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Medication (e.p. - Locomotive)
A surprise... given that this features Whitfield Crane (ex- Ugly Kid Joe, Life of Agony amongst others), Logan Mader (who was in Machine Head, back when they were rocked), Roy Mayorga (Logan's partner in crime in Soulfly)... yaddayaddayadda... it seemed that this EP would be nothing short of a great big pile of shite. But it's actually quite good. And I did enjoy listening to it. It's rather engaging, light years away from the the Nu Metal (read: A.O.R) being peddled to the kidz by the likes of Nickelback et al these dark, sorry days. Yup, there's proper riffing here, bizzarre shades of Icon-era Paradise Lost in places and Mr Crane's vocals are pretty damn good. It's goddam proper Metal/ Rock. Medication: perhaps the only halfway decent thing that will appear in Kerrang all year... (Spandex - 04 Apr 02) |
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Mob Rules 'Hollowed Be Thy Name' (SPV)
More German uber-True Metal. More highly-accomplished technical virtuosity. More irrestible parp-fests that meld the best of Helloween with the class of Priest. Germany produces this stuff by the ton (think 'Custard', 'Freedom Call' amongst others), and Mob Rules actually boasts an appearance from geetar-lord Roland Grapow and guest vocals from Rage's Peavy Wagner. 'Speed of Light', for instance, wears a shit-eating grin... it's a tune that simply can't be disliked. Beyond this, however, the album can get a bit ponderous, with limp-wristed balladering (such as 'House on Fire' which veers towards a Bon Jovi-esque weepy) breaking the flow of the album. But hell, Mongo loves this stuff, I can't help it. (Spandex - 20 Oct 02) |
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Motörhead 'Hammered' (SPV)
Motörhead's millionth album, would y'believe. It's a well-established fact that this band is my all-time favourite act... for me, there's simply no-one else who so neatly defines the attitude, values and purpose of Heavy Metal. And very pleased am I to be in a position to heap praise upon this latest outing. Teasingly, shades of 'Them, Not Me' arise on 'Brave New World', a song that'll surely be a solid part of the forthcoming touring schedule, and 'Shut Your Mouth' nods toward 'Stay Clean'. Yet Motörhead still sound vital and fresh, no evidence at all of this being a going-through-the-motions album. You want wit and black humour? Y'got it... 'Voices from the War' positively oozes Lemmy's infamous bile and cynicism. You want rip-roaring stompers? Try 'Walk a Crooked Mile'. Foot-stomping boogies? Lend an ear to the bootytastic 'Dr Love' (Lemmy wrote this song just for me, the old softie). You want off-the-wall weirdouts? Behold the virtuoso noodlings of 'No Remorse'. Did I also mention 'Red Raw'? Ah, 'tis all pure class. In common with other latter-day klassik platters as 'Sacrifice', 'Bastards', 'Overnight Sensation' and the like, 'Hammered' is packed solid with top-quality Motörhead-bangers... and whilst there may an odd weaker moment ('Down the Line' comes to mind here), it'd take the most anally-retentive curmudgeon to write this platter off as anything less than superb. Buy it now, or lick my boots forever, you worthless dog. (Spandex - 12/03/02) |
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Ominous 'Void of Infinity' (Holy Records)
Another Swedish melodic Death Metal crew, and slap my buttocks with a glove of Metal if they ain't exactly what I expected them to be. It's time to draw the line in sand, my fellow warriors... do we stand for this abomination, or we cry 'Enough! Are lives are blighted by this infernal NWOSDM, and we must put it to the sword!'... well, I for one am thoroughly sick to deth of this relentless juggernowt. Ominous just happen to be the final straw, and perhaps I'm being unduly critical in this light. They're a good band... technically, they're highly proficient and demonstrate a willingness to throw in the occasional snippet of dexterity that makes your ears that bit sharper. But, fuck me, why does a band with clear ability insist on dragging themselves along in the shadow of a tired and crowded genre? Why is a band content to ape At The Gates for the millionth time? Why must bands feel that they cannot detract from a set blueprint? Is it simply a factor of geographical location? Why must a singer insist on using those hideous trite 'rasping barks' that make me laugh at their childishness. Do we really need yet another band that sounds likes those arch-nuisances, Dark Tranquility? The answer, my friends, is definitely not. (Spandex - 22/11/02) |
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Paradise Lost 'Symbol of Life' (Gun)
Hmm... this took more than a few listens before any conclusion could be made. It's horrified friends who've heard it, friends who'd successfully got their heads around the P.L transition from proto Death-Doom fiends circa 'Gothic' to quasi-Depeche Mode atmospherists on 'One Second'. I guess it's true to say that there's nowt 'Metal' about P.L now... if I were asked to select fifty albums to illustrate the genre to a novice, there's no way that this would be in the running. There are loops on the likes of 'Perfect Mask' which wouldn't have seemed out of place on the more restrained parts of White Zombie's 'Astro Creep' platter... but that's a crude analogy, which would wrongly suggest that P.L has turned into a Beavis and Butthead cartoon. Rather, it'd be better to focus on the sheer weight of electronica underpinning this album... entering Darkwave territory here, it melds perfectly with Lee's drumming patterns. And even thought they've been produced by one certain Rhys Fulber, rest assured that they ain't turning into some sort of Fear Factory abomination. It clearly shows a band in progression... yes, it's similar to 'Believe in Nothing', but goes way beyond. For a band I've always had a lot of time for, it could be mooted that I'm perhaps being a tad indulgent of them... True, Metal-wise, the Yorkshire lads have long lost the plot, but you can't help feeling that they simply couldn't give a shit. These arch-miserablists are doin' it for themselves, and I for one am more than happy to tag along. (Spandex - 25/11/02)
