REVIEW: Speedclaw, "Beast In The Mist"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 01/06/2018

Label: Shadow Kingdom Records

The sound over the six tracks comes on like a revved up version of early Saxon and Dio crossed with “Fistful of Metal” era Anthrax and “Bonded By Blood” era Exodus. The production is 80's to the max, the performances strong and the band sound hungry and dangerous

“Beast In The Mist” CS//CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Prelude

2). Beast in the Mist

3). Faster Than Hell

4). Rising of the Claw

5). Aggression Strikes

6). Evil That You See

The Review:

Croatian Speed Metal! Speedclaw are probably Croatia's finest exponent of the genre... and maybe one of the best in the world. The sound over the six tracks comes on like a revved up version of early Saxon and Dio crossed with “Fistful of Metal” era Anthrax and “Bonded By Blood” era Exodus. The production is 80's to the max, the performances strong and the band sound hungry and dangerous. The instrumental “Prelude” opens proceedings before the title track rips out of the speakers with a vengeance. “Faster Than Hell” lives up to the title's promise. Widdly lead work abounds as riffs come thick and fast.

The latter three tracks deliver more of the same- pleasingly- and the band don't let up. Ranger have got some serious competition here as this is pure metal of the highest quality; nostalgic, referencing what went before and the band makes sure to put their own stamp on things. If anything, “Rising of the Claw” and “Aggression Strikes” go closer towards out and out extreme thrash metal, but that is no bad thing. Better to press the pedal to the metal than ease off down the back stretch!

The impressive EP/mini album closes with “Evil That You See”, which sees the NWOBHM influences come back to the fore. The name of the band tells you almost all you need to know here. Surely a candidate for a Fenriz endorsement (if he hasn't done so already) and high time the band gets offered a slot at Live Evil in London. Raging stuff.

“Beast In The Mist” is available here

Band info: facebook

VHÖL - ‘Deeper Than Sky’ (Album Review)

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 23/10/2015

Label: Profound Lore Records

VHÖL has cobbled together one of the more memorable and exciting albums of the last five years from bits and pieces of various metal subgenres, all of which work together seamlessly. ‘Deeper Than Sky is an absolute joy to listen to. It sounds alive. Every ounce of energy put into creating this album is present in each and every note, and the results are intoxicating. It’s the sort of album that makes a person glad that metal was the phase they never grew out of.

‘Deeper Than Sky’ CD//LP//DD track listing:

1. The Desolate Damned

2. 3AM

3. Deeper Than Sky

4.  Paino

5. Red Chaos

6. Lightless Sun

7. The Tomb

VHÖL is:

Mike Scheidt | Vocals

John Cobbett | Guitar

Aesop Dekker | Drums

Sigrid Sheie | Bass

The Review:

VHÖL is all over the place, but in the best way. Over the course of the album, you’re going to run into speed metal, hardcore punk, thrash, prog, death and black metal if not more besides. If anything, VHÖL’s newest album, ‘Deeper Than Sky’ serves a single album lesson in just how strongly connected all of the various heavy metal subgenres are. That all of these superficially different styles of metal come together so nicely on a single album should probably tell us that we’re spending too much time wedging them so far apart in the first place.

As I’m writing this, ‘Deeper Than Sky’ has been out for several weeks, and has received heaps of praise from just about everyone I’ve seen write about it. Really, this is like tossing yet another single gold coin into Scrooge McDuck’s money bin, but the truth is that this album’s undeniable. Just about every song on the album is an embarrassment of riches, riff-wise. The only real exception to that rule is “Paino”, which is likely what you’re expecting given its title. As a novelty, it’s a lot of fun hearing a thrash song performed with a piano in place of guitar, but it’s still a novelty song. Still, as a mid-album palate-cleanser, it’s a nice addition.

The keys to VHÖL’s success with this album is imagination and energy. You get the sense that everyone involved is having the time of their lives putting this thing together. It’s as if everyone in the band was 100% on board for every insane flight of fancy every other band member had all at once. You’re not likely you’re going to find many bands willing to go along with the sort of extended prog break you’ll find about four minutes into the album’s title track, considering the songs trajectory up to that point. But it’s that willingness to, for lack of a better phrase, say “fuck it, let’s do it anyway!” that puts this album above so many others this year.

‘Deeper Than Sky’ also proves that you don’t necessarily need to look for non-metal genre bedfellows to create a fresh and exciting heavy metal album in 2015. There are dozens of bands out there forcing indie rock and shoegaze into their black metal albums with the care of a burnout shoving their stash into a mattress to hide it from the police. Meanwhile, VHÖL has cobbled together one of the more memorable and exciting albums of the last five years from bits and pieces of various metal subgenres, all of which work together seamlessly. ‘Deeper Than Sky is an absolute joy to listen to. It sounds alive. Every ounce of energy put into creating this album is present in each and every note, and the results are intoxicating. It’s the sort of album that makes a person glad that metal was the phase they never grew out of. 

You can pick up a digital copy here and a CD/CS copy here.

FFO: Darkthrone, Voivod, Hammer of Misfortune,

Band info: Facebook

Tremonti - 'Cauterize' (Album Review)

‘It is not metal like Celtic Frost, certainly, but it is as metallic as bands like Black Label Society for instance.’

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 09/06/2015

Label: FRET12

‘Cauterize’ CD//DD track listing:

01. Radical Change
02. Flying Monkeys
03. Cauterize
04. Arm Yourself
05. Dark Trip
06. Another Heart
07. Fall Again
08. Tie The Noose
09. Sympathy
10. Providence

Tremonti is:

Mark Tremonti | Vocals, Guitars

Wolfgang Van Halen | Bass

Eric Freedman | Rhythm Guitar, vocals

Garrett Whitlock | Drums

Review:

Sludgelord... a blog for all things sludgy, doomy, sometimes even thrashy or deathy but always underground/alternative and often extreme. Why is a mainstream rock/metal record getting reviewed here?! Read on and find out...

