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Lordi - "Lordiversity" Box-Set

8/10/2022

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It’s weird, right? We’re at the arse end of 2022, and Covid still crops up in the conversation regarding bands plans and ideas. Typically, you’d find that bands were a bit lost, because tours were cancelled, so they’d push some extra exclusive merch to compensate, or …they’d work on a cheeky EP to tide fans over, or even just jump straight into writing their next album. But oh no, not LORDI...

The Finnish Eurovision favourites decided fuck it; following 2020’s “Killection”, they weren’t going to get to work on the next album, or even a double-album, no, that’s too uninspired; unoriginal and quite frankly boring. The band decided to work on a concept BOX-SET, of SEVEN consecutive new and original albums,  between 2021-2022 under the banner of “Lordiversity”.  

A modern, retroactive time-capsule, it spans multiple genres, eras and sounds, spanning decades, covering the growth and evolution in fashionable rock ’n’ roll, but with that beastly, Lordi twist. The question is; can a bunch of pantomime shock rockers pull off such a feat? Let’s find out, as we plough through these 78 tracks, wishing they could have settled for an EP... 

The series starts off with “Skelectric Dinosaur” and we find ourselves back in the late 1970’s, where rock music was at that initial turning point. That transition between the more innocent, formative rock ‘n’ roll, swing and more blues influenced styles, to what we now refer to separately as classic rock.  It opens up with “SCG Minus 7: The Arrival” and with its church organs, haunting wails and children's giggles, telling you that “Monsters are coming” …it’s quite the creepy introduction. This however leads us into disappointment, as we’re greeted with first track proper; “Day Off Of The Devil”.  

Musically absolutely fine for the style they are going for, imagine, KANSAS, or, ALICE COOPER or even BLUE OYSTER CULT, they’ve nailed that classic guitar tone and recording quality, credit to them, and it’s a decent, chilled out rock track, however the intro promised something a lot more sinister. The question is, how DOES the devil spend his days off? Is he there with a bowl of Coco Pops, sat on the couch in his pyjamas watching Disney+ on a Saturday morning? Who knows.... who cares...not me.  

“Starsign Spitfire” has a very slow, plodding pace to it, while it does have some decent backing vocal harmonies elevating the chorus. “The Tragedy Of Annie Mae” has a very DEEP PURPLE-esque bass-line fuelling the track and it rumbles along nicely. We do eventually finish album one off with “...And Beyond The Isle Was Mary”, and we get a quaint, piano-filled piece with rainy sound effects, resulting in a gentle closing number.  They nailed the sound of the era and have delivered well here overall; it’s not a bad start. 

Next up we have the album “Superflytrap” and we transition rather quickly from the origins of rock and early metal, into the bright lights of the discotheque. The intro piece, “SCG Minus 6: Delightful Pop-Ins" is totes cringe babes, with the porn parody content. Some bimbo taking in the pizza guy, and the pool guy, like some seedy classic blue-movie plot-segue, until the monster breaks in and there’s screaming and terror, and it’s all a bit shit. I pray Asylum don’t read this; their movies are bad enough as it is... 

The actual opening tracks “Macho Freak” and “Believe Me” are a bit better. It’s not always easy to recreate that nostalgic disco/club vibe musically with it coming out authentic, but credit to a band like Lordi, they’ve managed it. The funk-fuelled synths, alongside the twangy guitars, in this day and age remind me of DEREK BISHOP if you’re interested in modern disco, and to be fair, the band, despite their appearance, don’t sound cheesy doing this. “Bella From Hell” capitalises on some genuinely soulful backing vocals, while “Cast Out From Heaven” tries to be a genuine ballad, and, let's be honest, the vocals do NOT suit this approach. This is too jarring.  

Where do we go from here?  Album number three; “The Masterbeast From The Moon”, and we enter prog-rock territory. Inspired by the likes of PINK FLOYD etc, it’s a more ambitious piece but do a band like Lordi have the ability to pull this off? Let’s get one thing straight here, no... the answer is no. “Moonbeast” utilises an almost GHOST-like character instrumentally but that’s genuinely as good as it gets. The praise ends here. “Hurricane Of The Slain” highlights this point as, the piano rich, orchestrally led strings of the track are gorgeous, but the clash with the gruff vocals absolutely ruins things. It’s all well and good trying new things musically, but when the vocals are so often stagnant, it has a detrimental effect on the entire project. “Church Of The Succubus” at over 11 minutes fits better in the whole prog-rock aesthetic, but even that can’t save this record.  

What do we have next? “Abusement Park”, and I can’t lie to you, I do love a play on words; this title tickles me. It reminds me of JOHNNY KNOXVILLE in the film “Action Point”, but I digress. The title track absolutely reeks of classic heavy metal with the pacing, the key transitions, the style of percussion, it’s got a semi-MOTORHEAD vibe to it as well as the likes of W.A.S.P., almost power-metal in places, and it’s very up-tempo and energetic. It can be a bit cheesy with some incredibly cliched names like “Ghost Train” and “Rollercoaster”, but it’s to be expected. “Carousel” has some wonderfully emotive, smooth, sensual guitar playing that reek of the 80’s, while “Pinball Machine” harbours this strong AC/DC, or, JUDAS PRIEST level of vocal screeching.  

“Nasty, Wild & Naughty” harbours all of that overdone rock ’n’ roll sleaze lyrically, despite being a catchy piece of rock with all of the cowbell, before “Merry Blah Blah Blah” comes out of the blue as a Christmas single. The bells and choirs are there, the Santa references are there... but do you know what is also there? Me, making Ebeneezer Scrooge feel uncomfortable with my lack of festive spirit. Pull a cracker, the joke will be this song, I promise. I mean, WHY?! 

Next up we have “Humanimals” and we’ve reached our more, BON JOVI and AOR inspired tracks, and it shows. Opening track proper “Borderline” has a real, I guess, bon-jovial vibe to it (I’m sorry) with its light, up-beat synths and almost hushed percussion. The chorus houses some smoother gang vocals and its honestly quite the pleasant little track instrumentally. “Victims Of The Romance” utilises a more guitar driven approach in comparison but it reeks of that, all-too parodied hair-metal era. If you choose to picture Lordi with mullets in spandex, well, that challenging wank is on YOU my friend. “The Bullet Bites Back” stands out with its genuinely sleek guitar tones, and especially it’s solo, before we revisit “Like A Bee To The Honey”. A decent piece (Written by KISS) but, two years old, and practically becoming filler at this point.  

Our penultimate album, “Abracadaver” leans further into the emergence of what we now fondly refer to as modern metal, with that transitional period, from the mid to late 1980’s into the 1990’s. Ignoring the now tedious intro bit, we dive into “Devilium”, and we’re met with a bombardment of riffs, old-school thrash metal aesthetics and vocals that could make onions cry. The title-track isn’t much better truth be told. You CAN hear “Big-4” elements but the track does eventually descend into utter fret-wankery. “Beast Of Both Worlds” is arguably as good as it gets on this one, with it’s very SLAYER-esque chugging riff-work and rhythmic snarls. Done well enough but, beyond dated. 

Finally, then, and oh how glad I am knowing this (Excited for this one? Hell no, I’m just glad this is over with), we round things up with “Spooky Sextravaganza Spectacular” and that name alone reeks of ROB ZOMBIE. “Demon Supreme” utilises darker synths and a semi-industrial aesthetic to give the ol' Dragula a right good rear ending. It’s a touch repetitive but it’s got an energy to it and reminds me of POWERMAN 5000 in ways. “Lizzard Of Oz” houses more chugging riffs, with a strong electronic core sound, something which a more industrial metal unit might partake-in.  

“Skull And Bones (The Danger Zone)” repeats this seemingly Rob Zombie inspired instrumental direction, with it sounding aesthetically very similar. “Shake The Baby Silent” is top quality parenting advice it has to be said, Mr. Lordi collecting his dad of the year award over here, well done. Skip the bottle feed, jump straight to infanticide. It took seven albums but we do actually get our first actual stand-out highlight in the form of “Terror Extra-Terrestrial”. The intro spoils it a little bit, with its E.T parody segue, but we get a frankly quirky piece of synth-driven hard rock, and it’s honestly rather catchy. We ultimately finish up very ironically however, with the track “Anticlimax”...and I’m not even going to make any jokes here, the audio speaks for itself. After seven albums, completing this seventy-eight-track endurance test has to be rewarded in some aspect surely? Not in the slightest. 

Lordi tried something different here; they have to applauded for their creative ambition, that’s without question. What DOES need to be questioned though, is why the hell they couldn’t do seven concept EP’s instead of seven full bloody albums? They could have very easily cherry-picked specific highlights, and made a far more digestible, and more importantly, enjoyable listening experience. Seventy-eight tracks, allows for far, far too much filler, and truth be told, fodder. They managed to occasionally hit certain spots musically, and instrumentally to diversify these albums into their genre’s, which is the entire point OF “Lordiversity” as a concept, but vocally they just aren’t capable of really delivering; it’s very one-dimensional for the most part, and that grates over time.

In summary... Monstrous? Check. Mediocre? Also check. If concept albums are your thing, love anthologies and collecting box-sets, or simply are a die-hard Lordi fan, you'll likely enjoy this for what it is. If you specifically like a certain style or genre, feel free to sift through your own preferences accordingly, you MIGHT get something out of it, but, as a complete package, this is at a level of grandiosity Lordi really shouldn't be dabbling in. For me? This review is finally over...give me a hard rock hallelujah!
[4]
WWW.LORDI.FI
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GWAR - "The New Dark Ages"

18/6/2022

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The last time we heard from GWAR, the intergalactic horde of phallic, barbaric and comically grotesque humanoids, were celebrating the 30th anniversary, of their breakthrough record “Scumdogs Of The Universe”. (Check out the All About The Rock website here for that review) ...

Now, on paper, this seemed like a wonderful idea, as their unique brand of punk-infused hard rock, and gory, splatter-house stage theatrics means a GWAR show can’t go wrong, right? Sadly, not so much. We have to factor in a few key things like, not a sole original founding member continues to play for the band, (Iconic front-man Oderus, portrayed by Dave Brockie, being quite dead is quite note-worthy)... couple this with the fact that, they played their anniversary show to nobody, in the middle of a pandemic, in an empty room over the internet. It was underwhelming at best, and really didn’t do them justice. 

Here, in 2022, with their first new original material since 2017’s “Blood Of The Gods”, GWAR are back with “The New Dark Ages” ...a concept album that accompanies a new graphic novel entitled “GWAR In The Duoverse Of Absurdity”, which finds the band sucked off (You read that right) into an alternate universe, to battle their evil twins. Or, something. Knowing them, they’ll take the term graphic novel far too literally! With that said, let’s enter a new dark age as we hit the play button... 

The album starts off worryingly slowly with the title-track, but I guess it’s doing a job here, setting a tone for the album's narrative as a whole. It’s got a low drone underlying some minimal church bells, before slow, ominous guitar notes and it can be said, that it sounds like it could come from some folkish medieval horror movie. It’s plodding for the most part, quite uninspired, aside from a random autotune vocal fill that comes out of the blue, but it's really quite straightforward.  

Somehow, follow-up track “Blood Libel” manages to sound even more basic, almost lazy. There ARE stoner, sludgy elements sprinkled throughout the track, subtly faint djent qualities, but the riffs and overall instrumentation here are so sporadically delivered in terms of its tempo and structure, it’s like it struggles to find its own momentum. Lyrically? We’ve got 3am orgies, cheese pizza and catholic church baby raping rings all in the space of one verse, I mean, OK? Have they been reading this blog? Did I just self-incriminate? I confess...I like cheese pizza...*cough* 

Gwar are meant to be an energetic, arguably psychotic band of reprobates, with punk-infused stylistics and an eye for social satire, so there must be some fun to be had here somewhere? Luckily the singles have been half-decent. “Mother Fucking Liar” takes things up a slight notch with some decent, groove-laden riff-work. Story-wise, “Berserker Mode” tells of vocalist Blothar rediscovering terrifying old powers to a backdrop of up-tempo, old-school thrashy metal, providing one of the albums earlier highlights. 

“Completely Fucked” has got some frenetic vocal delivery surrounding the chorus, as well as some classic guitar wailing, yet manages to sound quite jovial towards its climax, while “Venom Of The Platypus” utilises an unexpected electronic intro, immediately catching your ear. It has to be said though, only a band as utterly bizarre as Gwar, would sing about a platypus...talk about a fitting spirit animal! It’s a mammal, with a beak, a venom gland on its...feet? Oh, and it lays eggs? God was fucking high again smoking them acacia bushes when he made that one, wasn’t he? 

