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23 For ’23 – The Best New Music Of 2023

The best bands/new releases from the past 12 months

2023 has seen a steady flow of top quality music releases from artists right across the musical spectrum; some look set to be the next big thing, some are already sitting just on the outer fringes of the ‘mainstream’, whilst others are quite happy where they are, in the depths of the extreme metal underground. Listed here are 23 acts who produced a cocktail of promising albums, EPs and one-off singles this year.

(Note – To avoid the headache of trying to list them in any order of preference, these are mostly listed in calendar order of release, January to December. Links to all bands, along with a Spotify playlist, are available below.)

Raum Kingdom – Monarch
Brooding, atmospheric post-metal from Ireland, ‘Monarch’ is their second album, released in January – recommended for any fans of the doom/sludge/post-metal spectrum. FFO Hundred Year Old Man, Neurosis

Elderseer – This Aesthetic Life/Drown In The Shallowness
One of the new tracks featured on the album ‘Drown In The Shallowness’ released in Feb, ‘This Aesthetic Life’ is a fine slice of epic, gothic doom metal from the English quartet, reminiscent of mid-90s period Paradise Lost.

Available on CD or digitally from https://elderseer.bandcamp.com/album/drown-in-the-shallowness.

The Beautiful Monument – Hellbound
A recent random discovery for me, this insanely catchy single was the first new material from the Australian act in four years. High energy, electro-tinged pop-rock with a dark edge, this band deserves to appear on more peoples’ radars in 2024.

Available from https://tbmofficial.bandcamp.com/track/hellbound

The Rhubarb – Symptom Of Life
Lying somewhere between Black Sabbath and Black Moth, with a hint of Electric Wizard-style sleeze thrown in, the second album from the Scottish stoner doom act The Rhubarb should establish them as a name to watch in the UK’s doom metal scene – here’s hoping they get booked for Desertfest sometime soon.

Feral Family – Spice King
Hailing from Yorkshire, Feral Family have a sound that’s difficult to pin-down to one specific genre – whilst some tracks offer an indie-rock sound reminiscent of The Arctic Monkeys or Editors, here on ‘Spice King’ it’s dark post-punk; imagine a blend of early Killing Joke, New Order and Bauhaus and you’d be getting close.

Meg Myers – T33nagers/TZIA
An artist who doesn’t limit herself to one sound, Meg Myers has never shyed away from experimentation on previous releases, having dabbled in chamber-pop and synthy alt-rock over the years. Here’s one highlight of Myer’s 2023 album ‘TZIA’, the quirky art-pop of ‘T33nagers’.

Tribe of Ghosts – Sunburner/False Gods singles
A band who are seemingly re-inventing what it means to be a rock/metal band in the 21st century, Tribe of Ghosts’ fusion of post-metal and industrial rock should see them become a force to be reckoned with in the UK’s metal scene. Here are the videos for the tracks ‘Sunburner’ and ‘False Gods’, released in April and November respectively.

Both tracks available from https://tribeofghosts.bandcamp.com/.

Ignea – Dreams of Lands Unseen
Whilst Ignea’s sound may be very different to that of countrymen Jinjer, the Ukrainian act do share a similarly progressive mindset, and also have a frontwoman whose range covers both intense growls and beautiful clean vocals. Adventurous, with a very cinematic feel, for me ‘Dreams of Lands Unseen’ is one of the best albums of the year. Here’s one highlight from that album, the video for ‘Incurable Disease’.

Countless Skies – Glow (feat. Arianna Maysayeh)
This year, the Herts/Cambridge-based symphonic death metallers CS released the live album ‘Resonance’, which featured re-worked material from their previous two studio album with new input from guest cellist Arianna Maysayeh. Here’s a highlight from that album, the 20-minute opus ‘Glow’.

Available from https://countlessskies.bandcamp.com/album/resonance-live-from-the-studio

Velour Fog – Black Babylon/Dopehead
Over the past year, St.Albans-based rockers Velour Fog have demonstrated how to take disparate influences and turn them into something unique; a melting pot of sounds that blends everything that was good from the late 80s/early 90s alternative music scenes. Think elements of Extreme, Living Colour, Alice In Chains, Sunset Boulevard hair metal and a little hip-hop…. Here are the videos for singles ‘Black Babylon’ and ‘Dopehead’, released in May and October respectively.

Lacuna Coil – Never Dawn
Longtime favourites, the goth-metallers from Italy Lacuna Coil didn’t disappoint with this heavy one-off single back in June.

AlphaWhores – Same Team
A two-piece stoner-sludge act from Panama, this was their debut single released in June. Channeling the spirit of Seattle, with a sludgey approach – like Alice In Chains jamming with Mastodon.

Available with b-side ‘Trash That Takes Itself Out’ from https://alphawhores.bandcamp.com/album/same-team.

Raise The Devil – So Low
Initially forming as The Best Medicine in 2018, the Herts rockers changed their name following a couple of line-up changes. One of two singles released this year, ‘So Low’ is musically and thematically a little darker than previous material, though still quite relatable.

Her Own World – Mistrust
Taken from her debut album ‘Tales From Another Life’, this is goth-tinged industrial metal with ethereal vocals from Poland.

Available from https://herownworld.bandcamp.com/album/tales-from-another-life

Sunglasses Kid & Pensacola Mist (feat. Max Cruise) – In The Dead Of Night
A little different from a lot of the music in this round-up, but who hasn’t got time for a little synthwave? Sunglasses Kid’s own brand of retrowave 80s nostalgia, with guest vocals from Pensacola Mist and sax from Max Cruise, it’s a chilled track for night time drives.

