UK

Memoriam, Rise To Power (Reaper 2023)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Death metal heavyweights Memoriam are back for the fifth round, Rise To Power.

UK death metal band Memoriam was created by Bolt Thrower singer Karl Willetts and Benediction bassist Frank Healy. Since 2015, they have released three demos and four previous full-length albums, most recently To The End. The music stands on firm old school death metal ground, adding doom and groove and unexpected melodies to create fascinating music. Willetts and Healy are joined by Scott Fairfax on guitar and Spieky T. Smith on drums.

Talking about the album, Willetts says that Rise To Power is the second album of the second trilogy. He goes on to note, “The lyrical content of the new album carries on from those that precede it, maintaining the theme of grief, loss, and despair along with social commentary on recent events such as the war in Ukraine and past events such as the Holocaust. The ever-present subject of war is prevalent throughout the album as it is on all of the others. I feel that it is my responsibility as a frontman and lyricist to write about the things that I feel are important.”

The first of eight songs on the album is “Never Forget, Never Again (6 Million Dead).” There is minute-long lead-in with voices and dark melodies before the main theme lands: a mid-tempo death metal standard. The percussion shakes things up a bit, and a lyrical caveat in the middle jostles the momentum of the song. Staying true to the war theme, this opening track sets the appropriate tone for the record. “Total War” is gruffer and more actively aggressive – more like being in the battle than remembering it after the fact. Filled with speed and power and a nice lead guitar moment, this one saws the bone. “I Am The Enemy” follows and its tone sounds sorrowful to me. The establishing bars are doom-heavy and emotionally charged. The album is very much the way Karl Willetts described it, offering many views on the general themes of suffering and war. It is excellent metal with precise execution. Recommended.

Rise To Power is out on Friday, February 3rd through Reaper Entertainment. Get more info at the links below.

Band photo by Tony Gaskin.

Links.

Memoriam website, https://www.memoriamuk.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Memoriam2016

Reaper Entertainment, https://www.reapermusic.de/reaper

© Wayne Edwards

Memoriam, Rise To Power (Reaper 2023)

Iron Void, IV (Shadow Kingdom 2023)

Wayne Edwards, , , ,

Iron Void emerges from the mist with their fourth full-length doom album.

Iron Void started twenty-five years ago in the UK, laying down the doom and dark fantasy. Over the course of a live album, an EP, and three previous full-length albums, Iron Void has become known for their focus on myth and dark stories, including the Arthur legend. The new album retains the heaviness but takes off in more pedestrian narrative directions, dealing with many everyday horrors. The band is Jonathan “Sealey” Seale (bass, vocals), Steve Wilson (guitar, vocals), and Scott Naylor (drums).

There is an intro ramp and then eight songs on the new album. “Grave Dance” is a mid-tempo stomper that has a heavy groove and a noodling presence. It is hard-driving metal that made for a great single last year. “Living On The Earth” is more contemplative, and doomier. “Pandora’s Box,” is a radio-length banger that weaves a wicked groove around the irresistible vocal delivery. This one will be a crowd pleaser, and no mistake. “Blind Dead” is more serious in tone, and heavier in the riff. It is exceptionally well set-up as a massive doom song at the end of side one.

Th back half of the record is every bit as good as the front. “She” leads the charge in a mysterious vein, quieter and in many ways more determined to get its message across. “Lords Of The Wasteland” is a dusty song of gigantic proportion. The lumbering behemoth could crush you and not even realize you were there. “Slave One” reminds me of a non-Ozzy Iommi riff and cadence, while the closer, “Last Rites,” is the kind of song that takes you over before you know it, and holds you in its sway until it finishes. Dramatic in a Ritchie Blackmore kind of way (if he were in a dreary mood), it etches its signature on the inside of your skull, tying a nice black bow on the set. Recommended.

Iron Void’s fourth album is out on Friday, January 27th through Shadow Kingdom Records on digital, CD, vinyl, and cassette.

Band photo by Rob Benson.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://ironvoid.bandcamp.com/album/iv

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

Shadow Kingdom Records, https://www.shadowkingdomrecords.com/

© Wayne Edwards

Iron Void, IV (Shadow Kingdom 2023)

Robot Death Monkey, Intergalactic Party Powder (2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

Scotland’s Robot Death Monkey slap down another irresistible slab of metal on Intergalactic Party Powder.

