Hardcore Superstar – Abrakadabra (Gain Music) [Simon Black]
In a crowded marketplace and with an origin dating back to the wilderness years of metal when anything vaguely associated with the 80’s was simply not going to get a product out on the racks, someone in Hardcore Superstar came up with the moniker of 'Street Metal' to describe their take on their sound. I can see where their coming from, as their early stuff fused the attitude and technical ability of thrash with the look and feel of sleaze. It’s a nice idea – let’s look back fondly on the first real divergence in metal and try heal the wounds - a very Swedish thing to do to be fair, as this is a country that could fix the problems of the world with a bit of fika (for everyone else out there, that’s coffee with sticky buns to die for).
Having lived through this period of musical history and with tastes that straddled both sides of the divide, I feel qualified to comment that it was probably a bit too late, given that by this point the musical divergence was unstoppable. By the time they emerged, we now had at least another twenty flavours of sub-genre leading back to that original metal root, but hey you have to distinguish yourselves somehow in this business. I’ve not followed their career too closely, but these days apart from their look, there’s little to illustrate this original concept in their music. Abrakadabra is very much a Rock ‘N’ Roll record, although there are hints of the technical aspects of the thrash influence in the arrangements and delivery, but these are flourishes and fundamentally the sleaze is the slightly stronger influence. I would argue that even that’s fairly distant though, as this is first and foremost a solid R’N’R sounding record, and quite a good one at that.
For a four piece, these Swedish chaps can’t half pack a punch instrumentally and the vocal performance of front man Joakim ‘Jocke’ Berg is thoroughly entrancing, with gravel and edge, but the ability to scale the high notes effortlessly when needed. The ten songs on here were all crafted in lockdown, but at under forty minutes don’t hang around and outstay their welcome. But then after over twenty years at this and a dozen albums under their belt, knowing how to focus your best down in the studio should be second nature by now, although it’s depressing how many bands just go through the motions by this point in their careers. The title track gets the groove going early, but it really doesn’t let up throughout and manages to avoid sounding dated, derivative or repetitious, which is quite an achievement for both a genre and a band that have been around this long.
By the time you get to the single, the rollicking Catch Me If You Can, they are pretty much unstoppable, and even when they mess with the pace, such as the calmer bridges mid One For All, which is pure anthemic festival fare, it doesn’t spoil the ride. Even the inevitable semi-ballad opening to Dreams In Red drips with attitude and balls and doesn’t disappoint. When we do get a slower piece, the acoustic closer Fighter, allows Berg to turn on the mood. It’s an effective power ballad, with a catchy chorus and deserves a wider audience. This is a band that somehow slipped under my radar over the years, but is exactly the sort of pure Rock ’N’ Roll stuff that turned my head as a teenager in the 80’s. Proof, should any be needed, that the reason this style of music sticks around so long is precisely because there continue to be acts like Hardcore Superstar who know how to deliver it properly. 8/10
Reckless Love – Turborider (AFM Records) [Simon Black]
Sleaze Metal, perhaps more than any other sub-genre of Metal, has had to evolve pretty hard to survive since its birth in the 1980’s. For a band like Reckless Love, hailing from Finland gives them country roots that link back to perhaps the progenitor of the whole genre - the grossly underrated Hanoi Rocks (who perhaps epitomised the 80’s incarnation of the movement by living fast, dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse). The fact that Hanoi Rocks ditched Helsinki and relocated to London’s Soho the first chance they got is historically interesting, as it said everything about the challenges facing bands over there forty years ago (and they would probably have kept moving West to L.A. if Vince Neil hadn’t killed their drummer) but by the time Reckless Love came along the whole Sleaze / Glam movement had well and truly imploded whilst the Finnish Metal scene had done the reverse and exploded into the vibrant and diverse scene that it is today.
