Bon Jovi's 'Forever' - Album Review

Quite often on this blog I champion veteran acts that still regularly put out new albums. Just this year already we have had albums from Magnum, Saxon, and Judas Priest - all of whom have been treading the boards for many years - and it never ceases to amaze me how some bands and artists manage to keep sounding creative and vital well into their twilight years whilst others are content to trot out the same 15 setlist staples live year after year. Whilst there are plenty of older bands that do fall into the former category, there are plenty more that do not - but I live in hope that some of them will find some enthusiasm and follow the lead of The Rolling Stones and their excellent 2023 release. Another band which has generally been fairly prolific in their later years, though, is Bon Jovi. Unlike those aforementioned bands, though, a new Bon Jovi album is not always something to celebrate. Despite being quite a big fan of the New Jersey-based arena rockers, I am not sure that they have released anything genuinely essential since 1995's These Days. Everything up to and including These Days is pretty much classic in my eyes and the drop-off since has been pretty stark. There have been good moments, though, with both 2005's Have a Nice Day and 2007's Lost Highway proving to be a bit of a mini resurgence creatively in my opinion, but much of what has followed has been pretty poor overall - with 2009's The Circle and 2016's This House Is Not for Sale (which I briefly discussed here) being the exceptions. Given that This House Is Not for Sale was actually pretty decent, despite it following the bland What About Now (which I reviewed here) from 2013 and the leftovers collection Burning Bridges from 2015, I had somewhat high hopes for 2020's 2020 (which I also reviewed here) - but it turned out to be quite possibly the band's worst album to date. Everything which has made Bon Jovi's output extremely hit and miss for nearly three decades at this point was dialled up to 11 on 2020 - including limp songwriting, the lack of any weight from the band, and a couple of pretty po-faced and egregious songs which were hastily written to address some of the big issues of the year. Bruce Springsteen Jon Bon Jovi is not and the album fell flat in my opinion. Given the lack of any meaningful input from the rest of the band, too, 2020 more than ever felt like a solo album. The line between Bon Jovi the band and Bon Jovi the man has blurred significantly over the years, particularly since Richie Sambora left the band in 2013 - with most Bon Jovi albums a product of tame producers, song doctors, and minor splashes of the old magic. As such, then, I had basically no expectations for Forever, the band's sixteenth album which dropped earlier in the month, but I am happy to report that it is significantly better than 2020 - and some of the songs here are up there with the best material from This House Is Not for Sale. It is certainly no classic, but it rights some of the wrongs of the last album - and actually rocks a little in spots. It is the band's second album as an expanded seven-piece, with long-time producer and second guitarist John Shanks and percussionist Everett Bradley still on board.

Speaking of Shanks, he is probably a big part of the reason why Bon Jovi have been so hit and miss in recent years and the band could certainly do with shaking things up production-wise, but that is not likely to happen any time soon - especially now Shanks is in the band, too. He has been responsible for some good songs, though, and the opening track here, Legendary, is one of them. It is an up-tempo, poppy single which is not hugely different from other lead-off tracks on the band's other recent albums - but it has some bite to it and the chorus is good. Opening with clean guitar melodies, the drums from Tico Torres soon crash in and a hooky wordless vocal melody takes over - providing an early hook. Once Bon Jovi starts to sing, though, the verses pair things back some what - with a subtle groove from the rhythm section, driving piano from David Bryan, and plenty of acoustic guitars. Lots has been made of Bon Jovi's declining vocal abilities over the years, but he has never sounded that weak in the studio in my opinion - despite a more nasally tone. As such, he sings well here - with a more subdued tone during the piano-driven verses, before letting rip a bit more during the hooky chorus. The chorus makes use of the wordless vocal hooks from the song's intro, too, with the rest of the band also harmonising well with Bon Jovi to give his voice more of a kick. It is a simple song overall, then, and it is screaming out for a guitar solo from Phil X, but it is a good way to kick off the album. A personal favourite here, though, is We Made It Look Easy - a more atmospheric piece which is not generally what I want from the band, but this track for some reason really works for me. It starts slowly, with a rhythmic pulse thanks to the rhythm guitars and Hugh McDonald's bass, and the verses slowly expand over a percussive groove from Torres and the keyboard warmth of Bryan - before a cinematic chorus takes over. There is U2 edge to this chorus, which I am not generally a fan of, but I really like the overall vibe of the track - with Bon Jovi's voice sitting nicely against the swirling layers of guitar and a simple synth refrain. A slightly heavier bridge adds a brief moment of toughness, but generally the track is one which sticks to a more keyboard-heavy sound which compliments Bon Jovi's aging voice - whilst some nice guitar leads close things out. Things take a heavier turn on Living Proof, which makes use of a talk box during the main riff - something which the band famously utilised during both Livin' on a Prayer and It's My Life previously. This is probably the album's toughest song overall. It is still pretty tame really in the grand scheme of things, but it is nice to hear X and Shanks laying into their guitars a bit more - with X's talk box riff being pretty memorable. This is riff is used throughout the verses to accent each vocal line, with the rhythm section adding a simple groove, whilst the chorus feels like a bit of a throwback to the band's early days - without quite tapping into that magic. A brief guitar solo also harks back to that time, but again it fails to live up to the best moment from that era. Nevertheless, though, the song is still a fun one - and the opening three cuts here have all impressed in one way or another.

