Musipedia Of Metal

Karmaflow: The Orginal Soundtrack Album (Self Released)

Karmaflow or Karmaflow: The Rock Opera Videogame to give it, it's full title is the soundtrack album to videogame that is part puzzle platformer, part rock opera, the game is entirely sung with an emphasis on the symphonic and power metal genre and as such features some of the biggest names in the game lending their talents to it, all of them are no strangers to rock operas or indeed symphonic metal. The vocalists involved are:

Simone Simons (Epica)

Mark Jansen (Epica/After Forever/MaYan)

Dani Filth & Lindsey Schoolcraft (Cradle Of Filth)

Marc Hudson (Dragonforce)

Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy)

Elize Ryd (Amaranthe)

Charlotte Wessels (Delain)

Henning Basse (MaYan)

Mariangela Demurtas (Tristiania)

Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica)

Daniel de Jongh (Textures)

Lissette Van Den Berg (Scarlet Stories)

Bas Dolmas (Ex-Xystus)

So with this amount of talent backed by musicians coming from members of Epica, Within Temptation and HDK and MaYan and of course the extremely talented and versatile Metropole Orkest who are the solid backbone of the album there was always going to be a lot of talent on show throughout the album. An album that really has to be listened too to be believed but much like Tuomas Holopainen's classical album, the Avantasia and Ayreon projects. This is a bit like audio Marmite some will love it, some will hate it, I am firmly in the love pile as I am enamoured the overblown nature of this record that successfully merges classical music and metal a great album from an interesting concept. 8/10

Anekdoten: Until The Ghosts Are Gone (Virta)

How do you start a prog rock album properly? A ten minute song full of swirling organ-led psychedelia, clean, sinuous guitar work, chugging bass and percussive, technical drumming, that will do it. Anekdoten are from the old school of prog with long instrumental passages, haunting vocals and virtuoso musicality all producing some pastoral, jazz influenced music on tracks like All Comes Down To You as well as rocking freakouts on Get Out Alive. The band have been doing the rounds for a while which means that they have honed their sound to play the best they can. As far as what they sound like goes they are not too dissimilar to the last two Opeth albums indeed Per Wiberg supplies some more organ to this album that is laready stuffed with more organ than you can jangle your keys too. The other organs come from main man Nicklas Baker (guitarist/mellotron/organ/vocals) and Anna Sofi Dahlberg (mellotron/organ/Rhodes) who are backed by Jan Erik Liljeström's jazz-like bass and Peter Nordins' superb drumming. With long spiralling songs filled with instrumental prowess Anekdoten are band that will entice and excite prog fans that love the Canterbury scene and classic folk flavoured progressive rock. 7/10

Ghost Ship Octavius: S/T (Self Released)

Van Williams is the ex drummer of Nevermore and current drummer of Ashes Of Ares, he has recruited Ashes Of Ares guitarist Adon Fanion on guitars and vocals and former God Forbid guitarist Matt Wicklund to add their talent as the nucleus of this band taking most of the instrumentation between them. Sound wise we are in the prog metal territory with the ghost of Nevermore looming large, Fanion's vocals are a booming mid range that echo Warrell Dane and Matt Barlow and work well with both of their heavy prog metal riffs and Williams' excellent drumming. Now a man like Van Williams has some high quality contacts and he obviously went through his contact book to get some guests on this album, first of all is Dagna Silesia handles the bass playing, but nearly all of them are guitarists adding leads and solos with Scar Symmetry's Per Nilsson, ex-Nevermore and Ashes of Ares man Jeff Loomis, Savatage man Chris Caffery, Freak Kitchen six stringer Mattias Ia Eklundh and virtuoso session man Rusty Cooley. This album is nothing wildly removed from William's other work but when you play drums like a Gatling gun with progressive flourishes then this kind of music will always be the easiest to produce. If you love Nevermore, Iced Earth and modern day Symphony X then you will love Ghost Ship Octavius as it features some powerful, progressive metal played by some great musicians. 7/10

The Vintage Caravan: Arrival (Nuclear Blast)

The history of rock music is littered with classic three pieces but The Vintage Trouble draw from the early 60's style of Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, and Mountain. Now all three of these bands are seen to be based around their legendary guitarists but they were also made up of bunch of legendary bassists and drummers such as Felix Pappalardi, Jack Bruce, Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell and Ginger Baker. Those band's sounds were due to the fact that all those involved were immensely talented worked together to create the fantastic songs that they were known for. The same can be said for The Vintage Caravan, Óskar Logi has a sonorous wide vocal range and plays his guitar like demon on rockers like Babylon while Alexander Örn shuffles the bass licks on Carousel on which he gets a bass solo and Stefán Ari Stefánsson who plays for his life anchoring everything especially on the latter part of Innerverse on which he really shows his mettle. Now as I said the band draw most of their influence from the late 60's early 70's style of hard rock based in blues and adding psychedelic elements that allow them to have wig outs in their songs relying more on the feel of the songs than too much structure, Shaken Belief's is a prime example of this, where as Crazy Horses (not a Osmond cover) is a balls out rocker that is part Neil Young, part Ted Nugent with it's Western piano playing and chugging riffage, Sandwalker has the sound of another three piece echoing the boogie of Billy, Dusty and Frank. The Vintage Caravan have upped their game on this second album really honing everything they showed on their debut, Arrival is a testament to just that; this is The Vintage Caravan's statement of intent more so than their looser debut and because of that this may be the album that sees them explode in the next 12 months. 8/10

Lesoir: Luctor Et Emergo (V2 Benelux)

I will admit I hadn't herd too much of Lesoir but with some research I found that they are Dutch rock band formed and fronted by Maartje Meessen, they fall into the Artrock category drawing influences from Anathema, Skunk Anansie, Crippled Black Phoenix and A Perfect Circle. The album title translates to "I Struggle And Emerge" and this echoes the dark tone of the record with loud dynamic guitars from Ingo Dassen (with Eleen Bartholomeus and Meessen contributing live) who also provides the pulsing synths and electronic beats on tracks like the Porcupine Tree-like (A Lady Named) Bright and the pulsating Flawless Chemistry. The rhythm section of Ingo Jetten's bass and Bob Van Heumen's drums provides the band with a wide and compelling backing that gives them a real sense of force on the rockier tracks such as Going Home and Deliberate but equally on the quieter moments they both show off their expertise and technical prowess mostly on Hold On To Fascination which has progressive tendency. With the wall of sound style of playing Dassen's guitars sound like a tidal wave of sound bringing to mind Anathema and CBP who also get a nod in the lyrical content with struggle and strength all being included. The sound of Lesoir is very much anchored by their front woman she is the reason for the dark, chaotic heaviness and the fragile, whispered emotion her piano and flute undercut the electric assault on the more melodious quieter moments such as the title track. Her voice however is where her true talent lays it is stunning, effortlessly moving between an almost aggressive operatic roar to a lulling, hushed chant, vocally she sounds a lot like Alanis Morrisette with her feisty fired up vocal delivery that can move from sweet to shouted in an instant on Press Play From Start and the thunderous In Reverse. Luctor Et Emergo is a stunning piece of work that sits perfectly in the same category as Steven Wilson, Anathema, A Perfect Circle and British Artrockers Panic Room this is alternative rock music with a progressive bent and a hell of a lot of talent on show. Buy this album! 10/10

Godsized: Heavy Lies The Crown (Metalville)

Godsized have always been compared to their American cousins and multi time tour mates Black Label Society and yes they do have a similar style to Zakk and his boys; huge slabs of riffage based on a pace setting rhythm section that bring everything together. Things kick off slow on Welcome To Hell with some intricate clean lead playing starting the song before it gets heavier and faster from there on in. As I've said the band have a pounding rhythm section in the shape of Dan Kavanagh and Gavin Kerrigan and when underscoring the twin guitars of Chris Charles and Glen Korner their contribution speaks for itself. Charles and Korner are no slouches themselves riffing like bastards throughout bringing some big rockers that Charles can boom over with his Myles Kennedy like vocals. In fact the band have drawn a lot more from the Tremonti school of musicianship with a modern metal sound with heaps of melody they play well and their songs are good. However there is a problem, they are trying a little too hard to be Alter Bridge on this record, this maybe to move away from their British BLS crown but it makes them sound like a different band. There are glimpses of their old biker metal background but not as much as I and indeed anyone who enjoyed their debut album would want, the songs on this album are a little boring in places. I have no doubt that in the live arena they will still punch you in the mouth but this record does seem a little restrained. 6/10

Sammy Hagar & The Circle: At Your Service (Mailboat Music)

We here at the Musipedia don't really review live albums all that often but this was a massive exception. As many of you may know Sammy Hagar made his name as the second singer of Van Halen, he was the man that brought them into the nineties and skilfully stepped into the void left by Diamond David Lee Roth. However Hagar is much more than that; he was also the first (and arguably most famous) singer of classic underrated rock band Montrose, he has a successful solo career for many years, he formed supergroup Chickenfoot with Joe Satriani, Chad Smith and VH's Michael Anthony and he is shrewd businessman creating his own brand of tequila and his own restaurants/bars. A man of many talents then but one who is obsessed by music, his previous band Chickenfoot had run it's course due to the commitments of Satch and Chad Smith so Hagar was left at somewhat of a loose end, here was his chance to record and album featuring some of his best friends in the business, this came to fruition in the album Sammy Hagar & Friend album which saw him hook up with guitar virtuoso Vic Johnson. Since this album, Hagar has found some kindred spirits and he has formed another band this time called The Circle.

The band is formed by longtime cohort Michael Anthony on bass, Vic Johnson on guitar, Hagar on vocals (obviously) and behind the kit one Mr Jason Bonham (a man who is no stranger to a supergroup himself). This album is taken from various dates on their US tour and while it shows the band in full flight showing all of their collected skills it also is a picture of four guys having a great time, the production is slick, the crowd is not too intrusive, the performance is mesmerising, Hagar is humble yet fierce frontman and while you do get a bass solo (mercifully short) and a guitar solo (also short) all can be forgiven by the tracklist that includes a drum solo that breaks into Bonham's Dad's magnum-opus Moby Dick. Yes it is indeed the track listing that is the best part of this album never has the word 'greatest hits' been so apt. Opening with Hagar's own There's Only One Way To Rock the band kick off with full steam ahead, however when this is followed by Rock Candy from Montrose, Good Times Bad Times from Led Zeppelin and Poundcake from Unlawful Carnal Knowledge then you know you are in for a good time. The set brings in Zep classics like When The Leveee Breaks, Rock & Roll and the perennial Whole Lotta Love on which Hagar does his best Plant impression while Johnson and Anthony are Page and JPJ respectivly, through some Hagar era Van Halen tracks like When It's Love, Finish What Ya Started, Right Now, The Best Of Both Worlds and Why Can't This Be Love and a sprinkling of Hagar solo stuff with Can't Drive 55 and Heavy Metal.

These well known rock songs combine perfectly with a band that have passion and skill, special kudos to Vic Johnson for having Page's feel and EVH's flair, to create a live album that makes you wish you were there. There are some failings in Hagar's voice at times but this is live album capturing the band in raw environment not with studio overdubs or trickery. A passionate, powerful album that has seen these legends come full Circle (although I still think Bonham's suggestion of Red Zeppelin would be better). A must for fans of The Red Rocker, Zep, Van Halen and indeed rock music itself! 10/10

Howlin Rain: Mansion Songs (Easy Sounds)

Howlin Rain's last album The Russian Wilds was widely critically acclaimed, the band are the creation of Ethan Miller frontman and guitarist for the band, the album was released on a major label and despite the critical plaudits, as Miller puts it himself he "walked out of the back end of my major label run and the first 9 years in Howlin Rain with no band, no label, no foreseeable immediate move forward" however he also goes on to say that he had "a figurative suitcase full of songs, my talent, invigorated by having nothing else to lose, exhausted by the bullshit and grind of the music business, this musical life, and all it's absolute bullshit and fucked tests" that inevitably made him cynical but not bitter. The Russian Wilds has the honour of being one of my most played albums so I was very excited to see what Miller had up his sleeve next. To his latest record then, apparently the first of a supposed trilogy, Mansion Songs which was made with a handful of musicians and continues the last album's Americana infused Californian rock vibe while adding new elements and stripping it back with more country and folk additions.

