Over the last couple of days, I’ve noticed I’ve had a cold coming on. Sore throat starting, slight cough, feeling tired and achy. This morning I did a Covid test – no, I didn’t know that was still a thing, either – and what do ya know, I’ve got the Vid. Double bars on the tester, I’m in full Vid mode and suffering more by the minute. What I need is medication. Something to clear the fog from my head. Luckily, I have this new EP by Berenice to help.
This self-titled release from APF records is the debut from East Anglia based noise wizards Berenice. It’s a wild, untamed, raw release that’s a brew of hardcore, crust, sludge and grind. The five piece have delivered a five song EP to launch their musical manifesto and it’s every bit as uncompromising as you’d expect.
First track ‘Problems’ unleashes a screaming, thrashing beast stampeding at 100mph. ‘Reflection’ slows the tempo slightly, but rides on a chugging riff and guttural, screaming vocals. The remaining tracks follow in a similarly brutal style, with only last song ‘Sorrow’ breaking the three-minute barrier.
If melody and finesse are your thing, then Berenice might not be what you’re looking for. Instead, if you want fast, loud, aggressive music infused with the rage of living in the modern world, the Doctor prescribes a regular dose of Berenice – to be taken as often as possible.
Wow, was I asleep or something there? How did I manage to miss Uncle Slam back in the late 80s/early 90s heyday of crossover? At that point in time, I was 100% in this bands target demographic: young skateboarder with a love of hardcore punk and thrash metal. And yet Uncle Slam and I never crossed paths till now. Thanks to Dissonance/Cherry Red records, we have this double album compilation of the bands second and third albums, and I can fill in some gaps.
The obvious starting point here is Suicidal Tendencies. It’s a lazy option to begin here, but the similarities in sound and style between Uncle Slam and ST are so abundant that we can’t ignore them. Both bands are from the Venice, LA scene, with various members of Suicidal appearing within the ranks of Uncle Slam at one point or another. Anyone (like me) just arriving to this mosh pit will be astounded how the Slam guys seem to have been largely forgotten.
The first album, “Will Work For Food”, features a satisfying metal crunch along with the punk energy. To be fair, the influence of ST, early COC and DRI mingle with the classic thrash of Testament and Nuclear Assault pretty seamlessly. Fans of any of those bands will dive straight into ‘Left for Dead’ and ‘Roadkill’ right from the off. The rest of disc 1 follows in a similar frenzy of crunching metal guitars and aggressive pace, and it’s all great fun. The only oddity is a re-working of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Dazed and Confused’, barely recognisable as it’s been reimagined so drastically – but brilliant for it.
Disc 2 presents us with Uncle Slam’s third and final album, ”When God Dies”, released in 1995. By this time, dominant musical genres had fluctuated, and this record shows Uncle Slam developing their sound. The title track opener thus delivers more chunky metal, but shoe-horns some funky breaks in the style of (Suicidal off-shoot) Infectious Grooves. It’s a less thrash, more punk and alt rock influenced sound, but although something of a departure, it still works for the most part. As a result, songs like ‘Procreation’ still rock, but ‘Summer in Space’ is just silly.
For some, this collection will be too similar to good old Suicidal Tendencies to stand on its own merit. I would disagree: there are plenty of other influences here, not just the main offenders. And who cares, anyway? This isn’t just a sound, it’s a whole vibe – Venice beach, Dogtown, punk rock and skateboarding on a never-ending summer vacation. Uncle Slam deserve their moment in the spotlight, and I’m not gonna deprive them of it. Neither should you.
There’s some Uncle Slam on Spotify for you to check out.
This review is presented by Platinum Al and Ever Metal.
Pointless review of the month time! But why, pray tell, is this review of the new Orange Goblin album “pointless”? Because, old pal, literally everyone knows that Orange Goblin are a BIG THING. And they haven’t released an album for seven years. So this release, surely, will be near the top of everyone’s wish list for 2024. Especially in the case of our esteemed Ever Metal readers, who as we all know, are a cut above the rest of the uncultured rabble out there.
Without patronising our dear readership in anyway, a new release from these London doom/stoner/heavy metal scoundrels is, and should be, a BIG THING.
Anyone who’s already a fan of Orange Goblin can expect more of what has come before, but it’s safe to say, “Science, Not Fiction” is amped up a little more than usual. The same killer riffs, powerful delivery, ace musicianship, clever style variations are all in place as expected, but tweaked just a little higher. Right from first listen, it’s obvious that quality control has been merciless on this recording, resulting in a collection of peak songcraft.
