ALBUM REVIEW: Operation Mindcrime - “Resurrection”

By Theron Moore

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 23/09/2016
Label: Frontiers Music Srl

“Resurrection” finds Geoff Tate shifting, moving, and most importantly, finding and establishing his own identity as a solo artist.  If you give Tate a chance to meet him this way creatively, you might like the stories he’s trying to tell you on this record.  He’s finally free to express himself musically and “Resurrection” in my opinion, is much better than “The Key,” his first album in this trilogy.  This isn’t metal.  It’s big, sprawling AOR type music.  His concept and vision on this record are massive to say the least.  Give it a listen….

“Resurrection” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Resurrection
2). When All Falls Away
3). A Moment in Time
4). Through the Noize
5). Left for Dead
6). Miles Away
7). Healing My Wounds
8). The Fight
9). Taking on the World
10). Invincible
11). A Smear Campaign
12). Which Side You're On
13). Into the Hands of the World
14). Live from My Machine

The Review:

“Resurrection” is the second part of a musical trilogy, the first record released last year.  It’s epic and expansive, with Geoff Tate’s signature, conceptual style and vision guiding this record.  The metal (maybe rock?) he was known for in Queensryche is down played and minimal at best.  Keyboards and synthesizers take the forefront.  Especially on “When All Falls Away.”  Dreamy, proggy, often fusing synthesizers with a slight rock edge but only as is, rock, plays a functional role in said song.  Like “Miles Away.”  Not thundering.  Not heavy.  Distant.  Not easily accessible musically, but getting there. 

Tate is moving further into the storyteller role with “Resurrection.”  Singer, songwriter but ultimately writer.  No longer bound by the rules of arena rock, Tate is free to explore any musical territory he sees fit, and certainly does on “Resurrection.”  I get the notion he wants this record to be his “The Wall,” if not the entire trilogy as such. You can really hear the Pink Floyd influence getting stronger progressively with each song on the record. 

Five tracks in with “Left for Dead” we get a tease of Tate’s rock side.  I understand the creative split he had with Queensryche.  They wanted rock, he wanted concept and storytelling.  “Left for Dead” sounds reminiscent of QR but the song itself serves as more of a vehicle or device to travel between songs with, to provide continuity and voice to “Resurrection.”  I do believe Tate’s days of belting out rock anthems are over.  Now that he’s calling the shots anything is possible, any musical voice shall be tested.  “Resurrection” is all about exploring concept and story, Tate’s present and future musical direction. 

I enjoyed “Resurrection” but it’s a tough record to get close to.  There’s a lot of moving parts here and a lot of letting go, as a fan of his Queensryche past and accepting Tate in the context of the music he’s making right now.  “Resurrection” finds Geoff Tate shifting, moving, and most importantly, finding and establishing his own identity as a solo artist.  If you give Tate a chance to meet him this way creatively, you might like the stories he’s trying to tell you on this record.  He’s finally free to express himself musically and “Resurrection” in my opinion, is much better than “The Key,” his first album in this trilogy.  This isn’t metal.  It’s big, sprawling AOR type music.  His concept and vision on this record are massive to say the least.  Give it a listen….

“Resurrection” is available now

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Charred Walls of the Damned - “Creatures Watching over the Dead"

By Theron Moore
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released; 23/09/2016
Label: Metal Blade Records

 

 

Richard Christy & Co have created something special with “Creatures Watching over the Dead.” It needs to be heard and talked about.  This is metal with heart.  Metal with soul.  And most of all?  Metal that’s larger than life.

 

“Creatures Watching over the Dead” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). My Eyes

2). The Soulless

3). Afterlife

4). As I Catch My Breath

5). Lies

6). Reach into the Light

7). Tear Me Down

8). Living in the Shadow of Yesterday

9). Time Has Passed

 

The Review:

 

It’s been five years since “Cold Winds on Timeless Days” dropped.  This band is hungry.  They’ve got blood in their eyes.  The result is “Creatures Watching over the Dead,” a solid offering of slab heavy, emphasis on heavy mind you, metal.  Songs range from melodic (“My Eyes”) to speed / thrash (“The Soulless”) but more so than not, this record finds a good middle ground to satisfy metal fans of all genres and tastes. 

