Ruadh: The Rock Of The Clyde (Red Glenn Productions) [Paul Hutchings]
Discovering new bands is always a delight. Such an experience happened at last year’s Winter Eradication festival in Cardiff when Glaswegian solo project Ruadh delivered one of the sets of the day. The atmospheric black metal struck just the right nerve with the audience and their merchandise was swallowed up in minutes. This included copies of the Sovereign album, which proved to be just as enchanting as the live show.
The Rock Of The Clyde is the second album and draws deeply on the history, culture and mythology that populated Sovereign. Tom Perrett, raised in one of the oldest burghs in Scotland which translates to the ‘Red Glen’, composes his music to suit his own tastes, but includes a complex blend of old school black metal (Windr, Bathory, Burzum) intertwined with Celtic patterns and gentle, peaceful passages.
Opening track Embers explodes with a ferocity of blast beats and driving riffs, Perrett’s gruff growls supplemented by clean harmonies of Cieti, who adds all female vocals on the album. Double tracked guitar harmonies segue into peaceful, melodic passages, the synths generating flute effects providing a clear link with the natural world. Embers is the first of three ten-minute plus songs on the album and rather than become distracting, they absorb and envelope the listener, transporting you to the Iron Ages of Scotland. The title track follows, dripping with atmosphere. Clean vocals explore the history and mythology as the song meanders like a winding river.
Discovering new bands is always a delight. Such an experience happened at last year’s Winter Eradication festival in Cardiff when Glaswegian solo project Ruadh delivered one of the sets of the day. The atmospheric black metal struck just the right nerve with the audience and their merchandise was swallowed up in minutes. This included copies of the Sovereign album, which proved to be just as enchanting as the live show.
The Rock Of The Clyde is the second album and draws deeply on the history, culture and mythology that populated Sovereign. Tom Perrett, raised in one of the oldest burghs in Scotland which translates to the ‘Red Glen’, composes his music to suit his own tastes, but includes a complex blend of old school black metal (Windr, Bathory, Burzum) intertwined with Celtic patterns and gentle, peaceful passages.
Opening track Embers explodes with a ferocity of blast beats and driving riffs, Perrett’s gruff growls supplemented by clean harmonies of Cieti, who adds all female vocals on the album. Double tracked guitar harmonies segue into peaceful, melodic passages, the synths generating flute effects providing a clear link with the natural world. Embers is the first of three ten-minute plus songs on the album and rather than become distracting, they absorb and envelope the listener, transporting you to the Iron Ages of Scotland. The title track follows, dripping with atmosphere. Clean vocals explore the history and mythology as the song meanders like a winding river.
Winter Light features further growling vocals, shimmering riffs, batteries of blast beats from drummer Philip Morrison and are all underpinned by sublime ethereal synths that capture the feel and spirit of the album. My only complaint at this point is the production which feels a little thin. This seems to rectify on the Celtic flavoured Fields Of Heather, which begins its ten-minute journey with an almost Celtic jig, before once more developing organically, returning to the ‘jig’ in a later passage. Full of passion and sonic landscapes, Fields of Heather proves to be one of the most expansive tracks on this record.
