Despite the large number of bands that I follow, I am always on the hunt for new music. I experiment a lot and like to try new things - but not every new band that I listen to sticks. One that really stuck last year, though, were the American southern rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck. I had heard of the band before I decided to check them out, largely due to their former keyboard player Steve Maggiora's association with Toto, but when they announced a fairly local show to me last year I decided to give them a proper listen - and I have not looked back. In the lead up to that show in Exeter I picked up all of the band's albums, bar their seemingly hard to find debut, and have become a big fan of the five-piece. They are a band that have improved as they have gone along in my opinion, with their newer albums being better than their older ones, and they seem to be one of the hardest working bands in the business. They seem to be on tour almost constantly - and their energy for playing live is only matched by their songwriting expediency. They released an album last year and released another one earlier this year - and they have just released an expanded version of that latest album with even more songs, as well as yet another new song which was not part of that album's sessions. Modern bands just do not have that sort of work ethic, with Robert Jon & The Wreck certainly harking back to the 1970s when an album a year was the norm for a band wanting to stay relevant. Given how relentlessly the band tour, too, I had a feeling that I would not need to wait long following last year's Exeter show to see them live again - and a few months later their 2024 UK tour was announced. Sadly there was no local show this time, but Robert Jon & The Wreck have already become one of those bands I will make the effort to see whenever I can - so I decided to head up to London to catch them in the relatively posh confines of the Islington Assembly Hall. Looking at the band's concert history, it looks as if their London venue of choice up to now had been the nearby Garage - so graduating to the much nicer Islington Assembly Hall showcases their continual trajectory. I like going to the Islington Assembly Hall, but sadly it is not somewhere that I have been very often. I think my last visit came back in 2018 when I saw Fish there - so it had been six years between gigs there. I opted to sit in the balcony this time, too, which I had not done before. The balcony is not large but it afforded a good view of the stage - and it was probably about three-quarters full throughout the night. I did not have a good view of the crowd from the balcony, but I would imagine that the turnout was pretty good - and there was a good atmosphere from the off thanks to the band's carefree attitude and hooky, heartfelt music.
Before Robert Jon & The Wreck's set, though, the growing crowd were treated to 30 or so minutes from These Wicked Rivers - a Derby-based five-piece who play a brand of bluesy rock with hints of southern rock and roots rock in the vein of bands like Credence Clearwater Revival. Despite having a very strong look, though, as well as a stage set which was decorated with lamps and ephemera which looked like it had come out of a saloon, I never really felt that I got a handle on the band's true vibe during their set. A rather muddy sound mix did not help, as the vocals were extremely buried in the mix, but nothing really jumped out at me during their time on stage. I generally feel that European bands that try to create a swampy, southern sound rarely pull it off convincingly - and I think that was partly my issue with These Wicked Rivers. They clearly knew what sort of band they wanted to be from the off, down to the aesthetic, but without any of the grounding that makes those sort of bands sound natural. It is very much a sound which only really American bands can truly pull off in my opinion - although it was hard to judge due to the aforementioned sound issues. The soulful vocals which are always such a big part of the sort of music they play just were not apparent due to the singer being so low in the mix, and the punch of the drums was much too modern to allow a genuine swagger to be conjured up. There was some strong organ playing at times, as well as a few fluid guitar solos, but nothing ever really fell into place for me. The set was really short, too. I said that it was around 30 minutes but I think, in reality, it was less. I am not sure if there had been some issues as it had said online that they would go on at 7:30pm and it was not until after 7:45pm that they actually started their set - and it was just before 8:15pm that they finished. It all seemed a bit rushed and, whilst they received a warm reception, I am not sure that the crowd ever really warmed up to These Wicked Rivers in a big way. Whilst I cannot say that the band really did anything for me, I would like to see them with a better sound mix to see if there is anything there - but at this stage I am not sure Derby's answer to the deep south are likely for me.
There was around 30 minutes between the two sets, so everyone was ready when Robert Jon Burrison (vocals/guitar) and his band sauntered onto the stage with no fanfare and got their 1 hour 45 minute set underway with Hold On. Robert Jon & The Wreck are the sort of band that change the setlist night after night - so it is never clear exactly what songs are going to be played. As such I had gone in open-minded, and the setlist turned out to be a great one - with lots of new songs as well as a handful of older favourites. Only five of the songs played were also played at last year's Exeter show, so there was lots of variety when comparing the two sets - and tracks from latest album Red Moon Rising (which I reviewed here) dominated. Hold On got the set underway in a laid back manner, but it was followed by two barnstorming hard rockers in Rager and Boss Man - the latter of which only available on the new deluxe version of the album. These two riffy rockers really got the show going, and highlighted just how great a guitar player Henry James Schneekluth is. Whilst Burrison is a great singer and songwriter, there is no doubt that Schneekluth is the star of any Robert Jon & The Wreck show. He is one of the best guitarists in the southern rock world currently in my opinion - and these heavier tracks showcased his riffing skills. As was the case during These Wicked Rivers' set, the sound was a little muddy at first - but thankfully it improved quite considerably after the first few songs. Burrison was a little buried in the mix at first, but everything levelled itself out as things moved along - with Jake Abernathie (keyboards/vocals) also given plenty of space in the mix to rumble his organ. This was evident during the slightly more atmospheric and bluesy Red Moon Rising, which showcased some Allman-esque moments, before a harder rocking sound was returned to for the barrelling and barroom groove of Waiting for Your Man. The first half of the show was all pretty much newer material, then, with the brand new Point of View bringing this suite to a close.
The second part of the show was generally older favourites - with the slide-led and upbeat Shine a Light on Me Brother seeing London-based guitarist Joe Coombes joining the band for some scintillating guitar duelling with Schneekluth. A short solo from Andrew Espantman (drums/vocals) led into the bluesy stomp of Don't Let Me Go - whilst the only real ballad of the night Gold was played following a request. I am not sure that Robert Jon & The Wreck have an anthem, but if they do then Oh Miss Carolina likely is it - and the sing-a-long country rocker was sung loudly by the crowd back at the band. There was time for one more new song, which was a stunning rendition of personal favourite Ballad of a Broken Hearted Man, but the real centrepiece of the night was the band's trademark lengthy rendition of oldie Cold Night - which really brought the house down. It brought the main set to a close, and it was the song which really showcased the band's talents - particularly Schneekluth and Abernathie. The former had many solos throughout, but the highlight was the interplay between the two musicians which culminated in fast-paced unison runs in almost prog rock fashion - before the song came to a close and the band walked off the stage. Given that the band do often end with Cold Night and Burrison had done a lengthy Thanksgiving speech beforehand - I had wondered if they were dispensing with the encore tradition as they had already played a pretty lengthy set. They did come out for one more, though, which was the two-part Last Light on the Highway. I was not expecting to hear the song live and it is one of my favourites, so I was very pleased that the band played it - from its delicate intro through all of its bombastic soloing and hard rocking bulk. It was a great way to end a powerful night of live music and it will live long in the memory of those who were there. The setlist was:
Hold On
Rager
Boss Man
Red Moon Rising
Waiting for Your Man
Point of View
Shine a Light on Me Brother [w/ Joe Coombes]
Drum solo
Don't Let Me Go
Gold Oh Miss Carolina
Ballad of a Broken Hearted Man
Cold Night
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Last Light on the Highway - Part 1
Last Light on the Highway - Part 2
With their London performance, Robert Jon & The Wreck showcased why they should be considered one of the best southern rock bands around at the moment. Burrison is a fantastic singer, songwriter, and focal point for the band - whilst Schneekluth is a dynamite guitarist in the vein all of the very best southern rock and blues players that came before him. The band are tight, too, and always deliver live - mixing up the set night after night to keep things fresh. I am sure that I will see the band live again in the future - and I am always looking forward to next time.
Finland's doom creators Swallow the Sun are one of those bands that I have, very slowly, been getting into over the past few years. I still have not heard all of their albums, as I really need to be in the mood to listen to doom, but those I have heard I like - and I spent quite a bit of time with their last album Moonflowers (which I reviewed here) from 2021. I started to get into the band in 2019 in advance of seeing them at that year's Bloodstock Open Air by picking up 2019's When a Shadow Is Forced into the Light (which I briefly discussed here). I actually cannot remember much about the band's set, as I remember it being early in the day in windy and drizzly conditions which were not conducive to their layered and atmospheric sound, but I did sporadically listen to When a Shadow Is Forced into the Light afterwards and found myself warming to it. I spent a lot more time with Moonflowers two years later, though. Despite having gone back and listened to some of the band's older albums - nothing has hit me quite like Moonflowers. It was very much a winter 2021 album for me - with the gloom and melancholy perfect during a cold winter of uncertainty relating to whether the COVID-19 pandemic was de facto 'over' or not. Since those few months, though, I have not gone back to Moonflowers that often - largely as I have been trying to explore other albums from the band and the fact that I just do not often feel like listening to doom. I have spent a bit of time with 2005's Ghosts of Loss and 2009's New Moon, and have found things to enjoy in both, so my Swallow the Sun journey has been a slow, but enjoyable, one. Given my love for Moonflowers, though, I was always going to check out what followed - regardless of my journey to this point. When the band's ninth album was announced earlier this year, then, it was one that I quickly pre-ordered - and I have been listening to it on and off since it arrived last month. Shining, as the album is called, is the band's first release in three years - and it seems to find them at a bit of a crossroads. Interviews with guitarist and principal songwriter Juha Raivio revealed that he wanted to create a more uplifting album this time - given how dark and mournful the band's last two albums in particular were. The albums were such as they dealt with Raivio's emotions relating to the death of his partner and fellow doom musician Aleah Stanbridge in 2016 - and I think that he felt that he needed to try and move on from such subject matter and look more towards the light, simply as part of his own personal grieving process. To help facilitate this change the band employed the services of producer Dan Lancaster - who is more at home working in the studio with acts Don Broco, Bring Me the Horizon, and Muse than with Finnish doom bands. This choice has been controversial, and I think that it is fair to say that Shining has not been universally well-received, but I think that the overall sound of Shining works well and it is not perhaps as drastic a change in tone as I had expected given some early reports. Shining is still very much a doom album, and a heavy one at times, but frontman Mikko Kotamäki does focus on his clean vocals quite a bit more than usual - and there is definitely a sheen to the overall production, which is most noticeable in Juuso Raatikainen's drum sound.
