Bleed From Within - Uprising

Bleed From Within
Uprising
Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia

If anything, I’ve always considered Glasgow (Scotland) based act Bleed From Within as a competent melodic deathcore outfit. Their two E.P.’s (2006’s ‘In The Eyes Of The Forgotten’ and 2007’s ‘Welcome To The Plague Year’) and their two full-length efforts (2009’s ‘Humanity’ and 2010’s ‘Empire’, both of which were released through Rising Records) were solid and likeable slabs of modern deathcore, but nothing truly groundbreaking or unique enough to make the band stand out as doing anything different from the deathcore scene’s leaders.
So when Bleed From Within’s latest effort ‘Uprising’ came across my desk, I can’t say that I was expecting anything too different from what they had delivered a couple of times already in the past.
Armed with a new line-up (Ex-Trigger The Bloodshed guitarist Martyn Evans joined vocalist Scott Kennedy, guitarist Craig ‘Goonzi’ Gowans, bassist Davie Provan and drummer Ali Richardson in 2011) and joining the mighty Century Media Records roster for their new album, it’s clear that Bleed
From Within have made some attempts to shake up the formula, which has resulted in an album that’s clearly a step up from anything they’ve offered in the past.
The album is opened up with a short ‘djent’ sounding instrumental piece entitled ‘III’, which eventually flows through into the follow-up track ‘Colony’. It’s on this track where you can hear the changes Bleed From Within have made to their sound. The melodic aspect of the band’s song writing has been given a little more emphasis, but not at the expense of Kennedy’s familiar caustic screams and growls. Elsewhere, the band seem to have focussed on delivering some impressive riff structures, and dispensed with many of the breakdowns that seemed to overwhelm their past efforts. Lastly, the production and mix on ‘Uprising’ is easily the best the band have had on any of their albums, which is a good thing. ‘Colony’ isn’t anything particularly new, but then it’s easily the best song Bleed From Within have written and recorded to date.
‘It Lives In Me’ (Which was released as a single in September 2012) is perhaps one of the album’s more daring sounding tracks with its mix of atmospheric passages and straight ahead aggressive moments, while ‘Escape Yourself’ and ‘Leech’ are without a doubt the most punishing and aggressive efforts on the album.
Elsewhere, ‘I Am Oblivion’ and ‘Devotion’ help give the album a little more diversity with their slower tempos, which serve to emphasise the intensity of tracks such as ‘Our Divide’ (Which is preceded by the short instrumental piece ‘Speechless’), the title track ‘Uprising’ and ‘The War Around Us’ (Which features a guest vocal appearance from Cancer Bats/AxeWound front man Liam Cormier).
In the past, Bleed From Within weren’t so much a terrible act, but more like an outfit that seemed to mimic those who came before them. But with ‘Uprising’, the Scottish act have managed to shake off comparisons to the likes of Bring Me The Horizon, Carnifex and As I Lay Dying to emerge with a sound that’s a little more of their own making.
Overall, what ‘Uprising’ lacks in originality, it more than makes up in sheer listening enjoyment. Bleed From Within have finally taken the long overdue step up, and the results are worth the time checking out.

For more information on Bleed From Within, check out - http://www.facebook.com/bleedfromwithinband

© Justin Donnelly

Mad Season - Above (Deluxe Edition)

Mad Season
Above (Deluxe Edition)
Columbia Records/Sony Music Entertainment

When the grunge rock scene exploded in the early ‘90’s, all eyes were on Seattle (Washington, U.S.). It was an exciting time, and while grunge’s reign on the rock scene was brief, it produced some truly great bands. But for all of the big names that emerged out of the Seattle scene, one that failed to go onto true greatness was the short lived supergroup Mad Season.
On paper, Mad Season was almost a sure bet for success, with its members including Layne Staley (Alice In Chains vocalist), Mike McCready (Pearl Jam/Temple Of The Dog guitarist), John Baker Saunders (The Lamont Cranston Band bassist) and Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees drummer). And sure enough, when the band released their debut full-length effort ‘Above’ in 1995, the album was a huge commercial success.
But for all of the success Mad Season had achieved with ‘Above’, the band never managed to complete a follow-up effort. Staley’s declining health (A drug dependency that would see Staley pass away in 2002 through an overdose) saw Screaming Trees front man Mark Lanegan step into the fold, and while some material was recorded throughout 1997 and 1998, Saunders’ heroin overdose in 1999 brought Mad Season to a premature end.
Despite the band’s short time together, Mad Season’s legacy has lived on, and seventeen years after its release, surviving members Martin and McCready have sifted through the vaults to pay tribute to dearly departed friends, as well as give fans a definitive deluxe version of the band’s sole studio release ‘Above’.
The first disc of this box set comprises of a remastered version of ‘Above’, along with some previously unreleased tracks from the band’s aborted second album.
As an album, ‘Above’ was something very different from what was happening elsewhere in Seattle at the time. Mad Season were obviously aware of grunge’s slow decline at the time, and decided to experiment beyond the staple sound they were associated with in the own groups. In simple terms, ‘Above’ was a little more blues based, with elements of jazz and experimentation thrown into the mix, which makes for a truly different sounding album. I’ll spare the breakdown of every track as most fans will already be familiar with the album itself. But in terms of highlights, tracks such as the haunting opener ‘Wake Up’, ‘River Of Deceit’, the heavy blues sounding ‘Artificial Red’, the Alice In Chains-like ‘Lifeless Dead’ and the sparse closer ‘All Alone’ are definite standout cuts.
Of course, not everything works on the album (‘I Don’t Know Anything’ is overly repetitive and thin on the ground in terms of ideas, and ‘Long Gone Day’ is just a little too lounge/jazz sounding to really take off like it should), but overall Mad Season’s debut is an experimental piece of work that works as a whole.
In terms of bonus tracks, there’s the short instrumental ‘Interlude’ that found its way on the promotional copies of the original album that were removed upon the album’s official release. It’s an interesting piece, but hardly an essential addition to the album. Next up are three tracks from
Mad Season’s ill-fated second album recording sessions. ‘Locomotive’ is an intense rocker that has McCready playing up a storm and Lanegan growling in his trademark fashion, and is easily the stand out cut of the three revisited new tracks. ‘Black Book Of Fear’ (A track co-written with former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck) is a wistful slow burner, while ‘Slip Away’ is another favourite with McCready’s guitar work proving to be nothing short of amazing.
Finishing up the first disc is Mad Season’s cover of John Lennon’s ‘I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier’, which originally appeared on the Lennon tribute album ‘Working Class Hero’ from 1995. The song is presented here in remixed form, which has allowed the track to stand alongside the other tracks in their remastered form. While this track is hardly a rarity, its inclusion here does mean that all of Mad Season’s studio work has been compiled onto the one disc, which I can only see as a good thing.
The second disc of this box set is the complete and unedited recording of Mad Season’s final performance at Seattle’s Moore Theatre on April 29th 1995. The eleven track set has never before been released on C.D. as a whole (Four of the seven tracks did make an appearance as b-sides to singles), and its inclusion here is a welcome one for fans.
Finishing up the box set is a D.V.D. of the band’s ‘Live At The Moore’ concert film from 1995, and a whole host of previously unreleased live footage from the band.
The D.V.D. re-release of ‘Live At The Moore’ has been a long time coming, and the wait has been worth it. The footage has been obviously cleaned up a lot, and it looks great. The remastered 5.1 surround sound (Handled by ‘Above’ producer Brett Eliason) has given the soundtrack a crispness that wasn’t otherwise there on the original as well. In terms of performance, ‘Live At The Moore’ has plenty of great moments, but the most notable moments include the added rawness of set opener ‘Lifeless Dead’, the laid back groove of ‘River Of Deceit’  and the extended jamming on ‘November Hotel’ (Which documents McCready channelling The Who’s Pete Townsend as he destroys his equipment). Aside from the official concert, this D.V.D. also compiles a mass of previously unreleased bootleg footage as well, including the five missing tracks from the band’s performance from ‘Live At The Moore’, a full nine track concert from New Year’s Eve 1994/1995 at Seattle’s RKCNDY club, two tracks from the Self Pollution Radio studios (Footage that’s been around for years, but that much better now it’s on D.V.D.) and the band’s sole promotional video clip ‘River Of Deceit’.
With extensive liner notes penned by Martin (Which are informative and heartfelt), beautiful packaging and filled with loads of previously unreleased material, this re-release is an absolute must have for fans of Mad Season, and a fitting tribute to the music both Staley and Saunders helped create on ‘Above’.

