High On Fire :"Electric Messiah"

They are not fucking around here. They kick the door down and roaring full speed ahead like a more hardcore version of Motorhead. I prefer the less punk and more deliberate "Steps of Ziggurat". Even then there is a lot of heavy going on , but this is not their finest hour in terms of songwriting. This one feels like it doesn't develop much until the last minute. There are guitar solos flying everywhere and the riffs are pretty mean, but cool riffs alone doesn't make a good song. The title track finds them throwing themselves into the more rapid thrash attack of the bands Motorhead side. There is more substance to "Sanctioned Annihilation". It is slower than the previous song. The chords ring out to create a darker sound. Pike's vocals are yelled in the same gritty bellow. The tempo changes and at ten minutes the song has room to sprawl out and explore.

"The Pallid" mask is heavy and the guitars are dense, however it just sounds like drunk post apocalyptic pirates making noise. "God of the Godless" has more groove and feels like they have an intended destination in mind. Though they could drone on this for the entire five minutes. Instead, they opt for the punk Motorhead mode. "Freebooter" might be the album's fastest song for the first minute and a half, but when it slows down for a few bars it feels more alive. This could be any thrash revival band that started off more punk than metal. This album is all about the guitar solos though.  "the Witch and the Christ" is a darker more intense take on their Motorhead side. It has more of a sludge attack that reminds me of Mastodon. Four minutes in it begins to bore me. It's not a bad song it's just too long to keep me interested.

They have a knack for always ending the album with the best song. "Drowning Dog" is no exception. It is more traditional metal, so think the older Iron Maiden meets Motorhead. The vocals are somewhat more sung than barked. The whole flow of the song, while at a moderate thrash tempo doesn't sacrifice aggression for melody. So they can pull it off they are happier stomping through muddy water. I'll give this album a 7, if you read this review then you can put two and two together in regards to what I did not like about the album. It sounds good and is heavy, so that should satisfy the bulk of a fan base I am not numbered among.

Ghoul : "Dungeon Bastards"

Meeting somewhere between death metal and thrash, these attack the songs on this album with a brisk aggression. There are a few vocal styles on the actual song, ranging from a dry rasp to a lower gurgle to more of a punk gang vocal. These three vocal styles seem to be a staple of their sound. There is more of a punk energy to "Shred the Dead", making these guys a perfect band for punk kids who are beginning to get into metal and looking for an entry point past Slayer. The title track seems to be more about terrorists. It's another almost more punk than song. The dual guitar parts are the most metal element. The bass player shines on this song, but generally remains lost in the mix. Aside from this the album is generally well produced.

"Ghoulunatics" is a more metal song. These guys are far from re-inventing the wheel when it comes to originality of their sound. Slayer is often the biggest influence, but you can also hear traces of bands like Anthrax and D.R.I. The rule around here is cool riffs alone do not make a good song , so this really hits these guys hard. While they are very capable at their instruments, when it comes to actual song writing they take at stab at it, but generally end up hacking up their best ideas. Like Punk they keep these songs compact and in the three minute range. Sometimes the vocal take on a more Gwar like character to deliver the narrative. This is done in a more rapped manner on the verses of "Word is Law" where the character is a cop. While it's silly this is also one of the best songs on the album. There is less though put into "Death Campaign" that is a little too one dimensional even for death metal.

Even though "Guitarmaggedon" relies on samples it's still one of the album's better songs. The album closes with "Abominox" in some ways it's chug is very much like several of the other songs on this album. The bass carries them into the verses in a very Megadeth like manner. The vinyl of this comes in two different colors slime green or blood red with a gate fold that opens into a board game. So that is their target market. I am not sure I am their target market as I typically require more dynamics, but these guys are good at what they do and this album is dumb fun so i'll round it up to an 8.

Black Tower : " The Secret Fire"

This kicks off in a decidedly metal with wavering 80's metal vocals that remind me of a cross between Death Angel and Diamond Head. They are not re-inventing metal here. But In Solitude is broken up so I'm open to having this in my life. "Black Moon" is not as strong as the opener, but the break down in the middle offers hope for the album as a whole and vocals continue to interest me as they don't commit to a full blown yodel. The lyrics are a bunch of fantasy gibber gabber. I hear the first hints of Danzig's influence on "the Dark Lord" which is strange set against the almost Geddy Lee tenor. "Riders"  allows more of a mood to be set and then goes into a mid paced chug. It speeds up, but the vocals go into a lower croon, judging by the credits it appears there are   handling the vocals or if it is overdubs. Being a huge King Diamond fan, I expect every one to have the range to do both registers, as I don't ask singer's to do anything I can't do myself. This often leads to disappointment. Here its not a deal breaker.


