Musipedia Of Metal

Obituary: Ten Thousand Ways To Die (Relapse)

Two new songs and a slab of live tracks from the Inked In Blood tour make Ten Thousand Ways To Die a pretty neat appetiser for the new studio album incoming next Spring. The Floridian death metallers have nothing to prove but have slammed in a massive behemoth of a track in Loathe. Colossal riffs pound your skull as pulverise your body into a pulp, not with speed but with sheer power and intensity. Ten Thousand Ways To Die is pacier, dirtier and still dripping with malevolence long associated with Obituary. The live tracks capture the pure energy and electricity which is always present at an Obituary gig, with a plethora of classics like Redneck Stomp and Dying sandwiching more recent tunes from Inked In Blood (Centuries Of Lies). No Obituary show is complete without the epic Slowly We Rot which rounds off a pretty decent offering from the genre's best outfit. 8/10

Riverside: Eye Of The Soundscape (InsideOut)

When Riverside guitarist Piotr Grudziński passed suddenly from a cardiac arrest in February of this year the prog world held its collective breath. The future of the Polish outfit looked unsurprisingly, very uncertain. The band was a sealed unit, with Grudziński an essential part of the machinery. It was selfish but joyous relief that greeted the difficult decision by the band to continue as a trio.

Eye Of The Soundscape is the first, and only, posthumous album to feature Grudziński. It comprises a collection of instrumental experimental tracks which includes four new songs, opener Where The Rivers Flow, Shrine, Sleepwalkers and the title track. Described by Mariusz Duda as a “complementary instrumental album”, Eye sits between the final chapter of the unofficial “The Crowd” trilogy, the quite beautiful Love, Fear And The Time Machine and the next album.

Full of space/trance and progressive electronica, with hints of jazz, Eye Of The Soundscape is a stunning and fitting conclusion to three fantastic albums. It also demonstrates a different sound and influence to a band who have become leaders in their field. A double album comprising the new tracks interspersed with reworkings of songs from Rapid Eye Movement, Shrine Of New Generation Slaves and LFATTM, it is a fitting tribute to a guitarist who was a pivotal part of this much-loved unit. Listen, relax and enjoy something a little different to the norm for rock fans. What the future holds for Riverside is uncertain but their creativity, combined with their multiple talents will allow their journey to continue. 9/10

Tygers Of Pan Tang: Self Titled (Mighty Music)

Back in 1980, Whitley Bay outfit Tygers Of Pan Tang were spearheading the NWOBHM. They crashed into the UK top 40 album charts with their debut Wild Cat hitting no.18 in the days when the charts meant something. My favourite album Spellbound coincided with the arrival of hot shot guitarist John Sykes and former Persian Risk vocalist Jon Deverill. I loved Spellbound. However, hampered by line-up changes and pressure from their record label to record more cover versions following their surprise hit with a cover of the 1959 song Love Potion No.9, the band lurched on for a few more years before fading into memory in 1987. A return was always on the cards and in 1999 the band reformed and have been gigging and recording ever since.

Tygers Of Pan Tang is their 12th album and it’s an honest release, with some killer guitar riffs and solid tracks. Only The Brave, Dust and Never Give In all sit firmly in the 1980s, retaining the sound that made metal so exciting at that time. Original guitarist Robb Weir remains the one constant in the line-up, with the current cohort recording their first album together. The band’s last release Ambush in 2012 and since that time Gavin Gray has arrived on bass and Micky Crystal on guitar to supplement Weir, drummer Craig Ellis and vocalist Jacopo Meille. Unfortunately, the album also contains some average songs which reduce the impact. Glad Rags is a horrible track, Praying For A Miracle ghastly whilst the emotional ballad The Reason Why is stomach churning.

However, when the band rock out, the result is generic but also rather enjoyable. Do It Again hits hard, whilst retaining the stamp of the Tygers of old and The Music In Me is enjoyable even if it does stick closely to the hard rock blue print. The guitar work of Crystal and Weir is tight and Meille’s vocals sit neatly with the Tygers style. This isn’t an album that will create a ripple in the pond of new releases but it is perfectly listenable. With plenty of festivals catering for the old-school rock fan, the Tygers have a few years left yet and this type of rock would be lapped up by those punters who head to Rock Stock, Hard Rock Hell and Steelhouse. 7/10

Asphyx: Incoming Death (Century Media)

Formed in 1987, Asphyx come from Overjessel, Netherlands. Incoming Death is their 8th release, and their first since 2012’s Deathhammer. As death metal goes, it’s pretty solid with some brutal riffs, the harsh death growling vocals you’d expect from longest serving member Martin Van Drunen and the switch between all out thrashers Candiru to the Bolt Thrower sounding It Came From The Skies adding variety. Massively heavy power chords and destructive guitar work from Paul Baayens add to the enormous stomp that the band amply demonstrate whilst the drumming of Stefan Huskens and bass of Almin Zuur cement the heaviest of foundations. If you like your metal as heavy as it comes, you need to get your aural receptors around this album. It hits hard and it hits heavy. Just don’t look at the cover. 7/10

More Greek bands in this post (seeing as I'm currently inundated with them)

DangerAngel: All The Kings Horses (Melodic Rock Records)

Danger Angel are a melodic rock band from Athens, their sound leans heavily on the terrific keys of Ahas who is the major element to the bands sound in the same way the Alessio Del Vecchio, he is a certified keyboards, piano and jazz theory professor and has performed in various bands of numerous styles throughout Greece, with the excellent keyboard playing throughout the bands third record it would be easy to ignore the remaining members of the band who are all great musicians in their own right. Tony V and Rudy Rallis lay down a foundation or ancient marble, rough ready and consistently present.

Founder member guitarist Ethan Snow, plays the swaggering riffs as he duels with Ahas' keys. All The King's Horses is the band's third studio album and it's a tough rock record with the melodic touches from the huge keys and simmering synths. At the front of the band are the passionate vocals of Brazilian singer BJ, who is probably better known as the keyboardist/guitarist of Jeff Scott Soto's solo project SOTO and also plays keys in the reactivated Talisman, still with his major contribution being instruments his vocals are great clearly he has been studying Soto's style as BJ brings a similar delivery to DangerAngel. If you like your riffs muscular, your choruses big and your keys very impressive then DangerAngel will be one melodic rock release to snap up this year. 8/10

Hail Spirit Noir: Mayhem In Blue (Dark Essence Records)

Here comes some experimental/progressive/psychedelic/black metal from Thessaloniki from the trio of J.Demian (bass/acoustic) Theoharis (guitar/vocals) and Haris (keys/synth drums). Mayhem In Blue is a six track album that clocks in at over 40 minutes of difficult music and sees the band take on numerous concepts including the human psyche in songs where the lyrical complexity is a close second to the musical complexity. These songs are very much like the band and the album title it self, a contradiction, there are periods of intense violent black metal but these give way to swathes crushing depressive themes and psychedelic mind-bending.

As you progress there are actually very little that's actually on the black metal side other than the scratchy vocals, these are use liberally on I Mean You No Harm which pairs the BM screaming with spooky gonzoid Wurlitzer driven surf rock. Hail Spirit Noir are kind of like Immortal jamming with King Crimson as there are periods of outright weirdness that mix with more of the traditional extreme metal approach. It's interesting but could be a little jarring for some. 7/10

Wardrum: Awakening (Steel Galley Records)

Yet more Greek power metal, this time from Thessaloniki. The band all come from other bands on the Greek scene guitarist Kosta Vreto is also in Jaded Star and Horizon's End along with Kostas Scandalis (bass) and Stergios Kourou (drums). Meanwhile J. Demian (guitar) is in both the Dol Theeta/Dol Ammad projects and plays bass in Hail Spirit Noir (see above). Awakening is their third record and it opens with The Unrepentant Classical guitars move into the super speed drumming and shredding galore, like The Silent Rage and Mystic Prophecy this opening song is in the heavy power metal category with the guitars crunchier than certain power metal bands.

That said from Right Within Your Heart the album takes a lighter edge, but the double kick drum comes back on Virtues Of Humanity. The record is a bit generic if I'm honest more so than a lot of other bands, everything is a bit lack lustre there are some stand out songs with Medusa being one that catches the ear immediately there are some big misses too especially the saccharine On Skies Of Grey. Awakening is not a bad record but with such a glut of power metal coming just from Greece never mind anywhere else. Wardrum sit in the second tier of power metal bands they are listenable enough but they do nothing not heard before. 6/10

Void Droid: Terrestrial (Self Released)

Despite coming from Patras, Greece the sounds of Southern USA are the what strike you about this record. There is groove and some stoner licks but it's not the pure treasured stoner sound of the Greek scene but the gritty, Stetson wearing Southern metal of Pantera, Down, Black Label Society and Corrosion Of Conformity. With heavy riffs matched by the great gutsy vocals the songs have rawness too them that is similar to the less stoner elements of Down, see a song like The Watermaker which builds up to the harsher finale but it's in opposition to the hazy 7 minute Chameleon White which is deep in the stoner trademarks. Terrestrial is a tough record packed with low slung guitar playing and thick syrupy rhythms that will hit the spot if you love your metal full of smokey southern flavours. 7/10

UFO – Tramshed Cardiff

I've reviewed UFO a couple of times for the Musipedia so regular readers will be aware of my unrestrained love for Mr Mogg and co, from way back in the early 1980s when Pete Way was still holding it together and Paul Chapman filled Michael Schenker’s shoes. Every time band tour and hit the Welsh Capital, I feel it is my duty to trot along for an evening of high quality classic rock.