For more information on Mad Season, check out - http://www.madseasonmusic.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Newsted - Metal

Newsted
Metal
Chophouse Records

If Jason Newsted has proven anything in his twelve years since resigning from Metallica in 2001, it’s that he’s anything but simply a bassist. Over the years, Newsted has immersed himself in a number of projects, many of which have allowed him to branch out and take on roles such as producer, song writer and vocalist, all of which were impossible whilst being a member of Metallica.
While some of Newsted’s output post-Metallica has been a little underwhelming (IR8/Sexoturica, Papa Wheelie, Rock Star Supernova and The Moss Brothers are good examples of this), his work with Voivod and his involvement with Echobrain certainly showcased the strengths within Newsted as an all-round musician.
But after years of playing in other bands, Newsted announced in late 2012 that he had decided to step out on his own and put together an entirely new outfit under his own name. Within months of getting together, the band (Comprising of lead vocalist/guitarist/bassist Newsted, bassist/guitarist/backing vocalist Jessie Farnsworth and drummer Jesus Mendez Jr.) recorded a total of eleven tracks, with their four track E.P. ‘Metal’ the first offering from the Californian based outfit.
Given that Newsted’s new outfit is going under his own name, and that the band’s debut offering is titled ‘Metal’, there’s undoubtedly an air of expectation surrounding this release. And sure enough, ‘Metal’ marks the return of Newsted to the spotlight playing music that leans more towards the heavier side of things.
The opening track ‘Soldierhead’ is without a doubt the one song on the E.P. that’s sure to be a favourite with its fast pace thrashing Motörhead-like rocking direction. Riff wise, while Newsted keeps things pretty simple, they’re sharp and catchy enough to get the job done. What really stands out however are Newsted’s lead vocals. Unlike his growled efforts in his past projects, Newsted has developed a voice that sounds like a cross between Chuck Billy (Testament) and Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead), but with a distinctly raspy melodic edge. Again, like the riffs presented, it’s nothing amazing, but it works just the same.
The follow-up track ‘Godsnake’ is a slow moving stoner grooved track that boasts enough crunch on the guitar front to keep things interesting, while ‘King Of The Underdogs’ is a huge sounding track that is a little rawer sounding on the guitar front than the other tracks on the E.P., and features an absolute killer chorus from Newsted, which earns a place alongside ‘Soldierhead’ as a firm favourite.
Finishing up the E.P. is the war themed ‘Skyscraper’, which not unlike ‘Godsnake’, is another blues/stoner rocking number, and gives listeners another taste of Newsted’s clearly diverse array of offerings.
As mentioned on ‘King Of The Underdogs’, Newsted is taking his place leading the pack with his new project. And while ‘Metal’ is hardly going to compete against the likes of some other big name metallic outfits within the scene, ‘Metal’ is a solid and enjoyable release, and a welcome return of Newsted to a band environment where he’s the one calling the shots.

For more information on Newsted, check out - http://newstedheavymetal.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Anthrax - Anthems

Anthrax
Anthems
Nuclear Blast Records/Riot! Entertainment

With the release of ‘Worship Music’, long running New York (U.S.) based melodic thrash act Anthrax managed to do the near impossible. Not only had the band managed to complete a brand new album with vocalist Joey Belladonna on board (His last appearance with the band in the studio was some twenty years ago), but the album was critically acclaimed from both fans and critics alike (Something the band couldn’t claim for much of their studio output for the last twenty years).
So with the band back on top, it’s not surprising to see them capitalising on the fact and spending much of their time out on the road reinforcing their return.
With the overwhelming success of ‘Worship Music’, there’s no doubt that the idea of recording some new music has crossed the minds of those within the band. But with barely two years since the release of their last album, and so much time spent on the road touring, it’s not at all surprising to find the band a little short of complete songs for an official follow-up studio album to ‘Worship Music’. But obviously there’s a need to get something new out there, so what could Anthrax do? The solution – record a covers E.P. of course! And so during some downtime on the road, and small pockets of time in the studio, Anthrax has finally unveiled their new stop-gap release ‘Anthems’.
Anthrax’s love of recording covers is well known, with many of the band’s b-sides and bonus tracks full of cover versions from a whole range of different genres. But does an E.P. dedicated solely to covers actually work in Anthrax’s favour? Well, most of the time it does.
The band open up ‘Anthems’ with ‘Anthem’ – the classic Rush, um... anthem, from 1975’s ‘Fly By Night’. Those familiar with the track will no doubt be curious as to how well Anthrax pull it off, but suffice to say they do it very well. Belladonna manages to pull off Geddy Lee’s high octane vocals well (Even if he does sound like he’s straining a little at times), while Charlie Benante’s drumming is an obvious stand out performance here. Frank Bello’s bass is nicely captured here and given plenty of prominence in the mix (Courtesy of lead guitarists Rob Caggiano’s recording and Jay Ruston’s production and mix), while Scott Ian’s guitars are right on the mark with the raw edge of the original reproduced. Overall, Anthrax’s cover of ‘Anthem’ is a little loose and raw, but fun.
The cover of AC/DC’s ‘T.N.T.’ (From the band’s 1975 album of the same name) is perhaps a fairly obvious choice, but worthy of inclusion solely because Belladonna does a fantastic Bon Scott impersonation, while Thin Lizzy’s ‘Jailbreak’ (From 1976’s ‘Jailbreak’) is another example of Belladonna’s truly diverse vocal abilities (He has Phil Lynott’s attitude and mannerisms perfected), and features a short but authentic classic rock sounding guitar solo from Motörhead’s Phil Campbell.
Boston’s classic ‘Smokin’’ (From Boston’s self titled debut from 1976) is given a great makeover from the band, with Belladonna and guest keyboardist Fred Mandel (Whose worked with Alice Cooper, Queen, Elton John and Pink Floyd in the past) capturing the sound of ‘70’s hard rock, without making it sound too retro or by the numbers, while the cover of Cheap Trick’s ‘Big Eyes’ (From 1977’s ‘In Color’) is by far the heaviest track on the E.P., and another favourite on the E.P.
Finishing up the run of covers is the band’s take on Journey’s ‘Keep On Runnin’’ (From 1981’s ‘Escape’), which is without a doubt Belladonna’s crowning moment on the E.P. This song rocks big time and Belladonna simply sounds incredible.
Finishing up the E.P. is the studio version of ‘Crawl’ (From ‘Worship Music’), and a remixed version of the same track, which is given a makeover from Michael Lord with the addition of orchestration. Although a solid enough addition, both versions of ‘Crawl’ don’t add a real lot to the E.P. overall.
In the end, ‘Anthems’ is a cool little release from Anthrax. It’s a fun listen too, and that’s all it was ever intended to be from the band. And as long as you look at it from that perspective, you won’t see this as a disappointing follow-up to ‘Worship Music’.

For more information on Anthrax, check out - http://www.anthrax.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Bronson - Blood Brothers

Bronson
Blood Brothers
Independent Release

It’s been quite a while since Melbourne based groove metal act Bronson last graced the scene with anything new from the studio. But after a couple of years of hard work behind the scenes, the Australian bruisers are back in the spotlight with their debut full-length offering ‘Blood Brothers’.
In the three years since the release of their self-titled E.P., Bronson have undergone a bit of a change in terms of line-up, with only vocalist Jason ‘Jay’ Clair and guitarist/backing vocalist Gary Max Horn remaining from the line-up that last recorded for the group. Joining the ranks of Bronson since 2012 is guitarist Simon Bailey, bassist Paul Stanway and drummer Shane Turville. But while the majority of members within Bronson are relative newcomers, it has to be said that the change hasn’t diminished the initial promise heard throughout the band’s debut E.P. If anything, the band sounds stronger and more determined than ever, with ‘Blood Brothers’ a definite step up from where the band last left things some three years ago.
The album is opened up with ‘Vivez Sur Vos Pieds....’ (Which is French for ‘Live On Your Feet’), which puts together some spoken word quotes (George W. Bush can be heard) with a building guitar riff and thundering drums. It’s all quite straight forward and simple, but nonetheless an effective instrumental piece to introduce the album with.
Next up is ‘Right To Fight’, which is a typically bruising track that you would expect from Bronson. Again, Bronson aren’t out to over complicate things with dazzling displays of technical bravado, but instead deliver simple brutality by way of heavy grooved guitar riffs and strong sing-along melodies on the vocal front. Clair’s voice may not have a great deal of variation for the most part, but what he lacks in diversity, he more than makes up for in aggression. And while the song is fairly straight forward, the brief passages of guitar solos and effects break up things enough to keep things interesting.
The slower tempo and addition of guest vocalist Kimberly Ward (Who is otherwise known as Kymber Rae) on ‘The Dispossessed’ is something a little different for Bronson, and lends a bit of a Killswitch Engage edge to the band’s sound with great success, while on ‘Weapons Of Mass Destruction’ (The first single released from the album), the focus on providing God Forbid-like cleaner chorus passages is quite effective, and shows there’s more to the band than just sheer brutality.
As solid as ‘Assassins Greed’, ‘Revenge’ and ‘Crushed By Demons’ are, they do tend to get a little lost around the middle of the album with their straight down the line/aggressive direction. But by ‘Fallout’, the band manage to get things back on track by giving the song a bit more depth with the slow introduction (This time taking some spoken word samples from a guide to the after-effects of a nuclear war) and retaining a crushing mid-tempo throughout with choruses that really stand out.
Towards the tail end of the album, the band keeps up the high standard with ‘Claim The Throne’ (Which sounds quite open in the production sense to make way for some great lead guitar work) and the lengthy seven minute epic title track ‘Blood Brothers’ (Which again features a reprising guest vocal role from Ward), before finishing the album up with the short instrumental piece ‘...Ou Mourez Sur Vos Genoux’ (‘Or Die On Your Knees’).
Not everything on Bronson’s full-length debut works, but on the strengths evident within ‘Blood Brothers’, it’s clear that the band has come a long way in the three years since their E.P. release. If Bronson keep doing what they’re doing, there’s every chance that the band will eventually emerge with a killer release that’s sure to make everyone sit up and take notice.