This is even before we come to “Ratcatcher”. Easily the albums most accessible, arguably catchiest track, it’s got soft rock hooks aplenty in the chorus, despite the lyrical content of children trapped in his basement. It’s a bit stop start with the riff work, and there’s plenty of cowbell, but generally speaking it’s a good foot-tapper of a track; enjoyable enough in its simplicity, but not astounding. It’s something that TURBONEGRO fans may appreciate, it gives off that vibe.  

The rest of the album, over its 15-track run time, does drag a little sadly. “Bored To Death” being so late in the album is ironic as, that’s pretty much how I feel by this point in the grand scheme of things...yet more generic metal. Closing track then “Deus Ex Monstrum” is nothing more than a kick in the bollocks quite frankly. At over ten minutes long, it’s an instrumental that takes forever to get to what sounds like computer glitching, like, it’s meant to represent them traversing between these universes, but in actuality, it reeks of pointlessness.  

For the most part, if you like your metal very run of the mill, and will just happily head-bang your day away with a can of warm Red Stripe, you crack on, you probably don’t even care who this review is about do you? Truthfully, maybe reading the graphic novel will help these tracks mean more, and it’s better off as a packaged concept from a creative standpoint, but as a stand-alone album, this is less GWAR, and more Gwhy? The metal genre wasn’t around in the 1300’s but, this album at times feels just as antiquated, ya’ bunch of musical, alien ronyon’s! [4] 
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WWW.GWAR.NET
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GWAR
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Various Artists - "The Metallica Blacklist"

14/9/2021

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Image Courtesy Of Rolling Stone
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Iconic...legendary...these are words quite often thrown around haphazardly nowadays. Like, you're at the bar and your mate goes for a round and comes back with a cheeky packet of pork scratchings, so you call him a legend. No, he’s not a legend, he’s a bell-end he could have grabbed two packs the selfish twat. I digress. When it comes to something like music, or art in general, it takes something special to garner such praise, truly, and today’s review is a real reflection of that. Today we’re going to be talking about METALLICA. 

Now, love them or hate them for whatever reasons y’all elitist metal heads have (Personally bar a couple of tracks, I’m not a massive fan of Metallica, or their style of metal in general but that’s just me) you can’t deny the impact they’ve had on heavy music since day one. Their early discography helped lay the foundations for the evolution of metal into thrash and beyond, churning out some of the most important releases of the whole genre...until in 1991, when they released arguably THE most important; “The Black Album”. 

Many OG fans felt like it was a bit of a departure from their raw origins, incorporating softer melodies and more clean vocals (James Hetfield has gone on record to say on this album he finally became a singer) and that while still Metallica, and as strong of an album it technically was, they had sold out. Sounds absurd right? “The Black Album”, already following “...And Justice For All” simply cemented them as THE biggest metal band on the planet, and in terms of the history of metal, it’s one of the foremost standard bearers. In 2021...that still holds true. 

Thirty years after its release, it’s still talked about and revered for its influence and importance, and to celebrate the albums anniversary, Metallica have decided to cherry pick a plethora of artists from all walks of life, to highlight just how influential the album has been. The artists got to pick a song of their choosing from “The Black Album” and record a cover, for what is now known, as “The Blacklist”. SIXTY-SIX versions of the songs you all know and love...in one compilation. Let’s dive into this, black hole if you will, and highlight some the more, diverse recordings on offer. 

Luckily for us, the tracks aren’t all thrown together mish mash like the running order was decided by a washing machine spin-cycle, they are categorised by specific tracks, and to start us off, we have 7 renditions of “Enter Sandman”. Let’s be honest as far as heavy metal anthems go, this is up there in the top tier; a rock club floor filler guaranteed for beer fuelled singalongs...so what do we get here? ALESSIA CARA is first up and the “Scars To Your Beautiful” songstress wraps her husky, soulful pop vocals around the track, accompanied by THE WARNING. As a performer she brings a fresh take on the vocals and this is SLICK; a very strong start here. As the track progresses, we get the heavier instrumental factors and it becomes something say, FLORENCE & THE MACHINE would drop on an EP... actually that sounds fantastic somebody make that happen.  

Sticking with “Enter Sandman” we get some interesting variations...we get WEEZER dropping a version that wouldn’t be out of place on their own “The Teal Album” compilation...a pretty straightforward cover, bar a couple of guitar tweaks and a subtle nod to “Buddy Holly”. It’s fine. RINA SAWAYAMA then takes things up a notch with a surging, riff-heavy almost techno-inspired piece of production with bold, assertive vocals, becoming possibly one of the tracks better covers ever. Occultist theatrical rockers GHOST then drop arguably the most creative cover, as they ditch the iconic intro, and delve straight into a piano-led lyrical opening. They have their distinct style, and the holy-tones soon shift into gear as the guitars erupt, and it’s an interesting take on the classic. 

Next up we have “Sad But True” and I have to say, the best version here by far comes courtesy of country artist JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT. The country/rockabilly twist with the twangy guitars gives the Alabama-born artist a unique take on the track and it really works. South Korean outfit YB offer a more up-tempo rock recording, which, while fine audibly, highlights the global reach Metallica have. 
“Holier Than Thou” takes up the third portion of the album and this kicks off with BIFFY CLYRO and to be fair, they produce quite a quirky, synth-based recording but the novelty sadly wears off as boy does this rendition drag out...you took over five minutes to do a track less than four minutes long. Absolutely no need lads. Spoiled it for yourselves. THE CHATS and OFF! Both drop simultaneous punk-rock covers which, while decent in their own right are put too closely together and it depreciates both their values. COREY TAYLOR then showcases why he is one of the most prominent voices in modern metal as he tears through his own hard rocking rendition; quite raw but with it’s own throw-back, thrash-metal vibe going on. 

Back to more ballad-based territory we find ourselves at “The Unforgiven” and CAGE THE ELEPHANT kick us off with an incredibly stripped back, indie/acoustic cover and the hushed, smoky vocals allow for an even more intimate listening experience, which suit the song quite well really. DIET CIG keep the indie aesthetic going but the New York duo bring a brasher recording to the table and it works just as well. Some of the compilations better covers come here however, as we depart far from what you would perceive Metallica to be, courtesy of FLATBUSH ZOMBIES Feat. DJ SCRATCH. We get a proper old-school hip-hop beat laid in front of us with some classic flows layered around the soft melodic vocal chorus from James Hetfield. This works surprisingly well as a mash up to be fair, it’s impressive. This can also be said for HA*ASH, as the Louisiana-based duo deliver a wonderfully relaxed harmonic clean vocal cover with acoustic, Latin-pop aesthetics giving the track some extra flavour.  
It’s safe to assume that, the most popular tracks will get the most covers as they are going to get the most attention, and as good as the aforementioned have been, if you think of “The Black Album”...you think of “Nothing Else Matters”. The ballad that sent Metallica into the mainstream stratosphere, here, gets a whopping 13 renditions...it’s essentially an album worth of tracks within itself! There’s a LOT to get through here so we’ll focus on some highlights...and we have to start with the one that got all of the attention...starring MILEY CYRUS with ELTON JOHN on piano. Originally scoffed at for her “Wrecking Ball” era output, she’s come on leaps and bounds as a vocal performer, having worked alongside everyone from DOLLY PARTON to BILLY IDOL, and credit to her here, she wraps her smoky voice around this superbly. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s confident, it’s passionate and it WORKS. Forget jumping on bandwagons and all that gubbins, you need to appreciate Miley here as a performer, this is a respect earner for even the die-hards.  

On the other end of the scale then, we get a cover I was myself personally looking forward to, courtesy of DEPECHE MODE vocalist DAVE GAHAN. His sombre rendition is practically haunting as he croons his way through the track, taking it to whole new levels of emotional torment, yet while undeniably sad, its equally undeniably beautiful; I love this. On a side note, it’s rare I highlight instrumentals but, German pianist IGOR LEVIT offers up a sincerely sweet solo piano rendition which could quite easily pass for a lullaby. 
The rest of the compilation consists then of, non-single tracks and while not necessarily less-popular, they are lesser known to mainstream audiences...deeper cuts if you will. These, naturally get sparse recognition in comparison, but they aren’t without their talking points. French vocalist IZIA does well with “My Friend Of Misery”, offering a fuzzy, up-beat electronic-tinged rock offering, despite the slightly awkward chorus transition. IMELDA MAY drops by for a quick cover of “The God That Failed” that has quite a deep, bluesy swagger, while TOMI OWO wraps her soft, husky vocals around a delicate version of “Through The Never”. It’s still got guitar presence but it’s got more of an R’n’B flavour. 

Naturally...there are over sixty tracks here, you must be thinking, surely there has to be some absolute crap littered throughout the compilation? I have to say, you would be absolutely correct. JUANES idea of “Enter Sandman” is like, he is first trying to learn THAT riff for the first ever time...it is SO jerky and dissected it detracts from the feeling of the song entirely. ROYAL BLOOD’s cover of “Sad But True” is no more than a straight-up cover with little additional character, which results in a pretty boring listen quite frankly. CHASE & STATUS with BACKROAD GEE drop this god-awful mumble-rap, grime-inspired take on “Wherever I May Roam”...I suggest you roam as far away from this as physically possible, and then defy physics and roam further. This is abysmal. Sadly, another disappointment comes courtesy of THE HU. The Mongolian throat-metal traditionalists deliver a cover of “Through The Never” in, I GUESS their native language, with some native instrumentation. It gives the track some interesting character with fresh sounds, but you lose all of the sing-along qualities here. This might be nit-picking but, it’s lacking in it’s own ways. 

Overall, over the course of this, playlist essentially, there is a noticeably distinct lack of rock and metal, and really that’s probably by design. The artists that have contributed that have kept to these genres, haven’t really brought anything new to the table and those covers in question have been really quite run of the mill...it’s the diversity of artists that Metallica were looking to showcase and they have undeniably delivered on that front. A lot of these vocalists have injected fresh ideas into thirty-year-old classics by utilising their own inspirations, backgrounds, ideas and flavours, creating a genuinely creative cocktail menu with just twelve original songs to work with. Metallica fans might not appreciate this 100%, most still living in their tight stonewashed jeans, patch-laden battle jackets and downing warm cases of beer...a bit like GNAR KILL fans I guess, (James Hetfield is Hell Boy confirmed) but for anyone curious about the legacy of this album, and have nearly six hours to kill, it’s worth a listen...I guess? [7] 
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Void Inn - "End This Game"

7/3/2021

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I want to briefly talk about horror films. Those of you that know me well enough should know that, if there’s one thing I love as much as berating a shitty album, it’s laughing at a low budget straight to DVD horror movie. Dishonourable mentions go to my friends Bleddyn, for THE DRONE and, Joanne with SHARK EXORCIST...seriously the eyesight I’ve wasted there is unreal, but honestly, I love that shit. Obviously, the bargain bin budget choices will have their niche audience, but sometimes even though you know things are going to be bad, the classic horror movie tagline just sucks you in... 

There are plenty of iconic tag lines, such as “Great Trilogies Come In Threes” from SCARY MOVIE 3...”T’was The Night Before Christmas, And All Through The House, Not A Creature Was Stirring...They Were All Dead” from DON’T OPEN TILL’ CHRISTMAS, or my new personal favourite, “Unwittingly, He Trained A Dolphin To Kill The President Of The United States” from 1973’s THE DAY OF THE DOLPHIN...apparently that’s a thing which I now need to see. Sometimes however, there is absolutely no salvation...and appropriately for this segue I’m going to borrow a line from 2010’s A SERBIAN FILM, as I emphasise that, not all films, or in this case, reviews, have a happy ending. 
 
Let me introduce you to VOID INN; formed in California by vocalist Jelena Vujanovic and guitarist Sinisa Pejovic, following studies at the Hollywood Music Institute, they now reside in Belgrade, Serbia, and got in touch with me at the beginning of the year to tell me about their latest album “End This Game”. According to the bio that accompanied their email request, their sound can be summed up as powered by fierce riffs, odd meters, virtuoso guitar parts and a large range of unique vocal tones...and it’s that last bit that frightens me. Let’s press play and see if “End This Game” will just have me wanting to end my own life... 

