EXCLUSIVE: Hear and There top 20 albums of 2016

First of all, please excuse the lack of proper activity on here for a while, I've had a lot of personal stuff to deal with (which at the time of going to publication is more or less done and dusted for now). Anyway, 2016 has been a strange year in many respects, and perhaps no more so than in the world of music. While we have seen several big names shuffle off this mortal coil (David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, to name but a few) and seen some respected names either calling it a day or going on hiatus (Nails, Graveyard and Purson, again, to name but a few), in terms of quality, the music has been nothing short of astounding on many levels for perhaps the first time since 2001. (You ask me why I use 2001 as a benchmark for outstanding music? Well, here are just a few of the albums that dropped that year: "Amnesiac" by Radiohead, "Lateralus" by Tool, "Blackwater Park" by Opeth, "Jane Doe" by Converge, "A Sun That Never Sets" by Neurosis, "Is This It" by the Strokes, "Toxicity" by System of a Down, "Terria" by Devin Townsend, "Vespertine" by Bjork, "The Dreadful Hours" by My Dying Bride and "Origin of Symmetry" by Muse. I could go on.)


Anyway. Without further ado, here are my official top 20 albums of the year:


20. Opeth - Sorceress


Mikael Åkerfeldt and his compatriots start to get comfortable with their new sound on Opeth album number twelve, and have ceased worrying about what their old fans think. In many ways, this gives the five of them a new lease of musical life on this record.


19. Oranssi Pazuzu - Värähtelijä


A marvellous cacophony of space rock and black metal from this little known Finnish outfit. Innovative and dissonant with a finely crafted ambiance that's rarely heard in the darker side of heavy music.


18. Crowbar - The Serpent Only Lies


There are certain bands for whom the "tried and tested" method works a treat. Crowbar are one such band, and with original bass player Todd Strange back in the fold, there seems to be something reassuring about Kirk Windstein's gravelly bellow.


17. Blues Pills - Lady In Gold


A somewhat more personal effort than the self titled album sees Elin Larsson and her bandmates bring more of an emphasis on the blues side of things. Committing their smashing cover of Tony Joe White's "Elements and Things" to record was also a wise move.


16. Nails - You Will Never Be One Of Us


If you played this album loud enough, it would actually hurt to endure it. Fast, aggressive, downright unpleasant in places, which made it all the more interesting to feast on the ears.


15. Red Fang - Only Ghosts


The Portland quartet ramp up the fun, improve the mix and give us some sharper songs on their third full length effort. Not that "Whales and Leeches" was a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, though.


14. Alcest - Kodama


Neige and Winterhalter return with an album that brings not only a return to form, but also some beautifully concocted progression and the addition of previously live only bassist Indria. A cathartic, moving experience, aided by Neige's meticulous attention to detail and his intuitive understanding of dynamics.


13. Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid


Aesop Rock delivers another personal experience intertwined with some brilliant storytelling and some effortlessly fluid beats, resulting in his best work since "Labor Days". Fantastic production coupled with a unique set of lyrics and flow, as is Aesop Rock's standard.


12. Meshuggah - The Violent Sleep of Reason


The Swedish extreme metal quintet drop arguably their best effort since "Chaosphere" with a nod back to "Catch-33" were "Catch-33" more song-oriented, concise and aggressive. On certain tracks the listener can feel the band playing off each other.


11. Dark Tranquillity - Atoma


Mikael Stanne and his cohorts take a back to basics approach for album number eleven. As a result, this gives us Dark Tranquillity's best album since "Fiction".


10. Purson - Desire's Magic Theatre


The immensely talented Rosalie Cunningham and band put out a second full length of fuzzy proto psychedelic rock, or as they describe themselves, "Vaudeville Carny Psych". Suitably off the wall and stacked with excellent songs. What more could you ask for?


9. Insomnium - Winter's Gate


One track, forty minutes in length, and beautifully executed by one of death metal's most underrated bands. Niilo Sevänen and company left no stone unturned in the crafting of this opus, and getting Dan Swanö on board to help produce the whole thing only enhances the whole sound.


8. Oathbreaker - Rheia


One of the best hardcore punk bands in the world throw their listeners a curveball. An ambitious release that was nicely paced and varied, topped off with a wonderfully passionate performance from vocalist Caro Tanghe.


