APRIL 2021 ALBUM REVIEWS
I’ve only listened to eleven new releases this month but a whole heap of interesting stuff got released on the final day so I’ll leave a few to creep into May. Quality over quantity though, a few of these are really good. I did also squeeze in a couple of EPs — Dali’s Llama’s Dust Lung, which is a heavy ass piece of stoner rock, with some cool riffing reminiscent of a Sabbath/Pearl Jam hybrid, music that reeks of JD and a sweaty southern night club — plus both the debut and swansong from Bodom After Midnight, a tantalising and depressing taste of what was to come from Alexi Laiho’s new band before his tragic death late last year. Two new songs and a Dissection cover is all we’re left with, totalling 14 minutes, but it’s excellent. Not surprisingly it has more than a hint of Children of Bodom about it but with a much harder and nastier edge than anything they’d written in a long time. The musicianship and song writing on this are second to none, a sadly missed talent and someone who seems to have bowed out whilst at the top of his game.
There were also fantastic new singles from St. Vincent, John Grant, Lucy Dacus and Wolf Alice to whet the appetite for forthcoming full lengths.
Onwards then…
Blaze Bayley will always be remembered as the third (and most under-appreciated) vocalist for heavy metal legends Iron Maiden, performing with them on two albums between 1994 and 1999. Most Maiden fans consider this the weak point in the band’s history, despite it producing such classic tracks as The Clansman and Sign of the Cross, both of which still crop up in their set lists today. Since leaving them he’s consistently banged out quality metal and toured heavily, impressing pretty much everyone who sees him. So why is he still so under-appreciated and playing pubs to a 100 people? I’ve no easy answers to that one but hopefully this album will help him garner the attention his work deserves. It’s very old school 1980s heavy metal, indeed quite Maidenesque in style, galloping riffs, melodic guitar and lots of anthemic choruses and singalong moments. The music is at a pitch which suits Blaze’s voice and really, it’s difficult to see why this wouldn’t appeal to any fan of traditional metal 4.5/5
Difficult to know what to say about this one really. It’s a Cannibal Corpse album. It sounds like Cannibal Corpse. I could throw all the usual adjectives at you — brutal, fast, ferocious, uncompromising, violent — but if you’ve ever heard any of their previous fourteen records you know what to expect. Which is my main problem with it, I feel like I’ve heard this album a dozen times before. There’s nothing remotely new or experimental here (aside from perhaps a few melodic guitar licks from new guitarist Erik Rutan (of Hate Eternal, Morbid Angel and Ripping Corpse fame)) but in fairness it’s giving the fans exactly what they want and they’ll stand or fall by that. Personally this sort of primal death metal hasn’t really interested me in a long while but, for what it is, it’s listenable enough. If you’re in the market for new Cannibal Corpse this’ll meet your needs. I’ll almost certainly never play it again though. 3/5
I’m only familiar with the first couple of albums by The Coral, not sure why as I really like both of them. And I really like this too so can see myself spending some more time with their discography in the coming months. This is their tenth album and perhaps less quirky than the albums I’ve heard, it’s a 54 minute concept piece about a fictional coastal town, with linking narration. The songs are mostly quite gentle, melodic, catchy numbers, there’s a hint of the 1960s about it, quite Beatlesque in places with a hint of R.E.M., it’s an easy but very pleasant listen. The combination of that old school sound alongside the subject matter, of a seaside town and its residents throughout the years, evokes quite a nostalgic atmosphere, wrapped up in a warm, cosy blanket of a listen. I’ve spun this a couple of times today and can see myself returning to it quite a lot. 4/5
UK thrash band Evile’s first album in eight years, sporting a very heavy metal cover, and it sounds like they’ve bottled a lot of pent up fury. This blasts forth right from the get-go and never really lets up, a furious assault on the senses from beginning to end, bursting with Slayersque riffs and double bass drums. As such it does get a bit samey and really offers nothing new but I’m such a big fan of this old school thrash sound it doesn’t bother me so much. On the down side, this is the first outing to feature Ol Drake on vocals, replacing his brother who’s departed for pastures new. He’s definitely the weak link here, a very generic vocal style with little variation and no distinct style. This album is crying out for a vocalist who can stamp his mark on it, it’s full of great riffs and thrashes like a bastard but the dime a dozen style vocals mark it down a notch. 3.5/5
