Mold is a small, quaint market town in the north east region of Wales. Typical of settlements in this Celtic country, it has roots going back may hundreds of years. Nowadays, there are numerous good pubs and restaurants and a really good record shop (among many other businesses). Though why The Death Wheelers decided to write an album dedicated to the town, I have no idea. Mold is, however, only the English name – in Welsh it is Yr Wyddgrug, which sounds much more metal.
“Ecstasy of Möld” is a new album by The Death Wheelers, their fourth for RidingEasy Records. They originate from Quebec, and if you’re not familiar with the band, they create hard rockin’ instrumentals that sound like a soundtrack for a long lost, scuzzy grindhouse flick about zombie bikers.
Following the short first track ‘Loud Pipes Take Lives’, which sets out the style template succinctly, we have ‘Homicycle Maniacs’. It’s a full on, throttle revving gas guzzler not a million miles away from Motorhead or even Entombed. Other tracks such as ‘Hella Hammered’ and ‘Blood, Bikes and Barbiturates’ are variations on the same inspirations, interjected with samples from obscure motorcycle exploitation movies.
It’s all very cool, and the instrumental nature of the songs adds a whole different layer of gonzoid escapism. Some different avenues are explored at points, such as the title track’s outro which shimmers with a surf guitar sound. ‘The Heretic Rites of Count Choppula’ slows to rumbling doom metal, and the last song ‘Get Laid… To Rest’ ends on a more sombre, mellow note.
With Ecstasy of Möld, The Death Wheelers have delivered an album that roars along the highway and easily retains the listener’s attention, vocals be damned. ‘Cos let’s be honest, the singer is always the least important member of any band. This album has a sleezy charm and plenty of fuel in the tank, I suggest you take it for a spin.
Singles Night! At Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub! It’s back – and better than ever!
What is it? A night where I play through a pile of as yet, never spun 45rpm vinyl singles. Both sides, whatever the genre, in whatever random order the fates have decided for me. There’s all sorts in that collection of 7 inch records, so it makes for a fine playlist (with a couple of drinkies to aid the process).
Here’s the latest playlist:
Toyah – “Don’t Fall in Love” / “Snow Covers the Kiss”
Doctor and the Medics – “Waterloo” / “Damaged Brains”
The Screaming Blue Messiahs – “I Wanna Be A Flintstone” / “Jerry’s Electric Church”
Blue Oyster Cult – “Astronomy” / “Magna of Illusion”
Motorhead – “Overkill” / “Too Late, Too Late”
Sex Pistols – “C’Mon Everybody” / “The God Save The Queen Symphony”
Pete Mac Junior – “The Water Margin” / Godiego – “The Water Margin”
Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren – “Goodness Gracious Me!” / Peter Sellers – “Grandpa’s Groove”
The Professionals – “Little Boys in Blue” / Gillan – “I’ll Rip Your Spine Out”
Stevie Wonder – “Lately” / “If It’s Magic”
Psychedelic Furs – “Heaven” / “Heartbeat (Remix)”
The Cars – “Drive” / “Stranger Eyes”
Sex Pistols – “God Save The Queen” / “Did You No Wrong”
Run DMC – “It’s Tricky (Remix)” / “Proud To Be Black”
Bow Wow Wow – “Go Wild in the Country” / “El Boss Dicho”
Atomic Rooster – “Tomorrow Night” / “Play the Game”
Black Sabbath – “Hard Road” / “Symptom of the Universe”
Anthrax – “I’m the Man” / “Caught in a Mosh (Live)”
Anti-Nowhere League – “I Hate… People” / “Let’s Break the Law”
Eighth Wonder – “I’m Not Scared” / “J’ai Pas Peur”
Lynsey De Paul – “Ooh I Do” / “Nothing Really Lasts Forever”
Sly Fox – “Let’s Go All the Way” / “Como Tu Te Hama”
A great selection. I can honestly say that I’m not ashamed of any of those singles. Except, maybe, “Goodness Gracious Me” which is somewhat… ah, dated, shall we say? At least the lovely Sophia Loren adds a touch of class. And she’s not the only beautiful lady in the list – I always had a crush on Lynsey De Paul.
Notes:
Two Sex Pistols records included here. including the wonderful “God Save The Queen”, one of the greatest rock’n’roll songs ever recorded. And we all know it got to number one really! There’s also a track from Jones and Cook as The Professionals, here on a Sounds flexi disc with Ian Gillan.