The core tenets of the band's sound remain, though, and their layered, atmospheric sound is still very much present - even if there is a lighter tone at times. The line-up here is the same as was present on Moonflowers - with Swallow the Sun remaining a five-piece and Raivio again handling the keyboards. There is no slow-burning start to the album as might be expected from a doom album, as lead single and opening track Innocence Was Long Forgotten almost feels as if an atmospheric build-up was cut off its beginning - with a hooky, yet slow moving, guitar lead opening things up against a synth-heavy backdrop before the band crash in to create a tough, doomy backing. The song is very melodic from start to finish, though, with the guitar lead referenced the first of the album's hooks, before the band drop away again to allow the verse to proceed with a simple drum pattern, subtle bass melodies, and plenty of keyboards. Kotamäki is a diverse singer who can do both clean and harsh vocals well, and this song focuses on the former. He may not be as chameleon like as someone like Tomi Joutsen, but his clean vocals are expressive and suit the band's atmospheric doom sound nicely - and he croons his way through the verses in a floaty manner which are dense and keyboard-heavy despite the lack of heaviness. The chorus is heavier, though, with the intro guitar lead returning and the band crashing back in create a tough backing - and this is extended into a later guitar solo section which is brief but full of melody. The song is very accessible and lacks the band's usual cutting edge, but I like it as a melodic opener - and it sets the tone for the lighter side of Swallow the Sun to come. What I Have Become returns to something more akin to the band's trademark sound, though. There is still plenty of heaviness here, despite what some probably believe, with the opening section of the track containing a venomous, mid-paced riff and snappy drumming - before a brief clean guitar-led instrumental section adds to the spooky atmosphere. Whilst there were no harsh vocals in the previous song, this track features more vocal diversity from Kotamäki - and his growls are as brutal as ever during the mid-paced verses which feature the tough riffing of Raivio and fellow guitarist Juho Räihä, behind which Raatikainen adds a swinging groove. The chorus is sung clean, though, which is something typical of the band's more recent sound. The keyboards become more prominent during the chorus, too, with subtle vocal harmonies adding depth - and a few screams are sometimes mixed into the background, too. Overall, though, the chorus is melodic and uplifting despite the overall heaviness and melancholy of the track - with some fast-paced double bass drum patterns sometimes clashing with the slower overall pace.
MelancHoly initially sounds somewhat similar, and there is more of a heaviness apparent early on - but the song's intro sounds like a mix of the previous two, with tougher riffing and a soaring guitar lead. The song is not as heavy as the last track, though, with it returning more to the vibes of the opening number - albeit with a much slower pace and a gothic overall feel. Chiming clean guitar melodies and a lumbering drum pattern recall the 1980s goth scene quite considerably - and Kotamäki's crooning vocals are perfectly suited for such a sound. Piano melodies are added to the sound to act as something of a pre-chorus break, before the chorus continues the melodic chorus template of the previous songs - with tight vocal harmonies and some vocal hooks which easily stick in the brain. It is a chorus that is easy to sing along with thanks to Kotamäki's expressive vocals - and a brief bridge section later ups the heaviness with some harsh vocals. Under the Moon & Sun has become a real favourite over my recent listens to the album - and it tends to hark back to the last couple of albums a bit more overtly, whilst also showcasing this album's core sound. The opening synth melody is very 1980s-inspired, but it is set against a suitably downbeat vibe so that it does not sound overly cheesy. The synth hooks are still very memorable, though, and they later form a part of one of the album's best choruses - but there is a bit of a journey to make before getting there. Guitar leads and tougher riffing dominate the early part of the song as the synths dance around, but the verses are much slower with a lumbering drum beat and subtle guitar chugs over which Kotamäki sings clean. There is plenty of atmosphere contained within these simple verses, though, and they contrast nicely with the much fuller chorus which has some of the best vocal hooks on the album and some harmony vocals courtesy of Rachil Wilkinson (Zeplyn). Her voice mixes well with Kotamäki's to create an uplifting sound to complement the synth hooks, creating a different tone to usual, whilst another heavy bridge section sees a few growls deployed before a melodic and busy guitar solo takes the song to the next level. Kold opens in a heavier manner, with some stark guitar trills and busier bass drum-heavy playing - but the band's typical mid-paced sound is retained and the track reminds me somewhat of What I Have Become. It is only the second song here to focus on harsh vocals in a big way, with much of the verses growled and screamed by Kotamäki - whilst clean vocals are relegated to slower sections for contrast. The verses are generally heavier, too, with crunchy riffing and a much more strident drum groove - whilst there is an early guitar solo which introduces some knotty phrases. The chorus is less overtly hooky than those which have featured so far but it remains powerful and atmospheric thanks to a mix of clean and harsh vocals.
November Dust is another pretty doom-centric track - and there is a focus on creeping heaviness early on. Some distant piano melodies set the tone, before the rest of the band join in, but when the track gets going proper there is another focus on slow-burning guitar leads and tight, heavy drumming. It remains mid-paced during this intro section as is typical, before the song takes the route that most of the others here do by having the band drop out somewhat for a verse which channels strong gothic vibes. Kotamäki sings clean throughout, but he mixes his much deeper clean vocals (which have not been heard on the album up to this point) with the higher, floatier delivery which dominates the album. Hearing the deeper vocals is definitely a link back to some of the band's older albums - and there is certainly a stronger lead guitar presence throughout the track, too, with a number of breaks showcasing some prog-inspired fluid guitar soundscapes. Both Raivio and Räihä seem to be featured here in a big way, as there are some strong harmony guitar sections, and the focus on big guitar melodies helps to set the song apart. I referenced Marillion in my last Swallow the Sun piece and there are certainly shades of that band throughout the arrangement of this song - with some of the melodies being Steve Rothery-esque. Velvet Chains follows, which is the album's shortest song at just over three minutes. It acts as the album's ballad, opening with a mixture of synth depth and clean guitar melodies - before Kotamäki starts to sing against a sombre drum and piano backing. In truth, given that a lot of the album is quite slow burning, the ballad perhaps does not have as much as impact as it might have done in the context of a heavier album - but Wilkinson is given a bigger vocal role here, and her voice in the chorus really helps to bring the song to life. Arrangement-wise, the song is very simple. Some guitar melodies are added later on to deepen things slightly, but generally the musical backing does not really change - and it is the harmonising of Kotamäki and guest Wilkinson that makes the short piece compelling. Tonight Pain Believes feels much sparser overall, and it opens with some distant guitar melodies which create a hypnotic base over which everything else builds. There is something Anathema-esque to this early melody and parts of the track - and the opening verse is very murky in tone overall. Kotamäki sings in an almost whimsical manner against the aforementioned guitar melodies and a percussive drum pattern - whilst the synths feel less present than usual, the guitars instead creating a void. This contrasts with the chorus, though, which is much bigger in tone - with strident drumming and plenty of crunchy rhythm guitars. Kotamäki's vocal hooks are much brighter, too, in contrast to the opening part of the song - and I like how the two parts of the track sit side by side and move back and forth. Subtle screams are thrown in at times to create depth but generally the song is sung clean.
Those missing the band's trademark real heaviness at this point, though, will certainly find a lot to like in Charcoal Sky - a proper doom track that harks back to the band's other recent albums. Raatikainen's drumming is much busier, with plenty of bass drum patterns and fills, whilst the riffing of Raivio and Räihä is much more metallic overall. Strong death metal influences can be heard throughout the song, with the verses feeling a bit more urgent than anything else on the album - with Kotamäki's deep growls sounding as good as ever. Whilst his clean singing throughout the album is impressive, his growls can sometimes be missed I do have to admit - so it is great to hear him sounding so vital and primal again throughout much of this track. The verses are tough, then, and proper headbanging moments, but the chorus does see the return of the clean vocals - and the pace slowed to something more atmospheric and typical of the rest of the album. The melodies are extremely memorable, though, and it is another candidate for chorus of the album in my opinion thanks to Kotamäki's emotive delivery and warm tones - whilst elsewhere there are quite a lot of guitar leads to add to the more metallic overall feel of the piece. The closing title track which follows is the album's longest at just over nine minutes, so is unsurprising that it is one of the most diverse pieces here. The band are not strangers to longer songs, but this album is more concise than some of their works - so it is fitting that the last track allows them to stretch out a bit more. Blazing double bass drum patterns set a heavier tone earlier on, and the riffing is once again quite death metal-inspired as the song kicks off - with a few wordless growls adding to the overall heaviness. Arrangement-wise, the song does not stay in one place - with the verses very much returning to the album's core sound with chiming clean guitars and synths. There are also some acoustic-led moments here too, though, which is different from the norm. Parts of the verses are very stripped down, then, with acoustic guitars generally all which backs Kotamäki - and these sections are then generally contrasted with something much heavier and harsh vocals. The song is one of those which essentially covers a bit of everything which has featured on the album up to this point - with a good mix of metal and gothic overtones, as well as some busy guitar leads which create both an atmospheric sound in places and a more shredded feel in others. Some of the guitar leads are very mournful, but there is also the album's longest solo overall which feels much more heroic and it is a really flashy guitar moment from a band not generally known for their instrumental showboating. There is a lot of shredding and double bass drumming during this frantic solo spot, though, and it feels as if it is going to close out the song on this note - but a slower vibe returns after a hanging pause, with synths and Kotamäki's clean vocals returning to the album's core sound one last time, with harmony guitar leads from Raivio and Räihä providing some mournful hooks as the album fades to a close. I am not sure that Shining is a strong as Moonflowers, but I think that it achieves what it set out to do. It does sound different but there is still plenty of the band's trademark magic present in my opinion - even if a few more heavier moments would have been welcome. It is certainly not as emotionally draining as some of the band's work, though, and those who fancy their doom on the more atmospheric side will find a lot to enjoy here.