We open up with “Stay Young” and the initial surge of riffs, guitar licks and percussion is encouraging...it takes on a predominantly harder rock, thrash-esque sound with the tracks general tone and instrumental delivery. It borrows from the likes of METALLICA as well as slower, darker genres for a very heavy methodical approach. Vocally however...imagine James Hetfield somehow managed to sound flat while being out of every key simultaneously, and was a woman. That last bit is irrelevant to the quality, purely descriptive, but yeah. There is potential in Jelena’s raspy vocal snarls when she does unleash, more like Alexi Laiho may he rest in peace, but other than that, this raises red flags. “Dead Of Night” only highlights this issue...as the fluctuation between the aggressive vocal snarls and the cleaner singing is more frequent, and those snarls really show up Jelena’s lack of real range.  

The title track slots itself in halfway through this mini album as if it were a sentient compilation of tracks...the album wants to end itself prematurely and really that says everything you need to know. Even Jigsaw would want nothing to do with this game. I can see him now, peddling the fuck out of his little tricycle trying to get away. Musically, before I get carried away, it’s more of the same. Moving on. “Just Another Day” starts off really quite quaintly with some softly plucked guitar notes, but it progressively gets darker, channelling certain BLACK SABBATH influences, until those riffs burst through the door kicking the track into gear. Sadly, because of the accompanying vocals, that gear is reverse. “Show Me What You Got” instantly takes my mind to RICK ‘N’ MORTY and that interplanetary song contest episode, and it’s safe to say by comparison, Void Inn are severely lacking in schwifty, before we finally then close proceedings with “Hello Misery”, and, that frankly perfectly sums up the feeling taken away from this record.  

While I can appreciate the quality of musicianship here (It’s a decent enough dose of hard rock and metal instrumentation, nothing too flash or fancy, straightforward and effective) it’s another case of a record being let down by the vocals. Now I’m not sure if Jelena was trying too hard and just came across like, a stereotypical parody of your typically gruff, rock and metal vocalists, or if she genuinely thinks that this sounds good. End this game? End this album please, and AVOID Inn. [2] 

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/VOIDINN
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Unlucky Dip (19/05/2020)

19/5/2020

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I get A LOT of emails, not as many as big publications obviously, but for me, I get a lot, and I literally can’t keep up with them all. This means I either take virtually forever getting around to some reviews, resulting in the peak promotion period usually having been and gone, for that I do apologise. Sometimes I forget about submissions entirely, for which I also apologise, and a lot of the time, I’m sent singles. Now, this blog has been running since 2014 and 99% of the content here, bar the odd rare article, is comprised of EP and album reviews. I’ve nothing against the humble single, I miss the days of picking up CD singles in Woolworths wondering what B-Sides you’d be treated to…but writing a full review for just A single is something I’ve always personally deemed a bit of a ball ache.

Going forward, I am going to try to, once a week (The key word being try here, I’m making no promises) present a general collection of single submissions from my inbox in one article, to try and ensure I don’t miss out on potential gems, and more importantly, to also clear some space in my inbox (At this time of writing I have around 650 unread emails…LOL). With that in mind, here are seven randomly selected tracks that I have been sent, that I would like to share with you, in the first GTGC Unlucky Dip; the result of combining Speed Dating with the heartfelt Comedy Roast.

Heavyman - "Baby Jean"

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We're going to kick this feature off with a 4-piece from London by the name of HEAVYMAN. Comprising of vocalist/guitarist Charlie Yang, drummer Tom Papaloizou (I'm pretty sure he was in "The League Of Gentlemen"?) bassist Igor Fonseca and lead guitarist Nick Burns, they recently got in touch, stating that were fans of the blog and were themselves fueled by alcohol and sarcasm, asking me to check out their debut single "Baby Jean". How could I possible refuse?

Initially sounding like something you'd hear from early TURBONEGRO, it soon transitions into a more methodical, groove-rich slow jam of a southern blues rock effort. It covers all the bases with some slick guitar work and vocal swagger for some textbook classic blues rock. With more tracks scheduled to be released over the coming months, these are ones to watch.

Rory K - "Heat Thru Your Body"

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"Now this is a story all about how my life got, at most, mildly inconvenienced, but I'd like to take a minute just to share this my friend, and talk about this new single by The Fresh Prince Of Bellend".

You know all the meme's with "Now listen here you little shit..."? Well that's essentially me right now with RORY K. A native of downtown Manhattan, New York, Rory was born into a musical family, with his dad having been in the late 80's socio-political rock group BLACK 47. So imagine his dad's disappointment to see Rory here peddling some of the most uninspired, cringe-worthy rap/hip-hop an eleventeen-year-old would perform, on the track "Heat Thru Your Body"...I bet he finds vanilla spicy.

From the intro that sounds like seagulls having a stroke, to the combination of abysmal lyrics and self-indulgent vocals...and the embarrassing video, it's just...no. The bit where Rory is, (I'll use this term loosely) "performing" in front of some street graffiti, why are you holding a mic? You look like an absolute tit mate. And you emailed me three times for this? Assuming I hadn't replied because I couldn't stop dancing to the track? I would sooner invite my enemies to dance upon my grave than dance to this myself. And it's through*...for the record. I'm beginning to regret this new feature already...

Deejay Centipede - "Twerk It Out"

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I honestly don't know why I get sent this stuff...I'm not against rap and however many hip-hop subcultures there actually are, but it is SO rare I find any that I genuinely like. I can appreciate a flow, or a beat, sure, but there is too much recycled rap out there full of cliches about money, bitches, drugs and ho's and quite frankly I don't care about any of it.

"Twerk It Out" is the new track from Cleveland Ohio based hio-hop veteran DEEJAY CENTIPEDE, who has been spinning records since the 80's, and it features Sonny Vajra and Tee Hova...which...means absolutely nothing to me. It's got a certain 90's vibe going on which I guess you could describe as "fresh", with some soft synths poorly underlying some genuinely irritating clapping percussion. A lot of autotune going on in the vocals, and I can't lie, outside of this blog, I wouldn't listen to this...I'd rather be in the middle of a Human Centipede truth be told, but that's just me. As of now I'm outlawing Twerking on GTGC. 

Mother's Cake - "Toxic Brother"

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Austrian psychedelic rock trio MOTHER'S CAKE (Consisting of lead vocalist/guitarist Yves Krismer, bassist Benedikt Trenkwalder and drummer/backing vocalist Jan Haussels) are set to release their new album sometime in the Autumn of 2020, and tease interesting things to come with their latest single "Toxic Brother".

The onslaught of fuzzy guitars and echoed vocals, delivered among a frenetic, up-tempo barrage of stoner sludge-punk is as fun as it is exciting; the energy is real here and it'll easily appeal to fans of say, EXIT_INTERNATIONAL. The gradual fade-out of the track counters the increasing levels of insanity as you can hear the mental breakdown as it happens...this is a solid track.

Smiling Assassin - "National Pride"

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Returning to the UK now and more specifically; Hull, and we have a four-piece hardcore punk outfit by the name of SMILING ASSASSIN. Consisting of vocalist George Garnett, drummer Robbie Johnson, guitarist Josh Rogerson and bassist Casey Stead, they were forwarded to me by the wonderful folk over at Rage PR.

The new socio-political single "National Pride" is taken off the forthcoming album "Plight Of The Millennial" which is penciled for release on May 31st, and it combines all the vitriolic aggression of hardcore punk with the instrumental impatience of trash metal, easily taking influence from the likes of THE EXPLOITED or MUNICIPAL WASTE. It's an intense listen and suggests that the new album is going to be an absolute scorcher.

Hayden Brenen - "Mi Carino (feat. L.D.N.)"

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Now I'll start off by saying this...on initial listen, it's not as annoying as "Despacito"...but I'm not ruling it out overtime. It's another one of this Latino-inspired R'n'B/rap offerings that's meant to sound all smooth and sexy in the club, but I'd rather just sit in the corner with a warm bottle of Bacardi squeezing fresh lime directly into my eyeballs. 

L.D.N's contribution is fine and his rapping isn't bad, probably the most enjoyable aspect of this track in all fairness, but that doesn't really say much. Also, Mi Carino means My Sweety...creepy much. Your Nan singing this is she mate? Bomboclaat don't say shit like sweety fam ya get me? Real talk blud. I just lost the plot, literally watched it run off...

Calling All Astronauts - "Welcome To The Black Bloc"

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We round off this selection of tracks by coming full circle back to London, to find CALLING ALL ASTRONAUTS an their newest single "Welcome To The Black Bloc". The trio (Consisting of vocalist/programmer David B, guitarist JJ and bassist Paul "Buzzsaw McCrudden) mix elements of punk rock attitude and an electronic, almost light industrial tone for their sound, bridging the likes of PITCHSHIFTER, MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE and MINISTRY for a no-nonsense blast of socio-political neo-dystopian noise.

The single is officially released on May 29th, with the new album, entitled "#Resist" dropping shortly after on June 5th, via Supersonic Media which I'm sure is going to an incredibly charged listen.

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The Massacre Cave - "Godlust"

21/3/2020

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Aren’t massacres just the best? They come in a whole assortment of colours, shapes and sizes…Birthday Massacres, Texas Chainsaw Massacres, Slumber Party Massacres, Pizza Girl Massacres… (I could go on, I just had a field day on IMDb) and ooh boy, Columbine was a work of art wasn’t it! (I jest; shooting up children is frowned upon in the UK) However let’s be honest, while alternative music and horror movies may overuse the word to the point it’s almost desensitized, it’s the very real incidents such as Columbine that, capture the most intrigue and make for some of the most fascinating stories. This brings us to today’s band…THE MASSACRE CAVE.

While at first glance the name could very well be taken from yet another low budget slasher movie, The Massacre Cave are in fact a 4-piece alternative metal band from and around The Isle Of Eigg, Scotland. Situated in the Inner Hebrides, Eigg is a small island with an equally small population, but while it lacks in mass…it makes up for in mass murder, and this is where they get their name. According to clan tradition, way back in 1577, around 395 people were suffocated and killed while sheltering from the MacLoed clan inside the Cave Of Frances. The MacLoed’s, seeking revenge following a fall-out, found the islanders in hiding and started fires at the caves entrance, asphyxiating everyone inside, virtually wiping out the islands population. Or so they say. Might be a load of bollocks, who knows?

Anyway, history lesson over, The Massacre Cave (Who consist of guitarists/vocalists Joe and Ben Cormack, bassist Jodie Bremaneson and drummer Pete Colquhoun) originally formed in 2005, quickly becoming recognised within independent circles and within Scottish national tabloids for their intense sound and live shows, especially their breakout single “Behemoth”. Now, in 2020 we find them releasing their brand new album “Godlust” through Red Death Records…Joe sent me an email asking me to check it out…so let’s do just that before they send a clan after me!

The 8-track mini album opens up with “We Own The Sun” and after some gradually built, galloping riffs, we’re met with a wall of assertive percussion, channelling a rich progressive metal aesthetic with the off-kilter, rhythmic yet, technical fret-work. Vocally intense; combining an almost southern groove with guttural growling, making for a tumultuous opening. “From The Mountains” transitions in then nicely and there seems to be a little more structure to the instrumentation; the guitars seem that bit more regimented and disciplined, while vocally it’s as though we’ve taken influence from the likes of early SATYRICON in places. There’s the subtlest hint of black metal adding flavour to the track while still utilising traditional thrash influences, all combining to create that aforementioned progressive sound.

The blackened influences continue on the intro to “Tetramethrin” before the gruff vocals take the track down a more sludge-metal avenue, yet there are glimmers of the likes of Jaz Coleman of KILLING JOKE sprinkled here and there, there’s a fair variety of styles layered throughout these tracks in all honesty, making for an interesting listen. We have a couple of sub-three-minute offerings too starting with “Godfrey”, and it’s no more than a quaint little acoustic-led instrumental, breaking up proceedings nicely I will admit, while “Red Death” capitalises on those early thrash qualities, benefiting from some crisp recording, the solo here too just the cherry on top of quite the enjoyable track.

Finally then we do end up on the title track and again, we have a bountiful blend of genres, styles and sounds that fleet between progressive and traditional metal, ambient yet, avant-garde experimentation. It’s got some great hooks and balances it’s gentler melodies with its more crunching guitar work really well, ending the album on a positive note. Essentially The Massacre Cave tick a variety of boxes and if you enjoy your music somewhere between, say, early OPETH and MASTODON then you may find ample enjoyment over the course of these eight tracks. Despite living in the arse end of nowhere they’ve accumulated a smörgåsbord of influences, resulting in a colourful approach to progressive metal. Now if you’ll excuse me…I have the sudden urge to watch The Descent. [6]

THEMASSACRECAVE.BANDCAMP.COM
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Democratus - "Damnation" EP

16/11/2019

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The last time we caught up with DEMOCRATUS, the South Wales metal conglomerate (Consisting of vocalist Steve Jenkins, guitarists Joey Watkins and Rich Rees, bassist Stu Rake and drummer Zak Skane) had just released their 2018 debut EP “Starting Again”…and it was in all fairness rather apropos. Having formed out of the ashes of their previous collective bands such as COUNTERHOLD and CANNIBAL GOD, the five-piece really were starting again, and truth be told it did them the world of good, as 2018 saw them off to a frankly superb start.

