“Silence in the Snow” and “Blind Leading the Blind” by Trivium – Song Reviews

Trivium, you know that I’ve always loved you right? Oh, that “Vengeance Falls” review?…we can just forget about that and move on!

Our boys Trivs have come smack-dab out of the blue with the announcement of upcoming opus, “Silence in the Snow”, and we’ve got two shiny new singles to come along with that, so as the fishmonger once said to the jockey: “Lets ‘ave a lewk.”

“Silence in the Snow” (the title track for those of you that haven’t quite figured it out yet) came first, and it’s a groovingly crushing, a bit like the Red Hot Chili Peppers on steroids. There’s an awesome framing melody and awesome solo-work, courtesy of the blindfolded guitar-barbarian Corey Beaulieu. Matt Heafy continues his “no-screaming” crusade, BUT, his super-clean vocals are sounding better than ever on this song and he’s hitting notes that can only be heard by midget bats (so high that he gets a nose-bleed halfway through the video). The video itself kind of looks like a skinny version of Batman is running around messing with people, interspliced with some cool band shots and a lady covered in black glop playing the guitar… #art.

“Blind Leading the Blind” takes us back to the thrashy Trivium that most of us know, but with a matured Heafy at the helm, the track charges forward with a deafening roar. Accompanied once again by intricate solos from blindfold Beaulieu (reckon that’ll catch on?) and a pulsating drumline from newcomer Mat Madiro, give us more to look forward to than a rabid wolf during a rabbit’s bonfire party. Funny, how when Trivium have a drummer change-up, their sound transmorgafies into something awesome!

Obviously, as is custom, we wait for the full-release to make a judgement. But, I very much enjoy where “Silence in the Snow” is going. Sure, Heafy’s screaming seems to have been ditched, and a bit of that would have been great (you have an awesome scream Matt!). But other than that, these songs sound killer! And, of course, we can all thank The Old Gods, The Seven and The Drowned God that David Draiman didn’t get his claws into this album (now that Disturbed have been resurrected, there’s no need for the tribute act).

“But you didn’t have to cut me off!”

I’m giving “Silence in the Snow” and “Blind Leading the Blind” a rating of:

“Silence in the Snow” – 7/10

 

“Blind Leading the Blind” – 8/10

 

“Silence in the Snow” is out October 2^nd via Roadrunner

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“Positive Songs for Negative People” by Frank Turner – Album Review

What with more metal coming out of the works than primetime at the steel plant, there’s nothing like a bit of punk infused folk-rock (half expecting “core” to be in the title these days). I speak of course, of the latest opus from punky gone folky, Frank Turner, “Positive Songs for Negative People.” What with the sombre and melancholy tone of 2013’s “Tape Deck Heart”, “Positive Songs For Negative People” takes said melancholy and injects it with a big ol’ dose of folky adrenaline, acting as the biggest pick-me-up record of the year.

The record starts off calmly, with the solo acoustic intro “The Angel Islington.” Starting up where “Tape Deck Heart” left off, this is Frank’s attempt at saying “I’ve done my moping, time to get moving again.” Recording the track solitarily with his guitar, adds to Frank’s sense of isolation, and starts the record off smoothly. Then, “Get Better” kicks in, and blows that out of the water like an exploding whale. With upbeat drums and a piano melody more uplifting than an uppercut from Robbie Lawler, this is where The Sleeping Souls jump up behind Frank, pick him up, and get him moving again!