For more information on Bronson, check out - https://www.facebook.com/bronsonmusic

© Justin Donnelly

Black Trillium - The Black Trillium

Black Trillium
The Black Trillium
Independent Release

Following on from their impressive debut E.P. release ‘The Locked Woods’ from 2012, Sydney (New South Wales, Australia) based outfit Black Trillium has returned with a new E.P. in the form of ‘The Black Trillium’. Spearheading this four track effort is the title track ‘The Black Trillium’, which is lyrically inspired by the fantasy novel ‘Black Trillium’ from 1990 (Which was written by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Julian May and Andre Norton). Prior to the song’s release, the band (Who comprise of outfit ex-EnviroCore/Ministerium multi-instrumentalists Simon Skipper and Zach Carlson) claimed the song was their most doom-laden effort to date. And sure enough, the band was spot on with their description. Opening with some majestic piano (Provided by Melanie Touw, who also designed the artwork), the band soon make an entrance through thick doom-like guitar riffs delivered in suffocating slow motion. The clean vocals add a distinctly mournful feel to the track, while the use of growled vocals provide a bit of aggression to the mix, which helps give the song a bit of depth and variation. At certain points, the song takes on a bit more of a melodic death metal feel with some tight knit riffing and intense drumming, but the ever present doom metal template of the song as a whole is maintained throughout. ‘The Black Trillium’, much like the tracks that appeared on their first E.P., is very much rooted within the doom metal sound, but has enough variation and changes in sound to stand out as something truly different from most. If this track says one thing about Black Trillium, it’s that there’s more to the band’s overall sound than most within the genre.
The remaining three tracks on the band’s latest E.P. are a collection of covers from bands that have helped shape and influence the band.
The first track Black Trillium has chosen to give a makeover is ‘The Tempter’, which was originally recorded by doom metal pioneers Trouble on their debut album ‘Pslam 9’ back in 1984. Black Trillium’s cover doesn’t deviate too much from the original in the musical sense, apart from an obvious sharper and cleaner guitar tone on the riff front. The clear difference can be found on the vocal front, where the contrast between the clean and growled efforts gives a completely different feel to Eric Wagner’s unique voice. Overall, it’s a great choice in song, and a pretty cool cover.
Next up is the band’s take on Black Sabbath’s classic ‘Electric Funeral’ (From 1970’s ‘Paranoid’), which is perfectly suited to the band given the original’s trademark doom riffs and slower paced tempo. Again, there’s no real deviation from the original, but the sharpened and thick sounding riffs give the song a heavier edge, and the clean vocals do manage to shed new light on the classic.
Finishing up the E.P. is the cover of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It, Black’ (From 1966’s ‘Aftermath’), which is the one cover on this E.P. that really has undergone a huge transformation by the band. The slower tempo, mournful guitar leads and the equally sorrowful vocals (Which are nicely doubled up for effect) turn this rock classic into something more doom orientated with great success. Of the covers included, this track is by far the most surprising, and enjoyable.
Despite only featuring one original, ‘The Black Trillium’ is a great follow-up to the impressive ‘The Locked Woods’, and again demonstrates Black Trillium’s ability to take doom metal beyond its tired and predictable clichés and create music that defies its limited genre tag.
In the end, if you’re a fan of doom metal with a twist of the different, check out ‘The Black Trillium’.

For more information on Black Trillium, check out - https://www.facebook.com/BlackTrilliumBand

© Justin Donnelly

Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)

Intronaut
Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)
Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia

Sometimes it takes a couple of albums for some bands to find a sound and direction that they’re truly comfortable with, which tends to mean that their first couple of releases are generally overlooked for the most part. And then there are some bands that know straight from the start what sound they’re after, and generally stick with that sound throughout most of their career.
But then there’s that small minority of acts who are constantly on the search for that something different from one release to the next, which makes them near impossible to pin down. One such act that well and truly fits into this mould is Los Angeles (California, U.S.) based outfit Intronaut.
Over the course of their three full-length releases to date (2006’s ‘Void’, 2008’s ‘Prehistoricisms’ and 2010’s ‘Valley Of Smoke’), the four piece act (Comprising of vocalist/guitarists Sacha Dunable and Dave Timnick, bassist Joe Lester and drummer Danny Walker) have incorporated stoner metal, psychedelic rock, jazz and groove metal into their sound, which has earned the band their broader progressive metal genre tag, despite having a sound that’s completely different from anyone else within the progressive metal scene.
Now returning with ‘Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)’, it’s clear that Intronaut still isn’t remotely interested in making the same album over and over again. Taking the lead set by ‘Valley Of Smoke’, Intronaut have made a concerted effort to push themselves artistically once more by tapering back the heavier and more metallic aspects of their overall sound, both musically and vocally.
The eight minute opening track ‘Killing Birds With Stones’ sets the tone for the bulk of the album with its weaving/thick sounding riffs, oddly timed/rhythmic drumming patterns and its slow moving tempos and gradual evolution from one musical idea to the next. The trademark elements of Intronaut’s old sound are still here for the most part, with the track featuring plenty of cool riffs, heavily grooved and rhythmic passages and pockets of atmospheric interludes to give the song a huge feel. But what separates this song from anything the band has recorded in the past can be primarily heard on the vocal front. The growled efforts of the past are all but gone, with Dunable utilising his clean vocals throughout the song. While ‘Valley Of Smoke’ featured a lot of clean vocals, it’s on the band’s latest release that the clean vocals are used almost exclusively. Simply put, it’s something that does take a bit of getting used to. Musically, the band have toned things down to make way for the cleaner vocals, which can give the impression that the song is a little too long in places, and lacking a bit of spark on the heavier passages. But after several listens, it’s clear that time is needed to fully appreciate the intricacies of the band’s song writing. And once those ideas are understood, it’s hard to deny the power the opening track has.
Despite toning down the metallic edge on Intronaut’s latest release, it doesn’t mean that the band has completely abandoned the heavier side of things, with the crushing complexity of ‘The Welding’ and the rhythmically jagged first single ‘Milk Leg’ showcasing the band’s willingness to keep things bludgeoning – albeit with harmony vocals in tow and a general sparseness behind the pulverising riffs.
The sludgy ‘Steps’ is a personal favourite with the band perfecting their intense and heavy atmospheric sound alongside dual harmony vocals, while the hypnotic and melodic pair of ‘Sore Sight For Eyes’ and ‘Harmonomicon’ are definite favourites further on into the album.
‘Eventual’ sounds like equal parts Meshuggah and Black Sabbath with more than a touch of psychedelic rock to really spice things up, while the rather short ‘Blood From A Stone’ is by far the strangest track on the album, with the band retaining a mellow and atmospheric vibe throughout. Finishing up the album is ‘The Way Down’, which not unlike the opener, is a cathartic mix of the intense and the heavy, but delivered with a sense of melody and restrain that allows the playing abilities of all within the band to shine.
Much like all their former releases, ‘Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)’ is an album that takes a while to fully appreciate and understand. If you were pleased with the direction the band took on ‘Valley Of Smoke’, then you’ll no doubt embrace the band’s latest release sooner than most. If on the other hand you were less than enthused with ‘Valley Of Smoke’, then you might want to allow a little longer for ‘Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)’ to finally reveal itself to you.

For more information on Intronaut, check out - https://www.facebook.com/Intronaut

© Justin Donnelly

Adema - Topple The Giants

Adema
Topple The Giants
Pavement Entertaniment, Inc.