7. Candiria - While They Were Sleeping


One of the greatest experimental metal bands mark their return with a back to basics effort, complete with wonderful jazz breakdowns and the unmistakable delivery of Carley Coma. Welcome back, boys.


6. Katatonia - The Fall of Hearts


The Swedish masters of melancholy give us a more varied album with their first real foray into prog territory, yet with a production that gives the songs the breathing space they deserve. Another great addition to their discography.


5. Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas - Mariner


Probably the best collaborative effort in the heavier field since Neurosis and Jarboe in 2004. Julie Christmas gives a wonderful performance against a crushingly heavy and atmospheric musical backdrop.


4. Deftones - Gore


A more stripped back effort than its two predecessors, but with more than enough to sustain the interest of the listener. This is the Deftones we're talking about, after all. Enough said,


3. Every Time I Die - Low Teens


A band that has slowly been on an upward curve since "The Big Dirty", Keith Buckley and the boys surpassed themselves with possibly their best album yet. There truly ain't no party like an Every Time I Die party.


2. Neurosis - Fires Within Fires


Oakland's finest celebrate their 31st year of existence with the best album they've put out since "The Eye of Every Storm". Primal, heavy, atmospheric and passionate, which is what you want from a Neurosis album.


AND THE WINNER IS:


1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree


It's fair to say that "Skeleton Tree" isn't an album you can just pick up and listen to. It's one that benefits from extreme patience and repeated listens for it to really click, and it's definitely one of his bleakest records for some time. But in this particular instance, it works, and the content is sublime as always.

Russian Circles - Guidance

Artist: Russian Circles
Album: Guidance
Year: 2016
Rating: 64/100

Chicago based instrumentalists Russian Circles, for the uninitiated, specialise in lengthy, complex and sprawling post-metal soundscapes. Bear with me when I say this, but their musical cues are more Pelican than Explosions in the Sky; an almost thunderous wall of sound, punctuated by crisp, taut bass guitar parts and powerful drumming balancing with guitarist Mike Sullivan's expertly crafted riffs, and the result is three excellent musicians who are hugely passionate about what they do playing off one another. So how does their newest effort, "Guidance", stack up?

On the whole, it's the feeling of three otherwise great musicians who are seemingly treading water a little. Don't get me wrong; there's little to criticise Russian Circles' craft as an entity, and I'm sure that these songs will translate nicely to the live arena given how well the trio melds together as a unit, it's just that...there's very little on offer in the way of anything memorable here. Where tracks such as "Vorel" and "Calla" happily rumble along courtesy of the production values of Converge maestro Kurt Ballou and his wide, loud and heavy approach to audio design, tracks such as "Asa" and "Overboard" feel somewhat aimless, and in a rare miss for Ballou, even the production doesn't get to save it.

"Guidance" is not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination. But it is sorely lacking in the emotional depth and power that made their previous albums such an engaging listen, which is a shame when you consider what they're truly capable of when they perform at their best.

Track listing:

1. Asa
2. Vorel
3. Mota
4. Afrika
5. Overboard
6. Calla
7. Lisboa

The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About

Artist: The Get Up Kids
Album: Something To Write Home About
Year: 1999
Rating: 89/100

 After having burst onto the scene explosively with the superb debut full-length effort "Four Minute Mile", Kansas City's Get Up Kids then cemented their place among the record collections of punk rock kids around the world with their sophomore effort, "Something to Write Home About". The band added keyboardist James DeWees (erstwhile skin pounder for friends and local metalcore heavyweights Coalesce and the main man behind Reggie and the Full Effect) to their line up, and a fuller, broader sound came about as a result.

Unlike their contemporaries in Sunny Day Real Estate, Texas is the Reason and the Promise Ring, the Get Up Kids' sound is more firmly rooted in punk than in alternative rock, as the raucous, emotionally charged opening track "Holiday" attests. Lead vocalist Matt Pryor is more than ably backed up by guitarist Jim Suptic, who takes lead vocals on "Ten Minutes". Elsewhere on the album, the balance between the slower and uptempo numbers is one that's easily kept, with the slower numbers mercifully avoiding the trap of being overly slushy or trite. On the uptempo side, "Holiday", "Red Letter Day", "Ten Minutes" and "I'm A Loner Dottie, A Rebel" are the stand outs, and the slower triumphs include the slow building "My Apology", and the lush "I'll Catch You".

