Despite getting home much later than planned due to the fact that no trains were running further west by the time my already-delayed train back from Birmingham reached Exeter yesterday, which is why this review is being published a day later than usual, I had an excellent time away in Birmingham this past weekend catching up with a teenage favourite of mine that have recently reformed. As I discussed during my recent review of their comeback, and third, studio album Vengeance (which I can be read here), the York-based four-piece Glamour of the Kill were one of my favourite new British bands during the late 2000s and early 2010s - during an era which boasted other excellent bands such as Heaven's Basement, Dear Superstar, and Jettblack. As a bit of a metalhead as well as being a fan of various forms of classic and hard rock, Glamour of the Kill covered a lot of musical ground for me. They always felt like the band Bullet for My Valentine could have been had they not worried too much about how they were perceived and had a stronger 1980s influence - and I caught the band live a number of times between 2009 and 2015 during their initial run. From discovering them on a monster bill with DragonForce, Sabaton, and Sylosis in 2009 to seeing them with Heaven's Basement in Birmingham in 2015 (the final time I would ever see Heaven's Basement and my last Glamour of the Kill show for a while) I saw the band grow and mature as songwriters - releasing two albums and an EP whilst I was a fan. Lots of early gigging memories are tied to seeing Glamour of the Kill. A friend and I caught them two nights in a row in Exeter and Plymouth on their first big headline tour of the UK in 2010 - plus there was a rowdy show in Leicester the following year on the tour for 2011's The Summoning. Later shows were also good, but those particular ones perhaps captured the band at their primal best - and are some formative gigging memories for me. Sadly, as is often the case for smaller bands that fail to break through in a meaningful way, Glamour of the Kill broke up in 2016 - but returned briefly in 2018 for a reunion that seemed to come off the rails before it really got going. I saw the band in London in 2018, which is a memorable show for both musical and personal reasons, but aside from a brief run of shows the band were soon once again no more. More touring and an album were planned, but life got in the way I imagine - and things went quiet on the Glamour of the Kill front until last year, when new music was released and touring plans were revealed. The band were supposed to play a comeback show in London last year, but it was cancelled, if I recall correctly, due to strikes on the Underground - with the tickets carrying over to a new London show this year announced as part of a short UK tour to support Vengeance. I would not have been able to go to last year's London show in any case, but when the tour was announced the best option for me was Birmingham. Funnily enough, the show took place just down the road from The Rainbow - which I where I saw the band with Heaven's Basement in 2015. The venue for Saturday's gig was a new one for me - the nightclub Mama Roux's. The venue seemed to be a small part of a wider complex, with various clubs and bars in full swing when I got to the venue at around 6pm when it opened. The room was small, but it seemed like a decent set-up - so I would not mind returning there in the future.
The Birmingham show was the last night of the tour, which marked the band's first run of shows since 2018. Looking at photos of the other shows, the turnouts looked pretty good - so I was concerned when the evening's opening act, local band Meet Your Maker, took to the stage at around 6:30pm and there were only around 15 people in attendance. Thankfully, during the evening the place did fill up, but I had expected a better turnout really given how long the band had been away, how cheap the tickets were, and the fact that it was on a Saturday. In some ways, though, the whole night had an old-school feel to it - with a decent but not amazing turnout, £15 tickets, and £20 t-shirts. Despite the small crowd early on, though, the metalcore/hardcore act Meet Your Maker made the best of things - playing for around half an hour and making an impression on those who turned up early. The band's pretty macho sound will never be my thing, and I do not understand the current trend of quite chavvy-looking metal bands that are doing the rounds, but they certainly had their sound down - and a few of the choruses were quite decent. The mix of harsh and clean vocals generally worked well, and there were some chugging riffs throughout which created some early energy - but I did notice quite a reliance on backing tracks for what sounded like lead guitar melodies. They could have been a synth, but they sounded more like a guitar - and it was strange seeing the sole guitarist on stage playing chords when what sounded like more complex leads were coming through the PA. Perhaps they were a member down, they did not make it clear if they were, but I wish that some bands would stop being so reliance on backing tracks for such key elements of their sound. There were clearly a couple of people in attendance who knew the band, so there was a bit of singing going on during the set, and a couple of small-scale mosh pits also broke out during the some of the songs. Clearly a religious band, it was a bit strange towards the end when they stopped for a few moments to talk about Jesus. It was largely done through the lens of mental health, an important topic for sure, but the religious angle came a bit out of left-field - although it did not derail what was largely, in fairness, a powerful set.
The main tour supports were Glamour of the Kill's fellow Yorkshiremen This House We Built. I had heard of the band before, and I think I remember Tyketto's Danny Vaughn singing their praises at one point, but I knew nothing about them - so I was quite surprised to find them to be a 1980s-style hard rock/heavy metal act. There was nothing of the modern metalcore of Glamour of the Kill's sound to be found in This House We Built - but the bluesy riffs, melodic rock choruses, and fast-paced guitar solos were all on point; and it did not take long for me to start enjoying their set. Given my love of all things 1980s, this is perhaps not a surprise, but I was surprised how well the band went down with what was largely a metal crowd. Everyone was pretty on board with This House We Built from the off - and a later cover of John Farnham's You're the Voice had everyone singing along. Frontman Scott Wardell possesses a great melodic rock voice - and he teamed up well with guitarist Andy Jackson, who also sang a couple of songs, to form a mean guitar duo. Big riffs, melodic leads, and plentiful solos filled the band's set - whilst the punchy rhythm section ensured a metallic edge. The band played for around 45 minutes, and they managed to squeeze quite a lot of material into that time. Despite essentially being a hard rock act, there was quite a bit of variety on show. The opening number had a bit of a southern rock feel thanks to some bluesy riffing and Wardell's slide guitar playing - but elsewhere there were melodic metal anthems, borderline AOR choruses, and a soaring ballad that ticked all of the right boxes for me. For a bunch of, and no offence is meant here, largely older guys, who have started out on this current venture pretty recently, I was very much impressed. They all came across as being very down-to-earth and likeable, too, with some classic Yorkshire humour on display throughout - which also likely helped draw the crowd, which was of a decent size by this point, into the set further. I imagine these are all musicians that have been knocking around various rock and metal scenes for a while, with bassist Wayne Dowkes-White looking like a real rockstar duo to his impressive and extensive tattoos, but there is clear chemistry to be found in This House We Built - and there was not really a song played that did not have something to like about it on first listen. They are the sort of songs which are likely to only get better after hearing them some more, then, and I fully intend to give This House We Built a proper listen going forward.
The changeovers during the night were all pretty quick, so it did not seem like it was too long before First Breath of the Reaper could be heard playing over the PA - and Glamour of the Kill were taking to the stage. Given that the venue was small, I decided to get right down to the front - which is not something that I do very often these days. I was just drawn to a spot on the barrier in memory of some of those earliest Glamour of the Kill gigs I attended - and the next hour and 15 minutes was something of a nostalgia trip. Due to the design of the venue, I was actually stood about in line with the speakers - which meant that the live sound mix, for me, was not the best - but I did not really mind. I was enjoying being down at the front again so much that I decided not to move back for a better mix - and I could still hear everything, it was just a bit drum-heavy. The band's 14-song setlist covered all five of their releases - but they rightly focused on material from Vengeance. Six of the new songs were played, with the double salvo of The Forgotten and Grace of God kicking things off. Despite the fact that the crowd could have been bigger, it was clear that basically everyone in attendance were big fans of the band. Even all of the new songs were being sung passionately by those around me. Vengeance is a strong album, so the new songs deserved the reception they got - and it was great that the crowd were not just waiting around until the next oldie. The band were on fire, too, and barely looked like they had aged a day. Davey Richmond (vocals/bass guitar) remains an excellent frontman, whilst guitarist Mike Kingswood shredded his way through the whole set - and took on more of a role vocally during some of the new songs. Sam Brookes (guitar) is the new face in the band, but he riffed away all night supporting Kingswood - and seemed to be having fun on the other side of the stage. I was right in front of Kingswood so I enjoyed all his soloing - and Richmond was often towering over me on his platforms at the front of the stage. The band talked well with the crowd as they often used to, enjoying Tequila shots at one point, but largely the music just came thick fast. Some old favourites such as the anthemic Feeling Alive and the synth-heavy Break were deployed early on, whilst the newer material was spread out nicely throughout. The new material is heavier, and perhaps a little less anthemic, but the songs really came across well on stage. Rampage hit harder live than it does on the album - whilst the new album's title track was a winner thanks to the big wordless vocal hooks during the chorus. The big synths and hooks of oldie A Freak Like Me saw plenty of headbanging, too, whilst Blood Drunk was perhaps a bit of a clue over 10 years ago as to where the band would go with their current sound. The set flew by, and it was not long before the dense ballad Delirium saw Kingswood take the lead vocally whilst the crowd lit up the room with their phones. It was the main set's penultimate number, sadly, with the real oldie Rise from Your Grave rounding things out with plenty of singing. A brief step off stage saw the band called back for a two-song encore - which opened with A Hope in Hell, the first song the band ever wrote. It was played slightly differently, with a more mellow opening, but when it kicked in the place went wild - and this continued on throughout the closing anthem Second Chance which brought a fun and nostalgic evening to a close. The setlist was:
First Breath of the Reaper
The Forgotten
Grace of God
Feeling Alive
Break
Earthquake
Rampage
A Freak Like Me
Vengeance
Blood Drunk
Feed Them to the Pigs
Delirium
Rise from Your Grave
-
A Hope in Hell
Second Chance
Despite playing so many of their new songs, Saturday's gig in Birmingham really took me back to some of those early Glamour of the Kill shows I saw in 2010 and 2011. That vibe was still there, and it made me realise how much the band meant to me back then - and still do today. I was pleased when they reformed last year - but now that I have a new album to enjoy and another gig memory to cherish the reunion feels complete. Given the 8 year gap between the 2018 gig and this past weekend, I really hope that the band do not leave it as long next time - and I am already looking forward to the next tour.