For a dozen years now, Robot Death Monkey has been ruffling feathers in the stoner metal world. In a good way. They have released a string of fierce EPs, including Booze Cruise (2015), Big Pussy (2019), and Druid Odyssey (2021). The music is heavy groove metal with a rock and roll propulsion that you can’t get enough of once you start listening. The band is Shaun Forshaw (bass, vocals) Sam Forshaw (drums), Alan Travers (guitar), and Fraser Lough (guitar).

“Bantha Rider” has a great punch. The song structure does put me in mind of Clutch, but the music is much more metal, maybe in the Orange Goblin direction. Great riffs, great pound. The lead guitar solo is fantastic. It is an instrumental heavy metal feast. “Asgardian Micro Whitey” is another rambler, and our first clear listen to Forshaw’s vocals, which are rugged and declarative. The lead break on this song is lethal, and it’ll pin your ears back.

With a title like “Dragon Clit,” it almost doesn’t matter what the song sounds like. Thankfully, it turns out this track is a killer. The riffage is like a line of lance-wielding Spartans advancing unstoppably, all the while stabbing straight for your eyes. It is another instrumental juggernaut. “Kittens and Coke” opens gently, like a murderer laying in wait. Suddenly, the entire group jumps out, every hand swinging a heavy hammer. We are told straight up that there “is only one thing that I need: kittens and coke.” Well, sure, who hasn’t said that themselves? And here we have it set to music. This is a tasty party song the legions will welcome.

Listening to this four-song EP on repeat might lead to spontaneous human combustion. Recommended.

Intergalactic Party Powder is out now. Bandcamp is the reliable hook-up. While you are there, check out the band’s other albums – there is lot of great music ready to be heard.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://robotdeathmonkey.bandcamp.com/album/intergalactic-party-powder

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

© Wayne Edwards

Robot Death Monkey, Intergalactic Party Powder (2022)

Venom, Inc., There’s Only Black (Nuclear Blast 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

The sophomore full-length album from Venom, Inc. is an unwavering menace: There’s Only Black.

Venom is the iconic band that brought us Welcome To Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982), essentially creating Black Metal from punk and speed metal. Since then, black metal itself has evolved in a particular direction while Venom had other ideas. At War With Satan (1984) was on brand but it was clear that things were changing, and then Possessed (1985) was a noticeable, clear shift. The seas calmed a bit with Prime Evil (1987), but chaos was coming. The band paused, considered reforming, then split in twain.

Venom, Inc. emerged from the schism of the original band. Their debut album was Avé (2017), and I found it enthralling. That one will be hard to follow, but if any band can do it, Venom, Inc. is the one. The musicians are Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan, Jeffrey “Mantas” Dunn, and Jeramie “War Machine” Kling.

You can hear the music coming from far away on the first track, “How Many Can Die.” It is a stylized punk attack with a hardcore head and intermittent hooks. The song works, and still this is a chancy approach for an opener – you have to really depend on the fans being in to what you are putting down. And I was. “Infinitum” is a stone cold killer with a battering mission. The lead guitar break will really wind you up. “Come To Me” is a chopper. I love the straight-forward, no nonsense musical construction. An excellent metal song where the vocals take the forefront while the riff and rhythm provide an indelible platform and the dark lead guitar work intoxicates.

I am having a hard time finding anything to complain about on this record. The title track is a stunningly superbly sinister metal song. “Don’t Feed Me Your Lies” begins on a contemplative foot and then turns into a ravager. “Rampant” is a race straight toward a sharp cliff. Every song has a unique appeal, and they all come together to create a solid set you will want to listen to over and again. Recommended.

There’s Only Black is out now through Nuclear Blast Records. Links below.

Links.

Venom, Inc. website, https://www.venom-inc.co.uk/

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

Nuclear Blast Records, https://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/shop/index.html

© Wayne Edwards

Venom, Inc., There’s Only Black (Nuclear Blast 2022)

Dark Forest, Ridge & Furrow (Cruz Del Sur 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

UK metal band Dark Forest celebrate their twentieth anniversary with a new EP, Ridge & Furrow.

