Red Enemy - 'What We Are Contained In Is What We Are' (Invictus Music) 4/5

It's been a while since we had a band out of the Irish Republic to make us sit up and take notice, recently it's been Wales that has been the musical powerhouse of these islands. However just to remind us that the Emerald Isle is still rocking we have this rather tasty ep from Red Enemy.However don't think for a single minute that because this lot are from Eire that your gonna get Horslips style folksy shenanigans, U2 style stadium rock or even  Thin Lizzy you like jiggy hardrock. Far from it. Red Enemy play hardcore with a capital 'ard and take about as many prisoners as Brian Boru did at the Battle of Clontarf.

This five tracker is brutal to the extreme - cuts like Betrayal and No One Will Remember Our Names attack your ears and sensibilities with all the power, rage and anger of a gang of feral youths on a looting spree in Croydon. Guitar riffs bark away like machine gun fire, drums pound the ears with a relentless tattoo and over it all is some menacing growled vocalisations that spit venom and bile like the wrath of the Morrigon.

I've gotta admit I am partial to a bit of hardcore from time to time and as far as hardcore stuff goes this is one of the best debuts I've encountered in a fair while, It's tight and in your face without ever loosing control of the feeling of pent up menace the ep generates. I can see Red Enemy becoming big players in the angry world of hardcore - Highly Recommended

For fans of - Converge, The Bled, Dillinger Escape Plan etc...

Death Remains - 'A Thousand Lives' (self released) 4/5

Yup it's Brit metalcore time again, and this time it's London hopefuls Death Remains who are stepping up to the plate with this, their four track debut ep.

Now there's an awful lot of this sort of stuff around at the moment, and for any band to stand out from the hundreds of wannabes out there, they have to serve up something a little bit special, and whilst A Thousand Lives isn't exactly earth shattering, it is noteworthy enough to make peeps take notice of them. Take the second track Cincinnati Bow Tie, it bops along like most standard metalcore releases with horse growled vocals and old school thrash metal riffage at a relentlessly frenzied pit friendly pace, then suddenly it cuts to a brief section that can be only described as a sublime doom metal moment. Great stuff.

In fact all four of the tracks on offer here have some trick up their sleeve to make them stand out out from the crowd. In addition to the aforementioned Cincinnati Bow Tie; Innocence has a couple great layered harmony clean vocal sections; Diminished Responsibility also features a grind doom moment to relieve the brutality (or maybe to grind your face into the floor with) and Laid To Waste breaks up the bludgeon with some nice rhythmic variations and machine gun burst drum fills.

It remains to be seen if Death Remains can keep the interest going over more than a four track ep, but the signs are promising and I'll be keeping an eye on their progress from here on in.

In short - A worthy debut

For fans of... Malefice, Terakai, Cindersfall, Pay No Respect, etc...

Zombie Xtras - 'Devil In The Flesh' (self released) 4/5

When BCFM and The Sunday Rockshow first launched, one of the first bands I sort of connected with was Birmingham Zombie Xtra's. They had just put out a remarkable mini album entitled 'The Killing Fields'. It was an album I took too immediately, it got played a lot on the show and ended up on the shortlist for our album of the year award.

Now four years later ZX are hitting us with their second album 'Devil In The Flesh'. I'll be honest here, 'Devil In The Flesh' isn't as immediate as 'The Killing Fields', the Rage Against The Machine influenced groove that made Killing Fields so effective is not so obvious this time around, instead Devil In The Flesh has a more old school metal groove to it and comes over almost like Black Sabbath on a stoner groove trip.

However I'm not saying that this release is any lesser a work than it's predecessor. It may not have hit me with Killing Fields in your face 'wow' factor, but after living with this record for a few weeks I'm finding I'm still loving every one of the seven tracks on offer here.The grinding bludgeon of the title track, the damnation boogie of Invocation and the epic Sabbathesque The Longest Journey are especially praise worthy. This album really is a grower.

