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THE CHURCH CANCEL UK 30TH ANNIVERSARY STARFISH SHOWS DUE TO DRUMMER INJURY

THE CHURCH CANCEL UK 30TH ANNIVERSARY STARFISH SHOWS DUE TO DRUMMER INJURY

It is with great regret that Australian paisley underground pioneers The Church announce the cancellation of their scheduled ‘Starfish’ 30th Anniversary shows in the UK this June due to unforeseeable circumstances in the form of a major injury to their drummer Tim Powles.

The band had been due to celebrate 30 years of their most successful album, the undisputed classic ‘Starfish’ featuring their iconic track ‘Under The Milky Way’ at the following shows:

Sat 8th/Sun 9th June – ‘Of Seance and Starfish’ – The Church Weekend, Bush Hall, London

Mon 10th June – Manchester Club Academy

Tues 11th June – La Belle Angele, Edinburgh

 

In a statement released on the band’s social media on 25th May 2019, they said:

“In the last minute of the last song, on the last night of the USA tour last week, our drummer Tim Powles suffered a nasty fall off the front of the stage and fractured his foot. Up until today we had wanted to proceed with the shows with our “miraculous one footed drummer”, but new tests reveal Tim has developed a blood clot in his leg, while awaiting surgery.  The high risk of DVT in this condition means that flying is entirely out of the question. After much deliberation today,  we sadly have no choice other than to cancel the upcoming June shows in Germany and the UK – Including the 2nd Annual CHURCH WEEKEND event.

 

Nobody is more disappointed by this than the band.

 

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused and look forward to making it up to everyone as soon as we can.

 

We would like to soften that blow by providing you with a free ticket and meet and greet when we are next in your area.

 

Once again, we are extremely sorry. We usually roll with the motto of – “the show must go on” ….. but in this case …sadly it was just not possible.”

 

Refunds will be available from your point of purchase. Please contact your ticket vendor directly.

If you have made special arrangements to travel to London for the VIP event that are non-refundable, please contact:contact@thechurchband.net

Geoff Palmer – Pulling Out All The Stops (Rum Bar Records/Stardumb Records)

Geoff Palmer – Pulling Out All The Stops (Rum Bar Records/Stardumb Records)

Hey, Ho Lets Go! Geoff Palmer has got this power pop punk rock off to a tee.  He’s nailed the melodic Ramones melodies for that 50’s feel and the playing is street tough, not brawling but tough enough to wear a leather jacket after dark kinda tough.

Sixteen tracks of hard luck no luck tough love boy meets girl falls in love falls outa love has a beer hangs out with his buddies you know the drill. One thing I have to say is this record sounds like it was recorded on a lot of laughs and was such a fun record to make I can’t believe this was a hard job pulling these tunes out of the band at all – Hell I might be way off but that’s what these tunes are singing to me.

‘I Like Murder Too’ (oh that love song) has a touch of The Dwarves about it.  I could certainly hear Blag wagging his finger to this one in some flea pit out on the road somewhere.  What separates it is the acoustic guitar underneath the buzzing electric guitar riff but those backing vocals are top notch.

‘Got The Skinny’ is time honoured and the loud overdriven guitars sound great doesn’t it.  ‘We Can’t Do It’ is way over there in Beach Boys territory on the intro – No seriously but fear not the distortion pedal is pressed and away we go its 16ths on the hi-hat and woohoo! the end.

‘Everything Is Cool’ hell yeah! and so it is.  great riff, great fun lets go!  When you’re onto a good thing don’t stop don’t try and be cool or be hip just keep rolling and so ‘All The Hits’ scratches that pop-punk itch. When we hit ‘Paper Heart’ Palmer introduces some keys and jolly nice they are too.  Adding another colour to the pallet whilst its just a slower pace its a great piece of songwriting sure it won’t see him inducted to the Hall Of Fame but it will put a smile on someones face when they spin this record loudly on their stereo on a Friday night and that’s just the point isn’t it.  One piece at a time – we’ll get there in good time.

