‘Dream Quest Ends’ Cruz del Sur Music Epic Doom/Heavy Metal
Smoulder charged their epic vanguard onto the scene early last year with their frankly stunning debut album ‘Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring’. This album managed to prick and turn the heads of not only the doom metal scene, but also the trad and power metal scene who all raised swords in support. With demand so high, the Canadian band have put out their first EP ‘Dream Quest Ends’ in a bid to tide over fans.
As one would expect, ‘Dream…’ picks up exactly where the debut album left off. Yet, this EP is not loaded full of tracks which didn’t quite make the previous effort; this EP is a fresh attack by Smoulder ready to push forth and conquer new lands. Of course, there are rough cuts here, ‘Sword Woman’, ‘Voyage of the Sunchaser’ and ‘The Queen is Gone’ are all tracks taken from the bands 2018 demo that showcase Smoulder at their most primal and hungry, whilst ‘Cage of Mirrors’ is the best Manilla Road cover this side of Visigoth’s 2015 version of ‘Necropolis’. Yet, it is the first two tracks of new material where this EP excels, it shows that there is plenty of fire still in the Smoulder tank easily appeal to fans of Manilla Road, Eternal Champion and Solitude Aeturnus with its epic doom sound riding on the back of a heavy metal steed.
However, the downside to this EP is that it clocks in at 37 minutes and considering there are albums considerably shorter than this means that at times it can be difficult to regard this release as an EP; yet, these are actually minor quibbles in a release that is actually very good. Therefore, ‘Dream…’ is definitely worth a listen and whilst it might be a release to rush out and buy (for that stick to their debut album), it is a great place to see Smoulder still busy and once again able to acquire their 2018 demo.
78/100 Adam McCann
Shrapnel
Palace For The Insane 'Candlelight Records' Thrash Metal FFO: Destruction, Kreator, Exodus, Overkill, Death Angel, Havok
Since their formation in 2009, Shrapnel have been working overtime on the UK metal circuit delivering quality thrash metal that has shown that the UK is still more than capable at keeping up with their transatlantic and continental European cousins. This year has the Norwich band returning to the fold with their third album ‘Palace for the Insane’.
Straight out of the traps, ‘Palace…’ takes no prisoners with a scorch the Earth policy of neck-breaking thrash that demonstrates exactly what this genre is all about as driving riffs threating to tear the flesh from the face whilst thunderous drums commit assault and battery on the senses. This is all honed into a warhead point by the raucous vocals of Aarran Tucker who could give the likes of Steve Souza, Chuck Billy and Schmier a run for their money. For Shrapnel, ‘Palace…’ is the sound of a band on fire at the top of their game delivering fantastic memorable songs such as ‘Cannibal’, ‘Infernal Choir’ and the indomitable ‘Might of Cygnus’; yet the most powerful track on this album is the superb ‘Turn Off the Lights’, this is a track of epic classic thrash proportions. Sure, this track isn’t ‘Master of Puppets’ or complex like the ‘…And Justice For All’, but it does stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Overkill, Kreator and Destruction. The reason that ‘Palace…’ is able to do this is down to guitarist Nathan Sadd who shreds so hard it threatens to open a portal up to 1987 itself. Yet, to compare this to past glories of the genre is unfair, Shrapnel deliver a contemporary thrash album that although has all that appeal of days gone by, keeps one foot firmly in the modern era, flipping off any two-bit hack who believes thrash metal is dead. With ‘Palace…’ Shrapnel have certainly taken their songwriting and crafting up a significant notch and therefore, it will not be surprising to see ‘Palace…’ mentioned alongside new releases by Warbringer and Havok when it is time to compile end of year lists.
8/10 Adam McCann
Scarab
‘Martyrs of the Storm’ ViciSolem Productions Death Metal
As is the case with bands on smaller labels who have to self-fund most of their work, sometimes it can take longer than usual to release an album and that has unfortunately been the case with Scarab with the Egyptian death metal band releasing third album ‘Martyrs of the Storm’, the band’s first album since 2015.
With ‘Martyrs….’ Scarab smash forward with all the gusto of a band that have been away for far too long. Through this, Scarab bring the mythology of the Ancient Egyptian desert to the 21st Century home; this is achieved through the delivery of mystical and spiritual lyrics alongside some quality contemporary death metal with tracks such as ‘Kingdom of Chaos’, ‘Saturnian’ and ‘Coffin Texts’ having all the appeal of Nile with its technical death metal polyrhythm approaches. Furthermore, this isn’t all just about Nile comparisons and ‘Martyrs…’ would also appeal to more standardised death metal such as Morbid Angel and Deicide; but delivered through the medium of modern death metal alluding to bands such as Aborted and Krisiun. However, there aren’t any surprises here and ‘Martyrs…’ is a stereotypical death metal release, there are those which will absolutely adore this album and those who it will just not appeal to in the slightest. Yet, for the latter, it would be a mistake to overlook this album as ‘Martyrs…’ is a good album, it is honest and full of the integrity of a band working exceptionally hard to deliver their best possible material with vocalist Sammy Sayed not only providing some decent growls but also presenting some absolutely fantastic orchestrations and arrangements.
This album might not be the best album ever heard, there are significantly better death metal albums that have been released this year, but ‘Martyrs…’ has a replayability to it, an infectious, enjoyable vibe that is often missing in other albums. However, one thing is sure, it won’t be possible to find a better Egyptian themed death metal band this year and hopefully, Scarab won’t leave it too long before their next album. 72/100 Adam McCann
Sodom
‘Out on the Frontline Trench’ SPV/Steamheammer Records Thrash Metal
Last year, Sodom offered a tantalising prospect to their fans as classic line-up guitarist Frank Blackfire returned to the band alongside new additions Husky and Yorck Segatz. On the back of this, Sodom have unleashed three EP’s ‘Partisan’, ‘Chosen by the Grace of God’ and now ‘Out on the Frontline Trench’. This EP shows that Sodom are in the middle of a huge creative patch, with Tom Angelripper thoroughly empowered by the injection of the musicians around him. What the listener gets with ‘Out on the…’ are Sodom firing on all cylinders, driving forward with thrashing rhythms, particularly during the track ‘Down on Your Knees’. However, as blistering and as enjoyable as these songs are when playing, there is unfortunately very little to remember from these songs; they just don’t have that magic memorability of some of Sodom’s other work and it sadly comes to something when the rerecording of ‘Agent Orange’ and a live version of ‘Bombenhagel’ are more enjoyable than the new tracks. Furthermore, clocking in at just under 30 minutes is strongly pushing it for an EP with the feeling that although the live and rerecorded tracks are much better than the newly recorded tracks, they’re just not needed. Unfortunately, with the time spent releasing EP’s over the 18 months, it can’t help being wondered whether Sodom would have been better off just releasing a full-length studio album. Other than being a hardcore Sodom fan, it is difficult to see as to why the listener would part with hard earned money for yet another EP that is average at best. 64/100 Adam McCann
Sinner
‘Santa Muerte’ AFM Records Heavy Metal
Following some relative success in the 1980’s, Sinner have spent the remainder of their career releasing average albums of which some are better than others. Yet, there is no denying the song writing and production capabilities of Mat Sinner, the man behind the band, alongside Primal Fear, Jorn and Level 10 amongst others. Sinner have been bubbling along almost forgotten over the past few years and this year has the band return with a new line-up and album ‘Santa Muerte’.
First and foremost, this line-up change has inserted a rocket into the arse of Sinner meaning that ‘Santa Muerte’ is a powerful album, packed full of decent tracks and memorable lines. One of the main reasons for this is the addition of vocalist Giorgia Colleluori; this young Italian has some serious pipes on her, a voice which can soar as well as Doro Pesch or Lee Aaron, but can also deliver a voice that is both bluesy and soulful and this can be seen in no better place than during ‘Lucky 13’, ‘The Ballad of Jack’ and the superb ‘Death Letter’, a track which has all the soulful emotion of Alice In Chains’ ‘Heaven Beside You’. Furthermore, what gives ‘Santa Muerte’ an added boost to its punch are guest appearances from Ricky Warwick, Ronnie Romero and Magnus Karlsson, each one giving their unique touch to their track, particularly with Romero during ‘Fiesta y Copas’.
However, ‘Santa Muerte’ just feels that little bit too long, particularly towards the end of the album. Yet, Sinner have delivered their best album in decades, ‘Santa Muerte’ is more fun than expected and it is certainly memorable. For fans of heavy metal with hard rock tendencies, then ‘Santa Muerte’ is definitely worth a listen. 78/100 Adam McCann
Serpent Warning
Pagan Fire’ Topillo Records Doom Metal
In 2014, Serpent Warning shocked the doom metal world with an excellent eponymous debut album. Unfortunately, all went quiet on the on the band front as the Finns secluded themselves away working on their latest offering ‘Pagan Fire’.
As expected with ‘Pagan Fire’, Serpent Warning do little to stray from their already tried and tested formula and to be honest, why would they? This is a formula which although has already been well trodden by many bands; it just plainly works and because of this what ‘Pagan Fire’ offers are some fantastic doom riffs and rhythms. Yet, this is not the doom that goes on forever, dragging like a seal’s arse, instead this album has all the reveries of Candlemass, Reverend Bizarre and Saint Vitus as well as a touch of tasty NWOBHM style doom with a few nods towards Witchfinder General, particularly during ‘Death’s Tower’ and ‘Room Of Illusion’. However, ‘Pagan Fire’ might not be initially gripping, it does take a few listens to get into, but it is very difficult to not fall in love with a style of doom which just flows along almost perfectly with the middle of the album being particularly impressive, if not generally unmemorable.
‘Pagan Fire’ is the best as near as damnit follow up to Serpent Warnings debut and an excellent slab of doom done correctly. In a year with excellent albums from Candlemass and Saint Vitus, ‘Pagan Fire’ can stand proudly amongst them. 80/100 Adam McCann
Steve Grimmett’s Grim Reaper
‘At The Gates’ Dissonance Productions Heavy Metal
Steve Grimmett’s Grim Reaper (SGGR) hit the ground running in 2016 with their superb ‘debut’ album ‘Walking In The Shadows’; an album that had the potential to haul the legendary Steve Grimmett back to his rightful position as part of heavy metal royalty. However, disaster struck, and Steve Grimmett was forced to have his leg amputated during a South American tour, an incident that saw Grimmett initially confined to a wheelchair before learning to walk again with a false leg. Fortunately, this did not deter the resilient frontman and this year see’s SGGR return with their second album ‘At The Gates’.
The best news is that with ‘At The Gates’, none of Grimmett’s medical conditions have hampered this album and therefore, ‘At The Gates’ storms forward with all the driving conviction of true heavy metal. Grimmett has lost none of his power with his voice sounding as good now as it sounded in 2016 and although his voice has become worn around the edges since the heyday of the 80’s, that voice is now experienced, flawed, but that is what makes it so lovable with tracks such as ‘Venom’, ‘Line Them Up’ and ‘Only When I Sleep’ having all the appeal of Saxon. However, what is difficult to initially like about ‘At The Gates’ is that the production is very much focused on Grimmett’s vocals with them being at the very forefront of the music. This unfortunately means that most of the instruments are pushed quite far back in the mix and it is difficult to really appreciate the bass or rhythm guitars behind the vocals, lead guitar and snare drum.
Yet, these tracks just grow and grow and before too long, it is easy to find that this album has been on repeat. This means that ‘At The Gates’ is enjoyable, it is fun to listen to, easy to thoroughly immerse yourself in and whilst ‘At The Gates’ falls just below its predecessor, it is still a great album and one that thoroughly deserves to be regularly played by fans of classic, NWOBHM or trad metal. 85/100 Adam McCann
The Scourge
‘Warrant For Execution’ Seeing Red Records Thrash Metal
The Scourge first came to the scene in 2014 with their decent debut EP ‘First Comes Destruction’ and from there, the Texan band have been relatively quiet as vocalist Andrew Atwood has been sharing his time as a guitarist with fellow Texans Helstar. However, this year has The Scourge return with ‘Warrant For Execution’ their long awaited first full-length studio album.
