Reviews: Anette Olzon, Sonic Universe, Coldborn, Ivanhoe (Reviews By Rick Eaglestone, Matt Bladen, Gavin Brown & James Jackson)

Anette Olzon - Rapture (Frontiers Music Srl) [Rick Eaglestone]

Powerhouse vocalist Anete Olzon returns with her third solo studio album Rapture

There are a few reasons I chose this album but for context I think the main one will suffice it may be slightly controversial as it pertains to the vocalist’s tenure with the symphonic powerhouse that is Nightwish.

I have been a fan of every incarnation from Wishmaster right through to Human II : Nature and from the moment I heard She Is My Sin I was hooked so much so that during the Century Child album before they played the UK I saw them in Paris with Charon and After Forever which now looking back makes me acknowledge the circle of life, especially who the band now have as their vocalist.

Olzon joined at a very tumultuous time where Nightwish were almost trying to deliberately steer away from the operatic side and it came across as almost and I hate to say this but sulky kids, they paraded Olson around as a new toy and put together the album Dark Passion Play which at the time I didn’t give the attention it deserved as I bought into the nonsense but by the time the indulgent Imaginaerum was released the writing was one the wall with the Olzon experiment – in a way I feel in particular the track Storytime is the ultimate what could’ve been (maybe)

In reflection I feel Anette Olzon was grossly underused so now with two previous solo albums under her belt Rapture is by far the strongest and quite frankly I was swept away by the sheer power and beauty of this album there is an effortless weaving between symphonic to power with even a sprinkle melo death and should hopefully solidify her place as a great metal vocalist. The inclusion of Karlsson's masterful riffs and the addition of growls by Johan Husgafvel, add a dynamic layer to the album's sound.

Title track Rapture and Arise are particular highlights which really showcase the overall dynamic of the album with the blistering Take A Stand all but confirming that this is a very well structured and varied release. With a sense of excitement and anticipation, Anette Olzon shares: "I'm so happy to release the first song from my upcoming album Rapture”. Heed The Call is a culmination of passion, energy, and creative expression, and I truly hope you'll enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to life."

Powerful and Poetic.8/10

Sonic Universe - It Is What It Is (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

Is Sonic Universe going to be another Frontiers supergroup that's just built on the the 'cult of personality' or are they their own beast? That's the question posed by the new band formed by Living Colour frontman Corey Glover and Adrenaline Mob founder Mike Orlando.

It may seem an odd mix of having a shredding guitars teacher alongside a funk rock legend but there's a chemistry here that means It Is What It Is hits just right. Much heavier than yours expect, though there is a ballad, imagine the crowd bouncing grooves of Skindred but put together with some virtuoso musicianship, similar to Kyrbgrinder which is an offshoot from prog metal act Threshold.

It Is What It Is sees Orlando peeling off those mind blowing, guitar instructional solos that make him hero to shredders everywhere. While here like in Adrenaline Mob he's able to show off his sonic stomp with lively riffs for Glover to showcase that unmistakable vocal that any CM Punk fan will have tried to emulate.

For me though I know how good Glover and Orlando are, it's the rhythm section of bassist Booker King and especially drummer Taykwuan Jackson that draw me to this album, the drumming is something else, little fills, rim shots, percussive pieces that stop simple beat keeping, on the bass too King exhibits some fusion playing with a warm rounded sound and plenty of funk/jazz rhythm structures.

It's about the groove though mainly, thick, juicy grooves welcoming anyone that likes their music loud and full fat, adding flashes of technical brilliance just makes it all the more satisfying to listen too. While Corey Glover has a voice that doesn't age, still as potent and political as it ever was. Giving a message if hope and wish for change, this universe sonically binds this all together for a newly formed constellation of excellent music. 8/10

Coldborn - The Unwritten Pages Of Death (Final Sacrifice Records) [Gavin Brown]

Coldborn are a band who specialise in the kind of Black Metal that is typified in their name and their new album The Unwritten Pages Of Death is a collection of ice cold riffs and a sense of abject terror. The bands whose sole member Norgaath has played in the likes of Enthroned and Nightbringer so has the kudos when it comes to Black Metal, start as they mean to go on and their brand of Black Metal is both atmospheric and relentless. 

The opening intro Foreboding is perfectly titled and sets things up for what is to come, and it does almost immediately with The Silenced Is The Choir Of Euphoria which sets the pace for the entire record. With songs like Cold Void Rife and Harps Of Death Chiming Reverberant going for the jugular alongside more atmospheric tracks like Cornuvopia Hunters For More and the closing A Spectral Dance Of Midnight Sorrow, this is a perfect listen for all those who love their Black Metal to have an air of doom laden menace alongside the deathly brutal vibes. 

The Unwritten Pages Of Death is a solid album and marks a welcome return for Coldborn, let’s hope the wait for the next album isn’t as doing as it has taken for this one to get here. 7/10

Ivanhoe - Healed By The Sun (Massacre Records) [James Jackson]

There’s an initial impression of Iron Maiden, particularly the vocal style of Bruce Dickinson, that strikes me as Ivanhoe frontman Alex Koch takes us through Healed By The Sun, the second track upon the latest, and I believe 9th, album from the German Prog Metal act. Thematically the songs cover a variety of subjects, the spoken word intro of Headnut sounds like a news reel sound bite, taken from the days when Covid was rife and the body count rising - though the lyrics to the song itself are a bit more “fantastical” and open to interpretation; political views, personal demons and church scandals are covered to varying degrees.

I don’t know if it’s the style but at times it feels as though Koch was singing a different song to that being played by the band, in my limited experience of Prog, the song structures are often extremely varied and technically complex, so perhaps this technique is on brand. Instrumentally the songs are well written, keyboards add atmospheric layers to the Rock/Metal sound, some of which feel very Sci Fi, particularly on Moments In Time. 

Overall, not a bad album, plenty of moments where the riffs and melodies are on point, some of the chorus lines are catchy and after a few more listens, they’d be sung along to; but I feel indifferent to the vocals and as the album progresses it becomes irksome and distracting; there’s just something that doesn’t quite gel for me and it’s a deal breaker, over the years I’ve heard plenty of great tracks comprised by how I feel about the vocal performance. 

Not an album that I’ll be revisiting any time soon but fans of the band and indeed this genre, may get more out of it. 5/10

Reviews: The Tangent, Daath, El Moono, Vaticinal Rites (Reviews By Matt Bladen, Gavin Brown, Zak Skane & Mark Young)

The Tangent – To Follow Polaris (Inside Out Music) [Matt Bladen]

Listening to the 21 minute The Anachronism, one of only five tracks on the new album from The Tangent, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a new record from Roger Waters. Highly politicised, extremely critical and cutting with the lyrics talking of red and blue being all the same while we all are bamboozled into accepting a world being destroyed. 

The varied musical soundscape and croaky, at times spoken and whispered vocals, very similar to how Waters delivers lines on his masterpiece Amused To Death, another record that is incredibly politicised but tries to fine positivity or hope. It seems then that when long tenured prog musicians are left to their own devices they turn their scope inward to what's happening around them and it all becomes quite personal. 

To Follow Polaris is a The Tangent album in name but not in membership. With the rest of band plying their trade in various other acts on the scene, there was no time to reconvene and record. It was agreed that bandleader Andy Tillison would continue to release music, but essentially as a solo artist under The Tangent name. This means that To Follow Polaris takes more risks than other records, as it's the distilled influence and musical direction of Tillison, something Andy has wanted to do for a long time using his years of experience with the 'band' format and put it into a solo album. 

Emphasis being out on solo there as 'everything' is done by Andy, all writing/composing, instrumentation/singing, recording/producing, mixing/mastering and artwork/layout were done by Andy, his impressive keyboard array, guitars and electronic wind instruments, augmented for the first time with Tillison playing bass and second time on drums. Like a chameleon changing it's colour to suit the background, Andy has studied the work of his band mates and has made sure that this The Tangent record is unmistakeable from any other, from a quality of performance perspective anyway. 

Inspiration wise there's lots of 'classic' prog elements but also the jazz experimentation of Van Der Graaf Generator on A Fine Line as well as the varied introspective sounds of Steven Wilson, all of which can be picked out of this mammoth recording. To Follow Polaris is then his guiding light, a quest for truth in the murky world of fake news and mistrust we live in now. It's one man's lyrical and musical imprint laid bare but this is brief stop, Andy promises that album fourteen will be a full band again so maybe this is the new Tangent. 

One for them, one for him. I for one welcome that idea. If not then we are left with a thirteenth album that proved to be lucky for any fans of the band. 9/10

Daath - The Deceivers (Metal Blade Records) [Gavin Brown]

Daath play a style of metal that takes in everything from death metal to progressive and orchestral metal and the results are always a stunning array of musicianship and execution, packing in so many twist and turns that it can be dizzying. 

The bands latest album The Deceivers certainly lives up to Daaths reputation and more as it adds even more layers to their sound and is delivered in an even more energetic fashion, bolstered by a massive sounding production to boot. With a vast array of guests on The Deceivers including members of Ice Nine Kills, Archspire, Periphery and Scar Symmetry alongside guitar virtuosos Jeff Loomis and Spiro Dussias, Daath let loose with a barrage of bombastic metal anthems delivered with vivacity and pride. 