 

When I think of the term “heavy metal,” it’s the sound of this record that plays inside mind’s eye.  When founder / drummer Richard Christy set out to make “Creatures…” he had this one goal in mind – “"To bring the metal! I want people to listen to this album, bang their head, and have fun."  And fans will.  You can’t help but bang thy head…

 

“Creatures Watching over the Dead” is a return to a style of old.  You won’t find screamo, metalcore or any of that nonsense here.  This is metal the way it was meant to be made; a musical tapestry of song, structure and style.  If the song needs to be slower, maybe more in line with a ballad, it is.  If it needs to rock harder and heavier, it’s done, as in the case of “The Soulless.”  That’s the great thing about this band and level of musicianship in it – they know how to write songs and bring them to life.  They’re seasoned pros and know metal inside and out. 

 

Says Christie, "When I write for Charred Walls I never really plan anything out. I just start playing riffs and if something sounds really cool, I'll build a song from there. My only intent is that I want our music to be heavy, melodic, and catchy. Jason and I then get together for pre-production. I'm an average guitar player so he takes my riffs and makes them amazing, and then we spend a lot of time re-arranging and crafting the songs to refine them and make them flow really well. Once we have the songs where we want them, we get together with Tim and Steve to take them to the next level."

 

Two great examples are the opening song “My Eyes” and track number eight “Living in the Shadow of Yesterday,” in fact “Living…” could easily be a radio single, it’s that good.  And for you Priest fans, track six, “Reach into the Light,” finds Tim “Ripper” Owens finding a return to style here, straight up, horns high, Priest influenced. 

 

Christy:  "Tim is such an incredible singer, and it's so fun to build those huge choruses in the studio," Christy enthuses. "Jason and Tim have such a great ear for harmonies, and to hear the choruses take shape is so exciting. The first cassette that I ever bought was Quiet Riot's 'Metal Health', and I always loved their huge choruses, so that's definitely an influence on us!" Without doubt, the Ripper is in top fighting shape throughout this record; the range in his voice, his ability to switch up musical styles, simply phenomenal, driving “Creatures Watching over the Dead” to be the outstanding record it is.

 

Metal fans need to seek out this record and support this band.  Richard Christy & Co have created something special with “Creatures Watching over the Dead.” It needs to be heard and talked about.  This is metal with heart.  Metal with soul.  And most of all?  Metal that’s larger than life.  Rock soldiers unite…

 

“Creatures Watching over the Dead” is available now

Band info: facebook

FFO: Iced Earth, Control Denied, Judas Priest, Nevermore

ALBUM REVIEW: Alter Bridge - "The Last Hero"

By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 07/10/2016
Label: Napalm Records

 

 

If you have any interest in the more commercial end of the rock and metal spectrum i.e. Metallica, Maiden, Soundgarden and so on then this album could be a fine intro to the band. If you are a fan already you will enjoy this one immensely. Alter Bridge are leading lights in modern rock and may well be the last of a dying breed.

 

“The Last Hero” CD//DD//LP track listing:

 

1). Show Me A Leader
2). The Writing On The Wall
3). The Other Side
4). My Champion
5). Poison In Your Veins
6). Cradle To The Grave
7). Losing Patience
8). This Side Of Fate
9). You Will Be Remembered
10). Crows On A Wire
11). Twilight
12). Island Of Fools
13). The Last Hero
14). Last Of Our Kind (Bonus Track)

 

The Review:

 

Alter Bridge are, of course, not sludge, or doom, or even metal really. They operate at the very start of the alternative/heavy music spectrum and could perhaps be described as modern hard rock- albeit with some metallic elements. Even though the band are all around the 40 years old mark, they are still one of the “younger” big bands and as such represent what can be achieved while playing real guitar music: you really can headline arenas if you get things right. After all, Iron Maiden aren't going to be around forever- and nor will Metallica.