In their twenty years, Dark Forest has produced an impressive string of EPs and long-players, most recently in 2020 with the full-length album Oak, Ash, & Thorn. They play a traditional variety of heavy metal told in a melodic way that puts you in mind of traveling bards with stories to tell. Their sound is unmistakable – once you’ve heard it, you will recognize it again immediately. The band is Josh Winnard (vocals), Christian Horton (guitar), Patrick Jenkins (guitar), and Adam Sidaway (drums).

The set opens with “Skylark,” a song that displays rugged pop sensibilities on a wildly enthusiastic, fuzzy charge that has surprisingly fierce drumming. Just when you think this song sounds like something you’ve heard before, you notice things you have not heard before, combinations that have not existed prior to the current instantiation. There are pieces of NWOBHM, epic metal, fantasy metal, prog, and more, and it is tinted in a lovely fuzz. Damn, there is a lot going on here. Josh Winnard’s voice and the clarity of the guitars stand out, although the song deftly uses everything in it to add up to what it does. Sensational. “The Golden Acre” has a quieter start, and a more serious tone when it gets rolling, compared to the opener. A darker story, you might say, told with a similar depth and breadth.

The title track lands in the middle of the EP, and its compositional stature is sweeping. Truly, this album has a good deal in common with the band’s early work in this regard. It is an uplifting story about the endurance of land and how it always has an ability to renew. “Meadowland” is a short instrumental song that posits in acoustic. Beautiful. The final track, “Under The Greenwood Tree,” is a new rendering of a fan favorite that I first noticed on the Dawn Of Infinity (2011) album. It is a zesty bit, and then some – great to hear again. This EP is an excellent way to celebrate twenty years of Dark Forest. Recommended.

Ridge & Furrow is out on Friday, September 30th through Cruz Del Sur Music in digital, CD, and vinyl.

Links.

Dark Forest website, http://www.darkforest.co.uk/

Bandcamp, https://darkforest-uk.bandcamp.com/album/ridge-and-furrow

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

Cruz Del Sur Music, https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/blog/

© Wayne Edwards

Dark Forest, Ridge & Furrow (Cruz Del Sur 2022)

Sergeant Thunderhoof, This Sceptred Veil (Pale Wizard 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , , , ,

British stoner metal band Sergeant Thunderhoof stomp the terra again with This Sceptred Veil.

Sergeant Thunderhoof has been around for nearly ten years, and in that time they have released three previous full-length albums, an EP, and a split. It was that split I heard first, actually, Ripple Music’s Turned to Stone, Chapter 2: Masamune & Muramasa where they shared a side with Howling Giant. I was captivated by the more-than-twenty-minute song and since have sought out more at every opportunity. This Sceptred Veil is the best music they have produced to date, as far as I am concerned.

There are nine tracks on the new album. “You’ve Stolen The Words” is a wakening. The heavy fuzz arrives almost immediately, conveying the distant mercurial voice, ever melodic and punctuated now and then with exceptional exertion. This is desert stoner music but high plains, I must insist, with mountains near enough by to have an influence. I can feel melancholia in the song.

“Devil’s Daughter” comes next, and it is a little more actively probative, and, additionally, oracle-like. The riffs conceal the solemn thunder leeching from the dark grey clouds edging nearer, largely unnoticed atop the foothills in advance of the spiritual lead guitar line. Fantastic. And then with not a moment to gather yourself, “Absolute Blue” surrounds you with its silken folds. The first three songs establish the necessity that the next six songs be heard.

The album is marvelous – a wondrous, heavy fuzz presence that pulses and undulates and lifts you away. “Foreigner” is filled with power and “Woman Call” is extra bluesy. Every song makes important and impressive use of guitar, and still “Show Don’t Tell” stands a bit apart on that front. The final passages are “Avon & Avalon Parts I & II,” together running over eighteen minutes – could be a full album side. These two deserve a separate review unto themselves (but sadly will not receive it here). Coming where they do in the set, the impact is significant as the story emerges and the mysticism unfolds. This album is amazing, and I hope it reaches the ears of all the people of the earth. Highly recommended.