Big Red Moon opens proceedings with a Nashville twang, sounding like it could have come off Blackberry Smoke album, all blustering mouth harp and slide guitar (both coming from Miller) topped with Miller's full throated howl and Southern honey croon which is part Springsteen, part Young, part Petty with the same kind of delivery of an ageing punk rocker although Miller himself evokes the spirit of The Big Lebowski's The Dude or a hard rocking Rabbi. This song is an upbeat whiskey drinking song that hides the dark subtext, a theme that continues on Meet Me In The Wheat which could have featured on a Outlaw Country record with it's "Hallelujah" refrain and pounding electric organ. Miller handles most of the instrumentation but he has acquired some top level musicians to help him out with Meg Baird being the one that reoccurs regularly and is most notable by providing drums, acoustic guitars and vocals; most notably on the haunting Coliseum which has all the the hallmarks of a self-loathing, emotion filled track from a Roger Water's album as Miller whispers his vocals as Baird floats in and out of the song built on just two acoustic guitars providing great juxtaposition from the two preceding tracks. The New Age is a song that speaks of redemption and reinvention think a folky version of U2 driven by a viola and a double bass, this song passes by quickly resetting things for the organ drenched 70's stomp of Wild Bush a song that would sound great blasting out of an open top Chevy in 1970's Harlem.

For an album with only 8 tracks this album is a grower after repeated listens it opens up into something else entirely, there are immediate elements but on the slower more atmospheric songs like Restless they take a few spins to really grab you. This is a good thing however as it means you have to really listen to this album, I suggest playing it through a set of headphones, or outside as the sun sets. Everything on Restless is numbed and smothered leaving just Miller's broken vocals to tell the tale of a man descending into madness, Lucy Fairchild is a song of redemption and morality set to an Elton John-like backing full of driving piano and orchestral swell in the finale. This final part of the album is slower burning affair than the opening part which could be due to the trio aspect creeping in, this is only part one of the story that leaves you in a dreamlike state on Ceiling Fan filled with references to the most creative directors, musicians, artists and writers and driven by one acoustic guitar hook, whispered train of thought vocals and a choral chorus before bursting into a crescendo at the end that sees guitars fizz behind the Floydian track that imitates The Walls hope filled finale. I do hope the second part of this trilogy comes soon as yet again Ethan Miller has shown why Howlin Rain are the thinking man's rock band, intelligent lyricism merging with deft considered playing to create a vibe that is both nostalgic and fresh. A truly fine piece of music yet again 10/10

Flotsam & Jetsam: The Underworld

Another overnight stay in London with work allowed me the opportunity to pop along to the Underworld in Camden for what was apparently Flotsam & Jetsam’s first UK visit (sans last years’s BOA appearance) for 27 years. Given that the band are always going to be most famous for the Jason Newsted connection, I don’t suppose this was that surprising.

For the uninitiated amongst you, F & J first hit the metal scene in 1981 but gained popularity with their debut album, Doomsday For The Deceiver in 1986. This was a mighty slab of thrash metal which had massive potential and some killer tunes. The follow up, No Place For Disgrace in 1987 no longer contained Newsted on bass but contained a few blistering tracks (see the title track and the all-out assault of P.A.A.B); however, from here on in the Phoenix outfit kind of disappeared from the radar, struggling to maintain the momentum that bands like Metallica, Anthrax, Testament and Exodus were achieving. I have to admit that until I saw that they were playing in London, it had been a long time since I had listened to any of their stuff.

A sparsely populated Underworld were treated to two support bands. I arrived in time to catch the last track from openers Desolation; quite an apt description given the small crowd and I was not at all surprised to find pretty solid thrash metal. It would be unfair to review them on one song so I won’t. Twenty minutes later and main support Bliksem hit the stage. Now, I can name very few (okay none) thrash metal outfits from Belgium and the band from Antwerp gave it their all. Double guitars in the shape of flying Vs, thumping bass and some solid drumming all sounded okay, but the vocals of Pegg Meeussen were just not very strong. Having been treated to the superb voice of Krissie (Triaxis) three nights earlier, a shouty, screamy vocal assault just did nothing for me. The band gave their all, but their songs were not brilliant and overall they just passed me by. 5/10

Bang on 9:20, the riff for No Place For Disgrace rang out and F&J hit the stage. The band consists of original vocalist Eric A. 'A.K.' Knutson, old school guitarist Michael Gilbert, Steve Conley (guitar) Michael Spencer on bass and newest recruit drummer Jason Bittner. The slightly larger crowd of around 200 provided a rousing response which was heart-warming. The band launched into the first of six tracks from Doomsday, the all-out thrasher Desecrator which ignited a small but ferocious pit in the middle of the floor. Although the band were tight and at times provided glimpses of their obvious talent, such as the awesome Iron Tears and Swatting At Flies from 1992’s underrated Cuatro, overall F&J just don’t have the arsenal of quality tracks to have pushed them from the second division of the thrash metal league.

Despite this, Knutson remains an excellent front man, warm and engaging and still able to hit some of the notes which he screamed all the way back in the 1980s. The band were able to riff it up and the old school heavy set (12 tracks from the first two albums) certainly stirred some memories. I certainly got goose bumps when the atmospheric build-up to Doomsday For The Deceiver arrived before crashing into the monstrous riff which provoked mass head banging throughout the venue. A few of the more recent tracks balanced the set although it was the older stuff that received the most positive responses from the audience.

However, as I watched, it felt quite sad to see a band that had never pushed on in quite the way expected back in 1986 going through the motions on a UK tour 27 years in the making, and a mere three dates long; London, Nuneaton and Glasgow. It was perhaps no surprise that the crowd was pretty low. Still, they ended on a high with the brutal P.A.A.B concluding the evening with one final mosh pit swirling around the floor. It was certainly worth seeing the band in a headline capacity, and on occasion I was taken back to that 16 year old sat in the bedroom with a copy of Doomsday For The Deceiver on the record player. It was also clear why the band are the Bradford City of metal; the occasional foray towards the top but generally average lower division fare. Overall a 7/10 and a reasonably entertaining evening.

Blurred Vision: Organised Insanity (Self Released)

Blurred Vision are a three piece rock band with a progressive edge hailing from Canada, the band is made up of to Iranian brothers Sepp Osley on vocals and guitars, Sohl Osley on bass and their friend Ben Riley on drums. The band draw influences from many places but mostly you can hear Pink Floyd, The Beatles (especially in Sepp's vocals), Muse and Von Hertzen Bros, they play a progressive kind of music brimming with melody but also intricate and with a wide breadth of musicality provided by the three members and their fourth contributor Joel Lightman on keys. The band have a patron in Floyds founder Roger Waters and due to that it is the spirit of Floyd that looms the largest from the sax break on marching opener No More War and the dreamy Rollin' On which sounds a little too like Pigs (Three Different Ones). Unlike Floyd there are no long freakouts or solo sections the songs are concise and well written allowing for the most amount of experimentation without compromising the songs structure, melody (something they have a keen ear for) and message.

The band are very politically aware and active and this is reflected in their lyricsim (10% of their album proceeds go to the poverty charity WhyHunger) Arms Of Our World and Dear John being the two most evident, the latter being a paean to the departed Mr Lennon but also to the the legacy of peace he sought. The band however they aren't preachy using their music to inform rather than ear bash. Tonight has the chart bothering euphoria of Kings Of Leon while Long May You Run sees Sepp use his deep hushed voice to mirror Roger on this dreamy piece of music where he shows of his Gilmour-like solos as his brother and Ben Riley keep the pace with superb drumming, stirring basswork and contribute the backing ah's to make this one of the most Floydian tracks on the record. The album has a great sound to it with every nuance captured by Terry Brown's excellent production, many will know him as a the man that has produced Rush for many years and this experience shows as he makes this young band sound like they have been treading the boards for years. Promise is a modern sounding up tempo rocker that driven by a repetitive guitar and keyboard riff before exploding at the end, it is also one of the tracks that doesn't really have an influence to it, it is a song that sounds fresh and new. This is a top quality debut album that both draws from it's influences perfectly allowing them to shine through but also create their own sound around them. 9/10

Magic Kingdom: Savage Requiem (AFM)

Belgium guitar virtuoso Dushan Petrossi is now on his fourth Magic Kingdom as well as five albums with his other band Iron Mask. The man clearly has riffs and solos coming out of every pore and whereas Iron Mask is straight up neoclassical power metal about historical at all and war themes, Magic Kingdom focuses on the lives of Mickey & Co in Disneylan....no sorry that's not it (although that idea needs to happen). No the Magic Kingdom albums focus on fantasy themes played to a symphonic metal backing, since their last album in 2010 it's been all change in the Magic Kingdom camp with only long term bassist Vasiliy Molchanov still around since the bands inception (he is also the other founding member in Iron Mask) Petrossi has recruited Michael Brush behind the skins and a new voice in the shape of former Adagio and current Random Eyes vocalist Christian Palin. Palin's only album with Adagio Archangels In Black was one of their best and showed that Palin is equally adept with sky scraping highs and guttural lows, this stays him in good stead to join Magic Kingdom who added some guttural vocals for their previous effort (something that needed two vocalists). So back to Savage Requiem and what immediately strikes you is that when Petrossi has a formula he sticks to it, Magic Kingdom is symphonic metal at its purest and even though Iron Mask are similar there are enough differences in both bands to separate them. Petrossi is a hell of a guitarist, playing with style and flair contributing rocking riffs and fleet fingered solos that burn the fretboard, he also contributes the orchestral arrangements that make this album sound so big in scope, think Yngwie Malmsteen playing with Rhapsody and you wouldn't be far off Rivals Forever is a rampaging metal track on which Brush impresses on the drums, then without a beat it is followed by the slower fist in the air filled with orchestral power. Yes it's cheesy and things go a bit Spinal Tap on Ship Of Ghosts when Petrossi adds Beethoven's Ode To Joy to his solo section (all that's missing is playing it with a violin) but if you like your metal with a cinematic scope and more guitar wankery than you can shake a stick at then Magic Kingdom will be right up your street. 8/10

Chaos Divine: Colliding Skies (Firestarter)

Chaos Divine (not be associated with thrashers Divine Chaos) are modern progressive rock/metal band hailing from Perth Australia. I say modern as they will fall into the djent category along with Tesseract and Karnivool with palm muted, off kilter riffs, filled with groove but they also draw from influences as wide as Opeth, Devin and even Mastodon. Despite the elements of djent the band are so much more than a tag using bass heavy riffs from Michael Kruit in conjunction with clean flowing guitars from Simon Mitchell and Ryan Felton the band set about creating music with a wide scope and intense musicality, the songs spring from the record drawing you in with massive hooks backed by some technical drumming from Ben Mazzoral, an intricate weaving of guitars and David Anderton's sublime vocals, he serenades Badge Of Honour before tearing at the jugular on Painted With Grey which sees him move between roars and his normal vocal delivery. This album is made up of some great tracks such as the anthemic Soldiers, the dreamy Tides, the Muse meets Tool of Before The Dawn but it is difficult to pick out individual songs however as this album needs to be taken in as whole piece because of the musical breath to it. Chaos Divine are just that a perfect mix of metallic fury and melodic precision. 8/10

SiXforNinE: S/T (No Regrets)

SiXforNinE are alternative/progressive metal band from Athens Greece, the band was formed by guitarist George Kapa, Bassist Herc Booze and drummer Pete Outfox, while writing their debut album they acquired the services of former Septicflesh drummer Fotis Bernardo as producer and sound engineer, during the recording process they found that Fotis also has a hell of a voice and he duly became the bands lead singer. This was a superb step for the band as Fotis' voice is the cherry on top of what is already a very sweet musical cake. Sound Of Perfection starts things off with Floydian Run Like Hell style before the heaviness kicks and we move straight into the Alter Bridge/Disturbed style metal with a huge bassline from Booze, Kapa's furious guitar work and some cracking drumming as Bernardo uses his powerful vocals that are perfect fit for this kind of chest beating metal, in fact while I was listening to this album I immediately thought of bands like Adrenaline Mob or Sacred Mother tongue that tried this style of progressive tinged alternative metal but ultimately couldn't pull it off; SiXforNinE however do it with style part Alice In Chains, part Porcupine Tree bringing in progressive elements throughout their muscular riffs.