Having the space to expand on their EP, The Scourge waste no time in showing just how much this band has evolved. ‘Warrant…’ displays a professional air alongside a decent production with the band hold the flag high for Texan thrash metal. Tracks like ‘Progressive Forms’, the title track and even the ten-minute epic ‘The Cross On The Wall’ are very entertaining having all the hallmarks of Wrathchild America, Rigor Mortis and even Exciter. However, ‘Mayhem Tonight’ does contain more than an allusion to ‘Command Of The Blade’ from Kreator, but this tongue in cheek delivery can be easily overlooked. Yet, ‘Warrant…’ is not a blatant cry for late 80’s thrash nostalgia; there is a modern art to their work that would appeal to fans of Wolf, Ram and Enforcer with its splashes of trad and NWOBHM.
For a first full-length offering, ‘Warrant…’ is exceptionally enjoyable and fun; there is enough here to step through the minefield of genericism and remind us as to why we like thrash in the first place.
70/100 Adam McCann
Skyblood
‘Skyblood’ Napalm Records Epic Doom Metal
Mats Leven is no stranger to the heavy metal scene; the Swede has fronted both Yngwie Malmsteen and Therion and more recently was the latest in a revolving door of vocalists in Candlemass. Since his departure from Candlemass, Leven has continued work on his solo project Skyblood, releasing his eponymously titled debut album.
Those only acquainted with Leven’s work through Candlemass will be surprised to see that Leven has an exceptional voice and there is very little here with ‘Skyblood’ that gives Leven the chance to use the droning wail that he used in Candlemass. Instead, Leven shows the sheer power hidden within his thorax, this allows ‘Skyblood’ to float somewhere between a classic epic metal sound with a hint of power metal whilst keeping one foot within a doom camp. With the barriers down, Leven is given the freedom to create his own painting; this means that the Swede shows a voice that draws parallels to Axl Rose in its lower register and in a higher register having all the appeal of Manilla Road and Omen which can be seen particularly during ‘The Voice’, ‘One Eye For An Eye’ and ‘Wake Up to the Truth’.
However, ‘Skyblood’ is unfortunately just not that memorable with a few of the songs generally dragging themselves out and becoming rather dull which ultimately leaves ‘Skyblood’ being a little more than average. 50/100 Adam McCann
Steel Panther
‘Heavy Metal Rules’ Steel Panther Inc. Glam Metal
It’s undeniable that Steel Panther made an infamous name for themselves with their blue tongue in cheek, comedic delivery in the style of Sunset Strip in the mid 80’s to the early 90’s. The band had heavy metal fans laughing throughout the world with anthems like ‘Death To All But Metal’, ‘Eyes Of A Panther’ and ‘Community Property’; yet since then, a steady stream of albums and ten years have elapsed with Steel Panther having released ‘Heavy Metal Rules’, their fifth and latest album.
There is no doubt with ‘Heavy Metal Rules’ that Steel Panther stick firmly to their guns; they know exactly what they’re after and they know their audience very well. This means that the album powers forward full throttle with all the bloated excess of 1989, rocking anthems and emotional power ballads that show the musical talent that Steel Panther are capable of, particularly with Satchel’s guitar playing. This means that tracks such as ‘Let’s Get High Tonight’ and ‘I Ain’t Buying What You’re Selling’ have all the qualities of David Lee Roth in his prime, whilst it is certain that tracks such as ‘Always Gonna Be A Ho’ and the title track will fit perfectly amongst the already brimming Steel Panther live catalogue with all the MTV enjoyability of Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe or Aerosmith.
However, it can’t be helped thinking that with this album, Steel Panther are beginning to scrape the barrel of ideas; what was once amusing is becoming a little banal as the band rehash and tread upon already well-worn ground. But, what Steel Panther have delivered with ‘Heavy Metal Rules’ is another album of amusing, enjoyable glam metal that may just be a little more disposable than their previous efforts. 74/100 Adam McCann
Sonata Arctica
‘Talviyö’ Nuclear Blast Records Power Metal
Sonata Arctica have for many years, held court as one of the premier European power metal bands, releasing a string of albums which for many, hold sway as some of the definitive albums of the genre. However, the bands more recent history has been a little more chequered; their previous album ‘The Ninth Hour’ was received quite ambiguously as the band pushed to include slower tempos with a focus upon ballads but would this continue with their latest studio album ‘Talviyö’.
As expected, ‘Talviyö’ continues very much within the vein of the band’s recent attempts, many of these songs show that Sonata Arctica are intent on demonstrating their prowess with the dreadful ballad. However, this does have the effect that with ‘Talviyö’ the band have lost their bite and although there are some flashes of Sonata Arctica’s past, particularly with ‘Message From The Sun’, ‘Storm the Armada’ and ‘Who Failed The Most’ and besides a superb bass line during ‘Whirlwind’, the wolves fangs have been relatively dulled and restrained. In fact, it says something about this album when one of the better tracks is the instrumental ‘Ismo’s Got Good Reactors’. These are countered by some absolutely woeful ballads, particularly ‘The Garden’ which borders on an endless dirge.
Much like the previous album, ‘Talviyö’ isn’t exactly instantly enjoyable, in fact, even following many listens, it is still difficult to fully appreciate. Yes, there are parts of this album which are appealing, but alas, ‘Talviyö’ is a rather large ‘meh’.
69/100 Adam McCann
Sabaton
‘The Great War’ Nuclear Blast Records Power Metal
If any band has gone from strength to strength creating an army of loyal, rabid fans over the past fifteen years, then it is Sabaton. Three years have elapsed since the Swedish war machine delivered their ‘The Last Stand’ album and on the back of a huge supporting tour, the guns fell silent. This year has the band returning to the front lines once more with their latest album ‘The Great War’.
Once again, Sabaton have delivered an album with a loose concept; not exactly a concept album per se, but one with an overarching theme of songs relating to World War One. The first thought that springs to mind is that this is ground zero for Sabaton; this is where the band should be at their most comfortable. However, ‘The Great War’ has the feeling that Sabaton are once again treading water; yes, there are some excellent tracks here, ‘Fields of Verdun’, ‘The Attack of the Dead Men’ and ‘A Ghost in the Trenches’ are powerful stories that show Sabaton are still capable of writing moving, powerful tracks. Yet, unfortunately, there are a lot of rehashed ideas here; for example, ‘Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ has echoes of ‘White Death’, ‘Devil Dogs’ can easily be mistaken for ‘Smoking Snakes’, the title track is a vain attempt to recapture the glory of ‘Carolus Rex’, whilst ‘The Red Baron’ has hints of ‘Easy Livin’’ by Uriah Heep. Furthermore, the rehashing of ideas can be forgiven, but what affects ‘The Great War’ more than anything is the production. This album suffers heavily from an extremely pop orientated production that brings the synths to the forefront of the mix and gives Sabaton an album which has more akin to Battle Beast or Beast In Black; that bouncing, almost Euro-pop sound which unfortunately takes away from the overall sombre feel of the songs and also gives vocalist Joakim Brodén an almost completely different sound to his vocal delivery. What Sabaton have offered with ‘The Great War’ is basically another bog-standard Sabaton album; there is nothing here that has not already been heard whilst continuing the band’s trend of using modern pop-sounding productions. There is no doubt about it, this album will sell well and provide the band with endless accolades as it is extremely listenable as well as enjoyable, but it is also far from Sabaton’s best work. 78/100 Adam McCann
Savage Messiah
‘Demons’ Century Media Records Thrash/Power Metal
When Savage Messiah delivered their rather bland ‘Hands of Fate’ album back in 2017, it was debated that the UK band’s run of decent albums had come to rather abrupt end. Therefore, when it was announced that ‘Demons’, their latest album was to be released, the pressure was certainly on. Would Savage Messiah fall prey to an endless stream of mediocre albums or would the band kick start themselves into former glories?
Thankfully, the answer is the latter. With ‘Demons’ Savage Messiah sound utterly revitalised and after an album which treads water, it is good to see that Savage Messiah have maturely assessed the issues and confronted them head on. Whilst this has seen the departure of Andrea Gorio and Sam Junior on guitars and drums, it does have Charly Carretón and David Hruska stepping up to the plate. ‘Demons’ is an album which admittedly does take a few listens to fully appreciate, but there are some excellent singalong tracks with memorable choruses here; thrashing riffs are coupled with soaring power metal melodies creating an impressive dynamic throughout; on one hand this appeals to fans of Testament, Flotsam & Jetsam and Death Angel, whilst simultaneously having all the majesty of Mystic Prophecy and Holy Grail. However, sift between the lines here and there hints of hard rock, ‘Parachute’, ‘What Dreams May Come’ and ‘Under No Illusions’ have a quality to it that, although may not be strictly metal, show just how talented this band is at creating decent, well-crafted music and at times having all the stadium swagger of Def Leppard, as Dave Silver even delivers a passable Black Album era James Hetfield impression during ‘Down And Out’. ‘Demons’ has Savage Messiah taking a different approach to their sound, yes there are a lot of mid-tempo big rock sounding tracks which shows a move away from what the band has been known to purvey, but, there is something very likeable and replayable about this album that has the potential to appeal to a large demographic.
76/100 Adam McCann
Sacred Reich
‘Awakening’ Metal Blade Records Thrash Metal
Sacred Reich will always have their place in thrash metal history, seminal releases such as ‘The American Way’ and the ‘Surf Nicaragua’ EP are still cherished as much today as they were 30 years go. When the Reich announced their return in 2006 as a touring outfit, many young thrash fans finally got to see one of the movements most loved cult bands. However, many prayers were answered when it was announced that Sacred Reich had been in the studio working on new material, this would eventually see the light of day during the summer as the aptly titled ‘Awakening’.
For fans of the Reich, ‘Awakening’ acts as if no time has elapsed at all since 1996’s ‘Heal’ album and what the band have delivered with this album are blistering riffs and headbanging breakdowns that are synonymous with Sacred Reich. Yet, ‘Awakening’ is not an album that is rooted in that past, yes, Sacred Reich stick to what they know, but it is this familiarity which makes ‘Awakening’ so enjoyable; tracks such as ‘Divide And Conquer’, ‘Killing Machine’ and the title track have all the attitude and swagger of classic Reich as Phil Rind bellows as well as ever backed by the faithful guitar tone of Wiley Arnett. Furthermore, this album wastes no time in messing around with expansive musical passages or extended guitar solos with Sacred Reich going for the jugular tearing through ‘Awakening’ in just over 30 minutes showing that the band have the experience and maturity to know when to trim off the fat and stick to their guns.
‘Awakening’ is certainly the best record that Sacred Reich have released since ‘Ignorance’, it is a strong, powerful album that shows us if anything that the Reich have been away far too long and whilst ‘Awakening’ will not break down barriers or push any boundaries, this album does not need to and to quote ‘Manifest Reality’, it is perfect, just the way it is.
80/100 Adam McCann
Steel Prophet
‘The God Machine’ Rock Of Angels Records Power Metal
Steel Prophet do not get the recognition they deserve, not only have they held the flag of power metal for thirty years, they have released a solid library of albums that could give even the most famous power metal bands a run for their money. Yet, when long-serving vocalist Rick Mythiasin stepped down in 2015, there was speculation as to the actual status of Steel Prophet. Fortunately, earlier this year R.D. Liapakis of Mystic Prophecy stepped up to the microphone as Steel Prophet once again found their voice with their latest album ‘The God Machine’; but the question is, does it work?
The answer is, damn straight it works. Steel Prophet have not sounded this reinvigorated in years, Liapakis has brought with him that Bruce Dickinson air-raid siren that had made Mystic Prophecy so tantalising and because of this, ‘The God Machine’ is nothing short of excellent. Each song on this album has that rare singalong quality, yet due to its power metal nature, every song allows the listener to belt it out, imaging one foot on the monitor in front of a fully packed stadium. Tracks such as ‘Damnation Calling’, ‘Crucify’ and the title track itself all have a quality which not just guarantees a good album, but also gives the album a longevity that in time could make ‘The God Machine’ uttered in the same breath as Steel Prophet’s best works.