"Something to Write Home About" was the record that put the Get Up Kids on the world's musical map, and with good reason. Unlike a lot of more modern records labelled under the "Emo" moniker, the sincerity and emotion behind this record is very genuine, and that alone is enough to recommend it highly.

Track list

1. Holiday
2. Action & Action
3. Valentine
4. Red Letter Day
5. Out of Reach
6. Ten Minutes
7. The Company Dime
8. My Apology
9. I'm A Loner Dottie, A Rebel
10. Long Goodnight
11. Close to Home
12. I'll Catch You

Nails - You Will Never Be One Of Us

Artist: Nails

Album: You Will Never Be One of Us

Year: 2016

Rating: 86/100

After two short and physically punishing listens in the form of 2010's "Unsilent Death" and its 2013 follow up "Abandon All Life", southern California's extreme sonic terrorists Nails evidently decided that we haven't been punished enough in sonic terms. As a result, a third dose of punishment arrives for the listener in the form of the not so subtly titled "You Will Never Be One of Us". 

From the off, it's obvious that it actually physically hurts to endure this, but that is undoubtedly the way in which Nails want to play it. Drummer Taylor Young hits harder than a slapshot from Shea Weber, while the wall of noise from John Gianelli and Todd Jones make Jones's fierce barked vocals by and large incomprehensible. With the tracks "Violence is Forever" and "They Come Crawling Back" taking up just about half the album's running time, with the other tracks clocking in under two minutes, Nails have fashioned a way to pack in as many influences as they possibly can by turning the volume up to 12 and finding new, finely nuanced ways in which to pummel the listener into submission as best they can.

"You Will Never Be One of Us" may not be the most original record you'll ever hear. But when it comes to genuine extremity, there are very few bands out there that can compete with Nails on that sort of level. It's hateful, nihilistic, and misanthropic, just like all good records of its ilk should be, and it's definitely not for everyone. On that basis alone, "You Will Never Be One of Us" is definitely worth the sonic assault on your senses.


Track list:

1. You Will Never Be One of Us
2. Friend To All
3. Made To Make You Fail
4. Life is a Death Sentence
5. Violence is Forever
6. Savage Intolerance
7. In Pain
8. Parasite
9. Into Quietus
10. They Come Crawling Back

Katatonia - The Fall of Hearts

Artist: Katatonia
Album: The Fall of Hearts
Year: 2016
Rating: 91/100


Stockholm's favourite gloomsters have been gradually evolving their sound ever since they first adopted a cleaner, riff-based edge on "Discouraged Ones" for nearly twenty years now. Previous effort "Dead End Kings" pushed the envelope that little bit further, and now with their tenth full-length effort, "The Fall of Hearts", and new guitarist Roger Öjersson and drummer Daniel Moilanen joining stalwarts Jonas Renkse, Anders Nyström and Niklas Sandin in the fold, expectations are understandably high.


Opening track "Takeover" balances the tuning Katatonia used for their 2009 effort "Night is the New Day" with some almost Tool-esque riffs and atmospherics. Unlike "Dead End Kings", where the production was layered to a fault, thus proving to be a bit exhausting to listen to at times, the songs on "The Fall of Hearts" get a lot more breathing space and do more to capture the listener's attention. "Serein", the magnificent "Old Heart Falls" and "Decima" all have the same strengths, without any weak spots; they are united by one theme, the same sense of melancholia and longing. "Old Heart Falls" in particular catches the attention with its sparse intro, and the build into its simply stunning, passionately delivered chorus.


Though "The Fall of Hearts" feels a little too long on the whole, the song material is strong enough to carry it through, and I'll be damned if the best parts on the whole album don't represent Katatonia at their very best. Definitely a contender for one of the best albums of 2016.


Track List:

1. Takeover
2. Serein
3. Old Heart Falls
4. Decima
5. Sanction
6. Residual
7. Serac
8. Last Song Before the Fade
9. Shifts
10. The Night Subscriber
11. Pale Flag
12. Passer

Bury Tomorrow - Earthbound

Artist: Bury Tomorrow
Album: Earthbound
Year: 2016
Rating: 72/100


"Earthbound" is the fourth offering from Hampshire metalcore quintet Bury Tomorrow, and the third album that they have put out for Nuclear Blast after having been signed there early on for their sophomore effort "The Union of Crowns". The crucial question is, what can we expect from it?


