W.A.S.P. - London Review

Whilst London trips are pretty common for me, this past weekend I headed up to the capital for the first time since June. I have a few more trips to the city planned later in the year, naturally, but I have generally been spending more time elsewhere this year for whatever reason - but it is always good to get back to London for a show. The city contains some of the best venues in the country, and a variety of hotel options often makes a plan doable - even with prices generally rising across the board. The trip back in June contained a strong double bill of Savatage and Jerry Cantrell on consecutive days - but since then I have spent time in Birmingham and Wolverhampton, alongside a bit of a summer recess which tends to happen during the peak festival season. Gigging is back in a big way, though, and October and November are going to be busy - with last weekend's trip to Wolverhampton kicking off this period of busy gig-going, with a local show in Looe thrown in for good measure. The reason for this latest trip to London was a return to the Eventim Apollo for one of the biggest metal icons of the 1980s - with W.A.S.P. returning for their first tour for a couple of years. W.A.S.P. last toured in the UK in 2023, when I caught them playing an old-school set in Wolverhampton - which was a memorable night. It was my first time seeing them for a number of years - as they cancelled a Bristol show just before the doors were due to open in 2017 with no reason or even acknowledgement given - and a following tour fell victim of the pandemic. The 2023 tour felt like a big deal, then, but this current tour actually feels bigger. The reason for this is the fact that the setlist includes the band playing their 1984 self-titled debut album in full - something which they had not done before, meaning that a number of songs in the setlist had not been regularly played live since the early days. Whilst I like W.A.S.P. a lot, they are not always the best at shaking up the setlist - so playing an album in full essentially forces them to do so. The excitement around this setlist has put the band back in some bigger venues, too, and a quick look online suggests that this was the band's first performance at the Apollo since 1992. W.A.S.P. have played in London many times since, but with the sadly no-more Astoria, O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, O2 Forum, and the Roundhouse largely being the venues of choice. Playing somewhere like the Apollo again was likely a risk for the band - but it seems to have paid off as the venue was full throughout the night. It was not as tightly packed as it sometimes is, but there was nevertheless a big crowd in attendance - showing that W.A.S.P. are still a big draw as a live act. The band's UK tour was a little shorter than they often are, though, which perhaps reflected the larger venues played. A handful of shows were played a couple of months ago around their headline appearance at Steelhouse Festival - whilst another three shows were added in around this past weekend. The London show was the last of the three, following successful nights in Newcastle and Manchester. It was with excitement, then, that I joined the long queue not long before the advertised door time - but it was a further half an hour before everyone was let in. Late openings not generally a good sign - and there were clearly delays in setting everything up which later impacted the support act's set.

It was clear when the night's support act, Armored Saint, took to the stage that they had not benefitted from a proper soundcheck. Clearly Phil Sandoval's (guitar) wireless system was not working, so a tech was running around with a cable as the band were taking the stage - and frontman John Bush had microphone issues throughout. I am quite a big Armored Saint fan, and last saw the band last year as part of a rare UK headline tour in Nottingham. The band were on fire that night, but the technical issues somewhat got in the way this time - even if they still delivered a strong performance across the nine songs played. Things seemed largely fine at first, even if Sandoval's guitar was essentially inaudible all set - with opener March of the Saint and the powerful newer cut End of the Attention Span powering through the Apollo even if only Jeff Duncan (guitar/vocals) was really driving them musically. There were clearly quite a few Armored Saint fans in attendance, so the band did not have to do much to whip up a bit of an atmosphere - and there was some singing during the band's more well-known tracks. Bush was clearly having issues with his wireless microphone, though, and decided to swap to the spare one after the second song. I am not sure what the issue was as he could be heard clearly, but he was not happy for whatever reason - but the spare microphone did not work at all. He ended up using Duncan's microphone for the next two songs, which created a strange atmosphere as he was stood to the side of the stage singing - whilst needing to get out of the way to allow Duncan to access his pedal board. During instrumental sections he went off to talk to the crew, but no-one seemed to be helping him. Someone tried something with a cable briefly - but it all ended up looking quite unprofessional and Bush was, rightly, frustrated with what was going on. In the end he just gave up and took Duncan's microphone out of its stand and proceeded to use it for the rest of the set - although he was limited as to were he could go with it because of the cable. The set picked up some pace again from this point, following a couple of more static numbers, with the big Left Hook from Right Field feeling fitting following the issues - whilst other more recent cuts like Standing on the Shoulders of Giants and Win Hands Down also impressed. The dual guitar solo sections felt strange, though, as Duncan's guitar was clear and Sandoval's was not. As such, when Sandoval soloed there was very little to be heard - and it is amazing that no-one seemed to want to fix this issue either. Armored Saint were let down a bit by the crew I think, which I do not like saying as crews keep shows on the road - but very little was seemingly being done to sort the very obvious issues, and clearly the band were having to pay for whatever delays had caused the doors to open late. The crowd were largely on board, though, and the big oldies which finished the set, Can U Deliver and Reign of Fire, attracted a strong reception - meaning that a troubled set ended on a high. The setlist was:

March of the Saint

End of the Attention Span

Long Before I Die

Last Train Home

Left Hook from Right Field

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Win Hands Down

Can U Deliver

Reign of Fire

Half an hour or so later, following Armored Saint's gear being cleared and Blackie Lawless' (vocals/guitar) huge microphone stand being screwed into place, the lights went down and a lengthy intro tape with a number of W.A.S.P. songs mashed together was played over the PA. W.A.S.P. have been using this intro tape for years, and the stage set with all of the circus-like banners was reused from the last tour, but the setlist was quite different - and when the band walked on and launched into I Wanna Be Somebody the place went wild. The song is not generally used as an opener, something which Lawless remarked upon later, but the big anthem worked well as such - with a short intro allowing the band to get going before Lawless started to sing. The main set consisted of the self-titled album played from start to finish. As such, this meant that two big hits were up first - with the aforementioned I Wanna Be Somebody and L.O.V.E. Machine setting an anthemic tone. Given that these two songs were up first, it took no time at all for the crowd to be on side. The singing during both of the tracks rang around the venue - with lots of fist pumping down at the front as Lawless prowled around the stage and snarled the vocals with his usual venom. The current line-up of W.A.S.P. has been around since 2017 now and are extremely tight. Drummer Aquiles Priester really nails that busy W.A.S.P. drum sound perfectly, his background in progressive metal allowing him to really lay into the tracks, whilst Doug Blair (guitar/vocals) really carried the show. Lawless plays rhythm guitar, but much of the main riffing and soloing comes from Blair - and the riffy debut album allowed him plenty of chances to shine. There were quite a few songs in the main set that I had not seen the band do live before - and others which I had only heard snippets of as part of medleys. The Flame was one of the latter, and it was great to hear the underrated anthem in full, but both B.A.D. and School Daze had not been in the set for years - with the latter in particular really impressing live. B.A.D. is probably the album's weakest track, but live it felt a little more powerful - before setlist regulars Hellion and On Your Knees came along later to showcase the true W.A.S.P. power. Sandwiched between the two, though, was the ballad Sleeping (in the Fire) - which allowed the band to slow things down somewhat, and it also acted as a solo spot for Blair. He closed out the song with a lengthy and melodic solo which the crowd really enjoyed. By this point the main set was nearly over, though, and it was left to the creepingly heavy Tormentor and the riffy The Torture Never Stops, both rarely played pieces, to close things out. Following a brief step off the stage, the band returned with a four-song encore - although the first two 'songs' were quite lengthy medleys containing some other classic hits. The first one was largely made up of Inside the Electric Circus and I Don't Need No Doctor, with a little bit of Scream Until You Like It thrown in - whilst the second was more sombre with The Real Me, ballad Forever Free, and the brooding The Headless Children, with plenty of WWII imagery on the screens, creating a darker atmosphere. Following that, it was left to two big anthems to close things out, with Wild Child and Blind in Texas bringing an old-school and powerful set to a bouncy end. The setlist was:

I Wanna Be Somebody

L.O.V.E. Machine

The Flame

B.A.D.

School Daze

Hellion

Sleeping (in the Fire)

On Your Knees

Tormentor

The Torture Never Stops

-

The Big Welcome

Inside the Electric Circus/I Don't Need No Doctor [Ray Charles cover]/Scream Until You Like It

The Real Me [The Who cover]/Forever Free/The Headless Children

Wild Child

Blind in Texas

Despite getting into the venue late and Armored Saint's set being compromised by technical issues, I still had a great night last night in London - on what happened to be my birthday. I always enjoy seeing W.A.S.P. live, and it was good that the setlist was shaken up a bit on this tour - so it was probably the best show by the band I had seen since their big anniversary tour in 2012. The setlist was great and the band sounded powerful - plus it was nice to see them pulling such large numbers in a classic old venue again. W.A.S.P. continue to be an enduring force on the metal scene - and hopefully they will continue to do their thing for years to come.

