Armored Saint – Symbol Of Salvation Live (Metal Blade Records) [Paul Hutchings]
Described by the band’s vocalist John Bush as a ‘cornerstone record’, Symbol Of Salvation’s release in 1991 was possibly the most important in the band’s career. It arrived not long after the death of founding guitarist Dave Prichard to leukemia, and after a period where the band had been in the wilderness label wise before being picked up by Metal Blade. Whilst bands of a certain vintage are now celebrating anniversaries on an almost daily basis, this is an album that has provided several live staples for many years. The decision to take the album on the road in 2018 proved prophetic and timely. This recording wasn’t the first but third show on the tour, with all the stars aligned for the recording at New York's famed Gramercy Theatre.
From the opening Reign Of Fire, it’s an album that captures the power, quality, and overall dynamism of one of metal’s most underrated bands. "I felt like showing 'Symbol' in another light was a great homage to the record itself," stated bassist Joey Vera. "Also, having all the fans be there and part of that event is a way for us to say, 'Thank you!' For, without them, we can't do any of this in the first place." Unless you are a diehard fan, it’s likely that a couple of these songs may be new to you. The likes of Hanging Judge, Tainted Past and Spineless sit perfectly alongside more well-known tracks like Last Train Home, Tribal Dance, and the title track. What is evident in this excellent recording is the joy that the band had playing the album in full. Vera commented: "It was really great seeing the reaction from the crowds when we'd play the really deep cuts. Not only the songs we very rarely played, but also the couple of songs that we had never played before. Some of these tunes took on a whole new life and it was very motivating for me, to see these songs in a different light. I would say that experience was an inspiration when I began writing for Punching The Sky."
Alongside the live recording, the vinyl version of the record contains five demo tracks from the Symbol Of Salvation writing sessions with Dave Prichard, which have never been released on that format. As John Bush told me recently, they are a homage to one of Armored Saint’s founding members. Listening to them now, it’s a testimony to the songs that did make the cut, for even the demos stand the test of time. "They're songs that didn't make the record, however, there still is a vibe to those tunes, plus Dave's playing is on them, so that makes them special," says Bush. Live recordings are often hit and miss. This sits in the former camp. The songs still sound fresh, the band tight and Bush’s vocals working their magic, albeit at a slightly different pitch to 30 years ago. 9/10
To me, nearly every genre in metal is now saturated. Death metal, thrash, classic, power and even black metal throw up band after band whose talent is unquestioned, but whose ability to stand out from the crowd with true uniqueness is questionable at best. Such is the challenge of this debut album from Necrofier, part of the American black metal movement. Formed in 2018 by vocalist/guitarist Bakka Larson (Venomous Maximus, Night Cobra) and drummer Dobber Beverly (Oceans Of Slumber, Insect Warfare) the band produced their debut EP called Visions In Fire with the help of bassist Mat Valentine from Oceans Of Slumber before adding Josh Bokemeyer to flesh out their sound on second guitar.
Prophecies Of Eternal Darkness summons the sound of Norwegian black metal, combines it with an American gothic feel and spits out what is described as ‘Southern Darkness’. What we get is 35 minutes of interesting yet ultimately safe melodic black metal which doesn’t go anywhere. The riffs are present, the harrowing screams send shivers down the spine, the drumming powerful and the overall effect is of shimmering, cascading tremolo riffage which at times threatens to cascade and overflow. But it failed to move me in any way whatsoever, and I found that the time dragged. It was only at the dramatic change in dynamic via the concluding track Plague Requiem, which contained funeral doom and numerous overlaid sound clips to the accompaniment of a mournful piano that I really paid that much attention.
That’s not to say that this isn’t a solid album. The opening track The Black Flame Burns ticks all the black metal boxes you can throw at it, Death Comes For Us All briefly slows the pace but not the intensity, but there’s absolutely nothing new here to snag in the same way, as say Necrophobic or Winterfylleth did last year. So, in summary, it’s a black metal album that doesn’t quite push over the edge. A little bit average but listenable all the same. 6/10
Leverage - Above The Beyond (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
Leverage are one of the longest serving members of this melodic metal style, where the gallop of European power metal is offset by AOR influences. Since 2006 they have been steadily releasing records that fall comfortably into that category. Though in 2009 there was almost a ten year gap before they returned with an EP in 2018. This was the first to feature singer Kimmo Blom replacing Pekka Heino who sings with Brother Firetribe along with new guitar player Mikko Salovaara, both of whom are still a part of the band now. Their music has always reminded me of Royal Hunt with their knack of combining the symphonic metal sound of bands like Kamelot with the AOR bounce of bands such as Journey, as well as adding hints of progressive metal here coming on the Into The New World which reminds me of Kansas with that folky style.