Well, what we as listeners get is the following: a tidy and solid collection of emotionally charged and energetic songs, resplendent with plenty of intricate (although perhaps not wholly original) guitar riffs, topped off with plenty of double kick drumming and vocals that shift seamlessly from growls to clean singing in a matter of seconds. There's just one problem with "Earthbound" as an album, though; it feels very much from the length of the songs that Bury Tomorrow have boxed themselves in somewhat, and seem a tad reluctant to step outside their comfort zone. Don't get me wrong, they do what they do pretty well, but when the market for bands like them is already full, then the need to do something different and stand out from the crowd is an important thing needed to set them apart from their peers. That's not to say that there are no good moments on "Earthbound", though; the title track is impressive, and "Last Light" and "Cemetery" hit the listener right between the eyes, as they should do.


"Earthbound" is not a bad album by any means, even if it feels like it skirts a little too close to the Nuclear Blast Metal by Numbers line of bands. But musically, Bury Tomorrow are by and large a tight knit unit on the hole, even if their reluctance to try anything slightly different from their usual assault goes against them a little. I would bet that they are pretty good live, though.


Track list

1. The Eternal
2. Last Light
3. Earthbound
4. The Burden
5. Cemetery
6. Restless and Cold
7. 301
8. Memories
9. For Us
10. Bloodline

Oranssi Pazuzu - Värähtelija

Artist: Oranssi Pazuzu
Album: Värähtelijä
Year: 2016
Rating: 80/100

Finnish quintet Oranssi Pazuzu sound like they would be a fascinating listen on paper at least. Their sound incorporates elements of psychedelic rock, krautrock, progressive metal and black metal. Think along similar lines to the likes of Altar of Plagues, Blut Aus Nord, Sigh, Wolves in the Throne Room and Gnaw Their Tongues, and you're really not far away at all. Their fourth full length effort, "Värähtelijä", is just the sort of challenging listen you might expect from a band with such similar comparison points as the aforementioned.

It's immediately obvious that this dark, brooding album is not for the faint of hear as soon as opening track "Saturaatio" hits the listener for the first time. Right from the off, a flurry of buzzsaw guitars, hammering drums, ominous swirling synthesizers and layers upon layers of guttural vocals attacks the listener without hesitation. This is par for the course throughout the album; the title track is a slow burning, eight minute monolith based around a simplistic guitar riff that becomes more ominous as the track slowly builds up and peaks, while "Hypnotisoitu Viharukous" fires into life with a cacophony of dirty, noisy distorted guitars, indecipherable vocals and jackhammer drums.

Oranssi Pazuzu are definitely not a band for everyone to rush out and enjoy. Nor would you hear them on mainstream radio any time soon. But buried somewhere in the hideous cacophony that they make, there is a beauty to the evil noise they create, even if it takes longer than usual to try and find it. One to absorb without any distractions at hand should you wish to truly "get" it.

Track list:

1. Saturaatio
2. Lahja
3. Värähtelija
4. Hypnotisoitu Viharukous
5. Vasemman Käden Hierarkia
6. Havuluu
7. Valveavaruus

Deftones - Gore

Artist: Deftones
Album: Gore
Year: 2016
Rating: 97/100

Before this album even dropped, there was already a massive fuss about a new Deftones release for 2016, much like there was for its two predecessors, "Diamond Eyes" and "Koi No Yokan"; perhaps understandably so, given that both of these albums were greeted with a fervour not seen since they first decided to push the envelope back when they released "White Pony". With that out of the way, the big question is: what can we expect from "Gore"?

Well, we the listeners can expect the Deftones not to completely change musical direction, but more a subtle re-plot of their musical co-ordinates. Opening track "Prayers/Triangles" is a blissful, spaced out concoction that evokes "Jupiter"-era Cave In, while "Geometric Headdress" and "Doomed User" are raw, primal slabs of energy that hark back to the Deftones' early days. Elsewhere, "Hearts/Wires" and "(L)MIRL" are massive atmospheric, multi-layered, sprawling slow burners that offer a deviation from the norm; not unlike "Digital Bath" or "Change (In The House of Flies)" from the aforementioned "White Pony", whereas the title track and album closers "Phantom Bride" and "Rubicon" combine the atmospheric elements and the raw heaviness that the Deftones have become so well known for over the last twenty or so years to give us a couple of absolute beauties of tracks to end on.

