Alter Bridge's 'Pawns & Kings' - Album Review

When it comes to hard rock bands that have been formed since the turn of the millennium, Florida's Alter Bridge are probably one of the most successful. Whilst the band are yet to break through in a big way in their home country, here in Europe they are big business - and have been for about a decade at this point. They made the transition to arenas, at least here in the UK, part-way through the touring cycle for 2010's AB III - and the four-piece are certainly not showing any signs of slowing down. Whilst they may have had a bit of head start in terms of promotion thanks to the success which three-quarters of the band found previously with Creed - 2004's One Day Remains soon put paid to any notion that the band were Creed 2.0. The expressive and far-reaching vocals of frontman Myles Kennedy allowed guitarist Mark Tremonti to embrace his metal side in a more significant way and much of Creed's post-grunge sound did not make the transition over to Alter Bridge's songwriting - with such comparisons likely being a millstone and possibly why the band have slightly struggled in America compared to here in Europe where Creed were never as popular. Alter Bridge's success, though, is down to their consistency. They established their sound pretty early on, and have largely stuck to since. They have gotten heavier over the years, but they rarely cross over into genuine metal territory in my opinion - even though Tremonti as a guitarist is very comfortable operating in such a realm, as his solo albums show. Alter Bridge are just an ultra modern and sleek hard rock band, then, although there are influences throughout from metal - as well as progressive rock, especially on 2013's Fortress (which I reviewed here). The band's first four albums, culminating in Fortress, are still my favourite releases of theirs - and there is not much to separate them, although 2007's Blackbird is generally held up by many as their greatest work. It is hard to disagree with that, but AB III is likely my favourite overall - and I have great memories of seeing the band on that tour in Hammersmith. Since Fortress, though, the band have not been quite as good in my opinion - at least for one album. 2016's The Last Hero (which I also reviewed here) was a definite step down in quality, and it is easily my least favourite of the band's albums. It felt bloated, and the over-loud production fatigues the ears. Thankfully, though, 2019's Walk the Sky (which, again, I reviewed here) got the band back on track. It might not be quite as good as the first four, but it was a real shot in the arm following The Last Hero, and I listened to it a lot around its release - including it in my best albums of 2019 list, too. Wanting to maintain their three-year release cycle, last month the band released their seventh studio album Pawns & Kings - which has been a slow burner for me. If I had written this piece a couple of weeks ago I would have likely been more negative about the album, but it has opened itself up more to me recently. For me, it is definitely less hooky than usual - but its overall leanness and an increased heaviness makes it have an impact in a different way. It is not a huge shift in sound, but it certainly feels like the band wanted to operate in a heavier territory this time - and Pawns & Kings is the closest thing to an out-and-out metal album that Alter Bridge have released to date.

One thing the album definitely gets right, though, is the production. Long-time producer Michael 'Elvis' Baskette has worked with the band again here, but the overcooked sound that plagued The Last Hero, and even Walk the Sky to an extent, has gone - and Pawns & Kings is the cleanest-sounding Alter Bridge album for a while. This allows the heaviness to shine, and the metal credentials here are evident immediately thanks to This Is War. The song builds up from the off, with some stop-start drumming from Scott Phillips and some snaking guitar riffing setting the tone - before the first of the album's many big riff kicks in. The song is a mid-paced stomper, and never really speeds off into the distance, but the occasional double bass drum patterns and the wordless vocal ad-libs which back the main riff create a strong atmosphere. The verses are similar, although the grooves overall a bit simpler - allowing Kennedy's voice to shine. He sounds as good as ever throughout this album, and the chorus soon takes off in a very typical Alter Bridge way. It is one of the hookiest choruses here, and Kennedy's powerful vocals drive it - whilst some big bass slides from Brian Marshall add a depth that would otherwise be absent. The chorus melodies are later used to create the song's guitar solo, too, and the shredded licks throughout it are packed full of notes. There is little let up at all throughout the song, and it opens the album well as a result - creating a strong atmosphere which is generally retained. Dead Among the Living is a bit more dynamic, and somewhat more typical of Alter Bridge arrangement-wise. There are still lots of riffs here, but the band's classic mix of a more atmospheric verse and a big chorus is present this time. The opening riff is another mid-paced groove-fest, but soon the big guitars drop out to be replaced by fuzzy clean guitar melodies and a punchy drum groove. Alter Bridge songs often build in such a manner, moving towards a big chorus, and this style has served the band well over the years. It works again here, and when the chorus hits it hits hard due to how the song has built towards it. They have written hooker choruses, but the melodies have started to lodge themselves in my brain at this point - and there is still an atmospheric and mournful vibe throughout the chorus, which helps the song overall to have a consistent tone. Returning to the heavier vibes of the album's opening, Silver Tongue is one of the strongest songs here in my opinion - and it really benefits from the riff-heavy, tougher sound that has been forged throughout this album. The opening riff is quite fast, but the song is still generally fairly mid-paced. Parts of the song do pick up the pace, though, and the opening riff does hint at this - but there are other riffs which are in-keeping with the style of the previous two songs. The verses are crunchy, with rhythm guitars sitting nicely behind Kennedy's deeper vocal performance and Marshall's bass pounding through the mix. The chorus up the pace, though, and it is one of the hookiest here. It has a classic Alter Bridge sound melody-wise, and it brings the best out of Kennedy. The song has the feel of an anthem as a result, and it is great to hear the band's traditional sound mixing so well with some riffs that are somewhat heavier than is typical.

Sin After Sin slows the pace again, and the song opens with some percussive drumming from Phillips - which is soon joined by some chiming clean guitars and Marshall's busy bass playing. This intro seems to signal that the rest of the song is going to be more low key and atmospheric - but this does not turn out to be the case on the whole. Whilst parts of the song are indeed murkier and less heavy, there are also some powerful, riff-driven moments which are very much in character with what has come before. Following the intro, a big riff kicks in - and it is one of the most inventive riffs here in my opinion. It has a bit of a tech metal groove to it, and it feels very modern. It is quite different for Alter Bridge, but it works well - with Kennedy and Tremonti teaming up well for the knotty rhythm. The verses return to something similar to the intro, with an emotional Kennedy vocal and some effects-heavy guitar lines - before the techy riff kicks back in to form the basis of the chorus. It is another strong chorus, although it is perhaps the riff that makes it stand out rather than the vocal melodies. Stay also opens slowly, but the song on the whole is more typical-sounding for Alter Bridge - and actually harks back to the sound of their debut album for me. It features Tremonti on lead vocals, and it is the fourth Alter Bridge song to do so. Tremonti has established himself as a great singer on his solo albums, but I also like the fact that he sings a handful of Alter Bridge songs to allow for a change of pace. Kennedy adds harmonies, especially during the chorus, but the spotlight is on Tremonti throughout - with his richer, deeper voice allowing the old-school song to come alive. As has been typical for the band, the verses here feature clean guitar melodies alongside a rocking groove - with the chorus then sounding somewhat more expansive and harder rocking. It is less heavier overall than much of the album, though, but it still packs a punch - largely thanks to Tremonti's strong vocal performance. Holiday opens with a strangely bouncy riff, and overall it sounds quite different for the band. This bounce continues throughout, and parts of the song have something of a boogie quality - which sounds strange, but it works better than it should. This feel is generally reserved for the instrumental sections and the chorus, but generally the song is quite fast-paced so it continues the feel-good factor as a result. It is the shortest song here but its energy allows it to make an impact - despite sounding a bit like Alter Bridge covering Status Quo at times. Fable of the Silent Son gets back onto more familiar ground, though, and the lengthy track feels like a good representation of the band's core sound. It opens slowly, with some clean guitars and Kennedy's mournful vocals - and this more downbeat vibe sets the tone for the rest of the track. It does build as things progress, but in general the track is atmospheric and dense - lacking some of the razor-sharp riffing found elsewhere on the album. This murk works well, though, and it helps the atmospheric side of the band to shine. Even when some heavier riffs kick in after a few minutes, they are more Black Sabbath than Judas Priest - with dirty overtones and a sludgy feel, which is somewhat countered by some of Kennedy's most soaring vocals here. The mellower and heavy sections sit well together, though, but perhaps the best part for me is the lengthy guitar solo spot - where Kennedy and Tremonti trade licks and leads back and forth in an explosive manner.

