ALBUM REVIEW: Fractal Generator, "Convergence"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 07/06/2024
Label: Everlasting Spew Records

 
“Convergence” CS//CD/DD//LP track listing:
 
1. Cryogenian
2. Convergence
3. Askesis
4. Ancient Civilizations
5. Obelisk
6. Ciphertext
7. Xiphoid
8. Algorithmic Pathways
9. Encephalon
 
 
The Review:

Fractal Generator return for a blackened tech death encounter of the third kind here. Much like the first two albums, this is of the sci-fi themed variety of the genre. The Canadian members, known only by binary code, have created a concept piece about new planets arriving in the current solar system and the album explores this idea.
 
There are some quirky elements here- choral vocals on “Ancient Civilizations”, synths here, there and everywhere- but there are also the expected elements; death growls, warp speed drums and a distinctly dystopian atmosphere. Since Pestilence introduced atmospheric instrumental link pieces, other bands in the death metal genre have followed suit with mixed results- but things are done very well here.
There are no separate instrumental tracks, but the band does set the tone for each track with interesting intros and a surprisingly lush palette of sounds features across the songs- as mentioned.

“Cryogenian” sets the tone- fast and furious, all other tracks offer sinister creeping dread, along with  the blasting- such as “Obelisk”. The passages of riffs in “Ciphertext” are sublime and elsewhere on the album, things are just as impressive. Once again, Fractal Generator have delivered an excellently written, played and produced example of how this type of extreme metal should be done.

This is for fans of the genre- of course- but is strongly recommended because of this fact. You won’t hear better this year.

“Convergence” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Deicide, "Banished By Sin"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 26/04/2024
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music

 
“Banished By Sin” CD//DD//LP track listing:
 
1. From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall
2. Doomed To Die
3. Sever The Tongue
4. Faithless
5. Bury The Cross…With Your Christ
6. Woke From God
7. Ritual Defied
8. Failures Of Your Dying Lord
9. Banished By Sin
10. A Trinity Of None
11. I Am I…A Curse Of Death
12. The Light Defeated
 
The Review:

Deicide are, undeniably, one of the classic bands of the death metal genre. Even though their lyrical themes don’t really concern death, usually, and are instead often blasphemous tracts against him upstairs and his son.
 
Having made an absolute classic debut, followed it with three further classics in a row and then… seen out their Roadrunner Records contract (!), the band were rejuvenated briefly twenty years ago with “Scars of the Crucifix”, prior to the departure of the hulking Hoffman brothers. The band has then seen different line ups come and go, some great records (“Stench of Redemption”) some passable ones (“To Hell With God”, “Til Death Do Us Part”) and on a general level, has kept going. We are nearly 35 years into recorded output at this point. I remember Motorhead’s 25^th anniversary and that, at the time, was almost unthinkable.
 
Does the world need another Deicide album? Does Glen Benton have anything left to say? Does Steve Asheim still want to write full length death metal albums in between going to the shooting range, smoking weed and lifting weights?!
 
Well, regardless of the answers to those questions, we have another Deicide album. The AI infused artwork may have caused some controversy, but it looks fine to me (I know, I know, I said that about the Pestilence art as well, so… art is in the eye of the beholder, or something). Firstly, the sound: it’s polished, machined, clear, slick… nothing like the debut. Not as individualistic as “Once Upon The Cross”. It sounds thoroughly modern- your views will be your own in that regard.
 
From “Unknown Heights You Shall Fall” sounds like Deicide circa 2024- everything professional, slick and in the right place. Benton still does the low and high double tracking, the instrumentation chugs and churns along. “Doomed To Die” offers more of the same, slick pacing and hooks. Across the forty minutes here, it really is business as usual. At 12 tracks, it’s two tracks too long, but that’s churlish talk.
 
My main issue with “Banished By Sin” is that it is perhaps a little too safe, a little too familiar. Deicide have nothing new to say- they haven’t since 1997- but they have occasionally found better ways to say them. Some of their albums are better than others, some are more fiery, some less committed to the cause and so on. I found myself enjoying the atmospheric riffage intro of “Faithless” a lot more than the more run of the mill songs contained here, that’s for sure.
 