Not only was the EP received well but they managed to bag themselves a slot at Bloodstock Festival courtesy of their coveted Metal To The Masses competition, cementing their status as one’s to watch on the unsigned metal scene (Aided by some determined self-promotion). With their profile rising and with the band finding themselves expanding their live audience venue by venue, it’s perfect timing for them to drop their 2nd EP “Damnation”, to really strike while the iron is hot. The band recently asked me to check it out ahead of its release this December, and I’ll be damned if I don’t!

The EP opens up with “Is This Fear” and immediately we’re swept up in this surging yet harmonious, grand cinematic instrumental intro; we’re literally seconds in and already we find the band’s sound has evolved as they experiment with their approach. It doesn’t take long however before the metal kicks in and once again you can hear a diverse array of influences in their style, ranging from classic melodic metal, to thrash to death-infused, polyrhythmic brutality. It yo-yo’s between the calm and almost carnivorous quite well and the song is well-balanced, kicking this EP off nicely.

Follow up track “BTK” however slows things RIGHT down and the transition is almost jarring. The subdued plucking of guitar strings and restrained percussion is almost creepy as it sets a foreboding tone, until the track comes to life with a more regimented style of death metal. The riffs are semi-sluggish as they chug along with a doom-like sensibility, while the vocal delivery is almost bullet pointed. A totally different approach to our opener but while not as entertaining, it does highlight that diversity in their influences all the more. The title track returns to a more traditional metal approach instrumentally, though retaining a distinct heaviness, while the bulk of the vocals stick to guttural growling, chorus aside (Especially that impressive note Steve hits at the tracks climax), and you can hear the bands admiration for the likes of AMON AMARTH and INSOMNIUM. Finally then, closing track “Dead Without Dying” rounds things up with another weighted, borderline somnolent display of riffs that’s sadly more than a little anti-climactic.

What’s clear is that the band are unafraid to try to concoct their own brand of melodic death metal, still dabbling in an array of genres, still finding room to experiment a little more. The trouble however in doing that is Democratus are still seemingly trying to find their identity. There ARE more signs here that they are in fact heading more down the route of heavier, death-inspired metal; this EP seems angrier in presentation and delivery, but they aren’t 100% there yet. As with their debut, the weakest aspects really are the cleaner vocals and to be fair they’ve restricted that aspect of their sound here, with less power metal vocalisation, and really that suits them a lot more. With the bands profile growing show by show, coupled with the bands passion and determination, Democratus are absolutely on the right path and making all the right steps, but this path is a long and winding one, and their journey has only just begun. [6]

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DEMOCRATUSBAND
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Slipknot - "We Are Not Your Kind"

10/8/2019

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So what’s YOUR favourite type of knot? Is it a Half Hitch? Perhaps a Bowline or a Sheet Bend? Of course not, we all know its SLIPKNOT, and with bloody good reason! The Iowan nonet started life in the mid-to-late 90’s and from day one they practically turned the world on its head, over time becoming arguably the biggest modern metal band on the planet. Between the mystery of their masked persona’s and the brutality of their early crossover genre-mashing, it didn’t take them long to get noticed, and they helped revolutionise alternative music as we know it. Sure, there have been trials and tribulations along the way, but the band have always bounced back stronger than ever…proven emphatically on their last album; 2014’s “.5: The Gray Chapter”.

Following the death of bassist Paul Gray, the band found themselves in purgatory, and the resulting album was both the closure of one chapter of Slipknot, a nod to Paul and an appreciation of everything preceding it, but also the beginning of a new era; a rebirth, and all signs pointed towards a brutal, unrelenting future. What exactly did that future have in store? Well aside from keeping things ticking over with festival appearances and a live album, the band did initially return in 2018 with a rare stand-alone single “All Out Life”, reminding fans that they were still very much active creatively, with the track itself acting as a rallying cry, encouraging everyone to live in the now and not dwell on the past. This only got fans excited for what was to come…and what came was this; “We Are Not Your Kind”. What direction were Slipknot heading in in this new chapter of their storied career? I challenge you to all-out fucking listen with me…

We open up with “Insert Coin” and we’re greeted with a strangely ominous intro-track fuelled by semi-retro arcade style synths that meander gently, as the instrumentation washes over you with a calming motion. It’s as though we’re on the title screen here getting ready to press play and dive into this brand new game as Corey says in a chilling manner “I’m counting all the killers..” and it’s an interesting start. First track proper then “Unsainted” gets the album underway properly and what an opener…from the initially haunting children’s choir it gradually builds in atmosphere and intensity until it explodes into a frenzy of blistering vocals with pummelling riffs and percussion. It carries on from the previous album in terms of delivery; blending visceral verses with a clean, hook-rich chorus. It’s a powerful track.

From here on in however, the album gets VERY interesting…recent single “Birth Of The Cruel” slows things down with a more methodical riff and plenty of tinny percussion. Vocally clean for the most part until Corey lets rip during the chorus segments, countered by Sid Wilson’s trademark scratching harking back to the bands earlier days. “Death Because Of Death” is our first interlude and takes on an almost hypnotic tribal tone; simple and repetitive before transitioning  straight into “Nero Forte”, instantly waking up the listener with more classic Slipknot riffs and up-tempo lyricism, again bridging the gap between the now and the bands early years. Another album highlight, “Critical Darling”, continues on with the “…Gray Chapter” aesthetic with plenty of key-changes, vocal switch-up techniques and allows for a variety of sensations, fluctuating effortlessly between harsh and harmonious.

​This fluctuation is a reoccurring theme throughout the whole album in all honesty; it zigs where you think it’ll zag and vice versa…”Red Flag” is a traditionally blistering onslaught, fuelled by a frantic pacing and old-school aesthetic, again harking back to the Knot’s earlier days, while interlude “What’s Next” comes across as actual elevator music! Like, seriously lads what the fuck is next? Where else can you take this? “Spiders” houses an almost Halloween-esque piano lead allowing for a generally creepier vibe, bordering on polyrhythmic in places; it’s got a subtle prog delivery, before we eventually end on promotional single “Solway Firth”. Coming full circle from the intro, we count all the killers over a typically bombastic masked-metal approach that bridges gaps between modern era and the “…Subliminal Verses” days.

Ultimately what can be said about the Iowan’ nine in 2019? Their groove-heavy, pulverising metal is still there in abundance and coupled with their nu-metal origins, thrash sensibilities and Corey’s ability to deliver a mainstream alternative anthem, Slipknot are as Slipknot as ever here but MORE. There are no real definitive hits like “Dead Memories” or “Snuff” to appeal to the wider audience…fuck no; if anything they’ve gone the opposite direction. Sure there are some great hooks throughout this record, but the presentation here showcases so much experimentation and a lack of fucks given this is arguably Slipknot’s most prog-metal album to date. It doesn’t settle for a style, not even Slipknot’s own, and that’s where it deserves praise. We all know Slipknot can and will deliver, it’s practically a given these days, but they still opted to tear up their own rule-book and go crazy. “We Are Not Your Kind” is a metaphorical middle finger to not only the fans that just want Iowa 2.0, but also metal in general. It might be more experimental to what you are used to from the Clown and co…but fuck me this is a Slipknot album and a half. Insert another coin mate, I want another go at this…[7]

WWW.SLIPKNOT1.COM
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Children Of Bodom - "Hexed"

30/3/2019

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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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WWW.COBHC.COM
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My Wreckord Collection: Colin James MacFarlane

6/3/2019

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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…
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BUSTED - "A PRESENT FOR EVERYONE"

"The self-titled Busted album was the first album I ever owned, but 'A Present For Everyone' was better than it in every single way so I consider it to be the more important album for me! This was the first album in my life where every album track is better than every single, people write Busted off as a gimmicky band writing about air hostesses and crashing weddings, but those are just the singles (And great singles they are) but the album tracks town down the gimmicks and are really, really great songs, I could name them all; 'Falling For You', 'That Thing You Do', 'Over Now', 'Fake', 'Meet You There', 'Why', 'Loner In Love', 'Better Than This', 'Can't Break Thru', 'Nerdy'...FUCK ME THOSE ARE GREAT SONGS! It's a 15 track album too so I'm surprised the record label didn't stop them and say 'There's too many hits on this album, stop there and save some for the next album!' but their song writing and musicianship is at their absolute peak here! This album was a magic moment in time and I'm super grateful to have such an all killer no filler album from the first band I ever got into otherwise I don't think I would've fallen in love with music like I did, BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT!”


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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE - "RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE"

"How in actual fuck can a band be this good? Perhaps the first band to actually blow my mind how good they were with this album, song writing and musicianship and production is the best it'll ever be on here, phenomenal start to finish, a moment in time that even the band themselves couldn't replicate! 'Evil Empire' and 'The Battle Of Los Angeles' are good albums, but self-titled is FUCKING MIND BLOWING INSANE! ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS EVER MADE! FUCKING RIDICULOUS LEVELS OF AMAZING!"


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METALLICA - "ST. ANGER"

"During a school lunch break in 2006 when I was 14, my 2 friends were trashing Metallica and were saying the song 'St. Anger' sucked so I just had to hear it! [Laughs] I'd never heard Metallica before, so I got home and searched for Metallica - St. Anger on YouTube and it was the best fucking riff I'd ever heard! I was mind-blown and thought ‘If this is meant to be their WORST, imagine what their BEST stuff is like!?’ and I found 'Enter Sandman', 'Battery', 'Master Of Puppets' and loved these songs enough to order some CDs from Amazon so I bought 'Master Of Puppets', 'The Black Album' and 'St. Anger'. I fucking LOVED 'Master Of Puppets' and was again, mind blown, 'The Black Album' was next and eh, I liked it but found it really middle of the road, then I played 'St. Anger' and it was so fucking crushing heavy and fucking crazy, sounds like a band that lost their damn minds and didn't give a fuck! So many hooks, so many crushingly heavy riffs, it follows no rules, it's its own genre, I was so drawn to it's I suppose you could say ‘rebelliousness’ and to this day I still am!

Sure I understand the ‘no guitar solos and drum sounds like a trash can’ criticisms but as the album was already 3 years old when I heard it and I was new to Metallica it didn't give me the negative reaction it gave people when it first came out who'd been following the band for years. I chose 'St. Anger' as my life changing album for showing me that sometimes you should go crazy and not give a fuck, 'Master Of Puppets' is better sure, but those songs are so elegantly written that I don't relate to it as much as Metallica just hammering out some insanity in the form of music."



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GREENDAY - "21ST CENTURY BREAKDOWN"

"Perhaps my favourite album of all time…I have the chills for 75 minutes straight, this album does something to me that no other album does, it’s just a JOURNEY. I was a huuuuge Green Day fan-boy for 5 whole years and listened the shit out of all their albums and couldn't believe when they released a new album in 2009, that they'd actually made an album I loved even more than the 7 that preceded it, an absolute masterpiece. I'm one of those weirdo’s who thinks 'Insomniac' is a step up from 'Dookie' and '21st Century Breakdown' a step up from 'American Idiot'! [Laughs]. Side note, I named my band Breakdown Face because my friend Ethan said to me on MSN Messenger that he was going to call his new band No Face but I was like ‘that's a shit name, call it...’ (My 21st Century Breakdown CD was on my computer desk) "...Breakdown Face or something" and I was like I'M KEEPING THAT!" [Laughs]


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LINKIN PARK - "METEORA"

"FUCKING MIND BLOWING ALBUM! It takes the 'Hybrid Theory' formula, makes everything darker, heavier and most importantly BETTER! It's short too so I can listen to it twice, thrice, 4 times a day sometimes, by far my most played album of the last 2 years anyway, PUMPS ME UP SO MUCH! The drum machine intro into the riff of 'Don't Stay', the ‘the very worst part of you...IS MEEEEEE!!!!!!!’ middle section of 'Lying From You', FUUUUUCK THIS ALBUM IS RIDICULOUS! The very best nu metal has ever been, absolute masterpiece and one of my favourite albums of all time!"


