RECORDS OF THEIR YEARS...with South Louisiana sludge infused progressive duo Radiant Knife

Hailing from South Louisiana, Radiant Knife plays the sort of sludge-infused progressive metal popularized by fellow southerners Mastodon, but play the style very much in their own way.  Their new album “Science Fiction” is packed with inventive song structures and trampling riffs that are underscored by a strong sense of melody.

Although often lumped into the post-metal category, Radiant Knife's broad sonic spectrum lands somewhere between experimental projects such as Zebulon Pike, King Crimson, “Willpower” era Today is the day and Zombi. Today we’re excited not only be premiered a fantastic new track “Suffer Under God” but Greg Travasos (drums) and Stephen Sheppert (guitar, vocals, keys) chat to us about their “Records of their Years”.  Check it out below.

SL: Favourite album from the year you were born?

Greg:  Motörhead, “Ace Of Spades”.

What can I say it's a classic, plus it’s the only thing that I liked out of that year that I can find. Really there self titled is the jam but I wasn't born in 77’. Also Phil Taylor rips.

Stephen:  Probably Rush, “2112”.  I was born in 76, and although this is not my favourite album by Rush it’s a good album.  Also I believe AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” was released that year also so that’s up there as well.

SL: First album you bought with your own money?

Greg:  Metallica ,”...And justice For All”. Yeah, I was at a K-Mart if those exist anymore, where cassette tapes came in oversized plastic things. I remember my cousin telling me to get it because they had lyrics that said “Put your Mother to death” I thought that was pretty sick so I got the cassette, and loved it since. Heaviest album I had at 11.

Stephen:  Now that I really think about it, it was probably Guns n Roses, “Appetite for Destruction”.  I would sit in front of MTV for hours figuring out all the hair metal stuff on guitar. My pops was/is a rocker and didn’t limit any of my music choices.  Most of the time he bought the tape/record before I did.

SL: Favourite non metal / rock album?

Greg:  Father John Misty “I love you Honeybear”. Great compositions, songwriting and lyrics. I have much relatable laughter with his lyrics and cynicism. Much relatable truths I can see in my day to day life. Also could be a comedy album as well.

Stephen:  Polvo, “Exploded Drawing”, or really any of their albums.  Some great dissonant guitar work and great songwriting on those albums.  They have a knack for keeping it low key, dark and angular. All good stuff.

SL: Favourite album of all time?

Greg: This is always are hard question to answer, as I don’t really have a favourite album of all time.  I like a shit ton of albums, but Suffocation, “Pierced from Within” definitely stepped up heaviness in metal for me when I was younger. Listened to a lot of death metal, punk and grindcore in my younger days and this was the go to then. Crazy riffs, time changes, low growls, sick drumming.

Stephen:  King Crimson, “Red”.  When Dillinger Escape Plan unleashed “Under the Running Board”, that started a whole musical journey into off timed/progged out music that eventually led me to the source of all that stuff.  That source IS King Crimson, “Red”. It’s a great album, but when listening to it, it’s also like paying homage to my elders.

SL:Favourite album (s) of 2018?

Greg:  YOB, “Our Raw Heart” Heavy and emotional crushing, jammed this album a couple of times. Atmospheric and cool. You can feel Mike Scheidt’s pain in this album, which explains this album title.

Stephen:  YOB, “Our Raw Heart” as well.  I’ve never been a YOB worshipper like some but to me this album brings a more positive, over the horizon emotional vibe compared to their previous work.  It’s shoegazish at times and you can definitely tell some of the songs originated on acoustic.

SL:...and finally The last album you bought

Greg: Spazz, “La Revancha”. I had this CD a long time ago, lost it, recently repurchased. Short fast bay area  skater grindcore. I remember playing the shit out of this in high school. Definitely brings back memories of how shitty and awesome the late 90’s were.

Stephen:  King Crimson, “Discipline” reissue on vinyl.  Not my favourite album by them but the song “Frame by Frame” itself probably spawned countless math oriented bands/songs, including much of Don Caballero’s catalogue.