Marillion - Kernowfornia Festival Review

It is very rare that I see a band live in Cornwall. Since the Cornwall Coliseum closed for good in 2003, although in truth the venue had been on the decline for many years before that, bands very rarely venture to Cornwall - with the South West in particular being a bit of a wasteland when it comes to regular live music. Plymouth and Exeter occasionally do their bit, and Torquay seems to be really trying to make itself the South West's live music hotspot, but Cornwall really lags behind - with Falmouth and Truro really the only places which occasionally host bands of note. The seaside town of Looe, though, has often held festivals on its beach under various guises - and this year the latest attempt at a long-running festival for the town, Kernowfornia, kicked off. A weekend-long affair, the festival boasts national and local artists playing over two stages on the town's beach - and it picks up where other long-standing festivals left off over the years. Looe is not somewhere that I had been for many, many years - but upon seeing that one of my all-time favourite bands Marillion were to headline the first night of the festival I knew that that would change, so it was with excitement yesterday that I headed down into Cornwall for an evening of live music. It should be noted, though, that this piece is purely a review of Marillion's set. Whilst I had a day ticket for the festival, I only attended in the evening - getting to the site just when The Magic Numbers, who were the third 'biggest' on the bill, were finishing their set. I will not cover the festival as a whole, then, as I did not really engage with it in a meaningful way. There were a couple of prog-adjacent bands earlier in the day, such as Pure Reason Revolution and Haunt the Woods, who would have been worth checking out - but in an effort to save precious annual leave I worked yesterday - meaning that I did not get to Looe until after 5pm. After getting some dinner in a local pub, too, which did not start serving food until 6pm despite the town being full of festival-goers, much of the festival's first day had passed by at that point. The pub meal was decent, though, despite seemingly much of the menu being 'off' - and it was a pleasant way to spend an hour or so before heading down to the festival site itself. The town was surprisingly shut down, with the local businesses clearly not enterprising enough to capitalise on the festival-goers - but the festival site itself was buzzing. With a large bar and a few food options - perhaps people were happy with the on-site provisions - but given that it was possible to come and go throughout the day I am surprised that more of the shops were not open late. Thankfully the weather was decent throughout the day - with the rain holding off. It did get a little chilly in the evening but that is to be expected - and it did not seem to put off any festival-goers as the site seemed busy throughout. Whilst I was on-site for Brit-poppers Embrace's set, I cannot say that I was really paying attention enough to review them. They were pleasant enough, but they did not hold my attention - so it was only Marillion that I was there to see. Funnily enough, and despite the above, this was my second time seeing the band in Cornwall - having previously seen them at Carnglaze Caverns back in 2009.

Following the band's gear being fairly hastily set up following Embrace's set, the band took to the stage with very little fanfare. There was no atmospheric intro music to set the scene - with frontman Steve Hogarth casually addressing the crowd before the opening drum loop of the poppy anthem You're Gone got the show underway. I was unsure which route the band would take setlist-wise with this headline slot - but they decided to largely focus on the poppier and slightly more anthemic side of their songwriting. There was less of the band's proggy, atmospheric side on show, despite a plenty of fans in the crowd, but this was probably wise given the likely number of casual fans and those who knew little about the band in attendance. They had around 90 minutes to play with, which is less than the band would usually play for, but they made it count with a 14-song setlist which impressed die-hards and casuals alike. It helped, too, that the live sound mix was excellent. Hogarth's voice was loud and clear throughout - and the emotive soloing of Steve Rothery (guitar) also really stood out as a result. Following the hooks of You're Gone, though, there was a brief pause whilst an issue with Mark Kelly's keyboard rig was fixed, during which time Hogarth told a story about having a crab sandwich earlier in the day. He was in a cheeky mood all night, and spoke with the crowd a lot - and he elicited a few laughs during the delay, but thankfully once the issue was fixed the show proceeded without incident. A suite from 1994's Brave followed this enforced break, with a couple of sections from the lengthy Goodbye to All That creating a bouncy atmosphere before the more plaintive and emotional The Great Escape introduced the uninitiated to the band's more dense approach. The fixed keyboards really powered through here - with Hogarth delivering the song in his usually acrobatic way. This suite saw the band through the initial wobbles - but I think it is fair to say that a powerful rendition of Afraid of Sunlight really brought the set to life. The piano-led pseudo-ballad is played live regularly for a reason - and it exploded out of the speakers as the band ran through it, with Hogarth's bridge vocals especially powerful. There were no real surprises in the set, with another live favourite in Easter coming soon after, during which Rothery delivered one of his best solos, but there were still songs I had not seen the band do live before. Despite having seen the band many times, I had never seen them perform big singles Kayleigh and Lavender before - but the 1980s hits were wheeled out for the casuals and everyone sang along. I had not seen the band do Beautiful live for many years, either, so that soaring pop anthem was a real treat - whilst the newer, denser The Crow and the Nightingale showcased where the band are now, as much of the material played was older. By this point the end of the main set was in sight, but the acoustic-led, jaunty Man of a Thousand Faces proved to be a hit with the crowd, during which Kelly played a busy piano solo. It was left to the epic King to close out the main set - and there were plenty of cheers to call the band back for more. There was time for a bit more, thankfully, and the only real true lengthy epic of the night Neverland was deployed. Hogarth sang the song with all of his usual power and delicacy - whilst the lengthy closing section contained a lot of atmospheric guitar playing. The final section of newer cut Care acted as a great coda to the prog epic, too, and the night came to an emotional close. The setlist was:

You're Gone

Wave

Mad

The Great Escape

Afraid of Sunlight

Easter

Kayleigh

Lavender

The Crow and the Nightingale

Beautiful

Man of a Thousand Faces

King

-

Neverland

Care - Part IV: Angels on Earth

Whilst I did not really engage with the festival properly, and felt like a bit of an interloper turning up to essentially watch one band, I nevertheless had an excellent evening in Looe last night with Marillion. The band brought their all and delivered a great, festival-friendly set to a decent-sized and appreciative crowd - and I would not be surprised if a few casuals were converted as a result of the big hooks and emotional guitar solos on offer. The band are currently working on a new album, which I look forward to hearing in due course - and I hope that next year sees a proper tour from the band, too.

Primal Fear's 'Domination' - Album Review

Whilst Primal Fear are one of those dependable bands who tend to release an enjoyable album every couple of years which sounds very similar to all of their other ones - I think that it is fair to say that the last few years have not been easy for the German-based five-piece. The first big stumbling block was the health of founding bassist and songwriter Mat Sinner. Whilst I am not exactly sure what was wrong with him, it has been suggested that he really was not well at all for a couple of years - and even when the band's last album, 2023's Code Red (which I reviewed here), dropped he was still not well enough to tour with them despite performing on and producing it. Thankfully, Sinner seems to be much better now - and has been back on the road with the band this year which has been good to see. Alongside frontman Ralph Scheepers, Sinner is the only other original member left from the band's 1997 founding - and he has always been key to Primal Fear's sound from both a songwriting and a production perspective, so a Primal Fear without him would likely be quite a different band. The second stumbling block, too, was what was likely quite a messy line-up schism - which left Scheepers, Sinner, and long-time guitarist Magnus Karlsson the only members left standing. Guitarists Tom Naumann and Alex Beyrodt, the former of whom was a founding member and on his third stint with the band, and drummer Michael Ehré all left the band at the same time last year - alongside touring substitute Alex Jansen who had been filling in for Sinner. The four stated that internal band decisions which they did not agree with led to them leaving - and no more information other than that has since come out. Naumann had been in the band for a number of years over his three stints and Beyrodt started playing live with them in 2009. Ehré was newer, but nevertheless a lot of experience departed when the three members called it quits - even if Scheepers, Sinner, and Karlsson have been the band's main songwriting trio since Karlsson came on board in 2008. Karlsson's membership of Primal Fear has often been a strange one, though, as he has rarely toured with the band - which is why they contained three guitarists for many years as he was generally absent live. That is no longer the case, though, as he now seems to be a fully signed up touring member - whilst the core trio have since been joined by guitarist Thalìa Bellazecca (Frozen Crown; Angus McSix) and drummer André Hilgers (Silent Force; Axxis; Rage; Sinner; Bonfire; Sonic Heaven). The result of this new Primal Fear line-up is the band's fifteenth studio album Domination - which was released earlier in the month. Following two years on from Code Red, Domination is very much a typical Primal Fear album. The band's core mix of Judas Priest-esque traditional metal and the gritty end of European power metal is very much alive and well here - with the core trio writing a number of memorable songs. The first half of the album may well be the band's strongest set of songs in years and, whilst it is too long overall, this could well be an album which is looked back on in the future as a bit of a late career highlight.

Of the 13 songs here, the first eight are essentially all excellent. The pre-release singles come early, but a good mix of mid-paced and faster songs gives the band's classic sound room to breathe - and this is very much an album which channels what fans would expect. Opening with The Hunter, the album gets underway in fine fashion. A melodic, majestic guitar lead opens the song, with a slow-burning riff behind it, before the song gets underway proper as a mid-paced slab of melodic power metal. The track is perhaps not as gritty as Primal Fear can often be, and will be later in this album, with Scheepers generally singing in a somewhat cleaner manner than he is largely known for. Mid-paced double bass drum patterns and anthemic riffing keeps the song moving, whilst Scheepers' more melodic vocals dominate the hooky verses - whilst the occasional gruffer line is utilised for a point of difference. The use of a more melodic vocal style is also utilised during the soaring chorus - which is one of many big anthems here. Scheepers uses some higher-pitched clean melodies here to really cut through the guitar riffing and slightly more intense drumming which takes over - but all of the vocal lines are easy on the ear and lodge into the brain after a couple of listens. It is the sort of chorus which works well to draw a listener in from the off - and the following guitar solo section sees plenty of harmony leads and shredded passages. Destroyer is another pretty mid-paced track overall, but it feels much crunchier compared to the opening number - with Judas Priest-esque riffs driving everything. A simple, pounding bassline is at the centre of everything - whilst the chugging riffs and occasional harmony guitar leads are akin to those which have been filling Judas Priest's albums since the 1980s. Given the song's overall weight, Scheepers generally sings in a gruffer manner throughout - with the verses in particular sounding tough thanks to a good mix of gritty lines and the occasional higher-pitched shriek. The chorus is a bit more power metal-esque in the vein of the previous song, but it is feels heavier overall thanks to the main groove being retained - with the main guitar solo section building on the same groove. The bombastic single Far Away ups the pace quite significantly - and acts as the album's first speedy power metal anthem after two mid-paced tracks. Hilgers' double bass drumming drives everything, whilst simpler guitar riffing allows the vocals to shine - albeit with the occasional knotty riff or lead thrown in. The opening harmony guitar leads act as something of a hook which is returned to occasionally, whilst the verses generally feature a simple musical backing to allow Scheepers dominate. The pace does not change for the chorus, either, which features the opening guitar melodies behind Scheepers' soaring, melodic vocal hooks - which see him singing again in a cleaner manner. The combination of the song's speed and the melodies found in both the chorus and the guitar hooks make the song an instant hit - whilst a dual neo-classical guitar solo section is full of bombast and a sparkly synth backing.