One thing UFO also manage to deliver with clockwork regularity is a pretty weak support act and this show was no exception. Now I have no real understanding about the rock scene in Russia and in some respects, based mainly on my stereotypical prejudices, I would imagine that any band from that part of the world has to work very hard to get a supporting slot with a band as established and well respected as UFO. Nevertheless, we speak as we find and St Petersburg outfit Reds’Cool (5) were not only hampered by a pretty dire moniker but also a sound last heard in about 1988. Competent enough, the band were pretty routine with singer Slava Spark (oh really?) demonstrating that he had not only read but thoroughly digested the Sebastian Bach book on front man phraseology and posturing. Dedicating Stranger’s Eyes to “all the pretty ladies” was hysterical, given the demographic of the UFO audience whilst 2013’s title track Bad Story at least garnered a bit of rock painting by numbers audience participation. The band received a pretty appreciative reception but did nothing to get my flotilla moving.

At the reasonable hour of 8:45pm, the legends that are UFO (9) ambled onto the stage and proceeded to deliver an hour and three quarters masterclass in classic rock. Opening with the timeless We Belong To The Night, the band threw a couple of older rarities into the set including second track Ain't No Baby from Obsession. Whilst Vinnie Moore always catches the eye with his sublime soloing, frontman Phil Mogg is the focal point for much of the evening. Whether he is slightly intoxicated or just showing signs of typical old age is a matter to debate, but his banter between songs is at times entertaining and at other times a little irritating. The latter as a result of his tendency to talk away from the mic to the front row to the expense of half the audience.

Regardless of his banter and chat, Mogg retains the voice that has always been the UFO sound and on oldies like Lights Out, which received a massive response and Only You Can Rock Me his voice was superb. The newer stuff got an airing too, with a couple from last year’s excellent Conspiracy Of Stars, Burn Your House Down from Seven Deadly and a special treat with Venus from 1995’s Walk On Water. As ever, the reliable Andy Parker, Rob Da Luca and Paul Raymond played a solid supporting role and by the time Rock Bottom rolled in, the crowd were fully engaged and clapping along. Encores of the inevitable Doctor Doctor and Shoot Shoot closed the set as UFO once again proved that with age comes great quality. Always entertaining, always fun. This is a band who are always worth a watch.

Hammer King: King Is Rising (Cruz Del Sur Music)

For the lovers of hammers, Templar, kings and everything that entails November is a great month as it sees not only the releases of the new record by Hammerfall (reviewed recently) but also the new album by Hammer King. Lyrically it's still the continuation of the story of the eponymous Hammer King with focus on the power and glory of the fantasy story-line. The King Is Rising starts off in fine style with huge swinging Teutonic dual guitar harmonies from Titan Fox and Gino Wilde that look to Accept and Helloween as influence.

The rhythm section of K.K Basement and Dolph A Macallan boom with the thunder of the gods much like DiMaio and co, Last Hellriders speeds things up as the double kick drums bring the power. It's a nonstop classic metal record that takes from the best in the genre and brings it all together in one place yet again, the playing is superlative with trade off solos duel throughout as Titan Fox's vocals soar above the power metal backing he shows his talent on the slower Warriors Reign as you can hear that he is able to deal with this just as well as the faster, louder heavier tracks.

Yet another record packed full of fist pumping classic metal that blew up in the 1980's and thankfully for those of us that enjoy it, is having a glorious resurgence. King Is Rising is another extremely confident slice of traditional metal. 8/10

JOANovARC: Ride Of Your Life (Red Vixen Records)

In the mid 2000's there was an all female rock band called The Donnas, they took their cues from the glam rock stomp of The Runaways and for a brief time they shined brightly before sadly fading away, now you can give many reasons for this but personally the reason why I lost interest in the band is that they had an American sheen to them that almost made them seem manufactured much like The Runaways themselves (they are currently on hiatus) they lacked a sense of grit or realness that acts such as Girlschool & Rock Goddess possessed.

In more recent times there have been a fair few all female bands bringing the shut up and play attitude of their predecessors most recently it has been The Amorettes, but hot on their heels are London based quartet JOANovARC who have been referred to by producer Gil Norton (Foo Fighters) as 'one of the hardest working bands I know". Kudos indeed and definitely true when you see the bands intense touring schedule along with numerous festival appearances, tracks featured on Rock Band and in a Chinese Film. Ride Of Your Life is the bands debut full length and sees them avoid the pitfall of The Donnas by relying on punchy, riff driven hard rock but with a down-to-earth give 'em hell attitude.

It's music rooted in the 70's hard rock glory days where female bands didn't rely on flaunting their sex appeal they plugged in and rocked your face off and any sexism was met with right hook. JOANovARC take the Thin Lizzy set up of Laura Ozholl and Shelley Walker on rhythm and lead guitar, Deborah Wildish on drums and Sam Walker on bass and vocals and my can they play, this debut is full of buzzing classic meets modern rock music with big choruses and guitar hooks. As far as tracks go the title track is great opener, Dragon In The Sky takes a punchy/punky route, White Trash is a pumping percussive feast and Live Rock N Roll a furious hard rocker. A great debut from this foursome that has a tonne of guts and more importantly some should be anthems. 7/10

Angelcrypt: We Are The Dead (Self Released)

A few months ago I reviewed the debut record from Blind Saviour, Malta's first power metal band, well Angelcrypt's guitarist Campos Gellel and drummer Robert Friggieri are also in the power metal band showing the cross pollinating nature of the Maltese metal scene. Here though they aren't in the power metal realm at all this is crunchy thrash metal with some guttural death metal vocals from Joseph Greech. Now I did like Blind Saviour's album but this record is just a little bit too generic for me, the songs move between fast thrash riffs and stomping breakdowns however it never really takes off. I think at least two of the band would spend their time better in the power metal realm. 6/10

Stick Men: Prog Noir (Iapetus)

Being only a casual listener of prog rock, Stick Men are one of those bands that have completely slipped my radar. After a little reading up on their background I discovered that they are made up of he rhythm section of King Crimson and use a variety of weird and wonderful instruments such as the Chapman Stick (from which the band gets its name) and the touch guitar in place of traditional guitars, bass and keyboards. My interest suitably piqued I headed into their sixth album Prog Noir with no preconceptions of how it was going to sound other than it is definitely going to be interesting.

Only a handful of tracks contain vocals with the majority of the album being instrumental meaning you get some fantastic compositions on here which veer and meander through the virtuostic, atmospheric and avant-garde. This is a very quirky and unusual approach to progressive rock although very enjoyable. As to be expected from members of King Crimson the musicianship is just utterly fantastic. The vocals are fairly unremarkable with an almost spoken word approach taken but they are kept to a minimum. This is recommended to prog fans but this weird approach to the genre will definitely take a few listens to get to grips with. 7/10

Skewered: Deathmethyltryptamine (Stillbirth Records)

With a band name like Skewered you pretty much know what you are in for and that is 40 minutes of viciously brutal death metal which is just what is needed to unwind after a day in the office. Skewered hail from Dublin and the virtually impossible to pronounce Deathmethyltryptamine is their second full length album. Despite some silly song titles such as Organ Donor Kebab, Red Knob Warts and Fucked With A Stump Skewered have produced a very mature sounding and polished piece of death metal.

Emphasis is placed on brutality on this record with a barrage of razor sharp riffs, rumbling bass and devastating drumming with blastbeats and double kick galore. Especially impressive is vocalist Mark Dolan who growls and snarls with impressive range and clarity. Skewered are another in a vast ocean of brutal death metal bands and whilst they are indistinguishable from a lot of their peers it is impossible not to enjoy this album as it is performed with such passion, conviction and a true love for the genre shines throughout. 7/10

Alone With Wolves: Solid Ground (Self Released)

I fully admit that when it comes to my personal taste in metal that I am a bit of a traditionalist and also a bit of an elitist and bar a few exceptions I generally despise modern mainstream metal. One minute into the first song of this album I realised that this was going to be a bit of a struggle but here goes... Alone With Wolves are a five piece band from Hertfordshire and Solid Ground is their debut full length album having previously released a couple of EP's. They play a very generic mainstream metalcore with chuggy groovy guitar riffs, hardcore breakdowns and sickly sweet melodies.

The vocals are standard for this genre with a combination of hardcore barks and melodic singing. It's all played very well and some of the choruses are very ear pleasing but in the end completely forgettable and dispensable. This style has been utterly done to death and unfortunately Alone With Wolves add nothing new to it nor do they have anything about their sound which makes them stand out among of a legion of sound alike bands. When metalcore is done right it can be very good indeed but this sadly is just utterly generic. 2/10

Saxon: O2 Academy Bristol

Lemmy’s sad death in January this year meant that the opportunity to see Saxon and Girlschool perform on a bill with their natural peers was denied. This tour was no substitute for what would have been a pretty unforgettable night but the introduction of ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke’s Fastway to the main support slot made the trip to the O2 for a night of both nostalgia and new material. It’s been two years since Saxon played at the O2 but the queue that stretched up the hill as we arrived demonstrated that the band’s popularity remains high. Thankfully the O2 carrying members of the Musipedia crew used the priority entrance and we could secure our regular spot on the balcony and place our trusty Ddraig Goch in full view of the stage and the numerous countrymen who had made the trip across the bridge. Just once guys, play in fucking Wales.

It’s been a couple of years since we saw a rather shambolic Girlschool (7) play in the early hours of the morning at Hard Rock Hell. For a band who were part of the NWOBHM movement, they’ve aged well. Musically they are never going to be anything special, with their binary approach to songwriting and rather clunky delivery. What they do have is the right to be on the bill and to deliver hard rock in their own inimitable style. To have maintained their passion and belief through the macho sexist 1980s and on is a testament to just why these four ladies are so admired and loved by the metal fraternity. With Enid taking more of the vocals than I’d seen for a long time, Girlschool put in a solid shift which ended with the nice retro combo of Race With The Devil and Emergency.