Mark Tremonti, the prodigiously talented guitarist of Alter Bridge and (yes, sadly) Creed returns with this sophomore solo record which features none other than Van Halen offspring Wolfgang on bass. Mark's love of all things thrash is well documented (he professes an ongoing love for Celtic Frost and other 80's metal firmly on the darker side of the genre) and he brings out some of that here. To describe this as a thrash record would be inaccurate- it's not. There are sweeping melodic choruses- opener “Radical Change” is very speedy and very anthemic by turns. The sound is meaty and state of the art.

“Flying Monkeys” slows things down to a pleasantly chugging riff and groove. Again the chorus keeps things catchy and tones down the harshness. Essentially, the best way to sum things up are by stating that if Alter Bridge dropped most of their balladic tendencies and went all out as a rock/melodic metal hybrid, they would sound like this.

Tremonti has a fine singing voice and delivers a charismatic performance with a clear melodic bent to the writing. At no point does he growl or scream or outright go into extreme metal territory. Even the heaviest and fastest riffs are hummable and have a lot of light to go with the shade. The likes of the title track and “Arm Yourself” are very heavy in places and with speed and precision to boot. In my humble view, this is surely a metal record rather than rock- it tips over that line due to the speed and structures employed. It is not metal like Celtic Frost, certainly, but it is as metallic as bands like Black Label Society for instance. The solos are of course blinding; lightning speed and inventive runs abound. There is material which veers away from the heavier side- there is no aggression present in “Dark Trip” for instance, but it is still fine songwriting.

There are some truly huge riffs on here “Another Heart” opens with one and then backs off while “Fall Again” is perhaps the closest to an Alter Bridge ballad. “Tie The Noose”, meanwhile, is a great track full of edgy riffs and a fantastic chorus. The album keeps up the quality with the final two tracks, “Sympathy” (fine vocal performance here) and “Providence”. Whitlock and Friedman provide very able backing on drums and rhythm guitar/backing vocals respectively. Indeed, the drums of Garrett Whitlock are superbly played; snappy and very tight, just like on the preceding All I was record.

Yep, Cauterize is a great record. It is metal, it is hard rock but it is not extreme or underground in any way. Why review it here, then? Well, firstly it is a fine guitar driven album with great vocals and great introspective lyrics. Plus, the musicianship is top notch throughout, of course. That said, it is reviewed here because it exists on the edge of our weird universe of sub-sub-genres.

Indeed, if some kid who has never even heard of Electric Wizard but likes guitar driven music and thinks about picking up ‘Cauterize’ maybe he or she will search for a review... maybe he or she will read this one. Maybe they check out other reviews and check out those bands. Maybe they become an avid fan. Maybe they start a band and become the new Mark Tremonti or the new Electric Wizard. Most of us into metal sub-genres didn't start here. We moved towards it. I started with Metallica (The Black Album, in 1991) then went through Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Motorhead and Black Sabbath before seeking out the extreme and underground stuff. Long may that continue and long may we embrace all that we recognise as the being of the same breed. ‘Cauterize’ is certainly that, so if you want some well produced melodic metal look no further. And tell all your friends about it.

Words by: Richard Maw

‘Cauterize’ is available everywhere now

For more information:

Like: https://www.facebook.com/MarkTremonti

Follow: https://twitter.com/marktremonti

Ranger - 'Where Evil Dwells' (Album Review)

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 17/03/2015

Label: Spinefarm Records

‘Where Evil Dwells’ CD//DD//LP

1). Defcon 1

2). Deadly Feast

3). Phantom Soldier

4). Dead Zone

5). Black Circle (S.Y.L.S)

6). Where Evil Dwells

7). Storm of Power

Ranger is:

Dimi Pontiac | Bass & Vocals

Miko | Drums

Mikael | Guitar

Ville  | Guitar

Review:

I first became aware of Ranger at Live Evil Festival a couple of years ago. Quite simply, they are a Finnish speed/thrash metal with a very retrogressive attitude and approach. From the early Slayer-esque vocal screams to the soft sounding snare, this is like listening to a thrash record from 1984. There are guitar melodies that are reminiscent of Iron Maiden, lots of riffs and a very innocent charm to it all. These guys are young and brimming with enthusiasm; it's not a pastiche or even delivered with a knowing wink. It is exactly what it presents itself to be.

‘Def Con One’ presents all the traits described above (and trading solos, of course) and really, that is how the record continues with ‘Deadly Feast’, ‘Phantom Soldier’ and ‘Dead Zone’.  The tracks are surprisingly long- nothing under 4 minutes and the title track extends over 10 minutes! There are lots of riffs, lots of solos, lots of everything that you would expect.

What this all adds up to is seven tracks of high quality retro thrash- not as street as Overkill and not as evil sounding as Slayer, it is kind of in the middle of all that; thrash with a  trad metal base and fantastical themes. In short, this is a fine album that is loaded with riffs and energy, what it is not is anything new. Go into it expecting anything alse and you will be disappointed. Go into it because you have mislaid your copy of ‘Show No Mercy’ and you will be very happy indeed.

Words by: Richard Maw

‘Where Evil Dwell’ is available everywhere now

For more information:

Listen: http://rangerheavymetal.bandcamp.com/

Like: http://www.facebook.com/rangerheavymetal