Down IV Part 2 EP review

Rejoice, fans of the riff, for the second of Down's four planned EPs is the best thing they have released in a number of years.

Down IV Part 2 strikes pretty much the perfect balance between the direct, aggressive style of historical favourites like Ghosts Along the Mississippi and Lifer, and the sludgy epics like Bury Me In Smoke that the New Orleans heavyweights are equally famous for.  Of the EP's 6 tracks, basically 3 fall into the former camp and 3 into the latter.

Opener Steeple certainly sets the tone, with a particularly evil-sounding howl from the legendary Phil Anselmo over a particularly evil-sounding riff.  Down were always clearly big Black Sabbath fans - the doom metal influence is just a little more obvious this time around.  The track does a great job of tempo-shifting between doomy heaviness and some faster riffs to keep it interesting.

Next comes one of the great one-two punches in Down history.  Firstly, We Knew Him Well, which launches into what might the most potent riff Down have ever written while Anselmo delivers a biting and occasionally indecipherable vocal performance (but you'll still pick out the best lines, like "Distrust the honest!").  Down have written plenty of headbangers in their time and this is one of the best.  Better yet, it's followed up with Hogshead / Dogshead, which is every bit as good.  This one has Pepper Keenan's fingerprints all over it from the word go - it's more than a little reminiscent of some of the great Keenan-era Corrosion of Conformity material (particularly Wiseblood) particularly in terms of the guitar work and the lead / rhythm guitar interplay.  Having said that, as a straight-up band effort this is an awesome performance - bass and rhythm guitar blend seamlessly on the riff, while Pepper shreds some great solos and Jimmy Bower absolutely kills it on the drums throughout.

After that double blow, Conjure slows things down with 8 minutes of fairly overt - but very good - Sabbath worship.  The sludge is strong on this heavy, atmospheric number and the guitar work gives it a real edge.  Keenan, in my opinion, continues to be one of the most under-rated guitarists on the hard rock and metal scene and his combination with new band member / former stage manager Bobby Landgraf (who replaced Kirk Windstein) is pretty much seamless.

Sufferer's Years is the last of the faster tracks and although Keenan and Landgraf do another stellar double-act here and Bower pummels the cymbals into oblivion, this is probably Anselmo's best moment on the record as he alternates between his powerful mid-range sound and snarly upper-range.

Bacchanalia is a pretty apt way to round things out with a bang.  At almost 9 minutes it seamlessly winds its way through a lot of the sounds found throughout the album - doom, sludge and straight-up riffs - before closing with an acoustic outro reminiscent of Jail or Pray for the Locust.

Down have provided six tracks of sheer, undiluted quality on this EP, and frankly it's a stunning example of why more bands might like to consider this approach to recording music.  Excellent stuff.

Conquering Dystopia album review

So many times, I've heard a metal band open a track with a great riff, only to abruptly lose interest when the vocals kick in.  No matter how hard I try, the guttural vocals generally just don't do it for me.  There's some exceptions to this - Opeth are an example of a band where I love the way the harsh vocals blend seamlessly with the music - but in general I just don't get them.  Which is kind of a shame, because musically there's a lot to like about many of the bands at the harder edge of the metal spectrum.

It's entirely possible, therefore, that I wouldn't have liked Conquering Dystopia if it had vocals and wasn't an instrumental record.  But it doesn't, and it is, and I do like it, rather a lot, in fact.

As a huge fan of Nevermore, I've followed Jeff Loomis since their untimely split, and hence how I stumbled across this.  And apparently the band's line-up is an enormous wet dream for some metal fans because of the combination of Loomis and some of the other guys in the band, although I know absolutely nothing about them - other than that they turn in some very fine performances here.

And performance, alongside composition, are two of the first words that come to mind on this album. Rightly or wrongly, metal (or at least some of it) is often analogised to classical music.  Conquering Dystopia is a great example of why that can be true - combining intricate, complex songs, compelling leads, and outstanding playing.  Like much classical music, there's recurring themes throughout - in this case linked to the dystopian future referenced in the title (as if song names like Prelude to Obliteration, Totalitarian Sphere, and Nuclear Justice weren't enough to tip one off to that).