“Science Fiction” is available to preorder/buy here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Dead Empires, "Designed to Disappear"

By: Mark Ambrose


Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 23/02/2018

Label: Silent Pendulum Records

 

“Witnessed live and through my speakers, “Designed to Disappear” is a juggernaut of a record – one that hops easily between genres while remaining the work of a distinct, remarkable quartet.  I’m onboard for whatever challenging, inspiring output they have in store.”

“Designed to Disappear” CD//CS//DD//LP track listing

1. Spectacular Ruin

2. The Form

3. Slay Rider

4. Reverse Speak

5. A Summertime Song

6. Ones and Zeros

7. Ergot (feat. John Carbone)

8. Designed to Disappear

The Review:        

The term “progressive” gets thrown around pretty egregiously in metal – most often you’re left thinking of bands like Dream Theater or Iced Earth, and even then thinking in terms of scale, length, or concept albums.  Far too frequently, it’s easy to forget how the genuine first wave of “prog” artists, from King Crimson and Santana to Yes and Rush, embraced weirdly abstruse musical styles.  While a ton of modern prog enthusiasts will point to the longform arena rock epics like “2112”, there aren’t many who hold up the 80s pop experimentation of Yes as key progressive cornerstones.  Yet with the supremacy of total oddball artists like Mike Patton and his onetime collaborators in the dearly departed Dillinger Escape Plan in the 1990s and 2000s metal/math/whatevercore scenes, there is growing appreciation for boundary-free heavy music.  New York state’s Dead Empires, formerly an instrumental trio, have all the hallmarks of these monumentally talented virtuosos with a healthy injection of pop sensibility to match. 

Intro track “Spectacular Ruin” displays the muscular guitar- focused energy at the heart of Dead Empires winning formula, allowing John Bryan space to lay down harmonized, rousing leads that will please the Thin Lizzy fanatics out there.  “The Form” unleashes vocalist Jason “PRKR” Sherman for the first time – his monstrously distorted vocals and noisy manipulations are all the more exciting when his melodic strengths come to the foreground later.  The rhythm dynamic of Phil Bartsch and DJ Scully is monumental – heavy as the heart of a neutron star.  And Bryan’s apt countering of chugging rhythm and shrieking high end melodic guitar work sounds like the best Mars Volta leads we never got. 

“Slay Rider”, a thrashy two minute blast of galloping drums and blast beat choruses, is a great example of the Dead Empires’ bold disregard for genre conventions – they could have forged on with the noisy, experimental math rock of the first two tracks and had a pretty solid record, instead, they go full on groove-thrash attack before the heady, jazz grind freakout of “Reverse Speak.”   And that’s only the first two minutes of the track, before a beautifully salsa infused guitar and piano (guest Jason Volpe) tradeoff, pounding double bass drumming of Bartsch, or the magnificently melodic bridge vocals.  Just when you think you have Dead Empires’ formula pegged they drop into a spaced out dub metal (is that even a thing?) track like “A Summertime Song”.  Like a 311 song if they could just muster the grit to be HEAVY, “A Summertime Song” is the unlikeliest, weirdest 7 minutes I’ve heard on an album this year that actually works as a pop single.  DJ Scully’s gnarly bass gets some time to shine here and it’s easy to see why he’s an in demand multi-genre bassist – dude has some serious tone and chops.

The instrumental “Ones and Zeros” is a bit of a palate cleanser after the consistent tonal changeups of the record so far, recalling the meat and potatoes harmonies of “Spectacular Ruin”, with some moments that recall Big Country (maybe the most overlooked non-metal guitar group of the 80s), and others that once again have me thinking of Phil Lynott and company.  “Ergot” may be the most “conventional” post-metal/metalcore piece of the whole record, if a punishing metal song in the midst of all this post-rock beauty, featuring a spoken word coda courtesy of Moon Tooth’s John Carbone, can be called conventional at all.  The epic, titular finale is a 12 minute, anthemic journey through regret and mortality that is cinematic, rewarding, and ultimately uplifting, even with lyrics like “death, the great equalizer / everything will end one day / that’s the hard truth we go to bed with everyday, / designed to disappear we all go away”.  Somehow it’s far more inspiring than you’d imagine, with moments of seriously dissonant brutality.  More than any other track, I could see this as full on arena rock – it deserves an audience of thousands to truly appreciate its massive scale.