“The Water Margin” was a classic Japanese television series, shown in the 1970s. I vaguely remember it, but watched a later 1980s re-run religiously. The theme tune is brilliant. This single features a version in English on one side, and Japanese on the other.
Some great classic rock in this list, with Blue Oyster Cult, Atomic Rooster and a later Black Sabbath single (on purple vinyl in this case). A legendary couple of Motorhead tracks too, plus Anthrax throwing down some proto rap metal.
More punk from the Anti-Nowhere League: both of those tracks are fantastic.
A really enjoyable evening of music: random but unforgettable. More soon.
Following a blinder of an evening’s entertainment for Day the First of North West Doom Fest, I was rested and ready to go for Saturday. Beginning at an earlier time in the afternoon, I unfortunately missed the first band of the bill, Hand of Omega, who played while I was still travelling into town. Sincere apolgies for this to all, I must catch them again sometime.
Arriving at the Saddle, the festivities were well and truly underway already. A decent sized crowd were in attendance in the rear courtyard, cradling beers and nursing themselves back to full health. There was no downer atmos that I could discern at all however, everyone seemed amped for the music ahead.
Moss Valley were the first band of the day that I actually got to see, and they were pretty damn good. This three piece straddled a retro seventies vibe with added desert rock Kyuss stylings. Great riffs and warm female vocals adding to the melodies, Moss Valley really made a huge impression. It’s tough to pick favourites at an event like this, but MV were definitely contenders.
Up next we had a visit from the Pagan lords of the north, Sabbat Wolf. This Leeds based band featured exemplary musicianship, again with a commanding female vocalist. What I enjoyed here were the Sabbath worshipping riffs augmented by beautifully tuneful, mellow passages that reminded me of Pink Floyd. Sabbat Wolf really stood out with these psychedelic flourishes and their unashamed occult theme – their song ‘Pagan Bloody Pagan’ tells you all you need to know!
Warpstormer had travelled up from Londonium to the ancient, walled city of Chester. These guys mix full throttle Metal with their Doom, think Orange Goblin rocking out at their trippiest. It’s a Stoner Metal attack that could have been related somewhere to Entombed or Motorhead, but had enough power and groove to fit in perfectly at this gig. Warpstomer were real crowd pleasers and also really nice guys.
Get your flat caps on and forget your fear of heights, it’s time for Shred Dibnah! The world’s premier Steeple Jack Rock band graced the stage of NW Doom Fest, amid clouds of smoke and a pummelling performance. With a portable chimney on stage belching out clouds, Shred Dibnah demolished the audience with roaming riffs and contrasting mellow sections that added to the hypnotic drill.
Borehead were the next band of the day, and again a different take on the Doom template. In contrast to other bands, these Londoners were largely instrumental – except for some weird and wonderful samples – with slow, fuzzy riffs more spaced out than Buck Rogers on a Venusian hookah pipe. Cerebral stuff that you’d assume would be better appreciated on headphones with some refreshment, but it went over very well.
I was already familiar with the mighty Deathfiend – I caught them live a while back, and was happily smashed to pieces with their ferocious onslaught. With elements of Death Metal and even Hardcore Punk in the Deathfiend sound, I wasn’t sure if they’d be too damn nasty for this festival, but they slotted right in neatly. Outrageously heavy Doom riffs delivered with a fiery intensity, this band are a force to be reckoned with.
You know how sometimes you see a band that looks so cool, you want to join up? Kill The Witch were that band at NW Doom Fest. These guys meld together the Sludgiest of Stoner and Doom Metal, traversing varying tempos and styles but always remaining true to The Riff. Roaring vocals top off a faster, more furious Sabbath sound that’s not without its clever invention and serpent-like surprises, throwing in some brutal hardcore along the way.
Finishing off NW Doom Fest 2025 were the mighty Amon Acid. Another Yorkshire based band, their distorted Doom Metal was part Electric Wizard style occult Metal, with hypnotic, psychedelic passages added for kicks. Yet again a different take on Doom with Hawkwind Space Rock and amazing Middle Eastern sounding passages seeping through the acid drenched fuzzy guitar, Amon Acid were a thoroughly entertaining musical experience, finishing the event in style.
