Battalions - King Of A Dead World (APF Records)
Is there such a thing as funky sludge? If so (and it’s not a euphemism) then the heaviest band in Kingston Upon Hull have discovered it. After countless challenges since their last album, including the global pandemic, lockdown, welcoming a new drummer, the band wanted to do something different on their second album leaving behind the all-consuming production of Chris Fielding for the more modern, mainly prog background of Joe Clayton at Nø Studio in Manchester.
Don’t misunderstand, they’re still raging, molten slabs of sludge metal, such as the closing, hefty, knuckle dragging title track, which is slow, lumbering sludge with a hardcore bite. However there is more groove and melody here than previously, they haven’t mellowed but they have opened their ears to the plentiful amounts of head nodding that goes with bands such as Crowbar, Cancer Bats and even Eyehategod.
Blasting out of the gates is Green Boots, as grooving stomper that breaks down towards the end for full neck wrecking, Phil Wilkinson’s scarred vocals slicing through like a rusty chainsaw. It’s Battalions at their visceral best, Diagnosis Fucked though adds some NOLA groove, making this particular writer gurn, Bones To Dust again employing Pete Cross’ great guitar playing, where things can be fuzzy as hell and vicious one minute then getting a stoner bounce going.
Dealing with a happy topic such as the world collapsing and the decline of humanity, it’s not a happy record but when the riffs are this good, all you can do is just open your ears and get moving. Light A Fire for instance is funky as it comes here, with some Clutch like back end from Matt Dennett (bass) and Simon Harrison (drums) counteracting the raging screams of Wilkinson. The innate sense of movement and there's that word again, groove, that come through King Of A Dead World, take Battalions to a place that’s at the farther reaches of their style. Funky sludge in all its glory, get on it! 8/10
Invictus - Unstoppable (MNRK Heavy)
Invictus - Unstoppable (MNRK Heavy)
Coming from the Latin “Unconquered” Invictus is the debut solo album from the man who knows a thing or two about extreme metal, Maurizio Iacono is the frontman of both Kataklysm and Ex Deo, two very separate acts that are linked by the talent of their frontman. Whether he’s in black or full Roman Panoply Maurizio doesn’t ever know the meaning of the phrase, half-hearted so it’s no surprise that Invictus is a record that brings in the best team around. Iacono teaming up with J-F Dagenais again (guitarist for Kataklysm and Ex Deo) along with producer/main songwriter Chris Clancy and drummer Jeramie Kling (Venom Inc, Inhuman Condition).
The albums theme is of the drive that Iacono has, his passion for succeeding not just as a musician but as a tour manager, artist agent and much more. This album is built on the passion and the way he aggressively approaches every task. Musically though it’s Chris Clancy who has the most influence, the former Mutiny Within man, has worked with Colin Richardson and Andy Sneap, so that NWOAHM sound of heavy grooves, passionate vocals and a thrash basis are what you get on Unstoppable. With a style that is more reminiscent of Machine Head, Lamb Of God and Trivium rather than his background in death metal, the album offers chest beating metal where the growls are met with soaring cleans, carrying lyrics that are there to stand up against the obstacle of life and come out fighting at every turn, tracks such as the angsty Bleed Me Out and Weaponized.
It could jar listeners who are used to the more extreme, often more complex side of metal Maurizio usually deals in but for me, this more direct, bruising metal sound is a breath of fresh air showing that there is more than one style he can do. However that’s not to say it leaves its death roots behind Eagles, is blistering melodeath, Exiled too kicks up the gears into blastbeat infused battering, while American Outcast too is steeped in Swedish melodeath. Drawn from his troubled childhood and his determination as an adult, Unstoppable is Maurizio Iacono’s story in music. Big, brash and confident! 8/10
Iron Allies - Blood In Blood Out (AFM Records)
Iron Allies - Blood In Blood Out (AFM Records)
Iron Allies consists of two former members of German metal veterans Accept, playing Teutonic heavy metal, that often evolves into hard rock. The two men in question are singer David Reece and guitarist Herman Frank (Victory), they come together on this record despite not having been in Accept at the same time, as Iron allies forged in many battles over the years with plenty of bands. Both men are songwriters so collaborated heavily on this album, and as they have played in numerous styles of bands, things never stay in one style for too long. Meaning that although the Accept influence is obviously there, this isn’t a pastiche.
The German met the American at his home and they discussed war stories, so to speak, the two veterans comparing notes and this led to the overarching theme of Blood In Blood Out, two old dogs, combining to take on the world again. You can hear it in the lyrics from Reece as well as those familiar riffs/solos from Frank who doubles down with guitarist Mike Pesin, as the band is rounded out by bassist Malte Burkert and drummer Francesco Jovino. Together they bring the Teutonic chug to the title track and Nightmares In My Mind, there’s classic metal speed on Fear No Evil, Blood On The Land and Selling Out, coming from the Herman Frank song book as the classic/speed metal assault gets the head banging.
However there’s also some swaggering doomy blues rocking on Martyr’s Burn and Freezin’. Reece never going fully into the high pitched screaming, much more comfortable in his soulful mid, but that’s what you want here, battle hardened guys playing what brought them to the dance. With mixing and mastering from Dennis Ward, Blood In Blood Out bellows out of your speaker with a classic metal class, ideal for fans of the old school. 7/10
Orden Ogan - Final Days: Orden Ogan And Friends (AFM Records)
Just a year after their previous album, German power metal crew Orden Ogan pay tribute to their seventh album with an version that includes a brand new song, an orchestral version of a track from Gunman and Final Days in full with guest vocalists on every track. It's an odd idea that feels like it should have perhaps been a bonus disc on a deluxe edition of Final Days.
New song December comes first, in this interesting album, it's Orden Ogan exactly as you want them, anthemic choruses, bouncy riffs and lyrics about winter, it throws back to the Orden Ogan of To The End, so then we go into the alternate vocal version of Final Days, Heart Of The Android has fellow German Peavy Wagner of Rage, the heavy In The Dawn Of The AI has Ross Thompson (Van Canto) and Frank Beck (Gamma Ray), Dynazty/Amaranthe man Nils Modin adds his voice to Inferno while for me Stu Block is best suited to Let The Fire Rain as it's got that mix of heaviness and melody.
The songs are pretty much the same musically as they are on the original, vocalist Seeb Levermann produces making song such as Interstellar sound huge with Andy B. Franck of Brainstorm behind the mic, he's followed by the Grave Digger man Chris Boltendahl duetting with Marta Gabriel of Crystal Viper for a huge ballad, while Dew-Scented man Leif Jensen roars on Black Hole making this power metal into melodic death metal. The last three songs from the album feature Elina Siirala of Leaves' Eyes, Marc Lopes of Ross The Boss and Dennis Diehl of Any Given Day before this curio is rounded out by the orchestral version of Fields Of Sorrow.
I'm not sure what to make of this record, the music is good but I find myself wondering what the point of it is? 6/10