The rest of the album does not benefit from such a level of consistency in my opinion, but there are still strong moments to come. Waves is not as memorable, though, especially as it feels like it is going to be another pretty big rocker - before morphing into something more low key. The opening guitar rumble feels like it is building up towards something a bit meatier - but once the verse starts Bon Jovi is essentially left alone with an acoustic guitar for a slow-burning build towards what is actually a pretty decent chorus. This chorus is not as tough as the song's opening hints at, though, and I think there was a bit of a missed opportunity here to really kick on and create something more dynamic. One thing that does make the song stand out, though, is the approach to lead guitar. Bon Jovi has seemingly wanted to largely dispense with such since Sambora's departure, presumably to not need to share the spotlight, but this song has a pretty decent guitar solo - and both the chorus and the later verses have a few tasty guitar leads. I wish there was more of this on the album overall, as X is a tremendous player who has never really had a chance to shine in the band. Seeds has a bit more of an urgency to it, but arrangement-wise is pretty similar to the band's recent core sound - which sees songs build up slowly towards a bigger chorus. The verses are not so stripped back here, though, with more of a pulse from McDonald's bass and Torres' bass drum really punches through the speakers. Bryan's keyboards add depth, but generally the groove of the rhythm section and some tick-tock guitars further contribute to the song's staccato groove - which build towards a more string-heavy chorus which slows the pace down and sets Bon Jovi's voice against an atmospheric backdrop. Later chorus renditions are a bit more up-tempo, but this is a track which generally reverses the typical arrangement - with punchier verses and a slower chorus rather than the other way around. This vibe does work nicely, though, even if the song is not one of the album's strongest moments overall. The slowest and sparsest song on the album, Kiss the Bride, follows. Written about Bon Jovi's daughter getting married, the song is unsurprisingly heartfelt - with Bryan's piano leading the way along with some subtle acoustic guitar. There have been a number of songs like this on recent Bon Jovi albums, but given the subject matter and the prominent piano playing this one stands out a bit more. I think what helps this song, too, is the fact that it is the only song like it here. There are other slower tracks on the album, but it is the only real stripped back and organic piece in this manner - and the use of slide guitar melodies during a brief instrumental bridge works nicely to add some variety. Coming half way through the album, too, it provides something of a change of pace.

Following the heartfelt ballad, the band rocks out a bit more again on The People's House - which has a funky feel and it reminds me a little of the vibe created by Keep the Faith back in 1992. Bradley's percussion is very prominent throughout this track and he is really in the spotlight here. His grooves lock in nicely with Torres' drum beat to create the song's funky and upbeat feel - whilst the driving bass playing of McDonald also adds plenty of depth. This is a song for the rhythm section, then, but some electric piano melodies from Bryan early on and some guitar layers create a varied sound. There also a pretty stinging guitar solo, at least in the context of this album, too - which helps the song's upbeat vibe to hit harder. I wish there were more solos here, so it is nicely to hear a pretty busy one during this track - and the chorus is another pretty big one with some subtle harmony vocals and a retention of the song's core, infectious groove. The song is another overall highlight in my opinion and there is plenty of life to be found here. A simple up-tempo vibe continues throughout Walls of Jericho, an acoustic-led rocker which feels like a bit of a hark back to the sound conjured up on Lost Highway. The driving acoustic guitars are always in the mix but there is also a bit more weight from the rest of the band - with Torres' drums cutting through the mix, whilst the bass is also extremely prominent overall. Clean acoustic guitar melodies occasionally join in to add some melodic variety - but generally they add slashing heavier chords in the background, particularly during another pretty strong chorus which makes use of some wordless vocal hooks. The song is pretty energetic, then, and I really like how the band allowed this song just to be a bit more of a driving piece without overcomplicating it with synths and soundscapes as has sometimes been the case on recent albums. It could have really benefitted from a guitar solo, though, and I think if X had really cut loose here it would have been one of the album's best cuts. I Wrote You a Song slows things down again, with Bon Jovi singing alone against Bryan's piano and some acoustic guitars early on - but it never feels as sparse and slow-burning as Kiss the Bride - and it is clear that the song is going to grow, which happens following the first chorus thanks to McDonald's bass snaking in and a simple drum groove. It never really builds in a big way, but it feels less heartfelt and more full-bodied than the aforementioned ballad - with Bon Jovi singing in a 'louder' way and the stronger presence of the rhythm section. Slide guitars are used again, though, and there is a brief slide solo part-way through which, again, could have been longer. It is not one of my favourite cuts here but it certainly does not feel as dull as some of the band's other such songs - which is generally a theme here.