The album was released on 18th October 2024 via Century Media Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Innocence Was Long Forgotten.
I often think that Sweden's Grand Magus should be held in higher regard than they seem to be. The three-piece, who can trace their history back to 1996, launched proper back in 2001 with their self-titled debut album - and have been releasing strong and honest slabs of heavy metal ever since. They are a well-liked band but, here in the UK at least, they still play some of the country's smallest venues - and this seems to be largely replicated across the world. They are not always the most active when it comes to touring, which perhaps has held them back somewhat, but on the strength of their catalogue they should be filling bigger rooms in my opinion. Grand Magus' catalogue, though, has shifted in tone somewhat over the years. Starting out as something of a doom band, with occasional stoner influences, the Grand Magus of today is much more rooted in traditional heavy metal - although slight hints of a doomier sound remain. They have certainly become more anthemic over the years, making good use of bandleader Janne 'JB' Christoffersson's rich, booming voice, and I think that Grand Magnus became a better band when they moved away from doom and towards a more traditional sound. The band's sweet spot for me consists of the run between 2010's Hammer of the North and 2014's Triumph and Power (which I reviewed here) - with these three albums easily being my favourite Grand Magus releases. Everything really fell into place from an anthemic and old-school metal perspective on those albums - and there is a reason why songs from them still dominate the band's live sets. Hammer of the North was the album which seemed to really 'break' the band, too, and it was a sleeker collection of songs in comparison to what had come before. The two albums which followed that run, though, were not quite as good. There is nothing wrong with 2016's Sword Songs (which I reviewed here), but it is not an album that ever stuck with me, whilst 2019's Wolf God (which I reviewed here) felt like an attempt to return to their older sound somewhat without ever truly meaning it. Both albums include some good songs, but they felt like steps down following the trilogy which proceeded them. Grand Magus fans the world over will be pleased to hear, then, that last month's Sunraven, the band's tenth album, sees them returning to the quality of their 2010-2014 run. Sunraven is the band's first album for five years, which is the longest gap between new releases in their career - having generally released a new album every two to three years up to this point. Perhaps the band wanted to regroup somewhat following the slightly muted reception that Wolf God received - but they were also a band that was on tour just as the pandemic hit, as they were the penultimate band I saw live before the lockdowns, which was likely financially crippling. Either way, though, Sunraven is great. It is very much classic Grand Magus from the early 2010s brought forward - albeit with the slightly rawer production style of Wolf God retained. There is very little flash or bombast here - just plentiful riffs and and the anthemic vocal hooks of JB, who sounds as great as ever.
The album, then, is very much a case of a band just doing what they do best. There are no surprises here for long-time Grand Magus fans, but Grand Magus are not a band I listen to for inventive arrangements or envelope-pushing songwriting - and instead they focus on the rumbling and anthemic sound they have mastered over the years. Lead single Skybound kicks things off, and it was clear when I first heard the track a few months ago that Grand Magus really had their mojo back. There is no standing on ceremony, with the first of many big JB riffs opening the track - whilst Ludwig Witt's mid-paced double bass drum pattern creates a strong 1980s heavy metal vibe. The drums sound organic, with little of the overproduced sound that is so prevalent in metal these days, and the album really has the feel of three musicians standing in the same room recording the album essentially live as a result. JB's guitar tone is crunchy but also rooted in an organic sound - whilst the pulsing bass playing of Mats 'Fox' Skinner essentially fills in for a rhythm guitar player as well as providing basslines. The chorus is anthemic, and one of the album's biggest sing-a-long moments, whilst the verses do feel a little doomier again - but the mix of doom and anthemic vocal lines works well, especially given the vocal power of JB. A great guitar solo pulls everything together - and Skybound is very much Grand Magus 101, but it is a track that is sure to become a live favourite. The Wheel of Pain is a crunchier song, and it feels heavier overall than the opening cut. It is perhaps less anthemic, but it is still a very memorable track vocally - with a muscular chorus set against a crunchy, chugging guitar pattern. Infectious vocal hooks which are well-harmonised drop in occasionally, but generally JB just leads the charge alone with his baritone vocals - whilst the fat bass tones really thicken up the song nicely. The song feels heavier, though, due to Witt's drumming. He does not use his double bass drums this time, but instead just pummels the drums in an old-school Black Sabbath-esque manner - and the cracking snare sound keeps the song moving along, especially whilst JB shreds through a busy guitar solo. The title track follows, and it somewhat returns to the sound of Skybound. Witt's drum pattern is similar overall, but instead of leading with a heroic riff the song is instead based around a folk metal-esque guitar lead. This guitar melody sinks into the brain after a couple of listens - and the track is one of the album's best overall as a result. The guitar riffing is perhaps less busy than usual, though, with a slightly smoother overall verse which focuses more on pulsing bass playing and JB's big voice - but the chorus is anthemic as ever thanks to the busy footwork of Witt and the return of the folky lead behind JB's hooks. It is a song which is packed full of memorable moments, then, and it also contains one of JB's best and longest guitar solos on the album - which builds nicely from the lead guitar moments elsewhere in the song.
Winter Storms slows the pace down somewhat and returns to the band's doomier roots with a creepier overall arrangement and a much more precise and plodding sound. Like the previous song, though, parts of the song are very lead guitar driven - and the track opens with a slow-burning and Candlemass-esque guitar lead which resurfaces throughout the song on occasion. That being said, though, the arrangement is more of a mix of guitar leads and riffs - which makes the track a bit more varied than some of the others here. Grand Magus songs tend to be on the shorter side, and that is largely the case here, but this track feels like it has a bit more room to stretch out in - with a lengthier intro which features both lead guitar moments and slab-like riffing. This riff later forms the basis of a doomy chorus which sees JB singing in a less anthemic mode than usual to fit in with the song's slower overall feel - but there is also more focus on instrumental transitions, too, with riffs being lingered on for a little longer and another strong solo spot. The Black Lake is similar and the track is another which harks back to the band's early days a little - whilst still retaining everything which makes the band's current sound so powerful. It opens with the slowest moment of the album so far, with JB's clean guitar chords creating something of an early riff - over which he sings in a semi-whispered manner, creating an unsettling and different early vibe. Grand Magus do not tend to do this sort of thing often, but it works well here, and when the song kicks in proper it gets going in all its doomy glory. The main riff is a heavier version of the slow-burning intro - and this guitar pattern essentially repeats itself throughout the song with few exceptions. There is a very old-school Black Sabbath feel about the song, then, and the organic, raw production only exemplifies this. I quite like the fact that the mix on this album is a bit fuzzy at times. I like it that sometimes the guitar solos get a little buried as it gives the album an old-school feel - and this song really doubles down on that overall feel production-wise, whilst an occasional riff that pops up to briefly change the song's overall pace is more early Black Sabbath than Tony Iommi has been for years. Hour of the Wolf speeds things up again following two slower-burning pieces - and it is easily the fastest track on the album up to this point. Grand Magus sometimes employ a NWOBHM-esque chug in their songwriting, and this track certainly feels influenced by that movement - with a main riff which is quite Saxon-inspired. The band's trademark rumbling metal sound is still present, though, with Fox's bass cutting through the mix and JB throwing in a few hypnotic lead guitar moments and a rumbling chorus. The verses really speed ahead, though, and they are proper headbanging moments with choppy chords and some strident drumming - whilst the chorus is a bit more mid-paced to allow JB's booming voice to really ring out.
Another real favourite of mine here, though, is Grendel. Sadly the song is not a Marillion cover, as that certainly would have been interesting, but Grand Magus bring the mythological character to life in similar fashion - albeit with more of a metallic crunch. Whilst not as fast as the previous song, it is certainly still one with plenty of fire in its belly - and it steams along at a decent pace thanks to Witt's hard-hitting drumming and some anthemic riffing from JB. There are lots of anthemic moments on this album, but perhaps this song is the most anthemic overall when considering all of the parts added together. The riffing is energetic and gets the blood pumping, whilst JB just sounds so fired up vocally. The chorus is simple but it is the sort which once gets in the brain it will stay there - and it was one of the songs which stood out on my first listen to the album as result. Another potent guitar solo helps to bring everything together - but in truth the song is just a great old-school metal anthem that lives and dies by a strong vocal performance. To Heorot is more of a mid-paced piece, and it is another that has a slight folk metal influence thanks to JB's approach to lead guitar playing. It is a song that is not very riff-driven, then, with the song's main hook being a folky guitar melody - and this melody resurfaces quite often throughout the piece, acting as the chorus. JB's vocal melodies throughout the song are also quite folky. He does not tend to sing in such a way so the difference here is quite notable. The song has a bit of a swinging feel throughout, then, which is not typical of metal - but it works well in the context of the track. The bass and the drums help with this swing, too, adding something of a bluesy vibe to the track - whilst big chords and the repeating opening melody keep the track honest. JB's solo also builds on some of these folky vibes, too, and it is packed full of melody to keep the song's different vibe ticking along. The album then comes to a close with the heavy, mid-paced The End Belongs to You - which opens with a drum intro from Witt. It is not a barrage but more of a lone beat, similar in style to Black Sabbath's Headless Cross, and the booming, organic drums perfectly set the tone for the mid-paced cruncher which is to follow - with JB soon crashing in with a memorable chugging riff whilst Fox's bass fills every nook and cranny. It is another song which includes some of the band's early doom influences, with a deliberate pace and riffing which feels doomier overall, but there is still plenty of classic anthemic metal here - with the chorus being another shout-along moment to bring the album to a close, whilst JB's last guitar solo is much more cinematic and slow-burning than typical of his style. This fits in with the song's overall vibe, though, and the crunchy piece ends the album on a heavy note. Grand Magus albums are always enjoyable even if the band are not at their best, but I do feel that this one sees them back at their best - and Sunraven is up there for me with albums like 2012's The Hunt. There is a good mix of anthemic metal and doomy heaviness here, and I like the few folky touches thrown in to keep things interesting. As always, too, the album is quite short - so it is one that can be put on at any time and enjoyed.