Following the epic length previous song, Season of Promise returns to something a bit more compact, and it seems to hark back to the band's first couple of albums with a very melodic overall approach and less heavy riffing. Chiming guitar melodies are pretty much ever-present throughout, and the riffing is much more classic rock inspired than metal in nature. Fans of Blackbird will immediately recognise the style at work here - as the band's second album is packed full of songs of this nature. There is a simplicity to the arrangement as a result, and the more progressive sound which the band have generally been pursuing of late is pretty much absent. A big chorus brings the listener in from the off, too, and Kennedy's vocal lines are that great mix of anthemic and emotional which he has managed to channel over the years. It is an easy song to enjoy, then, and the inclusion of a great closing guitar solo helps to bring everything together in an organic way. Last Man Standing takes a darker path, but arrangement-wise is not hugely different. The sound very much reminds me of AB III, though, which took a darker turn following Blackbird and laid the groundwork for the more progressive Fortress. The riffing throughout the song is bigger than it was on Seasons of Promise, and the heaviness definitely recalls the 2010 release. Songs like Fallout from that album are definitely channelled here, with the riffing and the ever-present guitar leads creating a very similar sonic tapestry. The song also builds towards a big chorus in a very satisfying way. What at first feels like the chorus turns out to only be a pre-chorus, and when the chorus proper explodes the song really comes alive. I really like the darker tones used throughout the song - and the cleaner production allows the clean guitar melodies early on the and the riffing that kicks in later to sound suitably sharp. The production choices here also remind me somewhat of AB III, and the mix of sounds really harks back to what I consider to be the band's golden period - making Last Man Standing a personal highlight here. The album then comes to a close with its title track, which is similar to many of the songs that have preceded it here. It is riffier on the whole than the previous couple of numbers, but it still retains a strong atmospheric side. It opens fairly slowly, with Kennedy singing against some delicate clean guitars, but much of the rest of the song is weightier. The riffing throughout is tight, going from heavy blues patterns to something more overtly metal in tone - with the metal riffing becoming more important as the song moves on. Following a couple of choruses, which are suitably catchy despite there being some better ones here, a riffy instrumental section kicks in - which takes some grooves similar to those in Sin After Sin and creates something of a progressive-sounding mid-section. Knotty riffing and a lengthy guitar solo characterise this section, before a reprise of the murky chorus brings the album to a close. Whilst Pawns & Kings is not an immediate album, or at least it has not been for me, there is still a lot to enjoy here. Even listening to it again today whilst writing this I enjoyed it more than I did previously, so I imagine it will only grow further in time. I like the heavier approach taken here, but I do miss the strong emphasis on hooks - despite many of the songs here still being memorable melodically. It is good to see the band shaking things up a little, though, and there are a number of songs here that will no doubt work really well live.

The album was released on 14th October 2022 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Silver Tongue.

Saxon - Leicester Review

Despite the myriad of gigs which I have been to of late, last night's shenanigans at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester were ones that I had been looking forward to for some time. Those who know me will know that I lived in Leicester between 2010 and 2013 whilst I was studying at De Montfort University. Whilst Leicester in recent years has not exactly been a hotbed of regular live music, it was a great base to access Nottingham, Birmingham, and London - and I went to so many shows during my time in the East Midlands. Sadly, though, since 2013 I have had very little cause to return to Leicester. I tend to go back to Nottingham at least a couple of times a year for gigs, but Leicester does not tend to have such a pull - and I do not really have any university friends still living in the area whom I could visit. Prior to yesterday, my last visit to the city was in 2016 - when I saw Heather Findlay at The Musician. Even that had been my first visit in a couple of years, so I had been looking for an excuse to go back to my previous home for some time. I had planned to visit in 2020 around a Status Quo concert - but that ended up being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was with excitement to find, then, that when Saxon announced a UK tour to support their excellent latest album Carpe Diem back in January that a show in Leicester fell on a Friday. It was likely that there was a show closer to home, but the opportunity to return to Leicester seemed like one that should not be passed up - so I booked a ticket to see the legendary NWOBHM band at the De Montfort Hall. The De Montfort Hall is one of those venues that every touring band used to play in the 1970s and the 1980s - but in recent years has largely become a home for stand-up comedians and pantomimes. Hard rock and metal is a relatively rarity at the venue these days, and I only visited it three times during my time at university. I visited it a fourth time back in 2014, when I made the trip back to see Yes, so last night was my first show at the De Montfort Hall in eight years. It is a real shame that it is so underused by rock and metal bands these days, as the venue is excellent. It is a good size, without being too big, has a great historical pedigree, and every show that I have seen there has sounded excellent. Saxon used to play the venue regularly, but had not done so for a number of years. Looking at setlist.fm, Saxon had not been to Leicester since I last saw them in the city back in 2011 - when they put on an excellent show at the city's O2 Academy. Many bands like Saxon have undergone something of a resurgence of late, and can play larger venues again - as was apparent back in January when I saw them at a sold-out Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith. The fact that I had already seen the band live once this year did not put me off seeing them again - largely as I knew that the show would be quite different. The show in January was part of of the band's delayed 40th anniversary celebrations, and largely focused on classics from their heyday, whereas last night's show was part of the Carpe Diem tour - which promised a vastly different setlist focusing on the new album.

Prior to Saxon's set, though, the growing crowd where treated to sets from two support acts. The first band, Untamed Silence, only had around 20 minutes to play with - but they delivered an enjoyable, if fairly unremarkable, performance. The melodic rock four-piece generally stuck to a fairly safe, guitar-led sound - but the riffing throughout was fairly expansive and somewhat more atmospheric than would generally be expected. This sound allowed the songs' verses to feel quite smooth - with the choruses generally being a bit heavier. Led by the strong voice of frontwoman Debbie Wade, Untamed Silence only played four or five songs - but they gave a good account of themselves. For me, though, the overall sound started to feel too familiar after a while. Melodic rock often needs more than a single guitar, bass, and drums to make a big enough sound - and this setup limited the band's potential in my opinion. A second guitarist or a keyboard player would have certainly allowed for a more expansive sound - and the choruses definitely needed vocal harmonies. Wade's voice was generally powerful, but this kind of music needs to take off during the choruses. Harmony vocals would have really helped the choruses to shine - as they generally had strong melodies that could have done with having a bit more weight behind them. As such, Untamed Silence came across as a band that very much have the potential to make a strong impression - but perhaps they do not yet have all the ingredients in place. As things stand, the band felt a bit flat for me; although I did still enjoy their set. There was certainly nothing about them to dislike, they just did little to really stand out - but with some tweaking and an expansion of their sound they could very well kick on to achieve bigger and better things.

The main support act for the whole tour, though, was Diamond Head - another legendary NWOBHM band that I have been fortunate to be able to see a handful of times of late. They also opened for Saxon back in January, and last night they put on another excellent performance that was packed full of classic tracks. It has to be said, though, that I was a little disappointed with their setlist compared to some of the others from this tour. Other nights of the tour have featured more newer material and some deeper cuts, like Dead Reckoning, but the seven-song set played in Leicester was very 'safe' - with five songs coming from Lightning to the Nations and only one newer cut. It seems churlish to complain given the band's strong performance, but it seems strange that they reverted to essentially a mini greatest hits set right at the very end of the tour. That being said, though, it was great to hear The Prince again - which had not been played at the other recent shows of theirs which I went to. They opened with the up-tempo track, and it kicked off the set nicely - with frontman Rasmus Bom Andersen running and jumping around the stage. The song's big chorus certainly got the crowd going, too, and the anthemic duo of Lightning to the Nations and It's Electric also saw plenty of singing from the crowd - at least those around me. Given Diamond Head's status, I did think that they would have received a bit of a stronger reaction than they did - but those of us down at the front certainly seemed to appreciate the band's efforts. The more atmospheric and epic In the Heat of the Night did encourage a fair amount of singing during its intro, though. The song always goes down well live - with its creeping riffing bringing the best out of Brian Tatler (guitar) whilst Andersen delivered the big chorus with ease. The only newer song played was the slower-paced Set My Soul on Fire - which continued on the vibe established by In the Heat of the Night nicely. I am surprised that nothing from the band's recent album was played - as they had been consistently playing a couple of its songs on the tour up to this point. It would have been good to hear at least one from that album, but clearly for whatever reason the band wanted to focus on classics this time. It was a couple of classics that brought the set to an end following Set My Soul on Fire, then, with the fast-paced Helpless injecting some thrash into the set - before the all-time classic Am I Evil? brought the set to an end. As expected, Am I Evil? got all of the crowd involved - and it saw plenty of singing as Diamond Head brought their part of the night to a high-energy close. The setlist was:

The Prince

Lightning to the Nations

It's Electric

In the Heat of the Night

Set My Soul on Fire

Helpless

Am I Evil?

Half an hour or so following Diamond Head's set, the lights went down and Saxon took to the stage - launching immediately into Carpe Diem (Seize the Day). The title track from the band's latest album was the first of six new songs played as part of a two-hour set which was also packed with classic tracks and a handful of deeper cuts. Saxon are a band that many older bands could take lessons from when it comes to setlist construction. They always manage to perfectly balance fan-favourites with promoting their latest album - and the fact that they have always done this means that the fans expect to hear and enjoy hearing the new material live. They have also lost none of their energy, either. Frontman Biff Byford is 71 now, but his voice remains powerful - and the rest of the band always bring the energy, with Nibbs Carter (bass guitar/vocals) in particular helping to whip the crowd up. Many of the Saxon shows that I have been to have had fantastic atmospheres - and last night in Leicester was no different. I was down at the front, and everyone around me was singing along to every song - with newer tracks like Sacrifice and older classics like Never Surrender whipping the crowd up early on. The 20-song set was packed full of highlights, and there were no moments that felt flat. The anthemic I've Got to Rock (To Stay Alive) rocked with the crowd with its AC/DC-esque groove, whilst thrashier songs like Dambusters showcased that Saxon can still write songs more ferocious than bands half their age. It was also a great song to highlight the playing of the evergreen Nigel Glockler (drums), who can lay into his double bass drums as fast as anyone. Alongside the six new songs, a handful of deeper cuts helped to keep things interesting. The Thin Red Line from the late 1990s was wheeled out for a rare outing, and the atmospheric song showcased the power metal-esque sound that Saxon channelled around 20 years ago - before the new, snappy Living on the Limit proved that their updated take on their classic sound still feels fresh. With the exception of Never Surrender, it took until the ninth song in the set for a bona fide classic to be played - but the large crowd really did not seem to care. Each song was welcomed, but when Carter started playing the bass intro for Dallas 1pm the place went wild. The mid-paced song was one of the evening's best-received songs - with both Paul Quinn (guitar) and Doug Scarratt (guitar) soloing throughout.