And that, kids, was your lot. Everything was wrapped up in a timely fashion so that the punters could make buses and trains home, all of us with beaming, happy faces – gorged on the joy of The Riff. North West Doom Fest was a resounding success and I have to say I enjoyed every band I saw. All of them had their own unique identities, whichever winding track they took from the original concept of Doom. Cool venue, too. Now I feel really stupid for not going last year.
For the first time of 2025, let’s indulge in another Singles Night. A night of spinning records, having a few drinks and enjoying the vibes.
The “singles” in the event title refers to vinyl singles: the 7 inch, 45 rpm discs that were once the pocket money swallowing masters of the weekly music chart. Now I have a massive stack of said singles, and on some nights I dig a load of ’em out, and play ’em. Both sides – A then B – and onto the next.
There are many wonders to be found amongst the hefty pile of 7″ records. And a few oddities. But the randomness and variety always an entertaining night.
Grab a drink and settle in with my latest playlist:
Generation X – “King Rocker” / “Gimme Some Truth”
David Bowie – “Modern Love” / “Modern Love (Live Version)”
The Alarm – “Presence of Love (Laugharne)” / “Knife Edge”
Depeche Mode – “See You” / “Now, This Is Fun”
Dana – “All Kinds of Everything” / “Channel Breeze”
The Steve Gibbons Band – “Eddy Vortex” / “Little Suzie”
Shirley Bassey – “So In Love” / “As Long As He Needs Me”
Darts – “Don’t Let It Fade Away” / “Early In The Morning”
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – “Oliver’s Army” / “My Funny Valentine”
David Bowie – “Blue Jean” / “Dancing With The Big Boys”
AC/DC – “Guns For Hire” / “Landslide”
ABC – “The Look of Love” / “The Look of Love (Part 2)”
The Jam – “Start” / “Liza Radley”
Jimmy Cliff – “Reggae Night” / “Love Heights”
The Sweet – “Little Willy” / “Man From Mecca”
Propaganda – “Duel” / “Jewel”
Patrick MacNee & Honor Blackman – “Kinky Boots” / “Let’s Keep It Friendly”
A-Ha – “Hunting High and Low (Remix)” / “The Blue Sky (Demo Version)”
The Creatures – “Miss The Girl” / “Hot Springs in The Snow”
Queen – “Somebody To Love” / “White Man”
Ike & Tina Turner – “Nutbush City Limits” / “Help Him”
Twenty two records this week, and a few strange ones are still creeping in – some are the remains of a bundle of singles I bought at a car boot sale for a fiver. I kept Dana in the collection due to the Eurovision connection, but Shirley is a superstar.
Punk and New Wave genres are nicely represented in this selection, with great songs from Generation X, The Jam and Elvis Costello. A-Ha, Depeche Mode and ABC bring in some pop classics, while good old rock’n’roll is delivered by AC/DC, Motorhead and Girlschool.
Two great 1980s Bowie discs made the playlist and there’s a favourite from Queen (though it’s one of my least favourite songs of theirs). Adding to the 70s vintage is a cheeky number from Sweet, which never fails to raise a smile!
Another successful night spinning vinyl. More to come soon.
That’s right, it’s not Cocktail Time at the Virtual Hot Tub this week. Instead, it’s just a straight forward tribute to an all time classic, the legendary Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. It’s party time right now, so let’s keep this blog short and sweet to commemorate a true favourite.
You know the name, you recognise the brand style, I’m sure you’ve tried the drink. Jack Daniel’s is most commonly mixed with some kind of cola: Tad sang about it with Pepsi, my good buddy Lemmy drank his with Coke (I can verify this from first hand experience).
Also enjoyed straight, over ice or with any number of other mixers, Jack Daniel’s whiskey is a true classic and a must have for any liquor cabinet.
Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub urges you to drink responsibly.
Soundtrack: “Jack Pepsi” by Tad of any Motorhead track.
Well, The Tiv managed to do it again! Another legendary band enticed to play this great venue in Buckley, North Wales. The list of classic bands who’ve played at the Tivoli Venue over the years is, quite frankly, ridiculous. This time, renowned Birmingham punks GBH were our headliners. Trust me when I say, I snapped up a ticket as soon as this show was announced.
Leading the charge this evening were Bogans, from up the road in Wrexham. Sadly I missed them, but have it on good authority that the band were great. I’ve checked out their tunes online and this is true. Shame I didn’t get to see ’em, their hardcore punk with melody would’ve been a fine way to start.