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OASIS - "BE HERE NOW"

"I'd been an Oasis fan for years, but I fell into the trap of ‘Only the first 2 albums are good’ and had never bothered to listen beyond 'Morning Glory', but when I finally did I was MIND BLOWN! You mean THIS is the album people say is when Oasis went downhill? I literally couldn't believe how good it is, the most punk, the most trippy, the most epic Oasis have ever been, they pushed themselves to their absolute limits here! Everything people say is bad about the album (Long songs, layers and layers of guitars) is exactly why I LOVE it!

I believe the reason most people don't give it a chance is because Oasis have a very, for lack of a better word ‘normie’ audience and this album is TOO epic for them and doesn't cater to the 4 minute hit songs they like! Every song is fucking great, but to mention some individually 'MY BIG MOUTH', 'THE GIRL IN THE DIRTY SHIRT', 'I HOPE I THINK I KNOW', 'IT'S GETTING BETTER MAN'!!!!! Absolute fucking MASTERPIECE from start to finish, not just one of MY favourite albums of all time, but I strongly think that my opinion aside, it's one of THE best albums ever made and because journalists won't say it no one will, trust me on this one people!"



WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BREAKDOWNFACEMUSIC
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Dewar PR Presents...

14/2/2019

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DEWAR PR is a PR company based out of Ontario, Canada, run by CEO Curtis Dewar. Specialising in all that is hard and heavy within the music industry, Dewar champions all of the underground genres such as sludge, stoner rock and other sub-divisions of heavy metal, allowing them the platform and opportunity to reach out to new set of ears worldwide. You may already be familiar with a couple of their clients through my recent 'My Wreckord Collection feature', but if you really want a taste of what Dewar has to offer, then look no further.

“Dewar PR Presents” is a brand new, FREE TO DOWNLOAD sampler compilation album, consisting of seventeen tracks by seventeen different artists, showcasing the variety of metal you can find within their catalogue of bands. Whether you like the groove-heavy hypnotic drones of sludge lords FALSE GODS….the traditional sound of old school thrashers TOMMY CONCRETE, the classic, sensual darkness of Gothic rockers HER DESPAIR, or even the sweet vocal harmonies of DUST PROPHET, there is sure to be something for you over the course of this record. Curtis himself says;

“I’m pleased to release the latest in our series of compilations! This is the fifth year of Dewar PR being in operation and I’m excited to have the chance to work with great new bands.  Download the compilation and support (with money) any of the bands that you enjoy! If you’d like more information on promoting your next release with Dewar PR, please email me at dewarpr@gmail.com!”

Follow the link below to download the sampler…did I mention it’s fucking FREE?!?! Get on it!

Track List:
1] FALSE GODS – “They Who Speak To The Lost”
2] OWL MAKER – “Witches”
3] TOMMY CONCRETE –“Leith Punk Flat”
4] HER DESPAIR – “Blaspheme With Me”
5] GORM – “Beyond Black Rainbow”
6] CHAOS SYNOPSIS – “Sixteen Scourges”
7] ALICEISSLEEPING – “Scary Mary”
8] RITUAL EARTH – “Solar Ecstasy”
9] DEATH ON FIRE – “Witch Hunter (Remix)”
10] VESSEL – “The Dreaming”
11] BLESSED BLACK – “Stormbringer”
12] STUMP TAIL DOLLY – “Regret”
13] ALLFATHER – “By Sword By Famine By Plague”
14] DUST PROPHET – “The Big Lie”
15] ARCHARUS – “Erebor”
16] RIFT – “Lift To Ash”
17] DESERT KINGDOM – “Unleash All Hell”

WWW.DEWARPR.BANDCAMP.COM
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Blacklist 9 - "Mentally Ill, Legally Sane"

10/2/2019

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Jonathan Davis and Fred Durst once very lovingly tried to tell us that, it’s all in the family…and though while more of a roast battle than anything else, ideologically, the sentiment rings true more often than not. Families and close relatives especially will always have a natural bond that’s hard to find elsewhere, and this can be incredibly beneficial for musicians and performers. You can look back through history and find some of the most successful recording artists of all time have been blood relatives; THE BEE GEES, THE BEACH BOYS, THE JACKSON 5…and even up to modern times the importance and value of that bond has been hammered home by the sad passing of Tom Searle of ARCHITECTS…and this brings us to today’s band. Let me introduce you to BLACKLIST 9.

Originally formed in Southern California back in 2013, they are the brainchild of founding members (Also father and son duo) Lonnie and Kyle Silva. With Lonnie on drums and Kyle taking up guitars, they initially started as all bands do, jamming in the garage, making some noise…but this soon turned into an aspiration and an actual project as opposed to a hobby. After a demo or two with some local musicians and some extensive local gigging, they caught the bug; this is what they wanted to do and so, taking this seriously, they had a shuffle in the ranks. Brought in were new vocalist Graham Fletcher and bassist Ray Burke, and so began the journey of writing and recording their proper debut. Scheduled for release this coming March via Eclipse Records, let’s find out why Blacklist 9 are “Mentally Ill, Legally Sane”…

The album opens up with “Azzip” and although no more than an intro piece, it’s absolutely fucking demented…some quiet knocking leading into this, intensifying tinny guitar and a wall of sheer, noise, clutter and distortion. Some of the squeals emanating from these speakers right now leads me to believe I’m PRETTY sure someone is being recorded raping a pig here, but it’s hard to tell really…utterly psychotic. First track proper then, “Stand In Line” actually gives some musicianship which after that opening is frankly fucking welcome! With the deep, bass-heavy riffs and coarse production it takes on an up-tempo, southern groove metal / sludge crossover style…though the solo is clean…a bit like finding a pound coin that’s been dropped in dog shit. I mean it’s a pound coin, you might need it for a trolley like, but you aren’t picking it up. On a serious note, if anything you could liken this to a drunken VIKING SKULL demo with added heaviness.

“Kali Smile”
has a drawn-out riff-driven intro that eventually incorporates some up-beat, rhythmic percussion and again it’s all about the groove with these guitar hooks…in ways it can be likened to the likes of MUDVAYNE in places instrumentally, though aesthetically the nu-metal is more of a nuance. The vocals are still brash and aggressive, and are about as appealing as cauliflower ear for the most part, though it has to be said the death growls salvage things in the long run. “Liars” takes a more classic-thrash inspired approach with its pacey delivery and there are hints of SLAYER and PANTERA trickling through here as influences, the solo guitar work is again, a highlight. Early demo track “Madness” makes a reappearance, nothing truly stand out as it slowly chugs itself along, before we finish up on “Legally Sane”; returning to that southern groove metal style, the album’s title track, inspired the trial of mass-shooter James Holmes who murdered 12 people in that dreadful Colorado theatre shooting.

Coming back to my initial point about family bonds and chemistry, it’s easy to see that, musically things ARE working out here; for a debut first and foremost and secondly for a sludge metal inspired musical style, they’re on the right path, Lonnie and Kyle clearly have a vision…the riffs and percussion are solid and the overall guitar work is fine, there’s definitely a market for this, but it’s vocally where these fall down. If it weren’t for the death metal growls Graham would miss the mark completely here, as when he’s not growling he’s grating…there’s no REAL tone to his voice and it all just becomes angry venting after a while. Honestly, they’d be mentally ill to not consider replacing him and really work on that aspect of the bands overall presentation, for it’s those vocals that bring some decent metal down. Blacklist 9 by name but, not as many listens for me to blacklist them…for now at least. [2]

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BLACKLIST9MUSIC
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Legion Of The Damned - "Slaves Of The Shadow Realm"

24/1/2019

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Back in 1992, back when I was still only 3 years old and barely singing ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’, death metal was arguably at its mainstream peak, sacrificing those very lambs I sang of, ready to branch out like THAT rape scene from ‘Evil Dead’, into a myriad of other malevolent  genres…violating all whose ears fell upon it. During that time, today’s band underwent their formation and for a long time they went by the name of OCCULT, following in the footsteps of Norway’s earliest death metal bands…but in 2006, they transformed into the band we know them as today; LEGION OF THE DAMNED.

Not to be confused with former WWF/WWE tag team Legion Of Doom (Though noticeably not as intimidating) The current line-up consists of long-time members Maurice Swinkels and Erik Fleuren on vocals and guitars respectively, accompanied by bassist Harold Gielen and drummer Twan Van Geel, but while their name may have changed, their core principles remain, as they unleashed their 13th studio album; “Slaves Of The Shadow Realm” very early in January 2019. Let’s see if a cold, dark winter night is the perfect environment for such an album to exist…

The album opens up with “The Widow’s Breed” and it pretty much sets the tone and feel of the album from the word go…with the intense blend of frantic, technical death; the viciously spat blackened vocals of Maurice and a classic, thrash metal inspired core sound…it really is in your face and unrelenting. Whatever the hell they are, if this is how they breed no wonder they’re widows! I DARE you to try and fuck to this song; you won’t have a dick left! “Charnel Confession” then with its opening cracklings gives a feeling of an old-school approach…fast-paced and up-tempo, yet with a strong groove, not to mention the sporadic, wild guitar solo, it channels with it the likes of fellow countrymen IMMORTAL and MAYHEM.

The thrash-elements shine through again on tracks like “Palace Of Sin” and you can see where earlier artists like SLAYER and EXODUS have rubbed off on them stylistically, with both the riff-work and percussion going full throttle from the get go. It’s not all hard and heavy however, not quite anyway, as “Shadow Realm Of The Demonic Mind” initially gets underway with a gentle, melancholic piano-led intro, really breaking up the bombardment at the halfway point, though it sadly doesn’t last very long. The rest of the album is predominantly by-numbers classic blackened death metal…though interestingly, they’ve thrown in two bonus tracks (“Priest Hunt” and “Azazel’s Crown”) BEFORE the end of the album, which is different. The latter housing more of those screeching guitar wails, and another solo, but not really diversifying all that much…

Truth be told, Legion Of The Damned they are, and have been for a while now, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t just another standard thrash/death crossover album. I’m not knocking them musically as a unit, they deliver technically very well, they sound crisp, tight and the production here is sound for the genre, but it’s really nothing you haven’t already heard before. Never mind the shadow realm; they’re more like slaves to their own heritage. [5]
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WWW.LEGIONOFTHEDAMNED.NET
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My Wreckord Collection: Markus Wikander

11/1/2019

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PictureNever meet your heroes, proclaims Markus Wikander...as he holds his signed Anthrax album. The pooch sniffs hypocrisy...
Recently I premiered a new feature for the GTGC reviews page, something which I dubbed "My Wreckord Collection". It's a simple premise, artists and band members from all walks of life take a break from plugging and promoting their own material, and instead get to nerd out over their own personal tastes and private record collections. On our first entry we went in hard and heavy, literally, as Mike Churry, drummer from Philadelphia death metal outfit BASILYSK briefly talked us through five of his favourite obscure death metal albums. In this installment, we'll be hearing from Markus Wikander, vocalist / guitarist of Swedish hardcore thrashers LEACH, who released their newest album "Hymns For The Hollow" in 2018...lets percolate through his personal picks and see what inspires him.

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IRON MAIDEN - "The X factor" (Picture Disk)

"The first one with Blaze Bayley and I guess the most hated Maiden album (Might be Futureal). To me this is when I first discovered them and a total classic. Might have been the first album I ever bought but not sure. Love the lack of distorted guitars yet such a dark production. Got it as a picture disc a few years back."

Favorite song: "Fortunes Of War."

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ANTHRAX - "Penikufesin" EP

"First vinyl I ever bought and the album that made me wanna play guitar. Bought it at a second hand store and I got to borrow my dads player. Played the B-side over and over again (Only had three songs). First one with Anthrax for me and didn't have a clue that most of the songs where covers!." 

Favorite song: "Parasite" (KISS).

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ANTHRAX - "Spreading The Disease"

"So after that I got really into Anthrax. A few years later they reunited as the "classic" lineup (2005?). They were coming to Sweden Rock Festival and I was really stoked about it. They were having this signing booth so I was standing in line with a friend. He had this patched up jeans vest with his favorite bands and he was a power metal guy which I thought was kind of dorky. For some reason he left the line going somewhere, but he asked me to hold his vest 'cause it was hot, so I did. Finally finished the line and I was standing there with them asking if they could sign my copy of "Spreading The Disease", which they did. But they also pointed at the vest and a patch with Swedish power metal band HAMMERFALL and asked me "Do you like that band?". I was so fucking nervous and didn't know what to say so I said "Yeah, sure". They looked at each other and started giggling, probably thinking "Who is this lame fuck". I wanted to disappear, I was so embarrassed! Never meet your heroes..."

