The Dust Coda – Loco Paradise (Earache Records)
Three albums deep and The Dust Coda are a force to be rockend with (geddit?). Their previous two albums have done a lot to establish them as ones to watch on the UK scene, their most recent effort Mojo Skyline, saw the band evolving into an act they threatened to be on their debut.
Louder, ballsier and brasher, it was a rugged rock record where John Drake (vocals/guitar), Adam Mackie (lead guitar), Scott Miller (drums) and Tony Ho (bass) became one of THE names in the NWOCR. Many publications praised them for their blues rock realness and Sunset Strip flair, ours included so I was excited to hear The Dust Coda 2023 would sound like.
Since the second album the London rockers have toured across the world winning new audiences and fans with their great live presence and catalogue of songs. This experience of the world has been channeled into Loco Paradise which the band claim is their most experimental, experienced record to date. Using everything that makes them great but going 'loco' with braver compositions and less restraint as to what 'rock' is. Recorded in just a week with all the band and production crew living together in the Chapel Studios, the songs evolved naturally in front of them, becoming the 54 minute rock record it is today.
I can hear elements of Led Zeppelin or Rival Sons on the psychadelic slow burn of Come The Night, meanwhile The Streets meanwhile is a some acoustic bluesing from the playbook of Paul Rogers or Zep III. In this middle part of the album they slow down but the soulful vocals of John Drake are staged brilliantly.The power is ramped up by the swaggering Rock N Roll Paradise. There's plenty of rock moments on Loco Paradise the lead single Road To Hell, the guitar fireworks of Adam Mackie lighting up his fretboard.
On the last track It Won't Be Long, he has some more restrained fluid soloing. The Dust Coda display their progressive side on Free All The Dancers where it goes to the Traffic, Tony Ho's basslines and Scott Miller's expressive drums powering On Fire, a bit of Americana with some more prog which is a future live staple for sure.
Loco Paradise is the culmination of where The Dust Coda have come from, the previous albums and plenty of touring has sculpted them, into the slick rock n roll machine they are on this third album. With a tour coming up later this year they look set to show these songs where they are meant to be heard, but until then indulge in wonderfully eclectic hard rock. 9/10
Torchbearer – Warrior (Self Released)
Sigh - Live: The Eastern Forces Of Evil 2022 (Peaceville Records)
Referencing their 1997 album The Eastern Force Of Evil, Live: The Eastern Forces Of Evil 2022 is exactly what it says on the tin a live show from 2022 where Japanese extreme metal veterans display what they have been bringing to the live stage for 30 years and on the back of their most recent release Shiki, this record brings song from that album to life as well as old favourites, from their extensive history of albums.
Stillbeing - World Builder (Self Released)
If Fear Factory jammed Laibach tracks with Devin Townsend and Eric Serra, the result would be something similar to Stillbeing. Ambient waves of atmosphere counterpointed by heavy industrial doom riffs, the vocals used sparingly, guest vocalists including Jei Doublerice (Despite Exile), Mingyu Shi, Sebastian Bracht and some spoken word from Chelsea Murphy (Dawn of Ouroboros, Cailleach Calling), the music is the focus here.