A new Lamb of God album is always something to celebrate. The Virginia-based five-piece have been one of the world's premier metal acts since they released their much-heralded debut album New American Gospel in 2000 - although, under the name Burn the Priest, they had been around since 1994 and had released a self-titled album in 1999. For people my age, and those slightly older, Lamb of God were likely an important gateway band heavier things. I tend to think of Children of Bodom and Arch Enemy as big gateway bands for me - but, thinking about it, Lamb of God were likely just as important. I first came into contact with the band in 2007, when they opened for Heaven & Hell on their only UK tour. Whilst I had seen Trivium earlier that year, backed by a bill of Annihilator, Gojira, and Sanctity, Lamb of God were easily the heaviest band I had seen live at that point. They made strange bedfellows with Heaven & Hell, but Lamb of God made an impression even if I did not fully 'get' them at the time. I remember picking up 2004's Ashes of the Wake not too long after the show, likely as it was cheap and that impression was lingering, and it was not too long before the groovy, heavy album had me enthralled. Ashes of the Wake is likely still my favourite Lamb of God album as a result, which is not exactly an original opinion given that it is generally seen as the band's breakthrough release, but my fandom only grew from there - and I remain a big Lamb of God fan nearly 20 years later. In my opinion, Lamb of God have never released a bad album. Many of them have been reviewed on here over the years and I look forward to each new release eagerly - as there is not another band that gives me the mix of grooves, riffing, and caustic power that Lamb of God do. In contrast to the prevailing view, too, it is not my view that the band have made the same album over and over - with the possible exception of the last two. For me, like Trivium for a while, each new album felt like a reaction to the last one whilst respecting a core sound. Ashes of the Wake was likely where that core sound came together fully, at last in a polished and proud fashion, but I am not sure that the band released an album 100% in that vein again until 2020's self-titled (which I reviewed here) soft reboot. Between Ashes of the Wake and Lamb of God the band released a more overtly anthemic and mainstream-friendly release; a rawer, thrashier album; a lengthier and more progressive effort; and a strange album that mixed the band's core sound with other modern metal tropes and guest vocalists. There is quite a lot of variety in the band's canon, then, but Lamb of God, alongside 2022's Omens (which I reviewed here), both felt like a return to a simpler and more primal groove metal sound after some years of experimentation. Those two albums always feel like a pair as they came out fairly close together - but four years on from Omens the band are back with their latest effort Into Oblivion, with a new logo and different-looking album art. In some ways, there remains plenty of the sound which the band returned to on the last couple of albums here - but they have also allowed themselves to experiment again a little. I saw an interview with guitarist Mark Morton where he was saying that, following a recent tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of Ashes of the Wake, the band started to listen to the bands that were influencing them 20 years ago again to fuel this latest effort. There are certainly some Ashes of the Wake-isms here, then, as there were on the previous two albums, but Into Oblivion is more varied overall - with a strong thrash influence at times, as well as some slower-paced sludge and grunge vibes.
Production-wise, the album sounds huge - but perhaps a little rawer than usual mix-wise. The band worked again with Josh Wilbur here, who seems to get the best out of Lamb of God, and the guitar tones here are fierce - but perhaps the player who benefits the most from the rawer mix is bassist John Campbell, whose playing feels much more present here than is often the case. The opening title track is very much Lamb of God 101, though, with the experimentation left to later in the album. Some staccato drum stabs and a fuzzy guitar lead kick things off, with the song building towards the first of many huge riffs to be found on the album. The intro has three parts, the aforementioned opening, the same guitar lead backed by groovier drumming, and the song's main riff - which is a real headbanger. The band's trademark grooves are very much present from the off, with southern patterns and mid-paced chugs ever-present throughout the song - whilst frontman Randy Blythe sounds like he has not aged a day since the early days of the band. His growls during the stop-start verses are as good as ever, with the staccato guitar and bass patterns working around his lyrics - whilst drummer Art Cruz ensures that the grooves remain throughout. The chorus is more anthemic, and it ups the pace somewhat, whilst returning to the fuzzy guitar lead from the intro. There is little here that moves the needle from the classic Lamb of God sound, but it sounds as fresh as ever - and it sets the tone for what is to follow. Parasocial Christ is a much thrashier song - mixing much faster-paced sections with traditional mid-paced grooves. It is not a song that stands on ceremony, as it opens with a barrelling thrash riff, backed by some of Cruz's most intense drumming on the album. Grooves are thrown out of the window here, as the fast thrash sections really hark back to some of the venomous moments on 2003's As the Palaces Burn. Not everything races along, though, and the song is a great mix of furious pace and trademark grooves. The later chorus is much more typical of the band's sound, with Blythe's anthemic vocal hooks barking out over the top of some choppy, mid-paced riffs - whilst some bridge-like sections see Cruz come to the fore with some percussive and prominent drum breaks. Given the thrashy nature of the song's bulk, though, a couple of blistering guitar solos are also thrown in - which are not something that the band do all that often. If Parasocial Christ contains some of the album's fastest moments, then the sludgy Sepsis contains some of the slowest. The song opens with a big, dirty bassline from Campbell - beneath which a hollow drum pattern sits and over which Blythe starts to deliver some rather demonic vocals, part-spoken/part-sung. Lamb of God have rarely sounded this dirty and primal, but the sludgy sound works well for them - and it is great to see Campbell essentially leading the song for quite a while. Even when the guitars join in properly they generally just follow the bass' lead - and the stoner vibes created by the song are a strange mix of bluesy and heavy. The song does change as it moves along, though, with a drum break giving way to a more typical riff-led section which ups the pace and channels the band's core sound for a period - before the dirty riffing is returned to as the song fades to a close.
The Killing Floor, despite opening with a few seconds of somewhat more melodic guitar playing, returns very much to the band's core sound - although this is another track with some thrashy vibes. There are plenty of southern-sounding riffs, especially as the song kicks in and then later during another memorable chorus, but the verses are faster than is often the case for Lamb of God - with Cruz laying into his double bass drums at times for a relentless drive, whilst occasional blast beats and higher-pitched screams from Blythe add a strange, extreme metal edge to the song. Generally the riffing is very much as expected, though, including a very Pantera-esque juddering bridge section later on - which is later overlaid with some strange guitar leads. Changing up the pace again, El Vacío is the closest thing here to a ballad - and the song is one of those murky, clean vocal-led slower songs that the band have been doing over the past decade or so. These songs often have a bit of an Alice in Chains vibe, and this one is no different - but it is also a bit heavier than some of the band's other similar songs, with clean verses and a heavier chorus. Morton and fellow guitarist Willie Adler lay down melodic clean guitar patterns and aching leads during the verses, which are backed by subtle drumming and overlaid with Blythe's ever-improving clean vocals. Blythe is surprisingly expressive whilst operating in this manner, despite him essentially whispering - and the contrast when the big chorus kicks in with a flurry of loud drums and heavier guitars makes his dynamic and powerful growls really shine. These slower numbers are never my favourites from Lamb of God, but they help to add some variety to each album - and this one acts as a welcome change of pace. St. Catherine's Wheel feels unapologetically typical following the semi-ballad, with a southern riff fading in from the distance - which then hits hard once it is heard properly, the buzzing chords and Cruz's deliberate bass drum work interlocking nicely. Despite the song being very typically Lamb of God, there is a bit of variety throughout. Blythe's verse vocals feel a bit punkier than usual, and there is a bit of a hardcore edge on show at times - but the chorus is one of the band's true anthemic moments, with hooky, shout-along vocals and some classic grooves. Brief bass-led sections help to shake things up, though, returning to a stoner-esque sound for a period, whilst another guitar solo is deployed here - allowing some fast-paced shred to mix with the grooves elsewhere. Blunt Force Blues continues the focus on the band's core sound here, but it is perhaps a bit more of a chugging song than is sometimes typical. There are plenty of groovy riffs throughout, but some of the guitar patterns feel a bit more traditional heavy metal - which is maybe fitting given that 'blues' is in the song's title. These simpler moments are not utilised too regularly, but they do help to shake things up before the next southern groove kicks in - whilst subtle synths are also used in places to add a cold, atmospheric backing. This is a song which has grown on me a bit since first hearing it. It is not as hooky as some of the band's efforts, and it lacks a standout chorus, but the riffing variety is welcome - and there is a strong breakdown later on.
