Reviews: Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Deafheaven, Six Foot Six, Fucked & Bound (Matt, Paul S, Simon & Liam)

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band: Straight To You Live (Provogue) [Matt Bladen]

Apparently people have been asking for a live DVD from Bluesman Kenny Wayne Shepherd for as he puts it "decades". He has one live album previously in 2010 but a mammoth nine studio albums, which he has rigorously toured. Obviously that touring has all but stopped he has finally gotten around to releasing said DVD. Recorded live at the Leverkusen Jazzstage, for Rockpalast back in November 2019 as part of World Tour for his 2019 album The Traveller, Straight To You Live is a DVD/Album that captures the American guitarist and his seven-piece band in full incendiary form, Shepherd peeling off bluesy licks and emotional guitar solos right from Women Like You the first of four from The Traveller where you can really hear the band going for it. 

The rock instrument ensemble augmented by a brass section for a full bodied blues sound. Vocalist Noah Hunt brings a proper Whiskey voice to the proceedings with Shepherd and the band pumping out powerful blues rocking on a set that features two covers Talk To Me Baby by Elmore James and Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) by Jimi Hendrix which closes the show, while his own tracks bring a soulful vibe to proceedings with Diamonds & Gold, the slow burning Heart Of The Sun along with his two biggest tracks Shame Shame Shame and Blue On Black. It's an almost perfect setlist from Shepherd and band and acts as an ideal reminder of what he can do live. 7/10

Deafheaven: 10 Years Gone (Sargent House) [Paul Scoble]

Deafheaven have been making music together since 2010. The San Franciscans have released 4 studio album; Roads To Judah in 2011, their breakthrough album Sunbather in 2013, New Bermuda in 2015 and Ordinary Corrupt Human Love in 2018. The band have been one of the biggest bands in Post Black Metal, a style that is synonymous with Deafheaven. 2020 marks the bands 10th anniversary of releasing their demo on Bandcamp on June 1st 2010, something that was supposed to have been celebrated by a tour with Inter Arma, Greet Death and All Your Sisters. The band had planned on doing a set that encompassed their entire career, including the track Daedalus, the first track written by the band. However, as with pretty much all plans made for 2020, the tour had to be cancelled, leaving Deafheaven with an anniversary, but no way to celebrate it. So, the band have taken the planned setlist and have turned it into a “Live” in the studio album, probably the closest they could get too doing a tour. 

10 Years Gone was recorded at Atomic Garden studios and was produced by Jack Shirley. The production and sound on this album is superb, crystal clear and perfectly mixed, it sounds like a studio album, but in the circumstances that is understandable, and is much better than using canned audience noises and applause. The setlist covers the bands entire discography, from the aforementioned Daedalus, through Language Games from Roads To Judah, Vertigo, The Pecan Tree and Dream House from Sunbather, the single From The Kettle Onto The Coil, Baby Blue from New Bermuda and Glint from Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. As a Deafheaven fan I can say that that is a great setlist, which I would have loved to see live, and am grateful they decided to record it in this way. Whenever I listen to Deafheaven I am always surprised at how savage and nasty the blasting Black Metal sections are. The feel is fast and viscous with really nasty vocals and is as extreme as any second wave Black Metal bands (something that really annoys the orthodox Black Metal fans). However, no matter how nasty these sections are, I always find I’m most affected by the beautiful Post Black Metal sections that feature lush, layered tremolo picked riffs that are just gorgeous. 

This interplay between harsh and savage Black Metal and breathtakingly ethereal Post Black Metal is what has made Deafheaven special and is the reason Sunbather had such an impact in 2013. 10 Years Gone is a great “Live In The Studio” album. The band have made the best of an unfortunate situation, cancelling their anniversary tour must have been painful for the band, but the way they have reacted to this is great, we weren’t able to see them live, but this album is a very worthwhile and effective alternative. For established fans this is a great collection of songs, if you aren’t a fan already, then this is a great sampler of their best material, if you’ve never heard the band before, then this is a fantastic introduction. 8/10 

Six Foot Six: End Of All (Scarlet Records) [Simon Black]

You know, occasionally slaving over a keyboard trying to crank out reviews for hundreds of records a year wears you down (I know tough gig, huh?). But then something like this little beauty comes along and kicks you up the 2020 and makes it all very, very worthwhile. Sweden’s Six Foot Six have not been around long and what started as solo project for vocalist /guitarist Kristoffer Göbel (Falconer), has now become a well-regarded act onto their crucial sophomore release. Melodic Metal has been in the doldrums for a while, with a positive deluge in recent times of new acts trying (and failing) to recreate a heyday they were simply not alive for. However, this Swedish four piece (like the excellent fellow Swedes Dynazty) absolutely nail the balance between Classic and Modern Metal. The first single Welcome To Your Nightmare starts things well, with a cracking catchy beat and a vocal melody line that gently pulls you into the album. 

The vocal approach takes me by surprise from the get go, as Göbel teases and tantalises in a very distinctive, yet subtle and theatrical way, before opening up as the song really gets going. His voice is quite confidently restrained throughout – but it is clear, hearty and charismatic - proving that you don’t need to gargle gravel or scream like your testicles were on fire to be effective. By the end of this first track, I’m tapping along like I’m listening to an old favourite. Air guitars on standby, chaps...Title track End Of All keeps it going, with its bouncy beat, ridiculously catchy vocal melody riff lines which completely at odds with the somewhat dark subject matter of the lyrics. It’s also got a crackingly simple but effective instrumental section, which throws just the tiniest bit of shredding in to prove that they could go much further if they wanted. Which they do on the much heavier In God We Trust, which rips in with a catchy opening hammered riff and a pile driving verse. There are so many catchy Melo tracks on here that this feels like a record that will work well played in its entirety live. In The Eyes Of The World and Blood Will Out, coming at the point where an album often starts to lose steam, keep the energy and flow moving even though they’re far from the strongest tracks on here. 

Final Vittoria plays with the format again, and what we get is a very theatrical (not operatic) mood piece that showpieces how effortless and natural a frontman they have in place here. The only weak link in the pack is I Am Your King, which doesn’t have the same production feel as the rest of the album, and I can’t help feeling it might have a different production origin. It also takes the experimentation a little too far, losing that punchy melodic coherence we see through the rest of the album, but to be honest this is really a minor glitch on what is otherwise a superb record, that flies through is fifty-five minutes in a blur. This may have started as a solo effort for Göbel, but with the support of Christoffer Borg on guitar, Markus Gustafsson on bass and Henrik Hedman on drums what we have is band firing on all four Very Metal cylinders and is a massive improvement on their first album. This really has been a damn fine year for Swedish Melodic Metal and this opus is a cracking addition to about the only positive aspect to 2020. Roll on a UK tour please chaps, as air guitar at home is wearing a bit thin. 9/10

Fucked & Bound: Suffrage (Quiet Panic) [Liam True]

Grindcore is a wacky genre, as most people are probably familiar with Napalm Death or Pig Destroyer being their gateway bands to the genre. Fucked & Bound however take the styles of both bands into account on Suffrage. The raw production of Pig Destroyer & the hard hitting twisted distortion of Napalm Death. It’s a change from the normal sound Grindcore puts out as it has more Punk influences through the riffs of the mangled guitar tone of Brian McClelland to the frantic drumming of Matt Chandler puts the songs into a new realm of warped Grindcore. The vocals are absolutely larynx shredding as vocalist Lisa Mungo unleashes her dystopian voice upon the 14 track album. Astonishingly it packs a big punch as it only rolls for 23 minutes. From start to finish there’s no breaks. Nothing slows down. Everything is full gear, full force and full incendiary as the band erupt their fury into your ear drums as you succumb to the demonic noise. It’s deadly. It’s fast. And it’s extreme. It's the soundtrack for 2020 as it’s as fucked up as the year has been. And It’s perfect. 9/10

Reviews: Green Druid, Phase Reverse, Ad Infinitum, Dines X Heafy (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Green Druid: At The Maw Of Ruin (Earache Records)

If a band called Green Druid wrote short snappy pop numbers you'd be a little disappointed, the name evokes images of cloaked mystics and plentiful amounts of weed to work your way through. Luckily this Denver mob don't play pop songs the six tracks here are what you want from a band called Green Druid, marathon occult doom metal pieces that clock in anywhere from 8 minutes on End Of Men to a massive near 14 minutes of Haunted Memories densely populated by gigantic, labyrinthine riffs, evocative drum patterns and roared vocals that are hollered rather than sung as everything is reverbed and down tuned to hell much like fellow Yanks Sleep and the UK's sons of darkness Electric Wizard a band who Green Druid take a lot of their sound from.

