‘Lords Of The Permafrost’ Soulseller Records Black/Thrash Metal Usurper have always played their way, taking classic thrash metal and forcing it violently upon first wave black metal to make a sound that is truly empowering. Trailblazing across the United States with powerful albums such as ‘Diabolosis…’ and ‘Usurper II: Skeletal Season’, the band made sure their name would not be forgotten. This year see’s the Chicago band release ‘Lords of the Permafrost’, their first album in nearly 15 years, but how will it fare in a modern world? As can be expected from Usurper, ‘Lords…’ wholeheartedly sticks to its guns. This album continues its relentless assault, done in the way that only experienced masters can demonstrate and whilst there is nothing here that hasn’t already been heard, ‘Lords…’ avoids the pitfalls of a generic run of the mill vibe by offering something that is warm and familiar. It is this familiarity that makes this album so endearing, yes, there are touches of classic Celtic Frost, Hellhammer and Aura Noir, which there is certainly nothing wrong with; but scratch beneath the surface and there are traces of Warhammer, Nocturnal and Funeral Nation with tracks such as ‘Cemetery Wolf’, ‘Skull Splitter’ and ‘Mutants of the Iron Age’ all showing that whilst Usurper may have mellowed in their adulthood, they have lost none of their bite, only gained maturity. Furthermore, whilst in a genre where many of the plaudits go to the drums and guitar, it is the bass playing of Scott Maelstorm which excels here, providing a fluid backbone that is both pummelling and powerful and seen nowhere better than during the impressive ‘Gargoyle’. ‘Lords…’ is yet another strong album from Usurper and shows that they are masters of their craft; this album is enjoyable from the start and only becomes more endearing with each listen. For those who miss Celtic Frost and long for a new Triptykon album, then ‘Lords…’ is definitely the album to consume. 82/100 Adam McCann
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‘Steelfactory’ AFM Records 2018 Heavy Metal Over the last 20 years, many established backs have been getting in touch with their roots, playing albums in their entirety, reconnecting with ex-members or once again working with producers which made them big and U.D.O. are no exception. Following his three-year deviation appreciating his past as Dirkschneider, Udo Dirkschneider returns with U.D.O. with his sixteenth studio album ‘Steelfactory’. The time spent playing under the Dirkschneider moniker has seemingly reminded him of his past glories and because of this, the influence of Accept is stamped all over ‘Steelfactory’. Dirkschneider hasn’t sounded this good in years as the 66-year old’s voice remains untarnished by time as he turns back the clock and sounds as good on ‘Steelfactory’ as he did in 1983. There is no need to take ‘Steelfactory’ as a one shot, unabashed tribute album to Accept, of course there are elements of that music within this, from the chugging opening of ‘A Bite of Evil’, to the melodic scaling of ‘Keeper of My Soul’ and ‘One Heart One Soul’ which could easily be placed on any Accept album, whilst ‘Tongue Reaper’ sets the tone of ‘Steelfactory’ immediately with only the albums closing track ‘The Way’ falling sub-par with Dirkscheider and guitarist Andrey Smirnov almost writing their own version of ‘My Way’ within the song. With ‘Steelfactory’, it is good to have U.D.O. back doing what the band does best and that is excellent heavy metal music with German engineering. This album is loud, and it is proud of its roots, easily managing to look back, take it on board and deliver an album that is more than enjoyable. In an era where Accept have been releasing some of their best work to date, U.D.O. express that Dirkscheider is not just that bloke that was in Accept, but show that with ‘Steelfactory’, they are more than able to keep up. 89/100 Adam McCann ‘Making Contact’ Chrysalis Records 1983 Hard Rock By 1983, UFO were running on fumes, years of heavy drinking and drug abuse had left the band almost high and dry, yet the biggest blow of all was about to come. Following the conclusion of the ‘Mechanix’ tour, founding member and iconic bassist Pete Way disillusioned with the softer approach that UFO had begun to take, announced that he was leaving the band. Without Way, UFO decided to limp on releasing ‘Making Contact’ in 1983. ‘Making Contact’ was not well received and UFO felt like a band out of time. However, in retrospect, the album contains many decent songs, side one in particular with the single ‘When It’s Time to Rock’. However, this is not the only track worth listening to, Phil Mogg’s disdain of record company legalities froths to the surface during ‘Blinded by a Lie’ and its follow up ‘Diesel in the Dust’ with its smooth