A short turnaround was followed by the arrival of Fastway (8), complete with Toby Jepson on vocals, John McManus (Who I remembered from Northern Irish 80s outfit Mamas Boys) and Steve Strange on drums. Whilst the focus of the band is obviously Fast Eddie, whose sublime blues soaked playing still oozes class, Jepson once again gave it his all up front and is the ideal foil for the much more reserved ex-Motorhead man. An eight-song set list comprised four tracks from the corking 1983 self-titled debut, including Another Day, Feel Me, Touch Me and the obvious set closer Easy Livin’. For an old rocker like me, who hadn’t seen Fastway for a long time this was a lovely trip down the nostalgia road and bloody magic it was too.

As the strains of AC/DC’s homage to baked goods (It’s A Long Way to The Shop … If You Want a Sausage Roll) blasted out of the PA, the excitement notched up another level. It doesn’t matter how many times I see Saxon (9), they always leave me feeling good and enthused. Opening with Battering Ram, Saxon do what they do and they do it well. Heavy as hell live, something you don’t always appreciate when listening to the boys on record, they work the audience from start to finish. Sure, Biff uses the same lines he used in 1981 but hey, it works. With an audience who warmed up quite epically as the evening wore on, the temperature started to bubble from the moment that Never Surrender kicked in. A well-paced set comprising some of the newer tunes (The Devil’s Footprint and Queen Of Hearts from Battering Ram and Sacrifice amongst them), some rarer stuff (Terminal Velocity from Unleash The Beast a favourite) and of course, enough classics to fill those denim and leather clad concert halls.

What is interesting to observe from the balcony is just how much work bassist Nibbs Carter gets though. Although he’d be the first to admit that his bass lines aren’t the most complex in the world, he is also responsible for all the pedals that cue the effects which flesh out some of the songs, as well as using them to instigate some other aspects of the show. He works incredibly hard, all the time raising the devil horns and rampaging around the stage. At the back of the stage Nigel Glockler demonstrated that he is fully recovered from the harrowing brain complications that threatened his life a mere two years ago. His drumming is brutal and a big part of the reason why Saxon can still hold their own with anyone in the live arena. Guitar is a huge part of the Saxon sound and Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt are beasts, shredding insanely throughout. Of course, it’s the gravitas that Biff exudes that makes Saxon the metal machine they are and even when he’s not on top form, his voice is still top quality.

As the classics cascaded through the Academy, the sight of hundreds of middle aged bald men losing their shit was hysterical. In the pit, the arrival of 747 (Strangers In The Night) heralded much bad moshing and some incredible ‘dad dancing’ whilst on the balcony one over enthusiastic punter was in danger of toppling off the top tier such was his enthusiasm. It was unsurprising to see him mixing it up in the pit for the encores. Toby Jepson joined Biff for a rendition of Wheels Of Steel which the Fastway frontman strangely needed lyrics for, before the first encore saluted Lemmy with a cover of Ace Of Spades, the band joined on stage by Fast Eddie to a huge ovation. Denim And Leather, full of audience participation moved the evening towards the inevitable set closer, the mighty Princess Of The Night. The Saxon juggernaut shows no sign of slowing down. Long may it continue.

Anathema: The Globe, Cardiff

There are some gigs that you just have to take a bit of time after to reflect on what you have just witnessed. This was one of those evenings. On Bonfire’s Night in a cramped 350 capacity venue in the Welsh Capital, the Liverpool outfit delivered a fantastic two hours which left the audience soaked in emotion and gasping for air.

You could tell it was going to be a special night when 55 minutes before doors opened the queue was already snaking down Albany Road. A real mix in the audience, mature couples standing next to battle jacket clad metal heads, gothic ladies next to dapperly suited gents. Such is the allure of this brilliant band that I’m sure they could have sold it out again.

Taking our place on the centre of the balcony, the tone for the evening was already set with the background music mixing Porcupine Tree with much of Opeth’s Damnation. At 8:30 the band sauntered on to the stage to a heroic welcome. It’s rare to see Anathema (10) in these parts so it was bloody great to see them in our home city. I’ve seen Anathema several times in a variety of settings, from the third stage at Download to their triumphant homecoming at Liverpool Cathedral last year but this was probably as good as they’ve ever performed. With a quarter of their 16 song set brand new tracks which have yet to be recorded properly, the band displayed a confidence which never flipped into the arrogance that can sometimes happen.

Musically it was stunning. Daniel Cavanagh, the main songwriter and artistic creator permanently restless stopping a couple of songs before they got going in order to get everything spot on. His guitar work astonishing, solos flowing out of him as he got into his stride whilst he constantly monitored pedals and loops whilst dipping back and fore from the keyboards. To his left his brother Vincent, the focal point of the band. Clad in tight black shirt and jeans, his tousled hair making him every inch the rock star, voice more impressive than I’ve ever heard, his rhythm guitar work solid and his overall approach so impressive, drenched in emotion, combining beautifully with Lee Douglas, whose own vocal performances just keep getting better and better. Whilst this trio may be the more well-known members of Anathema, the backline provided by Vincent’s twin brother Jamie on bass, Lee’s brother John on drums/percussion and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Cardoso was just splendid. The drumming on tracks such as Thin Air and Distant Satellites was magnificent.

With the four new tracks sounding very promising, especially the guitar driven Bricks which was part of a four song encore, the other 12 tracks were always going to be amazing. The band didn’t disappoint, picking a handful each from Weather Systems and We’re Here Because We’re Here and a couple from 2014’s Distant Satellites and A Natural Disaster. Opening with a new track (Gotyou To) it was quickly into the emotionally charged beauty of Untouchable Part I and Part II. Looking around The Globe it was clear that these songs tug at the heartstrings of many of the Anathema faithful and you can easily understand why. Weather Systems is such a delicately balanced and important album that nearly every member of the audience holds it dear for individual and personal reasons. There were tears in the eyes of many in the crowd as these tracks were played.

New track number two was Springfield, sandwiched between the other two tracks from Weather Systems. The first, a quite blistering The Storm Before The Calm which allowed the band to build atmosphere and let rip whilst The Beginning And The End maintained the momentum. As the evening built, the interplay between the band and the crowd intensified, with lyrics being sung with gusto by the crowd and the band really looking happy. References to the Welsh football team earned a rousing cheer, although Danny’s Welsh accent won’t win him any awards.

Set closer Distant Satellites saw Vincent add some venomous percussion as the song moved to an exploding climax with Daniel’s drumming off the chart. A quick break allowed everyone to catch their breath before the final four songs. After new songs Bricks and The Optimist, penultimate track A Natural Disaster allowed Lee to really let go and she didn’t disappoint with a quite amazing vocal performance. Traditional set closer Fragile Dreams brought the place to an emotional crescendo and with the applause still ringing in their ears the band left the stage after what was one of the most beautifully composed, structured and delivered evenings I’ve ever witnessed in Cardiff.

Glenn Hughes: Resonate (Frontiers)

"The Voice Of Rock" Glenn Hughes has been part of and has worked with some of the greatest bands and musicians in rock history, from Trapeze, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, through to the more recent acts of Black Country Communion and California Breed. Hughes has had a knack of aligning himself with top drawer musicians in his solo career too, as a bassist/vocalist he has tended to favour virtuoso guitarists to put his lungs against and yet again he aligns himself with a master of fretwork in the shape of Soren Andersen who co-produced the album with Hughes and supplies the ax to this record which is Hughes' 14th solo effort and his first record in 8 years.

Resonante is Hughes' heaviest record in a very long time moving away from the funk and soul of previous efforts, it kicks off with the stomping Heavy which has Andersen and Hughes playing the massive riff as special guest drummer Chad Smith beats the hell out of the skins and Lachy Doley stabs at the organ. It's a great start to the record with, in the vein of Mk.III Deep Purple, see the guitar/organ duel on Stay, this comparison to DP is sort of the point as this whole album smells of Hughes trying to reconnect with his hard rock past, from the purple tinted album cover to the groove-laden hard rock contained within Resonate thunders along with big riffs and Hughes incredible voice, he shouts, he screams, he croons and displays why he has claim to the hotly debated "Voice Of Rock" tag.

The pace is kept on My Town which sees drummer Pontus Enborg leading the charge, Flow has a knee trembling riff that sounds similar to the Fused record Hughes did with Tony Iommi. There is an organic feel to the record, very little overdubbing just rock music played like it used to be with a touch of soul Let It Shine, groove on God Of Money and even the obligatory acoustic ballad of When I Fall sounds muscular. Resonate is a heck of a record and cements Glenn Hughes firmly back in the hard rock arena. 8/10

Beth Hart: Fire On The Floor (Mascot Records) [Review By Paul]

Smoky soul filled blues and even pop courtesy of Grammy nominated singer Beth Hart. The ideal accompaniment to a roaring log fire and a glass or two of the vino. Fire On The Floor, her tenth album is about as relaxing as they come. From the jazz soaked smoothness of Jazz Man, the guitar driven Fat Man through to the Zeppelin infused Woman You’ve Been Dreaming Of, Fire On The Floor is a quite superb release. It isn’t going to appeal to all but I fail to see how this lady doesn’t stir the emotions with her husky delivery.

Having collaborated with many of the Blues world’s top players including Bonamassa and Jeff Beck, she has carved a real niche along with contemporaries like Joanne Shaw Taylor. Hart’s voice conjures up images of many of the great soul and jazz singers, Nina Simone amongst a myriad of others. Sadly, I’ve left it too late to pick up tickets for her latest tour. At least I can console myself with regular listens of a smolderingly hot release. I recommend you do the same to warm your winter nights. 9/10

Roth Brock Project: S/T (Frontiers Records)

Those that know their AOR will have heard the names of John Roth and Terry Brock, Roth has made a career as the guitarist of Starship and as the guitar foil for Reb Beach in Winger, Terry Brock meanwhile was the vocalist of British AOR group Strangeways. The two met on the controversial 2010 Giant album Promised Land (the first one not to feature founding member Dann Huff). This kind of solo record sees them work together again, joined by drummer Scott Trammell as they develop their working relationship again for another set of melodic rock.

