Back in October, London based heavy alt-rock band District 13 released “Step into the Fire”, their second album. Apologies District 13, this album has been hanging around for a little while. But in true Ever Metal “championing the underdog” style, we couldn’t let it slip by without a review. Not my fault for writing the review late for once, believe it or don’t. You don’t believe me, do you? Ah well, whatevs.
The prime motivators in District 13’s sound have been declared as Black Sabbath and The Ramones, two fine bands and exactly the type of thing that tickles my fancy. And it should yours, too. The crunchy metal riffs and gonzo punk attitude is obvious from the start, with opening track ‘Step into the Fire’ showing some hard rock guts and a big, hooky chorus.
‘Apologetic Trickster’ ups the punky pace somewhat, though there’s a vein of dark, melancholy longing running through all the tracks. One of the absolute highlights is ‘Burned out in Paradise’, which begins in an achingly morose fashion before bursting into an angst fuelled burner. If you dig Bleach era Nirvana, Therapy? and early QOTSA, I’m sure you’ll find something to love here: try ‘Emotive Addiction’ and ‘Red Flags’ for starters.
There’s plenty of melody mixed in with the ferocity. ‘Goodbye’ features a heart rending, uplifting chorus worthy of Seattle’s finest. That song and ‘Starry Eyes’ help to add texture to the album with a slower pace. The final song, the acoustic ‘Forever This Way’, is a really beautiful track that falls between Led Zep III, Bowie and REM. That one’ll melt your heart, if nothing else does.
“Step into the Fire” is definitely a solid album, full of great compositions and performances. My only complaint would be, with 14 songs running over an hour long, it’s a lot to take in. Trimming 3 or 4 songs off would make this feel more of a cohesive and easily absorbed album – though I wouldn’t like to be the one who had to decide which songs to drop. Otherwise, it’s great to hear music like this: District 13 have passion and ideas and are obviously not afraid to aim high.
Halloween ain’t over yet, kids – at least not while the arch druids of Occult Rock, GreenLung, are back in town! Yes, London’s finest purveyors of witchy, stoner incantations have a new album, “This Heathen Land” – released by Nuclear Blast Records, no less. So gather ye round, my acolytes, whilst we indulge in the ritual listening of this opus. Light some candles, burn some incense, imbibe potions of mind-expanding merriment. And take all your clothes off!
Album number three from Green Lung kicks off with a suitably 1970s intro, setting the magickal vibe right away. ‘The Forest Church’ is the first track proper, which takes its inspiration from Danzig-approved cult folk horror classic “The Blood on Satan’s Claw”. It’s a riffalicious chunk of doomy wonder, built around an organ drenched, moody base.
‘Mountain Throne’ blasts out as a Sabbath style rocker, awash with those lush, skronky keyboards. Then GL add some sauce to their sorcery with their ode to ‘Maxine (Witch Queen)’, an ecstatically catchy slice of psychedelic, garage rock-infused debauchery. ‘The Ancient Ways’ and ‘Hunters in the Sky’ are both powerful yet groovy rock that’s reminiscent of the greats and gleefully conjures up its own aura.
Green Lung really stretch themselves on ‘One for Sorrow’, which features huge, doom riffs and atmospheric synths with an epic chorus. The mellow, folky sound of ‘Song of the Stones’ adds yet more colour to the palette, and still sounds essential – just like those more refined tracks on early Black Sabbath records. The melodic, drama infused ‘Oceans of Time’ – inspired by Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” – adds a suitably bombastic and ambitious climax to the album.
A word of wisdom for the initiate: the vinyl version of “This Heathen Land” shows exactly why physical media is still so important and potent. My copy is green vinyl, in a gatefold sleeve with lyric booklet and a map of the UK, showing various otherworldly sites that have inspired the album. This obsessive attention to detail is fascinating and illustrates just how much care and attention has been poured into the whole work!