End Of Men shifts between atmospheric bleakness and choppy, repeating riffs that reverberate through your skull as it progresses at a glacial pace, as I said Haunted Memories is the longest song on the record and also in my opinion the best as it crawls between crushing monstrous riffs from Graham Zander and Chris McLaughlin are interwoven through the distortion into swathes of glacial dissonance that take things into post metal spaces wrapped around Ryan Skates' throbbing basslines. In the intervening years since their debut Green Druid have certainly stepped up their songwriting ability on this sophomore full length using a lot of space in Mike Honiotes drumming especially bringing depth to the roaring rage of songs like Desert Of Fury - Ocean Of Despair and A Throne Abandoned where McLaughlin shifts between clean and growled vocals with dexterity.

What's also very noticeable is that this record is better produced than their previous efforts, making the whole thing sound cavernous delving deep into introspection on Desert Of Fury - Ocean Of Despair and the haunting final track Threads. An enormous doom metal record from Green Druid that sees them reaching for the crown gauntlet set down by Sleep and Electric Wizard. 9/10

Phase Reverse: Phase IV- Genocide (ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records)

Phase IV: Genocide is the fourth album from Greek 'Pentatonic Heavy Metal' band, now that title could be a double edged sword as the pentatonic scale is one of the most simplistic to play favoured by most rock bands. However it is also the most varied and is very much based in the blues, so when when added to big, distorted guitars can lead to much head nodding. Phase Reverse have always been in the latter camp, across their previous three albums and the few times I've seen them live, Phase Reverse deal in groove, lashing of the stuff theri music made to get your head nodding and your hips shaking too occasionally but don't call it funk, it's loud raucous something a good friend of mine would call 'drinking music'. 

It's been four long years since their previous album and in the interim they have shifted their line up a little as bassist Kostas Kotsikas switches to second guitar while on the four strings and additional vocals is the band's original bassist and singer Tas Ioannidis, making the band now a hefty five piece. Drummer Alex Alexiou, singer Takis Mark and guitarist John Chief Stergiou all return too, but has this expansion of the line up changed the sound here at all? Well the musical style is very similar if a little bigger than before as they shift between massive heavy riffs and more emotive phrasing for their most mature album to date. 

With the opening guitar arpeggio The Return leading into the swaggering Southern Rock of Destruction On The Damned it's Phase Reverse but up to 11 that dual guitar sound working in their favour especially on the groove heavy tracks such as Know Thy Shit but also on the rampaging Country/Thrash of Delete where the belly of the beast is very broad but you also get some killer leads, or in this case some chicken picking. Phase IV: Genocide is a very political album, with tracks such as the antagonistic Copy 10-4, the Motorhead-like Eat What You're Served and the title track all having some political/ideological motivation delivered with passion and integrity. This fourth record just sounds bigger than any that have come before, a wider scope and as Martyr Of The Phase brings back the band's doomier early days rounding out an album that is Phase Reverse reborn as a tougher, slicker unit ready for whatever is to come in 2021 with a bag full of riffs! 9/10

Ad Infinitum: Chapter I - Revisited (Napalm Records)

Back in April Simon was the writer who took on As Infinitum's original version of Chapter I. He noted that it was a promising start and that the symphonic elements were neat, that it was dark and that Mellisa Bonny's vocals were very good. Now once again due to Covid a band have had to do something a little different. In this case Ad Infinitum have re-released their debut record as a freshly recorded fully acoustic version. So how does this dark symphonic concept record translate to a sparse acoustic soundscape? Well the guitar playing has been brought back to just a simple acoustic arrangements highlighting the very good vocals of Bonny, unfortunately without the symphonic trappings things are a little similar Maleficent bringing some growls to shake things up. The album basically sounds a lot like the one disc of The Gentle Storm record, but whereas that was deliberate to have the acoustic/electric split this one has come come necessity and while it's a novel idea, Ad Infinitum are definitely a symphonic band, still it's good enough for fans. 6/10

Dines x Heafy: Dines X Heafy (Self Released)

Dines X Heafy is a collaboration between Trivium frontman Matt Heafy and 'Content Creator' (YouTuber?) Jared Dines, it spawned from Heafy appearing on Dines' Shred Wars video series before Dines filled in for Heafy on Trivium's 2018 tour. On this EP Dines plays pretty much everything with Heafy contributing vocals and selected guitar solos. Essentially what we have here is Dines writing an homage to early Trivium but getting the singer of that band to sing on it, the playing and production is top notch showing Dines musical talent in droves however the songs are quite simplistic and as I've said almost veer into the tribute realms quite often. I mean for a self indulgent collab between two friends it's decent enough and fans of either Dines or Heafy will lap it up but for me, it never really evolves into anything more than just a curio. 6/10   

Reviews: Demonstealer, Depravity, Mors Vincit Omnia, Ocean Hills (Paul H, Paul S, Matt & Alex)

Demonstealer: And This Too Shall Pass (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]

Now well into his third decade as an active musician, there is rarely a disappointment when you receive a new release from the Mumbai based death metal multi-instrumentalist Sahil Makhija aka Demonstealer. In amongst his solo releases, Demonstealer continues to promote extreme metal in his home country and across the globe. As well as releasing the excellent Dashavatar with his band Demonic Resurrection in 2017, a full-length solo  album The Last Reptilian Warrior arrived in 2018 and the man continues to do all manner of things, many of which you can follow on his active social media pages. And This Too Shall Pass maintains the high-quality output, this time with the aid of a crowd-funding campaign that Makhija personally set up in July. As with most music in this strangest of years, And This Too Shall Pass has been forged under lockdown. Unlike other releases, Makhija has been forced and decided to rely solely on his own skills to deliver this four track EP and a fine job he has done. “I guess this is me at my most vulnerable. It’s just me, no incredible musicians to back me up, just me putting my expression and feelings and thoughts into songs for the world to listen to” he says. Four tracks, all containing his unique, brutal, and explosive take on extreme metal. 

Opener This Crumbling Earth is a desperate call to arms, wrapped up under a tsunami of blast beats, ferocious riffs, and guttural roars. Demonstealer is not averse to swapping his vocal delivery and tempers the demonic delivery with some cleaner parts. It’s a maelstrom of extremity, like the bastard offspring of Gojira and Devildriver on speed. Pacing the frantic sections with calmer, but no less heavy segments also helps give the track a grand structure and it’s one of the best songs he has produced. Whilst he may be missing those special guests of previous recordings, there is little to be critical of here. The production is solid, the instruments blend well and I’d go as far as to say there’s a more organic feel to the EP. A Festering Wound could be applied to the whole of 2020, as could Systemic Failure. A keen observer of social factors, these tracks show once more how the metal world is so often more aggrieved at society and the blatant corruption around us than so many others. Arriving at the finale of this short release, we get to the heart on sleeve moment with From Flesh To Ashes. 

Clean vocals expose Demonstealer’s inner self in a way that the gruff singing doesn’t. A more gentle, open song, it still seethes with anger and threatens to flare up at any moment. It also demonstrates the variation that Makhija can apply to his music. He’s been through hard times, threatened to throw in the towel but comes back harder every time. Demonstealer’s music displays the blackened soul that lurks deep within a gentleman who has been a pleasure every time I’ve met him. Check this out. It’s well worth it. 8/10

Depravity: Grand Malevolence (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Paul Scoble]

Depravity have been brewing up a maelstrom of brutality since 2016. The Australian 5 piece have released one album before Grand Malevolence in 2018’s Evil Upheaval. The band is made up of Ainsley Watkins on Bass, Louis Rando on Drums, Lynton Cessford on Guitar, Jerrod Curley on Guitar and Jamie Key on Vocals. As you can probably tell from how I’ve already described them, Depravity play Death Metal, a particularly brutal and technical style of Death Metal. The Australians share a similar sonic palette with bands like Origin, Hate Eternal and Nile, so you can expect tight, complex riffs, intricate, highly technical drumming and horrifically nasty vocals. Most of the material on Grand Malevolence involves high speed blasting, dense, tight nasty riffs with thundering ultra fast drums. 

Opening track Indulging Psychotic Thoughts is a case in point, a collection of savagely fast and nasty riffs, the feeling of speed and inertia is palpable. There are very brief breaks from the fast riffing for slower and heavier riffs to join the party, but it’s mainly high speed. There is a similar feel to the track Barbaric Eternity which, if anything is even faster. However, having said all that there are several very effective breaks from the velocity. Trophies Of Inhumanity is mainly mid and low paced, with a pleasingly nasty dissonant edge. The track has a driving, relentless quality to it that is just as unpleasant as the blasting fast material, whilst also being heavy as fuck. The final track Ghosts In The Void has a similar feeling and is a brutally relentless way to end the album. As I mentioned earlier Depravity are a Technical Death Metal, so as you’d expect the technical virtuosity is highly impressive. 