And despite the inevitable sonic assault that one would expect given those themes, and that line-up, that sense of musicianship also provides enough dynamic balance to (mostly) prevent it getting repetitive.  Tracks like Lachrymose, Doomsday Clock and Resurrection in Black provide a breather - sonically and dynamically - and a break from the intensity of the heavier tracks.

Of course, to actually enjoy it properly, you will have to listen.  This is not an album that you can just throw on in the background and expect to get the most out of it.  This is an album that demands your attention and will reward you for it - there are lead guitar parts that will send chills down your spine, drum parts that will have you gasping in amazement.

And it is very much an album.  So often these days, I'll listen to a new piece of music, and instantly hook on to a few tracks.  And then maybe a couple more will grow on me.  And over time, it becomes not so much an album at all as really just a few good tracks and some that get skipped over.  On the other hand, Conquering Dystopia is a record I actually can't conceive listening to in parts, or on shuffle.  It's a beginning-to-end deal, a modern symphony of sorts.

Having said that, at 53 minutes, it's possibly a touch too long for an instrumetal record - dropping a couple of tracks could potentially have been the difference between 'very good' and 'great'.

Nevertheless, it is very good indeed, and if you like your metal a bit more cerebral then you'll love Conquering Dystopia.

Fu Manchu - Gigantoid album review

It was starting to get to the stage where Fu Manchu were essentially stoner rock's answer to AC/DC or Motorhead.  After a great series of albums through the late 1990's, peaking on 2000's King of the Road, everything since followed a largely similar formula: big fuzzed-out riffs, lyrics about aliens, girls, and/or cars, and plenty of mid-tempo crunch.  The material was decent, but it wasn't anything you hadn't heard before, and lacked some of the memorable elements of their earlier material - the sleazy groove of Weird Beard, the dual-guitar mayhem of Tilt, or the sheer hooks of tracks like Evil Eye.

Gigantoid changes that up.  The sound is unmistakably Fu Manchu but there's nothing formulaic about this record.  Opening track Dimension Shifter starts with a classic Fu Manchu hook a la Evil Eye, but at the two minute mark it abruptly morphs into a groovy psychedelic instrumental jam.

Meanwhile, Invaders On My Back, rather than being the paranoid stoner jam that the title might imply, is a direct, angry number that is much more reminiscent of the band's punk influences.  It is, however, followed by the particularly groovy and far more accurately titled Anxiety Reducer, which features a stunning main riff that is the equal of anything on Daredevil or ...In Search Of.

The experimentation doesn't always quite work - the quiet loud quiet loud dynamic of Mutant is a bit jarring.  And sometimes it's absent altogether - Radio Source Sagittarius could have appeared on any of the last three or four Fu Manchu albums and the extended outro prolongs it a bit much.

But equally, there's some really deft touches throughout the album.  No Warning is an absolute full-throttle number that threatens to end at the tender young age of 35 seconds, before launching into another full-on assault to instead end at the not-quite-so-young age of 1 minute 25 seconds.

Nowhere is this more evident than The Last Question - a classic call-and-answer riff, a great groove, and a tasty solo characterise the song's first half, before the remaining four minutes transform into a wandering, psychedelic jam.

Overall, it's a fairly tightly-packed 39 minutes worth, with minimal filler, and enough variety to hold the ear of the discerning listener - and arguably the best thing they've released since King of the Road.  Gigantoid is unlikely to win Fu Manchu much in the way of new audience, but it certainly might rekindle the interest of a few older fans (this one included).

KXM - KXM

Short version:

KXM is the best album of the year so far. If you like top-shelf hard rock, go buy it. Trust me.

Long version:

KXM is a supergroup of musicians that, whilst great talents, aren't exactly household names. Guitarist George Lynch almost played for Ozzy Osborne but got beaten to it by some guy called Randy Rhoads, and ended up with Dokken and Lynch Mob, amongst other things.  Bassist/singer dUg Pinnick (his spelling, not mine) made his name with King's X, a band who have garnered a cult following over the past 25+ years.  Drummer Ray Luzier is the only member I'm familiar with, from his work on the Army of Anyone album with the deLeo brothers from Stone Temple Pilots and Richard Patrick from Filter.  He's probably better known for his work with David Lee Roth, and as Korn's current drummer.

So yeah, supergroup, you know the drill, this could go either way.  Either their powers combine to produce something awesome, or their egos collide to produce something terrible.