Green Lung is completely fearless, their ability to rise to the challenge and create art this meticulous is highly impressive. And I should know, I’ve seen The Wicker Man and I own a black cat. Seriously, my children: “This Heathen Land” is essential.
The Sound of Origin – Man in the Arena Self-released Release date: 27/10/2023 Running time: 44 minutes (approx.) Review by: Alun Jones 9/10
Right, let’s get down to business and get this review out into the world asap. This album has already been released, and as it’s pretty bloody good, let’s shout it from the rooftops as loudly as possible.
The Sound of Origin are from Huddersfield, and this is their sophomore album. I’d previously encountered the band thanks to their cover of ‘Sick Things’ on the quite bloody brilliant “Killer: 50 Years Later” Alice Cooper tribute album, released by Pale Wizard Records. I was keen to hear a full album from these Yorkshire Doom merchants and I wasn’t disappointed.
‘This Ain’t Free’ bursts from the speakers with a booming, catchy riff and a mix of screamy versus melodic vocals. It grinds, it rolls, it grooves: and that’s a fairly good summary of the whole album. Doom metal with a welcome varying pace, it’s brutal but hypnotic. First single ‘Birthright’ is an infectious bruiser and one of many tracks that remind me of the glory days of titans like Alice in Chains. Relentless, but still melodic.
‘Crown of the Cynic’ gives The Sound of Origin the chance to flex their progressive, doomy muscle with its longer run time and thudding power. I air guitarred along to this unashamedly! There’s some mighty passion here, notably in the anguished vocals.
Kyle Thomas of Exhorder and Trouble fame crops on two tunes, ‘Frail Old Bones’ and the title track. On the former, the band rock out in a fuzzy style not too dissimilar to Thomas’ day job or even good ol’ COC. The latter finds the band in a slower, pummelling pace and KT pushes the dramatics to hair raising levels.
The Sounds of Origin can throw together elements of Stoner, Doom and Sludge with great style and enthusiasm. One welcome surprise though, was hearing final track ‘Lightbringer’ which reminded me of Angel Witch – head down, old school NWOBHM vibes all the way!
My preconceived ideas may always skew any observations I make on a band’s influences. The Sound of Origin’s “Man in the Arena” is a great album that is bigger than the sum of its parts, and builds on the classic inspirations. A solid effort, this album will no doubt be a contender to make my Top 10 of the year. Just a shame it’s not available on vinyl.
Deathchant – Thrones RidingEasy Records Release date: 13/10/2023 Running time: 37 minutes Review by: Alun Jones 8.5/10
OK, so this one’s a grower. This is the third album by Deathchant, and it started as “good” but progressed to “great!” pretty smoothly after a couple of listens. There’s a lot going on with “Thrones”, and it wasn’t necessarily what I’d assumed beforehand. Yes, there’s heavy, sludgy grooves and psychedelic shine as would be expected, but it’s tempered with a classic rock sensibility that adds both power and gravitas.
This is personified most obviously in tracks such as ‘Mirror’ and ‘Chariot’, both of which come ferociously pounding out of the gates and boast a melodic lead guitar that reminded me (very pleasantly) of Thin Lizzy. There’s also plenty of crunch in those tracks, and the doomier sections of the title track, which builds brilliantly within its 7 minutes and 40 seconds of contrasting ooze and fast paced rock.
It was the track ‘Mother Mary’ that first grabbed my attention, though. This relaxed, more introspective track, tucked away at number 4 on the playlist, immediately convinced me that there was much more going on with Deathchant than I’d immediately suspected. Anyone with any class can tell you that Sabbath’s ‘Planet Caravan’ is a momentous, pivotal track on ”Paranoid”, and it’s the same here. ‘Mother Mary’ quietly entices the listener into a different, dream-like realm.
‘Hoax’ does the opposite, waking the listener up with a jolt – and the album closes with the heaviest song of the lot, ‘Tomb’, part doom march and part striding, muscular beast. The vocals can sometimes seem a little low in the mix, but overall the finished work has enough twists and turns to ensure we’re always engaged.