 

“The Last Hero” finds the band in reflective mood and is the fifth album from the men who (sadly) made up the instrumental section of Creed (great musicians, mind) along with the prodigiously talented Myles Kennedy. “Show Me A Leader” kicks off with an intro and hooks galore there are  “woah-oh-woah-oh” Maiden-esque vocalisations, a huge solo, riffs and time and changes. In all, this is Alter Bridge's sound: melodic, sometimes heavy, most definitely rocking.

 

“The Writing On The Wall” is an up-tempo rocker with a big chorus, Kennedy's voice soaring. The album delivers two facets of the band in the first two tracks and does not stop there. “The Other Side” is slow and dark with more than a little Sabbath influence to the riffs. A storming and different track for the band with political and social commentary rather than their usual introspective leanings. This is great stuff.

 

“My Champion” screams “single” at you; hooks, positive vibes, anthemic sounds. The record sounds gorgeous, of course- as all Alter Bridge's albums have. The sound is thick, rich and vibrant with all instruments shining through in the mix. A slick monster of a track.

 

“Poison In Your Veins” turns up the heaviness- more akin to something from the recent Tremonti solo albums- and rocks along with intent and a big chorus. Each band member pulls their weight here, highlighting the fact that Alter Bridge have four superlative musicians in the line up. Again, for the big bands this is important. Think over the annals of rock history: weak links stand out. There are none here.

 

“Cradle to the Grave” is almost a throw back to some of the bands earlier work- more melodic, downbeat... but still wonderfully structured and delivered. Truthfully, I prefer the band's harder rocking material- but that is not to say that the more balladic stuff is without merit (see “Blackbird” in particular). “Losing Patience” ratchets up the riff factor and utilises interesting time changes and melodies. “This Side of Fate” shifts to more epic fare- slower tempos, elaborate soloing from Tremonti, and layers of guitars. It delivers the records most complex arrangement and production but does not quite reach the heights of “Blackbird” from 2007.

 

“You Will Be Remembered” is a ballad that is rather too American and anthemic for my tastes; perhaps it is a little too sweet. Naturally, the hooks are very strong though and you can certainly imagine this being played during a montage of a retiring NFL player- which could be a good thing, depending on your view point. Fortunately, “Crows on a Wire” comes back swinging with a fantastic riff, pinch harmonics and enough weight to appease those wanting to bang their heads. This is the material which the band excels at, in my view: heavy rock but still with melody. The band are operating at full whack here with nothing wasted over the four and half minutes.

 

“Twilight” shows another facet of the band- bitter sweet melodies and melancholic lyrical content. A fine track and sounds like an album closer to me. Again, this may be a strange comparison, but this is the second time in this review that I have mentioned Iron Maiden. I am not saying that the bands are alike, exactly, but both bands have a knack for writing complex but catchy music and Alter Bridge seems to have taken some pointers for vocal melodies and arrangements. “Island of Fools” features a kind of call and response arrangement to the riffage in the verses and then echoes the rolling riffs of “Cry of Achilles” from the preceding “Fortress” album. A fine up -tempo rocker to keep the listener awake down the back stretch.

 

The title track closes out this tour de force of modern rock music, stretching out over six and half minutes and mixing melody, muscle and even twin kick passages with an impressive dynamic range. “The Last Hero”, then, is a winner. By estimation the record is uniformly strong with only a balladic slip up here and there that is just not to my taste. It is excellently played, produced, arranged and realised and stands shoulder to shoulder with the band's best work prior (“ABIII” and “Fortress”). If you have any interest in the more commercial end of the rock and metal spectrum i.e. Metallica, Maiden, Soundgarden and so on then this album could be a fine intro to the band. If you are a fan already you will enjoy this one immensely. Alter Bridge are leading lights in modern rock and may well be the last of a dying breed. 

