From The Vault Rat Pak Records Heavy/Power/Thrash Metal FFO: Flotsam & Jetsam, Lääz Rockit, Vicious Rumors
When it comes to heavy metal, Metal Church have often fallen by the wayside; the band was never the most popular and alongside the more popular metal bands of the late 80’s, Metal Church was always the favourite band of that friend who ‘didn’t like mainstream metal’. But, contrary to a criminal amount of overlooking, Metal Church have unleashed some top-notch albums including ‘Blessing in Disguise’, ‘The Dark’ and their eponymous debut album. Following the bands last studio album ‘Damned If You Do’ back in 2018, Metal Church have released ‘From the Vault’, a compilation of rare and unreleased tracks. In all honesty, when it comes to unreleased tracks, most things are unreleased for a reason; sure there’s always that thought of ‘oh they should have put that track on the album instead of that one’ (Total Eclipse by Iron Maiden anyone?), but in reality, they didn’t make the cut for a reason and that is the trepidation when approaching an album of this nature. However, what Metal Church have done here is display some excellent tracks that show the band are back in the saddle and have entered another golden age. To prove this, the band drive tracks like ‘False Flag’ and ‘432hz’ forward leading to debate whether these are actually better than some of the tracks on ‘Damned If You Do’. Furthermore, ‘From the Vault’ shows Metal Church taking on covers from the likes of Ram Jam and Nazareth, alongside some live version from their Japanese tour; yet are these songs actually needed? The answer, no, not really; they are decent enough, but the reality of it is that once you have heard them, that’s it and therefore, the real meat of this compilation lies within the first half.
5/10 Adam McCann
Midnight
‘Rebirth By Blasphemy’ Metal Blade Records Black/Speed Metal
For a band which only ever intended to release singles, EP’s and splits, Midnight have delivered three albums of exceptional heavy metal that rattles the bones down to the core with speed metal and touches of black metal. These albums have all been delivered within 8 years, showing a band working exceptionally hard and this year has Midnight not only signing to Metal Blade Records, but also delivering their 4th studio album ‘Rebirth by Blasphemy’.
‘Rebirth By Blasphemy’ picks up exactly where ‘Sweet Death and Ecstasy’ left off, this is an album which manifests that raw heavy metal power, which is actually very appealing. ‘Rebirth…’ is a relentless onslaught of powerful, guttural, driving metal that has all the appeal of Venom, Evil Invaders and Gehennah, but also something a little darker such as Hellhammer, Nocturnal Breed and Bulldozer. With similarities like this, there is no surprise that there is a swagger about this album, it oozes an appeal of a time when heavy metal was dirtier, less sanitised and stinking of booze that can be seen in tracks such as ‘Devil’s Excrement’, ‘Rising Scum’, ‘You Can Drag Me Through Fire’ and the title track. Therefore, it is very difficult to listen to this album without feeling the rising need to crack a beer, chase it with whisky and drop a bomb of speed.
There are no surprises here with ‘Rebirth…’, but who actually cares? This album does what it says on the tin, it is meant to be enjoyed, not studied and deconstructed for metaphor and hidden messages. If anything, ‘Rebirth…’ is the best Venom album that you can hear all year, so sit back, crank it up and thoroughly enjoy it; it will not disappoint. 85/100 Adam McCann
Mercy Breheny
‘Just When I Wasn’t Lookin’’ (Single) Power Point Music Hard Rock
Sometimes, a musician just needs to take a step away from their usual genre and explore other avenues. This is what occurred with Mercy Breheny, the Scottish vocalist of progressive metal band Powerhouse as Breheny takes on the hard rock genre with her latest single release ‘Just When I Wasn’t Lookin’’.
Recently, Breheny has released two other singles, ‘Stressed Out’ and ‘The List’ that although tinged with hard rock, rely more on the darker side of human emotions that are more comfortably at home with heavy metal. But with ‘Just When…’ the Scottish vocalist shows just how much emotion that she can pour into a song; coupling a memorable and enjoyable melody with some sleek production, Breheny brings out a touch of AC/DC with L.A. Guns and Halestorm. But there is something a little raw in the undercurrent that relates to the softer side of NWOBHM as ‘Just When…’ has all the fun of the Girl track ‘My Number’. Alongside some warm vocals, what makes this track so good is that it isn’t guitar led like most hard rock tracks, the bass of Murray Graham provides a fantastic anchor and hook throughout which really aids in making this song memorable.
‘Just When…’ builds on the tracks which Breheny has already released and whilst the Scot shows she can do it over one three tracks, what we really want to see is a full-length album. 80/100 Adam McCann
Man Machine Industry
‘Doomsday Clock’ GMR Music Thrash Metal
Man Machine Industry (MMI) began life back at the turn of the millennium as a side project for Jhonny Bergman which took in the popular industrial sound of the time. Twenty years and five albums later, MMI have progressively moved away from that initial sound and into the realms of thrash metal with the band ready to release their sixth studio album ‘Doomsday Clock’.
With ‘Doomsday Clock’, Bergman has pushed MMI to the maximum, any traces of industrial prowess have been erased to create an album that is a storming powerhouse of thrash metal and enjoyable as they come. However, what pulls ‘Doomsday Clock’ out of the quagmire of thrash genericism is the huge boost given from the addition of Erik Mårtensson from melodic hard rockers Eclipse to the songwriting team. What this provides is a professional songwriter into the mix and it stands tall; there are excellent melodies here with some fantastic vocal deliveries giving MMI something that they have never had before. This gives ‘Doomsday Clock’ an anthemic quality, tracks such as ‘King of Lies’, ‘River Turned Red’, ‘By His Hand’ and the superb title track eclipse anything that MMI have written before without losing the sharpened edge of the likes of Testament, Prong and even Judas Priest.
All this makes ‘Doomsday Clock’ an excellent, it is a step away from the old and into an interesting brave new world.
80/100 Adam McCann
Magnum
‘The Serpent Rings’ SPV/Steamhammer Records Hard Rock
Magnum are one of hard rock’s busiest bands; in the last 20 years alone, Magnum have delivered album after album of exceptional quality, ever running on that relentless hamster wheel provided by the music industry. But, with Magnum, quantity also equals quality, none of the albums released since the band got back together in early 2000’s have been sub-par and now Magnum are trailblazing a trend of classic bands such as Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and Whitesnake releasing some of the best work of their career. It is therefore a no brainer that this trend continues with Magnum’s 21st studio album ‘The Serpent Rings’.
There is no denying that ‘The Serpent Rings’ continues to plough the furrow already laid down by Magnum in the last two decades and because of that, there are no surprises here. However, once again, the quality in the musicianship and song writing stands tall, guitarist Tony Clarkin once more shows that he is not only underrated, but also one of the most unsung heroes of the rock music scene. Tracks such as ‘Where Are You Eden?’, ‘You Can’t Run Faster Than Bullets’ and the beautiful closing track ‘Crimson on the White Sands’ continue the precedent set down on the last Magnum album ‘Lost on the Road to Eternity’. Unfortunately, ‘Lost…’ provided a pinnacle for the band and ‘The Serpent Rings’ just about fails to keep up. That being said, there is an expansion of sound here and whilst Clarkin and Bob Catley deliver their usual stellar performance, ‘The Serpent Rings’ shows a huge performance from drummer Lee Morris and keyboardist Rick Benton who may have been a little contained on the bands previous effort; but, the latter in particular really brings his skills to the table, rather than be a Mark Stanway clone, Benton peppers this album with his own personal sound.
Sure, ‘The Serpent Rings’ falls just short of the bands previous effort, but that is not a criticism, this is an album which shows a band delivering top drawer material with a band that is now settled and comfortable following a rather significant line-up shuffle.
85/100 Adam McCann
My Dying Bride
‘The Ghost of Orion’ Nuclear Blast Records Doom Metal
It seems like aeons have passed since My Dying Bride released ‘Feel the Misery’ back in 2015. Thankfully, in these gloomy and depressing time, Yorkshire’s favourite doomsters are back with their highly anticipated 14th studio album ‘The Ghost of Orion’.
There is a certain expectation when it comes to My Dying Bride and that is an album full of miserable songs, perfect for the dead of winter. Thankfully, with ‘The Ghost…’ the Yorkshire band do not disappoint, what the listener gets here are drawn out singular notes juxtaposed with crushing riffs that make the ground shake like a herd of Diplodocus passing by. When this song crafting is combined with some excellent harmonised vocals from Aaron Stainthorpe which when added alongside some ambient keyboards and violin courtesy of Shaun Macgowan and beautiful cello passages from Jo Quail, it takes ‘The Ghost…’ one foot away from the doom we know that My Dying Bride are capable of and almost into the realms of folk/metal at times. This is best seen on the ‘The Solace’, a beautiful sombre piece of music led by the vocals of Lindy Fay Hella, best known for her work with Wardruna. These elements seem to give a new edge to My Dying Bride, something fresh and modern, whilst tracks such as ‘Your Broken Shore’, ‘To Outlive the Gods’ and the title track keep one foot firmly rooted into what fans of the band know and love. Although this is an album without Calvin Robertshaw, in a split which was a little less than amicable, Neil Blanchett is a more than capable replacement and whilst he does not have the legacy of Robertshaw, it has opened up an interesting new chapter in the history of My Dying Bride.