"Gore" is, without doubt, the most complex and multi-layered album that the Deftones have given us since "White Pony". It isn't a complete change of sound from "Diamond Eyes" and "Koi No Yokan"; much more of a slight re-drawing of the musical co-ordinates of their trajectory whilst simultaneously pushing the envelope further, just as the Deftones are wont to do. Deftones have always been way ahead of the curve when it comes to their musical output, and "Gore" is proof positive of that. A must listen, even by the Deftones' own high standards.

Track list:

1. Prayers/Triangles
2. Acid Hologram
3. Doomed User
4. Geometric Headdress
5. Hearts/Wires
6. Pittura Infamante
7. Xenon
8. (L)MIRL
9. Gore
10. Phantom Bride
11. Rubicon

Spiritual Beggars - Sunrise to Sundown

Artist: Spiritual Beggars
Album: Sunrise to Sundown
Year: 2016
Rating: 68/100

For all the excellent work that Michael Amott has done in metal over the years (primarily with the likes of Arch Enemy, Carcass and Carnage among many, many others), his other musical vehicle of note (and also my favourite band of his) is the stoner metal giants the Spiritual Beggars, recording their second album with former Firewind vocalist Apollo Papathanasio, the band's third vocalist after Christian "Spice" Sjöstrand and Janne "JB" Christoffersson (also of doom metal legends Grand Magus). But how does this one stack up?

Unfortunately, the Spiritual Beggars now feel like their music has had its edge taken off with the presence of Papathanasio on lead vocals, and they now sound too polished as a result. With JB leading them, the Beggars had a vocalist who got the balance between grit and melody spot on, while with Spice at the helm, his bruising, gritty, yet melodious bellow was the perfect foil for Mike Amott's meaty guitars and Per Wiberg's swirling Hammond organ. Don't get me wrong, Apollo Papathansio is a good vocalist in his own right, and when the Beggars do get it right on this album, as they do on the title track and the excellent "Diamond Under Pressure", you can hear what the Beggars are still capable of at their best. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen anywhere near enough on "Sunrise to Sundown" on the whole; Papathanasio is just not commanding enough a presence, and his vocals jar with the accompaniment that Amott and Wiberg provide.

"Sunrise to Sundown" isn't a bad record by any stretch of the imagination. However, it feels far too formulaic to be a truly excellent album, and the lack of real presence from vocalist Apollo Papathanasio means that it's not in the same class as the Beggars at their best, arguably with "Ad Astra" or even "On Fire". Disappointing, to say the least.

Track list:

1. Sunrise to Sundown
2. Diamond Under Pressure
3. What Doesn't Kill You
4. Hard Road
5. Still Hunter
6. No Man's Land
7. I Turn To Stone
8. Dark Light Child
9. Lonely Freedom
10. You've Been Fooled
11. Southern Star

Petrichor - Rain

Artist: Petrichor
Album: Rain
Year: 2016
Rating: 88/100

Petrichor don't exactly deal in the cheerful. The Leeds-based trio play some of the bleakest funeral doom this side of the likes of Mourning Beloveth and Funeral, coupled with the occasional foray into the most aggressive black metal and the odd switch into the atmospheric soundscapes associated primarily with post-rock and the likes of Isis and Neurosis et al. Of their three primary influences, cited as My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and Celtic Frost, it is the latter whose influence stands out above the rest.

Opening track "Drown the World" is a nine minute plus opus of sheer brutal misery that paradoxically is a delight to the ears; the contrast in clean and growled vocals provides a balance that is superbly maintained throughout the album, against a backdrop of coruscating riffs and the occasional blastbeats. Middle track "This Too Must Die" is the only real curveball that Petrichor throw to the listener, with its angular time signatures and clean tone guitars evoking mid period Isis (think circa-"Panopticon" and you're not far off the mark at all). The real jewel in the crown that is "Rain" is the twelve minute monolith "Nihilist", which gives the listener the line, "Reality is a construct and all your Gods are dead", which illustrates the angle Petrichor take on the world perfectly.