The good news is that KXM is most definitely the former.  This is a stonkingly good hard rock record.

There's so much to like about this album, and so much of that is to do with the fact that it comes from three talented guys who have played a lot of music, with a lot of acts, and have clearly learnt a few things in the process.

Opening track Stars is a prime example.  It starts with tribal drums from Luzier, a tightly wound riff that Lynch accentuates just a little bit at the right moments, and you think it's going to be a heavy, dense, bleak opener.  All of sudden, the mood changes to optimism for the chorus, led by Pinnick's vocals, like a ray of light breaking through on a cloudy day.  It's a pretty major dynamic shift, but it flows perfectly because these guys know just how to play it, to make it work.

Another example is some of the phenomenal riffs on this record.  In part, that's because they are actually obscenely good riffs, but it's also because KXM know not to overplay them in the song - using them just the right amount, at just the right points to really maximise their impact.  Case in point, Human Friction.  The first 50 seconds is atmospheric, but slowly swells to the point where you know something big is going to happen, and then BAM! The payoff riff hits you and it is glorious.  A couple of spins, and it's into the verse, but you know it's coming back, you're waiting for it - and BAM! There it is again.  A triumph of timing and tact.

Speaking of tact, Ray Luzier's playing is just outstanding on this record.  It's easy to sit back and appreciate the sheer drive he provides, but listening closely provides an experience in itself, especially on the (brilliant) closing instrumental Tranquilize.  So many great fills and clever details lurking there to be discovered - but they're never in your face, never overshadowing the song or the other players.

Actually, that's perhaps what shines most brightly about this album - the balance between guitar, bass, vocals and drums is just so tight.  There's a sense of unity, of everything working together, throughout the record - you can go listening for individual instruments in the mix if you want, or you can just sit back and let the whole glorious wall of rhythm, melodies and counter-melodies wash over you.  This could only be the work of three talented guys who are all very much on the same page (and probably a decent producer too).

Clearly the musicianship is great but, crucially, so are the songs.  There's a good balance (there's that word again) of upbeat numbers and mid-tempo grooves, broken up by a couple of slower, more reflective numbers - the acoustic ballad Never Stop and the very lyrically-pointed Sleep.  

My personal favourites include the pacy, harmony-laden I'll Be OK (which features a great solo from Lynch), single Rescue Me, the dynamic shifts and clever interplay of Do It Now, the intensely groovy Human Friction and the stomping, catchy Faith is a Room, which basically showcases everything I've said about this album in one particularly excellent track.

But having said that, this is an album with no filler tracks - it's an end-to-end listen.  Like I said at the start, if you're a fan of really well-written, well-played hard rock, trust me and just go buy it.

Adrenaline Mob - Men of Honor

There's a certain cross-section of metal fans that seem to insist on criticising bands like Hellyeah and Five Finger Death Punch for being too 'simple'.  I honestly don't understand this.  As much as I enjoy listening to bands like Deftones and Mastodon that really push the boundaries and head off in all sorts of creative directions, there's also a time and place for bands that deliver the tried and true combination of kick-ass riffs and catchy, relatable lyrics.

Adrenaline Mob's newest album has also copped a bit of criticism in some quarters for this.  I find this somewhat hilarious for two reasons.  Firstly, no-one criticises Fu Manchu, AC/DC or Motorhead for the same thing and they've been doing it for 20, 30, 40 plus years!  Secondly, Adrenaline Mob's past and present line-up includes a number of guys who continue to be hugely influential, creative forces within the rock and metal genres.  Singer Russel Allen's "other" band, Symphony X, have produced some progressive masterpieces, most recently the insanely good Iconoclast (2011).  Guitarist Mike Orlando has worked with the likes of Zakk Wylde and Bumblefoot.  Former drummer Mike Portnoy basically defined the progressive metal genre in his time with Dream Theater and only left the band because of the sheer volume of other things he's involved in, most notably the Winery Dogs who delivered a great debut album last year.

Long story short, these guys have earned the right to just write some kick-ass, fun rock songs and more power to them.  Men of Honor follows in the footsteps of debut album Omerta by taking the hard, direct approach to things.