The Sleeping Souls receive more of a spotlight than ever before on this record in particular. Lead single “The Next Storm” definitely maintains a cohesive feel (as well as a video appearance from CM Punk!), whilst Matt Nasir’s mandolin skills lend a brilliant folky edge to “The Opening Act of Spring”, an apology song for the subject of “Tape Deck Heart” …. or just leftover notes from Frank’s high school biology project. “Positive Songs” definitely lives up to the “Positive” in the title, with songs like “Out of Breath” adding a Flogging Molly-esque bar-room brawl feel to the record (as well as featuring a kickass guitar solo from Ben Lloyd). Alongisde this are “Demons”, a Springsteen-like driving song, featuring the pertinent lyric “Godamn, it’s great to be alive!” as well as “Josephine” and “Glorious You”, both catchy and uplifting, and slightly reminiscent of 2009’s “Poetry of the Deed.” Another uplifting favourite is “Love Forty Down”, an extended tennis metaphor featuring (as Frank put it) a transition from Mumford and Sons to NOFX!

Of course, the fast pace racers are balanced by more sombre and thoughtful parts of the record. “Mittens”, an unrequited love song about unrequited love songs (unrequited love-ception) does not sacrifice the album’s positivity, but remains a more thoughtful and calm aspect, whilst “Silent Key” maintains this with a slow build. Rounding off the record is a live recording of “Song For Josh” a tribute to a fallen old-friend.

Overall, “Positive Songs for Negative People” is a brilliantly solid record. It’s catchy, thoughtful and a brilliant balance of songs. The deluxe version even comes with a bonus acoustic CD, which is just as good as the record itself! I challenge anybody to listen to this and not feel uplifted, or at least not be able to find one song that they enjoy. It’s good to see Mr. Turner back!

I’m giving “Positive Songs for Negative People” a rating of:

“Positive Songs for Negative People” – 9/10

“Positive Songs for Negative People” is out NOW via Xtra Mile

“Throne” by Bring Me The Horizon – Song Review

When I was a wee headbanger, shouting the likes of “Stick it the man!” and “MCR can eat a dick!”, there was one up-and-coming band that every fringe-swishing, vans-wearing, skinny jean toting “emotional” went absolutely bananas for, and that was Bring Me the Horizon. Take a minute to listen to what they used to sound like:

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But…that sounds like a pre-pubescent koala shouting random phrases through a distorted microphone with production about as ground-breaking as Fred Durst’s poetry book.” Well, you’re not wrong. They used to be shit….really shit. 2013’s “Sempiternal” wasn’t half bad, mainly because frontman Oliver Sykes decided to start singing instead of yelling like he’d inhaled a cluster of burning limpits, but still nothing special.

That being said, new single “Throne” is pretty good….jeez that was anticlimactic. In all seriousness though, Bring Me the Horizon could only rock the “frustrated koala battery” for so long, and were eventually going to have to depart, and thank Buddah they did. “Throne” has a heavy electronic influence, but melds that together well with a vocal hook catchier than the plague, and some beefy guitars to back it up. The song doesn’t really go anywhere, but it stays at a good steady pace throughout, just enough to make it enjoyable instead of yawnworthy.

The video’s pretty spectacular as well. There’s a fat cenobite-looking guy whipping a girl playing a harp (what that has to do with thrones I don’t know), there’s some guy doing kung-fu moves at some point (again, thrones? Anyone?) and Sykes carrying a torch (where art thou throne?), and finally a wooden throne (about bloody time!).

All-in-all “Throne” isn’t getting out of here without a recommendation. It’s melodic, it’s catchy, and to some level it sounds badass. I guess I’ve just got to stop being sour and get rid of my distaste for Bring Me the Horizon…the key phrase there is “I guess…”

I’m giving “Throne” a rating of:

“Throne” – 6.5/10

 “That’s The Spirit” is out September 11^th via Sony and Columbia

“VII – Sturm und Drang” by Lamb Of God – Album Review

We are currently in the middle of some strange heavy metal/punk rock malestrom. Seriously. Every single band that I was heavily into when I was a wee-little headbanger (in an oversized Children of Bodom tee) has announced a new record or has already released one. Everything from Iron Maiden’s upcoming epic (seriously, the thing is an hour and a half long), to new offerings from Slayer (the only big 4 member that’s still thrashier than a shark in a dishwasher) to a new Disburbed record (new record, same Draiman, everybody wins!).

