This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Abrams, Catalysis, Crimson Glory, Crippled Black Phoenix, Doodswens, From Ashes To New, Hardline, Lividus, Pinknoise, Reeking Aura, Thunderor and Vanderlust.
The ratings are on a 5-star scale.
Abrams – Loon (Blues Funeral)
The Denver band Abrams have been plying their trade for more than a decade, issuing several albums. Their latest effort is Loon, the group’s sixth full-length.
Their sound spans a plethora of styles from sludge to hardcore to alt rock to grunge. This time around they’ve managed to amp up the heaviness without sacrificing melody. That’s evident from the opening notes of the rousing “Glass House” to the rocking “Last Nail” to the doomy “How Did I Lose My Mind.” There’s no shortage of variety on Loon, with Abrams skillfully blending everything together into a cohesive whole.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Catalysis – Serpentine (Self)
Serpentine, the third full-length from the UK metalcore/groove metal band Catalysis, is a powerful album that has a very aggressive lean to it. The songs are forceful and feature a sort of mainstream leaning. Catalysis are very bent on pushing their songs to the forefront and making themselves as potent as possible. The songs are arranged in a simple, but effective fashion that is palatable and easy to understand, but there is the feeling that things could be made more complex.
The musicianship is quite solid with an eye for good production values and a potent sound. There is not really much of a standout characteristic to the performances. There are some sonic similarities to bands like Machine Head, but that is an established sound and nothing new. ,Still the instrumental parts like the guitar on Serpentine are fairly solid.
Rating: 3
(Adam McAuley)
Crimson Glory – Chasing The Hydra (Bravewords)
Chasing The Hydra is the first album from the classic U.S. progressive power metal band Crimson Glory since 1999. Their impact on power metal as a whole is nearly unmatched. Three-fifths of the lineup has been part of most of the previous four albums. They have added a new guitarist as well as one of the more important pieces in one a genre such as this, powerful vocalist Travis Willis. Willis makes his presence felt right from the opener “Redden The Sun” as he soars next to heavy and progressive song structures, without falling victim to the tropes where a band overstays their welcome.
“Broken Together” is a perfect encapsulation of progressive riffs and a song that slowly coalesces into a sound that fits well within the framework of their classic albums. They keep consistently midtempo but also allowing for the guitars to provide added complexity throughout all while Willis’ vocal style shines. It fits well within the style of late ‘80s power heavy metal that the band plays. After all this time, Crimson Glory have released a career revival record, one that feels like a lost album between their second and third releases. Chasing The Hydra is the band’s best work in nearly 40 years.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Crippled Black Phoenix – Sceaduhelm (Season Of Mist)
English dark rockers Crippled Black Phoenix have had a lot of members during their 20-plus years of existence, with founder Justin Greaves the common thread. There are a few new faces on the band’s latest opus, Sceaduhelm.
Belinda Kordic has been the group’s vocalist for about 15 years now, delivering a wide-ranging performance ranging from ethereal to intense. Ryan Patterson and Justin Storms also handle vocal duties, adding a lot of diversity to the record. Storms’ delivery is more dreamlike and psychedelic, while Patterson sings in a world-weary baritone. The songs are also eclectic, with elements of post, prog and experimental rock. Sceaduhelm stretches to more than an hour, but Crippled Black Phoenix have no difficulties maintaining interest throughout.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Doodswens – Doodswens (Svart)
Doodswens’ self-titled record removes the lengthy interludes, nature samples and subdued guitars from 2021’s Lichtvrees in favor of an icier sound. There’s been some shuffling of responsibilities in the group with a new guitarist, an addition of a bassist for the first time in their career and drummer I now also handling lead vocals. This adjustment has marked a fundamental turn into a primordial stage of black metal.
There’s a ritualistic charge to this album, one bathed in fire and acceptance of the finality that comes at the end of life. “She Carries The Curse” lingers on a fruitful melody in its introduction, acting off of two minutes of relative bliss. Doodswens have not spent the last five years in vain, opting to streamline their stoic music.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
From Ashes To New – Reflections (Better Noise)
Reflections is From Ashes To New at their most unflinching. The Lancaster, Pennsylvania band of Danny Case (vocals), Matt Brandyberry (rap vocals, keys, programming), Lance Dowdle (lead guitar), Maty Madiro (drums), and Jimmy Bennett (rhythm guitar) don’t waste a single track with this latest release. “Die For You” carries the album’s most emotionally raw moment, the kind of song that makes you question where performance ends and confession begin.
“Black Hearts” and “Upside Down” connect with sharp, hard-hitting arrangements that never feel derivative, while “(Not) Psycho” injects a darker, sardonic energy that refuses to be comfortable. “Parasite” and “New Disease” form a thematic pair circling ideas of contamination, the kind that comes from outside and the kind you carry yourself. “Darkside” leans into the band’s electronic influences, and “Falling From Heaven” delivers one of the record’s most emotionally complete performances. Reflections is precise without being preachy, relentless without sagging.
Rating: 4
(Jeanetta Briski)
Hardline – Shout (Steamhammer)
Formed back in the early ’90s, hard rockers Hardline have some notable alumni, such as Neal Schon, Deen Castronovo, Rudy Sarzo and Bobby Rock. Frontman Johnny Gioeli (Axel Rudi Pell, Crush 40) is the lone remaining original member. The band’s latest album is Shout, the first in five years and eighth overall.
