The Californian desert has provided rock and metal inspiration for decades from the likes of The Doors in the 60’s through to reaching its boom in the early to mid-90’s as bands like Fu Manchu and Kyuss took centre stage. From that point, the desert has spawned countless bands and more recently Horseneck who have released their sophomore album ‘Fever Dream’.
Formed by members of Chelsea Wolfe and Will Haven, Horseneck refuse to be pinned down by a formulaic stoner cookie cutter. The Californian band achieve this through the addition of horns and keyboards into their music alongside bong ripping bass and crushing guitars. Granted, the typical stoner arrangement of drums, guitar, bass and vocals are ten-a-penny; but it is the horns which make ‘Fever Dream’ so enjoyable. Tracks such as ‘Porcelain Ass’ deliver an Alice Cooper Band in their prime style breakdown that trades off with a horn section so disharmonic and chaotic it invokes thoughts of King Crimson and even Van Der Graaf Generator guesting with Kyuss. Yet, as much dissonance as this creates, it oddly works really well and provides an enjoyable backdrop for ‘Fever Dreams’ to really excel.
With ‘Fever Dreams’, Horseneck have really pushed the boat out, they are taking their sound by the scruff of the neck and demanding that the stoner world know who they are. This album may be a little rough around the edges, but that is part of its charm and at just under 40 minutes, it is difficult to not just replay the whole damned thing again. 75/100 Adam McCann
High Tone Son Of A Bitch
Lifecycles: EP’s of HTSOAB Tee Pee Records Stoner Metal
Those familiar with the underground American stoner scene will know the name Paul Kott from his work with High On Fire/Sleep legend Matt Pike in the band Kalas. However, it wasn’t with Kalas where Kott made his name; that was in fact with High Tone Son Of A Bitch (HTSOAB), the band he formed with his late brother Andrew Kott.
During their career, HTSOAB released one EP ‘Better You Than Me’ back in 2003 before parting ways following the untimely death of Andrew Kott in 2007. In more recent years, HTSOAB have returned releasing the EP’s ‘Velocipede’ (2018), ‘Death Of A New Day/Eye In The Sky’ (2019) and ‘Wicked Threads!’ earlier this year. However, as we all know well, EP’s often have a limited shelf-life and once gone, they’re gone and because of this, some of HTSOAB’s work is difficult to get hold of. Thankfully, that is no longer the case, as the Californian stoners catalogue has been compiled on the ‘Lifecycles’ double album. For fans looking to get into HTSOAB, there is literally no better way; this EP showcases everything that the band are about, from their low-slung riffs with touches of good ol’ Southern hospitality that would appeal to any fan of stoner and doom.
What HTSOAB deliver with ‘Lifecycles’ is something that enjoyably chronicles their career whilst being the perfect salute to Andrew Kott. Paul Kott and co. will be proud of their history and there is no better place to learn it. 85/100 Adam McCann
Havok
V Century Media Records Thrash Metal FFO: Exodus, Death Angel, Metallica, Megadeth, Warbringer, Hatchet
Havok have been cutting away at the thrash scene for the best part of nearly two decades now with their critically acclaimed old-school thrash metal sound. This year has the Denver band ready to unleash their fifth studio album with the rather uninspiring title ‘V’; but, was this unimaginative title a sign of things to come?
Thankfully, with ‘V’, this is where the lacklustre imagination ends as Havok once again deliver an album of devastating thrash metal that if it were not for a modern contemporary production, would be undoubtedly released in 1988. Unlike many of their peers who take their inspiration from the likes of Slayer, batten down the hatches and thrash at breakneck speed; there is a sophistication and complexity to ‘V’ which continues in the same vein laid down on their previous album ‘Conformicide’. However, unlike many of the allusions to Marty Friedman/Nick Menza era Megadeth on their previous effort; ‘V’ contains a rather large affinity for ‘…And Justice For All’, from the faded in harmonised guitars of ‘Post-Truth Era’, to the ‘Eye of the Beholder’ style riff behind ‘Ritual of the Mind’; these help create a warm familiarity to this album that makes it easily more than enjoyable. Yet, this album is not blatant hero worship, throughout the five albums, Havok have honed their sound, creating who they are and there are some bitter political commentaries here delivered through the scathing vocals of David Sanchez which create some real ‘in-your-face’ anthems such as ‘Merchants of Death’, ‘Cosmetic Surgery’ and ‘Betrayed by Technology’ that share all the hallmarks of Exodus, Hatchet and Death Angel. Havok have once again delivered a beast of an album, it’s furious, memorable, powerful and without a shadow of a doubt sums up this rather strange post-truth era world.
8/10 Adam McCann
Howling Sycamore
‘Seven Pathways To Annihilation’ Prosthetic Records Progressive Metal
Describing themselves as ‘progressive extreme metal’, Howling Sycamore landed on the metal scene last year with an excellent self-titled debut. Featuring ex-members of Hate Eternal, Triptykon, Ignitor and Watchtower, Howling Sycamore wasted no time, choosing to strike whilst the iron is hot to deliver their sophomore album, ‘Seven Pathways to Annihilation’.