The Deceivers sees the music of Daath taken to higher new levels and the band sound as if they are having a blast in doing so as songs like Ascension, Unwelcome Return and Purified By Vengeance prove beyond a shadow of a doubt. If you want an album that is epically delivered with an air of grandeur alongside the aggression, then you won’t go far with the power of The Deceivers. 8/10

El Moono – The Waking Sun (Lockjaw Records) [Zak Skane]

After the intro track Dawn finishes with it’s suspended sounding droning organs, we can get El Moono’s opening track Illusionist which packs in some fuzzy heavy Deftones styled riffs along with some deep and pounding half time grooves. The vocalist delivery sounds quite familiar to Greg Puciato from the Dillinger Escape Plan, especially when it comes to channelling this emotional intensity along with it’s smooth transitions into anxiety driven cleans into harsh high vocals. The whole track brings in these post rock styled if eerie ambience sounds which brings this climatic delivery to the end of this track. 

The following track The Walking Sun brings in a lighter approach with these classic grunge delivered choruses which reminds me Alice In Chains styled vocal melodies accompanied with reverbed tremolo picking textures. This combination of stoner/post rock tunes are carried out threw out the rest of the album but their some tracks on the album in which they change it up. For example Hunting brings in some suspenseful pounding tom grooves whilst being complemented with eerie plucked melodies and sickening textured guitar timbres, whilst slurring vocal phrases are thrown into the mix. 

Chairs comes in as the most heaviest track on the album with its memorable riffs that are built from pentatonic and chromatic scales. The crushing bass tones are pushed more in the mix giving the guitars more thwonk whist the the vocalist marries the vocal tracks with octave harmonies giving it a more menacing vibe. The First Man On Mars takes a one eighty on their sound by combing samba and jazz fusion arrangements which is ripped out of The Dillinger Escape Plan play book, whilst the track escalates us back into heavy territory. 

Phantom comes as the most experimental track on the record with these electronic elements that remind us of Trent Reznor's efforts when scoring the first Quake game with these cynical industrial sounding drum loops with pulsing synths backing it add these subtle melodies. The bands arrangement brings some classic mathcore odd riffs phrases laced in their fuzzy post rock tones. Also there are highlights on this album which the band explores the trending Shoegazing styles with tracks like The Charm that brings in these waves of low tuned fuzzed up guitars that have elements of ambient leads, whist the crushing bass lines and the pounding drums still hold on to the heavy elements of the bands sound. 

The closing track on the album Soul Eclipse continues the shoegazing sound with the riffs being structured through major chords that takes the influences from bands like Deafhaven and My Bloody Valentine. The vocals swing from high and low ranges with a smooth swift of a phrase, whilst the vocal intensity increases to the albums final mathcore driven climax. El Moono's strong form of a debut album has left us with our eyes open with their combination of Mathcore, Rock and Grunge, leaving us intrigued with what this band is going to plan next. 

The intense vocal performances gives Greg Puciato a run for his money, whist the guitar and bass arrangements performs a perfect marriage of modern fuzzy post rocks tones to 90’s Shoegazy grunge sounds with the drums bringing this Dave Grohl energy to each performance on the album. There were times in which I felt like the fuzzy riffs over half time grooves felt a bit repetitive on times but it still has enough mojo to keep the listener interested. For fans of The Dillinger Escape Plan, The modern Shoegaze styles of Loathe and the post rock – styles of The Deftones. 7/10

Vaticinal Rites - Cascading Memories Of Immortality (Everlasting Spew Records) [Mark Young]

Everlasting Spew Records have a filthy habit of continually dropping new death metal that maintains what we know and love about extreme music and with that Vaticinal Rites bring their first full-length release, which promises to bring OSDM vibe whilst given a burst of energy.

And it’s straight in with Foiled Skirmish kicking things off with tight, focused blast. There is a definite OSDM feel to it, but it isn’t a rehash of music from that era. Its quick, has a real swing to it with everything from drums to vocals being on point and makes a great start for Plead For Termination to follow, with some urgent riffing, dropping those pinched harmonics in for fun. They manage to change gears through this, keeping from being just one note, with the solo breaks being excellent whilst not overshadowing everything else.

What shines for me is the appreciation that the riffs, the build has to be engaging and with this it makes you want to catch them live. Similarly with Asphyxiation Of Ecstasy they manage to imbue a feeling of speed without it being a blast-fest. Its intelligent, with its early harmony parts that set the song up and allows them to motor along whilst using effective melody lines that belies the fact that this is their debut.

This is what I really like about them is that they don’t rely on a million ideas that have been poorly shoe-horned together. The build is spot on, solo breaks when required, rather than thrown in for vanity. Song lengths too are key, they are set perfectly so they come in and do their job without becoming boring. Bowels Of Gargantua nails that approach, throwing in those frantic trem-picking parts with ease.

And who doesn’t love whammy bar abuse? Siphoning Plasma From The Gods kicks off with that and a scorching solo, leading into that dual rhythm approach, both parts doing their job and combining to fill the sound. This has a fantastic solo break where everything comes together and rather than loop back, they drop in one of those riffs that allows them to reset and close out with a Middle Eastern-tinged lead. I appreciate that these ideas may not be new, especially if you have been listening to death metal for a long time but it’s the way they are put together that gives it that feeling of freshness.

Unhinged Cataclysm takes on that good work and gives it another spin, using those ideas but doing it differently. Riff's build here again is spot on, knowing when and where to change things up. Corporeal Affliction hits like something you may have heard in the early 90’s, I mean no disrespect as they drop a lumbering riff that changes attack as the song progresses, especially those trem parts around 2 minutes 40. You will know exactly what I mean when you hear it. For me on this one, it feels so close to Morbid Angel that fans should love it. If not, there is no accounting for taste.

Eroding Planetesimal (Interlude) is just that. Did I mention I’m not fond of interludes? Moving on, Cascading Memories Of Immortality stomps in, with some nods to death as they unleash their magnum opus that coalesces the riffs, approach, and feel from the songs before it into a slab of death metal perfection. It's epic, bursting with riffs and lead breaks that sit so well together.

What I should also mention is the vocals from Marcus Broome. They are consistently spot on right through this, hitting that range where they are guttural and extreme without being too low to make out. This makes up for the inclusion of that interlude, sorry lads but they get on my nerves and can almost single-handedly halt any momentum an album has generated. It is an absolute beast of a track and closes this debut superbly.

So, my final thoughts are that this is a finely crafted debut with some storming songs on it. Each song is consistent in delivering that vibe they were going for without sounding old or a desperate rehash of what has gone before. Its strong stuff, with emphasis on build as opposed to speed or simple brutality. It shows that they are confident in their material and that they have a keen ability to put top class death metal songs together. That closing track is royal, and Vaticinal Rites should one of your bands to keep an eye out for this year. 8/10

Reviews: Brume, Devilskin, Just One Fix, Room11 (Reviews By James Jackson & Matt Bladen)

Brume - Marten (Magnetic Eye Records) [James Jackson]

I’ve always enjoyed the use of classical instruments, particularly the violin, in Metal, however after listening to the third full length album from California based Brume, I have to say that the cello has to be up there for its ability to be as dramatic and sorrowful as the violin. 

Opening track Jimmy, has the rich sound of the cello flowing throughout, it leads yet doesn’t overwhelm the melody, a hypnotic bass line and drum pattern support the song, guitars ramp up the energy during the chorus, whilst the verses are subtle, the vocals of Susie McMullan haunting. According to the bio, the band are keen on experimentation, pushing their sound from Indie Rock to Doom Metal, New Sadder You is evidence of that, a five minute journey through a Jazz inspired Lounge influence to a frenetic sound of Hard Rock/Metal and it’s this obvious desire to make something new that drives the band and the album that they’ve created. 

The hauntingly beautiful sound of the cello and guitar open Otto’s Song; it’s the most vocally minimal, male and female vocals used as instruments, harmonious sounds rather than a clear message, yet is somehow just as expressive as any other song upon the album. I’ve just used two words which sum the album up for me “hauntingly beautiful”. And it is, the string arrangements are brilliantly crafted, the more traditional “Metal” instruments used to create soundscapes that are emotive and rich; whether it’s a hint of Doom or the almost Black Metal despair found in How Rude, this album has touches of pure genius within it’s eight songs. 10/10

Devilskin - Surfacing EP (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Has it been 10 years since We Rise? Bloody hell! I remember listing to Kiwi band Devilskin's debut album, from there I was absolutely smitten with Jennie Skulander's diverse vocals, Paul Martin's driving bass, Nic Martin's muscular drumming and Nail Vincent's virtuoso guitars. Devilskin bring radio friendly American alt metal grooves, classic metal anthemic choruses and solos and personal lyrics that fans can identify with. So to celebrate the 10th anniversary they are not only going on tour with Tadpole and Skinny Hobos but have released this EP called Surfacing. 

It's three live favourites and three new tracks to give people of taste of what to expect from Devilskin as a band now while they look back on their debut album. Kicking off with The Whale Song they have chosen the proggy early live staple to get things going, it's classic Devilskin groove with Jennie's brilliant vocals over the top, it's also the first time it's been recorded. Long term fans will have heard this song and it still sounds pretty vital. The other two songs are covers and both are brave; Holy Diver and Barracuda, tackling both Ronnie James Dio and Ann Wilson may be daunting for some but Skulander takes both in her stride, the versions heavier than the originals but keep the spirit. 

