Everyone loves a mystery; something to wrap your grey matter around and one of the most infamous mysteries of them all, is the case of Jack The Ripper. His horrific murder-spree across London in the late 19th century is known around the world and is arguably the most notorious unsolved crime case in history, and despite numerous theories and arguments claiming to have it cracked, to this day still, nobody knows his (Or her) identity. While the ripper case may have captured the imaginations of many artists over the years, such as SCREAMING LORD SUTCH or MARY KELLY (One of the very first reviews on this blog as it happens, way back in 2014), it wouldn’t be the only unsolved murder to influence something musical…have you heard about The Bodominjärvi Murders?

Back in 1960, Lake Bodom, situated near Espoo in Finland would become synonymous with an almost Friday The 13th style massacre, as four teenagers who were camping near its shore, were brutally attacked in their tents. Three of them died with multiple stab wounds and blunt force traumas, while only one survived with severe but non-fatal injuries. The survivor in question, Nils Gustafsson has faced charges in the years that have passed, but there has never been enough evidence for a full conviction, and the case remains unsolved. History lesson over, and though while not a well-known cold-case here in the UK, metal fans will instantly recognise the name and make the connection to one of Finland’s finest melodic death metal exports; CHILDREN OF BODOM. The Finns have been peddling their extreme yet elegant metal, inspired by those killings, since the mid 90’s and here still in 2019 they’ve released their 10th studio album “Hexed”…let’s cast our ears upon it, as it tries to cast it’s spell upon us…

The album open’s up rather impatiently if I’m honest with “This Road”, and what I mean by that is for once there’s virtually no introduction or build up; it’s straight into the fucking riffs and there’s no messing around here. It’s classic COB with Alexi snarling his way around every syllable while the subtle keyboards sift between the relentless onslaught of crunching guitar and percussion. There IS melody here but it’s minimal, almost an afterthought, and in places it stylistically takes on an almost SLAYER-inspired tone; an unforgiving start this. If you WERE looking for more melody mind you then “Under Grass And Clover” has you covered as the synths are FAR more prominent…the track is incredibly up-beat and it’s got a great, simplistic instrumental hook, while the track as a whole takes on a more power-metal sound overall…it’s a definite album highlight.

“Glass Houses” continues the pummelling with more frantic fast-paced metal delivery amidst Alexi’s traditionally raspy vocals…the title track utilises more of that old-school trash metal influence in both its intro and general delivery, somewhat alternating with spats of almost symphonic metal. “Platitudes And Barren Words” is a genuinely superb piece of catchy, synth-driven metal; arguably as accessible as this album gets especially with some of Alexi’s less-aggravated vocals being on offer, while “Kick In A Spleen” provides one of the most equally specific yet random song titles I’ve ever come across…I mean, why the spleen? Who’s spleen is it exactly? And if anything, why not use a knife or other instrument? Let’s be honest a spleen is a pretty fucking obscure target! Why use your foot?! We’re talking Chuck Norris levels of precision here!

​The rest of the album is pretty much by numbers and it’s hard for that to not come across as derogatory…while a lot of bands over time find themselves applying a copy and paste formula from album to album, depending on their longevity of course, a lot of them become stagnant. COB do have their style and aside from the recording and production quality here compared to their early days, their writing style is more or less the same, they have their little niche…BUT…such is with COB, their style IS very much their own and distinct in its own right, and few bands manage to blend the same level of chaos and charm as these feral Finns. “Hexed” doesn’t exactly leave the listener entranced, but it’s undeniably a quality metal album from start to finish. Now that that’s listened to, who fancies a camping trip in Espoo? I know of this beautiful lake…[7]
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If you pay any attention to the Chinese zodiac, you’ll know that 2019 is the year of the pig, and while many are celebrating the prospects of wealth and good fortune (According to traditional beliefs that is, personally I just double-up on my bacon) there’s a group of musicians on the other side of the world with an entirely different set of animalistic beliefs; let me introduce you to YEAR OF THE LOCUST. The New York based five-piece (Consisting of vocalist Scot McGiveron, bassist Fred Serrell, drummer Dusty Winterrowd and guitarists Tyler Hensley & Cody Hyde) dropped their debut album “Devolver” back in 2016, and with the ballsy-brand of hard rock riffs they found themselves supporting the likes of SALIVA, HOOBASTANK and PUDDLE OF MUDD. 2019 sees them return with their brand new self-titled EP; “Year Of The Locust”…will these new tracks see them devour all before them, or are they just a plague on rock and metal? Let’s find out…

The EP opens up with “Stay Alive” and immediately you can hear a marked improvement in the production quality here…everything sounds cleaner compared to the album prior. The vocals are clear and more polished and the instrumentation sounds crisp so we’re already off to a promising start. The song itself is superb; a simple yet steady beat and progression of riffs, embracing the slow build leading into an infectious, hook-laden chorus of powerful vocals. It’s impassioned and poles apart from anything offered previously, coupled with the frenzied solo, it makes for a brilliant opening track. “Line Em Up” follows on and it’s got a tough task ahead of it, but it takes on a slightly more southern-metal tone instrumentally, with its distinct guitar driven groove and subtle vocal drawl…fans of BLACK STONE CHERRY and THEORY OF A DEADMAN will likely get a kick out of this; no nonsense, fun rock ‘n’ roll.

