Ask a proud American to identify the EoB and they’ll gaze, either wistfully or with revolution in mind, toward a grand old building not far from Pennsylvania Avenue. 2018, however, has given birth to another EoB – the Evolution of Boom, a kind of cultural reworking of the Low-End chords which brought all manner of sounds into the realm of enjoyment for the average music listener.Continue reading
Ulver’s Sic Transit Gloria Mundi (House of Mythology) stands as a kind of unofficial conclusion to the vision set out in 2017’s The Assassination of Julius Caesar, comprising a selection of cuts from the final draft, and select live recordings.Continue reading
Nearly twenty years into this twenty first century of ours, and retro is once again the chicest tone in town. Fuzzed, bluesy guitars, seventies licks and threads, and an aching earnestness for a sound of yesteryear is where the coolest of cats are chilling. And down such alleyways we find Belgian quartet Black Mirrors and their impressive full length debut Look Into The Black Mirror (Napalm).Continue reading
2018 has, so far, been the year of the Holy Roar, and their collective of alternative takes on challenging and artistic music has seen the label rack up a string of successes with a variety of bands with some very different sounds, all united by a desire to create evocative and provocative music. Sam Jarvis, guitarist of UK post-rock innovators Talons spoke to Ghost Cult to cover all things ‘We All Know’, the band’s third album overall, and first for Holy Roar…Continue reading
Black Salvation bequeaths to the world their newest opus Uncertainty Is Bliss (Relapse) and black light owners, black eyeliner wearers, and foppish goths rejoice. It’s a heady mixture of Siouxsie and the Banshees, X, and Echo and the Bunnymen. Uncertainty is Bliss is loud and bombastic and is meant to be played on 11. Continue reading
The world is awash with Heavy Metal supergroups. But the pool of mega-star filled bands that actually delivered anything of real quality, however, is shallow indeed. Luckily, Legend of the Seagullmen might just be one of the weirdest super groups to deliver an album drowning in quality.Continue reading
Nick Cave, by Alwin Kuchler
Australian music legend Nick Cave has thrown his support behind the campaign to raise Suicide Awareness for the Warlpiri community of Lajamanu in the Australian Tanami Desert, who are crowdfunding an indigenous suicide prevention app. Continue reading
Like many bands who enjoy a sudden rise to prominence, King 810 have attracted more than their fair share of detractors on their way into the public eye. From accusations of glamorizing gun violence to being just another bunch of wannabees lifting their Neo Nu-Metal sound from acts like Slipknot and Korn, the band now have the opportunity to silence many of their critics with their second full length release, La Petite Mort or A Conversation With God (Roadrunner).
Heavy metal is my world, and has been for decades, but the word “heavy” itself can be used to describe other types of music as well. Sure, hearing Pantera play ‘Suicide Note Pt. II’ live was the heaviest thing my ears have ever heard, but I’m talking about the heavy music that hits your heart as well. For example, when you hear ‘Redemption Song’ by Bob Marley, or Johnny Cash‘s cover of ‘Hurt,’ your whole soul feels like it has been taken over by the artist until the song ends. That’s the heavy I’m talking about, and last Friday Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released the heaviest record of 2016.Continue reading
It seems that being in one band just isn’t enough for some musicians these days. Especially within the European Power and Symphonic Metal scenes. Quite possibly two of the most (musically) incestuous genres of all, there seems to be an unwritten law that every band has to release an album featuring a bare minimum of one special guest, or contain at least two members who have performed, produced or written material for no fewer than three other bands. So it comes as no surprise to find that the first release from Phantasma, a collective effort from Charlotte Wessels (Delain), Georg Neuhauser (Serenity) and Oliver Philipps (Everon), contains performances from no less than six guest musicians. As enticing as that prospect may be to fans of the acts involved, it’s all too common for collaborations like this to end with mixed or disappointing results, and The Deviant Hearts (Napalm) is no exception.
Opening with a nice, but rather twee sounding duet from Wessels and Neuhauser, the piano played ‘Incomplete’ sounds like it would have been more at home at the end of the record rather than the beginning. Evergrey vocalist Tom Englund lends his voice to the powerful title track, and things continue in good form with ‘Runaway Gray’. Easily the best track on the album, it features a superb performance by Wessels, with more than a hint of James Bond theme song about the verses, and even a touch of Rush during the middle section.
Things take a hefty downward turn, however, with ‘Try’. A horribly overwrought ballad featuring Trans-Siberian Orchestra singer Chloe Lowery, who although clearly capable of belting out high notes with ease, seems unable to sing softly without her voice cracking on almost every line. ‘Enter Dreamscape’ is a substantial improvement on the previous track, but it’s still just standard fare which sounds like it could have been written for any band within the genre.
‘Miserable Me’ begins by slowing down and reworking the tune to ‘Money, Money, Money’ by Abba before plodding off to nowhere interesting. Duet ‘The Lotus and the Willow’ is an attempt at recreating the Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue classic ‘Where The Wild Roses Grow’ but falls miles short of the mark. An insipid and forgettable tune, the song only lifts off momentarily during its Top Gun-esque guitar solo. ‘Crimson Course’ is another nondescript song that sounds like it could have been written for anyone, and the only memorable thing about ‘Carry Me Home’ is the return of that Top Gun style guitar solo.
By now, everything has started to sound like music from movies and other bands, and ‘The Sound of Fear’ does nothing to change that by appearing to be several old songs at once. The upbeat ‘Novaturient’ rescues things a little until it tries to be Meat Loaf, and ‘Let It Die’ closes proceedings as best it can, but it’s essentially just another song with nothing more to offer than a reasonably strong chorus.
At its best, The Deviant Hearts is a good, listenable album with two or three memorable songs, a handful of strong choruses, and some excellent vocal performances by Wessels and Neuhauser. But for the most part, it’s just a collection of songs not strong enough to make it onto the albums of any of the bands involved.
5.5/10
GARY ALCOCK