Although I will say my favourite cut on offer here is the bonus track Redneck Agenda, a song with some biting political lyrics that really does sound a little like ZZ Top on a Cradle Of Filth trip.

If you've encountered Zombie Xtra's before you really should track down this album, I promise you you will not be disappointed. On the other hand if your new to these guys, Devil In The Flesh is as good a place to start as any.

Well worth checking out.

for fans of... Black Sabbath, In Solitude, Stone Axe...

Theory Of A Deadman - 'The Truth Is..' (roadrunner) 1/5

This is the fourth full length album from Canadian stadium rockers Theory of A Deadman and the good news, for fans of the band, is that this typical TODM material, fans of the band will love it. However the bad news, for people who like good music is that there is another TODM album thats gonna be all over MTV, Kerrang FM, youtube, planet rock etc... and drive us all to distraction.

I honestly can't see the attraction in this lot. On the whole this album, is insipidly bland, average in performance and musicianship at best and produced in that 'lets try to be edgy when were not' style of production that modern stadium rockers love so much (hello Nickleback, Bon Jovi et al.)


I've played through this album several times now, trying to find something positive to say, and yes I will say that on two or three tracks there are a few memorable riffs. But that's about it I'm afraid. Even those songs that start with a good riff, soon degenerate into bland pop rock fodder. Tyler Connolly's lead guitar work is some of the most uninspired I've heard in a long time, with the sole exception of eight bars in the middle of Drag me To Hell he is content to blandly play the melody of the verse he has just sung, and the rest of the band never do much else to raise this turgid music mess even a few inches of the cesspit of pap this album creates around itself.

And then we come to to Mr Connolly's lyrical musings. Over the whole album his blind sexism and hatred of women shines out like the neon banner of a wife beaters convention. Scan through the lyrics and you soon get the idea that he LOVES women. Providing they are 'On Their Knees' performing acts of oral sex on him and 'shutting the fuck up', other than that they are are all bitches that should either shape up or ship out, or get a 'good slap'. Now over one or two songs I could dismiss this as writing 'in character' but over every song on 46 minute long album (and previous releases as well).... that says to me the guy either has serious issues he should get looked at, or he is a complete arsehole that needs to learn that real men don't slap and abuse women. Maybe you could get away with this stuff to an extent in the 1980's, but even the likes of AC/DC and Guns And Roses never went that far and with that much venom. It's an outdated attitude that's not only offensive, but shows the complete lack of self esteem of female 'fans' who let him get away with it.And a curse on all the TV stations and Radio stations who continue to encourage him by playing his sexist bullshit all the time.

So that's it, it's albums like this that make me shun the mainstream as a whole. Why bother with this crap when you can listen to the recent releases by the likes of Yes, Iron Claw, Powerwolf, Work of Art, The Effect and even Kids in Glass Houses? come on I'm waiting for an honest and intelligent answer.

In short - a terrible album, avoid like the plague

for fans of... bland music and spousal abuse.

Yes - 'Fly From Here' - (Frontiers Records) 5/5

For many Yes without Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman are a hollow shell. This happened many years ago, and the hollow shell re emerged with a cracking album in "Drama" - Fast forward 31 years and people are saying exactly the same thing now Yes are again without Jon and Rick. But has history repeated itself? Is the new album "Fly From here" a cracking album? You bet your proggy album collection it is.

First thing you have to understand is that this new album is no "Close To The Edge" or "Relayer" but then again nothing the band did afterwards with Jon and Rick measured up to those masterworks.
What we have here is catchy melodies that twist and turn into your mind and stay there in a good earworm sort of way. Steve Howe delivers some of his best lead guitar work for a number of years and is prominent on many tracks.

The title track is nearly 24 minutes of musical heaven, with all the Yes sensibilities you could want.
"The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be" features a lovely Chris Squire lead vocal and i kid you not, also a beautiful McCartney bass line near the end.