Though there are only eight tracks on their newest record, Dead Empires’ offer lightning fast jaunts through multiple genres, embodying the bold heart of progressive music’s infinite potential.  While their forebears like Dillinger Escape Plan have retired, or Mike Patton has stopped only occasionally to focus on projects that exist as more than one-off experiments, Dead Empires has the potential to continue as a band to watch, as every move seems to take you to new, unforeseen destinations.  It’s really amazing to see it replicated live, as I had to pleasure to experience this autumn, and hear so MUCH coming from a stripped down quartet.  If you have a chance to see them during the upcoming tour, I’d absolutely recommend it, as the pure intensity and prowess is somehow just as monumental, even in a small venue.  Witnessed live and through my speakers, “Designed to Disappear” is a juggernaut of a record – one that hops easily between genres while remaining the work of a distinct, remarkable quartet.  I’m onboard for whatever challenging, inspiring output they have in store.

“Designed to Disappear” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

Ghold - "PYR" (Album Review)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 06/05/2016
Label: Ritual Productions

“PYR” is an exceptional release from Ghold that really cements their position as the finest heavy act in the UK right now. It is the sound of a band who exist in a world of their own, above and beyond our plane of existence and drifting ever closer to the outer limits.

“PYR” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Collusion With Traitors
2. Blud
3. CCXX
4. Despert Thrang

The Review:

Bands that consist of only two members are often based on an intense, almost telepathic relationship. The addition of extra musicians into the equation can disrupt this delicate balance, for better or worse. London’s Ghold have expanded to a trio for new album “PYR” adding guitarist Oliver Martin to their ranks. Hopefully this will only enhance the mysterious alchemy the duo of Paul Antony and Aleks Wilson documented on their stellar debut LP “Of Ruin”.

Right from the start of opener “Collusion With Traitors” it is apparent that the addition of Martin has only made this monstrous band even more powerful. The three tracks that make up the first side of this LP take Ghold’s singular sonic vision and drive further out into the unknown. Trying to pin down their unique sound is difficult but imagine an intoxicating combination of the hypnotic groove of Om, the restless riffcraft of the Melvins and the dissonant prog rock of King Crimson. Comparison to other bands do not do justice to the sheer oddness of this album though, these compositions sound like the work of beings from a higher dimension.

The heavy riffs, labyrinthine song structures, ominous vocals and cavernous reverb of previous releases are still present. Rather than drowning the rhythm section in a sea of volume and feedback, Martin’s guitar adds atmospheric texture without being overpowering whilst bringing extra grunt where necessary. Jagged shards of lead guitar enhance the tension in “CCXX” as the lumbering intro twists into an unexpected burst of straight-ahead stoner punk before lurching back into sludge.

Brilliant as the first three tracks are, “PYR” is dominated by the 22 minute behemoth that is “Despert Thrang”. The first half sees Ghold at their most intense, pummelling noise-rock onslaughts bursting through periods of barely audible calm. Vocals switch between faraway chants and insistent barks as the band shift between extremes. This complexity is in contrast to the loose, almost improvised feel of the second section of the track. The band establish a dark, buzzing cloud of drone built around molasses-thick slow-motion riffs, crashing cymbals and distant wails provided by guest vocalist Rose Dagul.  The mind-blowing ambition of “Despert Thrang” makes for a captivating journey that is almost worthy of an album in its own right.

“PYR” is an exceptional release from Ghold that really cements their position as the finest heavy act in the UK right now. It is the sound of a band who exist in a world of their own, above and beyond our plane of existence and drifting ever closer to the outer limits.