Taking in these influences from their former bands, ‘Seven Pathways…’ has all the raw, titanic brutality of Triptykon coupled with the interesting, underrated progressive pathways lain down by Watchtower; this makes this album an extremely interesting listen with vocalist Jason McMaster providing the perfect fulcrum point to the crushing drums of Hannes Grossmmann and melodious guitars of Davide Tiso. Howling Sycamore lay their stall out with the opening track ‘Mastering Fire’ and whilst this shows much similarity to their debut release, what becomes apparent very quickly is that with ‘Seven Pathways…’, the American band have honed their sound, tightening their stranglehold on an already prolific sound. This means that as an album ‘Seven Pathways…’ flows exceptionally well over the course of its fifty minutes. However, where this album really picks up is at the back end, ‘Tempest’s Chant’ sets the precedence for ‘Sorcerer’, a track which builds up to a chaotic, almost schizophrenic crescendo with its cacophonic guitars and violent saxophone, having all the progressive rock appeal of King Crimson and Van Der Graaf Generator at their most disharmonic, peaking at a climax before returning with something a little more peaceful and it is this which makes ‘Seven Pathways…’ just so damned good.
Yet, this album is not an easy album to ‘get’, the mixing of these genres alongside clean vocals can be a little difficult to initially enjoy; but once this album clicks, it is excellent, an absolute gem that deserves considerably more attention that it will get. 82/100 Adam McCann
HammerFall
‘Dominion’ Napalm Records Power Metal
When Swedish metal legends HammerFall announce a new album, it is already wildly known what the listener will get; this is the band which changed the playing field in the late 90’s and were the main driving force in moulding modern power metal. As a band, HammerFall have never delivered a truly dreadful album and therefore, a certain expectation has come to be revered with the release of a new HammerFall album and no wonder this continues with their latest release ‘Dominion’.
Rather than firing out of the blocks, ‘Dominion’ pays a quiet little homage of 70’s hard rock and heavy metal pioneers UFO with a guitar intro to ‘Never Forgive, Never Forget’ which touches on, but does not outrightly plagiarise ‘Doctor, Doctor’, yes, this is not original, but it does make a lot of fans quickly turn their ears on to listen more in depth before a typical HammerFall rhythm falls into place. Furthermore, with ‘Dominion’ the magic in the HammerFall waters has returned with many of the tracks being some of the best work that the Swedes have written in years; ‘Dead By Dawn’, ‘Testify’, ‘Bloodline’ and the title track all demonstrate what this band is about. Of course, these tracks are delivered with a huge helping of cheese that makes it impossible to not smile throughout, particularly during the fist rousing anthem ‘(We Make) Sweden Rock’, a song so deliberately cheesy, it should be bad, but this is completely on the contrary. Unfortunately, where ‘Dominion’ falls down is the Achilles Heel of HammerFall, the ballad; ‘And Yet I Smile’ and even more so the woeful, ‘Second To None’ easily fall into the ‘skip’ category and wouldn’t be missed from the album if they were banished altogether.
‘Dominion’ is the best album that HammerFall have delivered in a good number of years and it is good to see the Swedish legends assert their dominance back on the heavy metal scene. ‘Dominion’ is fun, enjoyable and packed full to the brim of the cheesy riffs and lyrics that just make HammerFall so damned good! 78/100 Adam McCann
Havamal
‘Tales From Yggdrasil’ Art Gates Records Melodic Death Metal
Following an excellently received EP, the pressure was on for Sweden’s Havamal to deliver the goods on their full-length studio debut. Finally, that moment has arrived and Havamal continue their exploration of Viking culture with the Norse themed ‘Tales From Yggdrasil’.
A melodic death metal band theming themselves around Norse culture? Is this album going to sound like Amon Amarth? Well, the answer is of course, there is rather a huge element of Amon Amarth here as Havamal follow closely in their forebearers path. But just like the Icelandic skalds, many bards can interpret and tell the stories differently and whilst there are plenty of mentions of Oden, Yggdrasil, Frost Giants and Balder, beneath this superficial layer of Vikings, the listener will find excellent orchestrations, arrangements and musicianship that are very enjoyable. These arrangements would heartily appeal to fans of Wintersun and Kalmah as well as Ensiferum. Yet it is these orchestrations that set this album apart, it gives ‘Tales…’ the warm familiarity of the Sabaton masterpiece ‘Carolus Rex’ and can be heard clearly during ‘Draugers March’, ‘Hail Havamal’ and the rousing ‘Ginnungagap’.
This is very enjoyable album and whilst Helvete may not have the commanding vocal power held by Johan Hegg, it does not lack any of the integrity, magic or quality needed to pull an album of this nature off. 70/100 Adam McCann
Hate
‘Auric Gates of Veles’ Metal Blade Records Blackened Death Metal
Sadly, some bands have careers that extend well beyond their stadium-filling peers and never receive the recognition they truly deserve. Poland’s Hate are one such band, after beginning their career playing pretty generic death metal, the band evolved their sound into something more akin to blackened death metal. This change has delivered superb albums such as 2015’s ‘Crvsade: Zero’ and 2017’s ‘Tremendum’, but the question remains; can Hate continue to hone this formula for their latest album ‘Auric Gates of Veles’.
