Reviews: Yawning Man, Apostolica, Never Obey Again, Starbenders (Reviews By Rich Piva & Matt Bladen)

Yawning Man - Pot Head: 2023 Remaster (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]

Ripple Music is doing God’s work in giving us the first ever repressing and remastering of instrumental desert rock legends Yawning Man’s debut EP, Pot Head. Originally released in 2005 after the band had been jamming together for around twenty years, Pot Head set the stage for what the standard is for instrumental desert rock today.

There is not much I can say about Pot Head that has not already been documented, but what I can say is that the remastering sounds amazing, especially on vinyl, which I was lucky enough to receive a few days early. It is subtle, but you can tell if you listen side by side. Updated in the best ways possible. Digital Smoke Signals sounds as great as ever, being one of my favorite Yawning Man tracks in their discography, it has only gained with the remaster. The layout and art are updated too, all increasing the awesomeness of this release. I love that Todd worked directly with the band on this, getting their input two decades later, on how they would have improved certain aspects of an already classic release.

If you have not heard Pot Head before, you no longer have an excuse, because Ripple has done you the service of making this available to the masses again. Buy this, put it on your turntable, plop on those headphones, and be ready to be amazed. 8/10

Apostolica - Animae Haeretica (Scarlet Records) [Matt Bladen]

Easiest review I've done all year! Do you like Powerwolf? Great! You'll like Apostolica. It's actually scary how close they sound to the Lycanthropic power metal crew. The gruff vocals, the Teutonic power metal chug, the occult imagery/lyrics and symphonic/orchestrated sections. 

Animae Haeretica is their second album that draws inspiration from the Apostolics (a Christian sect founded in Northern Italy during the late 13th century by Gherardo Segarelli), like the mystery's surrounding the Illuminati, the Apostolics make for some great storytelling due to their unorthodox beliefs (A protest against the invasion of the Church, who branded them Heretics). 

The music has triumphal moments such as Tomorrow Belongs To Me, along with full on power metal riffers like Rasputin and Fire, that Germanic sound of thrashy power metal coming through in the biting guitars and rough vocals, while the scope is broadened with ecclesiastical chanting and haunting church organs. To be honest Animae Haeretica is a decent album, if you like Powerwolf but it’s been done to death. 6/10

Never Obey Again – The End Of An Era (Scarlet Records) [Matt Bladen]

Looks like I’m going 2 for 2 on Scarlet Record releases this week. Never Obey Again are a modern metal band from Italy, bringing chuggy djent riffs, electronics and nu/alt metal influences that aspire to be Spiritbox, Linkin Park, Evanescence and fellow Italians Lacuna Coil but rather come off as a bit of a pastiche. 

Now the performances are great and singer Carolina has a great emotional vocal delivery, perfect for the feminist, defiant lyrics of Toxic Feelings and Take Care Of You, a band with a message brought to the listener with hooky choruses and big riffs, but Never Obey Again don’t really stand out from a very saturated style, tracks such as Stronger making me think of a Eurovision ‘rock’ number. 

Of course if the lyrics resonate with you then you’ll disagree and really get into the record however from a strictly musical view these Italians are trading very well traversed water. They also close the album with a cover of Zombie from The Cranberries, its average at best and we don’t need another cover of this song (Breed 77 already did the best version). 

The End Of An Era, is just the start for Never Obey Again, so there’s plenty of potential. 6/10

Starbenders - Take Back The Night (Sumerian Records) [Rich Piva]

Starbenders are a very slick self-described “glam rock” band out of Atlanta, Georgia who play big, arena rock anthem type stuff that sound like if the understudy of the understudy of the understudy to Pat Benatar was fronting a Frontiers Music backed band. Their third (!) album, Take Back The Night, is more overproduced, generic hard rock that sounds like it was built in a lab, with some nice guitar work but with at best generally unmemorable and at worst nausea inducing songs in a world where there could be million other bands who do and/or could sound just like them. I don’t want to visit that world.

All you need to hear are the first couple of tracks to know this will not stick with you, but at least the solo on the song Sex is nice. Body Talk is cringy and We’re Not OK sounds like a terrible soundtrack song that plays during a c-movie sex scene. Yikes, I really started to turn on this album by the time Cherry Wine came on, and the rest is a hard pass. I tried, but yeah, I am not feeling this at all. Oh, don’t get me started on the cover of Alice Cooper’s classic, Poison. There ought to be a law against such atrocities. I would be issuing the warrant as we speak. I am not sure who the target audience for Take Back The Night is, but it is certainly not me or anyone else who I care about.

Well, if you can’t say anything nice… I keep taking glam rock albums from the folder, and each one of them have been different and my expectations have been quite wrong. I want Bowie glam, not what this is, whatever it is…and whatever this is I want no part of. This may have been one or two points higher if not for the utter murdering of a classic Alice Cooper song, which to me is an unforgivable act. 1/10

Reviews: Paul Rodgers, Bruce Soord, Guilt Trip, Anima Hereticae (Reviews By Matt Bladen & Danika Ulrich)

Paul Rodgers - Midnight Rose (Sun Records)

If you don't know the name Paul Rodgers then you don't know rock music. The founding member of both Free and Bad Company as well as the singer who reactivated Queen (as Queen + Paul Rodgers) in the 2000's before they settled on Adam Lambert as vocalist, if there's a blueprint for blues rock singer it's the leather lunged, soulful delivery of Paul Rodgers.

Midnight Rose is special for anyone that's a fan as it's his first solo album of all new material in 25 years, released on the legendary Sun Records (Elvis Presley), produced by Paul's wife Cynthia and Bob Rock, these eight tracks are perfectly formed to remind you of how good Rodgers is not just as a singer, his voice doesn't seem to age! But also his skill as a songwriter/musician, having written everything here with the exception of Living It Up which was co-written by bassist Todd Ronning, and drummer Rick Fedyk.

Midnight Rose starts off with the bluesy strut of Coming Home (great sax) while Photo Shooter moves more towards pop rock, perhaps the follow up to C-lebrity recorded with Queen. It's typical Paul Rodgers fayre but great to hear him letting loose again.

The first slow number being the country/Americana of the title track, the rock coming back on Living It Up which is a biographical track about him moving from Middlesbrough to America (via Canada) where he resides now and how the blues is his biggest inspiration. The hooks are big and the choruses easy to repeat but instrumentally these eight tracks are all quite concentrated with different layers.

The Paul Simon approach of Dance In The Sun is welcome after Living It Up, Classical/Spanish guitar playing, hand claps and great vibes, it's corny but enjoyable. Highway Robber brings a bit of that Free magic. Organist Chris Gestrin working his magic over the soulful R&B of Take Love while Ray Roper and Keith Scott absolutely slay on the guitars whether on the acoustics, on which most of this album is built or when they get to show off a bit on the first two tracks.

Does it have the next All Right Now, Wishing Well, Can't Get Enough or I Feel Like Making Love? No but the lineage if these tracks can be found here. More importantly the evergreen voice that brought them to life is still as potent and powerful as it was all those years ago. At a time where a lot of the big rock vocalists are mellowing or changing their tact, least said about Rod Stewart the better, Paul Rodgers is still creating music that is as authentic to who he is as a performer. 8/10

Bruce Soord - Luminescence (Kscope)

Bruce Soord is a polymath, singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist, band leader of The Pineapple Thief, having made his name with said band a few years ago he released his debut solo album, fast forward and Luminescence is now his third solo offering. His solo albums have always been less heavy than the prog rock mastery of The Pineapple Thief, often favouring layered acoustics and repeating electronics to create ambiance rather than just being direct and riffy. 

Soord was inspired by Charles Duvelle, using field recordings like on Nestle In or Rushing, to mold the sound of this album, in an attempt to find peace and serenity Luminescence was written on the road and at Soords home studio with Andrew Skeet who is the musical producer of The Divine Comedy and an orchestrator. The acoustic guitar sits at the heart of all things Luminescence, tracks such as Olomouc hang on the intricate acoustic guitar but beautiful strings make it come alive, Lie Flat meanwhile has some electronic percussion to drive it along as So Simple is just that Soord's fragile vocal and a single instrument, Dear Life the first single encapsulates the ethos of the album, musical density paired with introspection and calmness. 

Soord has crafted an album that is designed to bring serenity, beautifully composed record where the sequencing is king, a long musical thread that links the songs together, carrying you away to this world of calm. With so much loud, riffy, aggressive music around, diving into an album such as Luminescence occasionally realigns your brain that music can be quiet, deft and spine tingling. 8/10

Guilt Trip - Severance (MLVLTD MUSIC) [Danika Ulrich]

Manchester’s hardcore 4 piece Guilt Trip are back with their first release since signing to Malevolence owned MLVLTD MUSIC. With this release it is clear Guilt Trip are ready to break into larger audiences after devoting several years honing their craft in the underground hardcore scene. Many bands recently have ferociously stomped out of the UK's underground from all over and pushed their way to the top of the international scene. Guilt Trip is one of these groups leading the charge with this brand of UK hardcore that is fresh, extremely aggressive, and relentless. Severance, their sophomore album, is a ruthlessly brutal piece of work filled with thrashing breakdowns and some unexpected delights.

Overall, it is ferociously brutal and sharp. Even though the band have broadened their sound, they haven't forgotten their roots. This is prominent in tracks Tearing Your Life Away, Sanctified, Eyes Wide Shut, and Hell Will Replace The Rain. The sound changes in Broken Wings, where they add cleaner guitars and vocals. This gives the album an emotive evolution that is then developed more in the closing song, Dusk. This soft, heartfelt track reveals a side of Guilt Trip that we haven't previously seen. It's a fascinating way to wrap up such an aggressive album.

