Heathen: Evolution Of Chaos (Mascot Records) [Paul Hutchings]
It’s been ten years since San Francisco thrashers Heathen released their third and to date last album. If you were around in the late 1980s you should remember them as part of the Bay Area thrash movement, alongside the likes of Testament, Exodus, Death Angel, Forbidden and Vio-lence. Whilst the band never reached the heights of their counterparts, their three albums are all worth a listen. Reforming in 2001 after an eight-year break, it took another eight years for Heathen to release the follow up to 1991’s Victims Of Deception. An album that was most definitely worth the wait, Evolution Of Chaos is certainly a fine album with some classic thrash tracks that stand as tall today as they did back then.
It’s been ten years since San Francisco thrashers Heathen released their third and to date last album. If you were around in the late 1980s you should remember them as part of the Bay Area thrash movement, alongside the likes of Testament, Exodus, Death Angel, Forbidden and Vio-lence. Whilst the band never reached the heights of their counterparts, their three albums are all worth a listen. Reforming in 2001 after an eight-year break, it took another eight years for Heathen to release the follow up to 1991’s Victims Of Deception. An album that was most definitely worth the wait, Evolution Of Chaos is certainly a fine album with some classic thrash tracks that stand as tall today as they did back then.
The album opens with Intro, which includes a sitar (played by Steve DiGorgio) before all hell breaks loose on the pummelling Dying Season, a genuine statement of intent and a big middle finger to all the doubters. Dying Season follows the classic thrash style and has the advantage of the chops of vocalist David White whose soaring range is comparable with Bruce Dickinson. Thrash lives or dies by the quality of the vocalist and in White, Heathen possess an ace. The mid-section chug is overwritten by some soaring lead guitar work whilst the rhythm section of Jon Torres and Darren Minter hold everything tightly in place. It’s a great start to an album that improves on every listen.
Whilst Heathen haven’t released many albums, Evolution Of Chaos ranks highly in the all-time thrash listings and it’s easy to see why when you listen to this album again. Control By Chaos rages from the start, a bulldozer which smashes its way through anything placed in its path. Razor sharp riffs, memorable choruses and a heaviness that can’t fail to get you moving. It also features a shreddingly hot solo from Exodus’ Gary Holt. This leads to the centrepiece of the album, the 11:10 No Stone Unturned. Now there is no denying that the riffs are reminiscent of Metallica’s Don’t Tread On Me, and as the track unfurls into the massive instrumental middle section, more Metallica style ‘quiet’ parts, but I don’t care. This track is a monster. Intricate playing, subtle and measured guitar which then leads back into thick chunky riffing as the track enters the frantic final third. I realised at this point that it had been far too long since I’d listened to this band.
With 12 tracks on the album, and several of them kicking in at way over six minutes a piece, Evolution Of Chaos is an absolute beast of an album. It’s 68 minutes long but at no time does the attention wane. Arrows Of Agony follows No Stone Unturned and once more the dual assault of Lee Altus and Kragen Lum’s guitars leads the charge. Arrows Of Agony is almost traditional metal, White’s clean but gritty vocals and the melodic style of the song provide a concrete base for some blistering guest solos from Terry Lauderdale. Lauderdale, a guitar virtuoso also adds a viciously feisty solo on final track Silent Nothingness.