Despite emerging towards the tail end of the nu-metal phenomenon, Adema managed to achieve a modest amount of success with the release of their debut self-titled full-length effort in 2001 through a couple of high rotation singles, and lead vocalist Mark Chavez II’s association with Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis (Chavez is Davis’ younger half brother).
But for all of the success the band enjoyed, things looked shaky when their sophomore release ‘Unstable’ (2003) failed to match the sales of their debut, and the band were dropped from Arista Records. So when Adema announced the departure of guitarist/backing vocalist Mike Ransom and Chavez from the group, many were convinced that they were pretty much done and dusted.
But as bleak as things looked, the remaining members of the Bakersfield (California, U.S.) based outfit picked up former Rewind Yesterday vocalist Luke Caraccioli, signed to Earache Records and released their third album ‘Planets’ in 2005. While the album was far from a runaway success, it did at least show that there was life left in the band, and that they were making attempts to distance themselves from their nu-metal sound of old in favour of a more modern hard rock sound. Despite a positive response from fans and press alike, Caraccioli would announce his resignation from the group within months of the album’s release.
Undeterred, the band recruited former Level vocalist Bobby Reeves into their ranks, and released their fourth full-length effort ‘Kill The Headlights’ in 2007 (Through Immortal Records). But if the band’s history has proven anything, it’s that Adema is anything but solid. So it came as no surprise when the band announced an indefinite hiatus in early 2008.
Since then, Adema have existed in one form or another, and for a brief time they reformed with the original line-up (From mid 2009 through to early 2011), only to dissolve once again. Not surprisingly, the band’s plans to release a D.V.D. and a new full-length release were put on hold indefinitely.
So here we are in 2013, and the current incarnation of Adema is back once again with a new E.P. in ‘Topple The Giants’. Having split with Ransom and Chavez for a second time a couple of years back, the core members of the group have decided to keep things in-house, with guitarist Tim Fluckey taking on the  lead vocals. Joining Fluckey is guitarist/backing vocalist Marc DeLeon, bassist/backing vocalist Dave DeRoo and drummer Kris Kohls.
Comprising of two differing halves, the opening trio of tracks on Adema’s latest E.P. are brand new offerings from the band, with ‘Resolution’ leading the charge. In terms of direction, Fluckey’s vocals on ‘Resolution’ have a bit of a Chavez feel, which gives the song a feel of old Adema, which is definitely rooted in the old nu-metal sound. As a song, it’s a solid tune, and perhaps the one most likely to appeal to Adema fans of old.
The title track ‘Topple The Giants’ isn’t exactly a highlight, with the song sounding a little forced and unremarkable, particularly on the vocal front where Fluckey seems to struggle to match the aggression of the music it accompanies.
Finishing up the new tracks is ‘Lions’, which is more along the hard rock lines of the band’s last couple of releases. It’s here that Fluckey seems to be more at ease as a vocalist. And while the song doesn’t quite sit alongside some of the band’s stronger efforts on either ‘Planets’ or ‘Kill The Headlights’, it’s a solid and likeable track.
The second half of this new E.P. comprises of four re-recorded tracks. While Chavez may have played a large part of Adema’s initial success, Fluckey does manage to pull off a pretty good impression of Chavez on the band’s updated versions of ‘Unstable’ (From 2003’s ‘Unstable’), ‘Immortal’ (From 2002’s ‘Insomniac’s Dream’ E.P.) and ‘Giving In’ (From 2001’s ‘Adema’). Fluckey also manages to pull off a convincing vocal performance on ‘Planets’ (From the 2005 album of the same name), which may not be quite be on the same level as the original, but different enough to warrant a listen. As you would expect, the musical arrangements have changed little from the originals, which overall gives the impression that these versions are purely to showcase what the band are capable of on the vocal front more than anything else.
Overall, ‘Topple The Giants’ is an O.K. release, but one that doesn’t really add much to Adema’s otherwise patchy track record. Instead, the band seems content to stay in a holding pattern for the time being, rather than really push forward and offer up something completely new.
I can’t help but wonder if there’s any real interest from fans in another new release from Adema. I guess only time will only answer that question. But if there’s one message this E.P. delivers, it’s that Adema aren’t ready to call it a day just yet.

For more information on Adema, check out – https://twitter.com/ADEMAofficial

© Justin Donnelly

Long Distance Calling - The Flood Inside

Long Distance Calling
The Flood Inside
Superball Music/Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia

German (Münster based) outfit Long Distance Calling are one of the progressive/post rock underground scene’s best kept secrets. Over the course of their three full-length releases to date (2007’s ‘Satellite Bay’, 2009’s ‘Avoid The Light’ and 2011’s ‘Long Distance Calling’), the band have built up an impressive following, with each and every new release seeing an increased amount of attention and critical acclaim from fans and press alike. And deservedly so too, as Long Distance Calling have that rare ability to produce music that works entirely in instrumental form, barring the odd venture into vocal territory from guest vocalists.
It’s been two years since we last heard from Long Distance Calling, and in that time the band has undergone a bit of a change, with group founder and the man responsible for electronics within the group, Reimut Van Bonn parting ways with the group in 2012. Instead of replacing Van Bonn, the band (Guitarists David Jordan and Florian Funtmann, bassist Jan Hoffmann and drummer Janosch Rathmer) have decided to invite some guest programmers/electronic coordinators (Robot Koch, Alex Komlew and Mario Cullmann) to help flesh out ‘The Flood Inside’. The biggest change however is the addition of Pigeon Toe/ex-Fear My Thoughts vocalist/keyboardist Martin ‘Marsen’ Fischer to their ranks. No doubt, the biggest question on most lips is how much change does the addition of a vocalist to an act like Long Distance Calling who are predominately an instrumental outfit? And do the three guest programmers on ‘The Flood Inside’ fill the void left behind by Van Bonn?
Well in short, not a whole lot has changed within Long Distance Calling.
Sure, ‘The Flood Inside’ has a greater number of vocal tracks, but vocals have always played their part on previous albums. And as for the programmers, you’d be hard pressed to know a change has taken place for the most part.
Long Distance Calling opens up their latest opus with ‘Nucleus’, which is fairly typical of what you would expect of the band with its ebb and flow mix of heavy rock and passages of gentle atmospherics. There are some great heavy moments within the track where the guitars are allowed to rock out in a heavy fashion, while the guest guitar solo from Henrik Freischlader adds a great blues touch to the latter half of the track. All up, this track provides a great start to the album.
Fischer’s first appearance on the album comes in the form of ‘Inside The Flood’. And if I were to be honest, it’s perhaps one of the weaker songs on the album. There’s no disputing Fischer is a great vocalist (Fear My Thoughts’ last album ‘Isolation’ from 2008 is a personal favourite of mine), he just doesn’t sound comfortable here, with the melodies sadly lacking in the choruses.
Despite the minor hiccup on the former track, the band more than make up for their misstep in ‘Ductus’, which starts off with some sparsely played guitar over spoken word quotes from ‘Twin Peaks’ in a mild mid-paced tempo, before building ever so gently to incorporate some dominate sounding tribal drums, some huge sounding guitar riffs and plenty of catchy heavy drawn out groove moments.
Fischer’s second foray into vocals on ‘Tell The End’ is a much more rewarding experience, with the choruses standing out in the way they rightfully should outside the ever building verses. Fischer gets to fully explore his range (Something he couldn’t do within ‘Inside The Flood’), which showcases his ability as a front man, while the sly inclusion of a spoken word quote from ‘American Psycho’ (2000) is exceedingly well done.
Outside of Fischer, Long Distance Calling also has a couple of other guest vocalists – namely Petter Carlsen and Vincent Cavanagh (Anathema) – both who appear on ‘Welcome Change’. The track itself will disappoint those who are hoping to hear Cavanagh sing anything more than back-ups in the choruses. But if you overlook the lack of Cavanagh, ‘Welcome Change’ is a fairly strong effort, and one that stands out as a bit of a detour from the rest of the album on the vocal front in a good way.
‘Waves’ sees the band move into more experimental territory with the use of electronic manipulation and spoken word (Courtesy of Folkways Records & Service Corp.’s 1958 album based on sound – ‘The Sound Of Science’) to great effect. While the use of guitars and drums are used sparingly, the constant rise and fall of electronic noises and the echoed effect put on a few sampled words and violins create a truly mesmerising track.
After a few experimental numbers, Long Distance Calling returns to the rock big time with the Fischer fronted/groove driven/anthem-like ‘The Man Within’, before concluding the album with the epic instrumental ‘Breaker’, which initially starts out on a stoner rock path, before exploding around the halfway mark to take on a heavy progressive rock direction. Again, the closer is another of the album’s many highlights.
Long Distance Calling hasn’t yet managed to really break the big time, but it’s not through a lack of trying or talent. Long Distance Calling have both those qualities in abundance. And while I doubt that ‘The Flood Inside’ is likely to break the band this time around, it will at least earn the band more critical acclaim, and more followers to their cause.

For more information on Long Distance Calling, check out - https://www.facebook.com/longdistancecalling

© Justin Donnelly

Spock's Beard - Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep

Spock’s Beard
Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep
Inside Out Music/Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia

Few would deny that between the years of 1995 and 2002, Los Angeles (California, U.S.) progressive rock outfit Spock’s Beard were at their best creatively with vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and group founder Neal Morse at the helm.
But after six critically acclaimed albums, Morse decided to focus on his solo career, which left many fans questioning whether the band could survive his loss.
With the announcement of drummer Nick D’Virgilio taking on the lead vocals, Spock’s Beard made a quick return to the scene. But despite D’Virgilio skills as a vocalist, the absence of Morse on the song writing front was a definite blow to the band, and as a consequence, the first few post-Morse releases were at best hit and miss.
Despite a somewhat patchy period with D’Virgilio, Spock’s Beard finally managed to break free of the past and produced an absolute masterpiece in 2010 with ‘X’. It took the band four releases, but they eventually found their own sound.
Unfortunately, the success of ‘X’ was short lived, with D’Virgilio announcing his departure in order to focus on family, and take on the role as the official touring drummer for Cirque Du Soleil. Having faced the same situation in the past, Spock’s Beard (Who comprise of guitarist/vocalist Alan Morse, bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Dave Meros, keyboardist/vocalist Ryo Okumoto and drummer/vocalist Jimmy Keegan) wasted no time in recruiting Enchant vocalist Ted Leonard into the fold to help out with live commitments. It came as no surprise that after several gigs, Leonard was officially announced as D’Virgilio’s permanent replacement.
Three years after the release of ‘X’, Spock’s Beard are back with album number eleven in ‘Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep’. And as expected, the band’s new release sees them playing things safe.
‘Hiding Out’ is a surprising opener for the album, with the song solely written by Leonard. But while the move might be an ambitious one, the song is a strong one, and Leonard more than proves his ability to fill the void left behind by D’Virgilio. The use of keyboards, sparse electric guitars and acoustic guitars gives the song a lighter feel than what you would normally expect from the band, but is overall a sound that best matches Leonard’s melodic vocals. Of course, there’s plenty of progressive improvisation within the song, but it’s the choruses that really give the song its character. In other words, there’s no denying that ‘Hiding Out’ is a Spock’s Beard song, but it’s hard to miss an undeniable Enchant influence there as well with Leonard on board.
‘I Know Your Secret’ follows up next, and one of my personal favourites. The song is not only one of the heavier sounding efforts on the album, but also one of the more experimental as well, with the union of Spock’s Beard and Leonard attempting to create something a little different and unique, rather than opting for the familiar. Of course, the song does have its moments of familiarity, but the extra injection of guitar, the faster pace and the mellow breakdown around the three quarter mark (Which allows Leonard to really show off his emotive vocals) add some much needed fresh ideas to Spock’s Beard’s song writing framework.
‘A Treasure Abandoned’ is typically what you would expect from Spock’s Beard. The song starts out with a huge sweeping progressive introduction which is concluded with a breakdown, after which the song officially gets underway in a fairly soothing manner. It’s in this centre that the pop/rock side of the band’s sound comes to the fore, and just how Leonard’s vocals and melodies fit perfectly in that mould. Don’t get me wrong, ‘A Treasure Abandoned’ is a great song, but a fairly predictable one in terms of what Spock’s Beard has delivered time and time again.
There’s a lot of Enchant heard within ‘Submerged’, which is not surprising given that it’s a Leonard composition. The slower tempo and relaxed atmosphere that runs throughout the track may have some Spock’s Beard fans thinking the song is a little on the long side of things, but if you’re a fan of Enchant, you’ll know what’s in store here.
‘Afterthoughts’ is the third part of the ongoing ‘Thoughts’ series, and as you would expect, very much a traditional Spock’s Beard number with Neal Morse helping out on the song writing. The vocal chaos of criss-crossing vocal lines is once again reprised, and while it’s done well, I can’t help but feel that it’s all been heard before. Much like ‘A Treasure Abandoned’, ‘Afterthoughts’ is good, but hardly groundbreaking for the band.
After a couple of less than stellar efforts, the band manages to finally impress with ‘Something Very Strange’. Although not too far removed from Spock’s Beard’s trademark sound, the darker tones, the greater progressive instrumentation and Leonard’s powerful vocal and melodies really make song stand out.
Finishing up the album is ‘Waiting For Me’, which is the other track on the album Alan Morse co-write with Neal. And predictably enough, it’s another one of the album’s stronger efforts. Sure, it’s not a real departure of style from what you would otherwise expect from the Morse brothers (Heavily harmonised vocals, pockets of solos from all involved and a brief interlude in the middle to break up the twelve minute epic into two distinct halves), but a good song is a good song.
Overall, ‘Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep’ is a solid album, but a definite step down to the brilliant ‘X’.
I can’t help but feel that with ‘Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep’, Spock’s Beard are playing it safe, especially given that it marks Leonard’s first recording with the band. Time will tell of course whether this is true or not, but unless the band attempt to create something for themselves, they’ll always live in the shadow of their Neal Morse led era, and their sole D’Virgilio era masterpiece ‘X’.

For more information on Spock’s Beard, check out - http://www.spocksbeard.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

Steven Wilson
The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)
Kscope/Snapper Music

Despite plans to get back together and start work on a new album in 2012, Porcupine Tree was once again put on the backburner by the group’s founder/front man Steven Wilson in favour of pursuing his solo career following the success of his first two solo efforts. So it comes as no surprise to find that in short two years since the release of his critically acclaimed ‘Grace For Drowning’, Wilson brings us his eagerly anticipated third follow-up effort ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)’.
Those who are familiar with Wilson’s previous solo efforts will no doubt have a fair idea of what to expect from ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)’. But if you were to assume that Wilson’s latest album is a carbon copy of the jazz-fusion/progressive rock/avant-garde direction Wilson took with his former efforts, then you would be wrong. Because while some of that style is still evident on ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)’, there’s also a renewed focus from Wilson on writing songs as the core, and fitting the instrumentation around that solid framework. In other words, while there’s a parallel between this body of work and his previous efforts, this album is also something different altogether.
The opening track ‘Luminol’, which originally debuted on Wilson’s live D.V.D. ‘Get All You Deserve’ in 2012, is somewhat of a transitional track that combines the genre defying jazz-fusion/progressive rock/metal sound of old with the melodic and emotive song structure that Wilson has made a name for himself with. The track initially starts out with a groove based drum and bass rhythm that is hammered out in an almost funky manner, before incorporating some flute and keyboards to give the track a bit of a ‘70’s progressive rock feel. It isn’t until around the five minute mark that the track takes on a more late night jazz tone, with the piano and gentle percussion and Wilson’s heavily layered harmony vocals standing out. The final three minutes sees a build up of heavy sounding keyboards, and fuses those heavier tones together with a reprisal of the funky jazz groove that opened up the song to a climatic and satisfying close.
After such an ambitious and epic start to the album, the follow-up track ‘Drive Home’ took me somewhat by surprise. With its gentle acoustic guitar backbone, subtle drums accompaniment and lush keyboards; ‘Drive Home’ reminds me a lot of Wilson’s other project Blackfield. Wilson’s beautiful harmonies are a huge part of what makes this song stand out, but credit also has to be given to guitarist Guthrie Govan, who really takes the song to a whole new level with his amazing improvised solo towards the tail end of the song.
‘The Holy Drinker’ sees Wilson revisit the dark and heavy organ/mellotron tones intertwined with moments of freestyle flute and sax passages – which gives the song a feel and vibe that could have easily been lifted from his former solo efforts with ease. Co-producer Alan Parsons (Who’s previously worked with The Beatles and Pink Floyd, and is the mastermind behind The Alan Parsons Project) adds a touch of diversity on the track with a guest guitar solo, but otherwise this track is an intense ‘70’s inspired progressive rock workout that Wilson has built his solo work around.
At just a touch over five minutes, ‘The Pin Drop’ is the album’s shortest cut, and one of the album’s more Porcupine Tree sounding efforts. In a lot of ways, the song could have slotted onto Porcupine Tree’s 2009 album ‘The Incident’, particularly with its abundant use of vocal melodies and more rock structured framework. But in saying that, I can’t help but feel that if there’s one track that tends to get overlooked more than any other on this album, it’s this track. In a nutshell, it’s O.K., but without a doubt the album’s weakest offering.
Things get back on track with ‘The Watchmaker’, which is opened with some delicate acoustic work that underpins Wilson’s emotional vocals, before drifting away with a lengthy progressive instrumental middle section that ebbs and flows between quieter atmospheric passages and improvised progressive rock passages. Sure, the piano work in the latter half of the track is a bit reminiscent of Peter Gabriel era Genesis at times, but the multi-layered backing vocals from Wilson and the instrumentation from the rest of the band that drifts in and out throughout do manage to transform the song into something a little more unique and original sounding for the most part.
Finishing up the album is the title track ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing’, which is again one of my definite favourites on the album alongside ‘Drive Home’. This track is full of emotion, and when you couple that with Wilson’s impeccable knack for stirring melodies and lyrical narration, Dave Stewart’s perfect orchestration and Govan’s understated guitar work, you can’t help but feel that this track really is a work of perfection, and the perfect way to close the album.
With ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)’, Wilson has managed to tone down the experimentation of his previous solo releases, and incorporate more of the melodic aspects of his various other projects. What this combined effort means is that ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)’ is by far Wilson’s most accomplished and all-round complete sounding solo releases to date.

For more information on Steven Wilson, check out – http://www.stevenwilsonhq.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Blynd - Punishment Unfolds

