Crown Magnetar - Everything Bleeds (Unique Leader Records) [Mark Young]
Ten songs in 31 minutes, I can get behind that because I am in a rush today. We know that press releases that accompany any new release get the trumpets out, proclaiming this, saying that, well after a sludgy start Nail Funeral decides to put its size 10 down and this thing just motors, guitar and vocals twinned with that low but clear attack, and it just slays. From here on in it just batters you as they weave in and out of different tempos, vocals switch from screams and growls which are just superb.
Some of it is absolutely blinding, The Level Beneath starts with a soft moment that gets the boot and they then proceed to rip a hole in you for the next 3 minutes, its brutal and you can only wonder how this would be live. Its not technical in the ‘widdly widdly employ every note possible’ sense and when they do break out the solo in Everything Bleeds it fits within the build of the song so well that you need to go back and listen to it again.
There is no let up at all, and definitely no ballads anywhere to be found here. What I really loved about it was despite the constant sonic assault none of the songs repeated or ploughed the same path as the one before. There has to be some records broken on here for speed because some of it is lightning quick without losing that full on attack, they promised us. Only The Spine Remains is an incredible example of this, mixing that approach so well.
Ending on Prismatic Tomb, this is a tour-de-force of a closer. It is possibly the strongest track here by virtue that it allows them to open their sound up without losing any of the nastiness they have displayed on the run up to it. Hearing an album that can A, make good on a promise is a rare thing and B, can maintain that level of quality and consistency is rarer still. They just nail it on both counts, as there are no duff tracks here and there is no let up because they do exactly what they said they would do – pulverise. 8/10
Evile - The Unknown (Napalm Records) [Mark Young]
The Unknown is Evile’s latest opus following on the heels of Hell Unleashed. This Sixth album sees them taking a more controlled route to sonic mayhem which suggests that the thrash metal genre is becoming a little tired for them or that they have gotten tired of it. Either way it represents a new direction for them, one that they hope you will be onboard with.
One thing that struck me in the accompanying press release was the comment that ‘thrash does not have to be fast-paced’ which I wholeheartedly disagree with. Thrash is supposed to be frenetic, manic with tempos that hammer you. Its tunnel vision excitement so If you are consciously making a decision to write slower songs (and it is their right to do so) then please don’t mention thrash. Anyway, I just wanted to get that off my chest.
So, what we have is an album that is heavy on the heavy, mid-tempo, crushing riffs. The opener, The Unknown is straight out of latter-day Metallica and is a good start, but (you knew it was coming) maybe a little pedestrian. Its riffy, has a quality solo but it didn’t hit me as it should. The Mask We Wear continues on that path, down picked and muted AF but again reminds me of the Black Album Metallica (yes, yes, I know – if you liked that, then you will love this) and these two songs are probably better than anything the M-boys have done in years. So much so that the first four songs are taken from the same cloth, its not that they are rotten it’s just that I am completely ambivalent to them.
Sleepless Eyes then screams in from the left, and I mean screams in. This is absolutely spot on with the riffing on point and is weapons grade thrash that fills me with joy. The solo is just mental, and l love it. They follow this with the equally speedy Out Of Sight which shows that they have a ton left in the tank to be able to write top class stuff like this. These two will cause carnage live, make no mistake.
At Mirrors speech drops back once more but has some propulsive riffing going on that provides the necessary push to keep you engaged with it whilst Reap What You Sow gives you more of the same. It’s not necessarily fast but it has a good energy to it. Beginning Of The End comes in against a building beat and guitars and the double bass is here. This has that feeling of movement to it, where they squeeze more than they should out of its chosen speed, and we come to the album’s end with Balance Of Time which closes us out on a high note. Its heavy, fast and rounds out proceedings with a fully leaded, high velocity beast of a thing.
In all honesty, I’m not sure how I feel about it. Of the 10 songs here, probably half really hit with me and the others come across as though the Black Album has been used extensively as a template. The opening quartet set the scene here and they are good songs, but they do not grab me in the way that truly class songs should do, be they fast or slow. Saying that, I would suggest you give this album a go, I believe that live these songs will grow a little and maybe pick up a little pace here and there. They are certainly heavy enough but ultimately, they are missing something. 6/10
Cathalepsy - Blood And Steel (ROAR! Rock Of Angels) [Matt Bladen]
Two Chilean musicians playing classic/neoclassical/heavy metal with a multitude of guests. You can sort of guess what this album is going to sound like Luigi Ansaldi founded the band, he's the composer, writer and drummer of this album along with Fabian Valdés on guitar/bass, its been a band but is now a project, Blood And Steel the second album from Luigi with Fabian on board he's got a great foil for this fist pumping heavy metal. Because they are basically the rhythm section of this band they have to have a number of guests on the guitar solos and vocals.