The album was released on 18th October 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Skybound.
Another weekend, another gig! In some ways, I am starting to think that it is time to somewhat cut back on gig going. As much as I love getting to many gigs each year, they tend to come in clusters which leave very little time for rest between working full time and then spending much of each weekend travelling. This weekend was supposed to be another two-gig weekend, as I was planning to spend this evening in Bridgwater with Tailgunner - but I decided to opt out due to not feeling 100% this morning after barely sleeping (in truth, I have not been feeling that great all week) and the combination of planned disruption on the railways tomorrow with further ad hoc disruption likely due to stormy weather. As such, another night away and a potential fight to get home tomorrow just did not seem appealing - and I have appreciated being back home and am looking forward to a whole day of rest tomorrow before another busy week of work and gigs. Whilst I would have liked to have seen Tailgunner again, the main event of this weekend was always going to be Delain - and I travelled up to Bristol yesterday afternoon following a morning of work to catch the Dutch symphonic metal band at the SWX in the heart of the city. Whilst I cannot say that I have been a Delain fan since the off, I have been listening to them for most of their career - getting into them when 2009's April Rain was still fresh. As of last night, I have seen Delain live seven times. The first time came back in 2012, just before We Are the Others dropped - and the most recent time (last night aside) was in April 2023 on the initial run of shows in support of Dark Waters (which I reviewed here). Despite the current Delain line-up launching the previous year, though, that 2023 tour felt like the band's first 'proper' outing. I always try and be open minded when it comes to band line-up changes, and I was impressed from the off by the current Delain line-up live. They wowed a packed out O2 Academy in Islington last year - with the atmosphere being excellent and the band firing on all cylinders. Dark Waters may not have been embraced by all Delain fans, but I like it quite a bit. I do hope that the current line-up does diversify things a little more going forward, but Dark Waters very much showed that the new-look Delain could very much do the Delain sound - and it is an album I have listened to a fair bit since it came out. Delain have also been very busy since Dark Waters dropped - and towards the end of last year they announced a UK tour for November this year. Delain have generally been a band to do three or four UK shows as part of a wider European tour - with this UK tour perhaps being the band's biggest yet. It seemed ambitious, but Delain have always done well here - and I was pleased to only have to travel to Bristol. I remember the band delivering a fantastic show at the Marble Factory back in 2015 so, nine years on, I was hoping that the band were going to add to their legacy in the city. As SWX operates as a nightclub, there was a 10pm curfew in place. The doors were meant to open at 6pm but they ended up opening about 15 minutes late - so by then I was glad to get inside and out of the cold.
Delain were joined on the tour by scene veteran Damian Wilson and the UK post-grunge act Stone Broken - but sadly the latter had to pull out of the last three shows of the tour due to illness. I was looking forward to catching them again, as it had been a couple of years since I had last seen them, but it was not to be. Hopefully I will get to see them live again soon. As such, there was a bit of a wait until the music started - with Wilson hitting the stage at 7pm. In truth, though, he kept the crowd entertained sporadically before his set - as he had previous walked up the line of those waiting to get in and introduced himself to everyone, before walking around and talking to people in the venue before his set started. As a big Threshold fan, I had seen Wilson live a couple of times - but I did not really know what to expect from him on his own. I own one of his solos albums which I enjoy, but it is not one that comes out too often, and solo acoustic support acts are not generally my thing. Despite this, though, Wilson impressed. He is such a character that he basically won everyone around immediately - and his first song was sung without a guitar or even a microphone, with his voice just filling the room. He even stunned some of the talkers by the bar into silence for a brief moment - but it was business as usual following this stark intro, and he filled the next 45 minutes or so with his huge voice and emotive songwriting. I think that it is fair to say that Wilson is known more for his work in the hard rock and metal worlds than he is for his poppier solo material. He is the current frontman of Arena and has had three stints in Threshold. He also fronts Headspace and has done a lot of work over the years with Arjen Anthony Lucassen. This set was different from all those things, but the voice was the same - and he was easily the most powerful acoustic support act I have seen. His voice just commands attention and the melody choices and inflections that has made his work with other bands so memorable remained in place - it is just that all that was backing him was an acoustic guitar. He proved to be a pretty adept guitarist, too, and his songwriting was tight and memorable. As I do not always focus on lyrics I tend to find acoustic support acts dull, but the melodies and music were also interesting throughout Wilson's set - and his banter with the crowd was also great. He is clearly made for the stage - and I do feel that Threshold, despite how great a singer Glynn Morgan is, miss something live when he is not fronting them. There were a couple of songs he played which I recognised from the album I have and from other things of his I have heard over the years - but generally the set was new to me. It flew by, though, and it was a great way to open the evening. I need to dig that album of his out a bit more often - and there are others which I clearly need to seek out.
The plus of having an acoustic opening act is the fact that there is not much gear to clear away. As Delain's gear was already set up, there was only around 15 minutes between Wilson's set finishing and Delain hitting the stage. The venue was looking a little sparse at first, but it had filled up somewhat during Wilson's set. I had expected the place to be a bit busier, especially on a Friday, but the turnout was certainly not poor. The crowd seemed to take a bit of time to warm up, probably literally, so the atmosphere during Delain's set took a while to fully form in my opinion. As such, the show was not as electric as last year's London effort - but the band still put on a great performance and the crowd did start to feel more involved as things progressed. The 17-song setlist was quite different to last year's, too, with two new songs being played and a few different older tracks making the cut this time. The show opened with the same three songs, though, with newbie The Cold having really cemented itself as a great opener. The four musicians took to the stage to start the song, with frontwoman Diana Leah coming on afterwards to huge cheers. Her voice is very pleasing and suits Delain's sound perfectly - so she sounded powerful for the most part. I did wonder if she was perhaps suffering a little with illness, though, as she did pull out of a few lines here and there rather unexpectedly. There is certainly a lot going around at the moment, as I can attest to, but it did not affect her performance much at all - and I think she has done a great job since taking over as Delain's frontwoman. One thing I noticed, though, was that she still did not do all that much talking with the crowd. She did some, but generally Ronald Landa (guitar/vocals) was the main voice from the stage - as was the case last time. It seems that this is going to be the dynamic going forward - but I do wish she took on more of that role so that her personality and confidence could flourish further. That being said, though, she was still great - with Suckerpunch and the dramatic Burning Bridges showing off her talents early on.
Given the strength of Delain's catalogue it is hard to pick out highlights, but it was fun to hear new track The Reaping live for the first time - and I enjoyed the sweet and groovy Army of Dolls returning to the set. The anthemic April Rain was a big highlight, though, as it always tends to be - with Landa peeling off a guitar solo during it. Newer cut The Quest and the Curse has also become a big live favourite already, which Leah sang with all of her charm, whilst the duelling harsh vocals of Landa and Ludovico Cioffi (bass guitar/vocals) added weight. Most of the songs which returned to the setlist which were absent last year all tended to be favourites which have been played live a lot over the years, but it was great to see Leah tackle them. She particularly shone during the poppy Get the Devil Out of Me - but she sounded at her best on her material, such as an excellent rendition of Queen of Shadow with Landa covering the male vocal part. Perhaps the set's overall highlight, though, was Wilson joining the band for a barnstorming version of Your Body Is a Battleground - where he duetted powerfully with Leah. This was the set's last true heavier moment, though, as the rest of the night was largely made up of melodic singles. The Gathering had the crowd jumping as it tends to do, before the disco grooves of Don't Let Go showcased every ounce of Martijn Westerholt's (keyboards) synth prowess. Perhaps the best pop track of the night, though, was Leah's signature piece Moth to a Flame which has already become a Delain classic in my opinion. Dance with the Devil may not be that far behind it, though, with Cioffi adding some growls, but Moth to a Flame feels like the current line-up's biggest live triumph so far. With no encore break, the band just barrelled through - and ended, customarily, with We Are the Others and plenty of singing from the crowd. The setlist was:
The Cold
Suckerpunch
Burning Bridges
The Reaping
The Glory and the Scum
April Rain
Army of Dolls
The Quest and the Curse
Here Come the Vultures
Get the Devil Out of Me
Queen of Shadow
Your Body Is a Battleground [w/ Damian Wilson]
The Gathering
Don't Let Go
Moth to a Flame
Dance with the Devil
We Are the Others
Whilst I do not think that last night's show topped that excellent London gig last year, Delain still brought their A-game to Bristol last night. It was just a shame that it seemed to take the crowd a little while to get going and that the turnout was not a little better. Performance-wise, though, Delain were great. I think that the current line-up has a lot to add to the band's legacy and I really like Leah as a singer even if she still seems a bit reserved as a frontwoman. The band are sure to keep growing, though, and I will always make the effort to see them when they return to the UK.