Bully might be the album's least interesting number. Nothing here is bad, and the album is just shy of 45 minutes long so it flies by, but Bully just does not really grab hold. It very much follows the band's typical pattern, but it does nothing interesting with it - and there are no big hooks to make up for this lack of musical interest. Even a mediocre song can sometimes be saved by a huge chorus, but this song lacks that - and overall it feels a little too slow and plodding. It lacks the dirt of Sepsis or the emotive balladry of El Vacío to make its slower pace pop - and it just feels like a bit of a rambling, slightly slower than mid-pace tune which lacks any meaningful hooks. Snippets of riffs and the odd drum break add interest - but overall the song is the one here that does the least for me. A Thousand Years picks things up again, though, with Campbell once again opening things up with a dirty bassline. Like the previous song, this one is on the slower side - but it feels vital and dirty thanks to a bluesy swagger created by a Black Sabbath-esque riff, the strong bass presence, and Blythe's use of both clean and harsh vocals throughout to switch things up. The song overall is cleaner than Sepsis, but there are shades of that sludge feel here - but really there is just a strong Sabbath-esque feel during the anthemic riff-led sections, whilst Blythe delivers a hooky chorus in amongst this creeping heaviness. The melodic clean backing vocals work well, too, and a spoken bridge section later leads into a bluesy and melodic guitar solo which fits nicely with the song's old-school vibe. This song feels like Lamb of God trying to write a 1970s-style metal song - and it works well. The penultimate number Devise/Destroy opens slowly, with distant clean guitars - before a faster-paced riff kicks in and the song picks up the pace compared to the previous couple of numbers. There is a welcome energy here, then, following the slower grooves that came before - although it never reaches the thrash-like feel of some of the earlier numbers, despite the odd blast beat from Cruz. This is another song, though, which has a bit of a hardcore feel. Some of Blythe's vocals are shouted and less harsh sounding, which is very hardcore-coded - despite the main chorus feeling like a classic Lamb of God effort. A busy breakdown section later actually channels the metalcore sound of the mid-2000s with a surprisingly Trivium-esque riff - but overall the song is a powerful effort with plenty of energy and attitude. The album comes to a close with Wire, a similar song to the previous one in that it maintains a pretty upbeat feeling - but the hardcore vibes are absent, with the band instead fully channelling their core sound. The album opened sounding like old-school Lamb of God and it closes in a similar manner - which is fitting given the variety that is otherwise found within. More huge riffs and grooves, another pretty strong chorus, and a shredded guitar solo make up this album-closing effort - and it is very much Lamb of God through and through, bringing to an end another strong album from the five-piece. Lamb of God rarely disappoint in my opinion and they have not started doing so on Into Oblivion. The dull new logo aside, the riffing is as good here as ever - and I like that the band have allowed themselves a bit more room for experimentation this time. I liked the last two back-to-basics albums, and they are ones I still return to often, but Lamb of God are often at their best when they try new things alongside the familiar - and Into Oblivion very much allows this to happen.
The album was released on 13th March 2026 via Century Media Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Into Oblivion.
It is always nice to be able to talk about some new southern rock on this blog - as new albums in the genre are quite a rarity these days. Most of the classic southern rock acts either no longer exist or have long became heritage acts, content to play the same setlist night after night to fuel nostalgia - and it is not a genre that has generated a huge amount of newer bands over the past 20 or so years. One newer band that is, at least, southern rock in part, though, is the Kentucky-based four-piece Black Stone Cherry. In fact, this year marks 20 years since the band launched onto the scene with their self-titled debut album back in 2006 - something which will be celebrated on a lengthy UK tour later this year. Following the success of their debut album, Black Stone Cherry grew in stature with each new release - until they were arena-level headliners here in the UK. In terms of newer southern rock, then, Black Stone Cherry are easily the biggest on the scene - but the band's southern rock riffs and grooves have often been mixed with the radio-friendly, and often bland, sounds of the US post-grunge scene of the 1990s and 2000s. Given the band members' ages, this influence is no surprise - but it has perhaps been a bit of a double edged sword for the band over the years. Whilst the band's first two albums, which remain their best in my opinion, certainly contained a post-grunge influence, which did help them make their brand of southern rock a bit more hard-hitting and anthemic, it started to dominate their sound on albums three and four. The band grew in popularity as a result, but I get the impression that their label at the time was pushing them further and further down this path - which they were not all that happy with. As such, they took the risk to leave their big label and sign with a smaller label - and, ever since, they seem to have had more creative control and their sound has returned to a better balance of southern rock and post-grunge which leans more towards the former. I have enjoyed everything that the band have put out to some extent, even albums three and four, but the first two remain their best - and I tend to prefer Black Stone Cherry when the southern rock is allowed to truly shine through. This is why I liked their last album, 2023's Screamin' at the Sky (which I reviewed here), so much - as it was a short, sharp, hard-hitting southern rock album that contained just enough of a post-grunge influence to push anthemic hooks but not enough to flood the album with ballads and bland rockers. It may well be my favourite album since the first two, and it was one that I played a lot when it came out - which was helped by the band playing a UK tour of small venues, some of the first they ever played here as headliners, to promote its release which I was lucky enough to get a ticket to. As such, I was looking forward to the next thing from the band - but news on new material did not seem all that forthcoming. A couple of singles dropped towards the end of last year, though, so something new was clearly around the corner - but I was a bit disappointed when the band announced that their next release would be a digital-only EP. As a physical media collector the digital-only format was a disappointment - but I nevertheless was looking forward to something new from the band. I have to say, too, that I was disappointed when I first listened to the seven songs here. It has grown on me somewhat, but, the excellent title track aside, Celebrate is a bit lacklustre. It is probably the band's weakest collection of songs since 2014's Magic Mountain (which I reviewed here) and, tellingly, it is their least southern rock-sounding release maybe ever.
The contrast between the last album and Celebrate could not be more stark, then, and I do hope that this is not a direction which the band want to push going forward. There are things to enjoy here, and it has grown on me as I said, but compared to the band's best work this feels quite bland and lacking in any real hard rock fire. As I said, though, the EP kicks off in fine fashion with its title track, a hard rocking number that will certainly find a home in the band's live set going forward. The opening, effects-heavy riff sounds strange - but when the main guitar chug kicks in, with a cold synth backing, the song gets going. It is not the most southern-sounding song, but there is enough here to keep me interested - with frontman Chris Robertson in fine voice during juddering verses, which features stop-start riffing and a strong bass presence from Steve Jewell Jr. There is less overt riffing here, but the grooves created throughout the verses are strong - and the riff which later follows the main chorus does have something of a southern rock edge which harks back to the band's early days. The guitar solo which later sits atop this same riff is another moment which harks back - whilst the sing-along chorus feels both anthemic and suitably poppy. There is a big synth backing throughout the whole song, which is a different from the norm and not something I really want from the band - but the song rocks hard enough to overcome this concern. Neon Eyes is a bit riffier, at least early on, and it is another of the songs here that I like. The main riff is very much classic Black Stone Cherry, with a rawer guitar tone compared to the previous track - and some trademark busy bass drum work from John Fred Young. I think that part of my issue with this EP is the overall production. Black Stone Cherry sound at their best when they do things the simple way, but they have experimented quite a lot with synths and strange effects throughout - and this song feels a bit blunted by them. The main riff is great, but it feels a bit layered with synths when it is reused for the decent chorus - and there are often effects on Robertson's voice during the song, with sparse verses and a juddering pre-chorus all feeling a little synthetic. I do like the song overall, and I am sure it would sound better live, but I just wish some of its natural power was allowed to shine through. Caught Up in the Up Down is a rocker, which opens with a pretty hard-hitting riff - so there is a lot of promise here. The riff has a southern edge, and there is a strong groove during the verses, but I find the vocal melodies and the eventual chorus to be a bit braindead overall. The semi-rapped verse vocal rhythms, despite some great bass playing underpinning them, remind me of some of my least favourite songs that the band have done in the past - and the chorus has a mindless sing-song feel which showcases the worst side of that American radio rock sound that I really dislike. The instrumental sections are great, such as the strong riffing and later solo, but the melodies are not to my taste - and seem thrown together somewhat to fit a formula the band had largely left behind. I'm Fine slows things down somewhat, opening with a bluesy, mid-paced melody - but, again, this song feels a bit buried in effects. The synths are not as prominent as they are elsewhere, but the guitar tones here are not all that pleasing - with thin leads and droning rhythms which do little on the riffing front. There are some moments early on which rely on a drum machine or similar for a quieter sound, which is a travesty given that Young is one of the most unique drummers of recent years, whilst elsewhere the guitar melodies are bland and lacking in any sort of distinctive pattern. Robertson's vocals are at least heartfelt - but the song overall does little for me.
