Reviews: Fury, Extinction A.D, Parallel Minds, Dead Lord (Reviews By Matt Bladen)

It's instantly audible that Fury have upped the heaviness of this album too, bringing back the thrashier style of their first EP's while also being able to balance the hard rock flavors of The Grand Prize. Julian told me when I received the album that it was recorded with down-tuned to give it a heavier vibe, matching the 'evil' subject matter. It really works as the title track is this records heaviest Jenkins and bassist Becky Baldwin laying down some whiplash riffs that, Tom Fenn sets the pace for and Jake Elwell brings lead flourishes along with special guest six stringer Matt Jones of Dakesis laying down some magic. 

This is also true of Next In Line, filled with Black Album Metallicaisms from that strutting riff, to the way the vocals are delivered. So this leaner meaner Fury, are yet again adapting to their audience, crafting songs that sound huge on record, due to the production wizardry of Pete Newdeck (mastered by Harry Hess) but also will deliver on the live stage as well. As Born To Sin continues, we get some smoky 80's hard rock balladry on Nowhere To Be Scene, which also brings a bit of Phil Collins-like heartbreak. Shadows And Dust is also a big, ballad, though siphoned through some smoke filled blues bar, heavy grand piano and deft percussion, a shift tonally but situated just before the end of the album to add variation, there's a stunning solo too. There's a cinematic edge to the horror themed Hell Of A Night, conjuring blood soaked images of bands like Lordi or Alice Cooper. 

The anthems keep coming on Who Are You, the backing vocals of Nyah Ifill and Jade Maris adding to a chorus with repeatability, it also features one of my favourite solos of the record, Jake using technicality but showing restraint too. From this slower pace Born To Sin ramps up again with Tom's explosive drum work and Becky's galloping bass leading the charge for Sunrise, it's here that we get a Maiden vibe as it breaks down just after the solo section. The speed picks up again on It's Rock N Roll, the tribute to what we're all here for, fast riffs, song along choruses and jolly good fun, this track has it all. 

Yeah maybe it's a little bit of throwaway track but you know what I guarantee you'll be moshing like mad when they play it live, plus it climaxes brilliantly into a solo section which even has a bass solo so what more do you want? 

Penultimate song Embrace The Demons, has some of the filthiest, innuendo filled lyrics I've heard from Fury but hey if demon sex is your thing then no kink shaming from me! Finally as I said we end with the title track which just goes full thrash metal battery. Fury are one of the hardest working bands around the UK scene. With multiple tours, live shows, music videos produced since the easing if lockdown restrictions they are making up for the time lost on their last album with as much content and brilliant music as possible. Fury are Born To Sin and they dragging us down to hell with them! 9/10

Extinction A.D - Culture Of Violence (Unique Leader Records)

Oof, just oof, anyone who has read the blog in the past know, thrash is not really a genre I delve into very often but when I do, it's usually crossover thrash that incorporates hardcore music. New York heavies have been a leading light in this style since 2013, having released 2 previous full lengths and 4 EP's they have been creating pits for long enough to be seen as one of the most experienced bands around. Culture Of Violence is their third full length album and the culmination of a writing process that began in 2015, this elongated writing stage has resulted in the most focussed, vicious and surprisingly melodic record.  

10 tracks of flesh peeling, crossover thrash, that interprets everything the band, and listeners have been through over the past few years. The rhythm section of bassist Tom Wood and drummer Mike Sciulara, bring some real guts to the crushing Domination and Thirteen, with this bottom end in place they link so much to bands such as Pantera and Machine Head, vocalist Rick Jimenez having a vocals that roars similarly to Anselmo and Robb Flynn, though injected with a hardcore snarl on 1992, as fans of his and Mike's other band This Is Hell will recognise. Praise The Fraud and National Disaster bring a massive dollop of Machine Head, at the end of the record.  

Jimenez and Ian Cimaglia also add the full throttle guitar playing, the tracks are packed with Rick's distorted riffs and Ian's leads so reminiscent of Dimebag, Andreas Kisser and also that Peterson/Skolnick duo. As I said, this album is surprisingly melodic and this lead playing is part of that. Beautifully balanced between extreme metal, thrash metal and even some old school metal Culture Of Violence is the album Extinction A.D have been moving towards since 2013, riffs made to have you mosh like no one's watching! 8/10  Parallel Minds - Echoes From Afar (M&O Music)

We gave the second album from Parallel Minds, 2019's Every Hour Wounds...The Last One Kills a 7/10 citing that their influences make them a more than decent progressive metal band, with a musical style similar to bands like Symphony X and Nevermore, crafting dark, progressive metal, that draws heavily on sci-fi themes and emotional lyrics. So now we are presented Echoes From Afar the third record from guitarist Grégory Giraudo and vocalist Stéphane Fradet who are the creative minds behind the band, with Eric Manella behind the kit. 

When Feel The Force gets going, again Parallel Minds are very much based in that progressive metal sound, but also also they bring some heavy and thrash metal too. After the powerful opener, we're brought into very modern style of djent on No Fate, pounding synths under palm muted riffs. As Echoes From Afar, continues we have the acoustically laced Stay which features a sample of Professor Stephen Hawking, as Parallel Minds are heavily inspired by science and the universe, we have Monkey On My Back which is a heavy number with lyrics about the pandemic and some screaming vocals that widen the remit. 

This French band use all manner of styles throughout the album, approaching songwriting with an open mind, but it does mean that many of these songs are wrought with emotion, the mix between the slower numbers and the thrashers leading to a mix of peaks and troughs. There's symphonic tendencies on Mystic River, Provider Of Sins and the 11 minute finale The Greater Gift make them, for me the best tracks on the record, closing things out with power. If emotionally fuelled progressive metal is what you're craving and bands such as Conception and Kamelot are your go to listening pleasures then Parallel Minds' third effort will satisfy. 7/10  

Dead Lord - Dystopia  (Century Media Records) 

Coming off the back of their 2020 album Surrender, Swedish rockers Dead Lord have hunkered down in the studio to record one new track and a selection of covers from an array of artists. Dystopia is the only original on the EP, kicking off with the Thin Lizzy-inspired riffs that have been so prevalent throughout their past few records, twin axe harmonies and gutsy vocals are the main element of what Dead Lord do and it's what they do very well. Dystopia doesn't shift anything differently but it's great to hear that they can still deliver riffy rock anthems. 

The covers I'm assuming are all bands that have influenced the Dead Lord sound. All recorded pretty faithfully to the originals, in homage of course. Sleeping My Day Away is Dead Lord taking on fellow Scandi rockers D-A-D, a band massive in their own country but never that crossover appeal outside of Scandinavia, which to be honest is a shame. Dead Lord then go on to delve a little deeper, taking on Ace In The Hole by Native American proto-metal band Winterhawk, then they go further down the rabbit hole with Moon Martin's Hands Down finishing off the covers with Irish bluesman Rory Gallagher's Moonchild. 

You can hear all of these acts in Dead Lord's previous albums, so with this EP you can hear what bands have made them what they are. Dystopia is a stop gap EP that will open up eyes to the bands covered here and keep Dead Lord's motor running. 7/10