As most bands of this genre do, they aren’t opposed to dropping a ballad or two either, allowing for a change of pace and to showcase their varied vocal and musical ability, and here that comes by means of “Whispers In The Dark”. A slower, tender piece of soft rock that’s big on melody and emotive vocals…with its key changes and sensually flowing solo it’s teeters on soaring power pop without quite having you reach for the lighters, before closing track “Sorry” rounds things off with another dose of chugging hard rock. A decent track but spoiled by the inclusion of random spoken-word segments. They sound jarring and hinder the flow of the track, coming across as forced and would have been better suited to an intro monologue or interlude to set up the track.

Overall in the three years that have passed between releases, YOTL have come a hell of a long way…their song writing and playing have come on in leaps and bounds and the sound quality improvement in terms of recording and production is doing them all of the favours. Gone is the grainy instrumentation and raw vocal performance, despite being only four tracks long, this makes the album feel more like a demo! Whatever the band have done differently is paying off, and if this is their direction then it’s an exciting and promising one, as their next record could feature some absolute tunes. It's the year of the locust they claim, and it’ll take more than pesticide to stop this lot! [8]

Joe Strummer once famously sang that he'd fought the law, and the law won…well as it happens, today’s artist ALSO fought the law, quite regularly in fact, but decided enough was enough and ditched the court rooms in favour of clubs and venues. Let me introduce you to BENNY BASSETT; based in Chicago, Benny was in fact a lawyer for several years, before he decided to pack up his briefcase, cried objection at his own life, and set out on the road to become a musician. A bold move if ever there was one, as if there’s anything more cut throat than the judicial system, it’s the music industry, alas, Benny was not put off and over the past three years he’s spent his time travelling thousands of miles up and down America, playing over 450+ shows, adding new chapters to his life story. This April, Benny releases his brand new EP entitled “Words For Yesterday”…a reflective collection of songs to summarise his life to date. He emailed me recently and asked me to check it out, so let’s do just that.

​The EP opens up with “Window To Forever” and for the most part it’s a sombre, calming indie-pop ballad. An acoustic-led track, it’s charming as it speaks of an uncertainty; not knowing what the future holds but reminding you that, you need to take the chance sometimes. Mistakes can be made for sure, but you need to grow and take risks. The chorus is more up-tempo but the track overall is soothing and it’s a pleasant little track. “Live Where You Love The Sky” follows up and it’s another soft ballad but carries with it more of a subtle country tone. A song of optimism and following his own self-reflective journey; it encourages you to appreciate life for everything it is and do what makes you happy, embrace the selflessness of contentment and be grateful for all you have, so long as you follow your heart.  A philosophical piece as Benny really does practice what he preaches, with the song coming off as very autobiographical, but the hope and belief in his words is enthusing.

Benny isn’t a complete softie however, as proven on “Down Below”…swapping the acoustics for a grittier dose of harder, blues-based rock, there’s a sharper edge here musically but it’s still got a rich vocal harmony and a solid groove. It’s a welcome change as it provides a clear EP highlight, allowing for more swagger and attitude and no doubt this is a stand-out track in his live shows, entertaining stuff this. “Find A Way” switches things up immediately with a bassy, funk-driven piece with retro organs / synths layered throughout the track and it’s quite soulful in its own right, with a brief though enjoyable solo to boot, before the closing tracks sort of taper off with sadly less interest. “Building A Future” is arguably the EP’s weakest offering…the wood-block style synths carry another sickly sweet indie-pop piece but it does descend into a sense of repetition over the chorus, before “From You” closes the EP with another hushed piano ballad.

Overall Benny has proven himself to be a decent song-writer as his lyrical delivery carries you along the EP pretty effortlessly…the melodies flow well and he conveys his story with a softness that absorbs you into each song, resulting in a generally easy, laid back listen. A solid collection of pop songs overall though truth be told a couple more tracks like “Down Below” in future wouldn’t go amiss, sometimes you just need something to move to, but really speaking it’s a fine EP indeed. He’s still brave for quitting his day job to do this, especially such a well-paid and stable one, but he has both a commitment and an ability to make this work, and his debut album should be an interesting listen. Words for yesterday maybe…but more importantly; words to watch out for tomorrow... [6]

When I utter the word ‘Gothenburg’, I can guarantee that you’ll know what I’m referring to…you’ve got this already haven’t you? Fucking damn right I’m talking about the Crazy Frog! No honestly, before I get into this review I have to remind each and every one of you that we collectively allowed the Crazy Frog; that…irritating, frankly cancerous, poorly animated and apparently Swedish cunt-nugget to not only be a thing, but ACTUALLY TOP THE CHARTS! I’m ashamed of us as a species. I digress…I just found out that the Crazy Frog did indeed originate in Gothenburg and had a mild PTSD episode.