Severance sounds much more punchy and precise thanks to the band's evolution of sound to incorporate melody and more dynamic riffs as well as higher quality production. It appears that Guilt Trip have borrowed techniques from Malevolence, particularly in the albums second half, which features emotionally loaded melodies and clean vocals. The majority of this album radiates an unrestrained rage. As they move through the metal, hardcore, and thrash spectrum, Guilt Trip do not hold back in releasing a barrage of intense aggression. Throughout the course of this album, each riff and breakdown annihilated my ears. The tension and momentum that are steadily built up in Guilt Trip are then released in incredibly satisfying breakdowns or bursts of groove-heavy riffs. 10/10

Anima Hereticae - Descended From The Mountains (Inverse Records) [Danika Ulrich]

Finnish blackened death metal three piece, Anima Hereticae, have released their debut album and I’m ready to be engulfed by the foreboding and sinister soundscapes. A blend of Scandinavian melodic metal, death metal, and black metal aspects makes up the band's distinctive sound. Even though their music is referred to as blackened death, Anima Hereticae combine the best of Scandinavian melodic death metal into their arsenal. This masterful blending of genres produces an album that is at once aggressive but when necessary, held back and calming.

The band unleashes into Two Wolves which unquestionably the album's best track. It features an impressive vocal performance paired with frantic but melodic riffs. Track 3, the albums single Kraken, perfectly encapsulates Anima Hereticae’s dexterity of blackened death metal. Fusing scorching riffs, fearsome vocals and thundering drums to produce an incredibly hypnotic and atmospheric song. The vocals are the focal point for me on this album with such a wide range. The vocals in Kalman Väki range from black metal growls to the occasional clean. This distinguishes the song and creates an album with real substance and atmosphere.

I found myself captivated by their eerie melodies and unrelenting aggression. There is a chillingly gothic aura throughout the album. Magnificent soundscapes brimming with atmosphere abruptly give way to the stereotypical sound of Scandinavian metal. Descended From The Mountains is a perfect debut album. The band is entirely unknown but are rushing into territories where their genres elite exist. Anima Hereticae appeared out of nowhere armed with an assault of obscene death metal. 8/10

A View From Beyond The Void: Cosmic Void Festival Day 3 (Live Review By Alyn Hunter & Natalie King)

Cosmic Void Festival Day 3, Camden, Sunday 17.09.23

Not that rain matters too much when bouncing back and fore between indoor venues, but it was certainly on the horizon today. We arrived in time to see a healthy queue growing outside the Underworld in anticipation of Blood Countess (8) who would be opening up the procedings as the UK representation in the Underworld. 

Coming out of the blocks absolutely raging, The Countess and her cohort delivered a savaging 40-minute spectacle, although unfortunately from our position in the crowd which was rapidly growing the mix was lead guitar unfriendly in particular, which meant we got a specific battering from the drums, vocals and bass, and some of the intricacies of guitarist Steve's lead-work was sadly difficult to find. That said however, when it did eek through the bombardment of blasts and kicks and Nina's fierce screams, it added the extra nuance and necessary dimension to the onslaught. Really solid 2nd wave-esque black metal to blow off the morning (or early afternoon as it was) cobwebs and hopefully will catch them again with a slightly more forgiving sound (we could've moved, but ultimately we wanted to be in the crowd and supportive!).

Over to the Ballroom which was not yet open, and instead had another biblical queue outside in the rain which quickly started pelting down. The same door/first band problems as the day prior had returned so we waited it out until the queue died down and then headed in to catch Austrians Anomalie (9) who were a thrilling spectacle. A UK debut for the epic post-Black band and they fully grasped the opportunity, and this was honestly one of the finds of the festival for us resulting in two CD's and a tshirt bought immediately afterward (whilst also glancing longingly at the extensive and exceptionally colourful Cult Of Fire merch offering). Another band that we'll be spinning a lot in future, taking a lot from doom and more modern interpretations of the genre, leaning heavily on the melody and grandiose sections that brought real goosebumps to the arms - somebody please bring these back, we'll be there.

Danish Angstskrig (7) came in as last minute replacements for the Greek band Gentihaa, and this was another change of pace for the weekend in general. Having been kept busy at the merch stand in the Ballroom acquiring Anomalie merch, we missed the first half, however Angstskrig treated us to a more upbeat blend with plenty of punk and some stoner-esque vibes piercing through. It also provided us with a hilarious moment that somewhat typifies a stereotype of some Black Metal fans where the vocalist declared that 'Sunday is funday, so we're going to play a fun one', followed swiftly by a punter nearby loudly declaring that humour doesn't belong in Black Metal as he made his exit. OK buddy. 

Black morph masks were donned a la Mgla, Groza, Uada etc, but almost tongue in cheek with their delivery, the Danes were hard not to enjoy from their sheer delight at being able to perform for their first time in the UK.

Mixed feelings became of us for Ved Buens Ende (7) in the Ballroom. Musically brilliant and bordering on genius, with very DSO-style dissonance interwoven between jarring time signature changes and impressive key-switches that lurched frequently, however the vocal delivery was always going to be marmite and it wasn't necessarily for us. The avant-garde Norweigans were another on a long list of historically important contributors to the genre present at the festival and initially high on the must see list, but reality was that eventually hunger came calling and that superceded any desire to continue to be challenged by their complexity. 

In some ways, quite a little gutted as would've wanted to have seen more from a band making their first UK performance since 1995, but in retrospect felt that this band would've suited a more intimate setting, and with their very niche sound this was always a particular performance that meant that if you weren't feeling it, you'd struggle to engage.

Another of the South American contingent Sol Sistere (8) had made their way over from Chile for this UK debut. Their craft isn't anything out of the ordinary or pioneering, slotting neatly into the modern atmospheric Black metal styling, but when that's the case in a quickly becoming over-crowded and popular sub-genre, it has to be delivered well. A large crowd lapped up the fact that this was exactly what happened as they shifted between blistering blast-filled sections into moving and emotive acoustic passages effortlessly with rapturous applause between every offering. CD bought, bearing in mind the distance it may be a while until they return, but a fantastic example of the talent coming in from further afield.

Where to begin for the band that probably drew the biggest crowd of the weekend? Cult Of Fire (10), was the vocalist making cereal? Are those guitarists SITTING? ON GIANT HOODED PYTHONS? MASKS? GIANT HORNS? Oh my. When the Ballroom has a legitimate use for its stage curtains opening and closing at the bookends of a set, you know that the stage-show is going to be just as important as the music, and this was probably the most intricate performance we've seen in a long while, even knowing that this wasn't even their "final form" due to stage size limitations (and presumably a ban on anything that emitted smoke like incense), no detail was second nor space was spared from the performance that probably used the bulk of the dry ice supplies of the weekend. 

Cult Of Fire are one of the few bands who can legitimately use the word Ritual when describing their forays and not have any questions asked as they theme their output around Hindu deities, but more importantly they deliver a mesmerising and complete show that veers between intense blast-beat laden black metal, occult serene passages, and magic(k)al and captivating lead melodies at a moments notice. In some ways, they made Batushka feel a bit ASDA-price. Judging by the crowd which was rammed throughout, probably the most anticipated set of the weekend for many, with just cause. A truly special booking and complete performance, and maybe should've headlined Saturday... just saying.

Given the enormous task of having to follow that, Helleruin (7), one of the few corpsepaint and spikes-clad bands of the day still manages to play to a packed and attentive Underworld. In total honesty, having just witnessed such a complete performance it felt difficult giving full attention and shifting down a gear to the more primitive catalogue of blasts, spikes and tremolo-barbed rage provided by the Dutchmen, but the one-man-band turned live act did a solid job of giving the show his fans craved even if not boundary-breaking. Definitely an act we'd catch again, just preferably not after having to spend time collecting our jaws from the floor. We might even have missed the disco-beat and cowbell moment from Riddles In Devil's Tongue if it was performed... so ultimately we're not doing them any justice here.

Back to Norway's prolific Keep Of Kalessin (8) and their self-styled blend of epic extreme metal at the Ballroom. Unfortunately, the Norweigans had to cancel their last scheduled tour back in 2022 due to poor sales across the board, although whether this was purely down to the post-Covid effect though or some unworkable logistics/legitimately low demand is a debatable topic for another time. Picking up acclaimed YouTube drummer Wanja 'Nechtan' Groger was a stroke of genius though as he slotted in perfectly with their often immensely demanding drum parts and handled them seemingly effortlessly. 

London was promptly taken on a tour of the discography, punctuated with a lot of between-song narration by an exceptionally cheery Obsidian C who was happy to play the showman and talk the talk, tracks were performed from all eras of their anthology with the recurring theme being blistering speed and unrelenting bombast. The crowd had noticeably thinned compared to Cult Of Fire, but this was ultimately epic extreme metal performed exceptionally, although clearly got the best of a few, or some who just wished to pile into Sinmara early. Perhaps a stark reminder that very few bands have the privilege of living off legacy alone, but it was good to see the former Eurovision entrants (honestly I cannot even imagine...) finally get their time back on these shores after so long.

With that, it was time to be absolutely crushed by Sinmara (9), the second of the two Icelandic bands ready to bludgeon a heaving underworld. Shades Of Akhlys from last year arose with the Underworld having a queue to get in. Dissonant and brooding tones and cavernous vocals captivated the heaving crowd, with menacing cuts from their eponymous record 'Hvísl Stjarnann' forming a good portion of the set. Bathed in dark red light with minimal fanfare, this by contrast to the comparatively flambuoyant Keep Of Kalessin was an ominous and evil performance that reached into truly dense and sinister territory through their intricate riffing and harrowing songwriting. 

Icelandic Black Metal is held in rightly high regard at the moment for their unique interpretations of the genre genetics, and for good reason as Sinmara gave an absolute masterclass in how to be wowed by complexity whilst simultaneously melted by the sheer density of their sound. It's a rare treat to have two of the leading visionaries make their way over to demonstrate their prowess, so here's another call to get these rebooked these for a UK tour and bring Abduction along for the ride, that's a perfect match made in hell right there.

Somewhat exhausted after a weekend of largely special sets pulling us from venue to venue, we ventured back to the Ballroom to find Borknagar (10) who were the billed Saturday headliner, though not the final band playing. Having a number of attempts at bringing them over scuppered for various reasons such as the ill-fated Manorfest, the capable hands of Cult Of Parthenope were able to finally deliver on bringing the enigmatic Norweigans over for the first time in 25 years, and this was a performance befitting a headliner without much pomp or self-indulgence. 