"Rain" is a strong debut effort for a wonderfully miserable new band, and Petrichor are everything a good funeral doom band should be. I'm looking forward to see what they come up with next, and how exactly they can continue the nihilism. Get hold of a copy of this; it's worth your time if bleak music is your calling.

Track list:

1. Drown the World
2. As the Dark Steals the Light
3. This Too Must Die
4. We Are the Fire
5. Nihilist

Killswitch Engage - Incarnate

Artist: Killswitch Engage
Album: Incarnate
Year: 2016
Rating: 79/100

After a few years of instability and the return to the fold of vocalist Jesse Leach (in turn replacing Howard Jones at their forefront), Killswitch Engage return to the radar with "Incarnate", the follow up to "Disarm the Descent". But the one crucial question is, how does it hold up?

Not too badly, all things considered. Jesse Leach's return for "Disarm the Descent" was a welcome one for the band, and that record turned out as an underrated gem on the whole for Killswitch Engage. On "Incarnate", however, Leach and drummer Justin Foley treat every track as if their very lives depended on it; Leach singing, growling and screaming with the fire and passion that rocketed the quintet to recognition on "Alive Or Just Breathing" and Foley with some of the most precise drumming I've ever heard him do. Opening number "Alone I Stand" is almost "My Last Serenade"-esque in its power and energy, and lead off singles "Hate By Design" and "Cut Me Loose" have the same raw, primitive essence that forms the backbone of Killswitch Engage's sound. Even more pedestrian numbers like "Until The Day" and "It Falls on Me" get a much needed lift from the respective performances of Leach and Foley.

While Jesse Leach is on record as saying that he hit something of a creative wall in the creative processes behind "Incarnate" at some points, Killswitch Engage fans will be pleased to know that the end result doesn't bear that out at all. It's not a perfect album, but it's definitely got enough to keep the diehard fans happy, which is the main thing. Definitely worth getting hold of a copy, even if it's not quite as instant as "Alive Or Just Breathing" or "Disarm the Descent".

Track List

1. Alone I Stand
2. Hate By Design
3. Cut Me Loose
4. Strength of the Mind
5. Just Let Go
6. Embrace the Journey...Upraised
7. Quiet Distress
8. Until The Day
9. It Falls on Me
10. The Great Deceit
11. We Carry On
12. Ascension
13. Reignite
14. Triumph Through Tragedy
15. Loyalty

Boss Keloid - Herb Your Enthusiasm

Artist: Boss Keloid
Album: Herb Your Enthusiasm
Year: 2016
Rating: 91/100

Maybe it's just my love of puns, or just that I recognise a good riff when I hear one, but there was something that just clicked instantly with me when I hit play on "Herb Your Enthusiasm", the debut effort from Wigan riffmasters Boss Keloid. With Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Conan, Napalm Death) at the production reins and the excellent James Plotkin (Khanate, Atomsmasher), the early signs are certainly promising.

Opening number "Lung Mountain" is a hard hitting, enthusiastic (yep, that's going to pop up a lot here in this review) number which is big on clattering drums, fuzzed up riffs and the unique and superb vocals of front man Alex Hurst. Conan's Jon Davis even pops up to contribute guest vocals on "Lung Mountain" and "Chabal", two of the strongest numbers on the album. The wordplay in the titles is there in abundance as well; short but sweet instrumental number "Highatus" and the wonderful, sprawling "Escapegoat", complete with its customary buzzsaw riffs and lots of slick, deft time signature changes that seem determined to challenge the listener without the need to unnecessarily blast the listener into submission.

The most impressive thing about "Herb Your Enthusiasm", however, is the level of consistently high quality that Boss Keloid attain with every track. It's fresh, it's exciting, it throws up something different with every listen that you may not have picked up on before. If this is how Boss Keloid plan to start, then I can't wait to see where they'll go next.