‘The Fire at the Center of the Earth is Mine’ opens the engines in fine form. After a cacophonous intro marked by belching bass, the riff kicks in and the ride begins. A furious “death boogie” with a super catchy, uplifting chord structure for the chorus, this is prime Goblin.
There’s no room for a breather, with second track ‘(Not) Rocket science’ bolting out next – a relentless hell ride that features a killer lead bass break (courtesy of new four stringer Harry Armstrong). It’s probably my favourite song on the album: Ben Ward’s voice booming and Joe Hoare’s guitar threatening to jump the gate and roar off into the night on its own.
An epic, mid-seventies Sabbath-doom vibe pervades ‘False Hope Diet’, with its bouncing groove and changes. ‘Cemetary Rats’ starts with a gloomy, gothic vibe before exploding into something akin to old school thrash a la Testament. Through all tracks, Chris Turner’s drums are dependably solid and thunderous.
‘The Justice Knife’ is another fast rocker that benefits from some outer space wah-wah guitar, though generally speaking, the latter half of the album doesn’t quite have the heights of invention that earlier tracks possess. The last song, ‘End of Transmission’, fields a suitably epic and raucous finale, however – soaring through sections with determined power.
My only slight gripe with “Science, Not Fiction” is that the bonus track ‘Eye of the Minotaur’ appears to be CD only – which means vinyl fanatics like yours truly will miss out. Nevermind, this album is a devastating power house of modern metal. Orange Goblin have created a record that demonstrates all we love them for, and ladled on a good-sized helping of extra sauce to sweeten the deal. One of THE albums of 2024, “Science, Not Fiction” will be guaranteed a place in my annual Top10.
2024 was a fantastic year for new music. As previous, I was asked to compile my Top 10 of the year for Ever Metal, which wasn’t easy. That list has already been published on the EM website, but I’ve replicated it here for anyone who missed it…
Every year, it’s a struggle to whittle down tons of superb albums to just ten. This year has been just as difficult (if not more so) and I’ve had to leave off a few great releases that just didn’t make the cut, for one reason or another. I’m sure I’ll regret leaving a few of those off the final 2024 list, even if it’s just because they’re still very new I’ve not had chance to grow into them yet.
Anyway, here’s the best of 2024 as it feels right now:
Released in March, this debut from Welsh Occult Doom Metal band Goat Major announced a formidable new talent to the scene. Building on their love of the classic bands that defined the genre, Goat Major add plenty of their own character to a magnificent album.
Crobot’s latest release certainly has a darker, heavier atmosphere than previous albums, but the unmistakeable groovy riffs are well in place and ready to unleash the Hard Rock mayhem.
Greek Doom-mongers Acid Mammoth delivered another heavy weight slab of fuzzy Stoner Metal, with a variety of moods and hefty groove. Neolithic Rock with a touch of the ethereal.
Amazing album title. Fantastic cover artwork to compliment said title. And guess what? This latest release by Texan Stoner Metal gang Duel is even better than first impressions would suggest: Doomy Stoner Biker Rock from hell!
Wino’s legendary Doom Metal crew returned in early 2024, to remind everyone how it should be done. Infectious, groovy riffs, heavy as shittery songcraft and head spinning melody collide in a perfect meltdown.
The definitive Orange Goblin album? Could be. This latest OG album demonstrates all of their strengths, welding together the various sounds and genres they’ve mastered over the years. Bursting with energy and invention.
More exhilarating chainsaw Garage Metal from Torso, this lo-fi masterpiece arrived with all the subtlety of a brick to the forehead. Less John Carpenter this time, but definitely slasher-splatter death-mosh a go go!
They’re back! One of the most wonderful live bands I’ve ever witnessed, Zombina and crew finally returned with a non-stop Horror Punk party, just in time for Halloween. Long may they continue!
The only downside of a new Fu album is waiting for it to be released! Their first new album in six years was everything I hoped for, a double album split between a first half of fuzzy rockers and a second of slower tempo groovers. RAD!
The ‘Hoofs last album was number 1 in my 2022 Top Ten – and whaddya know, they’ve done it again! Slightly less bombastic then their previous, but even more engrossing, “The Ghost of Badon Hill” is a mature and thrilling record to get lost in.
So that’s ten. Honourable mentions go out to Melvins, Lucifer, Black Tusk, Alunah and Barbarian Hermit amongst many others.
Here’s hoping 2025 can match this…
Keep coming back to Ever Metal and Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub for all the best rock and metal reviews!
Happy New Year, loyal friends and followers of Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub! We’re now striding into 2025 with confidence and glee, but as is customary, our first post of the year is a round up of the previous year’s successes.