Living in Paradise is a bit more of an up-tempo rocker and, strangely, it was co-written by Ed Sheeran. The Bon Jovi and Sheeran combination seems like a bit of an odd one, but the song sounds pretty similar to the recent Bon Jovi core sound - even if the chorus has a bit more an urgency to it, which is welcome. Generally the track is a bit of a slow-burner, as is typical, and it builds in a big way towards the chorus - which is easily the best part of the song. Apart from the chorus, though, which does have a pretty decent hook, it is just a song which fails to stick in the brain. Everything is about the chorus, but the verses feels superfluous overall - and the song is one of the weakest cuts here in my opinion. This is a shame as the decent chorus feels wasted - but it shows that a hooky chorus is not always enough to make a song a strong one. My First Guitar is better and it is a pretty varied song overall which takes a similar cinematic approach to We Made It Look Easy - and again the approach works for me. It starts out with some hypnotic acoustic melodies, which Bon Jovi sings over, and the song is another that builds towards the chorus - but it does it in a more memorable manner this time. The song is just much more varied overall, too. Bryan dominates during a later bridge section thanks to his delicate piano playing, whilst there is a bit more of a lead guitar presence here thanks to some mournful leads during the cinematic chorus and a short solo part way through. The chorus feels really big, too, thanks to the overall production and the layering of instruments throughout. It feels like an epic moment on the album despite it not being especially heavy - and a couple of tougher pre-chorus sections add some pulse between the more cinematic moments. There is also a much longer guitar solo at the end, which is nice to see finally, before the song comes to a close with an acoustic rendition of part of the chorus. The track is another overall highlight for me and the variety in the arrangement is welcome. Sadly, though, the album then comes to a close with Hollow Man - the dullest cut here. I enjoy quite a lot of this album, but Hollow Man is one of those songs which sums up a lot of the band's recent output - it just feels slow for its own sake and it is another of Bon Jovi's attempt to write a post-Nebraska heartfelt Springsteen-esque cut and falling flat whilst doing so. Springsteen's such songs always sound genuinely depressing and on the edge - whereas Bon Jovi's efforts are just dull and this sort of songwriting is just not his forte. 2020 had a number of songs like this which is why it is likely my least favourite Bon Jovi album and it is a shame that Forever had to end with something so bland an clunky. Overall, though, there is a lot to like about the album. It is certainly a big step up from 2020 and it feels similar to This House Is Not for Sale in overall quality - with a few genuine standout cuts. It is never going to rival the band's classic output but there is actually some life here - and it has been one of the year's pleasant surprises so far given how low my expectations for it were.

The album was released on 7th June 2024 via Island Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Legendary.

Collateral's 'Should've Known Better' - Album Review

I have discussed on this blog many times before how well generally the UK is currently doing when it comes to new hard rock and metal bands. Whilst it still frustrates me that many of the bands I was championing in the late 2000s and early 2010s struggled to get any attention, many of those who have followed have found an audience - with bands like Stone Broken, Those Damn Crows, and the Kris Barras Band already being pretty big hitters on the British rock scene. Those are the names which jump out to me immediately, even if I have never managed to get into Those Damn Crows, but there are plenty of others who are also doing pretty well - and one such band is Kent's Collateral. Unlike much of the current UK rock scene, which generally features bands which are either very bluesy or firmly rooted in the 1990s/2000s post-grunge sound in a big way, Collateral unashamedly hark back to the 1980s stadium rock era. Frontman Angelo Tristan has never kept his love of Bon Jovi a secret, so there is plenty of Bon Jovi in Collateral's sound, but there are other influences, too. I reviewed the band's self-titled debut album (which can be read here) back in 2020 and I described it, sound-wise, as a bit of a mix of early Bon Jovi, Richard Marx, and the Eagles. Despite the time period being aped the album did not stray into hair metal territory that often - with the band's take on arena rock being more of a smoothed-out AOR one with the occasional hint of country. I listened to Collateral quite a bit throughout 2020, and it became one of my go-to feel-good releases during that not very feel-good year. The album was released in the February, with the first pandemic lockdown starting in March - so sadly the band could not really promote it live. This could have really stalled their momentum, but Collateral seem to have overcome this massive stumbling block and have been very busy over the past couple of years. I saw the band live twice in 2022, opening for both Reckless Love and H.E.A.T, and they also released an alternative version of their debut album in 2022 called Rewired - which featured one new song and versions of the album's other songs with guests such as Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force; Talisman; Axel Rudi Pell; Trans-Siberian Orchestra; W.E.T.; Sons of Apollo; Art of Anarchy), Danny Vaughn (Waysted; Tyketto; Snake Oil & Harmony), Joel Hoekstra (Night Ranger; Trans-Siberian Orchestra; Whitesnake; Iconic). It has taken Collateral four years to properly follow up their debut album, though, but last month they released their second album Should've Known Better - which takes the sound of the first album in a slightly heavier direction. The mix of sounds detailed previously still feels apt, but there is more of a hair metal bent this this time. Louis Malagodi has replaced Todd Winger on guitar, although the band operated as a five-piece for a time with both guitarists, and it seems that Malagodi's presence has pushed the band in a heavier direction. Sin in the City, the sole new track on Rewired, hinted at such - and Should've Known Better feels heavier overall, despite the plentiful hooks and the occasional ballad still being present.

