is the problem with an album that doesn’t mix up what is going on all that much. The back half does make the album seem longer than its real run time, which is something that knocks the score here down a point or two.

The one issue I have with Echoes Of Yore is that it is a bit of a one trick pony. If you don’t like that particular pony, you will not like this at all. But if you are down with over the top, epic gothic doom with all sorts of clean and harsh vocal styles and slow burn piano driven dirges, then you may dig the new one from Lord Of Shadows. I did but will need to be in a certain mood to pull this out. Put on your back and be ready to get way deep in the sadness. 7/10

Reviews: Primal Fear, Soen, Stitched Up Heart, Blessed Black (Reviews By Simon Black, Matt Bladen, James Jackson & Rich Piva)

Primal Fear - Code Red (Atomic Fire Records) [Simon Black]

One thing about Primal Fear, is they are pretty darned consistent in their delivery. Since their formation in 1997 (after vocalist Ralf Scheepers didn’t join Judas Priest), they’ve consistently cranked it up in the studio and Code Red is the result of the fourteenth turn of that handle. To be fair this is the longest fans have had to wait between album cycles, but hey Covid, and bassist/producer Matt Sinner being seriously ill over the last few years which is a pretty legitimate reason for the break. This is why Scheepers has been keeping himself busy as lungs for hire on numerous other projects, cropping up all over the place in the interlude (ironically with the same kind of frequency as the man who did fill the Priest boots, Ripper Owens). 

2020’s Metal Commando was a masterpiece of brutality, which saw the band briefly returning to Nuclear Blast, but this release sees them with new label Atomic Fire (started by a bunch of Nuclear Blast guys, so more of a side - step than one into the dark) and so I had a certain amount of expectation here. This piece is a little different...

OK, it’s still blisteringly tight power metal done well, with a vocalist whose talent just does not diminish, but it’s a little more introspective and less immediate than most of their releases. To be fair Scheepers has been a lot more brutal sounding on some of his side projects, and this is a much cleaner sounding performance. That said, he’s lost none of the power and range one expects, but the emphasis is less about scaling the heights and shredding the wallpaper as it is about conveying the messages in the songs. That message reflects the experiences that Sinner, and indeed the world have experiences, with more introspective, reflective and moody material than the usual power metal cheesy lyrical fare. hardcore fans might be taken aback by this, but there’s plenty of brutality in the back catalogue, and this reflects a much more mature approach to song writing, touching political subjects. 

Musically this greater emphasis on the words sees Scheepers a bit further forward in the mix than usual, and once you adapt to the change in tone and start listening, you are unlikely to be disappointed. That said, it’s not going to be as immediately catchy as Primal Fans will expect. It wasn’t until my second full spin that I really started to appreciate it, but it turns out that repeated play increases the appreciation. If you want surface depth banging, then go back to Metal Commando; if you want a well crafted and richly layered piece of music that’s going to give you your money’s worth then Code Red is bang on the money. 9/10

Soen – Memorial (Silver Lining Music) [Matt Bladen]

Has an album ever broken your heart? Yeah? Good you’re clearly doing this “listening to music” thing properly, absorbing it, letting it consume you, not a tertiary, passing interest, but indulging in the emotion of it. Memorial, the new album from Swedish band Soen, broke my heart. The final song Vitals especially, made me weep like a small child denied an ice cream. It’s a sweeping arrangement with some beautiful piano from Joakim Simonsson, a smouldering longing that comes through Joel Ekelöf’s spine tingling vocal performance, it builds into an incredible crescendo, before fading off into the piano again. Closing out Soen’s sixth album with a magisterial ballad, that yes feels like Pink Floyd at their most tender and introspective. 

As if in total opposition Memorial opens with the riffy Sincere which is the atypical Tool-meets-Opeth groove, Oleksii ‘Zlatoyar’ Kobel’s choppy, palm muted bass riffs in sync with the guitars of Lars Enok Åhlund, his keys swelling the atmospheres that so much modern prog is built on. Hooking everything is the powerhouse percussion of Martin Lopez, dictating the pace, through Soen’s heaviest album for a while, this first song reminding too of Distrubed in their early days. Unbreakable too comes from that same vein, the riffs grooving brilliantly as Cody Ford’s lead guitar weaves a spell of virtuosity on top of the mechanical heaviness, Unbreakable’s marching rhythm and huge chorus is a bonafide future live favourite for sure, a touchpoint for an album that stands as the most aggressive and defiant so far. 

The brooding Violence and the propulsive Fortress marking this with one track that is dark and ominous (Violence) and the other that is anthemic and exciting (Fortress), the latter making me think of Alter Bridge, as Soen show that this is the record they have been building too, stepping out of that prog metal style they are so often categorised with (although Icon doubles down), into a style that is broader in its appeal but retains the technically impressive musicianship. With a wonderful ballad such as Hollowed, the duetting vocals of Joel and Italian singer Elisa along with that clipped but affecting guitar solo, elevating the song into the realms of Steven Wilson creativity, Tragedian continues with these comparisons. 