A slower number which does work more positively in my opinion, though, is the ballad Deep. Dark, clean guitar melodies open things up, over which Robertson sings in a downbeat and emotive manner. This is not a complicated song, but Black Stone Cherry have often written strong ballads - and this is one of the EP's better cuts. The simplicity of the opening verse is welcome, and when the band crash in for the slow-burning chorus it does feel powerful - with the softer guitar tones working nicely this time. I like it, too, that later verse renditions are much more powerful. Young's drumming is allowed to shine this time, and his punchy sound actually works well despite it maybe being too 'loud' for a traditional ballad - whilst, again, the bass does some interesting things in the background. The chorus is very radio-friendly, but I do not mind the simplicity when it comes to ballads like this - and Robertson has the voice and conviction in his delivery to make songs like this feel real. A brief guitar solo and some interesting melodic sections allow Robertson and fellow guitarist Ben Wells to try a few different things, too, and overall the song is a bit of a highlight. Returning to something harder rocking, the opening riff to What You're Made Of is a bit more of what I want from the band. Unlike some of the songs here, though, this song feels somewhat tougher throughout - so it is a bit stronger overall. The verses do rein it in a little, but there is still some crunchy guitar riffing in the background, creating some off-kilter grooves - whilst the chorus moves back and forth between louder, riffy sections and some grungier moments. Another of my main issues with this EP is that on so many of the songs it feels as if the band has deliberately pulled back - scared of sounding too heavy. Black Stone Cherry are essentially always at their best when they just rock out and go for it with a big riff and hook - so I am unsure why they have chosen to neuter themselves somewhat here. What You're Made Of has plenty of good ideas, but it is held back by the band holding themselves back - and I just wish the song was allowed to really rock. The EP comes to a close with a cover of Simple Minds' Don't You (Forget About Me). I know little about Simple Minds so it is not a song I am familiar with - but it fits in with the rest here as it rocks to an extent, without really ever letting rip. Tyler Connolly (Theory of a Deadman) adds his voice to parts of the song - singing alongside Robertson. His more typical post-grunge snarl only aids to make the cover sound more generic than it otherwise would have. Even at their most post-grunge-influenced, Robertson's southern soulful delivery has helped Black Stone Cherry to stand out - with Connolly's nasally delivery sounding ten a penny instead. The song is not terrible, and the chorus is pretty strong, but with no real big riffs to talk about, more synths, and an unnecessary guest vocal spot, it is just not something I want or need from Black Stone Cherry. Overall, then, Celebrate has two songs I genuinely like a lot (the title track and Deep), two songs I like but feel held back by the band's production and performance choices (Neon Eyes and What You're Made Of), and three which do little for me. Given that this is the first new material from the band in three years, such a return is disappointing and I hope that this EP was seen as opportunity for the band to try some new things and experiment before returning to something more hard rocking and groovy on their next proper album. I am looking forward to seeing them live later in the year, and some of these songs will certainly sound better live, but new Black Stone Cherry material is sadly not always a guaranteed winner - and I hope for better next time.
The EP was released on 6th March 2026 via Mascot Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Celebrate.
Following a busy few weeks of travelling to catch live music, including a few rail-replacement buses, it was nice to go to something local last night. I only got back from an excellent trip to Wolverhampton on Friday, but yesterday I was out again - this time in Plymouth, to the newly-rebranded Plymouth Arena for a night with the quirky pop rockers 10cc. The Plymouth Arena, until recently the Plymouth Pavilions, is a criminally underused venue in the city. Outside of Plymouth Argyle's Home Park, which sometimes hosts large-scale gigs in the summer, the Arena is the city's largest venue - and can hold around 4000 people when configured for a standing show at maximum capacity. Like many venues, though, it can be configured in different ways to suit different crowd sizes - but even this has not attracted all that many bands in recent years. As a seasoned gig-goer, seeing what is not a terrible venue often languishing empty or relegated to hosting comedians, evenings with, and those tribute bands which are now bigger than many original bands is a shame. When I was younger the venue had a poor reputation for sound quality, with some early gigs there I remember sounding quite mushy, but that has not really been the case for a long time at this point - and I have not experienced bad sound there for years. The building opened in the early 1990s, and for a while was busy. Looking back at who played there through the 1990s, I would have been there on a regular basis. This was likely the tail-end of bands generally still playing lengthy UK tours, something which is just not undertaken by many these days, and the building was aimed as an upgrade for and eventual replacement of the Cornwall Coliseum - which had been the South West's major gig venue from the 1960s through to the 1980s. Sadly these days, though, the venue is underused - and if I go there once a year then I have generally done pretty well. Last night was my first and, so far, only planned trip there this year - whilst I went there once last year to see Those Damn Crows and once the previous year to see Squeeze. I do not think that I went there at all in 2023 - and it is also fairly telling that my last three trips were for acts that I would not have travelled to see. Whether this local rebrand will actually lead to any overall improvements in terms of events remains to be seen. Some are of the view that the rebrand has been undertaken in line with Plymouth's upcoming bid to be UK City of Culture - but all that has changed so far is the wording of the sign above the main entrance. Nothing obviously has been upgraded internally, with the chairs still old and not in a good state of repair - whilst the long-closed swimming pool and ice rink still sit empty. I really hope things do pick up, and the rebrand leads to more nights out in Plymouth, but I have been hoping for more bands to come to the venue for nearly 20 years at this point and it has not happened to date. It was nice to get back there last night, though, with 10cc the reason for my trip. 10cc are one of those bands that I knew I should check out, given that so many of the bands I like have been influenced by them, but it was not until this gig was announced last year that I decided it was time. 10cc have been regular visitors to Plymouth over the years so I am not sure why this time was the time - but I have been enjoying slowly working my way through the band's quirky and melodic catalogue over the past few months. Whilst only Graham Gouldman (vocals/guitar/bass guitar) remains from the original line-up, Rick Fenn (vocals/guitar/keyboards/percussion) has been in the band since 1976 - and drummer since 1973 Paul Burgess only retired last year. The band line-up feels legitimate, then, with three newer faces joining the two classic-era members.
The place was pretty full throughout the evening - even if it was laid out in an all-seating arrangement and filled with people very different to those I usually see at concerts. There was a good atmosphere throughout the night, then, and the evening was opened by Welsh singer-songwriter Andrew Park - who played a short set of acoustic and piano-based music before 10cc took to the stage. Park has history with 10cc, having filled in for both Iain Hornal (vocals/guitar/mandolin/bass guitar/keyboards/percussion) and Fenn in recent years when they have been unable to join the band on tour - and he later joined the band on stage for a song to add some additional percussion. As such, he seems part of the wider 10cc family, then, so was likely an easy choice for support act. Person-with-acoustic-guitar support acts are generally my least favourite type of support act for a couple of reasons, Firstly, I just find all-acoustic music to often be quite dull, and, secondly, if the songs being played are usually 'bigger' sounding then a sparser arrangement is rarely the best way to be introduced to them. That being said, Park was better than average for the type of artist that he is. He had some subtle backing to his songs which included drum loops and synths, which did help to fill out the sound a little, whilst his voice was strong. Songwriting-wise, though, there was nothing especially to write home about. I think nearly every song he played had the word 'love' in the title - so the subject matter was very earnest, something which I also generally dislike about this type of act. Between the songs, though, he was engaging and came across as likeable - so his set did conjure up something of an atmosphere which was good. There are certainly worse support acts that I have seen over the year, and his short set did not outstay its welcome, but what Park does is just never really going to be for me.
There was not much waiting around during the evening, as it did not seem long before the lights went down and, following a lengthy intro video, 10cc took to the stage. The show was very much a greatest hits affair, although I am not sure that the band do any other kind of tour these days, with only one of the songs played being released after 1978. As such, even a casual like me was familiar with essentially the whole set - and I enjoyed the band's near-two hour set as a result. Gouldman and Hornal shared the lead vocals throughout, with the latter likely singing the most - but Fenn also co-sang one song, whilst the whole band helped out on the trademark harmonies. Everyone on stage was a multi-instrumentalist, so there was a lot of instrument swapping going on, but this only added to the overall show. The night kicked off with the jaunty The Second Sitting for the Last Supper - and hit after hit followed really. There were quite a few overall highlights for me, but an early one was Art for Art's Sake - with Park adding additional percussion. Songs like this really made me realise where Cats in Space got some of their quirkier side from - and the whole band came together to make the multi-layered piece work. Fenn really impressed as a guitar player throughout the night. His soloing was plentiful and tasteful, including a lot of whammy bar tricks, whilst the playing of Keith Hayman (keyboards/guitar/bass guitar/vocals) often added to the overall upbeat nature of the night. 10cc have a number of different vibes in their sound, from the whimsical to the more hard rocking. Songs like Life Is a Minestrone and Old Wild Men certainly showcased the former, with uplifting pop harmonies and bouncy song structures dominating, whilst the somewhat darker Clockwork Creep, the one song which Fenn took the lead on vocally, and the riffier, bluesier The Wall Street Shuffle showcased the band's somewhat heavier side. 10cc can rock out when they need to, and on these numbers the driving bass of Gouldman tended to provide plenty of weight. The centrepiece of the night, though, was certainly the lengthy Feel the Benefit - with Honral providing additional atmosphere on the keyboards as well as taking the lead vocally. A few of the songs were stretched out to allow for some additional soloing, and this was one of them - with Fenn really letting rip at times. During the set, too, there were a few diversions from the 10cc catalogue. Gouldman later took the lead on an acoustic version of Bus Stop, a song he wrote for The Hollies before 10cc got together, whilst he and Hornal also duetted on Say the Word - a song the pair wrote for one of the latter's solo albums. It is a shame that such a writing partnership has not led to a new 10cc album, as the song fit nicely in with the rest of the set, but new material is clearly not the band's minds - even if both Gouldman and Hornal have released solo albums in recent years. There was not too much time left in the main set at this point, but plenty more hits followed - with original 10cc member Kevin Godley appearing on the screen behind the band to 'sing' Somewhere in Hollywood - before the delicate and harmony-led ballad I'm Not in Love and the pop-reggae of Dreadlock Holiday brought the main set to a fun-filled close. There was time for a couple more, though, and a two-song encore kicked off with an a cappella version of Donna, which saw Hornal hitting some very high notes at times, before a lengthy version of the harder rocking Rubber Bullets saw the set come to a close. Both Fenn and Hayman took lengthy solos during the piece - and it was a fun and bouncy way to end the night of music. The setlist was:
The Second Sitting for the Last Supper
The Worst Band in the World
Art for Art's Sake [w/ Andrew Park]
Life Is a Minestrone
Good Morning Judge
The Dean and I
Old Wild Men
Clockwork Creep
Feel the Benefit
The Wall Street Shuffle
Bus Stop [The Hollies cover]
The Things We Do for Love
Say the Word [Iain Hornal solo material]
Silly Love
Somewhere in Hollywood
I'm Mandy Fly Me
I'm Not in Love
Dreadlock Holiday
-
Donna
Rubber Bullets
It has been a lot of fun to get into the 10cc catalogue over the past few months, and culminating my explorations in last night's gig felt fitting. It was a very enjoyable show from a band with plenty of experience at this point, even given the newer members on board, and the decent-sized Plymouth crowd certainly enjoyed the hits played. I aim to continue on with my 10cc journey, checking out some of the lesser-known albums and becoming more familiar in general with this unique band.
