Dawn Of Ouroboros - Velvet Incandescence (Prosthetic Records) [Mark Young]
Castigation kicks off proceedings with a spoke part with an almost familiar guitar behind it, reminding me possibly of a film or game. This is swiftly kicked over as they come in and stamp their sound, taking in melodic/black metal to the full. This is a great start. Cephalopodic Void rips, with some of the deepest growls recorded against a straight-ahead palm-muted riff that becomes a different song as the mood lightens up as we then fall back into the growls. It shows that they are not afraid to change things up and as I type this, I appreciate that this switch is not new, but here it sounds fresh, heavy, and modern without straying too far from the heavy foundation.
Healing Grounds has an almost love song start to it, with those bright, happy chords shining and a measured arrangement in the background. Of course, this doesn’t last too long before we are back onto more comfortable footing and take up the black metal stance with that massive sense of melody running along the blast beats. Iron Whispers continues the attack, with some nifty guitar without moving away from its heavier than lead foundation. What these two tracks show is that they are not afraid of using similar approaches and they really complement each other. Lead breaks are tastefully done, full of emotion as opposed to technical wizardry and we finish with clean singing that really fits in with the overall song structure instead of it feeling tacked on.
Yeah, this is not the typical Ripple release, but once I read Todd (Ripple’s main man) mention that he heard criticism that a lot of the Ripple bands sound a like (I would feverously debate this point but that is for a different review). This sounds like no other Ripple band unless Todd put out the Sea Hags follow up without telling us. We needed a new champion of sleaze rock, and now we have it with Trading Aces. 9/10
Wolfnaut - Return Of The Asteroid (Ripple Music) [RIch Piva]
Wolfnaut have been around for four decades now, starting as a band in 1998 and giving their fans killer desert stoner rock with hits of doom and classic metal on and off for all these years. The Elverum, Norway, band have been very active in the past few years, with the excellent album III and now their new one on the best label in rock, Ripple Music. Return Of The Asteroid is Wofnaut’s fourth proper album and is right up there with their best work. You get nine tracks of no b.s. heavy stoner rock with elements of many other elements that fit nicely with the formula of the band.
Brother Of The Badlands is a great opener, heavy on the back end and perfectly displays the desert rock stylings of the band. My Orbit Is Mine is more of the same goodness Wolfnaut have been giving us, especially recently, led by the killer riffs and excellent vocals of Kjetil Sæter. We get the more doom side of the band with The Mighty Pawns and the excellent sung line “What The Hell Was I to Do?” which resonates across the five-plus minute track, that have way through starts to kick a whole ton of ass. Great stuff. Crash Yer Asteroid is a burner and my favorite track on the album, with riffs and energy leading the way. Arrows is the most chill track on Return Of The Asteroid, a retrospective look back at life that is a nice change of pace to the driving rock on the rest of the album and leads nicely into the Kyuss inspired ripper G.T.R.
Dawn Of Ouroboros bring their latest that melds melodic death and progressive metal together. It’s pretty good stuff, with spoken passages backed up with some tasty melody that is on point all the way through. One thing they don’t forget is to make sure there is enough heavy on display, nor do they rely on just one speed, as we will see later in the review.
Castigation kicks off proceedings with a spoke part with an almost familiar guitar behind it, reminding me possibly of a film or game. This is swiftly kicked over as they come in and stamp their sound, taking in melodic/black metal to the full. This is a great start. Cephalopodic Void rips, with some of the deepest growls recorded against a straight-ahead palm-muted riff that becomes a different song as the mood lightens up as we then fall back into the growls. It shows that they are not afraid to change things up and as I type this, I appreciate that this switch is not new, but here it sounds fresh, heavy, and modern without straying too far from the heavy foundation.
Healing Grounds has an almost love song start to it, with those bright, happy chords shining and a measured arrangement in the background. Of course, this doesn’t last too long before we are back onto more comfortable footing and take up the black metal stance with that massive sense of melody running along the blast beats. Iron Whispers continues the attack, with some nifty guitar without moving away from its heavier than lead foundation. What these two tracks show is that they are not afraid of using similar approaches and they really complement each other. Lead breaks are tastefully done, full of emotion as opposed to technical wizardry and we finish with clean singing that really fits in with the overall song structure instead of it feeling tacked on.