Yet, this album is so much more than just a change in vocalist, yes, Liapakis’ voice is a huge boon, but ‘The God Machine’ is an album where all cylinders are firing, it an album where all the parts are moving in the correct direction and because of this it is a must buy for any power metal fan this year. Do not be surprised if this album is not only riding high in December, but also claiming victory over upcoming albums from both Sabaton and HammerFall. 90/100 Adam McCann
Sepsiss
‘Badd Blood’ Independent Release Heavy Metal/Metalcore
Sometimes the name just doesn’t fit the picture; just the name Sepsiss conjures up images of a death or even thrash metal band. Yet, this New Hampshire band play a very modern sounding style of heavy metal and are poised to release their debut EP ‘Badd Blood’.
Clocking in at a hefty 32 minutes, ‘Badd Blood’ gives significantly more than a taster of what Sepsiss are all about. Contained within this EP is big American sound, choruses that are built around the female front of Melissa Wolfe, who’s vocal phrasing is reminiscent of both Evanescence and In This Moment, yet also somewhat more pop orientated influences such as Madonna within Wolfe’s voice. However, the twist comes through harsh vocals delivered by William Savant; it is during these moments where the rather generic heavy metal sound is juxtaposed by metalcore breakdowns that have all the appeal of Killswitch Engage, A Day To Remember and Underoath. Unfortunately, the issue with ‘Badd Blood’ is that none of the songs are really memorable, the EP plays perfectly fine, but once finished, it is quickly forgotten with nothing much allowing the band to stand out albeit the snaking guitar riff to ‘The Swarm’.
‘Badd Blood’ shows a band hard at work, developing and honing their sound and whilst there is still a lot of work to do, Sepsiss to their best to win the heart of the listener and it will be interesting to see how a full-length studio album develops.
60/100 Adam McCann
Sludgehammer
‘Antechamber’ Independent Release Groove Metal
Sludgehammer have only been together for a short length of time, but during this period, the band have released a solid EP and debut album. Yet, now the debut album is out of the way, the pressure mounts for Sludgehammer to follow it up successfully with the release of their sophomore album ‘Antechamber’.
With ‘Antechamber’, Sludgehammer have taken everything that they have learned and delivered an album which is extremely enjoyable. As an album, ‘Antechamber’ is packed full of explosive guitar riffs and some mean shredding that has all the appeal of Pantera and it would be hard to not see Dimebag nodding in appreciation at the guitar solo in ‘Climatic Death’. Yet, this isn’t some blatant attempt at 90’s nostalgia, the harsh vocals of Josh Stephney have enough here to interest Lamb of God, Orbit Culture, Cast The Stone or even Dethklok fans. ‘Antechamber’ delivers an interesting album, full of decent riffs through an accessible production and it is through this production which makes this album so listenable. Tracks such as ‘The Long Road’, ‘No Control’ and the drink until you puke good time anthem ‘Line ‘Em Up’ all give ‘Antechamber’ a huge set of balls with even the eight and a half minute epic of ‘Supernova Silhouette’ showing that this band is capable of writing lengthy songs without the fear of becoming dull or stagnant.
It is easy to pick ‘Antechamber’ up and think of Sludgehammer as just another groove metal band, but that assumption is very wrong, this album will pull the listener in and before too long it will become a staple of the playlist with a groove metal swagger that is often attempted, but very rarely mastered and Sludgehammer are doing a pretty good job right here. 80/100 Adam McCann
Some Villains
‘Outliers’ Independent Release Alternative Rock
Hailing from the south of England; Some Villains have been making quite a racket on the British music scene on the back of their warmly received debut EP ‘Lizard Teeth’ back in 2016. Yet, it seems that the Somerset band are not content to rest upon their laurels releasing their latest EP ‘Outliers’.
‘Outliers’ continues Some Villains’ trend of blending driving, tasty guitar riffs and pounding drums with odd rhythms, giving the band an experimental sound, standing with one foot firmly within the Queens of the Stone Age and Smashing Pumpkins camp. However, within this alternative sound is also one foot with an indie rock vibe having all the accessible, melodically catchy chorus’ of bands such as The Strokes and Muse that can be especially seen during the track ‘The Skin’. Furthermore, this coagulation of sound can be seen within the ‘Rated R’ style pummelling of ‘Master Sun’; whilst this EP is book ended by the QOTSA battering the walls down alongside a Matt Bellamy style soar during the enjoyable ‘Ghosts In The Field.
This mixing will not appeal to everybody, but underneath the surface, there is something insidiously catchy about ‘Outliers’ and it has the ability to appeal to a large demographic of listeners. With two decent EP’s now under their belt, it is high-time that Some Villains deliver the full-length album that they are more than capable of creating. 80/100 Adam McCann
Saint Vitus
‘Saint Vitus’ Season Of Mist Doom Metal
In the grand scheme of heavy metal, it has been more than awhile since LA doom masters Saint Vitus released ‘Lillie: F-65’. In their time away, Wino left the band leaving the door open for former vocalist Dave Chandler to return to the fold. Yet, Saint Vitus have habit of lurking on the periphery before dropping in, delivering a fantastic album and returning out of view. Once again, Saint Vitus have repeated this process for their latest self-titled release.
‘Saint Vitus’ does not break any moulds, it is a grinding megalith slab of primal doom metal, that drags its plough through the earth before jumping into Black Sabbath style grooves that nicely push this album forward. From the bone rattling opening notes of ‘Remains’, Saint Vitus manage to raise expectations throughout the album, hitting a pinnacle of monumental doom during ’12 Years In The Tomb’, ‘Wormhole’ and ‘Hour Glass’ as Chandler’s baritone wails, compete with Pat Bruders melodic bass over some crushing guitars and drums. Furthermore, the intense soundscape ‘City Park’ adds a darker-edge to this album, managing to blend doom with an almost Gothic drone of Nick Cave.
Once again, Saint Vitus have delivered a superb album and although it doesn’t do anything unexpected, it also doesn’t need to. ‘Saint Vitus’ is strong, enjoyable and a must buy from 2019 for fans of doom.
82/100 Adam McCann
Spirits Of Fire
‘Spirits Of Fire’ Frontiers Records Heavy/Power Metal
To begin, there are two burning questions; the first being this, is Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens the busiest man in metal? And does the world need another band with Ripper Owens singing? Because of this, it is very difficult to actually keep up with which band fronted by Owens is currently active. Last year, it was announced that the former Judas Priest and Iced Earth frontman was joining forces with ex-Savatage guitarist Chris Caffery and virtuoso bassist Steve DiGiorgio for their latest project Spirits Of Fire. This year see’s this new supergroup stamp their name on metal history with their eponymous debut album.
As an album, ‘Spirits Of Fire’ sounds exactly as expected, it is a barrage of heavy and power metal in the vein of Iced Earth, Charred Walls of the Damned and Judas Priest. Therefore, with ‘Spirits Of Fire’, there isn’t anything here that hasn’t been hard before. However, this is a solid album, one that is mature and professional that draws on the members past and present bands to create an album that is both fun and enjoyable. Tracks here such as ‘Light Speed Marching’, ‘Stand And Fight’ and the title track juxtapose perfectly with ‘Never To Return’ and ‘Alone In The Darkness’ that proves something that we already know; these members are capable of portraying a wide spectrum of emotions within this album. However, as strong as ‘Spirits Of Fire’ is, much like Owens’ other work, it is more than decent, but rather immemorable. This does not take anything away from this album and whilst it is playing, the album is thoroughly enjoyable with each member reminding us why they are masters in their field. For any fan of heavy and power metal as well as Ripper Owens, ‘Spirits Of Fire’ is definitely worth listening to and purchasing and although it is treading worn ground, this makes this album have a warm and familiar feel that certainly goes a long way to enjoying this album.
83/100 Adam McCann
Starbreaker
‘Dysphoria’ Frontiers Records 2019 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal
When Tony Harnell announced his departure in 2017 from T.N.T. once again, it was highly debateable at which one of his numerous projects that he would return to. Thankfully, Harnell would reconvene with Swedish masterclass musician Magnus Karlsson to write and record the third Starbreaker album ‘Dysphoria’.
Now, Starbreaker hit the ground running back in 2005 with their eponymous debut album; it was the perfect blend of the heavy metal of Karlsson and the superb melodic hard rock voice of Harnell, yet the albums follow up ‘Love’s a Dying Wish’ in 2008 didn’t really live up to the expectation of the first album. However, Starbreaker have blown away the dust and the cobwebs with their latest album and ‘Dysphoria’ is the culmination of expert splicing of the first two albums. The Starbreaker pair show their pedigree in song writing through tracks such as the excellent lead-off track from the album and hard rock beat of ‘Wild Butterflies’ juxtaposed almost flawlessly by the smouldering piano driven ballad ‘Beautiful One’, which really does show Harnell’s vocal skills for anyone unacquainted with the Californian master of melody. Furthermore, ‘Dysphoria’ shows that Starbreaker have lost none of their bite with roaring singalongs such as ‘Pure Evil’, ‘Fire Away’ and the title track, whilst the song ‘My Heart Belongs to You’ could easily have slid in perfectly with T.N.T. in their prime and would be loved by fans of the band, with the only weak song being a cover of ‘Starbreaker’ by Judas Priest and that in itself is a testament to the song writing on this album.
‘Dysphoria’ is an excellent album that really does showcase the talent within Starbreaker. It is an excellent mix of melodic hard rock and heavy metal which is easily done, but difficult to master and with Harnell no longer tied to T.N.T., it has the potential to open up an entirely new, exciting chapter in the Starbreaker story. 86/100 Adam McCann
Soilwork
‘Verkligheten’ Nuclear Blast Records 2019 Melodic Death Metal
Soilwork have been plugging away at the melodic death metal scene for over 20 years now and during this course, the band have released some excellent work. Yet in 2017, for long-standing drummer Dirk Verbeuren, the rotating drum stool in Megadeth once again became available causing Verbeuren to take his place with Dave Mustaine and co. This caused a delay in Soilwork being able to capitalise on their 2015 warmly received ‘The Ride Majestic’ album whilst the band searched for a new sticksman before arriving upon Blood Label drummer Bastian Thusgaard. With Thusgaard in place, Soilwork began work on what would become their latest album ‘Verkligheten’.
‘Verkligheten’ continues Soilwork’s move away from a standard melodic death metal approach and into an overall more melodic approach that incorporates elements of metalcore and groove metal in with more pop sensibilities that have definitely made the band more accessible over the last few releases. Regardless of this evolution in sound, the pop and metal overtones intertwine with some excellent guitar and drum work; yet it is the vocals of vocalist Björn Strid which have always helped Soilwork stand out and without this, tracks such as ‘Arrival’, ‘When the Universe Spoke’ and ‘The Wolves Are Back In Town’ would just not be as strong. Furthermore, these songs provide a meaty backbone for guest musicians such as Alissa White-Gluz (‘Stålfågel’) of Arch Enemy, Tomi Joutsen (‘Needles And Kin’) Amorphis to expand on the already instantly recognisable Soilwork sound. However, there is nothing on ‘Verkligheten’ which hasn’t already been heard on any of the band’s recent output, but instead of being repetitive, Soilwork have the amazing way of making their music continuously interesting and endearing.
As an album ‘Verkligheten’ will not shock or overly impress anyone, but neither of those statements really do this album justice and the latest Soilwork may be better than average; but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable and with it ‘Verkligheten’ adds another decent album to the repertoire of Soilwork. 73/100 Adam McCann
Satan
‘Cruel Magic’ Metal Blade Records 2018 Heavy Metal/NWOBHM
It has been a busy year for Brian Ross, after releasing the excellent ‘Judge Not!’ with Blitzkrieg earlier in the year, Ross was back later with Satan and ‘Cruel Magic’, the follow up to the bands absolutely stunning 2015 album ‘Atom By Atom’. The fact that ‘Judge Not!’ was so good ultimately cast a shadow upon the release of ‘Cruel Magic’; had Ross spread himself too thin?
