Adharma - Mirror Mirror (Earache Records)
Djent pop? Yeah... Djent Pop, this was the conversation between myself and my other half as we played the debut album from Adharma. It sounds as if it may be a complete mess however as the djent scene evolves into more melodic realms the idea of pop/alternative artists adding the downtuned grooves of djent becomes much more realistic. They just have to look to Adharma for inspiration as duality here is perfectly balanced.
Essentially a vehicle for singer Charlie Draper to explore the personal sometimes unfortunate experiences of her life, Mirror Mirror is a defiant, feminist record, Charlie herself says "Mirror Mirror represents strength and finding my voice as a woman. It is both an apologetic letter to all those in my life that I have loved, lost and hurt along the way on my path to discovery" almost a musical diary for Charlie's history but with the lessons she has drawn from them very much at the focus of attention. She also states emphatically that it also "a victim statement for myself and every woman who cannot speak up"
Across Mirror Mirror, Charlie's expressive pop vocals are set to heavy modern/tech metal backing played by experienced musicians. It's a unique sound, that draws you in brilliantly with palm muted grooves, two hand tapped melodies and electronics running through it. A track such as Reign brings all of this together making it sort of the blueprint for this record, here it all flows together but on opener and single Jealousy Don't Look Good On You, there's a much heavier riff, pulsating electronics with an anthemic chorus from Charlie who deals with the idea of a love triangle but as sign of empowerment. Charlie's vocals are brilliant throughout reminding me a little of Garbage' Shirley Manson and at it's more ethereal Dolores O'Riordan, the alternative scene very much present on Begging.
Eternal brings some orchestrations and piano, it's a dramatic song that moves towards the pop realm much more, though following it is the atmospheric, slithering, aggression of Guilty, which is a masterclass in dynamics. Take Your Poison, shifts the focus to bring some pumping electronic beats, with a touch of the No-Man project. After the vicious Veil, the final offering Sorry, is an introspective way to close it out. The peaks and troughs on this album represent the highs and lows that Charlie and all women face in both the music industry and wider society, and while a straight, white male, can't really have an opinion on this, I feel that both the good and bad are displayed here brilliantly through some unique musical expression where the heaviest reaches of metal are melded with the more acceptable music genres.
I'll leave the last word to Charlie: "ultimately…I want this album to remind you that we as women are not free, until all women are free.' 9/10
Tim Bowness - Butterfly Mind (Inside Out Records)
Tim Bowness is the quiet man of arty, inventive alt prog, many will know him as a frequent collaborator of Steven Wilson, who mixes and masters Butterfly Mind, but he has been steadily releasing music for 40 years, this being his seventh solo album. Unlike No-Man (is collab with Wilson) Bowness' solo records hark back to a mixture of style but there's a lot of the Canterbury influenced prog scene in the UK of the 1960'-70's, the records are always brimming with interesting instrumentation and pastoral nostalgia.
Tim Bowness - Butterfly Mind (Inside Out Records)
Tim Bowness is the quiet man of arty, inventive alt prog, many will know him as a frequent collaborator of Steven Wilson, who mixes and masters Butterfly Mind, but he has been steadily releasing music for 40 years, this being his seventh solo album. Unlike No-Man (is collab with Wilson) Bowness' solo records hark back to a mixture of style but there's a lot of the Canterbury influenced prog scene in the UK of the 1960'-70's, the records are always brimming with interesting instrumentation and pastoral nostalgia.
Even in previous album covers there's the hand drawn quality that featured on records by Genesis and Jethro Tull, though here Carl Glover tries for an industrial, obscure, digitally rendered, mirrored object, making for a striking difference, however the music remains similar, but not the same as Butterfly Mind feels quite dark and brooding though these dark clouds do have flashes of hope and beauty, it's certainly the most experimental Bowness has been for a while, drawing influence from numerous places, combining them into Butterfly Mind.
Bowness taking the lion's share of the instruments with a rhythm section comprised of Nick Beggs (bass/stick) and ex-Elbow drummer Richard Jupp behind the kit, as long time producer Brian Hulse controls the dials. There's a number of guests too with the highest profile being Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson (and his flute), Peter Hammill of Van Der Graaf Generator, Dave Formula of Magazine, sound designer Stephen W Tayler (Kate Bush) and No-Man violinist Ben Coleman who returns to working with Tim for the first time in nearly 30 years. Working his magic on the beautiful About The Light That Hits The Forest Floor and the Celtic flavoured finale Say Your Goodbyes Pt 2.
There's also multiple other guest from The Hushtones, Big Big Train and even an Italian jazz musican Nicola Alesini who adds some sax to the atmospheric It's Easier To Love which has some Peter Gabrielisms, We Feel has some claustrophobic electronics, Always The Stranger, the first single, has exactly the kind of breathy, driving music Tim delivers well. There's a lot of genre twisting and turning on Butterfly Mind but it never feels too out there, the high level of musicians featured knocking it out of the park throughout. Step inside Tim Bowness'Butterfly Mind and experience wonder. 8/10
Symphonity - Marco Polo: The Metal Soundtrack (Limb Music)
Seeing as they have just been announced as the headliners for this year's Power Metal Quest Fest at The Asylum, Birmingham (1st October 2022) I thought it was worth going back to the most recent album from Czech Symphonic Metal band Symphonity, released at the end of May! I'll advise now that if you don't like metal operas, or concept records then you may want to avoid this one as it's about as bombastic, cinematic and baroque as metal can get. It's a concept record about Venetian explorer Marco Polo who documented his travels to Asia through The Silk Road.