Levitating Pacifics is the longest track here and has a sort of slow and steady feel in its opening minutes. Again, it takes the softer moments from before to set us on a journey with them. That is until the required explosive music returns with guitars taking an almost back seat to the drum parts on this. Simple melodies throughout that serve the song so well as the structure changes slightly to allow for the cleaner vocals to come in as it gains a sense of urgency and then takes off to allow for the leads to come in.
Next up is Rise From Disillusion which takes no time in achieving desired lift off. It doesn’t lose sight of the impressive work that has come before and keeps the momentum going. Even as the pace slackens off Chelsea Murphy doesn’t lessen her grip on the song, absolutely going for it with a constant throat ripping performance until we reach a natural break, allowing her to show her power with her clean vocals. This will be epic live, with the live crowd getting onto it as the song has just about everything you want in an anthem. Testudines takes us back to more traditional settings and is a good thing too. This one just stomps about, even with the cleans coming in. It is fast and direct and is probably the most furious track here. Despite the speed the melody is still on display which is just fantastic.
This is boding well for the last song, Velvet Moon which brings a mix of piano and shards of guitar that lead us into their most simple arrangement, or so it seems before they bring out the big melodic guns. Its big on the emotional aspect as each of the differing passages have that about them to act as a counterpoint to the vocals here. Some of the progressions have that classic feel to it but through an extreme filter. Top level stuff.
This is one of the most enjoyable albums I’ve heard in a while, there is a sense of joy running through it at the thought of the members putting this together. Its definately one of my albums of the year so far. 8/10
Trading Aces - Rock n' Roll Homicide (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]
Not content with signing and releasing albums from the best bands in stoner and doom, Todd from Ripple Music goes out and gets the best sleaze rock record that has been released in a long time with the debut album from metal supergroup Trading Aces. Members of Warrior Soul, Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs, and The City Kids come together to create Rock n' Roll Homicide, which is exactly what you think it is going to be in the best way possible. There is not enough good sleaze rock out there, but these guys are out to change that. What started as a one-off, couple of songs thing turned into twelve tracks of gross rock and roll that makes you feel dirty just listening to it in the best possible way.
Yeah, this is some serious time machine stuff back to the day when bands like Hanoi Rocks and Faster Pussycat were spreading their diseases to anyone that came within 100 feet, but this is a necessary look back and one that will be beloved by the folks who were there for it. A track with a title and sound like Destination Insane could have been a big hit on the Strip back in the day and works just fine for those looking to scratch that itch today too. If you like Junkyard, then you will love the track Ain’t It A Bitch, with its attitude and cowbell, it is the perfect microcosm for what Rock n' Roll Homicide brings to the party. Beautiful Sunday reminds me a bit of Enuff Z Nuff, mostly because of the almost Beatles-esque vocals, swirling in the background guitars, and catchy as hell melody, just not as clean or fluorescent as EzN. My favorite track on a stacked album.
Next up is Rise From Disillusion which takes no time in achieving desired lift off. It doesn’t lose sight of the impressive work that has come before and keeps the momentum going. Even as the pace slackens off Chelsea Murphy doesn’t lessen her grip on the song, absolutely going for it with a constant throat ripping performance until we reach a natural break, allowing her to show her power with her clean vocals. This will be epic live, with the live crowd getting onto it as the song has just about everything you want in an anthem. Testudines takes us back to more traditional settings and is a good thing too. This one just stomps about, even with the cleans coming in. It is fast and direct and is probably the most furious track here. Despite the speed the melody is still on display which is just fantastic.
This is boding well for the last song, Velvet Moon which brings a mix of piano and shards of guitar that lead us into their most simple arrangement, or so it seems before they bring out the big melodic guns. Its big on the emotional aspect as each of the differing passages have that about them to act as a counterpoint to the vocals here. Some of the progressions have that classic feel to it but through an extreme filter. Top level stuff.