If the quality of the covers don't make you realise how talented Devilskin are then the three new tracks will. Let Me Breathe takes a heavy route with crushing thrashy riffs and growls, it's a snarling and snorting track which shows you that Devilskin can go into the heavy side with ease. On the other side you have the tender ballad Unborn which is beautiful, giving the other side of the band. On these songs it's obvious Devilskin have stepped up, even with Insects which is the raison d'etre, it feels bigger and better than before. I'll definitely be looking forward to what comes next, hopefully some UK dates. 8/10

Just One Fix - Submit Or Death (Self Released) [James Jackson]

With a name that instantly reminded me of an Industrial classic from Ministry, I could be forgiven for expecting something of a similar vein. The fourth album from the New Zealand based quartet however sits firmly within the Thrash Metal genre with a touch of Death Metal thrown in for good measure.

Starting off with that staple of 80’s/90’s era Thrash albums, the acoustic guitar intro, gives you a glimpse of what’s to come, much like Sepultura’s Beneath The Remains, it’s the calm before the storm. This is Old School Thrash and as such bands like the aforementioned Sepultura, Slayer and Exodus come to mind, along with early 80’s Metallica.

Neither Thrash nor Death Metal are genres I spend too much time listening to anymore, I’ve found too many albums to be repetitive and boring, never veering too far from the beaten path; despite there not really being much new on Submit Or Death it is a solid enough album, the riffs are good examples of the genre, breakneck drums drive the rhythm and that Death Metal influence drives the tracks harder; there are a few interesting moments however, the tribalistic drum intro of Thorns for example, great accompanying riff and something I’ve not heard for quite some time.

Not one that I’ll personally listen to again but I’d certainly recommend it for any fans of the genre. 5/10

Room11 - We All Fall Down (Self Release) [Matt Bladen]

Coming from Pershore in Birmingham, garage punk rockers Room11 are a contemporary duo that draw influence from Jack White, The Royal Blood, The Graveltones and The Virginmarys. Chrissy Finn has a raw vocal as Robbie Pinnetto cranks out the fuzzy electric guitar riffs. On the video for single We All Fall Down, Robbie had a skateboard crash and broke his arm. 

That D.I.Y ethos runs through all of these six tracks, the kind of music that would easily feature on a Tony Hawks soundtrack. Punchy and punky, it bristles with attitude and some jerky riffs. If any of the bands I mentioned earlier are up your street then open the door to Room11. 7/10

Reviews: The Monarch, Amerikan Kaos, Empire Warning, Beyond Salvation (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

The Monarch - A Moment To Lose Your Breath (Art Is War Records)

If it's got Chris Clancy in it then there's a high possibility that I'll enjoy it. He's not only a fantastic producer who works alongside the legendary Colin Richardson, the man who pretty much set the template for how extreme metal and more importantly post-2000's extreme metal should sound. Clancy is from the same mould and with Mutiny Within he hit the scene with one of the most impressive vocals I'd heard in years.

From the clarity of his harsh growls, to his soaring highs and cleans his potted projects such as Mutiny Within, Wearing Stars and Invictus all have shown Clancy the musician but many more albums bare his production skill. He's back as the singer of The Monarch, but the production falls to the band and Vincent M. Ippolito, though Clancy engineers his vocals. The record and the band has been created by Dave Kinkade, drummer and animal welfare crusader, founded the band in 2010, but it sat on the back burner as he played drums for Soulfly, Borknagar and others.

However he reactivated it in 2020 releasing a debut in 2021. This second album however builds on the debut with a much bigger sound, higher profile members and much better writing as Kinkade shares the writing with various writers alongside guitarists Marco Martell (ex-Malevolent Creation) and Marc Rizzo (ex-Soulfly/Cavalera Conspiracy). The last member of the band is Tony Campos (Fear Factory/ex-Soulfly) on bass as producer Vincent M. Ippolito brings additional guitars and David Cramer provides the piano before the excellent Soul Collector, the first song written for the album, but he also adds piano to a few moments.

The main part of the music though is modern metalcore/thrash/death which comes out of the American style. It's aggressive but cathartic, the lyrics are all personal to Kinkade taking the listener on a journey, written while Kinkade dealt with the loss of his father it's a dark and brooding release that is emotionally driven by Kinkade's creative minds, a cast of brilliant musicians and a fantastic vocalist. If anything Chris Clancy has been involved with or post-Millennial US metal floats your boat then you'll love A Moment To Lose Your Breath. 9/10

Amerikan Kaos - Armageddon Boogie (Self Released)

Amerikan Kaos is the other side of Jeff Waters. Founder and lead shredder for Annihilator, he's released 17 studio albums alone, toured all over the world and is recognised as one of the best guitar players and writers in the thrash genre due to Annihilators sometimes unconventional style. Now based in Durham England, during the lockdown he sat in his home studio and started to write, but not for his main band, no he started to write music for what he thought would be a solo album.

However as with all creative people left to their own devices, his many musical influences and willingness to experiment with production ideas etc has made sure that Armageddon Boogie is the first of a trio of records releasing over next three years. This first album is influenced by hard rock, blues and a bit of pop too. The major influence coming through being Waters' worship of Van Halen, he of course takes the Eddie role, with Bob Katsionis adding keys, keeping the mid 70's to mid 80's sound, not only with the music but with the production. If you want a VH sound you need a drummer that can play like Alex so Brian Tichy brings his fast feet when they need to get Hot For Teacher.

There's some Stonesy blues vibes two but they don't move too far from hard rock, the soulful vocals of Chandler Mogel ideal for both whether it's the blues gospel infused tracks with Jessie Wagner providing backing or the lightning delivery that mirrors Diamond Dave. Delivered in his own style but with trademarks in place to win over the listener, Marc LaFrance harmonising for those massive FM radio choruses on BTO's Roll On Down The Highway the solitary cover, LaFrance is the drummer for BTO so has a lot of history with this one. Waters is having fun with this record, you can hear it in the songs, paying homage to the bands he loves.

With the next two said to be a rock n roll record and a metal record with different singers and musicians. I'll look forward to that as Jeff Waters has found himself a great little side project here. 8/10

Empire Warning - Destiny (Self Released)

Hailing from London and the winners of the 2019 London M2TM, Empire Warning have been on a high since the then having one previous release behind them but it's with Destiny they look to really show what they are about, as they are an established live act so this will hopefully have transferred this into their recorded output. 

Empire Warning play groove metal, the kind Lamb Of God and Devildriver have been dealing out for years, they blend thrash-like heaviness with some personal lyrics that are shouted at your face from Be My Victim as Destiny? slows things down at the beginning and kicks off again. For me though they do best with Just Run which has a tonne of that bounce groove metal acts have and brings clean vocals as well, Peace In Pain too as that dual vocals dynamic. 

Due to the high levels of performance on this EP fans of groove/thrash and modern metal will enjoy the five tracks here, reflecting the experience of the band on stage. 7/10

Beyond Salvation - A Line In The Sand (Self Released)

A Line In The Sand is a three track EP from thrashers Beyond Salvation. Well they say thrash but I say metalcore, about as metalcore as you can get, in fact I did legitimately think it was one song and then it finished. I listened to it a a second time and managed to pick out some differences in the songs but there still aren't that many. 

Speed is of the essence as they peel away from the opening chords of Ghost Machine, then it's sort of breakdown heavy metalcore all the way for the next two songs. It's all decent but hopefully on any new music they bring a bit of variation as 10 songs of this may be a little taxing. 6/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Bruce Springsteen (Live Review By Alex Swift)

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Principality Stadium, Cardiff, 05.05.2024

Two and a half hours into his show at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Bruce Springsteen faces down the crowd. “I think its time to go home. You’re all probably tired!” the now 74-year-old American songwriter proclaims, as we loudly signal the contrary. “Are you telling me” Bruce continues “that you think you can outlast the E-Street Band?”. Indeed, despite my ecstatic cries of enthusiasm, in honesty I’m not so sure I can outlast these musicians! As they launch into a run of songs from the Born In The USA album for the first encore, I’m far from wanting the show to end. However, the ability of these performers to play for three hours straight is a match for anyone’s abilities.

There are few concerts I’ve been to that feel as much like a religious experience as this one does! I mean that in the most positive sense possible as well. Springsteen is The Boss! His work has influenced a kind of song writing that is both soulful and honest. Songs like The Rising and Wrecking Ball see the audience lifting their voices in unison, in a way that feels like giving praise. Still, our frontman always keeps an air of humility about his performance style. A huge part of his appeal has always been his relatability, and out of all the songs tonight there’s a particular resonance that The River must have to Welsh communities where a sense of shared identity persists despite them having suffered deprivation comparable to that experienced in New Jersey.

More than that, a lot of what makes Springsteen so endearing are his exchanges with the crowd, who he seems to genuinely value and respect. Indeed, he spends a significant amount of tonight’s set not actually on stage. At one point he stands on the barrier close to where I was stood. I’d love to tell you, dear reader, that I calmly and rationally observed all this happening but like those around me, I could barely contain my excitement. At another, he gifts his harmonica to a child stood in the front row, in an act of kindness that seems to warm the hearts of the entire stadium. Perhaps the most impressive of these interactions are the song requests. 