Roth handles nearly all of the instruments on this record but his guitar playing is really showcased, many will not be familiar with his talent as he has played the side man to Reb Beach for many years, here he displays his excellent smooth rock riffs and clean slick shredding, he also helps out on the vocals not that Brock needs it though his pipes are slightly gruffer nowadays they are still superb, rich and sonorous, he gives some sleaze to What's It To Ya and adds the passion to the breezy Young Again.

The Roth Brock Project is the newest chapter in these two men's career, it's also the newest contribution to list of great collaborations on the Frontiers label. Roth Brock Project is another strong entry into both that stable of collaborations and also for both Roth and Brock as artists. Quality AOR from two of the genre's top journeymen. 7/10

Serpentine Dominion: S/T (Metal Blade Records)

The bands Black Dahlia Murder, Killswitch Engage and Cannibal Corpse are not known for their light touch so when I saw that ex-BDM drummer Shannon Lucas, Killswitch guitarist Adam D and Cannibal Corpse vocalist George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher were all joining together to form a band, I knew there wouldn't be any keyboards or power ballads on the record. Serpentine Dominion are a death metal band, with an ear to the melodic and touch of the progressive. Lucas has dual kick drums and knows how to use them, his drumming is devastating check out the pure death metal sounding On The Brink Of Devastation that sees him working like a machine.

This record mixes the influences of the three men involved, it's more melodic and progressive than Fisher or Lucas' day jobs with some acoustic guitars resonating through Prelude which leads to This Endless War built on a foundation of clean guitars that are clearly taken from the metalcore background of Adam D. However it is a much heavier prospect than Adam's other bands, here he really shows how talented he is by playing nearly everything else and giving some great technical death metal riffage, complex soloing and of course the crushing breakdowns he has made his name with.

The duo of Lucas and Adam D really gel chugging away at the crushing death metal with melodic touches. Corpsegrinder as is only natural to him roars like Satan if he stepped on a Lego, although to what will be many peoples surprise there are some cleaner vocals present to really throw you off. If you like your death metal aggressive, melodic and complex Serpentine Dominion is an excellent release and a band I hope exist for more than one album. 8/10

Again I turn my attention to a glut of Greek bands currently releasing albums

Enemy Of Reality: Arakhne (F.Y.B Records)

Arakhne is the second album by the Athens based symphonic metal band, it is a concept album based on the ancient Hellenic myth of the spider's origins and creation. The record was recorded by George Emmanuel (Rotting Christ) and Mark Adrian and the production means that this record sounds huge, it's got the grand scale of a band such as Nightwish or Epica. They have certainly upped their game again with mature, extravagant symphonic metal where Iliana's operatic vocals work in tandem with the harsher vocals.

Due to the concept of the record, Arakhne has a heavier more dramatic sound, meaning that this record carries a weightier impact than their debut, the increasing use of symphonic elements is marked throughout but they don't let the more traditional metal sound fall away with shredding, double kick drums and crunchy metal still at the forefront. The orchestral elements are used to great effect on Showdown which is the records most cinematic songs and features guest vocals from Therion's Chiara Malvestiti.

She is one of a few very special guests on this record with in demand Fabio Lione duetting on Reflected while Nouthetisis has Annihilator's Jeff Waters shredding up a storm. Enemy Of Reality have come back with vengeance, their second album continues with the sound they were perfecting on their debut but just takes it to that next level, the progressiveness is more pronounced, the riffs are heavier and the orchestrations are grander all of which will get fans of this music excited. 8/10

False Coda: Secrets And Sins (Steel Gallery Records)

False Coda are from Salamina/Athens, their interesting progressive metal nods to genre originators Dream Theater and Fates Warning, but as the record progresses the songs share similarities with more melodic technicality of Circus Maximus and Italian's Kingcrow. The band was formed by drummer Andreas and guitarist brother Vasillis, before they recruited Stefanos on vocals, Nick on bass and Lefteris on the keys and you can hear that they all spar off each other throughout with funk bass, jazz drumming, intricate guitars, swathes of keyboards and sublime vocals. While the complexities of the musicianship are not immediately obvious after a few spins you can really hear just how talented the band are beneath the accessible song-driven glossy layer.

Secrets And Sins is the sophomore album from the band who's first release came out in 2014, they have supported Evergrey in their own country and you can hear the influence cut through the record on heavy piano led Truth And Lies. Throne Of Blood which opens the album is a mish-mash of several different influences, starting out with Eastern influences it builds into a louder more agitated riff as vocalist Stefanos unleashes a growl before the track moves into jazz experimentation. This experimentation continues over the course of the record, especially on the extended title track, the keyboard driven New Paradigm the doom-laden Monolith which is just that and features a guest guitar solo from Nevermore's Jeff Loomis and as the album comes to a close California comes from left-field. False Coda's style of progressive metal doesn't break boundaries but it is delivered with passion and skill and that's enough for any prog metal fan. 7/10

1000mods: Repeated Exposure To...(Ouga Booga And The Mighty Oug)

Repeated Exposure To... is a dedication by the Corinth band to the high end vintage gear used to record this record, the legend is carried on any high end gear warning of the issues you may have with volume created, basically this album is an ode to playing fricking loud! Luckily 1000mods know how to play loud, their heavy rock sound darts between 70's groove rock, 90's grunge and the stoner scene (the influence of which I've covered previously) with a love of classic gear the band have finally been able to get the sound they have been striving for on their previous records.

According to the press the record "was recorded with hi-end outboard equipment in a non-stop 24/7 session and produced by both the band and sound engineer George Leodis" this heavy work rate and use of quality sound equipment really shines through as this is the best sounding record the band have done the rhythm section has a deep, rich groove, the guitar riffs are fuzzy and it's all nice and analogue, the record is full of huge riffs and lots of instrumental jam sections that sees the band locking into a groove. Loud and very heavy indeed 1000mods latest album sounds like a mix of Soundgarden and Monster Magnet and that is never a bad thing. 8/10

Inhuman Rage: Made By His Image... Killing To His Name (Straight From The Heart)

Thessaloniki thrashers Inhuman Rage grab you by the collar and get round to shaking your bones as fast as possible. This is heavyweight thrash metal with croaking death metal vocals from Vas, much like bands such as Death, Vader and Possessed the riffs are played with ferocity by Kostats and Stelios and Kostas' solos blast out at lightning speed. The ultra-fast drumming of Tasos bangs the head repeatedly never really slowing even on the more stomping sections.

Made By His Image... is a very aggressive record with patches of progginess on the title track which is dominated by the bass of George and takes in the light and shade that is often lacking in these releases. If you like your metal full of throat shredding vocals and a musical backing that is a melee of kick drums and down tuned lighting quick riffs, then Inhuman Rage will be the perfect pit starting music, yes the production is a little muffled meaning it hasn't got the usual crystalline DM sound but the thrashy grittiness makes this record a far nastier prospect. Spitting bile at the political elite, war and death Made By His Image... is a powerful death/thrash release from the Thessaloniki band. 7/10

Amon Amarth: O2 Academy, Birmingham

On Saturday afternoon myself and the three younger male Hutchings' made our way to the infamous O2 Academy in Birmingham. A quick bite to eat at the fish and chip shop (I had a chicken wrap) prepared us for what was to come. The queue outside stretched all the way down the road before the doors were even open, but we didn't fret as the O2 priority saw us stroll right in. Thank goodness for the balcony seats, which provided my short little ass with a great view.

Grand Magus (8) were on first, soon after the crowd started to pile in and the room filled up quickly. This was my first time seeing Magus and I didn't really have any expectations of them. The opener to the set, I, The Jury, was an absolute belter. I did not expect such power from JB's vocals and the energy from this Swedish three-piece. The crowd were warming up quickly, head banging and getting ready to party. Sword Of The Ocean’ followed suit with mini guitar solos in the middle and again, a great vocal delivery. The crowd's vocals did not fall too far behind, with sing-alongs to Steel Versus Steel and Iron Will, everyone was clapping and cheering in unison. The subtle growls from bassist, Mats Skinner, for Iron Will were a nice addition. The 7 song set list was over too soon and left us wanting more. After the final tune, Hammer Of The North, the band thanked us by saying, "We are Grand Magus, we love you!"

After a prompt change over, Testament (9) were on next. Now this is a band I got into a little while back and was super excited to finally see them live. The band marched on stage and went straight into the title song of their new album, Brotherhood Of The Snake, which was out in October this year. This was an instant hit to the eardrums as to be expected from the old school thrash legends. The frontman, Chuck Billy, was running back and forth from left to right like a young 25 year old lad and this is a man who was diagnosed with cancer back in 2001. His relentless effort was most impressive. One thing that struck me the most was his sawn-off looking mic, which he insisted on using as a guitar, strumming away at any opportunity he got. Even with 3 guitars already onstage, Chuck's strumming added comic value to the show as he was so eager to join in with Eric Peterson, Alex Skolnick and Steve DiGiorgio. The mic even glowed red, which I didn't notice initially, and made it look like it had overheated from him going at it so hard.