Slowing the pace down again, I Am the Primal Fear is one of the album's best tracks. The mid-paced groovy piece has some Accept-esque hints at times, with the main riff coming from the 1980s oeuvre of that band - whilst a sparse verse which features Sinner's lone bass, some occasional synths, and guitars looming out of the dark occasionally sets a great, creeping tone thanks to the ever-present bass pulse and Scheepers sounding as vital as ever. The Teutonic sound of the song is fitting given that Primal Fear are a German band - but Accept are not as common a comparison for them as Judas Priest generally are. The chorus moves away from the crunchy Accept-like verses, though, instead going for something more anthemic with a power metal sheen. The vocals have a little bit of polish on them it seems, which help them to sound extra clean against a crunchy backing, but the mid-paced feel and Scheepers' forceful delivery help the chorus to be one of the album's best moments. Tears of Fire feels a bit more up-tempo following the precise groove of the last track, but it is not exactly an especially speedy song - and is largely another mid-paced track despite the opening guitar harmonies feeling pretty busy and parts of the verses being propelled by double bass drum patterns. In truth, Primal Fear tend to operate best when utilising mid-paced tempos in my opinion. They allow the band's anthemic side to shine - and this is another song which does that well. The chorus is a good mix of power metal melody with traditional metal high-pitched screams during a crunchy follow-up - whilst the verses build from a clean guitar opening motif to the aforementioned faster section. There are a lot of guitar leads here, too, with parts of the verses and the chorus benefitting from some melodic playing - whilst a later shredded solo section builds on these moments. Heroes and Gods maintains the album's general love of a mid-paced arrangement - but it ups the heaviness quite a bit, making it one of the crunchiest tracks up to this point. The main riff does feel a bit pacier than many heard so far, but it is not out-and-out speed akin to Far Away - and generally there is still a strong groove which retains that Judas Priest-esque feel. Despite this, though, there are some thrashier moments here which up the pace for a brief period - with a pre-chorus seeing much faster drumming taking hold whilst the band thrash away and Scheepers channels some of his grittiest vocal power. The chorus is a real fists-in-the-air anthem, too, and shoots melodically and slower from this thrashy pre-chorus moment - with a groove retained alongside some subtle gang vocals and keyboards adding depth. Hallucinations is then a rare instrumental from the band. They have done a few in the past but they are not something guaranteed on every album - and the slow-burning piece acts as a moment of calm following the heavier previous track. Piano melodies open things up, before the rest of the song is essentially given over to the two guitarists soloing and laying down hooky and interweaving melodies. It is fairly short at around two and a half minutes, so does not outstay its welcome, but it works well as a mid-album cleanser.

The instrumental sets the tone for the ballad Eden that follows - which features guest vocals from Melissa Bonny (Evenmore; Rage of Light; Ad Infinitum; The Dark Side of the Moon). Bonny and Scheepers tend to sing together throughout the song, which opens slowly with some clean guitar melodies, before a version of the song's chorus hits early doors featuring the two singing together. Scheepers sings the verse which follows on his own, with the intro clean guitars returning alongside a sombre drum groove and some keyboard depth. Bonny's chorus harmonies add a subtle gothic and symphonic edge - especially given the prominence given to keyboards here and the simplicity of the dark guitar backing. It is a shame that Bonny does not really get to shine on her own here, but her harmonies do add a lot to the song - and I like the symphonic edge throughout. There are some quieter moments which use string synths to create a dramatic sound - whilst percussive drumming and rumbling bass help to conjure up a dramatic atmosphere. Cleaner bridge sections and slow-burning melodic guitar solos ensure that the smouldering ballad is another big highlight here. Following this run of eight excellent songs, the rest of the album does not quite maintain the same standard. There is nothing wrong with what follows, but Domination is certainly frontloaded - and Scream is a very solid song which just does not hit as hard as what has come before. I think the main issue with Scream is the lack of a really great chorus. The song has lots of things to recommend, such as a barrelling opening riff, Scheepers pulling of some Tim 'Ripper' Owens-esque screams, and verses with a somewhat different construction to the norm thanks to a guitar lead base - but the chorus is a bit of a let down following these strong ingredients. There are Accept-like comparisons to be made here, but not in a positive way. Accept choruses can sometimes just be the song's title chanted in a monotonous way, and that is essentially what Primal Fear do here - although there is a little more to it than that. Given the big hooks which have come before the song just feels a little rote as a result of this chanting - despite some decent melodies elsewhere. The Dead Don't Die is a pretty groovy piece - and the lumbering rocker has a similar overall feel to I Am the Primal Fear in places, but the arrangement and hooks are just not as strong. Similar to the previous song, too, the lack of a really great chorus is a mark against it. What acts as the song's chorus feels more like a great lengthy pre-chorus which is building towards something really epic that never comes. This is a feeling which always somewhat ruins a song for me as it feels like a real missed opportunity - but I still like the way the song grooves in the verses and the surprisingly simple and folky guitar solo segment.

Crossfire is the song from the album's back end that I like the most, though, and it gets the closest to the quality that was on display during the albums first two thirds. Whilst not as fast, it certainly has shades of Far Away in so far as it has a bit of a shiny power metal feel - with Scheepers' chorus vocals in particular sounding very clean. The verses are more propelling than truly crunchy, too, with double bass drumming more present and the lack of a slower groove. Scheepers contrasts with himself vocally throughout, too, with grittier vocals during these pulsing verses and the aforementioned clean delivery filling the chorus. Due to the presence of hooky guitar leads during the chorus, too, it is another very memorable one - and it really drew me back in following the lack of strong choruses during the last couple of tracks. The hooky and hard-driving song is a late-album highlight following a couple of lesser pieces - and it is the last real winner here in my opinion. March Boy March opens with marching noises which go on for quite a while, much longer than is necessary, before another crunching riff takes over. It seems as if the song is going to be another mid-paced, riffy track - but the band suddenly speed up in somewhat of a jarring manner and the verses are pretty thrashy. These verses are easily the fastest and most intense moments on the album - but they do not really fit with everything else around them. They feel too intense given the more riffy and groovy nature of much of the rest of the album - whilst the song's chorus itself also returns something more typical of the album's core sound. It is one of those songs which just feels a bit stitched together using leftover sections cut from other songs as a result - and there is no real flow to the piece. This feeling is accentuated during a strange, slightly symphonic instrumental section which comes later - which then gives way to a more typical solo section. The whole vibe of the song is strange - and it is not a favourite for the reasons given. The album then comes to a close with A Tune I Won't Forget - which is maybe the most un-Primal Fear song the band have ever recorded. The smoky piano ballad barely sounds like the band at all - and Scheepers sounds more like Tom Waits during parts of it than any metal singer. When I first heard this song I was so unsure what I was hearing, as Primal Fear are not known for their experimental moments, but the more I have heard the album the more I quite like the strange way it ends. The song is quite short, but it is interesting hearing Scheepers sing in a manner which is totally unlike his usual style for large portions of the song - although he does sing in a more typical manner towards the end when the rest of the band kick in and a slower, heavier section takes over. Slower songs do not always work well as album closers but this one does - and I like the rare left turn from the band here. Overall, then, despite some fat on the back end, Domination is another very solid album from Primal Fear - which contains some of their best songs in recent years. There is a lot to like here and the riffing and chorus game from the band is very much on point. The band have come through some tricky times by delivering another good album - and I am sure there will be more to come in the future.

The album was released on 5th September 2025 via Reigning Phoenix Music. Below is the band's promotional video for The Hunter.

Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts - Wolverhampton Review

Whilst I am now back at home, I am still reflecting on a great weekend away in Wolverhampton. As I mentioned in yesterday's post about FM's excellent showing in the city on Friday night, the Black Country city has become a real hotbed of live music again in recent years - with KK's Steel Mill and the Civic Hall complex providing a great mix of different venues. KK's Steel Mill has become one of the country's premier mid-sized rock venues, able to be presented in a number of configurations depending on the number of tickets sold, and it seems to be becoming one of the first names on any tour itinerey - comparable with somewhere like Nottingham's Rock City. KK's Steel Mill is certainly one of my favourite venues at this point - so it was great to go there two nights in a row, as Saturday saw me heading back to the former industrial building to catch The Almighty/Black Star Riders frontman Ricky Warwick on a solo tour - backed by his band The Fighting Hearts. I last saw Warwick as a solo artist back in 2022, also with The Fighting Hearts, but since then I have seen him live a further three times - once with Black Star Riders in 2023 and twice with the reformed The Almighty in 2023 and 2024 (the latter also at KK's Steel Mill). I will also be seeing The Almighty live again in November, this time in Nottingham, so Warwick will be something of a feature of the second half of 2025 for me. Whilst The Almighty's reunion has been a big deal, including a couple of short UK tours, a trip to Japan, and a few festival appearances - the band seem to be deliberately keeping things relatively low key. They seem to be having a great time, but perhaps new material and lengthy tours are not something that they want - so Warwick's main creative outlet now seems to be via his solo albums. Whilst Black Star Riders still exist, there has been very little activity from them since 2023's 10th anniversary tour. In truth, I am not sure that I am really interested in a Black Star Riders without Scott Gorham and that link back to Thin Lizzy which made the band special - and given the lack of news despite a couple of festival-type appearances following the tour, The Almighty's reunion, and his continuing solo career, it feels like the band are low on Warwick's list of going concerns currently. Warwick's last couple of solo albums have not been all that different to the last couple of Black Star Riders albums in any case - and Warwick's latest effort Blood Ties (which I reviewed here) was an album I enjoyed quite a bit earlier in the year. Warwick's solo shows tend to include material from throughout his career, too, meaning that his current setlist includes plenty of solo material alongside songs by The Almighty, despite the reunion, and Black Star Riders - alongside some fun covers. Following a wet day in Wolverhampton, including a rare fruitless trip to a record shop, I headed back to KK's Steel Mill, in the pouring rain, 24 hours on from the last trip - ready for another good night of live rock.