Altus and White wrote virtually all the songs on this album but there is nothing stale on any of them. In fact, it becomes increasing hard to find flaws as the journey continues. Fade Away races along, punchy and crisp, A Hero’s Welcome sees White sound like Ricky Warwick as the song builds and echoes a heavier Iron Maiden whilst the crunch of tracks such as Undone and Bloodkult is reassuringly Bay Area thrash. So, despite being a definitive thrash album there is certainly variety which is often lacking elsewhere. With Altus a permanent member of Exodus since 2005, time has been against Heathen but the good news is that there are rumours of a new album in the near future. Regardless, this is one of the thrash metal masterpieces of the past thirty years. One that deserves higher recognition. Hopefully this remastered copy will assist. 9/10
Thy Catafalque: Naiv (Season Of Mist) [Rich Oliver]
There are some albums that defy classification and Naiv is one of them. The ninth album by Hungarian avant-garde metal project Thy Catafalque it is a melting pot of hugely varying styles and sounds. I have been aware of Thy Catafalque but never had a chance to check out any material. I’m aware that they are founded on black metal albeit of a very experimental nature and that as they have progressed the albums have become far more musically diverse. Diverse is certainly the right term for Naiv as it is packed full of varying musical ideas and styles through its nine song duration. Opener A Bolyongás Ideje is very much rooted in black metal albeit of a more playful and psychedelic nature but it is from the second song Tsitsushka that musical boundaries become completely blurred with it’s mix of post-punk, funky bass lines, saxophone and horn section. It sounds completely bizarre and you’re right it is but it is also unapologetically fantastic.
Whilst Heathen haven’t released many albums, Evolution Of Chaos ranks highly in the all-time thrash listings and it’s easy to see why when you listen to this album again. Control By Chaos rages from the start, a bulldozer which smashes its way through anything placed in its path. Razor sharp riffs, memorable choruses and a heaviness that can’t fail to get you moving. It also features a shreddingly hot solo from Exodus’ Gary Holt. This leads to the centrepiece of the album, the 11:10 No Stone Unturned. Now there is no denying that the riffs are reminiscent of Metallica’s Don’t Tread On Me, and as the track unfurls into the massive instrumental middle section, more Metallica style ‘quiet’ parts, but I don’t care. This track is a monster. Intricate playing, subtle and measured guitar which then leads back into thick chunky riffing as the track enters the frantic final third. I realised at this point that it had been far too long since I’d listened to this band.
With 12 tracks on the album, and several of them kicking in at way over six minutes a piece, Evolution Of Chaos is an absolute beast of an album. It’s 68 minutes long but at no time does the attention wane. Arrows Of Agony follows No Stone Unturned and once more the dual assault of Lee Altus and Kragen Lum’s guitars leads the charge. Arrows Of Agony is almost traditional metal, White’s clean but gritty vocals and the melodic style of the song provide a concrete base for some blistering guest solos from Terry Lauderdale. Lauderdale, a guitar virtuoso also adds a viciously feisty solo on final track Silent Nothingness.
Altus and White wrote virtually all the songs on this album but there is nothing stale on any of them. In fact, it becomes increasing hard to find flaws as the journey continues. Fade Away races along, punchy and crisp, A Hero’s Welcome sees White sound like Ricky Warwick as the song builds and echoes a heavier Iron Maiden whilst the crunch of tracks such as Undone and Bloodkult is reassuringly Bay Area thrash. So, despite being a definitive thrash album there is certainly variety which is often lacking elsewhere. With Altus a permanent member of Exodus since 2005, time has been against Heathen but the good news is that there are rumours of a new album in the near future. Regardless, this is one of the thrash metal masterpieces of the past thirty years. One that deserves higher recognition. Hopefully this remastered copy will assist. 9/10
Thy Catafalque: Naiv (Season Of Mist) [Rich Oliver]
There are some albums that defy classification and Naiv is one of them. The ninth album by Hungarian avant-garde metal project Thy Catafalque it is a melting pot of hugely varying styles and sounds. I have been aware of Thy Catafalque but never had a chance to check out any material. I’m aware that they are founded on black metal albeit of a very experimental nature and that as they have progressed the albums have become far more musically diverse. Diverse is certainly the right term for Naiv as it is packed full of varying musical ideas and styles through its nine song duration. Opener A Bolyongás Ideje is very much rooted in black metal albeit of a more playful and psychedelic nature but it is from the second song Tsitsushka that musical boundaries become completely blurred with it’s mix of post-punk, funky bass lines, saxophone and horn section. It sounds completely bizarre and you’re right it is but it is also unapologetically fantastic.