Yes, “Bury The Cross With Your Christ” is absolutely what you want from the band, while “Woke From God” offers up an excellent song title and excellent lead work- but you may have heard this all before.
 
The title track is great; classic rolling feel, lovely lead work, headbanging opportunities aplenty!
I suppose the album could be summed up by saying that if you have never heard Deicide but like death metal (?!) then you will like this. If you are a fully paid up Deicide fan, you’ll like this. If you are a fan of a few albums here and there- perhaps of the old school variety, you may be a little less sure. I’m in the latter camp, and to be clear there is absolutely nothing wrong with this record: all parts are present and correct.  They may never top “O.U.T.C.” in my eyes, but they are still ferocious and kicking against the Christians with bile. The fact that this album didn’t fully do it for me is my problem. Deicide, it’s not you- it’s me!
 

Band info: official || facebook || instagram

ALBUM REVIEW: Pestilence, "Levels of Perception"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length (Re-Recordings)

Date Released:26/04/2024
Label: Agonia Records

“Levels of Perception” track listing:

1. Horror Detox (re-recording)
2. Mvlti Dimensional (re-recording)
3. Mobvs Propagationem (re-recording)
4. Sinister (re-recording)
5. Dehydrated (re-recording)
6. Dominatvi Svbmissa (re-recording)
7. Land Of Tears (re-recording)
8. Necromorph (re-recording)
9. Deificvs (re-recording)
10. Twisted Truth (re-recording)
11. Sempiternvs (re-recording)
12. Ovt of the Body (re-recording)

The Review: 

Pestilence are one of the greatest death metal bands ever. The greatest death metal band from mainland Europe, certainly. They were progressive before others. They embraced the melding of genres when others wouldn’t or couldn’t. In Patrick Mameli, there exists a contradictory and bullish figure. A man capable of extreme music and music of extreme complexity and beauty. The martial arts enthusiast looks and lives like his music sounds; uncompromising, full on and intense. Make no mistake, Mameli is Pestilence in the same way that Lemmy was Motorhead or Dave Mustaine is Megadeth.

Re-recordings by bands of older materials are usually done for one or a couple of several reasons. It can be that the band was screwed by their label(s) and need to reclaim their own material. It can be to improve on the sonic quality- or lack thereof- of the original. It can be to re-work/re-imagine the songs and give a fresh reading to the fans.

Or it can be, simply, unclear. Much like the production and mix deployed across this set of 12 excellent pieces of music. While the Cavalera brothers can easily point to the lo-fi production values for their reasons to re-record “Morbid Visions” (fair enough) and Testament can put out “First Strike Still Deadly” as a kind of updated-smorgasboard of their earlier work, the fact is that Pestilence albums have always sounded, for the most part, excellent (criticisms for “Doctrine”s tuning and use of eight string guitars aside). “Consuming Impulse” still sounds raging to me. “Testimony of the Ancients” sounded great. “Hadeon”, decades later, is just crystal clear and beastly.

Mameli has served this up as a kind of re-recorded best of and as a compilation, I can’t fault the song choice.

Their latter-day work is expertly produced and written. Patrick Mameli is a musical visionary, no doubt. He is an innovator in the death metal genre and can be seen as a musical genius without living peer in the tech/prog/fusion-metal world. It’s only with the benefit of hindsight that “Spheres” has been understood as a brilliant melding of death metal and jazz. Similarly, albums like “Hadeon” and “Exitivm” are just incredible; vicious, dissonant, atonal, strangely memorable and featuring inhuman dexterity from the musicians involved.

Let’s look to the music first: a version of “Dehydrated” from “Consuming Impulse” is here! Versions of “Land of Tears” and “Twisted Truth” from “Testimony…” are here. “Necromorph” from “Obsideo” is here… the track listing is eclectic and career spanning. A strong start.