Available from https://sunglasseskid.bandcamp.com/track/in-the-dead-of-night-feat-max-cruise

Concrete Castles – Brand New Me
The second album from the Pennsylvania-based pop-punk/emo trio. Packed full of catchy tracks, imagine a blend of Fall Out Boy’s ironic humour and Paramore’s relatability – it’s a consistent album full of potential radio hits and dancefloor fillers. With material this strong, Concrete Castles deserve to become a household name in 2024.

Ally Nicholas – Fall Into
One of a series of singles released this year, Ally Nicholas is another name who could potentially see mainstream recognition in 2024, with a catchy alt rock-leaning pop that has helped her amass hundreds of thousands of streams on Youtube and Spotify.

Lauren Mayberry – Are You Awake?
Already internationally known as the frontwoman for electro-rockers Chvrches, this single from Mayberry is a departure from that sound; an introspective, stripped-down piano-led ballad that puts the spotlight firmly on her incredible voice.

Grim Ravine – Portend (from ‘Upon the Darkest Shores’)
Whilst there are various highpoints to be found on sludge metallers Grim Ravine’s second album, ‘Portend’, whilst being the shortest track, is also the fastest and has a certain groove and stomp, setting it apart from the album’s slower tracks. This could well be the track that sees the Portsmouth trio featured on the alternative nightclubs’ floors.

Available from https://grimravine.bandcamp.com/album/upon-the-darkest-shores

Myrkur – Spine
An album that defies any kind of easy categorising, the closest possible label that springs to mind is ‘post-folk-black metal with a pop overcoat’, this is a cinematic, gorgeous thing to listen to, regardless of how you’d describe it.

Writhe – In Filth
An EP that can only be described as disgustingly heavy; lying somewhere between the adventurous blackened deathcore spirit of Lorna Shore and the all-out extremity of Strapping Young Lad at their most unhinged, Writhe’s debut is a promising start for this UK quartet.

HEALTH – Rat Wars
Clearly not sleeping on their laurels since the release of last year’s ‘DISCO4’ album, HEALTH are already back with another album that lies somewhere between, metal, electro-industrial and a transcendental experience, or the soundtrack to the greatest sci-fi movie that hasn’t been released yet.

Paradise Lost – Embers Fire (Icon 30 version)
I included this specific track rather than the whole album, given that whilst I prefer some of the original 1993 versions over the re-recordings, there’s no denying that ‘Embers Fire’ has lost none of its, well, fire, in a 2023 re-visit, released as part of the 30th anniversary re-recording of the entire ‘Icon’ album.

Overall favourite albums of 2023, in no particular order:
Raum Kingdom – Monarch
Meg Myers – TZIA
Concrete Castles – Brand New Me
Ignea – Dreams of Lands Unseen
The Rhubarb – Symptom of Failure
Myrkur – Spine
HEALTH – Rat Wars

All these bands (alongside extra tracks from Godthrymm, ILLUMISHADE, Strigoi, Night Thieves, FLØRE, Face Yourself, REZN and Amira Elefky) can be found on this playlist:

Posted by thursdayaddams | December 30, 2023 | Categories: Music, Writing | Tags: 2023, alternative, emo, extreme metal, heavy metal, metal, metal-news, Music, music blog, music-news, new music, news, pop-punk, reviews | Leave a comment

The Best Metal/Rock Tracks Of 2022

A rundown of the best metal/rock releases of 2022

After losing a large part of 2020 and 2021 to the global pandemic, music in all forms has come back with a vengeance, meaning there has been a whole flood of amazing new releases throughout 2022. Whilst it goes without saying that terms such as ‘best’ will always be subjective, here in my opinion are just some of the strongest metal and rock releases from the past year – I’ve included a rundown of my favourite tracks, and a brief summary of the best albums, EPs and music videos of 2022, with a playlist featuring all the tracks listed here.

HEALTH & Lamb of God – Cold Blood
The first of a handful of collaborative efforts I’ll be listing here, this one marries Lamb of God’s intense brand of groove metal to HEALTH’s atmospheric industrial rock. Taken from HEALTH’s DISCO4 (PART II) album, which sees them working with a number of artists across multiple genres, other highlights include the opening track featuring Poppy, ‘Dead Flowers’ (released as a single in 2021).
https://youwillloveeachother.bandcamp.com/album/disco4-part-ii

Thou & Mizmor – Prefect
Taken from their collaborative album ‘Myopia’, which takes Thou’s savage sludge and puts it through a black metal filter courtesy of Mizmor. Here on the opening track, the sounds of both acts are on display to full effect.

Ritual – Pandemonium (featuring Anneke Van Giersbergen)
Taken from their EP ‘Enigma’, the Herts alt-metallers were able to enlist former frontwoman for The Gathering Anne Van Giersbergen to provide some additional guest vocals for their catchy track ‘Pandemonium’. Other tracks on the EP also feature contributions from Dianne Van Giersbergen and Devin Townsend, among other guests.
https://thetrueritual.bandcamp.com/album/enigma

Praetorian – Ode To A Drink Driver
Taken from their 2022 EP ‘A Deluge of Bad Faith’ the Herts sludge metallers have been busy building up their profile over the past year, having performed well at Metal 2 The Masses, and look set to continue into 2023. Best experienced live! https://praetorianuk.bandcamp.com/album/a-deluge-of-bad-faith-2

Everest Queen – The Burial
The closing track to their 2022 album ‘Murmurations’, this track features joint vocals from drummer Brad Cook and guitarist Tom Clements (also vocalist for the aforementioned Praetorian) harmonising to stunning effect. https://everestqueen.bandcamp.com/album/murmurations