As an album, ‘Thrones’ teases at first and will full-on deliver if you give this album a little time. Crafting together gloomy proto metal and snazzy classic rock frills, Deathchant have created something original – it’s thrilling and cathartic at the same time.
Poland’s mighty Dopelord return with a humongously heavy album of slow rolling, occult driven doom on “Songs for Satan”. Released via Blues Funeral Recordings, they’re celebrating the work of Lucifer in their temple of stoner sludge, and you’re invited. Throw on your hooded robes and join the throng!
Of course the songs are slow and heavy, and Dopelord manage to stamp their mark on the stoner-doom template by adding melody to their powerful, drawn out compositions. Whilst the music rumbles along demonically, the vocals add a surprising, idiosyncratic sheen. ‘Night of the Witch’ is executed in perfect, scuzzy doom style. ‘Evil Spell’ is skull crushingly heavy, but both tracks feature sing along choruses that will steal your soul as well.
It’s difficult to get all the lyrical intent on this album without a lyric sheet, but it’s safe to say that the message here is a direct and scathing criticism of the Catholic church in Dopelord’s home country. Whereas many a doom band is content to revel in Hammer Horror/Dennis Wheatley themes, Dopelord have taken this typical 1970s influence and added a real-world attack on religion too.
The album is book-ended by instrumentals, the latter of which, ‘Return to the Night of the Witch’, comfortably re-establishes “Songs for Satan” in the dreamlike, mellotron-soaked occult realm. It’s a fine album, melding inexorable, fuzzy doom with themes of devil worship and hellfire. Dopelord’s latest is genuinely well crafted, spell binding stuff. I wouldn’t bother sending them a Christmas card, though.
Pentre Fest is a big deal to me. And I’ll bet it means a lot to plenty of other people too, who are just as keen to enjoy this festival of underground – but not unloved – metal bands. I look forward to this event every year. I mean, after the Christmas festivities, how else are you gonna survive the misery of January?
Yours truly was the lone representative for Ever Metal at Pentre this year, so all the reviews were my responsibility. I tried to see as many acts as I could, but it wasn’t always possible. And so I can cover as much ground as poss, the summaries will be short and sweet this year. But trust me, I’ll keep you on the straight and narrow.
The festival began on Friday evening, Edd Case and his acoustic set on the new outdoor Keymo stage being my introduction. It’s a proper stage this year, with steps and everything. Edd played a great set of acoustic tracks, including some Maiden, Neil Young (nice Soundgarden segue/tribute) and plenty more. Most impressive.
Heading inside, Omega Throne was on next. Their set was an exciting blend of Death/Black Metal, with some intriguingly dark, gothic elements peppered through the songs. A great set that combined power and fury with a little mystique.
That was followed by the lunatic genius of Mad Spanner. Now a one-man band of crazed thrash metal with a backing track, Mike aka Mad Spanner offers brilliant musicianship, wry humour and furious energy. I’m still recovering from this set, God know how he does it.
Back inside and Bloodmores were up next. This was a great set of pounding, heavy Thrash/Death metal, excellently played and with a surprising amount of foot stomping groove.
Tonight’s original headliners, I Saw The World Burn, were sadly unable to play. We sincerely hope all is well in that camp. At the final hour, however, Cadence Noir were able to fill the headline spot with their gothic tinged folk punk’n’roll. Cadence can always be counted on to get everyone jumping and jigging around, and they did a fine job of finishing Day the First of Pentre Fest.
Saturday’s wake-up call was DAM.G, alias Rob from Thrashatouille’s “grown up band” (not my observation, but one overheard on the day!). A melting pot of progressive metal with Rob’s growl augmented by phenomenal female co-lead vocals, it was certainly a powerful and memorable set.