Magnificent duopoly between vocalists ICS Vortex (renowned for his time with Dimmu of course and his impressive vocal gymnastics) and Lazare who was also handling keyboards, the Ballroom was treated to singalong material from start to finish giving the festival a real closer with all the relevant showmanship. Having been punished with blast-beats and razor-sharp riffs most of the weekend, there was something palpably warming watching a room of engrossed metalheads with weary necks singing along to Voices that resonated long after they had finished. Performing cuts from across their extensive history and closing with the anthem Winter Thrice, Borknagar treated Camden to a well overdue performance with the sole downside that due to the scheduling limitations of the Ballroom and their curfew that it couldn't have gone on longer.

As we were getting through the day, and our legs were starting to fail, Germans Desaster (9) weren't necessarily seeming like the most enticing option in prolonging the suffering of the cartilege in our aching knees, but damn we were glad we put the effort in at the end. The Underworld filled out one final time for the German Black/Thrash outfit who would be closing out the festival in a post-headline performance that felt like it took very little effort from them to easily draw out whatever intensity remained from the remaining fans who went absolutely apeshit. 

There's something incredibly endearing when you see a band with years behind them still having such a great time on stage and engaging with the audience, and arguably no crowd did it better this weekend than Desaster showing the virtue of experience, with one guitarist leaning over into the front row at every opportunity, high-fiving all outstretched reaching arms and having the time of his life. How do you not get behind a band that have that much fun and also deliver such a energised and consummate rampage? Desaster left an indelible impression as the perfect party-band closer in a genius move from the organisers, and one of the sets of the weekend that'll remain a lasting highlight for those in attendance.

Overall, Cosmic Void has delivered the goods once again. It's a festival that has barely put a foot wrong in the short time that it has existed, and has quickly become a must-attend feature of our year for their uncanny knack of attracting the new, the established, and the surprising UK debuts and exclusives for us to fill our boots with (and empty our wallets to) over a weekend. It goes without question that we'll be back next year, and there is a tempered excitement already over who they'll be surprising us with next time. Overall festival rating? Easily a 9, this is a true gem that only loses out a little on some of the logistical and expense fronts. Dang London, yo expensive.

Reviews: Heart Of A Coward, Dead Feathers, KEN Mode, Imperium (Reviews By Matt Bladen, Rich Piva, Mark Young & Jeremy Silverman)

Heart Of A Coward - This Place Only Brings Death (Arising Empire) [Matt Bladen]

More than a decade since their debut UK stalwarts Heart Of A Coward released their debut album Hope And Hindrance, they have faced trials and tribulations, but since 2019’s The Disconnect they seem to have hit upon their most sturdy, ferocious line up yet. The experience of years of touring, and a focus on streamlining their songwriting has meant that many of their progressive leanings are shifted towards forceful grooves from the early metalcore scene. 

The counteracting vocals of Kaan Tasan and guitarist Carl Ayers are paired brilliantly for that oh so characteristic clean/harsh dynamic favoured by the likes of Architects, While She Sleeps and the American metalcore pack. This Place Only Brings Death takes a shift to a more accessible brand of music, direct riffing, big chorus hooks and heavy breakdown grooves sticking around as the proggy, self-indulgence is toned down. Not in a bad way, there is a lot of top tier playing on this record, it’s just the songs make the point they need to quickly and aggressively, crafting the tracks here for the stage, to incite their audience when they play. 

As anyone who saw them at Radar festival will attest, live HoAC are wild! They’ve made this record flow like a live show, the furious peaks of rapid riffs and neck hurting breakdowns side by side with the insular, emotive sobering moments. The twitchy electronica runs through the back of all the tracks, linking then together, though highlighted on Captor, the anthemic Surrender To Failure and punishing Hex. Christopher "Noddy" Mansbridge double kicking the shit out of his kit as Vishal "V" Khetia's concrete baselines leading the stop start Devour Me. 

As a rhythm section that creates a cavernous groove, Carl Ayers and Dan Thornton's guitars double down on the low end riffing for tracks such as Ghost which shows more of those Chester Bennington-like cleans though on Decay the influence comes from Deftones. This Place Only Brings Death is Heart Of A Coward returning from the pandemic with their most carefully constructed tracks yet. Modern metalcore that is honest, passionate and direct, Heart Of A Coward continue writing their legacy. 8/10

Dead Feathers - Full Circle (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]

Think Ripple Music only puts out heavy stoner and doom? Think again, as the awesome Dead Feathers drops their second album, Full Circle, which is more Jefferson Airplane than Black Sabbath, and whoa baby am I here for it. This is some cool late 60s inspired heavy psych rock updated for the 2020s in the most glorious fashion. This is next level, mind-bending stuff that can hang with any of the bands playing heavy psych rock today. For Full Circle to be at or surpass the greatness of their debut, All Is Lost, it would take a monumental and gigantic record, but I think Dead Feathers hit it out of the park and got there and beyond in that output we are lucky enough to receive here.

The band is highlighted by the amazing vocals of Marissa Allen, who right off the bat flexes those vocal cords on the killer opening title track. That voice and the killer playing sets the scene for what is an amazing trip. The swimming psych guitars partnered with Allen’s vocals makes Lightning a next level track that could be one of the songs of the year. Daughters is a beautiful psych slow burn once again highlighted by those amazing vocals and haunting guitar work and really kicks in with the killer jam towards the end of the song. 

The trippy interlude One Year Before The Island leads to The Swell, a seven-plus minute hypnosis session, where Allen and crew use their unique powers to suck you in and melt your brain, no substances required. Robbery is an awe inspiring, epic psych rock journey where the perfect production on Full Circle shines, while the closer, Galapagos is as beautiful as it’s islands namesake, an acoustic track where once again Allen’s voice shines and cements her as the voice of heavy psych rock.

We had to wait four years, but damn was it worth it because Dead Feathers deliver the goods, and even more. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and Full Circle did not disappoint. Dead Feathers were born late, thankfully for us, because heavy psych is done no better by any band out there today, with the evidence being Full Circle, a perfect heavy psych rock album for 2023. An album of the year contender for sure and the heavy psych album of the year hands down. 10/10

KEN Mode - Void (Artoffact Records) [Mark Young]

With an acronym for Kill Everyone Now (harking back to Black Flag and their modus operandi for total crowd annihilation) you would expect it to be utterly destructive and lay waste to all in front of it. Pitched as a companion piece to the Null album released last year the Winnipeg natives have wasted no time in getting this one out there, all while laying waste to Europe on an extensive tour.

Its surprising that it is not just complete assault and battery, its not just hammer after hammer, its full of push and pull moments, that confound and wrong foot you.

The Shrike smashes things off with a propulsive battering, straight into that aural fist to the face that I’d been promised. Its not all attack by guitar, vocalist Jesse Matthewson provides a lot of the heavy lifting as the music drops in and out. One thing is constant is that furious beating of his kit, keeping it all tightly wrapped to avoid possible implosion whilst Painless is more of a traditional hardcore via Black Flag via SST records punch up. Bass, drums just keep this shifting forward at pace allowing the guitar in when it suits. From this, you get that sweaty attack of a live gig, of the audience just going nuts. Fabulous stuff.

These Wires brings another facet to the sound, piano refrain plays off against percussion, ahead of the louder, dynamic coming in. It’s a brave decision to drop a 7-minute song in at track 3, but then the feeling you get is that they don’t care either way. Its their art, have it. It’s the sound of a relationship breaking, of mental health straining set within a super solid arrangement as emotions are spewed forth, over stabbing guitars and that rumbling bass / drums that work to keep everything together and it closes out beautifully with that piano hitting.

We’re Small Enough brings us back onto a more direct, almost funk path with an instrumental that does enough to keep you engaged and sets up I Cannot, feedback and dense opening moments that lean over to discord and some bottom end chug. Once again, the vocal delivery is straining, brimming with intent and violent action as multiple instruments face off, saxophones and guitars plucking notes before imploding at the songs end.

A Reluctance Of Being prefers a slow, controlled approach as it makes it way through a repeated phrase “I’m never going to be Ok” before energising itself to move out of the almost stasis it found itself in. At this point, Jesse now takes centre-stage, barking his despair with dark, almost depressive sounds filling that space. It’s the sound of a break-down, of loss as feelings churn and spiral away out of control, further emphasised by sax building to a climax of anti-noise.

He Was A Good Man, He Was A Taxpayer comes and goes without really leaving a mark before last song Not Today, Old Friend starts up with a focused, melancholic arrangement and spoken word with an arrangement that changes up through several subtle gears, keeping it within a softer realm. Bringing in the sax just adds to that easy feel as it meanders to its end.

It certainly is a difficult listen as it doesn’t seem to follow a linear path in terms of how the music is arranged and performed. They don’t apply the same rules from song to song, keeping you on your toes. Live, this would be an interesting experience to see how they would deploy the songs and how they would evolve in that live setting. What is apparent is that they have a focused mind, and a direction in which they want to follow, and the songs that come are honest and completely authentic to who they are. They are not for everyone and that is great in itself. 7/10

Imperium - When Kings Meet (Self Released) [Jeremy Silverman]

Very few bands are willing to start as strong as British band Imperium do on this kickass EP. This is perfect for any and all metal fans with something everyone can appreciate. With dynamic and fast riffs over steady yet complex drum parts, the musical aspect of the band is shown off expertly.

The standout on this EP would have to be the guitar and bass work. Most bands crank out riffs like no one’s business, but little have actual coherent and powerful riffs like the ones Imperium created. There are multiple traditional riffs sprinkled into the creative space such as the simple 8th note chug over a skank beat. However, the blend of old and new is seamless similarly to the classic Death song Without Judgement.

There are a few different vibes I would categorize this album into. While the vocals are clean, they are punky giving them a raw edge over stereotypical heavy metal, however the music can be lent to almost any genre of metal successfully. It is a high compliment to the guitarists in this band to create such immaculate and open music. 

I would say that they lean more towards the classic thrash sound like Kreator to have a fast pace and hardcore sound, and with vocals 100% British, they have some Sex Pistols in there as well. A flawless blend of multiple genres to create something fresh and unique. 8/10

A View From Beyond The Void: Cosmic Void Festival Day 2 (Live Review By Alyn Hunter & Natalie King)

Cosmic Void Festival Day 2, Camden, Saturday 16.09.23

The festival layout for the remainder of the weekend was done in keeping with last year, although with the notable addition of utilising the Black Heart for the bulk of the UK acts, which after seeing how quiet the venue was during the day last year, was a gesture of mutual benefit to both the attendees of the festival who would get better value for money, or alternatives to the Underworld if it ended up particularly packed, and the performing UK contingent fortunate enough to be performing at a prestigious black metal event, not to mention the Black Heart itself which felt busier now that it had some live activity scheduled befitting the masses of fans in the vicinity. A quick footnote for us is that we applaud this support of the domestic scene in principle as a platform for our own talent, however for our own endeavours in seeing as much of the bands we hadn't seen before, we ended up spending the bulk of our time within the larger two venues.