Tribe of Ghosts – Reign
The latest example of Brighton post-metallers TOG’s continued evolution, their second 2022 single ‘Reign’ is a dramatic piece of industrialised post-metal with dual vocals from TOG founder Adam Sedgwick and their newest member, vocalist Beccy Blaker.
https://tribeofghosts.bandcamp.com/

Red Light Acid Test – Senseless
The latest in a series of singles from RLAT, ‘Senseless’ seems the London/Herts rockers blend catchy stoner riffs with a post-punk delivery – think Kyuss meets Royal Blood.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/150suJJQ9RN6MLoJNZ50ww

King Like Mom – Tantrum
This was actually a track that landed on me via a random Spotify stream. This is US rockers’ first recording, set appear on their debut release, it’s a slow-building dramatic track that could be described as post-rock with an undercurrent of doom. Ones to watch I think – at the time of posting this article online, the debut EP was just being released.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2uhoCODbNwzUsYB06tNqOd

Inanimus & Elyvilon – Guilt
Another random discovery in recent months, ‘Guilt’ is one of my favourite tracks from what has instantly become one of my favourite albums of 2022 – ‘Martyrdom’, the debut album from sludge//post-metal act Inanimus, which also features contributions from dungeon synth artist Elyvilon.
https://inanimus.bandcamp.com/album/martyrdom

Loathe & Teenage Wrist – Is It Really You?
A 2022 re-working of a previously-released Loathe track, this new version sees Loathe’s chilled, shoegazey metal blended with Teenage Wrist’s equally gazey post-grunge, to stunning effect.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4G9wSdX0klmoHfjm9i6DLd

Gutlocker – Man Too Proud
The collosal closing track of groove/sludge metallers Gutlocker’s debut album ‘To Be Alive’. Despite clocking in at over 12 minutes, it never outstays its welcome, with LOG-style riffing and frontman Craig McBrearty’s fierce clean-to-growl vocal range.
https://gutlocker.bandcamp.com/album/to-be-alive

Gaupa – Moloken
Checked out this act after seeing their name in the line-up for the 2023 Desertfest in Camden – if you can imagine Bjork fronting a proggy stoner metal act, you’d be getting warm. This is featured on their new album ‘Myriad’.
https://gaupaband.bandcamp.com/album/myriad

Denali – Deathless
Taken from the self-titled debut EP from Herts supergroup Denali, which features members of Countless Skies, Elysian Divide and Everest Queen. It’s strong enough that any track could’ve ended up listed here really. Plying a progressively-minded death-doom and already landing festival slots all over the country, it’s a good start.

Rituals – Oceans Subside
Whilst the verses are reminiscent of mid-period Korn (around the ‘Untouchables’ phase), it’s the melodic chorus that had me coming back to this. Taken from the ‘Show Me the Signs’ EP.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6zaggWMA34L6ag8GRa8pHh

Lyoness – Know Thyself
More homegrown talent – some catchy, laid-back rock ‘n’ roll from Herts act Lyoness, taken from their EP ‘Fools Gold’.Sadly, this act will be splitting at the end of the year.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3md9lv29JIMkyzhkhCahXT

Giant Walker – The Fact In Fiction
Taken from their debut album ‘All In Good Time’, it’s a solid album which has spawned five singles and videos. Giant Walker are at the more energetic end of the prog-rock spectrum, with a much more ‘immediate’ feel to their tracks.
https://giantwalker.bandcamp.com/album/all-in-good-time

Oceans of Slumber – Hearts of Stone
Another track with a strong air of drama, this is taken from OOS’s fifth album ‘Starlight And Ash’. Classed as ‘New Southern Gothic’, it’s melodic progressive metal with soulful vocals and a gothic edge.
https://open.spotify.com/album/7yyNmqnrEITs2vz3NXsmxz

Frayle – Bright Eyes
Continuing the gothic theme, this time from a doom angle – ‘Bright Eyes’ is featured on Frayle’s second full-length album ‘Skin & Sorrow’. In their own words, it’s “music for the night sky”.
https://frayle.bandcamp.com/album/skin-sorrow

Profiler – Miserable
Taken from their self-titled debut EP, this Bristol alt-metal trio know how to write a catchy tune.
https://sharptonerecords.bandcamp.com/album/profiler

Graphic Nature – Killing Floor
Sounding like a hybrid of Ted Maul and early Slipknot, if this year’s EPs were anything to go by, next year’s debut album is going to be fierce.
https://graphicnature404.bandcamp.com/ or https://open.spotify.com/album/6xj91HWUFxs1KHlNtFBapJ

Knife Bride – Grenade
One of three standalone singles released in 2022 by the Brighton-based quintet, their brand of self-labelled ‘slut metal’ yields some catchy tunes. Here’s hoping there’ll be an album soon.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/34THm21WWzzr69EetTmnVG

Lamassu – Know Your Gods
Proof that very occasionally, social media algorithms can get it right, as this tune actually found me – set to appear on the Australian band’s second album in 2023, it’s a grunge-meets-sludgey stoner rock number that lies somewhere between Soundgarden and Melvins.
https://lamassuband.bandcamp.com/

Slipknot – Yen
A band who require no introduction, this is a standout track from the Iowa masked metallers’ recent album ‘The End, So Far’.