All My Heroes Are Dead is of that style with some big grooves augmented by Booze's voodoo groove, Kapa's melodic flowing playing style in the solos that flash like lightning before moving back into the thumping metal rhythms. Hourglass slows up the pace relying on a funky prog bassline to move things along as Bernardo howls with his superior voice. His production too allows everything to stand out, from the thunderous drumming, to the anchoring bass, impressive leads and great vocals, the production is modern and gives you a crystal clear sound meaning that all elements can sparkle. More Floyd comes in on the opening to Save Me which has a staccato reverbed guitar riff to open before turning into the albums most emotive song until the acoustic When The Roses Turn Back which is classic AIC, featuring some beautiful lyrics and orchestral swells behind. The rock kicks back in on 649 and the punky Drifted before climaxing with the heaviest track on the album God Among The Silence which ends the album perfectly. SiXforNinE are an amazing blending classic metal influences with heaps of modern metallic goodness, couple that with spellbinding performances from all those involved, sterling production and most importantly excellent songs that bridge that gap between mainstream and underground. SiXforNinE remind me a lot of Brit groove masters Panic Cell, I loved them and I love SiXforNinE, pick up their album and you will too. 9/10

Hinder: When The Smoke Clears (The End Records)

Hinder hit the big time with their debut album Extreme Behaviour the album sold over three million copies in the U.S and their debut single Lips Of An Angel went in at number one on the rock charts, things looked great for the band, they continued a strong streak on second album Take It To The Limit. However the band had a few problems with their singer Austin Winkler who became increasingly erratic with his behaviour and fianlly he entered rehab, it also saw the band moving away from the Buckcherry like sleaze rock into a Motley Crue pastiche on All American Nightmare and Welcome To The Freakshow, I'll admit both of these albums were uninspired in my eyes however Winkler has gone now and the band are in a new era. When The Smoke Clears can be seen as metaphor for their rise from the ashes with drummer Cody Hanson producing the album with new singer Marshal Dutton who has been writing with the band since All American Nightmare, Dutton has breathed new life into the band his voice is cleaner than Winkler's having a more Bon Jovi-like croon which gives the band a new edge on the Hit The Ground and first single Rather Hate Than Hurt. Hinder have moved back into their hard rocking American radio rock style fusing Papa Roach with Guns & Roses all wrapped up in a Nickelback blanket, cue big guitars, big hooks and chant along choruses. There are also some country elements creeping in on Wasted Life, I Need Another Drink with the heaviness supplied by Intoxicated, electro elements on Dead To Me. As with all bands like this there are more than enough lighters in the air balladry with If Only For Tonight, the very JBJ Foolish Eyes and the shout along Nothing Left To Loose. Hinder have really stepped up their game on this album, welcome to the party guys it's nice to have you back! 7/10

Banditos: S/T (Bloodshot)

Southern to the core Banditos hail from Birmingham, Alabama but are now based in Nashville (yes folks that Southern) these Stetson wearing, banjo toting, gospel howling, bourbon drinking, blues loving, country pickin' good ole' boys (and girl) have all the necessary elements to impress a crowd in a spit and sawdust honky tonk bar (that play both country & western) and down & dirty rock show. The band were formed by singer/guitarist Corey Parsons and singer/banjoist(?) Stephen Pearce who spent their time in D.I.Y punk and hardcore bands and you can hear that punk ethos throughout this debut album the band sound a lot like Dylan when he went electric (Can't Get Away) mixed with some early ZZ Top, some Drive By Truckers with a bit of Grateful Dead and Brother & The Holding Company thrown in for good measure. The band have a wide eclectic sound with three vocalists giving a breadth of delivery the opening The Breeze has all three giving blast over fuzzy electric rocking, a U-turn comes next with the hillbilly explosion of Waitin'which is a banjo led bluegrass track and shows of Mary Beth Richardson's seriously soulful delivery, she made her name in gospel choirs and it shows through on this track where she does her best to channel June Carter Cash and Janis Joplin howling as the song gets faster.

The band are all talented musicians their technical prowess perfectly understated and loose while never missing a beat, the locomotive shuffle of Golden Grease shows this driven by Randy Wades shuffling drums, Danny Vines double bass, the dual chugging guitars of Jeffery Salter and Corey Parsons (who also shows off his pained gruff voice) and underscored by Stephen Pearce's banjo. As I've said this is 'proper' Southern music honed on the road and drawing from a multitude of influences including doo-wop on No Good and Old Ways on which Richardson does her best to take the roof off the place. Banditos have managed to distil all of the sounds of the South into 12 distinct tracks and as the rollicking Cry Baby Cry and the smoky blues of Preachin' To the Choir end the album this six piece have taken you on a journey through the history of Southern music with Banditos as your hariy, denim clad guides. 9/10

The Darkness: Last Of Our Kind (Canary Dwarf)

Fourth album from the new reinvigorated The Darkness and finally the spark has returned after the hit-and-miss Hot Cakes, now I'm not saying that their comeback was bad, it was just not the glorious return to form many would have come to expect from a band who's debut took the world by storm. However Justin, Dan, Frankie and new drummer Emily Dolan Davies (who has subsequently been replaced by Rufus 'Son Of Roger' Taylor) are giving it another go with Last Of Our Kind to try and reach the heady heights of their debut., so achieved the comeback they had been threatening to release since they reformed? As the intro monologue tells the story of the decapitation of Edmund The Martyr the band smash straight into the the sledgehammer proto-metal riff of Barbarian which explains the story in more detail with Justin and Dan riffing like bastards, Frankie Poullain underpinning the riffs as Dolan Davies smashes away at the kit, with the ott lyrics, mid-song speech and guitar solo from nowhere there is no doubt that the songwriting flare of old is back.

Mixing tongue in cheek lyrics with Hawkins still insane vocal delivery and walls of glam-inflected thumping rock riffs, Open Fire is part Queen, part The Cult, and has Justin giving his most gonzoid vocal performance before bursting forth with another fuzzy solo at the end. Hawkins has said that this album is Medieval rock and this is most evident on the title track which is both a battle cry and a mission statement for the band as they add mandolins and 80's style solo to this huge Queen style track. The mandolins continue on Roaring Waters, before they stray into ballad territory on Wheels Of The Machine which sounds like it could have come off Pink Floyds Momentary Lapse Of Reason album. Stylistically the band mix it up throughout while sticking with ballsy hard rock, see the synth-laden sky scraping ballad Mighty Wings which would fit right in on Hot Space, before some bluesier tracks in the latter part of the album on Mudslide and Hammer & Tongs, hell they even give Frankie a chance to sing on the majestic final track Conquers who shows that he has great vocal delivery too (Something that those, who've seen them live already know). The Darkness are indeed the last of their kind, they seem very happy about that and are determined to defend their position at every turn. They do this by being in the unique position that they can really do what they want, as they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. They have come back with what could be their second best album which for a band with The Darkness' potted history is a huge compliment I can assure you! They are back folks just deal with it and embrace it! 9/10

Valkyrie: Shadows (Relapse Records)

Valkyrie have been treading the boards for over ten years now yet this is only their third full length album. The band is made up of guitar slinging brothers Jake and Pete Adams along with bassist Alan Fary and drummer Warren Hawkins, they play pre-metal style stoner rock with a serious blues backing that brings to mind Graveyard, Witchcraft, The Sword, Pentagram, with the dual guitar attack echoing that of Thin Lizzy (see rollicking opening Mountain Stomp for a slice of prime Robertson and Gorham wizardry) and Wishbone Ash especially in the more psychedelic methods. The gaps between the albums can be attributed to Pete being the lead guitarist in Baroness a band who Valkyrie also share some traits with. This album bristles with stoner rock professionalism big riffs, hollered vocals and lashings of groove. Valkyrie have always produced quality and Shadows is no exception from the slow burning old school doom of Temple to the mind expanding Wintery Plains which sees the brothers playing for their lives as Fary and Hawkins punish with their rhythm section through to fine finale of Carry On which sees guitars slither and slice through the rhythmic fug and the brothers call you to "Carry On" like a shaman from the void. Valkyrie have always released quality and yet again they impress, if you like your rock with a fat order of riffs then Valkyrie will be right up your street. 8/10

Section IV: Superhuman (Self Released)

A long time ago (the late 80's and nineties) there was an influx of new progressive bands in the UK, bands that came from the same musical background as Marillion; keyboard driven music, mixing progressive, technically played music with mainstream pop edge. Among these bands were It Bites, Pendragon, Arena and the criminally underrated Frost*, now with the exception of Pendragon all of these bands are now gone but their spirit lives on, mainly through John Mitchell who has played in three of the bands mentioned, but also through Steven Wilson and now Section IV who are the perfect baton carriers for the sound of Arena and It Bites. The band start their album with the 12 minute plus title track which is a concept within itself and it nails their colours to the wall showing that the band deal in accessible, intelligent music with swathes of keys, technical rhythm section, undercut with flowing guitar parts and keening vocals. The songs are cathartic, romantic (Inside) but also thought provoking and intelligent So Far Away and Guiding Light and they are played with some expert musicianship. Now I will admit this kind of music has always been a bit like musical Marmite (even for prog fans) and many will ridicule the music for being too poppy in places but for those that have an open mind, Section IV play it so well that they are close to reaching the Premier league of neo-prog. 7/10

Lucifer: Lucifer, I (Rise Above)

A few years ago a band called The Oath appeared on the occult doom rock scene formed by two leather clad rocker chicks in the shape of guitarist Linnea Olsson and singer Johanna Sadonis, they released a great debut then as fast as they appeared they split up leaving everyone unsure of what happened. However in what was a slow release promo campaign including snippets of sounds, not much information on the band and a non album single (very retro), Sadonis reappeared with another band named Lucifer, (no prizes for guessing what the songs are going to be about then) but after sneak peeks and another single finally their debut album Lucifer I. The album was written by Sadonis and ex-Cathedral man Gaz Jennings and as such is a prime slice of occult 70's style rock of Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult and indeed Pentagram or any proto-metal band you care to mention. Things start off with Abracadabra and Jennings (known as The Wizards here) gives us a thumping riff while ex-The Oath drummer Andrew Prestridge rumbles like distant thunder and bassist Dino Gollnick underpins with a voodoo bassline. The key element of Lucifer's sound though are Sadonis' haunting vocals she croons, howls and bewitches on every track while holding sermons on the occult and the Satanic (what else). From bell tolling doom of Sabbath, through the glistening Izrael, the doom laden Morning Star and the powerful Grave. This is a solid slab of occult doom rock, let's hope this band lasts longer than Sadonis' last effort as this album has a lot of potential. 8/10

Ten Foot Wizard: Sleeping Mountains (Beard Of Zeus)

Oof this is a bit of alight riff heavy stoner rock with head spinning bass, thunderous drumming, rocking and rolling riffage and shouted vocals. Coming from Manchester these men describe their sound as hailing from the Beard Of Zeus and they might be right as this is 70's style psych rock fitting perfectly into the stoner rock genre that means that Ten Foot Wizard have a Clutch meets Orange Goblin style of heavyweight rocking with a bit of Desert rock sun gazing thrown in. On We Go is pure Clutch replete with time change in the middle of the track that oozes with the blooze. All four members play their instruments with loose precision allowing the songs to breathe freely letting their blues and 70's rock influences shine through, Emlyn's bass walks tall on the QOTSA-like Up & Away, Jonny's drums anchor the groove throughout while the guitars of Adam and Gary are the bands wall of riffage that allow Gary to shout like man with too much whiskey and weed. The band don't need to stretch themselves too much as they stick to a solid stoner groove but with tracks like Railway Shuffle, Covered In Tits, Through This World and Sabbath worshipping, jazz inflected Ode To Death the band have really hit upon the Southern rock/stoner mix that Neil Fallon and co does so well. Cracking album from these Wizards of heavy rock. 8/10