“Horror Detox” from “Resurrection Macabre” kicks things off and is a vicious burst of death metal. “Sinister” from “Doctrine” is a real rager, as well. “Multi Dimensional” from “Hadeon” and “Mobvs Propogationem” from “Exitivm” are both really strong tracks. In fact, the song selection is great- I mean, all Pestilence albums are at the least good. Some are simply incredible.

I can confidently state this: the songs are excellent. The musicianship is jaw dropping at times. Some of the passages in tracks like “Land of Tears” blow my mind, thirty years plus after I first heard them. However, and this is a big however; the sound of this record does not compare- in any way- to the sound on any album I have mentioned so far.

When I first listened to the version of “Horror Detox” here, I thought it was a demo. It’s weirdly muffled and boxy. Through headphones, it sounds like everything is competing with everything else in the centre of your head. It almost has a mono like quality to the sound. This is at its most glaring when listening to it next to any competently produced/mixed/mastered album of the metal genre. I’d been listening back through the back catalogue prior to listening to this and when I finished “Hadeon”, I pressed play on this and… wow. It’s a huge step down and a real lo-fi shock to the system. It sounds like it hasn’t been mastered at all, such is the lack of brightness and lack of listenable sheen. It’s also quiet. Really quiet.

It really is the strangest thing, you get world class musicianship and material paired with the production values of an incompetent death metal band in the mid 90s- and I should know; I was in one.

The genesis of this album has been a troubled one- the controversy over the original AI art (I thought it was a cool cover, to be honest, but I appreciate the arguments for and against) and then the collective head-scratching as to why this exists. On a more positive note, once you are a few tracks in and have adjusted to the sound/mix/production, this is a very strong collection of songs.

Honestly, I can’t find fault. It’s not possible for me to pick a kind of ‘best of’ Pestilence comp, but I can’t really argue with the choices here. It’s 12 lessons in death metal mastery in just under 45minutes. No issues there. For a death metaller who has never heard Pestilence? I mean, they could start here- but they probably shouldn’t. Just stick on… any studio album. You’ll get quality all the way.

Here, you get great music, great playing and awful production- which is a gripe I feel almost churlish for making. Take “…AJFA” by Metallica as the most obvious example of this issue- a flawed experiment, a classic album, a terrible mix. BUT, that was an album that stood alone and had no peer. The material on “Levels of Perception” does have a peer- every song has been recorded, released and heard before and they are all excellent in their original form.

Maybe there is an over-arching concept here that I’m missing. Maybe Patrick is planning something, I just don’t know. As always though, don’t take my word for it. Have a listen for yourself.

If you do start here, I urge you to listen to the music and take the compositions on their own merits- forget the production and enjoy a masterclass in progressive death metal from a unique band. No other band sounds like Pestilence, they are a unique proposition. Let’s hope the forthcoming studio album of original material (“Portals”) gets everything right- not just the songs and playing. In conclusion, I recommend all Pestilence albums and advise anyone who has never heard the band to listen to them all. If you are a long-term fan, by all means pick this one up as well- but expect differences that you may not appreciate.

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Black Tusk, "The Way Forward"

 By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 26^th April 2024
Label: Season of Mist

“The Way Forward” CD//DD//LP track listing:
 
1). Out Of Grasp
2). Brushfire
3). Harness (The Alchemist)
4). Lessons Through Deception
5). Breath Of Life
6). Dance On Your Grave
7). Against The Undertow
8). Lift Yourself
9). Ocean Of Obsidian
10). Flee From Dawn
11). The Way Forward
 
 
The Review:

Black Tusk are back with another very noisy 35 minutes of punky, sludgy, speedy goodness. These Savannah veterans have been around for some time now and have even survived the tragic death of original bassist/vocalist Jonathan Athon.
 
Since Athon’s last appearance on the “Pillars of Ash” record, we have had a new line-up put forth “Taking Care of Business”, a b-sides comp and now “The Way Forward”. Black Tusk are best compared to an early Mastodon with prevalent punk influences or a punk Baroness without dynamics or texture. If that sounds like your thing- and you’ve never heard the band- you’ll love this.
 