I have mentioned on this blog before how approaching a new supergroup should be done with trepidation. There are a number of successful examples of such over the years, dating back to acts like Cream and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but I would say that it is likely that there have been more misses over the years than hits. The best bands generally succeed due to the chemistry of their members. Each individual in a successful band may not be the most virtuosic of players, and some may not be as creative as others, but when these individuals come together they create something more than the sum of the parts. As such, then, putting established successful musicians together to form a new band will not always work. Given that supergroups are likely to feature musicians who have already found success elsewhere, there are more likely to be egos involved - and there is no guarantee that there will be chemistry. True chemistry between musicians cannot be learnt and even some of the best musicians on the planet are likely not compatible with each other for a number of reasons. When a supergroup appears to succeed, though, the results are often great. Black Country Communion are one of the best rock supergroups of recent years and they continue to release excellent material - but the latest supergroup on my radar comes from the metal realm. Cemetery Skyline is that band and the multi-national five-piece features musicians from Sweden and Finland - with all five coming from the worlds of melodic death metal and things of a more extreme nature. Despite this, though, Cemetery Skyline are not even really a metal band - and instead they play a very melodic take on 1980s gothic rock. They give the sound a slight metallic edge thanks to their collective history - but generally Nordic Gothic, the band's debut album, is for fans of The Sisters of Mercy, The Mission, The Cult, Fields of the Nephilim, and the more synth-driven side of Paradise Lost. The band's sound is very smooth and keyboard-heavy, but retains a strong hard rock groove throughout - as well as handful of more metallic moments which should be expected given the backgrounds of those involved. Turning to those individuals, then, the band is fronted by Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity; Grand Cadaver; The Halo Effect). Given that Dark Tranquillity released an album earlier this year and the second album from The Halo Effect is due in January, Stanne has been extremely busy of late. He is fast becoming a favourite singer of mine, and Cemetery Skyline really seems like a vehicle for him to showcase his rich clean vocals. He has been mixing in clean vocals alongside his growls for years, but he has never had a project where he can purely sing clean - but Cemetery Skyline is such a band. His main collaborators here are guitarist Markus Vanhala (Omnium Gatherum; Manitou; Malpractice; Insomnium; I Am the Night) and keyboard player Santeri Kallio (Kyyria; Amorphis; Jonne) - who wrote five of the album's 10 songs each alongside Stanne. Rounding out the band, then, are bassist Victor Brandt (Dominion; Entombed; Entombed A.D.; Firespawn; Dimmu Borgir; Witchery) and drummer Vesa Ranta (Sentenced; The Man-Eating Tree; The Abbey).
The 10 songs here are generally pretty accessible, so those who shy away from all things metal, yet enjoy some melodic gloom, should not be put off by the histories of those involved. Cemetery Skyline are clearly a band that have come together to create a very specific type of music - one which I imagine is close to the hearts of those involved. The songs are quite derivative of their influences, then, but the songwriting is strong throughout - with Torn Away getting things off to a fine start. Kallio's keyboards are generally the driving force throughout the album and his sparkling opening synth hook here is very characteristic of what is to follow throughout - and the melodies are easy on the ear from the off. Vanhala's guitars are generally more rhythmic, and there are not too many big riffs here, but he adds a metallic depth to each song - whilst the driving bass of Brandt also tends to do a lot of heavy lifting. The verses here are very bass-heavy, with subtle guitar patterns and swirling synths backing Stanne's gothic croon - whilst the chorus returns to the opening melodies for something much more expressive and hooky. Many of the choruses has are packed with pop hooks - so that classic gothic rock mixture of light and darkness is present throughout. There is a darkness thanks to the crunchy guitar and bass tones used, whilst the keyboards provide both a dense atmosphere and some sparkling melodies. Torn Away is a bit like a microcosm of the whole album, then, although a closing guitar solo adds some additional weight later on as an extended final chorus rolls on. In Darkness is a bit crunchier from the off, with Vanhala's chugging guitar groove setting a mechanical tone - which the rhythm section lock in with as Kallio's atmospheric keyboards swirl and envelop everything. There are fewer synth hooks this time, with the keyboards generally all-encompassing - although the verses feature some sparse piano chimes which are fitting as the light against the driving guitar grooves. Whilst there are fewer riff-led moments on this album than Vanhala is used to, his rhythms and grooves are a big part of the band's infectious gothic sound. His occasional soloing adds colour, though, but generally this is a band which are big on atmosphere over lead playing - with Stanne essentially responsible for most of the big hooks. As is typical of many of the songs here, the chorus is massive - and Stanne's rich cleans feel like they come from someone who has been singing this way their whole career. I think this album really highlights what a talented vocalist he is - and he showcases quite a range despite the songs generally requiring a moody delivery. Violent Storm is a real favourite of mine and it was the song which jumped out the most on my first listen to the album. The mix of distant guitar arpeggios and flashy synth hooks reminds me of the more cinematic side of The 69 Eyes somewhat - whilst the verses include a good mix of up-tempo guitar crunch and synth-based atmosphere. Light and shade is a big theme here, as is often the case in gothic music, and the way that the guitars and keyboards intertwine here showcase that - whilst Stanne's deeper verse delivery and more anthemic chorus vocals do the same. The song really builds towards its chorus in a compelling way, too, so when the vocal hooks kick in the melodies really hit home from the off. It is likely the album's most memorable chorus in my opinion - and it caps off an excellent opening trilogy to kick-start the album.
Behind the Lie opens in a similar manner to how the album did, with a crunchy guitar rhythm and a flashy synth hook - but the guitar backing feels a bit riffier than is typical. This is certainly a song that has a bit more of a metallic edge at times, particularly during this opening flurry, but generally the overall sound is pretty typical of everything else here. There are strong The 69 Eyes vibes during parts of this song, too, but there are also some real old-school gothic moments such as parts of the verses which see quite a sparse arrangement take over. Many of the songs here are very bass-driven, but the bass during parts of the verses is less prominent than it often is - with clean guitar melodies and keyboards instead leading the way. The heaviness from the opening returns during the chorus, too, although it remains hooky, plus there is a pretty slab-like bridge section which features some doom-adjacent riffing for a brief period. When Silence Speaks opens in a much calmer manner, with Kallio's rolling piano melodies fading from the distance - which Ranta soon adds some percussive drumming to. It does seem at one point as if the band might crash in and take the song in a heavier direction - but when Ranta's drums kick in properly he just adds a mournful groove behind the piano and bass, and allows for a ballad feel as Stanne starts to sing. The verses are full of gothic melodrama, then, and Stanne's emotional vocal delivery sits nicely against Kallio's piano and the sombre groove. The guitars do not really come in properly until the chorus, either, which means that it remains pretty slow throughout. Vanhala's crunch does add some heaviness to the chorus, but even the chorus retains the song's core mournful feel - with some slow-burning guitar leads also being included alongside fatter rhythms. The Darkest Night returns to the album's core mid-paced and groovy sound following the slower ballad which came before - with the crunchy guitars very much back in a big way. Whilst there are synth melodies as usual this is another song which feels a bit more guitar-driven than some of the others. The riffing is not all that remarkable, but the guitar tone used by Vanhala is enough to convey the heaviness - whilst the rhythm section feel much busier throughout the verses. Ranta's drumming is more percussive, so sections which feature little guitar input still feel weightier, whilst the synth melodies are generally lower in the mix this time - although they are still there to worm their way in. The chorus is one that hits over time, too. It is not as anthemic as some of the others, but the melodies reveal themselves over multiple listens - and it has become a bit of a favourite over time. Never Look Back is another song which opens slowly, with warm synth melodies and Stanne's voice fading in to create an atmospheric feeling - but this song is no ballad, and instead it is a pretty poppy rocker. There remain plenty of gothic vibes here, but it is maybe the lightest of the rockers here - with something of an AOR feel during parts of the song despite the gloom remaining. The guitar arrangement is very much out of the 1980s melodic rock scene, with a few strident accent chords and drum crashes, whilst the chorus is much brighter than is typical with floatier synths and vocals. A slow-burning guitar lead which acts as part of the chorus is also taken right from the pages of the AOR playbook - whilst an instrumental mid-section is surprisingly bombastic and comes off like a more restrained Toto.
The Coldest Heart opens with some dark-sounding bass from Brandt. His bass does a lot to drive this album, but rarely does he stand alone quite like he does here - and the tone used helps to set a creepy vibe before the band crash in. When the rest do join in, too, there is a doomy heaviness to the track which differs from much of the rest of the material here. Kallio's keyboard playing recalls the style he employs with Amorphis, with rumbling organ utilised at times, whilst the guitar is much nastier early on - with a slow riff setting a heavy tone. The song overall, though, is pretty varied. This heaviness certainly does not stay throughout, as Kallio's piano takes over during a verse which is surprisingly jaunty given the slower nature of the piece - with hooky piano melodies and a slow rhythm section groove sitting side by side. The chorus is quite different, too, with subtle background vocal shouts and a slightly more strident overall feel - which is later fully captured during Vanhala's guitar solo which sees him cut loose more than he has elsewhere up to this point with some busy shredding. The song is one of the album's most interesting cuts, then, due to this variety - and it is another which has become a bit of a favourite over repeated listens. Anomalie ups the pace and goes for more of a metallic feel - at least early on. Much of the album generally feels pretty mid-paced but, while this track is not significantly faster, there is more urgency this time. The overall dark vibe has been retained, but the drumming feels punchier throughout - whilst the busy bass playing during the verses helps to keep the track on the move. It is another song which feels quite anthemic, too, with another chorus which sticks in the brain pretty much from the off. The opening few songs did this, before the album sought to diversify its approach somewhat - so a return to the simpler arrangements of the early part of the album is certainly welcome as things draw to a close. It is hard not to sing along with the chorus once it gets going - and there is a pretty cinematic guitar solo, too. The album then comes to a close with Alone Together, another slower piece - but one that does not really feel like ballad, instead going for a slightly doomy vibe with rumbling bass, drawn out guitar chords, and cold synths. The song takes a little while to get going, too, with synth and atmospheric sounds swirling around to set a tone before the band kick in proper - and the track is one that builds on a lot of core gothic tropes to create a more epic-sounding closing track. There remain plenty of memorable vocal melodies, with a slow-burning chorus which is brought to life thanks to some shimmering keyboards and the occasional guitar lead, but this is generally a song which really doubles down on atmosphere creation - as the song is one that tends to dwell on its instrumental sections a little longer to allow for some hypnotic melodies to really bed in. There are hookier pieces here, but there are fewer songs which nail the gothic brief so clearly - and the slow-burner ends the album on a high. Overall, then, Nordic Gothic certainly achieved what it likely set out to do. It is not the most original album but the songwriting is tight and Stanne really shines throughout as a singer. It is unclear at this stage whether this is a one-off project or whether more is to come from the five-piece - but given that gothic rock is less common now than it once was there seems to be room in the world for more from Cemetery Skyline in the future.