Unlike the previous night, there was no saga relating to the support act. From the off, CJ Wildheart and his band were on the bill - and it was great to catch CJ again for a third time in a relatively short period. I saw him headline in Plymouth last year and open for Michael Monroe in Bristol earlier this year - and the growing crowd enjoyed 45 minutes or so of ballsy, punky rock from CJ whilst they were waiting for Warwick. With a good mix of material from his solo albums and previous bands, CJ's set was different from the one played on the Monroe tour. Instead of focusing on latest album Slots, CJ drew from a few of his more recent solo albums - with the slightly older Kick Down the Walls kicking things off. As is generally the case at KK's Steel Mill, CJ and his band sounded powerful. His guitar, alongside that of Dean McCreadie (guitar/vocals), sounded tough and raw - which allowed tracks like The Baddest Girl in the World to really shine. CJ's music veers from poppy punk to heavy metal and back again, often via Cheap Trick-esque power pop, and there was a good amount of variety on show as a result. The slightly more bubble-gum sounds of Lemonade Girl, culled from his days with The Jellys, and the anthemic hard rock of Honeycrack's Go Away turned the clock back to CJ's 1990s adventures sans The Wildhearts - and it is great that CJ operating as a solo artist allows these long-defunct bands to be represented live once again. Honeycrack's sole album in particular has become a bit of a favourite - so hearing a couple of songs from it again was a treat. The focus, though, was wisely on solo material with the heavy State of Us shaking the venue's foundation - whilst the somewhat more anthemic and sing-a-long All You Rude Boys directed at CJ's fellow Londoners. Another melodic feast later came in the form of Honeycrack's Sitting at Home - but the crowd really came alive for the last couple of numbers, which were culled from The Wildhearts' back catalogue. The fan-favourite Stormy in the North, Karma in the South saw plenty of singing in the room, whilst the lengthy and somewhat proggy O.C.D. brought CJ's 45 or so minutes to a strident close. The setlist was:

Kick Down the Walls

The Baddest Girl in the World

Lemonade Girl [The Jellys material]

Go Away [Honeycrack material]

Another Big Mistake

State of Us

All You Rude Boys

Sitting at Home [Honeycrack material]

Stormy in the North, Karma in the South [The Wildhearts material]

O.C.D. [The Wildhearts material]

It is amazing what a name can do. Last year I saw Warwick, fronting The Almighty, play to a sold out KK's Steel Mill - but on his own he drew a much smaller crowd, and the set-up had not been changed from FM's smaller arrangement the night before. There was still a decent turnout, though, and a few hundred rockers were soon gathered ready for a lengthy set of Warwick's no-nonsense hard rock - which largely drew from his solo albums but also took in his work with other bands and a few choice covers. Backed by The Fighting Hearts: Leigh Heggarty (guitar/vocals), Richard Vernon (bass guitar/vocals), and Jack Taylor (drums); Warwick kicked off his lengthy, 22-song set with the fast-paced, somewhat punky, You're My Rock 'n' Roll and the more mid-paced Wishing Your Life Away. Half of the new album was played, alongside plenty of other solo favourites - but the early portion of the set also showcased the variety to come with Thin Lizzy's Are You Ready, Black Star Riders' When the Night Comes In, and The Almighty's Do You Understand all impressing the crowd. Given his punk/ska background with Ruts DC, too, Heggarty really impressed as a guitar player. He shone on the Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders cuts especially, with fluid solo after fluid solo coming from his fingers, but the whole band were tight - with Taylor feeling weightier than I remember him being when I last saw Warwick in 2022. It was nice to hear a few Almighty tunes despite the reunion, although only three were played this time - with an increase in Black Star Riders representation instead. The focus was largely on Warwick's solo material, though, with the melodic Angels of Desolation, the folky oldie Three Sides of Every Story, and the semi-ballad Don't Leave Me in the Dark (sadly sans Lita Ford) all impressing during the set's first half. Warwick has always been an engaging frontman, too, and he took quite a few opportunities to talk to the crowd about some of the songs - and there was some good banter between him and the crowd at points, too, leading to a great atmosphere. Each song was greeted by big cheers, but perhaps Another State of Grace received one of the loudest - with Warwick and Heggarty teaming up nicely for the harmony guitar leads. A shout-along version of Jonestown Mind and Thin Lizzy's slinky Jailbreak were also fondly welcomed by the crowd - whilst a rendition of The Heartbreakers' Born to Lose showcased Warwick's punk roots nicely. The folk punk of Schwaben Redoubt also brought a punk sound to the fore of the band's sound - but solo tracks like Celebrating Sinking and The Crickets Stayed in Clovis just showcase Warwick's strong, storytelling songwriting approach. There is almost a heartland rock feel to much of Warwick's solo material so there was a real warmth in the room throughout much of the evening. The Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders cuts played fed into that vibe, too, especially Kingdom of the Lost which was deployed near the end. The folky overtones filled the room, and the crowd lapped them all up - before everyone sang along to The Almighty's hit Free 'n' Easy. The night felt like a big celebration by this point - and Finest Hour and Fighting Heart brought an excellent set to a rousing and melodic close. The setlist was:

You're My Rock 'n' Roll

Wishing Your Life Away

Are You Ready [Thin Lizzy material]

When the Night Comes In [Black Star Riders material]

Do You Understand [The Almighty material]

Angels of Desolation

Three Sides of Every Story

When Life Was Hard and Fast

Don't Leave Me in the Dark

Another State of Grace [Black Star Riders material]

Rise and Grind

Jonestown Mind [The Almighty material]

Jailbreak [Thin Lizzy material]

Born to Lose [The Heartbreakers cover]

Celebrating Sinking

That'll Be the Day [Buddy Holly cover]/The Crickets Stayed in Clovis

Schwaben Redoubt

When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (and Guy Mitchell Sang the Blues)

Kingdom of the Lost [Black Star Riders material]

Free 'n' Easy [The Almighty material]

Finest Hour [Black Star Riders material]

Fighting Heart

Sometimes the second of two gigs on the trot can suffer a little from fatigue from the previous night - and that could have easily happened here given how much I love FM. Thankfully, though, it did not. It was very much a joyous evening from the off - with Warwick delivering memorable song after memorable song with his usual good humour and a tight band behind him. The crowd were into it from the off, too, and a great opening set from CJ Wildheart also helped make the evening in Wolverhampton yet another memorable one.

FM - Wolverhampton Review

It feels like a while since I last went to a gig. Whilst in truth it was only a month or so ago, when Kerry King brought his solo band to Bristol for an excellent night of old-school thrash, for some reason the gap between nights out felt a long one - so it was with excitement that I was looking forward to the weekend away which I am now home from. In recent years, one of my favourite cities to go to for gigs is Wolverhampton. There is nothing particularly special about the city itself, and many would likely decry it, but it has become one of the best places in the country for mid-sized gigs since KK's Steel Mill opened a few years ago - and particularly since the Civic Hall complex re-opened following years of renovation. The city became a real live music wasteland whilst the Civic Hall was closed - but the opening of KK's Steel Mill changed that, with the old industrial building now one of the best venues of its size in the country. It is generally a place I get to a few times a year now - but I had not been to the city since January before this past weekend, when I saw Magnum on their short tribute tour to the late Tony Clarkin. I have a couple more trips to look forward to before the end of the year - but it is time to turn our attention to the first show of the weekend, which took place on Friday. Part of the reason for the trip to the West Midlands from Devon was the latest tour by the UK AOR heroes FM. The melodic rock band have become a real fixture on the UK touring circuit again over recent years. When I first got into them around a decade ago they were still only a few years into their reunion and touring felt somewhat more sporadic - but now they seem to be really going for it again. Last year was a busy one, as the band celebrated their 40th anniversary with an album and a lengthy tour - where I caught them in Exeter. I was not expecting 2025 to be quite so busy, then, but FM have been plugging away yet again - undertaking an acoustic tour earlier in the year, which sadly I did not get to, and they are now part-way through another tour to support the newly released album Brotherhood (which I reviewed here). I was not expecting another album from the band this year given that one only dropped last year - but FM are nothing if not prolific, and the latest effort is another very solid and enjoyable slab of AOR. They are a band who are always worth seeing live, too. Apart from Mostly Autumn and The Quireboys they are my most-seen act - largely as they tour pretty regularly now and mostly as they are just so good. Unlike some, they are pretty good at mixing things up setlist-wise, even if there are some ever-presents, and I have never been to an FM show where the band disappointed or where they had a poor live sound mix. They get it right every time - and that is partly what keeps me coming back. The Exeter show last year was no different in terms of the band's usual quality - and I went into KK's Steel Mill with a few hundred others on Friday night expecting more of the same.