A bonkers dark folk album which sounds like it was written with the sole intention of summoning ancient pagan Gods. Full of atmospheric, foreboding instrumentation and powerful vocals, it even throws a cover version of the song from folk horror classic The Wicker Man into the mix in case you’re not completely convinced of its influences. Indeed the whole thing sounds like the soundtrack to a 1970s cult movie, conjuring images of dancing witches and blood sacrifices in dark, dank woods lit by flickering candlelight. With perhaps a steely eyed morris dancer prancing through flaming pentagrams thrown in for good measure. It’s a fiercely English record, quite creepy to listen to but entirely entrancing. Best played light at night, alone and in the mood for nightmares. 4/5
GYBE’s first album in four years and their best in a long time. They’re a band who’ve perfected this brooding, atmospheric, instrumental post rock, masters at building songs from a slow, introspective beginning, injecting heavy, soulful riffs which hit you like a tidal wave. There’s a euphoric quality to some of these songs as they rise to a crescendo from their subdued, doom laden openings, each track is masterfully constructed with multiple layers. They’re the best in the business at what they do and it’s great to have them back. 4.5/5
This bored the absolute willies out of me. I’m normally a sucker for this sort of laid back, female fronted indie schtick and Hannah Reid certainly has a beautiful voice but I found it a depressingly cold, emotionless listen. Really did nothing for me at all sadly, I don’t want to rip the shit out of it as I know they’ve a lot of fans, I just didn’t feel it. 2/5
I’m not exactly sure who was clamouring for The Offspring to reform but after hearing this I’m sure they’ll regret it. Let The Bad Times Roll sounds desperately tired, a band well past their prime hopelessly trying to recapture past glories. It’s the usual sort of pop punk you’d expect from them but delivered with very little gusto, a collection of songs going through the motions that would struggle to wake up a retirement home let alone get a mosh pit started. Even at 33 minutes it manages to outstay its welcome. 1.5/5
Seemingly an attempt for Paul McCartney to prove he’s still down with the kids, this is a re-imagining / re-mixing / re-recording of his 2020 release McCartney III, featuring new takes on the songs by current artists he admires. So we have the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent, Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Beck, Anderson. Pak, Ed O’Brien (Radiohead) and Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorrilaz) performing or re-mixing tracks from said album. Some of it works better than others, Bridgers in particular makes ‘Seize the Day’ her own (and her Punisher album from last year is fast becoming one of my favourite records of the last five years) and there’s a surprisingly up tempo tune from O’Brien but it’ll mostly be remembered as a curiosity piece. But as curiosity pieces go there’s plenty to make it worth a listen and it works as an interesting companion piece to the original record. 3.5/5
From the remnants of Romanian folk/black metal band Negură Bunget, the second album by Sur Austru, featuring surviving members, feels like a natural progression. Long passages of atmospheric, wistful Eastern European folk clash seamlessly with progressive blackened metal, with a myriad of instruments battling each other amongst some impressively crafted tunes. It’s the sort of music which brings to mind wind swept, drizzly forests, and misty mountains, it’s very evocative, close you eyes and it’s easy to be swept away by it all. Flutes and horns meld into powerful guitar riffs with constant time changes, chants and a melancholic sense of otherworldliness. I’m really rather taken by this record and overjoyed to see the remaining members of Negură Bunget keep their spirit alive. 4.5/5
American melodic metal band Witherfall have largely passed me by over the years, only really coming to my attention when vocalist Joseph Michael was hired by Sanctuary to step into the very big shoes left by Warrel Dane’s tragic passing. My first thought upon listening to this, their third record since a 2017 debut, was how reminiscent of Iced Earth much of it is, with some obvious hints of Sanctuary/Nevermore. It’s that kind of American power metal that occasionally dips its toes into thrash and speed metal, with lots of melody and hook laden choruses. It’s also quite a progressive album, particularly on the epic 16 minute closing track. There’s plenty of variety and time changes and Michael shows an impressive vocal variety throughout. It came as no real surprise therefore to discover that guitarist and founding member of Witherfall is Jake Dreyer, who has played with Iced Earth for five years, and that Jon Schaffer himself (Iced Earth guitarist and main man) was involved in the production. Obviously before his recent incarceration for events at the Capitol insurrection! Overall this is a strong album which should appeal to fans of old school proggy heavy metal, straddling the line between power and thrash with some intricate guitar work and solid song writing. 4/5