"Life On A Film Set" starts off with a sound very reminiscent of early King Crimson or one of the beautiful Greg Lake moments of ELP before sucking you right into the vortex of that quirky Yes sound. I always loved the earlier prog laced with pop sensibilities of Yes when they first started out and this song ticks all the boxes.
The Steve Howe penned "Hour Of Need" is a beautiful little 3 minute number ( although this author would have preferred the full 6 plus minute version only available on the Japanese release - Only a minor gripe though )

"Solitaire" is a Howe penned acoustic number evoking memories of "Mood For A Day" from the "Fragile days" and finally "Into The Storm" ends the whole kooboodle off in rousing fashion with Steve Howe again to the fore with a great solo at the end, and the whole band sounding as if they are truly enjoying themselves.
Benoit David is not Jon Anderson and Geoff Downes is not Rick Wakeman, but hell who cares when you have a collection of songs as good as these lovingly produced by Mr Trevor Horn.

My verdict is this "Yes" sound refreshed, rejuvenated and bloody damn great.

REVIEW BY - IAN BARTLETT 


for fans of - classic progressive rock

Powerwolf - 'Blood Of The Saints' (metal blade) 5/5

I've got a real soft spot for the big Teutonic epic power-metal stuff. I've loved it ever since I first discovered the likes of Helloween and Mercyful Fate way back in the 1980's (Yes I know MF are Danish, but lets not split hairs here). I was over the moon when Dignity scooped our Album of The year award a few years ago with their Project Destiny album, and just when I was getting a bit fatigued by the endless wave of metalcore wannabes I was being sent, along come the mighty Powerwolf to remind me, and the world in general that metal is at its best when given the vast epic treatment.

This is the fourth album from these Germano-Romanian gods of steel, and it is faultless. From the atmospheric opener of Angus Dei to the closer of Ira Sancti (When The Saints Are Going Wild), Blood of The Saints is one full on, gloriously over blown, epic work that is as vast in concept as it is in delivery. Choirs chant layer after layer of harmonious backing vocals, church organs duel with freak out guitar solos and the middle of it all, standing like proud metal guardians of the wolfs den of rock are the band themselves, laying down some of the best epic metal thunder I've heard since Manowars Triumph of Steel album.

Like their earlier releases there are lots of Werewolf references on this album, and there is nothing at all wrong with that, the world needs a lot more Lupine-metal anyway. But it isn't all howls at the moon stuff. There is a wonderful cleaver and tongue in cheek approach to the lyrics, just check out Sanctified By Dynamite, Dead Boys Don't Cry and Murder At Midnight to see exactly what I mean.

I've had this album for a few weeks now, and I just can't stop playing it, over and over at very loud volumes (my neighbours must love me). I'm sure if you give this album one play through you'll be doing the same.

One of the best metal albums of the year so far.

For Fans Of... ManOwar, Mercyful Fate, Dignity, Helloween, Turisas etc

Arcite - 'We Lie Awake' (self released) 4/5

Geordieland (Newcastle-On-Tyne to you non English readers) has a fine metal tradition, in the past its given us the likes of Tygers Of Pan Tang, Venom, Warfare, Skyclad, Sabbat, Atomktaft and of course Raven, and now we can add Arcite to this honour role.

This self released 5 track ep is a bit of a killer. It's brutal, aggressive and superbly delivered. Even the weakest track on offer, the opener Asylum, is a bludgeoning wall of riffage that takes no prisoners, and it gets better from there. By the time you get to the midway point of In My Family Arcite are sounding like Cradle of Filth on steroids as they lay down a relentless barrage of brain crushing thrash and throat rotting growled vocals. However this eps real gem is the closer  In Taylor's Eyes - a full on metal assault of the ear drums that wouldn't sound out of place on a Malefice album, and when the singer cuts the growling and suddenly goes into an almost melodic ascending sixths section you get a real shiver down the spine. This track alone is worth tracking this ep down for and should become seen in future years as something of a classic.

I am amazed that this rather talented band are still unsigned, (Where are Transcend when you need them?) but I can't see them staying that way for long. Highly Recommended

For fans of... The More I See, Sacred Mother Tongue, Malefice, Revoker...