The answer? Of course not, ‘Cruel Magic’ continues Satan’s string of strong, traditional heavy metal done in the way it should be since the band returned to the fold in 2011 and picks up almost seemingly from the previous album. However, initially, ‘Cruel Magic’ does not have that instant pull factor which ‘Atom By Atom’ has, but what this album does, is work hard, but after a few plays, ‘Cruel Magic’ is certainly one of the missing pieces of the year. Produced in the same place as its predecessor, unlike the previous album the drums and bass are not overly dominant leading this album to be much slicker and thus more enjoyable.
With ‘Cruel Magic’, Satan have not changed their formula, why fix what isn’t broke? and because of this, tracks such as the excellent ‘Death Knell For A King’, the standout apocalyptic single ‘The Doomsday Clock’ and the title track which contains some of the finest twin guitar playing in traditional metal this side of Seven Sisters.
Satan have once more managed to outdo themselves with an album of superb songs. ‘Cruel Magic’ is not only enjoyable, but almost demands an instant replay as Brian Ross shows once again that he is one of heavy metal’s unsung heroes with an album that may just creep its way into lists for album of the year.
92/100 Adam McCann
Sodom
‘Partisan’ SPV/Steamhammer Records 2018 Thrash Metal
It had seemed that Sodom were back in the saddle in 2016 with their last studio album ‘Decision Day’. However, the success which that decent album brought was short-lived with guitarist Bernemann and drummer Makka leaving Tom Angelripper to once again return to the drawing board and re-assemble another line-up. Angelripper surprised the heavy metal world by recruiting Husky drummer of Asphyx, guitarist Yorck Segatz from Beyondition and former Sodom and Kreator guitarist Frank Blackfire, with the band releasing testing the waters with the EP ‘Partisan’.
Unlike a lot of recent EP’s by bands which stretch into the 30-40-minute mark, this new incarnation of Sodom manages to keep things short and sweet by appeasing fans with two new songs alongside a blistering live version of ‘Tired & Red’ from their seminal ‘Agent Orange’ album. The EP shows that with this change, Sodom have lost none of their bite, yet Angelripper approaches this new line-up with the trepidation of returning to long-term relationship following a significant break. However, the title track packs plenty of punch, but by the same token, manages to stretch out a decent idea, whereas ‘Conflagration’ is equally enjoyable, but ultimately fails to commit to memory.
‘Partisan’ is what it is, it is nothing more than a stop gap for the band, allowing the band the cash in on this new line-up whilst the band prepare their next studio album; it leaves this EP appealing to hardcore Sodom fans and collectors only.
66/100 Adam McCann
Sunstorm
‘The Road To Hell’ Frontiers Records 2018 Hard Rock/AOR
When Joe Lynn Turner announced in 2014 that he had assembled a new band of recognisable names and called themselves Rated X, it left many unsure on where it would leave Turner’s AOR project Sunstorm. The Rated X divergence would never seem to never live up to its hype and before too long, Turner would return to Sunstorm. However, he would take a leaf out of the Rated X distraction and 2016’s ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ would follow a much heavier sound that would continue into the bands latest album ‘The Road To Hell’.
‘The Road to Hell’ is the product of an evolution that has seen the band shake off many of its AOR beginnings and take on the shape of a European sounding hard rock. Sunstorm have that authentic mature sound, the band members know where its at and how to get that warm, familiar melodious sound that only dyed in the wool musicians can find. As always, Turner’s voice is superb throughout and although its sounds more aged, it is still as fresh and flawless as it sounded with Rainbow and Yngwie Malmsteen. Yet, for ‘Road to Hell’, the plaudits go to Alessandro Del Vecchio who once again hands out another masterclass in song writing and keyboards as Del Vecchio delivers the same professionalism that he handed out to Jorn, Voodoo Circle and Hardline with tracks such as ‘Resurrection’, ‘Only The Good Survive and the title track itself.
However, for what is a blessing with having Del Vecchio on board is also the cross to bear for ‘The Road to Hell’ as the production that is given to the album, although very good and audibly pleasing, it is unfortunately indistinguishable to the next ‘big’ album from Frontiers seemingly placed within the cookie cutter sound which really does let the album down.
As an album ‘The Road to Hell’ is enjoyable, worth a listen and as expected, the musicianship is second to none. Yet, ultimately, there are better albums that have been released this year, but for Sunstorm, this is a serious step in the right direction.
74/100 Adam McCann
Stryper
‘God Damn Evil’ Frontiers Records 2018 Heavy Metal/Christian Metal
In 2013 Stryper signed a deal with Frontiers Records, signalling a turning point with the band releasing some of their best work of their career and strong albums such as ‘No More Hell to Pay’ and ‘Fallen’ re-energised the band’ sound. However, following tensions within the band, Stryper went on hiatus in 2016 which saw the departure of long-serving bassist Tim Gaines who was ultimately replaced by FireHouse bassist Perry Richardson with the band returning with their latest album ‘God Damn Evil’.
As an album ‘God Damn Evil’ is the perfect successor to both ‘No More Hell To Pay’ and ‘Fallen’. The album shows Stryper at their best, vocalist Michael Sweet sounds as good now as he has ever done, managing to weave messages of how to be better person in amongst some decent heavy metal riffs with that excellent melodic hard rock touch which Sweet and co. deliver so well. Songs such as the almost Judas Priest-esque chorus of ‘Take It To The Cross’, ‘Sorry’ with its beautiful chorus, dripping with hooks and melody and the almost AC/DC riff to the title track all make ‘God Damn Evil’ exceptionally enjoyable. There will always be those which will mock Stryper for their Christian leanings, particularly in the heavy metal world. However, scratch below the surface and what can be found is an excellent band that have once more released another great album. ‘God Damn Evil’ is enjoyable and a pleasure to listen to with decent heavy metal being decent heavy metal regardless of the lyrical content.
87/100 Adam McCann
Sinner
‘Touch of Sin 2’ AFM Records 2013 Heavy Metal
Led by one of the cornerstones of the German heavy metal scene Mat Sinner, Sinner have provided album after album of good time heavy metal for 35 years. Yet, sometimes in a band’s career, there is a decision made to re-record songs from the bands past, whether this is due to poor quality recordings the first time around, the band has gone in a different direction or just something as simple as breathing new life into these old tracks.
This decision was made with Sinner’s 2013 album ‘Touch of Sin 2’ and with this Sinner decided to re-record not only tracks from their fourth studio album ‘Touch of Sin’, but generally from the period 1984-1987. However, ‘Touch of Sin 2’ is not incessantly living in the past and does provide three new tracks; ‘Blood On The Sand’, ‘Heat Of The City’ and a rather dull cover of the Thin Lizzy standard ‘Don’t Believe A Word’.
‘Touch of Sin 2’ seems to have been meticulously chosen and whilst the bulk of the material comes from the original album, the addition of anthemic tracks such as ‘Germany Rocks’ and ‘Comin’ Out Fighting’ hugely add to the albums good time feel. The tone of the album is set instantly with these songs and when coupled with the fist pumping ‘Born To Rock’, it serves to remind us just how much Sinner actually rock.
For the die-hard Sinner fan, ‘Touch of Sin 2’ provides a treasure trove of new listening, but unfortunately, there is nothing significant here which would appeal outside of the Sinner circle and whilst these re-recordings give the original Noise Records recordings a new lease of life, the average heavy metal fan would not look twice, thus ‘Touch of Sin 2’ is best reserved for collectors only.
78/100 Adam McCann
Sodom
‘Agent Orange’ SPV/Steamhammer Records 1989 Thrash Metal
To many heavy metal fans, Sodom have always formed part of the ‘Teutonic Big 4’ and during the mid-to-late 80’s, the German thrashers had built up a strong following on the back of ‘Persecution Mania’, an album which would see the band move away from their black metal Venom style roots, into the more en vogue thrash metal sound more synonymous with Sodom and it was their third album ‘Agent Orange’ which became the bands breakthrough album.
‘Agent Orange’ continued to build on the path laid down on ‘Persecution Mania’ and with it, the German thrashers created a beast. Gone were the second-rate Venom worshippers that had started their journey and the arrival of Frank Blackfire during ‘Persecution Mania’ ignited a fire within the Sodom camp. Instead of almost mindlessly thrashing away, Sodom now had a guitarist capable of writing intricate, technical passages seen especially during the breakdown of ‘Tired and Red’, when this is combined with the new lyrical themes of war and the socio-political landscape from Tom Angelripper, it gives the album a modern relevance, not just in Germany at the time, but is just as relevant now 29 years on. Furthermore, Angelripper uses his obsession with the Vietnam War to provide an album which runs almost like a greatest hits of Sodom with tracks like ‘Remember the Fallen’, ‘Baptism of Fire’, ‘Ausgebombt’ and the title track. However, the success of ‘Agent Orange’ cannot be held down the musicians alone and once more, Sodom have turned to Harris Johns, famous for his work with fellow big German names such as Helloween, Grave Digger and Kreator, to produce ‘Agent Orange’. This production is second to none with the tight melodies of Blackfire being clearly heard, alongside each syllable pronounced by Angelripper.
Although, Angelripper’s vocals and bass have been the mainstay of Sodom’s sound throughout their career, it is the guitar, craftsmanship and melodies of Blackfire which make ‘Agent Orange’ so good. For anyone looking to explore Sodom, then look no further than this album, it is the pinnacle of the band career and is able to provide something for both new and old fans of the band.
84/100 Adam McCann
Static Tension
‘Ashes to Animation’ Buried By Sky Records 2018 Grunge/Alternative
We have had to over a year for Static Tension to follow up their decent 2017 EP ‘Out of Reach’, but finally, the Ohio quartet is ready to release their debut album ‘Ashes to Animation’.
Taking the mould made with ‘Out of Reach’ and using it as a starting point for ‘Ashes…’ Static Tension quickly break out from these constraints and deliver an album which takes in the gloomy atmosphere of late 80’s Seattle with the band channelling an Alice in Chains vibe as the crushing guitar of Greg Blachman juxtaposes perfectly with the Layne Staley drone of exceptional vocalist Rob Rom, especially during ‘Bury My Body’ and beautiful harmonies of ‘Blank Silhouette’. However, Static Tension are far from a carbon cut out of Alice In Chains as the band weave odd time signatures effortlessly in and out of their music and tracks like ‘Serpentine’ would massively appeal to fans of Tool and early Soundgarden; there is even a touch of mid-late 90’s Pearl Jam avant-garde with the track ‘In Spite’. These elements give ‘Ashes…’ a huge retro sound and is anything but a trip into the nostalgia, instead, the band manage to keep the formula fresh with many of these time changes giving the band an almost modern progressive feel. However, not every track on ‘Ashes…’ is stand out impressive or memorable, but Static Tension are doing something which is interesting and it is this which makes ‘Ashes…’ worth a listen.
80/100 Adam McCann
Seasonal
‘Weathered’ Undead Collective Records 2018 Pop/Punk
2018 sees the return of the Guildford quartet Seasonal with their second EP ‘Weathered’ which follows on from 2017’s ‘Bloom’. The year absence between releases has seen the pop/punk band relentlessly work, honing their sound and evolving as a band.
Whilst as a release ‘Weathered’ is not a substantial distance away from their debut EP, Seasonal are already showing a maturity in their growth, not just in their song craftsmanship, but also their lyrics. The band manage to stay away from the clichéd American pop/punk areas of loser gets the girl or longing for endless summers of skateboarding and instead add a large element of what it is like to be young in a band in Britain. With ‘Weathered’ there is no irritating nasal delivery and although the songs here are all delivered through a superficially happy overtone, the underlying message is wounded and melancholic and tracks like ‘Honestly’ and ‘High & Dry’ would appeal to fans of Frank Turner, You Me At Six, All Time Low and Jimmy Eat World.