"Do you want a fast one?" Byford soon shouted, and this led into Heavy Metal Thunder - which was a highlight as it always is. The song is pretty much ever-present in the band's set, but it always goes down a treat - and is one of those songs that showcases the influence that the NWOBHM movement had on the later thrash scene. The pace was then slowed for the creeping, bludgeoning Metalhead - another deeper cut from the power metal era of the band's output. It was another rare outing for the song, and it was another highlight as a result - with Carter adding some harsh-type vocals to the headbanging and riff-driven chorus. A couple of new songs were left to play, but in truth most of what was left at this point were classics. The crowd were given a choice between Broken Heroes and The Eagle Has Landed, and chose the latter - with the epic, atmospheric track eliciting plenty of headbanging once the main riff kicked in. The meat and potatoes heavy metal of Black is the Night was the final new cut in the main set, before two more classics rounded it out. And the Bands Played On has always been one of my very favourite Saxon songs, and it was great to hear it live again - before a lengthy version of Wheels of Steel brought the main set to a close. There was some audience participation in the middle of the song, and the De Montfort Hall was filled with noise as a result. There was still time for quite a bit more, though, and a five-song encore followed. It opened with one last new track, the grand and chiming The Pilgrimage - which featured some excellent vocals from Byford. Everything else left were real classics, though. Carter then got Strong Arm of the Law underway, which was actually part of a medley with Solid Ball of Rock. The two songs made for a fun medley, during which a couple of members of the crowd threw their denim jackets onto the stage. Byford and Carter donned them for the next song, but not before conducting a sing-a-long during Solid Ball of Rock. 747 (Strangers in the Night) then raised the energy levels even further, and contained lots more excellent lead work and soloing from Quinn and Scarratt. They rarely get brought up when great guitar duos are mentioned, but they work together so well - and where I was stood I got a great view on Quinn's playing in particular all night. Byford then signed the two jackets and passed them back in time for Denim and Leather which was the last big sing-song of the night - before the faster paced Princess of the Night brought the curtain down on what was another fantastic night of heavy metal. The setlist was:

Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)

Sacrifice

Age of Steam

Never Surrender

I've Got to Rock (To Stay Alive)

Dambusters

The Thin Red Line

Living on the Limit

Dallas 1pm

Heavy Metal Thunder

Metalhead

The Eagle Has Landed

Black is the Night

And the Bands Played On

Wheels of Steel

-

The Pilgrimage

Strong Arm of the Law/Solid Ball of Rock

747 (Strangers in the Night)

Denim and Leather

Princess of the Night

Saxon never disappoint live, and last night at the De Montfort Hall could well have been the best that I have seen them. In truth I tend to think that after each of their shows, but they are one of those bands that just continue to deliver night after night. It has been great seeing them a couple of times this year, and I will certainly get a ticket to see them again next time they tour the UK. They are one of my favourite bands to see live at this point, and it was great seeing them at a busy De Montfort Hall - so much so that it seemed like the clock had been turned back to the mid-1980s.

Skid Row's 'The Gang's All Here' - Album Review

The New Jersey-based five-piece Skid Row could have been huge. They really had everything going for them, and for a few years it looked as if they would really blow up. The band, who fused the glittery hair metal sounds of the late 1980s with much heavier influences that ranged from traditional heavy metal to thrash, formed back in 1986 and found early success when they unleashed their self-titled debut album in 1989 onto an eager, post-Appetite for Destruction world. Of all of the bands that were snapped up by record labels aiming to capitalise on the success of Guns N' Roses and the recently-rejuvenated Aerosmith, Skid Row probably found the most success. The heavy, yet melodic, songwriting of guitarist Dave 'Snake' Sabo and bassist Rachel Bolan provided a bed for their heartthrob frontman Sebastian Bach to work his magic atop - whilst the riffing and solos of Sabo and fellow guitarist Scotti Hill ranged from old-school bluesy hard rock to up-to-date metal. The band's first two albums, 1989's Skid Row and 1991's Slave to the Grind, were big deals at the time, but by the time they released Subhuman Race in 1995 the musical landscape had changed and anything with a sound forged in the 1980s, even with Skid Row's heaviness, was no longer welcome. The band split up the following year, although Sabo, Hill, and Bolan did not stay away for long - reuniting in 1999 with Johnny Solinger replacing Bach. Despite touring heavily since reuniting, I think it is fair to say that Skid Row have not exactly been prolific when it comes to releasing new material since reforming. The band only released two albums with Solinger, the strong Thickskin in 2003 and the lacklustre Revolutions per Minute in 2006 - although they remained a popular live act despite many missing Bach's presence. I first saw the band live back in 2013, and they were excellent - and that tour saw the band somewhat rejuvenated as they were about to release their first new songs since 2006. A trio of EPs was planned, but only two ever saw the light of day. Despite this, though, both 2013's United World Rebellion - Chapter One (which I reviewed here) and 2014's Rise of the Damnation Army: United World Rebellion - Chapter Two (which I also reviewed here) were very enjoyable - and contained some of the band's strongest songs since their heyday. Solinger was fired in 2015, though, and the third instalment of the trilogy was continually postponed - with ex-TNT frontman Tony Harnell briefly joining the band before a more permanent replacement  was found in 2016 in former DragonForce singer ZP Theart. With Theart, Skid Row again sounded reborn. I saw the band live with him three times, and all three shows were excellent. Talk of a new album was ever-present, with the third EP having morphed into a full-length - but it kept getting delayed. The fabled album was eventually formally announced earlier this year, though, but it also came with news that Theart was out and Erik Grönwall (H.E.A.T; New Horizon) was in. The album, the band's sixth and first since 2006, was finally released last month - and The Gang's All Here finds the band feeling fiery.

Given how quickly a new song was released following Theart's departure, it was clear that much of it was recorded during his tenure - and he is credited with co-writing three of the songs here. Previously announced collaborations with rock/metal heavyweights like Slipknot's Corey Taylor and Halestorm's Lzzy Hale are conspicuous by their absence - but the core songwriting duo of Sabo and Bolan have come up with plenty of memorable songs here, with some other collaborators chipping in. I was actually disappointed to see Theart go, as he was a great fit for the band in my opinion, but, being a H.E.A.T fan, I knew that Grönwall would not disappoint. His presence seems to have brought a few lapsed fans back on board, too, and The Gang's All Here has certainly been seen as a bit of a big deal in the rock and metal circles of late. The 10-song album has a great old-school feel, and it comes with an appropriately old-school 41 minute runtime. As such, it is a very digestible album - and it can be listened to again and again without eating up too much time. The first handful of songs here represent the best of what the album has to offer in my opinion, with the tough Hell or High Water kicking things off. The sound of those first two album has well and truly been channelled here, and this album very much feels like Skid Row trying to get back to basics. The opening riff is packed full of the dirty, bluesy swagger that made the band such a hit originally, and the mix places lots of emphasis on Bolan's bass - which allows his punky influences to shine through. Those who love songs like Big Guns and The Threat will find plenty to enjoy throughout Hell or High Water. There are more frantic pieces here, but the weighty, mid-paced grooves of the track establish the band's heaviness from the off - with the gritty vocals of Grönwall perfectly suited to the riffing style. Grönwall generally sounds tougher here than he did with H.E.A.T, but his sense of melody is still present - and the big chorus is brought to life by his pipes. There are some dynamics here, too, as following the second chorus a more atmospheric breakdown section creeps in - before Sabo and Hill launch into the first of many solo sections here. The song very much feels like a statement piece, but in truth much of the rest of the album is similar - so it sets the tone nicely. The album's title track follows, and this was the first taste of what was to come when it was released a few months ago. Co-written by Paul Taylor (Alice Cooper; Winger), and opening with a huge bass riff from Bolan, the faster song injects some sleazy vibes throughout - and the track is a real throwback to the 1980s. It has an infectious chorus, which is easy to latch onto, whilst a stop-start, call-and-response verse vocal ups the excitement levels as Bolan's bass drives everything. There are still plenty of bluesy guitar moments throughout, but in general it is the bass that takes the lead. This helps the sleazy, punk feel of the song grow - but there is still a shredded guitar solo which only serves to up the overall pace further, cementing the song as a future fan favourite.