Forgotten Suns: When Worlds Collide (Premiere Music)

Forgotten Suns are progressive metal band hailing from the sunny shores of Portugal and they draw from the sounds of Dream Theater, Symphony X and Shadow Gallery, with thrashy metallic guitar riffs, melodious keys and synths, blast beat drums, galloping bass and powerful vocals. They are also not adversed to a longer track with five of the 7 tracks on this album coming in at over 10 minutes long with the concept track The Road To Nowhere Parts 1 & 2 bookend the album at 11 minutes and 17 minutes respectively, the songs move and twist (like those dark figures Maiden sang about) through various time signatures and even sometimes genres. The guitar playing of Ricardo Falco is ad you would expect adding sublime solos and riffs over J.C Sambora's powerful drumming while Ernesto Rodrigues provides the slinky keys and driving synths. So musically the band have a lot of talent however vocally I'm wasn't impressed by Nio Nunes his voice has a habit of bordering on the whiny while trying to do his best James LaBrie (who has got a unique voice) still if you can get past this then When Worlds Collide is a good little prog metal album. 6/10

Leprous: The Congregation (InsideOut)

On their fifth album now and Norwegian madmen Leprous are still a premier provider of technical, progressive music that is both dark and melodic showing the talent Leprous have gained as Ihshan's touring band. As things open with The Price we get numerous time changes, odd vocal harmonies and an electronic beat backing the guitars and drums. Now Leprous draw from all manner of influences with a dual guitars of Tor Oddmund Suhrke and Øystein Landsverk mixing rock, metal and punk perfectly providing the guts and noise to all of the tracks, while Baard Kolstad and has a particular jazz style to his drumming while also handling the harder faster parts perfectly see Third Law which moves from sparse soundscapes to furious metal passages. However as with all of the Leprous albums their sound is the brainchild of frontman Einar Solberg who drives the songs along with his virtuoso keys, synths and programming and also his wild multi-octave vocal. shown on the the relentless Rewind where he moves from a chant, to a high register croon and then a fractured shout before the climax. Unlike their earlier efforts both The Congregation and it's predecessor Coal have seemed to be much more immediate than their early efforts, the songs are accessible but also musically dexterous, darkly endearing and intensely progressive in their delivery. From the start stop processed beats of Red through to the burning, sombre passion of Slave, the fist pumping passion of Down amongst others. The Congregation is yet another great expansive, expressive, progressive record full of extremely talented songwriting and chock full of great songs that are perfect as part of the album but will be even more well received in the live arena later this year. Well worth a punt if you like powerful progressive music! 9/10

George Kollias: Invictus (Seasons Of Mist)

George Kollias is the Greek drummer of American Death Metal merchants Nile and this is his debut solo album, now it is on this album that Kollias shows he is more than just a tub thumper as he handles every instrument of this album as well as the guttural vocals, so by definition this is about as solo as and album can be, however he dose have a fair few guests on the album, these are nearly all guitarists who provide the lead guitars and solos to the death metal creation Kollias has crafted. His Nile bandmates Karl Sanders and Dallas Toller-Wade show up on the title track and Voices, Rotting Christ's George Emmanuel gives his six string violence on Shall Rise/Shall Be Dead, Outloud/Firewind man Bob Katsionis on Apocalypse adds keys to the track and virtuoso Rusty Cooley on Aeons Of Burning Galaxies which also shows off Kollias' drumming talent. So is the album any good? Yes in a word, if you like relentless blastbeats, furious guitar playing and guttural roars, this is similar to Kollias' day job albeit without the Egyptian lyrics, so if you like any of these things then you will love this album. In fact it is a real technical death metal clinic with all the instruments played with precision, but Kollias has managed to create a myriad of styles within the death metal genre meaning that this album doesn't get boring or indeed dip in quality at all. A fantastic first shot by Kollias who manages to do what's familiar while adding new elements throughout. 8/10

Emerald Sun: Metal Dome (Pitch Black)

Thessaloniki's Emerald Sun have been around since 1999 and they have been playing their brand of power metal for a fair few years now so they are pretty accomplished at it and as the relentless drumming of Screamers In The Storm hits you are deep in the kind of muscular power metal that fellow Hellas Firewind and Innerwish deal so well in. Galloping power metal in it's purest form then with furious twin guitars from Paul and Johnnie, the rock solid rhythm section of George and Fotis, big keys from Sefis and the powerful vocals from Stelios. The title track echoes Warriors Of The World, Black Pearl would fit perfectly on an Alestorm album, where as Freedom Call is a power ballad worthy of the band themselves but it's Mere Reflection that stops the show before it is blown away by Dust And Bones. The production is a little tinny on this record meaning that everything feels a little washed out but as the album hurtles along at 100mph it's hard not to caught up in maelstrom of silly, grin inducing power metal. Not, big, not clever but damn fun! 7/10

Camden Rocks 2015: Various Venues In Camden

So Camden Rocks is the annual music festival in the alternative centre of London, spanning numerous venues throughout Camden and encompassing more than 200 bands I knew I was going to be in for a slog but what better way to see artists that tour infrequently or indeed bands that only play the London area and at £30 it was an opportunity not be sniffed at. Arriving late on the Friday I checked into my hostel in Swiss Cottage (£45 for two nights) and after a few beers with friends awaited the following morning.

So this was the day, packing light and heading on tot he top end of Camden before moving down Chalk Farm Road and onto Camden Highstreet to the legendary World's End Pub to collect my wristband and my press pass. After collection it was band time and back to the top of the street to The Enterprise, first up were London based alternative rockers Mercutio (7) who played expansive driving alternative rock in the style of Radiohead, Anathema or Porcupine Tree with huge bass and guitars and bass from Naz and Staf while Alessio kept a beat and Miriko has a keening, mournful vocals that work as another instrument than overpower anything, meaning that the band have a big sound in a little venue (I mean it was 12pm). Still a great opening band for the day but as soon as they were over it was a brisk walk over to the Stables Market and into Proud Camden from female three-piece The Amorettes (7) who played to a packed crowd, due to their sponsorship from Planet Rock, they play riff-filled Airborne style rock that was good to watch but didn't really do anything new for me as it was all a bit generic, still back up to The Enterprise with all the beer I had drunk coming off with perspiration to catch local lads (well Aberdare/Merthyr) Dead Shed Jokers (8)who yet again played their unique brand of gonzoid rock n roll with big riffs and Hwyl's vocals evoking Nick Cave, Zep and QOTSA all in one mixed in with valleys banter thrown in endearing them to the big crowd that had gathered to watch them in this little venue, well done boyos!!

Straight back down to The Stables Market and to the Cuban for a band that I have liked since their debut was released on Classic Rock magazines long forgotten Powerage records, the band was New Device (8) who usually only play London and play bouncy chart bothering modern metal with a mix of the rockiest tracks from both of their albums. Singer Daniel Leigh was hellishly sick which meant his voice went a few times but with a set full of great songs, a responsive tightly packed crowd and an excellent performance. I do hope this band travel a bit further on their next tour as I'd love to see them do it all over again. However I was about to get blown away as I walked the short distance over to Proud to catch the Wildhearts erstwhile front man Ginger (9) in full flight, as I waited the room filled and filled and filled again until people had to be stopped from entering, Ginger was on his Songs And Music tour which mixes his career defining songs with stories from his colourful history. As he started the set it was all systems go playing a solid 20 minute medley taken from the first few Wildhearts albums which got the entire crowd singing along to every word, as he ended (only reaching 1993) the affable front man the told a few stories from his past, explaining how he got sacked from his record label. Then he proceeded to play another medley that was a run through of latter part of the career. This was the biggest crowd of the entire festival, I personally spent most of the gig in the doorway, but the crowd was right Ginger managed to bring the house down with headline performance in the middle of the day.

Over to the largest venue the Ballroom to catch the rock and roll madness of The Black Spiders (8) who drove through their set with the obligatory "Eat Thunder, Shit Lightning" shtick with their rollicking rock getting the crowd moving to songs like Stay Down, Stick It To The Man, Just Like A Woman and Kiss Tried To Kill Me, there were a few technical hitches but once again Black Spiders showed what real rock and roll is still alive that the Black Spiders are the flag bearers of it. Back over to Proud for Scottish rock legends Gun (9) who showed once again showed that they are one of the most underrated bands in the rock genre, mixing old and new the played classics like Better Days, Money (Everybody Loves Her) fusing them with new tracks Let It Shine (which opened the set), Frantic and One Wrong Turn all of which fit perfectly with their older stuff. All of their songs have huge hooks which is something that one forgets about Gun. Jools Gizzi fits perfectly as their new singer (he was their old bassist) and stamps his Scottish charm all over the songs giving them new life. Ending with their cover of Word Up, the rocking Steal Your Fire and Shame On You to a rapturous applause. A band that I would again in a heartbeat, they were that good. Back over to the cavernous ballroom for While She Sleeps (8) who managed to lay waste to it with an insanely brutal set filled with riffs, breakdowns and screams, the supposed new kings of metal managed to cement their claim to this by causing huge pits and supplying more noise than I'd heard all day, hell they even took a song into the pit an proceeded to start a fight with a punter to protect another, their no compromise attitude was endearing and their songs are some of the heaviest and most tuneful out there.

I'll admit I had a dilemma here as three bands that I wanted to see clashed first was Turbowolf in the Barfly, then Skindred in the Underworld and the reinvigorated Bullet For My Valentine in the Electric Ballroom. Due to sentimental reasons and the band having a special place in my heart, I stuck with the Bridgend massive for Bullet For My Valentine (10). The band were welcomed like returning heroes driving straight into new track No Way Out which is nasty riff filled thrasher kicking off the set with violent pits before moving straight into Your Betrayal which is far heavier live than on record. The gig was their first in over 14 months and saw the debut of new bassist Jamie Mathias who slotted in perfectly prowling the stage along with Padge and Matt Tuck while Moose smashed away at the kit as 4 Words (To Choke Upon) got a huge cheer from the loyal and huge crowd. This was a celebratory, hit filled set that pleased the gathered masses, the pace didn't drop as the band ploughed through Raising Hell and Scream Aim Fire showing that they have arena filling tunes, the band seem to have made transition into a snarling riff spilling beast but also they have managed to merge that with hooks galore that gives them the air of Black Album period Metallica.

Acoustics came out for All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me) before the heavy second half kicked in and any sentimentality was blown away by another new song Broken, on the face of both of these tracks their new album Venom could be scorcher and was swiftly followed up by The Last Fight. Now with a list as long as your arm of songs that they could have played they opted for medley starting with Hand Of Blood, the Room 409, Hearts Burst Into Fire (which had the biggest sing along of the night, your writer included) ending with Begging For Mercy and Riot. As the set drew to a close the heaviness didn't relent as Waking The Demon and Pleasure And Pain ended the main set, thoroughly worn out and breathless it was time for the encore and it was their masterpiece angst ridden ballad Tears Don't Fall which had the crowd in raptures until the very last note. There is a lot of talk about who will be the next festival headliners when Metallica and Maiden stop and many would have ruled out BFMV a few years ago however on the basis of this performance they are definite headline material, their October tour is going to be in relatively small venues across the country see them there now before they finally reach that position they have been aiming for since The Poison. Perfect setlist, flawless performance and Welsh, what more could you want?

They also served as the perfect end to a tiring but cracking day of live music, this is gem in the yearly music calendar and if the acts are as good next year then your intrepid reporter will be amongst the masses yet again.

Blackwolf: Exchange, Bristol

Another hop across the bridge to the second home of the Musipedia, Bristol was calling again as Matt and I escaped the horrific fans and musical styling of One Direction to take in some real music. Arriving a little late (courtesy of an obligatory quick pint) we rocked up just in time to catch the main support of the evening Wreckage Of Society.