“This song has never been performed. Can we do this? I think we can!” Bruce declares as he holds up a sign from an audience member requesting If I Was The Priest, from his most recent album of original material. In the quiet moments of hesitation that follow, the crowd members around me offer some words of reassurance. “Bruce can do anything!” I say turning to them, and sure enough the band does a note perfect rendition of the song. The point is this - it would be very easy for The Boss to stand on stage for three hours soaking up the adulation he gets purely by virtue of his presence, but instead he seems committed to giving the crowd the best show he possibly can!

However, just to focus on one man would be a disservice to the E-Street Band, who are without a shred of doubt some of the greatest musicians I’ve ever seen live. “The Professor”, Roy J Bittan lends a dexterous and lively feel to these performances, his piano skills proving nimble, yet never entirely without improvisation or delight. Max Weiberg’s drums alongside Gary Tallent’s bass work keeps everything rhythmically focussed, while allowing the band to excellently navigate the many tricky tempo changes. Steven Van Zandt has always been a criminally underappreciated guitarist for his technical prowess – something that’s perfectly demonstrated tonight as on multiple occasions he is allowed to let loose with solo’s that would put some metal musicians to shame! 

Soozie Tyrell swaps between a range of instruments from violin to mandolin, and seems incredibly adept at each, whereas the range of other musicians that provide backing vocals or brass sections all contribute to making this an awe-inspiring show. Then there’s Jake Clemons – nephew of the late Clarence Clemons, he is every bit the Saxophone player his uncle was, allowing the emotional highs of moments like Born To Run and Thunder Road to absolutely shine.

Lastly, I want to talk a little about what Springsteen’s music means to me. Being at this show felt like I was fulfilling a promise to myself that I would go and see him, and I’m a little emotional knowing that while this is experience I will most likely never get to re-live, its one that will commit itself to memory. One particularly moving moment for me during the performance was when Springsteen talked to his audience about loss, and his process of coming to comprehend that he is the only surviving member of the band he formed in high school, asking “what is grief, if not the price we pay for having loved well?”. 

This exemplifies the singer’s skill as a teller of stories. They weave their way into all of Springsteen’s songs and are a particular focus of this show, as far from just trotting out a series of hits, Bruce gives the performance a rich emotional arc which takes us from his days as a young man naively in love to one who has had many summers come to an end, yet still see’s those he has loved and cherished in his dreams. 

In the week preceding this show I suffered a loss that I am still comprehending. Singing along to Springsteen’s tales of Badlands and Better Days, has helped me in that journey, in that same way that his music has previously helped me process feeling of loneliness, growing up and coming to understand the world and my place in it. Those are the same lessons many have found in Springsteen’s music, and ones that will last beyond tonight’s show. 10/10

Reviews: SYK, Gjenferd, Warlord, Red Rot (Reviews By Mark Young, Rich Piva, Matt Bladen & GC)

SYK - eartHFlesh (Season Of Mist) [Mark Young]

SYK has just dropped what I consider to be one of the albums of the year.

Seriously.

This is next-level extreme metal that demands your attention, and in return, they will reward you with 8 songs that are god-tier in execution.

I Am The Beast starts, chord stabs gradually building in volume as a powerful vocal announces the coming of what is initially expected to be a full-on onslaught. Wrong footed, SYK go for an arrangement that reminds of Perfect Strangers, that measured drum beat that is carried until changing gear, upping the bpm and attack. 

I Am The Beast is a perfect example of what SYK like to do, not staying within one arena when multiple will do. The final act has some of those ‘bendy’ guitar parts (you will know exactly what I mean when you hear them) and some supreme drumming that keeps that energy going. 

It’s not quite a scorching opener, but it’s a statement for what is to come next, with Where I Am Going There Is No Light starts at a rapid rate. Content to let the drums do the heavy lifting, they push and pull the riffs into unconventional shapes which only solidifies that they are no normal/standard extreme metal act. The track rises and falls but never stops. It grabs and doesn’t let go, there is a power on display here as well as an intelligence that can hit with heavy riffs and melodic fills that just fit so well together. 

I’ll Haunt You In Your Dreams is mint, Similar in arrangement to Where…but has more of this stomping attack to it. The bottom-end chug on this is fantastic to hear, so when they deploy the cleaner lines, they cut through like a knife. The constant here is Stefano Ferrian, the vocals set at that sweet spot in the mix, combining with Federico Leone’s drums to devastating effect. The guitar tone is just the cherry here, possessing clarity without losing any heaviness.

Earthflesh comes in and you think this should have been the lead track, It’s monstrous, speeding up, backing off, and those bendy chords dropping like fire, capturing everything they have done in one package, it has it all. I’m glad that they didn’t start with this one because starting with this would have thrown out that natural flow we have.

And then they drop The Sermon. If side A ended on a high, then side B starts with a relentless juggernaut. Chiming chords, that combination of duh-duh riffs, and elastic guitar lines that result in a raising of the bar. There is a solo break around 2.20 onwards which I am convinced set the fire alarms off in the studio. The following riff build that comes is just royal. Absolutely royal. Its heavy, but so smart with it. The trouble with this is that I am running out of words to describe how good it is. 

The Cross comes in and just flays your ears from your head. It’s the shortest song here yet you don’t feel cheated by this. If anything, it is a welcome break to catch a breath before the dual beating from For To Themselves I Left Them and The Passing. The former is this lumbering, dizzying beast with those Chug-chug stabs working against the drums in an off-kilter way. 

The Latter, employing Dalila Kayros to the same great effect as on I Am The Beast... as this stop-start riff/drum pattern hits. The guitars continue this, the drums decide to go elsewhere, throwing little fills here and there, not standing still, not content to just offer a simple beat. It grinds and grinds until the joint vocals kick in and they change it up again. In amongst this grinding motion, they tear up the bpm’s to shake it up again for the final time.

And that’s it done. Album of the year material.

I didn’t expect this to be as good as it is. I honestly didn’t. You have to give it your full attention and it will repay you with a colossus of a release. Its an album that you will go back to again and again and find something new. It balances light and dark, extreme heaviness with the most subtle of melodic touches. It is a classic. You just don’t know it yet. 10/10

Gjenferd - Gjenferd (Apollon Records) [Rich Piva]

If you have read my reviews before you will know that I am a sucker for organ in my rock. You would also know that if you label your band something along the lines of “70s Rock” you are going to the top of the promo pile for this reviewer. 

Well, the debut record from Bergen, Norway’s Gjenferd has both going for it, but that doesn’t always guarantee a quality end product, especially that 70s label, given all of the crap I have experienced with bands who think they have captured that sound only to sound like a generic, built in a lab, straight ahead, radio friendly, “rock” band. Rest assured dear reader, because the debut record from Gjenferd nails both, and is a contender for my album of the year.  Yeah, it is that good. 

You get a nice mixture of 70s hard and psych rock with some stoner rock leanings on the six tracks from Gjenferd, with the Hammond organ, crunchy riffs, and killer vocals leading the way. High Octane opens us up, and I love the interaction between the organ and the guitar.  The drum work is fantastic and give me an organ solo any day and I will be happy. Pair it with a killer guitar solo and you get one of the tracks of the year. 

Starless comes at you with a slower pace to start with the band getting their psych on with this one. The vocal harmonies are great and the guitar/organ team continues to bring the awesome. The spacy middle of this track is the highlight, or is it when the pace really picks up and the organ solo blows you away? I will let you decide, but both parts are just great. Burning Soil opens with an acoustic and flute pairing, until we get all 70s prog, reminding me of the perfect new record from Tarot. There could be no higher complement from me in 2024. Look out when the guitar solo kicks in. 

A trippy bassline starts off Restless Nights and leads to a nice heavy riff to accompany the psych-ed out vocals in what is the most “out there” track amongst the six on the self-titled debut. Beneath The Wave would have been a hit in 1975 and is the most straight-ahead song on Gjenferd, with some trippy lyrics and super catchy bridge with great harmonies and of course the organ and guitar teamwork. The seven-plus minute closer, All That Remains Is Haze is not just a great song title. This one has it all, even a bit of a funky feel during parts.  This is some epic 70s style heavy proggy psych rock executed flawlessly in 2024. 

Gjenferd have incorporated two of my favourite things in rock music perfectly into their self-titled debut record. First, the 70s influences translate perfectly into these six songs and second, the lead organ paired with killer guitar work, both combining for some of my favourite sounds I have heard in a long time.  Gjenferd have an album of the year contender and a record that all lovers of rock music, especially those who dig rock leaning on the best generation for music as influence, the most. 10/10

Warlord - Free Spirit Soar (High Roller Records) [Matt Bladen]

Formed back in 1981 by drummer Mark Zonder and guitarist William J Tsamis, Warlord are one the USA’s cult heavy metal bands. Having released records in the 80’s and then again in the 2000’s after a reunion, Tsamis passed away in 2021 at the age of 60. Their last studio record was in 2013, but Pitch Black Records arranged a multi band tribute to Tsamis which put the name Warlord back onto the collective lips of the metal community. 

Zonder took a break from drumming for everyone and alongside singer Giles Lavery recorded Free Spirit Soar last year. Of course like with Riot (V) or Savage Oath/Sentry (Manilla Road) they have to pay homage to their founders, keeping the musical style similar to what was established back then but with modern frills. 