Not Dead Yet is similar, but in my opinion the song is the strongest of the album's opening trio - and may well be my favourite piece on the album. The song is more guitar-focused, with a big opening guitar riff, but there is a blues edge added by some dirty slide guitar licks - which is something a little different for the band. Slide guitar is not generally used against a fast-paced, punky hard rock backing, but it works well here - and it gives an edge to the track that would be missing otherwise. This combined with the hookiest chorus on the album for me makes for a winning combination. The vocal melodies during the chorus are great, and the gang vocal responses to Grönwall's leads again really hark back to the 1980s. It is a classic-sounding Skid Row track as a result - with another excellent shredded solo and an energy that never lets up. Time Bomb then slows the pace down somewhat, and the heavy, mid-paced track takes a somewhat different path. The bluesiness of a song like Hell or High Water is generally not present here, with much of the track instead creeping along thanks to a lumbering bassline and some down-tuned riffs that would not have sounded out of place on Subhuman Race. There is definitely a 1990s sound on display here, but the heaviness shines through thanks to the riffing - with Bolan's bass ever-present to create a snarling groove. The chorus is a bit more overtly melodic, though, but there is still a punk edge. Grönwall's main vocal hooks soar, but the responses to it are more frantic and off-kilter - giving the song an overall strange mix of vibes that all seem to hang together to make it work. Resurrected then ups the pace somewhat, but it still generally stays in a mid-paced lane - with a bluesy groove similar to the album's opening cut reprised here. There are certainly parts of the song that bring the feeling of Monkey Business to mind, and the guitar interplay between Sabo and Hill throughout is busy and full of feel. Hill co-wrote the track, and it is one of three that he contributed to the writing of, so it is perhaps unsurprising that there is a lot more guitar firepower here. The bass is not as prominent this time, which allows the guitars to shine - and the excellent solo section again sees both guitarists shred. Vocally, the song is still very hooky, too. It is perhaps not as hooky as the album's opening trio - but the chorus is a meaty winner thanks to its backing grooves and it really allows Grönwall to showcase the grit that has often been a part of his delivery. Nowhere Fast is similar again, but the pace has been upped further - and it is another song that exhibits a strong 1980s vibe. The riffing is still tough throughout, but the vocals seem to have been pushed to the fore this time - and the focus throughout on hooks is evident. The verses are quite fast, with a punky feel throughout, whilst the chorus slows the pace somewhat and goes for something more epic in scope. The melodies feel very old-school, and the song is stadium-ready as a result. There are even some wordless vocal hooks during the chorus, which would no doubt really come alive when played live.

There is a lot of quality on this album, but for me it does take a bit of a dip with the next couple of songs. When the Lights Come On is filled with promise, but is let down by a poor chorus. The opening bass riff is great, and there is a bit more slide guitar utilised during the intro - but for me the song builds towards a chorus that fails to deliver. The verses are crunchy and packed with energy, but the chorus feels too similar - and it really should have exploded with something much bigger. As it stands, the song falls somewhat flat for me as a result - and the only genuine misstep here in my opinion despite it containing some good ideas. Tear It Down is better, but considering some of the other songs here it does get a bit lost in the shuffle. It was released as a single, and I think that there are many other better candidates - but perhaps the fact that it was co-written by famed songwriter Marti Frederiksen persuaded the label to go with it. It is a decent song, but it feels lumpy. It lacks the hard-driving attitude of many of the songs here - and instead goes for an AC/DC-esque mid-paced approach that does not bring the best out of Bolan's driving bass or the riffing of the guitarists. The chorus is decent, though, but again there are better ones found elsewhere on the album. The gang vocals throughout are fun, but like the rest of the song it just feels a bit laborious. The final two songs up the quality again, though, with the excellent October's Song introducing an atmospheric and reflective side to the album. It is the album's ballad, and the lengthy track allows for a bit of a break from the heavy riffing. Grönwall gets to showcase a bit of a different side to his voice here, and his performances during the verses especially really stand out. His emotional delivery is perfect for the song, with long-time drummer Rob Hammersmith's punchy groove and chiming clean guitar melodies backing him. The crooning style of Grönwall's delivery is perfect, and his voice grows in stature as he approaches the chorus - which is somewhat tougher with bigger guitars. It never really morphs into a full-on metal piece, though, but the lengthy guitar solo section later does feel somewhat heavier. The bluesy solos add to the song's overall emotional pull, though, and a final reprise of the chorus does the same - cementing a memorable and hard-hitting ballad in the process. The album then comes to a close with World on Fire, another hard-driving rocker. The opening riff is packed full of energy, but the verses then up the heaviness with some crunchy power chords. The highlight for me here, though, is the chorus. It is another real winner - and another candidate for the album's best. The big opening riff is repurposed here, and the snappy melodies allow for another gang vocal-led chorus that sinks into the brain. The album has already used all of the song's tricks at this point, but as a closing statement it works - and the album ends on a bang as result. This is very much the case generally for the album, too, a couple of missteps aside. For a band that had not done a full album since 2006, The Gang's All Here is a great comeback. I liked the two EPs from a few years ago, but they never made a wider mark. This album, on the whole, is better though - and is likely the best complete piece of work that the band have done since Slave to the Grind. I just hope it is not another 16 years before the next one!

The album was released on 14th October 2022 via earMusic. Below is the band's promotional video for The Gang's All Here.

Nightwish - London Review

Over the past couple of weeks I have been an honorary resident of London, as three concerts within the space of two weeks have taken me back and forth between the capital rather regularly. It has been great to see so many great gigs, although it has been rather tiring - but the multiple trips were definitely worth it. Just over a week ago I saw Freedom Call put on a great show at the Camden Underworld - and this past Friday I went over to Hammersmith to catch Opeth deliver a stunning, career-spanning set which only further deepened my appreciation of the Swedish band. The final of this recent London trilogy came last night, though, as I headed back to London and up to the OVO Arena in Wembley to catch the Finnish symphonic metal legends play a bombastic show to a packed house - and demonstrating why they are as big and as popular as they are in the process. This was the band's third appearance at the venue, and the regularity with which they are able to pull large crowds here in the UK speaks to their appeal. I was in attendance when Nightwish first headlined the Wembley Arena back in 2015. That year it was the band's only UK show, and it sold out ahead of time. It ranks as probably the best Nightwish show that I have seen to date, and it felt like a real event - with the band stepping up to the next level in the process. Since then, though, Nightwish packing out the Wembley Arena has become par for the course. It is great to see the band so popular, and it is also great that a handful of melodic European metal bands are genuine arena fillers here in the UK now. Nightwish were probably the first, paving the way for others, and I cannot see that status changing anytime soon - especially given how full the venue was last night. They also played the venue in 2018, but I opted for the Birmingham show of that tour. The Birmingham show was also in an arena, but it was smaller and not as busy as Wembley had been in 2015. The show still attracted a large crowd, though, showing that they could also do the business outside of London. As I type this, the band's latest Birmingham show will be underway - and I expect that it will have attracted another similar-sized crowd to that excellent show back in 2018. Turning back to last night, though, the Wembley show was the band's first concert in the UK since releasing the Human. :II: Nature. album back in 2020. As with many of the concerts that I have been to recently, this show was originally supposed to take place in 2020, but was postponed a handful of times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was great when yesterday finally rolled around, then, as Nightwish are one of my favourite bands, but I have to say that I thought the show might end up being postponed again. This is because, only a month or so ago, the band's frontwoman Floor Jansen announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer - and was going in for surgery imminently. The surgery went well and the cancer was caught early enough for the procedure to the relatively minor, but I assumed that she would need some time to recuperate. This was not the case though, and the tour rolled on as planned with Jansen deemed fit enough to do so.

As hinted at earlier, the venue was full throughout the night - but whilst the large crowd gathered those who turned up early were treated to a couple of support acts before Nightwish took to the stage. Up first were the Finnish six-piece industrial metal act Turmion Kätilöt, who only had around 25 minutes to play with. Much of the band's material is in Finnish, although their first song was sung in English, and stylistically they reminded me somewhat of Rammstein - although there was a much bigger focus on electronica, synths, and big disco beats. This, mixed with metal riffing, certainly made for a fun sound, but it was also somewhat limiting in my opinion. After hearing a couple of songs by the band, everything did rather start to sound the same. As with many bands that rely on a big synth presence, too, there was little excitement to be gained from the guitar playing. The riffing throughout was pretty one-dimensional, and basically just provided a rhythm for the synths and big beats to sit on top of. Vocally, the band had two frontmen - who essentially just traded vocal lines back and forth during each song. For me, their voices were extremely similar, too. I am not sure what having two singers really added to the sound, as I felt that either one of them could have likely handled all of the vocals themselves and the songs would have essentially sounded the same. Multiple vocalists can work well when all of the singers have different voices, but the two singers in Turmion Kätilöt sounded essentially the same to me - which rather lessened their overall impact. Despite my criticisms of the band, though, there were clearly a few fans of theirs in attendance. Whilst they were not exactly greeted like old friends, they did receive a decent reaction throughout their set - and there were a few around me singing along. I did not really dislike the band, either, I just think that their sort of music is not really for me. I am generally not a big fan of the Rammstein-esque sound, and there was not enough variety to keep me personally invested throughout. It is always good to experience something new, though, and it is safe to say that I have not really experienced a band like Turmion Kätilöt live before - so this combined with the short length of their set meant that they did not outstay their welcome.