The album is packed with great solos that are fast, complex and always appropriate to the song, there are some very good guitar harmonies as well. The Bass is very accomplished and works very well with the intricate and elaborate drumming. Grand Malevolence is a great piece of technical brutality. The material is brutal, pounding and nasty, whilst also being complex, dissonant and musically interesting. The album is very well realised, sounds great and stands up well when you compare it to the bands I mentioned at the beginning of this review. Highly Recommended! 8/10       

Mors Vincit Omnia: Fortunae Naufragium (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

A one man Black Metal projects, very often the bane of the metal reviewer. So often they are tinny, miserable listening affairs where the often spooky monikered musician plays everything themselves and it's often produced in a bathroom. Occasionally, there is an exception to the rule, Mors Vincit Omnia (Death Conquers All) is one of those acts that break the mold. The solo project of Aeron from South Wales' Blackened Metal act Agrona, Fortunae Naufragium (Shipwreck Of Fortune) is his debut solo record and while it was recorded in his bedroom, by himself under his pseudonym, it is far removed from the countless other 'bedroom black metal' bands having one of the most abrasive, disturbing and ultimately satisfying extreme metal albums I've heard this year. 

Almost devoid of vocals with the exception of Descencus Averno (Hell Descends) which has Adara's (Agrona) banshee-like shrieks and echoed roars becoming an additional instrument rather than being a full vocal feature. The instrumental nature makes for a bleak listen, crafted throughout the early part of lockdown when the world was upside down, it's that uncertainty and fear that bleeds through this record. Walls of tremolo picked guitars and flaying double kicks bludgeon you on tracks such as Pulvis Et Umbra Sumus (We Are Dust And Shadow) and Eram Quod Es, Eris Quod Sum (I Was What You Are, You Will Be What I Am) but they are counterpointed by the pitch black atmospheric moments that come in on songs such as the closing malevolence of Aeternum Vale (Farewell) while the doomy opening of Cursum Perficio (My Journey Is Over) builds into the devastating extreme metal battery that is yet to come. 

Despite the raw home recording, which is not to its detriment at all, every composition has the kitchen sink thrown at, with the exception of possibly brass, it's got every kind of extreme metal sound you could wish for. The songs are enshrouded in an underlying bleakness that binds them together building on the claustrophobic feel that is this records modus operandi. Aeron takes his first steps out of the Agrona base with a disquieting, malevolent solo record that stands alone from Agrona in it's complexity and outright force. 9/10

Ocean Hills: Santa Monica (AFM Records) [Alex Swift]

US alternative rockers Ocean Hills, formed by the former frontman of hardcore punks ignite, perform what is essentially a blend of ultimately cynical rock n’ roll. This shocked me as I found ignite to be an exciting act - with great musicianship and powerful melodies, they were able to perfect a balance between grit and memorability that entranced the listener. Ocean Hills try and achieve something similar, taking their lead from classic rock this time. However, the melodies are lifeless, the songs poorly constructed and the instrumentation sparse. Opener Bound is complete with mediocre Millennial chanting yet becomes achingly dull as the lifeless harmonies do nothing to propel the listener into anything resembling a significant emotional state. The playing feels false, manufactured. If there’s a guitar on tracks like Death or Liberty or Vampire, it’s so buried beneath the avalanche of production trickery and synthetic nothingness that they might as well have not included the instrument. Infuriatingly, Ocean Hills think they have something to say with the dredge of sentimentality and forgettable atmospherics but there is not a significant side to the music on display here. 

Admittedly, the drums and bass feel real and not cooked up in a studio, but the rhythms are tiresome and lack attitude. The harmonies crawl at an inhumanly wintry pace – hey, even though I know that the chill vibe is what they were trying to achieve, the music is so chill that I feel encased in several layers of freezing cold ice. Actually, scratch that, being encased in a hard, cold glacial prison sounds preferable to giving Santa Monica another spin! Furthermore, this record is long. Listening feels like being clubbed over the head by a metaphorical sharp object that represents the worst clichés within both classic rock and mainstream pop. All the while my torturous hipster tormentor recites inspirational quotes, in an attempt to make the activity seem significant. Part of the problem is that with pieces like A Separate Peace and Angels Wings the experience gives me very little to say. Don’t get me wrong, this record is boring but doesn’t have the dignity to be dull in a passable way. No, it’s punishingly, aggressively, and painstakingly dull exuding ‘please, someone help me, I’m dying of boredom’ levels of tedium. And yet, for all of the boring music that exists in the world, I can’t imagine who on earth was asking for Ocean Hills to exist! 

It’s far too sappy and uninteresting to satisfy classic rock fans, too lacking in hooks to gratify listeners of pop, and definitely too lacking in energy to present the possibility of any prior fans of ignite getting on board! Hell, I bet some from the last category even found themselves checking out this new project from a frontman with a decent amount of vocal talent, only to be repulsed at how tame and inconsequential the entire experience proves. Take my word for it, avoid Ocean Hills. Whether you’re looking for atmospheric pop rock, a nod to the classics, something that leans into the best elements of the mainstream – I promise you won’t find your favoured style here. These musicians achieve nothing but to waste an hour of your time, while making you despair at the shallowness of quality in the process. Let’s all now forget this exists! 2/10

Reviews: Majestica, Iron Savior Electric Hydra, Sculptor (Reviews By Simon & Matt)

Majestica: A Christmas Carol (Nuclear Blast) [Simon Black]

OK, so a Christmas Power Metal concept album based on Dickens’ most well-known novel. I mean what could possibly go wrong? I made a promise to myself to eat a mince pie for every Christmas cliché that this record throws at me and after the obligatory instrumental orchestral introductory track with its musical echoes of a whole bunch of Christmas carols, I very quickly realise that I’m going to need another box of mince pies. The first full track A Christmas Story keeps the carol plundering theme going, being basically a speed metal reworking of Oh Come All Ye Faithful. The trend continues – Ghost Of Marley steals wholesale from Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem, and that’s just the opening eight – it takes in a couple more before it’s done and I can no longer tell where the border between tribute and parody lies. I am going to go with parody, because this whole record is absolutely bonkers, even for Power Metal. This is a very brave thing to do for a band’s sophomore album. 

Added to this Christmas novelty records have a very chequered history, and metal is far from immune. From Bad News’ Cashing In On Christmas to Halford’s Winter Songs, even the most hardened metal head has a soft spot for Christmas. The Darkness however, can just fuck off completely… This one record may be a whole genre of its own, and is far cry of the usual sword and sorcery fare that comes out of the genre. Musically, it really does have the orchestral bells on, and the overall effect is of a full on Hollywood Christmas movie soundtrack being delivered by a Symphonic Metal band, and I defy everyone to point out another metal release this year with glockenspiel and sleigh bell solos. It’s rather what I imagine Avantasia overdosing on eggnog and stolen at their Christmas party would sound like. 

The production could have very easily let this down, but this is top notch, which is part of the reason that this takes you with it, despite having firmly dug my heels in before starting. I’m a hard audience when it comes to this stuff, considering that Dickens is my favourite author but to be honest it’s such a cheerful and refreshing change of tone after what has to be one of the shittiest years on record that I cannot help but get swept up by it. This is whacky, mad and thoroughly enjoyable and it bizarrely just works… Now if you will excuse me, I have a large number of mince pies that I need to throw up. 7/10

Iron Savior: Skycrest (AFM Records) [Simon Black]

Despite being around since 1996 and with twelve previous albums under their belt, this bunch have somehow managed to pass me by. In part this is because I’m always a little bit wary of receiving content where the band have elected to use the word ‘Iron’ in their name. The cynic in me can’t shake the belief that this is in part an attempt to ride the coattails of arguably the most commercially successful Metal band in the world, regardless of the quality of their actual output. We’ve also had a few Iron’s in the slush pile in recent months (including the big boys) which does not help. This gig often teaches you to learn to recognise your prejudices for what they are, bottle up the old ego and open up the old ears, and to consequently be prepared to be pleasantly surprised at what you have the opportunity to hear - which is let’s face it why we do it in the first place. Much as I love the Power genre, I have become weary of the endless flow of cookie-cutter releases trying to be like Blind Guardian and this is definitely not one of them. 

This is music made under challenging circumstances to boot, proving to me that bands often produce their best work when the odds are stacked against them, having had to deal with serious illness within their ranks, in and amongst the overall madness of the pandemic. The end result is an album that avoids the clichés and manages to present us with twelve very clear and distinctive, well-written tracks. For a start they have a sound that is distinctively unique, starting with Piet Sielck’s wonderfully rasping rock’n’roll larynx that makes a refreshing, gutsy change from the normal clean vocal fare the genre throws at us. That said, the musical interplay is pure Power – sing-a-long choruses – Check; upbeat and blistering tempo – check; soaring anthemic, epic feel – check; restrained blistering instrumental shredding at just the right points – check. 

