Tag Archives: James Conway

Alcest – Shelter

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promoWe all knew it was going to happen. Having hinted that the musical voyage of Alcest was likely to head into pastures new, 2014 sees Neige finally shed the last vestiges of metal, let-alone any lingering black metal leanings from the two-piece band he has led since as far back as 1999, allowing Alcest to emerge, blinking into the light like a newborn butterfly. It’s a beautiful transition and one that will be met by fans of the band with strong feelings of pride, akin to witnessing a loved one succeed against all odds. Because feelings of love and pride are unavoidable when listening to Shelter (Prophecy Productions), Alcest’s fourth full length release.

Despite claiming never to have been a fan of shoegaze, the much maligned genre of music that saw acts such as My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive briefly gain prominence in the early 90s before being castigated and abandoned due to their impenetrable wall-of-sound approach and standstill stage performances, here Alcest have crafted the finest album ever associated with the genre. This is a record of shimmering chords, leisurely ambience and otherworldly, soaring vocals.

From the opening beauty of ‘Away’ featuring the calm and assured vocals of Neil Halstead of the aforementioned Slowdive through the fuzzy, gradually building distortion of ‘Deliverance’ to the mournful yet optimistic guitar lines of ‘Voix Sereines’ , this is a record of indescribable elegance and grace, the kind of heavenly sounds that deserve to reach a much wider audience. Likely to leave some black metal purists scratching their greasy scalps in confusion if they’re allowed to like this, the truth is that everyone should embrace Shelter for what it is; a captivating and stunning piece of music poured straight from the heart.

9/10

Alcest on Facebook

James Conway


ALBUM REVIEW: Behemoth – The Satanist

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Behemoth-TheSatanist

When Adam Darski aka Nergal, founding member of Polish Blackened Death Metal big hitters Behemoth was diagnosed with leukemia in August 2010, the metal world understandably feared the worst. Coming off the back of the critically acclaimed Evangelion (Nuclear Blast) which topped the charts in their native land, and a hugely successful world tour, it seemed that the quartet’s rapid and deserved rise to the top was to be cruelly dashed by fate. Nergal it seemed, had other ideas.

Refusing to go quietly into that good night, Nergal confronted his illness head on with a fire and passion that left no one in any doubt that he was determined to triumph over it and return to what he does best; shredding like a demon, penning top-notch Death Metal anthems and taking extreme metal to a higher level than ever before. Well the wait is at last over. 2014 sees Behemoth’s glorious, triumphant return with The Satanist (Nuclear Blast/Metal Blade), their tenth album and undoubtedly their best yet.

The riff that snakes through the murk of opening track ‘Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel’ is simplistic, stark and utterly menacing. The repetitive build up expertly raises the tension and levels of excitement to a fever pitch before a skittish blasting section hits you with the force of an avenging angel delivering summary justice. The rest of the track allows every instrument to show off as basslines snake, horns bray and drums race. Oh and Nergal’s vocals sound fantastic; hoarse yet legible, and dripping with presence.

Next track ‘Furor Divinus’ is among one of the deadliest numbers the band have ever recorded; a chaotic and desperate sounding whippersnapper that does more damage in three minutes than most bands manage in thirty while the sinister atmospherics of ‘Messe Noir’ recall sadly missed fellow Satanists Akercocke. However, nothing prepares for the grin-inducing riffage of ‘Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer’ which writhes and grooves like a tortured soul on the Devil’s barbecue. The old adage about the horned one having the best tunes has never been more appropriate here.

The brick to the face that is ‘Amen’ harks back to the brutality of Zos Kia Cultos (Avantegarde) and Demigod (Regain) and features one of the best and shortest solos you’ll ever hear, before the pace slows for the emphatic march of the title track. We are then greeted with the classic sounding ‘Ben Sahar’ which exhibits an aura of demonic grandeur and achieves the trick of sounding unrestrained and coldly in control simultaneously. The rug is then firmly pulled from beneath our feet by ‘In the Absence of Light’ with its ferocious black metal tradeoffs with a mournful spoken word and acoustic passage before closing mini-epic ‘O Father O Satan O Sun!’ defiantly closes proceedings in magisterial style, replete with another baddass solo.

