This week’s Heavy Music HQ reviews include releases from Better Lovers, Butcher, Challenger, Deadform, Devin Townsend, dUg Pinnick, Entheos, Haliphron, Living Gate, Motorhead, Poltergeist, and Wizzerd.
The ratings are on a 5 star scale.
Better Lovers – Highly Irresponsible (SharpTone)
Formed from the ashes of Every Time I Die and fronted by The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Greg Puciato plus Will Putney of Fit For An Autopsy, you get Better Lovers. If you take the pop sensibilities of ETID and combine that with the manic delivery that Puciato provides and then you have Highly Irresponsible. Opener “Lie Between The Lines” gives off some slow and doomy vibes but the metalcore that ETID are most known for seeps in while Puciato’s instantly recognizable voice begins to take on a life of its own.
The instantly catchy riff sections in conjunction to the dissonant riffing that add a flair of angular technicality make this band and album more than the sum of its parts. “Future Myopia” has tremendous underlying bass grooves which combine with creepy spoken word parts feeling almost like Mike Patton were doing them, adding a layer of ominous feelings before the song comes to an abrupt end. Highly Irresponsible is a great debut and hopefully the start of something even more incredible.
Rating: 4
(Tom Campagna)
Bütcher – On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing (Osmose)
Bütcher are a blackened thrash band from Belgium influenced by the likes of Celtic Frost, Venom and the NWOBHM. The band seems unconcerned with subtleties and they plow through this album with blistering energy. The sound is raw and almost feels like a demo but somehow this suits the music. With caustic vocals, upfront guitar solos, relentless riffs, On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing successfully captures the cathartic nature of metal.
The first few tracks reflect Bütcher’s established sound. “Keep The Steele (Flamin’ Hot),” for example, is notable for its chugging riffs and particularly tortured vocals. In the last few tracks, however, Bütcher bring other musical ideas to the table. “A Sacrifice To Satan’s Spawn” has clear influences from DiAnno’s Iron Maiden in addition to elements from early Mercyful Fate. “A Gypsy’s Tale (Of Sex and Seance)” contains some low-end death metal vocals and “An Ending In Fyre” is notable for its tempo changes. In fact there also seems to be a lyrical concept binding the last three tracks. If you dig bands such as Midnight or Hellripper then this album is a must-have.
Rating: 4
(Chris Galea)
Challenger – Force Of Nature (Dying Victims)
Slovenian speed metal slayers Challenger are set to drop their debut LP Force Of Nature. “Under The Skin” shows off the duality of vocal styles that the band possesses in ways drawing comparisons to 3 Inches Of Blood with the harsh and melodic singing happening in a back and forth battle for sonic supremacy. Challenger are also great at chugging along on longer songs like the verse/chorus of “Victims of War,” which is nearly seven minutes long with fat bass to raise the musicianship bar even higher.
Challenger join the ranks of high powered and young Europeans that pay homage to the bands of the past but don’t sacrifice the idiosyncrasies that help their music to stand out. From the soaring guitars, galloping bass and everything in between, this band has it all working for them. Force Of Nature is a total blast and more than whets the appetite of the denim-clad contingent in the metal sphere.
Rating: 3.5
(Tom Campagna)
Deadform – Entrenched In Hell (Tankcrimes)
Deadform are a spiritual successor to Dystopia, a group active through the 1990’s and 2000’s that released an underground cult hit with their self-titled debut album. Their disturbing mashup of sludge metal and crust punk was highly original, one that this band continues with on Entrenched In Hell. Drummer/vocalist Dino Sommese is the connective tissue between the two groups, and he brings the lecherous decay of his former project to this one.
For 30 minutes, Deadform take listeners on an unsavory tour through the worst places imaginable, where ringing feedback is a customary welcome. There’s a murky tension that lingers over the whole album, making for an uncomfortable experience. Even decades later, there’s no band that has come close to replicating what Dystopia did until Deadform dropped Entrenched In Hell.
Rating: 4
(Dan Marsicano)
Devin Townsend – PowerNerd (InsideOut)
Devin Townsend has been especially prolific over the past few years, issuing numerous full-lengths, live albums and splits. He wrote his latest record PowerNerd in a short amount of time. That results in songs that aren’t quite as complex as some of his previous compositions.
There are still plenty of proggy moments, but the catchiness factor is extremely high this time around, right from the opening title track. “Knuckledragger” defies its title, a very modern sounding track with industrial/electronic undertones, while “Jainism” is a melodic, high octane number. Townsend varies tempos and intensities, with “Gratitude” and “Younger Lover” on the mellower side. There’s always a curveball or two, and this time around it’s his ode to coffee, “Ruby Quaker.” No matter what approach he takes to an album, Townsend always makes it interesting and distinctive, and that’s exactly what you’ll get with PowerNerd.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
dUg Pinnick – Thingamajigger (Rat Pak)
Welcome to the church of psychofunkadelicgrungalilsm, the Reverend dUg Pinnick presides. On Thingamajigger, his latest solo album, the legendary King’s X bassists/vocalist turns in a diverse collection of hard-rocking, soulful tunes that harken back to the grungy jangle of his first few solo albums, released under the Poundhound moniker.