This isn’t a running leap into the unknown and ‘The Ghost…’ is a very, very good album that shows My Dying Bride still have a relevant place within the world, this is an album which is as gloomy as they come and the band haven’t sound this melancholy in years and alongside their peers Paradise Lost; My Dying Bride have released some of their best work in years. 90/100 Adam McCann
Magic Kingdom
‘MetAlmighty’ AFM Records Power Metal
Magic Kingdom have never been a band to run so relentlessly on the hamster wheel of releases. In their 21-year career, the band have only mustered up five albums, but with this band, it is about quality over quantity. But still, who would have thought it was 2015 when Magic Kingdom released ‘Savage Requiem’? Thankfully, the back end of 2019 has the Belgian band release their latest and fifth album ‘MetAlmighty’. Granted, ‘Savage Requiem’ was a little lacklustre, but during their absence, Magic Kingdom have changed vocalists from Christian Palin to the former Yngwie Malmsteen and Loudness man Michael Vescera and this has given the band a huge boost of form. Although the band are still rooted in the power metal that made them famous, Magic Kingdom have upped the Neo-Classical edge and it works exceptionally well; tracks such as ‘Wizards and Witches’, ‘King Without A Crown’ and ‘Fear My Fury’ drive forward with all the gusto of Malmsteen in his prime, whilst the band nod to their past with tracks like ‘In the Den of the Mountain Trolls’ with its dancing power metal rhythms that wouldn’t be out of place on any folk/metal album as guitarist Dushan Petrossi shows just how good he is as a musician; not only penning face-melting guitar parts, but also orchestrating and scoring some memorable backing sections. However, ‘MetAlmighty’ is just that tad bit too long, there is some of this album that could quite happily be shaved off and not missed. Yet, what gets this album over the line with a rather colossal jump is its sheer amount of cheese as ‘MetAlmighty’ is almost impossible to not enjoy without a smile. The addition of Vescera has opened up a new chapter in the story of this band and long may it reign. 77/100 Adam McCann
Marisa And The Moths
‘Marisa And The Moths’ Independent Release Alternative Rock/Grunge
Throughout the decade, here has been quite a revival in grunge style alternative rock and although these bands are yet to reach the global grunge phenomenon of the early 90’s, these bands are comparable in both integrity, energy and punk ethos. Sometimes, a band manages to stand-out from their peers and that has occurred with Marisa And The Moths (MATM) and as the band release their debut album, expectations are beginning to weigh heavy.
Unlike a lot of grunge style alt-rock bands which stick to power-trio, quiet verse, loud chorus of Nirvana, Mudhoney or Pixies; MATM expand on this formula by not only existing as a quintet, but also adding something that isn’t often seen within the stereotypical alternative rock genre and that is a triple guitar attack. This means that these three guitars allow for some frantic dual guitar playing, particularly from Sophie Lloyd whose guitar playing is both excellent and interesting being in-line for a future guitar hero. All this can be seen in the tracks ‘Skin’ and ‘Hope’ where alongside these blistering guitar lines, Marisa Rodriguez battens down the hatches with a voice that can be as raspy as Kurt Cobain or Billy Corgan, but it also lends this debut album to be as accessible Halestorm or Foo Fighters with the potential for the band to light the blue touch paper and send this band into the stratosphere, shifting albums by the pallet load.
‘MATM’ is a decent album which is loaded with expectation, but with it, the band answer with a short, sharp response and with it, that expectation is not needed. For those fans of alternative rock, MATM is definitely worth checking out and I just find its way into a constant rotation.
72/100 Adam McCann
Monolord
‘No Comfort’ Relapse Records Doom Metal
These days, doom metal bands are pretty much everywhere, it is a genre which attracts mass attention beyond the gazing eye of the media. Fans of the genre are rabidly loyal, travelling far and wide to support their bands worldwide as niche doom festivals spring up like mushrooms in the shade after a rainstorm. One such doom band, Monolord may have had something of a stuttered start to their career with their first two albums failing to impress, however, the Swedes found their stride with ‘Rust’ in 2017 and have now released their latest album ‘No Comfort’.
As an album, ‘No Comfort’ picks up exactly where ‘Rust’ left off, big monolithic riffs and crushing drums juxtaposed with flowing bass and a wailing vocal which have all the primal power of Electric Wizard, Sleep and Conan. All this means that ‘No Comfort’ is leaps and bounds from where Monolord began their career, grinding tracks such as ‘The Bastard Son’ and ‘The Last Leaf’ hold court demonstrating what ‘No Comfort’ is all about. Sure, this album is sparse and raw, there are no gimmicks here, what you hear is what you get with its primordial pseudo live performance.
Yet, unfortunately, there is little that is memorable here and whilst guitarist and vocalist Thomas Jäger does his best to break the monotony with some excellent Tony Iommi style guitar solos, it just isn’t enough to bring ‘No Comfort’ into the forefront of memory. However, ‘No Comfort’ is far from a bad or even a poor album, it is quite enjoyable to listen to when it is playing, but once over, it is difficult to recall any real riffs, melodies or even songs. There are better doom albums released this year and there are significantly worse and for Monolord, ‘No Comfort’ sits quite happily in the middle.
62/100 Adam McCann
Meshiaak
‘Mask Of All Misery’ Mascot Label Group Thrash Metal
There was quite a buzz surrounding Meshiaak in 2016 with the Australian thrash band promising so much. Unfortunately, this didn’t quite pan out as expected and the band’s debut album ‘Alliance of Thieves’ was distinctly little more than average, creating something of a false start for the band. However, this year see’s the band attempting to rectify this with their second album ‘Mask of All Misery’.
Prior to the release of ‘Mask…’, Meshiaak underwent an almost complete line-up change and this reshuffle seems to have done the band a world of good. ‘Mask…’ takes the band back to the drawing board with the album delivering thrashing riffs placed around groove-based rhythms with just a hint of progressive metal. This means that ‘Mask…’ has all the power of 4Arm, Annihilator and even Machine Head and Teramaze, with tracks like ‘Bury The Bodies’, ‘Adrena’ and ‘Godless’ pushing forward with all the aggression and brutality that has come to be expected from the genre. All this has been delivered through an impressive, sleek, modern production that actually makes this album quite accessible, giving it all the appeal of Slipknot, particularly through the barking vocal of Daniel Camilleri.
However, the same issues still plague ‘Mask…’ from the previous album; sure, these tracks are decent enough, but they are just not memorable and unfortunately, this means that once again, Meshiaak have presented something that promises so much, but just doesn’t deliver anything near the excitement. 60/100 Adam McCann
Mobina Galore
‘Don’t Worry’ New Damage Records/Gunner Records Pop/Punk/Alternative Rock
Throughout the current decade, there has been somewhat of a revival of interest in the alternative rock scene. Although many of these bands have not yet reached the dizzy heights of their predecessors, the internet has allowed many of these bands to gain dedicated fans worldwide and Mobina Galore are no exception. The Canadian duo are nearly a decade into their career and this year has the band returning with their third full-length studio album ‘Don’t Worry’.
Fans of Mobina Galore will be overjoyed to see that with ‘Don’t Worry’, the duo really take a step forward in their song writing and delivery; this is an album of tracks which haven’t been written on a five minute punk whim, but instead, are thought out and pre-conceived with their objective in mind to push the band furtherer into the spotlight. Yet, with ‘Don’t Worry’, Mobina Galore have lost none of their punk attitude as the duo bounce along with upbeat melodies that it are difficult to not enjoy. Tracks such as ‘Escape Plan’, ‘California’ and ‘Back on the Beginning’ have all the 90’s nostalgia of pop/punk in its prime, having all the appeal of Blink 182, Rancid and The Offspring, particularly during the latter track with its huge whiffs of ‘Self Esteem’. Yet, this isn’t all whimsically lusting for the long summer of 2001, there is a deep undercurrent of grunge that also torrents along with ‘Don’t Worry’ with vocalist and guitarist Jenna Priestner delivering a power chord performance alongside scratching vocals that would turn on fans of early Hole or The Distillers, but also the albums more sombre moments such as the closing ‘Four Hours of Sleep’ have all the beautiful harmonies of The Breeders.
