Gareth checks out the new single from Helgrind ahead of his upcoming full album review, check it out for yourselves…
If you like your thrash a bit old school, the latest single ‘Massacre the Suffering’ from Arlesey Thrashers Helgrind might just be what you’re looking for; a ferocious brute of a track from their forthcoming ‘Insurrection’ album. That’s not to say that they are merely an 80s throwback, far from it, I’m talking more about attitude and execution.
The production utilises modern technology, but Helgrind don’t fall into the trap many bands do, by sounding too processed and clinical. While everything is clear and powerful in the mix, the guitars have a real bite to them, and the bass and drums are locked into a formidable bottom end rhythm section, there’s a natural resonance to the sound which just adds to the band’s inherent heaviness.
The song itself is an unremitting beast with belabouring drums and razor sharp riffing, Paula’s vocals adding to the savagery, yet there’s a melodic structure that underpins the brutality, which will anchor the song into your brain after only a few listens, there’s a hint of the LA legends Slayer in the sound, yet the melody incorporated in the lead interplay between Si and Joe is more Smith and Murray than King and Hannemen.
The bottom line is this: if you’re in any way into thrash or extreme metal, you need to hear this, this is a fantastic 3 minute taster, ready for the main course ahead.
The New Album Insurrection is out on the 22nd October, go and pre-order NOW
Paradox are back with a follow on to their classic album Heresy, here’s what Gareth thinks…
Let me take you back 800 years or so, to a time when a controversial religious order, the Cathars, was gaining power and a foothold in France, but was starting to become problematic to the Catholic church, the practitioners were regarded as heretics and their order was petitioned against by Pope Innocent III, to King Philip II of France and after this successful petition, the Cathars over a 20 year military campaign, were persecuted, tortured, massacred and eventually wiped out. Moving forward 770 odd years and German band Paradox released their sophomore album ‘Heresy’, a concept album about the ” Albigensian Crusade”, a relatively unknown, but very respected release for those in the know.
Now finally, we come back to the present day, and Paradox are about to release their 8th studio album: ‘ Heresy II: End of a Legend’, which, if you haven’t spotted it, is the long in the making sequel. It’s always a bit of a risk when bands follow up a seminal piece of work with a follow-up, Not only is it immediately open to scrutiny, to its predecessor, but if handled incorrectly, you run the risk of actually lessening the original, Operation: Mindcrime II anyone!!? No need to worry, anyone who has listened to Paradox over their career will know that they only release quality albums, with the last two ‘Tales in a Weird World’ and ‘Pangea’ being of particularly high quality.
So how does part 2 measure up. Well obviously, being written and recorded 31 years apart, and only having two of the same members, main man Charly Steinhuer, on vocals and guitar, and returning drummer Axel Blaha (who incidentally last appeared on part 1) there are bound to be some differences. However, the consistency that has been achieved is very impressive. The original ‘Heresy’ had one of the best productions of its era, and so with modern recording techniques it’s not surprising that the new record is better, its similar, modern yet reminiscent, a bit beefier in the guitars and the whole mix being more even, with every instrument having its own space in the overall soundscape. Charly’s vocals are a bit gruffer, but he still has a clear and powerful voice.
For people who aren’t familiar with Paradox, they occupy the more melodic end of the thrash spectrum, even straddling into the power metal genre. Saying that, this is more in the vocals than the riffing, which can be quite ferocious at times, although the guitar work can also be very intricate and much more symphonic than your typical meat and potato thrash band.
Lyrically and musically, this starts where the original left off, opener ‘Escape from the Burning’ is a future live classic, with a suitably epic opening before building into a real riff fest, with high energy passages and a catchy chorus. The two already released singles are up next, the fierce ‘Mountains and Caves’ and the brutal ‘The Visitors’, both with driving riffs and pummelling rhythms, where lead guitarist Christian Münzner gets to show his worth, with some fantastic interplay with Charly. The whole album runs over 75 mins, so there’s certainly value for money and if you like to really get your teeth into the lyrics and music, you certainly won’t be disappointed. ‘A Meeting of Minds’ and ‘The Great Denial’ are both longer, more progressive and involved tracks, with slower parts and quieter aspects. Whereas ‘Priestly Vows’ and ‘Unholy Conspiracy’ show the thrashier and more aggressive side of the band. That said at 75 min, I think they could have shaved at least 10 mins from the overall length, and this would have tightened up the outcome.
This is a worthy successor to the original ‘Heresy’ release, and I think fans of that album will be very pleased with ‘Heresy II’. If you’ve heard Paradoxpreviously and didn’t like them, there’s really not much here that is going to alter that opinion. Will it pull in new fans? Well possibly, this album will hopefully be better marketed and advertised than the original. A very solid and competent release that ensures that Paradox still don’t have a duffer in the discography.