The main support act was Beast in Black, a Finnish five-piece power metal act who have been making quite a name for themselves of late. They also supported Nightwish back in 2018, but I was looking forward to seeing them live again. This was my fourth time seeing Beast in Black live, and each time they have been great - with last night's showing being no exception. With three albums and 45 minutes to play with, they opted to deliver a nine-song set that featured three songs from each album. Whilst I would have preferred to hear a couple more from last year's excellent Dark Connection, the even split made sense given that many in the crowd may not have been familiar with the band's work - and the setlist chosen highlighted all of the band's sides, from fast and heavy to upbeat and poppy. The cinematic Blade Runner from the latest album kicked things off, but it was perhaps the sleek, synth-heavy From Hell with Love which really got the crowd going. The poppier side of the band always seems to be their most popular, but I also really like it when they get heavy - as their self-titled song then proved. The band's driving metal songs are often some of my favourites, and the big riffing of guitarists Anton Kabanen and Kasperi Heikkinen drove the song whilst frontman Yannis Papadopoulos screamed and crooned his way atop the riffs. Kabanen is no vocal slouch either, often taking parts of each chorus with his rougher voice - and the interplay between him and Papadopoulos helped Beast in Black to feel and sound heavier. Sometimes heaviness is not what the band want, though, as singles like Sweet True Lies and Moonlight Rendezvous showed. The former in particular really went down well with the crowd, and it was the song that essentially established the band's 1980s credentials after a pretty heavy overall debut album. It is a song that works really well live, though, thanks to its huge chorus, and Moonlight Rendezvous had a similar effect too - with its lengthy intro allowing for a bit of dancing and movement in the crowd. Perhaps the apex of this pop feel, though, was One Night in Tokyo - which is arguably the band's cheesiest tune yet. It even stands out on the poppy Dark Connection, but it came across well live despite its reliance on big synth hooks - and Heikkinen added a metal edge via his shredding solo. By this point, though, there was only time for a couple more - so the band headed back to their debut album for the last two numbers. The big single Blind and Frozen saw plenty of singing from the crowd, many of whom were clearly familiar with the band after all, whilst it was left to the heavier End of the World to bring things to a close. The track has always acted as a closer, and its energy makes it a strong candidate for that role. It certainly whipped the crowd up one last time before Nightwish's set, and the large cheers later showed that the band had done their job. The setlist was:

Blade Runner

From Hell with Love

Beast in Black

Sweet True Lies

Die by the Blade

Moonlight Rendezvous

One Night in Tokyo

Blind and Frozen

End of the World

Half an hour after Beast in Black's set, the curtain which had been lowered to cover the stage dropped and Nightwish's 90 minute set kicked off with a bang. 90 minutes is on the short side for Nightwish, even compared to their recent South American tour, but I am assuming that the constraint was there to support Jansen - and ensure that she could still perform at her best without over-exerting herself. Assuming that this was indeed the reason for the shorter set then I totally understand the decision, even if it meant that a few of the recently played relative deeper cuts which I was looking forward to hearing had been dropped. That being said, though, the band still packed their 90 minutes on stage with all the bombast which a Nightwish show is known for - and it was great to hear a number of the newer songs live alongside some older favourites. Unlike some of the bands whom have also made the transition, Nightwish's stage show is built for arenas. That side of things was as good as ever - with plenty of pyro throughout, as well as big screens and a great light show. As mentioned, the show got off to a bang. Instead of a gentle symphonic intro, the sounds that open the latest album were played over the PA - to which drummer Kai Hahto soon started to drum along to. His drumming got busier, meaning that the show essentially kicked off with a drum solo, but Noise soon got underway and the show started proper. From the off, the sound was great - meaning that everything could be heard clearly. Jansen's voice was always high in the mix, and the various instruments played by multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley had the desired effect. Following the departure of Marko Hietala, too, Donockley now has a more prominent role in the band vocally. New bassist Jukka Koskinen prowled the stage, but lacked Hietala's cutting presence. I must admit that I did miss Hietala, especially during the heavier portions of the set - but Donockley handled his vocal parts well despite having a much softer voice. In general, though, the set shied away from songs that prominently featured Hietala. The poppy Storytime showed that Jansen was still at the top of her game despite her recent health concerns, whilst the heavier Tribal again showcased the drumming of Hahto as well as the rhythmic bass playing Koskinen. Some other recent favourites had been retained, too, such as the slightly folky Élan. From Donockley's whistle melodies to the whimsical chorus, the song always goes down well live - and it elicited a strong reaction before the band looked to past. With the band's last tour focusing on older songs, this tour was very much a more up-to-date affair, but Sleeping Sun was pulled out of the vaults. I had not seen the band play the song live before, and the gorgeous ballad was a real treat - with both Emppu Vuorinen (guitar) and Donockley teaming up for the short, yet melodic, centrepiece guitar solo.

Following that moment of respite it was time for something heavier again, and Dark Chest of Wonders proved to be just that. The riffy song has always been a live favourite, and it kicked the set into the next gear before a handful of songs were played which, in one way or another, allowed the band to showcase their gentler side. The true folk of Harvest allowed Donockley to shine vocally, with Jansen providing harmonies. In fact the whole song is a vehicle of his talents, with the uilleann pipes ringing through the venue during the instrumental section - and the instrument also drove the jig-like I Want My Tears Back. This is another live favourite, and Donockley handled Hietala's vocal parts admirably - whilst also shining during the upbeat instrumental mid-section. The poppy Nemo then followed, which allowed for a big sing-a-long, but one of the night's unexpected highlights then came in the form of How's the Heart?. The song has never been one of my favourite cuts from the latest album, but live it was rearranged into an acoustic version which left Jansen and Donockley alone on stage. Jansen sung the track, with Donockley backing her on the acoustic guitar - and the simplicity of the track really came alive in this arrangement. Given the bombast and complexity of Nightwish's music, this simple acoustic number really allowed Tuomas Holopainen's (keyboards) songwriting to shine - and he was not even stage for the vast majority of the song! He has often said that many of the band's early songs were written around a campfire, and that vibe was perfectly recreated with How's the Heart?. By this point, though, the home straight was approaching - but there was still plenty more music to come. The last part of the set upped the heaviness overall, though, and the dramatic Shoemaker highlighted why it is one of the latest album's best cuts with its dancing keyboard lines and a spinetingling closing operatic vocal from Jansen. Last Ride of the Day then provided some great hard-driving metal to whip the crowd up into a frenzy before the two epic closing numbers brought the set to an end. Up first was Ghost Love Score, which has always been a vocal showcase. Jansen nailed it as always, and it was lapped up by the large crowd. In truth, I am of the view that the song is probably due a bit of a rest, as it has been ever-present in the set for years at this point - but it always goes down well live. For me, though, it was surpassed by a masterful version of The Greatest Show on Earth. In some ways I am surprised that the lengthy track is still in the set, but I have loved hearing it live since its release - and I felt no different last night. The closing section always really hits the spot, and proved once again to be a big crowd participation moment - whilst the lengthy atmospheric intro highlighted the playing of both Holopainen and Donockley. It brought the set to a masterful end, and the band then took their bows to a closing piece of music from the latest album. The setlist was:

Noise

Storytime

Tribal

Élan

Sleeping Sun

Dark Chest of Wonders

Harvest

I Want My Tears Back

Nemo

How's the Heart?

Shoemaker

Last Ride of the Day

Ghost Love Score

The Greatest Show on Earth - Parts I-III

All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World - Part VIII: Ad Astra

Despite the shorter length, Nightwish still put on a masterful showing in London last night. I am not sure that they are capable of delivering anything other than something special, and it was great hearing quite a few songs live for the first time - including five from the latest album. The 2015 show will likely never be topped, due to how it saw the band successfully transition to being an arena act here in the UK, but each Nightwish show I have been to since was special - including last night. They are a band that I will always make the effort to see each time they return, and I imagine that next time they come back they will have a new album in tow - as Holopainen has started to make reference to writing again now that they have managed to get much of the Human. :II: Nature. tour done following the numerous delays.

Opeth - London Review

The Swedish progressive metal veterans Opeth might not be a band that I listen to all that regularly, but when I am in the mood to hear their organic and retro take on the genre there is nothing else that will do. I am not sure exactly when I first started to listen to Opeth, but it would have been around the time of 2008's Watershed, the band's ninth album. I remember picking the album up on a bit of a whim, having regularly read that they were one of the key more modern prog bands to check out, and I enjoyed the album from the off without really getting drawn into the band's world. In truth, I am not sure that I will ever truly be a die-hard fan of the five-piece, but over the years since first getting Watershed I have collected all of the rest of their albums and seen them live three times - although two of those were at festivals. That being said, though, my opinion of the band continues to improve. Each listen to one of their dense and complex albums reveals something new, so I see them as something of an on-going project - which is often fruitful and enjoyable. They are a great live band, too, as I discovered at the inaugural High Voltage Festival back in 2010 and again at the 2015 iteration of Bloodstock Open Air - and I finally got to see them on their terms in 2016 when I headed up to London to catch them at Wembley Arena for what turned out to be a lengthy evening. I was not actually supposed to go to the show, as I had tickets to see Glenn Hughes on the same night - but when his tour was cancelled I opted to see Opeth instead, and the show was excellent, if not somewhat overwhelming. At that point I was not as familiar with Opeth's material as I am now, and they played a special set that included a few deep cuts - so a lot of it went over my head despite enjoying the spectacle and the musicianship. Since then I have revisited the world of Opeth fairly often - and I have been enjoying their work more than ever, particularly their last couple of albums. I missed their UK shows in 2019, so when in 2020 they announced that they were going to be undertaking a 30th anniversary tour, which included a show at London's Eventim Apollo, I decided to pick up a ticket. The 2021 show ended up getting postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it finally rolled around last night - so yesterday I headed back up to London to catch the band live for the fourth time. Given that Wembley Arena was not exactly full back in 2016, and the room had been configured in such a way so that it was about a third of its usual size, I did wonder if the Apollo was a bit ambitious for the band. Opeth are popular, but they do not generally play venues of such a size - so I was pleased when I got to the venue to see a huge queue. I had opted for a seat in the Circle, as I wanted to appreciate the complex music in comfort, and when I got into the venue I found that I had been allocated a seat that was on the same row as the one where I sat when I recently saw Marillion at the same venue. The seat afforded a good view of the stage - and I took my position ready for the show to start.