Next up were resurrected Wrexham punk rockers Stuntface – brought back to life with some kind of bizarre voodoo ritual, it would seem. Their super fast merging of classic UK punk (UK Subs, Vice Squad) and US hardcore (Misfits, Cro-Mags) was a rousing, WOAH-OH chorusing, adrenaline soaked set. Great fun and so good to have them back.
GBH playing at the Tiv was a no brainer for me. I’ve owned their records for well over 30 years, but never seen ’em live. And get this: an early bird ticket cost me just £12! Now that is just crazy, and makes very good financial sense to an old miser like me. Thankfully this wasn’t a budget set: GBH ran through a mighty wedge of their back catalogue with all the fire and fury of a band of whippersnappers.
Song after song, it was relentless. I checked my watch and was stunned that they’d only been on stage for half an hour, so intense was the setlist. “Sickboy”, “Momentum”, “Wardogs” and more raced past with barely a break between songs. “City Baby Attacked By Rats” was a much welcomed highlight, before the night ended with GBH covering the Motorhead classic “Bomber”.
The full GBH set was, of course, much longer than half an hour – cram packed with fantastic songs from right across their career, it was extremely good value for money. Twelve quid well spent, but I’d have happily paid a lot more to attend this gig. Simply unmissable.
Yes, I’m on Instagram too. And I did that thing where you can get a snapshot of your most “liked” Insta posts of the year. To be honest, my engagement on that social media platform is plummeting, but I still decided to check out the stats. It’s a bit of a trend for me, this year, looking into the numbers.
Usually my Instagram posts are pics of vinyl from my collection, or beer (I’ve got a massive backlog of beer photos I haven’t posted yet). Other than that, you might get to see some skateboards, Star Wars toys or other action figures, comics and so on.
In the image below you’ll see the Top 9 images.
For your information, here’s a breakdown of what those images are. Top left is most popular, bottom right is least.
Glamour model and Page 3 Legend, Tracey Coleman, in a bunny girl outfit. I posted this at Easter. It was the most popular photo (though I didn’t take it, obviously).
Racquel Welch: posted after she sadly passed away in 2023. One of my idols.
Cliff Burton Reaction Figure: action figure of the legendary Metallica bass player.
Bryn Celli Ddu: a photo of this awe inspiring, ancient burial site on Anglesey, Wales.
Spud: our new cat, Spud.
Me in a Barbie box, pretending to be a doll.
My latest tattoo: the tiger head.
Robinson’s Trooper Beer, in an appropriate glass, with a copy of Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast” LP on viinyl.
Headgirl 10″ picture disc: Record Store Day reissue of the classic Motorhead/Girlschool collaboration.
I posted dozens of other images in 2023, but those ones were the most popular from the thirty or so people who bother to interact with me on there.
Thanks for sharing these moments with me. If you like, you can follow me on Instagram: platinum_al.official.
Let’s talk about Tankzilla. To start, what a rad name! According to the band’s PR, “Satan fucked a Panzer and the offshoot is Tankzilla”. Which pretty much sums everything up nicely. So nicely, in fact, that the rest of this review is a bit pointless.
Tankzilla are actually a duo consisting of Peter Van Elderen (guitar and vocals) and Marcin Hurkmans (drums), who started jamming together after their previous bands split. Before you get clever and assume that these guys are gonna be just like Royal Blood, they’re not. They have a whole lot more Motorhead in their dirty DNA.
‘Lucifer’, the first track, proves this nicely, with an opening riff reminiscent of ‘Deaf Forever’ by Lemmy’s crew. The song quickly erupts into a bludgeoning juggernaut all of its own, crushing everything in its path and setting the course for the rest of this slab of sonic destruction.
Yes, the power of the mighty riff rules in Tankzilla’s blitzkrieg campaign. ‘Crossroad’ drops more loud bombs adding a funky feel, while tracks such as ‘Wolfpack’ and ‘Soulsurfer’ have a hard rocking edge. The assault slows a little with ‘Brother from Another Mother’, but keeps unleashing maximum firepower. Bonus points for the sample from The Mandalorian too in ‘Mutant Freak’. This is the way!
The final song, ‘Hard Way’, has a Melvins vibe to it – something else which makes me very happy indeed. Whether firing on all cylinders or easing off the gas a little here and there, this debut album is devastatingly excellent. Tankzilla are a relentless, riff loaded monster and nothing can resist their onslaught. Definite Top Ten of the year list for me.