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Red Harvest- 'Sick Transit Gloria Mundi' (Nocturnal Art Productions)
A crushing slab of industrial noise from darkest Norway, and no, that mercifully doesn't mean Black Metal with bleeps. Nor, praise Satan, does it mean the empty bluster of latter-day Fear Factory. 'Apocalyptic aural armageddon' may be a suitable tag, but executed in an understated, sinister fashion broadly akin to that of Godflesh... broadly, in that the vibe doesn't 'implode' like Godflesh, but in that there is a similar sense of poise and claustrophobia at play. In short, here is a highly commensurate crew at work, marrying the slow and hideously seductive with the manic overkill of the very best of Thrash. In fact, Red Harvest comes across precisely as what Nocturnus could have become, what with the sci-fi fx and the mindscapes conjured up of total industrialised war... an ideal soundtrack to the titanic conflicts of the Eastern Front for example. Not only that, but the precise, techno-militaristic ethos calls to mind the astonishing power of the last three Voivod albums. Plus, that cover of GGFH's 'Dead Men Don't Rape'... nice. I should point out that the sound could be a bit more 'organic' in that it tends to seem like a collection of disparate layers on one or two occasions, but fuck it, do yourself a favour and buy this NOW. (Spandex - 24/03/02) |
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Regorge 'Kingdoms of Derision' (Dead Again Records)
I've had this CD from these Scottish deathsters for months, but have only now got round to reviewing it. Slaps on wrists and all that. I've listened to it a fair few times in that period, and whilst it has somewhat grown on me, it does need to be said that the low vocals are completely shite, sub-Mortician nonsense that is very dull indeed. The more Jeff Walker-like passages are more tolerable, but this is a band whose strength is severely compromised vocally. The guitars are a bit ill-disciplined in that it's often difficult to ascertain what they're trying to project in terms of dynamics, but they do include several strong passages (as on 'Inverted Throat Fuck'), courtesy of Ged Leitch. Overall though, this is a fairly messy, non-descript debut, which is a pity as they've been making a good name for themselves through the underground the past couple of years. Maybe next time lads, eh?(Spandex - 29/09/02)
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Rose Tattoo 'Pain' (SPV)
Proof that wizzened, weazy old scrotes can rock both hard and mightily (as if you'd never heard of Motorhead and 'DC), Angry Anderson leads this Oz crew into their first studio album proper in, hmm, a mere eighteen years. Greasy bar-room boogie, laced with crafty slide geetar from the renowned Pete Wells. Sounding equally as potent as on the klassik 'Assault and Battery' platter, the quality of the likes of 'No Mercy' and 'Seventeen Stitches' is nowt less than, well, very surprising indeed. I'm sure they've mellowed a tad in the intervening years (Rose Tattoo legendarily having specialised in the rough-arse end of the Australian pub circuit, imagine if you will), but it's difficult to try to write this off as a mere pretender... simply coz it ain't. For that evening when you can't face running through the same generic trend-ridden shite that's being swelling yer collection over recent years (be it Black or Nu, take yer pick), check this out for gimmick-free pure honest hard rock. Apply beer and volume, and get stuck in. (Spandex - 04/07/02)
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Saxon 'Heavy Metal Thunder' (SPV)
A double-album of re-recordings of klassik Saxon kutz ('And the Bands Played On', 'Strong Arm of the Law', 'Crusader', 'Denim and Leather' etc), koupled with several live recordings from the US stint of the 'Killing Ground' tour. Re-recordings of originals are often a bad move, as all too often the original integrity and perhaps naivety ends up getting lost along the way, making for bland results. But fear-thee-not here, for Biff and company have retained the power and glory of their prime-time goodies, adding perhaps an extra touch here and there (as on a couple of leads on 'Princess of the Night') but never once fucking with the blueprint. As an introduction to this oft-ridiculed act, 'Heavy Metal Thunder' is as good a place to start as any. (Spandex - 14/09/02)
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Skinlab 'reVolting Room' (Century Media)