The sound is raw, loud, fast and in your face. The songs are short and to the point; eleven tracks and the first three blaze by with “Harness (The Alchemist)” being my pick of the opening trio with its Motorhead pacing and attitude. Having solidified as a four piece line up, the guitars do more- more interplay and more weight. The drums and bass rumble and thrash very convincingly and the whole effect is gnarly, noisy and absolutely over the top.
 
As the album goes on, the band is taking care of business in the way they know best: as usual. There are no great surprises, no huge changes of direction. While the riffage of “Breath of Life” may reference Fu Manchu, Black Tusk are a much more frenetic kind of beast; revved up and turbo charged.
 
There’s nothing weak here, nothing wasted either. It is exactly what you expect it to be and it is what it is when you first hear it. Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay here is that “The Way Forward” is real! What you hear is what was played. It sounds live and reckless and full of energy. No sound replacements or overproduction- just a tight band playing as hard as they can- kind of like a modern spin on Black Flag mixed up with any of the bands previously mentioned.
 
Truthfully, you can press play on any track here and know EXACTLY what the band is about. “Dance On Your Grave” is great and full on, but I could say that about “Against The Undertow” or “Lift Yourself” or.. any song.
 
Yep, Black Tusk have done it again- they continue to produce noisy and totally committed music in the most unfussy and direct fashion. With the way things are going, we need Black Tusk more than ever. Essential.
 
“The Way Forward” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: High On Fire, "Cometh The Storm"

 By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 19/04/2024
Label: MNRK Heavy

 
“Cometh The Storm” CD//DD//LP track listing:
 
1. Lambsbread
2. Burning Down
3. Trismegistus
4. Cometh the Storm
5. Karanlık Yol (instrumental)
6. Sol’s Golden Curse
7. The Beating
8. Tough Guy
9. Lighting Beard
10. Hunting Shadows
11. Darker Fleece
 
The Review:
 
Heavy music has a fine tradition of power trios. It’s a great format for a band to cut the fat and simply go for the throat- or to expand into free form jam territory. Thinking about power trios, there are bands of both types in most of heavy music’s sub genres; from The Jimi Hendrix Experience to Cream, to Motorhead, to the doomy likes of The Gates of Slumber, the extreme likes of Dying Fetus, to the epic likes of Manilla Road (80s vintage) and on and on.
 
With High On Fire firmly in the go-for-the-throat camp, their closest classic cousin is Motorhead. That’s not to say there is no room for extended guitar freakouts, winding instrumentals or laid-back vibes… but it’s at that Motorhead on steroids sweet spot that Mike Pike and friends really excel.
 
After losing powerhouse original drummer Des Kensel, the band recruited Coady Willis, toured to get him bedded in and then embarked on the follow up to “Electric Messiah”. Can the band cut it and deliver another pummelling feast of noisy pyrotechnics?
 
Well, with Kurt Ballou producing, this was always going to be a sonic war of an album. Since he hooked up with the band for “De Vermiis Mysteriis”, the band’s sound has got bigger and bigger. Jack Endino did a great job with “Death Is This Communion”, but it is Ballou that has made his sound synonymous with the band.
 
“Cometh The Storm” sounds massive. Huge. Crushing. Very noisy. Very heavy. Crystal clear, as well! Of the eleven tracks, the band run the gamut of their repertoire. The opener, “Lambsbread” is ferocious, heavy and absolutely primes you for what is to come. From there, you get heavy and epic (“Burning Down”), noisy (“Trismegistus”), dynamic and rhythmic AND crushing (the title track) and so on… In short, the band is firing on all cylinders here.
 
“Cometh The Storm” has, perhaps, more light and shade than “Electric Messiah”, less aggression than “Luminiferous” or “DVM”, but has similar features to all three of those records. This is, quite simply, very heavy stuff and right in my personal sweet spot for heavy music in general. There is a welcome return for the middle eastern sounds heard on “Death Is This Communion” (“Karanlik Yol”), which adds a nice diversion into the mix and varies the texture of the record nicely.