While it would be crass and unfair to say that Behemoth have benefited from the time off, it’s clear that a whole lot of thought and talent has gone into the crafting of The Satanist. The songwriting is clear and consistent, the band sound tight and utterly in control and the album feels like a glorious declaration of victory. Far from rehashing old ideas, Nergal and his cohorts have crafted a concoction of songs with a stunning level of variety, power and bite. This is their best album to date and an early contender for album of the year. Welcome back and fuck cancer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.0/10

Behemoth on Facebook

James Conway

 


Gigan – Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery & Super Science Album Review

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a0362180513_10When it comes to death metal, there are three options. You can play it straight and tread the mainstream festival stages like Hypocrisy, you can go back to the primitive and rot under the floorboards like Autopsy, or in the case of Florida natives Gigan you can blast off into a cold interstellar vortex at warp speed and leave much of the competition charred to ashes in your wake, as the they do on third album Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery & Super Science (Willowtip).

Their name, taken from Kaiju, the Japanese giant monster best known for battling Godzilla is appropriate, for Gigan sound ready to take on just about anyone with their blistering tech-death assault on the senses. Armed with more ideas than their rivals in the blasting stakes and an appreciation for mood and atmosphere that is often lacking when speed takes precedent, this is a record that should gain the band many admirers. The scope of their vision is demonstrated in the opening track ‘Beneath the Sea of Tranquillity’, a nine minute endurance test of fire-bomb riffing, scattergun percussion and furious vocal bellows that call to mind Ulcerate wrestling with Ufomammut in the midst of an exploding star.

The remaining tracks are shorter in length but equal in intensity, such as the punishing attack of ‘Influence through Ritualistic Perception’ and the whirlwind chaos of ‘Mother of Toads’, the latter of which features plenty of innovative drumming alongside the more standard blasts and fills. Comparisons to the likes of Origin are inevitable but Gigan have enough of their own identity to pull in those who couldn’t get enough of the latest Gorguts record; those who like their death metal to be uncertain and dangerous, the way it should be. They’ve certainly achieved that here.

 

8/10

Gigan on Facebook

 

James Conway

 


Robert Dahlqvist – Solo

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download (1)Best known for his work with much-missed rock n’ roll ass kickers The Hellacopters, where ex-Swedish death metal alumni indulged their love for stomping classic rock with a bad attitude, guitarist Robert Dahlqvist has returned with his first solo record, imaginatively titled Solo (Despotz Records). Those hoping for the balls-out garage fury of his previous outfit will find themselves a tad disappointed however, as this is a far more meditative, introspective work. A musician’s album, if you will.

 

After the sombre acoustic tones of opening track ‘Jag Va Kött Och Blod’ we are greeted with a variety of styles such as the fluid Status Quo-esque riffing of ‘Redo Nan Gang’ which will please any stray NWOBHM fans to the echoing, picked melodies of ‘Ingrid Isabel’ and the neutered Rory Erickson meanderings of ‘Inte En Dag’. As you may have guessed, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, and while the songs as a whole are easy to tune in and drop out to, it’s not an album that grabs the attention instantly and demands to be heard. But then again, that’s probably not Dahlqvist’s intention.

 

One major drawback is that the album is sung entirely in Swedish, which should have a significant limit on its widespread appeal. Add in a disparity of styles which means Tygers of Pan Tang-aping dad rockers nestle uncomfortably alongside indulgent, singer-songwriter orientated material and we have a recipe for head scratching rather than nodding. However, the overwhelming feeling is that Dahlqvist is doing this solely for himself and if people happen to play Solo whilst driving down an empty highway or doing the washing up it’s an added bonus. He’s undoubtedly a skilled musician and feels comfortable in his own skin, which is enough in this case.