Mutant Beatniks - 'Fountain' (self released) 4/5

 

 Now for something completely out of leftfield, and to be honest I'm not sure if you can call this music.I had better explain. Mutant Beatniks are a loose collective of producers and sound technicians working out of Bath in the UK. They take a radical approach to their work, using 'found sounds' - sometimes location recordings, other times sounds found on old tapes and videos salvaged from charity shops,  and snippets of radio and TV broadcasts; to create audio sculptures and sound scape paintings. 

Its hard to describe or compare this stuff with anything else, the closest I can think of is maybe the early sonic experimentation of White Noise, or those linking sections you find on some of the early Hawkwind albums. Haunting noises flow in and out of your hearing, cats cries transmute into the sound of sea gulls and into waves, bagpipe drones become inter weaving sonic strands that play tag around your hearing range, snippets of conversation become 'almost' drum beats.... Its very hard to describe, and has to be experienced to be understood.

The best way to experience this, or any other Mutant Beatniks material (there are a fair few albums about), is in a darkened room, with head phones and just trance out as the sound flows over you. It is a most enjoyable sonic experience I assure you. There are 15 tracks on offer here, but it would be wrong to single out any moment for praise above any other moment. Listening to this album is like walking around an art instillation, it must be enjoyed as a whole to gain the full impact of this remarkable work.

Is this music, is this sonic art? I don't know, but I do know it is a most interesting and rewarding sonic experience.

For Fans of... Avant-garde experimentation, and sonic art.

 'Fountain' can be downloaded free from here...

http://www.amazingtunes.com/users/mutantbeatniks/albums/907

Kids In Glass Houses - 'In Gold Blood' (roadrunner) 4/5

This is the third full length opus from young Cardiff based upstarts Kids In Glass Houses, and marks a significant change from their older material. This album has ditched a lot of the pop punk sensibilities and sees the band heading in a more mainstream rock direction. Now I know this may cause the inevitable cries of 'sell out' from some of their older fans, but it will also make many people, like myself, who were not overly struck on their older material give them a second look.

To be honest In Gold Blood is a great rock album, Tracks Like Teenage Wonderland, Gold Blood and Animals are superb slices of commercial rock, catchy hooks, danceable beats and infectious grooves, yet at the same time intelligently constructed with great lyrics.And I've gotta give praise to the rhythm section of Andrew Shay and Philip Jenkins for driving the whole thing along with such energy.

Stand out tracks?  Well every one of the 11 songs on offer here is a winner, but I do have a particular liking to Fire with its lazy back beat and late night sax solo, Diamond Days - which sounds a little like a Don Henley track and Black Crush which provides the albums true rock out moment.

In a world where the commercial rock scene is too often dominated by bland insipid uninspiring tripe (yes Nickleback, Theory of A Deadman, 30 Seconds To Mars - I AM looking at you), this album is a breath of fresh air. Highly Recommended.

for fans of... Fightstar, Funeral For A Friend, Lostprophets, 30 Seconds To Mars etc...

Jorn - 'Live In Black' (frontiers records) 4.5/5

Norwegian metal master Jørn Lande is a busy bugger. Not only is he working his nuts off with Masterplan and Allen Lande; guesting on albums by Avantasia, Push king and ex Uriah Heep keys wizard Ken Hensley; performing in rock operas AND organizing Ronnie James Dio tributes, but he can still find time to record and tour with his own solo project Jorn. And it's with Jorn that this his latest release comes. Live In Black, is of course a double live CD set, recorded at last years Sweden Rocks festival and comes with a DVD to accompany the live audio albums (sadly the DVD was not issued in the promo package I received so I'll leave that out of this review).