I say this though with relevance as taking this seriously now, Gothenburg as we all know it is, for want of a better description, a Mecca for all things melodic death metal. Everyone from AT THE GATES to AVATAR have emerged from this epicenter of Swedish metal, which bring us to today’s band, and arguably one of the biggest of them all; IN FLAMES. Over their near thirty-year career to date they’ve delivered some of the finest melodic death metal albums to ever puncture our ears, from their seminal work on “Colony” which paved their way back in the 90’s, through to the Billboard bothering successes of “Reroute To Remain” and “Come Clarity” especially, In Flames have always been a reliable source of maelstrom…until recently that is. Back in 2016 the band released “Battles” and despite being a decent record generally, it irked many fans with its sense of pop-record production. Can they redeem themselves in the eyes of those same fans? 2019 sees them return as they channel their inner Stanley Ipkiss on “I, The Mask”…let’s check it out.

The album opens up with “Voices” and after the brief, slow build of a repetitive guitar fill that gradually rises in pitch and key, we find ourselves immersed in the familiar sounds of their heavier riffs and subtle synth elements. Vocalist Andes Fridén delivers a particularly run of the mill performance, switching from his usual raspy snarls into a more melodic vocal for the chorus. It’s a fairly standard affair, textbook In Flames in 2nd gear for the most part though Bjorn Gelotte’s solo is a nice inclusion; it’s a safe start. The title track follows up and to be fair this picks up the pace aplenty and there’s a lot more urgency here; with it’s almost thrash-based musical approach coupled with a hook-laden chorus it provides the listener with a truly up-tempo, enjoyable track and gets the album underway properly.

Elsewhere highlights include “(This Is Our) House” which combines anthemic gang vocals and a hard rocking rhythm with almost prog-inspired key changes, which includes Anders vocals; ranging from soaring melody and an emotive clean delivery to a sudden baritone, giving the track additional character. The band haven’t completely left behind the accessibility of the more pop-orientated production from their previous record however…”We Will Remember” despite its crunching hard-rock riffs carries with it a predominantly euphonious tone and it’s really easy listening, before the sudden surprise that is our closing track “Stay With Me”. This is essentially a power ballad and totally juxtaposes the album altogether…with the acoustic guitar, sweet harmonies and Anders surprisingly impassioned, heart-wrenching vocal display; it’s unquestionably a beautiful track and is in its own unique right, the best thing on this record.

Overall over the course of these twelve tracks, the album itself isn’t poor; it’s just for the most part In Flames by numbers. The Swede’s have always been able to deliver the goods over a 13-album discography now and I guess you could say there is the safety of familiarity within their brand of metal, which they do well…but it’s when you’ve got tracks like the aforementioned ballad, it makes you wonder why they haven’t done MORE of that? This is exactly the kind of track that builds bridges between not just genres but audience demographics, and dare I say it, mainstream success? The idea of a 30 year old melodic death metal band delivering such a genuinely sweet song is a mind-blowing concept, but In Flames have ALWAYS been a quality outfit…if anything just genre pigeon-holed. If the likes of BRING ME THE HORIZON can switch from death-core to getting a number one UK album in a country run by chavs and TOWIE outcasts, then on this evidence, In Flames are EASILY capable of being a lot more successful in the eyes of the wider mainstream audience. It’s just a shame it’s preceded and ultimately weighed down by the middle of the road metal before it. [6]

It only seems like yesterday when we were talking about WEEZER, and quite frankly that’s because it may as bloody well have been! Yes back in January, less than two months ago, Los Angeles emo / post-rockers Weezer dropped a surprise self-titled covers album dubbed the “Teal Album”, given its cover art. A fine a medley of covers it turned out to be, that included everything from TOTO to TLC, but it was all filler, merely biding time for what would be announced as their SIXTH self-titled album, dubbed the “Black Album”, which was released at the beginning of March.