They speed up into more of a blast with "Shadows". More snarls come from the vocals on this one. Here the 80s metal thing is not as inspired. "Winter" is a mixed bag there is a melody some where in there that I like but when they play the faster part the song seems rushed. Rushed becomes the name of the game , but in a more punk fashion on "the Dragon Flies" , but the song lands on it's own two legs and is not so bad. They get more melodic for the intro leading into "Night Siege", but it speeds up into something more punk, but they still insist on adding the Iron Maidenisms , which sometimes fit better than others.  The title track closes the album out but it's pretty much just a strummed guitar outro so no biggie there.

These guys have some good ideas, and I think with a little more restraint on the next album they will be onto something truly great. This album on it's own merit does pretty well, I like the more assured vocal parts, sometimes things get a little cluttered here and there, but I think they are trying to throw a lot at you on purpose. If Coheed and Cambria never gave into their Rush aspirations and stuck to listening to the Misfits, it might have come out a little more like this in the early days. I'll give it a 7.5.

Danzig: "Skeletons"

Going into this the cover which features a shirtless Danzig who looks more Jack Black cosplaying him than the man on the cover of "Lucifuge" , but it opens with a cover of Davie Allan and the Arrows' "Devil's Angels" which has a rough edged punk production quality making it sound like it could have come off of a Misfits album. So this raised the bar high for the more questionable theme song of movie  "Satan's Sadists" which finds the guitar further behind his sometimes strained voice. Granted this song is more of a crooner affair, but more love could have been given to the vocals like re tracking the flat note on the word child where he sounds like he could lose his voice at any minute. The guitar tone improves on "Let Yourself Go". Danzig covering Elvis is no surprise. It is a heavier take on the song than I expected. Something about it just feels lacking in the energy the Elvis version has.

Now it's no secret Ozzy and Glenn have much different ranges, but it almost sounds he is talking his way through "N.I.B". The stomp they have added to the song works, but I can hear Elvis punching his baritone into this if he had ever covered Sabbath in the Vegas days and what I hear in my head is what I expected from Glenn here. His approach works better on "Lord of the Thighs" which is no where close to hitting Steven Tyler's notes either it just works better here , though the guitar on the Sabbath cover was more dialed in then what is going on here.I suppose he was hoping his fan base would not be as familiar was these songs. "Action Woman" has more of the punch and power that I want from Danzig. It may not be as strong as his more classic work, but holds up to everything post-"Black Acid Devil" . His voice sounds strong and the guitar is thick and in your face.

"Rough Boy" is off of ZZ-Top's "After Burner" album and he brings more of a 50's crooner feel to it, but it works, taking all of the 80s out of it. Up top in a few places he is iffy, but his voice still sounds better than on most of the album. He returns to more of a Misfits like punk on "With A Girl a Girl You" though it isn't as effective as the opener. His voice does have a much needed grit added to it. Sure it doesn't sound like the Troggs , but I'm o.k with that. The guitar improves on the darker handling of "Find Somebody" by the Rascals. The more punk treatment of the chorus should have been handled in a more metal manner like the verses were approached as it sounds a little like a cop-out, but this song still isn't half bad.

The ballad "Crying in the Rain" finds the band pretty much dropping out, but Glenn sings the song well for what it is. I'll give this one a 7.5, if you have ignored the ravages of age he is letting plague him, because there are plenty singers such as King Diamond, Morrissey and Bowie in that age range who can still belt it out, you might be more forgiving . There are a few songs where Glenn proves he still can, he however dials it in sometimes not realizing he need to try and little harder than he used to. This also makes me more hesitant to try and catch him live now. The mix on this album is inconsistent which also plays against it, however if you are a Danzig fan there are a few songs worth having in your iPod.

Aksumite : "Self Interference"

Here's another one  of Damien Master's projects. The album opens with what doesn't even seem to be a fully  realized song but a brief out burst of punk. There is more of a black metal feel to "New Values" that follows which spreads out the guitar tone and offers a wider range of dynamics than I expected going into this. Then there is another outburst that is under a minute. The title track rips into a similar brand of punk of but has a more metallic Motorhead on pcp from hell propulsion. "The Silhouette Speaks" has a similar crude punk drive to it but is allowed more time to gestate into a fully formed song.