Lead single and opening cut Glass Sky is a good example of the band's slight change of direction here. Despite much of the album still feeling very much rooted in the 1980s, this track does feel a bit more modern overall - despite the hooky gang vocals and anthemic chorus. The song opens with Malagodi's staccato guitar figure - backed by a bass drum punch from Ben Atkinson and a bass groove from Jack Bentley-Smith. This mid-paced strut makes up the basis of the song's verses, which are pretty stripped back to allow Tristan's voice to shine. He is always the band's focal point and he sounds great here, even if his smooth voice sometimes contrasts a little with the tougher guitar tones utilised this time. This balance is quite Dokken-esque, but the song in general is very much within the band's wheelhouse - albeit with the modern flair described. The atmospheric backing of the verses feels modern as does the continuation of the same groove during the chorus - even though a really hooky guitar melody is also used during the chorus to inject some additional interest. Considering how hooky the song is, though, the arrangement is a little atypical, but it works well as a kick-off track and a lead single - showcasing the difference between the band's two albums despite the overall similarities in core sound. Original Criminal is a bit more muscular, opening with a mid-paced riff that is packed full of bluesy groove - before a pretty sparse verse takes over and the song takes a bit of a dip. I like the opening riff, but the song as a whole is the album's weakest cut for me. The sparse verses worked the previous song due to the groove and the subtle synths utilised, but the verses here just feel a bit empty - and some of the vocals feel a bit crammed in syllable-wise. More of a guitar presence may have helped, as the bass is left to do most of the heavy lifting, and the track feels a little undercooked in my opinion. The chorus is pretty strong, though, with another pretty hooky guitar riff kicking in and Tristan adopting a simple, shout-along approach. The riffing here showcases that hair metal-esque approach mentioned - it is just a shame that the verses fail to live up to the rest of the riffing elsewhere. Just One of Those Days is classic Collateral, though, and it very much feels like something which could have sat on the band's first album - and it sounds all the better for it. Tristan's acoustic guitar is very prominent in the mix and the Bon Jovi vibes are very strong here - with 2007's Lost Highway in particular feeling like a touchstone. There is a country twang to the track, then, with Tristan's melodic voice really shining - whilst the big guitar chords from Malagodi are more anthemic than riffy. The guitarist comes into his own during a short, shredded solo, though, whilst the overall production just feels bigger with the acoustic guitar depth, a few choice vocal harmonies, and the subtle use of keyboards. This song shows that, despite some changes, Collateral still very much do what they do best here and those who loved the first album have little to fear.

Teenage Dreams is similar, but the overall vibe is more urgent and hard rocking. Like the previous song there are acoustic guitars added throughout for depth, with a few linking sections featuring some busy acoustic guitar melodies, but the song is more weighty and varied than the previous song - with Malagodi crashing in with some heavier riffing and chords when needed, and there are some great snaking guitar leads thrown in, too, which really help the song to shine. The chorus is perhaps not quite as good as the previous song's effort, but it is still very memorable - with Tristan's vocals mixing well with the aforementioned bluesy guitar leads at times. The ending portion of the song is much meatier, too, as, following another busy guitar solo, the riffing gets more prominent and the song feels much crunchier as it moves through a heavier-sounding instrumental section and a final big chorus reprise. Elysium is another country-esque hard rocker, but the overall sound is a bit more varied - and the verses showcase a bit more of an involved sound than is generally associated with Collateral. The interplay between Malagodi and Bentley-Smith during the verses is a little Extreme-esque at times - with the guitars adding a few funky flourishes and flashy leads whilst the bass is busy and up-front. This helps the song to stand out from the crowd and allows the band to blow off a little steam, but the chorus is very typical of the band's classic sound with more Bon Jovi influences on display. It is more urgent-sounding than anything that Bon Jovi have released for years, though, and the later instrumental section which features lots of guitar firepower from Malagodi helps to keep the song kicking along. It is not a song which jumped out to me from the off but it has become a bit of a favourite over repeated listens - and the instrumentation here is a bit different to the norm, which is welcome. On the Long Road is a big ballad and again it really feels like a song which harks back to the band's first album. Tristan sings alone with his acoustic guitar early on, with Malagodi adding the occasional guitar melody, and even when the rest of the band join in proper the song rarely strays from this initial arrangement - albeit with a rhythm section. Tristan has a great voice for songs like this and he injects a lot of genuine emotion into the piece - with the chorus in particular feeling like a heartfelt moment. It is an excellent chorus and it elevates the simple song up quite a few levels - as does the bluesy and expressive solo from Malagodi which is much more structured and poignant than the busier efforts found elsewhere. This could well be the band's best ballad yet and I imagine that it would really soar live with a crowd singing along.