Steev Esquivel's particular take on the post-Thrash genre has long appealed to these ears, and it's been a truly frustrating wait for this, the follow-up to 99's excellent 'Disembody...' slab. Plagued by all manner of delay, this new offering manages to come across as surprisingly fresh. As ever, there's a highly contemporary edge to it, and whilst it may steer a tad too close to 'Nu Metal' for some, Skinlab have the experience and savvy to know that there's nowt to be gained by tying their hopes to that particular dying bandwagon. It's not as bleak as 'Disembody', lacking as it does some of the intensity associated with that platter, but it does compensate for this by dint of of its more reflective and introspective horizons. Also, there's a thick, thick groove to slay for... if the likes of 'Roots' gave you a woody, this is for you. Standout track 'Purify' is almost hypnotic in its trancelike atmospherics. Further, 'Take As Needed' opens your speakers wide to yield a veritable feast of sounds and dynamics. Some albums are inevitably better suited to particular times and settings than others, and this has become a platter of choice to my late-night working... and live, I strongly suspect, it will annihilate. (Spandex - 14/09/02)
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Snub 'The Harvest' E.P (Copro)
I think the main reason I've never warmed to the current 'hardcore' genre as a whole is due to my ongoing perception of it being an inherently comic affair... you know the score... those homo-erotic gig photos of barechested men in little boy shorts and basketball vests... the po-faced, joy-free attitudes of a great many acts, the ridiculously uptight nature of the fans, anger for its own sake. And whilst this still remains a valid set of convenient cliches to these eyes and ears, I'm slowly getting more and more impressed by the more left-of-field purveyors of that ilk... the D.E.Ps, the Burnt By The Suns et al... call it 'noisecore' if you will. Anyhows, Bournemouth's Snub present the listener with an excellent EP here, which combines the expected aggression with a great degree of melody and depth. Beyond the more aggro of the offerings, we get an excellent instrumental, 'The Subtle Art of Slaughtering a Dream'. Think of Stand Up Guy meets Iron Monkey, and you should have a pretty good idea of what I'm on about. Good stuff. (Spandex - 02/07/02)
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Soulgrind 'Into the Dark Vales of Death' (Holy Records)
This is surprisingly good. Having had the misfortune to review their 'Kalma' album a few years back, I expected little more than the previously laughable incompetence spewed forth by Lord et al. But this is a stronger outing... Lilith's vocals continue to act as the aural focal point of this quasi-operatic melodic Black Metal act, and she has a fairly emotive pathos in her delivery. The songs themselves are readily accessible, with the song structure giving nods from everything to Death and Thrash Metal by way of Black ('Odius Emotion', for some reason, calls to mind the likes of 'Agent Orange' era Sodom). Not sure that I'll be listening to this that often in the future, but I was right impressed by this act this time round. (Spandex - 16/12/02)
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S.U.P 'Angelus' (Holy)
For an album that moves from its Death metal (in the Nocturnus techno-thrash sense) foundation to poke down the experimental corridors inhabited by the likes of Voivod, Swans and fellow-countrymen Treponem Pal, frog-eating, garlic-wearing S.U.P must be applauded. But this ain't to say that mine ears were totally satisfied... the vocals sometimes do call to mind Radiohead, which strikes me as a tad odd, and the vox synthesisers on 'Ex-Animo' do come across crassly (sounding like an E.L.O outtake). But in the main, this album gels remarkably well. 'Orcinus' is a fucking blinder. (Spandex - 24/12/2002)
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Vomitor 'Neutron Hammer' (Invictus Productions - cassette promo for vinyl EP)
Early Celtic Frost/ Hellhammer afficionados will kream their leather strides with this single. Hailing from Australia, Vomitor are defiantly old-school Death Metallers... the production (or lack of it... analogue tapes here...), delivery, logo (imagine a five-year old's rendition of the klassik Voivod logo, replete with bulletbelts and inverted krosses!), press kit etc seem to have been wrested straight from a time capsule put together in 1985. So, a cynical and knowing attempt to rip off that vibe of yore? I doubt it very much... the enthusiasm and integrity here is far more apparent than any unsavoury 'chancer' vibe. 'Neutron Hammer' is the stronger of the two tracks here (the other being 'Midnight Madness'). With a hugely 'European' feel to it, hunt it down from the Invictus Productions dudes before the limited run sells out. (Spandex)
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Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force 'Attack' (SPV)
Stop laughing at the back. I generally don't pay much attention to the noodlings of 'muso' flights of egotism, having had a truly horrendous experience in my past involving a set of handcuffs, a chair and Vai's 'Sex & Religion' album set to repeat-play. I still wake up screaming. Anyhows, this is a mere tickle in contrast, and is quite platable in limited doses. The pomp and po-faced majesty does sail perilously close to the arch-nonsense spun by Blighty's exquisite 'The Cardiacs' crew, as on the patently ridiculous 'Valley of the Kings'. But it's good stuff for playing air-keyboard to. (Spandex - 28/09/02)
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