New Release Highlights: 6th March 2020

As 2020 continues its unrelenting march, things are starting to pick up as far as new music goes. These are my picks for the best new album releases of the week.

Body Count -  Carnivore

At the ripe old age of 62, Mr Tracy (Ice T) Marrow is still releasing new music which packs a punch. Angrier than ever and with a lot to say regarding social politics and racial in-fighting, Body Count are more relevant and important than ever in 2020! They are also heavier, which is nice.

My Dying Bride - The Ghost of Orion

Hailing from the home of misery (apparently), Halifax, My Dying Bride were, along with fellow Yorkshiremen, Paradise Lost and Liverpool's, Anathema, early pioneers of the Death / Doom Metal sound. The band's new album, their 14th full length, finds them at full strength. I can honestly say the MDB have never sounded better...or more despairing. Perfect!

Crematory - Unbroken

You could be (quite rightly) forgiven for assuming that a band which decides on the name Crematory are going to opt for a Brutal Death Metal approach, however, they are actually purveyors of a stomping blend of Industrial and Symphonic Metal. If you've not heard then before, Unbroken isn't the best place to start, but hey, this is a new release blog. This, the titular track, isn't the best song on the album, but it is a good representation of the band's sound. Okay, so the lyrics are a little cringe-worthy, but as the band has English as a second language, I'll give them some slack. Recommended for fans of Pain and Deathstars.

New Release Highlights: Feb 14th 2020

Ok guys and guyettes, despite there being a lot of Metal / Rock releases this week, there are just a small number which I reckon are worth spending your time (and energy) on, and one of these is a single.

Ihsahn - Telemark EP

Now I'm sure that the vast majority of you are already aware of who Ihsahn is, but for those that aren't, he is most known and respected, for being the frontman / song writer for Norwegian Black Metal legends, Emperor. Now, while I am an admirer of the man's work in the aforementioned band, I will admit that I haven't found the vast majority of his solo output to be to my tastes, so I was naturally cautious when it came to his latest release. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to hear his most consistent and heaviest work since the Emperor days, albeit it with the now prerequisite saxophones / horns.

Hatebreed - When the Blade Drops (Single)

I can only assume that when Hatebreed released their previous album, 2016's The Concrete Confessional, frontman Jamey Jasta was in a bad place, personally, as the overall vibe was dark and negative, which is far removed from the usual Hatebreed attitude of self-belief and positivity. When the Blade Drops obviously isn't an upbeat, radio-friendly pop ditty, but it is a punchy, groove-laden Hardcore track and that is exactly what you want from Hatebreed, right?

Kvelertak - Splid

A decade ago (really??), Norwegian rockers, Kvelertak blew my mind with their exciting and energetic self-titled debut album, which seamlessly blended Metal, Punk, Rock 'n' Roll and more to create an eclectic and completely unique style all of their own. Sadly, the two albums which followed failed to capture the same magic and I lost interest. That has all changed on Splid, the band's fourth album. Here the lads have rediscovered what made them great in the first place. It might not be reinventing the wheel as far as Kvelertak's sound is concerned, but Splid is exactly what I want from the band and it still stands out from the crowd. Great success!

New Release Highlights: 7th Feb 2020

This is the first of what I am hoping will be weekly blog posts, which will do as it says in the title and focus on the best (in my opinion) and most relevant of the week's new Metal / Rock releases. I won't necessarily have had chance to listen to everything in advance, so I apologise for any lack of quality control. This week's crop is, interestingly, a collection of legendary bands who have all been doing to rounds for many, many years. I have listened them all too. Enjoy!

Sepultura - Quadra

The Brazilian legends release their 15th album this week. Most of you will have already seen my review of this album and will be aware of my thoughts on it, so I won't say any more here, other than this is the album of the week for me.

Napalm Death - Logic Ravaged by Brute Force

Enduring Brummies, Napalm Death are back after a few years of relative silence, with new single, Logic Ravaged by Brute Force. I know that enduring is usually used a metaphor for a band which has seen better days, but I'm using it as a positive. These boys have been around the block for the best part of 4 decades and can still deliver the goods. 