We arrived ahead of the first Electric Ballroom band (another slight faux pas on our side for not getting in earlier for The Suns Journey... & Infernal Angels, but it is what it is), and perhaps one of our only real complaints with the organisation of the weekend reared its head with the opening of the venue doors and the start of Nordjevel's set happening at the same time. The resultant effect was that a diverging queue happened outside the Ballroom in two directions. Complete mis-management by the security meant that the queue heading towards Camden station were told after having waited for a good while that they were in fact in the wrong queue, and had to queue for an additional length of time in the opposite direction. 

Naturally, the simple solution would've been to have opened the doors prior to the first band starting with the benefit that the band wouldn't be initially playing to an empty room, but perhaps there were reasons unbeknownst to us as to why that couldn't happen. This same issue apparently also affected the first band performing at the Underworld beforehand, but seemed more pronounced here where a number just decided to miss either some, or all of Nordjevel rather than engage in that favourite of British pastimes.

Either way, when we did get in about 15 minutes through their set, Nordjevel (9) had already opened with fury. Breakneck and often impossible-feeling drumming courtesy of the absolute monolith that is Nils 'Dominator' Fjellstrom being a predictably large draw for many, Nordjevel deliver a particularly nasty sounding 2nd wave of Norwegian black metal replete with corpsepaint, spiked gauntlets that demand their own health and safety course, and enough savagery in their riffs to send a hoard of bears bailing for the hills. 

It's sometimes a difficult one to remember but Nordjevel are still a band in relative infancy having only formed in 2015, but the strength of their rapidly growing catalogue of releases on show here was clearly illustrative of the collective experience of the members who are all seasoned in their craft. They categorically bludgeoned the ballroom, and damn, we wished we caught that first 15minutes too, but as a slight consolation they did seem to get a bit of a longer set as a result.

Over to the Underworld next to catch some of Austrians Karg (8), who by contrast deliver polished, post black metal with plenty of ambience. As is often a trope of the modern take on the sub-genre, they take some hardcore elements in the vocal delivery and nuances, and oftentimes sound similar to last year's performers and compatriots Ellende which is by no means a bad thing. In something that will become a common theme throughout this review, we were mostly new to Karg, but nevertheless they delivered a very professional, tight and assured showing and no doubt secured a number of new fans, us included - all things considered quite relaxing after the consummate prior face-melting.

...and this is where things got surprising. Almost weirdly so, and Cosmic Void cannot be found at fault for this as once again, they should be praised for their ability to attract big names within the genre over to our shores as the majority of the time, it works out. It's a key component to their success. So when Midnight Odyssey (0) were announced having been previously billed as a "secret act", there was much fanfare predominantly from the comments sections about how this was going to be something truly special, particularly as this was a worldwide debut show from an artist held in high regard for their influence and prolific output as a one-man outfit with several revered releases under his belt within his ambient black metal staple. 

Noteworthy enough to be picked up to add elements to the most recent Cattle Decapitation records. There's a hefty element of risk that perhaps some may have overlooked in that statement though, and that's the fact that there's not a tried and tested performance to back up the booking, and on further investigation doesn't seem to have been the case historically, which in practice made this even more of a punt. In actuality though, this turned out to be probably the most polarising performance we've witnessed in any genre, from any show, ever, and unfortunately for us, in our collective experiences of having seen many different acts over the decades between us, we sat on the negative side of that spectrum, and we'll try very hard to be as objective as possible in delivery here and give an accurate account of both our feelings and interpretation, whether it is a shared one or otherwise...

So, with that preamble out of the way, Midnight Odyssey, might well have been one of the worst performances from a band we have ever seen. Ever. Underprepared, messy, horrible/incomprehensible sound, out of time (we think? - the drum machine was so buried and muffled it's hard to tell amongst the soupy blown out mess)... words fail in explaining quite how bad this was without sounding like an attempt at setting some kind of new benchmark in hyperbole. What we witnessed for the 20 rueful minutes that we hung about for (which for candour was far too long), was an excessively long and redundant introduction, followed by an overtly loud cacophony that was devoid of any musical merit, and even in the absence of said merit, also lacking any stage-show or theatrics of note unless you count the keyboardist lurching back and fore out of time with the aforementioned completely buried drum-machine. 

 When within the first 5 minutes of the eventual opening salvo the visible concensus of a crowd is of 'what the fuck is this?', you begin to question whether it is either the material, the performance, or the sound is at fault. Having not been familiar with the material and not noticing any problems with Nordjevels sound, we felt it would be reasonable to see this as a performance issue. Within the first 30 seconds of the racket ensuing, from our view at the back of the room rows of people were either laughing and leaving, or giving a much more expletive-laden vocalisation of their opinion, and still leaving. 

To us, this was an opportunity wasted for a far more prepared band getting to perform to a packed Ballroom (as all "main-stage" sets did not clash with anything else), a show of faith from the organisers that had not even come close to being repaid, and by comparison, the buskers outside felt like stadium headliners. Whether this improved at all further into the set was a moot point for us as the damage had already been done and the incentive to stay entirely sapped, and ultimately first impressions count. This was truly dire, and the sole upside was that this made choosing when to get food in an otherwise stacked day a no-brainer.

Also peculiar and in hindsight somewhat incredulous is that Dis Pater, mastermind behind the project would be speaking at a seminar of sorts at the Black Heart the next day as an authoritative figure in Black Metal. Perhaps this served as proof that Black Metal does have a habit of placing individuals on a plinth before they are proven within one of the most important of environments - the live setting. 

All this served to prove in principle was that either Dis Pater is a legend at polishing in a forgiving studio environment, or royally took the piss by not taking the opportunity seriously enough to prepare sufficiently for what was by all accounts a keenly anticipated worldwide debut, an opportunity craved by many a far more rehearsed and deserving act. However you choose to slice that cake, the credibility of that additional appearance felt questionable at best based on what we saw, not that many of the swathes of online fans will know until they complete some of their other booked dates or the recording of the set (as there was a film camera set up for this) is released.

Now, what is worth adding as an addendum is that we mentioned that this was a polarising performance, and to make a point that this isn't us using this platform as a means of disparaging an artist from attempting to deliver their craft, but there comes a time when you have to call a spade a spade, particularly in order to have any credibility in the medium of a review. There were definitely some who were loving it and have said as much afterwards, although we cannot fathom why outside of being just big fans of the music on record, and treating this as the musical equivalent of a Mum pinning up their child's first drawing on the fridge, heralding the second coming of Claude Monet. 

As we were leaving, plenty of people were still saying how chronically awful they were, and even after we got food, those comments continued as we walked back past the Ballroom all the way to the next band in the Underworld which was quickly filling up long before it normally would've. In some ways, it does go to show the richness in diversity within the genre, but to these ears, we just think that some might need to set their bars higher as to what constitutes a good performance, especially amongst a weekend where no doubt every act on the bill delivered something far superior, and maybe some acts should just be confined to the mystique of the isolated bedroom from whence they came.

With a line drawn under that, we got in early to see the enigmatic Slagmaur (8) and the Underworld venue room was brimming. Wish.com-esque halloween costumes in tow with the gain up to 22 and overly distorted fizzy guitar tones, Slagmaur emit a sludgy, horror themed black metal. Specifically, the drummer had an elaborate goat mask, the guitarist stage right had a depraved butcher outfit, stage left was adorned with a pigs head, and the vocalist the skull of the avian variety. Quite unique in a way, but theatrically engaging in a disturb-the-shite-out-of-you fashion and hypnotic from the riffs front. Slagmaur clearly had a number of very enthused fans who were waxing lyrical both before and after the performance, and whilst one of us left a little unsure on the thematic front, it was agreed that this was a solid UK debut from the Norweigans.

Keeping things Norway, the Ballroom next saw veterans Urgehal (9) take to the stage in a 'memorial ritual' for former guitarist/vocalist Trondr Nefas. This was vintage, nasty Norweigan black metal done the old school way with a real bite and venom to their performance, but with a meaty PA behind them this took their buzz-saw attack to a level their stature demanded. The Ballroom crowd seemed happy that this was a return to business as usual, and heads did not stop moving as Urgehal levelled the venue with their barrage. An absolutely stunning and relentless performance replete with all the blastbeats, chaos and Satan that you could possibly want from an act that have long needed a UK show.

Back to the Underworld we trudged, ears suitably molested for comparatively soothing atmospheric and depressive Thy Light (9). The much revered Brazilians were touted as one of the scalps of the festival and were making their long awaited UK debut at Cosmic Void. A brooding atmosphere was laid down through maudlin and suffocating riff after riff, weaving a complex web of emotion from riveting to sombre with thoughtful lead lines and melodies. A special showing that justified their invitation particularly with another instance of a packed venue, and no surprise to see a ton of their merch shifted and on display the next day. Honestly wouldn't be surprised to see these invited back, and hopefully for a full UK tour at some point, and a little criminal of us not having listened to more of their material prior, an issue that will no doubt quickly be rectified.

No rest for the wicked, we headed back over to the Ballroom for the big Swedish name of the day, Naglfar (10). It has been 17 years since they last performed in the UK, and this was about as overdue a show as it could be from the Scandinavian melodic black metal heavyweights. The room took some time to fill, presumably with many needing to deal with hunger or recovering emotionally from Thy Light, but fill quickly it did and stayed very much that way until they ended on the title track from the album Harvest. 

Naglfar take an approach of performing a style of black metal that takes from other genres that their compatriots are more famous for, such as melodeath, whilst still retaining that blackened vein. Melodeath rarely translates poorly live, and this was no exception, just with less emphasis on noodling guitar lines and a fair smattering more venom behind their output. Reaching mostly into material from the Harvest record and their most recent album Cerecloth, this was one of our most anticipated sets of the weekend and an assured account of themselves was provided with vocalist Kristoffer Olivius looking particularly unhinged throughout his manic delivery, creeping over the crowd like a possessed shadow Let it not be that long until they return as this was positively blistering.

