Ashes Of Ares - Emperors And Fools (ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records) [Matt Bladen]
Despite this only being their third album, Emperors And Fools has a lot of experience behind it, the core duo of Freddie Vidales and Matt Barlow have been a part of Ashes Of Ares for nine years but of course they have been in the music business for many years previously both previously as part of Iced Earth. it seems there is very little chance of either going back to that band (or that band existing again) so fans of Barlow's voice and Freddie's playing will have to make do with Ashes Of Ares. I say make do, but Ashes Of Ares have been slowly gaining momentum with every release, coming from what was quite a simplistic, generic debut, their previous full length and EP have seen them become a more well rounded, expansive musical force.
Despite this only being their third album, Emperors And Fools has a lot of experience behind it, the core duo of Freddie Vidales and Matt Barlow have been a part of Ashes Of Ares for nine years but of course they have been in the music business for many years previously both previously as part of Iced Earth. it seems there is very little chance of either going back to that band (or that band existing again) so fans of Barlow's voice and Freddie's playing will have to make do with Ashes Of Ares. I say make do, but Ashes Of Ares have been slowly gaining momentum with every release, coming from what was quite a simplistic, generic debut, their previous full length and EP have seen them become a more well rounded, expansive musical force.
Still firmly rooted in American power metal, the symphonic elements are utilized on cinematic intro track A City In Decay , before first track proper is the riffy I Am The Night driven by the scratchy thrash of Vidales' guitar/bass playing, he's a riff machine playing both instruments with ferocious precision and technical prowess. Van Williams returns as the drummer for the record but there are couple of guests brought in as well Pyramaze's Jonah Weingarten adding keys to the intro. Wiley Arnett (Sacred Reich) and Charlie Mark add solos to The Iron Throne. The final epic song Monsters Lament has a solo from Bill Hudson, keys from Brian Trainor and guest vocals from Tim 'Ripper' Owens (a bonus treat for Iced Earth fans.
Once again Emperors And Fools refines and enhances the Ashes Of Ares sound again, bringing it close to those early Barlow fronted Iced Earth albums, mainly of course due to his always incredible vocals (often imitated, never bettered) but they also add their own style rather than slavishly copying. Primed is a rampaging offering followed by the equally aggressive Where God Fears To Go as the acoustic guitar laced title track slows the record ready for the power and speed to return again, though a track such as What Tomorrow Will Bring is an ideal example of what Ashes Of Ares do incredibly consistently. Chest beating heavy metal from stand out musicians, power/prog/thrash all together in one record. Play Emperors And Fools loud and proud! 8/10
This Gothic/Symphonic Supergroup is a side project for Frozen Crown’s Federico Mondelli. Whereas that act reigned back their Symphonic tendencies for last year’s Winterbane release in favour of more Power tropes, he’s more than compensated for it here. In this case we have not just one, but two rather powerful clean voices from Grace Darkling and Operatic soprano Rehn Stillnight.
The Frozen Crown resemblance remains strong though, perhaps not surprisingly given Mondelli’s distinctive playing style, but the interplay between the two singers is generally what’s keeping your attention throughout. Despite the overt Symphonic tendencies, this album remains fairly up tempo throughout, with some blisteringly heavy delivery from the rhythm section that are a bit more frenetic than is usual for the genre, which adds to an overall sense of fun, with the Gothic elements coming more from the overall mood and the fairly basic keyboard melodies. That’s a roundabout way of saying is that it does not get boring after three songs, which can happen a lot when your tempo stays downbeat and moody for too many tracks on the trot.
Neither does it outstay its welcome, with ten tracks (two of which being instrumental intros and bridges) and most songs around the four limit mark, this is a record focused on punchy delivery first and foremost. That focus on robust song-writing and structure is a massive asset, and the instrumentals all really happen in the background, allowing the vocals to steal your attention, as I suspect this whole project was crafted to achieve. The Symphonic cliché of the twenty minute epic finale is mercifully avoided, although closer The Trickster does stand out for having the best use of harmonic interplay between the two frontwomen.