This leads to the final duo of tracks, OnlyDistant Echoes Reign Part I and Part II. The first part, the penultimate song sees Perrett accompanied by acoustic guitar before segueing into Part II which once more provides glistening walls of riffs, rapid fire drumming and growling vocals as the track picks up into one of the more aggressive pieces on the album. I’d pick this one as probably my favourite, with multiple changes of tempo and temperature, the reintroduction of Cieti’s ethereal vocals providing a measured check before the track soars towards a final climax. The Rock Of The Clyde is an uplifting epic release that demonstrates Perrett’s fine ability to reach deep into his country’s history and culture. A welcome second edition. 8/10
This leads to the final duo of tracks, OnlyDistant Echoes Reign Part I and Part II. The first part, the penultimate song sees Perrett accompanied by acoustic guitar before segueing into Part II which once more provides glistening walls of riffs, rapid fire drumming and growling vocals as the track picks up into one of the more aggressive pieces on the album. I’d pick this one as probably my favourite, with multiple changes of tempo and temperature, the reintroduction of Cieti’s ethereal vocals providing a measured check before the track soars towards a final climax. The Rock Of The Clyde is an uplifting epic release that demonstrates Perrett’s fine ability to reach deep into his country’s history and culture. A welcome second edition. 8/10
Gomorra: Divine Judgement (Noble Demon) [Simon Black]
Not to be confused with a handful of bands with subtly different spellings, Gomorra are a full-on technical thrash act from Switzerland, although their pedigree seems intermingled with that of Gonoreas, so I suspect we have a case of name changing going on here - although this is not at all clear from their web presence and the supplied biography highlights Divine Judgement as their debut album. Just listening though, this has the feel of a clearly experienced bunch of musicians making a fresh start and what we have here is a very effective melodic slab of thrash in the Testament vein, although with a liberal sprinkling of Power Metal which evokes early Sanctuary to this old hack. The album kicks off with the full on titular Gomorra, and doesn’t really let up for the next couple of tracks – speed, melody and power intermingle in a refreshing tap-a-long way, with some nice twin harmonic guitar interplay in Hope For The Righteous proving that there’s always a place for that alternating lead and harmonic guitar interplay between Damir Eskic (ex-Destruction) and Dominic Blum which I know is tempting to call Maiden-esque, but really the royalties ought to go to whatever remains of Wishbone Ash.
Brother We’re Damned, keeps that pace going, with a nice galloping riff-line and some thundering rhythm work and is refreshing to hear a thrash act whose singer is not afraid to aim high, long and loud on his notes rather than grunting his way through. They aren’t afraid to vary the pace either, and after a few gallopers, they slow the pace down nicely with the more traditionally metal Out Of Control (one of the album’s highlights in my humble opinion) for a solid chugger allowing some variety of vocal style with some nice harmonies coming into play. And so it continues – just when you think you have this bunch pigeonholed they mix things up a bit and keep the listener on their toes. It’s a well-produced album with the crisp and clear guitar style you need in a good thrash style, but without drowning out the rhythm section. This does sound like a band having undergone a rebirth, but one that still needs to cement their sound and style, as although I cannot criticise the content of the album, it does miss the distinctive ‘something’ they will need to be truly unique – it’s almost there in some of the guitar tricks, vocal style and time changes but not quite at the point of uniqueness yet. Nonetheless a highly strong effort and a darn fine start. 7/10
Bitterness: Dead World Order (G.U.C) [Alex Swift]
Bridging the sweet darkness of gothic genres, with the sheer hostility of death and thrash, It’s difficult not to find intrigue in Bitterness’ sound. A tantalizingly twining acoustic piece begins Dead World Order, lending a mystical ambiance. A Bullet A Day soon comes thundering in with a pulverizing riff that changes with the vivacity of an act willing to enrapture their audience. The drum and bass embellishments also create an impressionistic allure. The vocals may inspire you or turn you off altogether – as their harshly spoken delivery definitely suits the style, yet by occasionally hitting the higher register, come off as awkward at points. The title track is trudging and monolithic, the doomy delivery aiding in the concept of scale, once more the instrumentation is stunning, and inspired. However, the growling and lyricism prove increasingly hard to take seriously – “The world is a big place of shit!” our frontman decries, in his weird horse yet high tone. They’re not entirely awful, and the strangeness they command, does match the eerie tone, yet they also feel jarring and unexpected which definitely earns them the red flag of ‘an acquired taste’.
The brilliantly titled Idiocracy lays down an epic, and prestigious feel, moving from a borderline symphonic opening piece to relentless and defeating arpeggios. Also, the chorus line of ‘No rights! No Justice! No responsibility!’ is seizing, bringing into stark revelation the band's political side – an element which all great Thrash bands possess. Following this, the even more awesomely titled Let God Sort ‘Em Out feels rough and grimy in the way the instrumentation retains a tone just tuneful enough to keep that melodic power intact, yet murky enough to make the track the most brutal on the record. I hate to dwell on this aspect, yet our frontman has grown on me by this point. However, it’s worth noting that your forbearance for his squeak will affect your opinion.