This is one of the most enjoyable albums I’ve heard in a while, there is a sense of joy running through it at the thought of the members putting this together. Its definately one of my albums of the year so far. 8/10
Trading Aces - Rock n' Roll Homicide (Ripple Music) [Rich Piva]
Not content with signing and releasing albums from the best bands in stoner and doom, Todd from Ripple Music goes out and gets the best sleaze rock record that has been released in a long time with the debut album from metal supergroup Trading Aces. Members of Warrior Soul, Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs, and The City Kids come together to create Rock n' Roll Homicide, which is exactly what you think it is going to be in the best way possible. There is not enough good sleaze rock out there, but these guys are out to change that. What started as a one-off, couple of songs thing turned into twelve tracks of gross rock and roll that makes you feel dirty just listening to it in the best possible way.
Yeah, this is some serious time machine stuff back to the day when bands like Hanoi Rocks and Faster Pussycat were spreading their diseases to anyone that came within 100 feet, but this is a necessary look back and one that will be beloved by the folks who were there for it. A track with a title and sound like Destination Insane could have been a big hit on the Strip back in the day and works just fine for those looking to scratch that itch today too. If you like Junkyard, then you will love the track Ain’t It A Bitch, with its attitude and cowbell, it is the perfect microcosm for what Rock n' Roll Homicide brings to the party. Beautiful Sunday reminds me a bit of Enuff Z Nuff, mostly because of the almost Beatles-esque vocals, swirling in the background guitars, and catchy as hell melody, just not as clean or fluorescent as EzN. My favorite track on a stacked album.
Tracks like Hello Hangover and F.A.B. gives off some Four Horsemen vibes which is a good thing for those who may not know. Axl himself would be proud of his legacy with a song like California Schemin’ (pre-Illusion, when they were still street rats). Is Circus Of Power still together? Well, if not they are in spirit with a track like Hey Geraldine, You Can’t Stop Me Now. Am I crazy to think Napalm Bombs sounds like post makeup Kiss if they kept more of their balls? While not sleaze rock, the boys chose to cover a track from the king of slime, Frank Zappa, with their excellent and perfectly fitting cover of the killer track Dirty Love. Hanoi Rocks were legends and super influential, but I always wanted them to rock a bit harder. Now we can imagine what that would have sounded like with the track Social Disease. In A Simple Rhyme closes out the record perfectly, a sorted story of love, loss, and growth that so many of the bands of that era did so well.
Yeah, this is not the typical Ripple release, but once I read Todd (Ripple’s main man) mention that he heard criticism that a lot of the Ripple bands sound a like (I would feverously debate this point but that is for a different review). This sounds like no other Ripple band unless Todd put out the Sea Hags follow up without telling us. We needed a new champion of sleaze rock, and now we have it with Trading Aces. 9/10
Wolfnaut - Return Of The Asteroid (Ripple Music) [RIch Piva]
Wolfnaut have been around for four decades now, starting as a band in 1998 and giving their fans killer desert stoner rock with hits of doom and classic metal on and off for all these years. The Elverum, Norway, band have been very active in the past few years, with the excellent album III and now their new one on the best label in rock, Ripple Music. Return Of The Asteroid is Wofnaut’s fourth proper album and is right up there with their best work. You get nine tracks of no b.s. heavy stoner rock with elements of many other elements that fit nicely with the formula of the band.
Brother Of The Badlands is a great opener, heavy on the back end and perfectly displays the desert rock stylings of the band. My Orbit Is Mine is more of the same goodness Wolfnaut have been giving us, especially recently, led by the killer riffs and excellent vocals of Kjetil Sæter. We get the more doom side of the band with The Mighty Pawns and the excellent sung line “What The Hell Was I to Do?” which resonates across the five-plus minute track, that have way through starts to kick a whole ton of ass. Great stuff. Crash Yer Asteroid is a burner and my favorite track on the album, with riffs and energy leading the way. Arrows is the most chill track on Return Of The Asteroid, a retrospective look back at life that is a nice change of pace to the driving rock on the rest of the album and leads nicely into the Kyuss inspired ripper G.T.R.