So here are the Top Ten most read posts from 2024 – the ones that grabbed your attention, and briefly lit up the internet with enthusiasm.
The most read posts on this blog relate to skateboarding, you may be surprised to know. But they’re usually slow burners, attracting attention year after year, rather than big hitters. So it was nice to see this update about my latest skate set up make it into the Top 10 list. Nice photos may have helped.
My pick of the best in Rock and Metal albums for 2023 was published by Ever Metal, and I then posted it on my blog, too. Nice to know that you guys must trust my judgement. The 2024 Top 10 will follow soon.
I went to quite a few amazing gigs in 2024, the UK Subs in Wrexham being one of them. This was a great gig and I finally got to see this classic band live.
Anything my daughter Eloise contributes to my blog is always well received, and this school poem was no exception. A great piece of work and wonderful sentiment.
Comic conventions always perform well on the blog, and this experience from May was no exception. I also paid a visit to Liverpool Comic Con in November too, but sadly the photos from that have evaporated and the blog is redundant.
In February 2024, we went on a family road trip to the beautiful seaside town of Whitby. It wasn’t just tourism travel though, we were on the trail of Count Dracula, himself. Our vampire hunt made it to number 7 on the list.
Wales Comic Con made a return to Wrexham, and Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub was there for it. This event was a scaled down affair, and sadly turned out to be a bit of a fraud. The organisers still owe us money for celeb autographs we booked but never got – and it looks like we’ll never get that cash back.
Every cloud and all that, though: Wrexham’s Wales Comic Con is under new management and hopefully will regain the heights of previous years. Let’s see…
2024 was a reassuringly successful year for the Virtual Hot Tub. Fifty posts were published, reaching the highest number of views per year since 2018.
Thanks to all of my readers for helping create this magnificent achievement – I really appreciate everyone who reads, likes and shares this content. All the best to you and your families for 2025 – I hope the year ahead brings you health and happiness.
Stay tuned to Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, folks – there’s no stopping us now!
Nebula/Black Rainbows – “In Search of the Cosmic Tale: Crossing the Galactic Portal” Split
Heavy Psych Sounds
Release date: 28/06/2024
Running time: 32 minutes
Review by: Alun Jones
8.5/10
What’s that old saying? Oh yeah, “I get by with a little help from my friends”. Now neither Nebula or Black Rainbows could possibly fail on their own, so together these cosmic psychonaut supertroopers should absolutely RULE. These guys aren’t leaning on each other, they’re building each other up to stratospheric heights.
“In Search of the Cosmic Tale: Crossing the Galactic Portal” is the longest title I’ve ever had to type (thank the gods for copy and paste). It’s a six-track album split between those two bands, and released by one of the most on-the-money record companies around at the moment, Heavy Psych Sounds. So the pedigree is off the charts.
The first three tracks are from our old buddies, the psychedelic warriors, Nebula. There are three brand new tracks here, of which ‘Acid Drop’ is the pinnacle – a chugging, unstoppable mammoth tune that’s fuzzier than a caveman’s armpits. ‘Eye pf the Storm’ chills the mood out a bit with an infectious, spaced-out groove that fits perfectly. Things get a bit weirder with ‘Ceaser XXXIV’, with a lolloping riff that wiggles into your mind.
Black Rainbows present us with ‘The Secret’, which really shouldn’t be a secret to anyone: it’s a boisterous, Sabbath style good time and probably my favourite track here. Ah, I shouldn’t pick – but there you go. The galactic groove continues with ‘Thunder Lights on the Greatest Sky’, another joyous ode to fuzz. ‘Dogs of War’ wraps things up nicely with a psych wander through the sky that gradually builds to exhilarating levels.
At just over half an hour long, this mini album/EP or whatever simply isn’t long enough. The quality of music is fantastic though, as well it should be. No surprises there. Both Nebula and Black Rainbows are awesome bands that you can trust to conjure up the goods. This beauty’s available on several different versions of sexy vinyl too, so worth shelling out for.
Ready for something a little different? Something born from the familiar, but tantalisingly different? Then step right this way, Platinum Al has a musical odyssey that will intrigue you. We’re talking about the debut album from Devil Moon Risen, a trio out of Phoenix, Arizona, and it’s all kinds of unexpected.
We’re starting in the realm of desert rock, but Devil Moon Risen have added some spice to their chimichanga with elements of punk, sludge and doom metal. So, off we go with a thuddingly heavy, groovy chugger in ‘Bad Sketch of a Killer’ that twists into a creepy waltz and back again.