Rise Up with its screeching guitar riffs (in a good way of course) opened up the first pit of the night in what was a fully packed room by this point. The pit didn't stop throughout the whole song and neither did the band's energy. Testament were smashing tune after tune with little or no downtime in between. It was really refreshing to see a set that did not dip in the middle, not even once, in their 10 song set list. The New Order soon followed and the pit became brutal at that point, making the room incredibly hot in this already terrible venue. You may have noticed my dislike of the O2 Birmingham but I have my reasons, it's always boiling in there and the drinks choice is absolutely awful. OK rant over, back to Testament and the closest you'll ever get to a ballad with this band, Dark Roots Of The Earth, didn't seem to stop the people in the pit from rocking.

This was followed by another rocker, Stronghold, which was dedicated to Native American people. This song was my favourite on the set list and it was so fast, the pit seemed to struggle to keep up, which I found highly amusing as I was sat up on the balcony jamming in my own personal space. Next came, Into the Pit, which brought absolute chaos along with it. Nothing else can be or needs to be said and if you don't know this song then go away and listen to it now. The crowd surfers woke up towards the end of the set, perhaps due to Over The Wall, and they happily obliged Billy's powerful vocals when he told everyone to get “over the wall”. The Formation Of Damnation closed the set on a high. Brilliant performance by Testament and they did not disappoint in the slightest.

Another prompt change over and the mighty Amon Amarth (9) were coming on stage. This was my forth time seeing the five piece Swedish group, but this was the most I've been excited for them. No iconic boat on stage this time, unlike their Download performance in 2013, but very cool stage decor nonetheless, with 'stone' steps on each side of the stage. The centrepiece of the stage was comprised of a massive Viking helmet, the top of which also acted as a platform for Jocke Wallgren's drum kit. Hallelujah! The O2 staff had mercy on us all and the air con was finally switched on just before The Pursuit Of Vikings’ hit me on the head and pierced my eardrums. Words cannot describe the raw excitement and energy coming from both, the crowd and the band. My own soul was threatening to jump out of my chest, over the balcony and join Johan Hegg and the rest of the gang on stage. I must say, he is a mean looking bloke but he looked super cool in his outfit completed with a drinking horn.
The set was complimented by an intricate light show, especially for First Kill. As I predicted earlier in the night, the pit for Amon was bigger and more relentless. I am sure there would've been multiple pits going on if the people weren't so squashed on the floor already.

There is no real need to judge Amon musically. They are brilliant in and out, with jamming guitars, smashing drums and the most powerful vocals I've heard in the melodic death metal genre. For The Way Of Vikings, two 'actual' Vikings came on stage and had a full on fight. One of them was sadly defeated in battle and was dragged off of the stage by his opponent. The crowd was going berserk at this point as I don't think anyone was expecting to see a show within a show. The infamous Deceiver Of The Gods followed a couple of songs after, the song I have a personal attachment to. 'Deceiver' or 'to deceiver' is a term that I was labelled with when our music gang went to see Amon Amarth on a boat (Thekla) in Bristol, back in January 2015 and a LOT of cider was ingested. Embarrassing to say the least, but this time I was fully functional to enjoy this beautiful song, my absolute favourite, accompanied by two Viking bannermen on each side of the stage.

Johan's banter with the crowd was a nice touch, it's great to see at least minor interaction from the band. The crowd screamed their lungs our for Death In Fire and the Vikings were back on stage as archers for One Thousand Burning Arrows. Following on, we were welcomed by Loki, the master Viking with massive horns and a crowd poking spear, who appeared on stage during Father Of The Wolf. He looked like a satanic death Lord out of some horror movie, very theatrical and atmospheric. The band gets top marks for the stage show, not to mention various back drop changes, which complimented the setlist. The first encore consisted of Raise Your Horns, to which Johan came on stage with a mahoosive drinking horn and downed it with ease. Followed by Guardians Of Asgaard, with yet another appearance by the Viking men equipped with axes this time. The crowd was fist pumping the air non-stop.

The second and final encore comprised of Twilight Of The Thunder God, accompanied with sounds effects of thunder and lighting. This song had the most impressive stage show as we saw a giant mythical creature, a serpent that threatened to devour the band. Luckily Johan had Thor's hammer (Mjolnir - Historical Ed) to hand and managed to tame the beast. The man does not disappoint with his powerful growly vocals and Olavi Mikkonen, Johan Söderberg and Ted Lundström were killing it, with the blistering sounds of their guitars and a heavy bass. This is a very unique band that always delivers an entertaining high quality performance.

A thoroughly enjoyable gig!

Blues Pills – The Marble Factory, Bristol

As we headed to Bristol for the first time this week we had to fight all the way there through the heavy rainfall that lashed down as we drove.

Our mood had been dampened not only by the abysmal weather but the news that main support act Kadavar had to withdraw due to illness. This didn’t stop the band’s extensive merchandise being displayed for sale at the venue along with some rather fine Blues Pills garments and some interesting leatherwork from the other support outfit, Stray Train.

A healthy crowd welcomed the Slovenians Stray Train (7) who had the task of warming the crowd up on a cold night and also filling the void created by Kadavar’s absence. They took up the mantle and delivered on all levels with their warming brand of classic rock getting heads nodding and feet tapping. Perhaps a tad generic musically, the band possesses a real asset in vocalist Luka Lamut whose soaring voice had more than a passing resemblance to Myles Kennedy. Playing a good 35 minutes with tracks such as Plastic Princess and Wonderful off their debut release, the excellently titled Just 'Cause You Got The Monkey Off Your Back Doesn’t Mean The Circus Has Left Town Stray Train were competent and entertaining with the confidence of a band who’ve been on the road for a while.

Blues Pills (8) need little introduction. Since our first viewing at Hard Rock Hell in November 2014, the Swedish based outfit has developed massively. This year’s stunning Lady In Gold has helped and their performance at Steelhouse Festival in July was a total triumph. The improvement is in the tightness of their musical interplay and in the confidence of Elin Larsson, whose Joplinesque moves are now frenzied in comparison to that cold November afternoon in Pwllheli. A commanding figure, she whirls and swirls like a dervish, blond hair cascading over her face as she smacks hell out of her tambourines.

The band opened with the powerful Lady In Gold and showed their topical side with Larsson sarcastically dedicating Little Boy Preacher to the 45th President of the USA. With two albums now in their catalogue, the band now have more room for expression and no-one takes more advantage of that than guitarist Dorian Sorriaux. Splendidly decked out in a red velvet jacket and snazzy shirt, the Frenchman makes playing the guitar look effortless. His performance throughout the evening was great but during Astral Plane, High Class Woman, Ain’t No Change and Devil Man it was astonishing.

Unfortunately the sound was pretty appalling and despite moving several times to both sides of the stage, the overpowering drumming of Andre Kvarnsrom and Zack Anderson’s thumping bass lines muffled Sorriaux’s guitar sound with Larsson having to work really hard to be heard. A beautiful solo encore of I Felt A Change by the frontwoman allowed a brief respite but with a thunderously heavy Rejection the penultimate encore crushing the skull once more, we made our exit. A superb band, let down on this occasion by a disappointing sound mix.

Impericon Never Say Die Tour, Marble Factory, Bristol

That's right folks, it's time for the annual Impericon Never Say Die! Tour, something I've never actually attended before, but enjoyed nonetheless. Thanks to the wonderful British traffic, we walked into the Marble factory in time to see fourth band on the bill, Obey The Brave (7) whose metalcore riffage was quite frankly, pretty brutal. However, when Carnifex (8) take the stage, the brutality is taken up about 10 notches, the entire of the factory turning into a pulsating mass of circle pits and headbanging. Throwing out new songs such as Drown Me In Blood and Slow Death, the band also mix it up with classics Lie To My Face and set closer Hell Chose Me.

Next up were the lads from Oz, Thy Art is Murder (8) who yet again take the brutality dial and turn it up a few notches. Lee Stanton's double bass pedal is consistent throughout the entire set, and Kevin Butler's Bass threatens to pull the building apart at points. Stand-in vocalist Nick Arthur of Molotov Solution sounds perfectly in place, his vicious screams and animalistic growls fitting right in with the band's sound. Much like Carnifex, the band throw out some newer stuff from last year's Holy War, such as the titular track and Light Bearer as well as songs from Hate, including final song Reign Of Darkness. All in all a great mix.

As Whitechapel (9) take the stage, the crowd are ready for them, and they know it, tearing right into Mark Of The Blade and Elitist Ones, before reaching way back to their roots with Vicer Exciser. Phil Bozeman's vocals are angry and savage, but shows his clean vocals are just as good with slower song Bring Me Home, moving from clean to vicious in moments, the crowd swaying, lighters held aloft. The band manage to cover a lot of ground in their roughly 50-minute slot and with crowd pleaser The Saw Is The Law as an encore, the band leave the stage without much pomp and circumstance.

Oh and the final count for circle pit requests from bands: 12.

Lacuna Coil – The Marble Factory, Bristol

This year’s surprisingly heavy and very good Delirium release was sufficiently tempting to facilitate a return across the Bridge a mere 48 hours after we had seen Blues Pills at the same venue. Although Lacuna Coil has been around since the late 1990s, they are not the most frequent visitors to these parts. Two shows in the Welsh Capital, 2006 and 2011 and only a few more in Bristol, the last being in 2014 at The Anson Rooms. Their appeal is widespread but it was still a pleasant surprise to see the gig sell-out.

Of course, the problem with sell-out gigs in smaller venues such as The Marble Factory is that it becomes very tight in terms of space quite quickly. Taking a steadier approach to avoid the worst of the rush hour traffic, Mr B, Mrs H and I arrived at the venue just as openers Genus Ordinis Dei closed their set to a huge ovation from an already very busy venue. From the little we heard they sound like a band worth checking out.

Having made our way to the far right we were pretty pleased to have found space on the barrier which afforded a great view of the majority of stage action. Main support Forever Still (5) was up next. The band, from Copenhagen gave it their all but their generic, rather bland songs, combined with multiple off stage enhancements (backing vocals, additional guitars, synths etc.) soon became a little dull and whilst they got a decent reception from the crowd, it was more pleasing when their set ended.