‘Don’t Worry’ is a very enjoyable album, it shows Mobina Galore are ready to fight it out on the big stage with their dynamic and powerful songs; sure, some of the tracks on this album aren’t as memorable as the others, but if you’re looking for an alternative rock album to brighten up your day/month/year then look no further than ‘Don’t Worry’. 73/100 Adam McCann
Mirror
‘Pyramid Of Terror’ Bad Omen Records Heavy Metal
Mirror managed to sneak their way into the metal scene back in 2015 with in hindsight, one of the best heavy metal albums of the year, as the Cypriot band managed to effortlessly blended classic heavy metal sound in with the more melodic hard rock sensibilities of the 1970’s. Yet, since this release, four years have passed and sadly, the metal world almost entirely forgot that Mirror had placed a tiny flag in the heavy metal soil. Thankfully, Mirror haven’t been gone too long and this year, the Cyprus based band return to consolidate their position with their second album ‘Pyramid of Terror’.
With ‘Pyramid…’, Mirror take what they had done with debut the album and crank it up to 11; this is an album full of brazen 70’s style guitar riffs courtesy of Nikolas Moutafis and impressive vocal deliveries from Jimmy Mavrommatis. This gives ‘Pyramid…’ a rather large Uli Jon Roth era Scorpions feel, yes this album is a classically ‘heavy’ album, but also it does that have that psychedelic edge which was prolific in that era, meaning that tracks such as ‘Secrets of Time’, ‘Black Magic Tower’ and the title track stand out as nothing short of excellent. Yet, it is the track ‘Running From The Law’ which is a blistering piece of proto-heavy metal which containing all the elements of David Byron era Uriah Heep in their prime.
Unfortunately, this album will not set the world alight and it will slip out stealthily and barely noticed; but to ignore this album will be a mistake; ‘Pyramid…’ is a fantastic album of enjoyable heavy metal that does not deserves to be ignored. 84/100 Adam McCann
Mudface
‘Awaken To A Different Sun’ Art Gates Records Heavy/Thrash Metal
As one would expect, San Francisco’s Mudface are a metal band that prides itself on its roots and their proximity to the legendary Bay Area has certainly influenced this band. Following their second full-length studio album back in 2016, Mudface have returned with their latest EP ‘Awaken to a Different Sun’.
Immediately, ‘Awaken…’ makes itself known as Mudface waste no time in introducing thrashing tempos that intertwine with infectious grooves and industrial rhythms. Yet, for those familiar with the Mudface sound, ‘Awaken…’ will not show anything new, but instead will showcase a bunch of songs ready to add into the band’s repertoire. However, those just discovering this band will find an EP which ebbs and flows along nicely, thrashing out singalong anthems such as ‘End Of My Rope’ and ‘Snakes’ which have all the hallmarks of Pantera, Incite and Lamb of God. Yet, beneath this thrashing machismo there is something much more melodic, for example ‘Snakes’ descends into a ‘Sabotage’ era Sabbath style romp whilst ‘Rabbit Hole’ nods to Corrosion of Conformity and Down before returning at full throttle with all the power of Fear Factory in their prime.
Unfortunately, ‘Awaken…’ does not break any new frontiers, but it is a simple reminder of how something that is raw, powerful and angry can be so damn appealing when delivered correctly. 70/100 Adam McCann
Manntra
‘Oyka!’ NoCut Records Folk/Metal
This year has Manntra stepping out of their homeland and onto the international stage. In the only real change to their music, following three albums in their native tongue, the Croatian band have made a conscious to deliver their latest album ‘Oyka!’ in English.
This change in language has obviously made ‘Oyka!’ more accessible to the average layman, but beyond this rather aesthetic change, Manntra remain true to their roots. Because of this, ‘Oyka!’ manages to blend Croatian folk music effortlessly with a modern metal sound that also touches upon both Gothic and industrial. This melding of sounds creates something that is very appealing, the heavy drive of ‘Yelena’, ‘Murter’ and the title track are juxtaposed lovingly by the more sombre moments on the album. However, as enjoyable as ‘Oyka!’ is, it does lack the longevity of memorability needed to be a great album, but for a first effort that isn’t in their native language, this is certainly not a bad thing as ‘Oyka!’ provides an instant happiness boost with its upbeat melodies to anyone listening, for example, it is almost impossible to not bob along to ‘Nevera’.
‘Oyka!’ is best experienced with a few drinks surrounded by friends and it is in this atmosphere where this album and band truly thrives. 70/100 Adam McCann
Mystik
‘Mystik’ I Hate Records Heavy Metal
In 2109, we truly do live in a golden age of traditional heavy metal; every week the metal world is treated to a new release from a trad metal band that is able to blow to listener’s socks off. This time, it is Mystik who are releasing their eponymous debut album for our aural pleasure.
‘Mystik’ kicks off exactly as one would expect, a pummelling assault of fast paced drumming and driving guitars that make this album a must have for fans of early Helloween as well as Original Sin and Warlock. This appeal comes from two places, firstly is the low-key production, a muddy sonic attack which brings back all the memories of those early album’s courtesy of Noise Records; secondly are the raw vocals of Julia von Krusenstjerna. von Krusenstjerna’s vocals cut through the mix and give a rather large nod to the Metal Queen herself Doro Pesch as von Krusenstjerna manages to flatter Doro perfect during tracks such as ‘Bleed For The Night’ and ‘Ancient Majesty’ with its perfect singalong chorus. However, ‘Mystik’ is an album that is actually so good, it is difficult to pick a selection of standout tracks, ‘Into Oblivion’ is the perfect opener that shows the world what Mystik are all about, whilst ‘Gallows Hill’ could easy have been released in 1984. Yet, ‘Mystik’ is not all about being a throwback to a by-gone era and as 80’s as it can be, there is still a cutting edge to this album that is able to appeal to fans of modern European metal.
Unfortunately, there will be a lot of albums released by much bigger bands this year whose hype and media coverage will eclipse ‘Mystik’. But for those who go out to get this album, they will not be disappointed because they are guaranteed to be holding one of the best heavy metal albums of the year. 88/100 Adam McCann
Megadeth
‘Warheads On Foreheads’ Universal Music Group Thrash/Heavy Metal
The announcement that Megadeth are to release their latest greatest hits compilation ‘Warheads On Foreheads’ begs the question does the world need another Megadeth greatest hits album? After all, this band already has the likes of ‘Capitol Punishment’, ‘Back To The Start’ and ‘Set The World Afire’ to choose from.
Well the answer remains ambiguous, ‘Warheads…’ does give a decent superficial retrospective of Megadeth’s career and therefore is great for those who are looking to dip into and sample the music of one of heavy metals most regarded thrash metal bands. Yet, unlike those anthologies that have gone before, ‘Warheads…’ does include the bands post 2001 output with a particular focus on the bands latest release ‘Dystopia’ by showcasing four songs from this album.
Unfortunately, before the latter end of ‘Warheads…’, this compilation does play out like a typical ‘best of’ Megadeth with a huge emphasis on the bands successful period from the mid-late 80’s through to the mid 90’s, skipping through the remainder of their career until the advent of ‘Dystopia’ and the current Megadeth line-up. This, sadly means that for the more seasoned Megadeth fan, ‘Warheads…’ will not present anything that they will not have already heard and/or own, there are no rare tracks or live cuts or even different mixes that are already readily available or a major deviation away from the singles.
That leaves ‘Warheads…’ to have a limited demographic; it is a decent enough overview of the Megadeth singles discography for passing fans to thoroughly enjoy newer tracks, whilst having the potential to set up budding fans to further explore the band and it is these people that ‘Warheads…’ is aimed at. 92/100 Adam McCann
Malevolent Creation
‘The 13th Beast’ Century Media Records 2019 Death Metal
It has been four years since Malevolent Creation released the fantastic ‘Dead Man’s Path’, but following this, Malevolent Creation underwent a huge line-up change, one that saw three quarters of the band change with only Phil Fasciana remaining from the bands initial incarnation. This was hardly surprising with the untimely death of frontman Brett Hoffmann; the man whose voice had become synonymous with the band and an impact which led to uncertainty at whether Malevolent Creation would continue. However, Fasciana would form this new line-up with the latest album ‘The 13th Beast’ following suit.
Major line-up changes usually require some time to bed-in as the members learn to play with each other and become comfortable, but for Malevolent Creation, the band pick up where their last album left off; new vocalist Lee Wollenschlaeger has already shown that he has formidable growl with his work in Imperial Empire and Throne of Nails, yet when this is coupled with the death metal blast beats and chugging riffs that has come to be expected of Malevolent Creation, it shows ‘The 13th Beast’ as an album which strongly starts this new chapter in the bands history. Furthermore, the song writing on this album shows none of the slump, that can occur with such a significant change and this can be seen through excellent tracks such as ‘End The Torture’, ‘Mandatory Butchery’ and ‘Canvas of Flesh’ would appeal to fans of Bloodbath, Deicide and Morbid Angel. However, even though ‘The 13th Beast’ stands tall with its song writing, there is little here that is different, new or majorly exciting and because of this, it just isn’t as good as the previous album, but that does not make ‘The 13th Beast’ any less enjoyable. ‘The 13th Beast’ is a great way for Malevolent Creation to continue following the circumstances which arose prior to the albums release. For any fan of death metal and Malevolent Creation, it is certainly worth listening to and through this, it is enjoyable and demands replays.