Blynd
Punishment Unfolds
Pitch Black Records

The latest act to sign to Pitch Black Records’ ever growing roster of diverse acts is Nicosia/Larnaca (Cyprus) based outfit Blynd.
Despite having formed way back in 2003, Blynd haven’t really been that active on the studio front, with only a couple of demos (2004’s ‘Embraced And Abandoned’ and 2007’s ‘The Human Touch’) and one full-length effort (2010’s ‘The Enemy’, which was pressed to one thousand copies and released through Fishbone Records) to their name. But after a couple of years laying low, the four piece outfit (Comprising of vocalist/bassist Andreas Paraschos, guitarists George Masouras and Constantinos Constantinou and drummer Alex Iacovou) is back with their Pitch Black Records debut ‘Punishment Unfolds’.
Pinning down Blynd’s sound is a bit of a challenge, as the band manages to incorporate several different influences and styles throughout the ten tracks on their latest effort ‘Punishment Unfolds’. There’s no denying that a strong groove metal sound that underpins the vast majority of the band’s songs, but there’s also elements of thrash metal and melodic death metal as well. Under normal circumstances, this hybrid mix of styles would make for a confused and inconsistent listen. But somehow, Blynd manage to make their mix of sounds and styles work throughout, which ensures that ‘Punishment Unfolds’ remains a great listen throughout.
The album starts off with ‘Divine Gathering’ - an orchestral/choral piece (Which was written by co-producer/mixer/engineer Philip Zilfo) that incorporates some industrial elements to create a truly stirring piece of soundtrack work. After the song’s climatic ending, the introduction of thrashing guitars is brought up into the mix and the band get things underway with ‘Arrival Of The Gods’. Part groove metal and part melodic death metal, ‘Arrival Of The Gods’ is an infectious blast of metal that hits hard, and yet retains a catchiness on both the death growled vocal and guitar front that is undeniably appealing. And if that wasn’t enough, the song also features some explosive lead work as well, which showcases the true talents within the group.
The title track ‘As Punishment Unfolds’ is a fast paced and rhythmic/heavily grooved detour into melodic death metal territory that boasts some great vocal trade-offs between Paraschos and guest vocalist Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ), while ‘Never For The Fallen’ (Which is opened by a spoken word quote from Charles Manson) is a straightforward grooving thrasher that pummels the listener into submission with its diverse array of catchy riffs, clean melodic lead work and varying tempo changes.
‘Sins To The Cross’, which features a guest appearance from Winter’s Verge vocalist George Charalambous, is a bit more left of centre sounding with a touch of power metal seeping into the band’s overall sound, while ‘The Chosen Few’ (The promotional video clip for this song is included here on the C.D. as a bonus) and ‘Divine Conspiracy’ appear to be a little more stripped back than anything on the album, and therefore could be considered the weaker sounding efforts to appear on the album.
But despite a couple of less than stellar moments around the middle of the album, the tail end of the album still packs plenty of punch, with the progressively melodic death metal edged ‘Convicted In The Devil’s Land’, ‘The Final Resistance’ (Which features some experimentation in guitar sounds to great effect) and the adventurous closer ‘Infinity Race’ all standing out as highlights.
Blynd is a difficult act to pin down in the genre sense, but if there’s one thing that can be agreed upon, it’s that ‘Punishment Unfolds’ is one impressive release.
All up, ‘Punishment Unfolds’ comes highly recommended, and Blynd the kind act worthy of keeping an eye on in the future.

For more information on Blynd, check out - http://www.blyndmetal.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Hatebreed - The Divinity Of Purpose

Hatebreed
The Divinity Of Purpose
Nuclear Blast Records/Riot! Entertainment

When it comes to metallic hardcore, there are few bands as consistent or reliable as Bridgeport (Connecticut, U.S.) based outfit Hatebreed.
Over the course of their sixteen year existence, the band have carved out a unique crossover niche for themselves within the metalcore scene, with the band’s fan base split between those within the hardcore and metal scenes.
It’s been somewhat of a lengthy gap between releases for Hatebreed, with four years having past since the release of their self-titled album way back in 2009. But after spending a bit of time immersing himself in other projects (Including Kingdom Of Sorrow’s sophomore effort ‘Behind The Blackest Tears’ in 2010, and his rather experimental solo effort ‘Jasta’ in 2011), group founder/vocalist Jamey Jasta has once again turned his attention to Hatebreed, who have unveiled their highly anticipated seventh full-length effort ‘The Divinity Of Purpose’.
Anyone who’s familiar with Hatebreed will know exactly what’s in store within the band’s latest effort ‘The Divinity Of Purpose’. Hatebreed isn’t the kind of band to experiment with sound and direction purely to keep fans on their toes. No, Hatebreed have well and truly established their sound and style over the years, and they know that it’s exactly what fans want to hear from them time and time again.
The only real question is whether or not Hatebreed’s latest effort stands alongside their former releases in terms of strong songs. And in short, the answer is pretty much a resounding ‘Yes’!
Hatebreed (Who aside from Jasta, comprise of guitarists Wayne Lozinak and Frank Novinec, bassist Chris Beattie and drummer Matt Byrne) get the album off to an explosive start with ‘Put It To The Torch’ – the first single released from the album. It’s energetic, brutal and catchy enough to get any listener’s blood pumping, and everything any fan could ask for from a Hatebreed track.
From here, the band rarely lets up, with the follow-up track ‘Honor Never Dies’ (The second single from the album) a truly scathing track with a great chorus, while songs such as the fast paced ‘Own Your World’, ‘The Language’ (Which boasts a brief, but cool lead break), ‘Indivisible’, the stomping/menacing power groove of ‘Dead Man Breathing’ and ‘Boundless (Time To Murder It)’ are the definite picks dotted throughout the album.
While there are a couple of tracks that don’t quite match the quality of those mentioned above (The most notable has to be ‘Idolized And Vilified’, which gets lost at the tail end of the album), overall the album is another highly enjoyable and all-round killer effort from Hatebreed.
Hatebreed aren’t exactly the kind of band to step outside the box and change for the sake of change. But then that’s part of the strength of Hatebreed. Fans know exactly what to expect from Hatebreed, and sure enough, ‘The Divinity Of Purpose’ won’t disappoint fans one bit.

For more information on Hatebreed, check out - http://www.hatebreed.com/.

© Justin Donnelly.

Death Wolf - II: Black Armoured Death

Death Wolf
II: Black Armoured Death
Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia

When Devils Whorehouse emerged onto the scene with their debut E.P. release ‘The Howling’ (Released in 2000 through Regain Records), it was pretty clear where the band’s influences laid by the name they decided upon. Essentially we’re talking about a band that worshiped everything Danzig/Samhain/Misfits related, albeit with a touch of black metal thrown into the mix to give the band their own identity.
Over the course of the next three releases after their debut (2003’s ‘Revelation Unorthodox’, 2008’s ‘Werewolf’ E.P. and 2009’s ‘Blood & Ashes’), it was clear that Devils Whorehouse’s sound was continually evolving. So it came as no surprise that after eleven years of change and continual reinvention, the band considered their current sound quite removed from the one they started out with, and decided the time was right to have a change of name to reflect this. And as of 2011, the Swedish (Norrköping based) outfit formally known as Devils Whorehouse became Death Wolf. As expected, Death Wolf’s self titled debut (Released in mid 2011 through Regain Records) wasn’t all that far removed from where they last left things with Devils Whorehouse, which meant that while fans were pleased with the results, the band didn’t attract many newcomers with their new release.
It’s been two years since then, and after signing up with the mighty Century Media Records, Death Wolf (Who comprise of vocalist Valentin ‘Maelstrom’ Mellström, guitarist Marcus ‘Makko’ Bäckbrant, Abruptum/Marduk bassist Patrick ‘Morgan’ Håkansson and drummer Mikael ‘Hrafn’ Karlsson) has returned with their sophomore effort ‘II: Black Armoured Death’. And as expected, it’s business as usual for the horror punk/metal outfit.
If I were to be honest, Devils Whorehouse/Death Wolf has never been what I would consider a truly remarkable or original sounding band. And in that respect, ‘II: Black Armoured Death’ reinforces the point. The opening track ‘Noche De Brujas’ is a good example of where the band’s strengths and weakness really come to the fore, and the perfect track for newcomers to decide the merits of the band’s output as a whole. Musically, the band’s Danzig influences are still quite evident, albeit with a bit more of a gothic influence than usual. But on the vocal front, Mellström still struggles to deliver a convincing performance. His half growled vocals are done well for at least half the time, but when he attempts to sing something a little more on the cleaner side of things on the lower end, or a little higher than his range allows, it sounds too uneven and hard on the ears. Outside of the vocal issues, the song itself is quite flat and unremarkable, which in part can be blamed on the plodding pace of the song as a whole.
The follow-up track ‘World Serpent’ on the other hand is a far stronger effort. The faster pace, and Mellström’s energy out front really exudes a power that is largely absent when the band slows things down.
And herein is the problem with Death Wolf’s latest release. When the band attempts to create something a bit more atmospheric and moody, they fail on almost every level. While the band do conjure up something a little interesting on ‘Lords Of Putrefaction’ (Well, at least on half the vocals) and the cover of Death In June’s ‘Little Black Angel’, tracks such as ‘Night Stalker’, the dreary chant based ‘Luciferian Blood Covenant’, the plodding ‘Death Wolf March’ and ‘Rothenburg’ fail to excite one bit.
Where the band’s strengths lie is on the faster tracks, where punk, gothic influenced rock and black metal are fused together to create a vibrant hybrid sound. The best examples of this can be found on the d-beat blast of ‘Sudden Bloodletter’, ‘Malice Striker’, ‘Black Armoured Death’ and the catchy ‘Snake Mountain’.
Death Wolf has never been known for their originality, and that’s fair enough. I can understand that, and I don’t have a problem with that. What I do have a problem with is their unwillingness to capitalise on their strengths and deliver a consistent and enjoyable album. Because of that, ‘II: Black Armoured Death’ will only appeal to the small number of diehard Devils Whorehouse fans that aren’t already aware that the band had changed their name to Death Wolf.