Forward Into The Past keeps the listener enticed, the tempo and quick changes giving you a riveting taste of musical whiplash. This applies right from the opening notes to the cathartic lead solo at the centre. At least, you will be enticed if you are a fan of Thrash Metal. For those who don’t this may not affect you either way, and the admittedly formulaic tone may become tiresome by this point. Blood Feud is the longest anthem and actually one of the most interesting – we begin on a morose and brooding inro, the semi-chanted chorus furthers the goth-horror on display, while the complete change in style towards a progressive sensibility, shows an unexpected if gripping decision.
We finish on the scathingly harmonious None More Black, and the achingly subdued and serene Darkest Times– two ideas I would have liked to have seen scattered throughout the record, although I understand the decision to leave the innovation to the very end. Ultimately, while Dead World Order may not provide the perfect soundtrack to this new regime we’re living under, a certain type of metal fan will definitely get fulfillment out of this album, despite not being perfect. 7/10
Not to be confused with a handful of bands with subtly different spellings, Gomorra are a full-on technical thrash act from Switzerland, although their pedigree seems intermingled with that of Gonoreas, so I suspect we have a case of name changing going on here - although this is not at all clear from their web presence and the supplied biography highlights Divine Judgement as their debut album. Just listening though, this has the feel of a clearly experienced bunch of musicians making a fresh start and what we have here is a very effective melodic slab of thrash in the Testament vein, although with a liberal sprinkling of Power Metal which evokes early Sanctuary to this old hack. The album kicks off with the full on titular Gomorra, and doesn’t really let up for the next couple of tracks – speed, melody and power intermingle in a refreshing tap-a-long way, with some nice twin harmonic guitar interplay in Hope For The Righteous proving that there’s always a place for that alternating lead and harmonic guitar interplay between Damir Eskic (ex-Destruction) and Dominic Blum which I know is tempting to call Maiden-esque, but really the royalties ought to go to whatever remains of Wishbone Ash.
Brother We’re Damned, keeps that pace going, with a nice galloping riff-line and some thundering rhythm work and is refreshing to hear a thrash act whose singer is not afraid to aim high, long and loud on his notes rather than grunting his way through. They aren’t afraid to vary the pace either, and after a few gallopers, they slow the pace down nicely with the more traditionally metal Out Of Control (one of the album’s highlights in my humble opinion) for a solid chugger allowing some variety of vocal style with some nice harmonies coming into play. And so it continues – just when you think you have this bunch pigeonholed they mix things up a bit and keep the listener on their toes. It’s a well-produced album with the crisp and clear guitar style you need in a good thrash style, but without drowning out the rhythm section. This does sound like a band having undergone a rebirth, but one that still needs to cement their sound and style, as although I cannot criticise the content of the album, it does miss the distinctive ‘something’ they will need to be truly unique – it’s almost there in some of the guitar tricks, vocal style and time changes but not quite at the point of uniqueness yet. Nonetheless a highly strong effort and a darn fine start. 7/10
Bitterness: Dead World Order (G.U.C) [Alex Swift]
Bridging the sweet darkness of gothic genres, with the sheer hostility of death and thrash, It’s difficult not to find intrigue in Bitterness’ sound. A tantalizingly twining acoustic piece begins Dead World Order, lending a mystical ambiance. A Bullet A Day soon comes thundering in with a pulverizing riff that changes with the vivacity of an act willing to enrapture their audience. The drum and bass embellishments also create an impressionistic allure. The vocals may inspire you or turn you off altogether – as their harshly spoken delivery definitely suits the style, yet by occasionally hitting the higher register, come off as awkward at points. The title track is trudging and monolithic, the doomy delivery aiding in the concept of scale, once more the instrumentation is stunning, and inspired. However, the growling and lyricism prove increasingly hard to take seriously – “The world is a big place of shit!” our frontman decries, in his weird horse yet high tone. They’re not entirely awful, and the strangeness they command, does match the eerie tone, yet they also feel jarring and unexpected which definitely earns them the red flag of ‘an acquired taste’.