80/100 Adam McCann
Michael Romeo
‘War Of The Worlds: Pt 1’ Music Theories Recordings 2018 Progressive Metal
Michael Romeo is not only a virtuoso guitarist and orchestrator, but he is also the mastermind behind one of the most prolific progressive metal bands in Symphony X. In his career, Romeo has written excellent albums such as ‘Paradise Lost’, ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Underworld’ with Symphony X, but with the band on a seemingly extended break, Romeo has decided to keep himself busy with his second solo album ‘War of the Worlds: pt. 1’.
As the first part to a double concept album, Romeo takes in similar lyrical stylings to that of the Symphony X album ‘Iconoclast’ and adds a musical score that would certainly not be out of place on a big budget Hollywood movie. This results in Romeo providing some of his best orchestral scoring since ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘V: The New Mythology Suite’ with tracks such as ‘Djinn’, ‘Constellations’ and ‘Black’ standing out as superb. Furthermore, ‘War…’ not only contains some of Romeo’s best orchestrations, but also has the feeling of being the best Symphony X album that has been available since ‘Underworld’.
‘War…’ is not only fantastic, it is certainly one of the best albums of the year, it shows that Romeo can be taken out of his Symphony X comfort zone and through this, Romeo has not only excelled himself but has also proved that he can deliver an album beyond the constrains of his band because of this, ‘War…’ is an album which for any progressive metal fan is a must buy this year.
90/100 Adam McCann
Metal Allegiance
‘Volume II: Power Drunk Majesty’ Nuclear Blast Records 2018 Heavy Metal/Thrash Metal/Groove Metal
When Metal Allegiance released their excellent debut album back in 2015, the metal world expected this ‘supergroup’ of Mike Portnoy, David Ellefson, Alex Skolnick and Mark Menghi to go beyond this; either there would be a clash of egos, exploding into a cacophony of ‘he said this, he said that’ on Blabbermouth or schedules would not align again for a large length of time, particularly with Ellefson and Skolnick begin tied to Megadeth and Testament respectively. However, fate would deal the heavy metal community a boon for once and the rotating guest vocals of Metal Allegiance would return for a second album ‘Volume II: Power Drunk Majesty’.
Those who bought the band’s debut album will be pleased to know that the formula, style and sound which made the first album so endearing has not changed. Portnoy and co. have once again assembled an excellent plethora of guests and ‘…Power Drunk Majesty’ sees the return of Mastodon’s Troy Sanders for ‘Liars & Thieves’ and Mark Osegueda from Death Angel to add his vocals to the superb ‘Impulse Control’ and part one of epic ‘Power Drunk Majesty’ suite, the end of which features a bassline by Menghi which would make Steve Harris proud. Unlike the first album, the guest roster for ‘…Power Drunk Majesty’ is much more familiar to classic metalheads and also features guest appearances by Bobby Blitz, John Bush and Max Cavalera. However, for this album the spotlight is turned firmly on Johan Hegg from Amon Amarth for his superb vocal delivery on ‘King With The Paper Crown’ which is easily the best song on the album. Furthermore, the albums opening track ‘The Accuser’ which features Trevor Strnad of Black Dahlia Murder has all the ability to make the listener view the band in a different light with some excellent growls. However, the same cannot be said for Floor Jansen’s performance during part two of the ‘Power Drunk Majesty’ suite which is dull and delivered like Nightwish by numbers. ‘…Power Drunk Majesty’ is extremely fun, the band wholeheartedly sound as if they are enjoying every note, it is a pure example of a 21st century David Ellefson and post Dream Theater Mike Portnoy and definitely worth checking out.
86/100 Adam McCann
Manimal
‘Purgatorio’ AFM Records 2018 Power Metal/Heavy Metal
Manimal have been pushing at the heavy metal scene for seventeen years delivering their last album ‘Trapped In The Shadows’ in 2015. It has been three years since Manimal last appeared on the heavy metal radar, but the band are back. ‘Purgatorio’ is the third and latest album from Manimal and combines many of the traditional heavy metal and power metal elements which have guided their career. Manimal do not need to need to place a large emphasis on camaraderie and refreshingly enough do not directly worship at the altar of Iron Maiden to the point of imitation unlike their label mates at AFM Records Mob Rules and Bloodbound. Instead, ‘Purgatorio’ takes its cue from ‘Painkiller’ era Judas Priest and together with a crisp and clear production, this album pushes forward not only at breakneck speed, but also with the beautiful melodious nature which is deeply engrained into European heavy metal.
There is plenty to enjoy with ‘Purgatorio’, the ‘Jawbreaker’ wail of ‘Traitor’ amps up the album and showcases the vocal prowess of Sam Nyman, whilst tracks such as ‘Black Plague’ and ‘Manimalized’ add to the overall classic metal sound with ‘Spreading the Dread’ summoning up a different feel with its Sabaton style keyboard stabs. However, as enjoyable as ‘Purgatorio’ is, it is difficult to keep track of where the band is up to, particularly without conscious listening, but when this is one of the only quibbles, it shows that the band have put together something special. There is no doubt that ‘Purgatorio’ will get overlooked, but that would be a huge loss, this album is exceptionally fun and would certainly appeal to fans of Judas Priest, Primal Fear and Dream Evil.
82/100 Adam McCann
Marduk
‘Viktoria’ Century Media Records 2018 Black Metal
Everybody know that they are getting when they pick up a Marduk album; a serious slice of black metal coupled with a lyrical content which revolves around war, tanks and crime. It has been three years since Marduk released their previous album, the critically well-received Frontschwein and now, the Swedish black metallers head into the breach once more with their latest album ‘Viktoria’.
For this, Marduk plough forward at almost blitzkrieg precision, sticking to the formula that they have lain down since 2009’s Wormwood and this has paid dividends. Furthermore, unlike many of their black metal peers who fill out the sound of their work with complex orchestral arrangements, Marduk forego this and with ‘Viktoria’ the band thrash forward with superb tracks such as the black metal version of Iron Maiden’s whoa whoa whoa chorus in ‘July 44’, the stop, start staccato delivery of ‘Tiger I’ and the pounding ‘Equestrian Bloodlust’, the track chosen to promote the album.
These tracks are full of everything that any fan of Marduk could ever want, not only are Mortuus’ vocals are on point, but the lyrics and vision of ‘Viktoria’ are delivered through the devilish, sneering growl of Mortuus, all supported by some powerhouse drumming and almost biting guitars. This is apparent from the very beginning with the driving Werworlf and this tour de force lasts until the final notes ringing out during ‘Silent Night’. All this is delivered within a tight schedule of just over thirty minutes and ‘Viktoria’ wastes no time in smashing through song after song of top drawer black metal.
‘Viktoria’ is an excellent album, it is not only the best album that Marduk have released since ‘Wormwood’, it is also debatably one of the best albums that the band have ever released. Finally, ‘Viktoria’ is clearly one of the best albums of the year, if only one black metal album is purchased this year, then make sure that it is this album.
91/100 Adam McCann
Mystery
‘Lies And Butterflies’ Unicorn Records 2018 Progressive Rock/Neo-Prog
Since their inception in 1986 and the subsequent release of their debut album ‘Theatre of the Mind’ 10 years later, Mystery have tread on the line between the pomp of AOR, classic progressive rock and a much more modern neo-prog sound. Although the band have generally moved away from the big arena AOR sound of Journey, Styx and Asia, to one which incorporates the more technically inclusive music of Porcupine Tree and Peter Gabriel era Genesis to the musical art forms of Saga and Yes. 22 years have passed since ‘Theatre of Mind’ was released and on the back of their previous critically acclaimed ‘Delusion Rain’ in 2015, this year, the French-Canadian band release their seventh studio album ‘Lies and Butterflies’.
‘Lies and Butterflies’ follows on perfectly from its predecessor and can even be considered not only its counterpart, but also its sequel. Just like those big, grandiose progressive rock albums that went before the band in the 70’s, ‘Lies and Butterflies’ sounds so warm, and welcoming, it is not constrained by unnaturally precise and almost mechanical drumming which makes a lot of neo-progressive rock sound stale and lacking soul. Instead, this album has all the points which would appeal to progressive rock fans; ‘Where Dreams Come Alive’ has beautiful flute passages that remind the listener of the middle section to ‘Firth of Fifth’ by Genesis, whilst having all the accessibility of Rush, particularly with a bassline that is straight out of Geddy Lee’s textbook and the Rush homage does not end there ‘Chrysalis’ contains the staccato beat found in Rush prog anthems ‘Cygnus X-1’, ‘By-Tor & The Snow Dog’ and ‘The Necromancer’.
Michel St-Pere has guided his band through both good and bad times and although the band that started on this path is now a far cry from what St-Pere has assembled now, Mystery have evolved, they have matured as a band and with ‘Lies and Butterflies’ this really comes through. New vocalist Jean Pageau shows the years of experience behind his voice, having all the melody of Geddy Lee, Benoit David and Steve Perry, whilst having the raw power of James LaBrie allowing ‘Lies and Butterflies’ to be appreciated by an audience more acquainted with heavier music.
