Polish alternative metallers Chemia is streaming their new music video for “I Love You So Much,” off of their new album Let Me, out on February 5, 2016 via SPV below.
Tag Archives: SPV
Saxon – Battering Ram
I was thirteen years old, staying up late and listening to The Friday Rock Show on an old transistor radio the first time I heard Saxon. My parents were sleeping in the next room, so clearly not wanting to be disturbed by my latest, and somewhat “interesting” choice in music (a school friend had only introduced me to Metal a few weeks before) had told me to “keep it down”. A lot. So, with the volume knob set infuriatingly low, I did my best to listen to Tommy Vance (RIP) introducing the band’s latest single, ‘Do It All For You’, and was completely blown away by their singer. By god, she sounded fantastic!
Wait, what?
Yes, thanks to the combination of a lack of volume and a tinny 3” mono speaker, I was convinced Saxon were fronted by a girl. It came as quite a shock a few weeks later, while flicking through the pages of a popular, then bi-weekly music magazine, to discover their singer was actually a big northern bloke called Biff Byford. Okay, his hair was ridiculously bouncy and he wore skintight spandex leggings, but he was most definitely NOT a lady.
In more recent years, the hair may have become a little less fluffy and the waistlines might be a little larger, but the band have never strayed (too) far from their original path. After the rather lightweight Destiny (EMI) in 1988, the band released a sequence of enjoyable, if somewhat unspectacular albums, but 2004’s Lionheart (SPV) appeared to give them a new lease of life. Every release since then has maintained the same high standard and that trend continues with latest offering, Battering Ram (UDR).
Kicking things off in emphatic style, the bruising title track is quickly followed by ‘The Devil’s Footprint’, a song based on a story from 1855 where a number of townships believed cloven hoof prints found in the snow one morning belonged to the devil. After briefly tricking me into thinking my computer had developed a stutter, the stop-start riff of ‘Queen of Hearts’ quickly transforms into one of the album’s finest moments, and while ‘Destroyer’ may not be the most original of titles, it’s certainly appropriate as Biff attempts to demolish his vocal cords at the song’s climax.
By this point, I’m starting to wonder if Battering Ram contains any bad tracks at all. ‘Hard and Fast’ and ‘Eye of the Storm’ answer my question with a resounding no, but things do drop off a little with ‘Stand Your Ground’, which for all its speed and neat little middle section, doesn’t really go anywhere. ‘Top Of the World’ immediately steadies the (barely) wobbling ship anyway, and is followed by the almost Sabbath-esque crawl of ‘To The End’. David Bower of Derbyshire NWOBHMers Hell lends his considerable voice talents to six minute ‘The Kingdom of the Cross’, a darkly atmospheric song about the First World War, while “bonus track” ‘Three Sheets to the Wind’ rounds things off a little strangely. A throwaway drinking song which sounds a little out of place coming after such a brooding, melancholic masterpiece.
With producer Andy Sneap at the helm, the album sounds fantastic. The guitars are razor sharp, the drums are big, the bass is clear, and Biff’s vocals ring out as powerfully as they have ever done.
Now, if only they’d go back to doing videos featuring desert roads and big American trucks…
8.0/10
GARY ALCOCK
Raven – ExtermiNation
If Armored Saint’s new album, Win Hands Down (Metal Blade) taught us anything, it’s that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel or ignore your legacy to make a good album. Despite having been going since the mid-seventies, British NWOBHM crew Raven still know how to crank out an energetic slab of rock.
ExtermiNation (SPV/Steamhammer) is the 80s speed metal veterans’ 13th album and one they funded through Kickstarter late last year. The band, consisting of Gallagher brothers John and Mark [Bass/vocals and guitar respectively] plus drummer Joe Hasselvander do a good job of defying their years and combine plenty of energy with “shove in as many riffs as possible” approach to song writing.
On their Kickstarter page, the band billed ExtermiNation as “the best Raven album yet.” That might be a stretch for any band with such a lengthy legacy, but it’s definitely a raucous ride. There’s plenty of pounding drums, squealing guitars and crowd-pleasing sing along moments. Raven’s ability to mesh those Megadeth-esque speed metal moments with the more mid-paced NWOBHM chugging and even borderline AOR melody is probably their strongest asset. Not of it is particularly aggressive – it’s more fists in the air than fist to the face – but they know how to craft a few good tunes.