A personal favourite in No Place for Love then follows. It is a song which I remember from those 2022 shows and it is one that really leans into those hair metal vibes in quite a big way - at least in its main riff and chorus. The main riff is full of lots of 1980s guitar tones and tricks, including some harmony leads, whilst the chorus, which uses the same riff, is stadium-ready with some big vocal harmonies and Tristan's confidence. The verses are a bit more sparse, especially the first one, with more of an acoustic guitar presence - but this is not an uncommon structure for songs such as this. It allows the song to ramp up towards the chorus in a big way; and this is very much a track which relies on its chorus. This is no bad thing, though, as the chorus is massive - and a later staccato rendition of it with some huge pounding drums really hits home, particularly following Malagodi's scorching solo. Game Changer is another heavier piece and it could well be the most hair metal-inspired track here. The pace is much more upbeat than anything else here and the opening riff has some screaming pinch harmonics which set the tone. The drumming and vocals are much more frantic, relatively speaking, than anything else here - and the guitars have plenty of bite, with Dokken again being a bit of a point of comparison throughout the track. Despite this more in-your-face approach, though, the song is still packed full of hooks. The pace only helps the hooks to hit home and the chorus is one of the best on the album overall thanks to the song's overall punch - and Malagodi's solo is another shredded one, before some slab-like riffing creates a heavier bridge to a final chorus reprise. The album then comes to a close with Final Stand, another pretty heavy and riffy track to close out a trilogy of such to round out the album. In some ways the song reminds me a little of Glass Sky - but without the modern flashes that were used there. The riffing here is snaking, with Doug Aldrich-esque flashes, and the song is one of the album's most muscular overall - with a bluesy weight which is not always a sound that Collateral lean into. Given the heavier vibes of the album, though, this slightly sleazier and heavier approach works nicely - and the riffing creates a strong groove throughout and later forms the basis of a rollocking chorus. Tristan's voice is not necessarily best-suited for heavier moments, but I think the balance struck on this album generally works - and he still sounds powerful throughout this track. The chorus shines, in part, thanks to his vocals - but this is a track which feels much more guitar-dominated overall and it helps the album to end on a high. Overall, then, I really like Should've Known Better. Collateral was a great jumping off point in 2020 but the band have refined their sound here and the other influences toyed with this time generally work. Despite being heavier overall there is still a lot of what made Collateral such fun present here, too, and the mix of country-tinged rockers and riffier pieces is well-balanced. Collateral are a band that deserve success and this album could well help to push them to the next level.

The album was released on 24th May 2024 via Big Shot Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Glass Sky.

Pain's 'I Am' - Album Review

Whilst I would not consider myself a big lover of industrial music, when it is fused with rock and metal it can sometimes do something for me. Even so, I do not listen to a lot of industrial rock/metal - but Nine Inch Nails are a big favourite and I also enjoy both Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie quite a bit, despite not listening to either in a significant way in recent years. Another industrial act which I have flirted with over the years is Sweden's Pain - the one-man-band set up by Hypocrisy frontman and The Abyss studio main man Peter Tägtgren in 1996. I have never listened to Hypocrisy, but probably should do given my on-going adventures with death metal, but I am certainly familiar with Peter in a behind-the-scenes capacity - thanks to his production work with bands like Amorphis and Sabaton. I have also come into contact with Pain a couple of times over the years; as I saw them open for Nightwish in both 2009 and 2012. I listened to a couple of the band's albums in the wake of the first of those shows but they never really stuck with me - and I remember being fairly unmoved when I saw them again in 2012, thinking it was lazy that Nightwish had the same support act for two tours running (something they would later repeat with Beast in Black in 2018 and 2022). I had not given Pain much thought since 2012, then, and had not pulled those albums off the shelf for many years - but last month it was announced that the Swedish melodic death metal supergroup The Halo Effect would be undertaking a UK tour early next year and supporting them would be Pain. As I really enjoyed The Halo Effect's debut album and their set opening for Machine Head in 2022, plus the fact that one of the shows will be in Bristol, I bought a ticket when they went on sale. Given I had not kept up with Pain's output since seeing them in 2012, the prospect of seeing them again for the first time in 13 years seemed like a good reason to give them another go. Apart from those two support slots, my only other experience of the band were a handful of spins of both 2007's Psalms of Extinction and 2008's Cynic Paradise - and I do not remember that much about either album. This upcoming tour, though, will be on the back of Pain's newly-released album I Am - their ninth studio album overall and their first in eight years, following 2016's Coming Home. Pain has seemingly not been on Peter's mind recently, with his production roles expanding and Hypocrisy still a going concern, but he has returned to his punky, industrial, harder rock side once again on I Am - and I have been casually enjoying the album since it was released last month. I am not sure Pain will ever fully be for me, and their brand of industrial music is not all that creative, but they do what they do well - and Peter's rough voice suits this style of music. As has always been the case with Pain's albums, Peter is essentially responsible for everything here. He has outsourced the drums on more recent albums, though, and, as was the case on Coming Home, the drums here are courtesy of his son Sebastian Tägtgren. Sebastian has co-written two of the songs here, though, and is responsible for their instrumentation - so this album is a little more collaborative than usual.