This Sceptred Veil is out on Friday, June 3rd through Pale Wizard Records.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://sergeantthunderhoof.bandcamp.com/album/this-sceptred-veil

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

Pale Wizard Records, https://palewizard.bigcartel.com/

© Wayne Edwards

Sergeant Thunderhoof, This Sceptred Veil (Pale Wizard 2022)

Robin Trower, No More Worlds To Conquer (Provogue 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

Guitar master Robin Trower offers a new album of blues rock music, No More Worlds To Conquer.

Best known initially for his work with Procol Harum in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Robin Trower went on to release more than two dozen solo albums in his career. His fluid playing style is unmistakable – not only do you recognize it when you hear it, you are always glad to be listening. Mesmerizing and poignant, the new album is an impressive achievement in his storied career. Trower plays guitar and bass, Chris Taggart is on drums, and Richard Watts sings.

The title of the album gives a hint that what we will hear will be consistent to what has come before. It is true that everything fans like best about Trower’s music is here again as he does what he does so well. His album Bridge Of Sighs (1974) is the one most often pointed toward to exemplify his style and languid demonstration of his musical presence. It is a classic, and no mistake. There is a lot of other music of his out there, too. The fascinating thing is you can pick an album at random to listen to and be amazed by it, or you can take a deep dive, listen to it all, and marvel at Robin Trower’s astonishing catalogue. There are no bad records in the bunch, and listening to them back to back never gets old.

“Ball Of Fire” gives the new set a rambling open. Every instrument shines as the rhythm sets the rails for the soulful vocals and Trower’s signature guitar. The title track and “The Razor’s Edge” are featured songs, and, while I am hesitant to pick favorites, the latter one has gotten more play hereabouts because I want to listen to the lead passages over and again. Longtime fans and newcomers alike reap rewards on this album. Recommended.

No More Worlds To Conquer is out now through the Provogue Records imprint of Mascot Label Group. Hit the link below and look at Robin Trower’s website for more information.

Photo of Robin Trower by Laurence Harvey.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://rtnmwtc.bandcamp.com/album/no-more-worlds-to-conquer

Website, http://www.robintrower.uk/

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

Provogue Records, https://www.mascotlabelgroup.com/collections/robin-trower

© Wayne Edwards

Robin Trower, No More Worlds To Conquer (Provogue 2022)

As The World Dies, Agonist (Transcending Obscurity 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

UK death metallers release their debut album, Agonist.

As The World Dies came together very recently, formed by members of the bands Memoriam and Pemphigoid. They play a brand of heavy metal that will smash you senseless with its integration of classic elements and contemporaneous existentialism. This new album is riveting. The musicians are Jay Price (vocals), Ash Cotterill (guitars, vocals), Bill Richmond (bass), Chris McGrath (drums), and Scott Fairfax (guitar).

“Annulment” cracks the egg with a splendid swelling approach that warms the engines for the first full-on assault. Second is “Desolate,” and it is a paint peeler that strips your selfness away. The death metal cataclysm pulls back now and then to give you a minute to assess the damage but not long enough to really do anything about it. I don’t know if “Dawn Of Terror” is meant to strike fear in your heart with its opening bars, but it certainly is ominous. The vocals are similar to the previous track but – you can hear the similarity – somehow here they are eerier.

“Red Death” allows an understanding wall of doom explain to you from the start what the situation is going. Melodic in a way, it is also as heavy as the boulders of the Titans and it works an effective tempo shift into the set. Bringing forth “The Tempest” at this juncture is the perfect selection because the groundwork has been laid for fear and drama. This one could be my favorite track, but it does have strong competition.

With this record, you never can fully anticipate what will be next. You get into a place where you are ready for it based on the music you have already heard, but each new track has a critical menace you didn’t know you would hear. The bitter end is the band’s namesake, “As The World Dies.” If you are going to name a song after yourself, you need to step it up a notch. Think about the bands that have done that successfully – it is a harrowing list. This time it definitely works. The growling vocals and crushing guitars on display here will easily stand the test of time.

The debut album from As The World Dies is an exceptional introduction for a band with a promising future. It is death metal with a doom influence and a confident, steady attitude. This album is an early 2022 winner. Highly recommended.