Outside was a pleasant surprise: the disco funk of Mrs Gizlo. Who’d have expected that? Not me, but it was great fun to hear something different and it certainly got the crowd moving.
In Which It Burns took to the indoor stage next, and gave as a relentless set of thrash metal. It was only mid-afternoon and these Pembrokeshire ragers delivered the goods with super-fast, aggressive tracks. Nice work.
Liverpool’s Ogun were on the main stage next, with some meaty thrash metal of their own. Fast and brutal, I really enjoyed these guys and their total take-no-prisoners approach. Wish I’d bought a t-shirt.
It was freezing outside, so deep apologies from me to the various artists I missed outside, whilst huddled inside with a pint. North Wales Deathcore deviants Dystopian Sun kept the fires burning with some intense yet bouncy metal that roared by like a Sasquatch driving a stolen pick-up truck.
Rule of Six had an early start on Saturday morning. Whilst most of us were still hiding from encroaching hangovers, these lads set off at 4am to get from Northern Ireland to North East Wales for this gig. I’ve never seen so many guitars on stage (four plus a bass!) but all Rule of Six’s instruments were well employed, with their melodic metal proving an uplifting and thrilling experience. Maiden comparisons are a bit obvious, but apt. Great show and nice contrast to much of the bands so far.
From one band who crowded out the main stage, to another band who spent little time on it: Broken Jaw refused to be restrained and preferred to wander around the room! Their blend of punk energy and attitude with metal riffery made sure no-one in the audience was allowed to put their feet up.
Afterward, I dared to make a rare venture outside to witness Skinflick, who I’d heard very good things about. This two-piece outfit gave us some filthy Industrial EDM dripping with sleazy beats – another very cool divergence from the expected.
Beyond Salvation made their way to Pentre from Manchester, and pretty much laid waste to all with a blistering set of thrash metal. The band were both brutal and energetic, with superb playing, that kept the gig going on full steam. There was no chance for the audience to flag here!
I’m actually gutted that I missed SOOTO out on the Keymo Stage. Blame the cold, blame the drink, blame me for being useless: I should’ve been there, sorry. Can we get SOOTO back please? I promise I’ll pay attention this time.
Every year at Pentre Fest, there’s at least one band that I go full-on Fan Boy for. This year’s recipients of the accolade were the amazing Struck/Down, who played huge sounding groove metal riffs that immediately had me hooked like a fish. For me, Struck/Down were the best band of the weekend by a distance. T-shirt purchase? Tick. CD purchase? Tick.
Finally, our last band of a fantastic event were Extreme Metal leviathans Krysthla. The foot was down on the pedal as Krysthla hurtled us through the last set of the weekend with a rapid fire, unrelenting batch of songs.
And that was it, Pentre Fest was over for another year. I’ve been downhearted ever since, missing the camaraderie and fell-good vibes of the event – not to mention the out of this world music. Thanks and huge respect to Fozzy and Beany, North East Wales Metal Productions, McClean’s, and all the bands and crew who made this happen.
Yawning Man are one of, if not THE, originators of Desert Rock. Born from jam-style generator parties way out in the desert, this band pioneered the sound that would later be adopted by Kyuss, Fu Manchu and many others. Ripple Music are reissuing the “Pot Head” EP, on vinyl and CD, for the first time in like, eons, man. And it’s a great listen.
“Pot Head” consists of four instrumental tracks, illuminating the template that others would follow. Free form, jammed compositions that stretch out into the vast, starry night. Awash with psychedelic flourishes, there’s a cinematic feel to songs like ‘Manolete’ and ‘Digital Smoke Signal’. The listener can grasp the improvisational vibe, close your eyes and you’re a world away from anywhere as the music spirals endlessly into the universe.
Wow, I was off in the moment there for a moment reader. How unprofessional – I do apologise. I love the fact that all four songs are instrumental, ‘cos as we all know that the singer is the least important member of any band. No vocals equals a psyche freak out that incorporates samba rhythms, wailing reverb drenched guitar and no distractions from the dusty, spaced out shenanigans.
