|
|
|
|
|
Ribspreader - Opus Ribcage
(Vic Records) review by Sam
Thomas |
 |
It wouldn’t be a proper month in the life of a metal
journalist if there wasn’t something from Rogga Johansson to
review. And this month it’s Ribspreader, but with Dan Swanö
replaced by Andreas Karlsson from (you guessed!) Paganizer.
OK, I’m taking the piss a bit here, but I really admire the
man for his ability to consistently produce such high
quality releases under such a large number of identities. I
wonder how many passports he has?
Opus Ribcage is the third album from Ribspreader (well, sort
of – there’s one knocking about that didn’t come up to
Rogga’s high standards and may be released later with names
changed to protect the innocent, and maybe one that didn’t
quite get out because of a mix |
up in Malaysia (or somewhere else that I can’t place on a
map). As you’d expect, it’s good old-fashioned Swedish death
metal, covering the more gruesome type of themes, as
evidenced by titles such as “Dying Dead Decomposed” (a nice
little essay in how things end in the title alone), “Corpse
Dumpster” and my personal favourite “River of Rot”. As ever,
it’s pretty obvious that Rogga and friends are both highly intelligent and
articulate, and also have a pretty well-developed sense of
humour. Musically, it’s just what you expect, crunchy riffs,
overall feeling of pulverisation and/or crushing, production
superb and the usual ten tracks coming in at just under the
thirty minute mark.
And then there’s the final track. It’s a cover of The
Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop”, and the first thing that springs
to mind is a quote from The Bronx Casket Co made when they
covered “Free Bird” to the effect that , “if you’re going to
do a cover, you might as well defile a classic”. The other
is that it’s a really bizarre choice. Not being a Ramones
fan, I hated it. Being a Ramones fan, Steve also hated it.
Oh well, some you lose, and some you lose.
Ramones cover notwithstanding, this is another perfectly
decent album from Rogga and Ribspreader, and a more that
satisfactory way to spend a spare half an hour.
www.vicrecords.com |
| |
|
Shakra - Everest
(AFM) Review by Steve Green |
 |
If my maths is correct, then this is the 7th studio album by Swiss rockers
Shakra (they've also a couple of live releases under their belts) and I
have to admit that I've never even heard of them before, never mind not
having heard any of their material. Well it matters not as this album
has been the most pleasant of surprises. Shakra are a band who I've
immediately warmed to, the main reason being is that Shakra keep it
simple. The melodies are easy on the ear and the lyrics, well yes they
may be a little clichéd, but they do a good job of sticking in your
head, which always helps when you want a bit of a sing-a-long. This is
basically no frills Classic Hard Rock, but of the very highest standard.
I guess the closest |
comparison I could make is with Def Leppard. Now
before you all run away, imagine Def Leppard before they were Mutt
Langed and imagine (if this is at all possible) what Joe Elliot would
sound like if he had a powerful voice. I know the last one was a hard
thing to ask, but Mark Fox has a very likeable voice, which fits in very
well with the 80s vibe of the music and he does sound like a superior
version of Joe Elliot.
Comparisons aside, this will appeal to all lovers of 80s Hard Rock.
www.myspace.com/shakrarock |
| |
|
The Bakerton Group - El Rojo
(AFM) Review by Steve Green |
 |
The Bakerton Group is a psychedelic instrumental side project featuring
the members of Clutch. Making a guest appearance on the album is Opeth's
keyboard player Per Wiberg and it's his Hammond organ that generally
takes centre stage. As I'm not really familiar with Clutch, I can't
really make any comparisons on how the bands compare, but from a
complete outsiders point of view, this ok in small doses, but a whole
album of this, is, for me, hard going.
Having been raised on a lot of hippy / psychedelic shit, I can
appreciate the bits that sound |
|
like The Doors or the early Deep Purple vibes courtesy of
the keyboards, I'm just not a fan of the more jazzy aspects.
Nor do I particularly need to hear 10 songs of a similar
vein, all without vocals!!! I guess fans of Clutch may find
a lot more to latch onto here than I did
www.myspace.com/thebakertongroup
|
| |
|
The Bulletmonks - Weapon Of Mass
Destruction (Napalm)
Review by Steve Green |
 |
I'm glad I put this album on my mp3 player as the reviewer scheduled to
cover this album, after sending me a woefully short review of this album
which I deemed not good enough for publication, has
disappeared off the face of the earth. So let's start from the beginning
shall we....
Don't be fooled into making any judgements about this album as this
isn't your standard Napalm Records type release. Forget about the normal
styles of Gothic and Folk as this is more good time rock n roll, with a
nod towards the likes of Led Zeppelin and a plethora of kick ass, hard
rockin' bands from the 70s... and just the merest hint of quirkiness,
which, it |
terms of delivery, sort of reminds me of the sensational
Alex Harvey.