The vocals do have more of a metal roar to them than punk like shouting. The is very evident in "Rack and Ribs", which at a minute and fifty one seconds in one of the albums longest songs. "The Center is Blood" flails off course into obnoxious punk. "Forehead Kisses" like the bulk of the album is also more punk than not , but the guitars seem to be more aware that they are playing a song than just being banged upon. The interplay between the guitar and the drums is a fun way for them to switch things up. Not as gracefully punk is "Turquoise Fangs" that stumbles into a more melodic section. Then the album descends into punk that all pretty much sounds the same.Masters claims all the vocals were free styled , which might be true since you can only understand maybe every fourth word.


 The closing songs "All The Things I Think" flirts with black metal but really doesn't fully commit to to it. There are some marginal hard-core moments, mixed with noise rock. There are some good ideas here, this is not the most consistent album and the punk side of what they do which is the dominate flavor just isn't my thing. I'll give this album a 6.5. If you are a fan of Master's more punk leanings then this is the album you have been waiting for.

Live Review : Voivod @ the Masquerade

This was a show I had been waiting for since was announced. I think I was looking forward to seeing Voivod as much I was looking forward to King Diamond. So they are without a doubt one of my all time favorite bands. But regular readers know that means the bar is also raised really high for them. We got there right as the band was taking the stage. They opened up with "Warriors of Ice" off "War and Pain". Snake had a big smile on his face and seemed to be having fun right when he stepped on stage in a leather vest and Doom shirt. They followed this with one of my all time favorite songs, not just of their catalogue, but of all time... "Tribal Convictions". This is where sound crunched in and tightened it's guts. At first glance I thought Blacky was on stage and he was just low in the mix, since his bass tone has a growl to it that is just another defining characteristic of the Voi Vod sound, after all Away did not look like he had aged until I saw him up close when I shook his hand after the show, thirteen year old me would have been freaking out at this point.Later on Snake introduced the new bassist as Rocky and asked the crowd if he was greasy enough for them.

 One thing that is pretty impressive and speaks to the bands integrity is the fact the didn't just shove a bunch of new songs in your face, not that I mind the new stuff, but almost everything was off the first five albums. This is funny to me because when I listen to 'Target Earth" I sometimes think this is the album that should have come after "Nothing Face". Not taking any thing away from "Angel Rat" or "Outer Limits" as I love those albums too, that just the vibe I get from it. From "Killing Technology" they ripped into the beautifully dissonant thrashing space punk of "Forgotten In Space". This is the first song that grabbed my fiance who was at the bar for the first song and originally came to see Napalm Death. By the time Napalm Death was on and her mind had been blown by Voivod, she was having a hard time taking grind-core seriously after being bathed in what the Canadian metal legends do.

Of course as Voivod's career progressed they became more progressive with each album, so it only made sense for them to play something from "Nothing Face" next. So the even more winding road of "Inner Combustion" unfolded. Snake's voice was spot on all night. He contorted his face in a series of cartoon like grimaces through out. Away proved he is one of metals best drummers, his feet are insane. Chewy also did a good job with the old stuff, he also proved he can shred when he wants to thanks to his solo in the one and "Astronomy Domine" . Rocky doesn't have the same cutting tone that Blacky had for this era of their work, where the bass has more snarl than the guitar. Chewy does have a more traditional metal tone than Piggy as well, but he knows how to hit the dissonant chords to get their signature sound. The one new song is actually their new single "We are All Connected" which is being released as a split single with At the Gates. It's a good song that blends both sides the old and the new, maybe even more fluidly than "Target Earth" which was pretty spot on to begin with.


 They wrapped the show up with their punk fueled theme song "Voivod" and their last song which Snake dedicated to Piggy "Astronomy Domine"...the Pink Floyd cover off of "Nothing Face' which taught metal heads the world over about Syd Barrett era Floyd.I ran into the every one but Snake during Napalm Death's set. Napalm Death like Voivod , had not lost anything over the years. Barney Greenway, looks younger now than he did in their hey day. He was wildly energetic circling the stage like a windmill in a tornado. Their drummer takes a different approach than Away, but is pretty monstrous in his own right. I didn't realize Ringworm played this show until I passed their merch table, if situations were different that day I wouldn't have minded catching those guys. At is was I am glad I got there in the mick of time so I did not miss a second of Voivod's set. This is the show for 2015 others bands are going to be measured by.

Goat Semen : "Ego Svm Satana"

The fact this band is from South America is going against them. Black Metal seems best served by the northern Europeans. You might think this is a racist statement , but history speaks for it's self and this album proves my point. Despite all the apparent underground  buzz this band generated from splits and live albums before launching this debut, they hold more in common with grind core and punk in the hyper flurry of dirt blasts they throw your way. The lyrics in their native tongue almost immediately brought to mind Brujería. The blackest thing about them is the heavy influence of early Slayer.It's like if you smoked a bunch of meth and decided to cover the Show No Mercy album.