All wrapped up in a parcel of well-crafted song-writing. Lyrically this is darker stuff than many are used to (no long drawn out obscure mythical concept album here folks) and influenced by events at both the macro and micro level. They aren’t afraid to change tack either, with Ease Your Pain probably being the best example. On the surface it’s the token Power Ballad, but it’s coming from a very dark place, with the thoughts bassist Jan S. Eckert went through during his gruelling cancer treatment recently, and indeed is sung by him too. It’s an absolute belter of a track, and the one I keep coming back to. In short, this is solid German power Metal at its best. 8/10

Electric Hydra: S/T (Magestic Mountain Records) [Matt Bladen]

If there's one thing The Swedes are known for it's riffs, glorious, heavy, grooving riffs. They put them in death metal, they put them in prog metal and they put them most importantly in stoner/retro heavy rock. Electric Hydra are one such stoner/retro/punk rock n roll group and this self titled record is their debut slice of driving, high energy, fuzzy hard rocking. The huge guitar sound are spread between Jonathan Möller, Dennis Åhman, who also brings bass but is chiefly the drummer and Jonas Stålhammar (At The Gates) who also adds the keys/organs as well, together they bring am ass kicking tornado of riffage as Åhman and Ellinor Andersson (bass) hook everything with a tough rhythm section making for an album that sits in between brooding biker rock and energetic punk, this sound coming from the riotous vocals of Sanne Karlsson, she has an attitude filled snarl on tracks such as Won't Go To War With Myself and the punchy Blackend Eyes which reminds me a little of The Subways. Electric Hydra is a tight, hard hitting affair of a debut album from these Swedes. Get your groove on! 7/10

Sculptor: Untold Stories (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

Another addition to Frontiers budding heavy metal client list, Sculptor come from Curitiba, Brazil where heavy labelmates Semblant are also from. Like Semblant they play a style of melodeath that leans towards the Swedish sound of In Flames, Dark Tranquility and At The Gates, blending the bludgeoning riffage with technical ferocity and a melodic edge that creeps in for the leads. Though don't be alarmed it's not AOR at all, yes Redemption has slower dramatic phrasing but there is still heaviness and those growled vocals, in fact next track Beyond Madness is more melodic counterpointed by a chunky rhythms. There's a proggy edge to their sound but for the most part the deal in the early Gothenburg sound, though a track like Embrace Yourself has the slightly maudlin-meets-saccharine edge of Stone Sour and Empty Space has doom tendencies. I will say that this record is very much of its type and while it does try to make things different now and again, most of it is base level melodeath. Still more metal on Frontiers is always welcome! 6/10

Reviews: Gone Is Gone, Persuader, Embr, Sense Offender/They Live We Sleep (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Gone Is Gone: If Everything Happens For A Reason... Then Nothing Really Matters At All (Clouds Hill)

Yet again I seem to be saying the words Troy Sanders and supergroup in a review. A few weeks after the excellent Killer Be Killed release, the Mastodon singer/bassist returns with his other collaborative effort Gone Is Gone and while KBK is a rip snorting mix of metal, hardcore, sludge and punk. Gone Is Gone is much more ethereal progressive affair. If Everything Happens For A Reason... Then Nothing Really Matters At All is the band's second full length following from Echolocation in 2017. Yet again the band membership has stayed the same for this record with Sanders on vocals and bass, QOTSA guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, At The Drive In drummer Tony Hajjar and multi-instrumentalist Mike Zarin who takes guitars/keys. 

Unlike their previous two efforts, Echolocation and the self titled EP, this record has been brought together under the proviso that it should expand on what has come before but to also make things simple enough that any member of the band could play it with few augmentations. It's an immediate difference as you press play on IEHFARTNRMAA as the proggy/stoner/alt rock of their past albums is all but washed away in haze of atmospheric ambience and industrial throbbing. The electronics really making their mark from the first moment as Sanders delivers a very eclectic vocal that shifts away from his normal soulful roar and into more despondent, introspective vocal lines. 

A song such as Sometimes I Feel shows the shift in sound perfectly, it's got expressive, persistent drums and a driving riff in opposition to some twisting synths and evocative electronics interspersed with some samples for a more cinematic edge that this record is going for, the sequencing helps with this, the songs all sort of linking together for a singular piece as short interludes act as the links. It's sort of like NIN playing The Wall as the denseness of the electronics really add a new dimension on tracks like Breaks which owes much more to Depeche Mode or Krautrock than any of the members rockier influences. A dramatic shift towards a more out there style of musical experimentation, Tanze Mitt Gone Is Gone. 7/10   

Persuader: Necromancy (Frontiers Music Srl)

Formed in 1997, Necromancy is surprisingly only the fifth studio album from Swedish power metal band Persuader, their first on Frontiers Music Persuader play a heavy speed-metal influenced style of power metal that sounds a lot like early-Blind Guardian. Blistering double kick drums from sticksman Efraim Juntunen thunder tracks like Scars and Raise The Dead while the dual guitars of Emil Norberg and Fredrik Mannberg bring a much more distorted, thrashier sound than the normal style of breezy power metal. However where you will really notice the Blind Guardian influence is through the vocals of Jens Carlsson who is a dead ringer for Hansi Kursch, having the same intonation and delivery as the BG frontman occasionally shifting into shouts on the aggressive Reign Of Darkness. Since the release of their 2014 record they have lost two members but this hasn't stopped them as they move into a new chapter of their exisitence. Necromancy is a decent debut record on Frontiers, showing you what Persuader are about as a band, now with a major label behind them, we can hopefully expect more, frequent releases from thes Swedish stalwarts. 7/10

Embr: Idolatry (New Heavy Sounds)

Back in July of this year I gave Alabama band Embr's debut album of "Soulful Doom Rock" 1823 an 8/10 making references to Royal Thunder and Torche bringing massive down-tuned riffs and a haunting feeling that has a doomy/grungy style. Obviously due to the pandemic the band have clearly been busy as they have managed to knock out this covers EP. Idolatry focuses on bands that have influenced Embr, to be more specific, it focuses on that golden age of grunge. The four tracks here come from Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden, they are not your run-of-the-mill covers either with the exception of Heart Shaped Box the other three tracks could been seen as 'deep cuts'. 

STP's Down gets a crushing overhaul Crystal's voice making Weiland's lyrics her own while husband Erik (drums) and bassist Jeremy Allen add a massive groove to it, though Heart Shaped Box brings colossal doom riffs from Craig Shadiz who down-tunes those Jerry Cantrell grooves on Junkhead. The tracks on this record have been perfectly adapted into Embr's heavier sound, all with the exception of Mailman by Soundgarden which is as heavy as it should be and like the rest of the album serves a fitting tribute to the bands. I've reviewed doom/stoner bands covering grunge acts before and the two genes seem to work together well so this four track stopgap EP is a great little treat for the festive season. 7/10

Sense Offender/They Live We Sleep: Spilt (Trepanation Recordings/FHED)

Six tracks, two bands and one massive audio assault from beginning to end. That's what you get from this spilt record from raging hardcore punkists They Live We Sleep (no strangers to the blog) and aggressive sludgers Sense Offender (new to these ears) both bands churn their butter with the furious precision of mathcore for a frenzied, explosive heaviness. 

The first three tracks on this record come from Sense Offender who star things off with slow, dissonant sludge riffs which shift into the kind of crushing riffage bands such as Eyehategod are known for, it's also their longest track at over 5 minutes the following two much shorter and but no less effective. Flatline Connectors that first song shifts into a percussive closing part with s ringing chord sequence adding a foreboding sound at the climax. Sense Offender are Jack (vocals), Andy (guitar), Danny (bass) and Ian (drums) and their music is painfully obtuse with the hardcore and sludge balanced for a sound coming from the dirty part of NOLA. 

Then we get to They Live We Sleep, Ben Jones (vocals), Ross Pullin (guitar), Mike Wood (guitar), Niall Kulianos (bass) and Adam French-Henderson (drums) get their part of the split up and running with the nasty Vacant Host a rager that breaks down numerous times while keeping things nice and fast, Suffer Silent is a lot more straightforward with some proggy riffs before things shift at the end for yet more crunchy sludge, while their final track False Gods is possibly the best on the album, full of raging vocals and shifting riffs moving from hardcor punk to grinding post metal.

