This is the début album from this US Southern/stoner metal band.
This is a riotous, rocking collection of tracks that offer high energy hooks and a filthy disposition.
Barkyard Junkyard is full of hard rocking tunes with plenty of swagger Continue reading “Thundering Herd – Backyard Junkyard (Review)”
This is the latest album by Greek Doom Rockers Omega Monolith.
Omega Monolith fuse Doom and Heavy/Progressive Rock together to create three sprawling tracks that constitute Fungus. At 43 minutes in length, their musical vision gets a thorough exploration and no avenue for drawn-out claustrophobia is left out.
Fungus is born out of Continue reading “Omega Monolith – Fungus (Review)”
This is the second album from Tothem, an Italian gothic/heavy metal band.
This is the band’s follow up to their début album Beyond the Sea, which was a polished collection of gothic metal tracks.
As with their first release; no matter how enticing the female vocals are, Tothem still remember that they’re first and foremost a metal band. This means that the music is just as important as the singing, and the guitars are present and correct as they should be.
Goddess are a Norwegian progressive Doom rock band, and this is their début EP.
Originally appearing in 2014, this is a re-released, remixed, remastered and expanded version. As this is my first exposure to Goddess, I can only assume these changes have improved The Withering, as it is quite an impressive release.
This is one song Continue reading “Goddess – The Withering (Review)”
Faith or Theory by Circle of Reason has reignited my passion for modern melodic rock, by pure virtue of how damn enjoyable it is. Top songs, top work all around. It’s time to get to know this new face of rock, (at least in my mind), so without further ado, let’s have at it…
Introduce us to Circle of Reason!
Simon – Vocals/Guitar
Gary – Guitar
Andy – Drums
Rob – Bass/Backing vocals
What are your influences?
Deftones, Mastodon, Biffy Clyro, Muse, FFAF, Coheed and Cambria etc . We like riffs, we like melody.
Name five things you’ve listened to recently that you’d recommend Continue reading “Interview with Circle of Reason”
With their latest album, My Darkness, Darkness, Beseech have made a triumphant return to the music scene after an absence of over a decade. Well, I’m certainly glad they’ve returned, as in many ways their new album is their strongest yet. I caught up with singer/songwriter Klas Bohlin who brought me up to speed with all things Beseech…
For those who are unfamiliar with your band – introduce yourself!
Beseech is an gothic metal band from Sweden, or perhaps a melancholic rock band is a better description these days. We are back after ten years in silence with our brand new and 6th album ”My Darkness, Darkness”, which probably is our most gloomy album ever. So if you are into dark music, not only metal but melancholic music in general, you should probably consider to continue reading…
But the history of Beseech goes way back. We are one of those bands, that from the beginning started as a death/doom metal band in the early 90s, that later on transformed into the gothic genre after some musical experiments using classical instruments like violin, cello and flute, lots of keyboards, but most important, we started to use the characteristic beauty and the beast contrast between the male and female vocals. Even if our musical direction has changed over the years it feels great to be back with an album that we really like ourselves. This time we have managed to find a way back to our roots and the sound on our early albums “Black Emotions” and “Souls Highway”, but with adding a little twist of vintage rock. Continue reading “Interview with Beseech”
Circle of Reason are a rock band from the UK. This is their latest release.
Circle of Reason play an interesting brand of modern rock that combines elements of the progressive and alternative styles into their tasty recipe. The end result is instantly-gratifying songs that nonetheless have that vital ingredient of longevity to them, meaning you’ll come back and listen to them again.
Continue reading “Circle of Reason – Faith or Theory (Review)”
Beseech are a Gothic Metal band from Sweden and this is their sixth album.
Since reforming in 2012, this is the band’s first release in 11 years, after their last album Sunless Days in 2005. I always really enjoyed Beseech’s older work when I was in the mood for it so was looking forward to hearing their newest music.
Immediately as the first song Beating Pulse starts it’s like they’ve never been away, with sterling melodies and emotive vocals from both male and female singers. It’s a strong opening.
The Beseech of 2016 have refined their sound so that they now pay homage to their earlier work, but have also added something new and, dare I say it, better than what came before. There’s a bit more of a Rock vibe to parts of this album than there was previously, and this has replaced certain overly-Gothic aspects of their sound in some ways. I don’t have a problem with this though, in fact I think it makes for a stronger album overall.
Beseech were always quite an emotive and textured band, but they appear to have developed this even further on My Darkness, Darkness. There also seems to be a bit more subtlety and nuance here than before; although this is not something they were really lacking, it’s just a deeper part of their sound now.