Like Primus playing QOTSA songs on an album produced by the late great Steve Albini, the songs feature unpredictable, powerful bass and thrashing guitars. It doesn’t always quite gel, ‘The Rim’ is more of a challenge to get into, but “Fissures of Men” is always surprising and brave.
When everything falls into place though, the results are superb, as with the full-on rock-out distorted delight that is ‘Shaun Powell’. Elsewhere, there’s more Frankenstein-like craziness such as ‘D.T.T.B.O.W.T.B.’, which launches like later era Danzig before offering some more laid-back grooves, then morphing to a black metal wail.
“Fissures of Men” is a journey and then some: Devil Moon Risen have taken the obvious starting point and run off in a totally different direction (or three). Whether it’s noise rock or some as yet uncharted genre of music, the album is sometimes demanding and always unpredictable. If – or when – you’re ready, “Fissures of Men” could be just the education you need.
Here go with a tasty treat, the wonderfully named Saltpig with their self-titled debut album. And who are Saltpig? The band are a duo consisting of drummer Fabio Alessandrini (formerly of Annihilator) and Mitch Davis (formerly of everyone from Mark Lanegan and U2 to Damon Albarn, crazy!) on everything else. Together they have created this mysterious yet compelling piece of work, released by the ever-reliable Heavy Psych Sounds.
The musician’s previous experience is superficially surprising, as Saltpig’s album is a rutting beast comprised of doom, stoner, psych and occult rock parts in equal measure. Filthy, fuzzy riffs and manically clattering drums are what we get, and we get it good – right from the rolling, rollicking menace of ‘Satan’s War’ onwards.
Gutsy and powerful, not bloated, the next four tracks follow the opener in a similar unforgivingly retro style. Songs like ‘Demon’ and ‘Burning Water ‘ go unashamedly full throttle, proto metal with bouncy rhythms, aggression and melody.
‘When You Were Dead’ slows the pace slightly for a classic Sabbath gloom rocker. ‘Burn the Witch’ has a slinkier, groovier feel and ticks the obscure horror film dialogue box, too. No idea where that sample is taken from, but I feel I should…
Finally, this all leads up to a mega epic called ‘1950’, nigh on twenty-minutes of repetitive, fuzz drenched pummelling guitar and distorted vocals that builds slowly, has only subtle variation for the most part and threatens to drive the listener mad. That may sound like hell to some, but I bloody loved it. It’s a dark, tormenting, almost religious experience and strangely intriguing.
Saltpig’s first album is an enigma: heavy as hell, brutal, surprising, hypnotic and fascinating. I’ve slapped on an easily deserved score of 8.5, but this could go higher over time.
November 25 1991, Manchester G-MEX. That was the last (and first) time I saw The Cult perform live. They were my favourite band and being there to witness them in person was a hell of a thrill, I was barely 19 years old and I’d never been to a gig of that scale before. Years go by, and I’m finally going to see The Cult again, this time at the far more atmospheric Apollo, rather than the cavernous aircraft hanger of the old G-MEX.
Yes indeed, it had been a long time since I saw my old mates Billy and Ian up on a stage. A lot had happened during that time – for all of us – but the music was always there.
Our support act this evening, in a seemingly incongruous move, was Jonathan Hultén. Standing solo on stage, swathed in veils and enigmatic face paint, Hultén was not what many were expecting to open the show. His music was dark, ethereal folk, with acoustic guitar and haunting vocals. At first I was intrigued, as the music continued I became thoroughly engaged. Just a few days before Halloween, this Scandinavian folk horror and gothic bombast was entirely appropriate to open this event.
More surprises, even more pleasant, revealed themselves when The Cult took to the Apollo stage – accompanied by a sample of ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ from Apocalypse Now (a genius move in itself). Launching into an earth-shaking ‘In The Clouds’, followed by ‘Rise’, from the insanely underrated “Beyond Good and Evil” album, this was not what I was expecting at all. Both songs are later entries in the band’s cannon, and sit gloriously at the heavier end of their repertoire. I adore both tracks – this was going to be interesting.
“Electric” album cut ‘Wildflower’ was next. One of my favourite Cult songs, I could’ve left at that point and been satisfied. More hard hitting classics followed with the swagger of ‘Star’ and Charlie Jones’s thudding bass introducing ‘The Witch’. New track ‘Mirror’ slots in seamlessly, then we get another mighty song from “Beyond Good and Evil”, ‘War (The Process’). All well known songs to Cult freaks like me, but not obvious choices by any means.