Paradox – Heresy II: End of a Legend was released on the 24/09 on AFM Records
Gareth reviews the new Album by Elimination, here’s what he thinks…..
I first got into Elimination last year when I had the pleasure to review their comeback EP ‘Of Gods and Beasts’, and whilst researching for that release, I soon discovered that they had been very active previously, with two full length albums already under their belts, ‘Destroyed by Creation’ and ‘The Blood of Titans’. And now almost 10 years on, it’s a huge delight to be reviewing album number three, the rather splendid “Echoes of the Abyss”.
Those of you who are already familiar with the band will already know, they aren’t quite the same beast as they were 10 years ago, with Neil Stevens (vocals and bass) the only member left from the original line-up, now he’s joined by guitarists David Hill and Leigh Rumsby, The continuity from those early albums is continued, mainly with Neil’s distinctive bark, he’s an excellent thrash vocalist, he’s aggressive, and almost spits the words out, yet at the same time there’s plenty of melody and the diction is so clear you can pick out the majority of the lyrics with relative ease, Leigh and David do differ from the original guitar duo, in that for me they employ a bit more melody in the lead work, perfectly syncing during the solos, and more dynamic in the riff department.
Let’s dive into the album then, first track ‘Disciples of the Beast’ is an absolute fantastic opener, starting with a simple, yet ominous melody plucked out with a an acoustic guitar, with a beautiful building dual lead in the background, this continues to grow and while the acoustic fades, and with a 1, 2, 3 drumbeat, the song cuts in, the two guitars, complimenting each other yet pulling in completely different directions, it’s a terrifically ambitious start, and highlights both the confidence and maturity the band has gained in the last twelve months. The meat of the song powers along on a driving main riff, which shifts slightly into the bridge, before throttling back for the chorus, which I guarantee will be shouted back with glee in the live setting, and then they even have time for a Maiden inspired instrumental section, with a great solo and wonderfully melodic harmony parts. Terrific opener.
‘Black Wings’ sees the band really stepping on the accelerator, starting fast and escalating during the bridge, there’s even some blast-beating greatness before the chorus, another one that’s going to stick long in the brain, and the ending to the solo piece is just chaotic greatness. ‘This is War’ is a bit groovier with a cool bouncy feel to the riffing, and has a guest vocal slot from Aaron from neighbours Shrapnel (get well soon buddy) who adds a slightly blackened bark into the proceedings.
This is a seriously good album, it also sounds great, and you’d never guess they are a drummer down, whoever has done the programming for the tubs, needs a weighty pat on the back, and also the drum sound is immense. Add to that the guitar tone, it’s aggressive and heavy yet clear as a bell, when you use as much melody as these two, you need a seriously good sound. Neil’s vocals are nicely placed as well, and my only complaint is the bass is perhaps a little bit lost.
Onwards we go, ‘Damaged’ literally throws itself out of the speakers, and is a real shred fest, and not just with lashings of tight riffing, I’m talking about seriously good lead & loads of harmonies. We are already familiar with ‘Victims by Design’ which being the shortest track is a perfect pick for the lead single. Strange feedback and a brief news announcement introduce ‘The Nameless City’ which for the most part is a fiendishly up-tempo brute, that has some serpentine melodies and a section that shuffles along on an unnerving syncopated beat, before the chase to the finish, ‘Blind Leading the Blind’ cuts in straight from the outset, and sees the band slow down a touch, at least for the chunky chord lead chorus, with some heavy muted parts, but contrasted nicely by some clean dynamics.
Then to finish off we have the epic ‘Infernal’, the band’s most ambitious track up to this point, commencing with an acoustic beginning, the song builds and builds, lots of different sections, and more classy solos, parts segue seamlessly from one to the other, and a cracking climatic crescendo before a lull before the ending storm, and a brave and surprising end. What a tremendous climax to a supremely impressive album. If you like thrash, but with plenty of melody, top notch song writing and a bit more than your average release, then this is an album that you need to check out. This is so good it’s gone straight in as my album of the year so far, and it’s going to take something ridiculously good to knock it from the top spot. Absolutely stunning.
Hutch finds things not as he thought as he checks out the new Hellsword album…
I assumed that this would be a record with more in common with power metal. Anything with the word sword tends to swing that way. But no, Hellsword are far removed from soaring vocal harmonies and rapid-fire melodic speed. Instead, Hellsword are rooted deeply in the early days of black metal; think Venom, Bathory and Hellhammer.