Something More Than Night gives me Valley Of The Sun vibes and wouldn’t that be quite to double bill. The twin guitar action on this track harkens to Thin Lizzy or even Maiden. Crates Of Doom is perfectly titled, bringing their Sabbath worship to Return Of The Asteroid and it is executed perfectly, but with some unique vocals and killer build up. Wolfnaut’s Lament is now their signature epic track; ten plus minutes of everything these guys are know for and do well, a perfect way to end this album. Heavy riffs, lumbering doomy goodness into that killer stoner/desert high energy, even with a “here we go now…” from Sæter.
Ripple does it again, partnering with all the best killer bands of the stoner/doom genre, both new and old, with Wolfnaut kind of falling into both. The band’s renaissance in the last couple of years is on full display here with Returnn Of The Asteroid being on par with the other excellent bands that are doing this so well today. Another amazing Ripple release. 8/10
Birdflesh - Sickness In The North (Everlasting Spew Records) [Mark Young]
With a tongue that could be argued as being firmly in their cheek, Birdflesh offer their latest platter, Sickness In The North for your delight and delectation. A quick scan through some of the song titles points to a range of subjects, with nothing off the menu for consideration. These consist of 23 songs, all fairly short and delivered rapid style with one smack after another.
Is it any good? Well, this will depend on a few key factors the main one being if it’s meant to be funny and looking at an online description it is termed as ‘wacky lyrics and a funny atmosphere’ so in terms of that it didn’t hit home with me. This is possibly an age thing on my behalf, and that it is aimed at those younger than me. It definitely points to some not-so-subtle ribbing of death metal which is always welcome given that some bands take themselves so seriously.
So how does it sound?
Well, it’s grindcore with thrash elements and has a production to suit. Its fast, nasty, and as I’ve said earlier the songs just race past so in that respect, they achieve the core requirement in not staying too long before any possible repetition could kick in. Despite appearances to the contrary, they know how to play, its fast and aggressive with some excellent riffing on here and approach it with the due reverence required to ensure that the musical product is a good as it can be. There have been some bands in the past who have equated jokey material with sloppy performances, but this is not the case here at all. The lyrics may be poking fun, but the music is dead on. 6/10
Ripple does it again, partnering with all the best killer bands of the stoner/doom genre, both new and old, with Wolfnaut kind of falling into both. The band’s renaissance in the last couple of years is on full display here with Returnn Of The Asteroid being on par with the other excellent bands that are doing this so well today. Another amazing Ripple release. 8/10
Birdflesh - Sickness In The North (Everlasting Spew Records) [Mark Young]
With a tongue that could be argued as being firmly in their cheek, Birdflesh offer their latest platter, Sickness In The North for your delight and delectation. A quick scan through some of the song titles points to a range of subjects, with nothing off the menu for consideration. These consist of 23 songs, all fairly short and delivered rapid style with one smack after another.
Is it any good? Well, this will depend on a few key factors the main one being if it’s meant to be funny and looking at an online description it is termed as ‘wacky lyrics and a funny atmosphere’ so in terms of that it didn’t hit home with me. This is possibly an age thing on my behalf, and that it is aimed at those younger than me. It definitely points to some not-so-subtle ribbing of death metal which is always welcome given that some bands take themselves so seriously.
So how does it sound?
Well, it’s grindcore with thrash elements and has a production to suit. Its fast, nasty, and as I’ve said earlier the songs just race past so in that respect, they achieve the core requirement in not staying too long before any possible repetition could kick in. Despite appearances to the contrary, they know how to play, its fast and aggressive with some excellent riffing on here and approach it with the due reverence required to ensure that the musical product is a good as it can be. There have been some bands in the past who have equated jokey material with sloppy performances, but this is not the case here at all. The lyrics may be poking fun, but the music is dead on. 6/10