Now it is my sad duty to report that I'm not 100% up to speed on this guys career, all I've heard is the odd Masterplan track and a few tracks off his Ken Hensley collaboration; and I'm now beginning to wonder what I have been missing, cos I'm liking what I'm hearing here very muchly. Not only does Mr Jørn sound uncannily like the late great Ronnie James Dio in his vocal inflection, range and delivery, whilst his band comes over like a glorious mixture of Dio, Tony Martin era Sabbath and Accept with a hint of the Judas Priests thrown in as well. In short, all the great metal stuff that provided the sound track to my youth. The overall result is a live album that easily stands alongside the likes of Live Evil, Live After Death and the other great metal live albums of years gone by.

Highlights? Well the power wail of Stormcrow is spine tingling, the relentless plod and pound of Spirit Black is truly epic, the riffing on Man Of the Dark is to die for and Soul of The Wind has just gotta be a true metal classic. Hell I'm not normally one who cares too much for cover versions, but there's a version of Thin Lizzy's Are You Ready on here that can only be described as a belter.

I'm now gonna go off and track down the rest of this guys stuff and I'll advise anyone with a taste for good old school metal to buy this album, and do the same.

For fans of.. Dio, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Helloween etc...

Work Of Art - 'In Progress' (frontiers records) 4/5

There is a lot of good stuff coming out of Sweden at the moment, so far this year we have had some killer product from Royal Republic, In Solitude, Sister and now pop-proggers Work Of Art are here with their second studio album to show us that not only does Sweden still rock like a good 'un, but they can do it in all genres.

Coming from the same starting point of the likes of Asia, Magnum and Saga; In Progress is one of the best pop-prog albums I've come across in a good few years. The opener The Rain sets out Work of Arts stall in fine style and the rest of the album keep up the pace, even the odd p*w*r b*ll*d like Once Again is saved from lighter waving naffness by some tasty guitar work and some epic key changes.

Highlights include the synth driven stomp of Never Love Again, the Magnumesque Eye of The Storm, with its off the wall moog solo; the Styx influenced Call On Me and the surprisingly headbangable Emeile. however for me the best track on offer here is Until You Believe, which has a touch of the Cheap Tricks about it.

No doubt about it, you'll have to go along way to find an album in this genre that is this good and this memorable. Highly Recommended.

For fans of... Magnum, Asia, Cheap Trick, Saga, Styx, etc...

Xorigin - 'State Of The Art' (frontiers records) 3/5

There is a place where AOR, prog rock and hard rock meet, and if you look at that point carefully there you will find Norwegian outfit Xorigin. Now as far as I can make out, this lot have been around for a good few years, but have only just got around to issuing their debut album. And I gotta say its not a bad effort.

Sounding like a multi band horror smash between Europe, Loverboy, It Bites, Vow Wow and Glory; State Of the Art is a nicely performed 11 song package with some great cover art work. Over all it reminds me of American melodic rock legends Drive, She Said, especially on tracks like Too Late, Crying For You and The One For Me. And that leads me to my main issue with this album. just like Drive, She Said, you know there is a damn fine hard rock band in here somewhere, but they just don't quite deliver the goods when you want them to. Everything is a little to restrained and too controlled. Where as Europe, Loverboy and especially Vow Wow really knew how to cut loose and rip it up from time to time; Xorigin just tend to play it a little too safe. While this restraint works well on softer more AOR type numbers like Said And Done and In The Blink Of An Eye, when it comes to the rockier tracks like Gina, your just wishing they would live a little more on the RAWK side and really give it more stick.

Still this IS an old metal head speaking, and over all the album is very pleasurable and contains a really nice surprise in the form of What Love is All About, which sounds like Big Generator era Yes, and is a track worth getting the album for in its own right.

In conclusion - Try before you buy, unless your a real AOR head.

For fans of... Yes, Asia, Journey, Glory, Europe, Drive She Said

Toby Hitchcock - 'Mercury's Down' (frontiers records) 3.5/5

With US proggers Pride of Lions taking a couple of years out, it is inevitable at the solo albums would come crawling out of the wood work - and so we have this effort from vocalist Toby Hitchcock to keep the fans deck happy until the Pride reforms.