So far this year I have been to a surprising amount of melodic metal gigs. The year's first outing, an Epica and Amaranthe co-headline affair, is probably still the year's best gig to date - but last weekend in London I enjoyed one of the current big names on the block in Powerwolf, with long-standing act HammerFall in direct support. Last night, too, I enjoyed a band that many class as power metal - but, for me, the German band Primal Fear are largely just a great, old-school sounding heavy metal band. It is well known at this point that the band was formed by frontman Ralf Scheepers and Mat Sinner (bass guitar/vocals) when the former was not hired as Rob Halford's replacement in Judas Priest in the mid-1990s. Essentially, then, Primal Fear play Judas Priest-style heavy metal - albeit with a European power metal edge thanks to some perhaps slightly flashier guitar pyrotechnics and more reliance on fast-paced double bass drumming. I have been a casual Primal Fear fan for many years at this point, but it was likely only during the past seven or so years that I really started to pay attention and look to complete my Primal Fear collection. There are still a couple of their albums that I need to get, but in general now I am pretty familiar with the band's quite lengthy catalogue - and their last few albums have all been reviewed here. In recent years, though, the band have not been regular visitors to the UK. Like HammerFall, then, the band did used to visit the UK more regularly - but this has dropped off in more recent years. There are quite a few European metal bands that have become this way, and I can only imagine that Brexit has made it harder for bands to come over and play one or two small-scale shows. Either that or the fanbase has dropped off somewhat, but, in truth, the reason is likely a combination of many factors, but it is a shame that we in the UK often miss out on bands like Primal Fear. I had a ticket to see them in either 2020 or 2021, but clearly the show was cancelled due to the pandemic and was never rescheduled. Primal Fear tour in Europe fairly regularly, so I am sure that the tour eventually happened - it just did not include the UK. The band did return to the UK last year, though, playing a set at the always interesting-looking Stonedead Festival. It was the band's first UK show for a while, but when the headline tour for last year's Domination (which I reviewed here) was announced there were no other UK shows. That was, though, until the second leg. It would have been great to see one, presumably in London, let alone two - but with a second show being in Wolverhampton at KK's Steel Mill it gave me a good excuse to return to one of my favourite venues and plan my first Midlands trip of the year. I have waxed lyrical about KK's Steel Mill so many times on this blog now that people must be getting bored of me talking about it - but it really has become my favourite venue of its size. I rarely get to Nottingham these days, so Rock City has dropped down the list - and Rock City can be a bit unpleasant when it is sold out. There always feels like there is at least a bit of room in KK's Steel Mill, even when full, and the space is just used so well. Primal Fear certainly did not sell the place out, but there were a few hundred in attendance - which likely pleased the band given the assumed risk of playing a couple of UK headline shows. The venue can be laid out in a number of ways to make crowds of differing sizes look like they are filling the place - and there were a number of curtains employed last night, as is often the case, to make the crowd pack the area in front of the stage. Wolverhampton had not escaped the recent rain - so it was a pretty wet walk down to the venue, with the doors opening slightly earlier than planned to allow people in out of the rain.
Clearly Primal Fear were the reason I was at the show, but I was also looking forward to seeing the support act - a solo set from journeyman rock/metal vocalist Ronnie Romero. As was likely the case for many, I first discovered Romero when he joined the final incarnation of Rainbow, with whom I saw him live twice, but before that he fronted the Spanish metal act Lords of Black - and has since sung with many guitar greats including Michael Schenker, Adrian Vandenberg, and Richie Faulkner as part of the band Elegant Weapons. I last saw him with Schenker, at KK's Steel Mill in fact, so I was looking forward to seeing him as a solo artist - having given last year's Backbone a few listens in the run up to the show. He came on stage around half an hour after the original door time, but there was already a decent-sized crowd in attendance when he took the stage. The set was largely culled from his two solo albums of original material - but also included a couple of Rainbow numbers and a Deep Purple cover to keep the casuals happy. With a tight band that consisted of José Rubio (guitar), with whom Romero wrote many of the songs that featured, DGM's Andrea Arcangeli (bass guitar), and Chris Allan (drums), whom I once saw playing rather different music with Karnataka, Romero rocked through an 11-song set with relative ease. The title track from his latest album kicked things off, and the mid-paced hard rocker set the tone which was to follow. Rubio's big riffing and melodic soloing style was impressive throughout, whilst Romero is a great frontman - and really owned the venue's big stage. The only disappointment was the absence of a keyboard player - meaning that all the keyboards were pre-recorded and low in the mix. Music like this needs the Hammond organ to roar through the speakers - but the guitars did much of the heavy lifting. Despite Romero's material largely sticking to type, there was some variety throughout. Eternally allowed for a slightly more mid-paced, melodic rock sound to shine through - whilst a heavy take on Rainbow's Stargazer certainly had most in the crowd singing along. The latter did include the one obvious mistake in the set, though, which consisted of either Rubio soloing for too long or Allan ending the solo section too early - meaning that the band were out of sync for a few bars. There were faster moments, too, such as the power metal-esque Black Dog - whilst I enjoyed the epic Castaway on the Moon from Romero's previous, and first, solo album of original material; which I will need to check out. The Deep Purple knowledge of the crowd was also tested with a fun version of the relative deep cut The Battle Rages On, whilst the song which was announced as the final number Vengeance was suitably metallic given its title. Clearly realising that they had a little more time to play with, though, the supposed final number segued into Rainbow's Kill the King - which was a fun end to a powerful overall set. The setlist was:
Backbone
Never Felt This Way
Eternally
Stargazer [Rainbow material]
Black Dog
Castaway on the Moon
Bring the Rock
The Battle Rages On [Deep Purple cover]
Chased by Shadows
Vengeance
Kill the King [Rainbow material]
Following a 30 or so minute changeover, the lights went down again and Primal Fear took to the stage. The room was busy by this point, and this led to an excellent atmosphere throughout. Like me, many in attendance had likely not seen Primal Fear live before - so the opportunity to do so was certainly welcomed. I was not especially close to the stage, but even those around me somewhat further back were largely all singing along to every song - and the responses to Scheepers' attempts to get the crowd to sing were generally successful. The band crammed 15 songs into their 90 or so minutes on stage - with material coming from throughout their career. Five songs from the latest album were included, though, with two kicking things off. The tough Destroyer, with a snippet of We Walk Without Fear used as an intro to it, kicked things off - with the more anthemic and melodic I Am the Primal Fear following. These two songs really set the tone going forward - and it was clear that the night was going to be a good one. Scheepers was in great voice throughout, his ability to hit those high notes intact, whilst the guitar duo of long-time member Magnus Karlsson and newer face Thalìa Bellazecca peeled off riff after riff throughout the night. The pair's guitar tones during the set sounded huge, and they brought the band's muscular metal to life with ease - whilst it was good to see Sinner on stage following his seemingly very serious health issues of recent years. Scheepers was a great frontman, too. He is a tall and just overall very big man, so he is a commanding presence on stage - but he took quite a few opportunities to talk to the crowd. The band as a whole seemed pleased to be back in the UK, and with the turnout and the reception that they were getting - so perhaps they will not leave such a gap between UK visits in future. I hope not, as I would certainly see them live again based on this performance. When anthems like Final Embrace and the more melodic Seven Seals come thick and fast, there is never time to stop having fun. The band's mix of tougher, old-school metal and the more melodic, power metal-influenced songs helped to keep things fresh, too, and they excel at both sounds. The Hunter, one of the strongest cuts from the latest album, was a great example of the latter, and saw Scheepers singing in a cleaner and smoother manner - whilst later in the set Chainbreaker from the band's 1998 debut album was delivered with plenty more crunch and plenty of vocal grit. Favourites came one after the other, though, but some other highlights included the anthemic The End Is Near, with some of Scheepers' highest notes of the night, and the somewhat more delicate instrumental piece Hallucinations - which was essentially a guitar showcase for Karlsson. The best overall moment, though, was the lengthy, semi-ballad Fighting the Darkness, which the aforementioned instrumental acted as an intro to. It felt like the real centrepiece of the show, with Scheepers delivering the vocals with real emotion. The central chorus is perhaps one of the band's best, and it was sung loudly by those around me, whilst the lengthy instrumental section in the middle of the song allowed for more soloing from both guitar players. It was the moment of the night for me overall. The set really flew by, so it was not too long before Scheepers announced Metal Is Forever as the final song - but it was clear that it was not going to be, as the band dispensed with the usual encore silliness after the genre-based anthem to play a couple more. A delicate version of Hands of Time was played as the set's penultimate number - which saw Karlsson playing the song on the guitar the rest of the band sharing the vocals in a campfire-esque manner. The slower arrangement worked well, but it was left to the Accept-like Running in the Dust to bring the night to a close - with one last shout-along chorus for the crowd to enjoy. The setlist was:
We Walk Without Fear/Destroyer
I Am the Primal Fear
Final Embrace
Nuclear Fire
Seven Seals
The Hunter
Tears of Fire
King of Madness
The End Is Near
Hallucinations
Fighting the Darkness
Chainbreaker
Metal Is Forever
Hands of Time
Running in the Dust
Given that I have been into Primal Fear for quite a while at this point, it was great to finally get the chance to see them live - especially after missing out a few years ago due to the pandemic. They delivered a powerful set to a decent-sized and appreciative crowd - and nights like this always give me hope that more promoters will realise that there is an audience for power metal and similar genres outside of London. Romero's opening set was a lot of fun, too, so overall the night was a great one - and another in a long list of such in Wolverhampton of late.