Seemingly dropped out of nowhere, announced just last month, the speed with which Pinnick must have created these tunes lends them an urgency that results from not “overcooking” a record. Kicking off with Pinnick musing over the challenges of aging on the raging “Climbing Up The Mountain,” he quickly changes gears to the acoustic stomp of “Keep On Going” – featuring Pinnick’s patented words of encouragement when facing life’s struggles. Shifting again to the grunge-y swing of “More Strings Attached,” Thingamajigger twists and turns through 11 tunes in just over 30 minutes, never letting the listener get bored. A groove machine, indeed.
Rating: 4
(Gino Sigismondi)
Entheos – An End To Everything (Metal Blade)
Last year the prog death metal band Entheos released Time Will Take Us All. They’ve already written enough new songs to issue an EP, An End To Everything. It follows in the footsteps of Time Will Take Us All in terms of Chaney Crabb utilizing melodic vocals, but the five tracks also push in new directions.
A plethora of vocal styles are on display on the opening title track, from death growls to higher pitched black metal type vocals to melodic singing. “All For Nothing” seems like a standard death metal song until the melodic chorus near the end of the track. Entheos bring the extremity on “Life In Slow Motion,” and deliver melody and an extended guitar solo on “A Thousand Days.” An End To Everything is relatively brief but brings a lot of variety to the table.
Rating: 3.5
(Chad Bowar)
Haliphron – Anatomy Of Darkness (Listenable)
For their second album, Anatomy Of Darkness, Haliphron put death/black metal as the priority, cutting down the symphonic sounds that were dominant on last year’s Prey. The orchestration and choir effects are still used on all songs, but they aren’t as prominent as they were before. The songs have also been trimmed to tighten up the songwriting, with the only indulgence being kept for the mostly instrumental closing title track.
If Prey felt like an overarching expedition into the discovery of a mystical being, Anatomy Of Darkness is a seedy alleyway of addicts looking for their particular fix. To achieve this, Haliphron wisely doesn’t let the keyboards go too dramatic. The group have, in a short period, found the right ratio between grandiose flair and nightmare fuel.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Living Gate – Suffer As One (Relapse)
Members of Yob, Oathbreaker and Wiegedood come together for a death metal trip under the name of Living Gate on Suffer As One. The group as individuals have covered almost every genre of metal imaginable, though stripped-down death metal is a bit new. With the vast amount of experience each musician brings to the band, it’s no problem for them to take on this form.
Living Gate are capable of digging through maggots and gore to uncover lively riffs. While the first four songs keep on an unrelenting drive, Suffer As One expands beyond that starting with the moody instrumental “Massive Depletion In Eb Minor.” The title track has a sublime melodic outro and the lead guitar shines on closer “CQC.” Add death metal to the list of genres the members of Living Gate can pull off.
Rating: 3.5
(Dan Marsicano)
Motorhead – We Take No Prisoners: The Singles 1995-2006 (BMG)
The number of Motorhead releases since Lemmy’s death in 2015 is extensive. Boxed sets, live albums, EPs, compilations, there have multiple Motorhead releases pretty much every year. The latest addition is We Take No Prisoners: The Singles 1995-2006.
That era of the band encompassed 1995’s Sacrifice through 2006’s Kiss Of Death. The compilation is available as a 7″ single box set along with expanded CD and digital editions. There are single edits, covers, album tracks, live versions and even an interview with Lemmy and Mikkey Dee. Motorhead completists will want to dig into We Take No Prisoners: The Singles 1995-2006, and there are enough goodies to satisfy the more casual fan as well.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Pøltergeist – Nachtmusik (Bad Omen)
The Canadian trio Pøltergeist display a variety of style and influences on their debut album Nachtmusik. Their musical palette ranges from gothic rock to traditional metal to post punk to shoegaze.
Their influences are just as eclectic. You may be reminded of anyone from Sisters Of Mercy to My Bloody Valentine to the Cure. The eighties new wave vibe is strong on tracks like “Ethereal Nightmares” while the guitars take center stage on songs such as “Yesterday Fades” and “Will We Ever Live Again.” For those who like their goth with a retro approach, Nachtmusik will fit the bill nicely.
Rating: 3
(Chad Bowar)
Wizzerd – Saturnalia (Fuzzorama)
Coming hot off the heels of the release of Kronia, the first of two albums released this year, Montana based rocker Wizzerd have managed to release Saturnalia, their second album just four months later. While best described as more of a progressive rock album then metal, Saturnalia is well crafted and a relatively smooth listen, all things considered.
When compared to their earlier released Kronia, this album has a more somber tone as shown in “Tempest” and “To the Sea.” “Visalia” makes for an interesting bookend for this album as a quaint acoustic number backed with Spanish vocals. At first glance it may look as if Wizzerd have detoured from their original style. But in the end this is on par for them, switching it up and trying something new with each release.
Rating: 3.5
(Dalton Husher)