Wreckage Of Society

Quickly breaking out into their first track of a 30 minute set the Bristol based band set out their stall pretty early, presenting us with a unique brand of alternative ballad rock, filled with future anthem like lyrics. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you the song names from memory, however each song had a clear formula to them; ballad verse and an in your face hard rock chorus. This went down a treat for myself and from what I could see, the rest of the packed exchange too. The highlight of Wreckage Of Society for me were the vocals of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Luke Smith, melodically reminiscent of Five Finger Death Punch’s Ivan Moody but possibly a little cleaner and better. While in the bouncy chorus’s he really lets his deep voice free and hits every note with ease, impressive. The rest of the four piece were on their game too, lead guitarist Morgan Weeds matching Smiths rhythms and braking out melodic solos with great tenderness, led by the addictive bass lines laid out by Jim Matthews and topped off by hard hitting drums of Cameron Jarvis. Not too much else I can say here except, considering this was only their third gig as a band, it was pretty darn good. Catch these guy if you can, I'm looking forward to their EP! 7/10

Blackwolf

Now for the main event and something I had been looking forward to for a few weeks now. Having seen these guys a few times now, each time they seem to get better and never fail to impress. Hitting the stage to a great applause the Bristol favourites opened up with a bit of a curve ball, a track from their EP, Seeds. As expected the band ripped open the following silence with their instruments, playing them as hard and as loud as possible, filling the exchange with Blackwolf's patented hard-hitting bass led bouncy hard rock. Again my original draw to this band was always the vocals of Scott Sharp, wow what a voice this man has! However, he did put the frighteners into Matt and myself during opening track Seeds as he clearly struggled through, not hitting many high notes and at times his voice breaking even in the lower scales, with a quick look to each other, we decided that everybody gets one. Now, whether it was a case of first song warm up or the fact that Sharp simply hadn't played Seeds in a while I don’t know, but thankfully as the next few tracks kicked in, fan favourites Moving Mountains and Kiss The Fire his voice kicked right back in and damn did it sound good?! As Moving Mountains and Kiss The Fire were duly delivered flawlessly, both band and crowd jumped around the room to the bass filled grooves Ben Webb delivered throughout both tracks, while the riffs shot out by Jason Cronin and John Greenhill complemented the entire make up of the Blackwolf's sound, the set was flying through with smiles on fans faces clear to see. Next a new track from the album that the band is currently recording, sticking with the theme of fire, we were presented with Breathing Fire. Chocked full of bouncy rhythm guitar and groove-laden bass, while vocally a much quicker track for Sharp, which is new and something a little different for Blackwolf. However, what makes them so good remains; no compromise hard rock. If this is what we can expect from the next album… I can’t wait!

Back to the stuff the Blackwolf fans know and love for the next few tracks as the slower paced Sleepwalking was offered faultlessly followed by Steady Slow and Black Hole Friend, each song provided to the highest order and with the passion they deserve. Time for a taster of what is to come with another new track Grace. Similarly to Breathing Fire this was a little different to what we usually hear from the Bristol band, while at the same time not forgetting their style. Grace presented us with slower ballad like verses with a chorus that packed a punch like a mule, forcing the crowd to jump about aimlessly as they loved to do. Soon the set had to come to an all too soon end due to a following cub night. The band left the fans with what they came to see, classic unadulterated Blackwolf. Finishing off with anthems Moving On, Relief and Mr Maker both band and crowd were either hopping around or banging their heads to the riffs in-between supporting Sharp on the vocals. A well paced set with some new jewels slid in for good measure, Blackwolf truly are a live band that are not to be missed and hard to beat. Honest, fun and high quality hard rock how it should be… now messing round here, just quality music. I personally can’t wait to catch these guys again! 9/10.

Armored Saint: Win Hands Down (Metal Blade)

Armored Saint will probably be known as the band that John Bush fronted before he was in Anthrax however as he came back to the fold with Revelation it would be another 10 years until they released their 'comeback' with the excellent La Raza so now 5 years on The Saint have come marching again with what is only their seventh album. So does this album stand up to their great debut and indeed their previous release? Well as Jeff Duncan and Phil Sandoval's guitars rip through the opening title track the answer is an emphatic yes as the riffage comes thick and fast and the solo section sees the men fight for every note. A powerful opening then that shows that Armored Saint were always much better than they were given credit for, much of this comes from the great vocals of John Bush who was a perfect fit for Anthrax having a wider range than Joey Belladonna but he is right at home with Armored Saint giving a powerful chest beating performance. Mess could be the bands Indians you can even war dance to the percussive middle section provided by Gonzo Sandoval and Joey Vera. This album is non stop, filled with huge riffs, great songs played with talent and attacked with a talent perfected over years of touring and recording. The only slow song comes in the form of Dive which is an atmospheric ballad with soaring solo. There are only nine songs on this album but they are all excellent and show Armored Saint's continuing away from straight up thrash by adding some classic rock influences (Hammonds on Muscle Memory) and even a touch 80's sleaze metal seen on That Was Then, Way Back When. Armored Saint are back with a bang and with yet another collection of killer songs to add to their live set especially the fist raising In An Instant and the modern sounding Up Yours that ends the album brilliantly. I for one can't wait for Bloodstock!! 9/10

Pyramaze: Disciples Of The Sun (Inner Wound)

Considering the band have been around since 2001, this is only Pyramaze's fourth album, part of this may be because the band have had 4 four singers since their inception with numerous hiatus', the last hiatus saw founding guitarist Michael Kammeyer leave the band being replaced by Jacob Hansen who is more known as producer than a guitarist handling production for Amaranthe right through to Volbeat and hundreds of bands in between as well as being and in demand mixer and masterer. Obviously he handles the production on this album which along with Jonah Weingarten's keys give this album a cinematic quality, something Pyramaze have always brought to the prog/power genre. Now their last album had ex-Iced Earth man Matt Barlow providing the vocals but he has gone on to pastures new and the band have had a reshuffle leaving only drummer Morten Gade Sørensen as the founding member along with the longest serving members Weingarten and guitarist Toke Skjønnemand as being the only constants through all the albums, they do have a new vocalist in the shape of Terje Harøy who if he sticks around may be the man to get Pyramaze more recognised in the world of metal than they are now, his vocal is powerful, masculine and chest beating in it's delivery echoing Evergrey's Tom Englund while having a poppier element to it on tracks like Genetic Process where he really shows of is passionate shout over a heavy backing. The playing on this album is intense the band have all guns blazing Skjønnemand and Hansen's guitars tearing and ripping through all of the tracks with heavy riffs and sublime lead breaks all duelling with Weingarten's killer keys and Gade Sørensen's superb drumming. Once again Pyramaze have released another strong album that fans of Evergrey and Kamelot will lap up. Let's hope that Terje Harøy sticks around as Pyramaze have definitely found a new lease of life with him in the role of frontman, a great album from a band who have always had a massive amount of unfulfilled potential. 9/10

Phear: Insanitarium (Self Released)

When you think of Canadian thrash what springs to mind? Give up? The only two that are well known are Annihilator and Voivod with a few bands like Slaughter having cult status, now Canada is not really known for thrash, but when they do deal with the fast angry music they do it in a more progressive style than their American cousins. So can Phear add their name to this small list of bands that deal in the pit starting music? Well the album starts off with the atmospheric opening of Regan's Dream where the horror motif is drown out by the air raid sirens and then the riffs of Graham Stirrett and Tyson Emmanuel with fat slabs of guitars moving the song along before everything speeds up in the middle eight allowing the solos to come thick and fast, before the time changes once again at the final part, so thrashy and progressive yep it's Canadian thrash folks. The rhythm section of Lucas Di Mascio and Chris Lewis drive the groove laden tracks like Fallen while the Pat Mulock has a good voice that brings to mind Tim 'Ripper' Owens however his higher register doesn't really do it for me. On the other hand when it's duetting with Basia Lyjak on Heaven shows that he fits the band well adding some emotion to the heavyweight musical backing. This album is a bit long to be honest at 13 tracks you get a lot of bang for your buck but Phear have knack for atmospheric Nevermore styled progressive thrash metal that brings to mind Nevermore especially on Delusions, the album draws it's influences from everywhere but the middle section of the album slows up significantly and does become a bit of a dirge before speeding back to life on Until You Die. Phear have produced a confident debut that stands them in good stead however the album would be improved by the quality over quantity argument, until they've mastered that they won't quite reach the heights of Annihilator or Voivod. Still if you like a bit of progressive thrash with a nod to groove metal than Phear will be right up your alley. 7/10

Faith No More: Sol Invictus (Reclamation/Ipecac)

1997 remember that year? Seems a long time ago since Britpop loomed large and Tony Blair came to power, but 1997 was famous for another reason, it signified the release of what seemed to be the last Faith No More record. This seemed to be the end of the band as they went their separate ways, however after few reunion gigs here we go again with another record from the rock world's premium purveyors of off kilter, genre hopping, mind bending genuinely alternative music. The title track starts the album off as Mike Bordin's drums and Roddy Bottum's keys drive the song which is dark way to kick off the album as Captain Patton uses his entire vocal range to give the song gravitas, this song is more like an intro than a full track and it's only on Superhero that we finally get a 'proper' track with Billy Gould's bass playing taking centre stage as per usual underpinned by Jon Hudson's angular guitar riffs, this track moves along a fair pace in the verses Patton snarling like a beast before the chorus lends a sense of the grandiose with Bottum's keys and Patton croons merging brilliantly before Hudson gets a sublime lead break in the final part, Sunny Side Up paradoxically sounds like a funeral procession with an upbeat chorus, Separation Anxiety is the first real dose of weirdness on the album with a low dark almost schizophrenic opening that explodes into heavy rocker in the latter part. After only four tracks you can hear that the band are all playing at the top of their game add to this Bordin's great production and songs like the almost Western flavoured Cone Of Shame, the country/jazz influenced Black Friday and the gloriously insane Motherfucker. After 18 years it's quite clear that Faith No More haven't dropped a beat, they are still perfectly capable of producing an album of high quality alternative metal that soaks up genres and styles like a sponge, many publications have heralded this album as something akin to the second coming and while it's not quite that it is a an album that the band are obviously proud of this album and the rejuvenation it suggests; From The Dead is the most telling track on the album as it's the purest and most honest song on the album that sees the band reflecting on this their resurgence and reaffirm that Sol Invictus is indeed their declarative comeback statement. 9/10

Helloween: My God Given Right (Nuclear Blast)

Since replacing Michael Kiske with Andi Deris in 1994 Helloween have gone from strength to strength after the two lacklustre albums at the end of Kiske's tenure. However since 2005's Keeper Of The Seven Keys: The Legacy the band have hit somewhat of a purple patch with 7 Sinners and Straight Out Of Hell improving on the Helloween formula with thrashier guitars, huge synth swells, rampaging songs and Deris' grittier vocal delivery. This is also Helloween's first album on Nuclear Blast since 2003's Rabbit Don't Come Easy. Happily Helloween's 15(!?) My God Given Right (a hell of a boast) is more of the same as the crunchy riffs of Heroes kicks off the album in fine style as founder member Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner drivie everything with their great guitar work riffing like mad and filling the song with fleet fingered solos as Markus Grosskopf's bass adds flourishes underneath Daniel Löble's super fast drumming. Battle's Won is old school Helloween with huge vocal melodies and upbeat, glorious song writing, the title track is a ballsy, confrontational number that is followed by the hard rock of Stay Crazy. Yes the lyrics are not poetry Lost In America the incredibly silly Russian Roule which is the heaviest track on the album and the must-have-been a Kiss b-side If God Loves Rock N Roll. On the mega-ballad Like Everybody Else it underscores the importance of studio keyboardist Matthias Ulmer who helps to flesh out the songs with his synths, orchestrations and on the Deep Purple sounding Creatures In Heaven, the album sounds huge once again due to Charlie Bauerfeind's production wizardry. Yet another great addition to Helloween's latter-era re-insurgence and another power metal master class from the German legends of the genre. 8/10

Muse: Drones (Warner Bros)