We made our way slowly through our elation back to the Underworld for Ancient, which may have been a bit of a mistake as by the time we arrived it was jam packed and meant that any sound we were getting was that awkward mixture of part live sound being funnelled through a few hundred bodies and a doorway, and the overhead speakers churning out the same but without the bass. Between that and the now overwhelming heat of the venue, we elected to make use of the additional venue provided and go and catch some of The Infernal Sea (8) instead. A bit of a shame given Ancient's history, reputation and genre significance, but it wouldn't have been fair to try and pen words on a performance where we couldn't give a fair account either visually or audially. 

Having performed under The Infernal Sea recently, I knew very much what we were in for, and true to form - they produced a spellbinding display of absolutely furious and hate-fueled intensity. Our only misgiving was that if they played The Bearer, we missed it, and The Black Heart clearly struggled at times keeping the bass under control, but what we did see was an intimate crowd going ape for a band that are ticking all the right boxes continuously and pushing their own envelope with every step. Keep an ear to the ground for that upcoming record too, going by new material, it's going to be a belter.

The final performance of the day would be Darkspace (5), another eclectic band with a reputation to be respected amonst the more dark/ambient/industrial sub-genres - similar to Mysticum from last year, but this felt like a show where there in principle wasn't much wrong with them, but not much right either? Fairly flat and soulless to our ears, which might well be the vibe they wanted, but not really justifying their headliner billing with a performance that had much in common with someone turning their record player on. 

They stood stoic, stationary in low lighting for the bulk of their audial assault that we saw, and there just wasn't much that really made you think that this was a show of any special note. Their suffocating sound didn't do an awful lot to persuade us to stay any longer than half their scheduled set-length, not least after having seen the excellent two preceding acts in the Ballroom and that very well is likely down to individual tastes as it was certainly busy, but this just wasn't our jam, and became an excuse to head off to the Black Heart for a quick beverage before resting the legs ahead of the final day.

Reviews: Cannibal Corpse, Thy Art Is Murder, The Bites, Taz (Reviews By Erick Willand, Danika Ulrich, Matt Bladen & Rich Piva)

Cannibal Corpse - Chaos Horrific (Metal Blade Records) [Erick Willand]

Writing a review for a band as legendary as Cannibal Corpse can be a daunting task, right off the bat you have to figure out…where do I even begin. I mean it feels like only a few weeks ago they dropped Violence Unimagined, their 15th and possibly strongest album ever. That slab didn’t leave my play rotation for months. 

Not to mention the addition and continued participation of the equally legendary Eric Rutan who comes with his own Death Metal pedigree stretching back decades and bridges songwriting, playing and production. This is Cannibal Corpse, the only Death Metal band a normie might recognize the name of thanks to none other than Jim Carrey. A band who’s lead singer is called Corpsegrinder yet is known on Instagram for winning stuffed animals from claw machines…you literally can’t make this stuff up.

Of course I’m not here to just give you a stream of consciousness rant about the history or weirdness of this legacy Death Metal act, I’m here to stick my head in the Corpse blender, get my brain shredded and then report back. So with no further fuckery, on to Chaos Horrific!

The opening track on this gruesome slab is fittingly titled Overlords Of Violence and it delivers within seconds, of course that should not surprise you. A blast from the guitars, a rumbling bass line and we’re off to the slaughter properly. Driving rhythm and guitar noodling in bucket fulls and there are no stops on this meat train ride as you are bodily hurled right into Frenzied Feeding. Fast and aggressive like a proper zombie chow down, until the slow part comes and it’s down right belligerent. Corpsegrinder is great at this moment, deep and gravel laden he just sounds mean and I’m here for it. I spin Frenzied Feeding again before being Summoned For Sacrifice by a thick swirling riff and thunderous drums. Rutan shines on this one and the chorus is just plain sing-along fun.

Blood Blind might just be one of my new favorite Cannibal Corpse songs, when you hear the fade in for “Subjugate, subjugate, subjugate!” you can’t help but get sucked right in. Prime work and sure to be a crowd fav in the live setting. Vengeful Invasion will also fall into that slot, the song's riffs literally stick to the inside of your skull. Leading of course right to the colorful title track Chaos Horrific and the riff assault begins instantly, a vicious, tight rampage like being locked in a metal box and tossed down a large hill but your descent is somehow controlled and precise. Such fun. 

There’s so much meat on this album and Rutan’s addition to the fold continues to prove a very solid choice. Fracture And Refracture is brutal as you expect but with a cool almost lazy riff throughout the song that gives it a unique vibe and fits nicely with the solo, which is the best on the album easily. Pitchfork Impalement gives me classic Corpse vibes with its speed and swagger. Pestilential Rictus comes galloping in with some fun thrashy vibes and brilliant guitar work that feels crisp and amazingly well timed. Final track Drain You Empty has this same…touch. Both songs are just very well made Death Metal made by craftsmen at the height of their art and still enjoying it immensely. That comes through on this whole album. 

And the cover art…Vincent Locke hits the tension of a zombie attack just right, what more can I say I’ve liked his work since his Deadworld comics. The verdict is simple in the end. 9/10

Thy Art Is Murder - Godlike (Human Warfare) [Danika Ulrich]

Australian extreme metal giants Thy Art Is Murder are back with 10 tracks of deathcore dominance. Their blistering sixth full-length album, released via their own label Human Warfare, shows signs that new directions are being pursued. Titled Godlike, Thy Art explores new dimensions and complexities without surrendering a single bit of the intensity you find in their older work. But instead of just delivering the hardest breakdowns conceivable, the emphasis is shifting more towards storytelling.

The band's growth in songwriting is instantly on display in the first track, Destroyer Of Dreams, with its opening breakdown. In addition to the blasting guitars, thunderous growl increases intensity of the track as he joins in with his deathly bellows and high screams. Without a doubt, this is the best start to a Thy Art Is Murder album. It's a glimpse of things to come, from the drums and palm mutes to the haunting lead guitar that joins sinister vocals. Blood Throne has some extremely fun groove sections whilst single Join Me In Armageddon has dreary melodies that successfully create an impending state of doom. Gang vocals during the chorus heighten the feeling of perilousness. It hits as hard as anything else they have put out whilst omitting blast beats.

Track 4, another single from the album, is Keres. This is my personal favourite, I’ve listened to the whole album multiple times but this has been repeated by me for days. The title is derived from Greek mythology and means spirits of death. This song is undoubtedly a metal anthem with it's pounding choruses and verses paired with a frenzied riff. I can imagine it being the one to rile fans up the most when it comes to performing these new tracks live.

Through its eerie low-gain guitar parts, Everything Unwanted throws gloom down strongly. This is the closest thing Thy Art Is Murder will ever get to a ballad. A gloomy, melancholy intro explodes into an unstoppable hit where the vocals have more force. Low growls are definitely more prominent in this track. At the halfway point we get Lesson In Pain. A song that perfectly captures the extreme brutality of Thy Art, fusing ominous lead guitars with vicious deathcore riffs. Strikes of savage guitars and unnerving screams make it a fitting title. Title track, Godlike, is once more nothing short of brutal and features drummer Jesse at his finest. Corrosion perfectly captures the band's signature sound, which includes intensely exhilarating and chunky riffs, ferociously pounding drums and some of the best deathcore screams and growls in the album.

The main attraction throughout the album has been the louring grooves but, these take a backseat in Anathema. As a chaotic blast beat bridge bellows, the vocals become much more jarring. This led way to gloriously harsh riffs with a gruelling breakdown that sounds as unnerving as it does vicious at the tracks end. The final song, Bermuda, brings everything to a close. With a melancholic beginning and an eerie EDM beat, poignant growls while the track descends into even murkier territory. This stands out from the album's other songs. Unearthly guitars set the tone followed by new realms of guttural screams. The vocals perfectly complement the massive guitars and drums with such emotion. Bermuda as an ending was unexpected. The song wouldn't be as impactful in any other place but, it perfectly closes out a spectacular and sincere album.

With unrelenting effort, Thy Art Is Murder has arose as one of Australia's biggest and best extreme metal bands. Godlike is in my eyes vastly different from any previous Thy Art album. In terms of sound, I can only say that it is fuller than earlier albums. It still captures the spirit of their previous work but results in an album that feels enormous in comparison. Outstanding, 10/10

The Bites - Squeeze (Earache Records) [Matt Bladen]

From Hollywood USA, The Bites play rock n roll, unashamed, retro rock n roll. Garage rock fuzz, party choruses and a glam rock stomp The Bites make 36 minutes fly by with a macho swagger that will appeal to fans of The Struts and Dirty Honey. Jordan Tyler is a music obsessive, dressed to kill and imbued with the confidence and charisma of the best rock frontmen, he started the band with Mark Hylander as a drummer/producer, adding guitarists Dustin Coon, Joni Richer and bassist Zack Currier ready to record this debut. 

From the Acca/Dacca strut of Love Affair, the sleazy Heather Leather and the filthy Wild Animal. Squeeze uses the best rock styles of the 60's, 70's and 80's for a jukebox of frivalous rock n roll which you can just hear the influence of Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Status Quo, The Stones and even The Hives on the jiving fuzz of the title track. Ripe with double entendres, lust and lyrics that would probably get them cancelled if they weren't a throwback and from L.A. Try not to focus on the lyrics themselves, just listen to the music, crack open a beer and get your rocks off to The Bites. 8/10

Taz - Wake Up And Sweat, Vol. 1 & Shipwrecked, Vol. 2 (Eonian Records) [Rich Piva]

There are so many bands in the days when hair metal was huge that took the pilgrimage to the Sunset Strip and did their best to become rock stars. Most did not get much past recording demos and playing some shows with their own material. Some bands who were top level talents that had every reason to break through just didn’t. While some others who could barely hold their instruments became global superstars. 