With ‘Weathered’ there is nothing here that hasn’t been done before, but it does have a warm familiarity that is infectious, enjoyable and above all foot-tappingly good. This EP places the band in the perfect position for full length studio album and although ‘Weathered’ is strong, the question is will a studio album be too much?
80/100 Adam McCann
Soulfly
‘Ritual’ Nuclear Blast Records 2018 Groove/Thrash Metal
After a run of relatively poor albums in the 2000’s, Soulfly took stock and re-evaluated themselves. Nu-metal was no longer en vogue and a dirty word, thus, Max Cavalera and co. dropped much of the tribal rhythms and nu-metal tones which formed the foundation of the band and moved towards a thrash/groove metal sound which the Soulfly leader had risen to fame with.
‘Ritual’, the latest Soulfly album comes three years after the last release from the band and although it shows brief flashes of the former Soulfly tribal sound such as during ‘Blood On The Street’, ‘Soulfly XI’ and the title track, the album does have an immediate different vibe. Max Cavalera’s latest jaunts with his brother in Cavalera Conspiracy seems to have fully rejuvenated him with the Soulfly leader firing on all cylinders and taking a sound which contains quick fire staccato thrashing rhythms and occasional death growls more akin to the Cavalera brothers’ band rather than the traditional Soulfly sound.
The anger, disdain and determination for social change in his country stand out and give ‘Ritual’ a sound which sits somewhere between ‘Chaos A.D.’ and ‘Roots’. This, therefore appeals to fans of an old-school Sepultura vibe, whilst also having much of the modern groove/thrash touched on with ‘Psychosis’, last year’s Cavalera Conspiracy album. Because of this, ‘Ritual’ is one of the most enjoyable Soulfly albums available showing that a band which quickly became very of its time, can evolve and still has plenty to offer in a modern metal world. 80/100 Adam McCann
Seven Sisters
‘The Cauldron and the Cross’ Dissonance Productions 2018 Heavy Metal/NWOBHM
Currently, one of the most unspoken trends in the heavy metal world is the rise of young bands playing traditional heavy metal, these bands have all the leanings of the NWOBHM era, spliced together with a modern edge. Bands such as Amulet, Night Demon, Striker and Sumerlands are dragging out the retro gear, releasing albums on smaller labels, getting in a van to play concerts miles away and worshipping at the altar of Ronnie James Dio, Diamond Head, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Just as it was 40 years ago, the United Kingdom has once again become a hot bed of these young bands with Seven Sisters releasing their second album ‘The Cauldron and the Cross’ this year. Seven Sisters bury their sound somewhere in 1979/1980 and their second album follows on perfectly from their first. For those who know what to expect from Seven Sisters, then the band well and truly meet expectations and for those who are still waiting to experience this band are in for a band which have spent their entire lives listening to NWOBHM, not only snapping at the heels of the first two Iron Maiden albums, but also helping themselves to a delightful helping of Samson, Angel Witch and Diamond Head.
Released on the Dissonance Productions label, a label which is doing a fantastic job of hoovering up most of the NWOBHM acts, both old and new, ‘The Cauldron and the Cross’ has the potential to be one of their best releases of this year. Seven Sisters have all the twin guitar harmonies that are expected courtesy of Kyle McNeill and Graeme Farmer, but without a big polished production. This allows the listener to hear each note as it is played simultaneously and alongside the galloping bassline of Javi Rute, it sets the stage up perfectly for this style of traditional heavy metal. However, with ‘The Cauldron…’ do not expect the band to be spending 50 minutes ripping off Iron Maiden, Seven Sisters have developed their own sound which does incorporate Maiden, but also lets them shine through as musicians and there are no better examples of this than the pagan dance of ‘Blood and Fire’, the shield bashing arousal of ‘Turning of the Tide’ and the epic title track which delves deeply into Arthurian mythology.
‘The Cauldron…’ excels as an album, it does show a few signs of the band still finding their feet and getting comfortable with song writing, but it is this rough and ready nature which gives this album plenty of charm and character. This album isn’t a big name, American sound designed to insidiously crawl sprawl into both rock and pop charts, it is a down and dirty production destined for metalheads to enjoy, crank up, air guitar and headbang to.
There is no doubt about it that Seven Sisters will get overlooked for albums by bigger and more established bands at the end of the year. But for those with a true passion for traditional heavy metal, then look no further than ‘The Cauldron…’, it is an excellent album for those with a passion for old school sounding heavy metal.
88/100 Adam McCann
Saxon
Thunderbolt: Special Tour Edition Silver Lining Music 2018 Heavy Metal
Earlier this year, the team here at Metalheads Forever reviewed ‘Thunderbolt’, the latest album from the mighty Saxon. So, as six months have passed since the album was released in early February, the question is this; did we get it right? The answer? Yes. ‘Thunderbolt’ stays true to the formulae laid down by the band over the last 20 years with no nonsense heavy metal, taking inspirations from history, mythology and life on the road.
This album sweeps back and forth with excellent heavy metal, equalling some of the best work that Saxon have ever released. Tracks such as ‘Nosferatu (The Vampire’s Waltz)’, ‘The Secret of Flight’ and ‘Predator’ stand out from the album as highlights, the latter in particular with Johan Hegg of Amon Amarth fame adding his unique growl in a duet with Biff Byford as legendary producer Andy Sneap uses his artisan skills to smelt the worlds of Saxon and Amon Amarth together.
More recently, Saxon have been touring the United States with fellow metal gods, Judas Priest and have chosen to honour this occasion with the ‘Thunderbolt: Special Tour Edition’. This expanded edition of the original album features an extra two tracks, live versions of ‘Nosferatu…’ and the title track allowing you to experience Saxon at their most primal in all the glory of playing live. Alongside this, those who purchase the ‘Special Tour Edition’ will also find a 10x10 poster featuring various photos of the band playing live and on tour to celebrate the success and life of Saxon on the road.
The idea of buying a ‘Special Tour Edition’ falls largely into two categories; those who are die-hard Saxon fans, collecting every release and edition and those who are still lagging behind from the original February release. Those in the latter section are guaranteed to get a little more bang for your buck, an extra two live tracks and a pretty cool poster, but for those who already own ‘Thunderbolt’, it may not be enough to dissuade them to part with more money. However, if you still do not own this album, this is the perfect opportunity to add it to your collection.
Adam McCann
Sevendust
‘All I See Is War’ Rise Records Alternative Metal 2018
Since their debut album way back in 1997, Sevendust have managed to sell records by the pallet load. Fronted by the instantly recognisable Lejon Witherspoon, Sevendust surfed on the crest of the wave of the nu-metal movement, tweaking and modifying their sound. The band now sit contently at being able to sell out arenas and recently released their 12th studio album, ‘All I See Is War’.
For the dyed in the wool Sevendust fan, ‘All I See Is War’ will tick all the boxes, for all intense and purposes, it has that Sevendust sound, the best parts of the nu-metal flair, bent, broken, forged and infused into a modern Sevendust sound; this can be seen thoroughly during ‘The Truth’, ‘God Bites His Tongue’ and the album’s lead-off single ‘Dirty’. However, it is the addition of esteemed producer Michael Baskette which really gives ‘All I See Is War’ a boost. Baskette hones the songs written by the band, giving it the songs a real mature, polished and modern edge, putting them shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Five Finger Death Punch, Godsmack, Seether and Disturbed. Furthermore, it is the song ‘Not Original’ which really does steal the limelight, the ability to not only compose, but a release a song of this magnitude shows an adult, mature side to Sevendust that laments the band not wanting to repeat themselves and in an ironic twist, ‘Not Original’ shows that the band is capable of a softer side, not only that, but they’re good at it.
Time will tell whether ‘All I See Is War’ will be a later career reinvention, all the pieces are in place and the album certainly has the ability to do this. The album has that big American sound, it will get heavy radio/music television play, stocked in Walmart and will deservedly ride high in the rock and metal charts with Sevendust possibly pulling off the best late career album since Foo Fighters delivered ‘Wasting Light’.
80/100
Adam McCann
Suicidal Tendencies
‘Get Your Fight On!’ Suicidal Records Crossover/Hardcore Punk 2018
Throughout their career, Suicidal Tendencies have worked hard to become one of the seminal crossover bands and even just their name carries a large amount of honour and weight. Still led by the indomitable Mike ‘Cyco’ Muir, Suicidal Tendencies are a band which have managed to stay true to the cause through the good times and bad times.
‘Get Your Fight On!’ is the second EP and latest release from Suicidal Tendencies and was originally planned to be a warm up for the band’s 2016 release ‘World Gone Mad’. However, the material was withheld by the band and the EP now serves as a stop gap between ‘World Gone Mad’ and the upcoming Suicidal Tendencies album ‘Still Cyco Punk After All These Years’, which will be released later in 2018.
As an EP, ‘Get Your Fight On!’ has to be taken at face value, the opening track ‘Nothing to Lose’ and the closing title track are pure Suicidal Tendencies; a huge slab of crossover fun. However, the remainder of the album is made up from lucid jams, collaborations and covers. Although the cover of Iggy Pop’s ‘I Got a Right’ is actually decent, ‘Get Your Fight On!’ clocks in at over 45 minutes with the EP adding instrumental showcases of the title track which are initially interesting, but ultimately pointless. If ‘Nothing to Lose’ and the title track are anything to go off, then the album released later this year should be highly anticipated. However, ‘Get Your Fight On!’ should be reserved for hardcore fans and collectors only.
60/100
Adam McCann
Sabaton
'Metalizer' Nuclear Blast Records/Black Lodge Records Power Metal 2007
The rumblings of war for Sabaton have been in the midst since the bands demo ‘Fist for Fight’ was released back in 2000. Recorded as their debut album, ‘Metalizer’ was unfortunately withheld by the bands then record label, Underground Symphony. Due to this, it is debatable if you can call ‘Metalizer’ Sabaton’s third release at all, following their switch to Black Lodge Records, the masters of war released ‘Primo Victoria’ which was swiftly followed by ‘Attero Dominatus’ and ultimately ‘Metalizer’.
Unfortunately, due to this, ‘Metalizer’ sticks out in the Sabaton cannon like a sore thumb. Contextually, it is a snapshot into the band finding their feet within the heavy metal world and has more akin to a bog standard, run of the mill power metal album than the powerhouse that Sabaton would become. At this point in their career, it is difficult to tell who Sabaton are, tracks such as ‘Burn Your Crosses’ have all the hallmarks of Yngwie Malmsteen, whilst the band draw heavily from Norse mythology and J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy with ‘Thundergods’, ‘Hail to the King’ and ‘Shadows’.
However, ‘Metalizer’ is not a waste of time to listen to, there are some excellent tracks here that show Sabaton could always write a song, to fully appreciate tracks such as ‘7734’, ‘Hellrider’ and ‘Masters of the World’, it is paramount to detach yourself from anything you already know about Sabaton and listen through unbiased ears. Furthermore, if you are successful in this, you will find a warm appreciation for ‘Metalizer’ and yes, it will always be a toddler compared to the likes of ‘The Art of War’ and the mighty ‘Carolus Rex’, but it is easy to develop a fondness for ‘Metalizer’, especially as there are plenty of ideas here through riffs, melodies and drum beats which would be recycled later in Sabaton’s career.
Once again, this is Sabaton plying their craft, of course, the production is not the best, Joakim Brodén’s voice is nowhere near as powerful as it would become and it would take the writing of ‘Panzer Battalion’ to kick start the war machine. Nonetheless, ‘Metalizer’ taken at face value can be a lot of fun, but it will make you yearn for later releases.
70/100
Adam McCann
Sons of Apollo
Psychotic Symphony
InsideOut Music 2017
Opus Maximus
It’s nothing new, another year and Mike Portnoy announces a new band/project in some seemingly vain attempt to capture the former glory of Dream Theater. So here we are, 2017 and enter Sons of Apollo; refraining from using the word ‘supergroup’, Sons of Apollo are a stellar cast of musicians whose pedigree radiates from them like staring at Helios himself. Alongside Portnoy is former Dream Theater and current Black Country Communion keyboardist Derek Sherinian, ex-Guns N’ Roses and solo artist in his own right, guitarist Bumblefoot, also known as Ron Thal. Portnoy has also brought in Billy Sheehan, the bassist who can keep up with Paul Gilbert in Mr. Big, conquered the world with David Lee Roth in the 80’s and bandmate of Portnoy in The Winery Dogs and Jeff Scott Soto, hard rock/heavy metal’s versatile go to vocalist if you need someone to jump in and take centre stage.