From what I remember about my exposure to Pain over a decade ago, I Am essentially carries on the sound that Peter has been pursuing with the project for a long time. I am not expert but this album certainly seems to very much be channelling Pain's core sound - and given the length of time between albums that is perhaps no bad thing. Things kick off with I Just Dropped By (to Say Goodbye), and its crunchy guitar rhythms, pummelling drums, and synth hooks are very much what I expect from Pain. Pain are, though, generally a bit more guitar-focused than some industrial acts. Whilst there are plenty of synths throughout this album, with a lot of cold atmospheric depth and buzzing sequencers, much of the material here is guitar-led at its core - with the four-on-the-floor drum groove here driving by some snappy riffing early on, despite the verses slowing things down a little to allow Peter's voice to shine. He has never been the greatest clean singer, but his strange and treated vocal delivery suits Pain's cold and synthetic sound - and the song's chorus is pretty hooky thanks to his vocal approach and a reprise of the song's opening riff/synth hook combo. There is a lot of groove throughout, too, especially when Sebastian mixes things up drum-wise, and there are a few pretty infectious riffs here which help the track hit home. It is relatively up-tempo, too, which contrasts with the more mid-paced and somewhat mournful Don't Wake the Dead - one of the two songs here largely written by Sebastian. The opening synths are quite classically-influenced and there are generally a lot more keyboards used here in a leading role - with the guitars only really adding weight when needed. The verses, which still feature Peter's vocals, are pretty bass-heavy, with a hypnotic piano melody joining in, whilst the chorus are heavier with crunchy guitars and a bit more of a danceable groove thanks to some funky drumming and and a hooky call-and-response vocal. Despite the slower pace the song still has a kinetic energy to it - particularly later on and during the heavier choruses. Go with the Flow is much more upbeat and the colder vibes of the previous song are largely thrown aside from the off. There are some old-school sci-fi synths utilised throughout, particularly during the choruses, but generally this track is a more stripped back and groovy piece - with a simple drum groove and synth hook early on which Peter's deep vocals, before the heaviness kicks in for an more up-tempo and hard-hitting chorus. The song lacks the full band feel of some of Pain's material, but it does tend to feel heavier as it moves along - with Peter's trademark crunchy guitar sound dominating during the second half of the track. The chorus is simple but very effective thanks to its fleshed out synth arrangement and the simple arrangement is sure to make it a live favourite going forward.

Not for Sale generally feels a bit heavier and somewhat returns to the vibe of the album's opening cut - despite the slower opening as the song gradually builds over a repeating synth melody. The drumming is generally busier here, giving the song more of a percussive feel during the verses, whilst the chorus is one of the album's most memorable in my opinion. It is more mid-paced overall, and makes use of the opening synth melody, but the oppressive guitar riffing gives the chorus real weight - and Peter sings in a heavier manner, despite not slipping quite into the harsh vocal delivery of his day job. There is perhaps not as much variety here as there is during some of the other songs here, with the aforementioned synth hook being heavily relied on, but it is a fun song nevertheless. Party in My Head feels a bit less industrial overall and more of a slightly strange take on power metal - with a much cleaner keyboard melody early on which would have not sounded out of place on a Sonata Arctica album. There is just generally less of a distorted and overdriven sound here with even Peter's vocals feeling less treated - and the overall production sounding a bit more organic overall. The difference is not night and day, but the track certainly feels brighter which helps it to stand out - and it makes the feel-good chorus really jump out of the speakers. It is certainly one of the biggest anthems here, but it still very much feels like Pain despite the slightly different approach. The album's title track follows and it slows things down quite significantly - going for more of a mid-paced trudge overall. Pain do not really do ballads but there are slower moments here which go for a more mournful feel. The verses are generally sparse, with low key vocals and some effects-heavy clean guitar melodies - but the chorus is much heavier with its walls of crunchy guitars and a bigger drum presence. The overall pace does not change, though, and the song still moves at a slower pace even when it gets heavier - and it acts as a good mid-album twist given how upbeat generally everything else here is. Push the Pusher immediately returns to the album's core sound - with an upper mid-tempo groove based around a pretty metallic riff and accompanying synths. The verses are a bit more restrained, though, with more of a bass-heavy feel and the odd sparkling synth addition, but generally the song is tougher with plenty of heavy guitar riffing and the song's intro is later reprised as part of a memorable chorus. As such, then, the song is a very typical Pain anthem. Peter has been writing songs like this for years and this groovy, mid-paced vibe is what Pain do well.