That explosion explains why a sub-genre that with the notable exception of parody acts had gone the way of the dodo has allowed this act to not only establish themselves, but to survive and flourish. Gold records in their native Finland is still an exceptional achievement for any band and Reckless Love have clocked up three so far out of a total of four studio albums up to this point. So no pressure then, for album number five… Part of that survival stems directly from the fact that this band know that staying in retro-Sleaze mode is not going to be enough on its own, but that doesn’t stop them rising the wave of 80’s retro enthusiasm with an album that as is steeped in the decade as it is also a very wide step away from Sleaze. And a good job it is too…
Stylistically, the influence this time is 80’s video game cultures, which broadcasts load and clear from the get go with a cover that evokes Tron flooring it to Judas Priest’s Turbo. Musically it’s also a million miles away from Glam or Sleaze, instead being chock full of 80’s Pop-Rock and Synthwave tropes. So extreme is this that they have even opted for a fully sampled and programmed drum machine sound as the backbone for the record, which although makes perfect sense when you have to record in a lockdown is so against the ethos of modern metal that it raises the eyebrows somewhat. Although to be fair this feel is as much of an evolution as it is a divergence – you could hear this back as far as 2013’s lead single Night On Fire, so perhaps taking things to this conclusion was going to happen. Add to that and you’ve got 80’s guitar synth as well and what you have is a record that really sounds so far removed from their Sleaze roots that it’s perhaps going to bust them a whole new fan base without scaring away the old ones. I hope sincerely so, because it’s actually a surprisingly enjoyable listen.
Having recently been enthused by Beast In Black’s stylistically similar Dark Connection, I find myself more open to this than I probably would have been six months ago, but this piece is not exciting me quite as much because it’s a little more Pop/Rock than Metal for me. Olli Herman’s vocals also have lost a little of the edginess of yore, adding to the very over-polished sound this album has in total although the anthemic melodies are still there. It’s quite a short record, and some of the tracks have unexpected and abrupt endings, but generally this is a minor niggle for an album that’s surprisingly catchy and that I did not expect to like as much as I did. 8/10
Thrown - Extended Pain (Arising Empire) [Matt Cook]
From now on, every ticket purchased for an upcoming thrown concert should come with a complimentary neck brace. The Hardcore Swedes explode with the panache of a polished group on extended pain, five quick-hitters that don’t reach three minutes apiece. It’s impossible to listen through without harkening back to memories of being thrown (pun intended) around in a mosh pit and rained on by that guy who always insists on throwing their water bottle in the air. Marcus Lundqvist plays the role of front man with much poise and vigor, expertly guiding us through the cacophonous 10 minutes of anger, hatred and aggression. And his supporting cast all but rises to the occasion.
Sleaze Metal, perhaps more than any other sub-genre of Metal, has had to evolve pretty hard to survive since its birth in the 1980’s. For a band like Reckless Love, hailing from Finland gives them country roots that link back to perhaps the progenitor of the whole genre - the grossly underrated Hanoi Rocks (who perhaps epitomised the 80’s incarnation of the movement by living fast, dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse). The fact that Hanoi Rocks ditched Helsinki and relocated to London’s Soho the first chance they got is historically interesting, as it said everything about the challenges facing bands over there forty years ago (and they would probably have kept moving West to L.A. if Vince Neil hadn’t killed their drummer) but by the time Reckless Love came along the whole Sleaze / Glam movement had well and truly imploded whilst the Finnish Metal scene had done the reverse and exploded into the vibrant and diverse scene that it is today.
That explosion explains why a sub-genre that with the notable exception of parody acts had gone the way of the dodo has allowed this act to not only establish themselves, but to survive and flourish. Gold records in their native Finland is still an exceptional achievement for any band and Reckless Love have clocked up three so far out of a total of four studio albums up to this point. So no pressure then, for album number five… Part of that survival stems directly from the fact that this band know that staying in retro-Sleaze mode is not going to be enough on its own, but that doesn’t stop them rising the wave of 80’s retro enthusiasm with an album that as is steeped in the decade as it is also a very wide step away from Sleaze. And a good job it is too…
Stylistically, the influence this time is 80’s video game cultures, which broadcasts load and clear from the get go with a cover that evokes Tron flooring it to Judas Priest’s Turbo. Musically it’s also a million miles away from Glam or Sleaze, instead being chock full of 80’s Pop-Rock and Synthwave tropes. So extreme is this that they have even opted for a fully sampled and programmed drum machine sound as the backbone for the record, which although makes perfect sense when you have to record in a lockdown is so against the ethos of modern metal that it raises the eyebrows somewhat. Although to be fair this feel is as much of an evolution as it is a divergence – you could hear this back as far as 2013’s lead single Night On Fire, so perhaps taking things to this conclusion was going to happen. Add to that and you’ve got 80’s guitar synth as well and what you have is a record that really sounds so far removed from their Sleaze roots that it’s perhaps going to bust them a whole new fan base without scaring away the old ones. I hope sincerely so, because it’s actually a surprisingly enjoyable listen.