All of this makes ‘Lies and Butterflies’ very enjoyable, it shows Mystery may finally begin to start getting the recognition they deserve. However, this album is not initially capture the imagination and does take a few listens to enjoy, ‘Lies and Butterflies’ will not be for everyone and it does have the charm which would only appeal to those who like progressive rock, but once it clicks, the latest Mystery album is a work of art. 77/100
Adam McCann
Magnum
‘Wings of Heaven’ Polydor Records 1988 Melodic Hard Rock/AOR
Magnum had set the ball rolling two years previously in 1986 with their commercial hit album ‘Vigilante’ produced by Roger Taylor of Queen fame. The band now found themselves with a pressure that they had never had to deal with before and that was to follow up the previous album with a greater success. Unable to hire Roger Taylor due to his commitments with Queen, the band hired Albert Boekholt and set about recording ‘Wings of Heaven’ to be released in 1988.
As expected, ‘Wings of Heaven’ smashed the sales of its predecessor, it solidified Magnum as a household name in not just the melodic hard rock/AOR world, but also crossed over into pop. The production used on ‘Wings of Heaven’ would be extremely similar to ‘Vigilante’, the album is drenched in reverb, electronic drums, samples and a pop production sheen with the keyboards and bass pushed high in the mix which guaranteed to shift records in the late 80’s. Unfortunately, this production leaves ‘Wings of Heaven’ being exceptionally dated and although the production happily aids songs such as the hit singles ‘Start Talking Love’, ‘Days of No Trust’ and ‘It Must Have Been Love’, it significantly stifles some of the better songs on the album. For example, the stand out track on the album, the closing ‘Don’t Wake the Lion (Too Old to Die Young)’ is the spiritual successor to ‘Les Morts Dansant’, possibly being one of the best songs that Tony Clarkin has ever wrote, yet much of the feel and power is lost on this album, it feels hugely out of place and would be better suited to being on ‘Chase the Dragon’ or ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’.
This album would be both a blessing and curse, ‘Wings of Heaven’ pushed the band so far into the spotlight that it had become quite removed from the melodic progressive rock sound which had made them famous in the first place and from here, it would take Magnum more than a decade to recover. However, Magnum have never shied away from embracing ‘Wings of Heaven’ and many of the tracks are extremely catchy, containing the wonderful pop melodies that Clarkin places down for Bob Catley to sing. It may not be their best album, but ‘Wings of Heaven’ is still enjoyable even with its notoriously dated sound.
75/100 Adam McCann
Magnum
‘Vigilante’ Polydor Records Melodic Hard Rock/AOR 1986
Over the previous decade, Magnum had slowly created a loyal fanbase with albums such as ‘Chase the Dragon’, ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’ and ‘Kingdom of Madness’ solidifying the band as a group which could easily stay in touch with its progressive roots but are also masters of the melodic hard rock arena. ‘Chase the Dragon’ and ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’ provided huge leaps forward, not only in song writing, but also creative and commercial viability and suddenly, Magnum found themselves on the verge of big time success with their 1986 album ‘Vigilante’.
With ‘Vigilante’, Magnum decided to take the plunge into a more commercial sound in the hope for scoring a hit. To achieve this, the band hired legendary Queen drummer Roger Taylor to produce their latest album, this resulted in ‘Vigilante’ not only being recorded in Queen’s famous Montreux studio, but also with a sound that was very much in a similar to vein to the sound on ‘A Kind of Magic’. This sound pushed the guitars further back in the mix than had been previously, bringing forward the keyboards and bass of Mark Stanway and Wally Lowe whilst giving the drums a sampled electronic ‘modern’ sound. This can be seen during the Foreigner-esque ‘Red On The Highway’, the Queen worshipping ‘Holy Rider’, which sounds like a ‘One Vision’ outtake and the smooth saxophone crooning of ‘Midnight (You Won’t Be Sleeping)’, sadly, this production and sound makes ‘Vigilante’ very of its time and that means that unfortunately, the album has no dated well.
Fortunately, there are some excellent songs on this album and ‘Vigilante’ shows Magnum not only writing at their commercial best, but also among some of their best creatively; ‘Need A Lot of Love’, ‘Red On The Highway’ and the fantastic title track all stand out above the rest of the songs, the latter song of which is still played heavily on rock radio stations around the world to this day and is testament to the albums longevity. ‘Vigilante’ managed to make Magnum a household name, albeit only for a short while, but in those few short years, Magnum were kings of the melodic hard rock world and whilst it may not be Magnum’s best album, for anyone looking to begin looking at this genre in the mid-late 80’s, then ‘Vigilante’ is an excellent place to start.
84/100 Adam McCann
Magnum
‘On A Storyteller’s Night’ Jet Records/Sanctuary Records 1985 Melodic Hard Rock/Progressive Rock
By the middle of the 1980’s, Magnum had delivered run of albums both in sales and quality, albums such as ‘Kingdom of Madness’, ‘Chase the Dragon’ and the live album ‘Marauder’ solidified their reputation as one of the best contemporary melodic hard rock/AOR bands of the time. 1985 brought Magnum the release of the seminal ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’ and with this, the band took the plunge from fan favourites on ‘Chase the Dragon’ into the dizzy heights that the following album ‘Vigilante’ would bring.
With ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’, Magnum worked much harder on their album tracks, abolishing much of the forgettable songs that had been present on their earlier work. Due to this, Magnum instantly fire out of the traps with strong songs back to back cementing the reputation of this album immediately. For this, Magnum took a running leap from ‘Solider of the Line’ from ‘Chase the Dragon’ by beginning this album with another slow burning track, the cacophonic ‘How Far Jerusalem’. This song builds from smouldering embers into a raging inferno of melodic hard rock coupled with a pounding riff and as always, an exquisite vocal performance from Bob Catley as well as quick guitar flourishes from the bearded maestro of Magnum Tony Clarkin. Clarkin has always been hugely underrated, so much that he is often forgotten entirely, but the artisan song craftsmen extends his work into the song which has created the blueprint of every AOR song since 1985, the fantastically radio friendly ‘Just Like An Arrow’. Furthermore, it is short sighted to focus solely on Catley and Clarkin without mentioning the huge contribution made to this album by keyboardist Mark Stanway. Alongside Clarkin, it is this man who provides the perfect vocal harmonies and Jon Lord style keyboards to ‘How Far Jerusalem’, ‘Before First Light’, ‘All England’s Eyes’ and the blindingly memorable title track. The true testament to ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’ is that 33 years on, many of these songs are still played heavily on rock radio stations and just goes to show that some of these tracks have a longevity beyond even that of ‘Vigilante’ and ‘Start Talking Love’.
As an album ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’ ebbs and flows along beautifully and is one of the rare examples of an album which shows very little signs of weakness. Yes, the production and the sound may be a little dated and ‘The Last Dance’ may sound like a Meat Loaf outtake, but it shows Magnum on fire and hitting a creative pinnacle. Unfortunately, that pinnacle would leave the band searching for a huge hit single that would break the band worldwide, yet other albums aside, ask any Magnum fan their favourite album and ‘On A Storyteller’s Night’ will be on the lips of most. 86/100 Adam McCann
Magnum
‘Chase the Dragon’ Sanctuary/BMG Records Melodic Hard Rock/Progressive Rock 1982
Magnum set out their stall with their first two albums with their Queen-esque style hard rock, but by their third album ‘Chase the Dragon’, the band had begun to find their feet. Aided by the addition of the soon to be long-serving keyboardist Mark Stanway in 1980, ‘Chase the Dragon’ would be delayed for two years before finally seeing the light of day in 1982.
‘Chase the Dragon’ would prove to be a pivotal album, it would provide the foundation stone of the bridge between their early work and the big selling songs of the mid to late 80’s. There would be a glimpse of this during ‘Chase the Dragon’ and tracks such as ‘Soldier of the Line’, ‘Sacred Hour’ and ‘The Spirit’ would provide that huge atmospheric sound that would help propel Magnum into stadiums. These songs would prove to be huge fan favourites, remaining in Magnum’s set list until the modern day and not only this, ‘Chase the Dragon’ would become hugely influential on artists as diverse as Edguy and Dimmu Borgir.
As much as ‘Chase the Dragon’ kicks off extremely strong, there are still elements remaining from their more progressive past, for example, ‘We All Play the Game’ has all the Moog and 12-string guitars of Yes, ‘Hold Back Your Love’ sounds as if Tony Clarkin has stolen Brian May’s guitar, whilst ‘The Teacher’ feels like it belongs in the early 70’s. However, ‘Chase the Dragon’ would appeal to those Magnum fans who prefer their later work and wince at their more successful sound and the album is worth listening to just for ‘Soldier of the Line’ alone.