The New Norm is similar, but overall the track feels a bit more up-tempo and intense - with a lengthy guitar-led intro complete with another memorable synth hook. Unlike the previous song, though, the heaviness is retained throughout. Many of the songs here see the guitars drop away somewhat during the verses, but that is not the case here - with the guitars retained throughout to create a tougher overall feel. Despite this, though, the song is one of the hookiest here from a vocal melody perspective. Peter's vocal hooks tend to be more shouted and they are memorable in a more primal sense, but the chorus here feels more melodic in a traditional sense - with sweeter vocal melodies sitting against the heavier backdrop. It does get heavier as it moves along, though, with some harsh vocals channelling Peter's day job somewhat. Revolution is the second song here written by Sebastian and it is heavier and more venomous than his earlier composition. The guitars feel a bit thrashier here and there is a good mix of faster sections and more groove-led parts which are more typical of Pain's core sound. Some of the album's heaviest moments are found in this song - and the riffing is very much of a different style than is generally the case for Pain. This helps the song to add some real variety to the album - but there are still plenty of typical Painisms here, despite the chorus feeling a bit more fast and furious than is typical. My Angel follows, which was a stand-alone single originally released in 2011 and featuring Cécile Siméone singing alongside Peter. It does not sound as if the song has been re-recorded for this album, so I am not sure why a song from 2011 has randomly been included here - but it is nice that the song has found a home. Peter generally sings despite Siméone's presence, but she adds some French lyrics and some excellent harmonies throughout - which suits the song's slow-burning crunch which returns to the ballad-esque crunch of the title track. It is a song on the slower side, then, with some piano-led sections and plenty of synths, but there is still plenty of crunch when needed. The album then comes to a close with Fair Game, a collaboration between regular studio colleague Jonas Kjellgren (Dellamorte; Carnal Forge; Centinex; Scar Symmetry; Ironmaster; Nekrodawn), which is another slower track and actually the closest thing here to a ballad despite the comments made earlier. It reins in the heaviness for the most part, despite some weight behind the chorus, and instead goes for a much more mournful and atmospheric sound - with a lot of synth varieties and a slow groove throughout that helps the album wind down. I am not sure that this sound fully suits Pain and Peter's voice, but it does help to provide some variety and as a closing number it does feel like a cool down - especially given how in-your-face much of Pain's material can be. In conclusion, then, I Am is an album which I have been enjoying and there is a lot to enjoy here for those who like their industrial a bit more guitar-heavy and metallic than it can often be. There is enough variety here to keep the album interesting and Pain's core sound is as caustic as I remember. I am glad to have reacquainted myself with the band after many years and I imagine that it will be fun to see them live again next year.

The album was released on 17th May 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Go with the Flow.

Karnataka - Tavistock Review

After a busy March through May gig-wise, June has been quite relaxing. It has been good to catch up on some sleep and not burn the candle at both ends - but I have still made time for the odd concert, and last night I headed back out to Tavistock for the second time in less than a month to catch the Welsh progressive rock five-piece Karnataka on their latest tour. I first got into the band properly around the time that The Gathering Light album came out in 2010, but I did not get to see them live until 2012 - and by that point the band was an extremely different beast. Aside from their ethereal, atmospheric progressive tock sound, Karnataka are also known for their line-up upheaval over the years - with bassist and songwriter Ian Jones the only link between each iteration of the band. Karnataka are currently in their fourth era, fronted by Sertari, and this version of the band was debuted back in 2022 - and I caught the band on that tour, again in Tavistock. It was a rather odd experience, as the band lost their keyboard player one show into the tour and the new line-up was clearly finding their feet - but when I saw them again last year everything had fallen into place. With the new line-up now stabilised, and the excellent Requiem for a Dream album (which I reviewed here) out in the wild, Karnataka feel whole again. I caught the band twice on the Requiem for a Dream tour last year - in Tavistock yet again and at a sadly very poorly attended show in Bristol the following day - and they were excellent both times. With a new keyboard player in Rob Wilsher and a new drummer in Jack Summerfield, last year's shows were powerful and a great example of what the current line-up can do - with the whole of the latest album featured in the set alongside a handful of older favourites. I had not expected the band to undertake another UK tour so soon after the previous one, but clearly Jones and the rest of the band want to make up for the time lost between the last era of the band coming to an end in 2017 and 2022 - especially as the pandemic had stopped the current Karnataka era from kicking off when it had originally been planned to. Requiem for a Dream has received strong reviews, too, so clearly the band wanted to get out there and push it some more - with some European shows also included this time. I think that one of the Dutch shows was also filmed for a potential future live release, too, which gives us something to look forward to - but for now I will turn my attention to last night's show in Tavistock. The bar area was looking pretty sparse early on, but the driving rain was likely keeping people away until the last minute. By the time the band took to the stage, though, there was a decent-sized crowd gathered. It would have been nice to see a few more in attendance, especially on a Friday night, but it was a typical turnout for the band - and the crowd was extremely enthusiastic throughout.