One of the reasons I chose to go to the Wolverhampton show, apart from how good the venue is, was that Tygers of Pan Tang were originally supposed to be the support act. The tour has had a few support acts, but the Tygers were the most appealing - but they dropped off the tour a couple of months ago for unclear reasons. They were replaced by Rosalie Cunningham, which I was pleased with as I am quite a big fan of her - but she also dropped off the tour a few days beforehand due to illness. Both Tygers of Pan Tang and Rosalie Cunningham are acts I have had cancel on me a few times now - particularly the former who do seem a little flaky. It was a shame not to see either, but blues rock singer/guitarist Jack J Hutchinson, who had supported the band at some of the dates earlier in the tour was drafted in at the last minute - and provided 30 or so minutes of entertainment as the crowd was growing. I was familiar with Hutchinson in name only, so it was good to finally get a chance to see him. Bluesy hard rock trios are not always my favourite sort of entertainment - but for half an hour I largely enjoyed what Hutchinson and his band did. Whilst perhaps not the strongest of singers for ballsy blues rock, although his voice was certainly not unpleasant, his guitar playing was riffy and full of character - whilst the busy and somewhat funky bass playing of Greg Smith (not the former Rainbow/Ted Nugent bassist) added a lot of depth considering there was no rhythm guitar or keyboard player on the stage. Whilst there were a few in attendance who seemed familiar with Hutchinson's work, I would guess by the initial reactions that most were not. The applause following his songs was quite muted at first, but the crowd seemed to grow into Hutchinson's set - and I generally enjoyed it more as it went along, too. The single Bullets was a bit of an early highlight, with a strong riff and a decent chorus; but perhaps the song which really seemed to get everyone on board was the later ballad I Will Follow You - written about Hutchinson's father suffering with dementia. The song definitely seemed to resonate with many, and Hutchinson's smoother voice worked well for the song - as he managed to fill it with plenty of emotion. Some singing from the crowd was included, too, and Hutchinson's guitar solo was also powerful. It was left to another powerful rocker in Constellations to finish off what was quite a short set - but it was one that was enjoyable despite Hutchinson perhaps not having quite enough grit in his voice to back up his riffing. There were songs played that I certainly would not mind hearing again - and I am glad to finally have put a face to the name.

Following Hutchinson's gear being cleared from the stage, and a flurry of 1980s hit being played over the venue's PA, the lights went down and FM took to the stage to an atmospheric backing - with the band immediately launching into the anthemic Synchronized. As with every previous FM show that I have attended, the band's sound mix was loud and clear from the off - with frontman Steve Overland's voice cutting through the mix, Jem Davis (keyboards/harmonica/vocals) was also high in the mix, and the snappy riffing of Jim Kirkpatrick (guitar/vocals) sounded powerful. The track has been used as an opener on and off since it was released a few years ago - and it set the tone for what was time come nicely, before the older anthem I Belong to the Night hit the crowd with a classic early on. As is always the case at an FM show, too, the crowd were really into it. The atmosphere from the off was fantastic - and as the set proceeded the singing from the crowd only increased. It helped, too, that the setlist was quite different from last year's effort. Three songs from the new album were included, alongside a few different cuts from other recent albums which had not been played live before, as well as some old favourites which had not been played live for a while. There were plenty of setlist staples played, too, though, both old and new. One of the newer favourites, Turn This Car Around, proved to be an early sing-a-long - whilst 1980s anthems Someday and Let Love Be the Leader sounded as good live as they ever do. With the latest album being another solid effort, hearing both Living on the Run and Don't Call It Love fairly early on was a lot of fun. The latter in particular really came alive on stage - and I feel like the song may become a setlist staple. Building on this, hearing some other newer cuts live for the first time also made the gig a memorable one. The smooth blues of Black Water was one of the set's overall highlights - with Kirkpatrick delivering a brilliant guitar solo and Overland doing his best Paul Rodgers impression during the surprise hit. The ballad Incredible was another which I had not heard live before, which came later in the set, but before that there was a rare outing for the oldie Dangerous - whilst one of Overland's personal favourites Does It Feel Like Love also saw plenty of singing from the crowd. Overland is always on form, but he seemed more talkative than usual during the set - and the overall link between the band and the crowd seemed strong, whilst there was banter between Overland, Kirkpatrick, and Mervyn Goldsworthy (bass guitar/vocals) throughout. By the time Incredible had passed, though, it was left to some big favourites to round out the main set. That Girl, Bad Luck, and Tough It Out proved to be a powerful trio of 1980s classics - before the newer anthem Killed by Love brough the 16-song main set to a close. Following a brief step away, a two-song encore was deployed. Davis started it by announcing that he was two years cancer-free, to huge cheers, before a he started the new ballad Just Walk Away with a spacey keyboard intro. He, Overland, and Kirkpatrick, played the smooth ballad with ease - before he picked up his keytar for a rare outing of oldie Heart of the Matter to bring the band's hour and 45 minutes on stage to a bombastic and hooky close. The setlist was:

Synchronized 

I Belong to the Night

Turn This Car Around

Someday

Living on the Run

Let Love Be the Leader

Don't Call It Love

Black Water

Burning My Heart Down

Dangerous

Does It Feel Like Love

Incredible

That Girl

Bad Luck

Tough It Out

Killed by Love

-

Just Walk Away

Heart of the Matter

FM never disappoint and Friday's effort in Wolverhampton was another excellent night with the UK's best AOR band. Hearing some of the 1980s classics again continues to make me wonder why the band were not huge - but seeing them live year after year in venues like KK's Steel Mill is now the benefit of them never really breaking through. FM remain very well liked and supported here in the UK - and they even make some waves abroad again these days. I am sure that FM will be touring again next year - and I am already looking forward to my next live experience with the band.

Nailed to Obscurity's 'Generation of the Void' - Album Review

After making a bit of an effort last year to cover more extreme metal releases, I have not really kept that up throughout 2025. This is certainly not down to a lack of releases, as the modern death metal scene is vital, but generally I just do not have my finger on the pulse when it comes to such music - with none of the genre's mainstream big hitters putting something out so far this year. Amazon let me down when it came to Baest's latest album, which I was hoping to review, and I am hoping to get around to Revocation's latest effort which drops shortly - but today's band is probably one of the most extreme that I have reviewed for a while, even if they largely sit within a more extreme-adjacent world with which I am much more familiar. The German five-piece Nailed to Obscurity are the feature of today's review - with the doom act having released their fifth studio album Generation of the Void earlier this month. I first came across the band back in 2018 when I saw them at that year's iteration of Bloodstock Open Air - where they opened the Main Stage on the Saturday. Whilst I was not taken with them at the time, I remember passing some time with the band. Perhaps doom is not the best music to kick start a long festival day with, but there was something to like about the band's moody sound - and I took note even if I did not rush out to buy all of their albums. I saw them again a few months later at the beginning of 2019 when they opened for a double bill of Amorphis and Soilwork in London. In a dark venue, the band's heavy, doomy sound worked better - and I remember being a bit more impressed with their set that night, even if it was soon swept aside by the two excellent co-headline sets which followed. In truth, despite somewhat enjoying both sets, I soon forgot all about Nailed to Obscurity. The band seemed to have a quiet few years in and around the pandemic - and it was not until earlier this year that they came to my attention again, with Generation of the Void's lead single being a route back in. I went back and listened to 2019's Black Frost in the lead-up to Generation of the Void's release and found it to be decent if perhaps nothing special - but I have to say that I have been enjoying this latest effort quite a bit more. I have become a bigger doom enjoyer since 2018/2019, which helps, but this latest album sees the band in a more melodic mood. With a sound which straddles death/doom and melodic death metal, Generation of the Void reminds me the most of Swallow the Sun - particularly given the much greater focus this time on clean vocals. I remember not loving frontman Raimund Ennenga's clean vocals live, but he must have spent a lot of time working on them - as he sounds great throughout this album. He remains a stronger harsh vocalist, but there is a lot more emotion and melody in his clean delivery here than there were previously - and the clean vocals often dominate which makes for a more atmospheric sound. There is less focus on overt keyboards and gothic melodrama here compared to bands like Swallow the Sun - but the vocal approach is comparable as well as the dense guitar sound which is generally more about layers, melodic leads, and clean melodies than out and out riffing.