Well, the answer is a clear yes; ‘Auric Gates…’ manages to pick up near perfectly where ‘Tremendum’ left off and whilst there are very little Polish lyrics or atmospheric passages, there is still a continued evolution in the Hate sound. Hate waste no time and immediately dive straight back in with pounding rhythmic drums and solid riff after riff as a classic death metal sound is carefully sewn together with black metal melodies to create something very enjoyable. Because of this, these black metal elements have the ability to remind the listener not only of fellow Poles Behemoth, but also early Satyricon or even Dark Funeral and Belphagor, especially through tracks such as ‘Triskhelion’, ‘Salve Ignis’ or the superb ‘Sovereign Sanctity’. Yet as enjoyable as this album is whilst it is playing, ‘Auric Gates…’ is just not very memorable, it struggles to grab the attention of the listener beyond its initial play time. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing; so what? the album isn’t memorable, ‘Auric Gates…’ is actually a hell of a lot of fun whilst it is playing and for those forty minutes, Hate rule the airwaves.
‘Auric Gates…’ does try its best, yes there is still an evolution in process which shows Hate are still refining and honing this new beast of a sound that means this album falls just below its predecessor. However, do not let this get in the way of enjoying this album; it is certainly worth playing and cranking up the volume. 80/100 Adam McCann
Haunt
‘If Icarus Could Fly’ Shadow Kingdom Records Heavy Metal
Over recent years, there has been a significant increase in bands playing traditional heavy metal. Formed as a side project by Beastmaker mainstay Trevor William Church, Haunt appeared back in 2017 and instantly hit the ground running with their strong debut ‘Burst Into Flame’. This was also followed by an equally excellent EP ‘Mosaic Vision’ earlier this year. However, had Haunt blown their creative beans on that EP, or could they do it with their second album, the mythologically titled ‘If Icarus Could Fly’.
As if there was no surprise here, ‘If Icarus…’ follows closely in its predecessor’s footsteps and therefore is a very strong release; once again taking their influences from classic heavy metal and NWOBHM to deliver an album that easily sounds as though it was recorded in England, 1979. Therefore, whilst listening to ‘If Icarus…’ it is possible to hear large swathes of Angel Witch, Fist and Witchfynde, particularly within the vocals. Furthermore, it is also possible to hear bands such as Thin Lizzy with some beautiful twin guitar playing during ‘Ghost’ as well as Iron Maiden in their prime during the furiously galloping title track, whilst ‘Clarion’ would not be out of place on the Angel Witch debut. Yet, as much as this is an album of throwback heavy metal, ‘If Icarus…’ easily manages to remind the listener as to exactly why they fell in love with metal in the first place as Haunt play their music exceptionally well, full of honesty, integrity and passion that is earned and not bought.
‘If Icarus…’ is a very strong album and whilst many of the songs may not stand out, the album is more than impressive and anyone with any knowledge of heavy metal will know within one listen that this album is worth its salt. For those looking for an album of excellent old school heavy metal without having to listen to a band talk about feelings alongside a huge stadium production should go out and buy this album. It will certainly not disappoint! 80/100 Adam McCann
Holocaust
Elder Gods Sleaszy Rider Records NWOBHM/Progressive Metal
The second half of this decade has seen somewhat of a resurgence in NWOBHM bands not just reappearing on the music radar as nostalgia acts, but also delivering albums of their career. Bands like Satan, Diamond Head and Tygers of Pan Tang have released not just released strong albums, but these albums are powerful enough to be talked about when compiling the best of their respective years. However, not all NWOBHM bands managed to reach this pinnacle, Scottish pioneers Holocaust had a false start with 2015’s lacklustre ‘Predator’ album, but would their latest album ‘Elder Gods’ be the catalyst the band needed?
Well, first off, ‘Elder Gods’ charges out of the blocks, it appears that Holocaust have returned to the drawing board to reassess what caused the previous album to stutter so dearly. This album has the classic Holocaust sound, that driving drone that owes as much to heavy metal as it does to post-punk, tracks such as ‘Eon of Horus’, ‘Ishtar’ and ‘Children of the Great Central Sun’ are more than decent as they hark back to the band in their prime, whilst the former track and the albums opening title track would more than likely fit in well with fans of Killing Joke. However, ‘Elder Gods’ does have a tendency to meander and this unfortunately means that there are more forgettable parts to this album than memorable. Furthermore, the albums closing track ‘Natural State’ dabbles in a progressive rock sound that stands out from the collective like a sore thumb and doesn’t quite fit the overall sound.
‘Elders Gods’ is a nice addition to the Holocaust catalogue, it does stand above its predecessor, but admittedly that is not exactly difficult. There are some excellent tracks here and when this album is good, it is decent, but more often than not it is relatively unmemorable. 60/100 Adam McCann
Hardline
‘Life’ Frontiers Records Melodic Rock/Hard Rock
Considering its accessibility and appeal, the world of melodic rock forever lives in the shadow of many of its related genres. But, for those who venture into its confines will find a world of excellent bands with song-writing abilities than can take on and beat even the biggest multi-platinum selling arena acts. One such band are Hardline who’s latest album ‘Life’ is their first in three years.
