Doomsday Outlaw: Hard Times (Frontier)
Rockers Doomsday Outlaw made an impression on us back in 2016, their debut was filled with 15 tracks that walked a fine line blues rocking and AOR ballads, it was a little too long to be really impressive as I do think quality always proceeds quantity so I was relieved when I saw their follow up record was only 12 songs long. Opening with the swaggering title track it's a bluesy hard riffing number to start with Steve Broughton and Gavin Mills bringing the distorted dirty riffs to this, Over And Over and Spirit That Made Me with Indy Chanda (bas and John Willis (drums) locked into deep set grooves.
The three opening tracks that I've mentioned here show you that the Derbyshire band deserve much of the hype that surrounds them, since their debut they have doggedly toured the country honing their performances into the blues rock machine you hear here. Much of their appeal is due to the tough riffs being matched by the excellent vocals of Phil Poole who reminds me a lot of Glenn Hughes when he's in rock god mode but he also dips into some Myles Kennedy when they slow the record down on the number of ballads that do appear (they are a Frontiers band after all) Into The Light is the epitome of a ballad featuring just sentiment, a piano and some strings. The riffs are brought back with Bring It Home and Days Since I Saw The Sun both of which have the melodic streak that this band balance with the heavier rocking.
Just take a song like Will You Wait it's a ramped up Free track with a chorus to die for or Break You which has a funk coda bringing back the Glenn Hughes comparisons. No Hard Times here just proper British rock music from a band that are slightly grittier than your traditional Frontiers fayre but that's no bad thing. 8/10
Monument: Hellhound (Rock Of Angels Records)
Monument are one of the bands that formed as an offshoot from White Wizzard, as the line up of that band changed musicians involved formed their own acts. The two most notable are American speed metal act Holy Grail and British NWOBHM band Monument, the latter now on their third album have returned again to bring leather and studded metal back to the British scene with a vengeance, with so many American and European (mainly Swedish) acts muscling in on those NWOBHM gallops that came from the back streets of England in the early 1980’s Monument grab the genre by the horns and bring it back to the isles of Avalon. Exploding straight out of the stereo William Kidd takes to the high seas with loud bass riffs from Dan Bate, the twin axe attack from Dan Baune and Lewis Stephens its classic Maiden style from the get go.
Next up is The Chalice which sounds more like more recent Maiden and is the obvious single, the video features a number of British wrestlers as frontman Peter Ellis creates pro wrestling title belts for a number of promotions including the WWE. The Chalice is a more melodic track and as I said wouldn’t be amiss on anything from Brave New World to Book Of Souls with the theme continuing on Death Avenue a song that does sound a little like Rainmaker until it moves into the groovy middle eight and Baune and Stephens let rip. In fact quite a bit of this album is similar to the big hitters of that original scene. It’s an unashamed celebration of the classic British metal bands, the grind of Nightrider is pure Priest (even using their song titles as lyrics) and it showcases the vocal prowess of Ellis who switches between Halford and Dickinson fluidly.
Rockers Doomsday Outlaw made an impression on us back in 2016, their debut was filled with 15 tracks that walked a fine line blues rocking and AOR ballads, it was a little too long to be really impressive as I do think quality always proceeds quantity so I was relieved when I saw their follow up record was only 12 songs long. Opening with the swaggering title track it's a bluesy hard riffing number to start with Steve Broughton and Gavin Mills bringing the distorted dirty riffs to this, Over And Over and Spirit That Made Me with Indy Chanda (bas and John Willis (drums) locked into deep set grooves.
The three opening tracks that I've mentioned here show you that the Derbyshire band deserve much of the hype that surrounds them, since their debut they have doggedly toured the country honing their performances into the blues rock machine you hear here. Much of their appeal is due to the tough riffs being matched by the excellent vocals of Phil Poole who reminds me a lot of Glenn Hughes when he's in rock god mode but he also dips into some Myles Kennedy when they slow the record down on the number of ballads that do appear (they are a Frontiers band after all) Into The Light is the epitome of a ballad featuring just sentiment, a piano and some strings. The riffs are brought back with Bring It Home and Days Since I Saw The Sun both of which have the melodic streak that this band balance with the heavier rocking.
Just take a song like Will You Wait it's a ramped up Free track with a chorus to die for or Break You which has a funk coda bringing back the Glenn Hughes comparisons. No Hard Times here just proper British rock music from a band that are slightly grittier than your traditional Frontiers fayre but that's no bad thing. 8/10
Monument: Hellhound (Rock Of Angels Records)
Monument are one of the bands that formed as an offshoot from White Wizzard, as the line up of that band changed musicians involved formed their own acts. The two most notable are American speed metal act Holy Grail and British NWOBHM band Monument, the latter now on their third album have returned again to bring leather and studded metal back to the British scene with a vengeance, with so many American and European (mainly Swedish) acts muscling in on those NWOBHM gallops that came from the back streets of England in the early 1980’s Monument grab the genre by the horns and bring it back to the isles of Avalon. Exploding straight out of the stereo William Kidd takes to the high seas with loud bass riffs from Dan Bate, the twin axe attack from Dan Baune and Lewis Stephens its classic Maiden style from the get go.