This spilt comes from two of the most exciting extreme bands around and while often we focus on black and death metal as the leaders in this extreme sound, the sheer abrasiveness of hardcore and sludge bands like this are almost abusive, but it's a cathartic experience when they work well. Happily this spilt will have you develving into the releases of these two bands. 8/10   

Reviews: Marathon, Attercopus, Kyros, Honeybadger (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Marathon: Mark Kelly's Marathon (earMusic)

Mark Kelly, the erstwhile keyboardist of neo-progressive rock titans Marillion, has finally followed in the footsteps of current and former band mates by starting a solo project. Mark Kelly's Marathon is a somewhat different to his main band using a lot more ambient keyboard and big swathes of art rocking that reminds me of Peter Gabriel and Eric Serra's solo work. Ollie Smith helps this massively with his smoky Gabriel-like vocals as evokes the talking verses and big choruses on tracks such as the direct This Time one of three shorter songs on the record that's bookended but two colossal numbers. Kelly has worked on the lyrics to this album with Guy Vickers, together they've crafted a song about doomed Amelia Earhart and one about the strained relationship between Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C Clarke on 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

Both of these clock in at 10+ minutes so behind his racks of keyboards Kelly needed an accomplished band behind him, he took Steve Rothery's advice about guitarist John Corey with good reason as his guitar playing is wonderfully expressive, linking up with Pete Wood. Speaking of Rothery he appears on the very Marillion-like Puppets. In the engine room Kelly has his nephew Conal on bass while taking the drumstool is former Touchstone man Henry Rodgers. Together they bring these vivid musical visions to life with expert performances that make this album sound very classic prog, not necessarily classic Marillion but those earlier albums by Genesis et al where prog was unapologetic and artistic. As a debut solo jaunt Mark Kelly's Marathon is a majestic record stemming from years of experience through a collection of virtuosic compositions, proper prog that although recorded separately in their own studios it's got a serious unison to it, showing that even though it has Mark Kelly's name it is a concerted band effort. 9/10 

Attercopus: Last Utterance (Self Released)

The South Wales Stoner/Psych/Doom underground scene is full of bands who like a blunt burnt brightly before going up in smoke, many are never heard from again while some transition into hazy memory, or perhaps they become figments of a stimulant addled mind. Attercopus are one of those names from 'history' as the band put it they "faded away and disappeared beyond the veil", however before they did this they locked themselves into a studio in Swansea over the course of two days and thrashed out what was to be their debut full length. Due to the dissolution these recordings were lost to the mists of time but the pandemic has led to an archaeological expedition to find them, which bore fruit. So those original recordings have been played with, bringing to it some re-recording, mixing, editing and as they call them space noises to create the album they have named Last Utterance. 

So what does Attercopus' final debut full length offer the listener? Well as I said in my Red Sun 2015 review of the band, they play a heavy riffing style of riff heavy hard rock, drenched in psychedelic reverb it's Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Hendrix and Hawkwind, all put into a melting pot and aimed towards skies. Yes the production is a little D.I.Y meaning that Martin Jones' drums, are a little bit trembly but when they are so fluid and powerful, on Chemical Pigs especially he's got driving power that shifts the track into very proggy territory. His expressive playing is an ideal base for the grooving, fuzzy basslines of Lloyd Stratford and the biting, equally fuzzy guitar riffs of Rob Harrison who apparently took the vocal slot begrudgingly, though I actually think he's got an ideal voice for this style of mind-bending music. 

With Stratford the low end, it allows Harrison to let loose a little on his guitar but also bringing both flute and sax to the record the latter on the the wild, untamed Space Garden and the former taking a center stage in the wild final track Wasteland. A interdimensional feast of riffs from beginning to end, Last Utterance is a fitting eulogy to Attercopus' memory and hopefully it may lead to a rebirth for the band. 8/10  

Kyros: Four Of Fear (White Star Records)

Kyros' Celexa Dreams was brilliant album and I said as much in my review of it. A vibrant mix of bristling electronica and pop-influenced prog rocking, it was one of those records that was truly unique sounding. On the back of that they toured the UK digitally giving themselves the exposure that any band needs in the face of a global pandemic. So to keep themselves in the public eye we have Four Of Fear a four track EP that brings some more of the bands musical amalgamation, veering between influences for a more experimental (if that's possible) release. Only really Fear Of Fear stays true to what featured on Celexa Dreams a poppy prog number, Ace's Middle meanwhile like Devin Townsend writing a video game theme with Haken before abandoning it to play some Rush, key a lot of quirky vocal passages and wild shifts in tone and time signatures. It's a bit of mind bender to open with but then I wouldn't expect anything else from this band. 

As I said Fear Of Fear has keening 80's AOR drenched in heavy dancy synths, a little bit like if Yes' 90125 played by a synthwave act like Gunship. The dance-music factor is ramped up as we shift into ResetRewind a track that keeps those Yes influences, along with Muse but also adds a huge slab of dirty dubstep that vibrates through your speakers which will jar a lot of prog rock fans but really suits the song and the bands ideology. Finally this new dip into the world of Kyros brings us Stop Motion the thematic follow up to Celexa Dreams' first song In Motion, the band say that this song brings the cycle that started on that record to a close, doing so with a searing guitar solo and some industrial thunder. With this EP having a sense of finality, I'm eagerly awaiting where Kyros will go from here. 8/10     

Honeybadger: Pleasure Delayer (Made Of Stone Recordings)

Another act from the overflowing Greek stoner scene, Pleasure Delayer is the debut album from the brilliantly named Honeybadger and like the animal they take their moniker from the riffs here are relentless in pursuit of getting you to nod your head in appreciation. Honeybadger take a huge amount of influence from countrymen Nightstalker, Clutch and also those Space Lord Mothers Monster Magnet. So expect big powerful riffs, soulful vocals and lots of psych flourishes for some real 'lose yourself' moments. Coming from the suburbs of Athens, the three men called Dimitris and one called Vaggelis that make up Honeybadger are influenced by the sprawling metropolis of Greece's capital city and have jammed out in the studio for a really organic feel. Tracks such as Through Hell is a proper live staple with a big chorus and open chords, while Crazy Ride brings that desert rock wooziness, mixed with a little bit of BLS' Bored To Tears it's That Feel which brings the Wyndorf space stoner. Pleasure Delayer doesn't do anything of the sort, it's instant groovy gratification from the first riff to the last. Put it on loud and get shaking those hips. 7/10

Reviews: Sodom, Soilwork, Exarsis, Oldblood (Reviews By Paul Hutchings)

Sodom: Genesis XIX (Steamhammer/eOne Music)

The 16th album from the German thrashers and it’s one of their most ferocious. Not only does the album mark the recording debut of guitarist Yorck Segatz and drummer Toni Merkel but Genesis XIX marks the return of Frank Blackfire for the first time since the band’s seminal 1987 album Agent Orange. As such, this is the first time in the near 40-year history that Sodom has recorded as a four-piece. The results are impressive with an album that harks back to Agent Orange in its style, energy and production. Indeed, the production is one of the most noticeable features with the band having returned to an analogue method of recording which gives the album a really retro feel.

Sodom’s recent output has been solid with 2016’s Decision Day a tasty slab of thrash. On Genesis XIX, Sodom have made more than a little nod to the Agent Orange era, and it opens in fine style with the intro of Blind Superstition segueing into the blistering 100mph Sodom & Gomorrah (I can’t believe that the band haven’t used this title before now!). You know with Sodom that you are unlikely to get anything other than face melting thrash and that is certainly the case on this album. Vocalist Tom Angelripper‘s raging vocals are as gravel coated as ever, with the occasional Tom Araya style scream adding to the delivery.

The album also contains three lengthy tracks that allow the band to flex the muscles. The first of these is the title track, which opens slowly but then changes tempo several times, allowing all members of the band to demonstrate their chops with Merkel’s machine-gun drumming and Blackfire’s searing lead breaks particularly notable. The Harpooner is based on Melville’s Moby Dick, whilst Waldo & Pigpen were code names for American pilots in the Vietnam War.

At 54 minutes in length, this is a thrash album of some weight. Regardless, there are few songs that feel like fillers (Indoctrination is one). But it’s in tracks like Sodom & Gomorrah and the brutal closing track Friendly Fire that Sodom truly demonstrate their continued firepower. Genesis XIX is a raw feeling return to an older style and I see nothing wrong with that. Overall, this is an album that should please most fans of the band. And it contains a magnificent piece of artwork from the legendary Joe Petagno which makes a purchase in vinyl more attractive. 8/10

Soilwork: A Whisp Of The Atlantic (Nuclear Blast)

I’ve never been the biggest fan of Soilwork. I don’t know what it is, but they’ve never connected that deeply. I suppose melodic death metal is a genre that can be a little too similar with bands appearing to repeat the sound of other peers. I’ve reviewed a few of their catalogue, and now we have the 12th album, A Whisp Of The Atlantic, following last year’s Verkligheten. Despite multiple line-up changes over the years, founder and vocalist Björn Stride remains alongside guitarist David Andersson, Sven Karlsson on keyboards, Sylvain Coudret on guitar, drummer Bastian Thusgaard and their newest member, Rasmus Ehrnborn on bass.

A Whisp Of The Atlantic is a five-track record, some may call it almost an EP but at 36 minutes in length it more than justifies the full-length tag. You can argue the toss either way. It concludes the Feverish trilogy and includes the track Desperado released back in March. The centrepiece of the album/EP is the lengthy title track which opens the record. At over 16 minutes long, it’s a flowing epic piece of work, incorporating brass and piano alongside the band’s more robust style. Stride remains a superb vocalist and his performance is impressive, with his soaring style on Death Diviner stunning.

The final song, The Nothingness And The Devil presents a slightly different take on Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs with Andersson commenting “It’s all about realizing that we’re all stuck on this rock and that we need to find something more inclusive than religion to get through this together. The Nothingness And The Devil‘ is a song about how the old concept of a patriarchal God doesn’t work anymore, and how everyone with any logic reasoning must accept that we have to create our own deities, if we need them. Or if we don’t, we’ll have to accept the fact that our lives are essentially meaningless unless we are able to find our meaning and make ourselves feel fulfilled.”