So three years since Muse's 2nd Law and the band have come back into the public conciousness with a concept album called Drones, the album follows "the protagonist's journey from abandonment to indoctrination as a "human drone" and eventual defection" dealing with loss of empathy through modern technology, so a heavy concept indeed but nothing Matt Bellamy and co haven't touched upon before. What has changed since 2nd Law is that the band have stripped back their sound removing the orchestrations and indeed dubstep that was part of their previous hit-and-miss album and relying on the guitar driven rock of their early releases albeit with the progressive overtones of their latter period, in fact much of this album is pitched in the Absolution/Black Holes... style of rock. Drones kicks off with the synth driven Queen-like Dead Inside which features the Radio Ga Ga synth riff and huge backing vocals, which are also very prevalent on this record, possibly due to the involvement of Robert John 'Mutt' Lange the man that helmed Highway To Hell, Back In Black, Hysteria, Pyromania and Waking Up The Neighbours so he knows a thing or too about hit albums and does seem to have a Midas touch, in fact that touch is all over the mega ballad Mercy. Now older fans will immediately be back on board with this opening track and if not Psycho's glam-guitar riff driven rocker will have them listening intently, yes the riffs are back folks with Matthew Bellamy playing the guitar god as he riffs and solos on tracks like Reapers, while Dominic Howard keeps the pace behind the kit on The Handler and Christopher Wolstenholme provides the swaggering basslines on tracks like Defector. This album is a real return to form for the band who have filled it to the brim with the huge rock riffs of their early career, with some excellent tracks like the AOR meets Queen of Aftermath, the heavy Reapers, before the 10 minute The Globalist starts with an intro that echoes Ennio Morricone in the whistling and clean guitar lines. as Bellamy croons the opening part before the guitars kick in about halfway through leading into Bellamy once again takes to the piano to sing of loss and alienation as the finale flourishes swell to complete this amazing track that blends into the chanting in title track finale. Muse are back folks rejoice!! 9/10

Fleetwood Mac: Genting Arena, Birmingham

In September 2013 I finally achieved a lifelong ambition to see Fleetwood Mac in the flesh. The experience was documented in my review in the Musipedia and readers will have been aware that the evening, despite being overrun with event twats, and the absence of Christine McVie, was rather special. When the band announced a further run of dates, complete with McVie, under the banner of ‘On With The Show’, further tickets were purchased in anticipation of another evening of superb music.

There are few amongst the Musipedia crew that are unfamiliar with the Genting Arena, formerly the LG Arena amongst other names. To me it is always the NEC although that is just the name of the sprawling complex which houses conference halls, hotels and numerous other buildings. Having had an uneventful journey and Mrs H’s magnificent retro themed packed lunch, we were inside the venue with over an hour to spare; time to marvel at the £30 t-shirts, £20 tote bags and £15 programmes. Yes, they are a huge band, but really? £30 for a t-shirt? C’mon, do you need the money that badly? As for the fleeces, £50 for a product that looked like it had been completed at a ‘Print Your Own’ shop was pretty poor. I really despise these soulless corporate sponsored caverns, charging £4.50 for a bottle of warm lager and £2.20 for a bottle of water. Add in the appalling range of food (since when was Old El Paso a gig food?) and my rage increases. Anyway, rant over, on with the show!

I’d read prior to the gig that Stevie Nicks was feeling the strain of this tour, which started off in September 2014 in the States. As the band arrived on stage to an unsurprisingly huge ovation and kicked off with The Chain, it was immediately apparent to me that Nicks looked slightly out of sorts. As the night progressed her movement appeared restricted and her interaction with the audience significantly less than at the O2 on the previous run. As would be expected, the set list had changed to incorporate some of the McVie led tracks, and we lost Without You, Sara, and Stand Back (Nicks’ solo work) as a result. Classic tracks You Make Loving Fun, Second Hand News and Dreams got the audience singing along but the muddy mix was not helping with the bass lines too loud and the vocals distant at times. Although it did improve throughout the evening you can’t help but feel a little disappointed that the sound wasn't crystal clear; it is the beautiful vocals that are an integral part of this band after all.

Christine McVie’s return has been much heralded and the band were keen to make reference to her “completing” the circle. Lindsay Buckingham made a magnificent fuss of her in his first interaction with the audience whilst Nicks also ensured that the spotlight was focused on her fellow female member. However, although it was fantastic to see her back in the band, in the live arena McVie's songs are substantially weaker than those led by Nicks. Everywhere, from the Tango In The Night album was case in point, although to be fair, this may just be personal preference. The three of us present are very much in the Nicks camp. A reduced set from Tusk (I Know I'm Not Wrong, the title track and Sisters Of The Moon) was followed by Say That You Love Me before the acoustic set arrived.

This was the opportunity for Buckingham to take centre stage, and he doesn't need any invitation. The solo version of Big Love was followed by the beautiful duet with Nicks on Landslide before a stripped down version of Never Going Back Again highlighted his stunning acoustic guitar work.
Although Nicks may have looked uncomfortable at times, there was absolutely nothing wrong with her voice and throughout the night her vocal performance remained as enchanting and captivating as ever. Gypsy and Gold Dust Woman were undoubted peaks in a show crammed with quality. Little Lies, one of my least favourite Mac tracks got the usual ecstatic response from vast swathes of women in the audience, who then as expected chatted all the way through my favourite Mac track, I'm So Afraid, complete with Buckingham’s trademark stunning guitar solo. In my last review I referred to him as one of the most underrated guitarists in rock, and I stand by that view. His unique picking style and three finger fretwork is just extraordinary. The main set finished with Go Your Own Way, and we braced for the inevitable Mick Fleetwood drum solo that is a part of World Turning, encore track number 1. Sure enough, we didn't have to wait too long and that provided the opportunity to head for the conveniences ahead of our return journey. Fleetwood spent ten minutes introducing the extended band (extra guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalists) in his inimitable English gentry accent before the band wrapped up proceedings with the obligatory Don’t Stop; cue much appalling dancing from the crowd and a lot of singing. Just as we thought the night was ending, the opening bars to possibly the best track of the night, Silver Springs echoed out and a further five minutes under the spell of La Bella Donna really made the hairs stand on the back of the neck as well as rounding of the evening nicely.

Fleetwood Mac are a legendary band, comprised of massive egos. Even in the calmer setting of today, the tensions within this unit bubble close to the surface. Mick Fleetwood is eccentric but impressive in his drumming, John McVie rarely moves into the spotlight, content to lay down the rhythm whilst Buckingham and Nicks compete for the spotlight throughout the show. What about Christine McVie? Well, in stunningly good shape for her age, she certainly brings something to the band. However, as I said earlier, as much more of a fan of the Nicks music, it was difficult to warm to her in the same way. Having said that, this was still an evening of high quality from a band that have no right to still be on the same stage, given the baggage that they carry. Although not reaching the heights of my first viewing in 2013, Fleetwood Mac are still very much value for the ticket with a 2.15 hour performance. In fact, as Mrs H said to me after Landslide, listening to that live was worth the cost of the ticket alone. 8/10

(This was supposed to be the first of two shows in the Genting, however the next days show was cancelled at the very last minute, causing much annoyance to the many that had travelled to be there. Thankfully I finally got my Mac fix but cancelling at short notice was poor form indeed - Ed)

The Graveltones: Love Lies Dying (Lagoon Dog)

So Aussie two-piece The Graveltones get around to releasing their sophomore album after relentlessly touring their debut and building up their profile as one of the bands to watch on the live circuit. So has this relentless touring affected this second album well in a way yes, where as their first was a raucous riot of garage-blues noise this spreads their wings a little with tracks like I'm A Ghost channelling that late 60's vibe of The Who and The Rolling Stones with rolling drum lines and some honky tonk piano which comes before the haunting whispered menace of Back To You which would sit well on a Nick Cave record and the keening casino waltz of Together Again. However never fear because the band still ply their trade in riff filled snotty punk rockers Kiss & Fuck Off, Jack White baiting garage riffs World On A String and shuffling old school blues see Big Money which turns into fuzzed up chorus. Jimmy O plays mean guitar effortlessly switching between old bluesman on Can't Tell A Man and rock god on Come and Find Me, his wailing howl also adding guts to the songs while Mikey Sorbello shows once again why he is one of best sticks men out there quite content with smashing hell out of kit as he is off kilter percussion on Running To You the value of studio man Carl Hudson's keys cannot be underestimated though on This Love's Gonna Break especially. As with many bands that astound live this album doesn't truly capture their live assault but it does go some way to show how good these songs and although not as immediate as it's predecessor the more mature style of song writing shown on this album means that they will all be great additions to the bands show when they are inevitably on tour again. 8/10

Klone: Here Comes The Sun (Verycords)

I saw Frenchmen Klone supporting Gojira a few years ago and I will admit I wasn't impressed, they played progressive groove metal that didn't really do it for me however like many bands who start out with heavy past they have totally changed their style on this their fifth record now playing the same kind of heavy, progressive, atmospheric metal that Anathema and Katatonia play with driving harmonic guitar playing from Guillaume Bernard and Aldrick Guadagnino who still have the metallic ower of their early releases while adding flowing smooth guitar lines over the top. The band also have hard hitting drums and bass from Florent Marcadet and Jean-Etienne Maillard witnessed on the sparse, percussive The Drifter and anguished, passionate vocals from Yann Ligner, their secret weapon though is Matthieu Metzger who fleshes out the sound on tracks like Immersion with samples, keys, midi controller and saxophones that allows the band to add to their sound meaning that they can drop in elements of Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree and also Tool, especially on Gone Up In Flames which has Maynard James Keenan all over it. It's hard to pick out individual tracks on this album as it needs to be taken in one sitting but with anthemic, heart tugging tracks like Nebulous, the chugging Grim Dancing, Anathema-like Come Undone all filling up an album that climaxes with a plaintive cover of George Gershwin's Summertime which builds from just one acoustic guitar. Klone have managed to successfully change their style to a bleaker yet cosonant, harmonious style of music fuelled by passionate instrumentation and vocals filled with heartbreak, I know at least one member of the MoM crew that will love this record and hopefully it's a change that will see Klone go onto bigger and better things! 9/10

The Dead Daisies: Revolución (Spitfire Music)

Revolución is the second album from classic sounding hard rockers and is named in honour them being them being the first Western band to play Cuba since trade ties were reopened. The band have always been a bit of an anomaly in the music scens as they are less a supergroup but more of a band made up of many session musicans, almost like Toto albeit in a different genre, because of this their membership is fluid with only really guitarists David Lowry, Richard Fortus (Guns N Roses), keyboardist Dizzy Reed (Guns N Roses), bassist Marco Mendoza (ex Thin Lizzy/Black Star Riders, Various) being the constants in the band (touring commitments allowing). However since their first album a few things have changed in The Dead Daisies original frontman (and founding member) Jon Stevens (Ex INXS, solo & stage) and drummer Frank Ferrer have left allowing Brian Tichy (Whitesnake) to take over the sticks (after another few men sat behind the stool). Stevens however has had his mic taken over by ex Motley Crue man John Corabi and the band have not lost any of the hard rock drive they had on their debut. The album gets started with the melodic lead guitar work of Fortus underpinned by Reed's organ, the heavy rock rhythm on Mexico kicks in as the track swaggers along as Corabi hollers over the top with his smoky vocals as Dizzy Reed pounds his piano adding to the track, Evil has killer solo in the middle of it, Looking For The One is a blues based rocker whereas Empty Heart is a powerful track with touches of AOR. In fact this album draws from a number of classic rock influences and they seem to have honed their songwriting to pitch them in the early 90's style of rock favoured by Thunder, a touch of Bon Jovi on With You And I and heap of hip swaggering blues based rock n roll favoured by The Rolling Stones (Something I Said) and The Black Crowes for good measure. The Dead Daisies have produced yet another great album of muscular hard rock buoyed by the sterling guitar and keys work and Corabi's expressive Cornell-like voice, unlike many 'super groups' The Dead Daisies are not about egos or money they are just trying to make good music. Great album for lovers of superior classic rock. 9/10

Whitesnake: The Purple Album (Frontiers)

In 1983 I wanted to be David Coverdale. Yes, he of the stunningly soulful wail and the most magnificent mane. Ever since I saw the outrageously sexist cover of Love Hunter, heard the bluesy rock of Fool For Your Lovin’ and Ready And Willing and the heartfelt emotion poured into Ain't Gonna Cry No More, Whitesnake were one of THE bands for me. An absolute super group, breathtakingly good live and comprising some of the best musicians around; most impressively including two of the lynchpins of Deep fucking Purple in Ian Paice and Jon Lord. And that was before you got to the trouser snake pulse of Cov’s filthy innuendo filled lyrics. Of course, the fact that Mr C was also a member of Deep Purple Mk III and IV meant I held him in even greater esteem. For many years, Purple ranked higher than Zeppelin for me. Page? Nah, give me Blackmore any day was my mantra for a long time. The classic Mk II line-up with a certain Mr Gillan never fails to cheer me up. Plucked from obscurity when Gillan left, Coverdale and a young Trapeze artist named Glen Hughes breathed new life into the mammoth that was Purple, encouraging the band to move towards a much more soulful and funk filled sound.