Emergency! Emergency! Quick – this is urgent! Due to a slight administrative cock-up (that might be my fault, I’m not telling), a review for this reissue of Trouble’s classic third album almost slipped through the net. But there is no way I’m going to let that happen. Absolutely everything Trouble related should be treated with total respect and receive the maximum coverage. Hence, here’s my review to commemorate the re-release of this landmark album.
Metal Blade, who released the original version of “Run to the Light” in 1987, have been gracious enough to give us all a chance to rediscover this album from Chicago metal legends Trouble. Trouble is, as I’m sure you know, one of the great doom metal bands that originated the style back in the eighties – before the sub-genre even had a name. Whilst everyone else was speeding up and thrash metal was coming to the fore, Trouble were one of the few bands who took their inspiration from early Black Sabbath. They played slower, griding riffs resonating with melancholic power.
‘On Borrowed Time’, with its funereal intro and gloomy pace, illustrates the Trouble template well: and features a revved-up section in the latter half. The title track has a bouncy intro riff reminiscent of ‘Symptom of the Universe’ that’s married to a crushing, slower section. It’s this multi part approach to song writing, contrasting sections of heavy and light, that most recalls Tony Iommi and crew. Trouble isn’t directly stealing guitar lines or concepts, it’s the spirit and craft of Sabbath that they emulate.
The bonus tracks in this Expanded Edition include three demos of album tracks that are interesting, but for fans only. The real curio is the cover of The Beatles classic ‘Come Together’, which originally appeared on “The Best of Metal Blade Vol. 2” in 1987. Fans of the band will be aware of Trouble’s affection for 60s psychedelia, so this track will make perfect sense. ‘Come Together’ is no real surprise – it sounds exactly how you’d imagine it would – but it’s a nice temptation for the faithful.
“Run to the Light” offers little in the way of new gems, but to lament that would be to miss the point. It’s incredibly important to have albums like this in circulation, available for all to investigate and add to their collection. I can only apologise to the band and record label for the tardiness of my review; if it’s any consolation, I’ve already bought a vinyl copy to cherish (to go alongside my ancient CD copy). I’d encourage readers to buy a copy of this Trouble album and indulge in the joy of doom.
Welcome back, folks, to Platinum Al’s Punk Rock Corner, here at Ever Metal HQ. The eagle eyed and elephant brained amongst you will recall that we’ve already reviewed some of these UK Subs albums, although that was in their delicious vinyl form. This time around, our mates at Cherry Red have lovingly curated a 5 CD set of Subs albums, together with a healthy bunch of bonus tracks to make this a tantalising package.
We’ve already discussed, in previous reviews, how UK Subs mastermind Charlie Harper has overseen an alphabetical run of albums with titles from A to Z. This compilation gathers together the final parts of that run, from W to Z (though to be honest, these Subs nutters didn’t even stop at Z, they kept going). Thus, listeners are gifted with an indispensable collection that covers output from the exceptionally strong line up of Harper, Jet Taniguchi, Alvin Gibbs and Jamie Oliver (not that one).
I’d be a pretentious fool if I didn’t tackle these albums in alphabetical/chronological order, so let’s jump in with “Work in Progress”. This is probably my favourite of all the albums in this collection, though accepting the high standard on offer, I have no reason why. It’s a rambunctious bundle of high-speed punk rock: ‘Creation’, ‘All Blurs into One’; coupled with clever ventures into rockabilly (‘Eighteen Wheels’) and more. The wonderful ‘Hell is Other People’ has become something of a personal anthem for me, and it will for you, too! This disc includes seven bonus tracks, comprising some old Subs classics and new bruisers such as the joyously MC5 sounding ‘666 Yeah’.