“PYR” is available here

Band info: Facebook

Arcana 13 - "Danza Macabra" (Album Review)

By: Doza Hawes

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 11/03/2016

Label: Aural Music

This album is all about the groove, mixing swampy simplicity with killer vocal hooks. The production is modern and clear, but without sounding overproduced. The guitars are nicely fuzzed out, the bass is growling, and the drums sound crisp and natural.  Creepy keyboards and psychedelic sound effects weave in the background, tying the album together and never letting you forget that these are songs inspired by one thing:  horror.  Overall I would go so far as to say “Danza Macabra” is a contender for the Sludgelord list of top Doom releases of 2016

“Danza Macabra” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Dread Ritual

2. Arcane XIII

3. Land of Revenge

4. Oblivion Mushroom

5. Intermezzo (Bonus track for limited vinyl)

6. Suspiria (Goblin cover)

7. Blackmaster

8. The Holy Cult of Suicide

9. Hell Behind You

The Review:

When I heard about a new band from Italy that were inspired by classic Horror films and featured a Goblin cover on their debut album, I expected to hear creepy, all-instrumental progressive rock with insane technical wizardry, influenced by bands like classic Yes and King Crimson. I was wrong. Dead wrong. Instead, I got what could be a contender for the Sludgelord list of top Doom releases of 2016. Instead of proggy technical instrumentation, Arcana 13 delivers crushing riffs. Instead of the mind-bending arrangements and bizarre time signatures that we usually get with prog rock, Arcana 13 keeps it simple and brings us a classic Occult Doom album that is masterfully put together.

Titled “Danza Macabra”, the album is inspired by legendary horror classics by Dario Argento and Mario Bava (among others), such as “Inferno”, “Suspiria”, and “Mask of Satan”. Sealing the deal, they enlisted classic horror poster artist Enzo Sciotti to paint the album cover, of which he commented, “This is my masterpiece…perhaps the best horror ever!” It is truly a beautiful album cover.

What is interesting about this album is that, while paying tribute to the classic Doom masters such as Sabbath and Pentagram, the band have clearly been doing their homework and staying in touch with what is current in the Doom scene. I hear tributes to bands like Ghost, Sleep, Witchcraft, and Church of Misery, but without sounding like overt plagiarism, more like love and respect for these great bands. The vocals are clean with some fantastic harmonies; the only screaming you’ll hear is from the various horror movie samples that meander throughout the songs. The production is modern and clear, but without sounding overproduced. The guitars are nicely fuzzed out, the bass is growling, and the drums sound crisp and natural.  Creepy keyboards and psychedelic sound effects weave in the background, tying the album together and never letting you forget that these are songs inspired by one thing:  horror.

Their cover of Goblin’s Suspiria theme is a super cool rendition, taking the song in a groovy hard rock direction that is sure to make your head nod. If you’re looking for insane double bass blasts or technical guitar shred, you won’t get that here. This album is all about the groove, mixing swampy simplicity with killer vocal hooks. “Danza Macabra” is a great rock album, a great Doom album, and its infused with the band’s clear love for classic horror. Give Arcana 13 a listen and turn it way up. You might want to pick up one of their limited edition red blood spatter vinyls, if they haven’t already sold them all!

“Danza Macabra” is available here

Band info: bandcamp

Latitudes - "Old Sunlight" (Album Review)

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/01/2016

Label: Debemur Morti Productions

Their crunchy take on Pelican’s colossal ambition shot through with Mastodon’s progressive grit is as potent as ever, particularly evident on the monstrous “Altarpieces”. “Old Sunlight” is no retread of former glories though, every track crackles with the energy of the band expanding their horizons. “Ordalian” and “Gyre” are riddled with frantic black metal-influenced tremolo picking, injecting an air of grandiose melody to the Latitudes already epic sound.  “Old Sunlight” consolidates all that was great about Latitudes and stretches it in intriguing new directions to intoxicating effect. Hopefully they won’t leave another four years until the next time.