“The Last Hero” is available here

 

Band info: facebook

REVIEW: Watchtower - “Concepts of Math: Book One” (EP)

By Theron Moore 

Album Type: EP
Date Released: 07/10/2016
Label: Prosthetic Records

The guitars crunch, the vocals bite, and the band chemistry shines through on each song, almost as if they know what each other’s gonna do before they do it. A near perfect record, which for Watchtower, is pretty much par for the course.

“Concepts of Math: Book One” CD//DD//LP Track Listing

1). M-Theory Overture (3:38)
2). Arguments Against Design (4:12)

3). Technology Inaction (6:20)

4). The Size Of Matter (4:51)

5). Mathematica Calculis (9:54)

The Review:

A new Watchtower record?  Well, please, don’t mind if I do!  “Concepts of Math:  Book One” combines Watchtower’s recent digital only release with a brand new song – “Mathematica Calculis.” 

There’s so much hard rock / metallic precision with songs on “Concepts…” it’s almost like watching surgery from an observational booth, or, watching engineers and architects create schematics.  This is the record Dream Theater wishes it could make, because it rides that jammin’ line of just enough rock to satisfy the metal heads and just enough noodly, technicality to satiate the prog heads.  Watchtower nail geometric rock n’ roll with a calculus bullseye, right on target.  And by god they do. Every time.

My complaint:  The record is only five songs.  Yeah, I know this is a combo release but Watchtower needs a new full length, a proper full length.  The first song, “M Theory Overture,” is an instrumental, and although I generally don’t connect with instrumentals, this one’s laser perfect.  The second song “Arguments Against Design” bring vocals into the mix and this is where it gets interesting.  Will the vocals take away from the mechanized (in a good way) machinations of how on point the band is musically?  Answer:  No.

The vocals complement the music and give it that well deserved metal bite it screams out for.  Again, this is where Dream Theater fails and Watchtower succeeds.  Watchtower isn’t afraid to bring the rock and find a way to properly inject just enough metal to not throw off the delicate balance of each song. And balance is crucial with prog. 

Go too much in one direction, or the other, and you risk either losing the audience or ruining the song.  Doesn’t happen here.  Watchtower gets it.  They understand the art as well as the science required to achieve this.  The guitars crunch, the vocals bite, and the band chemistry shines through on each song, almost as if they know what each other’s gonna do before they do it. A near perfect record, which for Watchtower, is pretty much par for the course.  You need to check this out…

“Concepts of Math: Book One” is available here

Band info: facebook

FFO: Voivod, Vektor, Spastic Ink, Blotted Science

ALBUM REVIEW: Mortillery - "Shapeshifter"

By: Theron Moore

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 27/05/2016
Label: Napalm Records

“Shapeshifter” finds the band firing on all cylinders, really attacking, sinking their teeth into each and every song. “Shapeshifter” shows growth, depth and progression.  I think it’s safe to say they broke the mold with this record.

“Shapeshifter” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Radiation Sickness
2). Age of Stone
3). Bullet
4). Mantis
5). Black Friday
6). Wendigo
7). At the Gates
8). Torture
9). Shapeshifter

The Review:

Love Mortillery.  Love this record, disc number three for the band.  It’s become a regular staple in my playlist at the gym.  “Shapeshifter” is energy defined.  I dig retro thrash when it’s done right and for the right reasons.  Dust Bolt’s new record is a great example of this.  Old school as musical fashion doesn’t work for me.  Mortillery attacks this sound with a vengeance and makes it all their own.  This is denim and leather metal, fist in the air.  And Canada with their beer and metal, add Mortillery to the list of great Canuck bands – Exciter, Zimmer’s Hole and 3 Inches of Blood.

I should say that there’s a big similarity between Mortillery and 3 Inches of Blood, vocal-wise, but that’s ok, I’ll take that.  What I like about this band is that I feel like they’ve “become” with this record, that is, Mortillery found their style and perfected the hell out of it.  Tight is an understatement. 

It’s not thrash for the sake of thrash or speed metal because it’s expected, these songs are well crafted and rock out the way metal should sound.  “Shapeshifter” finds the band firing on all cylinders, really attacking, sinking their teeth into each and every song.  “Retro Thrash” or “Old School Metal” can be something of a niche genre.  “Shapeshifter” shows growth, depth and progression.  I think it’s safe to say they broke the mold with this record.