Whilst some of my early musical loves were progressive rock bands, and I have considered myself a fan of the genre for many years at this point, I am not sure that I have ever been as much of a prog fan as I am currently. For a long time I struggled with some of the genre's big hitters, but over the years I have grown accustomed to all things complex and long-winded - and I continue to discover new things and expand my progressive horizons. As such, then, it seemed about time that I properly dived into the huge body of work conjured up over the years by the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Neal Morse. I am certainly no Morse novice, and I have been something of an admirer of his, if not a true fan, for a long time. I think that my first exposure to him came back in 2009, and Transatlantic's third album The Whirlwind. I came to Transatlantic due to their connection to Marillion - but I soon learnt about Morse and his, even back then, lengthy history. I knew nothing about Spock's Beard at that point, and I am still no expert, but I started to give Morse's work a bit of a go - with his 2011 solo album Testimony 2 getting a few plays around that time. In truth, though, despite enjoying The Whirlwind, Morse's work, at the time, did not really stick. His sense of melody and songwriting chops were obvious even back then, but I found that his solo work suffered due to his skills as a guitar player. Morse is a talented multi-instrumentalist, and knows his way around a guitar - but it is fair to say that he is more of a keyboard player than a guitarist, so I often found his solo work to be lacking in the big guitar moments that I tend to want from my prog. Transatlantic had Roine Stolt to fill that role, whilst Spock's Beard had Morse's brother, so I often felt as if his solo work fell short somewhat. I stopped listening to his work not too long after those initial experiments, then, save for the occasional foray into early Spock's Beard, until more recently. I picked up 2003's Testimony relatively recently, which again did not do all that much for me - but after listening to Spock's Beard's excellent latest album The Archaeoptimist (which I reviewed here) last year, which has nothing to do with him, I was persuaded to give Morse another go. As such, I picked up a couple of his more recent non-solo releases: 2024's No Hill for a Climber, credited to Neal Morse & The Resonance, which saw him playing with younger, local musicians to where he currently lives, and 2021's Innocence & Danger, the fourth studio album by The Neal Morse Band. I enjoyed both - so when I saw that the fifth Neal Morse Band album was due out this year I pre-ordered and earmarked it as my true jumping-off point into the world of Morse. Different from his solo career, The Neal Morse Band presents a more band-orientated approach, both in terms of songwriting and performance, which pulls from his time with Spock's Beard - and even hints at progressive metal at times due to some of the personnel involved. The band was launched in 2015 with The Grand Experiment - and has remain consistent line-up-wise since. Both bassist Randy George and drummer Mike Portnoy have been involved with Morse for years, having also played on a number of his solo albums, with guitarist Eric Gillette and keyboard player Bill Hubauer rounding out the five-piece. Morse fronts the band, and plays guitar and keyboards, too, but both Gillette and Hubauer also sing occasionally - giving The Neal Morse Band a triple lead vocal approach at times which further shakes things up. The band's fifth album, L.I.F.T., is their first since 2021 and the first since Portnoy returned to Dream Theater and essentially put all of his other projects on hold. Clearly wanting to keep working with Morse where possible, the five found some time around the busy Dream Theater touring schedule to put L.I.F.T. together - and sound-wise it very much feels similar to the grand, symphonic prog rock/metal I enjoyed on Innocence & Danger.
With Gillette on board there is certainly no shortage of big guitar moments here, which sets The Neal Morse Band apart from Morse's solo albums, whilst the retro keyboard sounds from both Morse and Hubauer are true to the prog classics of the 1970s. With Gillette's ability to shred, plus his and Portnoy's metal backgrounds, there is certainly weight to be found here - and, at times, the lighter end of Dream Theater is certainly referenced even if I would not class the album as full-blown prog metal. As with most of The Neal Morse Band's albums, L.I.F.T. is a long effort - but it does all fit on a single CD, unlike some of the others. In true prog style, the opening track, Beginning, is a bit of a scene-setter. The piece is largely instrumental, but it actually opens with some gentle piano and Morse's vocals, which is a very low-key moment given how bombastic this album can be at times - but after a few lines of vocals, a big synth swell soon gives way to a majestic keyboard melody, over which big guitar chords are laid in an anthemic manner. The next five or so minutes act as a lengthy overture for the album, with busy guitar and keyboard playing from Gillette and Hubauer respectively - whilst George dominates one section with a melodic bass riff which everything else is built around. Portnoy is not as busy throughout this album as he can be, but he still gets to showcase his chops - with plenty of grooves coming from his playing. Generally the main musical motifs come from the guitar or the keyboard here, though, with Beginning moving back and forth between each dominating - whilst plenty of Hammond organ roars away in the background. The piece then segues into Fully Alive, the first truly vocal piece, and the album's first single. The bombast somewhat fades away as the transition is approached, with up-tempo acoustic guitar starting to dominate - whilst a lyrical and highly melodic guitar lead providing maybe the first true hook here. The transition takes place, though, once some bouncy piano takes over - and the opening moments of the song see Morse and Hubauer trading vocal lines against a backing of gentle piano and acoustic guitar. This album overall is a good mix of reflective, gentle moments and more upbeat, symphonic prog - and once Gillette starts to sing the chorus a punchy drum beat kicks in and organ adds a rocking backing. Subtle guitar and keyboard grooves, accented by the rhythm section, add a rock edge - whilst later verses feel a bit bigger thanks to a more band-orientated approach. Gillette and Morse's vocal back-and-forth during the chorus brings the melodies to life - and there is an uplifting and positive vibe present, something which is often the case with Morse's work I have found. A later synth solo closes the song out - as subtle piano returns to transition things over to I Still Belong. I Still Belong feel like a slightly more downbeat piece, transitioning from darker keyboards as a lone acoustic guitar melody takes over. This forms the backing for Morse's slightly more restrained vocal delivery, which makes him sound darker than usual, whilst sparse synth melodies flash away in the background. The song largely remains fairly low key throughout, although certain sections feel a bit more atmospheric thanks to some larger keyboard swells and Morse pushing himself a little more vocally. The haunting acoustic guitar melodies dominate, though, and there is a coldness to much of the track - even as long-held electric guitar notes slowly fade in. The band do crash in towards the end, though, with a brief bridge section feeling more hard rocking - but this moment is brief, with the acoustic guitar soon returning.
There are a few linking instrumental passages on this album, and Gravity's Grip follows - immediately bringing some of the album's early bombast back after the relatively plaintive feel of the previous track. Originally opening with, and often returning to, a bouncy synth riff, which is enhanced by some trademark Portnoy drumming, Gillette's busy guitar playing dominates - with some excellent lyrical leads and fast-paced shredded sections adding a metallic edge. The piece gets heavier as it moves along, transition into Hurt People - a riffier piece which sees Morse singing with some strange effects on his voice throughout. Gillette's slower-paced, groovy riffing really drives the piece, with some wah-drenched moments adding an edge, whilst darker synths and a strange, discordant chorus showcasing the metal influences that The Neal Morse Band sometimes employ. Whilst the synths do a lot of good work in the background, this is very much a guitar-driven song. The riffing never really lets up, and Gillette delivers one of the album's best guitar solos around a third of the way through. It is a lengthy instrumental section, and it is packed full of melody and fast-paced prog metal motifs - and it is a solo which really makes me think that Gillette should be held in higher regard in the modern prog scene. This heavy, riffy piece is welcome - but it does take a turn around half way through, turning into another lengthy instrumental section which brings the keyboards back to the fore somewhat. Songwriting and melody-wise this album is very Morse, but it is instrumental sections like this that make The Neal Morse Band albums, so far, much more my thing. This moment is very Dream Theater-esque in truth. The synths are perhaps a bit more retro-sounding and less busy overall, but Gillette's playing is up there in quality - and Portnoy also uses these moments to really cut loose. There is some busy drumming here, then, alongside some excellent, spacey keyboard leads and melodies. When this instrumental bombast comes to an end after a few minutes, and a distant piano is all that is left, the album transitions into The Great Withdrawal - which pushes the acoustic guitar to the fore again. The song opens with Morse singing in a darker manner against an acoustic guitar and piano backing, similar to I Still Belong, but there is a bit more going on this time - with busier piano and keyboard melodies, whilst Morse generally feels more expressive vocally. Plus, this sparser vibe only really lasts during the first verse and chorus - with Portnoy's drum fill introducing the rest of the band for the second verse, which is nicely backed by some crunchy guitar riffing and more Hammond. Amy Pippin and Julie Harrison later add some choral vocals to the second chorus - and the song just feels grander as it moves along. The chunky guitar rhythms add a certain strut, and there is a lushness to the overall arrangement - which is expanded on during another big, shredded guitar solo. Gillette later sings a bridge section, adding his slightly higher-pitched voice to the song, but Morse takes back over for a final chorus - which returns to the song's early slow feel. Another instrumental piece in Contemplation follows, and it is essentially a keyboard showcase. Lasting for a couple of minutes or so, it opens with some classically-inspired piano melodies, which then morph into similar melodies played on the Hammond. There are some real classic prog shades here, but the rest of the band do join in towards the end - with the guitar replicating some of the same melodies, even if the dense keyboards still largely dominate.