But first, to set the bar at colossal height we have the latest offering from metal heavyweights Lamb of God. Enter “VII – Sturm Und Drang” a furious record that reflects a band that have been through one hell of a dark period, and are ready to infuse that darkness right back into their music…a pretty vicious circle when you think about it.

Lead single “Still Echoes” rips away the album’s protective aluminium coating unleashing a fiery storm of furious riffery and lyrical poignancy. The song addresses the Czech Republic’s Pankrac Prison (which held frontman Randy Blythe) and acts as a venmous recount of the prison’s history. With lyrics like “To the bear, the Blitzkrieg and the Holy Father, they just bowed their heads!”, it’s easy to say that there’s a lot to be vented on this record, and it’s being done in the most violent way possible.

“Erase This” continues the signature , well-known, LOG groove, conjuring up flashbacks of classics “The Faded Line” (Ashes of the Wake, 2004) and “11^th Hour” (As The Palaces Burn, 2003). There’s even some talkbox guitar, sounding almost like as if Bon Jovi had been possessed by the world’s darkest phantasm. Second single “512” is clearly personal, as the title refers to Blythe’s cell number during his incarceration. Cathartic lyrics “My hands are painted red, my future’s painted black!” act as a clear representation of the deep, personal turmoil that Blythe was subjected to. These are combined with melodic riff-work from axemasters Mark Morton and Willie Adler, as well as a shredding guitar solo and a driving bassline courtesy of John Campbell.

The record also forays into clean vocals territory, including featured vox from Deftones frontman, Chino Moreno on “Embers” and an almost entirely clean-sung track from Blythe himself on “Overlord”, sounding like the demonic spawn of Layne Staley and Devin Townsend. This, coupled with Mark Morton’s bluesy guitar chops adds some new flavour to LOG’s signature brand of blues-infused groove metal.

The exploration of clean-vocal territory and grunge valley however, does not mean that Lamb of God have lost their furious spark, not by a long shot. “Footprints” is where drum-king (and latest addition to Megadeth) Chris Adler gets to work his blast-beat and double-bass pedal mastery to such a pinnacle that I’m pretty sure he’s a shaman (I always wondered who became Shaman King) whilst “Anthropoid” brings a riff made of more thunder than Thor’s farts alongside a gang-vocal chorus of “WE ARE THE APEX PREDATOR!” (I wonder if this is going to be Randy Orton’s new entrance theme…). “Torches” rounds the record of brilliantly, with guest vox from mathcore magician Greg Puciato adding some great ambience to signature LOG aggression.

On the whole, this is a brilliant well-rounded record. It’s consistent, it’s heavy and just the right level of explorative. Above all, it’s clear that this album is personal and it sure as hell meant something to the people making it. The one criticism I have is for the production, and it’s murkiness at times…but that’s being really pickey and it took a couple of listens to pick up on! Lamb of God stuck to their roots on this record, and it’s definitely worked. I’m looking forward to hearing these new tunes on the road! (if I don’t live through the concert,you’ll know why).

I’m giving “VII – Sturm und Drang” a rating of:

“VII – Sturm und Drang” – 8.5/10

 

“VII – Sturm und Drang” is out NOW via Epic and Nuclear Blast

“Morrigan” by Children Of Bodom – Song Review

And we’re back. What better song to christen the magnificent return of Mouths For War than with than a new release from Finnish melodic death metallers (try saying that ten times faster!), Children Of Bodom. This is our first taste of the newly announced Bodom record, “I Worship Chaos” as well as the first not to feature long-time guitarist Roope Latvala. Is his absence noticed…well…not really. Let’s be honest, Alexi Laiho has always the lead axeman of Bodom,  and much like Trent Reznor, Ozzy Osbourne or Dave Mustaine (not that I’m trying to draw parallels, Alexi isn’t a crazed conspiracy spouting republican…or a bat eating madman) it will be his leadership that drives the band forward.