Three songs blaze by before something seems like a riff comes out of  "Warfare Noise". They yodel up into the old Tom Ayra metal falsetto, which is my favorite thing about this album along with the moshy riff in the middle of "Warfare Noise". So if you think old Slayer is black metal, then this might work for you. Some of the Slayer worship is almost highway robbery. They are raw and reckless, but this album has more care behind it than several albums I have heard lately. Once you get to "Revelaciones" if you haven't admitted to the fact this is just pumped up and punked out thrash then you are in denial. I guess with a name like Goat Semen, how seriously can you take these guys.
They stumble on a few moments that remind me of early Deicide. You might notice a pattern here all the bands I am referencing are either thrash or death metal, not black metal for good reason. Their blast beats are way more death metal in attack. Like most bands who beat the speed thing to death, these guys prove to be far heavier when they slow down. They make more use of this tempo later in the album and it is some of their more coherent moments. The title track that closes the album doesn't do anything to change the opinion the rest of the album formed, which supports my thesis of Euro superiority in black metal...ok though they are hipster ish some American bands do alright just not south of Texas. I'll give this album a 4 for the few moments they do hit, but over all the meth and Slayer worship wins out. 3

Napalm Death: "Apex Predator- Easy Meat"

For a long time as a young metal head I always assumed Napalm Death were the one metal band most punk rockers listened to so that made them inferior by association. In recent years I have gone back and rectified that oversight. After all they were the launching off point for many musicians I really like such as Justin Broadrick  and Bill Steer On January 27th when the 15th studio album from the grind core legends Napalm Death drops with all it's crazed fury. The band could not sound better. I was shocked at how dense this album is. You can hear the influence Napalm Death has had on extreme metal. Listening to this album really schools you. In your face the band is like "Oh, yeah you thought Pantera was good , well here's where they got there hardcore edge from" or "You thought Oderus was a maniacal vocalist, here's Barney Greenway." and "Oh, yes Today is the Day" you can sign your royalty checks over to us now.

While known for being the blasting kings of grindcore, there is much more thought put into these songs. There are actual sung melodies at times. Not in the over done Killswitch Engage  good cop/ bad cop trade off fashion, but they come in as needed to vary things a little. Greenway's vocals are extremely well produced. There is the perfect amount of grit distorting them. Right from the wrath of "Smash a Single Digit" the album doesn't relent. In most cases this would bore me, but these guys learned in the 14 albums they recorded before this one how to perfect what they do perfectly. Countless bands try to use their formula, so it makes sense that there is not an element of this album that sounds dated, which might not be the case with the new releases from other bands hailing from the early 80's

"Metaphorically Screw You" is the only song that seems it is rushed by you before you can absorb what hit, even with the really gut wrenching groove they hit midway through and "Timeless Flogging" also works off of a similar formula. "How the Years Condemn" finds bassist Shane Embury really killing with a more thrashy tone that he pounds into place through the jarring sonic lashing the rest of the band is giving. They kept a similar pacing up until the surprisingly melodic "Dear Slum Lord" that falls somewhere between Swans and Jesus Lizard. They continue to instigate collisions of punk and metal, that have recently become more common place with bands like Nails. Napalm Death being the masters of this can mold this feral chaos into effective songs like the lead single from the album "Cesspits". They hit just as hard as any younger band and do so with subtle smarts.

 Drummer Danny Herrera who is also Anaal Nathrakh's live drummer earns his keep. He some how manages to hold all of this together with a concise and relentless fury. His playing is best showcased on the powerful pounding of "Beyond the Pale". Napalm Death is no except when it comes to the fact slowing down to savor the chug is the most effective tool in any band's arsenal.When the do numb you out with speed it is done in under three minute doses, and even then the piss and vinegar is given a sweet moshy chaser similar to what their American  counterparts  S.O.D did in the 80's.

Not devoid of dynamics this album still heeds to words of Bruce Banner and stays angry. Sometimes this anger allows for solos and sung vocals on songs like "Hierarchies". At other times the launch into the blasty mcnasties on "One Eyed", which almost borders on teaching today's crop of black metal a thing or two. They rein themselves in slightly on the closing hardcore madness that sounds like Gwar whacked out on pcp. The energy of this album raises the bar for older bands like Slayer, showing that you don't have to rely on your legacy. This really raises  the bar for extreme metal in 2015. I'll round this one up to an 8.5 as I sure it will grow on me, even though grindcore isn't really my thing, I still respect what went into this album and if I am going to have one grindcore band on my iPod, why settle for anyone but Napalm Death.