For every Poison there were a hundred bands like Taz, who are one of the ones who inexplicably never saw any success, which boggles the mind after listening to the complete anthology of their career on two volumes, Wake Up And Sweat, Vol. 1 and Shipwrecked, Vol. 2. I had never heard of these guys, but after just mentioning them on my little corner of Twitter there was an excitement for Taz that was hard not to get caught up in. There was a great EP, a duper talented and magnetic frontman, and great songs that should have catapulted these guys to at the very least a big record deal, but it was not to be. I was specifically pointed to the Cold Shoulder EP, which was the only official material that was released. 

These two sets however contain everything ever put to tape by the band, which for a fan and collector it is cool, but the recording quality of some of the demos and the live stuff is pretty rough to say the least, but if you hang in there are some real gems that point to the fact that these guys were great and should have been as big as any band coming out at the time.

The first batch of demos on Volume One are raw, glam metal goodness with the lead singer, the talented Kent Kleven, sounding a lot like Brett Michaels, and are the types of songs with the right studio slickness would have put these guys on Dial MTV for sure. You can hear bits of a lot of bands that made it big from that scene in Taz, including a band from Baltimore, Kix, especially on the fun Rock N Roll Rodeo. 

The next batch of demos, still pretty raw is highlighted by I’ll Wait, which reminds me of Poison’s Fallen Angel, but with a cooler riff. The next batch of songs are way more professionally recorded, and now you can get a bit more insight into why these guys should have been huge. Sex (88) is perfect hair metal. A bit funky and super fun, exactly what the kids were looking for back then. I love L.A. Danger Zone, a super catchy sleaze anthem that is perfect. There are bits of Crue, Kix, Bang Tango, and Ratt in these tracks and I am here for it. But on these tracks, I can’t shake the Poison vibes, try to when listening to She Does Bad Things Good (88). The rawness reminds me of Too Fast For Love as well. 

I dig when Kleven goes all Steve Whiteman with his vocals rather than Brett Michaels, like on Political Song which is another of my favorites. The last four tracks on Volume One are from a different session that has a bit more of an edge and a bit more polish, and I believe were the actual EP that saw the light of day. Cold Shoulder kicks ass and is a track that leans towards the Kix side of things while Bad Religion is a bluesy number that shows a bit of maturity from the band. Tattoo You musically reminds me of L.A. Guns with Brett Michaels on vocals and it works just fine. Fun stuff.

Volume Two starts out with four tracks produced by Rob Cavallo, who went on to work with a whole bunch of huge names that you would know, and you can tell the difference. These tracks sound like a heavier Cinderella. Shipwrecked is a hair metal banger, No Relation has a sweet riff and is dripping Sunset Strip sleaze, and Father McGee is catchy and would have been a great addition to a full length that never happened. Volume Two is for fans only for sure, as the next batch of demos are cool songs but pretty raw and the live tracks are really for the diehards who want to either relive of try to get a glimpse of what the band was like in person.

Sometimes life is not fair, and Taz is an example of this. They had the songs, the talent, the charisma, but just not the luck. Check out Volume One first of you are into this type of stuff and if you really dig it dive into Volume too. This was a lot of fun and frustrating, because give me these songs over most of what was on Open Up And Say Ahh any day. 7/10

A View From Beyond The Void: Cosmic Void Festival Day 1 (Live Review By Alyn Hunter & Natalie King)

Cosmic Void Festival Day 1, O2 Academy Islington, Friday 15.09.23

Cosmic Void is in its second year already, with another fine lineup curated by Cult Of Parthenope (from our understanding, a few Europeans based in London), bringing a swathe of UK exclusives and debuts from far and wide to the capital. The UK is in as fortunate a position as ever in regards to black metal festivals, with other notable events such as Fortress, Reaper, a staple representation in Incineration, and the Fellfoot Wood events amongst a swathe of other smaller one day affairs. 

Cosmic Void in particular has eeked out a place at the top that has become a draw for UK residents and travellers from further afield alike due to the central location, and the rare performances of the bands that it invites on our soil. Eschewing the safe approach of looking exclusively at booking the tried and tested bands that have routinely graced our shores, Cosmic Void gives the UK a taste of the privilege that European extreme festivals have often been privy to for so long and that our more popular or mainstream festivals are not able to accommodate. This approach has been successful enough to allow them to expand to creating another similar type of event in Celestial Darkness in Spring of next year, albeit with a more doom genre focus. So, are they doing a good job? Undeniably so.

This year saw the addition of an extra day following the success of the much lauded 2022 event, accessible only for weekend ticket holders with no day-tickets available, this was a sold out billing in a venue separate to the remainder of the weekend. Admittedly that came with one or two notable pitfalls in that by the time day-splits were announced, some had realised that a couple of the biggest draws for them were to be performing on the Friday, and with tickets for the weekend flying out quickly there were multiple comments on the public posts expressing their disappointment that they would be missing out.

The second pitfall is that like many of the venues in the franchise, the O2 Academy in Islington is an expensive (read, vastly overpriced even for London) venue with terrible viewpoints, poorly positioned bars and claustrophobic staircases to upstairs viewing areas. So, whilst understanding the necessity through logistics in having to secure a different venue for the Friday, this was by all means the weakest of all the venues with a bizarre upside that they do a surprisingly good bottled espresso martini... make of that what you will.

A final consequence of this venue choice (albeit this could've been mitigated with some better planning on our part) was that we unfortunately missed festival openers Trivax celebrating their album launch of the much awaited Eloah Burns Out due to issues with the tube at Bank, with every Northern Line train being diverted through the southern side for reasons unknown. With the vast number of t-shirts representing them and several anecdotal remarks caught audibly on arrival though, it's clear that they had made the most of their billing, and having seen the band on a number of occasions, that's something we don't doubt in the slightest. So our apologies to Trivax, we really did wish to see you and it's our loss that we didn't, but we hope you had a blast and best of luck with the continuation of the album release.

So on arrival, passing by the merch desk we quickly learned that it was a cash only affair - not too much of a problem with a cashpoint nearby, and Cosmic Void merch is as it was last year - well designed and reasonably priced all things considered in a festival environment. Having quickly identified that our dwarven statures would make viewing a band as visually important as Mephorash (8) difficult, we scaled the stairs and ernestly fought for a viewpoint on the balcony. Worth it though, as the Swedish cult group were excellent despite a debatable mix with the guitars being relatively thin. Draped in their cloaked garb and performing a range of fan favourites from the fantastic Shem-ha Mephorash amongst their other records, they set a high bar and had the crowd hooked throughout their ritualistic set.

A trip to the cashpoint to get funds for a Mephorash tee and a Cosmic Void hoodie, followed, and back just in time to return to our now contested viewing spot for Misþyrming (9), who were high-up on our list of 'must-sees'. As one of the two top-tier Icelandic UK exclusives, this was a much anticipated return to the UK and boy did they deliver. Taking plenty from their previous two records Með hamri and Algleymi, a masterclass in raucous and abrasive black metal was delivered to an entranced crowd from a band in prime form whom the UK certainly will be craving more from.

It was back to the bar for some much needed refueling before returning for tonight's headliners, Norway's Mare (8), not one that we were overly familiar with before the festival, but would happily oblige in watching again. Low/no stage lighting and instead opting for a candelabra lit performance, Mare perform a stripped back black metal with occult themes and that entrancing and hypnotic vibe that often comes with bands of their ilk. Regardless of our own familiarity though, the now packed out venue was very much completely under the spell of the Norweigans, and their set had that palpable paralysing effect as they let the raw power of their sound alone do the talking. 

A strong closing statement for the opening day, although an early-ish finish at just before 10 almost feels uncharacteristic of an extreme metal show compared to what we are used to - probably another aspect of the venue choice. No problem, a diverted journey via Camden's favourite drinking hole The Dev before bailing back to the hotel (notable props to the busking outfit by the Angel station doing a rendition of Stairway To Heaven, they get a 7).

Reviews: Necrotted, Samurai Pizza Cats, The Holy Ghost, Feral/Crawl (Reviews By Mark Young, Alex Swift, Rich Piva & Paul Scoble)

Necrotted - Imperium (Reaper Entertainment) [Mark Young]

Necrotted bring their fiery brand of death metal that takes influence from a ton of different places for Imperium, their latest release for Reaper Entertainment (Physical media at least). What I want this to be is just some unashamed death metal that comes in and just crushes.

 
Veiled Awakening opens things up, with a clean intro taking off with a crushingly solid riff, the drums are already in full pelt. This is a direct statement of intent from Necrotted; No quarter given just straight into the metal. Its brutally simple and effective and there is not an inch of fat on this, its lean and has that precise feel that only certain bands can do.

 
A grandiose riff arrangement sees Reich Der Gier come in, it's super tight, possessing some rapid trem picking and some cracking fretwork without losing sight of its brutal core. The tone is monstrous without any loss of clarity. Two in, two absolute stormers and this is shaping up to be one of those reviews where I scramble for suitable descriptions of just how ace this is. 

Sow Sorrow For Victory picks up the heavy baton, continuing the most guttural growls (main vox Fabian Fink) and drumming that just fits, and they drop a cherry on with a fantastic solo that comes in, melts faces, and goes. You could argue they feel too short, they just flash by, and Artificial Truth comes in as if to say, You thought the others were good, try this one. There is a bar here that has been set, and they continually pass above it. It's just weapons grade death metal, just what is wanted.

 
Ignorance Is Fear bounds in with a noticeable change in sound, the guitar seems a bit looser but is still on point. It’s a scream down with joint vocalist Tomas Klar / Simon Müller taking part in a death metal face-off, whilst around them riffs are burned, and double bass is thrown down at a rapid pace. They find space to add a touch of heavy melody to close it out and we are over the halfway mark.

 
I don’t think I’ve reviewed anything this instant in ages. It just hits and hits and when Round X: Freedom V Security with one of the grindiest riffs / vocal combinations ever it still sounds so tight, it's just fantastic to behold. It's not fast for fast sake, or to show off the skills of the band, it’s just start – destroy – finish – next. Imperator brings a groove to proceedings whilst mixing in the blasts, keeping that moving melody underneath an urgent vocal phrasing. This one reminds me of Nile, and that cannot be a bad thing, surely?

 
And they keep the good stuff coming, Older Beyond All Bounds is just a monstrous thing, stomping its way with a keen mix of tempos and some low chugging. I think I am doing them a disservice by calling it that, but it's just spot on as here, with the others they have got the song lengths pitched correctly.