‘Thunder Down Under’ mixes AC/DC groove with beefed up rock, while the likes of ‘No Surrender’ and ‘Battle March/Tank Treads (The Blood Runs Red)’ and have a classic Iron Maiden style regard to squealing guitar leads. Gallagher’s vocals range from a simple shout right through to the kind of falsetto more suited to (now defunct) 3 Inches of Blood – and might be the strongest but suit the band’s rough around the edges sound. The more ballad/melody-oriented songs drag on and there are times when it all gets a bit too hackneyed, but the whole it’s a surprisingly enjoyable listen.
As many imitators as the whole NWOBHM scene as, there’s a reason the original acts are still seen as the best. Few bands can combine that energy, catchiness and ability to make you smile. It’s not big, clever, or anything we haven’t heard a thousand times elsewhere, but ExtermiNation is a simple and enjoyable slice of good time rock that harks back to metal’s heyday.
7.0/10
DAN SWINHOE
Music Video: Agent Fresco – See Hell; Destrier Out August 7th
Icelandic foursome Agent Fresco are streaming their Freyr Árnason and Gísli Þór Brynjólfsson directed music video for “See Hell,” off of their new album Destrier out August 7, 2015 via Long Branch Records / SPV worldwide (except Record Records in Iceland).
Destrier Track Listing
01: Let Them See Us
02: Dark Water
03: Pyre
04: Destrier
05: Wait For Me
06: Howls
07: The Autumn Red
08: Citadel
09: See Hell
10: Let Fall The Curtain
11: Bemoan
12: Angst
13: Death Rattle
14: Mono No Aware
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Prong – Songs from the Black Hole
I’ve never really taken to Prong, strange though it seems. Energetic and bruising, they nevertheless come across a tad light-heartedly for me, and that’s sometimes the case with latest album Songs from the Black Hole (SPV GmbH).
A set of lesser-known Punk covers, the opening draft of Discharge‘s ‘Doomsday’ rips up trees with its pace and ferocity; Tommy Victor‘s acidic growl and rapid bursts of leadplay enlivening a great start. It’s on the ensuing ‘Vision Thing’, however, a gothic classic given a Blink182-meets-Desert feel, that the irritation begins: the largely laconic vocal blunting a subtle yet driving riff, turning the track into that awful ‘Nu-Punk’ stuff that blighted metal in the 90s. No doubt the band are trying to retain the feel of the originals while slapping on their own slant, but that cheapens the sound in some areas; the chopping bullet riff of the Butthole Surfers‘ ‘Goofy’s Concern’ diluted by that throwaway, almost disinterested vocal. The Adolescents‘ ‘Kids of the Black Hole’, though, is given a crucial kick by a more urgent, sputtered delivery, some pinpoint pace changes and a real snarling attitude with riffs and lead pulsing viciously together culminating in a brooding atmosphere enhanced by a rumbling bass.
As well as questioning the need for a band of Prong’s stature to produce such an album, it’s the lack of substance, immediacy, a paucity of real feeling and belief which ultimately disappoints despite the occasionally feisty rampage such as the version of Black Flag‘s ‘Bars’. If only the emotive, baiting ‘Seeing Red’ with its staccato riff, pounding drums and true Killing Joke evocations was the norm rather than the exception, this would be a joyous reworking of understated favourites. Even the catchy, driving riff of Fugazi‘s ‘Give Me the Cure’ seems to miss an edge, a vitality that only appears in the angered chorus.
There’s no doubting the “fun” aspect, nor the quality of the musicianship, but overall this could be a really decent pub band working through a hard-edged set. If Prong want to prove their relevance, this isn’t the trick to do it. Go and stream the originals, kids.
6.0/10
PAUL QUINN
UFO Releasing A Conspiracy Of Stars in February, Euro Tour Dtes Announced
Veteran UK/US rock outfit UFO has a new album A Conspiracy Of Stars coming out via SPV on February 23, 2015 in Europe, February 20, 2015 in Germany and March 3, 2015 in the US. The record was produced and mixed in Kentish town of Deal by Chris Tsangarides (Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore).
The band has a European tour set, which dates posted below:
FEBRUARY
Feb 20: Rautenkranz – Barby (Germany)
Feb 21: K17 – Berlin (Germany)
Feb 22: Saal Stock – Hagen/Osnabrück (Germany)
Feb 23: Downtown Blues Club – Hamburg (Germany)
Feb 25: Alte Seilerei – Mannheim (Germany)
Feb 26: Zeche – Bochum (Germany)
Feb 27: Kubana – Siegburg (Germany)
Feb 28: Zur Linde – Affalter (Germany)
MARCH
Mar 02: Mau Club – Rostock (Germany)
Mar 04: Stodola – Warsaw (Poland)
Mar 05: Forum Palace – Vilnius (Lithuania)
Mar 06: Kwadrat – Krakow (Poland)
Mar 07: Masters of Rock Café – Zlin (Czech Rep.)