“Old Sunlight” CD//DD//LP track listing:

01. Ordalian
02. Body Within A Body
03. Amnio
04. Gyre
05. In Rushes Bound
06. Altarpieces
07. Quandary

The Review:

Hertfordshire quintet, Latitudes have built up a fierce reputation as a UK post-metal powerhouse equal to their US peers. New album, “Old Sunlight” shows that the four year gap since their last LP has done nothing to diminish their prowess. Their crunchy take on Pelican’s colossal ambition shot through with Mastodon’s progressive grit is as potent as ever, particularly evident on the monstrous “Altarpieces”.

“Old Sunlight” is no retread of former glories though, every track crackles with the energy of the band expanding their horizons. “Ordalian” and “Gyre” are riddled with frantic black metal-influenced tremolo picking, injecting an air of grandiose melody to the Latitudes already epic sound. These new influences are integrated seamlessly into their sonic spectrum, taking what could have been an abrupt, jarring swerve into new musical territory and creating a distinct sound, bearing the hallmarks of many genres, without slotting easily into any pigeonholes.

The band blur things further with “Body Within A Body” and “In Rushes Bound”. These tracks bring electronic textures to the fore, working alongside the punishing riffs to provide a perfect backdrop for some angelic, yet sinister, vocals. This is a style you rarely hear used in heavy music and works well here. The section in “Body Within A Body” when the music is stripped back to haunting organ and a lonely croon which creates an unsettling atmosphere, redolent of prog voyagers like King Crimson.

“Quandary” brings the album to a close with a sparse guitar and voice ballad, another left turn which reaps rewards. This track and drumless interlude “Amnio” provide effective contrast to the huge big riffing monsters here, allowing the listener to process these trips beyond the event horizon.

“Old Sunlight” consolidates all that was great about Latitudes and stretches it in intriguing new directions to intoxicating effect. Hopefully they won’t leave another four years until the next time.

“Old Sunlight” is available here

Band info: facebook

Goblin Rebirth - 'Goblin Rebirth' (Album Review)

By: Hunter Young

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 22/06/2015

Label: Relapse Records

If you want something that is out there, entertaining, and from a legendary band, look no further than Goblin Rebirth's self titled debut. Bend your mind, but only to the best of beats with these Italian masters of the reptilian beat!

‘Goblin Rebirth’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Requiem For X
2. Back in 74
3. Book of Skulls
4. Mysterium
5. Evil In The Machine
6. Forest
7. Bolero
8. Rebirth

Goblin Rebirth is

Bass | Fabio Pignatelli
Drums | Agostino Marangolo
Keyboards | Aidan Zammit
Keyboards | Danilo Cherni
Guitars | Giacomo Anselmi

The Review:

Hailing from the golden age of horror cinema soundtracks, Goblin Rebirth rises like a gore soaked phoenix from the on/off again ashes of (Giallo soundtrack legends) Goblin! Soaked in scintillating synth, rocking with raw riffage, and completely jamming with retro vibes, the self titled Goblin Rebirth has it all for those looking for pure musical ecstasy.

Honestly sounding like a homage to themselves, ‘Goblin Rebirth’ is an ode to a time for movies when a sick, memorable soundtrack was almost a physical character in a movie. Like Wes Craven (RIP) and a slew of current projects (Gatekeeper, Oscillotron, Espectrostatic, et al.), they sound as if they made the album for a funk movie ranging from gore, to Giallo, to exploitation, to just damn fun(ky). They are all over the place, befitting a progressive rock band from the 70s, and they are the European instrumental version of Chicago, Yes, or King Crimson, who in themselves are huge band for fans of synth and atmosphere, just saying.

The album plays like a selection of experimental rock from guys who know what the hell they are doing. No part of this is sloppy, or going to leave you wondering why they did this or that; it's a solid offering from a more weird rock place. To really enjoy this, darken the lights, get your favourite repast on a table next to you, some snacks, a good selection of drink, and just jam out! Some of it is a bit slow, like ‘Book of Skulls’, but it resolves itself well, and the playing is top notch. They riff, ramble, jam, and scorch their fret boards in time with your soul, and have no singer to take you out of the experience. ‘Book of Skulls’ is also one of the more movie-esque selections, of which they kind of all are, but you can make up a movie in your mind to certain ones more than others. For a solid pick, musically, ‘Evil in the Machine’ is raucous and jubilant, with sinister tones and a rare spot of digitized vocals to hammer home that circuit that may carry more than just electricity.