Having recently been enthused by Beast In Black’s stylistically similar Dark Connection, I find myself more open to this than I probably would have been six months ago, but this piece is not exciting me quite as much because it’s a little more Pop/Rock than Metal for me. Olli Herman’s vocals also have lost a little of the edginess of yore, adding to the very over-polished sound this album has in total although the anthemic melodies are still there. It’s quite a short record, and some of the tracks have unexpected and abrupt endings, but generally this is a minor niggle for an album that’s surprisingly catchy and that I did not expect to like as much as I did. 8/10
Thrown - Extended Pain (Arising Empire) [Matt Cook]
From now on, every ticket purchased for an upcoming thrown concert should come with a complimentary neck brace. The Hardcore Swedes explode with the panache of a polished group on extended pain, five quick-hitters that don’t reach three minutes apiece. It’s impossible to listen through without harkening back to memories of being thrown (pun intended) around in a mosh pit and rained on by that guy who always insists on throwing their water bottle in the air. Marcus Lundqvist plays the role of front man with much poise and vigor, expertly guiding us through the cacophonous 10 minutes of anger, hatred and aggression. And his supporting cast all but rises to the occasion.
Drummer Buster Odeholme not only works the kit but also produced the release, and brings with him experience via Humanity’s Last Breath, which speaks for itself. The dueling guitarists – Johan Liljeblad and Andreas Malm – stand out especially on parasite, the closer with a riff dripping like syrup: slow but sweet. Fast forward is a solid toe-tapping affair and features the apt line ‘How can life be staying still / when everything seems to be going downhill?” Unfortunately, and coincidentally, New Low struggles a bit. The drums don’t seem to line up with the chugging guitars and lacks the pop it needs for such a track. And some of the transitions sound poorly mixed. Fret not, though, because extended pain is a straight banger.
Grayout, the band’s debut single and appropriate opener, sounds like what you’d expect if Red Bull was a song. And collectively, the album is tremendously easy to listen to. It has all the makings of a successful Hardcore release – grit, bite, ferocity. Known mainly for Melodic Death and Power Metal, Sweden can now boast it houses one of the more exciting up-and-coming Hardcore acts that should not be missed if you’re brave enough to traverse what should be a rambunctious mosh pit. 7/10
Intimidation Display – Pulverizing Inferiority (Self Released) [Matt Cook]
It’s said Thrash Metal emanated from the Bay Area; Hardcore and Punk had various iterations in hotspots like Los Angeles, New York and Boston. Melodeath? Head to Sweden. Add to our global collection Maryland, a small state that is quickly becoming the epicenter for disgusting, agonizing death metal, not like what’s been festering in Florida since the late 80s/early 90s. This is a different kind of animal entirely, and Intimidation Display are doing their part to further strengthen this identity (Maryland Death Fest’s 18th installment will take place in May).
It’s said Thrash Metal emanated from the Bay Area; Hardcore and Punk had various iterations in hotspots like Los Angeles, New York and Boston. Melodeath? Head to Sweden. Add to our global collection Maryland, a small state that is quickly becoming the epicenter for disgusting, agonizing death metal, not like what’s been festering in Florida since the late 80s/early 90s. This is a different kind of animal entirely, and Intimidation Display are doing their part to further strengthen this identity (Maryland Death Fest’s 18th installment will take place in May).
Pulverizing Inferiority is half true. Yes, there is a boatload of pulverizing music within, but there is nothing inferior about it. Baltimore’s Blackened Deathgrind trio (I hope you don’t mind sub-genres!) sounds like they recorded and produced all their material in the bathroom of a subway station. It should go without saying, but that’s a compliment. Zach Barrows’s soupy vocals is filth covered in grime. Vociferous Condemnation is a blistering song that makes me want to mosh until I die. A rumbling drum assists. If you’re in the mood for pig squeals and “bree’s” (and why wouldn’t you be?), Ghosts provides you with just that.
The drumming on this album is powerful without being over-bearing. Mike Alksnis ignites drum blasts with the speed and zeal of a semi-automatic machine gun. His driving lines emerge on Necrolepsy, paired nicely with downright tumbling riffs. As it is a Deathgrind band, however, none of the eight songs eclipses the three-minute mark. Personally, I would have liked a lengthier record simply to keep the madness going. But that’s not a slight on the band, rather my hunger for more, a testament to Intimidation Display’s aggression and power. 7/10