Ennenga, who has performed on all but one of the band's albums, is joined here by mainstays Jan-Ole Lamberti, Volker Dieken - both on guitars - and Jann Hillrichs on drums - plus new bassist Lutz Neemann (Battue; The Damnation; Damnation Defaced) who joined the band last year. Opening with droning synths, it seems as if the album is going to get off to a slow start with Glass Bleeding - but it is not long before a relatively fast-paced riff kicks in and Ennenga starts to growl. Being a doom album, there are not a lot of fast-paced moments here - which makes this intro section feel pretty energetic. The guitar riffing is simple, but the growls really carry the song early on - with the rumble of the bass also adding plenty of depth. As is typical of this album, though, there is a lot of light and shade here. This faster section makes an impact - but it is not long before the heaviness drops away to be replaced by clean guitars. These jangly chords and some occasional more lead-based guitar playing is where the big comparisons to Swallow the Sun can be heard - with Ennenga delivering his clean vocals against a surprisingly warm backing, even if his vocal delivery can be a bit on the cold side. The song moves back and forth between heavy and cleaner sections, then, with extreme metal trappings on show during the heavier sections - with Hillrichs throwing in a few blast beats and double bass drum patterns despite the faster opening never really returning in full. A melodic guitar solo later builds on some of the clean melodies heard elsewhere, with a few dual harmonies thrown in, whilst black metal trappings follow later thanks to more blasting. Liquid Mourning opens with a pretty memorable, somewhat gothic guitar melody - which soon forms a key early hook behind some mid-paced riffing. Percussive drumming and dense synths are big parts of the early moments of the song - but when Ennenga starts to sing the bass tends to take the spotlight, with a slow-burning verse built around it and clean vocals. Chiming guitar melodies and subtle drumming create a dense sound - with a full doom transition happening shortly afterwards as a growl-led chorus takes over with slow-paced riffing and mournful synths. The constant mix of clean and harsh vocals is a big reason why I have been drawn to this album. Whilst the previous song was a bit more inventive in terms of arrangement, the clean verses and harsh chorus combination works well here - with the slow-burn of the whole song feeling more interesting thanks to the vocal mix. Some simple, but well placed, lead guitar melodies also help - and the song is one of the more overtly hooky here. Overcast opens with some more black metal-esque vibes thanks to some discordant guitar lines and off-kilter riffing - but once Ennenga starts to sing a more typical death metal sound is established, with relatively fast double bass drumming and a galloping groove established. The discordant sounds do resurface as the verse progresses, though, and there is quite a bit of variety as a result. There is much less of a focus on clean vocals this time - meaning that changes in pattern help to keep the song moving. The chorus has a slightly anthemic feel thanks to Ennenga really delivering vocally - whilst the synths up their game to create a slightly more majestic sound, contrasting the big chorus with the changeable verses. Again, choice guitar leads are thrown in occasionally to add extra melody - which is welcome given the general lack of clean vocals here, although they do briefly surface during something of a bridge section later on.

In terms of being anthemic, though, which is not a word I would often use to describe Nailed to Obscurity, Spirit Corrosion is perhaps as anthemic as the band get. The chorus on the last track felt big thanks to the arrangement, but this song has a chorus which is much more typically hooky - with wordless vocal melodies that stick in the brain and pleasing hooks. It feels like a testing the water song - and I can imagine that some long-time fans will dislike it, but the hooks here work well for me. It helps generally that the song is quite melodic overall. It is not one of the album's heavier moments, and clean vocals are largely focused on - making the song the opposite of the last one. Growls are heard during the pre-chorus, and parts of later verses, but generally the song is sung clean with shimmering keyboards and hypnotic guitar melodies a big part of its appeal - whilst occasional chugs and pulsing basslines add depth. The chorus is sure to go down well thanks to crowds being able to sing along to it - and there are slight shades of mid-period Anathema here as a result. The title track returns to a heavier sound from the off with some chugging and groovy guitar riffing, with some slightly industrial drum sounds, but clean guitar melodies in the background help the band's love of atmosphere to shine through. Like the previous song, this is another which is largely sung clean - but there is a much heavier feel to this one, with plenty of chugging riffing and potent drumming, whilst even the clean guitar melodies generally feel much murkier. This is still quite a hooky song, though. It is not as anthemic as the previous number - but the chorus is one which stays in the brain thanks to the slow-burning and earworm nature of the band's melodies, with Ennenga really delivering again. A busy, shredded guitar also helps the track to become another winner - with the fast-paced playing quite different from the more deliberate pace of the rest of the song. Whilst most of the songs here are between four and six minutes long, Echo Attempt is the album's epic at over eight minutes long. It does not do anything hugely different from the rest of the album - but it stretches out many of the ideas already heard into something lengthier. Clean vocals once again dominate - with the verses some of the album's sparsest moments in truth, whilst a slightly heavier opening riff ties the song back to the last one. Short instrumental interludes are used more liberally here, with busier guitar melodies and the occasional lead adding quite a bit to the experience - whilst a floaty chorus with some of Ennenga's highest-pitched vocals on the album sounds a little different from the norm. Lengthy atmospheric sections are included due to the song's length - but whilst it is nice to see the band stretch out somewhat I am not sure that the song needed to be eight-plus minutes long. Allure returns to the clean vocal approach that seems to dominate the album's mid-section following the last song getting heavier towards the end, with the track feeling quite ballad-esque - with dreamy clean guitar melodies and occasional piano lines the only things to back Ennenga for much of the song. It does start to build somewhat as it progresses, with percussive drumming and rumbling bass adding depth - and there are shades of modern Katatonia once the full band join in. The ballad vibes largely remain, but the mechanical drumming works well to shake things up.

Clouded Frame returns more to the album's core sound, with a fairly heavy mid-paced opening riff which is paired nicely with quite a gothic-sounding guitar lead. With the growls being fairly thin on the ground during the last few songs, too, there is more heaviness here - even if the clean vocals still largely dominate. This is another song which goes for a cleaner approach during the verses, which are surprisingly hooky at times, and a heavier sound during the chorus - with growls introduced and big riffing taking over as the chorus approaches. Whilst Ennenga sounds great when he sings clean, perhaps some will find this album a little light compared to what came before. I like the shift overall, and this album is easily the best thing I have heard from the band, but it might be one which sees a few long-time fans feeling somewhat concerned - so a track with more of a vocal balance here is likely a good thing. The growled sections hit hard, especially given the hooky vocals elsewhere, whilst another memorable guitar solo is also welcome. Misery's Messenger opens with some strangely bluesy guitar melodies, and there is a slight Alice in Chains vibe early on, but when Ennenga starts to sing a more typical sound takes over - with percussive drumming and cold synths, before a lengthy guitar-led section showcases some melodic playing. This is another song which reminds me quite a bit of Kataonia, though, with Ennenga's clean vocals sounding quite mournful - and the mix of percussive drumming and a few lead guitar moments only enhances this feeling. What does not sound like Katatonia, though, is the heavy bridge section which comes later - which sees Hillrichs unleashing some punishing double bass drumming to really up the pace whilst Ennenga growls. This section is one of the album's heaviest overall, but the rest of the song is quite typically atmospheric - and it is another good representation of the album's core sound. The album then comes to a close with The Ides of Time, a heavier song overall which includes, after a murky and atmospheric intro, some much more overt riffing - harking back to the album's opening few numbers. Ennenga's growls are back here in the big way, too, with the song maintaining a heavier feel throughout - with kinetic verses thanks to some groovy riffing which have something of a tech metal feel due to their knotty rhythms. There is a prog side to this track then, which works well, whilst the chorus is another somewhat anthemic moment - with clean wordless vocals providing a counter to the main growled lyrics. Whilst the shift to a cleaner sound here is likely why I enjoy this album so much, the heavier moments are still very welcome - and I do think that a few more heavier moments here would have allowed for a better overall balance. Having this closing track be a largely heavy affair really works then, given the clean vocal dominance elsewhere, and there are still some atmospheric guitar leads and the aforementioned chorus hooks to provide a way in. The closing guitar solo feels pretty special, too, and the album ends on a mournful and heavy high as a result. Given my history with Nailed to Obscurity, I was not expecting to enjoy this album as much as I have - but as a slab of melodic death/doom there is a lot to love here. Ennenga is the star of the show with his vocal diversity, but the guitar playing and atmospherics also do a lot of heavy lifting - with the songwriting largely also being tight. Generation of the Void feels like a step up for the German band, and it will be great to see them kick on from here.

The album was released on 5th September 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Overcast.

Glenn Hughes' 'Chosen' - Album Review

Considering what a rock legend the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Glenn Hughes is, he has not featured on this blog that often over the years. In fairness, he has not been hugely prolific as a solo artist lately - and he has also cancelled on me twice when tours I had tickets to were pulled. I finally saw him as a solo artist at the weather-impacted 2018 iteration of Steelhouse Festival - where he headlined the Saturday night with a full set of classic Deep Purple material. His set was one of the highlights of the truncated weekend, and he played many of my favourite Mk. III and IV Deep Purple cuts - but otherwise my live experiences of him have been limited to shorter festival sets at both iterations of the High Voltage Festival. The first year he was one of the singers at the final Heaven & Hell show, the only one the band did following the death of Ronnie James Dio, and he returned the next year with Black Country Communion. Both of these sets were enjoyable - but the Deep Purple set at Steelhouse was easily the best, and I am gutted that I have generally missed his tours either because they were cancelled or because they clashed with other plans. His fans have been made to wait for a new solo album, too. Before last week, Hughes' last solo album Resonate dropped in 2016 - with that in itself his first for eight years. I get the impression that he sees himself more as a team player than a solo artist. He clearly wanted Black Country Communion to be a going concern, but Joe Bonamassa's schedule was never going to allow that, and sequel band California Breed sadly went nowhere. He even spent some time on the carousel of The Dead Daisies - but he is now back as a solo artist, which is perhaps best for him at his advanced age. His recent setlists include solo material alongside songs by Trapeze, Deep Purple, Hughes/Thrall, and Black Country Communion - whilst his work with Tony Iommi both in and out of Black Sabbath is also notable. Hughes has done it all, then, and the release of his 14th solo album (not counting a Christmas effort) Chosen therefore feels like something of a celebration. At one point he was a prolific solo artist, but Chosen is his first solo album for nine years - although since Resonate dropped he has released two albums with Black Country Communion and two with The Dead Daisies. The most recent of the four was Black Country Communion's V (which I reviewed here), an album I listened to quite a lot when it came out last year. Hughes' solo material has generally sounded a little different from his various bands, though, and Chosen is no different. This latest album is certainly a rocker - but Hughes has always been known for his love of soul, and there are moments of that here alongside a more retro hard rock sound. Save for some vocal and guitar overdubs, much of this album was likely recorded live in studio - and it has that energy throughout. With Hughes sounding as good as ever vocally, and handling the bass guitar, joining him here are guitarist Søren Andersen, who has played with Hughes a lot in recent years and also co-produced the album, keyboard player Bob Fridzema (King King), and drummer Ash Sheehan (The Twang). 