My Reign Come, My Will be Done closes off proceedings with a clean that is flattened by the main song structure. It's heavy yet manages to allow room for the clean intro to repeat and be flattened once more. Shout out to Markus Braun here, because he is playing an absolute blinder here, anchoring the song, and providing the artillery to drive the song home. It’s the same for all of them, and I keep saying that it's super, super tight, and would love to see this live. Just phenomenal stuff.

 
This album is released around their 15th anniversary and is a testament to their ability that with album 5 they sound as vital as they do. Each of the songs has been refined to an inch of its life, it's just so precise in attack there is nothing wasted. And I love it because they have made good on their promise of this being a face-melter of an album. If you haven’t heard these, rectify it immediately. 9/10

Samurai Pizza Cats – You’re Hellcome (Easthaven Records) [Alex Swift]

Named after a Japanese anime series, Samurai Pizza Cat’s name alone speaks for itself. The band music is brash, ridiculous and cartoonish, yet in a way where you can evidently appreciate the skill. Like Electric Callboy or Fall Of Gaia – two acts who the outfit share members from – they occupy the space between parody and seriousness. Sudden tempo alterations, frenetic genre switches and a whiplash divergence between brutal and melodic sections are all core aspects of their sound, and this album is all the more fascinating for that!

The Wolf In Me begins with blaring rave synths, before pummelling guitars and blasting drum rhythms take hold! Telling a nightmarishly odd story about a werewolf who falls in love with a vampire, you’re immediately introduced to the gothic theming of this album. This is by no means a unique concept within this genre and yet proves a delightfully gory twist on the trend of hype music via the medium of extreme metal! Outcast plays out like a crazed pursuit scene from a horror movie, the galloping rhythm and shifting electronics, giving a tension to the song that shows the bands command of atmosphere and theatrics.

 
Pizza Homicide is perhaps the greatest example of how these musicians use contrasting styles that shouldn’t work together and yet somehow do, with the brutality of the verses, and the glistening hook of the chorus, working against each other to make for an experience that is both invigorating and musically absorbing. Later, Alpha throws a curveball with a europop inspired keyboard line and German language rapping, as Daniel Haniß and Nina Chartier exchange braggadocios, yet incredibly amusing quips. I certainly wasn’t expecting a song like this. That said though, I didn’t know what to expect from this album at any point during its duration!

The three tracks that close this album feature some of the most technically intricate instrumentation and fierce performances on the entire record! Freakshow is a two minute assault, yet manages to still be incredibly beguiling and danceable in spite of its ruthlessness! Welcome To The Fightclub combines elements from tap and grind core, while the closing title track of You’re Hellcome welcomes the opportunity to combine a myriad of metal styles, demonstrating an impressive and unrestrained approach to genre fusion!I’d like to end this review on a word about comedy in music. 

Some people might feel that Samurai Pizza Cats not taking themselves seriously, diminishes the value of their music! And certainly, if you’re looking for deep lyrical insight, I wouldn’t start with albums like You’re Hellcome. However, when a band demonstrates a willingness to take risks, and the technical versatility to back that up, they deserve to be viewed as serious and dedicated musicians! In cases like this, humour is not providing an excuse for diminished quality, but rather, being used a mechanism to be as adventurous, and outrageous as possible! 8/10

The Holy Ghost - Ignore Alien Orders (Lovley Records) [Rich Piva]

I may write a lot about stoner, doom, hair metal, and whatever people are calling glam today, but my other sweet spot is 90s post punk and indie rock, so throw band names at me like Dinosaur Jr., Rites Of Spring, Husker Du, and The Replacements and of course I am going to take notice. The Swedish duo The Holy Ghost do just that in their bio, and I hear it for sure and I am here for it for sure as well. Jangly post punk pop tunes that scratch an itch I didn’t even know I still had.

The Non-Dual is our opener and Bob Mould looms large as an influence for these guys, think Warehouse Songs era Husker Du, executed excellently. Robot Creeps is in the similar vein, but more solo Mould material than the Du stuff with a J Mascis style solo. Pattern Breaker is a nice two-minute blast of Mould inspired goodness, and this seems to be the trend here, which works if you dig his stuff, but on occasion it is almost too spot on. I like Worker’s Curse, as it brings the promised Dino Jr. vibes I was promised. But a Mould/J hybrid indie rock supergroup vibe. Alienation Blues is fun too, a sort of “I am sick of everything” anthem that works given the source material.

This was a quick blast of Bob Mould worship that stayed for a while and left as fast as it came, making me want to pull out my Husker Du and Sugar albums, which I think is good and bad for The Holy Ghost. On the one hand it was familiar to me and brought back a time when I could not get enough of all things Bob Mould, which I still can’t, so I enjoyed it. On the other a little too on point, where I can grab Beaster or Candy Apple Grey and get my fix of the real thing. Either way it is worth the listen for at least the stroll down indie rock memory lane. 7/10

 
Feral / Crawl - Made As Those Who Are No Longer Alive (Transcedning Obscurity Records) [Paul Scoble]

Made As Those Who Are No Longer Alive is a new split Ep from two nasty old school death metal bands hailing from Sweden. The bands in Question are Feral; who formed in 2007, have released three full length albums, and are made up of Viktor Klingstedt on bass, Sebastian Lejon on guitars, David Nilsson on vocals, Markus Lindahl on guitars and Roger Markström on drums.

The other band in question is Crawl; who have been active since 2014, they have released one album before this EP, and are made up of Amir Batar on drums, Martin Sjögren on guitars, Ragnar Hedtjärn Ullenius on bass and Joachim Lyngfelt on vocals.

 
The EP contains four songs, two from each band, and comes in at a brisk eleven minutes. The EP kicks off with From The Ancient Tombs by Feral, which is a mid-paced piece of old school death metal it stays at the same pace throughout, but the song feels powerful and unstoppable, it drives forward and never looks back, a great headbanger of a track. 

Feral’s next track is Released From The Bondage Of The Earth, this time it’s old school blasting with fast and frantic riffs and pummelling drums that have a bit of a D-Beat feel to them. There is a wonderful screaming guitar solo that is beautifully unhinged, the song is full of energy and drive, it’s super fast and super fun.

 
Now we get to the two Crawl tracks; first up is Where The Dead Flesh Whispers, which opens with mid-paced crusty death metal, before dropping us into a savage crusty Blast Beat, this then goes back into the punky mid-paced death metal, there is one more grinding blast before a slow and very heavy ending. Crawl’s second track, Vanity, is a sub two minute blast of savage crust death metal. It turns up stomps about the place breaking the furniture and stamping on heads before almost immediately running away laughing, perfect!

Made As Those Who Are No Longer Alive is a cracking EP, it’s only eleven minutes long, but full of fantastically enjoyable old school death metal that will put a huge smile on your face, who could want more than that, cracking good fun! 8/10

Reviews: Slowdive, Corey Taylor, Molybaron, Blood Incantation (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Slowdive – Everything Is Alive (Dead Oceans)

Dreampop, shoegaze call it what you want, English band Slowdive are one of the best exponents of whatever you want to call it. Shimmering, repetitive, chiming guitars, drenched in effects, creating hypnotic atmospheres and dense textures out of which the angelic vocals emerge. An album that is extremely personal, the studio sessions were scrapped after Rachel Goswell’s mother and Simon Scott’s mother passed away during the pandemic. This lead Neil Halstead to write an album that could be an ‘escape’ for the band, Goswell’s grief leading her on the path to alcohol addiction. Now sober the album sessions became a way to enjoy something again, the darkness giving way to light as the second album since their reformation brought a catharsis to the band. 

Crafted around modular synths Shanty, evoke Tangerine Dream, swirling undulating electronics anchoring the dissonance, Shanty an evocative dreamscape of futurism that swells and pulsates with intent as Prayer Intent strips back to bare bones of sliding bass notes from Nick Chaplin and rumbling drumbeat from Simon Scott, the effect heavy guitars of Halstead and Christian Savill, creating walls of beauty on this instrumental that will take you away to the shores of deserted beach as the waves lap at your feet, well that’s how I felt, a sense of nostalgic longing. 

Alfie again reverberates to some modular synth, joyous dual vocals from Goswell and Halstead, multi-tracked into harmony choirs, the song with the first lot of propulsion, before Andalucía Plays returns to a slower pace, the whispers from Halstead, remind me of Roger Waters’ solo records, where it’s like he’s singing close to your ear, as Kisses give the jangly indie vibe of The Cure. Everything Is Alive is captivating, close circuit listening, it’s best to indulge it with headphones in a darkened room for maximum effect of tracks such as Skin In The Game or the trippy Chained To A Cloud. 

The sixth album from Slowdive was conceived in darkness but it’s a bright and beautiful purge of the soul. Fantastic! 9/10

Corey Taylor – CMF2 (Decibel Cooper Recordings/BMG)

Can the rock/metal world have an opinion without asking Corey Taylor about it? It seems that every single piece of rock news or controversy needs to ask the Grammy winning; musician, actor, author about it to get his opinion. Happily Taylor is always happy to give it, so there’s plenty of quotable notables from the Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman. However I’ve always disliked celebrity soundbites, so I’ll stick to the music. 

CMF2 is Taylor’s second solo album, his first on his own label, produced again by Jay Ruston, what we have here is 13 songs that don’t fit into Slipknot or Stone Sour, of course there’s similarities Post Traumatic Blues is the best Stone Sour song in years, while the twisted circus vibes of All I Want Is Hate could be modern Slipknot, if it had more percussion. But this is Taylor playing around with a party rock jukebox where he handles vocals, lead/rhythm guitar, piano and mandolin. 

Though live his band comprises; Zach Throne (rhythm/lead guitars), Dustin Robert (drums), Christian Martucci (rhythm/lead guitars) and Eliot Lorango (bass), with Taylor on vocals and guitar, they tour this record throughout November in the UK and by the sounds of this record will have lots of varied tracks to play. From the country-like Breath Of Fresh Smoke, the punk rock shout along of We Are The Rest, the brooding Midnight, the acoustic introspection of Sorry Me and the shreddy hard rock of Punchline. 