At eleven tracks long, this is no short sharp shock- the band spread their wings impressively on closer “Darker Fleece”, alongside the aforementioned title track and “Burning Down”. The band even revert to their more sludgy roots on “Sol’s Golden Curse”, while simply beating the listener senseless on “Tough Guy” and the aptly named “The Beating”.
 
“Lightning Beard” here is a great exercise in rhythmic beatdown, while “Hunting Shadows” allows some melody and hooks into proceedings. By the time of the ten-minute “Darker Fleece”, my ears are tired- this is a beastly sounding record. There are a few tracks which allow for respite, but- to draw a comparison- much like Judas Priest’s “Painkiller album”, this is as heavy as things get. It is just unbelievably weighty.
 
Where this sits in the High On Fire Discography will be revealed in time, but the band have never put a foot wrong and have pretty much gone from strength to strength with each record. Now at the quarter century mark, they show no signs of mellowing, slowing down or changing direction. Much like Motorhead, in fact. So, great songs, great sound, good variety, relentlessly heavy… business as usual and probably the album of the year.
 
“Cometh The Storm” is available HERE

Band info: Bandcamp || Facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Judas Priest, "Invincible Shield"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 06/03/2024
Label: Columbia | Epic

 
“Invincible Shield” CD//DD//LP track listing:
 
1. Panic Attack
2. The Serpent And The King
3. Invincible Shield
4. Devil In Disguise
5. Gates Of Hell
6. Crown Of Horns
7. As God Is My Witness
8. Trial By Fire
9. Escape From Reality
10. Sons Of Thunder
11. Giants In The Sky
 
Deluxe edition bonus tracks:
 
12. Fight Of Your Life
13. Vicious Circle
14. The Lodger
 
 
The Review:

It’s been six years since “Firepower”, which was released 28 years after Judas Priest had made their last classic record, “Painkiller”. “Firepower”, as I stated at the time- and as I still affirm now- was nothing less than a latter day Priest classic. Can a band that is 50 years old still deliver the goods?!
As soon as “Panic Attack” opens this record the answer is emphatic: yes.
 
Of course, this is not exactly Judas Priest as we know them. KK Downing is long gone from the ranks. Glenn Tipton is still credited and listed as part of the band, but he must have taken a back seat in the recording process at least, as he is sadly suffering from Parkinsons and is now in his mid 70s. However, Rob Halford is back at the front, Ian Hill is as solid and unflashy on the bass as ever and Scott Travis remains behind the kit- as he has done for 34 years at this point.
 
Richie Faulkner must be given huge credit here; his guitar pyrotechnics are all over this record. He plays like a demon from hell. He shreds. He soars like a bird of prey. He is flashy, melodic, stone hard and occasionally delicate. Truly, the guitar work on this album is stellar. The solos and rhythm work is uncredited, but I really hope that Tipton got to play on here somewhere- if not every track.
 
The production, courtesy of erstwhile Sabbat man Andy Sneap is state of the art. It is slick, incredibly well mixed and it sounds, to be frank, incredible. Personally, I prefer more rough and ready sounding albums and drums that sound ‘live on stage/in a room’ but I cannot fault the production here for what it is: a modern, huge, and slick sounding metal behemoth. Judas Priest got things right with “Firepower” and they get things right again here. Metallica: take note.
 
The album covers a lot of ground and a lot of moods and approaches. Yes, Priest sound like Priest, but each record is different with its own identity. “Turbo” is a far cry from “Painkiller”. “Stained Class” is very different to “British Steel”. “Jugulator” is totally different to “Nostradamus”. If comparisons are to be drawn, this is not dissimilar to “Firepower” but is perhaps closer in some ways to “Redeemer of Souls” in terms of moods and melody. Indeed, “Redeemer…” could have been a Priest classic, were it not for a lacklustre production and mix and too many mid paced moments.
 
Priest don’t make those mistakes here. The first three tracks are simply headbanging heaven. Neck-snapping nitro-glycerine for newbies and oldies alike. “Panic Attack”, “The Serpent and the King” and the title track simply put the pedal to the heavy metal and fly. Screaming vocals, searing guitars and pounding drums create an adrenaline fuelled vehicle- made of metal. Halford sounds incredible and once again Travis is awake and on fire with his effortless and ambidextrous precision behind the kit.
 