Next up is The Chalice which sounds more like more recent Maiden and is the obvious single, the video features a number of British wrestlers as frontman Peter Ellis creates pro wrestling title belts for a number of promotions including the WWE. The Chalice is a more melodic track and as I said wouldn’t be amiss on anything from Brave New World to Book Of Souls with the theme continuing on Death Avenue a song that does sound a little like Rainmaker until it moves into the groovy middle eight and Baune and Stephens let rip. In fact quite a bit of this album is similar to the big hitters of that original scene. It’s an unashamed celebration of the classic British metal bands, the grind of Nightrider is pure Priest (even using their song titles as lyrics) and it showcases the vocal prowess of Ellis who switches between Halford and Dickinson fluidly.
Keeping the pace is Gio Durst who locks in with Bate for a thick rhythm section that’s highlighted by Tommy Newton’s natural production meaning this is the best sounding Monument record of their trio. They are still the flag bearers for the new breed of NWOBHM and this Hellhound is unstoppable! 8/10
Primitai: The Calling (Dissonance)
It’s only been 2 years since Primitai’s last album The Night Brings Insanity but the London metal warriors have returned with their fifth full length. They are still led by lead guitarist Srdjan Bilic and singer Guy Miller their slightly modern heavy metal sound has found them fans from a broad spectrum of the metal community as the band have tread the boards with Saxon, Edguy, Warbringer and even Crashdiet, they combine intense riffs, massive melodies and progressive touch that makes them a stand out band in a crowded scene.
Primitai: The Calling (Dissonance)
It’s only been 2 years since Primitai’s last album The Night Brings Insanity but the London metal warriors have returned with their fifth full length. They are still led by lead guitarist Srdjan Bilic and singer Guy Miller their slightly modern heavy metal sound has found them fans from a broad spectrum of the metal community as the band have tread the boards with Saxon, Edguy, Warbringer and even Crashdiet, they combine intense riffs, massive melodies and progressive touch that makes them a stand out band in a crowded scene.
You could lump them in with bands such as Monument etc but Prmitai’s musical style is more akin to Avenged Sevenfold with the thrash/traditional metal influences merging with more modern sounds and Guy’s muscular voice sounds a lot like M Shadows on Demons Inside as the album progresses you get many more scything riffs and double kick drums. The Calling is a record full of modern melodic metal that has some progressive subtly to it on Into The Light/Into The Dark and the title track it’s a another strong showing from this always impressive metal band. 7/10
Petrichor: No Silver Lining - A Return To Rain (Self Released)
Warning do not listen to this record if you’ve had a bad day. There must be something in the water in Yorkshire as so many of the most miserable bands come from there , maybe it’s the desolate vistas and heavy industry but perennial miserablists Paradise Lost hail from Halifax, My Dying Bride from Bradford, Solstice are from Huddersfield and Leeds where Petrichor come from boast Sisters of Mercy, The Mission and countless others who bring a black cloud to any gathering. No Silver Lining is a re-release , re-recorded, reimagining of Petrichor’s 2016 debut Rain its only five songs long but they are all long, slow funeral dirges from a three piece that have had a good go at mixing black metal fury with occult doom metal.
Petrichor: No Silver Lining - A Return To Rain (Self Released)
Warning do not listen to this record if you’ve had a bad day. There must be something in the water in Yorkshire as so many of the most miserable bands come from there , maybe it’s the desolate vistas and heavy industry but perennial miserablists Paradise Lost hail from Halifax, My Dying Bride from Bradford, Solstice are from Huddersfield and Leeds where Petrichor come from boast Sisters of Mercy, The Mission and countless others who bring a black cloud to any gathering. No Silver Lining is a re-release , re-recorded, reimagining of Petrichor’s 2016 debut Rain its only five songs long but they are all long, slow funeral dirges from a three piece that have had a good go at mixing black metal fury with occult doom metal.
The duality of low booming clean and nasty harsh vocals suit well especially when there is also some ghostly female vocals on This Too Must Die, add to this furious drums underpinning the creeping, dissonant guitars and you get a recipe for a thick mix of extreme metal. The production is quite raw and the instruments are quite low in the mix but fans of My Dying Bride or Celtic Frost would be wise to track this record down Petrichor have returned to the rain and it’s heavy storm indeed. 7/10