Tallah – well, everything!
It’s actually impossible to pick just one highlight from this, Tallah’s second album ‘The Generation of Danger’, as it’s full of hooks. Part of the current US ‘nu-core’ movement, imagine a manic blend of ‘Iowa’-era Slipknot, Sikth and Mudvayne, and you’d be getting close to what this offers. But, if pushed, singles aside I’d say let’s go with ‘Wendrid’.
https://tallah.bandcamp.com/

Horehound – Hireath
The opening track to their’ Collapse’ EP, the Pittsburgh metallers’ fourth release, it’s a blend of dark brooding sludge and gothic post-metal that’ll lodge itself in your brain.
https://horehound.bandcamp.com/

Absent In Body – Rise From Ruins
Taken from the supergroup’s debut EP ‘Plague God’, this cut succeeds in being both cinematic and claustrophobic, a crawling blend of sludge and post-metal. From a group featuring current and former members of Amenra, Sepultura and Neurosis, you’d expect nothing less.
https://absentinbody.bandcamp.com/

The Otolith – Sing No Coda
The new act featuring former members of SubRosa, this grandiose piece is a nice reminder of what happens when you incorporate a string section into metal. Taken from their debut album ‘Folium Limina’.
https://theotolith.bandcamp.com/album/folium-limina

Assimilate – Suffer In Silence
Here’s a bonus shout-out to some more home grown talent, whose album ‘Suffer In Silence’ came out in December 2021 and subsequently could’ve been missed out from many end-of-year charts for last year, hence an inclusion here. A solid album and decent live performers to boot, here’s an album worth checking out, a hybrid of alt-metal, emo and post-hardcore.
https://assimilate.bandcamp.com/

In summary, here are my overall top albums, EPs and videos of 2022.

Albums
Tallah – The Generation of Danger
Inanimus – Martyrdom
Giant Walker – All In Good Time
HEALTH – DISCO4 Part II
Gaupa – Myriad

EPs
Ritual – Enigma
Praetorian – A Deluge of Bad Faith
Profiler – self-titled EP
Denali – self-titled EP
Graphic Nature – Killing Floor
Horehound – Collapse

Videos
Ritual – Pandemonium (see above)
Praetorian – Ode to a Drunk Driver (see above)
Tallah – Shaken, Not Stirred – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMUpyVSUZcY
Tallah – For The Recognition – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TB9tz1Wwpw
The Callous Daoboys – A Brief Article Regarding Time Loops – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83tyqlZn1oo

For all the Spotify users out there, here’s a handy little playlist with all these tracks: https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/4cKF00OPC8j9mOWEhGWykb?utm_source=generator&theme=0

Posted by thursdayaddams | December 19, 2022 | Categories: Music, Writing | Tags: 2022, alt-rock, alternative, bands, metal, Music, music blog, review, rock, underground music scene | Leave a comment

Deathly duo: albums from Static Abyss and Assumption reviewed

Two death-doom releases are examined under a blood-stained microscope

Static Abyss – ‘Labyrinth Of Veins’

Line-up:
Greg Wilkinson – guitars/bass
Chris Reifert – drums/vocals

‘Labyrinth of Veins’ is the debut offering from the duo of Chris Reifert and Greg Wilkinson. Whilst many will already be familiar with their names via work in bands such as death metal legends Autopsy and Death, this album could also serve as a great opener for newcomers to the DM scene.

Whilst being considered a ‘death-doom’ release, IMO that’s very much a simplified view; there’s more to offer here, with enough variation to please fans of various extreme genres. Opening tracks ‘Feasting On Eyes’ and ‘Nothing Left To Rot’ go straight for the throat, but both also have a sense of groove and the sort of crunchy riffs that bring to mind ‘Wolverine Blues’-era Entombed. Shortest track ‘You Are What You Kill’ might appeal to those with grindcore leanings, with a chrous riff that has an urgency that wouldn’t be out of place on a Napalm Death album. The whole album is steeped in a foreboding atmosphere, at times almost sounding like the deranged rantings and manifesto of a horror movie villain, particularly during ‘Mandatory Cannibalism’. It’s also on that track, the title track and ‘Jawbone Ritual’ that their doomy side comes to the fore, slowing things down to a stalker-like pace (the two lyric videos released for these are included here), along with album closer ‘Clawing To the Top Of The Dead’. Littered throughout the album, you’ll also find Death-esque moments that should please long-time fans of Reifert’s work.

Varied in execution but never disjointed, atmospheric but with the crunch and groove of a 90s DM album, this is a record that should please death metal bands across the spectrum. Here’s hoping that ‘Labyrinth of Veins’ isn’t just a one-off. Available now digitally from https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/album/labyrinth-of-veins, or on CD and vinyl at https://burningshed.com/store/peaceville/artists-a-z-peaceville/peaceville_store_AZ_statisabyss.

For fans of: Autopsy, Entombed, Morbid Angel, Death

Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/staticabyss/
https://www.facebook.com/PeacevilleRecords

——

Assumption – ‘Hadean Tides’

Line-up:
Giorgio Trombino (vocals/guitars/synth)
David Lucido (drums/percussion)
Matija Dolinar (guitar)
Claudio Troise (bass)

The second death-doom release to get reviewed here is ‘Hadean Tides’, the second album from Italian metal quartet Assumption. Despite coming from a more guttural place than the other album reviewed here, it’s no less forward-thinking.