‘Donut’ is a cool tune and ‘Make It’ is a great way to wind down the record from the arrangement to the melody its borrowed a bit from the 80’s new wave of the Cars and alternative Westerberg in his later Replacements days. Which just leave a couple of tracks with one being ‘Punker Than You’ which is as you’d expect but the finale is acoustic – slide guitar and a rocking horse upbeat stroll like a long lost Exploding Hearts track.  Get Geoff Palmer on tour with Shit Islands The Speedways and together they can conquer the world I guarantee it (maybe)

Much Like Brad Marino these talented so and so’s make up the songwriting duo of garage rock faves The Connection or Geoff is also one-third of pop-punk darlings The Guts,  punk rockers, power-poppers, and garage rockers this is one you can feast on whenever – it’s like a little ray of East Coast sunshine.

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Author: Dom Daley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=143&v=KnvchWA9ZVo

Hot Suede ‘Hot Suede’ (Self-Released)

Hot Suede ‘Hot Suede’ (Self-Released)

Hot Suede are another of those bands that randomly come to my attention and send me scrambling to learn more about them. This time it wasn’t Facebook though, but, instead, it was a compilation CD from a print magazine that made me sit up and take notice. Hot Suede does not want to be put in a box as they bring together a multitude of influences that really establish their own identity. It also perfectly sets the stage for them to continue to explore their sound in the future. If you enjoy rock music (which I gather you do since you are reading this), I suggest you keep reading or pop over to their Bandcamp page and listen while I talk about this one. Hot Suede hail from Kansas City which has possibly worked to their advantage in creating their own sound on their debut album. To be fair, the only other band that immediately comes to mind from the past couple of decades for me is the awesome Paw.

Perhaps the ’70s are the best place to start as Hot Suede clearly pull the foundation of their sound from a time when rock did not have a million subgenres in different puddles of water but was instead one big ocean. They then add in some power and crunch of a band like Queens of the Stone Age to create something new and fresh while also feeling very familiar. ‘Roll a Bone’ features a cool groove that immediately make Brett Southard (drums) and Chad Toney’s (bass) impact felt right at the beginning. Bobby W. Topaz’ vocals are powerful and assertive with a clear tone that has many dimensions. Add in some clever guitar work by Doug Nelson and Scott Reed, you have a song that captures the attention but does not overwhelm you with a chorus. It is instead subtle and insidious as the song will be there in your brain later… trust me. ‘The Otherside’ incorporates a hooky chorus that is again not over the top but extremely effective. The hard rocking beat and guitar riff working perfectly in unison. There is a breakdown in the middle of the song which serves to ram the hook in even deeper. ‘Forget About You’ was the song that made me dig deeper as the band takes a hard-driving beat that lets Topaz propel the song with some nice vocal transitions with a razor sharp hook that reminds me a bit of Brother Cane without the southern influence.

The bluesy hard beat of ‘Get What You Came For’ provides an awesome take on modern rock but would also sound at home on a classic rock station between Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. There is a great tone to the guitars throughout the album with the band also benefitting from a great mix that really lets everyone be heard. The quiet intro guitar riff of ‘Watch Me Burn’ turns into a rocker that provides some bounce as it picks up steam, but it is made more powerful by working back in the quiet guitar riff again after its first run through the chorus. A jangly riff brings us ‘Make It Harder’ with Topaz trying to entice every female listening with his crooning in full effect. It provides a much different musical slice to end the first half of the record but just as effective at planting hooks in us that we will be humming and singing in no time.

‘Got It Made’ turns up the speed to start the back half of the record with a sound reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age set against a more traditional rock chorus that is simple and very effective. Next up is ‘Interlude’ which contains some backward vocals and twisting musical notes over its minute long existence. It sets the change for ‘Tell Me’ very well as the song really feels different from the first half of the record. The beat by Southard and Toney is awesome with the guitars embracing something moodier, perhaps a bit of Pink Floyd. I don’t know if the record would have flowed the same without the change that the ‘Interlude’ brings.