The 8th Purple album Burn is an absolute classic, from the powerhouse acceleration of the title track, which rivals Highway Star as the seminal Purple track through to the steady soul filled Sail Away and the blues filled mourning of fan favourite Mistreated. There is not a duff track here. 1974’s follow-up Stormbringer, the last to feature Blackmore was also crammed full of goodness, liberally dosed with some of the late Lord’s most infectious boogie driven ivory action and Blackmore’s most delicate and blues laden fretwork. Of course, the vocal delivery of Purple on these two albums had the added attraction of Glen Hughes in addition to the mighty Cov; both deeply blues and soul based but different, the interplay between the two enhanced the Mk III sound significantly. Hughes adding not only his bass riffage but also the higher screams, allowing DC to focus on what he does best; blues tinged rock. Stormbringer contains some absolutely delicious and delicate music Purple ever released, including my all-time favourite Solider Of Fortune. After Blackmore left, Coverdale persuaded Lord to continue with the band and recruited the late Tommy Bolin to fill the departed minstrel’s shoes. The result was Come Taste The Band. Possibly one of the most underrated albums in rock, there is significant boogie action with Bolin proving to be an excellent replacement (his performance on album opener Comin’ Home is blistering) whilst Jon Lord’s space-tripping keys and Paice's drumming are as consistent as ever throughout. You Keep On Moving should be a staple of any rock compilation; it’s that good.

So where is this inane rambling of MoM’s resident grumpy old man going? Well, it’s fuelled by the recent release of The Purple Album under the guise of the latest Whitesnake line-up. To quote the man himself: “It’s a tribute; a homage. A huge thank you from me to Deep Purple for the opportunity I was given over 40 years ago”. Hmmm. Whilst I don’t think the album is a 2/10 as recently awarded by Classic Rock, it doesn't half blow. The current Whitesnake line up comprises AOR guitarists Rob Beach [Winger, Dokken] and Joel Hoekstra [Night Ranger, Trans Siberian Orchestra], Michael Devin on bass and veteran drummer Tommy Aldridge [Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers, Ozzy etc.] along with the Cov. The album opens with Burn, all showy riffs and smashing drums and whilst Coverdale has ensured his vocals are high in the mix, the backing vocals of the three outfield players are sugary, pearly whites beaming the whole thing is just so fucking American. The keyboards lack any soul; the sound has been polished to within an inch of its life and it just has a total absence of heart which made the original Purple so endearing.

You Fool No-One is horrible, a grating harmonica intro leading into a standard stomp sans any of the emotion that Bolin poured into the original in 1975. However, it gets much worse. Sail Away allows DC to deliver one of his better performances but the absence of Hughes on the backing vocals means it quickly degenerates into to a bar room cover. I don’t know why this album has wound me up so much. The songs are listenable and all the musicians are hugely revered in their own fields but I think the fact is that, when listening to different versions of such magnificent songs, something has to grab you by the balls to justify why they had the temerity to even attempt such foolishness. And that’s where it falls down. Possibly the best example of this is the ghastly version of Mistreated, with its absolutely emotionless guitar work. Compare this to Blackmore’s soulful outpouring, or the Moody/Marsden fretwork in the original ‘Snake offerings and there is just no contest. Might Just Take Your Life, another live staple in early ‘Snake years, at least attempts to change the delivery from Burn’s version, yet is once more hamstrung by the absence of the interplay between Hughes and Coverdale and it all becomes a little pedestrian.

Next up, a master class in butchery as You Keep On Moving is decimated (once again mainly due to the absence of Hughes’ superb vocal performance on Come Taste The Band). There is little to get the listener excited in this version, in fact it is absolute dog shite with the keyboard fills an insult to the legendary Lord. Where his playing used to fill the track and wash over you with warmth, here they just drip in and out with an absence of any sincerity. The guitar solo is average but once again illustrates the complete absence of any genuine heart or spirit. I won’t even get to Soldier Of Fortune apart from to point anyone who wants to hear a cover of it to check out Opeth's version on the deluxe version of Ghost Reveries. A tepid and strangely metalised version of Stormbringer concludes things not a moment too soon.

I just don’t understand this album. I haven’t felt such rage since 3 Inches of Blood had the fucking nerve to cover Tom Sawyer at Bloodstock a couple of years ago. Even Machine Head’s version of Witch Hunt didn't anger me as much as some of the work here. Whilst I still love much of Whitesnake's work, this has pushed me to the far edge of my long-time long distance man-crush. Even an album called The Mighty Trousersnake couldn't win me back now. It’s over. Oh, and it’s a whopping 3/10. Why David? Why?

Hammer King: Kingdom Of The Hammer King (Cruz Del Sur)

Hammer King, guess what they play? Yes they are a power metal band from Germany and as such they blast out of your speakers with Teutonic Power Metal in bucket loads (complete with flying hammer album cover). The band was formed by the members of German metal band Ivory Night, with vocalist Titan Fox V also supplying his pipes to Ross The Boss' solo band, this all means that Hammer King are all well versed in OTT power metal and Kingdom Of The Hammer King is no exception, full of chest beating, hammer swinging, battle metal that Ross The Boss' old band did and still do in spades. The album is split up by it's three linking concept tracks in the shape of Kingdom Of The Hammer King, I Am The Hammer King and Glory To The Hammer King all of which tell the story of, surprisingly, The Hammer King. With the rest of the album all linked to the concept but also tell their own stories, songs like I Am The King, Chancellor Of Glory, Blood Angels and We Are The Hammer all having the same dual axe attack from Titan Fox V and Gino Wilde, punishing drums from Dolph A Macallan and bass from K.K Basement along with Fox's soaring vocals that come straight from the off. Now I have mentioned Manowar a few times in this review so far however, and while the band do have elements of Di Maio and co; Hammer King share musical similarities with Sweden's premier power metallers and fellow hammer fanatics Hammerfall with Titan Fox V especially being a dead ringer for Joacim Cans vocally. The album kicks off with the title track that half inches the riff from Iron Fire's Ironhead but starts things off in manly epic way before the speed picks up on I Am The King which could come straight off Glory To The Brave with it's dual guitar attack and backing chants which reappear again on Chancellor Of Glory. The album is filled with big, ballsy, metal songs that punch you in the guts with even 'ballad'Visions Of A Healed World has more in common with Where The Dragon Lies Bleeding than any AOR band and as they conclude with Glory To The Hammer King your fist will be pumping the air and air guitaring along as Fox and Wilde. A hell of an album for all True Metal Believers! 9/10

Burning Point: Burning Point (AFM)

A self released album is usually a sign of rebirth for an established band and the self titled sixth album is no exception, founding guitarist Pete Ahonen no longer is the voice of the band as he has been since 1999, yes he still provides backing vocals but the lead vocals are now taken over by former Battle Beast frontwoman Nitte Valo who immediately makes and impact on the rampaging In The Shadows. Other than the appointment of Valo, these Finns seem to have kept everything else present and correct on this new album, it is classic sound of guitar and keyboard driven power metal with solos galore and fist pumping riffage from the tow guitarists, keys that fly through every song with, drums that never stop, Nitte's gritty and ear piercing Halfordesque vocals and an arsenal of songs that show this bands talent. The album is a mix of new material in the shape of speedy Find Your Soul, the emotive My Darkest Times, the AOR baiting Queen Of Fire and also older songs re-recorded with Nitte's vocals the pick of the bunch being Blackened The Sun, the neoclassical Dawn Of The Ancient War, the thrashy Signs Of Danger and the bouncy Heart Of Gold. With the right amount of AOR and melodic power metal influences Burning Point have created an album that stays true to their roots while adding the new dimension with the great vocals of Nitte Valo. Burning Point is an album for fans of melodic metal with a some cracking female vocals and it's the start of a strong new chapter in the bands history. 7/10

Straight Line Stitch: Transparency (Pavement)

Straight Line Stitch have been around since 2003 and they have been promoting their brand of aggressive melodic metal since that same year, their last album was released in 2011 and since then the band have concentrated on EP's their last coming in 2014. Now Straight Line Stitch have always blended heavy thrash metal with more modern flourishes and have been critically acclaimed for their song writing and front woman Alexis Brown's vocals, all of this evident on the 6 track EP that starts off with an intro before exploding into the opening riff of Dark Matter that blends rumbling basslines, melodic riff heavy guitars and Brown's amazing vocals that effortlessly switch between keening clean vocals and guttural roars which gives the band a sound akin to In This Moment especially on the brutal, electronically infused Face Of God and the modern metal attack of Wilderness. Straight Line Stitch have constructed a great little treat to warm people up for their new album coming soon, 5 tracks (one intro) of modern, melodic metal bolstered by some hard hitting songs and great vocals. 7/10

Art Of Anarchy: S/T (Century Media)

Art Of Anarchy is one part Guns N Roses, one part Disturbed, and one part Stone Temple Pilots as it features, Bumblefoot on guitar, John Moyer on the bass and Mr controversy himself Scott Weiland on vocals, making up the rest of the band are twin brothers Jon and Vince Votta who are session musicians and friends of Bumblefoot, on guitar and drums respectively. Now with all that out of the way we need to address the elephant in the room Art Of Anarchy are currently in hiatus and have been since before the release of their debut, now this is down to the human firework Scott Weiland who left the band after the album was recorded as he claimed he "was never in the band. It was something I did when I wasn't doing anything. I was asked to write some lyrics and sing some melodies on this project, but it's not a band I'm in" where as the band said otherwise, now for band releasing their debut to not have a complete band is a pretty big deal but while the future of the band is in turmoil currently we have to focus on the music. So what is the music like? Well it is a sum of the bands parts really drawing an influence from all of the members previous bands together to create some metallic hard rock from the opening classical guitar of intro Black Rain which moves straight into the Southern swagger of Small Batch Whiskey which has a sound similar to early Black Stone Cherry, meanwhile Grand Applause is pure Velvet Revolver with Bumblefoot channelling his predecessor in G'N'R with the bluesy rock solos and Weiland showing off his unique voice. Moyer uses his down a dirty bass licks on Superstar which is big, crunchy metal track that bounds along nicely; the albums centrepiece though is Til The Dust Is Gone which is an expressive ballad, the kind that Weiland does so well, driven by Vottas excellent drumming and beautiful classical guitar solo in the middle of it, the album does whiper out towards the end but with this song and a few others on this album Art Of Anarchy have made a strong debut and if they can get their act together then they could produce magic. 7/10

Blackwelder: Survival Of The Fittest (Golden Core Records)

A collaborative 'supergroup' featuring a member of Primal Fear, it seems like I say this a lot on this blog, however for once I'm not talking about the hardest working man in metal Mat Sinner, no Blackwelder features the voice of Primal Fear's Ralf Scheepers along with Hellion/ex Yngwie Malmsteen bassist Bjorn Englen, ex Angra drummer Aquiles Priester and guitarist Andrew Szucs. The band are not your usual power metal fodder either and while the blast beats and lightning guitars are there, the album draws more from the progressive rock sphere Spaceman is the first track to show this off with it's Sci-Fi theme and Scheepers relying on his mid-range and some vocoder to bring the song to life while they bring in more classical influences on the instrumental Adeturi which gives Szucs a chance to show off his neo-classical chops before we err on Priest territory on Freeway Of Life albeit when they were in their Turbo era. Blackwelder manage to fuse prog with metal well but none of the tracks really stand out except for the Blind Guardian-like Remember The Time and the Priest feast of Play Some More. Yes the performances are good, Ralf especially is in fine vocal form as always but for me the songs on this album seem to meld into one, a neo classical riff here, a scream there, rampaging drums and solos galore however there are only a few songs that really grab your attention on this record. It does feel like a stopgap album while the new Primal Fear album is being completed, my anticipation is high for that record unfortunately Survival Of The Fittest doesn't do anything to quell that anticipation I'm afraid. 7/10