Green Day - Father of all Motherfuckers

Over the past 15 - 20 years Green Day have naturally and organically adopted a more mainstream sound. I have never been a big fan, but Green Day have earned the right to be mentioned on this post, by very virtue of their longevity and continuing popularity. Also because I think this album is rather bloody good! Bonus points too for the title.

Sepultura - Quadra review

Band: Sepultura
Album: Quadra
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release date: 7th February 2020
Rating: 10/10

I'm sure some of you remember how highly I rated Sepultura's previous album, Machine Messiah, when it was released 3 years ago. Well, I am pleased to say that Quadra is better. Much better.

Quadra is easily the most complete and well-rounded album ever released under the Sepultura name and it has everything you would expect from these grizzled veterans, from technical lead guitars and "tribal" drums to guttural roars and crushingly heavy riffs, but at the same time it is the sound of an ever-evolving band taking yet another huge evolutionary leap forward in terms of experimentation. On the first three tracks, in-your-face, full-on Thrash is the order of the day, before the tribal drums, strings and choral vocals are thrown into the mix and that's when things get really interesting. Andreas and Paulo are, of course, ever reliable, but it's Derrick's career-best vocal performance and the colossal drumming of "new boy" Eloy, along with the flawless Jens Bogren production work, that really elevate things to another level.

Quadra easily stands up alongside any of the band's "classic" albums and that this is the sound of a band celebrating 36 years of existence is nothing short of incredible. Sepultura have been on a creative roll since Kairos and have produced some of the best material of their career in the last 10 years, but even in the context of such consistently solid output, Quadra stands out. Sepultura have never sounded more vital or more inspired. They may not have the huge fanbase they once had, but when the music is this good, who cares. You can keep your nostalgia, I'll take the 2020 incarnation of the band any day of the week.

I know it sounds trite, but I genuinely can't find anything to fault Quadra on, and it seems to get better with each consecutive play, so it gets the rare, full 10/10 from me.

Standout tracks: Means to an End, Capital Enslavement and Autem.

https://open.spotify.com/track/7IhrZIRIAlSMLJwO35dDQc?si=9Hqc6ygSRLG4vngPMpGOSg

January Metal Highlights

We are, unbelievably, already a whole month into 2020 and I've (obviously) decided to resurrect my blog. The main driving force behind this decision was the sheer number of great albums released in 2019 that I would have liked to share with you fine people and as we know Facebook just isn't the place to do this. I mean, how often do YOU click on a link shared by somebody on your friends list? I know I don't do it often. Another reason for the blog squeaking back into life is that I have an overwhelming passion for music and I enjoy writing about it and sharing great new music with people who share said passion / interest. It is a labour of love for me and if some of you get something out of then that's a bonus.

Right, that's the introduction out of the way. Onto my first blog post of 2020, which is, as I'm sure you garnered from the heading, a round-up of January's best Metal releases. I will be aiming to do a weekly round-up going forward as well as the occasional review, opinion piece and some "best of" lists...you know the drill by now.

Annihilator - Ballistic, Sadistic

If I'm being honest, I've always found Canadian Thrashers, Annihilator to be hugely over-rated. I can't say their "classic" material ever did much for me and in my opinion, they haven't released anything of real note since 1994's King of the Kill. That said, prior to the release of new album, Ballistic, Sadistic, I was seeing a lot of websites / media types raving about how good it was and that it is their best album in many years. I remained cynical and refused to get swept along with the hype. It was a pleasant surprise then to click on the play button on Spotify and to hear the familiar and instantly recognisable Annihilator sound coming at me, but for the first time in aeons, it was really rather good, great even. It goes without saying (but I will anyway), that anyone expecting a modern Metal tour de force will be left wanting. No, this is an old old-school Thrash record, delivered at breakneck speed by Jeff Waters and his band mates, who are clearly having a blast. Ballistic, Sadistic actually IS the best Annihilator record for decades and moreover, it is just a good Metal record full stop.