Having six self-titled albums is bold and ambitious for any artist, not even KORN can compete with that! But, let’s break it down…going as far back as 1994 we’ve gone through everything from blue, to green, red, white, teal and now black…either Rivers Cuomo is trying to assemble his own league of fucking Power Rangers or he’s been on the Skittles again! Fuck the rainbow Rivers, focus on the music! I digress…with this, the “Black Album”, have they gone heavier; darker? Have they channelled their inner METALLICA to let rip and deliver an album soaked in the maelstrom of metal misery? Well the answer is, not quite…let me explain…

Opening track “Can’t Stop The Hustle” has an almost Hispanic tone to it combined with brass elements and an almost 70’s funk charm, and it speaks of a general down to Earth, working class lifestyle…lyrics about managers slacking, selling lemonade, higher education and avoiding drugs; it’s a bit of a jab at the idea of the modern celebrity and the idea of instant fame and success. It’s all about the work ethic which is something Weezer have put in for nearly 30 years now, never compromising, always true to themselves…admirable in context but it’s a somewhat flat opener musically. “Zombie Bastards” follows up and sonically it’s a bit of an oxymoron as there’s nothing threatening about this at all. Amidst it’s jovial indie-pop tones it speaks of society and normality; everyone conditioned to a certain way of life, a bland existence if you will and the song challenges the idea of that; suggesting you dig a little deeper, there’s more to life than this, there’s more to life than being a brainwashed zombie, and it’s both a dig AND encouraging.

Elsewhere the album more or less maintains a calm, easy listening vibe over the remaining eight tracks…”High As A Kite” takes on a soft, JOHN LENNON / THE BEATLES vibe, and it’s touching as it mentions drifting off like lost balloons, flying like a beautiful bird over a piano led ballad; the idea of freedom and escaping society and the pressures of everyday life; it’s a sweet song backed by a sweeter Mr Rogers inspired video. Album highlight’s “I’m Just Being Honest” and “Too Many Thoughts In My Head” stand out with their up-beat delivery…the former again utilising infectious indie-pop tones and a simple hook, while the latter is again, up-beat and makes the most of Rivers impressive high notes, in places coming across not too unlike BRONSKI BEAT toward the tracks climax, if only briefly. While not intense, the track ends in an enjoyable crescendo and it’s a pleasant listen overall.

The remainder of the record as I said more or less delivers in a similar fashion…”Piece Of Cake” is pretty straight forward with it’s sweet, laid back delivery, “The Prince Who Wanted Everything” does undertake a more 70’s inspired glam-rock aesthetic not unlike T-REX for example, before closing track “California Snow” runs the clock down with some primarily lethargic and repetitive soft rock. Ultimately I think that this album is a bit of a rib on today’s market and industry generally…the very idea of a ‘Black Album’ conjures up the idea of heaviness, as I mentioned Metallica previously, we’re inclined to think that way; we expect a darkness, a deep resonance accompanying the weight of the music, but Weezer here have trolled us all as it’s one of the softest sounding albums they could have delivered. The song writing and story-telling has clear depth, but we were expecting something much meatier, and the band KNEW this. I’m not knocking it for its lack of heaviness, or grit, but credit to Weezer they played me here and still managed to make me bob my head to the majority of this album. IS IT as good as the covers album from January? No, because of the quality choice of songs they covered, but this is a decent little happy-go-lucky record. Still after all these years you really can’t knock Weezer’s hustle…[5]

Birmingham, as we all know, is the spiritual home of heavy metal and the myriad of alternative genres that followed it, but it’s not the only city in the UK with serious rock ‘n’ roll credentials. Yes today we’re going to be turning our attention to Sheffield and to be fair, its home to several big-name artists itself, spanning from all walks of rock and metal culture, having spawned everyone from DEF LEPPARD to BRING ME THE HORIZON over the years…and while the latter are at the very peak of their career riding high with chart success, infiltrating the mainstream, their contemporaries aren’t too far behind…enter WHILE SHE SLEEPS. (That sounds creepier than intended…)

The five-piece (Consisting of vocalist Lawrence Taylor, drummer Adam Savage, bassist Aaran McKenzie and guitarists Sean Long and Mat Welsh) have been going strong since 2006 and over that time they’ve steadily established themselves as one of the UK’s hottest up-and-coming metal acts. With their last album “You Are We” receiving heaps of critical praise and breaking into the UK charts, all eyes were wide awake in anticipation for their eagerly awaited follow up, and the lads delivered at the beginning of March with album number four; “SO WHAT?”…if I may paraphrase MEGADETH for a second…so far, so good…so what’s in store for us here? Let’s find out…

The album opens up with “ANTI-SOCIAL” and while initially ticking off the clichés with the police sirens and dogs barking, planting the image of troubled neighbourhoods over at the bad side of town, it soon descends into a flurry of almost djent inspired metalcore riffage. Lawrence’s vocals are initially hushed before a bold yet simplistic chorus of ‘I’m not anti-social, I’m anti-bullshit’…the almost nu-metal tones of the instrumentation carry a sense of vitriol and as a whole the track is brimming with piss and vinegar. The disdain for the current state of society, awash with corruption has become too much and here those sentiments are hammered home, especially in the incredibly powerful accompanying video; this is intense stuff. “I’VE SEEN IT ALL” initially follows up with some crazed fret-wankery, before  bellowed gang vocals are layered within the groove-heavy slab of hard rock, giving the track a prominently anthemic feel.