Formed in 2009, it’s taken the Slovenian trio of Mark Massakre, Mike Manslaughter and Ironfist over a decade to produce this debut full length release. Apart from the ridiculous names, there’s plenty to enjoy here despite the lack of originality. It’s well produced, with a raw edge and prototype feel but avoiding that outside toilet production of the early 80s.
There are plenty of riffs from the Devil’s locker here, with a tempo that varies from blistering speed and thrash to more demonic overtures that slow things down yet retain all the demonic elements you expect. It’s unsurprising that Cold is the Grave features tracks such as Satan, Death and Fear, Baphomet’s Shrine and Unholy Reich – the band are pinning their flag firmly with ol’ Nick after all.
Whilst Hellsword may not intentionally have done so, they have thrown their hat into the ever increasing ring of blackened thrash that continues to emerge apace. If you like that gnarly, aggressive and full-on aural assault, then Cold is the Grave may well be an album you’ll fancy taking a punt on.
Hutch checks out Italian Death metallers Dark Redeemer and their new album…
Piling on with the blatant Swedeath worship are Italian veterans ‘Dark Redeemer’. Their debut LP ‘Into the Deep Black’ comes off their 20+ year career as atmospheric/progressive death metal behemoth ‘Aleph’ – named Metal Hammer’s ‘new Italian band of the year’ in ’06 – whereby having stripped back all the progressive elements of the band’s previous form leaves them sounding more straightforward than ever. 9 tracks over a 45 minute run-time translates to some serious meat for any fan of classic death metal to sink their teeth into, and with the members’ previous efforts showing a clear proficiency in the songwriting department, there’s no doubt that ‘Into the Deep Black’ is on the long list of solid metal releases of 2021.
In essence, the core components of ‘Into the Deep Black’ are the raw violence a la anything that came out of Sunlight Studios in the early 90s (Grave, Entombed, Carnage or Dismember… you get the point) and psychotic precision with the structures and nuances of the coexisting US scene (Morbid Angel, Immolation etc.). These styles collide and thus set Dark Redeemer apart from other bands whose sole purpose is to release Left Hand Path 2 (not that anyone’s complaining though), where the D-beat and hardcore influences are scrapped with the aim of going from hard to harder with flurries of blast beats and descents into filthy old-school breakdown sections.
Trackwise all the songs take a similar approach and meander through a frenzy of savage riffing with some repeated sections without resembling a strict verse-chorus structure. Riffs will revolve around the pounding thrash beat and will transition to halftime grooves with keyboard laden intricacies scattered throughout to create some seriously eerie moments. Lead single and opener TMC gives a taste of all these elements in its blisteringly fast thrashy intro, blast beat transitions and groovy chorus section that makes great use of a haunting keyboard melody in a ‘Testimony of the Ancients’ fashion. ‘The Zombiemarch’ is also of note being the main consistently mid-paced track, which really helps to break up the rest of the album and keep it from turning into a giant blur of speedy riffs with no sense of memorability. The highlight however has got to be ‘Killing Ritual’. A 4 count on a whipcrack of a snare straight into an unmistakably Dismember esque thrashy pummelling is an instant recipe for success.
‘Into the Deep Black’ as a whole walks a fine line between carefully constructed and rabidly chaotic, where the ultimate goal is to mix the best bits of two of the most distinct death metal scenes. The savagery in the simplicity of the Scandinavian tremolo riffs under the thrash beat and the devastatingly heavy mid-paced sections and creative flair from the US makes for some quality death metal. Sure ‘Remains’ and ‘Grotesque Deity’ are following Swedeath worship more closely, but listeners that aren’t such big fans of hardcore will appreciate Dark Redeemer stripping back anything that isn’t pure death metal and cramming elements of yes… more death metal in its place. The only gripe I have with this record is that despite the beauty of the cranked HM-2 sound, the tone comes out fairly wispy and thin. This is remedied however by listening on different speakers or just turning up the bass, but I listen to music with all the EQ cranked all the way up anyway.
Dark Redeemer – Into the Deep Black was released on the 24/09/21 on Blasphemous Records
Hutch explodes all over the new Mutant Blast EP…..
Although they only finalised their line up in 2020, Finish death n’ rollers Mutant Blast have a distinctly mature sound. Detonation maybe their first EP but there is plenty to get stuck into in the blasting 22 minutes which five full songs as well as an atmospheric intro.
It’s clear from the start that Mutant Blast draw from a wide range of influences, from the power and drive of Motörhead to the ferocious death metal of Entombed and the raw black metal of Venom. The sound is harsh and raw, with opening track Break the Wheel an uncontrollable and feisty rager that explodes from the opening bars and doesn’t slow down – in fact there is a frantic pace which appears to increase as the track progresses.