After much pomp and ceremony, Sons of Apollo have finally dropped their debut album ‘Psychotic Symphony’ and what a surprise it is. If you were expecting another lacklustre project, then you will be mistaken. Now, it’s easy to turn your nose up at Jeff Scott Soto, he’s the melodic man you hire if you can’t get the person you want, the last-minute addition, the guy you call if your vocalist leaves at the start or midway through a tour, but on ‘Psychotic Symphony’, JSS bellows out every note showing that even out of his comfort zone in the progressive metal world, he can keep up with the likes of Russell Allen especially during the album opening tour de force that is ‘God of the Sun’.
Each musician on ‘Psychotic Symphony’ is more than capable of holding their own, yet Sons of Apollo shows no signs of one person being bigger than the other, each section gels perfectly through the diminuendos and crescendos from the Sepultura drone riff of ‘Signs of the Time’ and the 80’s Rush synth drive of ‘Labyrinth’, but there are several lashings of classic hard rock here too, Sherinian adds plenty of Hammond organ to ‘Labyrinth’, ‘Figaro’s Whore’ and ‘Divine Addiction’ giving the songs a Deep Purple and Uriah Heep vibe in a fantastic homage to Jon Lord and Ken Hensley.
Let’s face it, the last Dream Theater album was, for want of a better word, shite and ‘Psychotic Symphony’ manages to stick a finger up to ‘The Astonishit’ and gives you the full on progressive metal experience that one deserves when choosing to listen to this genre. ‘Psychotic Symphony’ is superb, the musicianship, the crafting of the songs and the production is everything and more that you would expect from a group of musicians of this calibre. The only issue now is that with busy musicians how long will it be before Sons of Apollo follow this up, if they indeed ever do.
87/100
Adam McCann
Lost In Oblivion; Sons of Apollo 'Psychotic Symphony', 2017; InsideOut Records
Sorcerer
The Crowning of the Fire King
Metal Blade Records 2017
All Hail His Majesty
It was an excellent surprise when Sorcerer finally unleashed their epic doom debut with ‘In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross’ in 2015 to high accolades with the album becoming critically acclaimed and hitting many people’s favourite albums of that year. Therefore, the anticipation was high when Sorcerer announced that a new album would be released in 2017 and in what could become a trend for Sorcerer, ‘The Crowning of the Fire King’ did not disappoint.
‘The Crowning…’ delivered all the hallmarks that had you hooked on the debut album without recycling ideas. Touted as epic doom metal, Sorcerer do what they say on the tin, unlike a lot of doom where the vocalist does enough to get by with the focus on the grinding riffs, Sorcerer’s Anders Engberg sounds powerful and when he opens his mouth, it is as if Ronnie James Dio and Biff Byford have produced offspring within his throat.
When this voice is coupled with some excellent riffs and artisan song craftsmanship, ‘The Crowning…’ creates a doom symphony that is enjoyable for an hour. The title track sounds like a lost Saxon song from the ‘Killing Ground’ era whilst the beginning of ‘Unbearable Sorrow’ could easily slide into a Dream Theater song. However, it is ‘Sirens’, ‘Ship of Doom’ and ‘Crimson Cross’ where ‘The Crowning…’ earns its salt and it doesn’t stop there, the album demands replays, it takes the template laid down on ‘In the Shadow…’ and expands on it in a way a band should deal with their sophomore album.
‘The Crowning…’ has a better production and the cohesion of a band who know each other very well, the tell-tale traces of chemistry drip from the album and once more, Sorcerer have sneakily delivered one of the best albums of 2017. The worst thing about it? Having to wait potentially another two years before another album.
88/100
Adam McCann
Sirens; Sorcerer 'The Crowning of the Fire King', 2017; Metal Blade Records
Saxon
Thunderbolt
Silver Lining Music 2018
The God’s Have Sent a Sign
For England, Saxon should be considered a national treasure, against the tides of time they have held the vanguard regardless of trends and heavy metal fads. Debatably, this thankless task has often led to Saxon becoming overlooked in the community, but gratefully a battalion of fans would argue otherwise as Saxon have continued to strong album after album since the turn of the millennium.
This brings us to ‘Thunderbolt’ with the band opting to reference Greek mythology for their 22nd album with ‘Olympus Rising’ and the title track bursting into life embedded in Saxon’s full heavy metal glory. This stellar performance continues throughout and if you know Saxon, you know what you’re going to get, ‘The Secret of Flight’, ‘Sons of Odin’ and the albums crowning song ‘Nosferatu (The Vampire’s Waltz) are testament to this. Moreover, Saxon change up their formula with the perfect tribute to Motörhead with ‘They Played Rock N’ Roll’, a song detailing Saxon’s first tour with the band as Saxon crank up the double bass drums, distorted bass, ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke string bends on the guitar as well as featuring sound samples of the man himself, Lemmy. Furthermore, ‘Thunderbolt’ gives more by featuring Johan Hegg of Amon Amarth fame during the fantastic duet of ‘Predator’ in which producer Andy Sneap once more creates a sheen which perfectly smelts the words of Amon Amarth and Saxon together.
The only downside ‘Thunderbolt’ is that in true recent Saxon form, the album closes with two songs dedicated to motor racing and life on the road either as a band, roadie or punter and that is it not saying these songs are bad, in fact, far from it, more that it feels more as if these songs are Saxon by numbers, the band on autopilot to fill up some time to push it over the 40-minute mark.
Once more, Saxon have released another strong and enjoyable album, with the band showing no signs of slowing down or lacking material, Saxon’s halcyon twilight years are due to continue.
83/100
Adam McCann
Thunderbolt; Saxon 'Thunderbolt', 2018; Silver Lining Music
Satyricon
Deep Calleth Upon Deep
Napalm Records 2017
From the Very Depths
Considering that Satyr was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2015, it was some excellent news in early 2017 when Satyricon announced that they would have their ninth studio ready for the end of the year. It has certainly been worth the wait. Satyricon have managed to keep the flame alive of true Norwegian black metal and ‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’ is no different. It is raw and powerful, ploughing through eight superb tracks in under 45 minutes, this is Satyr and Frost at their very best.
Other than a relatively crap album cover, there is little to be picky about during the album, even ‘Dissonant’ with its 70’s space rock/jazz fusion style saxophone has nothing to complain about and you suddenly start to realise that you’re looking at top ten material with ‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’.
There is in fact three songs on this album that are some of the best works you will hear this year, ‘To Your Brethren in the Dark’, ‘The Ghost of Rome’ and the title track are utterly superb. For ‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’, Satyricon have pulled out all the stops, the album is black metal at its finest and the band once more have managed to retain their crown.
85/100
Adam McCann
Deep Calleth Upon Deep; Satyricon 'Deep Calleth Upon Deep', 2017; Napalm Records
Striker
Striker
Record Breaking Records
2017
Striking Gold
One of the best things to happen to heavy metal in the last 10 years is the rise of bands playing a more traditional heavy metal sound. These bands have taken their inspiration from the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Accept and Manowar, mixing it up with the catchy good-time feel melodic hooks of Van Halen, Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard. One such band to blast this traditional heavy metal are Canada’s best kept secret, Striker.
Striker released their debut album 'Eyes in the Night' in 2010 and since then, Striker have released 5 studio albums, 2 of which have been with Napalm Records giving the band some rather good worldwide exposure. More recently, Striker have forged their own way in the world by choosing to forego an established record label and released their latest album, the eponymous 'Striker', on their own Record Breaking Records. This of course has its advantages, Striker are now their own bosses and in control of their own destiny as well as having complete creative control with 2017 seeing them not only release 'Striker', but also head out onto the road with Finnish power metal heroes, Sonata Arctica.
Wasting no time with an intro track, 'Striker' blasts into action with the instantly infectious 'Former Glory', a track with all the hooks that you will ever need. 'Former Glory' contains a fantastic riff, a catchy memorable chorus that is actually hugely guilty for an earworm. You will be humming this for days as the track itself is pure late 80’s melody with a guitar solo to boot!
In fact, Striker delivers a one-two punch with 'Former Glory' and the almost Anthrax driven 'Pass Me By'. 'Pass Me By' has that on the beat fast riffing and blast beats that with entice any Anthrax or Suicidal Tendencies fan in with its crossover sound as you can almost hear the skateboard wheels grinding along and if this song doesn’t feature in an upcoming 'Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater' video game then a great injustice will be done to Striker. After this combo punch, Striker decide this is a good time to boot you in the gut with the Lemmy inspired 'Born to Lose'. Just like the opening track, 'Born to Lose' is coupled with a chorus that is straight out of the late 80’s. It is simple yet effective and how much more can you ask for? If 'Pass Me By' didn’t peak your interest then 'Born to Lose' certainly will. There is actually only one pointless track on 'Striker' and that is the instrumental interlude of 'Cheating Death' which comes out at under a minute. But after that commercial break, 'Striker' returns with a non-stop arsenal of songs and then it is back to back party time, so much that you can smell the beer, denim and leather emanating from the record as it burns through tracks such as 'Rock the Night', 'Freedom’s Call' and the final track with its fist in the air chorus, 'Curse of the Dead'.
'Striker' is actually a really good album, it is an album by a band which enjoy what they do and Striker don’t need a big label behind them to show that. In fact, kudos to Striker for doing this on their own, they own the road and haven’t faltered. Other than the instrumental, this album is fantastic and deserves to not go under the radar. An excellent record from an excellent band.
82/100
Adam McCann
Born to Lose; Striker, 'Striker', 2017; Record Breaking Records
Sonata Arctica: 22/03/2017
O2 Club Academy
Manchester 22/03/2017
Sonata Arctica give a feel good set that captivates the entire evening
It is safe to say that tonight, each band has raised the bar, each band placing it higher and higher all the while simultaneously bringing every audience member luckily enough to catch fantastic sets from both Striker and Thunderstone upwards towards the very pinnacle of the evening with Finnish power metaller’s, Sonata Arctica.
During Thunderstone’s rather magnificent set, Club Academy began to fill slowly as more and more people filtered in wearing Sonata Arctica shirts showing their support for the band. Sonata Arctica are currently touring for their latest album, 'The Ninth Hour' which was released last year and as the house lights go down, Sonata Arctica take to the stage as 'We Are What We Are’'s tin whistle plays through the PA for the intro tape before Sonata Arctica blast into the the 1, 2 punch opening from 'The Ninth Hour' of 'Closer to an 'Animal' and 'Life'.
Initially, the first thing that springs to mind is the sheer lack of volume through the microphone of Tony Kakko, who’s voice shrinks and swells between being audible or not dependent on what song is being played. Kakko’s voice manages to get lost in the mix somewhere in more fast paced up-tempo songs such as 'The Wolves Die Young', whereas in the more melodic tracks such as 'Tallulah' where Kakko is extremely clear and really does showcase his vocal talents. Another track which seriously shows how good of a voice this is, is the song that played through the PA as Sonata Arctica walked onstage to, 'We Are What We Are'. Oddly enough, Sonata Arctica play this song later on in their set, giving this moment of the evening a rather sombre and poignant feel as to how humanity treats the Earth.
Set List:
Closer to an Animal
Life
The Wolves Die Young
In Black and White
Tallulah
Fairytale
FullMoon
Among the Shooting Stars
Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited
We Are What We Are
The Power of One
Misplaced
I Have a Right
Don’t Say a Word
Sonata Arctica play an enjoyable set tonight that in hindsight was equal and parallel to that of Thunderstone and Striker. However, the one thing that really sets Sonata Arctica apart from their support tonight is how Kakko manages to hold the audience within his thrall without even trying. Kakko commands an air of control that helps guide the audience through the Sonata Arctica journey. This is a two way street though with Sonata Arctica showing a huge degree of humbleness and respect that is also given back to the audience, even to a point where Kakko takes the actual time to thank the audience in the most deep and sincere way.