Track List

1. Lung Mountain
2. Haarlem Struggle
3. Escapegoat
4. Cone
5. Axis Of Green
6. Highatus
7. Lung Valley
8. Elegant Odyssey
9. Chabal
10. Hot Priest

Relics - Bring Your Own Blood

Artist: Relics
Album: Bring Your Own Blood
Year: 2016
Rating: 87/100

Huddersfield based quartet Relics provide a fantastic musical proposition on paper. I'm loath to using cliches, but take a dash of Every Time I Die, Cancer Bats and Danzig, add a dash of Motorhead, a pinch of death and roll era Entombed, the raw energy of Kvelertak and the rock and roll riffs and attitude of Clutch, and you have what is ostensibly "beer party rock and roll hardcore" with a side of good old fashioned rock and roll.

Opening track and title track "Bring Your Own Blood" suggests to the listener that it's exactly what they need to do, otherwise they'll find it splattered everywhere, much like an album cover by Unsane. It's hard hitting, it's aggressive, and it's got a huge sense of fun about it. "The Door" hits harder than an aggrieved Floyd Mayweather. Closing track "A*M*S*C*A*D" changes things up a little with its quieter passages, but rest easy, listeners, there's still a fantastic bit of mosh lurking just around the corner.

If there is any criticism to be levelled at "Bring Your Own Blood", it's that you can get so engrossed in the fun that it exudes that three tracks doesn't seem to be anywhere near like long enough. On the whole, though, it's a hugely exciting and promising release, and I can't wait for them to do a full album.

Track Listing:

1. Bring Your Own Blood
2. The Door
3. A*M*S*C*A*D

Witchcraft - Nucleus

Artist: Witchcraft
Album: Nucleus
Year: 2016
Rating: 82/100

Örebro doom metal legends Witchcraft have a back catalogue that speaks for itself in terms of quality of output. Having evolved a long way from simple Black Sabbath worship, the quintet from previous effort (the outstanding "Legend") have now downsized to just a trio, still led by the unmistakable wail of vocalist and guitarist Magnus Pelander. So what can we expect from "Nucleus" that is different to its predecessors?

Well, for a start, the song arrangements. Opening track "Malstroem" kicks things off with some fantastic acoustic guitar and flute before giving way to a more traditional doom metal fare than was ever heard on "Legend". The new trio experiment more with longer songs, and more often than not they pull it off - the title track clocks in at just over 14 minutes in length, but it has a nod to Witchcraft's earliest albums, and the 16 minute "Breakdown" is also an epic. The other major addition to "Nucleus" is not just the acoustic guitar and flutes, but also the extra keyboards in tracks such as "The Outcast" and "An Exorcism Of Doubts" weaving its magic in the band's textures,

Along with the rest of Witchcraft's back catalogue, "Nucleus" is a strong album that maintains Witchcraft's requtation for putting out consistently good music. Long term fans of the band will also hugely appreciate their return to a more stoner/doom based sound, and it's definitely a good album as a starting place for those of you new to their music.

Track Listing:

1. Malstroem
2. Theory of Consequence
3. The Outcast
4. Nucleus
5. An Exorcism of Doubts
6. The Obsessed
7. To Transcend Bitterness
8. Helpless
9. Breakdown
10. Chasing Rainbows

Siena Root - Pioneers

Artist: Siena Root

Album: Pioneers

Year: 2014

Rating: 88/100

Siena Root have been one of Stockholm's best kept secrets for several years now, and after a hiatus which brought about the arrival of new vocalist Jonas Åhlen, guitarist Matte Gustafsson and organist Erik Petersson to join bassist Sam Riffer (some people are just born with it, I suppose) and drummer Love Forsberg, and the result? "Pioneers", a sprawling, hard blues/stoner jam. The main question is, how does the new look Siena Root look against the old one?

Rather good, as a matter of fact. Jonas Åhlen's delivery is reminiscent in a way of former Spiritual Beggars main man JB (also the main voice of doomers Grand Magus) and guitarist Gustafsson enjoys some serious solo trade-offs with organist Petersson in a riff laden attack that is equal parts reminiscent of the Spiritual Beggars themselves along with older heavyweights such as Deep Purple and even John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. "Root Rock Pioneers" is a jaunty, upbeat jam primarily led by the guitar and organ work, while opener "Between the Lines" sets the tone ideally for the rest of the album, and "The Way You Turn" has some incisive drumming on it. While the full length jamming of their previous efforts might have been phased out a little, there is still plenty of that to really enjoy, particularly to be found on "Root Rock Pioneers", "Keep on Climbing" and their own tribute to the Doors in the form of "In My Kitchen".