Agonist appears on Friday, March 25th from Transcending Obscurity Records. Check out the label’s US store website or Bandcamp at the links below to see all the variants and merch available.

Links.

As The World Dies website, https://www.astheworlddies.co.uk/

Bandcamp, https://astheworlddies.bandcamp.com/

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

Transcending Obscurity Records, https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/

© Wayne Edwards. All rights reserved.

As The World Dies, Agonist (Transcending Obscurity 2022)

Lavender Sweep Records, From the Mountains to the Sea (2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Volume 1 of From the Mountains to the Sea is an exceptional introduction to some of the best music you haven’t heard yet.

Lavender Sweep Records is run by “a small group of people from the Welsh city of Swansea, with a shared love for forgotten musical formats, film and various forgotten fads…” That adds up. Now, I don’t know the first thing about the heavy music scene in Swansea. That’s why this new compilation from is perfect for me. I have no preconceptions when I press play on From the Mountains to the Sea. I just hear what I hear.

The first track is a banger by Acrimony called “Satellite 13.” Up-tempo guitar-driven music that hits all the right spots. The perfect starter. Taint is next and it has a whole different take on the world. Much more in the sludge lane, the vocals are coarse and doom is the keystone. And then Sootbelly hits he stage with “Girls ’N Cars,” a four-minute rager on the title subjects. By now you’re going and it’s time for another beer. These three bands together would be a great show.

There are eighteen tracks on this album, each one an eye-opening discovery and not a single dud in the bunch. There is a metric ton of great music here, so picking favorites is a chore, but I will say I am enamored with Buffalo Kings, Sump, Sigiriya, and Sons of Thunder. I had to cut this list way down from where it started, just to keep it manageable.

Without this set I might have missed these bands entirely, but now they are on my radar. The range of musical styles is broad indeed while remaining in the heavy music realm. You definitely want to hear this. Recommended.

From the Mountains to the Sea is out on Friday November 12th through Lavender Sweep Records. Check it out at the links below.

Links.

Website, http://www.lavendersweeprecords.com/

Bandcamp, https://lavendersweep.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Lavender-Sweep-Records-748698365283653

Lavender Sweep Records, From the Mountains to the Sea (2021)

Paradise Lost, At The Mill (Nuclear Blast 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Paradise Lost release their second live album of 2021, At The Mill.

The importance of Paradise Lost to the heavy music community is difficult to overstate. They are pioneers in transformative doom metal and are founders, really, of what became gothic doom. Since forming in 1988 they have released sixteen studio albums, including 2020’s Obsidian. Their place is permanent in the history of metal and they continue to create and innovate with each passing year.

This new album is a recording of the livestream the band did last fall at The Mill Nightclub in Yorkshire, England, their hometown. It follows Gothic – Live at Roadburn 2016 that came out earlier this year. Both are complete sets but there is almost no overlap between them. The set list for At The Mill is “Widow,” “Fall from Grace,” “Blood and Chaos,” “Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us,” “Gothic,” “Shadowkings,” “One Second,” “Ghosts,” “The Enemy,” “As I Die,” “Requiem,” “No Hope in Sight,” “Embers Fire,” “Beneath Broken Earth,” “So Much Is Lost,” and “Darker Thoughts.”

If you are a fan you will know all the songs. The melodic metal tinted with dark, gothic themes and enriched by the lyrical lead guitar work is nectar to your ears. Paradise Lost has always been known for its compelling live performances and they are holding nothing back on At The Mill. While the band already has many live albums in their catalogue, I recommend this one as well to hear their current state of excellence.

At The Mill is out this Friday, July 16th, through Nuclear Blast Records. You can get the digital at Bandcamp and the vinyl or CD/Blu Ray combo at the Nuclear Blast shop. The Blu Ray is a good option if you missed the original livestream.

Links,

Bandcamp, https://paradiselostofficial.bandcamp.com/album/at-the-mill

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

Nuclear Blast, https://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/products/sonstiges/paradise-lost-at-the-mill-cd-blu-ray-.html

YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/user/paradiselostuk

Paradise Lost, At The Mill (Nuclear Blast 2021)