As expected, ‘Life’ does not break any moulds or stray beyond the band’s regular confines. Yet, this is not necessarily a bad thing; Hardline have their sound and within their remit, they make some excellent music. In fact, the most significant change to Hardline is the exit of guitarist Josh Ramos and the arrival of Mario Percudani; Percudani brings with him the expansive melodic playing that made Gioeli/Castronovo so appealing. Yet, when combined with the expert song writing abilities of Alessandro Del Vecchio, it is the vocals of Johnny Gioeli which push ‘Life’ well into the limelight. Tracks such as the beautiful acoustic closing ballad ‘My Friend’, the stand-up rocker ‘Helio’s Sun’ and the album’s opening track ‘Place To Call Home’ which has a guitar riff similar to that of ‘Hooligan’s Holiday’ from Mötley Crüe all show that with ‘Life’, Hardline are more than capable of writing superb songs. However, it is the exquisite virtuoso performance of the Queen classic ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ that show just how far Gioeli can push his vocal limits, easily making it the standout track on the album.
Unfortunately, ‘Life’ will not appeal to everybody, but for those fans of melodic rock this album will undoubtedly be on repeat. It is enjoyable and fun and an excellent addition to the Hardline catalogue. 81/100 Adam McCann
Holy Tide
‘Aquila’ My Kingdom Music Power/Heavy Metal
Formed as a venture between Joe Caputo and members of Magic Kingdom and Maestrick, Holy Tide are ready to unleash their debut album ‘Aquila’.
This album shows a band using their pedigree to deliver an album of driving power metal that not only appeals to fans of Rhapsody of Fire with its excellent orchestrations, but also touches base with Iron Maiden, Freedom Call and Stratovarius. Although it is said that the devil has all the best tunes, ‘Aquila’ shows that tracks such as ‘Exodus’ and the Symphony X-esque ‘Curse and Ecstasy’ are certainly contrary to this, even if the latter fades into a strange jazz moment reminiscent of film noir. Yet, it can’t help being noted that ‘Aquila’ has the feeling of already worn ground and there are more than a few tracks here that are not only reminiscent of other songs, but clocking in at 70s minutes, it begins to seriously test conscious listening. However, contributions from Lacrimosa frontman Tilo Wolff and the legendary Don Airey during ‘The Shepherd’s Stone’ and ‘Lamentation’ do their utmost to keep this album alive.
There is room for improvement, but ‘Aquila’ is a strong debut album that contains plenty of enjoyable songs that have copious amounts of replayability and it will be interesting to see how Holy Tide follow this up.
60/100 Adam McCann
Happily Ever Blind
‘Good Enough For…’ Realm Records 2019 Alternative
What happens when an Australian decides to up-sticks and move 5000 miles across the globe, traversing hemispheres and settling in Helsinki, Finland? The answer is Happily Ever Blind, the musical baby of John Emslie, who got bored of playing Aussie Outback bars and exchanged it for the land of ice and snow. Now, is the mixing of Aussie boogie and Finnish melancholy going to sound like AC/DC needs Prozac? The answer is no, Happily Ever Blind have all the punk integrity of Hanoi Rocks combined with the odd avant-garde vocal delivery of late 70’s/early 80’s new wave scene that encompassed the likes of Talking Heads and The B-52’s which can be seen in no better place than the band’s latest EP ‘Good Enough For…’.
Initially, ‘Good Enough For…’ is a little difficult to appreciate, the vocals are quite unique they are raw and blur the line between what is in and out of tune and this gives the band a sound that is unexpected. Soon, with multiple listens ‘Good Enough For…’ becomes such an endearing release that it becomes fun, enjoyable and allows itself to be coveted, lending itself to be your secret band that only you know about because with Happily Ever Blind, they give the listener the feeling that they’re making this music exclusively for the person. Due to this, ‘Good Enough For…’ has all the emotional integrity offered from Nirvana, easily able to blend quiet/loud dynamics into an enjoyable heavy rock groove, laden with hooks and powerful melodies that can be seen during ‘Stop Motion Men’, ‘Bad Joke’ and ‘Prisoner Of The Clouds’. Once this appreciation is gained, ‘Good Enough For…’ is an album which shows a maturation, it shows Happily Ever Blind moving away from a frantic distorted punk sound, to one which is much more refined, mature and accessible sound which sets Happily Ever Blind perfectly for a great breakthrough full-length album.
80/100 Adam McCann
Hecate Enthroned
‘Embrace of the Godless Aeon’ M-Theory Audio 2019 Symphonic Black Metal
Following their nine-year absence, Hecate Enthroned returned to the scene in 2013 with their ‘Virulent Rapture’ album, an album which garnered mixed reviews from both fans and critics alike. As the tour concluded, Hecate Enthroned parted ways with Elliot Beaver, the vocalist for the ‘Virulent Rapture’ album and in 2015 announced that former Lacrota and Sadistic Undertorture vocalist Joe Stamps would be taking over singing duties with Hecate Enthroned delivering their sixth album ‘Embrace of the Godless Aeon’ after a four year wait.
‘Embrace…’ instantly delivers the goods, as an album it pushes the bands previous effort to the side, almost blatantly ignoring it and ploughs forward to create a bridge with the bands more prevalent work such as ‘Redimus’ and ‘Dark Requiems… and Unsilent Massacre’. Hecate Enthroned have achieved this by bringing their symphonic nature forward once more, making the keyboard soundscapes one of the prominent features which almost leads the black metal wall of sound forward. Furthermore, whilst tracks such as ‘Whispers of the Mountain Ossuary’ contain large elements of melodic death metal that would appeal to fans of Dark Tranquillity or Amorphis; it is the entwining of black metal vocals and soaring female leads which make this album so endearing, appealing to fans of both Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir with excellent tracks like ‘Revelations In Autumn Flame’, the sombre musings of ‘Enthrallment’ and the tour de force which closes the album, ‘Erebus and Terror’. For those looking for that first wave or that classic Norwegian sound, it would be difficult to find here. ‘Embrace…’ is well-produced with excellently crafted songs and although Hecate Enthroned do little here to expand on the accessible formula already laid down by Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, it does not take away from the overall enjoyable sound which this album presents. Yet, more importantly, it is good to have Hecate Enthroned back doing what they do best and ‘Embrace…’ is a perfect example of what they do best.