Over the decades, though the lineup has changed, Hardline’s musical focus has not wavered. They write songs that are catchy and melodic with heavy guitars and top-notch vocals from Gioeli. There are plenty of radio-ready tracks, such as the driving “Rise Up” and the ballad “When You Came Into My Life.” A couple of less memorable songs dilute the overall impact somewhat, but Hardline fans will find plenty to like with Shout.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Lividus – Scarabaeus (Nameless Grave)
Lividus inject an amalgamation of many different kinds of progressive death/thrash metal on Scarabaeus. There’s the fluidity of Death’s latter work, the genre hopping of a Sigh and the technicality of Voivod. All of this is boosted by vocalist Uta Plotkin, over a decade removed from her stint with Witch Mountain. Plotkin gets to use her full range, from operatic highs to grunting lows.
Though these songs are driven by ill-mannered tempos, the use of a viola in “The Empty Circle” is unexpected. The viola returns on the next track, “they blew the flies from their lips before they spoke,” which creeps along in an atmospheric haze. The viola is not a major part of Scarabaeus, but its inclusion allows Lividus to step away from comparisons into their own form.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Pinknoise – Flesh And Bone (Nettwerk)
Los Angeles hard rocker Kacey Foxx’s Pinknoise is back and with a bang with her sophomore EP release Flesh And Bone. With a style that feels right on par with Spiritbox, Pinknoise harnesses her emotions and life experiences to make each track feel her experiences.
When combined with the talent of I Prevail’s Brian Burkheiser, “Rain” best showcases not only her vocal range, but how well she taps into her emotions to make a song powerful. Foxx may be making emotionally charged bangers, but her ultimate goal is to foster an environment where the fans can unapologetically be themselves. It is safe to say with Flesh And Bone she is on the right track to achieve it.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
Reeking Aura – On the Promise Of The Moon (Profound Lore)
On The Promise Of The Moon is the sophomore release from the metro New York death metal crew Reeking Aura, featuring the distinct guttural vocal style of former Artificial Brain frontman Will Smith. The styles of death metal contained within vary: on tracks like “A Forlorn and Frozen Vapor” there is the in-your-face pummeling, but there are also slowed sections that feature more melodic parts allowing you to bask in some quiet before the violence kicks in again.
“Gorged Beyond Grudges” showcases galloping riffs while Smith’s vocals all but boil over, before again providing solace to the listener in a progressive metal way. Bass is on display which allows for brutal death metal to display proper songwriting chops. There are chunks of the album that have a serious sense of melodeath within them, not limited to parts of “What Worms Only Witness” which really help Reeking Aura to differentiate themselves from their contemporaries. It allows for maximum replayability as the nuance can be missed on the first few forays through. Reeking Aura have really outdone themselves on On The Promise Of The Moon, an excellent cross section of extreme metal, song structure and musicianship that makes it a succinct and powerful punch to the face.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Thunderor – Bleed For It (Boonsdale)
Thunderor envision Bleed For It as a soundtrack to a rock opera, a cast of rambunctious characters spending their nights tearing the streets up. That’s at least their idea, but the band’s sophomore album is not so much Rock Of Ages on Broadway as it is Jesus Christ Superstar at the local community theater. Like that theater performance, they make the most out of what they’ve got, using their shoestring budget to maximum effect.
Vocalist/drummer JJ Tartaglia’s high-pitched wails are an all-or-nothing scenario for a listener, which may be the hardest entry point to get through. A stronger vocalist could have elevated songs like the Van Halen-inspired “Get ‘Em Counted” and fiddle-centric shanty “Cape Breton Home.” Instead, Bleed For It is a missed opportunity asking for an unwarranted curtain call.
Rating: 2
(Dan Marsicano)
Vanderlust – The Human Farm (Rockshots)
Vanderlust put everything they have into the far-reaching The Human Farm. A group of rebels try to escape from an alien race that has promised the human race safety, with the caveat being death at the early age of 40. There’s a high chance of being swept up in the story from parts like the rushing guitars of “From The Cave – Fuga” imaging the rebels flying off to space with the aliens trailing closely behind.
From keyboards to operatic female vocals to interludes meant solely for plot progression, Vanderlust want The Human Farm to land as a concept album. For the most part, it does, though the last two songs going about seven minutes each bloats the narrative. The group works better when they are in a power metal mode on “Battlefield” and “Golden Shackles.”
Rating: 3
(Dan Marsicano)
Various Artists – To Hell With The Devil (Roxx)
40 years ago, Stryper released To Hell With The Devil, which went platinum and helped bring Christian rock/metal to the mainstream. Now, Roxx Records is paying homage to that seminal release, gathering numerous artists from their label to cover the songs on the album.
Replicating the vocals of Michael Sweet is not easy, but many of the artists on the album are up for the challenge, especially Reign Of Glory on “To Hell With The Devil” and All For The King on “Sing Along Song.” The bands put their own spin on the songs, with additional heaviness and some harsh vocals on “Calling On You” and “The Way,” Seth Metoyer’s alt rock take on “All Of Me” and German Pascual doing an acoustic version of the ballad “Honestly.” As on most tribute albums, there are ups and downs on To Hell With The Devil, but more highs than lows.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
