This record rocks you from go, kicking off with Little Viper that has some nice shredding and Doogie’s voice right up front where it should be. The album sounds good, if maybe a tad overproduced for my taste, but there are no sins with how this album was produced overall. The drum work is great and the vocals, of course, are excellent. I would not mind seeing an East Coast West Coast bill with these guys opening for the also ageless Overkill. Different band but I am getting similar vibes in that they both have something to prove at this point in their careers. Don’t Get Mad is more melodic and more on the 80s lyric side of the house, but nothing too cheese that you cringe. I like the keys on this one and Stump delivers a strong solo. Battlelines is some driving heavy rock and may have a message for that other version of the band disguised as a history lesson. Great layered vocals and heavy and catchy at the same time. The keys are subtle but appreciated in the mix.
To recap, this version of Alcatrazz rules. Doogie’s vocals take this record to the next level. The band seems full of energy and anything but a nostalgia act. Take No Prisoners has the songs, the playing, and the balls that are missing from many bands out there today. Could this album have been two songs less to make it a bit more digestible in one listen? Maybe, but you could debate it either way. These guys are old school as hell but rip it up just the same. This reminds me of how the band Satan came back after forever and is somehow way better than before. I am not saying Take No Prisoners is better than the two 80s classics, but this record, in 2023, stands against just about any metal record I have heard so far. Excellent stuff from the version of Alcatrazz that I will remain interested in. 8/10
Unmaker - Limb From Limb (Self Released) [Mark Young]
Naming your album Limb From Limb will effectively set the scene for the aural carnage that is about to descend, and Unmaker start this off with To War, an angry statement of intent that tells you about who they are and what they are trying to do. This is classic thrash updated and filtered through a European lens. There are hints of Corpsegrinder’s solo album here and some frankly insane pinched harmonics as the song lays waste through its 5-minute run time. The breakdown is spot on with the vocal / guitar face off and absolutely necessary solo left until the final moments for maximum effect. Solid start!!!
Drop Dead slows with that restrained headbang tempo that allows it to build and move gears. This one has that controlled riffing, with its neck stretched tightly. The solo again is what you would expect on any classic thrash album and ushers in the change in pace that gives this the ending it deserves. The title track avoids the slow third song syndrome and just motors along, again with that fine balance of brutality and dexterity and they bring in some Lamb Of God phrasing to mix up the attack on track 4 Control and to be fair its as good as anything they have done in a while (heresy yes, yes) and has a fair bit of groove to it which just adds to the overall sound.
And then Point Break comes in. It is an instrumental that shows off the prowess of the band but just saps that momentum built with the preceding songs. Rise tries to shake us up and is sat in that more NWOAM genre than the modern thrash and it shows. Its perfectly fine but is missing something that the earlier songs had. Fake Disciple brings us back on track with that combination thrash / groove movement to it. Again, this should be massive live especially with the solo break as it is exceptional. Breathe is the last track and they go out with a strong one and is a great album closer that should be used a ‘what is modern thrash’ example.
I’ve got to say the whole thing sounds great, its heavy and has that clarity to allow you to hear everything. There is a hunger on display, and you get the feeling that these songs will increase in speed once they are brought out into the live environment. Any criticism I have is with that instrumental, it really affects the flow and like I said sapped the momentum built up which the album struggled to recover from. In their defence the final two songs go some way to addressing this and overall, it is a solid, modern take on thrash metal. 6/10
Sunbeam Overdrive - Diama (Tentacles Industries/Season Of Mis) [James Jackson]
Something about the word Overdrive that reminds me not of BTO but instead it’s the 90’s sketch show, Harry Enfield’s Television Programme featuring Harry and Paul Whitehouse as DJ’s for the fictional radio station FAB FM; they’d play You Aint Seen Nothing Yet in every episode with the push of a lever.
Sunbeam Overdrive however play a blend of styles under the rather umbrella like term of Prog; throw enough guitar virtuoso ramblings and some odd time changed into the mix and you can potentially call it whatever the hell you want.
One of the things I find interesting about this album is that there are some great riffs on display but for every time I feel connected to the music something comes along and ruins it; I’m all for solos, I like a good guitar solo, but this kind of guitar wankery is just not my thing. I like to hear layers within the music, one of my favourite styles is that of the likes of Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, not the screaming Black Metal but the Symphonic Gothic elements to how they sound. I find the layers of the traditional sound of guitar, bass and drums mixed with keys and choral harmonies makes the music feel whole, really turned it up to 11.
Oh and I love a good violin piece mixed with that sound too, here however there’s too much going on and not enough to actually make me want to listen to it. A lot of it sounds disconnected where it ought to feel whole, a sum of its parts but maybe that’s just me. It’s been a struggle to be honest and, I think I’ve said this before, life’s too short to be forcing yourself to listen to an album that’s doing nothing for you. 3/10