Billed as “The Cult 8424” – a 40 year anniversary tour – I’d expected a Greatest Hits set, culled mainly from the bands mid 80’s days. Early non-album single ‘Resurrection Joe’ was therefore no surprise, otherwise, this set spanned eras and albums confidently. Next was an acoustic ‘Edie (Ciao Baby)’ – I’ve always preferred this song in stripped down form to the “Sonic Temple” production.
‘Sweet Soul Sister’ was my chance for a quick “comfort break” – I’ve never been a huge fan. Great riff, overblown chorus! Another surprise followed, with ‘Lucifer’ from the “Choice of Weapon” record. The huge, epic riff of this song has made it one of my favourites, so a real bonus to hear live. John Tempesta on drums really powered all these songs home flawlessly, with both groove and power.
The latter part of the set delivered all the big crowd pleasers; an anthemic ‘Firewoman’, a truly captivating ‘Rain’ (surely one of the greatest rock riffs of the era), the tribal beauty of ‘Spiritwalker’. Billy Duffy, playing to a home town crowd, performed guitar magic throughout: from gutsy, gritty riffs to mesmerising yet direct, never fancy melodies. Lightning bolt energy from Ian Astbury galvanised the audience, as he revelled in the role of shamanic leader. And with a final roar through ‘Love Removal Machine’, it’s over.
Except it isn’t! Of course not, we all know The Cult will be back for an encore. But what will it be? Any more surprises?
‘Brother Wolf, Sister Moon’ is a classic track from the wonderful “Love” album, but wasn’t a single and so a very welcome reward. Finally, of course, the legendary ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ rings out and unites the crowd in a euphoric shared moment – Astbury’s air raid siren vocals leading the throng. I swear that man doesn’t need a microphone.
My return visit to The Cult’s sonic temple took a few years longer than anticipated. It was great to see them on such fine form, revelling in the classics and confident in their position as genuine, treasured heroes. What really made the gig for me though, was the sheer joy of hearing a very generous helping of less obvious, but very beloved tracks that I wasn’t expecting. No ‘Lil’ Devil’, but the rest of the set made up for it. I’ll return sooner next time.
PS: we need “Beyond Good and Evil” re-releasing on vinyl, please lads!
Delivering another deadly double dose of Halloween Horror Fest, can you take it??!
Saw (2004)
Saw is a very clever twist on the serial killer tale. Here, two dudes – strangers to each other – wake up in a grotty bathroom, chained up, not knowing how they got there, or why. Clue: they’re not on a stag night. One is Dr Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes), and both men are trapped, taunted by the Jigsaw Killer with a series of clues. Jigsaw is a killer who likes to test his victims tenacity – their very will to survive – in a series of “games”.
It’s very difficult to explain the plot of Saw without giving too much away. Suffice to say that the back story is revealed through glimpses, as slowly the narrative falls into place – like a jigsaw – and the mysteries of circumstances and survival are resolved.
Usually I like my horror supernatural, but I’m not adverse to a good old psycho killer story. Saw is an ingenious film, with twists and turns coming from everywhere, as the viewer pieces everything together. It’s gruesome, it’s harrowing, but over all Saw is absolutely enthralling. If you’ve not seen it, make sure you see Saw.
Everyone does the ‘see saw’ gag, right?
Note: I met Cary Elwes once, and he was one of the nicest, most down to earth people you could meet. A genuine gentleman.
8.5/10
Son of Dracula (1943)
Although the 1930s are often considered the golden days of Universal horror, the studio was still delivering classics in the 40s, as far as I’m concerned. Only the third in Universal’s Dracula series, there’s no Bela Lugosi here, but it’s a well plotted and inventive film.
The vampire of the title is played here by Lon Chaney Jr. He plays Count Alucard, an Eastern European nobleman visiting the United States as a guest of Katherine Caldwell (Louise Allbritton). Katherine, a keen student of the occult, is engaged to Frank Stanley (Robert Paige), though obviously captivated by the Count.
Following the unexpected death of their father, Katherine and her sister Claire (Evelyn Ankers) are his benefactors. Katherine opts to take just their mansion “Dark Oaks”, after which she marries Alucard and rejects Frank. The local doctor, aiding Frank, has become suspicious. Eventually they conclude that Alucard is a vampire, and decide to deal with the situation appropriately…
Chaney’s casting isn’t quite right for this role, but he makes a fair attempt. What makes Son of Dracula an intriguing watch cunning plot twists, and how cleverly the story creates a new spin on an old tale, evading the obvious. I really enjoyed this film and happily recommend it.
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 