The Mob Is Back kicks off with a big intro duel between Orlando and drummer AJ Pero (ex-Twisted Sister) before locking into a massively groovy main riff which really sets the tone for the whole album.  The Mob is indeed back, and they will kick your ass.  Come On Get Up is next, and features an even bigger hook - it's raw, direct and a lot of fun.

Dearly Departed sees Russel Allen really come to the fore, leading a big crescendo through the verses.  There's an almost melancholic feel to this track and it's a good counterpoint to the groove metal of the first two tracks.  It's followed by Behind These Eyes, a decent reinvention of the 'power ballad' which has fallen on hard times in recent years and which no doubt drew on Pero's considerable experience of the genre.

Let It Go is a fairly pissed-off sounding piece of groove metal, while Feel the Adrenaline continues that great metal tradition started by Megadeth on 1320' of writing appropriately full-throttle songs about drag-racing.

After the melodic heaviness of the title track (with a great solo from Mike Orlando), the acoustically-led Crystal Clear is a welcome breather before another brutal 1-2 punch in the form of House of Lies and Judgment Day.  

Falling to Pieces is one of the album's most distinctive tracks.  The combination of a down-tuned acoustic rhythm guitar and an electric guitar for lead and texture is a head-nod to Alice in Chains, and despite building to some big moments, the maintains that easy acoustic groove throughout.  Then the record closes with Gets You Through the Night, a straight-ahead rocker anchored around yet another solid guitar hook.

Overall, Men of Honor might not be pushing the boundaries of metal, but sometimes, all you need is a good riff - and they sure do come thick and fast on this album.  Uncomplicated, kick-ass, full-throttle hard rock.

Primal Fear - Delivering the Black

Primal Fear are a German metal act that have been around since the late 90's, about whom I knew absolutely nothing until I read a review of their latest record, Delivering the Black, in Metal Hammer a month or so ago.  My interest suitably piqued, I decided to check the album out.

The first couple of tracks certainly justified that decision.  Opener King for A Day chugs along with a chunky main riff before breaking into a nice solo section.  It's followed up with Rebel Faction, which kicks the tempo up and shows a significant thrash influence.

The rest of the album doesn't hold to quite the same standard.  There's a couple of mid-tempo tracks (When Death Comes Knocking, Born With a Broken Heart) which have some nice atmospherics but for the most part drag a bit, although the equally mid-tempo Alive and On Fire is a decent hard rock number with shades of AC/DC.  

Although there are one or two slightly throwaway tracks like Never Pray for Justice, there's a lot to like about faster numbers like Delivering the Black and Inseminoid and the 9-minute plus epic One Night In December, all of which show just the right amount of power metal influence without overcooking it and also showcase some nice dual guitar moments.

For metal fans, there's certainly some tracks on here worth tracking out, but as an end-to-end album it's probably not gonna hold your attention on repeat listens.

Iced Earth - Plagues of Babylon

Although Iced Earth are veterans of the metal genre, Plagues of Babylon is the first time I've stumbled across them.  There's often a dearth of releases in the first few months of the year, and so sometimes you notice stuff you otherwise wouldn't have.

Recent years have seen old-school acts like Testament and Overkill produce some of the best material of their careers.  It hasn't been a fluke in either case.  Testament followed up the relentless aggression of The Formation of Damnation with the powerful and melodic Dark Roots of Earth.  Overkill had the progressive heaviness of Ironbound and then the full-on energy of The Electric Age.

However, the unfortunate thing about Plagues of Babylon is that even without prior experience of this band, to me it just sounds like a seasoned act going through the motions.  It's a solid enough metal record, it just doesn't have anything to get particularly excited about.  It's exactly what you'd expect to hear from a band described as heavy metal with power and thrash influences.  Even one of its better moments, Among the Living Dead, pales in comparison to Anthrax's Fight Em Till You Can't in the recent-thrash-metal-songs-about-zombies stakes.  And while Cthulhu is also one of the highlights, it's certainly not the best thrash metal song with that name and god knows there have been a few.

Democide, and The End? both show the sort of promise that would've made for a good album if it could have been sustained across the rest of the tracks - incorporating progressive elements and some good dynamic shifts.  The problem is that the four tracks I've named are really all this album has to recommend it and the rest is largely filler.

Most likely this is one for fans of the band only.  Solid enough, just not really anything amazing.