From W we’re on to X, with “XXIV” – and more fast’n’furious punk rock shenanigans with ‘Implosion 77’, ‘Monkeys’ and ‘Momento Mori’ – just for example. The Subs aren’t afraid to go off tangent with the jangly acoustic guitar with attitude of ‘Coalition Government Blues’ and R&B energy of ‘Wreckin’ Ball’. There’s just one bonus track this time, the riotous and righteous co-operative anthem of ‘Workers Beer Company’, rounding off another solid and varied album.
“Yellow Leader” may or not have been written concerning a certain political party leader, you’ll have to listen and decide for yourself. What I do know is that this album kicks off in supreme style with the frenetic pace of ‘Sick Velveteen’, bouncy thump of ‘Artificial’ and blues punk of ‘Bordeaux Red’. ‘Chemical’ sounds almost metal, ‘Rebellion Song’ is an acoustic punk protest song and ‘Sin City Blues’ throws in some welcome Rockabilly, creating another multi-faceted and accomplished recording.
Eventually, Charlie and the lads completed their mission from A to Z, with the monster that is “Ziezo”. The end may be in sight, but the UK Subs don’t take their foot off the gas – as proven by tracks such as ‘Oligarchy’, ‘Banksy’ and ‘This Machine’ fulfilling the full throttle end of the punk rock promise. The pallet is embellished by the punk-blues of ‘Disclosure’ and jaunty ska of ‘City of the Dead’, delivering a fine album that’s accomplished and enjoyable.
So we’ve reached the end of the alphabet, kids – but that’s not quite the end of our story here. The set also includes “Acoustic XXIV”, an album comprising of acoustic tracks that were originally packaged with a limited edition version of “XXIV”. I had assumed the songs here would merely be acoustic versoins of songs from that parent album, but far from it. There are 13 songs making a surprisingly great change of pace. Comprising of folk punk (‘Sleeping Rough’)’ and protest songs (‘Stop Global War’), it’s an accomplished and satisfying listen in it’s own right. I could image Johnny Cash having a go at ‘Higher Tide’, and I think that’s some compliment indeed.
Who would’ve guessed that the UK Subs would actually fulfil their aim and complete this bonkers endeavour, releasing an album for every letter of the alphabet? Punk rock wasn’t supposed to burn this brightly for so long, but it has. What’s more, the UK Subs haven’t let their standards slip – these final albums in the run are as strong as anything they’ve released in their long career. Genuinely brilliant. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you – UK SUBS.
What’s that lumbering out of the murky haze? Why, it’s none other than Bongzilla, trampling everything in their path with gargantuan, sludgy riffs whilst surrounded by billows of smoke. No need to run, citizens – these dudes move too slow to pose any physical threat, you’ll outrun them easily. This music is not about speed. It’s about being refreshed beyond all recognition.
“Dab City” is the sixth album for Bongzilla, and their second for the Heavy Psych Sounds label. They’ve been firmly established as a three piece for some time, comprising of Mike “Muleboy” Makela on bass and vocals, Jeff “Spanky” Schultz on guitar and Mike “Magma” Henry on drums. Unsurprisingly, the album was recorded with the assist of various “mood enhancements”, right onto analogue tape.
There are seven songs here, with several of them hovering around (or over) the ten-minute mark. You’re definitely getting your money’s worth. Title track and opener ‘Dab City’ clocks in at 11.51 of super heavy, psychedelic sludge. ‘Cannonbong (The ballad of Burnt Reynolds as lamented by Dixie Dave Collins)’ rolls in at nearly 14 minutes of slow’n’steady, frazzled doom metal. And what a song title!
Other tracks offer more fried and fuzzed out rock, with ‘Hippie Stick’ and ‘American Pot’ revealing a groove and swing to their sound. Vocals are less smoky and strangled and more like a zombie from The Walking Dead, but it all melts together well. I don’t think there are any shocks on “Dab City”, but who cares? Bongzilla have concocted a ripe batch of stoner, sludgy metal that will satisfy the righteous.
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