The album was released on 11th October 2024 via Century Media Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Violent Storm.
Despite the band being one of my favourite live acts over the past decade or so, in recent times I somewhat lost interest in The Quireboys. Before the pandemic I routinely saw the band multiple times a year, with the next Quireboys show never being too far away, but that all changed in 2022 when they fired frontman Spike - the only founding member left in the line-up. I saw the band again in January 2022, which was fun after the enforced break but the show was not one to write home about, and a few months later they were mired in turmoil - with both sides accusing the other of wrongdoing and vowing to carry on as The Quireboys. In truth, I could somewhat see both sides of the story. I felt for Spike, as The Quireboys was essentially his band, but I also sympathised with the rest of the then line-up as I had often thought that dealing with him was likely extremely hard work at times. With both looking to carry on, too, I tried to be open-minded - but when I saw what passed as The Quireboys without Spike in September 2022 I was disappointed. Considering that the show was a special one in London that I had had tickets for for two years, too, the disappointment hit harder. The show was eventually released on DVD which I have a copy of - which was a real fight to actually get hold of due to the band's incompetent record label/management - and it features the shadow of a once great band. Since the disappointment of the show and the farce of getting a product which I had paid for two years in advance, then, I have had very little interest in that iteration of The Quireboys - who have now, wisely, changed their name to Black Eyed Sons, bring an end to any confusion. Spike launched his new Quireboys (without the 'The', but that is a pain to write sometimes) in December 2022 - with a make-shift line-up of old hands and new faces at a lengthy and sometimes fantastic show which featured memorable and chaotic moments in equal measure. 2023 was generally quiet for Spike, aside from his on-going series of acoustic shows, but this year has seen activity turbo-charged - with a new Quireboys album dropping earlier this month and shows taking place throughout the year. I saw the band in Swansea in May, which was a good night, but I was somewhat still feeling the general malaise of recent times. Since hearing the new album, Wardour Street, though, I am on board again - and taking a punt on a ticket for the show in Bridgwater on the album's tour a few months ago suddenly seemed like a great move. The current Quireboys also line-up seems to have solidified around Spike and fellow original member Nigel Mogg (bass guitar/vocals) - with Thunder's Luke Morley (guitar/vocals) and journeyman musician Willie Dowling (keyboards/vocals) also seemingly mainstays. Whilst it is a shame that the other old hands which re-started this journey with Spike in 2022, Chris Johnstone and Rudy Richman, no longer seem to be involved, at least when it comes to touring (they are both on the new album, though), the current line-up is a good mix of old and new - and joining the band on drums for this tour at least was Morley's Thunder bandmate Harry James.
I had never been to Bridgwater before, let alone been to a gig there - and the venue was the Palace Nightclub on the edge of the main town centre. Despite the ticket saying that the doors opened at 7pm, when I got there just after such it turned out that the place had been open for over an hour - and that I had missed openers Continental Lovers. This was no big shame, though, and I got into place just as Dowling was about to start his own set - acting as the night's main support. The venue turned out to be quite a decent one, too - especially as I had no real expectations. It has the feel of an old-school nightclub but the stage was a decent size and there were plenty of different vantage points from around the room. The show was loud, too, but the sound mix was clear - and it seems a shame that the place is not more well-used from a live music perspective. Turning to Dowling, though, his set was essentially exactly the same, even down to much of the banter, as that which I had already seen twice this year. He also opened for the band back in Swansea - and I also saw him with Cats in Space in October. He is a name that I have been familiar with for years, but it seems that he is really putting himself out there again this year - and I suppose it makes sense for him to open for Spike's band given that he is also part of it. The piano-driven pop songs which made up the set were as passingly enjoyable as they were previously - but this being the third go round the shine was perhaps beginning to wear off a little. He wisely kept the sixth form political statements to a minimum again, as I felt that he went a bit too far in Swansea and he did not come across as all that likable as a result - he was generally a bit more self-deprecating and subtle this time. His lyrics suggest that he is more articulate than some of his ranting in Swansea suggested - so I enjoy his sets more when he lets the music do the talking. His messages are carried in his songs anyway, and delivered in a more thoughtful way, so he seems to be perfecting his current craft as he goes. I get the impression that this piano-led pop music is a new avenue for him with the whole vibe different from the norm - so perhaps he is having to reinvent himself somewhat as each show passes. I do not have a problem with political songs, I just roll my eyes at outbursts which would sound at home in a Guardian comments section - and Swansea was certainly full of those. Bridgwater was not, though, and I enjoyed the jaunty-yet-intelligent songs yet again - but given that I have now seen essentially the same set three times this year I do not really need to see it again.
I am glad that Dowling was in tow, though, as he actually adds a lot to The Quireboys. If Johnstone cannot be present then Dowling is the best option - with his busy, barroom style perfect for the band's raunchy sound. It was 20 or so minutes following Dowling's set finishing that the five members of the band trooped out onto the stage - with Spike swaggering to the front with confidence and getting the crowd ready as the band launched into Jeeze Louise. The setlist was very similar to the one which was played in Swansea, but the show was so much better overall. The current line-up was clearly still finding their feet back then, but now they have some more miles under their belts - and they rocked from start to finish. It helped that the sound mix was so good, too. Spike's voice was crystal clear all night, and he sounded more powerful than he often has in recent years, plus he was just on great form generally. When he is on fire he is almost untouchable as a frontman and he worked the Bridgwater crowd with ease throughout the night - with rock 'n' roll survivor Mogg also throwing plenty of old-school rockstar shapes. Morley may be more restrained on stage, but he was pulling a lot of the strings. His bluesy riffing throughout the barrelling Can't Park Here and the more delicate country tones of Sweet Mary Ann showcased his variety as a player - and he made many of the band's songs his own, especially given that The Quireboys have generally been a two-guitar band in the past. James' shuffling style fit the band like a glove, too, and Dowling was busy and full of flair - helping out quite a bit on backing vocals, too, to give Spike a boost when needed. Given how great the band were, too, the atmosphere was electric. The place was busy - but everyone seemed really up for the show and each song, including all the newer ones, were sung loudly by the crowd. The band's take on Frankie Miller's Raining Whiskey had everyone singing along - whilst I am not sure that the blues drawl of Whippin' Boy has ever hit so hard. Bridgwater featured a heavy version of the band, then, and this transitioned into old anthems like Tramps and Thieves and the strutting new number I Think I Got It Wrong Again. One of the biggest sing-a-longs of the night unsurprisingly, though, was a mid-set rendition of big single Hey You, but there were also quieter moments including the new, heartfelt You and I and the epic ballad King of New York - which may have been the overall highlight. It is not a song that I have heard live too often, and this was the best version yet - with Spike really living the lyrics and Morley delivering a solo dripping with emotion. It was generally left to rock 'n' roll for the rest of the night after this, though, with new highlight Happy sounding sleazy and the barroom rock of There She Goes Again also featuring plenty of singing. It was, of course, left to 7 O'Clock to round out the main set - and the old single left the crowd wanting more. The 10pm curfew was looming by this point, though, but there was time for a two-song encore. Spike reasserted his position as 'the' Quireboys singer during the pointed Like It or Not - whilst another big ballad was left to close things out. I Don't Love You Anymore is always a highlight of a Quireboys show, and Spike sang his heart out - with Morley again showing that he gets the band's songs and style with another big solo. It brought the curtain down on an excellent night of live music - and with six new songs in the set it seems that Wardour Street is very much here to stay. The setlist was:
Jeeze Louise
Can't Park Here
Misled
Sweet Mary Ann
Raining Whiskey [Frankie Miller cover]
Whippin' Boy
Tramps and Thieves
Hey You
You and I
I Think I Got It Wrong Again
King of New York
Happy
There She Goes Again
Roses & Rings
7 O'Clock
-
Like It or Not
I Don't Love You Anymore
I might have briefly fallen off The Quireboys' wagon, given all the drama perhaps some less than stellar live shows, but with Wardour Street and this Bridgwater show both being so great I am fully on board again. I really hope that Spike is able to keep this line-up of the band together, but with Thunder's future seemingly uncertain due to Danny Bowes on-going health issues Morley (and James) may be glad of something to do. This is certainly an interesting chapter in the history of The Quireboys - and I hope that next year brings more touring from Spike and the gang.