Enter “Morrigan”, a song that is what is says on the tin, as well as an indicator that lead axeman Alexi Laiho has been playing far too much Dragon Age. Here is where we dig out the old COB bingo card, and we check off melody, atmospheric keys and guitarwork so shreddy that they’ll be a breakfast cereal in a month’s time. “Morrigan” is slightly predictable, but that doesn’t stop it being a good song. The guitar work is excellent, the keyboards amp up the melody and provide a darkened atmosphere to Bodom’s power-influenced brand of melo-death, like a Mozart piece and a Castlevania game were thrown into a metal threshing machine. In short…this sounds like Children of Bodom, which can only be a good thing at this point, seeing as the band apparently fixed what was broken with their previous record, and are churning out more of the same. I’ll hold of final judgement until the record is out obviously, but if the rest sounds like “Morrigan” then I would say that melodic-death metal fans have a lot to look forward to. I’m giving “Morrigan” a:

“Morrigan” – 7/10  

“I Worship Chaos” is out October 7^th via Nuclear Blast

“A Shade of Red” by Coat of Arms – Album Review

If the Middle-Eastern metal scene had its own Avengers team, then Coat of Arms would most definitely be Iron Man (that’d probably make Svengali, The Hulk and Benevolent would be Thor…but I digress). Everything about these guys is calm, calculated and packs once hell of a punch when it finally arrives. The band’s latest work does something a little differently, as the band take heed from 2011’s “This is Manslaughter”, put it in a ring with 2013’s “Sun & Satellites” and have had them duke it out like Scorpion and Sub-Zero until an inevitable gory-splatter left on the arena floor is produced…in the form of new opus “A Shade of Red.”

Lead single “Silence the Sensor” opens with what I can only describe as an Internet dial-up tone, before launching into a riff that’s sure to have more heads bobbing than a 50 Cent music video. Lyrically, this sets a brilliantly aggressive tone for the rest of the record, with frontman (and all-round good guy) Mohammad Bailouni bellowing “WE ALL NEED THAT MOTHERFUCKING UPDATE!” with about as much composure as Corey Taylor. “Ethereal” dials down the speed and amps up the groove, sounding like Perpihery going Super-Saiyan, whilst “Krypton” (yours truly’s current favourite) provides an instance of calm amongst the apparent onslaught. It is here that bassist Liam Ruddell makes Glenn Fricker’s statement “your bass player is a useless cunt” null and void, as his dulcet tones beef out the song like The Rock on leg day. This accompanied by Bailouni’s one-way ticket into clean vocals territory, serves up one sleeping giant of a song.

“Trade Lie Census” brings back the signature COA groove that we heard on “Sun & Satellites”, whilst “Shelter” takes advantage of some atmospheric keyboards and and ambient lead guitar work to contrast an awesome background churn, allowing Bailouni and co-string slinger Amir Amiro to display their awesome teamwork. Topped off by some incredible clean vocals, this song is a brilliant display of musical maturity (as well as Bailouni’s vocal range, hot-damn that guy can riff!).

“Mirrors” is very reminiscent of old show-closer “Timepieces” (“This is Manslaughter, 2011) after a period of hibernation, emerging with a giant beard and a massive axe and…whoops sorry, got a bit carried away there. This is an old-school jam on a new-school record, and it sure as hell fits. “The Hunt” and “Never Been Clear” round off the record brilliantly, bringing both a flippant sense of brutality (namely at the hands of drummer Kareem K) and an ambient heaviness that Coat of Arms have become adept at. A string send-off followed by an epic breakdown plants a very apparent statement by a band that have been on the cusp of a global takeover for a while now.