Soilwork are a tight unit and A Whisp Of The Atlantic demonstrates their quality with some blistering guitar work, multiple blast beats and double kicking drumming, all underpinned with some delicious melodies and harmonies which work very well. Overall, an enjoyable release, which will be welcomed by the band’s dedicated following. 7/10

Exarsis: Sentenced To Life (MDD Records)

I gave New War Order, the fourth album by Exarsis a 4/10 rating in September 2017, mainly because the piercing shrieks of vocalist Nick Tragakis were so challenging. Well, album number five for the maniacal Greek thrash outfit doesn’t really change my view. Sentenced To Life sees the return of founding member Chris Tsitsis on guitar and new drummer Panos Meletis delivers an absolutely blistering performance. Sadly, it’s Tragakis’s vocals (which make Bobby Blitz sound like Johnny Cash) that overshadows what is some excellent and punishingly fast thrash metal. Whilst the Athenians do little that is original, the slicing guitar work and the pace of their tracks which reference the likes of Nuclear Assault and Overkill appeals. Guest appearances from Pyros Lafias (Chronosphere) and Lefteris Xatzhandreou (Bio-Cancer) on Against My Fears work better with the vocals a couple of octaves lower. Sentenced To Life also has a quality cover, designed, and delivered by Dan Goldsworthy (Accept, Xentrix, Gloryhammer). If you can get past the vocal delivery, and you like blisteringly fast thrash, you may enjoy it. Sadly, the singing killed it for me. 5/10

Oldblood: Arms To The Sky (Blood Blast Distribution) 

One listen to the debut EP by Oldblood and you’ll have no difficulty in working out why the band have supported the likes of OHHMS, Boss Keloid and doom titans Conan. Described as a blackened post/doom outfit, there is something both harrowing and yet appealing about the North London four piece whose first release is intensely heavy.

The four songs which comprise Arms To The Sky are themed around the dropping of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. With such a dark subject, the music must fit and Oldblood’s combination of doom, punk, post-metal, and black metal fits the mood with unnerving accuracy. The confidence in the musicianship is impressive, the band tight and cohesive. The riffs are crushing and relentless, with howling black metal vocals blended with a surprising amount of melody.

The EP opens with Kuebiko, a Japanese word that translates as “a state of exhaustion inspired by acts of senseless violence, which force you to revise your image of what can happen in this world". Incredibly heavy, the track is a behemoth, creating a description that one can’t help but find disturbing and uncomfortable. It’s followed by the blues-laden riff of Nuclear Blues, which threads its way through a doom filled swamp before exploding into a double time frenzy which is manic in both feel and delivery. 

The two other songs are Los Alamos, described as ‘an atmospheric telling of the story of the creation of the atomic bomb’ combines an ethereal opening and some calming gentle segments, although it’s impossible to avoid the inevitable eruption into more devastating concrete heavy slabs of riffs. Final track Alone, ' tells the story of 'She', who stands alone in the devastation caused by the atomic blast, having lost everything; she wonders what to do with her life.

With subject matter so heavy, its no surprise that Oldblood are focused on delivering misery, both aurally and lyrically. They achieve that in style on an EP of which they can be rightly proud. The band comprises Joey Williams - guitar & vocals, Tom Pratt - guitar & vocals, Brendan Coles - bass & vocals and Lee Barter – Drums. Arms to the Sky is an EP well worth a listen. 8/10

Reviews: Avatarium, Growth, Dendera, High Command (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

Avatarium: An Evening With Avatarium (Nuclear Blast)

Recorded live in Stockholm, An Evening With Avatarium was captured in their native Sweden just before the Covid-19 outbreak and after releasing the show as a downloadable video concert via an internet streaming service back in August, they have now taken the next step and released the album as a audio only version. For those of us who have never seen the band live An Evening With Avatarium is probably the closet we in the UK will be able to get to the band for a while so it's a chance to close the curtains, turn it up loud and indulge in the magical sound of these heavy doom aficionado's. Drawing from the bands four albums the majority of the tracks rightly come from their latest release the brilliant The Fire I Long For. Voices and Rubicon open up the evening the powerful riffs of Marcus Jidell (guitar) and Mats Rydström (bass) giving you a rumbling gut shot as the massive organs of Rikard Nilsson really flesh out the dynamic heavy doom sound of the band, especially on the Purple-esque Rubicon. 

From here out it's crushing, evocative, dynamic heaviness as tracks such as Medusa Child from Hurricanes & Halos led by the brilliant drumming of Lars Sköld. As with all of their studio albums the bewitching, soulful vocals of Jennie-Ann Smith is what draws you into this live album leading from the front you can 'feel' her performance on tracks like the Sky At The Bottom Of The Sea another slice of Deep Purple/Rainbow worship Nilsson in full chugging Jon Lord/Tony Carey mode as Jidell unleashes a a Blackmore-like solo. The band are magical on record and even more so live from what I can hear on this live release, even when they strip things back for the cover of Blind Willie Johnson's In My Time Of Dying (there is a more famous cover but I won't mention that) and the gospel-tinged The Fire I Long For there is a enigmatic occultism to everything Avatarium do. The record climaxes with Moonhorse from the first album ending this extended show with brilliance. In a year where live shows are a rarity An Evening With Avatarium is something of a delicious rarity. 8/10  

Growth: The Smothering Arms Of Mercy (Wild Thing Records)

When the press release states that this record is for fans of old-Opeth, Gorguts, Black Crown Initiate, Fallujah then you sort of know what to expect from this Aussie trio before you press play on their debut album The Smothering Arms Of Mercy. It's the first part of a conceptual trilogy around "connection, trauma, despair, and the fragility of hope." Mostly though it deals with recovering mental illness, using the music to put across the trauma, vulnerability, and suffering dealt with when trying to return to a healthy mind. The music here comes from the Barnes brothers, Tristan taking guitars & bass, while Nelson is behind the kit. They recorded it themselves in Australia the album was mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordstrom (Opeth) making it an album that abuses your earlobes with fusion of technically ferocious death metal, shifting time signatures, dissonant post metal detailing in sometimes horrifying detail the mental health struggles of both Tristan and vocalist Luke Frizon. 

After they began to heal they were brought together after their respective periods of self isolation, with the following conversations leading to the formation of Growth. The record is deliberately sadistic, vitriolic and painful matching the lyrical content perfectly with tracks such as Fortress Of Flesh & Bone slowing the record down with some melodies and doom phrasing between the out and out battery. The Smothering Arms Of Mercy is not for the faint of heart, it's 50 minutes of almost mechanical metal assault, Lead Us To Our Glorious Times and Darkly It Tightens Its Grip are both great displays of this explosivity with the shifts of tone making you uneasy as you expect yet another battering. Luke's vocals are raw and tragic in equal measure, Nelson is a monster behind the kit while Tristan's string technicality is something to behold. I doubt you'll find a denser and distressing album this year. With this being the first part of a trio of concept albums there is a lot more to come. 7/10        

Dendera: Reborn Into Darkness (Self Released)

The follow up to their 2017 EP Blood Red Sky sees Dendera shifting their style a little, they are now a nastier, heavier more aggressive act than the Maiden/Priest-aping metal act they were on their debut in 2013, each subsequent release has given the band another layer resulting in what we have on this new EP, the aptly titled Reborn Into Darkness which draws from the more extreme style of metal as much as it does those classic galloping bands. Blood Red Sky was the first release from the band to up the aggression and Reborn Into Darkness does it again this time even adding some guest screams from CJ McMahon (Thy Art Is Murder) and Tom Barber (Chelsea Grin) for the most vicious release of the bands career. 

As the intro of Insurrection subsides we get into the meat of the album quickly with The Void reinforcing that shift in direction as Andy Finch's drums and Bradley Edison's bass gives it a crushing groove while the riffs of Steve Main and David Stanton shifting between technical riffs and intricate leads as we get more melodic on The End Of Days which brings some melo-death sensibilities the powerful clean vocals of Ashley Edison counteracted by Tom Barber, it's Ashley's voice that has most benefited this shift into the more down-tuned and heavy style as he no longer needs to hit top level shrieks as he did on the debut record showing a much more rounded vocal style. The End Of Days is the EP's most progressive song as it leads into the thrashy Endless Suffering where Sabaton's Tommy Johansson gets to do something a little different from the bouncy power metal he normally deals in. 