80/100 Adam McCann
Magnum
Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow
SPV/Steamhammer 2007
Alice in Wonderland
It is the curse of Magnum to bear, to be one of the most influential bands in rock and metal, yet they are often completely forgotten, consigned to a dusty old page in a history book under ‘Kingdom of Madness’ or ‘On a Storyteller’s Night’, eventually calling it a day in 1995. Yet, the band would reform in 2001 and in their twilight years, they would release albums that would match and even surpass the albums of their prime.
‘Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow’ is the 3rd studio to be released following the bands reformation and their 14th overall. Although ‘Princess Alice…’ is nowhere near as dark as the previous album ‘Brand New Morning’, ‘Princess Alice…’ has a distinctively classic Magnum sound, yes, Bob Catley’s voice may not be anywhere near as good as it was in his prime, yet, these days Catley has a voice that worn, warm and familiar, like a comfortable pair of shoes, you know they don’t look their best, they’re past their prime, yet they still do the job just as good as they did when they were first purchased.
However, the plaudits of ‘Princess Alice…’ go to Tony Clarkin, Clarkin is to Magnum what Steve Harris is to Maiden, he is the helmsman and as a songwriter, Clarkin is the gift that keeps on giving, there are some excellent career defining songs on this album such as the perennial ‘When We Were Younger’, the classic Magnum sounding ‘Out of the Shadows’ and ‘Dragons Are Real’, helped on by the rousing keyboards of Mark Stanway.
The most beautiful thing about ‘Princess Alice…’ is that it solidifies the return of Magnum, if ‘Brand New Morning’ was the stepping stone, then ‘Princess Alice…’ is the solid foundation on the other side, it provides the bands pivotal return moment ensuring the success of the band for years to come.
85/100
Adam McCann
Dragons Are Real; Magnum 'Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow', 2007; SPV/SteamhammerRecords
Ministry
AmeriKKKant
Nuclear Blast Records 2018
Al Jourgensen, he knows words, he knows the best words
Uncle Al Jourgensen has never had any trouble expressing himself and this has never failed to appear when discussing the politics of the USA. These views spill consistently spill over into Ministry, usually manifesting themselves into the aggressive form of an industrial protest. In fact, Jourgensen’s anger has been brewing significantly and can be simmering away on their last album ‘From Beer to Eternity’ and Jourgensen’s side project, Surgical Meth Machine.
Therefore, when it was announced that the new Ministry album would be called ‘AmeriKKKant’, Ministry fans waited with baited breath as Jourgensen was about to potentially unleash one the most aggressive albums to date. This doesn’t happen, Ministry blindsided us, if you are expecting ‘AmeriKKKant’ to immediately pull your face off a la ‘Punch in the Face’ or ‘Permawar’, then you will be surprised. Instead, Ministry turn their latest release in a simmering powder keg, it seethes, broods and foams with a bubbling anger, particularly seen during ‘Victims of a Clown’ and ‘Twilight Zone’.
‘AmeriKKKant’ picks up the pace during ‘We’re Tired Of It’, ‘Wargasm’ and ‘Antifa’, giving us a slice of that classic Ministry industrial as Jourgensen expels his hatred towards the Republican party, war and Donald Trump, creating the pinnacle of the album. Furthermore, this makes ‘AmeriKKant’ a grower, it burns slowly and takes a few listens to get into and digest all the separate samples, but before you know it, you’ll know exactly where Ministry are coming from and it makes the album thoroughly enjoyable. However, if you disagree with Jourgensen’s views, then ‘AmeriKKKant’ may not be the album for you.
77/100
Adam McCann
Twilight Zone; Ministry 'AmeriKKKant', 2018; Nuclear Blast Records
Motörhead
Rock ‘n’ Roll
GWR Records 1987
Oh Lord, look down upon these people of Motörhead
The tides had turned for Motörhead, the decade had begun at the top of their game with ‘Ace of Spades’, but by 1987, the band had lost its ‘classic’ line up, lost its record deal with Bronze, forcing Motörhead to sign with the hastily set-up GWR Records and dealt with poor production at the hands of a maverick on ‘Orgasmatron’. It’s safe to say Motörhead were not in a good place and things were about to get worse.
Firing Pete Gill for being a twat, Motörhead re-acquired Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor on the drums giving that signature drum sound once more for their 1987 release ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’. To give ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ its due, the production is much better than its predecessor, but that isn’t hard. However, where most of the songs on ‘Orgasmatron’ were decent, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ sounded better, but lacked the songs.
The songs on ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ feel as if they were bashed through in half an hour in the studio with the conclusion of: “yep, that’s a keeper”, moreover, even Lemmy’s sharply delivered lyrics misfire at times, the words “you wanna see my bacon torpedo” come to mind and as comical as it is on first listen, ‘Blessing’ which features Michael Palin becomes plain annoying after the second listen. On the other hand, the guitar work of Phil Campbell and Würzel are consistent throughout with the latter playing some excellent slide guitar during ‘Stone Deaf in the USA” with other highlights being ‘Dogs’, ‘Traitor’ and the title track itself.
‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ is a commercial and creative for low point for a band that stuck to its guns for 40 years. Yet below the critical slating and some relatively crap songs, there are some decent songs that just about make the album worth listening to.
68/100
Adam McCann
Rock 'N' Roll; Motörhead 'Rock 'N' Roll', 1987; GWR Records
Magnum
Lost on the Road to Eternity
SPV/Steamhammer Records 2018
The Right Direction
Magnum are one of the most underrated and yet influential bands in the rock/metal world. Although their success in the UK and USA was limited to a few songs in the mid-80’s, Magnum excelled in Europe and had a profound impact on the power metal scene with Tobias Sammet naming Bob Catley as the best vocalist ever.
In recent years, Magnum have had a relatively rigid release schedule, their latest album ‘Lost on the Long Road to Eternity’ is their remarkable 20th studio album and it does see some personnel changes with long time keyboardist Mark Stanway stepping down to be replaced by Rick Benton with former Paradise Lost drummer Lee Morris joining the band replacing Thunder drummer Harry James. So, do these changes affect the band? Yes, of course, Stanway gave Magnum a signature sound (alongside Tony Clarkin) and that is difficult to replicate, however, Benton steps up to the plate which certainly gives ‘Lost on…’ a slightly different, but in no way inferior sound.
Magnum have been steered under the command of Clarkin and Catley for the best part of 45 years, give or take a short hiatus in the 90’s and it has been Clarkin’s writing which provided the perfect lines for Catley to add the colour. Once more, it is seen here on ‘Lost on…’ with excellent tracks such as ‘Peaches and Cream’, ‘Show Me Your Hands’, ‘Without Love’ and the superb title track in which Catley brings in his friend from Avantasia, Tobias Sammet and deliver one of the best Magnum tracks in recent years.
‘Lost on…’ is one of the best albums that you will hear this year, it sits perfectly alongside Magnum’s later releases in a band that just keeps going and giving.
90/100
Adam McCann
Without Love; Magnum 'Lost on the Road to Eternity', 2018; SPV/Steamhammer Records
Ministry
Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs
Sire Records 1992
Connect the God Damn Dots!
Following the success of ‘The Land of Rape and Honey’ and ‘The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste’, Ministry continued their drug fuelled rampage with the seminal ‘Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs’. Industrial guru Al Jourgensen continued to write in his now famous politically cynical and nihilistic style as ‘Psalm 69…’ considerably pushed the boundaries as to what Jourgensen could accomplish at the time and the addition of Mike Scaccia as the guitarist proved to be a great boon for Ministry as his exceptional playing helped shape the sound of Ministry for future albums.
From the off, ‘Psalm 69…’ is a rollercoaster of an album, it never lets up and has the ability to pull the flesh from your face with tracks such as ‘N.W.O.’ and ‘TV II’ which stand as tall today as they did in 1992. However, it is the tracks ‘Just One Fix’ and ‘Jesus Built My Hotrod’ which propels ‘Psalm 69…’ into the stratosphere. ‘Jesus Built My Hotrod’ features the insane and drunk vocals of Gibby Haynes from Butthole Surfers whereas the formers mantra of: “never trust a junkie” paved the way bands such as Marilyn Manson and Rammstein who took what Ministry started and brought to a more mainstream audience.
The latter half of ‘Psalm 69…’ does tail off into a bit of an industrial headache at times, but is saved by the grinding and impressive beats of ‘Scare Crow’ which impressively hold tight for nearly nine minutes without feeling bored or unimpressed. A headfuckingly rhythm of the second half or not, ‘Psalm 69…’ provides the pinnacle of the success of Ministry and unfortunately, the remainder of the 90’s would be a bumpy ride for the band as internal tensions and drug problems escalated to tipping point.
84/100
Adam McCann
Jesus Built My Hotrod; Ministry 'Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs', 1992; Sire Records
Motörhead
Orgasmatron
GWR Records 1986
Stone Deaf Forever!