Before Opeth's set, though, the growing crowd was treated to a high-octane and off-kilter set from the Canadian thrash/progressive metal act Voivod. I have been familiar in Voivod in name only for years, so when I saw that they were going to be part of this tour I thought it would be a good opportunity to check them out. I did not really know what to expect, apart from that their sound is a bit 'out there', but I enjoyed the band's time on stage. They are often termed a thrash act, but not much of what they played yesterday sounded all that thrashy - instead the songs were weighty, groove-orientated, and quite mechanical - with the strange vocals of frontman Denis 'Snake' Bélanger sitting atop the cacophony. There were hints of thrash at times when the band picked up the pace, but there were also hints of punk, plenty of prog, and also a sound similar to some of the more modern tech metal acts like Tool. I know little of Voivod's history, but I would not be surprised to learn if much of that modern scene can be traced back to Voivod's strange sound - but many of the songs played were still memorable despite the band's overall approach. Some of the songs went over my head somewhat, especially the first handful of numbers played, but the more that the set progressed the more I found myself enjoying it. I am not sure if the latter few songs were more melodic, or whether I was just getting used to Voivod's sound, but the second half of the set definitely stood out more for me. Whilst Bélanger is a great, understated frontman, the standout player for me was Daniel 'Chewy' Mongrain (guitar/vocals). Given the band's progressive sound, and the simple make-up of the band instrumentalist-wise, the amount that was coming from Mongrain's guitar was impressive. His riffing throughout was extremely busy, but there was still a hooky side to his playing - and the few solos and lead lines that he played when taking a break from riffing showcased a more typical overall sound. Bélanger, despite having a strange voice, still had a melodic side to his voice, too. Some of the songs that were played towards the end of the set showcased this - with a track like The Prow including a big chorus that seemed to excite the crowd. It was clear that there were a few Voivod fans in attendance, too, as the band were greeted warmly throughout. Considering that the band tend to play venues like the Camden Underworld when they visit London, the large surrounds of the Apollo would have likely been new to them - but their sound filled the room, and when they brought their set to a close with a demented cover of Pink Floyd's Astronomy Domine the crowd certainly showed their appreciation. It was great finally getting to check Voivod out, and I enjoyed much of what they had to offer - so I will need to give them a proper listen in the future.

About half an hour following Voivod's set, the lights went down and Opeth took to the stage - launching immediately into the heavy, yet densely organic, Ghost of Perdition. Given that this current tour celebrates the band's 30th anniversary, Opeth made sure to cover all of their history in one evening. A special 13-song set, with one track from each of their studio albums, was put together with the help of a vote by the fanbase - meaning that setlist ended up being a good mix of real fan-favourites and a few long-requested deeper cuts. The setlist was perhaps safer than some real hardcore fans would have wanted to hear, but for me it was pretty much perfect. The songs played all flowed nicely together, too, and showcased all of the band's many sides perfectly - from the crushingly heavy to the most laid back. Ghost of Perdition is a song that really showcases Opeth's diversity, so it was a perfect way to kick the night off. The snaking riffing of Mikael Åkerfeldt (vocals/guitar) and Fredrik Åkesson (guitar/vocals) drove the song from off - and the few slower, more melodic sections allowed for brief moments of respite. The set was structured in such a way that there was a good balance of light and shade, too. There was perhaps slightly more of a focus on Åkerfeldt's clean vocals than his growls, but there was still plenty of heaviness throughout. Demon of the Fall, up next, was crushingly heavy - and the gothic track really brought the best out of new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who already seems to be at home in the band. His pummelling double bass patterns drove the piece, and it was one of the heaviest moments of the night. The band then moved into more psychedelic territory with Eternal Rains Will Come, which was one of my overall highlights of the night. The opening track from 2014's Pale Communion kicked off with some great guitar and keyboard interplay, but the 1970s-esque folk vocal harmonies are what really stood out for me - and the soaring guitar solo from Åkesson then took things to the next level. This break from the heaviness was short lived, though, as the band then turned the clock right back to the beginning for a rare outing of Under the Weeping Moon. The raw, extreme metal of the piece certainly made a strong impact - and the added keyboards from Joakim Svalberg added new layers to the song. I like how the band have expanded their older songs with new keyboard arrangements and they all sound better for them - but it was perhaps the next song that contained some of the set's best keyboard playing. This is because Windowpane was up next, a song drenched in mellotron which Svalberg nailed - whilst Åkerfeldt sung the song with real emotion, and laid down a number of guitar leads and solos with ease.

Harvest then had a similar vibe, although the track is much more folky in its delivery - with very memorable vocal hooks that the crowd latched onto. I should note at this point that the crowd were in fine voice and spirit throughout, and the atmosphere was excellent as a result. Each song was greeted as warmly as the last - but perhaps the biggest cheer was reserved to the mammoth Black Rose Immortal. The song from 1996's Morningrise had never been played live until this tour, and it has long been requested by the fans. At over 20 minutes in length, though, I can understand the band's previous reluctance to play it live - but this tour proved to be the perfect opportunity to do so, and even Åkerfeldt admitted to enjoying tackling it. The track generally stuck to the band's heavier side, but the intricacies of the riffing and some of the soloing throughout really impressed. It was great to hear the track live even thought it has never been a particular favourite of mine - and I am sure that it was a highlight for many. Another highlight for me, though, was what followed. Svalberg's piano intro heralded the arrival of the excellent Burden - a gorgeous rock ballad that always always impressed me. Like Windowpane, it was a real keyboard showcase. Following the initial piano melodies, Svalberg then focused on his Hammond organ - and the song was drenched in it, including a lengthy solo. It was great hearing him let rip on the organ, but the closing harmony guitar leads were just as good, too. By this point, the end was somewhat in sight - but there was still quite a bit more music to enjoy. The Moor returned to heavier territory, but it was the snarling hard rock of The Devil's Orchard that was my next standout cut. I have always been a big fan of the song, and it is one that always comes across well live. Again, the organic keyboard playing helped it to sound huge - whilst the melodic chorus really shone the spotlight on Åkerfeldt's excellent voice. The main set then came to a close with Allting Tar Slut, the last track on their most recent album. Personally I would have preferred it if the band had played the English version, All Things Will Pass, although I feel that I am probably in a minority there - but the dynamic and surprisingly weighty track proved to be a strong way to end the main set. There was not much time left at this point, so the band could not afford to mess around. A very brief step off the stage was stopped by the jazzy intro of the chunky Sorceress kicking in. Svalberg nailed the complex melodies, whilst the bass playing of Martín Méndez ensured that the piece was another highlight thanks to his grooves. The song has always been a favourite, so it was great to hear it live again, before one last burst of heaviness thanks to the ever-present Deliverance rounded out the evening in style. The heavy song allowed for one last round of headbanging - and there was even some moshing going on down in the Stalls. It was the perfect way to round out around two hours and 20 minutes of excellent prog - and I am sure that everyone went home happy, with Hammond organ ringing in their ears. The setlist was:

Ghost of Perdition

Demon of the Fall

Eternal Rains Will Come

Under the Weeping Moon

Windowpane

Harvest

Black Rose Immortal

Burden

The Moor

The Devil's Orchard

Allting Tar Slut

-

Sorceress

Deliverance

Given the setlist and the excellence of the band's performance, last night's show at the Apollo is easily my favourite of the four Opeth shows that I have now seen. I had a great vantage point to allow the music to really wash over me, and it helped that a number of my personal favourite songs were included in the set. Opeth are a band that continue to impress me, and I will definitely be making the effort to see them again in the future. Perhaps one day I will indeed be a die-hard fan, but until that point I will continue to be impressed by their creativity and retro sound.