It’s nice to hear the Halford lyricisms present and correct as well; instead of ‘desolisating’ we get ‘volatise’ and so on. A nice nod to the group’s history and Rob’s approach to words and the English language: if it sounds right… it’s in!
 
The band drop down the tempo for “Devil In Disguise” and it reminds me of a kind of throwback to “Killing Machine/Hell Bent For Leather”- a dose of melody, a dose of groove, some heavy riffage and a big chorus. It’s a really solid track and not one I would have expected on “Firepower”. This is the band spreading their sad wings wider.
 
“Gates of Hell” is again at a different tempo, utilises some excellent guitar motifs and features an excellent Halford performance. This one could have fitted in on “British Steel”, or “Screaming…” or “Defenders…” it’s that kind of track. Quality hard rock/metal. “Crown of Horns” is up next and represents the slower and more melodic side of Priest. A side, to be honest, I don’t much care for. This would indeed have worked on “Redeemer of Souls”, “Point of Entry” or even “Turbo”. It’s well crafted and catchy, but NOT what I want from Judas Priest, even at this late stage of their career.
 
Pleasingly, “As God Is My Witness” sprints out of the blocks with the double bass drums rolling. This is what I’m here for; HEAVY METAL. Yep, this rules and sprinkles liberal doses of lead work throughout as Travis simply pulverises the kit. “Trial By Fire” drops tempo again, but more effectively this time. Interesting timing and clever riffing coalescing for a big chorus with a nice rolling feel- again shades of the best “Redeemer” material. Changing up again, “Escape From Reality” has a Sabbath vibe to the riff, before using dynamics to build the tension and another strong chorus. Halford channels Ozzy for the middle eight and it really works.
 
The last two tracks of the album proper are “Sons of Thunder” and “Giants in The Sky”. “Sons of Thunder” is a distant cousin of “Hell Bent For Leather” with a ‘freedom biker’ theme- and a gang backing vocal on the chorus. It’s fun, it’s metal; it opens the throttle up for the solo sections and allows Halford to once again give voice to his open-highway fantasies. “Giants In The Sky” is a celebratory affair but tinged with a little sadness. A tribute to the fallen gods of the metal world, Halford remembers his friends and pays heartfelt tribute to them here; you can imagine Lemmy, Dio et al voicing their approval and raising a glass in return. It’s lovely to hear Halford’s passion for the legends of the genre- he remains a fan, even after all these years.
 
It’s a nice closing statement and a reminder that Priest won’t be around forever. If this is the last studio album, it’s a very good one to go out on and represents everything that is good about the band; varied material, masterful metal and a real ear for melody missing from much of the modern-day genre. Halford’s final scream is excellent, as well.
 
If you are streaming the album, or if you shelled out for the special edition CD, you will also hear three bonus tracks. “Fight For Your Life” is a grooving stomper with another melodic chorus. It’s a decent track, but not quite up to the standard of the rest of the record, perhaps. “Vicious Circle” is a chugging monster and- for my money- could have made the main body of the record easily; a quality slice of steel.
 
Finally, there is the outlier. The oddball. The bonus track that wouldn’t have fitted on the main record. “The Lodger” is a strange one. It’s not written by the band. It is the work of Bob Halligan Jnr who wrote “Take These Chains”, in the band’s early 80s golden years on “SFV”. As a point of note, I dislike “Take These Chains” intensely. I don’t like “Some Heads are Gonna Roll” from “Defenders…” either. This song is like something out of a Broadway musical. It’s kind of a crime drama, but for me is far too close to Spinal Tap’s “Jack The Ripper” musical idea for comfort. He’s a naughty one, that Bob Halligan Jnr. All of that said, it is a bonus track and the band is to be commended for trying something different and giving the fans more for their money. Many will love it.
 