Vocalist Tomi Malinen, who also adds guitar has a gnarly delivery which suits the band’s chaos driven style. There is a bigger, more intense feel to Blades of Steel, but the track soon breaks out into another all-out aural assault. This is music to which one must break speed limits, such is the grip that it establishes on the listener. In the live arena, bones would be broken in the pits, with the underlying groove combining with a visceral slice of thrash that surely will appeal to most metal fans.
There’s more than a whiff of Chrome Division in the band’s style, with the dramatic Grave Insanity, with its huge riffs and boot print of a stomp bringing a different feel whilst March of the Dead reverts to a more traditional thrash approach, all raging riffing and pounding drumming and a nice bit of Slayer thrown in for good measure.
This is an EP that is well worth a listen if you like your thrash blended with a gritty, old-school mix of influences. The band comprise lead vocalist and guitarist Tomi Malinen, guitarist Toni Huhtiniemi, bassist Juha Lähde and drummer E-S Kuikka and are yet another example of the hot bed of metal that is Finland.
Detonation was released on the 10/09/21 and is available via BandCamp
Hutch checks out the new album from German Thrashers Daily Insanity, here’s what he thinks…
Germanic thrashers Daily Insanity follow up 2018’s EP Conspiracy with a debut album which is at times straightforward no-nonsense thrash metal in the traditional Teutonic style but which also veers completely away from the template. It’s an album that keeps you on your toes for the entire 42 minutes.
Plenty of thick, chunky riffing make the start of the album promising enough. For a three-piece these guys slug out a big sound and the Berlin trio don’t steer far away from their thrash roots on the title track, which is unashamedly part Destruction, part Sodom. The killer riff and pummelling rhythm section continue to fire with passion on It Doesn’t Matter, bassist and vocalist Hans giving a guttural roar or two that fit neatly with the stoic thrash riffs the band drop.
The first signs of variation appear on Stolen Valor, the use of synths to add atmosphere and depth works well but comes a little out of left field after the explosive opening. There isn’t a lot of pratting around though, as Stolen Valor quickly erupts in a raging thrash inferno, quickly followed by even more aggression on the balls out rager Warchild.
Marching Drummer utilises the double kick drive of Silvo ‘Gustl’ Baier, who cements the slower, pounding feel of the song with a solid effort, before the Celtic Frost style intro of I Am The Mission provides a doom ridden opening, adding a change in mood and feel which after a classic Kreator passage slows again. There’s a gentle instrumental, A Lonely Soldier to follow, providing opportunity to catch the breath before the final three tracks burst into flames. The dark Sleepless reverts to a feisty thrasher which leads to the heads down thrash of penultimate track Doomsday, one of the weaker songs on the record with a rather basic delivery and composition. The finale is The Reckoning, a curved ball of a track which allows the temperature to cool. It’s a song that stands out in comparison to the other songs on Chronicles of War, mainly because the vocals are a real struggle. Whilst Hans can do the growling roar, his clean vocals are not strong, and it really is a weak track to conclude a solid if unremarkable release.
There are flashes of powerful, muscular thrash here but there’s also plenty of rather routine and uninspiring metal which really doesn’t get the listener too excited. That’s not to say it isn’t worth a listen, but I can’t see me coming back to it in the same way I often do to other bands.
Chronicles Of War was released on the 10/9/21 and is available via BandCamp
Hutch joins the living dead and reviews the new album from Leeds zombies, Send More Paramedics
I’ll admit that the Zombiecore of Leeds based Send More Paramedics has largely passed me by. I’m not a huge fan of the gimmick band, which is what I understood they were. I’ll pass on the history but suffice that ‘The Final Feast’ is their first album release in 15 years so it’s reasonable to take it on face value without the deep dive into the band’s history. If I offend long term fans, so be it.
There are plenty of driving riffs, screaming, and roaring vocals and a semi-Municipal Waste approach but two plays in and I was struggling to remember more than a minute of the songs that played out. ‘Hibakusha’, the final song is probably the most memorable due to the intro, but after than it’s more of the same frantic thrashing. It would be something that would be brilliant after a few pints in a small venue.
The third play moved things up a gear, and opener ‘Mortify’ suddenly smashed my head on the table and I was away. From there on in, ‘The Final Feast’ exploded in a cacophony of thrash that demanded the attention. What it was about those first two plays I can’t say, but sometimes things need time to click into place. Strange because thrash is usually instantaneous. There were still moments that didn’t really do a lot but by the time I got to ‘Malfacteur’, the blistering intensity of ‘Splatterpunk’ and ‘Word is the Virus’, I was enjoying this much more than I thought I would.