The title track again utilises a rich groove, coupled with duel vocal / guitar harmonies over a hook laden chorus, which can also be said for “THE GUILTY PARTY” and album highlight “SET YOU FREE”…the former, another up-tempo offering with a blistering chorus and more gang vocals, while the latter doubles down on the pop-production quality. The clean vocals are much more prominent and there’s a fun, almost pop-punk tone to the chorus and it all flows so smoothly, before the album eventually closes up on “GATES OF PARADISE”; another fine blend of mauling metalcore and melody, even including some almost rap-inspired vocals towards the breakdown. There was a lot of hype and anticipation around this record, and I will gladly point out that it IS a quality modern metal record; the riffs, the aggression; it’s all on point, just as the softer moments are and it’s a well-balanced album overall. The metalcore aspects themselves ARE growing tired truth be told, there’s only so many screamed vocals and breakdowns you can hear before you begin to feel you’ve heard all of it as many bands apply a copy and paste formula, but there’s enough here to warrant repeat listens, switching up JUST enough to keep their sound fresh.  They aren’t quite on the same level as their fellow Sheffield residents BMTH right now commercially, but the music speaks for itself, and this is an album well worth checking out. [7]

Black metal; arguably the most perceived to be evil of all the extreme metal sub-genres, and a genre that’s been the subject of A LOT of controversy over the years…while its origins may lie in England thanks to VENOM and the album that practically named the entire movement; “Black Metal”, the bulk of it can be found in (You guessed it) Scandinavia etc. It’s here that the genre picked up its notoriety with cases of band mates murdering each other as well as convictions for hate crime, bands using ACTUAL images of suicide victims on album covers (See MAYHEM’s “Dawn Of The Black Hearts”) and if that wasn’t enough, several churches have legitimately been burned down!

But, let’s not dwell on those crazy Scandinavian bastards for now, as black metal reaches further afield than that, and one of the genre’s most prominent bands can actually be found in Greece. Yes, today we’re going to be focusing on ROTTING CHRIST. Formed in the late 80’s, they were one of the first black metal bands to form out of the Mediterranean region and have been an iconic and influential force for many an underground band ever since, and 2019 sees them release their brand new studio album “The Heretics”, Their first in three years. Let’s all skip church together and find out what the Greek’s have got in store on album number thirteen…no I said SKIP church not set fire to….never mind…

The album opens up with “In The Name Of God” and its spoken word intro is incredibly damning and profound, pointing out the overall hypocrisy of mankind. While many of us today denounce the idea of any religion, the very concept seems archaic while we create our own miracles; yet we still are able to pick and choose our own deities as they suit us…war and death in the name of God not out of true belief, but out of convenience. Musically the track has a rigid, militant tone which suits the aura of the track completely and it’s an intense start. The album then to its credit just keeps getting better and better…”Vetry Zlye” manages to balance pummeling percussion and Sakis scorching metal vocals with some beautifully melodic guitar, along with the sweet, cleaner vocal notes of Russian singer Irena Zybina. The two complement each other brilliantly and it’s an infectious piece of metal! Speaking of infectious, “Heaven And Hell And Fire”, despite it’s obvious metal aesthetics carries a great guitar hook layered within another up-tempo melodic metal offering, this is all very good stuff!

This is further backed up by album highlights “Fire God And Fear” and “The Sons Of Hell”…the former starts with another spoken word piece amidst the quaint chirping of birds, like it’s the introduction to one of the levels on “Dungeon Keeper”, but swiftly descends into a wall of blackened metal riffage, and THAT solo? It’s superbly executed and slicker than a bowl of extra virgin olive oil! The latter embraces a more traditional heavy metal style, evident in the wailing guitar notes and more methodical approach instrumentally, before “The Raven” utilises more soaring guitar harmonies while Sakis recites the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

There are some minor hiccups mid-album…such as “I Believe”, which combines a spoken-word Greek monologue with an unrelenting wall of noise as the frantic guitars are played on loop in the background, and it gives you a little bit of a headache before it fades out, while “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, although commanding and ominous in tone, does suffer from a case of repetition. Although to be fair, these flaws are minor in the grand scheme of things. “The Heretics” has showcased Rotting Christ’s ability to incorporate melody and an accessibility into their otherwise crushing sound, something which was lacking on “Rituals”, resulting in a wonderfully smooth listen. Putting aside the gimmicked elements of early Catholicism with the ritualistic or ceremonial chanting emitting from the backing vocal samples, this is a really strong blackened metal concept album and if you’re unsure of making the jump from traditional metal into something more dramatic and intense, then this is actually a brilliant segue record. It’s as easy-listening as extreme metal can get but it loses none of its credibility. Forget rotting, Christ sounds fresher than ever. [8]

I’d like to take a minute to just talk about collaborations and the idea of the ‘Supergroup’. I know I’ve covered some examples in the past; just look up my reviews on artists such as THE 69 CATS and FLAT EARTH etc…but the very idea of the ‘Supergroup’ has lost a lot of its charm and appeal in recent years, and that’s mainly down to the current chart trends. Over 25% of the current UK singles chart contains a feature or collaboration, and the idea of artists working together on records isn’t really that much of a big deal anymore. While we may have had MCBUSTED recently…gone are the days of THE HIGHWAYMEN or, VELVET REVOLVER. But today’s artist hopes to restore faith in the entire concept; let me introduce you to EVI VINE.