For more information on Death Wolf, check out - http://www.deathwolf.net/

© Justin Donnelly

Edge Of Attack - Edge Of Attack

Edge Of Attack
Edge Of Attack
Spread The Metal Records

In a lot of ways, the release of Edge Of Attack’s new self titled release is something of a rebirth for the long running Canadian (Grand Prairie, Alberta based) outfit. After all, a lot has changed with Edge Of Attack since they were introduced to back in 2012.
Just to fill in some of the background information, Edge Of Attack formed way back in 2008. In the
years that followed, the band went through a few line-up reshuffles, before making the move towards recording their debut full-length effort in 2012.
In the six months that followed, Edge Of Attack once again went through a change of guard (The quartet became a quintet, with rhythm guitarist Dallas Dyck being added to the ranks alongside vocalist Roxanne Gordey, lead guitarist/vocalist Jurekk Whipple, bassist Denver Whipple and drummer Trevor Swain), and signed up with Nova Scotia (Canada) based label Spread The Metal Records. But what’s surprising at this point is that rather than re-release their debut, the band have seized the opportunity to give their debut a complete makeover, and inevitably relaunch themselves as a new band of sorts. Apart from the new cover artwork adorning the album, the album also features a new track listing, and new recordings of the said songs. So in a lot of ways, this new version of Edge Of Attack’s debut release is a big step up for the band. But while there are positives, there are also some negatives. And the biggest one is the band’s lack of focussed direction and original sound.
The opening track ‘In Hell’ is one of the album’s new additions, and in all honesty, isn’t one of the album’s stronger efforts. The metalcore-like riffs and drumming that introduces the song is solid enough, but the addition of the power metal-like keyboards into the mix sounds just a little too heavy handed. To add to the song’s woes, Gordey’s vocals aren’t as convincing as they should be during the verses. Despite the obvious negatives, the song’s strong chorus (Which is helped by the multi-layered gang vocals), the heavy riffing and brief passages of lead work do work exceedingly well.
The follow-up track ‘The Haunting’ is undoubtedly one of the album’s more memorable efforts with its solid riffing (Which in some ways reminds me of Iced Earth) and memorable groove, while ‘Take Me Alive’, ‘In The Night’ (The other new track added to this version of the album), ‘Rise Above’ and the fast paced title track ‘Edge Of Attack’ are competent efforts that will no doubt be considered passable, if a little bland to most listeners.
‘Demon (Of The Northern Seas)’ is one of the few tracks on the album that sees the band step a little outside of the box, with the folk/metal guitar riffing and influences spicing up the familiar sound, while the addition of guest vocalist Ivan Giannini (Who is a member of Italian power metal outfits Derdian and Ivory) also keeps things interesting.
Elsewhere, Ryan Bovaird of melodic death metal band Hallows Die adds some great growls to ‘The Damned’ (Which is easily the stand out cut on the album), while Norwegian vocalist Per Fredrik Asly (From Damnation Angels and Pellek) duets with Gordey on the lengthy power metal epic ‘Set The World Aflame’.
The re-release of Edge Of Attack’s debut is certainly a huge improvement on the original, and for that the band should be commended. But that’s not to say that there isn’t some inherit flaws on this new album. The band still hasn’t managed to find a sound their comfortable with, Gordey’s vocals still doesn’t sound connected with the band’s material and their song writing still needs major work.
Overall, while Edge Of Attack’s debut isn’t about to blow many away, it does at least show a small amount of promise for the future.

For more information on Edge Of Attack, check out - http://www.edgeofattack.com/

© Justin Donnelly

Necrowretch - Putrid Death Sorcery

Necrowretch
Putrid Death Sorcery
Century Media Records/E.M.I. Music Australia

For the better part of the last four years, French (Valence, Rhône-Alpes based) outfit Necrowretch have been making a name for themselves within the death metal underground with a collection of demo and official E.P. releases. Not surprisingly, as Necrowretch’s music started to reach a broader audience, a lot of people within the scene started to sit up and take notice of the band – including Jens Prüeter, the head of A&R at Century Media Records Europe, who was impressed with the band’s performance supporting Asphyx’s ‘Deathhammer’ album launch in March 2010.
Having officially signed on the Century Media Records in early 2012, Necrowretch (Who comprise of vocalist/guitarist Vlad, Sanctuaire bassist Amphycion and Sanctuaire/Aldaaron session drummer Mörkk) has finally completed work on their debut full-length effort ‘Putrid Death Sorcery’.
From the moment the album’s opening track ‘Ripping Souls Of Sinners’ is blasted out of the speakers, it’s immediately clear where Necrowretch’s influences originate from. There’s some obvious shades of early Death (1987’s ‘Scream Bloody Gore’ in particular) in the band’s overall sound, with touches of early Marduk, Merciless and Grotesque seeping through as well. Essentially this is old-school death metal, but with enough elements of black metal to mix things up a little. Performance wise, it’s hard to fault Necrowretch. The guitars have a technical edge that’s sharp enough to keep things interesting, while Vlad’s scathing vocals have plenty of venom to give the song some added aggression. In terms of the production, the sound is nice and sharp, but far more clinical sounding, which really allows Mörkk’s impressive drum work to stand out. Overall, it’s safe to say that Necrowretch have more than mastered the old-school death metal sound, and know how to write a good song.
Unfortunately, the formula adopted on the opening track wears a little thin during the course of the album. Despite some tracks that stand out, such as the savage title track ‘Putrid Death Sorcery’, ‘Spewed From Hell’, ‘Goat-Headed’, the dynamic ‘Necrollections’ (Which originally appeared on their ‘Necrollections’ demo in 2010) and the re-recorded fast paced closer ‘Repugnizer’ (From 2009’s ‘Rising From Purulence’ demo), the album does start to lose its impact and originality as it goes on. Ultimately, while Necrowretch can write some great songs, over the course of a full-length album, there’s just not enough variation to make them stand out amongst the pack.
Necrowretch are far from original, but they have enough talent to warrant a listen to. Sound wise, it would be great to see the band put a little more variation into their song writing to maintain the listener’s attention over the course of a whole album. But as it stands, ‘Putrid Death Sorcery’ is a solid enough release, if a little underwhelming at times.

For more information on Necrowretch, check out - http://www.necrowretch.net/

© Justin Donnelly

Tomahawk - Oddfellows

Tomahawk
Oddfellows
Ipecac Recordings

When Tomahawk first announced their formation way back in 2000, there’s was a huge amount of excitement surrounding the band. And rightfully so too, as the group’s line-up comprised of ex-Faith No More/Mr. Bungle/Fantômas vocalist/keyboardist/sampler Mike Patton, ex-The Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison, Melvins/Cows bassist Kevin Rutmanis and ex-Helmet/The Mark Of Cain/Battles drummer John Stainer. To put it in simpler terms, Tomahawk was virtually a supergroup.
When the band released their self-titled debut in 2001, it was unanimously hailed as everything everyone expected of the group, and then some. The band’s follow-up release ‘Mit Gas’ from 2003 was every bit as critically acclaimed as their debut, and proved that the band weren’t afraid to push their sound and experiment beyond their comfort zone.
But by 2007, things had changed within Tomahawk. Rutmanis parted ways with the group prior to recording sessions for their third album ‘Anonymous’, and coupled with the Native American direction of the material (Which was primarily devised by Denison), the album was met with mixed reactions, with some claiming the album was far too removed from that heard on their first two releases.
Given the various members’ busy schedules, and the vacated bassist role within their line-up, there was always going to be a long wait for a new Tomahawk album. But in early 2012, the band announced that Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle/Fantômas/John Zorn/Secret Chiefs 3) has been recruited into the fold, and that an album was in the works. It wasn’t long before anticipation was once again building for a new Tomahawk album.
This leads us to the present, and the release of ‘Oddfellows’ - the fourth full-length album from Tomahawk, and the first new music to emerge from the band after a lengthy six years away.
And what a return it is!
It becomes immediately clear from the moment the band get things underway with the title track ‘Oddfellows’ that the avant-garde experimentation of ‘Anonymous’ has been cast aside, and a return to the experimental/alternative rock sound found on their first couple of releases is their guiding song writing template. ‘Oddfellows’ boasts a slow paced riff from Denison, which is a perfect foil for Patton’s haunting vocals. When Denison’s riffing does uncoil, the rhythm section keeps everything tight and tense, which exudes a sinister atmosphere within the song that easily rivals some of the band’s best work from ‘Mit Gas’.
The follow-up track ‘Stone Letter’ (Which is the first single lifted from the album) is a surprisingly catchy hard rock song that reminds me of Faith No More, albeit played in Tomahawk’s quirky and offbeat manner, while on ‘I.O.U.’, the band adopt a minimalistic and eerie soundscape that is as haunting as it is epic and melodic.
From here, the diversity of sounds and direction continues on throughout the course of the album, with ‘White Hats/Black Hats’, the relentless hammer/aggressive ‘The Quiet Few’, ‘South Paw’ and the percussive driven ‘Waratorium’ the obvious stand outs with their straight forward hard rock/metal sound, while tracks such as ‘A Thousand Eyes’, ‘"I Can Almost See Them"’, the electrified southern blues swagger of ‘Choke Neck’ and the creepy ‘Baby Let’s Play ____’ flirt around with the kind of sounds that rely heavily on Patton’s half spoken/heavily breathed vocals and instrumentation that closely resembles the sinister/creepy toned soundtrack themes Fantômas have well and truly mastered in the past.
But not unlike Tomahawk releases of days gone by, ‘Oddfellows’ does have a couple of songs that fall short of the mark. Despite some cool jazz influences, ‘Rise Up Dirty Waters’ sounds like an unfinished piece of work (So much so that the song sounds one long extended interlude with vocals), while the psychobilly tinged closer ‘Typhoon’ has a fairly unremarkable chorus, which inevitably lets the whole song down.
Despite a couple of unremarkable numbers, ‘Oddfellows’ is odd, experimental, catchy, seductive, alienating and rocking. Essentially it’s everything you expect from a band like Tomahawk, who not only survived a critical member reshuffle, but returned with a new album that clearly showcases a return to form.

