Wicked Sensation – Outbreak (ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records) [Simon Black]
The one thing I love about doing this reviewing lark is the ability for something to come completely from left field and surprise me. Now, I often pick up things from the melodic, power, progressive and symphonic ends of the metal spectrum (plus combinations thereof), as it seems not many of us across the two sites I contribute to seem to want to, despite this being quite a commercial viable corner of the market. The reality is that this is the style of music that turned my head back in the 80’s and if it’s done right in the here and now, still does so. This is just such an example…
The danger with a lot of melodic metal/hard rock is that too many of the acts are either trying to recapture their long gone heyday, or sound like they were actually all alive back then and this often sticks out as a forced attempt to sound retro, without actually capturing the zeitgeist of it. When it works just right, it’s because the style and heritage dates back thirty years, but the song-writing, delivery and performances take into account all those decades in between.
The one thing I love about doing this reviewing lark is the ability for something to come completely from left field and surprise me. Now, I often pick up things from the melodic, power, progressive and symphonic ends of the metal spectrum (plus combinations thereof), as it seems not many of us across the two sites I contribute to seem to want to, despite this being quite a commercial viable corner of the market. The reality is that this is the style of music that turned my head back in the 80’s and if it’s done right in the here and now, still does so. This is just such an example…
The danger with a lot of melodic metal/hard rock is that too many of the acts are either trying to recapture their long gone heyday, or sound like they were actually all alive back then and this often sticks out as a forced attempt to sound retro, without actually capturing the zeitgeist of it. When it works just right, it’s because the style and heritage dates back thirty years, but the song-writing, delivery and performances take into account all those decades in between.
That’s one of the reasons I have become more and more appreciative of the modern hard rock and metal scene, because it’s unashamedly carrying in the same musical spirit whilst trying to forget all about the all the back combing and hairspray, because musically the love of the scene has not faltered over time and still has a growing audience. The band are (mostly) German, which makes Wicked Sensation a bit of an oddity, as this is unashamed full-throttle stadium rock from a bygone age, but with the freshness of delivery that 2021 audiences demand.
For a start there’s no retro embarrassing lyrical content, with the choice of subject matter being all about the Covid outbreak that what we have all lived through for the last three years. OK, they’ve stepped back from the sensitivities slightly by adding a conceptual science fiction allegorical story element to it (in this case a ‘time walker’ being sent back to this point in history), but the sensitivity is appropriate, not to mention subtly wielded political commentary in tracks like Face Reality, which rather directly illustrates the dangers of what happens when public health issues become politicized. It’s also an incredibly catchy and well-crafted number and one of the stand out moments on the record.
For a start there’s no retro embarrassing lyrical content, with the choice of subject matter being all about the Covid outbreak that what we have all lived through for the last three years. OK, they’ve stepped back from the sensitivities slightly by adding a conceptual science fiction allegorical story element to it (in this case a ‘time walker’ being sent back to this point in history), but the sensitivity is appropriate, not to mention subtly wielded political commentary in tracks like Face Reality, which rather directly illustrates the dangers of what happens when public health issues become politicized. It’s also an incredibly catchy and well-crafted number and one of the stand out moments on the record.
There’s plenty of fist-pumping anthemic material on here – Jaded Lady opens like it was still 1987 and it’s infectious enough to get past the risk of the lyrics being a bit too retro, but this is a surface issue only, and when that’s your weakest track, then it gives you a sense of the overall quality here. The highlights include Light In The Dark, which is catchy as hell and anthemic to boot, with the added bonus of a guest spot from Gus G., but also sees vocalist David Reece push his style into a more varied approach which works well. Equally catchy, but a little more moody is Child Of Sorrows, but to be honest I can’t find a single track to bitch about, which is just what you need after a tough working day. 9/10
Wombbath - Agma (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Richard Oliver]
If you are a fan of Swedish death metal then no doubt Wombbath are a band well known to you but if you are just a casual listener then they are probably a band that has not fallen onto your radar despite being an established band in the Swedeath scene since 1990. The band split in 1995 but reformed in 2014 and have been active since. There is only one original member left in bassist Håkan Stuvemark but Wombbath has managed to maintain a solid lineup and have released an impressive amount of material over the last four years.
Agma is the sixth full length album from Wombbath and their second for Transcending Obscurity Records. It is a very hefty album with a running time of nearly 73 minutes and sixteen songs. It is maybe a bit overlong for a death metal album but to be fair Wombbath manage to maintain the quality from start to finish and provide enough variation in their sound to maintain interest throughout. You get gnarly filth riddled blasts of old school death metal such as The Law Of Everything, Blindly They Follow and Divine Pain to slightly slower and more atmospheric songs like The Seventh Seal, In Decay They Shall All Fester and Departure From The Light but you also get more experimental ones such as Misantropi Och Förakt, Breathe In The Flames and The Age Of Death which incorporate elements such as clean vocals, choirs and strings bringing forth a far more expansive, epic and at times melodic feel.