1986 found Motörhead in a rather tight spot without a record company following their departure from Bronze Records. It had been a rather turbulent few years, both Brian Robertson and ‘Philthy’ Phil Taylor had left being replaced by Pete Gill on the drums and the first of long term appearances from Phil Campbell and Würzel. Never one to be put out, Lemmy soldiered on, bouncing back with ‘Orgasmatron’.
Although ‘Orgasmatron’ suffers from a relatively muddy production, which does at times hamper the album and other than a few dodgy mid-80’s style ‘oi’s!’, the album stands tall in the face of uncertainty. As an album, it contains classic Motörhead tracks such as ‘Ain’t My Crime’, ‘Doctor Rock’ and the title track as well as coveted fan favourites along the lines of ‘Deaf Forever’, ‘Claw’ and ‘Ridin’ with the Driver’.
Considered by many at the time to be a low point of Motörhead’s career in comparison to the classic line-up, but what ‘Orgasmatron’ shows is Motörhead evolving as a band, the title track in particular shows Lemmy advancing as a songwriter lamenting about politics, religion and war. Not only this, but the album shows a Würzel and Campbell honing their sound alongside Lemmy’s machine gun bass which would push Motörhead into the next decade.
82/100
Adam McCann
Deaf Forever; Motörhead, 'Orgasmatron', 1986; GWR Records
Meshiaak
Alliance of Thieves
Mascot Records 2016
Average, but the foundations are there
Meshiaak were formed in Australia when former Impellitteri drummer Jon Dette teamed up with Dean Wells from Teramaze on the guitars. From 2014, Meshiaak immediately began to write songs in the thrash metal vein, but before too long, they found themselves adding their own twist to thrash with elements of groove metal also creeping in. The sound that came out of Meshiaak can plant you somewhere in the mid to late 90’s, with huge nods towards Pantera’s ‘Great Southern Trendkill’, Machine Head’s ‘Burn My Eyes’ and ‘The Gathering’ by Testament. With this sound in mind, Meshiaak released their debut album ‘Alliance of Thieves’ on the 19th August 2016.
Even though ‘Alliance of Thieves’ was released through the independent label Mascot Records, the album sounds as if big money has been thrown Meshiaak’s way, as ‘Alliance of Thieves’ has a very well-produced sound, each blast beat, soaring harmonised vocals, deep melodic growl and twin guitar flurries can be clearly heard and possibly even make Robb Flynn green with envy. In fact, the whole album seems to have been made with Machine Head in mind as the influence is extremely strong throughout ‘Alliance of Thieves’. Due to this, the lyrics and imagery which Meshiaak conjure up stick within these constraints of an album bulging with angry social observations on; war, isolation, human insincerity and the wistful longing for a previous time. However, flattery can only go so far and there are times that allow easy parallels to be drawn between ‘Alliance of Thieves’ and Machine Head’s 2011 album ‘Unto the Locust’. ‘Death of an Anthem’ has all the notions of borrowing heavily from ‘Locust’ by basically being saddled with an eerily similar bass riff, whilst the title track shamelessly borrows its chorus. The only benefit to this is that at least Meshiaak know how to finish a song, unlike their idols.
Machine Head idolatry aside, Meshiaak fit perfectly into the expanding melodic groove metal genre which takes both the classic elements of thrash and groove, combining them with the more modern elements of metalcore and post-hardcore, easily appealing to fans of these genres as well as the likes of bands such as The Raven Age. This amalgamation of these styles on ‘Alliance of Thieves’ leads to some very good songs on, opening with ‘Chronicles of the Dead’, it does its best to drag you in and pull your face off giving you a huge dose of what Meshiaak are all about. For a band still finding their feet with each other, ‘At the Edge of the World’ manages to show off the hunger and the raw talent that only a band starting out has. Vocalist Danny Camilleri, who cut his teeth with fellow Australian thrashers 4Arm, delivers his lines on ‘Last Breath Taken’ and ‘Drowning, Fading, Falling’ in the style of Tom Araya, allowing some sort of affinity for ‘Alliance of Thieves’ to be slowly built up. However, as decent as some of the tracks on ‘Alliance of Thieves’ are, most of the songs fail to ultimately stick and remain, floating somewhere in the ether of Machine Head worship and generic thrash. ‘Alliance of Thieves’ is a pleasurable enough experience when playing and none of the songs are detestable, but sadly for Meshiaak, there are better albums out there released in 2016. That being said, ‘Alliance of Thieves’ is not a bad album and it stands a decent debut and starting point for a band that knows what sound they want to play and where they want to go, Meshiaak are great musicians and it would be fantastic to see them exploit their more melodic side in future releases, but as for ‘Alliance of Thieves’, it is average at best.
64/100
Adam McCann
Drowning, Fading Falling; Meshiaak, 'Alliance of Thieves', 2016; Mascot Records
The Modern Age Slavery
Stygian
Innerstrength Records
2017
The Modern Age Slavery Continue to Climb the Mountain of Fame
The Modern Age Slavery are definitely rising stars of the Italian extreme metal scene and their upcoming release ‘Stygian’ is their third studio album for us to feast upon, through this release TMAS aim to solidify the position they have worked relentlessly to achieve. ‘Stygian’ has been four years in the making and TMAS return fully equipped with razor sharp serrated riffs, pounding jack hammer blast beats that mould their sound and a collection of lyrics linked around a common theme of power and greed.
In their four year absence, TMAS have honed their sound through prestigious tours with; Cannibal Corpse, Decapitated and Suicide Silence. Being amongst their peers has obviously rubbed off on TMAS as ‘Stygian’ could easily reach through the speakers and deliver a serious case of GBH, the band even honouring their heroes Pantera, with a more than decent cover of ‘Sandblasted Skin’.
‘Stygian’ is full of the tight shredding and death metal vocals that would tweak the ear of fans of Suffocation and Decapitated whilst also bridging the gap towards more deathcore bands such as Job For A Cowboy and Whitechapel with TMAS able to maintain their own sound. Clocking in at under 35 minutes, ‘Stygian’ is short, sweet and a lot of fun to listen to, although do us all a favour? Please do not leave it another four years between releases.
66/100
Adam McCann
The Reprisal Within; The Modern Age Slavery, 'Stygian', 2017; Innerstrength Records
Mrykgrav
‘Takk Og Farvel; Tida Er Blitt Ei Annen’
Pest Productions
2016
An honest way to bow out
‘Takk Og Farvel; Tida Er Blitt Ei Annen’ successfully manages to hold the line between Scandinavian folk metal coupled with blackened influences towards straight up Norwegian folk music. The brainchild of one man, the extremely talented Lars Jensen, ‘Takk Og Farvel…’ contains some absolutely beautiful, eerily haunting melodies all delivered through the forlorn cry of Olav Mjelva’s fiddle; who quite possibly steals the show.
The album is a battle of two worlds colliding, ‘Takk Og Farvel…’ works the best when the fiddle is combined with Jensen’s growl and black metal instrumentation, when these align ‘Takk Og Farvel…’ shines, especially during ‘Soterudsvarten’ where the melting pot comes alive and would easily appeal to fans of Windir and Falkenbach. However, there is far too much meandering through instrumentals and although ‘Spålsnatt’ may have a touch of Turisas, the remainder fade into nothing more than background music at best. It is this that lets ‘Takk Og Farvel…’ down, especially when the album clocks over an hour, many of these tracks could be omitted and you wouldn’t miss them, in fact, it would significantly improve the album.
‘Takk Og Farvel…’ is the final release from Myrkgrav, there are no frills and no gimmicks, Myrkgrav are bowing out with what can be described as an honest, yet average album at best, but it won’t appeal to any fans outside of its genre.
57/100
Adam McCann
Skjøn Jomfru; Myrkgrav, ‘Takk Og Farvel; Tida Er Blitt Ei Annen’, 2016; Pest Productions
Mr. Big
Defying Gravity
Frontiers Records 2017
Nostalgia Trip for Mr. Big
There was a brief time in 1992 when Mr. Big ruled the airwaves and even grunge at its pinnacle could not touch the Los Angeles hard rockers. In 1991, Mr. Big released their colossal album ‘Lean Into It’ featuring huge singles in the shape of; ‘Green-Tinted Sixites Mind’ and ‘Just Take My Heart’, but it was the release of ‘To Be With You’ which gave the band that #1 hit and solidified their place in history. From here, Mr. Big struggled to reach the dizzying heights of 1992 again, the band calling it a day in 2002 before reforming in 2009 releasing a trio of albums, the latest of which ‘Defying Gravity’ was released on the 7th July.
The first thing to notice about ‘Defying Gravity’ is that it begins with ‘Open Your Eyes’, a song which comes full circle with the beginning phrase: “Ok, we’re rolling’. This alludes to the start of ‘Addicted to That Rush’ from the self-titled Mr. Big album in 1989, before ‘Open Your Eyes’ begins with that typical Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan guitar/bass duel which you have come to expect from Mr. Big. ‘Open Your Eyes’ is a strong opening song and it followed by the title track, during this, you remember that both Gilbert and Sheehan are so talented that their playing does not require the addition of keyboards to fill out the sound and their vocal harmonies when coupled with the strong bluesy voice of Eric Martin make the title track easily the best on the album and it is no wonder that ‘Defying Gravity’ was chosen as one of the video singles.