Favorite song: "A.I.R"

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MEGADETH - "Killing Is My Business..."

​"'Peace Sells...' is without doubt my favorite 'deth album but I gotta' pick this one because it's so goddam ugly. Everything is bad about this cover. Found the original Combat release so I had to have it!"
 
Favorite song: "Killing Is My Business"

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NUCLEAR ASSAULT - "Good Times, Bad Times"

"If the "Killing.." cover is bad in a bad way, this one is bad in a good way! Don't know what I like about it really but there's just some punk ingredient that I just like. With their faces badly pasted on there with the exploding Hindenburg. Works well with the title!" 

Favorite song: "Hang The Pope" (Live)

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MASTODON - "Crack The Skye"

​"If somebody put a gun to my head and I had to pick ONE album that I had to listen to for the rest of my life, I'd pick this one. There's so much nuances that you discover for each listen and I think I can never grow tired of this one." 

Favorite song: "The Czar"

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/LEACHSWE
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My Wreckord Collection: Mike Churry

6/1/2019

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​Courtesy of the lovely folk over at DEWAR PR, we’re kicking off 2019 with a brand new blog feature. In something I’d like to call “My Wreckord Collection”, here we’ll be delving deep into the personal record collections of bands and artists from all walks of life; getting a glimpse into their own individual tastes…what inspires them to write, record and play music, and possibly discovering some hidden gems along the way. Today in this opening segment, we’ll be turning our attention to a ‘twisted’ death metal band by the name of BASILYSK…and more specifically their drummer Mike Churry. Hailing from Philadelphia, the 4-piece, who have described themselves as a serpentine assault on the senses; have their brand new album “EmergencE” scheduled for release on February 22nd…let’s see what’s potentially inspired Mike to make noise, as he runs us through some of his favourites in his own words…
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​CONVULSE - "World Without God"

"One of Finland's first and finest death metal bands. If you are truly one who savors rare, underground death metal, then this is the album to feed your soulless ears. With four tracks off their 1990 demo included, and two bonus live tracks, I highly recommend World Without God for your morning drive to work!"

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VIOGRESSION - "Expound and Exhort"

"From the underground Wisconsin death metal scene, behold Viogression!  This record boasts of John Tardy-style vocals, viciously evil sounding riffs and pummeling drums. Sure to send you right to the chiropractor for severe whiplash. The ever changing guitar revolutions never leave a dull moment for the listener!"

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DEPRAVITY - "Silence of the Centuries"

"Well known in the Scandinavian metal regions, Finnish band Depravity stands strong in their rank.  Spooky, ghoulish, heavy, and memorizing most of all.  Let the beautifully composed solos coat the melancholic chord progressions, while you gaze at this masterpiece artwork done by one of my favorite artists, Turkka Rantanen.  Sure to give you chills.  This album will not let you down."

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DEMILICH - "Nespithe"

"Technical, brutal, otherworldly, artistic overall.  No words seem to fully describe this dark Finnish diamond.  I could only explain how I felt upon listening for the first time in the Fall of 2007.  Brutal death metal from Mars?  Low tuned alien brilliance?  Whatever it was, it took me for one hell of a ride.  Artwork by none other than Turkka Rantanen, this album is dressed to impress in many ways.  Guitarist and stomach-churning vocalist Antti Boman (who also designed their logo) practically raised the bar for extreme death metal.  I got to see these gods crush Millcreek Tavern last May, and  I'm proud to say that I shared many conversations with their drummer Mikko and Antti himself.  27 years later, and the value of this album is the same, if not maybe even more. To me, it's priceless."

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DEFORM - "Nefarious Impulses" (Unholy Domain Records Cassette Release)

"Formed under the name Desiccation in Fall 2007. Tim Ninerell (R.I.P.) and myself were practically the only death metal heads in our small town of Hainesport, New Jersey.  We were inspired to write good ol' fashioned death metal in the vein of bands like Suffocation, Morgue, Accidental Suicide, Convulse, and of course, DEATH!  We recorded a 2 song demo in 2007 titled Flesh Eating Disease.  A year later we wrote Morbidity, a five song demo.  During a four year hiatus, we finally got around to record Nefarious Impulses, and employed artist Derek Waugh draw up this sick design.  If I could turn back time to ask for a click track and punch in a faster tempo from the engineer, then this release probably would have taken us even further. But even at this slower tempo, the music is flawless in my eyes. Nefarious Impulses WILL punch a hole through whatever you play it on. 

The next planned Deform album "What Lives In Shadows" would have been 10 times better then the last, with art work by Turkka Rantenan. Sadly, this album never made it to recording, as Tim disbanded Deform in 2015 and passed away later that year.  I've been practicing guitar for a while now, so I am going "What Lives In Shadows" happen some day."

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BASILYSKOFFICIAL
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Canavar - "Canavar"

1/11/2018

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When it comes to the UK music scene, there’s always hot-spots…an obvious one is Camden which has more quality venues than you can shake a drum stick at…Nottingham has Rock City which is a favourite among many gig-goers…Wales too has a great history of grass roots music support, but today we’ll be looking at Southampton. With its own iconic venues such as the Guildhall and The Joiners, over the past couple of years it’s produced some top quality artists such as BURY TOMORROW and of course, CREEPER, who’ve had an almost stratospheric rise to the top of the alternative rock scene…so naturally with So’ton back on the map, we’re going to be hearing about more bands looking to make a breakthrough, which brings us to today.

Let me introduce you to CANAVAR…consisting of vocalist / guitarist Deklan Webb, guitarist Jack Bowden, bassist Rowan Rashley and drummer Toby Rashley, they bring together a chaotic blend of heavy metal and hardcore punk to create an equally commanding and confident sound; so confident in fact that they totally skipped recording an EP…no testing the water for these fuckers they dove straight into a full length album! With a name roughly translating as Monster…let’s see just how monstrous they sound on “Canavar”.

We open up with the lead single “Sacrilege” and initially we’ve got this really bouncy, up-tempo punk-rock piece; the vocals are clean though very rough around the edges giving it that traditional skater-punk vibe…but this soon descends into a more traditional metal style breakdown and a crazy solo! The classic metal approach charging through, but this only leads us into the tracks climax, foreshadowing the rest of the album…Deklan switches up his vocals and sounds almost possessed such is the change in tone, the inclusion of growls being so sudden, it’s an interesting start. “Brick By Brick” follows up and while it has certain thrash-inspired elements running through its riffs there is still a pretty prominent punk backbone here; you can hear the influence the likes of RISE AGAINST or even say, ANTI-FLAG have had musically on the 4-piece, and naturally as a result it’s quite another pacey offering.

Those same thrash elements can again be heard in “Fire Inside” which for all intents and purposes sounds like the bastard offspring of some weird METALLICA / SLAYER crossover experiment from a 6-string perspective, while vocally again it bridges the gap between hardcore punk and heavy metal, absolutely full of piss and vinegar. The main highlight however comes courtesy of “Devil’s In The Details” which initially embraces a subtle MISFITS vibe while also harbouring more modern alternative rock aspects, mirroring artists like MATCHBOOK ROMANCE and the aforementioned Creeper. The rest of the album generally fleets back and forth, hand picking certain qualities from all genres listed above…there are slower cuts like “Deadly Sins” and “Moral Compass”…then there’s the less than two-minute flurry of closing track “Ready And Willing”, and while  musically they’re not reinventing the wheel or anything as such here, this is for the most part a really fun album and that’s really down to THEIR enjoyment, the band are having a fucking whale of a time making noise and it resonates. Personally I’d like to hear them focus on being a solid punk unit as it’s that area they sound strongest and more fluid musically, but overall, it’s a fine album. [7]

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CANAVARBAND
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Haunted By Silhouettes - "Shortcuts To Dead Ends"

20/9/2018

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A lot of the bands in or around Scandinavia can be described as being cut from the same cloth, though while I’m not attempting to downplay any sense of relevance these bands have in today’s overall metal society, they do have their own scene so to speak. Culturally this northern area of Europe has always had a knack of producing a steady stream of melodic death metal bands, to the point where Scandinavian Metal has become its own sub-genre or, pigeonhole for certain artists, and today we’re focusing on the area of Trondheim in Norway. An area famed for its history in performance art and expression, it houses both Norway’s oldest printed newspaper; ‘Adresseavisen’ and Trondelag Teater, the oldest theater in the whole of Scandinavia still in use today…so it’s no surprise that it’s also home to a band or two; let me introduce you to HAUNTED BY SILHOUETTES.

Formed in 2013, the melodeath outfit (Now consisting of vocalist Mathias, guitarists Stian and Per Kristian, bassist Ola and drummer Håvard) spent a lot of their formative years pushing and promoting their debut EP “The Final Mind Plague”, slowly expanding and making a name for themselves, but when the ball got rolling, the follow up EP “Wrath Of Kharon” wasn’t too far behind and now in 2018, after a slight line-up shuffle, they’ve unleashed their debut full length album; “Shortcuts To Dead Ends”…hopefully not foreseeing their own career path, let’s check it out.

The album opens up with “Exhumer” and we’re greeted with a chilling, almost foreboding piano led intro, it sounds like something straight out of a horror movie score so cold it is…before out of the shadows bursts this incredibly intense mass of brutal metal. The demonic, bowel-worrying growls sounding like they’ve been freshly dug out of a pit of misery, though the guitars carry with them their own hypnotic melody, drawing you in…add to that a brief yet harmonious guitar solo and it’s a solid intro, though it does end annoyingly abruptly. Follow up track “Vindicta” has its roots embedded more in the early days of thrash metal; from the commanding percussion and traditional riffs, musically at least it showcases the bands influence taken from old-school metal acts such as METALLICA.

The whole point of melodeath as a genre though is pretty self-explanatory as it aims to combine the crushing power of metal with more graceful instrumental elements and that’s put across on album highlight “Only You Know”…the whispered vocals add a fresh dynamic as the smooth guitars meander through your speakers, allowing the growled vocals to sound all the more imposing, channeling the likes of DARK TRANQUILITY and OPETH; an anti-ballad if you will, before “A Plea For Silence” takes some of the more pop-esque production from artists like IN FLAMES to deliver a strong, hook-laden chorus. The bulk of the album mind you IS a slight case of Ctrl C, Ctrl V, as the bludgeoning, riff-heavy metal does tend to blend and become slightly repetitious, although closing track “Into The Abyss” takes you by surprise as the relaxing guitar harmonies allow the album to unwind with a brief instrumental cool-down. Overall Haunted By Silhouettes can clearly deliver a solid death metal record and when they do incorporate melody they’ve done it really well, although those moments are short-lived, taking a back seat to the general goring going on…they’ve not quite gone down a dead end, maybe if they experiment with some clean vocals next time around they’ll find a better balance but there’s nothing really wrong with this per se…we’re not quite pleading for silence just yet. [7]

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/HAUNTEDBYSILHOUETTES
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Pagans - "The Bear And The Bull" EP

15/8/2018

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So a bear and a bull walk into a bar and after they take a seat, the bull says “I’ll get the first round, what you having?”…the bear, licking his lips replies “I’ll have………a beer”. The bull, impatient asks “Why the big pause?” The bear simply retorts “I dunno, I was born with them!” …As shitty as that joke is, I intend to make up for it in sheer Segway value; so if you’ll let me explain, allow me to introduce to you PAGANS. Formed somewhere oop north, the internet-based duo consists of Vocalist Luther Williams (Who you may also find in the band THE ANTIQUITY) and multi-instrumentalist Adam Bulpitt, and the pair got together strictly as part of a studio-only project after meeting at university. Inspired by a love of artists such as SYLOSIS and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER they’ve created an EP under the name of “The Bear And The Bull” (See it made sense in the end!)…will they pull no punches? Or are they too the punch-line to a shitty joke? Let’s find out…

The EP opens up with the track “Fathoms” and initially we just have the soft, creepily plucked guitar providing an almost hypnotic introduction; there’s no ascension, no gradual build…it simply lulls and lingers there for just short of a minute, where we then quickly erupt with a visceral dose of tormented, sludge-heavy death metal. The drone of the guitar and the duel-tone vocals of Williams; half demonic growls, half savage snarling giving the track a true sense of viciousness and foreboding…one can only fathom at the depths off hell this came from…”Cranium Tomb” then follows up and wastes absolutely no time whatsoever. After a brief drum flurry we’re right back at it with a lot more emphasis on those guttural growls, which accompanied by their blend of technical death and retro thrash influences, combining a mixture of chord progressions, off-kilter riffs and key-changes; it’s enough to make your skull collapse under the sheer force of uncontrollable head-banging.