If you are a fan of Swedish death metal and all things HM-2 then Agma is an album that you should definitely get your ears around. Despite its seemingly excessive length this is an absolutely killer piece of death metal which mixes the violence of the genre with creepy melodies, dark atmosphere and epic stylings. It is the boldest album the band have done to date and I would say it is also the strongest since their 1993 debut Internal Caustic Torments. Being released right at the end of the year this might get overlooked by some but hopefully that won’t be the case as this is one of the strongest death metal releases of 2021. 8/10
Gore Brigade - Gore Brigade (Redefining Darkness) [Matt Cook]
Wombbath - Agma (Transcending Obscurity Records) [Richard Oliver]
If you are a fan of Swedish death metal then no doubt Wombbath are a band well known to you but if you are just a casual listener then they are probably a band that has not fallen onto your radar despite being an established band in the Swedeath scene since 1990. The band split in 1995 but reformed in 2014 and have been active since. There is only one original member left in bassist Håkan Stuvemark but Wombbath has managed to maintain a solid lineup and have released an impressive amount of material over the last four years.
Agma is the sixth full length album from Wombbath and their second for Transcending Obscurity Records. It is a very hefty album with a running time of nearly 73 minutes and sixteen songs. It is maybe a bit overlong for a death metal album but to be fair Wombbath manage to maintain the quality from start to finish and provide enough variation in their sound to maintain interest throughout. You get gnarly filth riddled blasts of old school death metal such as The Law Of Everything, Blindly They Follow and Divine Pain to slightly slower and more atmospheric songs like The Seventh Seal, In Decay They Shall All Fester and Departure From The Light but you also get more experimental ones such as Misantropi Och Förakt, Breathe In The Flames and The Age Of Death which incorporate elements such as clean vocals, choirs and strings bringing forth a far more expansive, epic and at times melodic feel.
If you are a fan of Swedish death metal and all things HM-2 then Agma is an album that you should definitely get your ears around. Despite its seemingly excessive length this is an absolutely killer piece of death metal which mixes the violence of the genre with creepy melodies, dark atmosphere and epic stylings. It is the boldest album the band have done to date and I would say it is also the strongest since their 1993 debut Internal Caustic Torments. Being released right at the end of the year this might get overlooked by some but hopefully that won’t be the case as this is one of the strongest death metal releases of 2021. 8/10
With song titles such as Show Me The Gore, A Wretched Taste and The Rot Becomes You, death metallers Gore Brigade declare loud and clear their intentions. The latest self-titled EP (Redefining Darkness) is the canvas with which the band brings life to those words in only six songs (14:38 of total runtime) of scintillating, acerbic venom. Featured within are heavy quick-hitters (March Of The Gore Brigade, World Wide Death) and brutal instrumentation (A Wretched Taste). Show Me The Gore piqued my interest with its titular anthemic-yet-unfortunately-underutilized-chant that, if drawn out, would make for a killer live experience. Gore Brigade isn’t a pushover, however, because the guitars drip with thrashy intentions and the drums are consistently pulverized with putrid abandon. You wanted gore, you got it. 7/10
Flying Guillotines - Olympus (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Not Greek but German, Flying Guillotines' debut album is however heavily inspired by Greek mythology. Every song is named after a God from Greek mythology, thus why the album title is called Olympus. It's a loose concept record around each God telling their story while atop Mount Olympus. Flying Guillotines are a stoner metal band and have previously released three EP's their last two in 2018. After a long tumultuous journey they have finally finished their debut full length.
They are now also a three piece consisting of Marcus Engel (guitar/vocals), Tamino Kirchner (drums/vocals) and Sean Elleman (bass/vocals), however they have guest appearances from guitarist Arved Wehling and Paul Graffenberger who also recorded/mixed/mastered the album. So with the loose concept surrounding it you may be thinking Flying Guillotines will head into the theatrical but they are all about heavy stoner riffs, as soon as the lilting title track sets the tone for the record you get lots of them on first song proper Zeus.
Influence wise I'd say there's nods to The Sword and Mastodon on this record as the stoner riffing is often wrapped up in some prog. Hera brings some groove along with guest vocals from Alia Spaceface of Travelin' Jack, while the nastier Hades features Irish singer Sean Loftus. It's the Mastodon influence that really shines through on this record though, making for a more entertaining listen than the Atlanta bands album from earlier this year. There's a lot of groove, some great vocals and progressive tendencies on this debut, delivering a real treat to fans of stoner metal with a conceptual sound. 7/10