First impressions are that Mercury's Down is a tad more commercial than POL. This is less Asia / Mystery and more Toto / Journey so to speak. Not that that is a bad thing on the whole, I'm not adverse to a little stadium AOR once in a while, and as stadium AOR albums go this isn't a bad one.

You have some fantastic rock out tunes on this album, Strong Enough features some guitar work to die for, If It's to Be (It's Up To Me) is a belting feel good anthem in the Journey mode; 'I've got what it takes now, I'll make my own breaks now...' - whilst Just Say Goodbye hits home with all the power and verve of a classic Night Ranger track. And there can be no doubting that Mr Hitchcock has the perfect voice for the genre, he comes over like a pumped up Steve Perry meets Lou Gramm on steroids; supreme power, perfect control and pitch perfect.. All good stuff.

OK there a couple of tracks where where this album sinks towards stadium rock cliche, most noticeably on the  inevitable power ballad One Day I'll Stop Loving You (lighters at the ready people) and on the opening sections of the John Farman-esque A Different Drum. But thankfully those moments are more than off set by tracks such as Tear Down the Barricades and the title track closer.

In short a worthy addition to the canon of AOR must haves

For fans of... Journey, Toto, Survivor, Night Ranger, Loverboy

Trivium - 'In Waves' (roadrunner records) 4/5

Now I know I'm going against a certain trend here, I know its fashionable to slag off Trivium as having sold out, and lost their 'metal core' roots. But hell I'm going to nail my colours to the mast and say this is the first Trivium album I really like. OK the older albums may have been heavier, more 'core, more moshpit friendly and less commercial than In Waves, but they never really impressed me, they were ok ,but other bands did it better, far better in some cases, and I found a lot of Triviums output boring.

But with In Waves, their fifth full length release I am glad to say they have matured as a band and are showing there is more to these Florida noise merchants than pubescent mosh music for 'core scene kids, and are beginning to show Trivium are an intelligent outfit, that has something to offer to the wider rock world in general.

On tracks like Watch the World Burn, Black and Inception of The End they are heading into Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Armored Saint territory, sweet guitar solos, catchy hooks and killer - yet controlled riffage. There is still a fair bit of 'core in here as well, numbers like At Skyline's Severance are still moshable enough to keep your average pit happy, and my fave track on the album 'Caustic Are The Ties That Blind' manages to blend face shredding growled trash with a middle section that wouldn't sound out of place on a Blue Oyster Cult album (I kid you not).

I have a good feeling about this album, this could be the one that promotes Trivium from the championship league of 'core wannabe's into the premier league of world metal bands. I know some of the less open minded metal fans may equate this with 'selling out', but anyone with half an ounce of musical intelligence will understand this is progress and will be glad to see the maturing of a great band who are bound to conquer a wider audience with this great album. Highly Recommended.

for fans of... Megadeth, Underoath, Machine Head and great metal in general.

Aliases - 'Safer Than Reality' (basick records) 3/5

There nothing essentially wrong with this debut release from UK progressive metalcore outfit Aliases, It's well played, ticks all the right boxes for the genre... fairly complex song structures... CHECK, shouty death grunt vocals interspersed with some melodic vocalisations... CHECK, jerky chuggy riffs with 'star burst' bits of guitar widdling... CHECK etc etc etc. In fact its a damn fine and very listenable little mini album.

It's just that as a whole this album stays a little too close to its title, and comes over more than a little safe. The complex structures just aint as complex as say Periphery, the riffage doesn't let rip in the way Terakai does, the vocals are set to stun, rather than to kill like Skin The Pig. In short each time you listen through you find the experience enjoyable rather than memorable and your wishing the experience was a little more full on, a little more intense.

You see there is a lot of this sort of stuff coming out of the UK at the moment, and a lot of it is extremely good, and whilst I can't find any real fault with Safer Than Reality, I can't find anything here to make it stand out from the crowd either. They come close in a couple of places, such as on Sirens and The Reality of Beliefs; but even those tracks tend to fall slightly short of being truly memorable.