Embersólyom follows and is another complete left turn with its neofolk backbone, lush synths and spine tingling vocals from Martina Veronika Horváth. The experimental nature of the album continues to the very end with the synthwave plus added flute of Kék Madár (Négy Kép), the atmospheric keys and crushing metal of Vető and the hugely melodic closer Szélvész. Despite all these alternating and varying styles the songs have great flow to them and the changes are pretty much seamless. Credit is due to the brains behind Thy Catafalque and the projects sole member Tamás Kátai. His writing skills allow this album to be wildly creative and eccentric but without sounding forced or jarring.
There is a natural flow throughout which makes this album a hugely enjoyable listening experience. Having not heard any previous Thy Catafalque albums I don’t know whether the sound and style of Naiv is business as usual or an experimental detour but I am most certainly going to be exploring the Thy Catafalque back catalogue to find out. A fantastic album recommended for those who like their music of an experimental nature. 8/10
Ben Poole Trio: Live '19 (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
A self explanatory title this is live album from the Ben Poole Trio recorded last year over the course of 3 nights in such lavish surroundings as the Old Schoolhouse in Barnsley, The Half Moon in South London and Bootleggers in Kendal, Cumbria, this is a double live album featuring 14 tracks at 90 minutes of live blues rock tracks in front of reasonable small crowds making it seem like you are earwigging on intimate show. The album serves as a greatest hits taking songs from both of Ben's most recent albums 2018's Anytime You Need Me and 2016’s Time Has Come, Poole is the smoky vocals and smoking guitar playing backed by Wayne Proctor (drums- formerly King King), Steve Amadeo (bass - Aynsley Lister), with such an experienced rhythm section behind him it gives Poole a chance to impress properly and he lives up to the praise heaped upon him by luminaries such as Jeff Beck, Beth Hart and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, his guitar playing is excellent the ease with which he can peel of intricate blues rock riffs and solos, smoldering on Found Out The Hard Way and Don't Cry For Me but also rocking things up with Take It No More and Start The Car. Still reasonably fresh on the scene you can hear from this album that Ben Poole is a name to watch. 7/10
Lordi: Killection (AFM) [Simon Black]
OK, so I was aware of Lordi, but really had not done much other than raise a bemused eyebrow at their Eurovision win many moons ago, because quite frankly GWAR made the latex monster joke first a long time before and Kiss have probably trademarked everything else. This is their 10th album, and it is a spoof compilation, which despite saying so clearly on the cover is going to catch someone out. So with some trepidation I sling the tracks on, and find myself pleasantly surprised, because the opening track with its spoof of every practically major hard rock and metal act of the 70’s and 80’s was spot on. Imagine you are listening to a cheesy fake USA rock radio station (complete with periodic DJ interruptions and phone ins), throw in spoofs of the greats, and tracks that are intended to create the impression of a compilation act going back decades but are in fact piss takes of artists we all know well. The DJ links don’t work too well beyond the opening one (which is hilarious), but mostly the songs do.
Lordi have literally become their own tribute act with this one … or Weird Al Yankovic in latex. You decide. Either way, the tongue is firmly in someone else’s cheek. Shake The Baby Silent, sounds more like Rob Zombie than Rob Zombie does, Rob Halford ought to receive scream royalties at several points throughout, Zombino acknowledges the love for Kiss by reminding Paul and Gene just quite how bad I Was Made For Loving You’s faux disco was and Fire It Up sounds like it could actually have been recorded by Accept (although Evil will never make up for the fact that Slayer aren’t around anymore). What makes it work is that the musicians do a cracking job of emulating their heroes playing, vocal and production styles whilst still sounding like Lordi, so it’s a wink and a nudge piss-take rather than full on parody, but it works … up to a point. To be honest it runs out of steam about two thirds of the way through.