When Morse starts to sing again during Shame About My Shame, the band once again drop away - and Morse's mournful lyrics are backed by some electric piano melodies and occasional acoustic guitar. Like many of the songs here, it starts slowly and builds up as it moves along - with the first chorus feeling quite stripped back, with percussive cymbal swells and more electric piano melodies, but Portnoy soon adds a more typical drum groove, albeit a slow one, and the song feels more expansive. The backing vocals from Pippin and Harrison are utilised once again here, making parts of the chorus feel more expansive - but generally this is a slower ballad that feels quite cinematic overall. This vibe is really enhanced later on with another excellent Gillette guitar solo - which is another long one. It is much slower-paced and more David Gilmour-esque in spots - with the wordless female backing vocals which are added into the background at times really giving a strong Pink Floyd feel. Later chorus renditions feel grander with the band just pushing things a little further - and the ladies adding a lot to the overall sound vocally. As big ballads go, the song works very nicely, and it closes with a short, keyboard-led instrumental moment. Reaching is immediately much more up-tempo. It is quite a poppy song overall, very typical of Morse's style, and it opens with just layers of vocals singing the chorus without any musical backing. These a cappella moments are common in both Morse's and Spock's Beard's catalogues, so its inclusion is not a surprise, and once it is over the song gets going proper - kicking into a pretty up-tempo rocker with soaring synth melodies early on and faster verses with a chunky hard rock beat and some strident Morse vocals. It is one of those positive, poppy Morse prog songs that he has been writing for many years at this point. The guitars are largely in the background this time, with Gillette mostly providing some crunchy rhythms, with most of the main melodies coming from the synths. Cinematic organ backs the soaring, melodic chorus - whilst old-fashioned, warm synth leads are often thrown into the mix to join pieces of the song together. Big vocal harmonies and utilised during the chorus, too, making use of the whole band, whilst there is another rhythmic vocal-led piece later on which features some more harmonies - before Gillette steps back into the fore with a guitar solo. The final chorus has a classic 1980s key change, too, before, like some of the other songs here, the final couple of minutes descend into an instrumental workout. When the guitar melodies come to an end and some acoustic guitar chords return, the album transitions to Carry You Again, a lighter-touch track overall - which feels typical of the album's core approach of starting slow and building. After the first verse and chorus, the song starts to build - this time around some jaunty drumming and a staccato keyboard melody which easily sticks in the brain. The rest of the song is more upbeat and summery, then, and it does rock, but it never feels as hard rocking as some of the other cuts here - with more positivity overall and strong melodies instead carrying the song. The chorus is particularly hooky, with some simple melodies to get stuck into, whilst a later piano solo feels quite whimsical and different from the other more intense instrumental sections on the album. It is the sort of song that should be something of a hit, as it is filled with memorable melodies and a chorus that stuck in the brain - but some of the instrumental moments are probably just a bit too busy for most.
The brief Shattered Barricade follows - which, although a vocal piece, acts in a manner similar to the instrumentals from earlier in the album. Busy piano and occasional acoustic guitar chords back Morse singing in a somewhat more downbeat manner compared to the previous song - but after only a minute or so the acoustic guitar becomes more prominent and Fully Alive - Part 2 kicks off. Like the original Fully Alive which essentially started the album, Morse, Hubauer, and Gillette all share the vocals throughout - giving the song a bit more variety, and there is a jaunty vibe throughout which returns to the feeling of Reaching somewhat. In classic second part fashion, too, there are similarities between this song and Fully Alive. That song's chorus is expanded upon here, with Morse taking things further vocally, whilst some of the melodies are reprised in a busier and fuller manner. Portnoy really cuts loose here, too, adding some pretty intense drumming to parts of the song - with some of the chorus iterations backed by some surprisingly heavy drum patterns. There is a metallic edge to parts of the song, then, but overall there is an upbeat and summery feel during much of the track - until the end, that is, when one of those Dream Theater-lite instrumental moments takes over with some heavier riffing and double bass drumming from Portnoy. This gives the song a busy and bombastic end, but the album's final song Love All Along then opens slowly - with Mellotron shimmering away as pastoral guitar chords and a gentle tone descends. It is the longest song here at just over 11 minutes, although that is short by Morse's usual epic standards, so it allows itself space to stretch out. As such, the opening moments are slow. Morse sings over this pastoral approach in a gentle manner for a while, whilst spacey synth melodies, occasional guitar lines, and slow-moving piano cut through the atmosphere. Nothing else on the album has really sounded like this, so the change is welcome, and the beautiful textures are given plenty of space to breathe. Even when Portnoy's drums join in, the gentle vibe remains - with a slow-moving beat giving a little bit of a boost to the song without ever making anything feel significantly heavier. Despite this, though, the song does subtly grow all this time. It is not as obvious as it is elsewhere - but by the time Gillette launches into his melodic guitar solo it is clear that the song has come a long way. It does feel a bit rockier by this point, with the bass underpinning the guitar solo nicely whilst more Pink Floyd-esque wordless backing vocals are utilised to widen the sound further. Despite the length of the song, though, the overall vibe does not really change up all that much. Other songs here have felt more varied, especially those which opted to include proggy instrumental sections - but this is not a song that goes down that path. It only really has one core idea, but it spreads it out nicely across the song's runtime and subtly tweaks things as the song moves along. The guitar solo acts as a focal point, too, whilst as the song comes to a close the vocal arrangement changes, with the three-part vocal approach returning once again whilst melodies from elsewhere in the album are briefly reprised. It is very much a full circle ending, then, and it works well for me who loves things like that - with L.I.F.T. ending as well as it opened in my opinion. Overall, then, I have really been enjoying this album over the past couple of weeks. It is easily the Morse album I have enjoyed the most at this point, although I did like Innocence & Danger quite a bit too - I have just listened to this one more intensely so I could cover it here. The mix of Morse's usual style with a more band-like approach really works for me, and I can see this being one of the prog releases of the year. I am looking forward to getting the rest of The Neal Morse Band's albums and then, with my new appreciation for his work in mind, dive back into his solo catalogue.
The album was released on 27th February 2026 via InsideOut Music. Below is the band's promotional video for Fully Alive.
I am not long back from my first trip away in March - which saw me head back to London only a fortnight after my previous trip to the capital. March is certainly one of those busy periods gig-wise for me - and before the month is out I will have seen two more gigs locally, plus another in London and shows in both Wolverhampton and Birmingham. I spent a weekend in rainy London a couple of weeks ago to catch both Sylosis and Smith/Kotzen - so it was nice to return to find the city somewhat dryer this time. Instead of staying in the East End and gigging in both Kentish Town and Shepherd's Bush - this time I stayed in Cricklewood, somewhere I had not been to for a few years, and was gigging in Wembley. I think that it had a been a couple of years since I had last been to Wembley, too, but the reason which drew me back to the OVO Arena was Powerwolf - the German power metal band who have become surprisingly big in recent years. I have been a casual fan of Powerful for a number of years - having first become aware of them via their 2011 album Blood of the Saints when it was their newest release. I have not always kept up with the band in that time, but of late I have paid much more attention. Their last few albums have all been reviewed here - whilst I, before last night, had seen them live twice, albeit somewhat by default. I first saw Powerwolf live back in 2017, on a co-headline tour with Epica, and the next time came at the 2019 iteration of Bloodstock Open Air - where they were Friday night special guests, warming up the crowd before Sabaton's headline set. As such, prior to last night I had not seen the band live for seven years. Powerwolf have not always been regular visitors to the UK in more recent times - with the only UK shows following that BOA set being in 2022 where they played at Download and then in London later in the year. I was always surprised that Powerwolf did not come over here more often, as I was under the impression that they were pretty popular. In some ways, Powerwolf seem to be following Sabaton's route to being genuinely big - at least in Europe. Whether they quite reach Sabaton levels of popularity remains to the seen - but there are plenty of similarities between the two bands. They both play somewhat chunky power metal and have a sound which rarely changes, they both put a lot of effort into their larger-than-life stage shows, and they both have a schtick. In Powerwolf's case, that schtick is werewolf and Hammer-esque horror themes. Over the years I have started to tire of the gimmicky end of power metal, which all too often consists of style over substance and an inspiration well which soon dries up, but Powerwolf have strong enough songwriting chops and a charismatic and unique enough singer to make their one trick seemingly keep working. The band had also impressed live when I had seen them previously, too, even if I felt that they indulged in too much talking in between songs. This was especially the case during the BOA set - during which I remember an especially egregious bit where frontman Attila Dorn taught the crowd to a sing a lengthy bit of a song for at least five minutes, which seemed extremely wasteful at a festival. Despite this, though, I had wanted to see the band as a headline act - so when an OVO Arena show was announced as part of a wider European tour it did not take me long to pick up a ticket. The OVO Arena is significantly larger than the Roundhouse, where the band last headlined here, so their popularity certainly extends to the UK, too, although having power metal legends HammerFall on the bill as a special guest, another band that has rarely visited the UK in recent years, likely helped.