In short... Close but no cigar

For fans of... Terakai, Skin the Pig, The Bled, Pay No Respect...

Grifter - 'Grifter' (ripple music) 4.5/5

OK, first up, PLEASE do NOT confuse this outfit with a rather limp indie shoegaze band from the states of similar name. If you want angst ridden teeny post rock walk away now and save yourself a whole world of pain and possible ear damage... If however you want to hear some down and dirty good old biker rock from Plymouth in the UK, then stick around, cos I think you'll like.

Formed by a group of veterans from the Plymouth area rock scene, Grifter have been around since 2003 and have chalked up a long list of self released eps that have won them friends and rave reviews all over the UK, and now they are hitting us with their first full length album. And worra album it is; dripping classic hard rock sensibilities from first to last this album just rocks. There's the smattering of all the greats in Grifters balls out rock approach; ZZ Top, AC/DC,  Juicy Lucy... even bits of some of those great but forgotten NWOBHM outfits like Split Beaver, Handsome Beasts and After Dark. Basically this right up my musical alley. It ain't original, it ain't cleaver, it is just rock and roll with a capital RAWK.

There's 11 tracks here, and each one is a stomping greasy down and dirty biker bash floor filler, and with titles like Asshole Parade, Strip Club, Piss And Gas et al. you know EXACTLY where these guys are coming from; and in a time when too many rock bands are trying to be over cleaver and too flash for their own good Grifter are a breath of fresh air.

Highlights? well the album is one long highlight, but I will confess the damnation boogie of Young Blood Old Veins with its message of keep on rockin' strikes a particular chord with this aging old rocker 'THE CLOCK'S TICKING - BUT I'M NOT LISTENING..' Hell yeah!!

Buy this album, and play it LOUD!

For fans of -  Dumpy's Rusty Nuts, Handsome Beasts, Airbourne, Rose Tattoo, AC/DC, ZZ top etc

Imperial Vengeance - 'Black Heart Of Empire' (transend records) 4/5

This is the second full length album from Essex 'steam metal' outfit Imperial Vengeance, and after their flirtation with World War One on their debut release 'At The Going Down Of The Sun', they now step back in time and serve up a delicious slice of metallic Victorianism that can only be described as a complete gem. This album even sounds Victorian, with its haunting orchestrated passages, gin palace pianos and penny dreadful narrated sections. Hell if they really did have heavy metal in Victorian England I could well image Charles Dickens being in this band, or at least serving up some lyrics for them.

The albums first four tracks: Scenes Of Inked Treachery / Black Heart Of Empire / The Voice Of Thelema / The Ghost Of Light form a nice little conceptual suite in the aforementioned 'penny dreadful' style. (Apparently, on release the album will come with a 'penny dreadful' novella to accompany it - sadly my advanced review copy didn't come with it, so I can't comment). But from what I can make out it's a dark and twisted tale of hauntings, death and terror... all good stuff.

Beyond the concept section the album continues in much the same vein. Main man C Edward Alexander (ex Cradle Of Filth) is in fine form, with barked vocals, driven guitar work and powerful orchestrated sections, and there's some tasty operatic vocalisations from guest song bird Lori Lewis (vocalist with Therion) to provide the perfect counterpoint to the Blind Beggar knife fight brutality; this is most true on The Devil In The Detail, which for me is the standout track on this really rather excellent album.

Now I wonder if this is available on wax cylinder?

For Fans of... Cradle Of Filth, Cathedral, Within Temptation, Whitechapel etc..

The Effect - 'Everything Has Gone' (self released) 4.5/5

I'm constantly being left in awe of the shear weight of musical talent that is coming from South Wales at the moment, especially from the Swansea / Llanelli area, and now to add to a canon of names like V0iD, Nine Plan Failed, Anterior etc we have The Effect, a band that can be considered as one of the very best of the current crop.