‘Occasional Lover’ finds the band bringing forth much more of a Queen influence. The band settles into a great groove and unleashes an outstanding chorus. At six minutes, this one would struggle on traditional radio but is one of my favorites from the album. The breakdown in the middle of the song allows everything to come to a halt before it builds back up for the end where I wish it would have had one more chorus. ‘The Trail’ reminds me a bit more of 90’s rockers like Tonic or Naked who borrowed elements of grunge, college rock, and classic rock to create catchy songs that people could quickly pick up and sing, but they also add some Pearl Jam inspired musical goodness with the instrumental break. Closing out the album, Hot Suede bring forth ‘Good Maroon’ which runs under 2 minutes and serves as a nice acoustic based outro for the album.

Hot Suede make a very favorable debut here that will get plenty of plays from me this year, and I look forward to hearing what they do next. They bring plenty of variety to the table here so they can continue to branch out in the future. Give the album a sample on their Bandcamp page and don’t be surprised if the songs keep pulling you back.

‘Hot Suede’ is available now

Bandcamp

Website

 

Author: Gerald Stansbury

…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD ANNOUNCE EUROPEAN HEADLINE SHOWS

…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD ANNOUNCE EUROPEAN HEADLINE SHOWS

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead have announced a European headline tour for September / October 2019. These shows will be in support of their as-yet-untitled new album, due out later this year. The full list of dates is as follows:

14th September – Leffingeleuren, Leffinge, Belgium

15th September – Le Petit Bain, Paris, France

16th September – Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands

17th September – Doornroosje, Nijmegen, Netherlands

19th September – Stadtgarten, Cologne, Germany

20th September – Sommercasino, Basel, Switzerland

22nd September – La Santeria, Milan, Italy

23rd September – Strom, Munich, Germany

25th September – Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany

26th September – The Stage Club, Hamburg, Germany

27th September – Forum, Bielefeld, Germany

29th September – The Waterfront, Norwich, UK

30th September – The Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK

1st October – Oslo, London, UK

2nd October – The Cluny, Newcastle, UK

3rd October – The Caves, Edinburgh, UK

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead recently celebrated 20 years of the album ‘Madonna’ with a European tour in February, performing the album in its entirety.

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Venom – ‘In Nomine Satanas – 40 Years In Sodom’ (BMG/Sanctuary Records)

Venom – ‘In Nomine Satanas – 40 Years In Sodom’ (BMG/Sanctuary Records)

When the news initially broke earlier this year regarding this Limited Edition vinyl-only box set that brings together remastered editions of the four studio LPs and a double live album recorded by the original line up of Black Metal gods Venom, I was immediately intrigued.

Add into the mix a further double LP of previously unreleased demos, an exclusive shaped picture disc of ‘Bloodlust’, and a veritable cornucopia of memorabilia that includes amongst other things a stunning 40 page ‘History Of Venom’ hardback book along with (if you pre-ordered it from the band themselves) a 12×12 art print signed by Cronos himself, and before I could yell “C’MAAAAAAAAAAAN TURN IT UP’, I had bought a copy.

I actually received mine at the start of May well ahead of the official release date of May 31st but I wanted to really get to grips with this mammoth set before giving you my verdict simply because with a retail price of £150 this is never going to be an impulse purchase.