Following a weekend at home, although I still managed to make it to an excellent local gig, this past weekend has been another busy one - taking in two very different bands at two very different venues in two very different places. Starting with the grander of the two, then, on Friday I headed up to Cardiff to catch Within Temptation live at the city's Utilita Arena. Given how relatively close Cardiff is to where I live, it is not a place that I get to all that often. Given that it is the Welsh capital city, it is not as much of a live music hotbed as it could be really - with many bands opting to play nearby Bristol instead. That being said, though, this year I have been to Cardiff three times - which is the most visits to the city I have made for many a year. I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band rock the Principality Stadium to tens of thousands of fans back in May and in August I headed to the Tramshed for a night of metal with KK's Priest. It was back to the Utilita Arena this time, then, a venue I had not been to for a couple of years - with my last trip coming back in 2022 when I saw a double bill of Machine Head and Amon Amarth bring plenty of heaviness to Wales. The reason for going this time were the Dutch symphonic/gothic metal legends Within Temptation - a band I have been a fan of for a number of years but have not seen live that often for various reasons. I started getting into the band in the late 2000s, when I was really getting into symphonic and power metal in a big way. I listened to albums like 2004's The Silent Force and 2007's The Heart of Everything a fair amount at that time, but I was never into them as much as I was into bands like Nightwish and Epica - who just seemed much more interesting overall. In truth, this view remains the case. I really liked Within Temptation's slight change to a more hard rock and guitar-driven direction on 2011's The Unforgiving - but the three albums which have followed have generally been weaker and less interesting than anything that came before. I first saw the band live in 2015 at Bloodstock Open Air - where they disappointed in a headline set which was plagued with technical issues and featured a setlist that was heavily weighted towards 2014's Hydra (which I reviewed here), which is easily my least favourite of their albums. I did not see them live again until 2018, where they delivered a great show at the O2 Academy in Birmingham on the run-up to 2019's Resist (which I reviewed here) - an album which was better overall. Fast forward five years, then, and Friday's trip to Cardiff consisted of my third Within Temptation concert - this time in support of last year's rather disappointing Bleed Out (which I reviewed here). I have been generally questioning whether Within Temptation are a band for me anymore recently, as they seem to have limited interest in a being a symphonic or gothic metal band these days, but given how much I enjoyed the 2018 show I picked up a ticket for Friday's show when they went on sale last year - and I had been looking forward to it quite a bit despite my growing ambivalence towards the band as they currently are.
Despite the change of sound over the year, the band remain popular. The Utilita Arena may not be one of the country's biggest arenas, but it is still a big venue compared to most - and it was busy on Friday. I do not think that the show was sold out - but Within Temptation have always felt a bit caught between large theatre-type venues and arenas in the UK. There was a healthy crowd already in place when the evening's sole support act Annisokay, from Germany, took to the stage. There were supposed to be two support acts, but Ukraine's Blind8 had to drop out of parts of the tour due on-going military commitment - so Annisokay was left to warm the crowd up themselves. I had not heard of the band before they were announced as being part of this tour - although they have been going for a while at this point. Sadly, though, the band turned out to be the sort of chugging metalcore/post-hardcore that I have very little interest in - and Within Temptation bringing them along probably shows where the Dutch band's head is when it comes to the current metal scene. I do like some metalcore, but Annisokay's was the most bland type imaginable. Metalcore is at its best when the bands ape the melodic guitar leads of the Swedish melodic death metal bands and employ classic metal hooks (think Killswitch Engage and early Trivium) - but when bands rely on big synths and chugging guitars with no discernible riffs I lose interest very quickly. They did employ the traditional mix of harsh and clean vocals, but nominal frontman and harsh vocalist Rudi Schwarzer spent much of the set being a glorified backing vocalist, as some of the songs featured limited input from him, whilst more extended harsh vocal sections tended to consist of those rap-adjacent harsh vocals which have become popular in parts of the metalcore scene in recent years. Bandleader Christoph Wieczorek (vocals/guitar) did most of the singing and talking to the crowd, his emo-esque voice contrasting with the down-tuned guitar chugs, but there was quite a lot of the set when he was not playing his guitar - and there was definitely guitar to be heard coming out of the speakers. As such, Annisokay are clearly one of those bands who rely extremely heavily on backing tracks - and it was clear that so much of what made up Annisokay's sound was not live. Most of the songs were extremely synth-driven, so slower parts of the songs sometimes only had the drummer actually playing - and there were clearly guitar riffs going on when Wieczorek was not even touching his guitar. As such, even though I was not really enjoying the band's set much up to the point I noticed this, my respect levels immediately dropped - and I was glad when their set came to an end. They generally only received a muted reaction from the crowd, too, so I imagine others in the room were feeling similar to me - and it was really only Within Temptation's frontwoman Sharon den Adel's brief cameo for a song she collaborated with Annisokay on and a cover of Linkin Park's One Step Closer which received any sort of attention.
Thankfully, though, it was not all that long before the lights went down following the blandness of what had come before and Within Temptation took to the stage. With a grand stage set which included Greek-esque columns, some big, well-used screens, and lots of raised areas for the band members to stand on - Within Temptation have certainly transitioned well to life in arenas. I have said before how some bands, with Alter Bridge springing to mind, struggle to transition to arenas when it comes to staging and presentation - but this was not a problem for Within Temptation, whose stage set felt really at home in the large room. For the next 90 or so minutes, then, the Dutch band rattled through a powerful 17-song set which generally covered their career. The opening segment was very much focused on the now, but as the set moved on there were plenty of dips back into the past for long-time fans. The first five songs, though, all came from Bleed Out. I have made my thoughts on the album clear but, in fairness, this opening portion did not drag. As is often the case, the songs from the latest album came over better live than they do on the album - and the tracks played were generally the better cuts from Bleed Out in my opinion. We Go to War kicked things off, with den Adel wearing a fancy mask to match her flowing black dress - whilst the rest of the band stood statuesque around the stage. The newer material generally chugs along, with the guitars of Ruud Jolie and Stefan Helleblad doubling down on the crunch, whilst the keyboard textures of Martijn Spierenburg provided plenty of depth. The newer songs are very vocal focused, though, and den Adel sounded as good as ever. She remains one of the strongest non-classical-adjacent vocalists in the symphonic metal genre - with her mix of smoothness and the occasional more throaty grit bringing the set to life. The more epic and slightly older-school Bleed Out was an early highlight, thanks to its gothic-tinged chorus - but the overall highlight of this suite of newer cuts, though, was a barnstorming rendition of Wireless, a track which harks back to the band's older sound a little. Bleed Out has perhaps been better received compared to my personal views, but it was still brave for a big band to open a show with five new songs one after the other. The suite was well-received, though, but I did feel that the overall quality and atmosphere improved as the set moved along - with the pulsing synths of The Reckoning and the rawer Shot in the Dark kicking things up a notch. The latter showcased that Within Temptation can really shine when they focus on more intricate guitar melodies, though, with Jolie including plenty of interesting riffs throughout - before Helleblad launched into a shredded solo.
The anthemic oldie Stand My Ground was thrown in as always, which everyone sang along to, but perhaps a surprise overall highlight was the hard rocking new cut A Fool's Parade - a stand-alone single released earlier this year. The band brought out Ukrainian musician Alex Yarmak to duet with den Adel and the two worked well together - with the song's big chorus and heavy breakdown better than much of the material that ended up on Bleed Out. Given Blind8 and Yarmak's involvement in the tour, there was a bit of time given over to the plight of the Ukraine - but then there was a real trip back into the past with The Promise, and it was the first of three songs to feature former Nightwish frontwoman Tarja Turunen. Turunen, like Yarmak, has been guesting within the band on and off throughout the tour - and her operatic vocals made The Promise really tick. Turunen does not really sing like that so much these days, but hearing her in full-blown classical mode against the song's gothic backdrop was a real treat - with the band then covering Turunen's dense ballad I Feel Immortal, which proved to be another excellent duet. By this point there was not too much time left, but the main set still included the upbeat grooves of Supernova and the harder rock strut of Faster, which den Adel sang in true rockstar mode, before the band briefly retreated to the wings. A four-song encore followed, though, which mostly consisted of symphonic metal oldies. The dramatic Our Solemn Hour kicked off the encore, which was a reminder of how bombastic the band used to be, before the delicate ballad All I Need was a real phones-in-the-air moment. With Turunen in tow, a rendition of Paradise (What About Us?) was inevitable, so Turunen popped back out to due with den Adel one last time, before the evergreen Mother Earth saw the show come to a bombastic close. It brought the night to a powerful end and the large crowd certainly made their pleasure felt as the band took their bows. The setlist was:
We Go to War
Bleed Out
Ritual
Don't Pray for Me
Wireless
The Reckoning
Shot in the Dark
Stand My Ground
A Fool's Parade [w/ Alex Yarmak]
The Promise [w/ Tarja Turunen]
I Feel Immortal [Tarja cover w/ Tarja Turunen]
Supernova
Faster
-
Our Solemn Hour
All I Need
Paradise (What About Us?) [w/ Tarja Turunen]
Mother Earth
Whilst I might not listen to Within Temptation as often I used to, I still had a great time with them in Cardiff on Friday. They are the sort of band that generally seem to deliver live, Bloodstock aside, and, as is so often the case, the new material came across better live. I found myself enjoying some of the songs which I had not enjoyed that much previously - and there were still plenty of old favourites and deeper cuts included, too. Turunen really gave the set a boost, too, and she really helped to make The Promise one of the set's most powerful moments. There is still plenty left in the Within Temptation tank it seems, I just hope that the band starts to realise what it was that made them so great in the past and start to refocus their sound in that direction again.