Despite the soulful edge, Chosen is generally a pretty no-nonsense hard rock album - with Andersen's big guitar riffing driving everything. I would have liked more keyboards at times, but the songs here are generally not trying to capture that old Deep Purple sound - and the focus is always on Hughes' superhuman vocal power alongside the big guitars. The opening cut Voice in My Head showcases this hard-driving sound from the off, with a spiky, staccato guitar riff kicking things off - which soon morphs into a much groovier riff when the verse takes over. This later riff is not a million miles away from Iommi's style, which means this opening cut is pretty weighty. Whilst Andersen's guitar playing drives the song, Hughes' bass is also high in the mix. The bass doubles the guitar nicely during the staccato moments, which really gives the mix some bite - whilst the groovier moments are also nicely backed by Hughes' snaking playing. The drums sound punchy, too, and Hughes roars above this groovy backing - with his voice sounding as powerful as ever. His vocal longevity, particularly given his well-documented drug issues during the 1970s and 1980s, is astonishing - and since the 1990s he really seems to have been making up for lost time. The spiky chorus here ripples with power as the opening riffing returns, with some gritty, yet soulful, vocals providing a big hook - whilst a spacey instrumental section sees the heaviness drop away to allow for clean guitar melodies and atmospheric synth leads. The mix of staccato and groovy riffing makes the track a winner - and it is clear from the off that Hughes remains a vital force in the rock world. My Alibi is also very riff-driven, with Andersen's barrelling riff kicking thing off, but it is also a more dynamic track overall. Once Hughes starts to sing the verse, the riffing drops away - with Andersen instead laying down some effects-heavy clean guitar melodies as Hughes provides plenty of bass depth. These cleaner verses allow for a gentler vocal delivery, with Hughes floating nicely above this bass rumble with a sweeter tone. His love of soul really shines through here - but he unleashes something much grittier once the chorus rolls around and Andersen's intro riff returns. The snappy riff here feels like a head shaker following the murkier verses - and Hughes' simple chorus utterances easily sink into the brain, giving it a primal power. Following a brief bass-led break, too, the song then contains Andersen's first big guitar solo of the album. Filled with emotional bluesy bends and the occasional shredded run, the solo suits the song's dynamic arrangement - and builds on those years of Andersen playing the part of Ritchie Blackmore live. The title track follows and the song feels a bit more cinematic than the previous two - whilst somewhat sticking to a similar arrangement as My Alibi. The opening riff is a bit more slab-like this time, but it is short lived as clean guitars and a pulsing bassline soon take over - with Hughes' gorgeous verse vocals a highlight. The later chorus is not as heavy as those which have come before, but it is still rockier than the verses - with simpler power chords, the occasional ringing guitar lead, and hookier vocals from Hughes bringing it to life. The song is not as hard-driving as others here, but the scope feels a bit bigger. The clean guitar depth and the use of guitar leads makes the track feel bigger - whilst there is also a subtle keyboard depth which was less obvious on the other songs. The chorus is one of the album's main earworms, too, with its poppy smoothness sitting well within the song's scope.

Heal somewhat builds on these poppier moments of the previous track and turns them into a whole song. The opening riff, which is very bass-backed, reminds me of the chorus of Chosen, whilst generally the track is less weighty than what has come before. Despite this, though, there is little light and shade here. There are no slow-burning verses this time, with them instead being punchy - utilising the opening riff as punctuation between Hughes' smooth vocal lines. Snappy drumming and wordless vocal hooks also help the song to shine - whilst the chorus does rock things up slightly more thanks to some grittier vocals and a contrast with a brief, cleaner pre-chorus. Despite the poppy overtones, though, the song remains energetic. It is certainly a rocker, it just does not lean into the heavier end of Hughes' songwriting - and Andersen also includes a couple of memorable solos. In the Golden returns to a much heavier sound, with a fast-paced riff kicking things off before Andersen settles into more of a mid-paced groove. Arrangement-wise, the song feels like a mix of the first two here. There are cleaner moments during the verses, particularly whilst Hughes sings, but the groovy riff returns to act as punctuation. The verses are hooky, then, thanks to his trade-off between the vocals and the guitar riffing - whilst the chorus is actually a bit more low key overall, with murky clean guitar melodies and some soulful vocals. It is not the hookiest chorus, but following the tougher verses I like the way that it seeps out - with Hughes sounding great and the clean guitar melodies adding an edge. The mid-paced riff is also later a backing for a strange guitar solo which further cements the song's interesting arrangement. The Lost Parade also seems to hark back somewhat to Hughes' work with Iommi. Andersen's opening riff here is quite slow and doomy - and it is easily the heaviest thing here. Despite his soulful ways, Hughes still clearly loves to rock - and his refined vocals against doomy riffs has generally worked well in the past. That is very much the case again here, with the verses packed with Black Sabbath-esque weight as Hughes adds some grit and rumbling against Andersen's riffing. The later chorus feels a little more expansive, too, and it is one of the few moments on the album where Fridzema's keyboards take on a more prominent role. Shimmering synthy organ adds colour to the chorus, contrasting nicely with the slightly more restrained guitar riffing and Hughes' powerful vocals. Throw in a bluesy guitar solo, and more Sabbath touchstones are included - with the track being an overall highlight here as a result. Hot Damn Thing picks up the pace following the doomy previous track, with the snappy rocker sounding a little like the sort of thing which has filled Black Country Communion's albums over the years. Unlike many of the songs here which have gone for groove and atmosphere to make their mark, this song is a much more straight ahead hooky rocker - with an infectious main riff, plentiful bluey leads from Andersen, and vocal hooks from Hughes which lean towards the more anthemic. Lindy Hook adds some additional vocal harmonies to the chorus, and her voice adds some additional power - her screaming tone mixing well with Hughes to give the chorus some real shout-along energy. Throw in a bluesy guitar solo alongside all the leads showcased elsewhere, and the song is another highlight thanks to its infectious melodies.

Black Cat Moan is another track which opens with something of a spiky riff. The opening of the album's first song is recalled here somewhat, but overall this song maintains its propelling nature - and does not really morph into a groovier piece as Voice in My Head did. The song's staccato nature largely remains throughout the verses - with the spiky riff coming and going throughout, again acting as punctuation between vocal lines. There is still a groove to the song though despite the pace of the riffing, and as things progress, too, clean guitar countermelodies are thrown in which add a slight funky edge at times. The chorus is a little more expansive overall, with cinematic clean guitar melodies adding depth to Hughes' driving bass playing and full-bodied vocal display - and Andersen once again gets to show off later with some high-octane, bluesy soloing. This is not an album which suffers from being frontloaded, as this is the third late highlight in a row. Come and Go goes for a much more relaxed sound, with acoustic guitars and clean guitar melodies opening things up, over which Hughes lays down some gentler vocals. Despite some murkier moments throughout, this album is generally a hard rocker - and Come and Go is the only ballad here. Hughes has always sung these sort of songs well, and his soulful edge really comes to the fore here - particularly during the verses against a backdrop of acoustic guitar. The chorus is a little weightier, with the drums hitting harder, but the overall tone is retained - with acoustic guitars still forming the base of the track, whilst shimmering keyboards enhance the overall atmosphere. Later moments of the song utilise slow-burning guitar leads, too, meaning that many classic ballad tropes are included here. I prefer the more harder rock moments found throughout this album, but as a change of pace Come and Go works well - it may have worked better though if it was not the album's penultimate song. The album then comes to a close with Into the Fade, another somewhat more cinematic rocker with an expansive opening guitar melody and sultry verses which are built around Hughes' machine gun bass playing and surprisingly restrained vocal delivery. He sings the verses in a somewhat lower register than is typical for him - but as the song progresses this changes somewhat, with later verses seeing him sing in his usual style, whilst the chorus also sees him singing higher as harmonies add depth. The song also gets heavier as it moves along, too, with another doomy riff kicking in later on to create a much heavier bridge section. Generally this song is less riffy, with atmospheric guitar melodies and the bass driving everything, but this massive riff reintroduces some heaviness to the track. There are stronger tracks here, but I like Hughes' cinematic side - and the expansive sound and heavy bridge allow the album to end on a strong note. I am generally familiar with Hughes in other bands, and I have not explored his solo work that much in the past. I have heard a few of his albums, but Chosen is the first I have properly digested. I have been enjoying it a lot since it dropped, and his stamina and vocal power at 74 is something to behold. He has hinted that Chosen may be his last rock album, too, and if that turns out to be the case then it will be a strong way to bow out of the scene.

The album was released on 5th September 2025 via Frontiers Records. Below is Hughes' promotional video for Chosen.