No such problems for Lacuna Coil (9) who were simply on fire. The Milan based outfit hit the stage with Ultimate Ratio, the closing track on Delirium and proceeded to blow a hole in the roof of the venue. Tighter than I’d ever seen them, and with the front duo of Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro in stunning form, the Milanese based outfit tore through a set rammed full of classics and a healthy seven tracks from the new release. This was the first night of the UK tour and the Bristol crowd set the bar high. There was excellent audience participation during Heaven’s A Lie, Trip The Darkness and Our Truth before the cover of Depeche Mode’s Enjoy The Silence engaged even those who weren’t as familiar with the back catalogue.

A bone crunching Nothing Stands In Our Way led to the three track encore. First up was Delirium, followed by the heavy as fuck Zombies from the underrated Broken Crown Halo. Just when you thought that was it, Lacuna Coil finished everyone off with the LOG style House Of Shame, possibly the heaviest track they’ve ever written. A fine performance from a band that is right back on track.

The Cadillac Three, 02 Academy, Bristol

I'm not sure whether Southern rock has undergone a resurgence of late or whether it has always been welcomed with open arms in the U.K. The success of Georgia’s Blackberry Smoke, Texans Whisky Myers and associated acts has demonstrated that this genre is currently in rude health. A very busy 02 Academy supported this theory as Nashville trio The Cadillac Three rolled into Bristol in support of their second album Bury Me In My Boots.

It's rare that a support band totally grabs you by the bollocks and doesn't let go until they've finished but by god, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown (9) did just that. A 45 minute set that just oozed quality, Tyler Bryant and his band really got a very cool Academy smoking hot. Playing a range of tracks from their latest release Wayside and 2013’s debut Wild Child Bryant, guitarist Graham Whitfield, bassist Noah Denny and crazy drummer Caleb Crosby demonstrated a maturity far beyond Bryant’s age as they rocked out from the beginning. Their set was superbly paced, building in intensity to a crescendo which had the crowd baying for more. Big things will surely happen for this incredibly talented young man and his band.

With such a storming opening, The Cadillac Three (7) had their work cut out. They started brightly with I'm Southern igniting the capacity crowd. Unfortunately in my opinion, the recent spike in their popularity has given a degree of arrogance which detracts from the quality musicianship of the band. Frontman Jaren Johnson’s preference for spitting was particularly unpleasant and whilst his southern drawl is the ideal fit for the band's music, his slovenly attitude at times diminished the appeal substantially. The band have promoted themselves as a hard drinking outfit and they appeared to revel in this, with drummer Neil Mason swigging from a bottle of bourbon throughout the show.

Despite this the band have some great songs with Bury Me In My Boots, Tennessee Mojo and White Lightening all making an appearance and receiving a rapturous reception. However as the set progressed I found my attention wandering somewhat, the pace in the middle of the set dropping off quite noticeably. Interest was rekindled with a superb Peace, Love & Dixie, set closer Days Of Gold and the first encore, a smashing cover of Tom Petty’s Honey Bee, complete with Tyler and the Shakedown. Overall though, The Cadillac Three, enjoyable as they were just didn't impress as much as expected. A huge reception from the crowd suggested that once again I'm in the minority. There again, lots of people think that The Dead Daisies are good and it's a fact that they are dreadful maybe I'm right after all.

Taylor Hawkins: K.O.T.A (Self Released)

Another Foo Fighters hiatus, another Taylor Hawkins solo project, following on from two Coattail Riders records and his Birds Of Satan records K.O.T.A takes a departure that sees Hawkins in full 'solo' album mode, with previous releases he has formed another band with this release he does a Prince and plays everything sans some bass from Wiley Hodgden, Coattail Riders’ Chris Chaney, and Foo Fighters’ Nate Mendel.

It is also probably he most personal record to date, though just a 6 song EP it sees Hawkins telling tales of his suburbanite existence and drawing on his past follies, crafting Sprinsteenian stories. Groove driven Range Rover Bitch and Bob Quit His Job are observations of American life as Hawkins lives them the latter actually about his neighbour Bob doing what the title says. However he also digs deep with Southern Belles touching on his down south upbringing and Tokyo No No is a cautionary tale from the Foos early days of being young, dumb and reckless.

Each song is a self contained narrative that forms part of a wider more meditative whole and as I've Got Some Not Being Around You To Do Today closes out the EP, Hawkins once again captures the imagination and displays that away from the Foos mother-ship he has his head firmly rooted in 70's Cali sound. 7/10

Stefan Berggren: Stranger In A Strange Land (Pride & Joy Music)

Stefan Berggren is a former singer of Whitesnake off-shoot Company Of Snakes, that survived until 2004. Berggren was behind the mic between 2000-2002,l he has also served time in Snakes In Paradise, M3, Razorback and the Berggren Kerslake band. The Swede also had the unenviable task of being the Coverdale in what was a reactivation of the original line up of Whitesnake (Marsden, Moody, Murray, Lord & Paice) for a show in 2001, but on the basis of this his debut solo record you can see why he was chosen, his vocals are the perfect fit for our David rich, deep and soulful just like the leather lunged screamer himself with a touch of Paul Rodgers creeping in at times. As I've said Stranger In A Strange Land is his debut and it sticks with the traditional sound that Berggren has been a part of for most of his career, this is bluesy classic hard rock that sits comfortably with the first few early 70's 'Snake albums.

Sands Of Time starts the record and sees Stefan shift into Bad Company territory with layered acoustics and slow pace, its a track that eases you in, before the strut of Coming Home gets your hips shaking with it's heavy soul. On the album Berggren has reached into his address book for old friend such as Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray (both Whitesnake), Marcus Jidell (Avatarium - Guitar) and Joakim Svalberg (Opeth - Keys) they put their seal on the tracks they feature on. The record taps a blues vein as I've said none more so on Keef's Song which is a tribute to The Rolling Stones seemingly invincible and irrepressibly cool guitarist, while the title track has more in common with Deep Purple or Uriah Heep due to the great use of Moog. This record may go under the radar a bit which is a shame as it's got class and flair if you hanker for some slithering blues rock. 7/10

Trees Of Eternity: Hour Of The Nightingale (Svart Records)

Doom metal at its core is a depressing genre, slow, chugging guitar playing, haunting vocals and a very dark atmosphere all round. However Hour Of Nightingale may just take the cake, the music is desolate, down tempo and bleak, exactly what you would expect from a band formed by Juha Raivio of Shadow Of The Sun along with members and ex-members of Katatonia, October Tide and Wintersun. What makes it particularly harrowing are the ghostly vocals of Aleah Stanbridge she soars above the gloomy ambient melancholy with a baleful fragility on A Million Tears and Condemned To Silence (where she is complimented by low male vocals).

This isn't the heaviest of doom records taking more from the ambient soundscapes but this enhances the glum but emotive nature of the record. This album has had a long gestation period, finally though it has seen the light of day in albeit in very regretful circumstances as vocalist Aleah passed away earlier this year from cancer, so in part this record serves as her epitaph and it couldn't be more beautiful, the title track being particularly mournful and sobering affair. Hour Of The Nightingale is a heartbreaking record but it is wonderful to listen to really displaying the talent of all those involved, it also serves as a lasting testament to singers sadly now lost talent. 9/10

Duskwood: Desert Queen (Self Released)

Heavy stoner rock from Somerset, think Clutch or Wolfmother but with more cider apples. Desert Queen kicks like a mule, Obelisk the song that opens this album is a pounding rocker with fuzzy guitars and great hollered vocals from Liam Tinsley. Titan is a grooving bass driven number that builds in its final part. Duskwood are a very competent band and play with a swagger rare in a band that were only formed in 2011. With heavy riffs galore from Greg and Laurence while Aaron and Jack are the flaring boiler room for tracks such as Hurricane. It's not big or clever but it is slightly psychedelic stoner rock album that brings the riffs in big order. 7/10

Vader: The Empire (Nuclear Blast)

Playing it safe has never been in Polish titans Vader’s vocabulary. Powering death metal since 1983, The Empire is a blistering follow up to 2014’s Tibi Et Igni, which was an absolute monster. The Empire starts at full throttle, Angels Of Steel kicking your face hard. The pace doesn't let up for a minute, unsurprisingly for a death metal band. Prayers To The God Of War and Iron Reign drip thick wedged riffs, with the latter’s stomping chug conjuring images of 1980s era Venom.

Piotr Wiwczarek’s distinctive brutal vocals and the band’s no nonsense all out thrash approach remains as strong as it ever did. Brit James Stewart drums like there is no tomorrow. His bass drumming on The Army-Geddon ferocious. Album closer Send Me Back To Hell concludes another solid release from one of the most influential death metal outfits of all time. 8/10

Avenged Sevenfold: The Stage (Capitol Records)

Dropped without any fanfare, The Stage is album number 7 for the Californian outfit and the first with new drummer Brooks Wackerman who replaced Aron Ilejay in 2015. The album is also the first with Capitol records after a decade on Warner Bros.

A concept album based on themes of Artificial Intelligence (AI) The Stage is, despite claims to the contrary a typical AX7 sounding release. Slick production, huge drums, guitars raining down solos and riffs and the instantly recognisable vocals of M. Shadows. The problem for me with AX7 is that they've always retained a sound that whilst truly metal, washes completely over me with absolutely no impact. Take Paradigm as an example.

Battering drums, raging riffs and a big hook. Not a flicker. In fact, Paradigm is one of the catchier tunes on the album as well as the second shortest, with only God Damn clocking in under 4 minutes. God Damn is actually a blistering tune, with a powerful intro, harmonies on the chorus and a variation between crunching riffs and flamenco guitar is the middle eight.