In fact much of this album is made up of songs Tsamis was working on at the time of his death, they used modern technology to salvage some of his demos, meaning that the musical tracks were written by Tsamis but its guitarist Eric Juris that’s the one shredding up a storm. 

Jimmy Waldo (synth/keys) and Phillip Byone (bass) are the other current members of Warlord as Giles Laverty wrote all the vocals and melodies, with the exception of two tracks which were fully formed Lordian Guard tracks (Tsamis’ solo project ostensibly) that have been made into Warlord songs, continuing the tradition that's started with 2002's Rising Out Of The Ashes. Some of the songs you might recognise as they have appeared in some form on certain reissues and as bonus tracks, but this boasts to be the first album that has nearly all vocal tracks with two exceptions. 

Free Spirit Soar pieces together a lot of left over music to carry on the Warlord name, but does so well. 7/10

Red Rot - Borders Of Mania (Hammerheart Records) [GC]

Forming form the ashes of Ephel Duath AKA the seventh best Italian rock band of all time (not my words Michael, the words of Ultimate Guitar Magazine) Red Rot have been labelled as a mix of Voivod, Morbid Angel and Converge mixing rock/metal/death/metal and sludge it seems there is going to be a lot going on here and its down to me to make some sense of it all.

It all starts with Delusion which has a weird mix of styles all melded together, you get a sort of black metal drum beat with and doomy death metal guitar and there is then some sort of breakdowns midway through and it all sounds a bit confusing and difficult to grasp, Agony Untold doesn’t do much to clear up the confusion I am feeling, and for an added layer of nonsense there are some clean vocals that sound like they were added in for a laugh at the last minute? False Memory has a grandiose introduction with some sweeping death doom guitars but again once the main body of the song kicks in it all sounds a bit too messy for me until towards the end there is a bit more of a solid structure. 

Homo Sapiens Imago Dei is just over 2 minutes long and has probably the most structure so far and is a short, decent blast of death metal, but there’s more of those clean vocals again and I’m not sure why they are included as they sound so out of place, Messianic Alteration leans heavily on the sludge and combines this with some epic death metal and this time the clean vocals do work with the song. 

Its another shorter song so feels like one of the more coherent tracks on the album, much like Inner Voice which is another scathing and vicious slice of death metal with a little edge of black metal to really add some spice but ultimately it sort of just runs out of steam at the end of the song somehow??

Overlord ramps up the atmospheric death metal side of things and nicely re-introduces the doom back into proceedings with a slow, crawling, and uncomfortable feeling track that also throws in some more black metal edged parts towards the end and shows when a bit of attention is honed into a song these guys really can pull out some half decent stuff. 

Not In Control then jolts you back into life with the customary blasting death metal that manages to mix in a melody and the black metal precision to good effect which carries forward into Crainioscopy and is more proof that when they concentrate on one thing they are more than capable of writing some devastating music and not confuse everything but, I really wish they would leave out the clean vocals as 90% of the time I hate them and they do not work in the scope of the song. 

Endless Ravine, and Vindication both sound ok and carry on the flow of the album well but don’t really stand out over anything else, Self Harm Scars does offer that Converge sounding blizzard of noise and is probably all very meaning full and deep, but I have sort of lost interest now and feel that this album is at least 3 songs too long. 

Misericordie does nothing to convince me otherwise its slow, drawn out and honestly does nothing for me. Sun is a weird mix of buzzing noises, vocals and bits of guitars that is mercifully under 2 minutes which feeds directly into final track Affliction and Relief which is a continuation of the boresome noise/vocal mix and is probably not a completely shocking end but is ultimately a bit of a boring one!

So, this started off confusing, got a little bit better in the middle and then totally fizzled out at the end, I never truly found much that I fully loved and most of it was just sort of, ok? It felt way too drawn out and 15 songs was just too much for me and I just got bored, maybe I missed something, I don’t know? but I really doubt I would ever really recommend this to anyone or ever feel the urge to want to listen to it again, take from that what you will?! 4/10

Reviews: Knocked Loose, Unleash The Archers, The Sonic Dawn, Sunnata (Reviews By Mark Young, Matt Bladen, Rich Piva & Paul Scoble)

Knocked Loose - You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To (Pure Noise Records) [Mark Young]

Well, that was intense.

Knocked Loose drop their own version of a thermonuclear device with You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To and in no uncertain terms shows that THIS is how you do hardcore in 2024. The briefest moments of calm as Thirst comes in with chiming opening notes are just laid to waste as they just stomp a giant hole in your ears. As soon as you have gotten to grips with it, it’s gone and Piece By Piece is there, mopping up the blood and debris. The sound they have here is immense, I mean its huge and there is a sudden realisation that the bands you thought were heavy, well they were just playing at it.

Suffocate (ft Poppy) runs straight in, double bass peppering amongst the discord as Bryan Garris screams through this, stretching every ounce as they deliver a crushing storm of noise. In the face of such an onslaught, Poppy steps up and just goes for it, taking no prisoners and matching scream for scream. It’s just so instant, it doesn’t let up at all and expects you to do exactly the same.

Don’t Reach For Me is brutal, but never boring and this is key. They don’t rely on super-heavy guitar or drums as a constant means to an end. Here they have some quality melodic touches so when they hit amongst the demolition job they just shine. If you have heard them before, I think you know what I mean. Moss Covers All is 46 seconds of audio battery that segues into Take Me Home, a repeating measure constantly played, ramping up audible tension. If it wasn’t apparent before, Knocked Loose have been cut from a different cloth. And it shows in their music.

Slaughterhouse 2 (ft Chris Motionless) swings back to what I feel hardcore is or was. Its aggressive, massive guitar sound, barked vocals that stretch the cords beyond repair with an arrangement that is going to cause serious harm in the pit. The Calm That Keeps You Awake hits next mixing up the absolute mental guitar work with stop-start riffs and percussion work that moves beyond the standard, throwing shapes here and there at will as the massive breakdown riff kicks in to close and lead into Blinding Faith, which is obscenely heavy whilst still possessing a groove that carries you along to closure.

Sit & Mourn opens softly, until they decide not to be soft any longer. Bryan’s voice carrying this as guitars step in and out, alongside the absolute stellar work of Pac Sun on drums. Its hard to describe without resorting to ‘it crushes’ because it does. Sit & Mourn bookends an album which has to be on your AOTY lists. It has everything right, the songs, the sequence, the way they put them together in a way that they squeeze more emotion and impact in half the time other bands seem to take. They make music that is equally accessible whilst not compromising any part of their sound. This should place them lightyears ahead of any pack, the question is can they maintain it? 10/10

Unleash The Archers - Phantoma (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]

Another conceptual record from Canadians Unleash The Archers. Their last two record Apex and Abyss were also both concept pieces that were linked. So it seems that the band wanted to stay in storytelling mode with this sixth studio album Phantoma. It's the story of a sentient AI in a dystopian world, focussing on how the protagonist gained their sentience. Unleash The Archers throw their two cents into the ring and make a comment on the increasing use of AI in all walks of life but especially in creativity. This is high concept sci-fi explored through multifaceted power/prog metal.

Despite warning of the dangers social media etc the band used AI throughout the record in the writing, filming and production of the album, integrating into their overall sound as the power/trad metal beginnings are met with prog experimentation for synthwave and electronics to latch on more firmly into the overall sound of the album. With guitarist Andrew Kingsley as producer and songwriter, Jacob Hansen on mixing/mastering Phantoma is as modern as it gets, Unleash The Archers again giving a glimpse as to why they are one of the most revered power metal bands of the modern era. Everything about Phantoma feels more accomplished, it's a step up from a and who were already delivering at a high level, but it will be this album that they will take flight into the upper stratosphere of their genre.

It sets a darker tone that allows Kingsley and fellow guitarist Grant Truesdell to down tune a bit, relying on the dramatic style of a band such as Queensryche or Kamelot as much as the galloping power metal of Hammerfall or Freedom Call. They trade solos and shredding riffs with aplomb, but also nuance these with melodic slower touches. Scott Buchanan's drums have a weight presence no matter the pace while Nick Millers bass goes headlong in sync with both the drums and as an additional rhythm guitar. High quality performances all round, as the band enter the fray with Human Era and Ph4/NT0mA, the first a moody slower opener the second a full on power metal assault, giving you the duality of the new, improved Unleash The Archers.

Twitching electronics kick off The Collective, then it's lightspeed in the verses and emotion in the choruses as Brittney Slayes uses the full range of her vocals from the soaring highs to the melancholic lows as Truesdell adds black metal growls here and on the synthetic metal of Green & Glass. Slayes gives the best vocal performance of her career on this record, defined and broad, every facet of her skill exhibited as we move through 10 varied tracks. They are paying homage to the 80's with Phantoma too, sticking a massive Heart-like ballad Give It Up Or Give It All, towards the end of the album. Unleash The Archers have always been a band that the metal community have taken to heart but with this sixth record they have become the band they have been threatening to be since 2015's Time Stands Still. An essential purchase for fans of virtuoso melodic power metal. 9/10

The Sonic Dawn - Phantom (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich Piva]

Time for the trippy acid rock stylings of The Sonic Dawn, who are back on Heavy Psych Sounds with their new record, Phantom. Album five continues to spread their love of the late 60s acid rock scene, and brings super duper trippy goodness in the form of ten more mind bending, chill out tracks that sound like they were delivered from a time machine to 2024.

