Brainstorm: Midnight Ghost (AFM)
German power metal is often the benchmark for the genre. Brainstorm are yet another of those bands who’ve been around for many years, delivering consistent quality. Midnight Ghost is the band’s 12th album, and with a stable line-up for over ten years it’s no wonder that it is another polished release. Andy B Franck has been the band’s vocalist since 1999, with original members Torsten Ihlenfeld (guitars), Milan Loncaric (guitars) and Dieter Bernert (drums) alongside most recent member Antonio Ieva (bass) completing the line-up. Recorded at Sebastian ‘Seeb’ Levermann’s (Orden Ogan) Greenman Studios.
German power metal is often the benchmark for the genre. Brainstorm are yet another of those bands who’ve been around for many years, delivering consistent quality. Midnight Ghost is the band’s 12th album, and with a stable line-up for over ten years it’s no wonder that it is another polished release. Andy B Franck has been the band’s vocalist since 1999, with original members Torsten Ihlenfeld (guitars), Milan Loncaric (guitars) and Dieter Bernert (drums) alongside most recent member Antonio Ieva (bass) completing the line-up. Recorded at Sebastian ‘Seeb’ Levermann’s (Orden Ogan) Greenman Studios.
The album isn’t a concept album but contains a thread which focuses on the fear of ghosts and monsters under the bed; the bogeyman in the wardrobe. Fears that form in childhood. Jeanne Boulet 1764 for example, is about the strange events that took place in Gévaudan in Southern France 250 years ago when around 100 children, adolescents and women were killed by a wild animal. Typically flamboyant and operatic in parts, Midnight Ghosts opens with the anthemic Devil’s Eye, and tears through 51 minutes of high quality melodic power metal; When Pain Becomes Real and Ravenous Minds stand out amongst a wealth of strong songs. 7/10
Ace Mafia: Ace Mafia (Rock N Growl Records)
Ace Mafia is a UK based metal outfit, formed in 2007 and featuring Richie Faulkner, now guitarist of metal legends Judas Priest. The band released their debut album Vicious Circles in 2009 independently but due to various commitments, mainly Faulkner’s touring schedule with Lauren Harris before touring the UK in 2010. When Faulkner landed the gig with the Priest, Ace Mafia went on hiatus. However, in February 2018 the band decided to reform and Ace Mafia, a four-track EP which features Faulkner is the first offering. It’s a solid release, merging the grunge of Alice In Chains with the girth of Black Label Society; Ben Lundy adds impressive lead guitar alongside Faulkner, whilst K Ghibli’s vocals sit in the Sully Erna/Zakk Wylde ball park, fitting in neatly for the sound of the band. With Jerry Sadowski on drums and Geos Letona on bass and backing vocals, there is promise in this EP. 7/10
Pyrexia: Unholy Requiem (Unique Leader Records)
New York death metal veterans Pyreixa have been around since the early 1990s. With several albums under their belt, the last being Feast Of Iniquity in 2013, the band has, from what I understand, been relatively inactive in recent years. Unholy Requiem changes all that in a flash. It’s about as brutal an old school death record as you can get, immediately drawing comparisons with the likes of Suffocation and Internal Bleeding. With a return to the rawest sound you can achieve, these eight tracks pulverise over 25 minutes. It’s punishingly dirty. The groove remains, the guttural vocal delivery is immense whilst the speed that the band play at is incredible. Filthy in every aspect, tracks such as Angels Of Gomorrah and Wrath, which bookend the album, demonstrate why Unholy Requiem is an essential release for any self-respecting death metal head this year. 8/10
Paul Ferguson: Remote Viewing EP (Dead Radio Station)
You may well be asking who Paul Ferguson is. Well, to give him his correct title, Big Paul Ferguson is a multi-talented drummer and percussionist bet known as the engine room of gothic industrial masters Killing Joke. He left Joke in 1987 but re-joined the classic line up on their reformation in 2008, playing on all their releases since, including 2015’s superb Pylon. Now aged 60, yes, 60, the big man has finally released his debut EP, Remote Viewing, a seven track 30-minute release that combines many of his influences from his musical career. Much of the vocal on Remote Viewing is spoken word, as Ferguson targets a range of subjects. Ably supported by underground guitar veteran Mark Gemini Thwaite (The Mission, Tricky amongst others), Ferguson’s drumming and percussion is intricate and thoughtful throughout, without being centre stage at any time. The Great Motivator and XBOX are amongst the stand out tracks, questioning the consumerism of society and the way in which we are all cogs in the capitalist machine. Industrial without question, this is a thought-provoking release which impresses throughout. 8/10
Ace Mafia: Ace Mafia (Rock N Growl Records)
Ace Mafia is a UK based metal outfit, formed in 2007 and featuring Richie Faulkner, now guitarist of metal legends Judas Priest. The band released their debut album Vicious Circles in 2009 independently but due to various commitments, mainly Faulkner’s touring schedule with Lauren Harris before touring the UK in 2010. When Faulkner landed the gig with the Priest, Ace Mafia went on hiatus. However, in February 2018 the band decided to reform and Ace Mafia, a four-track EP which features Faulkner is the first offering. It’s a solid release, merging the grunge of Alice In Chains with the girth of Black Label Society; Ben Lundy adds impressive lead guitar alongside Faulkner, whilst K Ghibli’s vocals sit in the Sully Erna/Zakk Wylde ball park, fitting in neatly for the sound of the band. With Jerry Sadowski on drums and Geos Letona on bass and backing vocals, there is promise in this EP. 7/10
Pyrexia: Unholy Requiem (Unique Leader Records)
New York death metal veterans Pyreixa have been around since the early 1990s. With several albums under their belt, the last being Feast Of Iniquity in 2013, the band has, from what I understand, been relatively inactive in recent years. Unholy Requiem changes all that in a flash. It’s about as brutal an old school death record as you can get, immediately drawing comparisons with the likes of Suffocation and Internal Bleeding. With a return to the rawest sound you can achieve, these eight tracks pulverise over 25 minutes. It’s punishingly dirty. The groove remains, the guttural vocal delivery is immense whilst the speed that the band play at is incredible. Filthy in every aspect, tracks such as Angels Of Gomorrah and Wrath, which bookend the album, demonstrate why Unholy Requiem is an essential release for any self-respecting death metal head this year. 8/10
Paul Ferguson: Remote Viewing EP (Dead Radio Station)
You may well be asking who Paul Ferguson is. Well, to give him his correct title, Big Paul Ferguson is a multi-talented drummer and percussionist bet known as the engine room of gothic industrial masters Killing Joke. He left Joke in 1987 but re-joined the classic line up on their reformation in 2008, playing on all their releases since, including 2015’s superb Pylon. Now aged 60, yes, 60, the big man has finally released his debut EP, Remote Viewing, a seven track 30-minute release that combines many of his influences from his musical career. Much of the vocal on Remote Viewing is spoken word, as Ferguson targets a range of subjects. Ably supported by underground guitar veteran Mark Gemini Thwaite (The Mission, Tricky amongst others), Ferguson’s drumming and percussion is intricate and thoughtful throughout, without being centre stage at any time. The Great Motivator and XBOX are amongst the stand out tracks, questioning the consumerism of society and the way in which we are all cogs in the capitalist machine. Industrial without question, this is a thought-provoking release which impresses throughout. 8/10