A group mugshot. From left to right: Kareem K, Ruddell, Bailouni and Amiro

I said this about “Sun & Sattelites” (back when I wrote for Metality.net) but “A Shade of Red” is probably most easily described as the Middle-Eastern metal scene’s Iron Man throwing his fist to the floor and staking his claim over his surroundings. This record has not only added to some of the best metal that I’ve listened to in months, but has reassured me (alongside Svengali’s “Theory of Mind”) that metal is alive and well in back home in the Middle-East. “A Shade of Red” accompanied by the band’s upcoming international appearances, including gigs in Portugal and Sri Lanka, is sure to take them to a soaring new height and finally gain them the global recognition that they deserve.

I’m giving “A Shade of Red” a rating of:

“A Shade of Red” – 8.5/10

 “A Shade of Red” is out April 20^th on iTunes, Spotify and the Coat of Arms Bandcamp page.

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“Theory of Mind” by Svengali – Album Review

Svengali, much like Randy Orton’s “RKO”, have come out of nowhere. Their debut EP “Unscathed” projected the band onto the scene, with as much crushing force as a carnival strongman, and their live game has been amped substantially. However, if there’s anything that makes Svengali a household band name, it’s their first full-length record, “Theory of Mind.” Musically, it’s leaps and bounds above their previous work, displaying a new musical maturity that’s sure to take the band higher than Snoop Dogg on a night out.

“Lucid” lures listeners in with so much ambience that you’d think that a Game of Thrones villain was maliciously planning their next back-stabbing, before launching into the fiery riffage of “Deny.” You can’t revel for too long though, as frontman Adnan Mryhij comes at you with a growl so raspy it’d make Smaug run for cover (describing him as a “beast” would be an understatement). Balanced out perfectly by atmospheric clean vox from guitarist Fadi Al Shami, “Deny” sets a brilliant tone for the rest of what promises to be one hell of record. “Floodgates” picks up the tempo, and in the process, amps up the thrash, and comes out like Lamb of God on TRT, whilst “Blindfolds” brilliantly executes the band’s signature groove, displaying an awesome combination of full-on fury and ambient tranquillity that has clearly become such a focus on this record. Possibly one of my favourite clean vocal lines comes from “Skinless” where Fadi is able to unleash the aggressive edge of his dulcet tones (if that makes sense!), displaying that a band so rooted in aggression aren’t afraid to get melodic when they have to!

“Inertia (Part 1)” is another standout, acting as a soothing fire-blanket to the outright assault from the opening 7 tracks, with an emphasis on doomy elements, especially when Al Shami’s melodious musings give way to Mryhij’s howls amidst the brilliant build from peaceful to ferocious. “Confined” allows Al Shami and fellow axe-meister JM Elias to tickle our ears with some more awesome riffs, whilst bassist Ali Square provides such a solid backing that you’d think he was half machine! This is followed by the monstrous breakdown of “Pray For Sanity”, allowing drummer Khalid Al-Temimi to take his foot off the pedal and keep heads bobbing at the same time, only amplified by some pretty slick sounding low, death-metal esque growls. “Resonate” rounds the record of in superb fashion, with some of the best lyrical stamps I’ve heard. You really can’t get more of a statement than “WE’RE TAKING OVER THE WORLD!” and “WE ARE THE FEARLESS ONES!”, over an awesome chugging riff and hypnotic guitar melody.

Honestly, this is one of the most original, and a result, one of the best things that I’ve listened to so far this year. Metal nowadays tends to be quite formulaic and boring (with notable exceptions obviously), and I cannot stress how invigorating it is to hear something fresh and exciting. Svengali have struck such an incredible balance between ambience and aggression, that they might as well be Dragonball Z’s Goku. In the right hands, “Theory of Mind” is sure to have the metal community quaking in their boots, waiting for Svengali to full-on dominate the metal world. I’m giving “Theory of Mind” a: “Theory of Mind” – 8.5/10   “Theory of Mind” is out MARCH 17^th via Svengali’s bandcamp page, iTunes and Spotify

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