As I’ve mentioned the ‘History’ book already let’s begin with a little bit of my own history and how I first heard Venom. It was early 1983 and a close friend (who remains so to this very day) who first introduced me to ‘Black Metal’, oddly via a mate of his who had bought said LP (complete with poster) and as he thought it was shit, he had given it away. It wasn’t really like any of the other metal bands we were listening to at the time other than those noisy bastards Motorhead and Tank, in fact, it reminded me more of the relentless racket created by the UK82 punk bands my other school mates were listening to at the time like G.B.H and Discharge. I have to admit I wasn’t exactly an immediate fan but I did have a copy of ‘Black Metal’ taped for me (there’s a gag in there that I won’t need to explain to old school fans) so it did make numerous appearance on my Walkman over the summer of that year but it wasn’t until June 1984 when I just happened to buy a ticket on the door for the awe-inspiring Seventh Date Of Hell show at Hammersmith Odeon that I fully got what Venom were really all about.  

Picking up the “remastered from the original tapes” splatter and swirl LPs contained in this lavish box set (they all come with reproduction sleeves and inners) I actually begin my aural assault with ‘At War With Satan’ because that was the Venom record I first purchased for myself (on picture disc) at that legendary Seventh Date gig, and here pressed on heavyweight clear splatter vinyl it sounds absolutely magnificent. Okay, the gatefold doesn’t have the gold leaf cover of the original pressing or the original merch/poster inserts but that’s probably just me being a little bit too pernickety as otherwise this is stonking stuff.

I then go back to the band’s beginnings, with ‘Welcome to Hell’ and ‘Black Metal’ played back to back, and here the rumbling bottom end that bursts out the speakers is enough to wake the dead, or at the very least the neighbours. Both LPs come in embossed sleeves (and include replicas of the posters and lyric inners – here reproduced on the inner bags) and are again pressed on splatter vinyl, sounding as raw as they did back at the dawn of the eighties and equally just as ground-breaking.  The only small niggle I have here is my copy of ‘Black Metal’ came with nasty click on the run-in groove to side one, again I may be being over critical here but with the hefty price tag attached to this set I would expect nothing short of perfection.

Which is something I do get with the 74 tracks on offer here that’s for sure, with perhaps the real highlight for me being the chance to rediscover 1985’s (at the time) critically panned ‘Possessed’ LP. A record that has never sounded better than it does here, and coming as it does pressed upon splatter vinyl complete with the original inner bag and a huge poster it’s never looked as good either.

Moving on to ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ from 1986 and this double live LP for me has never really cut it, largely because some bright spark decided to leave silences between the tracks, so its not really like listening to a live album at all, and why would I want to listen to the band live just as they were falling apart at the seams when I could simply slip in my almost worn out VHS of The Seventh Date of Hell? The soundtrack of which I have always felt would have been a much better alternative as their official live album. Here ‘Nachtmusik’ is lovingly restored in a gatefold sleeve complete with the inner bags, so I’m sure I’ll get to play it more this time around.

With many Venom fans probably looking to buy this box set just for the 15 track ‘Sons Of Satan’ double LP I have to admit that if this were a standalone release I wouldn’t have been happy paying a top price for it. However, as a piece of Venom history contained within such an absorbing time capsule commemorating the band’s 40th anniversary it actually works well. Initially transporting us right back to 1979 via some very boomy cassette recordings of the band’s first line up complete with singer Christ, this is a world away from the Venom that would ultimately change heavy metal forever. However, by the time we get to the 1980 Impulse Studios demos that make up sides 2 and 3 of ‘Sons Of Satan’ the more recognisable “organised chaos” of the classic Venom sound is all but a few bottles of Jack Daniels away and waiting to take on the world. Something Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon were more than ready to do by the time they released the original ‘Bloodlust’/’In Nomine Satanas’ 7” single back in 1982 and thankfully it is included here as a shaped picture disc exclusive to this box set.

Whilst immersing myself in the satanic sounds of this box set I found the aforementioned ‘History Of Venom’ book to be the perfect accompanying piece, formed as it is from quotes from all the band members as well as being crammed with some of the cheesiest band photographs ever taken. This book for me is where this box set truly adds a bit of (black) magic to the mystery of Venom, as does the memory jogging reproduction tour programme.