No time now, but remind me to tell you about that time with Motorhead in Europe, when we took the band to visit a military museum on a day off. Philthy was hungover, so Lem let him sleep it off in an old Russian tank. We closed the hatch and scarpered, leaving Phil in there all day. He only just made it to the next gig in Copenhagen by the skin of his teeth.
You need to ask yourself: is this review late? Or have I, the humble author of this review, chosen to emulate the gonzo journalism style of Hunter S Thompson? And by that I mean, get so baked listening to this latest EP from Stöner that I lost all track of time in a psychedelic swirl, handing in the assignment a month late? Or did the dog eat my review? Only you can be the judge. And the Ever Metal editors of course, who may decide to hand me my marching orders.
Let’s ignore all that and have a little chat about this release, shall we? Gather ye round!
In a perfect example of a band name doing exactly what it says on the tin, Stöner are essentially a stoner rock supergroup comprising of Brant Bjork (Kyuss, Fu Manchu, solo), Nick Oliveri (Kyuss, QOTSA, Mondo Generator) and Ryan Güt (Brant’s drummer). As a band, they take the desert rock template and steer it off into the ultimate version of this style.
As a result, the head bending riff of ‘Stoner Theme (Baja Version)’ and the grooving rumble of ‘Night Tripper vs No Brainer’ slouch comfortably alongside a punkier ‘It Ain’t Free’. All the influences and intricacies of desert rock are succinctly demonstrated with a clanging garage rock cover of ‘City Kids’ (Pink Fairies/Motörhead); through to ‘Boogie to Baja’: a ten-minute driving rocker that reeks of desert parties, never ending skies and lamentable substance abuse.
‘Boogie to Baja’ is the highlight of this set, but the whole EP a great primer for the band Stöner and the varied music they create. Almost an Idiot’s Guide as to what to expect for the uninitiated, it’s also inventive and addictive for the aficionado. I ordered the vinyl copy and I’ve already played it to death. That’s how late this review is. But don’t you be late: go check out ‘Boogie to Baja’ now.
PS: I don’t own a dog.
PPS: Would’ve finished this review sooner, if not for adding all the umlauts.
The crowds were thin at first at The Tivoli in Buckley, North Wales, for this evening’s entertainment – but that changed soon enough. Happily, the situation started to develop during the opening set, meaning that support band Red or Dead were able to play to fair sized crowd.
I say happily, ‘cos Red or Dead deserved to play to a decent size audience. Hailing from a bit further up the road in Conwy, the fourpiece are an accomplished group of musicians who are obviously inspired by classic 70’s punk, such as The Clash. Very impressive, with catchy tunes and a message, Red or Dead easily grabbed my attention and refused to hand it back. Definitely a band to keep an eye on, there’s a variety in sound and musicianship that hinted at an even wider repertoire – some research reveals they often play acoustic sets, which sounds very tempting.
Anti Nowhere League shouldn’t really require any introduction. I became aware of these deviants thanks to their association with The Damned many years ago, tales of debauchery spreading ahead of them like a bushfire. Now with just head lunatic Animal remaining in the band, he’s backed by a great, well tenured group of musicians who can really deliver on the band’s legacy, performing it with the respect – and ferocity – it deserves.
Hit singles aren’t really the order here, but of course ANL give us their wonderfully raucous treatment of “Streets of London” (yes, that one) in a set riddled with classics. That songs infamous B-side, the still unbelievably filthy “So What” makes an appearance too, earlier than I’d expected, complete with a concise history lesson from Animal, covering police raids and the later Metallica renaissance. The song still raises a smile and rocks like a nun on a washing machine.
The whole band play brilliantly, the result being a set that was even better than expected. For the uninitiated, Anti Nowhere League live in the corner of punk that’s largely UK Subs with a big, fat dollop of Motorhead. From “I Hate People”, “Let’s Break the Law”, a cover of Del Shannon’s “Runaway” (my Mother-in-Law wouldn’t dig it) and through to “We Are The League”, song after song is fast and furious with never a dud.
As anticipated, the audience loved it and the atmosphere in the Tiv was one not to be missed. Classic punk rock from Anti Nowhere League, who gave us quality tunes performed with the zeal and attitude it deserved. So glad I was there.
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 