The blend of metallic heaviness and softness is inspired, the orchestrations too expanding the sonic impression on the title track, though they can still strip it back just to a riff and vocal hook on Incendiary. Memorial captures Soen at the height of their powers, many years in the making, this album is their defining statement. 10/10

Stitched Up Heart - To The Wolves (Century Media Records) [James Jackson]

I’ve listened to the likes of Within Temptation, Nightwish and Lacuna Coil for many years now, but it’s the latter’s step toward a more Metal sound whilst still maintaining their grasp upon the Goth aesthetic that appealed to me in the first place; that drove me to search for more bands like this; I had already come across In This Moment and following from that I discovered Stitched Up Heart, whose goth/industrial/nu - metal mash up ticked enough boxes to get me hooked. 

Their latest album To The Wolves follows hot in the footsteps of their previous albums 2016’s Never Alone and Darkness released in 2020. To The Wolves features Escape The Fate and it’s a familiar mix of metalcore riffs and vocals with a stripped down verse that builds to an angst ridden chorus. The tracks available here are huge slabs of metalcore each track shows off vocalist Mixxi’s abilities, providing clean and guttural vocals to great effect. Instrumentally it’s all geared towards offering highs and lows, stripped down verses are followed by a harsh verse, full of head nodding moments and particularly on Possess Me an epic breakdown. 

After only a few listens it’s certainly too soon to list any favourite tracks though the aforementioned Possess Me and Conquer And Divide do stand out, the latter for its use of synths through the verse. As with most albums after awhile it does start to become a bit too familiar, though that doesn’t detract from the music or the talents of the band, it’s all very polished and composed. 8/10 

Blessed Black - Seasons Vol. 1 (Self Reelased) [Rich Piva]

Let’s go for some Cincinnati doom! Blessed Black play your more traditional doom metal and incorporate organ into their compositions to create some pretty great stuff. You want riffs, these guys have riffs and even more riffs to give us, even over just the three tracks that make up their new EP, Seasons Vol. 1.

This may have three songs only, but they are three killer tracks. Hellbender starts us off, and that organ along with the riffs sure sounds like everyone’s favorite band Green Lung. Vocally not so much, where here the voice is more of a big, traditional metal type style and I am here for it. I love the little organ solo after the first verse, because if you read any of my reviews you know I am a sucker for organ. I’m also digging the lyrics as well as the great solo at the back end of the track. More Green Lung vibes with Obsidian, which is a title for songs and bands that for some reason usually says this is going to be great, and this is no exception. 

This track is more of a rocker, with riffs and is actually pretty catchy, which is another Green Lung trait. I love the breakdown at the end (holy fire!!!) and the solo, which seems to be a trend to leave it towards the end of the track. The last track (unfortunately, this is a tease at only three songs), Unable, has a nice stoner/doom galop and has some serious Uncle Acid vibes, which of course is wonderful. The vocals on this track are a true highlight, rounding out the EP at three out of three great stoner/doom tunes.

Could Blessed Black be the US’s answer to Uncle Acid and Green Lung? If these three songs are any indication, I would say a resounding yes. However, I need more, and I need more sooner than later. Let’s hope that Seasons Vol. 1 means Vol. 2 will follow very quickly, because I see big things for these Ohio boys. 8/10

Reviews: Spider Kitten, Phil Campbell And The B*stard Sons, Firewind, Albany Down (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Spider Kitten - A Pound For The Peacebringer (APF Records)

31 albums! There are very few bands that have released 31 records in their career, especially in what is actually quite a short amount of time. Having been a band for about 20 years, A Pound For The Peacebringer is the 31st release (11th full length) from South Wales heaviest music merchants Spider Kitten, their debut on the UK’s loudest label APF. 

It has been seven years in the making, recorded in fits and starts, you notice immediately that it feels like it was done with all the band in the studio jamming out the songs together rather than in bits. Its coherent but experimental, shifting sands between sludge, doom, noise and various other ear deafening styles with folk, blues, country and psych, as the lyrical content sways between therapy, drugs, altruism, politics, religion and peace through death, this elevated lyrical scope and introspection always a hallmark of the Spider Kitten style. 

Spider Kitten always weave an effective/impressive soundscape, fearing very little with their style, it’s no wonder that the title track, which opens the record is 16 minutes in length and shifts from concrete smashing, down tuned sludge into electronic, organ drenched fuzzing progness. You need a sit down after just one track but with 4 more to go you are definitely into this for the long haul. That’s what the band do though, make albums that need to be experienced in their entirety, so you pick up the nuances, like acoustic Americana of Safe To Drown, which is the second song, it could be jarring but it’s just what is needed after the mammoth title track. 

Spider Kitten is the creation of Chi Lameo who plays the lion’s share of instruments, joining him is drummer Chris West who also shares some of the instrumentation, a major part of the band since 2010, it’s the synchronicity between Chi and Chris that has seen Spider Kitten reach higher plateaus than previously thought, the two have shared love of country/roots music so this has been brought to the sludge/doom/noise beginnings to create the band they are now. 