Rooted more in the funeral-doom sound, this is a more brooding, slow-moving proposition. But, this release could also be regarded as an album of two-halves, with sides ‘A’ and ‘B’ each having something different to offer. The first three tracks, opening with ‘Oration’, would perhaps appeal more to those who lean more towards death metal than doom, going from a mid-paced classic DM stomp to the slower, creeping feel of ‘Daughters Of The Lotus’.
It’s on track four though that Assumption’s experimental side starts to come in, with ‘Breath Of The Dedalus’, a slow-grinding, ambient droning piece that could soundtrack a slow descent to Hell. Whilst ‘Liquescent Hours’ returns things to normal programming, it’s on the following track that we see another left-field turn – ‘Triptych’ begins with a spooky spoken intro, with a dark folk-ish feel and vocal delivery that’s reminiscent of Einsturzende Neubaten, before gradually launching back into heavier territory.
Album closer and longest track ‘Black Trees Waving’ almost feels like it’s split into chapters; opening with a brooding, creeping riff and guttural delivery, it’s around the half-way mark that the vocals become a clean but sinister croon, before ending on a looping riff finish.

Ambitious and with nothing off-limits, it’ll be interesting to see where Assumption go from here. ‘Hadean Tides’ is available now digitally and on CD from https://everlastingspewrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hadean-tides, tape and vinyl from https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/hadean-tides, or CD and tape from the band’s Bandcamp at https://assumption.bandcamp.com/album/hadean-tides.

For fans of: Rannoch, My Dying Bride, The Drowning

Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/assumptiondoom
https://www.facebook.com/everlastingspew

Posted by thursdayaddams | June 4, 2022 | Categories: Music, Writing | Tags: alternative, death metal, doom metal, extreme metal, metal, Music, music blog, music blogger, reviews, rock | Leave a comment

The Best Medicine – ‘Miracle Cure’ EP reviewed

Will cure what ails ya

Tracklisting:

Leap of Faith
Madame Damnable
Outlaws (Living Free)
Reap The Whirlwind (featuring Franco Necro of Ritual)
Miracle Cure

James Anson – vocals
Will Horsman – guitar
Ryan Moore – guitar
Craig Anderson – bass
Nicholas Plews – drums

Following the 2019 standalone track ‘Lightweight’, ‘Miracle Cure’ is the debut EP from Herts rockers The Best Medicine. Most people already know that TBM features former members of popular UKDM act Aghast, but anyone still expecting this new act to be ‘Aghast MK.2’ is in for a surprise. Eschewing the extreme death metal sound that three-quarters of this band have plied in previous acts, TBM instead have gone for a more lively southern rock feel – imagine a sound that lies somewhere between Clutch at their most energetic, the slower grooves of Corrosion of Conformity and the classic tinge of Alter Bridge, and you wouldn’t be too far off from this lot. Hell, there’s even spoonfuls of Motley Crue-esque attitude to be found. This is a full-on party band.

Opening up with ‘Leap of Faith’ and setting the pace for what’s to follow, it’s a Clutch-esque rocker flavoured with a dose of Sunset Boulevard swagger; if you’re a fan of anything that the Slash/Matt Sorum/Duff McKagan trio has been involved with, this may be an EP for you. Listening on, one major aspect that stands out in TBM, when compared to the old Aghast sound, is the use of clean vocals. In ‘Madame Damnable’ in particular, you can hear James Anson exploring his vocal range a lot more, and it’ll be interesting to see how this progresses with future releases. This continues with ‘Outlaws’, and another obvious difference stands out – there’s generally a more positive, feel-good vibe to be found here. Whilst I doubt that any member of the band has a ‘Live Love Laugh’ sign in their kitchen, this EP appears to be about rolling with the punches, a big FU perhaps to past experiences, and a reminder to party on, dudes.
‘Reap The Whirlwind’ is a darker track with a brooding Alice In Chains-style opening riff, and features guest vocals from fellow Herts metal act Ritual’s Franco Necro (a vocal pairing not seen since the last BlackEye EP, the band previously including Necro and Plews, that featured a guest appearance from Anson). Closing with title track ‘Miracle Cure’, this will be familiar to fans, having been a well-received staple of the band’s live set since their debut back in 2019 – a self-referencing theme track, and potential future party anthem.

Confident, catchy and well-rounded enough to satisfy fans of heavy rock in its many forms, ‘Miracle Cure’ is a healthy start for this band. With a slot at Bloodstock 2021 already confirmed, expect further doses to come.

For fans of: Clutch, Alter Bridge, Corrosion Of Conformity, Velvet Revolver, Guns’n’Roses

Promo photo taken by Bianca Valentine, 2021 – https://www.instagram.com/_biancavalentine/

Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/thebestmedicinerock
https://instagram.com/thebestmedicinerock

Posted by thursdayaddams | July 23, 2021 | Categories: Music, Writing | Tags: alt-rock, alternative, metal, Music, music blog, review, rock | Leave a comment

Pupil Slicer – Mirrors review

Blinding whirlwind debut from math-grind trio

Following a series of split EPs with other independent acts, London’s grind/mathcore trio Pupil Slicer have unleashed ‘Mirrors’, their debut album and first release following their signing to Prosthetic Records.

Taking everything from intense grindcore and off-kilter mathcore to hardcore and powerviolence and putting them through a blender, Pupil Slicer have created an album that isn’t going to sit and politely ask for your attention; it grabs it from the get-go. From the opening salvo of ‘Martyrs’, short sharp shocker ‘Stabbing Spiders’ and the TDEP-meets-Tasmanian Devil single ‘L’Appel Du Vide’, Slicer get you right in the eyes and don’t let up. Whilst other bands in the their fields may often rely on ultra-short blasts, Pupil Slicer have chosen to give their tracks room to breathe, cramming in more riffs and ideas into a few minutes than others may in an entire album, but, to their credit – it’s a tightly-packed affair, without getting claustrophobic. Slicer give the impression that they just wouldn’t be happy settling with an album of two-minute bursts – tracks such as ‘Wounds Up My Skin’ (video below) and ‘Mirrors Are More Fun Than Television’ benefit from having longer durations than your average grind, without outstaying their welcome. There are plenty of pit-friendly moments to please the hardcore moshers too – I can imagine ‘Husk’ and album closer ‘Collective Unconscious’ becoming future live favourites.