The melodic metal tag leaves a lot of room for experimenting and Leverage have always done this with their music making them different to classify and also to review as no two songs stick in one style. A track like Do You Love Me Know is an AOR rocker, Angelica is campside acoustics, Falling Out Of Grace ups the progressive/symphonic quota as does the final 9 minute cinematic final number Silence. Rounding out the band are Tuomas Heikkinen (guitar), Sami Norrbacka (bass), Valtteri Revonkorpi (drums) and Marko Niskala (keyboards) together they combine for yet another quality release. Above The Beyond is Leverage at their finest, long may it continue. 8/10
The Grandmaster - Skywards (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
Another Frontiers collaborative project, from the mind of the Frontiers president. This time it's the pairing of Brazilian singer Nando Fernandes with Edguy guitarist Jens Ludwig who is appearing on his first recording since Edguy's 2014 album Space Police: Defenders Of The Crown. Under the guiding hand of Alessandro Del Vecchio (bass/keys/production), The Grandmaster project is heavy rock, with some more melodic balladry, making it exactly the style Ludwig is known for as a guitarist. He shines on this record, peeling off riffs with ease while burning up the fretboard with solos galore as Del Vecchio guides the tracks with Mirkko De Maio on drums.
Another Frontiers collaborative project, from the mind of the Frontiers president. This time it's the pairing of Brazilian singer Nando Fernandes with Edguy guitarist Jens Ludwig who is appearing on his first recording since Edguy's 2014 album Space Police: Defenders Of The Crown. Under the guiding hand of Alessandro Del Vecchio (bass/keys/production), The Grandmaster project is heavy rock, with some more melodic balladry, making it exactly the style Ludwig is known for as a guitarist. He shines on this record, peeling off riffs with ease while burning up the fretboard with solos galore as Del Vecchio guides the tracks with Mirkko De Maio on drums.
The other star here is Nando Fernandes who has a soulful, gritty vocal in the style of Jorn Lande or Russell Allen, able to deliver power and emotion on anthemic tracks such as The Tempest, giving Dead Bond and Cannot Find The Way their gravitas. He's a hell of discovery holding his own with the more experienced band and for the musical style of Jens Ludwig, he marks the perfect vocal foil for Ludwig's melodic metal riffing. Skywards is a decent entry into the Frontiers annals, marking the next phase of Ludwig's career, picking up where he left off at the end of Edguy with a new vocal powerhouse behind the mic and the watchful eye of Del Vecchio overseeing everything. As a debut it delivers on its promises while also leaving the door open for a second album. 7/10
Necrofier – Prophecies Of Eternal Darkness (Season Of Mist) [Paul Hutchings]
To me, nearly every genre in metal is now saturated. Death metal, thrash, classic, power and even black metal throw up band after band whose talent is unquestioned, but whose ability to stand out from the crowd with true uniqueness is questionable at best. Such is the challenge of this debut album from Necrofier, part of the American black metal movement. Formed in 2018 by vocalist/guitarist Bakka Larson (Venomous Maximus, Night Cobra) and drummer Dobber Beverly (Oceans Of Slumber, Insect Warfare) the band produced their debut EP called Visions In Fire with the help of bassist Mat Valentine from Oceans Of Slumber before adding Josh Bokemeyer to flesh out their sound on second guitar.
Prophecies Of Eternal Darkness summons the sound of Norwegian black metal, combines it with an American gothic feel and spits out what is described as ‘Southern Darkness’. What we get is 35 minutes of interesting yet ultimately safe melodic black metal which doesn’t go anywhere. The riffs are present, the harrowing screams send shivers down the spine, the drumming powerful and the overall effect is of shimmering, cascading tremolo riffage which at times threatens to cascade and overflow. But it failed to move me in any way whatsoever, and I found that the time dragged. It was only at the dramatic change in dynamic via the concluding track Plague Requiem, which contained funeral doom and numerous overlaid sound clips to the accompaniment of a mournful piano that I really paid that much attention.
That’s not to say that this isn’t a solid album. The opening track The Black Flame Burns ticks all the black metal boxes you can throw at it, Death Comes For Us All briefly slows the pace but not the intensity, but there’s absolutely nothing new here to snag in the same way, as say Necrophobic or Winterfylleth did last year. So, in summary, it’s a black metal album that doesn’t quite push over the edge. A little bit average but listenable all the same. 6/10