Essentially this is Beseech 2.0; better, leaner, hungrier and more refined than before. Experience and time appears to have aged them like a fine wine, and this collection of songs is very enjoyable indeed.
I’m very pleased with this. Rather cynically I honestly expected some form of half-hearted rehashing of old glories, (not sure why), but instead the band have impressively produced an updated, fresh and wonderfully emotive release that has quite floored my jaded expectations and is currently swamping my brain with quality tunes.
Check this out.
Brimstone Coven are a Hard Rock band from the US. This is their second album.
Brimstone Coven worship at the smoky altar of all things 60s and 70s. Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Led Zeppelin may be obvious reference points, but there’s more going on here than you might expect and Black Magic is a well-rounded release that is greater than the sum of its influences.
This album has a pleasingly authentic sound, both in the recording and the vibes that seem to come off the music in heady waves.
The main vocalist’s voice suits the music well and there’s lots of catchy singing going on here, which works well with the equally catchy music. The band also employ multi-singer harmonies and put these to good use.
The music is instantly familiar and it’s easy to get into this and feel a pleasant buzz emanating from it. The songs contain so many good riffs and warm melodies that every song has something pretty damn special to offer.
Black Magic gives us 55 minutes of music to entrance and captivate. If you’re in the mood for this kind of thing then it really is up there with the best of them. With top-drawer songwriting and a decent amount of variety and moods to explore, this is a very enjoyable release.
I’m not always a huge fan of music that takes its inspiration from this era, (although bands such as Witchcraft, Agusa, Ecstatic Vision and Greenleaf have been known to frequent my playlist from time to time…), but when it’s done well and with enthusiasm and passion as it clearly is on Black Magic, the result is infectious and hard to ignore.
Highly recommended.
This is a split between two well-known, (in underground circles, at least), Japanese groups; Boris and Merzbow.
This is a mammoth release that contains almost two and a half hours of music, evenly split between both artists. This is an exact split too, as the two sides are designed to be played either separately or simultaneously; doing the latter provides yet a different experience as the music of the two syncs up to provide the listener with something greater than the sum of the individual parts.
Boris’ side features 9 songs that are all percussion-less versions of some of their existing tracks. This reinterpretation of their own work lends the songs a different quality to the originals, (some of which I’m familiar with and some of which I’m not), creating dreamy soundscapes and indulgent forays into emotive colour and feeling.
The band have picked tracks that demonstrate their emotive and Doom/Drone side well, resulting in an emotive and atmospheric release that easily stands up on its own even without its counterpart music from Merzbow.
As someone who’s a massive fan of all things drums, I’m pleased with how well the music holds up without percussion and this Boris side of the split is stronger and more effective than I expected.
Merzbow is a legendary noise-maker that I have been aware of for so long now that I can’t recall. However, apart from the odd collaboration or guest spot on someone else’s music, I have never actually heard anything by him. Due to my general antipathy towards most percussion-less noise, I’ve never felt the urge to particular seek out his music, so it’s taken this long to hear anything by him.
With that in mind, we turn our attention to these four colossal tracks that are designed, as with the Boris ones, to be played individually or in conjunction with those of his split-mates.
Unfortunately, as alluded to previously, most noise leaves me rather cold, and although I can appreciate that these Merzbow tracks have structure and do create harsh soundscapes with squeals, feedback and distorted crackles, etc., it’s ultimately not a style I can claim to love.
Having said that though, these tracks do have their moments, and due to the prolonged playing time I was very surprised to find myself eventually settling into it. Shocking! As I say; in general this is not a type of music that really does that much for me, so it’s testament to his skill as an artist that I can actually willingly listen to this and take something from it.
None were more surprised than I. It seems that Merzbow deserves his reputation after all.
So here we have it, a very long and surprisingly enjoyable release that certainly won’t be for everyone, but may be more to your liking than you might first think.
However, that’s not the end of it, and this is where the genius comes in; play the two artists together as is intended, and everything changes. All of sudden, the Merzbow contribution works wonders when taken alongside the Boris tracks. The resulting soundscapes combine the harsh frequencies and dreamy guitar-based drones to produce four long tracks that paint some really evocative musical pictures.
This, for me, is the ultimate way to enjoy this release. Taken in at the same time, the entire experience gets elevated and I wouldn’t really listen to it any other way now.
Some releases are a challenge to review and this one has been a marathon of exploration and expectation-destroying revelation. It has been worth every second though, and I can’t wait to hear what you think about this one.
Wonderbox Metal 