The Stage is probably two songs too long, with five tracks well over six minutes each in length. The band have clearly poured some of their longer term influences into this release, with closer Exist merging a range of styles. At nearly 16 minutes long it's an ambitious piece, huge chunks of Metallica apparent throughout (nowt wrong with a bit of that), with the subject matter focusing on the Big Bang and a narrative from astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson Tyson.

I'm not sure it totally works with clunky interplay, uncomfortable time changes and a variety of approaches which make it difficult to appreciate. The synth work in the middle which merges with some raging drumming and guitar work is a classic example. However, the message of greater life in the universe and mans preoccupation with destroying himself is particularly relevant at this moment.

Let me state for the record that I wish AX7 well. They've been through a lot, with the death of drummer The Rev rocking the band more than could have been expected. They remain a force in the world of metal, hated and loved in equal measure. The expectation on them to be the next big thing from the metal media not helpful. I don't find this album much more exciting than their “massive” 2013 release Hail To The King. But the band are in an arena where they can pretty much do what they want. Good luck to ‘em. 7/10

Crowbar: The Serpent Only Lies (Nuclear Blast)

Album number 11 from New Orleans sludgers Crowbar. It's a heavy, brooding affair with a return to the Crowbar of old. Massive riffs, plodding sections heavy enough to crack concrete and some heads down pace at times to keep you on your toes. Opener Falling While Rising sets the tone, a behemoth of a tune. Kirk Windstein’s vocals remind you that this man must gargle broken glass before breakfast.

As for the riffs, well, fuck me there are riffs pouring out of every orifice. Plasmic AndPure drags the listener and smashes his head against a wall. Windstein and guitarist Matthew Brunson absolutely devastate whilst drummer Tommy Buckley and returning bassist Todd Strange lay down an impenetrable backline. Windstein stated in an interview that he wanted fewer lyrics to let the “riffs breathe”. He has delivered what he promised.

The massive Surviving The Abyss and the brutal title track bear witness. The Serpent Only Lies transports the listener back to the days of Crowbar and 1991’s monstrous Obedience Through Suffering. The beast may be a lumbering creature, but Crowbar 2016 remains a very dangerous beast. 8/10

Taken: Taken (Self Released)

Power metal from Pamplona? Yeah, we will try anything once here at Musipedia (apart from Phil Collins –he can fuck off from the start). Formed from the ashes of Dreamwalker in 2013, Taken has ingested Helloween’s entire catalogue, adopted Klaus Meine’s vocal intonation and used their special set of skills to deliver a really generic, routine power metal album. 100mph from start to finish, the songs are uninspiring, power metal by numbers.

Modern Messiah highlights that vocalist David Arredondo can't actually sing that well, whilst a track titled Wormy Brains means that it all becomes personally too much for me. The keyboards often drown the guitars, the format is repetitive and overall it's just not very good. Dragonforce lite. 5/10

The Graveltones, Le Pub Newport

After three almost consecutive trips to Bristol in one week, a gig on our side of the bridge (just) was exactly what was needed, forgoing the car it was public transport all the way for a few beverages and sport watching pre-gig. Happily the public transport all ran very smoothly despite Cardiff hosting international matches in both Rugby and Football, I avoided the commotion by heading to Newport and meeting up with friends for a few pints of quality ale and intelligent discussion before the match took place.

Now during the gig the joys of social media confirmed that the band's van had broken down on route to the venue so after some frantic phone calling and a discussion with the head honcho of Pity My Brain (the show organiser) everything was up in the air. So we moved over to the venue which is excellently split into bar downstairs performance area upstairs, after a bit of waiting, some retro Mario Kart and yet more beer, we were given the green light that the band had arrived. By then we were starving so forgoing the support acts we headed for food and arrived back just as the band were about two songs in.

What followed was a completely raucous, unabashed celebration of garage blues from two men that when not on stage are softly spoken and humble but when on the stage and in full flow play with a searing fire, Jimmy O attacking his guitar, peeling out fuzzed up blues lick after, fuzzed up blues lick while he hollers down the mic and spends more time in the crowd than he does on stage. As the frenetic, kinetic front man he needs a rhythm to keep to and Mikey's simply astounding drumming is that rhythm, his intensely percussive playing is a wonder to behold using the entire drum kit to make the thundering noise at points even forgoing sticks for his hands.

With very little between song banter other than a few thank you's and humble free-spirited peace sharing it was all about the music and songs such as Forget About The Trouble, World On A String and Catch Me On The Fly got the small but enthusiastic crowd shaking their hips, nodding their heads, clapping their hands and using their voices to full effect. Drenched with sweat, voices hoarse and heads full of the devils liquor, few bands can get a party started like The Graveltones, honest music from honest people, no bullsh*t just rock n roll in it's purest form 9/10

Freedom Call: Master Of Light (Steamhammer)

Ninth album, no punches pulls, no quarter given, just bouncy Germanic power metal coming from the Helloween sound. Freedom Call have always had their tongue planted in their cheek much like their more well known countrymen, they understand that they can be seen as a bit of joke by the more po-faced metal crowd but true power metal doesn't and has never cared about what people think and seeks to unite all the fans of metal. So when this record kicks off with Metal Is For Everyone you have the feeling that Freedom Call consider this to be a clarion call to everyone to unite.

As the record continues it's what you would expect the galloping rhythm section on Kings Rise And Fall, A World Beyond, Hail The Legend with more melodic tendencies on folky title track before it turns into a symphonic driven piece showcasing Chris Bay's excellent vocals. In what seems to be a regularity with these records there are always one or two ballads and Cradle Of Angels is the kind of ballad sung in a warriors tavern, mead in hand, awaiting the inevitable.

Master Of Light does have one major curveball to it though Ghost Ballet has almost EDM style synths and a huge riff that actually would fit very well on a DTP record, strangely it's one of the records strongest songs, unfortunately it's followed by the dreadful Eurovision fodder of Rock The Nation which is the records low point. The nature of power metal means that everything I've just said means nothing to be honest, good or bad fans of power metal will lap this up, sit back relax and just enjoy because Metal Is For Everyone! 7/10

Wretched Soul: The Ghost Road (UKEM Records)

Wretched Soul don't play AOR folks, there are no nice fluffy keys or big emotive choruses on this record instead it's chock full of lightning fast drumming, dirty grooves and wild thrash riffs with death metal aggressiveness. I saw Wretched Soul at Eradication Festival this year and if I'm honest they blew me away with the sheer live power they had, heavy, violent, progressive and down right excellent I had high expectations for this their second album and it's one of the most exhilarating 39 minutes of music I've heard this year.

The Canterbury four piece have significantly upped their game since their debut, which I retrospectively sort out after their blinding performance at Eradication, the touring has paid much dividends as this record is as tight as a frozen tap. With a supremely wide vocal range Chris Simmons' leads from the front relying heavily on his booming clean delivery for Necromancer before adding the death-roars on War Wolf onward, underneath his vocals the instrumentation is top class, Luke Mayell's bass grinds your insides to mush, Andy Clifford's drums split your eardrums with every blast beat and his brother Steve plays the hostile riffs and explosive solos.

The lyrical content as you'd expect is anti-religion, anti-corruption but also deals with historical horror and fantasy literature, par for the course really but delivered with a nasty panache. Aiding the devastation of this record is the production of the legendary Chris Tsangarides (Google it) and the mastering of Dan Swanö (again Google it) who mean the record sounds both modern and retro simultaneously. With thrash, death and black metal all getting a good seeing to by Wretched Soul meaning that this second record will hopefully see Wretched Soul bring their brand of wretchedness to a much wider audience. 9/10

Atlas: Death & Fear (Self Released)

Do you long for The Sword to return to the sound featured on their first two albums, the huge Sabbath worshipping doom riffs, washing over the songs like a black tsunami of feedback and groove. well the second release from Swedish band Atlas could be the answer, it's all here the massive riffs, the psychedelic touches and the clean vocals which are all so scarce in the doom/stoner scene. Death & Fear plays it straight down the line with very little room for change, the pace is set by hypnotic low slung shoegazing and occasionally picks up with some chugging faster sections. You can hear Sabbath (of course) but also 90's Metallica and Alice In Chains, with psychedelic touches throughout this is heavy metal with the catchiness of hard rock. Death & Fear is a great album if like I said you miss the classic doom/stoner stylings of early records from The Sword. 7/10

SOiL: The Globe, Cardiff

On Sunday night (ugh school night) I made my way over to The Globe. I arrived nice and early so the queue was minuscule, which was great as I could take my place upstairs at the centre of the balcony. It was unusually cold inside, as The Globe is normally fairly toasty, but I shouldn't really complain about temperature. Around 3 weeks prior to the gig it was announced that the American rock band, Saliva, would not be joining SOiL on their tour, due to health issues with one of their members. This was a big disappointment for most people, judging by the reaction on social media but I am personally not that familiar with them so this didn't faze me. In any case, there were other support bands, whose material I'd never heard, so I was excited to see if I could find new gems to add to my iPod.

First on stage was a local, Bridgend-based band, When We Were Wolves (5). This five-piece band, which is often described as post-hardcore and metalcore, consisted of a weird mix of men, perhaps in their mid-twenties and what seemed to be their younger brothers (one on drums, one on guitar). Their set consisted of a combination of songs from their three EP's and one full length album, Wolf House (2013). The frontman, Mitchell Bock, started off the show by shouting at the empty space in the middle of the floor. The guys on stage didn't seem to be bothered about the sparse crowd and even thanked us a few times for getting there early to check them out. I appreciate that it is very hard, especially for a new band, to get recognition but their performance was a bit of a poor effort.