British Lion - The Burning

Steve Harris steps away from his day job for the second time to vent his passion for good old-fashioned classic rock, but with a modern twist. The most noticeable difference between this album and the band's 2012 self-titled debut is that is a vastly improved and far more cohesive collection of songs and therefore feels like the product of an actual band as opposed to a side-project. The musicianship, as you might expect is flawless and the production gives the songs real life and energy. I wanted to avoid any Iron Maiden comparisons, but to my ears, vocalist Richard Taylor is more than a little reminiscent of  mid-late 90's Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley which sometimes makes The Burning sound distinctly Maiden-esque...if Maiden were a classic rock band, of course.

KirK Windstein - Dream in Motion

After his many years playing in the likes of Crowbar, Down and Kingdom of Sorrow, you could be forgiven for expecting more of the same from Kirk Windstein, but on his first solo outing, he has really stepped out of his comfort zone and has instead crafted something far more interesting. Of course, that isn't to say that Dream in Motion is an upbeat record. It is, as you might expect, a slow to mid-paced affair with some ethereal vocals and beautiful groove-laden hooks.

Korn - The Nothing

Band: Korn
Album: The Nothing
Label: Roadrunner
Release date: 13th September
Rating: 9.5/10

Despite it only having come into my life a mere week ago, The Nothing, the (lucky?) 13^th album from Bakersfield legends, Korn is already my most listened to album of 2019 by far. These days, it’s a rare occasion that an album really gets my attention, rarer still an album by a band as established as Korn. How much hyperbole can be crammed into one review? Read on to find out.

From the instantly familiar jarring and off-kilter guitars which welcome in the first proper track, Cold, through to the very last note of closer, Surrender to Failure, The Nothing is just pure, unadulterated and unapologetic Korn and is an impressive and hard-hitting amalgamation of their entire career, neatly consolidated into one album. While the vibe of the band’s early work undeniably dominates, The Nothing still manages to sound fresh and innovative. Everything the older fan could want from a Korn album is here, just with a cutting edge, contemporary twist. The comforting warmth of nostalgia collides with the more mainstream friendly choruses and crisp production values of latter-day releases to create the band’s most well-rounded and experimental album to date. It just so happens that it also their heaviest since 1994s self-titled masterpiece, while at the same time being instant and accessible. Don’t for a moment think, however, that this is Korn by numbers as there are still surprises dotted around here and there. For the most part though, they don’t stray too far from the unique sound that defined a generation. Simply put, it gives me “the fizz”. Even for a band not exactly renowned for their upbeat and bouncy subject matter, The Nothing is an unsettling, uncomfortable and occasionally heart-wrenching listening experience as the lyrics deal with the overdose death of singer, Jonathan’s wife last year and his subsequent struggle to accept and come to terms with it. Standout tracks for me are Cold, H@rd3r, This Loss, Gravity of Discomfort and The Ringmaster, but you’d be hard pushed to find anything to complain about. Korn have managed to release an album which, in my opinion at least, is a contender for a career best and at this stage in their career, that is no mean feat.  

Folk Metal Bands C

C is a little thin on the ground as far as quality bands go, as is D, but just wait until I get to E...


Claim The Throne

Country: Australia

Recommended album: Ale Tales EP (2009)
Similar artists: Alestorm; Ensiferum; Alestorm

Clanrock

Country: Luxembourg

Recommended album: Out of Ashes (2004)
Similar artists: Horslips; Morgenstern; Corvus Corax

Cruachan

Like Arkona, Cuachan is another band which straddles the fine line between Folk Metal and Pagan Black Metal, but which I think deserves a place on this list, as they are one of the first bands, along with Skyclad, to introduce Folk music and traditional instruments to Metal.

Country: Ireland

Recommended album: Blood on the Black Robe (2011)
Similar artists: Primordial; Waylander; Skyclad; Arkona