The EP closes with another death metal influenced rager CJ McMahon providing the harsh shouts. If this is the way Dendera are moving as a band then I can't see any issues, they have slipped into the heavier sound easily and in the long run it's going to gain them more attention, than being 'just another melodic metal band' this is the new Dendera, focussed, pugnacious and aiming at the top. 8/10     

High Command: Everlasting Torment (Southern Lord)

High Command's debut full length Beyond The Walls Of Desolation was probably one of my favourite albums of 2019 the crossover thrashers had a punk/hardcore crossover edge but with conceptual fantasy edge that stems from their love of Michael Moorcock and Robert E Howard and this two track EP keeps that swords & sorcery style with some more face melting crossover nastiness. Kicking off with the title track that shifts through numerous rapid riffs as it gallops towards the climax the blasting drums and roared vocals as Sword Of Reason brings a slightly more progressive sound. A stopgap yes but one that shows that High Command are keeping things nice and nasty ready for a second full length. 6/10

Reviews: Gama Bomb, Sealand Airlines, Iron Mask, The Cult Of Destiny (Paul S, Alex, Rich & Simon)

Gama Bomb: Sea Savage (Prosthetic Records) [Paul Scoble]

Gama Bomb don’t really need much introduction. The Irish thrashers have been making high speed music since 2002, and are probably the best known, and one of the few survivors of the naughties thrash revival. One of the reasons the band are so well known is the quality of the bands output, in my opinion they have never made a bad album, and have been the highlight of any gig I have seen them at. The bands first album, Survival Of The Fastest, came out in 2005 and since then they have released 5 more very good albums, the last, Speed Between The Lines was released 2 years ago and got an 8 out of 10 review in Musipedia Of Metal. So, have Joe (Bass), Philly (Vocals), Domo (Guitar) and John (Guitar) managed to keep their near perfect record with album number seven? One of the ways that Gama Bomb have kept their sound interesting, is by modifying it ever so slightly with each album. So the style is still High Energy Thrash, but with little tweaks to keep it sounding fresh, and so that although you always know it’s Gama Bomb, it never gets stale or feels like the band are repeating themselves. 

On the last Gama Bomb album Speed Between The Lines the band seemed to be channeling the albums title and upped the speed so that album was a high speed blast pretty much the whole way through. On Sea Savage, however, the band seem to be going in the other direction. On this album they seem to be mixing the thrash with a healthy dose of Power Metal, slower tempos and lots and lots of melody. There are still raging fast thrashers like Iron Blood, Monsterizer and Electric Pentangle, which have all the things we love about Gama Bomb; fast, ridiculously tight riffs, devastatingly fast, accurate drumming and soaring vocals. Which is all great, but it is when Gama Bomb stray from this template that this album gets really interesting. Apart from the influences from Power Metal (which I will get to in a minute) the band seem to have been listening to some punk, as the track She’s Not My Mother, Todd feels a little like The Ramones playing thrash, the song is a simple blast of Oi Oi energy, and a highlight of the album.The Power Metal influences run through a lot of the tracks, the overall pace of the album is probably the slowest the band have produced, but they have replaced the speed with huge amounts of melody and tunefulness. 

Opening track Judo Killer starts with a fast and frenetic blast of thrash, but then settles down for a mid-paced stomp that feels much more Power Metal than thrash. Miami Super Cops is mainly mid-paced and is filled with NWOBHM style guitar harmonies. The NWOBHM influences can be felt on the track Rusty Jaw and the final track Gone Haywire. The Power Metal influences can be heard on most of the tracks, It reminds me of Painkiller era Judas Priest, and not just in the music, Philly Byrne seems to be screaming a little bit more on this album, could this be a Halford influence? Sea Savage is a great album, it’s still the high energy Gama Bomb style thrash we know and love, but on this album it is tempered with Power Metal influences and some simple punk. The album is packed with tunes and melody, amazing harmony guitar parts and great riffs. So, it looks like Gama Bomb have done it again, another strong, incredibly fun album. 8/10

Sealand Airlines: Sealand Airlines (The Sign Records) [Alex Swift]

Taking influence from an array of contemporary styles, Sealand Airlines have an obsessively melodic and deeply emotive sound that combines subtle ambience with striking melodies. Their music doesn’t so much lay a path that the listener can stick to, but tells stories that journey adventurously in different directions, and prove stunningly unique. Musically, the sound is distinctly retro in flair, making prominent use of synthesisers, while the orchestration exudes a cinematic flair. Still, these musicians definitely know how to play their instruments, as the rhythms are detailed and intricate. On their debut they certainly make an impression, even if they proudly flaunt their influences. Railway Man opens and is brooding and dark, especially when compared with much of the first half. 

Rather than flowing effortlessly into one another, the notes omitted by the guitars and vocals seem to tread nervously, the staccato obsession, and steady progression, creating an odd feeling of mystery, and melancholic elusiveness. On the subject of tracks which just ensnare you in their vibe and don’t loosen their grip, Revenge proves fast moving, and impassioned with the scale of guitars and presence of the rhythm section. Ramping up the standout ‘70s worship is Sailing Girl which exudes optimism, even if the danceable nature of the track makes this one something of a guilty pleasure. Equally, Salia Ana beguiles with its strong development across seven minutes, and the peaceful yet enticing atmosphere which surrounds every second. 

Not every track is piercingly catchy. Despite this, such a piece shows the diverse nature of the musicianship on display. Proving one of the strongest moments here is The Garrison where the harmonies merge with the reminiscent keyboards in piercing style, providing the perfect backdrop for the outstanding guitar melodies to waltz in time with the multifaceted bass and drum textures. This one plays out like the soundtrack to a haunting thriller movie, bearing that emotional weight yet having enough of a sense of humour about itself to still make for an impressive listening experience. 

The Danger charms with fiery grooves, the fuzz infused guitars and beautiful rising and falling vocal cadences being a grand addition to the cascading instrumentals and sharp changes in tempo which keep the listener excited and intrigued. We Have What We Have once again contrasts eloquently, with its leanings into classic pop. Finally, The Mountain lives up to that expectation of being truly conclusive, almost synthesising all the different elements of the band’s sound from ferocious, to benevolent, to contemplative. Sealand Airlines prove unique yet mesmerising in their depth of variety, and abundance of skill. The music here is imaginative even while pulling influence from traditional prog as well as classic acts from a variety of different genres 7/10

Iron Mask: Master Of Masters (AFM Records) [Rich Oliver]

Master Of Masters is the seventh album from Belgian power metal band Iron Mask. It is also the first album to feature new singer Mike Slembrouck. Iron Mask aren’t a band I am overly familiar with but they have a traditional power metal sound with elements of symphonic metal and neo-classical metal mixed in for good measure. They bring to mind bands such as Rhapsody and At Vance but have enough of their own identity as well. Founding member, guitarist and main songwriter Dushan Petrossi is an excellent guitarist and his playing skill really shines throughout this record whilst new singer Mike Slembrouck impresses with his dramatic, powerful and understated vocal performance. The songwriting itself is solid but a lot of these songs are mid-paced and seem to lack the energy that I do so love in power metal but here are some clear highlights. 

Tree Of The World has a very Celtic folk feel to it especially in the guitar melodies whilst One Against All is a very melodically driven song with a great chorus. Revolution Rise is another catchy number and features Oliver Hartmann on guest vocals but the highlight for me was the fantastic Nothing Last Forever which is a fast-paced melodic power metal tune with some jaw-dropping neoclassical guitar parts. Even though this is a nine minute plus song it seemingly flies by as it is bursting with energy and enthusiasm. The rest of the album whilst solid just seems to lack something. Master Of Masters is a solid power metal album though it feels rather flat in places. When it hits its high points such as during Nothing Lasts Forever it is fantastic but there are way too many songs on here that feel overly forgettable. A solid but unessential listen. 6/10

The Cult Of Destiny: The Cult Of Destiny (Self Released) [Simon Black]

Norway’s The Cult Of Destiny are a spin-off project featuring key members of Chrome Division and The Carburetors, who have been looking for the opportunity to do a more old school traditional Metal project for a while. It’s very much a NWOBHM affair in style and lyrics, but has avoided the trap of trying to recreate that sound in the production values. This is solid enough stuff, but it’s not going to be kicking down any doors for originality, but then the band have been completely open about the fact that all they have wanted to achieve was to play some music they liked.

I can’t fault the ethos, but sadly the end result falls some way short of expectations. Musically there’s nothing too complex going on here, although the performances are certainly more than competent, and I guess there lies my frustration. There’s some good musicians here, but the album feels like they are playing well below their abilities. It’s mainly all high tempo and octane material, but the song-writing is not as robust as I would have expected, given the pedigree of the contributors. The whole thing feels like they are going through the motions on a side project, not hungry to achieve something like their careers depended on it.