I opted for a seated ticket, so I was quite far back in the arena - but I had a good view of the stage. I was able to take in the stage show nicely as a result - and watch the arena fill up throughout the night. There were three bands on the bill, and opening the night, kicking off around 15 minutes after I got the venue, were Italy's Wind Rose - a folk/power metal band that I had previously seen live in 2019 opening for Gloryhammer. Gloryhammer are a good example of the sort of power metal band I have somewhat gone off in more recent years - and Wind Rose tread quite close to the line, although I casually enjoyed them in 2019 and I did so again last night. They are a not a band that I have given much time to, but they do have a quite interesting sound which is a bit different from most power metal bands. The folk metal influences and melodies help, but they are a little on the heavier side overall - and frontman Francesco Cavalieri has a deep and rich voice which helps the band to stand out. The band do wear costumes, which is a bit of a red flag these days, but their costumes are not all that silly in fairness - and their schtick is the lore of the dwarves from Tolkien's world, mixed with some more generic and anthemic folk metal subject matter. There is a lot to like about Wind Rose, then, and I enjoyed their set yesterday. The sound mix throughout the night was good, and Cavalieri soared above the hard-driving metal of the rest of the band - whilst Claudio Falconcini (guitar/vocals) added some great riffs and shredded solos, and Federico Meranda (keyboards) added most of the folky melodies. Wind Rose did not have a huge amount of time to play with, so they kept the talking to a minimum and powered through a handful of fairly majestic and folky songs with relatively ease. Some of the choruses were hooky, and overall I liked the band's approach to songwriting. There is an epicness to their sound which rarely crosses over into silly territory - and the songs largely came across as sincere, which I appreciate in power metal. The main red flag for Wind Rose, though, is that their most famous song is a novelty cover on an online meme-type song, albeit from years ago, which the crowd went bonkers for. Diggy Diggy Hole has some catchy melodies, especially Wind Rose's rocked-up version, but the inane chorus is essentially everything I do not like about gimmicky power metal these days - and the number of blow-up pickaxes that were being waved about in the crowd basically summed up everything that I am not into about the current power metal scene. It is a shame, really, as Wind Rose's original material is way more interesting than their novelty cover, but they would not be as known without it - so it is likely to be a millstone around their necks forever.
Wind Rose certainly garnered a strong reception, though, and the crowd were very much warmed up for what was to come. HammerFall, easily the band on the bill that I have listened to the most over the years, I thought suffered a little early on from a poorer overall reception - but this changed after a handful of songs and the atmosphere was one again strong. Afforded around an hour, HammerFall had time for 12 songs - and they included a few from their most recent album alongside plenty of fan-favourites from the past. Bands like Powerwolf and Wind Rose would not exist if HammerFall and their peers had not made the European power metal scene boom in the 1990s and 2000s - and tracks like the fast-paced Heeding the Call and the muscular, Accept-like Any Means Necessary, which both came early on, showcased the band's power. I last saw HammerFall in 2022, when they toured with Helloween - and they have delivered each of the handful of times I have seen them live. Last night was no different, with frontman Joacim Cans coming across as likeable as ever whilst his slightly high-pitched vocal delivery remains powerful. The two aforementioned older numbers came early on, but the set opened with Avenge the Fallen from the band's latest album - with gang vocals from the rest of the band shaking the venue's foundations. Riff after riff and chorus after chorus came for the next hour or so - with guitarists Oscar Dronjak and Pontus Norgren trading leads back and forth throughout, whilst Cans covered every inch of the stage. As I mentioned, the first few songs received something of a muted reaction from the crowd, who were probably still folding away their blow-up pickaxes, but the old-school power metal fans in the crowd soon could be heard - and by the time the motorbike sounds of Renegade ran through the venue it seemed that most were now on board. HammerFall are one of those bands that just come across well live. Their songs are generally uncomplicated and built around many classic heavy metal tropes. Despite Cans' easy-on-the-ear voice, HammerFall are often heavier than the fluffier end of power metal - with plenty of NOWBHM in the band's riffing and soloing. There was still plenty of sing-a-long chanting to keep the casuals happy, though, with newer tracks like Hammer High and the evergreen Let the Hammer Fall encouraging sing-a-longs - directed by Cans and the rest of the band. If HammerFall are to have a power metal red flag, then their many lyrics with 'hammer', 'HammerFall', or variations of such is perhaps it - but some slight silliness here and there aside I have always found HammerFall to be a straight ahead and traditional heavy metal act. Stomp-along numbers like Last Man Standing showcased this, whilst it was good to hear three new songs in the set - with the faster-paced The End Justifies a real throwback to the band's early days thanks to David Wallin's (drums) double bass drumming and a melodic thrash approach. There really were no weak moments during the set, with (We Make) Sweden Rock and Hail to the King both conjuring up plenty of singing as the set came towards its end - whilst the ever-present set-closer Hearts on Fire rounded things out nicely. HammerFall rarely disappoint, and they did not do so last night - showcasing at the same time that power metal in the 2020s does not have to be full of gimmicks to succeed. The setlist was:
Avenge the Fallen
Heeding the Call
Any Means Necessary
Hammer of Dawn
Renegade
Hammer High
Last Man Standing
Let the Hammer Fall
The End Justifies
(We Make) Sweden Rock
Hail to the King
Hearts on Fire
After around half an hour, as HammerFall's gear was cleared from the stage and a curtain came down to cover everything - the lights went down and Powerwolf took to the stage. For the next two hours, the large crowd was treated to a bombastic show full of gothic power metal anthems, a lot of fire, and a majestic stage set. In terms of performance, the band were great, and the setlist was a good mix of most of the band's albums - whilst focusing on the most recent ones. The fast-paced Bless 'Em with the Blade kicked things off, and from the off the live sound mix was great. Dorn was in fine voice throughout, his booming vocals soaring above the rest of the band, whilst fill-in guitarist Dom R. Crey did a great job with the leads and soloing. Guitarist-wise, this tour has been a bit strange - with lead guitarist Matthew Greywolf originally planning to sit the tour out for unspecified reasons, with Crey filling in for him - only for rhythm guitarist Charles Greywolf to drop out after a few shows due to a family emergency, meaning that Matthew came back on board. Given that Crey had likely only rehearsed the lead guitar parts, though, Matthew instead played the rhythms - but the somewhat make-shift guitar pairing worked well. Falk Maria Schlegel (keyboards) was high in the mix, too, and overall the band sounded powerful. The sing-a-long Armata Strigoi followed on quickly from Bless 'Em with the Blade, keeping the early energy moving - but this was the only time during the show that two songs were played back to back. My main criticism with Powerwolf live before was the amount of in-between song talking - and this was also the case last night. I do not want to be too negative, as the show was great and the actual musical performances were top-notch - but I really wish the band would just let it flow sometimes. Each time a song came to an end, the two guitarists would walk off stage, and Dorn would stroll back out having already popped off and talk to the crowd for two-to-three minutes before the next song started. He never had anything insightful or interesting to say, either, and it was all the usual inane things that seasoned gig-goers have heard many, many times - and encouraging the crowd to make yet more noise. Of the band's two hours on stage, I would guess that at least half an hour of that was taken up by talking - and honestly I would just rather the band cracked on. I am not sure that anyone really enjoys just cheering for the sake of it - and the band would have heard plenty of noise had they played more songs. I will largely just talk about the songs and the show now, as I have made my point, and there really was a lot to enjoy. The setlist was largely just anthem after anthem. The sweeping, more mid-paced numbers tended to work the best for me, with epic numbers like Dancing with the Dead and Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend really coming alive on stage. A highlight from a stage-set point of view was the piano-led 1589 - which culminated in Schlegel being burnt at the stake. Another big 'show' moment was the somewhat doomier Kreuzfeuer, which easily featured the most pyrotechnics of the night - as Dorn was lifted into the air on a big pillar. The mix of faster-paced numbers and mid-paced anthems was generally well ordered throughout the set, whilst the lone ballad Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone provided something of a welcome change of pace later on. The energy levels kept going right until the end, too, even if the forced stop between each song hindered things overall, with big-hitters like the folky Heretic Hunters and We Drink Your Blood coming towards the end of the main set. The were a break following the latter, but the band were soon back for a three-song encore, including the big Sanctified with Dynamite and the closing anthem Werewolves of Armenia - which was preceded by the most egregious timewasting of the night. Despite this, though, the song was a strong ending anthem - and the show overall was certainly a spectacle. The setlist was:
Bless 'Em with the Blade
Armata Strigoi
Sinners of the Seven Seas
Amen & Attack
Army of the Night
Dancing with the Dead
Incense & Iron
1589
Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend
Kreuzfeuer
Fire & Forgive
Resurrection by Erection
Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone
Heretic Hunters
Joan of Arc
We Drink Your Blood
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Opening: Angus Dei
Sanctified by Dynamite
Blood for Blood (Faoladh)
Werewolves of Armenia
Wolves Against the World
My criticisms around timewasting and my wider dislike for gimmicky power metal aside, I had a great time in London last night with Powerwolf and the rest of the bands. HammerFall were likely the band of the night for me, as they are just my favourite of the three, but Powerwolf deserve to be playing in big arenas now - and their stage show was great. If they cut down on some of the silliness and presented a bit more of a fluid and smoother-feeling show then the overall live experience would be much better in my opinion - but perhaps the antics are a big part of the modern power metal scene and what the blow-up pickaxe waving types want, hence me having moved away the modern the scene to an extent.