I’m aware that the current ‘played for laughs’ version of Lordi has alienated many of those who supported them from the get go, and this disc is unlikely to win them back. I guess they tried to be more subtle back then, but I get the feeling this incarnation has its fans too. This is the sort of album you play for a chuckle on your own, or a bigger laugh with mates over beers who share the joke, but is never going to get world domination and that many repeat plays, because let’s face it comedy albums don’t have that many plays in them. Not that Lordi seem to care. And neither do I, so pass the beer please. 6/10
Ben Poole Trio: Live '19 (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
A self explanatory title this is live album from the Ben Poole Trio recorded last year over the course of 3 nights in such lavish surroundings as the Old Schoolhouse in Barnsley, The Half Moon in South London and Bootleggers in Kendal, Cumbria, this is a double live album featuring 14 tracks at 90 minutes of live blues rock tracks in front of reasonable small crowds making it seem like you are earwigging on intimate show. The album serves as a greatest hits taking songs from both of Ben's most recent albums 2018's Anytime You Need Me and 2016’s Time Has Come, Poole is the smoky vocals and smoking guitar playing backed by Wayne Proctor (drums- formerly King King), Steve Amadeo (bass - Aynsley Lister), with such an experienced rhythm section behind him it gives Poole a chance to impress properly and he lives up to the praise heaped upon him by luminaries such as Jeff Beck, Beth Hart and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, his guitar playing is excellent the ease with which he can peel of intricate blues rock riffs and solos, smoldering on Found Out The Hard Way and Don't Cry For Me but also rocking things up with Take It No More and Start The Car. Still reasonably fresh on the scene you can hear from this album that Ben Poole is a name to watch. 7/10
Lordi: Killection (AFM) [Simon Black]
OK, so I was aware of Lordi, but really had not done much other than raise a bemused eyebrow at their Eurovision win many moons ago, because quite frankly GWAR made the latex monster joke first a long time before and Kiss have probably trademarked everything else. This is their 10th album, and it is a spoof compilation, which despite saying so clearly on the cover is going to catch someone out. So with some trepidation I sling the tracks on, and find myself pleasantly surprised, because the opening track with its spoof of every practically major hard rock and metal act of the 70’s and 80’s was spot on. Imagine you are listening to a cheesy fake USA rock radio station (complete with periodic DJ interruptions and phone ins), throw in spoofs of the greats, and tracks that are intended to create the impression of a compilation act going back decades but are in fact piss takes of artists we all know well. The DJ links don’t work too well beyond the opening one (which is hilarious), but mostly the songs do.
Lordi have literally become their own tribute act with this one … or Weird Al Yankovic in latex. You decide. Either way, the tongue is firmly in someone else’s cheek. Shake The Baby Silent, sounds more like Rob Zombie than Rob Zombie does, Rob Halford ought to receive scream royalties at several points throughout, Zombino acknowledges the love for Kiss by reminding Paul and Gene just quite how bad I Was Made For Loving You’s faux disco was and Fire It Up sounds like it could actually have been recorded by Accept (although Evil will never make up for the fact that Slayer aren’t around anymore). What makes it work is that the musicians do a cracking job of emulating their heroes playing, vocal and production styles whilst still sounding like Lordi, so it’s a wink and a nudge piss-take rather than full on parody, but it works … up to a point. To be honest it runs out of steam about two thirds of the way through.
I’m aware that the current ‘played for laughs’ version of Lordi has alienated many of those who supported them from the get go, and this disc is unlikely to win them back. I guess they tried to be more subtle back then, but I get the feeling this incarnation has its fans too. This is the sort of album you play for a chuckle on your own, or a bigger laugh with mates over beers who share the joke, but is never going to get world domination and that many repeat plays, because let’s face it comedy albums don’t have that many plays in them. Not that Lordi seem to care. And neither do I, so pass the beer please. 6/10