 

6.0/10

 

Robert Dahlqvist on Facebook

 

James Conway


Oranssi Pazuzu – Valonielu

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1185301_10151629766588553_312929272_nFor those in the know, Finnish quintet Oranssi Pazuzu have been one of the most exciting and talked about bands operating in the labyrinth depths of the black metal underground; their borderline unpronounceable name and freakishly weird take on an established sound has been a tonic to those left cold by the standard blood n’ puke splattered fare from the Land of a Thousand Lakes. 2013 sees the release of third album Valonielu (Svart Records) which in the words of the band themselves may well make good of their stated aim of making music “that invites all the arsonists and smokers to hold hands.”

The psychedelic element to Oranssi Pazuzu’s sound has always sat comfortably with their harder black metal basis, and these two forces weave and combine to great effect throughout the entirety of “Valonielu.” Opening track ‘Vino Verso’ is built around a repetitive mid-paced riff that you may find on a Satyricon B-side; clinical and basic, but it’s the swirling electronica that settles like a narcotic-infused miasma on the listener’s mind; the distorted Theremin creating a creepy, spacy atmosphere that elevates the track into something else altogether. The wandering bassline and rushing synth swells of ‘Tyhjä Temppeli’ take things to an even weirder plateau where warped prog structures meet harsh, strangulated vocals, minus guitars of course. At this point in time, reality already appears to be collapsing in on itself.

Languid dissonance is the order of the day on ‘Uraanisula’, again making use of repetition and eerie keyboards over the course of twelve increasingly harrowing minutes. This could be what happened if Pink Floyd had discovered a copy of the Necronomicon and decided to smoke the pages. The pace increases for the final few minutes with a jagged riff suggesting something truly unholy has been summoned as you feel your mind cracking under the onslaught, not helped by the nightmarish psychedelic vibe that seems to keep finding new ways to antagonise your ears.

Nerves are further frayed by the restless, swirling tones of instrumental Reikä Maisemassa’ and the dense, driving riffs of ‘Olen Aukaissut Uuden Silmän’, the latter of which finally throws in a bit of tremolo picking. It doesn’t last long however, as kaleidoscopic prog rhythms drench proceedings in awesome, alien murk once more. We finish off with a few moments of serenity at the beginning of ‘Ympyrä On Viiva Tomussa’ before a shimmering wall of noise hits home and we are off into the void again, flying helplessly away from earth and sanity. The pounding riff and other assorted noises could have been written by Beherit if they practised in a cave daubed by ancient astronaut hieroglyphs whilst off their tits on peyote and rum, and just in case you’re curious, that’s a good thing.

With Valonielu, Oranssi Pazuzu deserve to join the hallowed ranks of the weird that operate on the fringes of black metal, such as The Meads of Asphodel and A Forest of Stars. The level of originality, avant-garde oddness and raw talent is enough to render the panda-painted orthodox brigade as relevant as whatever Varg Vikernes writes on his blog these days. Is it black metal? Who knows what it is, and who cares? It’s in here now, with us, and that’s all that matters.

9/10

Oranssi Pazuzu on Facebook

James Conway


Sepultura – The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart

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Sepultura_-_The_Mediator_Between_Head_and_Hands_Must_Be_the_Heart_artworkRefusing to listen to the naysayers who urge them to call it a day, Brazilian behemoths Sepultura keep plodding on, like a wheezy dinosaur lumbering on to inevitable extinction with the glory days of the late 80’s and early 90’s when they were releasing utter classics such as Arise a distant memory. They arguably haven’t recorded anything great since frontman Max Cavalera jumped ship in 1996, and while he seems content to keep “focking sheet up” in Soulfly, his former band has taken several turns into angular, left-field territory, with the occasional odd cover thrown in for good measure, on a series of underwhelming releases. Can curiously named new album The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart (Nuclear Blast), their thirteenth studio offering, stop the rot?