Mar 09: Riffelhof – Burgrieden/Ulm (Germany)
Mar 10: Dorster Festhalle – Osterode (Germany)
Mar 11: Jazzhaus – Freiburg (Germany)
Mar 12: Choller Halle – Zug (Switzerland)
APRIL
Apr 16: Waterfront – Norwich (England)
Apr 17: Junction – Cambridge (England)
Apr 18: Wulfrun Hall – Wolverhampton (England)
Apr 19: Ritz – Manchester (England)
Apr 21: The Academy – Dublin (Ireland)
Apr 22: The Limelight – Belfast (N. Ireland)
Apr 24: O2 ABC – Glasgow (England)
Apr 25: O2 Academy – Newcastle (England)
Apr 26: O2 Academy – Leeds (England)
Apr 28: Rock City – Nottingham (England)
Apr 30: O2 Academy – Bristol (England)
MAY
May 01: Pavilion – Falmouth (England)
May 02: Phoenix – Exeter (England)
May 03: City Hall – Salisbury (England)
May 05: Concorde 2 – Brighton (England)
May 06: O2 Academy – Oxford (England)
May 07: HMV Forum – London (England)
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Prong – Ruining Lives
Tommy Victor (Danzig/Ministry) is at it again with his industrial/thrash outfit known as Prong. The newest release from the 3-piece is entitled Ruining Lives (Steamhammer/SPV), but I wouldn’t say my life is ruined since listening to this album. I have never had the opportunity to listen to Prong up until this point, but I was pleasantly surprised at all of the elements that Prong attack their listeners with. Industrial guitar tones, punk/thrash drum beats, the occasional break down, and the uniqueness behind Tommy’s voice were all present on this album and jive really well together.
For my first time listening to Prong I would say overall it was a positive experience and I will be digging for more as soon as I can. Having said that, I felt like the first four tracks were missing something that make them memorable to me. Maybe it was because the songs were not as aggressive as I had hoped. Perhaps the breakdowns seemed a little too forced and just put in to kill time. My philosophy, however, is to keep moving forward with the album and stay engaged with it. This time, I would say it worked out. From the album title track on through to the closing seconds of ‘Limitations and Validations’ I was head banging more and really digging the grooves that were being presented. The breakdowns, when they did occur, felt right. The aggression factor certainly increased exponentially as well where the guitars seemed to come alive and take a stranglehold on each track. Most importantly, these tracks became memorable, which is arguably the most important characteristic a song can have in this day in age where you can purchase single songs off of applications such as iTunes. Personally, I will buy and listen to a full album and listen to it front to back as intended so I can get the full feeling from the artists who wrote and recorded it. In other words, I buy a whole painting with a frame, not just a chunk of the painting that has some happy trees in it and ignore the beautiful mountains in the background. So to shift gears back to Prong, I would say my favorites off of this album were ‘Ruining Lives’, ‘Absence of Light’ , ‘Self Will Run Riot’, and ‘Limitations and Validations.’
The best part of finally getting to listen to Prong, was to listen to all the little bits and pieces that reminded me of other bands/artists who cite Tommy as an influence. Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory, Jonathan Davis from Korn, and even Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails all seem to utilize small pieces of Tommy’s work and it is even clearly seen off of Ruining Lives today. It is safe to say that Prong is not only a very important piece of the extreme musical world of today, but Tommy and company can still hang with the best as they have proved here on their latest.
6.5/10
TIM LEDIN
Chimaira – Crown Of Phantoms
Over the last few years, Chimaira have been through tons of upheaval. The band are no strangers to line-up changes throughout their existence, but this time around only singer Mark Hunter remained. The current lineup consists of (former) Daath, Dirge Within and Bleed The Sky members. Let’s see whether Chimaira 2.0 is able to keep the flame alive.Continue reading
The Merit Of Consistency – An Interview With Sodom
When it comes down to quality thrash metal, few deliver it better than the German 30-year veterans Sodom. With their 14th album release recently clocked up, Ghost Cult thought it was time we sat down with founding singer/bassist Tom Angelripper to probe his mind on everything Sodom, his views on the new generation of thrash metal bands, and how to get made—and stay made—in the music business.Continue reading
A Pale Horse Named Death – Lay My Soul To Waste
Creating somber music was something Type O Negative made a career out of throughout the 1990s, and Sal Abruscato knows this well. Being part of the band’s first two iconic releases – Slow Deep & Hard and Bloody Kisses, as well as Life of Agony’s first two classic releases – River Runs Red and Ugly…he knows a thing or two about bringing out the darker side of life in his music.Continue reading