For more information on Tomahawk, check out - https://www.facebook.com/Tomahawkband

© Justin Donnelly

Mick Wall - AC/DC - Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be

Mick Wall
AC/DC - Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be
Orion Books/Hachette Australia

Renowned/legendary music journalist Mick Wall has penned a number of books throughout his career, but it’s been Wall’s last couple of efforts that have enabled him to reinvent himself as a fully-fledged author in his own right.
Following on from his critically acclaimed Led Zeppelin effort, 2008’s ‘When Giants Walk The Earth: A Biography Of Led Zeppelin’ (2008), and his all encompassing Metallica book, 2010’s ‘Enter Night - Metallica: The Biography’, Wall has once again returned with a new literary effort in the form of ‘AC/DC - Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be’.
Given the number of books written on AC/DC over the years,  one has to wonder whether Wall has anything new to add to the story behind the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band? Well, if recent history tells us anything, it’s that Wall can tell a great story. His literary efforts on both Led Zeppelin and Metallica have since gone on to become definitive biographies, and absolute must have’s for even the most diehard fan. Well, as predicted, Wall’s latest effort is a no holds barred honest telling of AC/DC’s rise, fall and return to fame over their near forty year existence. And as you would expect, the real story behind AC/DC is far more fascinating than the legend that’s been passed down by almost anyone else’s retelling of the band’s lengthy career.
Wall starts the book off with a brief introductory note that makes clear to readers that the book is anything but an officially sanctioned telling of the band’s history. Instead, this is an honest and detailed account of the band’s story that bypasses the gloss of any official AC/DC biography. Within the four hundred and forty pages of ‘AC/DC - Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be’, Wall manages to take the reader inside the inner sanctum of the band, and get an insider’s perspective of the workings within AC/DC.
In the early part of the book, Wall dedicates a fair amount of time laying down the groundwork that went into making up the foundations for AC/DC, most notably the background story of the real players behind the band – including three Young brothers (Malcolm, Angus Young and older brother George, who initially found fame with The Easybeats), Harry Vanda (Also of The Easybeats), Ted Albert, Dave Evans and his eventual replacement – ex-Fraternity vocalist Bon Scott. What emerges clearly right from the start is how much of a stronghold the three brothers had over the band, and how set their sheer bloody-mindedness was to do whatever it would take in order for the band to succeed. In other words, if you didn’t go along with the terms laid down by the Young’s, you were no long a part of the Young’s ‘clan’. It was a lesson that many former members of the band learnt the hard way, including Evans – who after a year with the band, was eventually dismissed after butting heads with the Young’s.
It’s around the time that AC/DC recruited vocalist Bon Scott that the book really takes off. And it’s here that Wall really shows off his skill as a storyteller and author. By removing much of the myth and legend surrounding Scott, Wall manages to present an image of a vocalist who externally portrayed himself as a hard living rock ‘n’ roller on every level, but who was in reality a man who was looking for a laid back life that was far less transient. Pinning down the real Scott is a near impossibility, but Wall managing to separate the man from the myth, and allow his existence to live beyond the cliché rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle many know him by.
The tragic death of Scott in February 1980 is covered in detail, and is another area where Wall excels at stripping away the lies that have been mistaken for truth over the years and recount the honest chain of unfortunate events. It’s also worth a mention too that the nature of Scott’s untimely death has also raised a few questions, both before and after the event. While Wall has no real evidence of what took place, his explanation of who did what makes for a compelling and believable read.
But this book isn’t just about the band. There’s a lot more to this book than that. Wall goes into detail about the making of the albums, as well as offering his own take on the band’s releases (Although hits the mark more often than not, I think his views on some albums are quite different to my own). There is also a look into the band’s ongoing label issues (Particularly in the U.S., where the band fought relentlessly with Atlantic Records), dealing with producers (The most notable being the band’s deteriorating relationship with Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange after 1980’s ‘Back In Black’), various band personnel (Manager Peter Mensch, tour manager Ian Jeffery and various band members) and the band’s rollercoaster career (Which in short is a phenomenal rise from strength to strength from 1975’s ‘High Voltage’ through to 1980’s ‘Back In Black’). What emerges is the role of Malcolm Young with AC/DC, who unwittingly has not only allowed the band to prosper through his determination to do what’s best for the band, but also allowed the band to fall from grace through some really poor decisions – which again can be blamed on his dictatorship over everyone within the band.
Surprisingly, much of the Brian Johnson era of the band is brushed over for the most part, and rightfully so. It’s around the time that Johnson stepped into Scott’s role that AC/DC bunkered down and locked out anyone who wasn’t a part of their inner circle (Or ‘clan’ as it’s described throughout the book), and that little is known about what went on behind closed doors. Essentially, AC/DC sorted out everything in-house, and rarely relied on anyone they didn’t trust. But despite this, Wall has unearthed more than enough factual information to keep the story moving forward, and provide the background on how AC/DC managed to do the impossible and claw themselves back to the top of the heap after a decade long creative decline prior to 1990’s ‘The Razors Edge’. Wall does document everything AC/DC related to the present day, where the band is still doing their thing. The gap between albums is getting longer, and the chance of the band making one last classic seems more and more unlikely with each year that passes. But it matters little. AC/DC do whatever they want to do, regardless of what anyone thinks. And that’s the way it’ll stay until the very end.
For someone like myself who had but only a passing interest for AC/DC, I have to admit that as soon as I picked up ‘AC/DC - Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be’, I couldn’t put it down. Wall’s tell-all AC/DC biography had me riveted from the start, and kept me interested right through to the end. I still might not be the biggest fan, but I have an appreciation and understanding of the band that I never thought possible before picking this book up.
If you’re merely a casual fan, then rest assured you’ll find it hard to put this book down. It’s really is that well written. But even if you’re a diehard fan, you can be assured that there’s plenty within the pages of ‘AC/DC - Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be’ that you’ll never find in any so-called definitive AC/DC biography.

For more information on Mick Wall, check out - http://www.mickwall.com/.

© Justin Donnelly.

Birds Of Tokyo - This Fire

Birds Of Tokyo
This Fire
Birds Of Tokyo PTY. LTD./E.M.I. Music Australia

Given the success Perth (Western Australia) outfit Birds Of Tokyo have enjoyed over the last five years, it’s kind of surprising that it’s taken so long for the band to return with something new. But after more than two years since the release of their self-titled album back in mid 2010, Birds Of Tokyo have finally returned with a taste of things to come in the form of their latest E.P. ‘This Fire’.
Much like the change of sound that was evident between ‘Universes’ (2008) and ‘Birds Of Tokyo’ (2010), ‘This Fire’ shows another step into new territory for the band, and a clear sign of what fans can expect from ‘March Fires’ with its release next month.
The newly expanded five piece outfit (Who comprise of vocalist Ian Kenny, guitarist Adam Spark, new bassist Ian Berney, new keyboardist Glenn Sarangapany and drummer Adam Weston) open up their latest E.P. with the title track ‘This Fire’, and the song that sets the tone for all the four tracks on the E.P.  Birds Of Tokyo’s songs have always been built around a strong sense of melody and Kenny’s addictive and melodic voice, but it’s on ‘This Fire’ that the band takes things one step further. Building upon the lead set by their last full-length effort, ‘This Fire’ is a slow building tune that relies more on Kenny’s powerful and emotive vocals, with the music providing more of a supporting role. The brooding atmospherics only adds to the drama of Kenny out front during the verses, while the build up in the choruses with militaristic drumming and chanted/gang vocals make a real impact at just the right times. This is something of a new sound for Birds Of Tokyo, and one where mood and feeling outweighs the need to rock from the moment the song starts. Yes, the song still rocks, but in a far more measured way.
The follow-on track ‘Glowing In The Streets’ is a definite favourite on the E.P., with the guitars and keyboards given a little more fuzz and volume, but never at the detriment of Kenny’s beautiful melodic vocal lines. While the track does have some similarities to the sound heard on the band’s last album, there’s sparseness in the instrumental delivery shown throughout the song that showcases a newfound sense of minimalism within the band’s song writing.
‘Boy’ is one of the E.P.’s most introspective and quieter tracks, with the bulk of the song carried by warm sounding keyboards. The song is another example of Kenny’s delicate vocals and heartfelt lyrics, and how the band successfully creates an atmosphere that gently ebbs and flows throughout, all the while avoiding the cliché of adding too much to the mix and spoiling the serenity of it all.
The final track ‘The Lake’ is perhaps the only real disappointment on offer here. Although far from a complete failure, the use of military drums, the progressive build throughout and an overly repetitive use of the same lyrical lines does tend to have less impact to this listener than ‘This Fire’ – which utilised a similar approach.
Although it’s hard to know exactly what ‘March Fires’ will sound like as a whole, we do at least have an idea of what the potential holds with the release of ‘This Fire’. In short, I expect nothing less than another collection of beautifully atmospheric written anthems filling up the band’s next album – albeit in a different form to what we have heard before on previous Birds Of Tokyo albums.

For more information on Birds Of Tokyo, check out - http://www.birdsoftokyo.com/

© Justin Donnelly