Opening track ‘Trauma Of War’ comes as a complete surprise with its serrated Slayer-esque riffing indicating that Sepultura may have at last listened to their loyal fans who just want the band to go back to the old groove/thrash workouts that they did so well. Derrick Green’s gruff vocals are largely buried in the mix, allowing Andreas Kisser to riff hard, while the clinical percussion of Eloy Casagrande does the job nicely, although the tribal rhythms of old are not forthcoming. The abrasive style continues with the blistering ‘The Vatican’ with the band members playing harder and faster than they have done in years. It isn’t quite the old-school Sepultura we know and love but it still sounds pretty damn heavy.

The mid-paced chops of ‘Impending Doom’ call to mind the stripped down style that manifested on the Roots album, but the murkier production ensures that no trace of the nu-metal flourishes that tainted that release are present here. Kisser seems to be mining a deep well of inspiration with badass, swaggering riffs also joining the party, while the sheet metal guitar lines of ‘Manipulation Of Tragedy’ are unspectacular yet searingly proficient, especially when the tribal percussion finally makes an appearance, nicely complementing a breezy solo.

The meaty thrash metal of ‘Tsunami’ calls to mind bands such as The Haunted, who also realised that a bit of weirdness and originality could do wonders to your average thrash record, relaxing the pace in favour of a slightly more angular tempo that gives some variety to proceedings. That said, the monstrous groove of ‘The Bliss Of Ignorants’ takes no prisoners with its route one approach, with Green making himself heard with a series of loud bellows. The pace slows down even further on the well-worked ‘Grief’ alternating between tranquil calm and crushing walls of noise while things get even better on the kinetic riffage and brooding atmospherics of ‘The Age Of the Atheist’ with Kisser again demonstrating his knack for flashy solos and gnarled, crushing riffs.

All in all, this is Sepultura’s best release since Roots came out in 1996. It achieves this by turning up the heaviness dial, with an appreciation for the classics, but also with a foot firmly planted in the modern camp of bands that deftly mix aggression with individuality. Who would have thought it!? It’s taken a long time but the Seps are finally back in business. Let’s hope it isn’t too late.

8/10

James Conway

Sepultura – Facebook

 


Monster Magnet – Last Patrol

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monster-magnet-last-patrolArguably one of the most prominent bands to fly the good ship Space rock, New Jersey star-gazers Monster Magnet have been around for well over two decades now, releasing several well-received records. Their songs regularly feature in Hollywood films and they’ve even had a Marvel Comics mutant named after one of their songs. There have been downsides however, with frontman Dave Wyndorf’s well-documented struggle with drug addiction threatening to scupper everything.  However 2013 sees Wyndorf supposedly back on the straight and narrow and eager to prove the Monster Magnet is still turned on with Last Patrol (Napalm Records).Continue reading →


Vista Chino – Peace

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Vista-Chino-Peace-800x800Reunions can be wonderful things. Bands get to re-live the halcyon glory of days long past, riding a wave of rose-tinted nostalgia from critics who still wax lyrical about their seminal debut album some 20-odd years ago, and for fans who lap up the chance to see their heroes in the flesh and hear the old classics they know and love so well. New material is an added bonus, for often these reunited acts are content to let their existing body of work do the talking, and fear the criticism of a far more critical audience with shorter attention spans than those before. However, these glory-filled reunions can go badly wrong, as Vista Chino discovered recently.Continue reading →


Commuters And Violent Antics – An Interview With Coilguns

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Coilguns band 1Coilguns may be one of the most intense live bands you’ll ever experience. Ghost Cult caught up with Louis Jucker (vocals) and Jona Nido (guitars) to discuss their enthralling debut album, the band’s innovative approach to music and Louis’ rather disturbing stage antics.Continue reading →


The Ocean – Pelagial

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The Ocean - PelagialWith their fondness for double-albums, imposing sound and dense lyrical themes concerning all manner of philosophical concepts, Berlin’s The Ocean have tended to put some newcomers off, who find the band as vast and unfathomable as what they’re named after. But while this trepidation is perhaps justified, those willing to take the plunge and take to the depths of Pelagial will be richly rewarded, for there’s a plethora of treasure to be found.Continue reading →