From the off this is bursting with energy and the 70s vibe is to the
fore. I can't quite pin down who frontman Tyler Voxx reminds me off,
apart from the occasional bursts of Robert Plant which can be heard
throughout and the Angry Anderson / Rose Tattoo feel of Canned Insanity
and Downtown Is Dead, but his voice is perfect for the party vibe that
The Bulletmonks create. Hearing such bullshit free music is like a
breath of fresh air. You can tell that these guys love to rock n roll
because of their love of music and they are not here to be the fastest,
heaviest, loudest etc... They are simply here to kick your ass. And what
a fine job they do too.
www.myspace.com/bulletmonks |
| |
|
The Chelsea Smiles -
Self Titled (DR2) Review by Metal Mark |
 |
This band started in 2004 as the brainchild of Todd Youth
(ex-Danzig). The band released an EP one year later with
Christian Black (ex-Dee Dee Ramone band) on vocals. Their
first album, "Thirty Six Hours Later" was with Skye Vaughan
Jayne on guitars and vocals. However, they soon ran into a
line-up change as Skye left the band. So RJ Ronquillo soon
joined, he is an in-demand studio player. He met Todd Youth
through the various studio work that they have both done in
the L.A. area. So that brings us to their second album which
is also self-titled.
Now this is my first exposure to the band so I wasn't
exactly sure what to expect. The |
|
cover of the disc had me thinking of a circus poster due to
the band logo, the colors and the animated poses of the band members.
That's fitting somehow because much like a circus these guys
are loud and a lot of fun. They take us back a few decades
as I hear KISS, Ramones, New York Dolls and Misfits stirred
into the pot. The guitar sound is particularly appealing
with plenty of grit pouring out of every chord. The choruses
are instantly memorable and help you to feel like you really
know this album after just one listen. The production does
enough to compliment all the instruments without stripping
away too much of the raw edge of the music. The disc runs
around forty minutes, but the upbeat feel and steady tempo
made it seem shorter than that. No, it's not very original
and I am not sure if it has any really staying power, but
for right now this disc hits the spot. After hearing so many
lifeless drones, clones and lackluster zombies this is
certainly a breath of fresh air even if it's just for now.
www.myspace.com/thechelseasmiles |
| |
|
The Firstborn - The Noble Search
(Major Label Industries) Review by Crin |
 |
Portuguese Avant-Garde Black Metal that utilizes the Sitar
and professes to be a like a Tibetan influenced Black/ Death
album. The ethnic oriental influences are in sporadic burst
and never lift this into Orphaned Land territory. This is
mainly a melee of Soulfly, Gorefest, Machine Head and
Entombed swirling in a likewise clear thick production where
the guitar riffs are like accelerated buzz saws ripping
though the air. The bands second album The Unclenching of
Fists [2005] was voted best Portuguese album in ‘Loud’
magazine, so that is some small accolade for a relatively
unknown entity. |
| Guest musicians on this release are, Absu’s
Proscriptor
McGovern and Process Of Guilt’s Hugo Santos on vocals, a
professional percussionist playing a wide array of
instruments (Vorskaath from Zemial) and a sitar player, Luis
Simoes (Saturnia). Although the sound is in the melodic
death vein, it is extremely accessible and not as ethnically
imbued as the promo sheet would have you believe. We do get
infrequent sitar playing and other touches of the East and
this does give the sound a sense of the different. That
said, this is still a very hard and inspired melodic Death
release.
www.majorlabelindustries.com |
| |
|
War From A Harlots Mouth - In Shoals (Lifeforce) By Robert Cheesewright |
 |
German mathcore band War From A Harlots Mouth have risen
rapidly in the last few years. First album
‘Transmetropolitan’ contained the mathcore scene classic,
the ludicrously named ‘Uptown Girl Uptown Girl...’ Despite
this, it received negative reviews, as it was labelled
“mediocre” and pilloried for failing to distinguish itself
from a perceived mathcore trend, containing Converge, Norma
Jean and Nights Like These. ‘In Shoals’ recovers from this
setback and has much more depth, adding Isis like atmosphere
to the intricate mathcore. In short, ‘In Shoals’ is a
success.
In Shoals benefits from WFAHM’s new vocalist, who is far
more tuneful than the last. |
|
Whilst I’ll miss the screeched-roar of Transmetropolitan’s lyrics, anyone with
some taste will enjoy the change. The album is exactly as
you’d expect from a mathcore band, good quality
musicianship, slightly jazz inspired, odd-time signatures
and regular breakdowns. In other words, the kind of thing
that most of the L4M reviewers can’t stand. Essentially,
this is another one of those ‘if, like me, you like this
sort of thing, you’ll love this’ albums. Otherwise, its
probably best avoided.
www.lifeforcerecords.com |
| |
|
Wednesday 13 - Bloodwork
(DR2) Review by Steve Green |
 |
Out of all the bands my 14 year old daughter listens to, Wednesday 13 is
one of the very few I can actually stomach. To an old git like myself,
Wednesday 13 is a newer version of Marilyn Mason, who in turn is a newer
version of Alice Cooper. It's all glammy shock-rock, but for different
generations.
To be honest, this isn't shocking at all, with B-Movie Babylon featuring
loads of old b-movie type keyboards (yeah I guess the song title gives
that one away) and the Return Of The Living Dead sounding like Rob
Zombie in party mode, Wednesday 13 are a band I'd actually take my
daughter to see live. When they played in March it was 2 days before her |
14th birthday, so she wasn't old enough to get in the venue.
If they play again I'll gladly sing along with the W13 cover
of Tom Petty's
Running Down A Dream or shout along in unison with the crowd for the
Tourette Society approved I Love To Say Fuck.
I have to say I've really enjoyed this EP and will now actually, for the
first time ever, borrow some of daughters cd collection. Wonders will
never cease.
www.myspace.com/officialwednesday13 |
www.wednesday13.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