During Blind, Mitch tried to incorporate clean vocals with his screams and I wish he'd stuck to the screaming, which what the majority of the 5-6 songs in the set were comprised of. It was all very loud and erratic and the band seemed to create more noise than was necessary. The crowd, of what little people there were, were cheering and being supportive nonetheless. I'm afraid my ears were struggling to cope so it's a good job they weren't on for long. Now, I am not the biggest fan of post-hardcore so perhaps I'm being too harsh here but they could've sounded better if the clean vocals were up to scratch.

Next up, was another five-piece, English rock band from the Midlands, Liberty Lies (6). This bunch was also a comical looking mix of musicians. The bassist, Adam 'Wolfie' Howell, who was the smallest in the band, had the biggest guitar, which in all fairness to him he handled well. This, unfortunately unsigned band, has one full length album and two EPs. The vocals of the frontman, Shaun "ManBun" Richards, were not exactly weak but a bit flat and didn't really flow well with the music. I guess I should have expected this kind of generic sound as this is what you often get with hard rock. Or am I just getting too old and grumpy?! Unlike the previous band, these guys were going crazy in what little space they had on stage.

I was surprised that no one got hurt, so they get an extra point for the effort. Half way through the set, Shaun pointed out that The Globe is the weirdest venue the band had ever played in, as he tripped over the amp in front of him and almost fell face forward. It would have looked like spontaneous crowd surfing if there were more people there to catch him. During the song Vultures, one of the guitarists bust a string on his guitar but luckily this didn't affect the sound and the band's energy didn't slip. Even though all of the songs merged into one, the tunes grew on me towards the end of the set.

A bit of a wait around until the next band, Sons Of Texas (7) graced us with their presence. The room, at this point, had filled up nicely, but with enough personal space left for everyone. The crowd mainly consisted of middle aged guys and a unique calibre of people that would not pass a face to face interview, well perhaps at a circus.

This groove/southern metal band from Texas looked a bit more promising. Don't let this genre description fool you, the opener to the set was as heavy as lead. The frontman, Mark Morales, was spitting anger and hate at the crowd but it didn't take long to start appreciating how powerful his vocals were. The bassist, Nick Villarreal, was again, the smallest guy on stage so there must be a trend there, although, good things do come in small packages.

The band have only released one album, Baptized In The Rio Grande, which was out last year, so the stage was full of supporting fresh talent tonight. You could start to hear the southern notes in Mark's vocals for Pull It And Fire, which suited the song nicely. It went on to transform into jamming riffs and the satisfying heaviness of the bass and the drums. Top marks for the energy and effort from the band and the interaction and general charm the frontman had about him when speaking to the audience. The place was rocking and the already warmed up crowd were headbanging and moving around a bit more.

The band themselves were lunging all over the stage and headbanging in synchronicity. I must say, they were not a bad looking bunch for sweaty, angry metal men. The guitarists, Jon Olivares and Jes De Hoyos were producing some juicy riffs and the singer was passionately pounding his chest. That's what I call a dedicated upkeep of his persona. Between each song, we were kept reminded of what the band is called by the frontman and I wish he'd rather told us the titles of their songs. Texas Trim, a song about sex and one night stands, was a groovy, country tune, sexy indeed, during which Mark plunged into the crowd. Sons Of Texas' songs were a great mix of cruel heaviness and jamming country, with bluesy notes.

Towards the end of the set, the title track of their only album portrayed great energy between the band members. The finisher to the set was another rocker where Mark plunged down to the floor again and gave the front row handshakes, hugs and kisses. These guys exceeded my expectations and this being their first time out of the States I hope they do well in the future. I would definitely see them again.

The crowd moved closer to the edge of the stage in anticipation for the long awaited SOiL (8). The band came on stage to a massive cheer and went straight into Wide Open, which is such a tune, the crowd was dancing from the first note. The singer, Ryan McCombs, dressed in a checked shirt and a hillbilly cap looked tiny between Adam Zadel and Tim King, two tall, broad-built guitarists who looked like bookends on each side of the stage. I don't think the sound check guys were happy with the sound of Ryan's iconic mic for the first two songs as they were fussing around the stage and gesticulating to each other. Next was an oldie, Need To Feel, which sent the crowd wild.

The reception to the band was astounding, which was to be expected for these nu-metal rockers. In contrast, Ryan was cool and calm when addressing the crowd but with a great dry sense of humour. More sound issues followed for Pride, as we could hear some screeching feedback coming from the singer's mic. This resulted in a 5 minute stoppage but Ryan provided the crowd with quality banter and light-hearted atmosphere by picking on the roadies for not doing their job properly. Couple more songs and the sound was restored to its clarity.

Next up was Amalgamation, Ryan joked about how he regrets getting drunk and suggesting to play this song live. Another song unwillingly sang by Ryan was The Lesser Man/Give It Up, which he went into after muttering: "Fuck my life". This song was done by the band with a different singer so it's not a surprise Ryan had zero enthusiasm towards performing it live. The band was served a shot of Jäger each whilst we encountered more sound issues. It's a shame I wasn't drinking as these technical hiccups in the 13 song setlist would've been more bearable.

They cranked the mic up for Breaking Me Down and this was the first time ever I wished I had brought earplugs to a gig. The crowd were jumping and shouting the words. During Black 7 the frontman sat on the edge of the stage and unfortunately people started to act like animals at a zoo, practically jumping in his lap and taking pictures with him. However, Ryan, was being a total sweetheart and was really accommodating or perhaps he was just too drunk to care.

I thought I saw a pit start for Unreal but it was just three drunkards hugging and stumbling over each other. Top marks go to the crowd for lyric knowledge, shame I can't say the same about myself. Minor encore just so Ryan could sneak off the stage and appear in the middle of the crowd singing Halo. Needless to say he was instantly swarmed with people. I have no idea how he managed to breathe, never mind sing, amongst them all. It was such a cool thing to do and it goes to show how much this band really loves its’ fans. Black Betty, a Ram Jam cover, finished the set. As excited as I was to see these guys and as awesome as the gig actually was, they lose a point for all the tech issues, which broke up the fluidity of the set.

Metallica: Hard Wired...To Self Destruct (Blackened)

If you were around when Episode 4 hit the cinema for the first time, the anticipation for episodes 1-3 and the excellent number 7 could just not match that first time you saw the titles roll across the screen back in 1977. Why the Star Wars analogy? Well, because it’s here. The tenth album by the biggest metal band on the planet. The first since 2008’s Death Magnetic. And like Episode 3, for those of us around in the early 1980s, early Metallica was just ball dropping and any new shit just doesn’t fully compare. But that’s not to say this is a crap album. Far far away from that.

Like Star Wars it’s been almost impossible to ignore the launch and unless you are a real elitist then it is still something to get a bit excited about. And in the main it is worth the wait. The haters are going to state that it isn’t Kill, Ride, Master or Justice and the main streamers are going to be disappointed that it isn’t Black part II. But it is Metallica, it stomps hard and heavy and contains a couple of pretty choice cuts.

Produced by Greg Fidelman alongside Papa Het and Lars Ulrich, Hardwired is the first album since 1983 not to feature any compositions with any input from lead guitarist Kirk Hammett who allegedly lost his phone containing over 250 riffs. So we rely on the writing prowess of the main engine of the band, Hetfield and Ulrich with only ManUNkind having the additional input of bassist Robert Trujillo.

We already know three of the tracks that we’ve been drip fed over the past couple of months. Album opener Hardwired kicks hard, a ballsy three-minute blast to grab your attention. Yeah baby, Metallica are back in your yard. This is quickly followed by the aggressive Atlas, Rise! A six-minute power drive that grows on you quicker than mould on a damp wall, hooks galore and some pounding riffage. Now That We’re Dead is weaker but still grounds the stomp on your sorry arse whilst Moth Into Flame is just a beast.

Massive riffage, shredding guitar work from Hammett and Papa Het’s instantly recognisable vocal snarl. This is James Hetfield in 2016, not 1985 and his voice has changed. Substantially. It’s all good so far though with Lars’ drumming big, bold and as in your face as always. I’ve never understood the hate for this man’s drumming. Live he’s always cut it and on record he delivers what he needs to do. Dream No More returns to the Sad But True feel and the eight minute plus of Halo On Fire allows the frenetic pace to calm just for a second or two before munching you into a curled ball of sweat. Side one, not bad. Not bad at all.

Side two contains a little bit more filler, opener Confusion is powerful and heavy but ManUNkind is routine fare. It’s here that you suddenly realise that every song bar one is over six minutes in length and you begin to wonder where it’s going to lead. Here Comes Revenge threatens to return to Puppets era with a couple of promising hooks and some screeching opening guitar but it turns into a bit of a bloated trip, albeit one you can rock along to. Am I Savage? is confusing. It might be one of the best tracks on the release, moving about as far away from the stable sound as you can get and I like the jazz fused intro which ignites the waning fires of interest. It’s a smouldering beast that builds majestically, slower than usual and dare I say it, shades of Megadeth in parts.

The final two tracks are chalk and cheese. Murder One, the tribute to Lemmy is well intentioned but the weakest track on the release, plodding where it should be racing and lyrically both brilliant and dreadful. But Spit Out The Bone? Holy fuck. The heaviest thing Metallica have done for years, a full out thrash fest and a return to the days of Battery and Fight Fire With Fire. It opens frantically, pauses for breath and then kicks the hell out of you. Blasting drumming, crunching riffs and Trujillo’s bass rolling all over this bad boy. Yeah! This is the good shit alright.

I’ve listened to this album about six times already and it’s a real grower. For a band with nothing to prove it’s a damn decent release. Better than Death Magnetic? Probably. Not as good as the early stuff. Who gives a fig. The Metallica machine is moving again. Get on board or get the fuck off. They don’t care. 8/10

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