In his solo career Taylor goes from snarling metal frontman on All I Want Is Hate, to classic rocker on Starmate, to ballad toting troubadour on Someday I’ll Change My Mind, doing all well. I wasn’t sure about this record as I didn’t like the debut that much but outside of his current stint as the mouthpiece for heavy metal in the wider world, CMF2 reminds you first and foremost that Taylor is a great musician who doesn’t always stay inside on genre box. 7/10

Molybaron – Something Ominous (InsideOut Music) 

I really enjoyed Molybaron’s 2021 album The Mutiny, it paired progressive and alternative rock, throwing in modern metal breakdowns and lots of muscle, so I was excited to hear what they would do with their new album Something Ominous. The French/Irish metal band manage to absolutely smash it again with this new record, the title track kicking off like the bastard son of Gojira, Therapy? and Devin Townsend, that chorus will stick in your head for days and their singer’s vocal style is just to croon/whisper then shout nice and loud on the choruses. The defiance of Set Alight, palpable like a Celtic Metallica inciting a revolution.The lyrics of the record reflecting the current human experience, the rebellious notions to fight back against social decay, division and the lurch towards the right as governments exert more control. It’s obvious that the band feel very strongly about this, imagine the French and the Irish being dissident? 

You can feel they believe every lyric, especially on the bouncing Billion Dollar Shakedown a sure fire radio hit, as Breakdown pairs emotional piano with bass-driven thrash. What I like about Molybaron is their insistence on not taking the most obvious path, why just keep a rhythm when the bass can do its own thing? The drums propelling off time but locking down the huge grooves. Then with the guitars they are usually hard rock riffs played through metallic distortion, case in point being Anyway. The musicianship here is high, even when they play a ballad such as Daylight Dies In Darkness, there’s lots of deviation from the path, Gary Kelly tapping into the Irish/Celtic sadness with his rawest vocal performance, stopping things dead in their tracks as your hair stand on end. 

The blistering Dead On Arrival getting the pace and aggression back immediately. I mentioned in the last review that they remind me a lot of Swedes Mustasch and I’ll stick with that comparison here, Something Ominous lurches over you with intent, a hurricane of an immensely technical rhythm section, impassioned vocals and guitar riffs that will increase your adrenaline. I defy you not to want to rage after listening to this album, Mark Drakeford beware! 9/10

Blood Incantation - Luminescent Bridge (Century Media Records)

After releasing the divisive Timewave Zero last year, Blood Incantation are back on the solid ground of avant-garde extremity, with the guitars, blastbeats and guttural roars returning along with the otherworldly electronics. Timewave Zero scored critical acclaim but took fans of extreme metal by surprise, as an ambient record there was not a blastbeat to be heard but on this two track near 20 minute maxi single Blood Incantation more than make up for that curveball.

Obliquity Of The Ecliptic snarls and bursts forth from the darkest corner of the universe with a bit of spoken word and then some brutal, ever changing extremity, the frantic riffing, undulating, twisting and trying not to replay the same thing twice as the drums unleash a battery, as we shift into ambience, guided by the drums, taking things into doom-laden pacing and a searing solo section where clean guitars howl out as the chiming melodic edge leads us towards the climax. 

The title track is next and we travel further into the ethereal reaches of the universe with a slow burning instrumental, which evokes the wonders of the universe. Using compositional layering, adding instruments right when they are needed in the way pre-DSOTM Floyd did on Echoes. Almost like dark and light, Luminescent Bridge, brings back the metal/rock/guitar focus of the band, shelving the synthwave style as an experiment, you find yourself on familiar ground here. 8/10

Reviews: Ronnie Romero, Electric Boys, Blackbird Angels, Formation Ritual (Reviews By Matt Bladen & Rich Piva)

Ronnie Romero - Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

Third solo album from vocalist extraordinaire Ronnie Romero, is the first that he has involved with 100% of the songwriting along with drummer Andy C and guitarist Jose Rubio, he's also the co-producer of the album with Andy C. His two previous albums were covers records featuring the Rainbow, Lords Of Black, Elegant Weapons and MSG vocalist covering his favourite bands. This one is totally his own work, influenced by all the bands he covered and as well the bands he plays with.

It's a jukebox of hard rock, perfect for the expansive voice of this talented Chilean vocalist. If I was to make a comparison, I'd say that Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters, reminds me a lot of Dio's solo records, where there's heavy metal, hard rock, melodic rock, AOR, Castaway On The Moon is very RJD with the influence of a singer such as Jorn Lande can be felt on Mountain Of Light where Andy C's drumming drives the propulsive beats here and on the title track where there's a bit of Jorn's Tunger Knivur in the chorus. 

Jose Rubio and Javier Garcia trade off with riffs on the chunky Girl, Don't Listen To The Radio, bringing some blues on Crossroad (obviously) before Not Just A Nightmare brings the tempo back to hard rocking, A Distant Shore is a mega ballad with Francisco Gil's keys underneath it while Chased By Shadows brings some prog on the penultimate song. Closing with Vengeance, Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters is a great heavy rock record from one of rocks best vocalists. 8/10

Electric Boys - Grand Explosivos (Mighty Music/Target) [Rich Piva]

The other day I was picking though my new local record shop and came across a very used copy of Electric Boys 80s hit (if you can call it that) Funk-O-Metal Carpet Ride. Without hesitation I overpaid for it and had it spinning within a couple hours. I loved that album then, and I still love it today. The funky hair metal hybrid with Beatles harmonies was a weird anomaly back when boys with long hair and any semblance of carrying a tune made it onto Dial MTV. 

All Lips And Hips ruled, and the psych tinged If I Had A Car was just a classic for the time. Many who know of the band from that album alone may not know they Boys have had a long career, putting out solid material in the 90s and after a break starting again in 2011. Their eighth album, Grand Explosivos, was a nice surprise to me, especially given the timing of my vinyl find. Let’s see how it fairs, without unfairly comparing it to their 1989 classic.

Right off the bat you can tell the budget for their production is a bit more realistic than back I the late 80s when these guys were probably looked at as a cash cow by their record label, but to me the minimal production value is a plus. The band maintains their quirkiness and sense of humor with tracks like When Life Treats You Funky and Better Safe Than Sober. I love the guitar work on the former track, and it could have been an early song, albeit with way more production layered on top. 

 Conny Bloom’s voice is a bit shaky but is probably a more accurate depiction of what the Boys sound like live. How about that Hey Jude Easter Egg in the track? The latter track is a fun little bouncer with some of the signature funky EB sound. Some other highlights include the funky bluesy number And The Band Played On (Part One) (reminds me of a Ringo song for some reason), the also funky riff from Karma’s Gonna Get You, the catchy bopper Learjet, and the trademark EB swagger stylings on Cozmic Jagger

This was fun! Having the Electric Boys still around is a treat and the fact that they are still putting out quality material is just a bonus. I really enjoyed Grand Explosivos. They are not all must listen tracks, but the good ones are good for sure. What more could you possibly ask for at this point in their career? 7/10

Blackbird Angels - Solsorte (Frontiers Music Srl) [Rich Piva] 

As I fall into my role of guy who reviews 80’s hard rock bands or members of said bands who put out new stuff in 2023, I continue to find that most of the material falls into two buckets. First, content that is terrible, unlistenable, and/or cringeworthy. Second, albums that I am pleasantly surprised with, that show that the guys still have the passion and licks to be able to pull off something interesting and enjoyable to listen to today and/or something that has some lasting impression on the listener. 

I am happy to say that the new Blackbird Angels album, Solsorte, falls into the latter category, and shows that the guy you will know the most from the band, Tracii Guns, still loves what he does and is not just going for a money grab when he approaches new material. Tracii is partnering with Tood Kerns, known most for his time with Slash’s band, to create a really strong straight ahead hard rock album that fans of their past work will enjoy as well as opening up to some new fans just looking for some strong kick ass rock and roll.

The band calls out bands like Bad Company, Zeppelin, Peter Frampton, and late 70’s Journey, and you can hear a bit of all of that on Solsorte. The opening track, Shut Up (You Know I Love You) is a fun straight ahead 70s rock inspired track that will catch your attention right off the bat. I am digging the vocals and Tracii is obviously killer on the song and throughout the album. Mine (All Mine) has a Zeppelin slant to it with the guitar work and overall vibe. This is one of the highlights for me, especially with the background vocals in the chorus. 

Worth The Wait reminds me of something from Tracii’s band from the Hollywood Vampires era, and this is a very good thing. Coming In Hot is a fun little track, that should have been what the new Buckcherry album should have sounded like. I get like a Bang Tango vibe too. Other highlights for me include the bluesy solo on On And On /Over And Over and Better Than This with some serious Bad Company vibes.

This was a fun, straight ahead rock release that I will spin multiple times and has staying power. Stuff on the label putting this out has been known to release stuff that is over produced to the point that it is unlistenable, but we have none of those issues on Solsorte. Tracii and Todd have put out a great album that should translate well in a live environment when they take the band out as a four piece this year. Great stuff, and happy that this was more like the new L.A. Guns album and like the new Hurricane album from a quality standpoint. 7/10

Formation Ritual - Doors To The Dead (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Apparently Doors To The Dead is "a journey through prehistoric mountains, swamps and steppe grasslands" wait there's more "it tells of long forgotten chieftains in kurgan burial mounds, human sacrifices cast into bogs, and cosmic cataclysms." This esoteric, retelling of this storyline of renewal and rebirth is brought to us by organic analog doom of Formation Ritual. Formed by Jason Tapia in 2021, the use of organs/synths is a major thing that drew me to Formation Rituals style of melodic doom, the dark folklore of the lyrics made cinematic by the collision of distored, fuzzy, reverbed guitars, Moog, Hammond and Fender Rhodes. 

He's joined by bassist Rob Black and Kelly McGovern on drums, the distorted lumbering Warning Light gets Doors To The Dead going with a long instrumental opening before Tapia's echoed vocals come in. So far so doom segueing into Sun Chariot Intro, which changes into Sun Chariot, a track that builds into yet more sludgy doom. An amalgamation of Sabbath, Baroness and bands such as Graveyard, Formation Ritual dwell in retro soundscapes, treading a cravass between ear-bleeding doom and classic proto riffs, Doors To The Dead is a fuzzed up doom record worth 38 minutes of slow headbanging. 7/10