Wrapping up the memorabilia part of this set you also get a huge Seven Dates Of Hell poster along with a Venom’s Legions back patch and if like me you order it from the band’s official store (linked below) you also get a very frameable art print signed by Count Cronos himself.

So, is it worth the £150 then I hear you cry?

Well, if you don’t already have these seminal albums on vinyl it most certainly is a must buy. If however you are a hardcore Venom collector and have these albums already a bazillion time over you’ll probably have done what I did and already have this box set filed away in your collection, in which case, “what the hell are you doing reading this review?” Ha!

‘In Nomine Satanas – 40 Years In Sodom’ will take a lot to top in the box set stakes that’s for sure and it once again proves that the devil really does still have all the very best tunes.

 

signed by Cronos Copy Here

Buy Here

Double CD best of book edition Here

Author: Johnny Hayward

Redd Kross – Beyond the Door pre release details

Redd Kross – Beyond the Door pre release details

On August 23, Merge Records will release the much-anticipated Redd Kross LP Beyond the Door. Today, Beyond the Door can be pre-ordered now on CD, digitally, and on limited-edition opaque purple Peak Vinyl in the Merge store.

Redd Kross have also announced a massive US tour with the Melvins which kicks off on September 3rd in San Diego and includes shows in major markets including Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and more.

Beyond the Door is an album inspired by the band’s “total commitment to having the best f*cking time we can have while we’re all still here” (what they like to call “The Party”). It’s a rock and roll record and a celebration of everything brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald love, from cultures both high and low. Musically, it’s guitars, bass, and drums topped with a generous portion of sweet vocal melodies often delivered with an ambiguous edge.

Beyond the Door marks Redd Kross’ most collaborative record to date. Steven describes this evolution: “Jeff is still very much the driving force behind the compositions, but with more help from me than ever. Jeff and I haven’t shared this much of the writing and singing since Born Innocent in 1981.” Guitarist Jason Shapiro and drummer Dale Crover (Melvins, OFF!) are longtime members of the Redd Kross live band, but this album marks the pair’s recorded debut with the group. Mixed in Los Angeles by Steven McDonald, Beyond the Door includes notable guest appearances from Anna Waronker (That Dog), Geré Fennelly, Buzz Osborne (Melvins), and Josh Klinghoffer.

On the surface, the album title is a playful reference to an Italian horror film the McDonald brothers watched as children, a loose rip-off of both The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby that stars Juliet Mills of ’70s television program Nanny and the Professor. But like all things Redd Kross, it would be a sad injustice to stop digging there. No one knows what lies Beyond the Door… but we’re all in front of it.

Inspirations as varied as K-pop, glitter gangs, embarrassed tweens, long-term relationships, a mysterious character named Fantástico Roberto, and much more all contributed to Beyond the Door, an album that lures the listener into Redd Kross’ secret club full of riddles and inside jokes, with the ultimate reward of the perfect pop moment!

Darkthrone release new album today

Darkthrone release new album today
FINALLY!!! THE DAY HAS ARRIVED AND HERE IT IS …....

 

DARKTHRONE – OLD STAR
order Here

 

New studio album out today on Peaceville
The Norwegian black metal legends mark their return with a sublime new slab of relentless riffing in the true spirit of the underground.

 