86/100 Adam McCann
Hatchet
‘Dying To Exist’ Combat Records 2018 Thrash Metal
In their 12 years of existence, Hatchet have managed to chop their way through the metal deadwood, to prove themselves to be one of the premier young thrash bands. Unlike many of their peers who draw inspiration from the likes of Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth, Hatchet dig beneath the surface and although it is possible in their music is hear Slayer, within their music, audible is also Testament, Exodus, Death Angel, Vio-Lence and Nuclear Assault. Three years have passed since the release of the last Hatchet album ‘Fear Beyond Lunacy’ and following a change of records to Dave Ellefson’s resurrected Combat Records label, Hatchet have released their latest album ‘Dying To Exist’.
With ‘Dying To Exist’, Hatchet have not only amped up the volume and production, but alongside this, the band have certainly put a significant focus on the way that the songs are written and crafted and because of this, Hatchet have come a marathon distance since their debut album with excellent tracks such as ‘Silent Genocide’, ‘Warsaw’ and Slayer-esque ‘Descent Into Madness’. Vocalist Julz Ramos screeches his way through the album like the bastard love child of Paul Baloff and Steve Souza, but ‘Dying To Exist’ keeps both feet firmly planted in the present with a thrashing overtone that would appeal to fans of Power Trip, Warbringer and Havok; the latter of which can be seen during the excellent twin guitar harmonies and bass runs during ‘Desire For Oppression’. However, this album does not forget its roots and frequently nods back to the Halcyon days of thrash in the 1980’s, particularly with a cover of ‘World In A World’ by Vio-Lence.
Hatchet have made huge leaps forward with this album and whilst the album is still a little rough around the edges, ‘Dying To Exist’ is hugely enjoyable; there is no pretention and playing at rock stars, it is just good, honest thrash metal.
73/100 Adam McCann
The Haunted
Strength in Numbers
Century Media Records 2017
Means to an End
It’s been a bit of a hard road for The Haunted since 2012. Following the departure of long term members, the band has struggled to find the stride they had with 2011’s ‘The Unseen’, even the return of vocalist Marco Aro has done little to reignite the fire in the belly of the band. Cue 2017 and the release of ‘Strength in Numbers’.
‘Strength in Numbers’ isn’t exactly gripping stuff, The Haunted seem like a spectre of their former selves, the album itself is going through the motions with each track indistinguishable from the general run of the mill melodic death metal.
All that being said, ‘Strength in Numbers’ is certainly not unlistenable; the album clocks in at under 40 minutes and pounds its way relentlessly through from start to finish. Beginning with the rather decent one-two jab of ‘Brute Force’ and ‘Spark’, ‘Strength in Numbers’ promises to be a better album than the previous ‘Exit Wounds’. Unfortunately, ‘Strength in Numbers’ hits its pinnacle ridiculously quick leaving it a lot like teenage sex; it charges in like a rutting rhino and blows its payload leaving the remainder of the album to awkwardly fumble about.
As relentless as the second half of the album is, it is buried in a quagmire of pinch harmonics and jack hammering double bass, all hallmarks of the modern elements of melodic death metal, but the lyrics of Aro are just plain lacklustre, they fail to pull you in and therefore the album feels average at best. Aro even ‘borrows’ the melody from ‘Painkiller’ by Judas Priest during ‘Means to an End’ and although this does grab your attention, you can’t help wanting the song to say “this is the painkiller”.
It’s another year and another average album from The Haunted, yes its listenable, but has a habit of falling easily into background music, but you approach ‘Strength in Numbers’ without the expectations of it being another ‘Revolver’, then you might just begin to enjoy it.
62/100
Adam McCann
Brute Force; The Haunted 'Strength In Numbers', 2017; Century Media Records
Heidevolk
Vuur Van Verzet
Napalm Records 2018
Heidevolk retake old ground
In a way, Heidevolk separate themselves from their peers in folk metal by singing more of their locality than your bog standard Scandinavian Viking themes. Hailing from the Netherlands, what you get with this band are local mythologies and pagan Germanic influences through standard folk metal tinged with the occasional blackened flair that would appeal to the fans Falkenbach, Ensiferum and Metsatöll.
So, what is ‘Vuur Van Verzet’ like? Well, it is a grower to say the least. At first listen, the songs can blend into one giant amalgamation of generic folk metal, of course, there are some instantly standout tracks such as ‘A Wolf in My Heart’ and the storming ‘Britannia’ detailing the invasion of Britain by Hengist and Horsa who led the Angles, Saxons and Jutes to their new home. However, ‘Vuur Van Verzet’ requires time to sink in and before you know it, you will be happily singing along to the likes of ‘Ontwaakt’, ‘Tiwaz’ and the hypnotically driving ‘Yngwaz’ Zonen’ which has the ability to transport you to a mead hall in the fifth century AD with its rousing chants.