The shortest of the five offerings then, is “Pig Iron” and make no mistake, vocally here Williams sounds like tomorrow’s bacon being roughly fucked with a hot iron…and musically it couldn’t be more fitting to soundtrack such a scene. Blunt, full of aggression and assertive, until it just dissipates...blacks out, unable to take anymore. “I, The Marked One” continues with the pummelling though instrumentally there are more subtle hooks coming through the guitar which do stand out, before closing track “Into The Dawn” ends proceedings like we started; with some softly plucked guitar leading into another scorching death metal assault, although again the guitar does provide a touch more melody this time around. So, the question remains, are the bear and the bull simply part of the set up to a punch-line? Not really no, as they are as every bit as ferocious and intimidating as the animals they represent from a musical standpoint, and if you prefer to be mauled by your metal then be sure to check these out. Not a fan of the vocals? They’ve even got you covered there as the EP has 5 additional purely instrumental cuts for you to get whiplash to, but you don’t get the full level of intensity as was intended. Don’t get too attached though, odds on you’ll not be seeing them live…and that’s a load of bull! [5]

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PAGANSBAND
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Lelahell - "ALIF"

8/8/2018

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Africa as a whole is an incredible place…whether you’re in awe of its vast array of wildlife seen on various nature documentaries, or in dismay at some of the struggles of poverty and hopelessness outside its main cities, it truly is a fascinating and diverse continent from coast to coast. One thing that isn’t often discussed however is Africa’s alternative music culture; we can all recognise and associate traditional instrumentation, rhythmic and expressive with a lot of woodwind and percussion as seen in film and TV footage, but that’s all a cliché, there’s plenty of stuff you’re not going to hear or see on National Geographic, and that’s where today’s band comes in; let me introduce you to LELAHELL.

Formed in Algeria by vocalist Reduoane Aouameur in 2010, they quickly took to the Algerian extreme metal scene until finally releasing their debut album in 2013, “Al Insane…The (Re) Birth Of Abderrahmane”; conceptually based on the divine Muslim name closest to Allah. 2018 sees them return with the 2nd part of the concept via the album “ALIF”; the first letter of the Arabian alphabet, symbolic of beginnings, as Abderrahmane takes his first steps in a new life, akin to a child learning to walk and speak…let’s check it out.

The album kicks off with “Paramnesia” in a very literal sense as immediately we’re met with a flurry of double-kick drums, leading into rumbling bass riffs and intense, chugging guitar. The build while gradual still manages to sound heavy without yet truly letting rip, until Reduoane’s vocals kick in and his guttural grumbling’s allow the track to become a barrage of death metal which is impressively sustained throughout. The occasional guitar lick incorporates subtle African tones which break up the technical brutality quite well, providing a decent if not slightly regimented start. “Ignis Fatuus” follows up and right away we’re subject to more up-tempo, thrash-inspired speed metal and for the most part the vocals take on more of a rasping snarl; full of piss and vinegar highlighting an anger and bitterness fueled by false hope.

The rest of the album really speaking then, delivers mostly more of the same over its ten-track run time…bar a couple of select notable points. “Insiraf / Martyr” utilises an off-kilter poly-rhythmic approach that takes influence from the realms of prog-metal…”Adam The First” while sounding incredibly sludgy does have an wonderfully frenetic guitar solo that breaks things up nicely…”Thou Shalt Not Kill” is a great orchestral-led piece full of rich strings sounding almost cinematic, but sadly it’s no more than a 30 second intro / interlude track which is a real shame, as its sense of drama and suspense is honestly intriguing, before closing track “Impunity Of The Mutants” rounds things off embracing some semi-Nordic darkness courtesy of blast-beats and sinister guitar tones, something fans of say, IMMORTAL or early SATYRICON would appreciate. Overall from a technical standpoint Lelahell have to be applauded as for the most part they sound crisp, there’s some solid production here and it’s all aided by the fact renowned death metal sticks-man Hannes Grossmann (HATE ETERNAL / NECROPHAGIST) has recorded drums for them, though they aren’t a one-man team. If you prefer your metal as harsh and unforgiving as the Sahara desert at midday with nothing but your own piss to drink, you’ll likely appreciate this and it’s extreme metal nuances…if you’re looking for more melody in your metal then this isn’t likely going to do much for you. [6]

WWW.LELAHELL.COM
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Fight The Power: Metal Vs 'The Man'

17/7/2018

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Slayer Performing At Mayhem Festival 2009 Photo Credit: Mdnghtshdw
Going back decades, arguably since its inception truth be told, ‘rock’ music was always viewed upon as bad thing; a rebellious genre that started in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll a la ELVIS' controversial hip-swinging, leading young ladies astray…punk rock was always a primary instigator of rebellion when that came about, the musical equivalent of streaking through a convent with your middle fingers proudly pointing skyward…and then there’s metal. We’re not going to be delving into all of the deep, dark sub-genres, but metal itself has always been associated with the devil and darkness, and of course bands like BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN only fueled that…but sometimes a band just feels the need to speak up; make a statement and be as brutally honest or opinionated as they can be. Here; special guest writer PETE HARRIS (petesmusic0508@gmail.com) showcases his personal picks on “5 Metal Bands That Made Their Name Attacking The Establishment”

"There are many ways to speak to the powers above. But sometimes, the best and only way to unleash truth is to do it as loudly and as aggressively as possible. Here are five of our favourite artists who knew just that — and have used the inherent aggression of metal to express rage, dissent, and criticism against the unyielding sociopolitical establishment."

[5] BOLT THROWER

"There’s a reason why LOUDWIRE and many other musical critics consider BOLT THROWER to be a quintessential British metal band; just have a listen through albums “War Master” and “The IVth Crusade”. Bolt Thrower’s atmospheric use of death metal effortlessly conjures up images of medieval melees, the perfect accompaniment to the bellowing of vocalist Karl Willets, whose prophetic tales warn against the horrors of war. After the group disbanded in 2016, many fans argue that Bolt Thrower’s sound continues to live on in MEMORIAM, Willets’ latest metal project."

[4] SYLOSIS

"The progressive melodic death outfit that is SYLOSIS was formed by guitarist Josh Middleton back when he was just 15. Since then, the band has developed into an experimental group that dabbles in thrash, metalcore, melodic death and groove – wrapped around the introspective musings of Middleton’s songs. Although the band is not overtly political, Middleton’s interview with PURE GRAIN AUDIO reveals the front-man’s own political viewpoints on veganism, the social dynamics of power, and other criticisms on the socio-political establishment. He says ‘I like to dress the lyrics up a bit and use imagery so it’s not obvious what I’m talking about all the time’."

[3] RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

"Of course, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE deserves a spot on this list, even if it’s only to introduce them to the youngest metal heads stumbling across this blog. RATM didn’t just tackle institutional racism and the follies of late-stage capitalism…in the process of highlighting these social ills, the band also accomplished what musicians previously thought to be impossible; combining rap, metal AND funk. Some of their hits include “Sleep Now In The Fire”, “Guerilla Radio” and “Killing In The Name Of” which METAL INJECTION delightfully describes as ‘In your face metal infused with a snotty punk rock ethos’. Decades later, RATM’s sound remains to be one of the most recognisable sonic signatures in any of the genres they experimented with – inevitably tied to the militant spirit that underscores the bands historical and political relevance."

[2] MACHINE HEAD

Godfathers of 90’s and 00’s thrash metal; MACHINE HEAD first made a name in Europe before getting famous back home in the US. One of the pioneers in the ‘New Wave Of American Heavy Metal’ which began in the mid 1990’s and peaked later in the millennium. Machine Head dabbles with thrash and groove metal, which they’ve perfected in songs like “Aesthetics Of Hate” and “Clenching The Fists Of Dissent”. From criticising the critics who act like the gatekeepers of rock, to taking an anti-war stance in the midst of the American government’s oil-hoarding in the Middle East, Machine Head’s fans know that they mean business.

[1] SLAYER

"Among the four founding bands of thrash metal, only SLAYER was able to truly utilise the satanic imagery closely associated with metal in open protest against our institutionalised religious beliefs. With songs like “God Hates Us All” and “Angel Of Death”, the band succeeded in creating thrash anthems that highlight the hypocrisies of organised religion and government. Slayer unleashes thrash the way it was meant to be played – as offensive and as indignant as humanly possible."
"Being able to loudly and aggressively speak truth to power is just one of the many uses of anti-establishmentarian music. As many metal-heads can attest to, listening to some quality rock and metal can prompt emotional, mental and even physical benefits as well; revelling in the violent themes of metal in in many ways, an act of anti-violence and therapeutic self-love. In fact, academically-backed research published in an article on LOTTOLAND reveals that people who regularly go to live rock music gigs are more satisfied with their lives than those who don’t. The same source also reveals that powerful music can give a 26% boost to your overall blood-flow. Keep these things in mind the next time you’re debating whether or not it’s worth it to go out and see what the newest bands have to offer…"

What are your thoughts on metal bands speaking truth to power? Were there any bands or artists you feel deserve to be in this list? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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Jaws Of Deaf - "Delicious Discomfort" EP

5/6/2018

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If you’ve at all followed the UK’s alternative scene over the past say, ten years or so, then no doubt you will have at some point stumbled upon the work of Scott Lee Andrews. The wild Welshman originally found minor fame with mid-2000’s post-hardcore rhythm thieves MIDASUNO, before forming Cardiff-based chainsaw loving noise cartel EXIT_INTERNATIONAL, but, more recently, and arguably most notably, his collaboration with GINGER WILDHEART for the third installment of the darkly psychotic project MUTATION. Very prolific and reliable in underground UK music circles, Scott has always been about the intensity, the invigorating sense of finding pleasure in noise and chaos and here we find him working on yet another project to quench his own thirst for the unorthodox. Allow me to introduce to you JAWS OF DEAF and the EP “Delicious Discomfort”…6 tracks hand picked out of around 50 that Scott’s been working on, as he prepares to drop a full length album. Now settle down and get uncomfortable as we check it out…

We open up with “Bait & Switch” which at little over 2-minutes long is the shortest track on offer here and Scott wastes no time delving into his frantic, raucous, thrashy punk roots with an absolute bombardment of messy riffs and demented screeching’s. In his own words; “I really haven’t got a clue what it means”…and that’s partly the fun of it, sometimes noise for noise’ sake is therapeutic. We follow this up with the wonderfully titled “Porno Without The Fucking” and as ridiculous as the statement is, it’s no surprise to learn it came from a YouTube comment that Scott read…intended as a derogatory slur, it’s full of oxymoronic similes, riddled with daft humour, but also a deeper meaning of how the very medication that’s meant to help you can strip you of your identity, resulting in a creative catch-22…another interesting and ultimately fun track.

“Cupid Stunts”
is another brilliantly titled self-depreciating effort, with Scott using bleak humour and a wry smile as he sings with a jolly despair about his questionable decisions in life; full of melody and some surprising vocal harmonies it channels the likes of WEEZER in its overall tone and delivery, even down to the climatic key change and its possibly as accessible as you’re likely to find him on any record. Having said that, there’s also “Californian Frown” to take into account which I’ll be honest, initially reminded me of the credits sequence from “Bottom” but that’s something for another time. A bass-driven affair with wacky vocal delivery (Featuring guest vocalist Givvi Flynn), finding itself stuck between being musically designed for Exit_International but lyrically leaning towards Mutation, resulting in a quirky little, edgy indie-rock number. The final two tracks; “An Alone Wolf” is ripped straight out of “Ash Vs. The Evil Dead”; an animalistic take on grunge, before closing track “The World Looks Better From Behind” is an intentionally misogynistic play on words, but also utilises hidden depth with the idea of hindsight and nostalgia. Musically exploratory, dabbling in brass instrumentation for extra character, the drawl of Scott’s vocal harbors elements of Matt Bellamy from MUSE; elongating each note as the track is stretched towards its dying moments.