“more metal than ever” Fenriz
The legendary Norwegian longstanding partnership of Fenriz and Ted “Nocturno Culto” Skjellum, return with their first studio album since 2016’s hugely popular ‘Arctic Thunder’, in the shape of ‘Old Star’. With a mastery and endless dedication to the art of the riff, the Norwegian legends cut through 6 new epic tracks, taking in the best of the old school of heavy & extreme metal plus a large dose of doom-laden riffing, & channeling it through the grime of the underground.
Fenriz enthuses «Old star – again we are here with THE RIFFS! A while after our previous ARCTIC THUNDER album it became apparent that we would continue in that same style, BLACK OLD HEAVY METAL with slow thrash, classic doom, and slow death metal.
As many have focussed on the 70s sound over the last 20 years, the mix on our new album has ended up being more 80s than ever. The songs are more metal than ever! Ted’s songs have a lot of black metal in them, faster and slower but also doomier parts and recurring parts. My songs are more linear written, it’s an ancient 80s underground trick, with breaks, all slow heavy or slow thrash, classic doom or slow death.»
He continues “All in all it is our most 80s album so far and our most metal one to date with drum sound typical for the 80s USA/German market and damned lyrics, which are all written by me. We feel that ‘OLD STAR’ is the big brother of ARCTIC THUNDER. More solid and with even better riffs.”
‘Old Star’ was recorded at the band’s Necrohell 2 Studios, with engineering and production duties carried out by vocalist/guitarist Nocturno Culto, complemented with a perfectly organic mix courtesy of Sanford Parker (Voivod) at Hypercube Studios, & mastered once more by Jack Control at Enormous Door. The stellar cover artistry comes courtesy of Chadwick St John, titled “The Shepherd of the Deep”.
Over the course of 30 years, Norway’s Darkthrone has become a staple of the global black metal genre, forging a legacy as one of the most renowned and influential bands in its illustrious & often infamous history. In the formative years following their 1987 inception, Darkthrone initially started with a strong concoction of thrash & then death/doom metal experimentation, with broader musical influences spanning from the 60s to the 80s, before the debut album Soulside Journey was unleashed in 1991. Never ones to follow convention or stand still even then, the band soon embraced a much darker, more primitive form of expression with the now iconic second album A Blaze in the Northern Sky, & the rest became history.
OLD STAR will be released on the following formats with each featuring handwritten lyrics in the booklet or insert:
CD
Ltd Edition 7” vinyl box set – Old Star is presented on 3 coloured 7” (black, white, clear vinyl) 
Black 180g vinyl LP
Ltd Edition 180g purple vinyl LP
Ltd Edition 180g green vinyl LP
Ltd Edition 180g orange vinyl LP
Ltd Edition 180g red vinyl LP
Ltd Edition 180g gold vinyl LP
Ltd Edition 180g white vinyl LP
Cassette
Digital album
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D-A-D – ‘A Prayer For The Loud’ (AFM Records)

D-A-D – ‘A Prayer For The Loud’ (AFM Records)

Being together as a band for almost 40 years now – I guess it’s safe to say that D-A-D would have to be very comfortable in their own skins to have survived quite so long.
It’s hardly surprising then that ‘A Prayer For The Loud’ the band’s first new studio record in eight years is grounded in this ethos, the band having graduated from their humble Disneyland After Dark cow-punk beginnings into major label arena rock contenders who then, through their own hard work and helpyourselfishness, managed to survive the onset of grunge when most hard rockers perished through to eventually becoming the band they are today and have been since the release of ‘Everything Glows’ back in 2000. An album which coincidently not only saw the band change their name to D-A-D but also saw the band’s newest member Laust Sonne join the core trio of the band (singer/guitarist Jesper Binzer, bassist Stig Pedersen and guitarist Jacob Binzer) behind the drum kit.
So, what does almost two decades of being (this version of) D-A-D actually sound like?
Well, remember those days when new albums by the likes of Aerosmith and AC/DC used to leave you thrilled and wanting more? That’s instantly how I felt about ‘A Prayer For The Loud’, as both those hard rock giants sprung to mind during the first couple of spins, but of course this is always going to be a D-A-D record what with the instantly recognisable rich and raspy vocal tones of Jesper Binzer ever present and ready to strike.
Of the eleven new cuts on offer here at least nine of them are total bangers, pure four to the floor rock n roll music, with even glimpses of the mighty Gluecifer and The Cult (circa ‘Electric’/’Sonic Temple’) creeping into the mix during the simply immense ‘The Real Me’.