Symphonity - Marco Polo: The Metal Soundtrack (Limb Music)
Seeing as they have just been announced as the headliners for this year's Power Metal Quest Fest at The Asylum, Birmingham (1st October 2022) I thought it was worth going back to the most recent album from Czech Symphonic Metal band Symphonity, released at the end of May! I'll advise now that if you don't like metal operas, or concept records then you may want to avoid this one as it's about as bombastic, cinematic and baroque as metal can get. It's a concept record about Venetian explorer Marco Polo who documented his travels to Asia through The Silk Road.
It's a record split into 9 parts, with extensive use of narration to move the story along, Marco Polo: The Metal Soundtrack brings all of the familiar traits established by bands such as Rhapsody, but with historical lyrics rather than fantasy ones. The Eastern flavoured orchestrations adding those theatrical indulgences to the blistering power metal on tracks such as The Plague, one of the faster, heavier tracks here, has plenty of dynamics to it with the lighting paced gallop leading into the very melodic chorus.
After Crimson Silk sets the scene for the whole record, The Plague is the first full on cheesy power metal outing on the record. After more scene setting Mongols ramps up the aggression, with a dramatic cut which stands as a centerpiece, before Symphonity show that they can slow down with some power balladry on Dreaming Of Home, where our title character is longing to return back to Venice after serving the Kublai Khan for many years.
After Crimson Silk sets the scene for the whole record, The Plague is the first full on cheesy power metal outing on the record. After more scene setting Mongols ramps up the aggression, with a dramatic cut which stands as a centerpiece, before Symphonity show that they can slow down with some power balladry on Dreaming Of Home, where our title character is longing to return back to Venice after serving the Kublai Khan for many years.
As they have done since 2006, the tracks on this concept make heavy use of the dual vocals of Mayo Petranin and Konstantin Naumenko both of whom make their debut on this record, as does bassist Tomáš Sklenář and keyboardist Johannes Frykholm, the man behind the waves so synth, massive orchestrations and solemn piano on Prisoner. They join the founding duo of drummer Josef Cigánek and guitarist Libor Křivák for an excellent symphonic metal opera that brings everything including the kitchen sink! I'm looking forward to October already! 8/10
Pale Wizard Records - Ziggy Stardust: 50 Years Later (Pale Wizard Records)
Pale Wizard Records - Ziggy Stardust: 50 Years Later (Pale Wizard Records)
South West based stoner/doom/psych label Pale Wizard Records have done it again! With the success of their previous compilation that featured a myriad of bands covering Alice Cooper's classic Killer album along with some Cooper classics, this time they have recruited some of the same bands, plus a host of new ones to give the same reverential treatment to David Bowie's seminal The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars album. Originally released on June 16th 1972, this compilation will be released 50 years to the day and again it is the full album, in order, with 3 bonus tracks of Bowie songs not from the album.
So if you've heard the record (and to be honest very few people haven't) you'll know it begins with Five Years which here is brought by the Floydian-psych doom style of Sail, leading into a unique take on Soul Love by Son Of Boar, where the growled vocals are paired with acoustic guitars, before the sludge riffs kick in. Then there's a double hit of familiarity for anyone that doesn't know the record, Mos Generator man Tony Reed, doing a pretty straight up version of Peter Quill's favourite song Moonage Daydream as Bristol riffers Mother Vulture bring their incendiary magic to a slightly unhinged Starman.
As we move into the middle of the album, where things get a bit trippy, Sheffield psych stoners Deltanaut get It Ain't Easy, London's The Lunar Effect continuing the psych with a bit of San Franciscan sounding Hippie influence on Lady Stardust. It's amazing how well these songs are transported into the stoner/doom/psych sound, showing the versatility and timelessness of Bowie's songwriting. Swansea boyos Suns Of Thunder bring some snotty punk to Star, as Possessor give us their last piece of filth on Hang On To Yourself. As we go towards the final three tracks its back to the tracks that everyone knows as Ziggy Stardust gets the prog rock makeover it's always yearned for from Baths Redshift, all organs and metallic guts, though nothing here is as heavy as Raging Speedhorn doing Suffragette City, evolving it into a Ramones tune.
The final album track is the contemplative Rock 'n' Roll Suicide Kong Social keeping it as close as possible to the original, which is very welcome seeing as I think it's one of Bowie's best. With Ziggy over we get into the covers and they come from Bitter Kisses, Sergeant Thunderhoof and the returning Tony Reed. Choosing from such a large discography must have been hard but the bonus tracks are a gothic, fuzzing Ashes To Ashes from Bitter Kisses as The Hoof get to rock out with The Jean Genie as Reed finishes us off with Sweet Thing from Diamond Dogs. Again Pale Wizard Records hand pick the perfect bands to pay homage to this legendary album and artist. If you love Bowie or riffs then it's a must listen. 9/10