This Kitten has had many lives in the past but since 2018 joining the foundation duo, are Steve Jones on bass, Gareth Day on guitars, this is the current touring version of the band, so both are featured here. While there’s guest appearances from Luke Oram and Rob Davies, all these names known to anyone from the South Wales UK doom/sludge/stoner scene, so Chi and Chris surround themselves with people who understand the artistic vision of Spider Kitten. 

From Safe To Drown we go into the dark vaudeville of God’s Song, the strumming and vocals reminding me of Tom Waits, before the volume is cranked back up for the doom of Bellwether, the groove of Fluid Druid taking a shamanistic-like turn with repeating riff and vocals, before breaking down into the apocalyptic “na na na” refrain as if sung ad-nauseum while the inhabitants of Jonestown drank the Kool Aid. 

Spider Kitten are a perfect fit for APF, monolithically heavy but with a rootsy soul and emotional heart A Pound For The Peacebringer, starts their stay on this label brilliantly. 9/10

Phil Campbell And The B*stard Sons - Kings Of The Asylum (Nuclear Blast)

Former Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell formed his solo/family project along with his three sons in the last few years of Motörhead's existence. With Todd (guitar), Tyla (bass) and Dane (drums) they made their debut as the Bastard Sons in 2016, releasing an EP along with two previous albums, Age Of Obscurity (2018) and We're The Bastards (2020). 

Armed with a glut of their own songs they never shy away from the shared history putting Motörhead tracks in ther sets to this day garnering immense loyalty from the Motörheadbangers fan club. Having seen the band live a few times I always thought vocalist Neil Starr's shriller tone never quite fitted the ethos, however Joel Peters who sings on third album Kings Of The Asylum, has the attitude needed to perform a track such as Maniac with it's "Fuck You" refrain. His delivery is gritty but melodic, ideal for the anthemic driving hard rock that PCATBS play. 

This is what some magazines would call 'blue collar' rock, originating from the South Wales valleys, they wear their honesty on their sleeve, rallying against politics and injustice with a raucous rock n roll that of course makes you want to throw up a beer (or cider) and sing along, on tracks such as Hammer And Dance, Phil himself peels off riffs and solos joined by Todd, as the fist pumping rockers such as Motörhead thrust of The Hunt are joined by grooving numbers such as the title track. Without varying too much from the set script, PCATBS sharpen their edge, feeling to me more like they should have from the start. 

Capturing their live energy on this thrid album it's a riotus record, these bastards definitely run this asylum. 8/10

Firewind – Still Raging (AFM Records)

Celebrating their 20th anniversary, Still Raging is a live album recorded in their hometown of Thessaloniki, Greece in 2022. Released as a double CD and Blu-Ray, it features the current line-up of the Greek power metal veterans playing a massive 20 song set from the entirety of their career. Still led by virtuoso guitarist Gus G, he’s joined by long time bassist Petros Christo, drummer Jo Nunez and singer Herbie Langhans, recorded in the Principal Theater where they recorded their DVD Live Premonition in 2008.

It’s a treat for Firewind fans, displaying all the songwriting skills the band possess and how their style has adapted over the years. The guitar chops of Gus G are brilliant as you’d expect, the renewed interest in the band due to his stint as Ozzy’s guitar player. You get all the tracks you’d want on this record from Head Up High, to live staple The Fire And The Fury, the always excellent Falling To Pieces as well as many others including their cover of Maniac from Flashdance. Now there is an issue here, I have to admit, I’m a Firewind fan, I’ve seen them with three previous singers, but I really don’t like the vocals of Herbie here, on the songs he sang, they’re decent but elsewhere he really struggles. 

This has always been a downfall live, choosing singers that can’t always pull it off live, however Herbie just seems like his in-ears are not working so he can’t hear, so goes out of tune. A shame because I know he’s a good singer but it’s not reflected here I don’t think. If you’re a super fan then this is a way to celebrate the legacy of the band, however I’ll stick to their records I think. 6/10

Albany Down - Born In The Ashes (AD Recordings)

Fourth album by British blues rockers Albany Down is another thirteen tracks of modern blues rock, coming from a variety of blues foundations, from the classic rocking opener Always Want What You Can't Have and closer Let Your Love Shine, the Stax brass parps of I'll Come Running and Same Damn Thing, to the funking Good News and ballad The Memory Of What Used To Be where Paul Turley showcases both his soulful vocals along with Cat Wyn Southall and his killer guitar playing, where he shows off some melodic lines, moving into the fuzzy Reflections. 

The grooving rhythms of Pete Hancock (drums) and Ben Atkins (bass) augmented by Nick Nasmyth's keys making for a potent blues rock combination, these classic rock influences return on the title track as they start the second half of the record with a bang, the production of Greg Haver making tracks such as Darkest Day slick and modern sounding, Rockfield Studios making them having more magic. Kingdom Of The Blind and Don't Look Back channeling the modern rock ethos of Black Stone Cherry, Kris Barras Band but obviously keeping their blues roots. Albany Down will be treading the boards for the remaining part of the year delivering this live, but you'll be hearing much more of them on the back of Born In Ashes. 8/10