production and rattling double bass drums. Unfortunately, most of the songs feel more like UFO by numbers, Mogg runs on autopilot, giving his best Phil Lynott impression during ‘A Fool for Love’ alongside some really dubious lyrics about underage girls, for example, ‘Where the Wild Wind Blows’ and ‘Call My Name’. However, it is the guitaring of Paul Chapman which saves this album, this man does not get the plaudits he deserves for defining the guitar sound of UFO in the early 80’s and when coupled with Neil Carter’s song writing prowess, ‘Making Contact’ is packaged into something that is actually better sounding than 1980’s ‘No Place to Run’. ‘Making Contact’ is far from UFO’s best album, yet, as with every Chapman album, there are some hidden gems that are definitely worth listening to. 70/100 Adam McCann The Unity SPV/Steamhammer Records 2017 Two bands, one album Following the collapse of German heavy metal band; Love.Might.Kill in 2015, bassist Jogi Sweers, guitarist Stefan Ellerhorst, keyboardist Sascha Onnen and vocalist Jan Manenti found themselves at a loose end. Joining forces with drummer Michael Ehré and guitarist Henjo Richter from fellow Germans; Gamma Ray, they began to work on a new project in 2016. This project was named The Unity and the band released their self-titled full-length album in 2017. ‘The Unity’ is just as you would imagine from members of their respective bands, it is fast paced, powerful and hugely melodic, not only owing to the skills of the musicians of Gamma Ray, but from Love. Might. Kill, you get some fantastic melodic passages mixed with the high end power metal that you would expect from Gamma Ray and that makes ‘The Unity’ easy and very fun to listen to. Kicking off with an almighty string bend, ‘The Unity’ begins with the classic era Yngwie Malmsteen sounding ‘Rise and Fall’ with a pre-chorus that wouldn’t be out of place on an Iced Earth album. This blend quickly grabs you and pulls you in and would not appeal to fans of the above, but also fans of Edguy, Iron Savior and later Helloween. Following a fantastic opener, ‘The Unity’ presents ‘No More Lies’, the song in which we see The Unity deliver their first music video. ‘No More Lies’ features a Judas Priest style riff and we get to see the first glimpse of that Love.Might.Kill style melodic nature fitting perfectly within the The Unity mould. Yes, ‘No More Lies’ borders on the cheese factor and wouldn’t be out of place in 1987, but that’s what makes this record so endearing. ‘The Unity’ has a familiar feel to it from the start and not only does that pull you in, but it helps you learn to love it very quickly and it is a guarantee that before the second play through, you will be humming along if not singing with their memorable and easy chorus’. As an album, ‘The Unity’ never lets up, ‘God of Temptation’, ‘Always Just You’ and ‘Close to Crazy’ solidify an already strong album, the former song even containing an Iron Maiden style whoa whoa whoa section and you can see how this would fit perfectly within the live environment. However, the albums best track is reserved for halfway through; ‘The Wishing Well’ turns ‘The Unity’ into the killer album it is. ‘The Wishing Well’ is a song that covered in the 80’s in all its pomp and ceremony, as it manages to transport you back to 1985 with a chorus that is reminiscent of something from Bon Jovi’s ‘7800o Fahrenheit’. It will definitely be that one little earworm that works its way in and manages to lift the album up from not just another power metal album, but also a melodic masterpiece. This can also be seen with the Edguy sounding ‘Close to Crazy’ in which the chorus would not be out of place on any Edguy record with Manenti even getting close to sounding like Tobias Sammet with a scream towards the end. However, do not be lulled into thinking that ‘The Unity’ spends far too much time trying to be somebody else, everything that The Unity have released on their debut album has their mark stamped all over it and it certainly does not sound like Love.Might.Kill and Gamma Ray have bashed themselves together to create an album that sounds like an amalgamation of both bands because it is certainly not. One thing is certain though, ‘The Unity’ sounds better than anything that Gamma Ray have released in a long time and with Love.Might.Kill split up, then The Unity is the only way to go. 81/100 Adam McCann No More Lies; The Unity, 'The Unity', 2017; SPV/Steamhammer Records