A cacophonous whirlwind of metal extremity, ‘Mirrors’ is the soundtrack to the bull in a china shop – if its recent reception is anything to go by, expect to see a whole lot more smashing and slicing in time to come.
‘Mirrors’ is available now in various formats from https://pupilslicer.bandcamp.com/album/mirrors and https://pupilslicer.bigcartel.com.

For fans of: The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Locust, Brutal Truth, Blood Brothers, Agoraphobic Nosebleed

Live photo by Danny Robertson – Club 85, Hitchin, 27th September 2019

Contact:
http://facebook.com/pupilslicer
https://www.instagram.com/pupilslicer
https://twitter.com/PupilSlicer

Posted by thursdayaddams | April 6, 2021 | Categories: Music, Writing | Tags: british music, extreme metal, metal, Music, music blog, reviews | Leave a comment

‘Dirt Redux’ (Alice In Chains tribute) reviewed

The grunge classic gets a modern makeover

Dirt Redux cover

Back in September 2020, Redux Records released ‘Dirt Redux’, which featured 13 different bands offering cover versions of each track from the Alice In Chains album ‘Dirt’, a grunge classic that has inspired countless bands across the globe in the years since its release in 1992. As with all projects of this nature, the end results will always be met with mixed responses – some might be horrified for thinking the songs could be approached by anyone else, whilst others might be fascinated to hear reinterpretations of their favourites. Here, I’ve tried to take a fair but honest look at the whole album. IMO, it’s one that starts and ends well, but it’s around the middle where things get frustrating.

It starts off with Louisiana sludge crew Thou covering the opener ‘Them Bones’. Not venturing too far from the style of the original, their sound only makes the heavy song even heavier, so actually suits this song well and should please fans fans of either act (as a fan of both though, I’m perhaps biased). Low Flying Hawks follow with their re-working of ‘Dam That River’ – a downbeat track that strips-down the heaviness in favour of a slower, atmospheric drone that makes it unrecognisable, but still fits the sombre mood of the record. High Priest’s cover of ‘Rain When I Die’ and Khemmis’s take on ‘Down In A Hole’ are both a little more faithful to the originals, the latter having a slower, Opeth-like feel; fans of that band might appreciate this one too. These Beasts’ version of ‘Sickman’ is arguably more frantic than the original – imagine if AIC had originally recorded the track with Butthole Surfers and I think you’d be close to the sound of this version here.

It’s at this middle point that I think the tracks might start to divide opinions more – Howling Giant’s take on ‘Rooster’ is a faster-paced, arguably more ‘upbeat’ re-working than the AIC original. Whilst not necessarily a ‘bad’ track as such (those who choose to treat it as a separate entity in its own right might still dig it a lot, to be fair), it feels like an odd approach given the subject matter at hand, the experiences of Jerry Cantrell’s father during the Vietnam war. Also, Forming The Void’s ‘Junkhead’ is also given a faster, arguably more upbeat treatment that seems at odds with the song’s theme, losing the darkness of the original in the process – having previously enjoyed some of FTV’s original material though, this feels like perhaps the wrong song for the wrong band, but that’s just my opinion. Again, those who’ve not heard the original or can separate it may enjoy it more.

Somnuri follow with their cover of title track ‘Dirt’, another that remains close to the original. Backwoods Payback turn ‘God Smack’ into a garage rock track that might appeal to fans of the punkier, raw end of Seattle grunge – think Nirvana at their most unhinged, or Mudhoney and the Subpop stable. A lesson on how to make grunge even grungier, perhaps? The brief ‘Iron Gland’ from the original album is here handled by Black Electric, retaining the tongue-in-cheek Sabbath-esque feel of the original, but then how else could you rework such a segue? The numerically-titled act -(16)- take on ‘Hate To Feel’ in their style, and it feels like a more overtly ‘metal’ track here (metallers of a certain age might be reminded of Skinlab with this one), perhaps more brooding than the original – one for the devout moshers and old fans alike. Vokonis’s rework of ‘Angry Chair’ is an interesting one – it’s almost unrecognisable until you get to the “I don’t mind” chorus, with its frantic Mastodon-esque progressive sludge sound. Closing track ‘Would?’ is here handled by The Otolith, an act featuring former members of SubRosa. This is one of the first recordings in their new guise, and it’s another interesting one; a gothic, more dramatic take than the original, complementing the heavy riffs with a string section, and their style suits the song well.

Overall, this is a strong release with more hits than misses, and a respectful tribute to an undisputed classic. Those open to reinterpretations of the classics would find something to get into here, and maybe find some new favourite bands too.

https://reduxrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dirt-redux

Posted by thursdayaddams | February 24, 2021 | Categories: Music, Writing | Tags: Alice In Chains, alternative, grunge, metal, Music, music blog, music blogger, Seattle | Leave a comment

Halloween Havoc – new releases this weekend

It’s riff-oween!

As this October week has seen a healthy flood of new releases, here’s a blast of reviews and recommendations for those of a metal inclination. Still need a soundtrack for the weekend?

Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou – full collaboration album out now

The highly-anticipated collaborative album from Emma Ruth Rundle and sludge merchants Thou, ‘May Your Chambers Be Full’, has just been released, available on CD, vinyl and digital download. Marrying Rundle’s heartfelt, dark folk/post-rock vibe to Thou’s equally heartfelt but more aurally extreme doomy sludge, it all works well as a cohesive alt-rock/post-metal album without compromising either half’s sound. This release has a very 4AD-ish feel to it, and wouldn’t have been out-of-place on that label’s roster. From opener ‘Killing Floor’, which sees Emma and Thou frontman Bryan duetting against the band’s steady sludge, to closer ‘The Valley’, which sees Emma leading with her heartbreakingly tender vocals and strings, before finishing against a wall of guitars, it’s an amazing album which will leave the listener wanting for further releases from both parties, both in their own right and as a joint project again. Highly recommended.

Pupil Slicer – new single on Prosthetic Records

Pupil Slicer at Club 85, Hitchin, 27-09-19

London-based extreme hardcore/mathcore trio Pupil Slicer have just announced that they have signed to Prosthetic Records, and they’ve marked the occasion with the release of a new single and video, ‘L’appel Du Vide’. Sounding like a hectic blend of The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Locust, and featuring guest vocals from Carson Pace of The Callous Daoboys, it’s an unrelenting 3 minutes and 36 seconds of riffery – check out the video below, or download from Bandcamp and other streaming sites.

Download – https://pupilslicer.bandcamp.com/track/lappel-du-vide

Possessor – new Halloween-friendly album

The new album from another UK-based trio Possessor, ‘Damn The Light’, has just hit, via APF Records, and it may well be the perfect soundtrack to the Halloween weekend. Coming from similar territory as label mates Video Nasties, it’s a fuzzy, horror-obsessed riff fest – imagine a more overtly-metal Butthole Surfers jamming with Clutch, and you’d be getting warm. It’s hectic without sacrificing the catchiness, and quite an accomplishment considering it was only written and rehearsed remotely via video calls and voice messages between the band during the lockdown period – testament to our music scene’s determination to survive this year.

Black Sabbath tribute/covers album

Year Of The Cobra (taken at The Dev, Camden, 03-10-19)

Magnetic Eye Records have just released ‘Best Of Black Sabbath’, which sees 15 bands covering various tracks from the legendary Birmingham quartet’s discography. It’s a mixed bag of tracks on offer – whilst some bands here have remained faithful to the originals, some have given them a overhaul and added their own distinct stamp. Highlights include Rwake’s heavy sludge take on ‘The Rwrit’, Year of The Cobra’s version of ‘Planet Caravan’ (imagine Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac gone metal), Hippie Death Cult’s faithful cover of ‘Faeries Wear Boots’ with all the groove you want, and Brume’s violin-lead take on ‘Solitude’. It’s a balanced release that could appeal to both classic Sabbath fans and fans of the bands involved.
Out now on double vinyl record, double CD and digitally.

Have a fun, safe Halloween everyone, whatever shape it takes for you during this unusual year.

(Photos of Pupil Slicer and Year Of The Cobra taken by myself at gigs during 2019)

Contact:
Emma Ruth Rundle – https://www.facebook.com/emmaruthrundle
Thou – https://www.facebook.com/groups/309727754887/
Pupil Slicer – https://www.facebook.com/pupilslicer
Possessor – https://www.facebook.com/possessorband
APF Records – https://www.facebook.com/apfrecords
Magnetic Eye Records – https://www.facebook.com/MagneticEyeRecords

Posted by thursdayaddams | October 31, 2020 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: alt-rock, alternative, heavy metal, horror, metal, Music, music blog, reviews, rock music, vinyl | Leave a comment

Elysian Divide release new video

Check out these ‘Losers’

Herts/London-based metallers Elysian Divide have just released a new music video for their track ‘Loser’, which features on their second EP ‘Beast’. Directed by the band’s frontwoman Atashi Tada, ‘Loser’ demonstrates the pitfalls of online dating, the frustrations of being a musician, greed and heartbreak in ways many could relate to.

This is the first official video to feature the current line-up, which came together last year following the addition of Michael O’Neill on drums, Troy Wicks on bass and James McGrenery on guitar, joining founder members Atashi Tada and guitarist Jon-Paul McCarthy.

Elysian Divide’s ‘Beast’ is available on limited edition CD and digitally via Bandcamp and other platforms.

Live photo taken by me at their gig at The Unicorn, Camden, 12th April 2019.

Contact:
http://www.elysiandivide.com/
https://www.facebook.com/elysian.divide
https://www.instagram.com/elysiandivide

Posted by thursdayaddams | August 15, 2020 | Categories: Music, Writing | Tags: alternative, female-fronted, heavy metal, metal, Music, music blog, music video, rock music | Leave a comment

Thaw – Church Of Dagon EP

Check out the debut from these Australian sludge metallers

Tracklisting:
1. Cyclopean
2. Nameless City
3. Deathless
4. Depths
5. Ymir

A short time ago, whilst listening to Desert Highways’ massive ‘No Gigs Does Not Have To Mean No Music’ compilation on Bandcamp (featured in my previous post), I came across a track ‘Nameless City’ by a band I was previously unfamiliar with, Thaw. After repeated listens, I looked up them and discovered that they’re a sludgy doom trio from Australia, and this EP, ‘Church Of Dagon’ is their debut, released back in February.