If you want something that is out there, entertaining, and from a legendary band, look no further than Goblin Rebirth's self titled debut. Bend your mind, but only to the best of beats with these Italian masters of the reptilian beat!

‘Goblin Rebirth’ is available here

FFO: Zombi, King Crimson, Fabio Frizzi, John Carpenter, Ennio Morricone

Band info: Facebook | Twitter

Live Review: King Crimson @ Lowry Theatre, Salford, 11th September 2015

By: Anthony Firmin

The Review

By 22:30 I was back home, tucked up in bed with a hot chocolate and with the cat at my side, so what went wrong?  Well, nothing…

When Robert Fripp announced back in September 2013 that King Crimson were to reform, after an enforced hiatus of 6 years, thousands of Prog heads worldwide became very, very excited.   Other than a few tantilising videos nothing more was really head from them until 2014 when they toured the USA playing a selection of old and new material.  Fast forward to September 2015 and a UK tour is underway including even more old material which has been “reconfigured” along with a slightly differing set list every evening – the archetypal King Crimson fan’s wet dream.

Ten of the 18 pieces played were from the 70’s with the 80’s completely ignored which was a shame because the drum/rhythm led work from that period would have slotted in nicely.  From the opening piece, Lark’s Tongue In Aspic, through to the set closer, Starless, we were treated to a journey through the past and a glimpse into the future.  That future being more jazz/dissonant oriented which received polite applause, the older audience reserving their energy for the older classics. 

The way the stage was set up was with the three drummers (Pat Masteletto, Bill Rieflin and Gavin Harrison) at the front and on a riser at the back were on sax/flute Mel Collins, bass/stick/cello Tony Levin, guitar/vocals Jakko Jakszyk and finally on guitar/frippertronics Robert Fripp.  This gives a feeling of unease, and the drum sound was unbalanced to an extent, presumably on purpose.

Fripp remained seated the whole show, hardly acknowledging that there was even an audience in attendance.  He was simply sat looking at his iPad and wearing headphones whilst playing guitar, in his own solitary Crimson world.  However, his playing although sometimes lost in the mix was sublime.  The rest of the band were all faultless, they are all seasoned world-class musicians after-all.   Jakszyk’s vocals were less than ideal with him having to copy Greg Lake and John Wetton; he tried, bless him, and his vocals were fine in their own way but he lacked the depth and power of those particularly on Easy Money and Epitaph.  The double retro encore of In The Court Of The Crimson King and 21^st Century Schizoid Man saw the audience at their most appreciative as the band were perfect but again vocally Jakszyk lacked Lakes passion and drive whilst delivering the classic lyrics “Cat’s foot, iron claw, neurosurgeons scream for more, at paranoia’s poison door, twenty-first century schizoid man” – they should have stabbed me through the heart, they merely patted me on the shoulder!

Overall an interesting experience that, if rumours on the internet are true, may never be repeated; we will wait and see.  Musically travelling from psychedelic rock anthems and classic Prog rock to jazz the only real bummer was when the house lights in the Lowry were on at 21:45 hence the early night.  At least the cat was happy to see me even if I was singing “Cat’s foot, iron claw…”!

           

Set list:

Larks’ Tongues In Aspic (Part I)

Pictures Of A City

Radical Action (To Unseat The Hold Of Monkey Mind)

Meltdown

Hell Hounds Of Krim

The ConstruKction Of Light

Level Five

Banshee Legs Bell Hassle

Easy Money

Epitaph

Interlude

The Letters

Sailor’s Tale

One More Red Nightmare

Starless

Devil Dogs Of Tessellation Row

Court Of The Crimson King

21st Century Schizoid Man