While the constant changing of the personnel in the ranks of Siena Root might have hampered them somewhat where consistency is concerned, there is no doubting that "Pioneers" works rather nicely as a stand alone album. Definitely worth your while getting hold of this as a starting place where Siena Root are concerned.

Track Listing:

1. Between the Lines
2. 7 Years
3. Spiral Trip
4. Root Rock Pioneers
5. The Way You Turn
6. Keep On Climbing
7. Going Down
8. In My Kitchen

David Bowie - Blackstar

Artist: David Bowie
Album: Blackstar
Year: 2016
Rating: 90/100

With the passing of David Bowie still fresh in the mind of any and every self respecting music fan at the time of this review going to press, the reality of "Blackstar" being the great man's swansong album is the bitterest pill for many to swallow. His legacy can't be understated, as without him, we would never have had the likes of Bauhaus, the Cure, the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Joy Division, the Killers, Pulp, Marilyn Manson and many, many more.

The album gets going with the title track, a sprawling, ten minute melange of minimalist, sparse accompaniment, punctuated with sax and guitar here and there. It's dark, it's experimental, but most importantly, it shows that Bowie has always been capable of balancing both of these aspects of his work while keeping the tightest focus on his songwriting, From a lyrical perspective, "Lazarus" seems almost to pre-empt his death with lines such as "Look up here man, I'm in danger/I've got nothing left to lose/I'm so high it makes my brain whirl/Drop myself on down below", with the closing line "I'll be free, just like that bluebird" leading into a simply outstanding sax solo showing that even in the throes of what is his final studio album, he still was unafraid to try new things. Elsewhere, "Sue (Or In A Season of Crime)" is another dark, jazzy number punctuated with outstanding jazz drumming and stabs of guitar here and there, "Dollar Days" exudes the weary wisdom that can be heard in Bowie's voice, while closing number "I Can't Give Everything Away" is a melancholic closer set against a much more musically uplifting backdrop, with harmonica and sax breaks. Unsurprisingly, it's this closing number that provides the album's most touching moment.

David Bowie may have known that his time wasn't long while he was recording "Blackstar" but his creative well was a long way off running dry, as it well shows. "Blackstar" is a superb album that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as "Hunky Dory", "Diamond Dogs", "Station to Station", "Low" and "Heroes". A fitting way to end his passage on this planet, and an excellent album all round.

Track Listing:

1. Blackstar
2. 'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore
3. Lazarus
4. Sue (Or In A Season of Crime)
5. Girl Loves Me
6. Dollar Days
7. I Can't Give Everything Away

Ignite - A War Against You

Artist: Ignite

Album: A War Against You

Year: 2016

Rating: 80/100

Ignite are back. Yes, Ignite are back, after a ten year hiatus, which involved vocalist Zoli Teglas spend a short stint in the line up of fellow SoCal punk rockers Pennywise, before injuring his back. Once he made a full recovery, Ignite took back to the studio for the first album they've done since the excellent "Our Darkest Days" ten years ago. So what can we expect from this?

Well, much of the same, but in the case of Ignite, that's never a bad thing. Opening track "Begin Again" is the sort of rallying call to arms we can expect from the Orange County quintet, and the tracks hit harder than a boxer's uppercut, with hit after hit supplementing their attack, as is to be expected. "Oh No Not Again" is a singalong with massive choruses to match the riffs, "Where I'm From" and "The Suffering" are angry diatribes about how the world could be a much better place than it actually is, while the title track "This is a War" and "Rise Up" offer some slower alternatives to Ignite's attack, enough to make the listener imagine that Ignite must be an excellent live band.

Although it's not quite "Our Darkest Days" (although let's face it, it'd be a hard push to match that album in terms of sheer brilliance), "A War Against You" is the kind of return Ignite and their fans were hoping for to give a voice back to those without one. If you're looking for a gateway to Ignite and their music, this would be an excellent place to start.

Track Listing:

1. Begin Again
2. Nothing Can Stop Me
3. This is a War
4. Oh No Not Again
5. Alive
6. You Saved Me
7. Rise Up
8. Where I'm From
9. The Suffering
10. How Is This Progress?
11. You Lie
12. Descend
13. Work