The album itself gets off to a blazing start with ‘Burning Star’ and the throbbing ‘A Prayer For The Loud’ and I challenge anyone to listen to either of these tracks and not draw an immediate arc back to the band’s commercial peak (here in the UK) of ‘No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims’ and ‘Riskin’ It All’, two albums that any connoisseur of quality guitar-driven rock music will have had in their collections for decades now.

Elsewhere with ‘Musical Chairs’ which crops up just past the halfway mark, the guys have written the song Airbourne have been searching for since they floundered for a sound to take them to the next level, whilst ‘Nothing Ever Changes’ and ‘The Sky Is Made Of Blues’ are the perfect soundtrack for top-down summer driving.

Of the two slower moments on ‘A Prayer For The Loud’ album closer ‘If The World Just’ is my preferred choice over ‘A Drug For The Heart’ purely because the latter sails a little too close to a certain Backyard Babies track for its own good, albeit with Jesper at the mic this is much more Aerosmith than Social Distortion ballad territory.

Kudos must also be given here to the production team of Nick Foss and Rune Nissen Petersen who have taken heavy hitters like ‘No Doubt About It’, ‘Time Is A Train’ and ‘Happy Days In Hell’ and given then an enormous sound that instantly fills your head with rock ‘n’ roll melodies that will live with you for days, no make that years, to come.
I’m not entirely sure why I’m so surprised by how amazing ‘A Prayer For The Loud’ is because D-A-D have always produced quality albums, it’s just this one is right up there with their very best work and is as a said at the beginning of this review the sound of a band very comfortable in their own skins.

Hands down this is the best classic/traditional (label it what you will) album I’ve heard in 2019.
BUY IT!!!!

Author: Johnny Hayward

Buy ‘A Prayer For The Loud’ Here

Peter Perrett-Humanworld (Domino Recording Company)

Peter Perrett-Humanworld (Domino Recording Company)

Hands up how many people remember the track “Another Girl, Another Planet”? Talk about pop perfection, looking back The Only Ones kicked in as far back as 1976 and were active right up until 1982, Peter Perrett being the vocalist/guitar slinger. Now hands up how many people are aware of Englands Glory? Perrett’s band before the only ones and how dark the vocals were, always drawing comparisons with Lou Reed? This stuff finally got released in 1987 and I would suggest you check it out, especially if your into the more experimental side of music.

 

But lets not dwell on the past Humanworld is brand spanking new, and worth looking at as a representation of now and an artist rebuilding not just themselves, but their sound. The trademark sneer to first single “I want your dreams” sets the tone and really highlights the strength of the songwriting. Next up “Once is enough” brings the urgency, moving the LP up about three gears, biting, arrogant and in your face, this is the darkest pop imaginable. The guitar work weaves around that trademark vocal and at just over two minutes its way to short.

 

“Heavenly day” slows things back down trawling the memory banks weaving an image that we can all apply ourselves too. “Love comes on Silent feet” brings back the drive and intensity ripping out of the speakers and probably holding its hand up as my fave on the LP.

 

Right the way through there seems to be two sides to the LP “The power in you” dropping the intensity back down, we seem to have the balls out lets hit the future head on and the more reflective melancholia, you can really get under the skin of what’s being said and done.

 

The Sneer and scathing lyrics that opens up “Believe in nothing” paints a starkly nihilistic viewpoint, but every story comes from an experience, just as every songwriter utilizes the experiences that shape them. “War Plan Red,” takes off with a classic Punk Rock and Roll riff, then the vocals worm their way into your mind, this is a seriously tasty track.

 

“48 crash” has an almost Stonesy groove to it, then were straight into “Walking in Berlin” again painted from the memory banks, and I think that the thing I really take from this whole set of songs is how vividly the songwriting paints a picture, the lyrics draw you in, take your mind to where the writer wants you to be. The Stuccato groove to next up “Loves Inferno” draws a few Bowie comparisons, even if it’s just the changed vocal delivery, but what a clever track. Next up “Master of destruction” is absolutely blinding, all edge and intensity before the LP wraps up with “Carousel “ the cracked vocal leaving you wanting more, looking at a life gone past, and maybe just peeking towards a future.