Not only are Sonata Arctica good at thanking the audience, they are also masters at getting the crowd to move, bounce and thoroughly enjoy the evening and as good as the previous bands were, neither had that feel good fa la la la la attitude that Sonata Arctica give off that would give even the wryest of smiles from the most stone faced person.
As Sonata Arctica close the curtain down on a relatively long set that culminates into a fantastic evening with those audience members within the smallest venue of the Academies treated to a feel good set by one of Finland’s best power metal bands.
Adam McCann
Life; Sonata Arctica, 'The Ninth Hour', 2016; Nuclear Blast Records
Striker: 22/03/2017
O2 Club Academy
Manchester 22/03/2017
Canada’s best kept secret unleash heavy metal upon Manchester
For anyone even remotely interested, Manchester Academy is separated into different venues that vary in size and tonight, we are in the basement for Finnish power metal legends Sonata Arctica who are gracing the smallest stage of the venue. Also yeah, you know the drill now, it’s Manchester, it’s raining, no prizes for guessing that, but there’s a sacred unwritten bond between gig-goers and the Manchester weather and you agree to live close to one of the UK’s biggest concert hubs in exchange for being wet.
The timing tonight is impeccable, not just from the venue, but this one is a salute to us, who literally arrive at Club Academy just before the first band. Joining Sonata Arctica on their tour are Canadian heavy metallers, Striker. Striker might be Canada’s best kept secret and unfortunately, it has taken them just shy of a decade to get over to the United Kingdom. For those not in the know, Striker play a more traditional style of heavy metal with a sound that would have made them huge in 1984 and would definitely appeal to fans of Judas Priest and Exciter to fans of more modern bands such as Enforcer, Ram, Steelwing and Skull Fist.
Striker thunder onto the stage, unusually to a song not from their latest release and instead choose one from their back catalogue in the shape of 'Crossroads' from their 2014 album 'City of Gold'. The audience in the venue fortunate enough to catch Striker lap it up and rightly so. From here, Striker keep a more traditional route and tear into the opening track from their latest self-titled album, 'Former Glory', a true 80’s style romp about recapturing the excesses and innocence of youth.
Set List:
Crossroads
Former Glory
Locked In
Lethal Force
Phoenix Lights
Out for Blood
Born to Lose
Too Late
Fight for Your Life
Unlike some of their peers that play this sort of traditional heavy metal, there is an air of humbleness that exudes from Striker with vocalist Dan Cleary explaining that the English weather has caught up with him and he is ill and therefore apologises for a strained and/or poor voice. This is total shit, Cleary sounds fantastic, leaving thoughts of if this is what he sounds like when he’s ill then bloody hell as tonight, Striker sounded top notch. Sure, Cleary was strained in parts, but he was never flat and Striker salted the ground as they played. Utterly fantastic.
As a band, Striker hold the audience’s attention throughout the set and there is air of sadness as Striker leave the stage with the only issue with their set being it was far too short. Personally, the only issue with Striker tonight was that their shirts were all sold out by the time Thunderstone had finished their set, which is a huge shame, but they’re also decent, hard-working guys who love doing what they do and if you ever get chance to catch these guys live, go and do it, you certainly won’t be disappointed.
Adam McCann
Born to Lose; Striker, 'Striker', 2017; Record Breaking Records
Sepultura: 28/02/2017
Manchester O2 Academy 1
Manchester 28/02/2017
Bow to Machine Messiah… Again!
After a rather lacklustre set from Sweden’s melodic death metallers, Soilwork, there is a rather brief interlude whilst roadies dismantle what remains of Soilwork’s sparse stage set and set up Sepultura’s equally empty stage set. The only hint of any sort of stage set tonight for Sepultura is the Brazilian drum that has appeared.
Sepultura waste no time in taking to the stage, blasting straight into 'I Am the Enemy' from their latest album, 'Machine Messiah'. For a long time, metal fans have argued over Sepultura and in particular, Max Cavalera, but tonight for 40 minutes, nobody cares and they are united together to just watch and appreciate one of thrash metal’s most unique bands.
Vocalist, Derrick Green will be forever known as the ‘new vocalist’ in Sepultura, however, Green has been part of the Sepultura furniture now for 19 years and his huge looming presence onstage is felt immediately as Sepultura tear through a 'Machine Messiah' heavy set list. Because of this heavy set, Sepultura throw in a few songs to break up the 'Machine Messiah' tracks by playing tracks from Sepultura’s golden age.
Unlike with Soilwork, the audience engage Sepultura instantly and although Sepultura’s recent output may not be to everyone’s agreed taste, the audience enjoy what they are hearing with Green prowling and commanding the stage. Occasionally, Green takes a short break from his imposing stage presence to play the Brazilian drum, particularly during 'Desperate Cry', 'Ratamahatta' and 'Roots Bloody Roots'.
Set List:
I Am the Enemy
Phantom Self
Choke
Desperate Cry
Alethea
Sworn Oath
Inner Self
Resistant Parasites
Refuse/Resist
Arise
Ratamahatta
Roots Bloody Roots
Tonight, Andreas Kisser’s guitar tone is as always, impeccable, his tone and sound has driven Sepultura for nigh on 30 years and even in the absence of a second guitar since Cavalera’s departure, Kisser has carried Sepultura through ups and downs with his signature distorted chainsaw tone. Alongside Green, Kisser also addresses the audience, not only thanking them for their continued support, but also to gee up for the next song before Sepultura’s onslaught begins again.
After dedicating a good three-quarters of their set to 'Machine Messiah', Sepultura save their most well-known songs for the end of their set, blasting through 'Refuse/Resist', 'Arise', 'Ratamahatta' and 'Roots Bloody Roots', whipping up the crowd into frenzied mob as they pit none stop aided by a thrashing rhythm section and Green’s relentless chest beating.
Sepultura are on top form tonight with an energetic and professional performance which puts them head and shoulders above Soilwork and Aborted and tonight, equally on par with Kreator. In a set where there can be little to complain about, the only issue is that Sepultura aren’t on long enough and their set feels over very quickly just as they seem to be getting into the swing of things. Hopefully, Sepultura will soon return in the headlining show that they deserve for a fantastic album with 'Machine Messiah' and the legends that Sepultura are.
Adam McCann
I Am the Enemy; Sepultura, 'Machine Messiah'', 2017; Nuclear Blast Records
Soilwork: 28/02/2017
Manchester O2 Academy 1
Manchester 28/02/2017
Swedish Melodic Death Metallers deliver an anticlimactic set
Following on from the brutality of Aborted, there was a relatively long turnaround between bands and sadly, the cool skeletons in the coffins from Aborted stage setup were now gone, leaving the stage empty for the second band to play tonight, Swedish melodic death metal band, Soilwork.
Finally, Soilwork take to the stage with 'The Ride Majestic', the single from their 2015 and latest album of the same name. Soilwork show the audience how they do melodic death metal with the rhythmic pounding of a double bass drum and heavily distorted guitars, hallmarks all synonymous with the Gothenburg sound – the heartland of the melodic death metal movement.
From the off, vocalist Björn Strid struggles to be heard over the band with the mix for Soilwork being very poor and unfortunately, give or take a little tweaking to make Strid more audible, the sound stays relatively poor throughout their entire show. By the third track, 'Rise Above the Sentiment', most people seemed to have lost interest with the only time vocal power really being achieved is during backing vocal sections from the other members.
Unfortunately tonight, Soilwork appear to be going through the motions a little bit with most of the energy coming from guitarists, David Andersson and Sylvain Coudret and bassist Markus Wibom with Strid remaining relatively static in the centre of the stage.
Set List:
The Ride Majestic
Nerve
Rise Above the Sentiment
Bastard Chain
The Living Infinite I
The Chainheart Machine
Two Lives Worth of Reckoning
Late for the Kill, Early for the Slaughter
Stabbing the Drama
Credit where credit is due, Strid does try to get the audience to engage with Soilwork with the problem seeming to come from the audience, rather than the band. Strid encourages the audience a few times to form a pit with either the audience forming a half assed pit that soon dissipates or blatantly refusing to co-operate.
This atmosphere kind of sums up Soilwork’s set tonight. As with Aborted, the venue is still just over a quarter full with most people seemingly more content to browse the merchandise or prop up the bar than watch Soilwork.
As far as a set list goes, Soilwork cherry pick from most of their albums, this gives their set a more of a ‘greatest hits’ feel or conversely introducing Soilwork to an audience that may not know much about them. However, you get the feeling from Soilwork that their work is exceptionally familiar, with their music at its core exceptionally generic of the melodic death metal genre itself, to which unfortunately, Soilwork do not push the boundaries of, leaving Soilwork stranded within an elongated ‘meh’ with a failure to stand out on the bill.
As Soilwork’s set comes to a close with 'Stabbing the Drama', the audience quickly forgets all about them and bides their time, baying for Sepultura.
Adam McCann
Death In General; Soilwork, 'The Ride Majestic', 2015; Nuclear Blast Records
Sanctuary
Inception
Century Media Records 2017
A Dream Within a Dream of an Album Before Refuge Denied
Think of Sanctuary and what do you think of? The movie from the 1970’s, Logan’s Run? Or the band that are named after this? Or do you think of the powerful cover to Sanctuary’s 1988 debut album 'Refuge Denied'? The cover that depicts a ghoulish preacher brandishing a pistol condemning those from atop his pulpit whilst surrounded by his acolytes is all very late 80’s, an observation about the rampant televangelism which plagued the United States at the time.
Sanctuary launched 'Refuge Denied' among the sea of thrash and glam metal which dominated the musical landscape. Although, Sanctuary’s music can be fast paced and at times galloping, it certainly doesn’t bear the hallmarks synonymous with thrash metal and instead Sanctuary has more akin with your traditional heavy metal with flourishes of progressive metal and power metal.
But what of before? What happened before 'Refuge Denied'? This is where the aptly titled 'Inception' comes into play. Released this year, 'Inception' is Sanctuary’s ‘lost demo’ tape that shows well, the root of the band, it shows the vision and where the band would go with 'Refuge Denied' with most of the songs re-recorded for 'Refuge Denied'. Inception even goes as far as to reference 'Refuge Denied' with the same ghoulish preacher on front, surrounded again by his acolytes who enslave those in front of them leading them into the church in the background.
According to the linear notes of Inception, during the recording of Sanctuary’s last studio album, 'The Year the Sun Died', released in 2014 produced by acclaimed producer Zeuss, guitarist Lenny Rutledge discussed the possibility of resurrecting the original demo tape he still had kicking about that contained two unreleased tracks.
Evidently, Zeuss agreed to this complete remaster and remix of the lost demo that would ultimately become Inception. Of course nothing is sacred anymore with the internet and these so called ‘lost demos’ have actually been knocking about for a while now, but the quality has been shockingly poor, as you would expect. Zeuss has done a fantastic job of bringing everything up to a modern sound, he has placed a modern sheen over the recordings in a way that only a true remaster done by a professional can. In fact, you can go as far to say that Zeuss’ remaster of the Inception demo actually sounds considerably better than 'Refuge Denied' and oddly, you’ll find yourself listening to 'Inception' more.
In regards to the ‘lost’ songs, what you get is one fantastic song and one almost forgettable song which even now is quite impossible to recall. 'Dream of the Incubus' kicks things off on Inception and why this was ever put to one side is unthinkable. 'Dream of the Incubus' is possibly on the best tracks that Sanctuary have ever recorded with its Mercyful Fate style riffing and lyrics and Warrel Dane hitting notes that are better reserved for King Diamond himself with 'Dream of the Incubus' serving to remind us how good Dane’s voice was back in the day. However, 'I Am' Insane pales in comparison to 'Dream of the Incubus' and would maybe better staying lost adding little more than filler to 'Inception'.