Although there are some gems on this album, the second half does fall a little flat with not even ‘Woedend’ being able to save it. This means that the album struggles to capture the majesty of the first half and unfortunately this means that ‘Vuur Van Verzet’ is another average release from Heidevolk which falls short of their first two releases of ‘Walhalla Wacht’ and ‘De Strijdlust is Geboren’ as the band re-tread old ground.
74/100
Adam McCann
A Wolf In My Heart; Heidevolk 'Vuur Van Verzet', 2018; Napalm Records
Haken
Affinity
InsideOut Records 2016
A large affinity for affinity
Haken hail all the way from London in the United Kingdom and play a style of progressive metal that swings from a much lighter progressive rock sound to the much heavier progressive metal style which draws heavily upon bands such as Porcupine Tree to the more the recent sounds of Opeth and Fates Warning.
Haken’s latest album ‘Affinity’, is the 4th full studio album by the band and follows the 2013 album ‘The Mountain’ and is also the first album to feature new bassist, Conner Green, who has replaced long term bassist Thomas MacLean. Once more, the production for ‘Affinity’ has been conducted by the band themselves under the guidance of heavy metal mastermind, Jens Bogren who’s resumé would take too long to mention here and between them, have turned ‘Affinity’ into a solid sounding progressive album. At times, ‘Affinity’ begins to border on hero worship with a very modern sound given the 80’s treatment, the guitars of Richard Henshall and Charlie Griffiths combining forces with the bass and keyboards of Green and Diego Tejeida bringing back memories of 80’s-era Rush, Genesis, Yes and Toto. In true progressive metal form, ‘Affinity’ is beautifully mixed and is one of the best sonically sounding progressive metal albums that you will hear from 2016, each instrument can be heard clearly and precisely, allowing you to enjoy, dissect and appreciate every part.
It isn’t just the sound of ‘Affinity’ which is very reminiscent of the 1980’s, it is the whole package. From the minimalistic album cover, simple block colours and the ‘Doctor Who’ styled font which all give elements of that impending sci-fi sound that begins to emanate from the album the second that begins to play. As an album, ‘Affinity’ isn’t strictly a concept album, however, the songs are all linked with the common theme of technology and how our relationship is dependently intertwined within it and as the R2-D2 bleeps and bloops of ‘Affinity.exe’ build up to a crescendo which soon gives way to ‘Initiate’, the albums first real official track and you suddenly get a big slice of what ‘Affinity’ is going to be about.
As you would expect from an album of this technicality, the vocals of Ross Jennings are excellent, yet very clinical. However, Jennings suffers from what a lot of progressive metal vocalists do and that is that the vocals appear to be extremely constrained. Each rise and fall in the vocal melody seems to have been meticulously planned, thus giving the feeling that the vocals lose their power, impact and debatably their soul as the voice is used an instrument as opposed to a mouthpiece. However, to be so highly critical of Jennings would be taking away from what a decent vocalist he actually is, his vocals on ‘Lapse’ and in particular ‘Earthrise’ provide the perfect paint to the musical outlines, but it is ‘The Architect’, the centrepiece which steals the show and ultimately makes the album, clocking in at a mighty 15:40, ‘The Architect’ is an utter tour de force and manages to push its way to the forefront through the growling vocals of Einar Solberg, the vocalist from Norwegian prog metallers, Leprous.
As an album ‘Affinity’ is extremely well written, it is melodic and catchy with each song easily able to draw you in with musicianship that is second to none. In particular, credit is due for the soundscapes and keyboard parts from Tejeida which are excellent and manage to add to the overall ambient feel with no gaps in the sound from the complex time changes. The overall 80’s vibe on the album manages to give a familiar sound with a great modern twist, this would appease to the current fans of Haken, whilst attracting brand new followers with their interesting sound. ‘Affinity’ is a good album and definitely worth a listen as it is one of the best progressive metal albums that you will hear in 2016. Don’t waste your time and money on the latest Dream Theater album, buy ‘Affinity’ instead, it is significantly better.
77/100
Adam McCann
1985; Haken, 'Affinity', 2016; InsideOut Records
Helker
Firesoul
AFM Records 2017
Hungry for Helker
South America has always been one of the most loyal areas of the heavy metal world. Its rabid fans have always graciously welcomed heavy metal bands in all shapes and sizes into their arms and made them feel special. It is certainly no surprise that because of this, South America is one of the leading exporters of heavy metal.
Helker hail from the capitol of Argentina, Buenos Aires and since their formation in 1998 have released 5 studio albums, their latest of which; 'Firesoul' was released after a 4 year break from the 2013 exceptionally well received album; 'Somewhere in the Circle'. Fortunately for Helker, 'Firesoul' picks up perfectly where 'Somewhere in the Circle' left off as if there was no break at all. One of the main reasons for this is that there has been no change in line-up between these two albums and obviously, the natural chemistry that made the previous album so good is still burning away here. Unfortunately, long standing vocalist Diego Valdez, left Helker after 9 years at the helm just after the release of 'Firesoul' and has subsequently been replaced by Aaron Briglia for the 'Firesoul' tour.