When listening to this album, it is important to note that ‘Defying Gravity’ was recorded within 6 days and this does become apparent quite quickly, many of songs feel as if they have been born from jams, tightened and given the attitude of, ok, that’s enough. Fortunately for Mr. Big, they have the ability and musicianship to pull this off with ease and although ‘Everybody Needs a Little Trouble’ has that groove which is more than fun to listen to, but you can’t help thinking that these songs are little more than Mr. Big on autopilot. This overarching feeling reaches throughout the album with the likes of ‘Mean to Me’, ‘Nothing At All’ and the albums closing track ‘Be Kind’, a song which has a great slide guitar riff, the only downside being that it mirrors ‘A Little Too Loose’ from ‘Lean Into It’. However, ‘Be Kind’ even devolves into a straight up instrumental jam at the end of the song, leaving that lingering feeling that ‘Defying Gravity’ is a little bit of a rushed job.
A pivot point can be reached on the album where it can become a little too much and can have you reaching for the off button and that is during ‘Damn I’m In Love Again’. This is a song that yes, is very well written and has all the pop sensibilities that the song aims for, however, ‘Damn I’m In Love Again’ is just out of place on this album and it is at best a cringe worthy pop song with country vibes. Although, it isn’t all jams and pop melodies, ‘Defying Gravity’ even throws in a huge chunk of nostalgia on the song ‘1992’. ‘1992’ tells the story of how Mr. Big once ruled the world, only to be cast aside by the record company and although the song contains some absolutely fantastic musicianship, the lyrics border on extremely clichéd about how they rose to fame, had it all, lost it all, but it was the fans which kept them going. However, on the other side of this, ‘1992’ is a great little thank you to those Mr. Big fans that have been there with the band over the past 25 years, through the good and bad times.
What you get with ‘Defying Gravity’ is another Mr. Big album, it features some excellent musicianship as always from Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan, alongside the strong versatile voice of Eric Martin and Matt Starr does a great job of stepping into the shoes of Pat Torpey, who has unfortunately had to take a step back from his involvement in Mr. Big due to being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. ‘Defying Gravity’ is quite a large step away from the successes of ‘Mr. Big’ and ‘Lean Into It’, but if you enjoyed ‘What If…’ and ‘…The Stories We Could Tell’ then no doubt, you will fully enjoy ‘Defying Gravity’.
70/100
Adam McCann
Defying Gravity; Mr. Big, 'Defying Gravity', 2017; Frontiers Records
Municipal Waste
Slime and Punishment
Nuclear Blast Records 2017
Under the Waste Command
It has been an exceptionally busy few years for Tony Foresta and Phil ‘Landphil’ Hall, not only did they start writing material for the new Municipal Waste album following 2012’s ‘The Fatal Feast’, but 2012 also marked the birth of Foresta and Landphil’s side project, Iron Reagan. Iron Reagan has taken a rather large amount of time away from Municipal Waste and although the Waste have continued to tour, their output has been relatively on the back burner. Earlier this year, Iron Reagan released their 3rd studio album ‘Crossover Ministry’, to a hugely positive response with even more tantalising news appearing a month later when Municipal Waste announced that they would release their 6th studio album ‘Slime and Punishment’, later in the year on the 23rd June.
What makes Municipal Waste so appealing is that the Waste have always smashed through their work like its 1990. Taking the works of the likes of; Anthrax, D.R.I. and Suicidal Tendencies into their stride, Municipal Waste have created a modern spin on crossover thrash and ‘Slime and Punishment’ is no different. Clocking in at under 30 minutes, ‘Slime and Punishment’ whirls out of the bar and kicks down your front door with an armful of booze in one hand and a stereo blasting ‘Thrash Zone’ in the other.
What it is interesting about ‘Slime and Punishment’ is that it is difficult to tell when ‘Crossover Ministry’ ends and ‘Slime and Punishment’ begins as working in the more politically charged climate of Iron Reagan has obviously had an effect on Foresta and these expressions have made their way onto ‘Slime and Punishment’. Drop kicking into action with the initial promo release from the album, ‘Breathe Grease’ smashes into action at the breakneck speed associated with Municipal Waste as Foresta and company stick up their middle finger and protest that they have never cared for your world. The politically conservative world also erodes its way into the album via the title track, with its fist in the air chorus chant, whilst ‘Poison the Preacher’ tackles the overlooking of the abuse of children by the church by instigating vigilante justice, to the tongue in cheek view of the superficial lifestyles that reality and celebrity cultures have instilled in the masses with ‘Amateur Sketch’ and the Suicidal Tendencies crossed with Megadeth romp of ‘Parole Violators’, complete with amusing samples of a poor sap being pulled by the police after breaking parole.
However, there is plenty of old-school Municipal Waste stylings here on ‘Slime and Punishment’, who can deny the party ‘til you puke atmosphere of ‘Enjoy the Night’ and ‘Excessive Celebration’ or the chance to dance the toxic waltz to ‘Shrednecks’, guaranteed to the pass on a whiplash claim or the mighty sledgehammer assaults of ‘Death Proof’ and ‘Think Fast’ are all examples of how the Waste can still explode a room into a menagerie of whirling dervishes, as torn denim and leather clash becoming stained by alcohol, blood and vomit. The only real downside to ‘Slime and Punishment’ is the instrumental ‘Under the Waste Command’, which is the filler of the sandwich in between ‘Low Tolerance’ and ‘Death Proof’ and unfortunately, just fades into obscurity.
It is always good to have Municipal Waste about, they’re albums are enjoyable and fun and to have a year where Foresta, Landphil and all the others involved with both the Waste and Iron Reagan release an album by both bands of exceptional standard should be cherished. However, with two bands on the go with a high output, there needs to be some balance for releases as both bands require attention and it would be a shame to neglect one or the other.
72/100
Adam McCann
Breathe Grease; Municipal Waste, 'Slime and Punishment', 2017; Nuclear Blast Records
Majesty
Rebels
NoiseArt Records
2017
Grandfather, tell me a story…
There are two sides to the power metal coin, there are those bands which take their influences from the likes of Stratovarius and Helloween and then, there is Manowar. Manowar take no prisoners, why do with a guitar what you can do armed with only a broadsword and loincloth? Because of this, it is no wonder that Manowar left an army of bastard children in their wake.
One such band are Germany’s Majesty. Majesty have been raised on a diet of nearly 100% pure organic Manowar and let’s face it, there is nothing wrong with that. However, not all is rape, pillage and plundering, Majesty have had a strange career, a faux break up and a brief name change to Metalforce before returning to Majesty. This ultimately may have affected their career much more than you would expect and coupled with a generally high album output can give the impression that Majesty may have spread themselves far too thin over the years.
2017 see’s the release of 'Rebels', the latest album from Majesty and straight from picking up the album, it makes you think something is amiss with the album cover. Gone are the heroic warriors in fantasy homoerotic poses holding their weapon aloft and what you do have is some sort of metal clad death car/dune buggy careening through the wastelands surrounded by explosions in an image that screams more 'Mad Max' than Manowar. Does this give a signal of a change in the air?
The answer is possibly. Vague? Yes. After the short intro, 'Path to Freedom', normal transmission of Majesty begins with 'Die Like Kings' being well, very Majesty. However, something just isn’t quite right here, at first listen, you get the feeling that maybe 'Rebels' is possibly a bit of a rushed job, it sounds very much like a rehashing of a few previous Majesty albums with the lyrical writing and melodies being much less focused than their previous effort. That being said, what is this sort of album without a few wry smiles at cheesy lyrics? After all, it is that sort of tongue in cheek songs about the battles of heavy metal which make this music so appealing.
A lot of modernisms and younger colloquial speech has made its way into 'Rebels', for example, 'YOLO HM' may be a lot of listeners first glimpse at the acronym for ‘you only live once’, but once you get over this annoyance, 'YOLO HM' is actually quite enjoyable. That sentiment pretty much sums up 'Rebels', there are some very good tracks on here such as 'Fireheart' and the superb ballad, 'Across the Lightning', but there are also a lot of forgettable tracks. The main issue with the lyrics on 'Rebels' is that they are very childlike at times, there are a lot of ‘fucking this and that’ used alongside the very teenage angst of ‘go away and fuck yourself’ used in the final track 'Fighting ‘til the End' and it all just doesn’t feel very Majesty.
'Rebels' is what it is, it is another album from Majesty, it was always going to be a tall order to follow up 'Generation Steel' and although a lot of the songs on 'Rebels' are unmemorable, there is still a lot of fun to be had whilst listening to it. That is the story of 'Rebels' and if you don’t like, then it is very much possible that Majesty don’t care and you can go and fuck yourself.
74/100
Adam McCann
Die Like Kings; Majesty, 'Rebels', 2017; NoiseArt Records