The London-based, soundscape weaving, progressive post-rock doom outfit, which are fronted by Evi herself (But also includes bassist Matt Tye, drummer David ‘GB’ Smith and Korg/synth operator Steven Hill) have recently released their newest album, “Black // White // Light // Dark”, through Solemn Wave Records. Nothing special you’re thinking thus far, however, the album was recorded live in the studio with an assortment of guest musicians that really do peak your interest. With members of THE CURE, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, FAUST and GOLDFRAPP all contributing to the record…this truly is an alt. rock ‘Supergroup’ project! Let’s check it out…

The six-track mini-album opens up with “I Am The Waves” and after some brief guitar fuzz we’re slowly dipped into a mire of miserably depressing instrumentation. The doom influences are beyond evident as this is so dense and bleak, though not heavy; the musical equivalent of a black hole absorbing all light around it. Vocally hushed, almost whispered in parts…singing “I am the waves; I am the ocean”…hopefully acting as a calm before the storm, as this body of water lays still, waiting to surge and crash around you. We follow this up with “Afterlight” and while initially more up-tempo with more groove and rhythm, the percussion and guitar’s take on more of that progressive influence. The beat and majority of the structural melody is off-kilter and disjointed, resulting in a somewhat trippy little track, though vocally there’s hardly any change.

Despite being a short album in terms of track listing, they make up for it in track length with “Sabbath” and “Sad Song No.9”…the former does, to its credit, give us our first taste of a proper riff and you hope that despite it’s near ten-minute run time, it’s finally waking up…though those hopes are dashed soon afterwards as once again we descend into a bleak, abyssal depth of damning boredom. When the guitars pick up, the intensity breathes SO much life into the instrumentation and you can’t help but be left wondering why couldn’t they maintain those heavier doom qualities? The instrumental climax is energetic and enjoyable but frankly it’s too little too late, while the latter then, being over eleven minutes long feels like the equivalent of watching a sloth complete the London marathon in real-time…congratulations are in order but I never want to have to watch that ever again.

The other remaining tracks “My Only Son” and “We Are Made Of Stars” sadly do nothing to balance the mood whatsoever and while there are sweet vocal displays and elegant string sections in the former, as Evi sings from the heart about a close friends suicide, it doesn’t rescue this record from its own pit of despair. With the talent surrounding this album, while not intending to have certain expectations or, typecast anyone creatively, you’d at least HOPE that here you’d find a decent to good alternative rock album with diverse ideas ranging from original post-punk to modern Goth-pop aesthetics…couple that with the progressive doom elements, and you allow for a really dynamic and interesting listen. Sadly what you DO get is comparable to a narcotics prescription; as you’ll likely find yourself bored into a deep slumber instead. It’s ambitious, it’s artsy and it’s atmospheric I’ll give it that, but from getting excited at the list of personnel, to listening to the finished product, it really is a case of day and night. Maybe the album’s title itself was trolling me all along? Speaking of, the album is that dull it practically used the same artwork as one of ARCHITECTS previous records; I mean they couldn’t even make an effort with THAT it would appear! All in all a disappointingly boring listen. [2]

As you all SHOULD know by now, Scandinavia is renowned for its mind-blowing plethora of heavy metal bands. Seriously now, collectively, the Nordic block shit’s out such a vast variety of metal it could be mistaken for another industrial revolution! When it comes to exports though, no one can match Finland…them Finns LOVE them some metal and it’s here we find ourselves again for today’s band; let me introduce you to KAAMOS WARRIORS. Formed in 2018 in the town of Kempele, their name roughly translates as ‘Warriors Of The Polar Night’…and hailing from just outside the arctic circle, it’s safe to see where the duo (Consisting of Mikko Ojala and Jani Moilanen), like many other Finns, get their inspiration.