The brilliantly titled Idiocracy lays down an epic, and prestigious feel, moving from a borderline symphonic opening piece to relentless and defeating arpeggios. Also, the chorus line of ‘No rights! No Justice! No responsibility!’ is seizing, bringing into stark revelation the band's political side – an element which all great Thrash bands possess. Following this, the even more awesomely titled Let God Sort ‘Em Out feels rough and grimy in the way the instrumentation retains a tone just tuneful enough to keep that melodic power intact, yet murky enough to make the track the most brutal on the record. I hate to dwell on this aspect, yet our frontman has grown on me by this point. However, it’s worth noting that your forbearance for his squeak will affect your opinion.
Forward Into The Past keeps the listener enticed, the tempo and quick changes giving you a riveting taste of musical whiplash. This applies right from the opening notes to the cathartic lead solo at the centre. At least, you will be enticed if you are a fan of Thrash Metal. For those who don’t this may not affect you either way, and the admittedly formulaic tone may become tiresome by this point. Blood Feud is the longest anthem and actually one of the most interesting – we begin on a morose and brooding inro, the semi-chanted chorus furthers the goth-horror on display, while the complete change in style towards a progressive sensibility, shows an unexpected if gripping decision.
We finish on the scathingly harmonious None More Black, and the achingly subdued and serene Darkest Times– two ideas I would have liked to have seen scattered throughout the record, although I understand the decision to leave the innovation to the very end. Ultimately, while Dead World Order may not provide the perfect soundtrack to this new regime we’re living under, a certain type of metal fan will definitely get fulfillment out of this album, despite not being perfect. 7/10
Reboot The System: Demo (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
This is the first release from Mattias Zimmergren aka Reboot The System. He has been writing music since he was 14 years old and now at the age of 29 he has finally released a record that he has written, recorded/mixed/mastered and performed by himself. The only other musicians apart from Zimmergren here are the vocalists Dennis Kare Andersson (Kill the Kong) on the title track, Rasmus Weström (Leading light) and Mike Andersson (Tungsten, Cloudscape) appear on Drenched In My Fears while Markus Kristoffersson (Offensive Ground) sings on Iniquity and I suppose you can include a drum machine. Musically the album is very much in the vein of the the numerous bands that have emerged from the Gothenburg scene (the city where Mattias comes from). It's pretty straight down the middle Swede-death with Drenched In My Fear having the dual clean harsh vocals style of bands like Scar Symmetry while the other two songs are in the Dark Tranquillity, In Flames mold, though Iniquity has some black metal overtones. Considering nearly everything here was done by one man it's very impressive from a technical standpoint but musically you will have heard songs similar to this before. Still a reasonably entertaining first release. 6/10
This is the first release from Mattias Zimmergren aka Reboot The System. He has been writing music since he was 14 years old and now at the age of 29 he has finally released a record that he has written, recorded/mixed/mastered and performed by himself. The only other musicians apart from Zimmergren here are the vocalists Dennis Kare Andersson (Kill the Kong) on the title track, Rasmus Weström (Leading light) and Mike Andersson (Tungsten, Cloudscape) appear on Drenched In My Fears while Markus Kristoffersson (Offensive Ground) sings on Iniquity and I suppose you can include a drum machine. Musically the album is very much in the vein of the the numerous bands that have emerged from the Gothenburg scene (the city where Mattias comes from). It's pretty straight down the middle Swede-death with Drenched In My Fear having the dual clean harsh vocals style of bands like Scar Symmetry while the other two songs are in the Dark Tranquillity, In Flames mold, though Iniquity has some black metal overtones. Considering nearly everything here was done by one man it's very impressive from a technical standpoint but musically you will have heard songs similar to this before. Still a reasonably entertaining first release. 6/10