All in all despite being just six tracks in length, it more or less caters for everyone if you’re familiar with any of Scott’s previous work; it’s got the tumultuous punk-inspired tones of old, it’s got groove-heavy song writing at its core but it also retains a level of darkness brought on by his collaborations with Ginger…it’s not polished, it’s not fucking meant to be; it’s just raw, and rowdy and fun…he meant delicious discomfort quite literally. [7]

Download "Delicious Discomfort" Here
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Saxon - "Thunderbolt"

1/3/2018

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PictureAsh's Pidgeotto Grew A Little Bit OP
Back last year you may remember I covered not one but two SAXON compilations courtesy of two special collectors sets; ”Decade Of The Eagle”, a sort of best-of comprising of the band’s first ten years together…and “The Solid Book Of Rock”, a collection specifically covering the bands work from 1991 all the way through to 2009…by the end of it, having listened to nearly 40 years of work, I felt like I’d gone through more Saxon history than an entire season of fucking Time Team…I was literally THIS close to going on a crusade…nevertheless I got through it and I could finally put down my sword and shield, or so I thought. 2018 see’s the heavy metal veteran’s return yet again with their 22nd studio album “Thunderbolt”…let’s check it out.

We open up with “Olympus Rising” and like its name suggests we’re met with an ominous, foreboding intro…the home of the gods, the slow build of the guitar and subtle percussion layered over some almost ritualistic chanting sets a serious tone…something big is coming and it’s all very dramatic as we lead into the album’s title track. The guitars kick in with some hefty riffs before it settles into their trademark, classic metal inspired sound. Biff still has a decent voice on him despite his aging years, singing of Hades and Greek mythological history and they have substantial weight behind them, sounding just like they did decades ago, just with better production quality, although there is a brief guitar solo that sounds really off, tarnishing an otherwise decent metal track.

​Highlights here include “They Played Rock And Roll”, which with its fast paced delivery and appropriately thrash-based intensity is dedicated to MOTORHEAD following the deaths of Lemmy, Fast Eddie and Philthy Animal Taylor, and it’s a touching inclusion, showing solidarity in metal. “The Secret Of Flight” is rich in groove-led guitar melody, while “Nosferatu (The Vampire’s Waltz)” captures the essence of the 1922 silent horror wonderfully, on par with BLUE OYSTER CULT in fact, re-telling the story over some symphonic inspired metal. There are some sub-par moments here sadly however, which makes for an album of two halves, with it starting really strong and ending on a somewhat flat note…”Speed Merchants” and “Roadie’s Song” in particular bring the album down with their poor, almost clichéd lyrical content, especially the latter…and there’s a raw cut of “Nosferatu…” which serves no purpose being there, too much time in the sun that one. There is an interesting collaboration with AMON AMARTH front-man Johan Hegg for the track “Predator” but his death metal growls are a little too much for Saxon’s style of play if you ask me and it sounds a little disjointed. Other than that it’s a decent metal album and you have to applaud any band that has such longevity. [6]

WWW.SAXON747.COM
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Anvil - "Pounding The Pavement"

28/2/2018

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If I were to mention anvils then some of you will conjure up different memories…for instance there’s Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart…a popular wrestler in the 80’s and early 90’s who with his bulky physique, ginger beard and bright pink attire looked like he was caught somewhere between Groundskeeper Willie and Mr. Blobby…some of you will remember “Looney Tunes”; with Wyle. E. Coyote using an anvil and numerous other weapons to try to kill the Roadrunner…I personally think “Saw” took direct influence from this cartoon (Seriously think about it, talk about fucking overkill!) and then there’s ANVIL themselves. The legendary cult metal outfit from Ontario, Canada formed way-back in 1981 and can arguably be cited as being a major influence for the likes of THE Big 4…in 2008 they had a bit of a resurgence in popularity following a “Spinal Tap” style documentary and now, ten years later, we find them releasing their 17th studio album; “Pounding The Pavement”…let’s hit the street…

The album kicks off with the ominously titled “Bitch In The Box” and immediately we’re met with classic sounding guitar licks straight out of the heydays of traditional metal with some slow, chugging riffs; it’s a solid piece of metal, with Steve Kudlow’s course delivery having harmonic, gang vocal accompaniment it’s a fairly balanced track…but who is this bitch? Why is she boxed? Is there a woman trapped? Buried alive? Nope…he’s singing about Satnav…Fucking. Satnav…is this a theme for old bands now? ACCEPT did it with “Analog Man” and now this…what’s next? Ozzy singing about Pokemon GO? I digress…we follow this up with “Ego” and this is more like it. It’s a short sharp dose of up-tempo, thrash based hard rock and it’s this style, as too made popular by the likes of MOTORHEAD back in the day that laid the foundations for a lot of the fast paced metal we know and love today and the band have clearly still got it in them, with a decent solo to boot; this is much better.

This can also be said for album highlight “Black Smoke” which is very much more of the same with it’s raw, gravelly delivery and, in ways we can include the title track too…peculiar this however as it’s rare to find a title track that’s an instrumental midway through a record. It does break up the album nicely with some well-executed guitar melodies and to be honest it’s just different, it works well. Sadly however, the following tracks don’t…”Rock That Shit” for example…while on one hand can be discarded as merely a song to enjoy and head-bang to with a beer in hand…it’s also fucking cringe-worthy lyrically…from a band virtually celebrating a 40 year anniversary it’s hard to ignore. I’m all for humour in content, I’m all for not taking yourself seriously, but this is elementary school stuff. “Smash Your Face” is another one…and this doesn’t even have up-beat music going for it, I’m going to actually smash my face instead of listening to this one again. Eventually we close on “Don’t Tell Me” and while musically I guess it’s anti-climactic, somewhat middle of the road, it at least touches on relevant social-political topics regarding fake news and the ridiculous state of government right now. Overall, this one’s going to appeal to certain demographics…naturally they have their fans, they are well established in metal circles, but outside of those, and the demented denim-clad rockers you’ll find constantly drunk on Red Stripe moshing to anything they can get their ears on (Think Hell Boy and his cronies from the movie “Haggard”) this doesn’t really have a large target audience. Pounding the pavement or a pounding headache…you be the judge. [5]

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ANVILMETAL
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Democratus - "Starting Again" EP

22/2/2018

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Local music scenes; you know, grassroots level…all bands start here as it’s where you hone your craft, you learn, you play to 5 people in a little bar, you make mistakes and you gain experience…it’s a long and difficult road for many. Some bands strike it lucky and get a break, some fizzle out…but the good thing about music at this level is that in a way it’s like Lego. Nothing is truly established at this level so often you’ll see mergers with bands, members swapping around like some sort of musical swingers club until the little pieces click together in the right place for whatever it is you’re trying to make…and this is what happened with today’s band. Let me introduce you to DEMOCRATUS. The Cwmbran based outfit (Consisting of vocalist Steve Jenkins, guitarists Kerrin Beckwith and Joey Watkins, bassist Stu Rake and drummer Zak Skane) comprise of former members of COUNTERHOLD, CANNIBAL GOD and ALIVE IN SALEM and together they’ve recently dropped their debut EP appropriately titled “Starting Again”…being a democrat myself it’s only fair I give them a chance…

The EP opens up with the title track and immediately we’re met with a classic metal vibe within the guitar licks, the riffs and overall vocal tone…structurally the track takes influence from several genres to create an honest, heavy onslaught of down to business metal…there are thrash elements, there are touches of black metal, subtle nods to power metal in the clean vocals but the bulk of the track has its roots in melodic death and it works really very well…truth be told the clean power vocals are probably the weakest part of this, they lack an assertiveness felt within the rest of the track but it’s a strong start nevertheless.  EP highlight “Life For A Life” follows up and it’s a politically charged battle cry about the gulf in living standards and social equality, aimed at our current wealthy Conservative clique...it’s got some decent riffs and chord progression and the solo is a lovely touch too, and it all combines to create a very powerful and more importantly relevant track.

“The Furious Horde”
returns to a more thrash influenced sound, it’s raw, fast paced and hard with some shredding guitar and a slightly fuzzy overall tone, imagine a sound somewhere between SLAYER and GWAR musically, before “Endless Prophecy” again then takes it up a notch and implements more of their death metal influences in a short, sharp two-minute barrage a la DEATH and finally then, the closing track “Deity”. Probably the weakest track of the EP, it struggles to properly get going and despite some crunching riffs here and there the track itself is pretty sluggish overall, dragging itself across the finish line in the end and ending the EP pretty abruptly with a sense of “Oh?”…although to its credit it’s a nice little atheist anthem, there’s not enough of them if you ask me. Ultimately the EP is a decent one and by starting again per se they’ve allowed themselves the time as musicians to regroup. A change in direction from some of their past efforts elsewhere but the fresh start has done them good, there’s some solid metal on offer here and some heartfelt song-writing…if you like it heavy, then do the right thing…vote for Democratus; metal for the many, not the few. [6]

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DEMOCRATUSBAND
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Machine Head - "Catharsis"

18/1/2018

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I’ve often touched upon the 90’s as being the era of grunge but we have to remember that it was a decade that saw a lot of evolution and development in alternative music, and none more so than metal. New ideas brought new sounds and new sounds came courtesy of new bands…and one of the most enduring bands to breakthrough, were MACHINE HEAD. In 1994 they dropped their debut album “Burn My Eyes” (Which became Roadrunner Records best-selling debut at the time) and metal was never same again…over the years they’ve established themselves as one of the biggest bands in modern metal itself (Arguably peaking at 2007’s “The Blackening”), and continue to pummel the masses to this day…and by this day, I mean January 26th, 2018. The band release their ninth studio album “Catharsis” and they’ve pulled absolutely no punches…let’s check it out.

The album kicks off with “Volatile” and it’s exactly that…with an opening cry of “Fuck the world!” Robb Flynn is clearly full of piss and vinegar here, and the music matches his lyrical frustration pound for pound. Inspired by the state of the world we live in, it’s decidedly chaotic and aggressive and really hits home the sense of dissonance plaguing humanity right now. Musically up-tempo and riff-heavy with layers of thrash, in ways there are parts that can be likened to early SLIPKNOT in ways…this is a solid start. The title track follows up and so soon we find ourselves with a drastic change of pace, but it’s surprisingly welcome…it’s incredibly smooth and polished with rich melodies and a real sense of drama in tone, but while it does retain the trademark snarls of Flynn, the tender piano led sections are genuinely moving; a fitting title for a track that clearly deals with a lot of pent up emotions and issues with the world…and an interesting change of direction.

The highlight’s don’t end there either…”California Bleeding” has slight nu-metal qualities, especially within the hook-laden chorus and, more recognizably the lyrical style…it reeks of nostalgic, early 2000’s angst but it’s not hamming it up per se…before “Kaleidoscope” barges in with its frenetic, fast-paced thrash metal onslaught, though the chorus still uses a decent hook, but possibly the biggest surprise here comes courtesy of “Behind The Mask”…for Machine Head have delivered…a ballad. What apocalyptic fuckery is this I hear you typing angrily…but bear with me; you need to listen to this. The simplistic acoustic number is rich in delicate melody and Flynn’s vocal performance is actually quite impressive, opting for purely clean harmonic vocals instead of his usual growls. The change in tone here will offend many purists but this is a very well written, stripped back song that despite lacking in their typical weight, manages to add plenty of depth to the album structurally. “Eulogy” too is another wonderfully subdued piece of music for the most part, with two thirds of the track opting for a dreary, despairing closing number, which again is a welcome change.

The album isn’t without it’s downfalls mind you…firstly I must mention the length, it’s 15 tracks at 75mins which is a hefty listen…they could have cut the track-listing down a little for a more easily digestible listen…”Triple Beam” again champions the nu-metal revival with its semi-rap inspired lyrics…lacking the quality of the aforementioned, realistically with about as much appeal as, say, POD in places, or even INSANE CLOWN POSSE…make of that what you will…and then we come to “Bastards”…the message may be strong and it’s clearly emotional but…the best way I can summarize this is if…fuck…um…I don’t even know? Say JOHNNY CASH had a bastard failed abortion with the DROPKICK MURPHYS? I’ll leave you make your mind up on this one, it’s giving me a Machine Head-ache…overall a solid album but it has its controversies and question marks. Flynn has stated no fucks were given making this, it’s unapologetic in its creation and delivery, and that’s exactly the feeling you get as a listener, so he’s succeeded…so its debatable in a sense that, it’s very possibly their best album since The Blackening…[8]

WWW.MACHINEHEAD1.COM
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    Gavin J Griffiths, a.k.a GavTheGothicChav, lover of new music and supporter of bands. Inspired by a mixture of horror and comedy, and fueled by a blend of alcohol and sarcasm...if you're a singer / in a band and would like a review written up, please do get in touch via the email address at the top of the page and I'll get back to you ASAP. Much love x

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