Queensrÿche's 'Digital Noise Alliance' - Album Review

It is great when so many of your favourite bands release a new album in the same year. Every year is generally great for new music, but many of my real favourites have put out new releases in 2022 - and there is still one more big one to come for me, as Threshold are releasing a new album later this week. The subject of this piece, though, is the Seattle-based band Queensrÿche - who helped to pioneer the progressive metal genre when they formed back in 1982. I am not sure exactly when I first got into Queensrÿche, but it was likely in 2008 or 2009. I remember picking up a second hand copy of one of their compilation albums - and the rest, as they say, is history. The band's accessible, yet complex, songwriting instantly spoke to me; and before long I was citing 1988's sprawling concept album Operation: Mindcrime, the band's third full-length album, as my favourite album ever. If pushed to name my all-time favourite album now, I would likely still opt for Operation: Mindcrime - and the band are special to me for that reason. It has certainly not always been plain sailing for the band, as messy line-up changes and court battles can attest to, but the Queensrÿche of 2022 are now 10 years into their rebirth and second era - and they are perhaps sounding as good and as fired up as they ever have. Last month, the band released their sixteenth studio album Digital Noise Alliance - their fourth album since recruiting the excellent Todd La Torre as their frontman back in 2012. Whilst the band will probably never top their golden 1980s and early 1990s period, the albums that they have released since La Torre joined have all been excellent - and it has been great hearing Queensrÿche be Queensrÿche again after years in the wilderness experimenting and chasing trends. Digital Noise Alliance is the band's first album in three years, and it follows on nicely from 2019's The Verdict (which I reviewed here) - which appeared in my Top 10 Albums of 2019 list. The Verdict was a key release in the band's catalogue, as it was the first to openly not feature founding drummer Scott Rockenfield. I say 'openly' as it was revealed a few years after the fact that Rockenfield did not contribute to 2006's Operation: Mindcrime II, but The Verdict was the first Queensrÿche album released following Rockenfield's hiatus from the band which started in 2017. This hiatus has led to him leaving the band (or being fired) and another court battle looks to be looming - which I am sure is in the best interests of no-one involved. It is a shame that Rockenfield is no longer in the band, and I doubt that we will ever truly find out what happened, but they rolled on with La Torre handling the drums masterfully on The Verdict. Digital Noise Alliance, though, is the first Queensrÿche album to feature the talents of drummer Casey Grillo (Kamelot; Almah). Grillo has been touring with the band since 2017, but he is now an official member of Queensrÿche - and is even credited with co-writing two of the songs here. The album also sees the return of former guitarist Mike Stone, who last featured on 2007's covers album Take Cover, in place of Parker Lundgren - who left the band last year.

Whilst Stone did not contribute to the writing of the album, as I get the impression that a lot of the material here was written before he officially re-joined the band, the addition of Grillo alongside established songwriters La Torre, guitarist Michael Wilton, and bassist Eddie Jackson has allowed Digital Noise Alliance to take Queensrÿche off in a subtly different direction. Whilst the album is not massively different to The Verdict, or the two albums that preceded it, for me this latest Queensrÿche effort feels heavier overall - and there is lots of weight to the riffing here. Grillo is also a heavier drummer, and he is more fond of double bass patterns than Rockenfield. This is clear from the off, as the album opens with its lead single In Extremis - which is fast becoming a real favourite of mine. The song has an urgency to it, despite some swirling synths briefly setting a murky tone, and as soon as the first big guitar riff kicks in Grillo's fast footwork drives everything - with flurries of machine gun double bass playing. Queensrÿche have not morphed into a thrash act or anything like that, but there is perhaps a more aggressive edge throughout - which La Torre really leans into. His voice is naturally grittier than Geoff Tate's ever was, and this album plays to his strengths in a big way. The verses maintain that early urgency, which allows La Torre to spit out the vocals whilst guitar flourishes fill in the gaps. Subtle harmonies boost parts of his verse delivery, which creates something of a call-and-response feel at times - whilst the chorus then slows the pace somewhat and goes for a more cinematic and epic style, with walls of vocal harmonies and some synths courtesy of returning producer Chris 'Zeuss' Harris. A great guitar solo adds plenty of melody, and the clock is turned back to the 1980s as the song comes to a close with some great harmonies from Wilton and Stone. Chapters slows the pace, and goes for more of a traditional Queensrÿche sound - with expansive guitar arpeggios during the verses and some prominent bass playing from Jackson. Jackson is one of my favourite bass players in the prog metal genre, and this song is a good example why. His playing is busy, and arguably drives the song whilst the guitarists add colour and melody. More harmony guitar leads act as a throwback to the band's heyday, whilst La Torre showcases why he is the perfect fit for the band with a heartfelt chorus that is that perfect mix of expressive metal and melancholy prog that made Queensrÿche such a hit originally. Queensrÿche's best songs all have hints of murk to them, and Chapters captures that vibe perfectly. Lost in Sorrow is similar, but the overall tone throughout is somewhat cleaner - and there are definitely hints of 1990's Empire throughout. It is not as overtly commercial as much of that album's material, but songs like The Thin Line are brought to mind - with Jackson's bass again dominating whilst La Torre lays down a wistful vocal against ringing clean guitar chords. It is not as heavy as the album's opening two numbers, but the way the song builds towards the chorus is classic Queensrÿche - and the chorus is another cinematic moment with big vocal hooks and an emotional bent. The track has all the marks of a future classic, and it is one that stood out to me from the off.

Sicdeth then returns to the heavier vibes of the album's opening, and song also reminds me a little of the more aggressive sound that La Torre channelled on his excellent 2021 solo album Rejoice in the Suffering (which I reviewed here). It is not quite that heavy, but there is definitely an energy throughout Sicdeth that will get heads banging. Grillo's drumming is once again busy, with lots of double bass patterns and plenty of high-octane fills, whilst La Torre explores the gruffer side of his voice for some excellent rasping vocal lines. The song is not as hooky as some of the tracks here, but there is still plenty of melody throughout. Choruses elsewhere soar higher than Sicdeth's does, but the riffing throughout the track conjures up its own magic - and it is a great showcase for Grillo and what he brings to the current iteration of Queensrÿche. Behind the Walls, another of the album's singles, follows and it takes a more overtly progressive path. Considering the influence that Queensrÿche had on prog metal, they do not always stretch out that much - but Behind the Walls is a longer track that features a dynamic arrangement and some synths that bring to mind the sound channelled on 1986's Rage for Order. This song definitely has that strange sci-fi sound that the band's second album pioneered - but there is also a heaviness that only the modern band could have come up with. The riffing of Wilton and Stone throughout is busy, whilst the fat tones of Jackson's bass keep everything moving - locking in perfectly with Grillo's swinging grooves. La Torre makes use of the dynamic arrangement to explore his voice a little more, and his performance throughout is varied. Parts of the song are delivered very melodically, whereas the chorus showcases a more aggressive approach that ensures the simple melodies bury themselves into the brain. A great solo trade-off between Wilton and Stone adds some mid-song excitement, before the synth-heavy intro resurfaces - creating a dense bridge-like section before La Torre launches into the screeching chorus again with ease. Nocturnal Light also leans heavily into the band's more progressive side. It is not a long track, but its snaking and atypical arrangement allows it to stand out. Whilst La Torre and Wilton have probably contributed the most from a songwriting perspective since this current era got underway, Jackson is not far behind. He often collaborates with others, but he also writes songs alone - and Nocturnal Light is one of two such tunes here. His songs are always something slightly different from the norm - and it is perhaps from him that the progressive side of the band really comes from. There are big hooks here, such as during a powerful chorus, but in general the song is one that takes many twists and turns as it moves along. Jackson's bass dominates, unsurprisingly, but the guitar leads that intertwine with each other make a great sonic tapestry - whilst walls of synths add to the overall atmosphere. It is one of those songs that takes a few listens to truly appreciate, but like many of Jackson's solo compositions it stands tall thanks to its quirks and approach melody.

Out of the Black returns to something more typical for Queensrÿche, and the mix of heavy riffing and atmospheric guitar chords make for a song that covers all bases. At first, the song songs like it is going to be a hard-driving rocker - and there are moments that do follow this pattern, such as some NWOBHM-inspired riffing during parts of the verses - but the song is a really dynamic one considering that it is not particularly long. This is very much classic Queensrÿche, then, and lots of tricks that the band have used throughout their career are present here. The guitars add plenty of textures throughout, and a great harmony guitar solo again recalls the 1980s. The best part of the song for me, though, is its chorus. It is another that goes for a cinematic approach and La Torre's vocal delivery throughout is extremely heartfelt. He sings a little cleaner here, but this fits the overall mood of the song - and it is another song that has become a big favourite for me, with the little melodic twist at the end of the chorus getting me on every listen. The atmospheric side of the previous song is retained throughout Forest - which the album's ballad. Queensrÿche have had success with ballads in the past, but I am not sure that the La Torre version of the band has written one that sits alongside their best from the past. This is not a problem, as I prefer the band to operate at full-tilt anyway, but Forest may well be their best true ballad for quite some time. The song has a strong acoustic base, and it never really moves away from this - despite Grillo's percussive drumming adding plenty of interest. La Torre also explores a different side of his voice here, and his emotive performance is perfect for the acoustic-led track. Synths swirl around throughout the whole piece, too, and there is a real depth as a result. The chorus ties everything together, even if it does have a similar overall vocal arrangement to Silent Lucidity - arguably the band's most famous ballad. It works though, and Forest succeeds by paying tribute to the band's past - and the occasional burst of soaring lead guitar only ups its overall emotional pull. Realms is the second of Jackson's solo compositions, so it is unsurprising that it is another knotty track that does not always tread the expected path. Considering that a bassist wrote the song, there is a big reliance on guitar leads throughout - and the guitar playing throughout is both cutting and haunting, depending on the mood. The chorus for example, which features an excellent and multi-layered La Torre vocal, features some screaming guitar leads - whilst other parts of the song rely on textures and layers, with the synths again playing a big role. Realms is perhaps not as rhythmic and groovy as many of Jackson's songs, but his bass still plays a big role despite others perhaps shining a little brighter musically throughout.

