One Eyed Toad Records

The inaugural release from the Kent quintet Vesicarum makes you feel okay to be angry. Reign of Terror is a pool of vitriol to swim in while we wait for the world to open.

The “Fuck you I’m in a state of hate” lyric from the song “Midnight Slasher” gives you a good idea of this band’s attitude. The music is methodical, thumping and heavy. Lead singer Glynn Neve sounds like Rose Tattoo’s Angry Anderson looks. The guitarists are Martin Shipton and James Thompson, Orla Blue Reed slaps the bass and the drums are run by Donal McGee. There is a ton of rage packed into this twenty minute set.

The EP has four songs and a two minute cooldown piece at the end. The title track is a slow open, with a build-up death metal fans will recognize and embrace. After 50 seconds of warning you something is coming, the bass gains purpose, the drums start to pound, the guitars rack up a crunch, and Neve starts to sing. Next is “The Sick and the Depraved,” the single from the EP, and it is actively violent. It is also the source of the band’s anthem line, “And just like that another life has gone.” The stand out track for me is “Midnight Slasher,” because I think it creates the most tension and has the biggest punch. McGee’s rolling and punching drums are on exhibit here, and I do appreciate the lyric I mentioned earlier. “Early Warning Signs of a Serial Killer” has a nice punk feel to it, which is a good match to the cadence and the vocalizations. “Undivine End” is the place where you can let some of the negative emotions dredged up in the listening to drain into the ground so you can then get on with your day. Reign of Terror is a good set and a promising start for Vesicarum. Recommended.

Available Friday May 22 from One Eyed Toad Records, you can grab the digital for as little as £3 and Bandcamp.

Links.

Band, http://vesicarum.co.uk

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/vesicarum

Bandcamp, https://vesicarum.bandcamp.com

One Eyed Toad Records, http://www.oneeyedtoad.co.uk/

The Cardiff trio Eulogy is back with a new EP of straight-ahead rock and roll that is certain to appeal to fans of classic style rock.

Eulogy is establishing itself as a standard bearer for 80s rock energy. With Neil Thomas on bass and vocals, Mike Williams on guitars, and Darran Goodwin on drums, Memento Mori has a consistently hard driving sound and is a bit more contentious than the their earlier Back to Life (2017) three-song EP. There are no acoustic tracks on the new one, just guitar, bass, drums, and the soaring voice of Thomas to make the music peal.

I had the shuffle play on when I listened to the set so “Cross to Bare” opens Memento Mori for me with a fuzzy growl. The vocalizations put me a bit in mind of Saxon back in the day – melodic and heavy at the same time. “Blood Red Skies” kicks in with a trickier percussion beat and creative finger flashes from the guitar between verses. The second pair of songs are darker in tone with “You’ll Die Alone” being about what it sounds like it would be about (with a mournful lead break, too), and “Corvid” picking up the pace on the front end and closing strong. The music seems to be telling us that even under bleak circumstances we don’t have to curl up an die. And this is just the kind of rock and roll to get you up and going. The songs made me a little nostalgic, putting me in mind of some of my favorite music I hadn’t heard in a while, but you don’t have to be long in the tooth to get into Eulogy. Without any frame of reference, it is a great listen.

Memento Mori is out February 21^st and you can grab it at One Eyed Toad Records and on the usual digital platforms. Eulogy will be touring around the UK this year so go give them a look. Recommended.

Links.

Instagram, https://instagram.com/eulogyband24

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Eulogy-1379354865682390/

Band, https://neiljt9.wixsite.com/eulogyepk

One Eyed Toad Records, http://www.oneeyedtoad.co.uk/