Living in such an often unforgiving environment, with extremely cold temperatures and often fragmentary nocturnal cycles, it’s no wonder a lot of the music produced in Finland is soaked in despair, melancholy and delirium. It should come as no surprise then, that their debut album; “Ikuisen Talven Sarastus” essentially means ‘At The Dawn Of Winter Eternal’…but are they resigning themselves to an existence in icy isolation? Let’s find out…

The eight-track mini-album opens up with “Kaamos Warriors” itself and I guess it’s like a declaration of intent if you will…the foreboding intro of the sinister guitar tone leads into an eruption of blast-beats and unrelenting percussion, accompanying the evil snarls of vocalist Mikko. There’s an uncomfortable, unholy aura to the track, reinforced by the chilling monastic vocal chanting, almost ritualistic over the cold, blackened metal; a decent start this. We follow this up with “Talventuoja” which I’m honestly struggling to translate…it’s message roughly means (And I mean this as an interpretation) the reaper is the bringer of Winter; for the cold solitude of endless nights is comparable to death itself; dark and void, and musically the slower tempo, owing much to the sound of say, SATYRICON for example, allows the song to impose a sense of dread and seriousness upon the listener, though the guitar solo and abrupt ending spoil the vibe of the track ever so slightly.

Thankfully there are a handful of English titles here too, making life a little bit easier for me truthfully, with the first of which being “Winter Eternal”. Another gradual build here, blending their brand of blackened death with subtle battle metal aesthetics, coming across as more of a march than a full track if you will; it’s quite regimented and linear and honestly it’s about as flat as you’ll find this type of metal. The other English tracks comprise of “Immortals” and “Secrets Of Stars”…the former delivering an interesting blend of acoustic guitar and harmonious, choir-esque vocals underlying the sonic intensity, while the latter offers a more up-tempo, pacier slab of melodic metal, providing a late album highlight. It’s full of groove and rhythm and it’s, dare I say it, catchy…? Before we then round things off with the title track itself; returning to their cold, brooding visceral misery.

Let’s not beat around the snow covered bush here…the Nordic / Baltic region for blackened death metal bands is like a cave in the Kanto region for the mighty Zubat, walk just a couple of steps in any direction and you’ll have one screeching in your face. This doesn’t necessarily mean the genre is completely over-saturated however…for a band practically just a year old, this is a really promising debut. At just over twenty minutes it’s a short album, but that makes this an easy, accessible listen for such a niche underground genre. Warriors…raise your pork swords, winter is coming. [7]

Seattle, Washington may be famed for its contributions to grunge when talking about alternative music, but there’s more to the Emerald City than miserable vocals and despondent guitar tones…sometimes other genres are allowed to raise their, UGLYHEAD if you will? Yes Uglyhead are the brainchild of sound engineer / producer Jake Alejo, and while in their formative years (With Jake being the primary member using only session / backing musicians for certain shows) they only really got airplay on late night college radio shows, it wasn’t too long before he got picked up by Automation Records for his 2007 debut. With more label backing, some additional EP’s and even finding a soundtrack placement on “Greg Hasting’s Paintball 2” for Wii, Xbox and PS3, he soon gained more and more momentum. 2019 finds Jake continuing on his path of noise experimentation with the brand new EP entitled “Disembodied” (Scheduled for release April 26th), collaborating with PIG / JULIEN-K percussionist Galen Walling…let’s check it out…

The EP opens up with a double-barrelled head-fuck of “Here But Not Here” and “There But Not There”…the former offering a light, synth-driven lead countering off-kilter programming and percussion over some raspy, manipulated vocals. The tone is dark despite the subtle joviality of the electronica as he sings of ghostly apparitions, and it’s quite the creepy opener, while the latter transitions into some vocal distortion and an up-tempo instrumental fill. There’s  a lot more urgency to this track and you get more of a feel for the industrial influences…some of the wailing is hard to differentiate from twisted sampling, with the dark dub elements and a certain EDM vibe, blended well with gothic techno. Overall a decent if not expected start…

The title track then takes on a much more, sinister, subdued pace as it skulks along sounding as if musically trapped somewhere between vaudevillian MARILYN MANSON and early ORGY aesthetically…the hypnotic tones allowing for the conceptual outer-body experience as is the theme of the EP, and while not the most entertaining of tracks musically, it’s moody and atmospheric in its own right, and really wouldn’t feel out of place on one of “The Crow” soundtracks. Sadly then we’re given “Too Real For Love” and it’s here the EP starts to struggle on the home stretch…over seven minutes long, the deeply foreboding synths can only maintain their aura for so long and it’s not long before this track seems to just drone on miserably, until closing track “The Funhole” (I’m not even kidding) literally takes up the arse-end of the EP; another slow, off-key pulsing piece of warbling electronica, and echoed, barely discernible vocals.