Hold On ups the heaviness again, at least early on. The song is another classic Queensrÿche mix of light and shade, but the opening riffing is some of the heaviest and abrasive on the album - with some modern, discordant tones used briefly. This sound is something new for Queensrÿche, but it works well. It is used sparingly, though, which is perhaps wise - and much of the rest of the song stays close to familiar territory. The discordant riffing does resurface occasionally for effect, but the verses in general are more low key - with chiming clean guitar melodies and a more whimsical vocal performance. The choruses are heavier, though, and the song certainly picks up when they kick in. La Torre sings them in a manner more typical of his usual approach which gives them some bite - and this bite sticks around as the song moves forward. This is because the latter parts of the song are overall heavier and busier musically - and the closing instrumental sections is one of the album's most progressive moments. It features some great free-form drumming from Grillo, and the guitar playing throughout is busy and melodic. Queensrÿche rarely cut loose in such a manner, but it works well to close out the track - with the first half being more melodic to set up the slightly jazzy ending. The album then comes to a close with the lengthy Tormentum, another more overtly progressive piece that is cut from a similar cloth to Behind the Walls. It is heavier than Behind the Walls, though, which means that the album both opens and closes with hard-hitting tracks. The riffing is tough throughout, but there is a strong focus again on guitar leads. There are lots of little melodic twists throughout, and they compliment La Torre's urgent vocal delivery perfectly. The chorus doubles down on this hard-hitting vibe, too, with a call-and-response style used - allowing La Torre to lay down some heavy vocals which he then 'responds' to in a more traditional manner. This chorus is one that really gets under the skin after a few listens - but after a couple of iterations of it the song moves into a haunting spoken word section which then explodes into another busy instrumental workout. There are subtle jazz vibes again, especially with some of Grillo's drum fills, but on the whole the instrumental section is very prog metal in nature with a mix of chugging riffs and guitar back-and-forth between Wilton and Stone - including some excellent unison melodies. Following this lengthy instrumental section, a final vocal coda arrives, which has the feel of a triumphant closing monologue, before another guitar solo and a clean guitar-led encore bring the song, and the album, to a close. For me, there have been few bands that have experienced a creative renaissance quite like Queensrÿche. The band may only have two of its founding members left at this point, but the run of form that they are currently on is very impressive. With Digital Noise Alliance the band have added another excellent album to their recent legacy - and for me it is as good as everything that they have put out during the past decade. All of the songs here are memorable for one reason or another, and it is great to hear the band both at their heaviest and at their most progressive as the 11 songs here pass by.

The album was released on 7th October 2022 via Century Media Records. Below is the band's promotional video for In Extremis.

Freedom Call - London Review

Given that October was very busy for me gig-wise, it was actually nice to have a couple of weekends at home recently. Given the past couple of years, though, live music should never be taken for granted - and thankfully it is rare that there is not at least one gig in my near future. Following a quiet few weeks, then, it was with excitement that I headed up to London yesterday for another evening of live music - this time courtesy of the German power metal four-piece Freedom Call. I actually got into Freedom Call many years ago, when I found a copy of their third album, 2002's Eternity, at a local second hand CD market stall. I enjoyed it from the off, but it would be a while before I bought another one of their albums - and it is really only in the past month or so that I have actually completed my collection of their back catalogue. I guess I have always been a casual fan of the band, then, but they are an act that never fail to elicit a smile. They are not a band that take themselves too seriously, and their brand of power metal has always been very joyous and uplifting. They have been around since the late 1990s, too, so they can be considered a part of the big European metal boom of the 1990s that saw bands like HammerFall really set out their stall. As such, Freedom Call are very much part of that traditional sound and, despite not taking themselves too seriously, they have never been part of the overly gimmicky brand of upbeat power metal that has emerged in recent years - with its reliance on costumes and props. It was perhaps their extremely upbeat nature that made me only like rather than love them, though, but I have really been enjoying exploring their catalogue again in the run up to last night's gig. I had previously seen the band live once before, which was back in 2018. I remember picking up a few of their albums in the run up to that show, and enjoying them, but this time I wanted to go in with full knowledge of their catalogue. The last few weeks have been rather filled with upbeat power metal, then, so by the time yesterday rolled around I was very much ready to see the band again. The venue, as it was back in 2018, was The Underworld in Camden. The venue is very much the go-to London haunt for those European metal bands who can only really justify playing one UK show - so I have been there a lot over the years. It came as a surprise to me, then, that last night was my first trip to the venue this year - following three in quick succession in 2021. I have nothing planned at The Underworld for the rest of this year, either, so Freedom Call will be my one visit to the famed venue in 2022. Attendance-wise, then turnout was decent - and the venue was a bit fuller than I remember it being in 2018. It was not a sell out, but there was a healthy crowd gathered in the venue at all times - and everyone in attendance was up for a good time,which ensured that there was a strong atmosphere from the off.

Unlike some Underworld bills, which can be rather stacked, there was only one support act before Freedom Call took to the stage. It was left, then, to the Portsmouth-based five-piece Dendera to set the tone for the rest of the night, and the heavy metal act put on a stellar show that impressed the growing crowd. I remember seeing Dendera quite a few years ago now, and at the time I seem to recall thinking that they were quite sloppy and nothing special. A lot of time has passed since then, though, and last night's showing revealed that the band are a well-oiled machine with a number of hooky tracks. This was the case despite them having a stand-in drummer for the night, but the band stormed throughout a powerful set with ease that featured a lot of hard-hitting riffs from guitarists Stephen Main and David Stanton, as well as some soaring chorus that brought the best out of frontman Ashley Edison. Since last seeing Dendera I had seen Edison a few times fronting Power Quest, so I was well aware of his abilities, but it was great hearing him tackle Dendera's heavier material. Some of the band's songs could be classed as power metal but in general Dendera just sound like good, old-fashioned heavy metal. There were a few modern twists, such as the occasional burst of harsh vocals from Main, but in general the songs were riff-driven, with lots of flashy solos and vocal hooks. Not being familiar with the band's material it is hard to pick out individual moments, but there were a couple of tracks that did stand out in particular. One of the hookiest songs of the set was The End of Days, which featured a great chorus, and another that stood out was the more epic Blood Red Skies - which was heavier and showcased the slight progressive edge to the band's sound that was present during some of the numbers. Given that the band have been around for a while now, too, there were quite a few in the crowd who were familiar with their songs. This meant that the band did not need to work to get the crowd going, and this helped the evening's atmosphere reach a high level early on. As such, I came away impressed by the band. I was not expecting too much given my memories of seeing them previously, but they have clearly upped their game significantly since then - and I will definitely need to give them a proper listen.

The changeover between the two bands was pretty quick, so it was not long before Freedom Call hit the stage. This is a show that had been rescheduled a couple of times due to the pandemic - and I think that it was supposed to take place in March 2020. I did not have tickets for it back then, as I think it clashed with something else, so it was good to have been able to pick up tickets along the way. It turned out to be a bit of a one-off show for the band, with much of their touring in 2022 having already happened. I am not sure how economical doing a random one-off UK show will have been for the band - but they seemed to have travelled light as I think that they were basically using all of Dendera's gear with the exception of their guitars. I am sure that this kept the costs down, and they would have been pleased to find a decent-sized and enthusiastic crowd to greet them. They opened the show with a couple of long-standing favourites. The anthemic Union of the Strong got things off to a fine start, but perhaps it was Tears of Babylon that really lit the fire under the evening. From the off, everyone in the crowd was jumping - and it was clear that Chris Bay (vocals/guitar) was not going to have to exert much effort in getting the crowd going. Every song was greeted as well as the next, and the set felt like one long party from start to finish. This show was also the band's first visit to the UK since releasing M.E.T.A.L. in 2019, so the album was given prominence in the set. Five songs from the band's latest offering were featured - which was great as in my opinion it is one of their strongest albums. The faster-paced Spirit of Daedalus was one of the newer ones that really got everyone going, and it also included a great solo from Lars Rettkowitz (guitar/vocals). Another early highlight, though, was a powerful rendition of the somewhat more symphonic Metal Invasion. The song is on the longer side for the band, and as such provided lots of opportunities for the crowd to sing along. More newer songs followed, though, including the anthemic M.E.T.A.L., which was stretched out to include some crowd participation, and my personal favourite cut from the last album The Ace of the Unicorn. This was another that featured a lot of singing thanks to its big chorus, before the grander Freedom Call was wheeled out. The self-titled song always goes down well live, and is a track that also features a lot more guitar firepower from Bay. Rettkowitz tends to handle the solos, but this one showcased Bay - which was great to see. By this point the main set was coming to a close, though. Following a brief, and altered, version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, the band ended with a powerful rendition of Metal Is for Everyone - which unsurprisingly everyone sang along to before the band briefly left the stage. A three-song encore followed, which was packed with anthems. The mid-paced Warriors kicked it off, but it was the upbeat and highly-melodic Far Away and Land of Light that followed which the crowd really seemed to enjoy. The energy levels in the room shot up further here, and it was the perfect way to cap off what had been a great night of music. The setlist was:

Union of the Strong

Tears of Babylon

Spirit of Daedalus

Sail Away

Metal Invasion

M.E.T.A.L.

111 - The Number of the Angels

The Ace of the Unicorn

Freedom Call

Power & Glory

Hallelujah [Leonard Cohen cover]

Metal Is for Everyone

-

Warriors

Far Away

Land of Light

Given that Dendera also put on a great show, last night at The Underworld was very much worth the trip to London. I do not tend to get to that many power metal shows these days, so it is always nice to do so - and Freedom Call are one of those bands that always seem to be able create a strong atmosphere thanks to their feel-good music and charismatic stage presence. I would definitely make the effort to see them again, so I hope that they return to the UK in due course - perhaps following the release of their next album.