So, what’s the verdict? It’s a latter-day Priest triumph. I don’t think it quite matches up to “Firepower”, but some will disagree. This is a quality record through and through and certainly better than everything the band did in the latter half of the 80s and then better than everything other than “Painkiller” and “Firepower” since. Really, for a band half a century in, I could absolutely not ask for any more than this. The band is still firing on all cylinders and the vast majority of the eleven tracks that make up the album proper are excellent. Of the three bonus tracks, one is a killer, one is a filler and one is not for me at all. Overall, this is superlative heavy metal and absolutely worthy of one of the best bands in the genre.
 
Sign on the line and let The Priest have your soul, indeed.
 
For my own bonus track, here is my list of Priest studio albums in order of preference. Don’t get too upset, it’ll change tomorrow. And next week. And on and on.

1). Sad Wings of Destiny
2). Stained Class
3). British Steel
4). Firepower
5). Killing Machine (Hell Bent For Leather)
6). Painkiller
7). Sin After Sin
8). Defenders of The Faith
9). Invincible Shield
10). Jugulator
11). Screaming For Vengeance
12). Rocka Rolla
13). Redeemer of Souls
14). Angel of Retribution
15). Point of Entry
16). Ram It Down
17). Demolition
18). Turbo
19). Nostradamus

Band info: official || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: The Obsessed, "Gilded Sorrow"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 16^th February 2024
Label: Ripple Music  

 
“Gilded Sorrow” CD//DD//LP track listing:
 
1.Daughter of an Echo
2.It's Not OK 
3.Realize a Dream
4.Gilded Sorrow
5.Stoned Back to the Bomb Age 
6.Wellspring - Dark Sunshine
7.Jailine
8.Yen Sleep
9.Lucky Free Nice Machine
 
 
The Review:
 
The first album in well over half a decade, the first as a new four piece- Dave Sherman sadly departed this mortal coil in 2022- so we are in somewhat untested waters here. Well, to an extent; as Wino is The Obsessed in the same way that Lemmy was Motorhead.
 
He is in fine voice- it’s fully intact and not ravaged by age or touring. He sounds great. In fact, the whole album sounds great- a big beefy sounding thing with real drums and real playing. Musically, you know what to expect here: traditional doom metal and doom rock. This is the street level doom of Maryland, not the more epic variety bandied about by Candlemass or similar.
 
In that regard, The Obsessed are closer to their stateside cousins Pentagram and closer family members like Saint Vitus. It’s a style of doom I particularly like, and one I find endlessly entertaining. The opening one-two of “Daughter of an Echo” and “It’s Not Ok” set the stall out; grooves & riffs, Wino pissed off and switched on. The record is a little more cohesive than “Sacred” was- it hangs together nicely.
 
I mentioned rock as well as metal earlier. I say that as there is a distinctly classic rock vibe to the songs here, kind of like how there was with Place of Skulls and Victor Griffin’s best material. You could imagine Thin Lizzy laying down some of these riffs, or even Nazareth. It has that kind of timeless quality to it. Whether it be the mellow title track that creeps and teases out of the speakers or the more traditional doom of Stoned Back to the Bomb Age, this is very convincingly played and presented.
 
It’s not all absolute gold; a couple of song intros are a little drawn out for my liking and the record has some songs that are clearly stronger than others. But, for every “Wellspring” there is a “Jailene” and Wino’s story telling is on point throughout. The record is perfectly paced and curated at nine tracks- and closing statement “Lucky Free Nice Machine” is a minute lone instrumental. There is no need for any more than that and each track offers something different. Eight tracks was often the magic number back in the halcyon days of the 70s and so it proves today.
 
Overall, then, you get another quality album from The Obsessed, full of fire and venom as well as some pleasingly hazy vibes at times as well. Where this will sit in the band’s discography, I am not quite sure as repeated listens will bring big rewards, I think. For fans of Wino, this is essential and for fans of ‘doom’ that doesn’t have any songs, have a listen to this and enjoy some actual songwriting for a change. A still magnificent beast, refusing to toe the party line. Business as usual, then.
 
“Gilded Sorrow” is available HERE 

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