The opener, 21st Century Blues certainly doesn’t sound like something from this century, leaning on 60s psych and blues to deliver some trippy goodness. Iron Bird is one of the trio’s best tracks in a long time, combining that acid vibe with some layered vocals and even incorporating some organ into the mix.

Can the sound of an album be both minimalist and wall of sound at the same time? Somehow The Sonic Dawn can make this happen. Think it over has a Velvet Underground vibe to it, but remove Lou’s voice and add some high-pitched layered harmonies instead, until the track morphs into something akin more to Motown than to The Village.

Nothing Can Live Here is extremely chill and sparse light rock that the band excels at until the band goes freak out, which is where they also excel. Dreams Of Change is sparse and whispery and leads nicely into Pan Am, which is the perfect airline for these guys. This is some serious late 60s perfection on display.

Transatlantique and Scorpio are some more psych soft rock while Micro Cosmos In A Drop leverages both the 13th Floor Elevators and the live vibe of the Velvets, but with some extra soul. This is my favourite track on Phantom. The closer is more of soft psych goodness and fits perfectly along with the other nine tracks on Phantom.

The Sonic Dawn are the leaders of 60s acid rock in 2024, and I am here for all of it. Phantom is more great stuff from a band who has found their niche and settled comfortably in their role as the leaders in the light rock, acid rock, a flag they proudly way in all of its psychedelic glory. 8/10

Sunnata – Chasing Shadows (Self Released) [Paul Scoble]

Polish Doomheads Sunnata have been making ritualistic heaviness since 2013. The band, featuring Dob on bass, Rob on drums, Gad on guitars and Szy on guitars and vocals, have released four full length albums before Chasing Shadows. The bands debut; Climbing The Colossus was unleashed in 2014, next came Zorya in 2016, Outlands was released in 1018, and the bands last album, Burning In Heaven, Melting On Earth came out three years ago in 2021. When doing the research for this album I noticed that all of Sunnata’s members had been in band from 2008 till 2013 called Satellite Beaver, who played stoner rock, released two demos in 2008 and 2009 and in 2012 released an EP called The Last Bow. Satellite Beaver didn’t look nearly as po-faced and serious as Sunnata.

The album opens with the song Chimera, which has a long slow build up with bass, feedback and drums, layered vocals are added just before the song drops us into a blast beat that pummels us briefly before the song takes a turn towards the ritualistic. The song goes back to the more minimal feel of the beginning of the song and chanting is added, the song then gets faster at a constant rate from very slow, to getting faster until it all becomes frantic at which point the song drops into awesome up-tempo Psych Rock that is full of energy.

At this point I should talk about the vocals on this album, as Chimera is the first place we encounter them. On Chimera and on all but a couple of songs Sunnata use a form of layered vocals where, although there are often several voices, two of them are in quite close harmony and sound very similar (I’m pretty sure this is Szy’s voice multi-tracked). The voices go up and down in pitch and as this happens the voices suddenly feel in conflict, they nearly go out of tune but not quite, instead they have feeling of being under tension, with a sense of modulation. This is a fairly unique sound, and it is very effective and powerful.

Next we get the track Torn, which is all about ebb and flow, building and collapse. The song starts in a minimal way with a feeling that is brooding and subtle, before the song builds in intensity and aggression, the vocals harmonies are back and build with the music so on the bigger and louder sections the fractured harmonies feel almost like dissonance. The song builds and collapses several times before the end of the song. After Torn comes a short, dark and brooding instrumental featuring guitar and bass called At Dusk (Interlude).

Next we get the song Wishbone. Wishbone is a mix of subtle and minimal psych rock with those harmonised vocals, and much bigger and heavier sections with crashing chords and layered harsh vocals, the song has a big and loud ending. Saviours Raft has a minimal and brooding introduction that builds and ebbs away, builds and ebbs away. Near the end of the song everything gets much faster and more aggressive with those harmony vocals getting very combative, once this has been achieved the song ends, so it ends up feeling as if the song was ninety percent introduction. Saviours Raft is followed by a track called Adrift (Reprise) which is a reprise of the previous song.

Next up is the track The Tide which has a different feel to the rest of the album. The Tide is a great piece of folk with great drumming and percussion with some strings and layered vocals that are proper harmonies that are melodious and tuneful. If I’m being honest, this sounds just like Scandinavian folk act Wardruna, and is the best track on the album. After The Tide comes Hunger, a similar track to Saviours Raft, in that it has a very long minimal build-up of percussion, soft guitar and harmonised vocals before a slow and very doomy riff crashes in and gets bigger and bigger, more and more aggressive and extreme, before a very loud ending. Next comes a short atmospheric instrumental called Through The Abyss (Interlude).

Second to last track The Sleeper has a very quiet opening of just bass and drums with whispered vocals, this then builds in intensity making the music fuller and bringing the harmonised vocals a lot higher in the mix. The song then takes a turn as a harsh synth riff is brought in giving the song a bit of an industrial feel, at one point the song drops to just the very electronic synth on its own before the heavy doom crashes back in, and this heavy, synthy doom takes the song to its abrupt end.

The album ends with the track Like Cogs In A Wheel, which is a fairly dubby piece of techno. It isn’t a bad track, but I don’t really see how it’s connected to the rest of the album, I can’t hear any repeated melodies or anything like that, I doubt the band would agree with me as they must have had a reason, but I don’t get it.

Chasing Shadows is a beautiful mess of an album. There are many things to like about it, but conversely there are just as many things wrong with it. I get the feeling that there is a 9/10 or even a 10/10 album in here somewhere.

Firstly, I have to deal with those harmonised vocals that feel as if they are in conflict with themselves. I really liked them at first, and I do feel they are very effective and powerful, however that is the problem. If they had just been used on one or two songs, I would be writing about how good they are and how clever the band had been use them, unfortunately after a few listens to the album they start to become irritating, until after four or five listens to the album they become like fingernails down a blackboard.

The fact that they always do the same lift and then drop in pitch to create the tension means the Vocals are always doing the same melody, so it makes the songs sound the same; the lyrics might be different, but as the tune is the same it feels like the same song repeated. The album is also over long, with too many repeated parts and instrumentals that don’t really have a purpose, this ends up feeling very flabby. Dropping the Vocals in the mix would help them be less invasive and editing the album to about 50 minutes would improve it massively.

I hate to sound harsh as a lot of what is on Chasing Shadows is really good, but this band needs to avoid self-indulgence if they are going to create the work of genius that I think they are capable of. 7/10

Reviews: Sebastian Bach, Crownshift, Riot (V), The Treatment (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Sebastian Bach - Child Within The Man (Reigning Phoenix Music)

STOP THE PRESSES! Sebastian Bach has released his first solo album in 10 years and shocker! It's bloody good! The former and possibly future frontman of Skid Row has always been a controversial figure, talented but controversial. In the PR that accompanies this new album he's described as a singer, songwriter, author, Broadway Star and actor, which may sound like a Garth Marenghi quote. But accuratley describes one of the most distinctive voices in rock music he's also starred in Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Jesus Christ Superstar as well as Gilmore Girls, Trailer Park Boys and more recently The Masked Singer US. It's with this latter show that Bach again showed what a great singer he is.

The versatility of his voice is a point that doesn't need to be argued and on Child Within The Man he delivers eleven heavy rock bangers, co-written with the best and brightest in the catchy rock game. What Do I Got To Lose for instance sounds exactly like an Alter Bridge song, which as it was co-written by Myles Kennedy and long-time Alter Bridge producer/mixer Elvis Baskette, makes total sense. Baskette also produced this record so it's as modern as it can be, the big boomy, radio friendly production style suiting the anthemic heavy rock songs co-written by Kennedy, John 5, Steve Stevens and Orianthi all creating with Bach, the last three playing the solos on their individual tracks.

Playing on all of the songs are long term axe slinger Devin Bronson, Slash bassist Todd Kerns and Steve Vai's drummer Jeremy Colson, so with a band that are so solid and experienced it's no wonder that this album is so strong. It's a collaboration of great musicians/writers with a singer who can still suprise on the Queen-like To Live Again, while Everybody Bleeds is much more like it, snarling vocals and big rock riffs.

What Do I Got To Lose swaggers with some cowbell and blues, Hard Darkness dials up the heaviness, as Vendetta is defiant and About To Break has Bach layered, showing every part of his wide range, almost as if he's duetting with himself. So as I said at the beginning of the review, this a very good heavy rock album, one that uses current rock radio trends, a glut of high profile co-writers and of course the legacy of Sebastian Bach as a vocalist to impress. 8/10

Crownshift - Crownshift (Nuclear Blast)

Despite Sweden being credited with the birth of Melodic Death Metal due to the legendary Gothenburg Scene, many of their Scandinavian neighbours also formed bands that drew from thrash and death metal but merged it power/symphonic metal. From Finland the biggest proponents of melodeath are Children Of Bodom however this new band Crownshift, manage to bring influence from CoB but also the Swedish foundation such as In Flames. When it's done right it's one of the most impressive styles of metal and Crownshift have all the talent and history to do it right.