Galley Beggar: Silence & Tears (Rise Above)

Now as you may know Rise Above deal in stoner, doom and the occult style of rock and metal however they also provide a home for the wider range of styles. Galley Beggar are the newest members of the roster and they deal in acoustically tinged folk with a focus on the occult psych tinge. As the album kicks off David Ellis and Matt Fowler's acoustic guitars driving the first track Adam & Eve which tells the tale of Adam's downfall to a haunting folk melody, Pay My Body Home has vocalist Maria O Donnell channelling Sandy Denny with her vocals, the Fairport Convention influence continues the traditional jig of Jack Orion which has liberal use of Celine Marshall's violin and harmony vocals to die for. This album is laid back with some clean guitar lines bolstering the acoustics on Geordie (again a traditional song arranged by the band) while Paul Dadswell's drums and Bill Lynn's bass add the rhythmic element to the 'heavier' songs. With bands like Ancient VVisdom playing this kind of stuff for a while there is an appetite for the more sedate style of occult rock. Galley Beggar are doing it with a certain sense of authenticity having the keening female vocals the medieval style music augmented with the acoustic guitars and the violin, with tracks like the chanting anti religion Empty Sky, the choral final track Deliver Him which has a baroque almost religious feel (something that is evident throughout the album) part sparse chamber music, part acoustic psychedelia. The title track is the most telling on the album as it puts the band's unique folk delivery to the words of Lord Byron, the both intertwining perfectly showing that music and poetry will always intertwine. Galley Beggar manage to create some wondrous achingly beautiful music with a lot of soul to it. Well worth checking out if you like anything on the Rise Above roster but also if you want something that is a little different harking back to the 60's folk rock explosion. 9/10

Paradise Lost: The Plague Within (Century Media)

If you’d asked Paradise Lost in 1988 whether they’d still be pursuing the path of darkness a quarter of a century later I think the answer would probably have been towards the negative. To have just delivered without doubt the best album of their twenty five year career is absolutely mind blowing. Having produced many very solid albums, most latterly the very decent Tragic Idol, I'm not sure if there was huge pressure on Paradise Lost when producing what is album no. 14. Whatever the pressure, The Plague Within is an absolute monster. Opener No Hope In Sight lays the cards clearly on the table. A massive statement of intent, it opens with a malevolent riff and the demonic snarl of Nick Holmes. A melancholic chug of doom soon kicks in and one of metal’s best vocalists easily alternates from dark to light, mixing the snarls with his more recognisable clean vocals. However, this is no dark march, with the combined lead work of Greg Mackintosh seguing with the reliable and powerful rhythm work of Aaron Aedy and the engine room of bassist Steve Edmondson and drummer Adrian Erlandsson. Terminal comes next, a driving, blistering face melter, probably as close to thrash as Paradise Lost get. There is no doubting that the morbid, atmospheric foreboding that drives Paradise Lost’s lyrical content is as organically active as ever, with Holmes delivery dovetailing effortlessly with the crushing power of metal’s Gothic forefathers.

Gothic put them on the map in 1992; a blueprint of well, Gothic tinged metal that has remained the hallmark of their sound and direction for much of their career. Draconian Times pushed Paradise Lost into a league of their own in 1995, and The Plague Within, 20 years later combines both of those classics with elements of other albums, most notably Shades Of God. The Plague Within is crushingly heavy at times, whilst retaining the despair and angst, for example during An Eternity Of Lies, which mixes Holmes styles magnificently. The riffs are huge, powerful and destructive. However, the songs are beautifully crafted and capture the misery and desperation of life perfectly. The doom laden death march of Beneath Broken Earth changes the pace still further; slow without becoming ponderous, Holmes delivering a quite astonishing death laden performance; “Hail to godliness, you wish to die” couldn't be scarier. The return to their past has provided the band with much enthusiasm and the musicianship is first class. As the album progresses, you wait for the filler … and it never arrives. There is not a weak track on the album. The deathly feel of Sacrifice The Flame, complete with some evil string work which moves on to Flesh From Bone (possibly the most disturbing track on the album), complete with sinister build up before an absolute death metal attack delivery which makes the earlier reference in Terminal obsolete (before I've even finished the review!). Mackintosh’s guitar work is blistering as the track lurches from doom to death without drawing breath. What remains is the atmosphere of decay and death that has become the trademark of Halifax’s finest sons. Album closer Return To The Sun builds with choral and classic elements which allow the listener to return to the satanic film scores of yesteryear. A fiery conclusion to one of the best albums of the year. No-one who reads this blog should get to the end of 2015 without spending a couple of hours immersing themselves in an absolute classic. 10/10

Tremonti: Cauterise (FRET 12)

Opening at 100mph with the blistering Radical Change, the second solo album from the ex- Creed and vital Alter Bridge cog Mark Tremonti promises great things. And it maintains it pace throughout. Tremonti’s guitar work is terrific, as he demonstrates time and again why he is so highly thought of in the world of rock, shredding for fun with some powerhouse riffs and hooks so deep that you can’t get them out of your head for hours. This is a man demonstrating his metal heart on his sleeve. Title track Cauterise has a massive groove, driving rhythm provided by Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang and drummer Garrett Whitlock, whose double bass pile driving kicks the shit out of you. However, Tremonti’s superb voice, which is always going to draw comparisons with AB frontman and bandmate Myles Kennedy, eases and caresses the listener despite the carnage taking place all around.

Cauterise builds impressively on the underrated All I Was, Tremonti’s 2012 release. Heavier throughout, it retains the arena rock sound that Alter Bridge, Shinedown et al have driven into the 21st century. Arm Yourself will incite pits and yet also encourage the sing-a-longs, such is the variation in compositions. It’s not all heads down charging though, with the obligatory slower numbers [Dark Trip, Fall Again] interspersing the heavier assaults. An excellent production promotes a huge sound throughout the album, with the intricate guitar of Tremoni ably supported by rhythm guitarist Eric Friedman as well as Van Halen and Whitlock. Listen to Tie The Noose with your headphones on; it’s a throwaway rock track but the sound destroys. Providence, the album’s final track is probably closet to an Alter Bridge track and if it had turned up on Fortress it would have nestled in nicely. Cauterise is one step removed from the Kennedy/Tremonti writing style and whilst there are massive similarities which are surely completely unsurprising, there is also a freshness about it which is perhaps unexpected. A very pleasing release, and one that demonstrates that Mark Tremonti can deliver quite comfortably on his own. 8/10

Royal Southern Brotherhood: Don't Look Back: The Muscle Shoals Sessions (Ruf)

Never has there been such an apt title for an album, RSB started back in 2011 as a collaborative project between Cyrille Neville, of the famed The Meters and Neville Brothers, Devon Allman (son of Gregg) and solo guitar demon Mike Zito the abnd released two albums before both Zito and Allman left, this left just Neville along with bassist Charlie Wooton and drummer Yonrico Scott so they set about finding two new six stringers to take the left and right of stage. Now in a blues/funk/soul 'supergroup' you need to get talent and Neville has yet again come up trumps with Bart Walker who looks like a cross between Jimi Hendrix and Leslie West of Mountain fame taking over from Zito and Tyrone Vaughan (nephew of SRV) cutting in crunchy with a signature tone. The new look RSB arrived on the scene at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals and proceeded to create another album. Unlike previous efforts which had the rockier elements of Allman and Zito's past, Don't Look Back moves forward and evolves their sound adding more of the funk from Neville's history as well as the blues that took pride of place on their first two efforts.

The album kicks off with I Wanna Be Free which has more than a hint of Bonamassa to it showing off Bart Walker's huge voice that compliments Neville's more gospel vocal. The title track is a slower song built on Neville's percussion, Scott's drums and Wooton's bass while adding a touch of banjo to proceedings giving it the swampy bayou feel. With all the songs coming from the belly of the blues, it's with the rhythms and guitar lines that we get more funk driven numbers like Hit Me Once and The Big Greasy both of which feature Ivan Neville on Hammond B3 and clavinet giving that authentic 70's funk feel, Penzi is Latin through and through with the flamenco guitars and bongo/tabla drumming, while Poor Boy is a Vaughan penned track and has that air of familiarity that fans of his uncle Stevie will recognise in an instant. With a blend of styles present fans of blues based music with funk, rock, soul all thrown into the mix, will find something to get them grooving on this third record, with two new members the band sound reinvigorated and ready to take on all comers. 8/10

Artizan: The Furthest Reaches (Pure Steel)

Artizan are a melodic metal band from Jacksonville Florida, now I haven'e heard much by them but The Furthest Reaches is their third album and is a concept album dealing with an alien race being summoned to earth, but the concept doesn't get in the way of this albums songs which are all pure melodic metal with Bill Staley and Shamus McConnery's guitars riffing and soloing with aplomb on the speedy tracks like Hopeful Eyes, while the progressive 9 minute plus title track is driven by Ty Tammeus' percussion and echoes Queensryche in full bombastic flight. In fact the Seattle natives are the band Artizan have most in common with full of driving, powerful music that is as emotive as it is rocking, merging the classic style of metal with progressive touches and heaps of melody with all of it driven by Tom Braden's voice who sounds uncannily like Hammerfall's Joacim Cans with his broad expressive range taking centre stage on this sprawling Sci-Fi concept piece that has more than a hint of Iced Earth's Set Abominae to it. In fact the voice of The Keepers (the alien race) on The Cleansing is supplied by Matt Barlow formally of said band, the IE influence continues on Wardens Of The New World which has guest vocalist Sabrina Valentine duetting with Braden on the albums second long track. Artizan have created a great album that manages to tell the albums concept without losing any immediacy or indeed lacking in metal power, if you like your metal with huge heap of melody and a little prog thrown in then The Furthest Reaches will draw you in and keep you listening for a while. 8/10

District 97: In Vaults (Laser's Edge)

Now there are many progressive rock bands with a female singer around, most fall into the folk, pop or even hard rock style with progressive elements, however District 97 are a pure prog rock band for fans of Yes, ELP, King Crimson, Rush and one of my favourite bands Panic Room. They play technical difficult, virtuoso music with odd time signatures, jazzy refrains and huge keyboard melodies. The band formed in 2006 and started out as an instrumental group, however after a year like this they looked for a vocalist, happily finding on in Leslie Hunt who was a top ten finalist on American Idol. Now this doesn't seem to be the perfect place to find a singer for a prog band but Hunt has an ethereal but gritty vocal delivery that fits the mind bending music perfectly, with a hint of alternative icon Shirley Manson as well as a keen radio edge in her broad range. Her voice sits atop the expansive, Peart-like drumming from founder Jonathan Schang, the bottom heavy dark basslines of Patrick Mulchay, mechanical riffs of Jim Tashjian and the soaring keys of Rob Clearfield, meaning that it is the most accessible part of this complicated collection of songs.

The band manage to channel the metallic darkness of latter period Dream Theater and Shadow Gallery as well as bands like the underrated Tiles with whom District 97 share many similarities especially on Death By A Thousand Cuts which features some drum fills that many drummers would die for along with the off time riffs, huge hammonds and frequent changes of pace. As I said District 97 are pure progressive music with influence drawn from everywhere but mostly sat in the jazz time signatures and Hunt's jazz diva croon that easily switches to a prowling emotional performance on A Lottery which also features a cracking soulful guitar solo too. Despite their clear progressive tag only one track clocks in at over 10 minutes long (the impressive finale Blinding Vision) but still they manage to pack as many time changes and odd signatures as possible into each song, yet they still manage to keep everything very concise and immediate especially on Takeover which is the one song on the album that could be considered 'mainstream' despite it's bass pops, off time drumming and monstrous synths.  District 97 play rock music that is devilishly complicated and played by a band full of impossibly talented musicians meaning that only hardcore proggers need apply. 8/10

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