I still think this is music that would work so much better in the live setting. By all accounts, there is going to be some opportunity at Temple of Boom in October where I am sure this will be greeted like an Australian surfer in a school of great whites. Whatever the outcome, this is a crazed album that is enjoyable after a little perseverance.
Hutch checks out what the Demolizer lads have been up to…
A tasty refreshed four-track EP from the Danish thrasher which follows on from 2020’s Thrashmageddon, It’s no surprise that this rerecording of Ghoul continues in the gnarly manner of their previous releases with the snarling title track Ghoul a fine way to open the experience. It’s all heads down maniacal carnage before segueing into the thick chugging riffs of Torture Insanity which makes up for in heaviness what it lacks in speed. Guttural vocals are the main tool of Ben Radtleff and he uses his combination of lower octaves with more harrowing screams to impressive effect.
Torture Insanity is polar opposites to Ghoul, the latter a circle pit inciting maelstrom, whilst for the first two minutes all you can do is slow head bangs but then, holy shit, we are off with a frenetic blast which sees the band let loose – this track should come with a health warning as it’s sheer pace for the remaining couple of minutes could induce cardiac challenges, especially for an old fucker like me who prefers to stand and head bang than risk Achilles tendon damage running with the pack.
It may only be 16 minutes long, but Demoliser aren’t slowing up with Get Out of My Way doing exactly what it says – get out of the way or risk being hurt! It’s explosive, raw and punishing in equal measure. I can see younger thrash fans absolutely loving this. Even the routine cover of Annihilator’s King of the Kill has a nice blackened thrashy feel which brings the EP to a solid close. It’s more of a sandwich than a sit-down meal, but the filling is sufficient to encourage you to order another, even if it is the same sandwich again. Yum!
Demolizer – Upgrade is out on the 1st October via the following pre-save links https://bfan.link/upgrade and Mighty Music Store
Paul Hutchings gives the re-issue of Healing Through Fire the once over… yes it’s Orange Fuckin Goblin!!…..
Few bands kick so hard, so consistently as the UK legends that are Orange Goblin. Formed in 1995 under the name Our Haunted Kingdom, their first release was a seven-inch split with Electric Wizard. Their sound changed from the stoner blues style of their first three albums on 2002’s Coup De Grace and by the time they arrived at album number six, Healing Through Fire in 2007, the band had incorporated those original sounds into a much more aggressive and heavy sound. That’s not to say that those roots were ignored, as one can hear on tracks like The Ballad of Solomon Blues which opens the album or the sprawling almost psychedelic workout on Beginner’s Guide to Suicide which closes the album. The latter showing just what a brilliant guitarist Joe Hoare is.
Sandwiched between are some mighty slabs of heavy metal. There’s the biker size ten stomp of The Ale House Braves, the riff-laden Hot Knives and Open Sores and the bone crushing They Come Back (Harvest of Skulls) which remains in their setlist today.
This release contains the original album and a plethora of goodies that many fans will not have encountered before. The four tracks from the Radio 1 Rock Show session are as boisterous as you’d expect, with the inclusion of a monstrous Scorpionica from The Big Black and Blue Snow from 1998’s Time Travelling Blues. The three demos aren’t particularly of interest to me, but they show the huge sound the band achieve in the studio. And there’s a cover of The Damned’s New Rose which is given the Goblin once over as well.
The second CD contains Goblin in full live flow. Recorded at the Mean Fiddler in 2006, this is the audio recording of the DVD that accompanied the limited edition of Healing Through Fire when it was first released. The sound quality is dreadful, a muffled production suggesting the mixing desk was in the toilets, but it does capture the essence of the band in the environment they excel. If you’ve seen OFGB live, there are few surprises. Ben Ward is full on, cajouling and encouraging the audience to engage in “chaos, motherfuckers”. The band are heavier than the proverbial bag of anvils, and it sounds like a raging show. The track listing reflects the band at the time, with plenty of older songs spread through the 11-track set list. A selection of band commentaries has been spliced onto a couple of the songs, which I imagine is from the original DVD. (It doesn’t work particularly well on the audio version, disrupting the live flow of the gig.)
Overall, the rarities on disc one are probably of more interest, although live versions of Hot Magic, Red Planet and Round Up the Horses are well worth a listen. Ultimately, if you love Orange Goblin, you’ll be ordering this double CD. If you don’t, and I know one friend who famously said he’d rather “suck the sweat from a dead man’s balls” than watch OFGB, then Healing Through Fire probably won’t be on the shopping list.
Orange Goblin re-release Healing Through Fire via Cherry Red Records this Friday the 20th August
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