Having not one but two female voices is certainly unusual and with one taking the full on Operatic melodies with a more Power Metal counterpoint from the other makes for some interesting sounds and some damned fine harmonies, although perhaps a more gruff and edgy contrast along the lines of a Doro or a Noora Louhimo style of delivery might have been interesting, even if only used occasionally. That said, I’m somewhat positive about this and would be interested to see if this becomes a full on living and breathing live act, rather than just a one-off lockdown studio project, because it would be a shame if this band did not get the opportunity to flex their muscles in the flesh. 7/10
Diamond Dogs - Slap Bang Blue Rendezvous (Wild Kingdom Records) [Matt Bladen]
Most long running bands have their fair share of drama, for many it can lend to the end of the band but some embrace it, adapting it into their music. Diamond Dogs do this; naming themselves after a David Bowie record you sort of know what style of music this Swedish band play. Having been treading the boards across the world since 1991, they have been bringing their 70's British R&B sound to the masses since then. They have also played in bands and artists such as Johnny Thunders, Ian Hunter, Electric Boys, Glenn Hughes, Michael Schenker, Glen Matlock and UK Subs. So very experienced but as I mentioned earlier they have had numerous deaths, members leaving and the band have also disbanded before coming back together in 2019.
Most long running bands have their fair share of drama, for many it can lend to the end of the band but some embrace it, adapting it into their music. Diamond Dogs do this; naming themselves after a David Bowie record you sort of know what style of music this Swedish band play. Having been treading the boards across the world since 1991, they have been bringing their 70's British R&B sound to the masses since then. They have also played in bands and artists such as Johnny Thunders, Ian Hunter, Electric Boys, Glenn Hughes, Michael Schenker, Glen Matlock and UK Subs. So very experienced but as I mentioned earlier they have had numerous deaths, members leaving and the band have also disbanded before coming back together in 2019.
So what of Slap Bang Blue Rendezvous, well this eleventh studio record once again, has a big whack of glam, some hip shaking rhythm & blues and the cocky punk swagger of the The Quireboys or The Hellacopters. If you enjoy any of the bands mentioned throughout this synopsis then you'll enjoy Diamond Dogs, for me though 24 tracks was probably too many, I'm unsure why this wasn't two seperate albums or even a bonus disc rather than one long record. Still decent if you're a fan, for me though there was too much quantity over quality. 6/10
Planeswalker – Tales Of Magic (Self Released) [Simon Black]
Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, Power Metal acts do love their concept albums. So endemic is the proliferation of these, that it’s sometimes quite refreshing when bands opt not to do one. Indeed of that vast number of albums that do the magical, mythical and science fiction stories tend to dominate, with myths, movies and books supplying the greatest percentage of the source texts - so I guess this one is fairly unique in my experience being the first one I have come across with a story borrowed from a game (in this case Magic – The Gathering).
Now, I know bugger all about this game (as indeed most of the source material in the many of these records that cross my desk each year), so for me what’s more important is how good at communicating a story a band are with some decent tunes and performance. The danger is that the musicians get too wrapped up in the details of a plot and miss the accessibility of the story, which to be honest should be a secondary reward for the repeated listener rather than an entry criteria. That’s why a band focussing on good, accessible and well written songs in to the story over time, giving the listener added layers to enjoy with every repeat listen.
And this is where this record falls slightly flat.
Which is a shame, because with Jason Ashcraft and Michael Sozos reunited from Helion Prime for this project I was hoping for something with that accessible punch. Now to be clear, the performances on here are top notch, but for most of it’s run the album isn’t reaching out and demanding your attention through well-crafted songs. It misses those kind of everyman songs that could be played independently of the concept record until you get to the end and this is rubbed in your faces with a spot on cover of Kiss’s A Million To One, which suddenly bucks the trend and supplies that anthemic, catchy and thoroughly enjoyable piece of music that’s going to work fantastically well live that we’ve been missing up to this point.
It’s inclusion on a concept album about an RPG shows that all in all this is a project with a bit more structure and direction needed in future. Perhaps I’m being unfair, given that there’s a lot of projects out there assembled remotely without the benefit of road testing with a live crowd, but compare this cover track to the rest of the album and the contrast is blatant. If they had balanced this a bit more, then this would be getting a lot more enthusiasm from me. 5/10