Aptera - You Can't Bury What Still Burns (Ripple Music) [David Karpel]
Ripple Music does it again. With every release they gift fans new opportunities to hear something integral to what’s going on in today’s heavy music. This time it’s Aptera and their full-length debut You Can’t Bury What Still Burns. Steeped in metal influences that range from proto doom to thrash to psychedelic metal, from Sabbath and Death Angel to Neurosis and Messa, Michela Albizzati on guitars and vocals, Celia Paul on bass and vocals, Sara Neidorf (ex-Brian Jonestown Massacre) on drums, and Renata Helm on guitar gathered in Berlin from the U.S., Brazil, Belgium, and Italy to form Aptera and shred. This they do in spades.
Aptera’s raw, emotional power is driven by the combined forces of chanted or howled clean and guttural vocals, tight turn-on-a-dime time changes and transitions, and the songwriting chops to harness their eclectic roots into bludgeoning tunes rife with a blackened soul grit. Albizzati and Paul share vocal responsibilities and their collaboration is nothing less than an evocative and sinister performance. Meanwhile, the interplay between Neidorf and Paul often has a ferocious jazz feel, where they sound both tight af and loose, forward pushing and restrained. While Neidorf stands out to me in most songs as masterful in her control and creativity on the drums, Paul holds the bottom with an oceanic patience and power. This is most clearly and beautifully demonstrated in the instrumental Cosmosis, but much like the multi-layered sonic attacks of guitars, it’s a feature throughout.
Aptera’s raw, emotional power is driven by the combined forces of chanted or howled clean and guttural vocals, tight turn-on-a-dime time changes and transitions, and the songwriting chops to harness their eclectic roots into bludgeoning tunes rife with a blackened soul grit. Albizzati and Paul share vocal responsibilities and their collaboration is nothing less than an evocative and sinister performance. Meanwhile, the interplay between Neidorf and Paul often has a ferocious jazz feel, where they sound both tight af and loose, forward pushing and restrained. While Neidorf stands out to me in most songs as masterful in her control and creativity on the drums, Paul holds the bottom with an oceanic patience and power. This is most clearly and beautifully demonstrated in the instrumental Cosmosis, but much like the multi-layered sonic attacks of guitars, it’s a feature throughout.
What better opener than a song like Voice Of Thunder? Like an appropriate theme song for the album, the chorus rings with taunting powers: “Voice of thunder, shrill of death!” Headbanging commences immediately and it doesn’t let up. Selkies changes smoothly from one tempo to the next, giving your neck barely a rest in its sludgier sections. These two opening songs foretell great things and nothing that follows disappoints. Keen lyrics range from the personal to the mythological to the political. Days Of Void is a thrash driven description of malaise and subversive hope, while Unbearable Stain seems to describe what an abuser carries with them as Albizzati, in the part of a survivor, growls, “But, you see?/ I rise again/ Any fear has left me/ I walk on my own.”
Metal has always been full of socio-political commentary, and Aptera holds the tradition dear in the analogous myth telling of Selkies and the more blunt anti-fascist warning of When The Police Murder. This is ever more true in the longest song of the album, Nepenthes, a powerful use of the phoenix myth and metaphor to empower women, in which the band builds a crescendo until the title is snarled, “You can’t bury what still burns.” The exchanges here between Albizzati and Pual once again evoke the triumph of the band’s conception of their songs in the juxtapositions of life and death and of the powerful and the seemingly powerless.
While I dig the raw power of the live sound, I did wonder what a little cleaner mix might do for them. But that’s more of an aspirational hope, rather than a dig at the present sound. I really dig this album as is. My neck was sore by the end. It’s dark, sinister, and smart. The more I listen, the more I hear the depth of what Aptera are up to, and it’s a lot more complex than off-hand comparisons. I’m not sure if any completely fit anyway, as it should be. Undeniably, Aptera rips it up on You Can’t Bury What Still Burns. An awesome addition to the already insane Ripple catalog, it’s a blast of an album that will have you coming back for repeated, neck breaking listens. 9/10
Metal has always been full of socio-political commentary, and Aptera holds the tradition dear in the analogous myth telling of Selkies and the more blunt anti-fascist warning of When The Police Murder. This is ever more true in the longest song of the album, Nepenthes, a powerful use of the phoenix myth and metaphor to empower women, in which the band builds a crescendo until the title is snarled, “You can’t bury what still burns.” The exchanges here between Albizzati and Pual once again evoke the triumph of the band’s conception of their songs in the juxtapositions of life and death and of the powerful and the seemingly powerless.
While I dig the raw power of the live sound, I did wonder what a little cleaner mix might do for them. But that’s more of an aspirational hope, rather than a dig at the present sound. I really dig this album as is. My neck was sore by the end. It’s dark, sinister, and smart. The more I listen, the more I hear the depth of what Aptera are up to, and it’s a lot more complex than off-hand comparisons. I’m not sure if any completely fit anyway, as it should be. Undeniably, Aptera rips it up on You Can’t Bury What Still Burns. An awesome addition to the already insane Ripple catalog, it’s a blast of an album that will have you coming back for repeated, neck breaking listens. 9/10
Jorn - Over The Horizon Radar (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
One of rock and metal's greatest voices Jorn Lande returns with what is his 10th album of original material, though it's his 14th studio record overall. This is his first album since his unsuccessful bid to represent Norway at Eurovision 2022, and as such the album features an elongated version of Faith Bloody Faith so we can all hear what the song sounds like outside of the 3 minute curfew, that Eurovision acts have. It's a big chorus led rocker, that's very bouncy and would have worked though the battle metal lyrics may not have gone down as well in Turin. Though it's basically a bonus track, here, it's still got a lot going for it sticking to the Jorn style while also having melodies that are catchier than herpes. It's the remaining 10 tracks people will be here for and are all of the top quality Jorn style you'd expect from a veteran such as Lande.
