The HU – Rumble of Thunder (Better Noise)
The HU and their joyful rock laced with Mongolian folk condiments rode into our collective consciences with 2019’s brilliant The Gereg, establishing themselves immediately by managing to produce something new, yet simultaneously neither novelty nor cheesy despite its requisite ingredients. A skilful piece of musical chef-ery indeed. Second time around, the HU have sought to refine things a little, less bold in some of their choices, yet with an eye on producing something more palatable to more people now that the attention has been piqued.
With fewer rougher edges, opening track ‘This Is Mongol’ is free to shake its light rock undercoat and summon us in before ‘YUT Hovende’ struts in with a slower swagger, blending the magic mix of the trademark elements of their sound – the horsehead fiddle, the jew’s harp and the throat-sung vocals all underpinning. There’s a western country feel to ‘Teach Me’, before standout track ‘Upright Destined Mongol’ is brash and resplendent, dripping in seventies AC/DC sleaze. ‘Black Thunder’ is another highlight, building to a rousing rock-crash ending.
Having spent the time buffing and polishing their style, Rumble of Thunder adds to the growing legacy of The HU. This is no curio or gimmick, The HU have produced another joyous album of earworms, bounce, and hook, all while retaining all the key parts that make them so special and unique.
7 / 10
Revival Black – Under The Light (TMR Rock)
It comes as something of a surprise that Revival Black come from the north west of England, and not a sun-drenched southern state from across the Atlantic, ‘Broken Home’ isn’t a million miles from the sort of anthem that Black Stone Cherry littered their early releases with. And it comes as an even greater surprise as to how nascent their journey is, with Under The Light only their second full-length. There’s a confidence, assuredness and level of musicality, production and quality that is more prevalent on albums released via one of the big-boys, rather than bluesy UK five-pieces on their own imprint.
Across the length of the impressive Under The Light we are treated to a series of assured rocking pieces, from the statement of a hard rockin’ opener, ‘Believe’ through the more epic mid-album masterpiece of ‘Hemispheres’ to the boogie bounce of ‘Wrong Side’ that wouldn’t sound out of place as a lighter moment on an Alter Bridge album of choice. With the four musicians laying down a variety of quality tunes, fifth member vocalist Dan Byrne is an impressive lead, able to comfortably deliver the goods.
7 / 10
Long Distance Calling – Eraser (earMUSIC)
Keeping instrumental music as interesting as releases that have the multi-faceted benefit of vocals is a tough, tough gig, but it is one that this German progressive / post-metal four-piece have become somewhat adept at over the years. More than adept, once might say, as they prove once again on Eraser, their eighth full-length offering.
And they succeed by expertly crafting a moving, flowing set of pieces, beginning with the melodic progressive metal of ‘Blades’, a track that plays out like Queensryche without vocals, that rolls into ‘Kamilah’ and its cascading coda. A slow darkness permeates ‘500 Years’, resplendent with a waspish slide solo that gives way to a brooding post-metal section before building to headbanging chug.
And there are even more facets to help set Long Distance Calling apart, as the contemplative saxophone musings of ‘Sloth’, a track that authentically takes its time to usher in a stunning solo in the style and vein of one Dave Gilmour, is understated and meaningful, but if it’s chops rather than feel you want, the quartet use their technical skills to deliver in a dynamic way, never succumbing to unnecessary flashiness, such as the repetitive motif of ‘Landless King’ that delivers us to a lower string roll of an ending.
It turns out that, in the kingdom of the vocal-less, the storyteller is the king…
7 / 10
Miss May I – Curse of Existence (Sharptone)
Known for ensuring that the metal is the key semantic in their brand of metalcore, Ohio’s Miss May I are back with enthusiastic and feisty Curse of Existence, following up five years on from Shadows Inside (their first for Sharptone) and an album that saw something of a critical reinvention, even if the sales didn’t appear to follow suit.
So, even though they are pushing the second half of their second decade as a band, there still feels plenty to prove, and that much is evident in the blistering, unrelenting first half of the album… drums pound, riffs are precision surgical steel and Levi Benton’s harsh vocals sound ripped from an underground Gothenberg death metal classic from the mid-nineties. Ably supported by Ryan Neff’s uncanny knack for dropping in a vocal hook without overly sweetening the melting pot, ‘Bleed Together’, ‘Into Oblivion’ and ‘Destroyers’, in particular, show that Miss May I still have something to say, while ‘Hollow Vessel’ scythes like a Scandinavian six-string warrior. Add all this to some bottom string chug and bump, and some progressions not a million miles from the successes Trivium have found on their latest (brilliant) three albums. Curse of Existence isn’t going to elevate Miss May I to the status Heafy and co have ascended to, but it is a hefty, aggressive reminder that, when done right, classic metalcore, with a reliance on the metal, is a worthy form indeed.
7 / 10
Beach Rats – Rat Beat (Epitaph)
While never boxing themselves into a corner, and always casting their net wide, Epitaph Records name and reputation was established and built on punk rock. While you can all read the Epitaph wiki page for yourselves, it is no surprise that forty years into the label’s being that a collective containing Brian Baker (Bad Religion, Minor Threat), Ari Katz (Lifetime), Pete Steinkopf and Bryan Keinlen (Bouncing Souls) would find a home for their Beach Rats project.
With the band members finding themselves as beachy neighbours, and figuring some COVID-safe rehearsing and writing practices, the output of their sessions is a brash and punchy twelve tracks of punk most authentic, hitting the bitter spot of formative true sound of the underground, with nods to Negative Effect, Poison Idea and others, though all pushed through a filter of four decades of songwriting and success to produce a twenty-minute speedball that pushes the ante (‘Summers End’) while also pitching melodic hardcore touches (‘Beach Talk’).
You know what you’re getting, but the same is said a great many things we go back to again and again. Predictability is underrated, particularly when the protagonists are both naturals and damn good at what they’re doing.
7 / 10
STEVE TOVEY