There are few objectively better vocalists in rock currently than Myles Kennedy. The US singer, songwriter, and guitarist had something of an under-the-radar career throughout the 1990s in bands such as Citizen Swing and The Mayfield Four - but it was the launch of Alter Bridge with 2004's One Day Remains that really catapulted Kennedy to stardom. Alter Bridge became a pretty big name almost overnight, at least here in Europe, and over the past 20 years they have become one of the most important modern hard rock bands. Alter Bridge are now seven albums deep, and generally release a new one every three years, but there has been plenty else on Kennedy's plate over the years - and sometimes I wonder if he ever steps foot in his house! Alongside Alter Bridge's regular album cycle, Kennedy is the singer in Slash's solo band - and has released four albums as a part of Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators since he started touring with Slash in 2010. Whilst Slash has toured less with his solo band since re-joining Guns N' Roses in 2016, he still released two albums which have been accompanied by lengthy tours in that time, and it was recently announced that he will be recording his next album with Kennedy in 2025. Alter Bridge are also due to release a new album next year if their general three-year cycle is maintained, so Kennedy could well be having yet another busy year. With Kennedy's Alter Bridge partner-in-crime Mark Tremonti releasing and touring a solo album next year, though, as well as the recent reactivation of Creed, the band which Alter Bridge rose from the ashes of, it may be that Alter Bridge's usual cycle is broken - and the band enter something of a de facto hiatus whilst Tremonti takes care of solo and Creed duties. I am sure that Kennedy will find something to do if that is the case, though, and he has also clearly been busy this year, too, as last month he released his third solo album - his first since 2021's The Ides of March (which I reviewed here). Kennedy's previous two solo albums are quite different from each other. Known for Alter Bridge's bombastic hard-hitting sound, plus his swaggering work with Slash, Kennedy's debut solo album, Year of the Tiger (which I reviewed here) from 2018, was a real departure from the norm. A very personal concept album dealing with feelings surrounding his father's death when he was a child, Year of the Tiger found Kennedy in heartfelt singer-songwriter mode. Whilst not exactly an acoustic album, Year of the Tiger was extremely stripped down and sparse compared to Alter Bridge and, whilst it might not be an album I reach for often, it remains a strong effort. The Ides of March was much more of a rock album - although it had a raw, bluesy feel with a lot of slide guitar throughout. I enjoyed it at the time, but I have not listened to it much since. Three years on, then, The Art of Letting Go is Kennedy's third statement as a solo artist. In keeping with the past trajectory it is heavier again - meaning that each album has been heavier than the last. There is still a bit of a raw edge but, in truth, there are songs here that would not sound out of place on an Alter Bridge album.
It has less of a distinct identity, then, despite the lack of Tremonti's guitar firepower, but there is still plenty to enjoy here. The first half of the album in particular is strong but it just feels strange that there is now so little to separate Kennedy's solo work and Alter Bridge. There is little here to truly rival Alter Bridge's heaviest moments, but the warmer side of the band's sound is very much captured throughout the 10 songs here. The title track kicks things off with a crashing drum roll from Zia Uddin (The Mayfield Four) - and the riff-led hard rocker really could have found a home on any of Alter Bridge's albums. The main riff lacks the blues vibe of the last album, instead going for a barrelling hard rock pattern, whilst Uddin's drums are much punchier than before - with some prominent fast bass drum work and plenty of aggressive fills. Despite this early heaviness, the verses are a little more stripped back. Tim Tournier's bass playing comes to the fore during these slightly more organic sections, although there remains plenty of groove, whilst Kennedy does showcase some bluesy playing with a memorable lead refrain which resurfaces throughout. The chorus returns to the song's opening riff, though, and it is hard-driving and pretty anthemic - with Kennedy's strident vocal hooks to latch onto, which Alter Bridge fans will long be familiar with at this point. The benefit of going for a heavier sound, though, means that some of Kennedy's guitar soloing on the album is pretty potent - and there is some furious shredding here which differs from the bluesy phrasing of previously. Say What You Will is pretty similar, although the track opens with some fuzzy, bluesy guitar melodies which do hark back to the last album somewhat - before Uddin's hard-hitting drums kick in and the song speeds away thanks to a riff right out of the 1980s. It is a powerful riff, which is soon overlayed by some expansive lead guitar playing, and Uddin's drum sound really crashes through the speakers - but again there are strong Alter Bridge vibes throughout. This is not something that could often be said about either of Kennedy's previous solo albums - and the similarities do nag away at me despite the song being a memorable and hooky effort. The chorus is one of the album's most memorable and it is a really hard-driving effort - with the fat sound that producer Michael 'Elvis' Baskette is known for being ever-present. The solo is a little bluesier, but it still feels busy, and this is a song dominated by big riffing and an expressive chorus. Mr. Downside is a little less hard-hitting and has more of a dynamic overall feel, but there is still plenty of weight throughout. It opens in a slightly slower manner, but an expansive and cinematic guitar pattern soon takes over - whilst Uddin lays down a snappy, shuffling drum beat. The track is still pretty hard rocking, then, and the verses feature plenty of expressive vocals from Kennedy which see him singing slightly higher than usual at times. Occasional lead guitar moments add colour, and the drumming does become busier and more percussive at times, but by the time the chorus rolls around with its plentiful vocal harmonies, punchy drumming, and strident guitar patterns the album's heavier core sound is very much present.
Miss You When Your Gone is less heavy again, and the track goes for a moodier and slightly jangly overall feel - but it is very much typical of Kennedy's songwriting. Again, though, there are hints of Alter Bridge to be found throughout the song - especially slightly more warm and organic songs like Peace Is Broken and other similar tracks. I think perhaps the main issue is Baskette's production. He is a hit and miss producer for me, and is certainly guilty at times of just making everything too loud, but the overall production of this album is good - with a punchy and clear sound. The issue is, though, that he has just made the album sound like Alter Bridge tone-wise - which was not the case previously. Despite this, though, the song is still strong. The chorus is another of the album's best overall and it really showcases Kennedy as a singer. There is less riffing and guitar-led moments here, with the instruments largely just backing the vocals, but the melodies are so typical of Kennedy's hard rock style and the chorus soars in that earnest way that Alter Bridge have found so much success with over the years. Behind the Veil is much more of a departure, though, and it slows things down quite significantly. It opens with some delicate and slightly bluesy guitar melodies from Kennedy - over which he soon starts to sing in a much more downbeat manner than he has on the album up to this point. The song's opening section is something of a hark back to Year of the Tiger, then, albeit with a brighter overall guitar sound, and it is a welcome change of pace. As the song moves along, though, it does grow in stature and rock harder. Uddin soon starts to add some percussive drums and the song becomes a rocker - but, crucially, it never really feels like Alter Bridge. There are shades of the blues rock of The Ides of March as the song progresses, but in truth it is something different entirely really - with the rhythm section generally driving everything and Kennedy adding off-kilter colour with strange leads and chords whilst singing. His guitar solo feels a bit leftfield, too, and the song overall is a good mix of delicate passages and primal harder rock patterns which differ from the norm. Saving Face is another rocker, but this time there are stronger harks back to The Ides of March. The opening riff is pretty bluesy thanks to a satisfying amount of fuzz and the verses which follow are similar - with a strong bass presence and a more organic guitar tone. Between these two sections, though, is a pretty metallic passage which is typical of the album's earlier sound - and this harder section later forms the basis of the song's chorus. As such, then, the song is a mix of bluesier moments and more anthemic hard rock riffing - with Kennedy delivering some of his classic nasal snarls during the chorus. Eternal Lullaby, unsurprisingly, is a ballad - and it opens with a hypnotic and slow-burning drum pattern over which Kennedy adds some atmospheric chords and gentle vocals. The song has a bigger sound than Year of the Tiger thanks to the production choices made this time, but the ballad shares similarities with that album style-wise - and it is nice to hear Kennedy tone it down a little and deliver something much more emotional. He sings songs like this so well and his voice is full of warmth here, as jangly guitar chords and the rumble of the bass create a strong backing for him. It does feel a bit more intense as it moves along, but it never really rocks out - instead feeling somewhat more cinematic.
Nothing More to Gain returns to heavier territory, with a pretty snappy opening riff which is backed by the occasional drum roll - before the drums kick in properly to provide something of a metallic shuffling groove which transforms the overall vibe of the riff completely. The riff is pretty hard-hitting overall, but the pogoing rhythm gives the song a different feel when compared to the other heavier tracks on the album - so it stands out quite considerably. I quite like the overall feel, though, and there is an infectious, headbanging groove mixed with something of a pop punk vibe - which is not Kennedy's usual style. In truth, the difference is not as stark as I am perhaps making it sound - the rhythms throughout the song are just not the typical hard rock drive that the album generally relies on, so there are limited Alter Bridge comparisons which can be made this time. Despite this infectious rhythm, though, the chorus is not as hooky as it could be vocally - and there is a quieter breakdown-type section later on which features warm chords and calmer vocals. The song is a bit of an odd mix, then, but it does work somewhat. Dead to Rights is much heavier and it returns to the tougher sounds of the early parts of the album - with a very metallic riff and overall groove which would certainly not have sounded out of place with Alter Bridge. Some of the riffing here shows that working with Tremonti over the years has rubbed off on Kennedy quite a lot - as there are juddering patterns which are very much out of Tremonti's riff handbook. If I had heard this song without knowing who it was by, I would have just assumed that it was a new Alter Bridge song - and it might be the song here which is closest to Alter Bridge in style. Given the numerous comparisons I have made throughout this review already, then, that is saying something - and everything just feels much more metallic than most of the other songs here. The only thing which sounds different from Alter Bridge's core sound is the lengthy slide guitar solo, which harks back to The Ides of March somewhat. The album then comes to a close with How the Story Ends, another somewhat slower and more organic piece which opens with some clean guitar melodies and subtle percussion - over which Kennedy soon adds his warm vocals. Despite a bit of a heavier chorus, which has some very Alter Bridge-esque heroic vocal melodies, much of the song is very much rooted in The Ides of March. There are plenty of bluesier touches here and there is generally an organic feel despite the tougher chorus. There are a few different sounds, too, with some subtle Eastern-tinged melodies sitting behind some the verses - but generally this is a bluesier rock song with some organic guitar playing and a few heavier riffs. It is a bit on the longer side, too, with a more expansive and emotive guitar solo - as well as a riffy instrumental section which builds on some of the riffs elsewhere in the song, turning them into something knottier. The dynamic song works well as an album closer due to its length and more expansive sound - and it ends the album on a high. Overall, I like The Art of Letting Go. It is a strong album that has grown on me since first hearing it - but I cannot get past the similarities between it and Alter Bridge's core sound. The more interesting pieces here remind me more of Kennedy's other solo albums, but perhaps the stronger songs melodically are those which sound like Alter Bridge. It seems strange that Kennedy would make an album which sounds so close to his main band - and this is not something he has done before.
The album was released on 11th October 2024 via Napalm Records. Below is Kennedy's promotional video for Say What You Will.