Apex Napalm Records 2017 Apex Predators Up until signing with Napalm Records, Unleash the Archers had been bubbling along in their home of Canada for half a decade before gathering worldwide attention with their 3rd album, ‘Time Stands Still’ in 2015. Although reception to ‘Time Stands Still’ was lukewarm to generally positive, it did not deter Unleash the Archers and after touring in support of ‘Time Stands Still’, Unleash the Archers returned to the studio to begin writing their follow up. The album in question would become ‘Apex’ and for it, Unleash the Archers would take their brand of power metal and crank up the musicianship, song writing and delivery that in essence, truly eclipses their former albums. The only change that has occurred between the releases of ‘Time Stands Still’ and ‘Apex’ is the departure of Kyle Sheppard, who has left his position of bassist to return to his true passion as a drummer, picking up the drum stool in Canadian black metal band; Finite as well as Canadian thrash band; Terrifer. Sheppard has been replaced by Nikko Whitworth who, no detriment to Sheppard, brings a more solid backbone to the band with his Steve Harris-esque gallop. In your stereotypical power metal style, ‘Apex’ begins with a sampled synthesiser intro which serves as the introduction to ‘Awakening’. Unleash the Archers head out on tour soon in support of ‘Apex’ and it would be no doubt that ‘Awakening’ will be the opening song. The slow burning ambiguous opening makes way for the opening notes of ‘Awakening’, a rapid fire beat that explodes through the speakers that would appeal to fans of 3 Inches of Blood before taking on the form of a power metal charge worthy of Helloween, Gamma Ray or Edguy. From this very moment, ‘Apex’ pulls you in, ‘Awakening’ is memorable and fun to listen to, with vocalist Brittany Slayes’ voice soaring high and low, leaving you hanging on every word. Slayes’ voice is perfectly complimented by guitarist, Grant Truesdell with a growl that adds a totally different aspect to Unleash the Archers’ work. This growl throws a curveball into the mix, showing that Unleash the Archers are not your average power metal band, instead, it brings a melodic death metal element to the band. This melodic death metal isn’t your standard Gothenburg sound, the high bouncing rhythms coupled with Slayes’ powerful voice has more akin to fellow Canadian bands; 3 Inches of Blood, Crimson Shadows and Into Eternity than the likes of At The Gates, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. Each song on ‘Apex’ is beautifully crafted, dripping with hooks and infectious melodies that will have you humming along with tracks such as ‘Shadow Guide’, ‘The Matriarch’ ‘The Coward’s Way’, and in particular, the brilliant acoustic intro to ‘Earth and Ashes’, but the accolade for the best ‘shorter’ song on ‘Apex’ goes to the marching ‘Ten Thousand Against One’, little have a band given that rousing battle cry against the odds since Manowar or Sabaton with its fist in the air chanting chorus built entirely for the live environment begs the question, why has ‘Ten Thousand Against One’ been overlooked for a music video/single is beyond thought, as it is easily one of the best songs on the album. However, it is the longer, more epic songs in which Unleash the Archers excel on ‘Apex’. ‘Awakening’ will powerfully bore its way into your skull, but ‘False Walls’ and the title track will hit the home run. ‘False Walls’ changes the pace of the album and smoulders away, building up and up to a chorus that really shows off the different dynamics in Slayes’ voice. ‘False Walls’ shows that Slayes is not just a one trick pony, able to wail over a power metal riff, but it does confirm that the band are able to write a different style of song with Slayes’ bringing Unleash the Archers to sounding a little more towards Huntress or even the Queen of heavy metal; Doro. But, the emphasis should not be all on Slayes, guitarists Grant Truesdell and Andrew Kingsley, both play fantastic arpeggiated patterns, particularly in the outro to ‘False Walls’, in which the pair manage to play a slow, but bright burning outro that goes out with a bang rather than peters out. The skill of Unleash the Archers returns for one final epic in the title track. ‘Apex’ begins with an intro that alludes to ‘Crusader’ by Saxon and at this point, you know you’re in for a treat. ‘Apex’ builds you up through a familiar narrative with Slayes hitting the notes that are best reserved for the Wilson sisters of Heart, completing the album with a memorable chorus that will implant itself into your head immediately as you realise that Unleash the Archers have outdone themselves. Clocking in at just over an hour, ‘Apex’ is easily Unleash the Archers’ best work to date, each song has been meticulously crafted and not only have the band taken in their influences, they have ran with it and created a brilliant album. With a tour already lined up supporting ‘Apex’, 2017 has yet to see more of Unleash of Archers. 86/100 Adam McCann Cleanse the Bloodlines; Unleash the Archers, 'Apex', 2017; Napalm Records
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