As it's on Frontiers, Alessandro Del Vecchio makes his appearance on keys and mixing/mastering duites, though the record was produced by Lande himself. The addition of his keys are understated giving the lighter moments more depth but mostly Over Horizons Radar is a heavy rock record. The title track Over The Horizon Radar gets things going, a big riffs driven by the rhythm section of Nik Mazzucconi (bass) and Francesco Jovino (drums) cut through with keys of Del Vecchio adding those melodic flourishes. Next up Dead London is just in that Jorn sweet spot of being muscular but also featuring those powerful, soulful vocals while My Rock N Roll shifts from acoustic beginnings to Sabbath riffing courtesy of Tore Moren and Adrian SB.
At just four songs in and this is Jorn doing what he does best, moving between heavy metal tracks such as Black Phoenix, to the folksy Ode To The Black Nightshade and some great balladry. 11 new songs that will slot right into his live show with some of the classics. It's what any Jorn fan would want, heavy rock from that incredible voice. 7/10
Dragged Under - Upright Animals (Mascot Label Group) [David Karpel]
An updated, slick hybrid of mid-90s Vans Warped Tour punk and hardcore, Dragged Under incorporate pop and rock elements as well that give their angsty edge a palatable dexterity for the more amped mainstream audiences. In line with that, each catchy, anthemic song is between 3 and 3.5 minutes, and the lyrics are suffused with enough poli-sci cynicism and irony to satisfy socially conscious fans. Musically and lyrically, the Seattle five-piece – Tony Cappocchi [vocals], Ryan Bruce [guitar], Sean Rosario [guitar], Hans Hessburg [bass], and Kalen Anderson [drums – show up on Upright Animals, their second full-length, with a sharper sound and a more focused perspective.
The title track kicks us off all systems go: the angst, the cynicism, the anthemic chorus, and the pop punk song structure are all present and accounted for. It’s all there in the very idea of the song, that only by choice are we more or less than simply upright animals, and how the band hails a rallying cry for the cause of a better humanity with verse-chorus-verse punk rage. All Of Us is the first single/video and it’s another anthem with a cause, that to our very core we are all of us connected, we all have needs and are experiencing struggles. The breakdown two-thirds into the song must serve up a pit to remember if you catch them live.
Throughout, Dragged Under utilizes breakdowns for maximum effect. Long Live The King’s breakdown is a hardcore/thrash mash, while the breakdowns in the tunes Suffer and Brainwash Broadcast take a sludgier approach, slowing down to a violent stomp. On the other hand, there’s emotional depth to many of these songs as well. Crooked Halos reflects on how we present ourselves versus how we’re really doing. See You Alive mourns the loss of someone close and being the last one to see them alive. Weather considers modern malaise, Cappocchi wondering if he’s “overworked or under the weather.” Meanwhile, No Place Like Home is a dark look at being a latchkey kid dealing with loneliness, poverty, hunger, and the radio as company. The “oh oh ohs” drive home the jaded perspective in a song about an only child of a broken marriage spending his days with an “empty stomach” in an “empty house” that he spends his nights trying to escape.
While they delve into serious subjects and write lyrics rife with social commentary, essentially Dragged Under is a lot of fun. And although they’re not doing anything new, these songs are well executed and foretell a good time at loud volumes, especially if there’s a pit for the kids. What can be better than bouncing about a room with your friends to raging tunes with lyrics that align with your worldview? 7/10
October Thorns - Circle Game (Divebomb Records) [Matt Bladen]
In 2017 David "David Z." Zablidowsky passed away in a terrible motor vehicle crash in Florida. At the time he was the bass player for the Mike Orlando/Russell Allen band Adrenaline Mob. This crash, the death of David Z and their tour manager Janet Rains effectively ended the band as we know it. However before he was in Adrenaline Mob, David Z was the bassist of prog metal group October Thorns along with Paul LaPlaca (vocals), drummer Joe "Jofu" Cardillo, guitarists Joe Chawki and Dave Pando with Norbert Sator on keyboards. October Thorns released 1 demo in 2000 and all but disappeared due to internal band tensions, effectively splitting up.That is until last year when a track called Circle Game was released by LaPlaca and Divebomb Records. In that time the members have served time on countless other bands such as TSO, Jeff Scott Soto, Drift Into Black, Ted Poley etc. This was one of the songs from their original demo, but remixed and remastered by Icefish's Alex Argento. It set the place for Circle Game to become a full release, featuring the entire October Thorns demo remixed and remastered plus tracks that have been unreleased until now. Meaning that this is the full October Thorns back catalogue in one place. This is now a full length album that is a fitting tribute to both the band and David's work before his untimely death. For prog metal fans. Circle Game features just over an hour of music, that is obviously American prog metal from that late 90's.
From Page One the influences of Dream Theater (No Idle Phrase), Fates Warning and Symphony X are all there, as impassioned choruses driven by LaPlaca's excellent vocals soar over some virtuoso instrumental performances and multiple time signature changes. This is just in one song, but with 12 more to go there's lots of prog metal extravagance going on. There's a multitude of influences too as Sounds Of Life goes a bit Yes, as Soul Forge brings a bit of Rush, etc. Each song really showing what October Thorns can do as a band. So much of this is very superior to a lot of band demos, though the new remixing/remastering means that they sound nice and big. It's a shame infighting caused October Thorns to collapse as there's so much here that prog metal fans would love, and I can imagine them being spoken about in the same breath as Dream Theater et al. 8/10