Hence the fact that the most successful track on here is the single and a cover of Kiss’s I Was Made For Loving You, a song that has quite frankly been very much need of the Metal rework since it’s ill-conceived original release in 1979. Any pretence at a disco beat is thankfully abandoned in a frenzied double-bass speed metal reworking with every instrument firing on all cylinders, which coming after a fairly lacklustre set of tracks is a refreshing close. So what could have been done differently? I guess mainly, to ask why hold back until the end? If that energy and virtuosity on display in the cover had been more liberally on display, then even the cheesiest Metal lyrics and blandest of song structures would have sparkled like a diamond in the rough. 5/10

Reviews: Dream Theater, Iamthemorning, Sorceress Of Sin, Arrayan Path (Simon & Paul H)

Dream Theater: Distant Memories - Live In London (Inside Out Records) [Simon Black]

With a 1.5:1 ratio of studio to live releases, fans are well-used to these lengthy live opuses. This most recent one is taken from their last tour, which bizarrely was both a n album tour and a celebration of 20th anniversary of the classic Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory album, with the full rendition of this taking an hour and twenty-one minutes of this beast’s run time. And that’s why this is an odd release, as there’s already a triple CD and DVD live release from the live performance of this piece out there (Metropolis 2000: Scenes from New York). Now, I’m purely guessing here, but I am suspect that this wasn’t originally intended in their medium term planning, that The Curse of 2020 has put the mockers on the planned fifteenth studio album and that this is merely a stopgap release. I’m also finding it a hard one to listen to as well, and I speak from the place of a die-hard Dream Theater fan since I first clapped ears on Images And Words back in 1991. Although it’s nice to be given the chance to hear the live renditions of material from Distance Over Time, this release is not without its issues. First off, the mix and sound. Dream Theater have a reputation for having one of the richest and fattest live sounds I have ever heard. Very few bands can recreate that rich studio sound so effortlessly live, but traditionally DT are categorically one of them. 

Now, they deliberately opted for a much flatter studio sound for last year’s Distance Over Time album, and it may be that that’s what they attempted to reproduce here live. Sadly it doesn’t work in their favour, as it strips out the one distinctive feature of their live performances and the end result is somewhat tinny and flat. It’s also not helped by the second challenge I have with this record, which is that James LaBrie is not firing on all cylinders on this particular night in Hammersmith. Now maybe he was having an off night, as I have noted in the past that when he’s not on the game live, he has a tendency to focus on hitting the notes and melody at the expense of the enunciation of the lyrics. From the get go the opener Untethered Angel suffers from this, and it happens a few times throughout. Maybe he was tired, maybe the in-ear acoustics were not great – either way this perhaps was not the best of nights to record. Thirdly and finally from the negative side, we really did not need to hear Scenes From A Memory again in its entirety, particularly as apart from the switch from Mike Portnoy to Mike Mangini on the drum stool since the Scenes From New York release, it’s the same line-up (although we are mercifully saved from Portnoy’s dire off-key backing vocals in this release). 

I for one would have been much happier with a memento of the previous tour as a live release of Images And Words anniversary with this line up would have been great (it definitely was in the flesh). Alternatively if they really wanted to do the Distance Over Time material live, then perhaps excluding the full Metropolis section would have been more satisfying. In its favour though, they are still one of the most impressive bunch of live performers around. The musicianship remains top notch, and the performance impressive through its two and a half hours of run time. I am making a big deal of the negatives here, but Dream Theater although definitely not for many, are still one of the most incredible bunch of musicians you are ever likely to see live if you have the chance. So, although not their strongest album, not all can be top notch and there’s bound to be the odd lull after twenty-three releases. Did the world need another Dream Theater live album? Probably not, but at least it wasn’t a full performance of The Astonishing. 6/10

Iamthemorning: Counting The Ghosts (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]

If you read this site on a regular basis you should be familiar with Iamthemorning as we’ve reviewed their last two albums, 2018’s Ocean Sounds and last year’s The Bell. Rather than release another album so quickly, the Russian duo Gleb Kolyadin and Marjana Semkina have recorded four tracks in isolation across the UK, Russia, and Canada. There are two original songs, and two traditional Christmas choir pieces that have been reimagined. As we’ve pointed out before, the music of Iamthemorning doesn’t fit easily into the usual fare we review here at Musipedia. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s far outside the comfort zone, but as my fellow writer Paul Scoble noted when reviewing The Bell, stepping out of the comfort zone is good. Various terms have been used to describe Iamthemorning including Chamber rock and Baroque Piano rock. Whatever label you wish to place on the band, the 12 minutes of music that is contained within Counting The Ghosts is simply breathtaking. Starting with the modern piece I Wonder As I Wander which was thought to be collected by John Jacob Niles in 1933 from a young traveling evangelist Annie Morgan, the gentle uplifting tones resonate deeply, with Semkina’s stunning crystal clear voice and some delicate arrangements allowing those of a secular persuasion to enjoy every second. 

Semkina explained, 'This arrangement is based on the one by John Rutter but again adjusted to fit the character of music we make.' The two new compositions follow. Cradle Song was written recently by Semkina, staring as a demo that was recorded spontaneously. Once again, it’s the vocals that grab the attention but the beautiful arrangement with piano and guitars, played by Semkina and sound engineer Vlad Avy ensure that it’s the whole musical experience that is captured. Counting The Ghosts follows. A thought-provoking reflection on a year where so much darkness has clouded the world. The dark feel of the track sums up how so many of us feel. “Nothing feels right” the band comment. That leaves the concluding piece, a dramatic and gorgeous version of the 12th Century hymn Veni Veni Emmanuel, performed in Latin and one that simply sends shivers up and down the spine. [Worth checking out the YouTube video of The King’s Singers if you enjoy this] A journey out of the comfort zone seems appropriate at a time of such confusion, distress, and darkness. Counting The Ghosts will surely bring comfort, even if for a short period of time. 9/10

Sorceress Of Sin: Mirrored Revenge (Self Released) [Simon Black]

It’s rare thing when the UK produces a new Power Metal act, it’s a positive blessing when it’s a bit of a cracker. Sorceress Of Sin definitely fits this category. This debut release is primarily a vehicle for singer Lisa Skinner, whose background in Musical Theatre and Opera means that this lady has an impressive set of vocal chords, which she does not hold back. Opener Vixen Of Virtue positively explodes out of the speakers. And what a vocal performance. Skinner’s tone is long, high and loud in the Priest tradition, but without the need to go as far as screaming – she gets there without having to push it to the max. Musically things aren’t bad either – there’s a very solid rhythm section at work here (Skinner’s husband Paul is the drummer), and some well-delivered (if not overly technical) guitar work from Constantine Kanakis, but that voice definitely predominates in the mix. Multifaceted Survival is a bit less frenetic and more traditional metal pacing, but again the vocal work is what grabs your attention, this time with the added complexity of operatic vocal layering from Skinner, although I can see this being a challenge live without cheating and using a backing tape. 

The title track fires in with some more aggression, and again the vocals hold their own over the blast beats, and from this point the guitar work starts to demonstrate another level of technical proficiency that had been held back until this point. It stays with us here on in. The Operatic skills come to the fore in the choruses of Aradia, despite the fact that it’s the first overt Speed Metal track on the record, but her ability to seamlessly switch styles and tones without detracting from the songs illustrates the skill this lady has. Again, that vocal skill means that the token Power Ballad Echoes Of Existence becomes one of the high points of the album, held by one of the most haunting and epic vocal deliveries I have heard in years. This is quite a down-tuned sound for a Power Metal outfit, so more from the Traditional Metal school of Power (maybe a touch of early Iron Maiden on a good day) than the cookie-cutter European variety with (although there are touches of early Helloween here too). 

It also has a quite Modern Metal sound in the production values, delivered by Haken bassist Tom McLean. What makes it work is that incredible vocal delivery, and a group of instrumentalists who know when to show their wares, and when to step back and let that quite exceptional larynx do its thing. Where it struggles is the shortage of punchy song-writing, as I have struggled to find a stand out song that stands on anything other than vocal delivery. To be honest, time and experience will hopefully bring the rest of the band from the background and perhaps, as longevity is definitely going to need a bit more oomph in the song-writing department, rather than relying on that exceptional voice. Nevertheless, and impressive way to start. 8/10

Arrayan Path: The Marble Gates To Apeiron (Pitch Black Records) [Paul Hutchings]

If you want some epic melodic power metal in your music life, you could do a lot worse than check out the latest release by Arrayan Path, The Marble Gates To Apeiron. Active for nearly 25 years, the Lemesos outfit’s eighth release follows 2018’s epic double album Archegonoi. Kicking off with the fast and furious title track, those unfamiliar with the band should soon glean the classic influences of bands like Helloween whilst there is also an individual spirit and drive that allows the band to stand apart from many of their peers. All the traditional power metal elements are contained in this album, with soaring harmonies, massive melodies that underpin the fluid and high tempo drumming which battles with the shining duel guitar work. Although there is a common theme running through the album, it’s not a formal concept album. 

Divided into three parts, the album deals with human nature as it has developed via three parts: The Past, The Present and The Future. With the focus on human nature, the band cover a range of subjects under that umbrella - from the destruction of the planet, to people’s quarrels regarding the pandemic, life, death, religion and mourning as well as a typical dose of mythology, a recurring theme for Arrayan Path. It’s dramatic, overblown and at times ridiculously dramatic. Mask Of Sanity sees vocalist Nicholas Leptos provide a stellar performance. The Cardinal Order, with its religious punishment themes is a little clunky, the longest track on the album with some atmospheric effects but still fits in with the overall feel of an album that is crammed with decent melodic metal songs. It’s never going to threaten my albums of the year, but I enjoyed the slightly over the top, orchestral drama that this album contains. Maybe you will too. 7/10