“Radiation Sickness” and “Black Friday” are stand out songs for me.  Because I can see this band touring with Exodus or Nuclear Assault back in the day, jamming these songs live.  The record itself, “Shapeshifter,” has a big sound to it, a live sound showcasing Mortillery at their crossover best.  Keep an eye on this band.  Nukem, Dust Bolt, Mortillery.  The new big three of this genre.

“Shapeshifter” is available now

Band info: official | facebook

FFO: Nukem. Dust Bolt, Exodus, Nuclear Assault

“And the earth will be destroyed with undulations of fuzz part II:” An Interview with Dreich & Album Stream

 

Dreich hail from different corners of the globe and were united in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2015.  Dreich is an expression of the suffering of the human condition on this mortal coil. The oath was sworn and the allegiance is kept by four wretched souls brought together by forces unknown to summon, the bleak, the heavy, the horrid, the animalistic, the energy and beauty within darkness.  In sonic ritual Dreich conjure hypnotic rhythms and entrance their fiendish victims and recent committed their first aural rituals to wax in the form of a split release with Irish fuzz merchants Mares of Diomedes .

On September 16th 2016, Heavy Earth Records was the vessel for which this release was bestowed upon the unsuspecting world, a release of bone rattling doom that is on par with the best in the genre.   Following on from the recent premiere of the Mares of Diomende tune “Earth Destroyer”, today we present the second part of our doubled headed interview, with the formal introduction of Dreich and a full stream of this gargantuan release.  So let the ritual begin.  Purchase the album on cassette, vinyl or digital formats here

SL: Can you give us an insight into how you started playing music, leading up to the formation of Dreich?

 

Dreich was the marriage of two different concepts/projects. The former project had been a slightly different line up and the latter was to be a project between our vocalist and guitarist, by forging the two together Dreich was sprung as we found our mutual gravitation towards the darker sonic realms.

SL: For folks unfamiliar with your band, are there any bands on the scene past and present that you would use as a reference point band to describe your band, and is there any bands that continue to inspire you and push you to try new things?

Dreich: As a band we’re shaped by our life experiences in a forsaken world, our different cultural backgrounds and our former projects. We have roots in many different scenes from death metal to D.I.Y. punk and listen to a vast variety of music definitely not limited to sludge and doom.

We don’t really like to frame our sound around that of other musicians. We’re a melting pot of influences, genres and are directing ourselves around what we feel, not what we know of other bands. Surely there are influences or other musician’s people may feel we share themes/sounds with, however Dreich never explicitly set out with such intentions, musically

 

SL: What can you tell us about your upcoming record and where do you feel it sits within the context current music scene.

Dreich: If we must frame our music we would describe Dreich as a band mostly rooted in Doom Metal with nods to death metal and black metal. We describe ourselves and our concept as Bleak Metal. We are always experimenting, progressing and evolving as a band and we are currently amidst writing our first full length release, but with these tracks from the split we have found our musical approach as a band.

SL: How was the mood in the camp going into the recording of the record?

Dreich: Although it was the dark days of Scandinavian winter, as a band we went into the studio feeling hungry to sink our teeth into our first recording. We play dark and heavy music; however, we still find much enjoyment within that, as a family who share that. We collaborated with Ballade Studios and we’re really happy with what was achieved there.

SL: What can fans look forward to from you over the next 12 months? How is your schedule shaping up?

Dreich: The next 12 months is  shaping up to be even more intense than those preceding it and we welcome that. We have the split with Mares Of Diomedes being released, some shows we're humbled to be playing, continuing with the writing process and then recording our first full length. We’ve had requests to play in both Europe and beyond so we look forward to embarking on an exciting year.

Cheers // Skål // Sláinte!!!