If you like dirty and dark, low-slung bassy riffing, then this is an EP for you – 5 tracks of instrumental doom-sludge hybrids with catchy riffs and a decent sense of groove. Opener ‘Cyclopean’ kicks off with a slow, thick riff that could’ve come straight out of NOLA, oozing out of the speakers and setting the atmosphere. EP highlight ‘Nameless City’ has a catchy chorus riff that will get stuck in your head and have you coming back for repeated listens. Closing track ‘Ymir’ has an intro that wouldn’t have been out of place on Korn’s first album, with a deep bassy sound and on-point drumming (and a reminder of how different that band’s sound was back then), though it doesn’t venture into nu-metal territory any further, instead sounding more like a heavier, darker Pelican – equally progressively-minded, but with a more overtly ‘metal’ feel.

I’ll be keeping an eye on what Thaw offer in the future, and perhaps also diving further into Australia’s sludge/doom metal scene.

‘Church Of Dagon’ is available on CD and digitally via https://thawdoom.bandcamp.com/.

For fans of: Eyehategod, Crowbar, Mastodon, early Korn, Pelican

Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/Thawdoom/
https://www.instagram.com/thawdoom/

Posted by thursdayaddams | July 22, 2020 | Categories: Music, Writing | Tags: heavy metal, metal, Music, music blog, reviews, sludge | Leave a comment

Keeping Music Alive During Lockdown

Recommended compilations to download, Nirvana covers and a lockdown video

With live music under threat all over the world as a result of Covid-19 and the resulting lockdown, many defenders of the live arena, myself included, have been putting together digital compilations to help to raise money for venues and charities, whilst also keeping upcoming bands everywhere on the radar. Here I’ve collected just some of those many collections available. Alongside these I’ve also included a recently-released Nirvana covers album, but first, here’s a lockdown music video from some friends of mine.

Dorylus – new music video

Herts metallers Dorylus have recorded a new track ‘Clarity’, along with an accompanying video featuring all their lockdown expoilts, also featuring appearances from other members of the local scene.

(Cheers also to Joe from Dorylus for supplying this article’s cover photo)

https://www.facebook.com/dorylusband

Please check out some of these collections!

‘Club 85 Vs Covid-19 – Volumes 1 & 2’

I put these together myself to help the venue I work at, Club 85 in Hitchin, keep going whilst live gigs aren’t possible. As one the biggest and most well-known venues in Hertfordshire, its role in Herts’ music scene over the past several years cannot be understated. Volume 1 is a mix of many genres, from pop and indie-rock to soul and funk to folk and jazz, with various other uncaterizable acts.

Volume 2 is for those who like heavier things, with a mix of metal, rock, punk and their various subgenres, with some of the tracks currently being exclusive to this collection.

https://www.facebook.com/musikalsinmixtapes/

‘Now That’s What I call Club 85’

Also created as support for the same venue, this one was put together by one of our former sound-techs/promoters Tom Newman, now head of his own underground record label. This particular collection features bands who were big on the scene during the ‘MySpace era’, including Kerrang cover stars My Passion.

‘We Live’

Curated by Hertfordshire-based metal act Suffer No Fools, ‘We Live’ features 30 tracks for £4, with all proceeds going to the Hertfordshire Community Foundation’s Coronavirus Disaster Relief Fund.

‘ANR Against Covid – For Our NHS’

Astral Noize Records have put together this collection, featuring artists from their roster, with all proceeds going directly to the National Health Service. This features many acts I’ve had the pleasure of seeing at various London venues, including Wren, Hundred Year Old Man, Kurokuma, Aerosol Jesus and Tendrils, among others.

http://www.astralnoizeuk.com/

‘Voices From The Void’

Curated by the London Doom Collective, for just £4 this compilation gives you close to four hours of doom, sludge and stoner metal. Including the likes of Elephant Tree, Lowen, Grave Lines, Gurt, The Red Widows, Morag Tong and Old Horn Tooth, this is highly recommended for fans of the scene, with proceeds going towards the Music Venue Trust, which protects live venues across the country.

https://facebook.com/londondoomcollective

‘The Sound Of Heavy 2020’

The latest collection from popular underground record label APF Records, all profits from this will go towards South Liverpool Food Bank. Featuring all 26 acts from APF’s roster.

http://www.apfrecords.co.uk/

‘Heavy Pandemic – Ten Bangers For The NHS’

Extreme metal label Apocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings have released CD/digital compilation featuring acts from their roster, with all proceeds going to NHS charities. Includes the likes of The Infernal Sea, Ritual King, Crimson Throne, Damim and more.

https://apocalypticwitchcraft.co.uk/

‘No Gigs Does Not Have To Mean No Music’

This massive collection is actually free, created by Australian music company Desert Highways. Featuring acts from all over the world, this huge 205-track mixtape should keep every metalhead/alternative music fan occupied during lockdown! There are a handful of UK-based acts featured, including Sail, Alunah, Desert Storm, Trippy Wicked and Undersmile.

Thou – ‘Blessings Of The Highest Order’ (Nirvana covers album)

Intense doom/sludge metallers Thou have compiled all the Nirvana covers they have ever recorded and released them as a free album, available from Bandcamp at https://thou.bandcamp.com/album/blessings-of-the-highest-order. Regardless of how familiar you are with the originals, this is worth checking out.

http://noladiy.org/thou.html

That’s not all either for compilations this month though – head over to https://ukhc4change.bandcamp.com/releases for details of their forthcoming release, set to launch on June 26th – raising money for UK Black Lives Matter and Act Blue, it’ll be released digitally and on audio tape.

If you know of any other recent releases, feel free to comment below.

Posted by thursdayaddams | June 13, 2020 | Categories: Music | Tags: alternative, charity, download, heavy metal, lockdown, metal, Music, music blog | Leave a comment

thursdayaddams Wishing death to fashioncore since 2005