There is something for every era fan of Trouble on here. Like the killer opener of the set from the self-titled masterpiece, R.I.P., maybe the best track from that album, End Of My Daze, and the killer track The Misery Shows (Part 2). Some red-hot offerings from Manic Frustration including Come Touch The Sky, Fear, and Memory’s Garden which are all essential for a complete Trouble Setlist. Eric’s voice sounds amazing, and the twin guitar attack is on fire all throughout this set. You get a whole bunch of the classic old school doomy Trouble as well, with The Skull, Psalm 9, Run To The Light, and The Misery Shows, with Run To The Light starting off with the riff from Supernaut, which is next level awesome. I love the rendition of Plastic Green Head on here is pretty amazing too.
So yeah, what more is there to say? This is one of my favourite bands in the prime of their career with an absolute killer setlist. If you love Trouble this is ideal for you and will no doubt enjoy it. The setlist is also perfect as an introduction to the band if you are not familiar. Either way this is essential listening and an excellent lesson in doom metal history. 9/10
Lucifer’s Fall / Eldritch Rites Split – Graveyard Rites (Self Released) [David G]
A split release from Australian bands Lucifer’s Fall and Eldritch Rites, this provides an interesting (and at times confusing) experience drawn together by a shared love of classic styles. Three tracks per band with quite differing quality in production and approach.
First up with their three tracks is Lucifer’s Fall, very much inspired by the older school doom approach of luminaries like Saint Vitus, Pentagram and Candlemass with powerchords drenched in resonant fuzz, hoarse, hollered vocals and a languid pace. The Mesmerist with its suitably eerie verse ascending and descending like waves, the ritualistic lyrics (which happily avoided the seemingly imminent desire/fire rhyming horror) is quite an impressive opener.
The Furthest Shore is possibly the highlight of the release with the pace slowed right down, the chords left to hang, and the beat sounding at various stages like it is having a stroke, there is something quite malevolent up until the point Deceiver (credited vocalist) cries out “Gimme some doom!” in his best possible David St. Hubbins. Luckily the doom that follows is a rather tasteful solo that craters before soaring in mournful eulogy. Lucifer’s Fall’s final track is Graveyard Rites beginning with its acoustic intro soon segues into a more mid-paced doomy affair, rather catchy it must be said.
Conversely Eldritch Rites sound every bit the bedroom band (the three tracks provided here apparently recorded live with home overdubs). Initially Death Of The Grinder certainly gives the impression of some affinity to the trad metal school descended from Cirith Ungol, and the DIY NWOBHM ethic. It’s hard to work out if the poor recording quality is a blessing or curse because as the song moves from its early melodrama into a thrashier pace I thought there’s really something here, and I can’t tell how much I’m being talked into that by the charm of the recording.
What can’t pass without comment is the utterly ludicrous and theatrical vocals, that become more bizarre and unintelligible the faster the song gets. I recoiled in shock on the first listen, by spin seven I almost wanted to hide from myself the guilty secret that they were growing on me. ER’s second track Our Time Has Come needs no such secrecy, how this three-piece managed to go from possibly the most enjoyably ludicrous thing I’ve heard since that first Christopher Lee album to a 10+ minute doom epic that does what the best long songs often do, doesn’t over complicate things.
Even the interlude melody with an echoing, hollow tone harks on a repeated theme to quite a startling effect. The trio close things out with vocals that are possibly worse than the band’s first track and this time I find it harder to justify to myself. Very much digging into that trad school this is all about choppy riffs and unfortunately sounds very much like a work in progress.
In a way I’m fascinated by the bringing together of two bands that seem at very different stages. Lucifer’s Fall having several albums behind them, a honed style and with a professional sound come across as very adept at evoking that which they are trying to. Eldritch Rites on the other hand come across as if what they give you is partly by accident, this is what we had and we did what we could with it, take it or leave it. Both sets of tracks appeal to me in different ways, though only Eldritch Rites’ music really had the ability to repel me at points. 7/10
Wraith/Black Knife/Graveripper/Unholy Night Split - Faster Than The Fucking Devil (Wise Records)[Elliott Spencer]
At first glance a four-way split of blackened thrash metal might seem overkill. After all, it’s not the most nuanced subgenre out there; it’s strengths resting largely on tight songwriting, brevity and a general all-killer-no-filler sensibility. Indiana’s Wraith start proceedings with three cutthroat bangers. Standout track (Call Me) The Destroyer is replete with blink-and-you’ll-miss-them harmonies, layered snarls and unrelenting riffs that worship unashamedly at the altar of Motorhead. It’s no frills black/thrash but tight musicianship and a simple yet effective hook elevates it.
The punkier Black Knife offer a style which befits their name; three tracks of sharp black ’n roll with the intent to do exactly what their standout track says: Gouge The Eyes Out, Steal The Soul. By the time their final track – with a title fit for a b-movie – Satanic Commander comes along though, a breather is needed. That’s when Graveripper introduce themselves with longer songs and a much needed slow down of pace. Some interesting Norwegian black metal inspired embellishments work their way into these songs and there’s an occasional flirtation with hardcore crossover here but there seems to lack of intensity and an ear for hooks that made Wraith and Black Knife so compelling. Nonetheless, Graveripper’s standout Night Frozen Black is a worthy and much-welcomed addition to the tracklisting.
Russia’s Unholy Night – the only non-US band to make an appearance here – provide the most raw iteration of black/thrash displayed and close things out with the wiry one-two punch of Louder, Angrier and Ancient Rites. Fortunately, Faster Than The Fucking Devil is a well-curated release that offers the listener all the flavours of blackened thrash they could hope for. Hell, a four-way split of this nature may actually be the best way to enjoy a full-length release of this style of metal. 8/10
Anthea - Tales Untold (Rockshots Records) [Matt Bladen]
Los Angeles symphonic metal band Anthea play a style of symphonic metal that owes a debt to bands such as fellow Yanks Kamelot and Dutch band Epica. There is of course lots of nods to composers such as Hans Zimmer and John Williams. It follows their 2020 release Illusion and on this album they have taken a much more hands on D.I.Y approach to recording as vocalist/keyboardist Diego Valadez takes over as producer, this change is due to their inability to tour the last album so they knuckled down in the studio in order to create more tracks that they can showcase when they play some shows again. Tales Untold continues to explore the symphonic/cinematic sound of the first record but the metal side melds prog/power and thrash as the guitars of Marcos Mejia and Juan Pina are biting and heavy as Pina also gives growls and screams to counterpoint Valadez's more melodic tones.
Sunder Heart for example has the screams taking the verses while the cleans come in on the chorus similar to many of the Melodeath bands, the title track to has this mix too but more in the Kamelot style when they bring in a guest singer, Song For Winter is very dramatic and the most 'symphonic metal' sounding track here as Valadez displays his vocal versatility. Sapiens meanwhile has some World music flavours, Peter Vasquez's drumming and Eric Guerrero's bass taking the lead on this one as they do on the galloping Looking Glass. Anthea are a band that do symphony metal well however they do get a little lost in the lack with so many established acts around. 6/10