The members are Daniel Freyberg on guitar who served time in CoB, Jukka Koskinen who plays thick proggy five string bass for Nightwish and Wintersun, locking in with his Wintersun band mate, drummer Heikki Saari who also plays for Finntroll, while vocalist Tommy Tuovinen is the voice behind MyGrain. The trio of instrumentalists were a part of Norther, a underrated but influential melodeath band who spilt in 2012.

So this reuinon has been a few years in the making as Crownshift came to be in 2019, delayed by the pandemic their self titled debut is now here to make a statement. From the shredding guitars, furious rhythms and varied vocals that come on Stellar Halo I'd say it was statement made from the first moments, this is melodeath done properly, leaning on the neoclassical guitar playing with keyboard passages added to build the melodic side, the track builds up from the intro and unleashes a maelstrom of relentless riffs.

It's the veteran skill of these men that is instantly recognisable, with Freyberg's production and Rami Nymänen's mix/mastering, Crownshift sounds clean and bright. Everything is just at the right level so you can hear the nuance in the playing. It's needed as Crownshift don't contain themselves to following a blueprint, they are a melodeath band but there's the poppier sounds of an band such as Chyra on My Prison alongside the proggy textures of The Halo Effect on the closing epic To The Other Side.

They shift gears towards a short shot of groove on The Devil's Drug and even have a go at an atmospheric Maiden-like instrumental with Mirage as Rule The Show is very Hevy Devy as if you dare brings it all back to CoB. I could go on about this album for ages as it's so bloody good, using melodeath as a foundation and building on it with classic/power/prog/pop metal, Crownshift have smashed their way into my AOTY list for sure. 10/10

Riot (V) - Mean Streets (Atomic Fire Records)

Heavy metal, heavy metal is about rebellion, the leather, the chains, bikes and bodacious machismo. Not many scenes embody this more than the US metal scene in New York City.

One of the most cult bands to come out of that was Riot formed by guitarist Mark 'The Shark' Reale in 1975, they were contemporary's of Manowar, Virgin Steele and The Rods but it was Riot who were pipped to be the breakout stars. As with all of the metal world the 90's was tough but it was in 2012 with the passing of Reale that the surviving members formed Riot (V) to pay homage to their fallen leader and play some heavy damn metal.

They have moved with the times a little bringing some power metal into their street savvy classic heavy metal but they always write with Mark in mind so Riot (V) never strays from the founders vision. It just makes it more modern and on this 17th album, but their third without Reale, Riot (V) establish themselves as not just a legacy act but their own beast.

Keeping the same line up since 2012, it's Donnie Van Stavern who takes the leadership roll, his thundering bass the cornerstone of the record. Locking in with Frank Gilchrist behind the kit they plough straight into the speed metal assault of Hail To The Warriors, this is a very Priest-like track, singer Todd Michael Hall's vocals having always been similar to Tim 'Ripper' Owens', but he has more of range as anyone who has heard his solo album will attest to.

Shredding up a storm are guitarists Mike Flyntz and Nick Lee, on Higher where they peel off dual harmonies that bring the speed/power, they are living up to Reale here and with tracks such as the strutting Feel The Fire and Love Beyond The Grave. If you like your bikes loud, your metal muscular and your legacy's long lived you'll be right at home on these Mean Streets. 8/10

The Treatment - Wake Up The Neighbourhood (Frontiers Music Srl)

Armed with five previous albums of dirty rock riffs, The Treatment have build a rabid fanbase since their start in 2008 and their debut album in 2011 (though there are two versions but let's not get into that) blending the pub rock realness of AC/DC with the melodic rock of Def Leppard topped off with the attitude of punk they have gone through some line up changes but steering the ship from the beginning are guitars Tagore Grey and drummer Dhani Mansworth.

The most recent addition to the band is bassist Andy Millburn but he has already appeared on one album before this, 2021's Waiting For Good Luck, so it's an established line up that also features Tao Grey on guitar and Tom Rampton on vocals. With their sound set in stone is Wake Up The Neighbourhood won't give you any surprises, it the competent hard rock that has led them to six albums, from the opener Let's Wake Up This Town, the nostalgic Back To The 1970's which will resonate with their audience for sure, though most of band were probably young in the 90's.

Elsewhere I Can't Wait No Longer has a touch of glam about it as they preach acceptance with the AC/DC meets The Faces rocking of Don't Make No Difference, similarly on Free Yourself, Rampton makes himself known as the best vocalist the band have had. Why change the wheel when this rock n roll vehicle is still forging ahead with what their audience expect. Classy rock with bit of grit. 7/10

Reviews: Deicide, Raised By Owls, P.O.D, The Karma Effect (Reviews By Charlie Rogers, Mark Young, Zak Skane & Matt Bladen)

Deicide - Banished By Sin (Reigning Phoenix Music) [Charlie Rogers]

Straight Outta Satan’s Armpit, Florida, Deicide’s 13th album is just under 40mins of straight up high tempo, aggressive death metal. No fannying around with different styles, feels, or atmosphere, the Tampa based Jesus dislikers have a distinct style that consists of blisteringly fast riffs, soaring guitar leads, and punishing blastbeats. 

Deicide have been around for longer than I have, but there seems to be no sign that they’re ready to hang up the death metal chops and start a more laid back project anytime soon. Which is great news, because Banished By Sin is their strongest record since 2006’s The Stench Of Redemption. It may even be their most consistent album, ever.

Brace yourself for this, but every, single, song, is a banger. There’s just no filler on here. It’s 12 equal tracks of absurdly good death, the only difference is which particular jam takes your fancy as your favourite, and after a number of listens I still can’t pick one. Glen’s iconic layered vocals are brilliantly showcased here, with the low barks fat with visceral rage, the high demonic screeches blended perfectly in. There’s a good mix of intelligible and unintelligible lyrics, with care given to punctuate where Mr Benton wants you to hear certain phrases clearly. 

Another highlight is the bass tone, which is usually decent on a Deicide record, but here it’s extra clanky and sitting really prominent in the mix. I love it. Guitars sound excellent too, with the razor sharp riffing getting a proper shine and polish to ensure there’s a distinct edge to the notes. Solo sections utilise a great tone too, giving them a real epic feel. 

Steve Asheim’s a big name in death metal drumming for a reason, his pneumatic footwork and lightning quick tom and cymbal work pull everything together expertly. My one niggle with the record is with the cymbal production - there’s one particular frequency that stands out and is particularly painful, especially in the track Faithless. Might just be my speakers making a big deal of it, but once I started to notice it, I found it really distracting.

All in all, this record is about as "Deicide" as you can get, and I feel that’s a good thing. They’re not chasing fads or trying to reinvent the wheel, just settling in with their sound and turning all the dials to the max. On a related note, it sounds to me like they’re using the same tuning as ever, which really stands out against the crowd in extreme metal given we’re ever plunging into lower and lower tuned guitars and basses. 

Having those riffs played up in a higher register than contemporaries will make you distinct, and your ears will thank you for that variety. Aside from the sharp cymbal pitch, I can’t find faults with this album. It’s everything I want from one of the bands that got me into death metal in the first place, and I’m going to be boogieing along to the riffs on here for a while. 10(Glens)/10

Raised By Owls - Vol 3: The Satirical Verses (Self Released) [Mark Young]

And now for something completely different.

Raised By Owls return with their latest, Vol 3: The Satirical Verses which they describe as being an homage to the music they love whilst giving it a gentle prod and highlighting the silliness present within the genre.

With this in mind, I’m slightly torn as to how to approach the review. With song titles such as Going For A Pint With Corpsegrinder, Strictly Come Danzig and Live, Laugh, Lars plus the cover art it certainly paints it as being irreverent, but the music presented here is anything but. My experience of ‘comedy’ metal is that the music is sometimes secondary to getting a laugh. Luckily here, the approach to the songs are spot on and if you listened to them without knowing the context you wouldn’t know any different. 

To really get in on it, check their videos out, especially the one for Strictly Come Danzig, which skewers him as a preening, hip-thrusting, lap dance performing dark Elvis. In a school hall. Probably. The Dark And Twisted Realm In Which Fred Durst Resides is a riot, five corpse painted red-hatted hooligans running around a local park, not unlike the classic Scandinavian bands back in the day. Although I do not remember them playing head and volley.

Back to the music, and it is royal. There is a level presented here that a lot of ‘serious’ bands won’t get near, and these seem to do it with ease. Comedy Metal Is A Fucking Embarrassment that starts and just flies, it’s rapid-fire drum mayhem and I think once you get hold of the lyric sheet the humour that is there would come through. I haven’t got a lyric sheet so I’m just basing this on the music. 

Going For A Pint... has that muscular, chunky build that was evident on Gorgeous George’s solo release. Like I said this isn’t half-arsed in any way, the music is super focused and heavy AF. Dance Like Barney Greenway is a blast, and The Dark And Twisted Realm In Which Fred Durst Resides has this amazing Scandi vibe running through it. There is some fantastic guitar on this, but don’t take my word for it, check it out.