Helker have hiked forward with each release, with each album getting better and better, it is therefore no shock to find that 'Firesoul' is easily the best album that Helker have released. This is down to all-round heavy metal legend; Mat Sinner producing 'Firesoul'. Sinner has managed to get 'Firesoul' sounding perfect, Sinner is not only Helker’s producer, but also their manager and mentor. Through Sinner’s guidance, Helker have been given the drive, determination and above all, responded to the positive criticism, taking it in their stride and adjusting accordingly.
The dynamics on 'Firesoul' push the album forward, hard rockers, mixed in with powerful heavy metal set against beautiful, soaring ballads. These songs rise and fall, nodding to bands such as Dio, Judas Priest and Iced Earth which evidently influenced Helker, these bands come through on 'Firesoul' without ripping off their influential artists, but taking what they know and making it their own and it is this, coupled with fantastically written songs make 'Firesoul' so endearing.
'Firesoul' flares into action with 'Fight', a song with a riff so meaty it could belong to Jon Schaffer, but it doesn’t, this riff belongs to the guitars of Marino Rios and Leo Aristu. However, the Iced Earth influence doesn’t end there and 'Fight' comes equipped with the sharp, accenting, emphasising backing vocals that we have come to expect from Iced Earth, but it is here where we get to see the versatile voice of Valdez who in between a more natural Dio-esque singing voice, manages to transfer this energy into the piercing banshee type wail of Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens for some real effect. Helker does not just belong to Valdez, 'For All the Eternity' contains another head-busting riff from Rios and Aristy complete with obligatory pinch harmonics to boot. However, the best part of 'For All the Eternity' comes during the instrumental break where Hernán Coronel becomes a true battering powerhouse behind a guitar solo of such precision, speed and virtuosity that wouldn’t be out of place on Helloween’s 'Keeper of the Seven Keys' series.
From here, 'Firesoul' takes a less aggressive route and begins to plough head first into more traditional heavy metal in the style of Dio. However, Valdez does not have the youthful conviction and vigour that Ronnie James Dio eschewed with Rainbow, Black Sabbath or his early solo output, instead Valdez had the more worn in, experienced, yet no way less inferior voice of Dio’s later years. 'Playing with Fire' comes with a riff that would fit easily amongst Dio’s most underrated albums, 'Angry Machines' and 'Strange Highways' with a riff that is textbook Tracy G minus the sparse production which dogged both albums. Elsewhere on 'Firesoul' are more songs in the key of classic Dio, 'Where You Belong' and 'You are in my Heart' are fantastic slabs of traditional heavy metal and would appeal to any fan of the genre and although Vivian Campbell was no stranger to pinch harmonics, during the Dio-esque song; Break Your Chains, Rios and Aristu ever so slightly overdo the pinch harmonics and this becomes as tedious as listening to Zakk Wylde.
There is also an element of power metal that lurks within 'Firesoul', but this power metal sound isn’t your standard grandiose, battle axes held high whilst fighting dragons. No, 'Firesoul' has a touch of the metal opera and the ballads; 'The One' and 'Empty Room' offer a beautiful change of pace, the former of which featuring some of the best twin guitar harmony work that you will hear all year this side of Avantasia. 'Empty Room' gives us a glimpse as to what may have been one of the greatest collaborations in heavy metal, Ronnie James Dio working with Tobias Sammet and begs the question to Sammet that if he ever needs another decent vocalist then he should look no further than Valdez.
'Firesoul' is a great album from a band which keeps going from strength to strength and for any fan of traditional heavy metal or power metal, it is a must have for 2017. Unfortunately with the loss of Valdez, it will be interesting to see how Helker continue with Briglia as the vocalist, but Helker are full of surprises, watch this space.
78/100
Adam McCann
Fight; Helker, 'Firesoul', 2017; AFM Records
Havok
Conformicide
Century Media Records 2017
Conform or Die!
It has been in and around 30 years since the brutality of thrash metal owned the world and although many of the bands changed their sound when the decade tipped over to the 90’s, it is undeniable the sheer amount of bastard children that thrash metal left in its wake. These kids didn’t care about nu-metal or metalcore, they turned up it loud, took 'Whiplash' by Metallica as their national anthem and adopted the motto of thrash ‘til death!
The thrash scene began to rumble again with the likes of Warbringer and Havok with both bands releasing their debuts in 2008 and 09 respectively. Whereas the former spend their time priming their weapons for a full frontal assault in the style of Slayer; Havok choose to incorporate the fast and intricate riffs that are associated more with Megadeth in the late 80’s and early 90’s. After releasing 3 albums on Candlelight Records, Havok signed with Century Media Records and after a 4 year break, Havok are back with their latest album; 'Conformicide'.
Beginning with a clean picking reminiscent of Megadeth in their prime, 'Conformicide' kicks off with an anthem of rebellion with 'F.P.C.' – an acronym for Fuck Political Correctness and from this moment on, this sets the precedent for the album. Following this lovely clean intro, 'F.P.C.' descends into the groove type riffing more synonymous with Testament before wait for it, a funky bass line kicks in as the guitars drop out giving the song more of a Suicidal Tendencies feel, especially when coupled with the anti-establishment lyrics that will not only rule over 'F.P.C.' but also lurk around 'Conformicide' in general.