FM's 'Brotherhood' - Album Review

One thing that I have learnt over the years is that something new from the UK-based melodic rock/AOR five-piece FM is never far away. Considering that the band, who made a bit of a splash in the late 1980s/early 1990s without ever really taking off in a big way, only reunited in 2007 for a one-off performance at the now-defunct Firefest, what was clearly intended to be a celebration of what had come before and perhaps a full-stop on a career has since morphed in a full-blown second wind - with FM perhaps as well-respected now as they have ever been. Whilst the early days of their reunion were characterised by short tours and festival appearances - in more recent years the band have undertaken much longer tours, and have even regularly ventures outside of the UK. As a big FM fan since 2014, seeing the band so active again is great. I generally get to see them live at least once a year these days, given their activities, and they must now be my third-most seen live act behind Mostly Autumn and The Quireboys. The deeper into their reunion the band get, too, the more likely a new album from them seems to be. In truth, even when their live shows were a bit more on the sporadic side a new album was always fairly likely - and since relaunching in 2010 with Metropolis FM have never really looked back. Including Metropolis, the reunion years have now heralded nine new albums of original material - plus a re-recorded version of 1986's Indiscreet, a number of EPs which include non-album tracks, and a handful of live albums. The only band I can really compare FM's reunion activity with is Magnum - and whilst none of FM's newer albums are quite as good as those early classics, as was also the case with Magnum, each new release is full of memorable songs, strong songwriting, and classy arrangements. A number of new songs have become setlist staples over the years, too, and each tour tends to feature at least a handful of songs from whatever the latest album is. FM keep things fresh, then, and the ninth of these reunion-era albums was released last week - with Brotherhood hitting the shelves. The band's 14th studio album overall, not counting 2016's Indiscreet 30, Brotherhood follows only 18 or so months after 2024's Old Habits Die Hard (which I reviewed here) which was released in May last year to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary alongside a pretty lengthy UK tour. Even for FM, though, releasing albums in consecutive years is prolific. Both Rockville and Rockville II dropped in 2013 - but generally there has been a two or three year gap between new albums. Considering how I started this review, I was still not expecting Brotherhood quite so soon - but the 11 songs here are all of a standard which has become expected of FM in recent years. Frontman Steve Overland still possesses one of the best voices in the melodic rock world - and the band really have a knack for writing memorable, upbeat, and soulful AOR songs which include both a 1980s synth flourish and something of a blues rock base. The last few albums have leaned more towards the former, though, and that is largely the case here, too, although the use of some female backing vocals on a few of the songs adds a slight gospel edge at times to shake things up.

Otherwise, though, there is nothing especially new here, and I am not sure that Brotherhood is quite among the cream of the reunion crop, but that does not stop it from being another enjoyable release. It is quite frontloaded, too, with many of the best songs coming early on - with the opening Do You Mean It kicking things off nicely. Rumbling Hammond organ and a bluesy guitar pattern open the mid-paced rocker well, with guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick immediately impressing with a good mix of chunky riffing and bluesy guitar leads. Whilst the core of the album steel leans more towards an AOR sound, this track channels the somewhat tougher feeling of the band's early reunion albums - with Jem Davis moving back and forth between percussive electric piano chords and washes of organ and Overland channelling the emotion of Paul Rodgers as he has often done over the years. The aforementioned female backing vocals are utilised here, too, and they give the pre-chorus and chorus an edge - with the gospel-esque additions singing in a call-and-response manner with Overland in a way which is a little different from the norm. Throw in a short organ solo and a bluesy guitar solo - and FM here feel slightly more muscular and soulful than has perhaps become the norm, with a retro, organic sound backing their trademark sense of melody. Living on the Run, which follows, is a bit more typical of the band's other recent albums. With the previous song having more of a mid-paced groove, this track feels a little more up-tempo during the intro - which is filled with some hooky guitar leads from Kirkpatrick and more of a synth backing. As such, the song is much more of a classic-sounding slab of AOR - and the way the band drop away somewhat to allow clean guitar melodies and a simple drum pattern from Pete Jupp to dominate the verses is a trick from the 1980s playbook. Overland's voice is front and centre as a result, and he is full of character as always - whilst the later chorus oozes quality thanks to some earworm vocal melodies, the guitar leads from the intro repurposed, and some propelling bass playing of Meryvn Goldsworthy. The keyboards are there to create a synth backing, but they are not as bombastic as has sometimes been the case with FM, especially on the last handful of albums, which means that the track remains guitar driven - either by the clean melodies or the hooky leads. A later solo builds on these leads - and the track is another memorable cut by the veteran band. Coming for You builds on the 1980s AOR tropes of the previous song, with a big gated drum fill opening the track up before a pulsing riff kicks in which sees the guitars and keyboards teaming up for a staccato stab which will be familiar to anyone familiar with the genre as a whole. This is a much more keyboard-driven song over all, with Davis' playing essentially the key feature of the verses - his pulsing keyboard motifs the main focus as the rhythm section groove away and the guitars add colour in the background. The synth sounds are not as a bombastic as they could be, though, and some organ is also added at times to ground the piece - but the stabbing synth melodies are very much rooted in the 1980s, with the chorus doubling down with sugary hooks and plenty more keyboards.

Perhaps the song here which goes all in for 1980s AOR tropes, though, is Raised on the Wrong Side - and the bombastic track is one of my favourite cuts here. With an opening synth flourish and atmosphere which recalls Michael Bolton's 1980s albums, before a Bon Jovi-esque snaking guitar line kicks in - the song is one of those earworms that grabs hold from the off and never really lets go. It is a song that we have all heard a number of times, but the formula never seems to get old. Overland's soulful verse vocals are a great counter to the guitar lines, with occasional screaming leads thrown in, whilst vocal harmonies during a building pre-chorus and the flashy synth stabs during the chorus are pure AOR - with shades of the sound of Indiscreet present. The chorus is the best here, and it is surely made for the stage - whilst a clean guitar-led bridge section and a flashy guitar solo only add to what is already a stellar piece. Returning to something of a smoother sound, Love Comes to All reins in some of the AOR tropes of the previous tracks to instead go for a pop rock sound with breezy vocal melodies, joyous clean guitar chords and a decent amount of drive from the rhythm section. Musically, the song feels quite simple. There are no big riffs or melodies here, with guitar chords and a simple beat generally the base of the track - which means that Overland's voice is the star of the show. He sings with his usual class here, although there is perhaps more of a soulful injection - particularly during a slightly more downbeat bridge section with some additional piano backing. It is a jaunty piece which feels a little different from the norm for FM - but the approach to melody is recognisable. Just Walk Away is the album's big ballad - and it opens with a big wall of synths and some acoustic guitar melodies. Overland emotes before the song starts proper as he tends to do, adding emotion to the track, before his soulful vocals ooze over a bed of acoustic guitar chords and piano countermelodies. Unlike some of the band's big ballads, though, this one generally remains fairly stripped back - at least early on. Subtle drumming does add a little drive, but really this is all about the acoustic guitars and piano - and the chorus does not feel especially bigger than the verses, with tweaks in the vocal melodies signalling the change. The drumming does get a little more prominent after the first chorus - but the organic nature of the piece remains, and Overland's voice remains king. Kirkpatrick's solo is on the acoustic guitar too, which keeps the song feeling stripped back - as does a brief organ solo from Davis. Don't Call It Love, one of the album's singles, returns to feel-good AOR - with chugging guitar chords early on, a jaunty riff, and the occasional harmony guitar melody. Whilst the keyboards are perhaps not as big as some of the band's jauntiest pieces, with Davis generally opting for atmosphere, there is still a lot of melody here - with busy guitar melodies during the instrumental sections and plenty of vocal hooks from Overland. The chorus is another of the album's best, with harmonies and hooks aplenty, whilst the mix of clean guitar-led verses and a chunkier chorus works well as such an arrangement tends to for the band. A great guitar solo from Kirkpatrick is the icing on the cake - with the track being another album highlight.

Time Waits for No-One is a slightly funky-feeling track - with a bit of a Toto-esque groove whilst the band's core AOR sound remains. Goldsworthy's bass playing really drives the track, his busy playing adding that funky edge - whilst the choppy guitar rhythms and keyboard arpeggios are packed with fluid 1980s goodness. This is not a track which jumped out at me at first, but repeated listens have made it something of a favourite thanks to the similarity at times to Toto and its joyous vibe. FM have not really written many funky songs in the past - and the bass grooves here are something a bit different for the band. Organ is mixed in with the synth melodies to help ground the track, though, whilst Kirkpatrick throws in another busy guitar solo which shreds compared to the guitar playing elsewhere in the song. Overland's vocal hooks are perfectly placed, too, and the track is a surprise winner here. Because of You has quite an atmospheric opening with spacey synths and a bit of a build up with slide guitar lines - but generally the song is quite a smoother rocker with ballad-like verses and a bigger chorus which utilises more weight and harmonies. Despite this typical approach, the spacey elements remain - with occasional synth flourishes and guitar melodies which feel slightly proggy. As such, the song does do something a little different in colour - even if at its core it is something quite familiar. Chasing Freedom is much more organic in nature - but it is no less melodic, with a slight country twang added to the band's usual AOR sound. There is a strong acoustic guitar presence throughout, with the verses being based around a downbeat drum groove and big acoustic guitar chords. Overland sings in his usual melodic way, though, and his smoothness works well against this acoustic backing. The chorus is much bigger overall, though, with a more expansive drumbeat and plenty of big harmonies. Kirkpatrick swaps to his electric guitar for a bluesy and expressive solo, but really much of the prominent guitar work is acoustic-based - whilst the rhythm section add what grit there is and the keyboards add depth. FM have done songs like this before and they tend to work well - and this piece is another pretty expansive and melodic track given how much of what is heard is acoustic-based. The album then comes to a close with The Enemy Within which, following a couple of slightly more interesting tracks in terms of arrangement, is a bit more of a typical mid-paced FM track. Sadly, though, it is probably the album's least interesting song. The big hooks which FM are generally known for are not so prominent here - with the chorus not really being much of an earworm. Some of the bluesy rock of the early reunion albums is present here, with a guitar melody during the chorus feeling that way, but generally the song feels like a bit of a plodder - without any of the easy on the ear melodies which FM tend to make songs like this fly with. I do not think it helps that the song is just under six minutes long, too, and the piece does not really evolve as it moves forward. The song is a rare miss for FM in my opinion, then, and it is a shame that the album does not end on a high. Despite this, though, much of the rest of the album is strong - with Brotherhood being another very enjoyable melodic rock release. There are a handful of songs which have already become favourites, and the band have added to their impressive canon here with another record which fans of melodic rock will digest with glee.

The album was released on 5th September 2025 via Frontiers Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Don't Call It Love.