What is great here is that they maintain a consistent level of quality right through. Each song has its own thing going on, and they manage to ape the genres they are prodding so well. I Honestly Thought OSDM Was A Sex Thing has a Morbid Angel / Dave Vincent thing going on, at least to these ears and delivers on a OSDM feel to it. Final track None Of This Will Matter In The End is chock full of razor-sharp riffing that is furious as it is introspective. The album’s serious track, it still stacks up against the others here and is a fine song to close out with.

I know they suggest that this is largely tongue in cheek, but you shouldn’t let that put you off what is actually a cracking album. The accompanying videos really help in getting the message across, but you don’t need them to enjoy this. Visually, they certainly poke the right areas of what can be a bloated and too-serious genre. Musically, they are not joking. 8/10

P.O.D – Veritas (Mascot Records) [Zak Skane]

The first part of the album brings in some classic 2000s P.O.D energy with the opening track Drop, which hits us in the face with their classic old school attitude but wrapped up in a modern coat of paint with the guitars Marcos Curiel and Traa Daniels still sounding as huge as their classic riffs hits like in Boom and Alive but having these trending octave sounding effects that just gives this hair on chest bottom end assault whilst The Youth Of The Nation era sounding ambient chorused clean guitar sections cast this nostalgic spell. 

Sonny Sandoval still sound as vicious as ever whilst spitting aggressive bars. The subtle takes from Lamb Of God' Randy Blythe adds more aggression to the mix whilst still keeping it to it’s P.O.D delivery. Those fuzzy riffs still continue and walk us into sleazy groove territory with the drums providing some pounding halftime beats and Sonny still keeping up with these aggressively delivered positive lyrics. 

Afraid To Die brings in this yin yang effect of having these dark sounding elements of detuned effected keys to Tatiana Shmayik's (Jinjer) haunting vocal passages, which gives the listeners the assumption that the subject matter takes a darker route but once you listen to the lyrics you can hear themes of unity and choruses about coming to terms with death, really puts the audience in a expectation in a 360. 

Death Right returns with the heavy delivery with out beat accent riffs aggressively catchy lyrics all suited in a short and sweet package. To close off the first half the album, we get the first ballad Breaking, which brings in some formulistic Sirius FM radio friendly style choruses and catchy post chorus guitar lead melodies, whilst the lyrical content starts to based on mortality and how death can effect us.

To open up the second part of the album we get the heart warming tribute to their friend Roo in Lay Me Down (Roos Song) which brings in some Deftones styled huge chord sequences and heavily reverbed choruses and poetically arranged lyrics that ooze heart and soul. The short and sweet I Wont Bow Down brings some sonic boom attack with some naughty 808 cinematic bass drops, groovy half time drum beats and nasty bendy riffs.

The final few tracks on this album is where I feel like they start to soften their edge and start to loose their direction a bit, because This Is My Life (feat. Cove Reber) takes a more a hardcore punk direction with bright sounding guitar riffs that you would hear from a Stick To Your Guns song whilst the choruses sound like they are taken from an old-school offspring song. Same goes with Lies We Tell Ourselves which consist of classic hard rock chord sequences and choruses that are delivered in this generic mourning friendly radio rock show format and This is Our Struggle brings in some Twenty One Pilots styled pre-choruses and some lazy chanting choruses.

Despite the last few tracks on the record, We still got to give credit that after 32 years, P.O.D can still come packing the punches with tracks like Drop, I Got That and Dead Right, whilst their lyrics still ooze passion into songs Lay Me Down. This album packs classic P.O.D delivery with a modern shine. For fans of Limp Bizkit, Ill Nino and Saliva. 7/10

The Karma Effect - The Promised Land (Earache Records) [Matt Bladen]

The Karma Effect have been making waves in the UK rock scene for a while now. Their debut was well received rock n roll, bluesy guitars, hip shaking rhythms, funky organs and some hooky choruses that have been sung in venues around the UK and on festival stages such as Steelhouse. 

So there was always going to be a follow up, a second chance to dance, keep the music alive with the experience of being able to tour, their debut was released before the Pandemic, but re-released after to give them something to tour. These song then have been refined while on the road, where a rock n roll band thrives and they sound like a band in full swing. 

Promised Land (the song) has a gospel tinge of The Answer or The Temperance Movement, the southern swagger of Be My Salvation is bit of Skynyrd or Whiskey Myers, however not to rest on their blues rock background they dabble in some Foreigner-like 80's rocking with Livin' It Up, it's the keyboards that definitely add to this comparison. 

There's also a lot of Aerosmith on The Promised Land, from the driving rock of Nine Lives or the ballad Still Falling For You. The band approached the album with the notion of it being escapism and they managed to capture that well, each song is a retro slice of bygone halcyon nostalgia but given a modern production sound and a passion that comes with being a relatively young band. No forty days in the desert for The Karma Effect, they take you to The Promised Land from the first chord of this second album. 8/10

Reviews: Allen's Hand, Void Era, Kawir, In Utero Cannibalism (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Allen's Hand - Chicken King (Self Released)

A cult boyband dedicated to the one true Chicken King, Allen's Hand are a bunch of Athenian virtuosos playing a really weird album of music that is full of 90's and early 2000's trappings. 

They formed in 2008 and have released two albums before this one coming back in 2022 they wrote what was to become Chicken King an very, very eclectic record, that is never easy to categorize but manages to cram in tonnes of genres, including metal, rock, jazz and funk. Figurine brings radio friendly American post-grunge balladry, R3D3 putting battering math metal to emo singalongs, Johnny Craig (ex-Dace Gavin Dance) joining in the fun as Poutsatron has djenty riffs and sax.

The heavier side of the album very much towards the back end of it, musically they play progressively, off-kilter rhythms, odd time signatures and bring broad soundscapes. Handicaprio is very similar to Brandon Urie pop driven quirkiness mixed with angsty lyrics that tell of our unnamed hero having to leave his love as she's 25. 

Playing Fair puts Barenaked Ladies with Del Amitri, Thermochemistry is described as a "sexy pop metal hit" and I couldn't have said it better myself. Deep Space is atmospheric tappy wonderment as Delabongo is Dirty Loops like virtuoso funk featuring Skyler Acord on slinky bass. The Chicken King will be appeased with this wide ranging tribute to him and all of his works. 9/10

Void Era - Guilt (Self Released)

Forming in 2018, Athens band Void Era, started out on as a alt rock/blues based band founded by Elia Tsara (guitars/vocals) and John Levojohn (bass) they added Kostas Tsaras (drums) and recorded an EP that paid homage to that fertile 90's period of rock music with as they brought the sounds of grunge, alternative, garage rock and all things moody. 

On their full length debut they bring in Theofanis Mavropanos on guitars to add some drama to the brooding fuzz of Feels The Same. They've taken a heavier and more eclectic route with this record bubbling organs kicking off Sign before some punk riffs ignite the record well. Town Crier is a track with classic metal solos and grunge riffs, Feels The Same adds the acoustic guitar of AIC for wooziness. 

They have a major fascination with introspection, their music is varied, with smoky blues and angular alt rock the basis but they build on these foundations with a wide selection of instrumentation and Elia’s unique vocals. As I listened to the album I heard a lot of similarities to the more ‘artistic’ side of 90’s rock with some Screaming Trees, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins and Jane’s Addiction to name just a few. 

However there’s also some of the chuggy, hypnotic riffs from the likes of Soundgarden too, A Shape In The Sand, taking a few influences from Teenage Kicks. Guilt is an album out of time, inspired by the coolest bands of the 90’s it’s Gen X music for the current generation. 7/10

Kawir - Kydoimos (Soulseller Records)

Kydoimos is the ninth(!) album from Greek black metal act Kawir. Coming from that fertile highly influential 90’s scene, they explore Greek mythology and mystery in their work, this one influenced by one of Greek sprits of war, in particular the bedlam of battle. Using the Illiad as lyrical reference musically the album captures the ominous overarching sense of dread but also the exhilaration of battle. Through second wave black metal that is brutal but takes atmospheric breaks (Centauromachy and Hecatonchires) in the frenzy too. 

Sitting in the middle of this extreme metal maelstrom is a trio of songs that deal with Achilles and the Trojan war explicitly but this is also the major lyrical background to the whole album. Unlike say Rotting Christ or Varathron who have developed more into blackened/death metal acts, Kawir keeps it cvlt with frenetic tremolo picking and kick drumming that is unholy, the cinematic touches there to make sure the story is told at the right scope, without betraying their pagan black metal beginnings. 

For me it’s the trio of songs about Achilles and the title track that do the best work for Kawir. A sound that has been established for a long time but is still refined with every release. 7/10

In Utero Cannibalism – Dehumanise (Sleazsy Rider Records)

I can just hear m’colleague GC complain about this album from Greek death metal band In Utero Cannibalism (the name doesn’t give away the genre at all!) He would have complained that the 4 minute opening track Human Terror Disease was too long. 

A slow burn clean guitar intro that does some scene setting but doesn’t quite prepare you for the next 17(!) songs. It’s almost doom, but they revert to type with Organised Perversion, going forward with br00tal death metal that unfortunately does absolutely nothing for me. Thankfully all the songs are around 2 minutes but the production is muddy, making Dehumanise sound like its underwater, and there’s a weird bass sound that’s far to clean and fuzzy for the album. 

I realise that the band is one guy but it sounds like a one man project. Very D.I.Y but in a “recorded in my bedroom” way. You might like it but I found myself only managing one listen. 5/10