'Inception' sonically sounds brilliant and it is down not just Zeuss who has done a more than stellar job in resurrecting something that was dead, but also down to the song writing and craftsmanship that existed with Sanctuary even this early in their career. 'Refuge Denied' is good, but Inception is how it should have sounded and adding 'Dream of the Incubus' into the mix only adds to this.
77/100
Adam McCann
Dream of the Incubus; Sanctuary, 'Inception', 2017; Century Media Records
Sepultura
Machine Messiah
Nuclear Blast Records 2017
Bow down to Machine Messiah
It’s that time again, another year, another Sepultura album and you know the drill, the “Sepultura isn’t Sepultura without Max Cavalera!” brigade are always out in full force. These people have been banging the same drum for 20 years now, Sepultura are shit without Cavalera, wah, wah, wah, wah, blah, blah, blah. Truth is, Cavalera departed and since then, Sepultura have done their best to continue, granted they’ve never managed to scale the heights that Sepultura managed in the 1990’s with 'Arise', 'Chaos A.D.' and 'Roots' and their post 'Roots' output can be described as patchy at best. Despite this, there are some true gleaming gems in within the Derrick Green era with the big man at the front just as important in Sepultura’s history as anybody else.
'Machine Messiah' grinds into action with the brooding title track, in which the music has that gothic slow burning feeling, coupled with Green’s deep melodic vocals that wouldn’t be out of place with the likes of Paradise Lost before breaking into the familiar sound of Sepultura for the chorus. The iconic guitar sound of Andreas Kisser has been the stalwart, instantly recognisable tone of Sepultura for the best part of 30 years now and has somehow always managed to stay relevant. With 'Machine Messiah', between the guitar tone of Kisser and the phenomenal drumming of Eloy Casagrande, particularly during 'I Am the Enemy' makes this album sound fresh and full of the vitality of a younger band, than a band already hugely established.
Concept album, in the 21st century, it can be a bit of a dirty word, conjuring up images of overblown, bloated 1970’s progressive rock bands over 6 sides of vinyl. However, Sepultura themselves have stated that 'Machine Messiah' is a concept album, based on the modern human reliance upon technology. You won’t find any epics here, no sagas, what you get with 'Machine Messiah' is pedal to the floor heavy metal. In an ironic way, Sepultura have come full circle and are embracing a more thrash metal sound again with Green able to provide the band with the hardcore sounding voice where he cut his teeth. There are glimpses of what made Sepultura famous though, the Brazilian Samba ethnic feel that begins 'Phantom Self' develops into a groove metal masterpiece that certainly wouldn’t be out of place on 'Chaos A.D.' or 'Roots'.
The highlights of 'Machine Messiah' are the extremely rhythmic groove of 'Alethea'. 'Alethea' attacks the conditioning of the masses to believe everything they see and hear, the mesmerising chorus with its orchestrated heights of 'Sworn Oath' and possibly the best track on 'Machine Messiah', 'Resistant Parasites'. 'Resistant Parasites' builds up to a simple chorus riff that is actually extremely reminiscent of 'Pride In Prejudice' from Slayer’s latest album, 'Repentless', but we won’t say anymore on that one! Alas, 'Resistant Parasites' attacks the rampant hyper-consumerism that requires getting the cheapest quality for the highest price and the consequences that these actions bring.
'Machine Messiah' is the best Sepultura album released with Derrick Green on vocals. 'Machine Messiah' is fresh and given the strength of the songs on this album, it wouldn’t be highly surprising at the end of the year if 'Machine Messiah' was riding high and hopefully, Sepultura will follow this album with something equally as good.
76/100
Adam McCann
Phantom Self; Sepultura, 'Machine Messiah', 2017; Nuclear Blast Records
Sabaton: 13/01/2017
O2 Apollo
Manchester 13/01/2017
The art of war!
Twilight Force and Accept had laid down the gauntlet at the Apollo tonight. As the curtain came down on a set from Accept that was balls to the wall classics, talk turned to how Sabaton could top this. The urban stage set of Accept was removed from the stage and the familiar stage set of Sabaton appeared. One thing that became apparent straight away was the huge amount of money that Nuclear Blast Records must have sunk into Sabaton, video screens, a drum riser that was built into a machine gun turret – a big leap up from the already large stage set from the 'Heroes' tour. Sabaton are no strangers to Manchester, every venue has been rammed and tonight is no exception. Because of this reason, Sabaton have played larger and larger venues culminating in another full house here at the Apollo. As the lights go down, Sabaton’s cover of 'In the Army Now' begins to play through the PA before giving way to Sabaton’s 'The March to War' signalling that Sabaton are about to take to the stage with a high adrenaline version of 'Ghost Division'.
The money that Nuclear Blast Records seem to have trusted in Sabaton for this tour once more prevails during 'Sparta'. Accompanying an onscreen video are 4 Spartans onstage commanded by Joakim Brodén dressed as King Leonidas of Sparta. Brodén never ceases moving as he legs it from each side of the stage with an almost limitless amount of energy as Sabaton easily slid new songs from 'The Last Stand' effortlessly alongside already established Sabaton classics such as 'Carolus Rex' and 'Swedish Pagans'. However, the only gripe tonight seems to be the rather jovial atmosphere during the acoustic performance of 'The Final Solution'. In such a poignant song, it was rather odd to hear clapping with even a little bit of silliness from Sabaton themselves.
That aside, Sabaton always look like they are most at home on the stage. Sabaton have an almost unique rapport with the audience, Joakim and co. live for moments like these and no other band even seems to come close to the adoration that Sabaton receive as well as the humbling love that Sabaton return.
Ghost Division
Sparta
Blood of Bannockburn
Swedish Pagans
Carolus Rex
The Last Stand
Far From the Fame
Winged Hussars
The Final Solution
Night Witches
Resist and Bite
The Lion from the North
The Lost Battalion
Union (Slopes of St. Benedict)
Primo Victoria
Shiroyama
To Hell and Back
Sabaton grow from strength to strength with each passing year and rightly so, they are a unique band that deserves to be where they are. They are born entertainers, drafting you into their army, heavily researching to give each song authenticity whilst creating songs with a heavy subject matter without glorifying atrocities or bringing it towards a dirge. Sabaton brought home a fantastic night of heavy metal with all its military pomp and glory. Adam McCann
Shiroyama; Sabaton, 'The Last Stand', 2016; Nuclear Blast Records
Sixx: A.M.
Prayers for the Damned
Eleven Seven Music
2016
Nikki Sixx continues to dig up his past
Nikki Sixx is possibly one of the busiest men in the Rock N’ Roll world. Since the slow, gradual wind down and eventual wrap up of Mötley Crüe, Sixx has been keeping himself busy with the likes of Brides of Destruction and his more recent long term project, Sixx:AM. Joining Sixx in Sixx:AM are fellow Sunset Strip hawkers, songwriter and producer James Michael and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist DJ Ashba.
Sixx:AM received a lot of attention and airplay with the single 'Lies of the Beautiful People' from their second album, 'This Is Gonna Hurt' released in 2011. Since then, Sixx:AM have gathered a rather slow, but loyal build-up of fans, most of which seem to have come from the radio play garnered as opposed to those loyal to the Mötley Crüe pool.
'Prayers for the Damned' is part one of a double album released in 2016 with its counterpart, 'Prayers for the Blessed' following a mere seven months later. From the off, the first thing that becomes majorly apparent is the overtly Christian overtones that radiates from this album. This is evident from the stone angel against a rather violent sunset with the reverse being a rather serene heavenly staircase and the albums track titles.
With Sixx:AM, you get more of a collaboration between each member, you can evidently see what each band member brings to the table as opposed to the likes of Mötley Crüe where Sixx was a relatively lone wolf. Looking at the linear notes, Michael thanks God before anyone else and can be seen as the one responsible for the over-Christian content that runs through 'Prayers of the Damned', with lyrics such as ‘I turned my back on Jesus’.
The religious theme isn’t the only recurring motif throughout the album, ever since Sixx published 'The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star' and the subsequent album in 2007, Sixx has banged the: “I used to be a heroin addict, died twice, but now I’m clean” for far too long now and it has started to became rather drab, this is exacerbated with the extra lashings of Jesus saves and offers redemption point of view from Michael.
A man who always knows what he wants, Sixx has stuck to his guns using a similar production method since Mötley Crüe’s 2008 album, 'Saints of Los Angeles' and 'Prayers for the Damned' varies very little from this. The bass and the drums are very high in the mix, which yes, creates a rather heavy sounding record, but this obviously pushes the guitars and vocals into the middle ground. This gives 'Prayers for the Damned' a very modern sound more akin to the likes of Papa Roach and Shinedown.
'Prayers for the Damned' is certainly nowhere near the best album released in 2016, but there are a few tracks which stand out amongst the rest such as the single 'Rise', 'Belly of the Beast' and the wistful, rose tinted look back at the past with 'When We Were Gods'. However, overall, 'Prayers for the Damned' is by and large average album chock full of clichés from the modern hard rock genre.
63/100
Adam McCann
Rise; Sixx: A.M., 'Prayers for the Damned', 2016; Eleven Seven Music
Sumerlands
Sumerlands
Relapse Records 2016
Sumerlands deliver a beautifully superb debut
For those wondering who the hell Sumerlands are, Sumerlands feature members of heavy metal band, Eternal Champion, in the shape of guitarists John Powers and Arthur Rizk. Powers and Rizk also play in groove metal band, War Hungry and from there, Sumerlands are joined by bassist Bradley Raub. Completing the Sumerlands line-up are drummer Justin DeTore and ex doom vocalist from Hour of 13, Phil Swanson.
From the off, 'Sumerlands' grabs you, there are no frills, there is no pretention, just good, honest, balls to the wall heavy metal. The album itself sounds as if it was recorded in the early 1980’s, 'Sumerlands' has that familiar feeling with touches of Ozzy Osbourne and Mercyful Fate. However, there is more to 'Sumerlands' than that, 'Sumerlands' has that extra deep melodic feel that is only present with the best doom metal. Swanson’s vocals are relatively unique, sounding somewhere between NWOBHM, Candlemass and to more modern listeners, Ghost.
During 2016, more than a few heavy metal albums released songs themed around the 'Book of Revelations', 'Sumerlands' is no different. The album kicks off with the superb 'The Seventh Seal' and this sets the bar high for the remainder of the album. 'The Seventh Seal' grabs you instantly, pulling you into what Sumerlands are all about, the sound of 'Sumerlands' may be an odd amalgamation of heavy metal and doom, but you know, it works and it works well.
There are some overly familiar tones on 'Sumerlands', for example, the guitar riff to 'The Guardian' sounds very similar to 'Over the Mountain' from Ozzy Osbourne’s, 'Diary of a Madman', with Swanson giving a pretty good impression of Birmingham’s favourite nutcase. But you know what? This isn’t even a criticism because if 'The Seventh Seal' doesn’t get you, then 'The Guardian' will. Both 'The Guardian' and 'Timelash' contain that heavy riffing that became instantly recognisable as the Randy Rhoads style and only serve to twist the hook more. Wait for this, there is even a hint of 90’s Metallica with 'Spiral Infinite' with a heavily palm muted, chugging riff that wouldn’t be out of place on 'Load', whilst even taking a nod to the more hardcore punk stylings of the likes of Discharge with a riff reminiscent of 'Free Speech for the Dumb'.
As far as debut albums go, then 'Sumerlands' is top notch, it is dripping with hooks and melodies that will have you humming them for days. However, there is nothing here that hasn’t been done before with the only song that truly lets the album down being the final track on the album, the instrumental 'Sumerlands', which takes the album into the territory of either an intro tape or its time to crack out the bong and listen to some space rock. In all seriousness, don’t let that last statement put you off, 'Sumerlands' clocks in at just over 30 minutes and is well deserved of a place in the top 10 of 2016.
77/100
Adam McCann
The Guardian; Sumerlands, 'Sumerlands', 2016; Relapse Records