This young Swansea based quartet, none of which are over 18, play a catchy brand of commercial post indie rock that has a bit of the Muse / Lost Prophets vibe to it, and they play it with a drive and passion few others can match. This debut self released six track mini album is an almost perfect show case for their talent. From the opening chiming guitars on Plastic Hearts, via the anthemic Everything has Gone (Wake Up) with its hook that compels you to yell along and the soft and whimsical Can't Forget Your Love which sounds a little like their compatriots Tiger Please (and I mean that as a compliment - I LOVE  Tiger Please) to the epic closer of Left Wing (and Right Wing Are Both Parts Of The Same Bird) every track is an almost perfect mix of driven head bangy bits, guitar synth washes, intelligent lyrics, up lifting choruses and some wonderful mellow moments.

My only real criticism is that I feel they could let go a little more on some of their heavier riff driven moments, especially on the song Tremble - I can't help feel that if they beefed up those moments a few more notches, in the way say Funeral For A Friend do in places, and kept the rest as they do already then they would have some real killer product on their hands. But I'm sure given a bit of time, a bit more experience and an outside producer that will come. After all The Effect are a young band at the start of their careers, and therefore, as good as they are, must still be viewed as a work in progress. And a quick word on the production, which the band did themselves, apart from the above point, they have done a fine job on the whole and should be praised for their efforts.

In short, a great debut from a band, that if there is any justice in the world are set for big things.

For fans of... Tiger Please, Muse, Funeral For A Friend, Lost Prophets.

Queensryche - 'Dedicated To Chaos' (roadrunner records) 1.5/5

While I've never been the worlds biggest Queensryche fan, I will admit they have always been a band I've admired for their musicianship and approach to their music... that is until I tuned into this, their latest full length album.

To say I was disappointed is a vast under statement. OK the album starts well enough with Get Started, with a catchy hook and passable riff, and the following number Hot Spot Junkie isn't too bad, even if it is a little Queensryche by numbers. However then the good news ends and its all down hill from there. Got It Bad sounds like a bad attempt at a Prince cover with a ham-fisted Sitar player droning away in the background. Wot We Do is naff MTV synth rock. Around the World is a failed attempt at a power ballad with sub Foreigner stacked Harmony vocals and so the rest of the album continues with only some tasty guitar work on At the Edge to shed some hope on the musical disaster.

Even Geoff Tate, a guy once hailed as as one of the best voices in rock sounds jaded and seams to be just going through the motions. I've given this album repeated listens and tried to like it, but sadly this piss poor offering is light years from the glory years of Operation Mindcrime. FOR FANS ONLY.

For Fans of... once great bands who are content with going through the motions.

Stone Axe - 'Stone Axe : Delux Edition' (ripple music) 4/5

This is a weird one. The band looks like they come crawling from the early 70's acid rock scene, sound like they are left overs from Woodstock and even the album cover yells retro archive material at you. Yet Washington (US) based stoner rock outfit Stone Axe (a duo in the studio and a quartet live) have only been around since 2007 and are part of that interesting 'retro rock' movement that is doing interesting things stateside along with the likes of Crash Street Kids, The Muggs, Antique Scream et al.

This is their second eponymous full length release and its a a very catchy little opus. Rooted firmly in the classic sounds of the likes of Foghat, Blue Cheer, Led Zep and the like it certainly sets out to keep alive the flame of old style stoner rock and achieves the goal with ease. Tracks like The Skylah Ray and Black Widow are as trippy as hell and feature some damn fine extended instrumental passages that make you want to skin up something illegal and listen to in a darkened room at very loud volumes.

On this deluxe edition of the album there are 10 great studio tracks that stand up to repeated darkened room listening, but its on the eight live bonus tracks the band really come into their own. The live tracks have more power, more spirit more of a wow factor and I'll admit that I'm spinning the live tracks more than I'm playing the studio ones, the live version of Diamonds and Fools being particularity note worthy with it's AC/DC on hash stoner boogie beat and Bon Scott-esque vocalisations.

In short a damn fine album. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

For Fans Of - Blue Cheer, The Muggs, Spirit, Grand Funk Railroad etc