Havok vocalist Dave Sanchez has possibly the ultimate thrash voice, his vocal delivery falls somewhere between Dave Mustaine style gritted teeth evident in the break down in 'Hang ‘Em High' and 'Dogmanical' at a lower decibel, to a Steve Souza style screech that wouldn’t be out of place with Exodus, all of which come together to make Havok so appealing. Sanchez also manages to pull a decent impression of Chuck Billy during the chorus of 'Circling the Drain' which wouldn’t put the song out of place on 'The Legacy'.
The musicianship on 'Conformicide' is fantastic; the guitars of Sanchez and Reece Scruggs tear, riff and shred their way along that would appeal to any Megadeth, Exodus and Testament fans with some excellent twin guitar work, stop/start riffs and chant style chorus’ during 'Intention to Deceive'. 'Intention to Deceive' even starts with that satirical style news bulletin that wouldn’t be out of place on a Megadeth record and the drumming alone would tweak the ear of any Pantera fan with blast beats on the bass drum reminding us of Vinnie Paul in his prime; 'Ingsoc' even goes as far to have a 'Walk' style build up before coupling itself to a shredding riff straight out of the book of Dimebag himself. However, the twin guitar harmony that runs behind the final chorus is absolutely brilliant, it makes 'Ingsoc', with its '1984' Orwellian chorus, one of the standout tracks on 'Conformicide' and just goes to show the musicianship that Havok are actually capable of.
There is a slight downside to 'Conformicide' though and that there are points of the album that feel as if the song is a tad too long. 'Conformicide' clocks in at just under an hour and as good as the songs are, they could do with being shaved down a tad, but other than that 'Conformicide' will be a great addition to any thrash metal fans collection. 'Conformicide' is a balls to the wall, good old fashioned thrash album. It is thoroughly enjoyable throughout and becomes more addictive with each play, it continues a strong run of albums by the Colorado thrash band and alongside Warbringer with the future of thrash is looking bright and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
78/100
Adam McCann
Intention to Deceive; Havok, 'Conformicide', 2017; Century Media Records
House of Lords
Saint of the Lost Souls
Frontiers Records 2017
Saint of the Unmemorable Souls
There was a brief time when melodic hard rock ruled the airwaves, bands with big stage shows and even bigger hair, flashy guitar solos with lashings of keyboards born out of the love for bands like Kiss, Journey, Foreigner and Van Halen. The year is 1988 and House of Lords are on the up, but the focus of the media would soon shift away from melodic hard rock with the bands that were at the forefront of the movement forced below the radar. However, after a 15 year absence from mainstream view, House of Lords and indeed melodic hard rock began to resurface aided by growing record labels such as Frontiers Records.
Since that point, another decade has passed and melodic hard rock has solidified its foothold, alongside this, House of Lords have released their latest in a steady stream of albums, 'Saint of the Lost Souls'. As you would expect, 'Saint of the Lost Souls' is full of the honey glazed melodies that you would expect from House of Lords and James Christian’s voice sounds as good now as it did in 1988, even if he has started to resemble a Joe Lynn Turner waxwork model.
'Saint of the Lost Souls' does however contain a decent amount of the melodic hard rock fodder that you would expect from House of Lords with many of the songs falling into catchy songs with big chorus’, but ultimately unmemorable. The album begins with the lead-off single 'Harlequin', which is a bit of an odd choice, the track itself is rather flat and one dimensional and a perfect example of the melodic hard rock fodder mentioned above. However, there is an endearment to 'Harlequin', you want to like it, maybe not at first, but once the Magnumisms take over, the record becomes quite enjoyable, in that throwaway melodic hard rock kind of way.
The main issue with House of Lords has always been in the song writing and once more this rears its head. Even if some of the tracks are growers, most of the songs are catchy foot tapping songs that pull you in, but not everything can be perfect as these are saddled with melodic hard rock by numbers lyrics and can be seen during 'New Day Breakin’' or 'The Other Option' and of course, what melodic hard rock album wouldn’t be complete without a sickly sweet ballad? 'The Sun Will Never Set Again' isn’t actually a bad ballad, so get your lighters at the ready with your best Desmond Child style whoa whoa whoa singing voice and ignore the fact that when 'The Sun Will Never Set Again' gets going, the acoustic guitar sounds exactly like 'Alone' by Heart. But, if you are looking for a song that harks back to the glory days of House of Lords, then you will find it in the title track, a sweet slice of nostalgia that lets you remember that somewhere it is always 1988.
There are a lot of songs on 'Saint of the Lost Souls' that have an overtone of ‘something else’, both 'Hit the Wall' and possibly the best song on the record; 'Grains of Sand' have an element of Def Leppard and they wouldn’t be out of place on 2008’s 'Songs from the Sparkle Lounge'. Whereas 'Reign of Fire' oddly has an ending that is as near as you can get without actually being 'Basket Case' from Green Day, with T'he Art of Letting Go' having all the writing hallmarks of a Bon Jovi song.
The truth of the matter is that 'Saint of the Lost Souls' is another House of Lords album, it will not set the world on fire and the bands glory days are well behind them. However, there are those out there that are huge fans of melodic hard rock that will adore this album and at the end of the day, House of Lords know their market, their loyal fan base will rabidly eat up 'Saint of the Lost Souls' and they will enjoy it.
78/100
Adam McCann
Harlequin; House of Lords, 'Saint of the Lost Souls', 2017; Frontiers Records