Jake may have aimed for transcendence with his blend of deep alternative techno, but his proposed outer-body experience sadly stays very much within the confines of your skull, resulting in a headache upon sitting through the whole EP. Things started off really quite promisingly, all things considered with this genre of music, but the last two tracks sadly leak one out the aforementioned funhole and soil the EP. Regardless of what the opening tracks suggest, unless you're a fan of say, ALIEN SEX FIEND for example, it’s neither here OR there. [3]

We’re going local again for this installment of the Wreckord Collection, as we turn our attention to COLIN JAMES MACFARLANE. Not just a cog in the local independent music scene, he is a Jack of all trades and generally more of an all-round entertainer, dabbling in solo work, fronting the band BREAKDOWN FACE, conducting interviews with other bands, making gig diaries, dabbling in hip-hop/rap songs (Consider him a dairy free Vanilla Ice) and making comedy skit videos on his YouTube channel. Here, in his own words, he talks us through some of the records that inspired him and had the biggest impact on him creatively…

Back in the early 2000’s, Matt Willis, Charlie Simpson and James Bourne or, BUSTED as they were collectively known, were on top of the world. The Essex-based pop-punk trio found themselves all over the charts with two consecutively successful albums, which spawned hit singles about sexual exploits with air hostesses, hitting on your great, great, great granddaughter in the future and, oh yeah; the Thunderbirds. But, while many rock and metal fans viewed them as immature and commercial tripe, it can’t be denied that they were a gateway for many younger fans into guitar based rock music…something which would ultimately disband them.

Charlie made no efforts to hide the fact he really preferred harder, grittier rock music, and eventually he found himself leaving Busted to go his own way with FIGHTSTAR, who to their credit more than held their own on the UK alternative scene. This was in 2005, and while Charlie was opening up pits at underground rock venues…Matt became the king of the jungle and dropped an honestly really good solo album, while James took all of the knob jokes ever written with SON OF DORK (Dork being a slang term for penis, as well as being a socially inept person…he was just one big socially inept penis). However, as the saying goes; never say never, and it would only be a matter of time before there would be a reunion…granted it would take eleven years, but the boys in Busted returned in 2016 with the album “Night Driver”. Adopting a more mature musical approach, it wasn’t QUITE like having Busted back as we remembered them, but, hopefully they can make up for that on “Half Way There”, their brand new album for 2019. The question is; where are they heading?

We open up with “Nineties” and thematically at least it sets the tone for the entire record; this is an album of deep reflection, of reminiscing and truthfully it’s really touching and relatable. Singing of fond memories; they mention ditching school and listening to SMASHING PUMPKINS and playing guitar to OASIS…even transitioning from NIRVANA into a ‘na-nana-na-nana” vocal pre-chorus. For many in their age group it hits home and makes you think how times have changed, and it’s a sweet, nostalgic track. Speaking of, “Nostalgia” sums things up wonderfully…with its up-beat, positive guitar tones and subtle FOO FIGHTERS vibe this questions their very ethos…lyrics like “Do I even want you back?” seemingly questioning their very existence as a band, in a self-aware manner that is, given the period of absence, why risk tarnishing their legacy? Why risk it all for a cash-grab per se? Also in a seemingly apropos manner its Charlie repeating the line “I was doing just fine”…as if to suggest did this NEED to happen at all? This is deep stuff given the joviality of the track itself, but brilliantly executed.

The theme continues with the likes of “Reunion” which is another album highlight and more of the recognisable up-beat guitar driven pop…and really it’s quite passive-aggressive in ways. Masked under a school reunion shtick, they subtly hint at how things have turned out and how things may or may not have happened differently and there’s traces of melancholia layered within another entertaining pop-rock track; to be fair their song-writing is on point.  “All My Friends” takes on a similar approach showcasing the differentiation between us and them, taken in context over the years and how they have grown as people, and in ways the title track speaking of being halfway to obscurity, hinting at the flame only burning for so long, before “It Happens” takes you on another nostalgic journey going over the lads background and how you should never give up on your dreams…their hard work and success story laid bare to inspire future musicians to carry the torch so to speak, ending the album on a wonderfully poignant note.

To be fair, Busted were never renowned for being poets or philosophical from a musical or even lyrical perspective, but in their later years it’s clear they are very self-aware and recognise that times have changed. Despite being a new, fresh album, the feeling is very much one of remembrance and former glories. That’s not to say that any of this new material is irrelevant by any means, they’ve touched on a lot of deep personal issues here…the real question is does it even matter in this day and age? The answer is yes…if Busted were to truly call it a day following this, there would be absolutely no complaints and that’s not a derogatory comment. They’ve been there, they played the arena’s, they sold the albums, they made it…but they changed as people…and while looking back may make you proud of certain accomplishments, it shouldn’t define them.  Nostalgia is one thing, but credibility is more important, and I think, given the vibe from this album, it’s something Busted recognise. Does it have the hits of their early years? No…does the album however capture everything it needs to, to provide closure? Absofuckinglutely. If this is Busted’s swan-song, then credit to them, what a way to go out, this is a really well executed album.  It might be called “Half Way There”, but I think Busted have come full circle, and they can go out with their heads held high. [8]