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

ALBUM REVIEW: Electric Citizen - "Higher Time"

By: Jake Wallace

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 13/05/2016
Label: Riding Easy Records

‘Higher Time’ is a sincere reflection of a band that has been dedicated to having their own bespoke brand of ‘70s psychedelic rock. Driving riffs, solid rhythms, flawless vocals and explosive solos, this album is a superb follow-up to their debut release and shows how far the band have come since then. They have made this style of music appealing and popular in the modern day and show no signs of slowing down for the future.

“Higher Time” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Evil
2. Social Phobia
3. Misery Keeper
4. Devils in Passing Time
5. Golden Mean
6. Higher Time
7. Ghost of Me
8. Natural Law
9. Crux
10. Two Hearted Woman

The Review:

Cincinnati 4-piece psych rockers Electric Citizen have released their second record, ‘Higher Time’, on RidingEasy Records as a follow up to their 2014 debut release 'Sateen'. As with the first album, it was recorded at The Diamonds studio in Cincinnati by Brian Olive.

The album kicks off with ‘Evil’ and straight away you can tell why they chose this particular track name. Laura Dolan’s vocals are absolutely fantastic for this style of music and having a husband-wife combination with her husband Ross provides a unique kind of musical connection. The main riff is nice and chuggy and as the vocals blend in with the killer riffs, Laura’s voice is very reminiscent of Jillian Taylor’s vocal work in Philadelphia’s Ruby the Hatchet.

The next track ‘Social Phobia’ is some straight up Sabbathian riffage and the female vocals work incredibly well which makes you wonder what might’ve transpired if Ozzy had been a woman! Around the 2min 40 mark Ross unleashes into a ripping solo with some otherworldly sounds and raw talent oozing from his playing.  ‘Misery Keeper’, has a solid, driving riff throughout with some very interesting sections, drawing influence from a number of directions.

The first band that spring to mind are Dublin’s Mother Mooch who have a strikingly similar style and this combination of ‘70s style heavy rock riffs, psychedelic lyrics and female vocals is proving to be a heavily desired sub-genre of music due to the success of bands such as Ruby the Hatchet, Blood Ceremony and Purson in recent years. Electric Citizen have defined their sound and no matter what they turn their hand to, they are producing top notch psychedelic rock. Tracks 4 and 5 are packed with superb riffs and more soul-searing guitar solos from Ross.

The title track ‘Higher Time’ has a fairly simple structure but the raw power of Laura’s vocals combined with the sonic atmospheres lurking in the backdrop creates a very absorbing environment. After the slightly creepy spoken word interlude in the middle, the riffs wind back in and Ross launches off into another relentless guitar solo. The style of his solos are perfect for this style as it’s not taking away from the music or distracting you with elaborate guitar parts. It all just gels very nicely in a cohesive blend and the instruments all compliment each other as well as complementing Laura’s vocals.

‘Ghost of Me’ takes the tempo up a notch and they deliver the goods with some thrashing riffs and a slightly ominous tone from the keyboards combined with the entrancing vocals. ‘Natural Law’ is another fine example of how the band have defined their sound and set in stone their vision for both image and musical style. Ross’s solo playing is on fire in this track and his diversity as a rhythm and lead player really shows. ‘Crux’ has that swinging occult rock feel, it’s what I imagine lute players in medieval imbibing emporiums would’ve been playing if they had access to electric guitars, fuzz pedals and amp stacks. The final track ‘Two Hearted Woman’ begins with another master-crafted riff and it seems like Ross Dolan’s barrel of riffs has no end. The organ sounds are great in this track, layering a nice thick spread of sound among the rhythm section. The last section has the same stomping riff ascending up and up into a crescendo and the curtain falls bringing a close to an extremely solid album.

‘Higher Time’ is a sincere reflection of a band that has been dedicated to having their own bespoke brand of ‘70s psychedelic rock. Driving riffs, solid rhythms, flawless vocals and explosive solos, this album is a superb follow-up to their debut release and shows how far the band have come since then. They have made this style of music appealing and popular in the modern day and show no signs of slowing down for the future.

“Higher Time” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

FFO: Ruby The Hatchet, Blood Ceremony, Purson