 

Fair play this is a stunning collection of songs, well worth the purchase price.

Buy Humanworld Here

Author: Nev Brooks

Warrior Soul – ‘Rock’n’Roll Disease’ (Live Wire/Cargo Records)

Warrior Soul – ‘Rock’n’Roll Disease’ (Live Wire/Cargo Records)

“I fucking love Kory Clarke.”

There we are folks; I just felt I needed to get that off my chest and nail my flag to the pole with this review from the off.

You see it’s almost impossible for me to feel any other way about a man who with Warrior Soul has  released some of the most important politically charged metal our generation has ever had the honour of hearing plus along the way he’s also given us one of the greatest glam punk albums I’ve ever heard in the shape of ‘The Space Age Playboys’. This is an artist who is always reinventing himself and always looking for boundaries he can break down in the process. He’s also as cantankerous as fuck, and I kinda like that in my rock stars.

With this in mind then I’m almost embarrassed to admit that after many hours spent in the company of ‘Rock’n’Roll Disease’ (the band’s 10th studio album to date) I’m still kinda left scratching my head a little.

I’ve lapped up everything Kory has released since getting Warrior Soul back on the road and with their last album ‘Back On The Lash’ I was left in awe of the power and energy the band had managed to cram into that release’s 9 tracks. Warrior Soul really had never sounded so vibrant or essential.

With the PR blurb for ‘Rock’n’Roll Disease’ proudly proclaiming that Kory had used the same team behind ‘Back On The Lash’ to deliver this 8 tracker and with the man himself declaring it to have the loose vibe of its predecessor but with everything pushed to “over the top”, you’ll forgive me if I admit to letting out a little squeal of excitement at the prospect of what might be.

Then, why after all of this and after listening to this half hour of all new music from Warrior Soul am I still not feeling the same buzz as I did when I first heard ‘Lash’?

Opener ‘Up The Dose’ is a magnificent way to start a record, it’s an immediate right hook to the jaw just to get you interested, and indeed it’s very much a continuation of the strutting cock ‘n’ roll that made ‘Lash’ such an instant hit with me. Here Kory screeches like a wild cat and everything in the Warrior world seems fine. Likewise, on tracks like ‘Off My Face’ (which is probably my favourite track here), ‘War Ride Children’ and ‘After The Show’ the band certainly rip along at a fair rate of knots. It’s just that with repeated listens I get a little perplexed that the bottom end needed to actually force this fucker down your throat seems just a little lacking. Yes Kory turns in a mighty fine performance as does the band, but I can’t help but wonder what the hell has happened to the drums? They pinned you to the wall on ‘Lash’ but here they appear somewhat muted, and given that Kory himself is a very fine drummer this comes as something of a surprise, and yes for me it’s a frustration, albeit a small one.

This is still very much a Warrior Soul record though and that alone makes it better than 99% of the beige shite that pollutes the metal/classic world right now, it’s just that right now I’m simply not warming to it as instantly as I have with the likes of ‘Destroy the War Machine’, ’Stiff Middle Finger’ and ‘Back On The Lash’, all of which I consider to be up there with the band’s much revered first four studio albums.

Perhaps I just need to stop being such a pernickety old sod and simply go down a few cold ones whilst listening to ‘Rock’n’Roll Disease’ at maximum volume like I imagine Kory would demand me to, because after all I love Warrior Soul and I love Kory Clarke and a world without either would certainly be a very boring place indeed.

‘Rock’n’Roll Disease’ is released via Live Wire/Cargo Records on 7th June 2019.

Author: Johnny Hayward

Buy ‘Rock n Roll Disease’ Here