Given that this was essentially the second leg of the Requiem for a Dream tour, it was good to see that the band had changed up the setlist. The new album was still heavily represented, but they chose not to play the whole things this time. Five of the eight songs were retained, though, and this gave the band an opportunity to play a few different older tracks - including one which I had not seen them do live before. The set kicked off in a fairly familiar fashion, though, with the older self-titled instrumental playing over the PA as the band took to the stage - before they joined in once it kicked in proper, with Sertari taking to the stage to sing the wordless vocal hooks. This short burst of rock set the tone nicely, before the string intro of Road to Cairo saw the set kick off proper - and the Eastern-tinged rocker was the only cut from 2015's Secrets of Angels played, as has been the case since Sertari joined the band. She delivered the song with class, though, and the sound mix was crystal clear from the off. Wilsher's keyboards were high in the mix, which allowed the atmospheric nature of the band's sound to fill the venue, whilst the guitar playing of Luke Machin (guitar/vocals) was on-point throughout. Despite his immense talents I was not sure he was the right man for Karnataka in 2022 - but he has really grown into his role since and now he fits like a glove. The cutting leads of Road to Cairo sounded great coming from his guitar, whilst Sertari added more of a floaty flavour to the vocals compared to the original. With the exception of one other song, though, the rest of the first set was filled with songs from the new album. Wilsher's opening keyboard flourish heralded the lengthy All Around the World, which is one of the showpiece cuts from the latest album. Despite its length it is very vocal-driven, and Sertari sounded excellent throughout - with Machin also laying down a pretty cutting solo later in the piece. The real treat for old-school fans came next, though, with a rare outing for Strange Behaviour. I had not seen the band do the song live before and it came across very well - with the hooky chorus and easy one for Sertarti to bring to life. The more ballad-esque Sacrifice and the atmospheric Don't Forget My Name were next - but the next true highlight was the first set-closing rendition of Forgiven. It is another of the latest album's centrepiece tracks and it moves through a number of different moods - from ballad-esque sections, through Latin choral-led moments, to some of Machin's most venomous soloing of the night.

Following a 20 minute break the band came back out for the second set - which only consisted of three songs, but given that two of them were very long this did not matter. The intro to The Gathering Light started playing over the PA before the band took the stage and they joined in when they did - with the lengthy song getting the show back underway. It has been a setlist regular over the years, but had not featured last year so it was great to hear the melodic feast live again. Sertari has a voice which allows her to handle all of the band's back catalogue perhaps more authentically than her predecessor, which is to take nothing away from Hayley Griffiths who re-interpreted the band's older songs really well, and the Celtic flavours of The Gathering Light really came alive on stage - with plenty of excellent leads from Machin again. Another treat for long-time fans then came in the form of Heaven Can Wait from 2000. Jones stated that it is was the first song which started to get the band some attention early on, with even some play on Radio 2 at the time. I had seen the band do it live before, but not for over a decade, so it was great to hear it again - as it has always been a favourite of mine from the early days. The overall arrangement was much more keyboard and vocal focused, which worked well, but the band still added some depth, especially during the slightly tougher chorus, and some of the closing guitar volume effects from Machin were very effective. Following the two older songs, though, was the gargantuan title track from Requiem for a Dream - with the next 25 minutes or so filled with the twists and turns of the band's most progressive piece. Slower moments and heavier moments sat side by side nicely, with Sertari once again the real star of the show. Whilst the song does have instrumental moments, including an excellent slide showcase for Machin and a bit of a bass-led groovy section towards the end, it is another pretty vocal-heavy piece considering how lengthy it is - and Sertari knocked it out of the park. There was also plenty for Wilsher to do with his varied textures and playing styles - and the track rounded out the main set in style, with the closing lyrics filling the room with many singing along. The band briefly left the stage following Requiem for a Dream but were called back for one last track - with another lengthy piece in Forsaken wowing the crowd. The song has essentially been ever-present in the set since The Gathering Light came out - and it has always been a guitar showcase, with Machin relishing in the song's lengthy mid-section guitar workout. Sertari and Wilsher took the spotlight either side of Machin, though, with the delicate piano ballad sections bookending the expansive guitar solo - and the track ended the show on a high, as it often has done so before. The setlist was:

Karnataka

Road to Cairo

All Around the World

Strange Behaviour

Sacrifice

Don't Forget My Name

Forgiven

-

The Gathering Light

Heaven Can Wait

Requiem for a Dream

-

Forsaken

Karnataka shows are always treats and last night in Tavistock was no different. It has been great seeing this current line-up solidify itself over the past couple of years - and Sertari and Machin in particular have gone from strength to strength in the context of Karnataka. Given this band's turbulent history it is never clear what is around the corner - but I hope that this is just the start of a long and prosperous new era for the band, and in the meantime I will look forward to the hinted-at live album which will capture this current line-up at their best no doubt.

Gatecreeper's 'Dark Superstition' - Album Review

My adventures with extreme metal continue. Whilst I currently do not have any extreme metal concerts planned, I did see the excellent Crypta live last week locally - and I am continuing my efforts to check out as many big-name extreme metal releases as I can. I am looking forward to delving into Nile in a big way when they release their upcoming album The Underworld Awaits Us All in August but, alongside cramming Crypta's two albums, my recent extreme metal listening treat has been the latest release from the Arizona-based death metal five-piece Gatecreeper. I have not seen the band live, but I was supposed to see them a couple of years ago when they were scheduled to support Lamb of God and Kreator on a European tour. The tour, however, which had already been postponed multiple times previously due to the pandemic, was postponed again for unknown reasons until 2023 and by the time the shows took place Gatecreeper were no longer part of the bill. Despite having tickets for the tour since 2019 I did not end up going to the London show as it was postponed yet again due to the O2 Academy in Brixton being closed at the time - with the replacement Wembley Arena show not one I could make. I would not have seen Gatecreeper at that show anyway, but thanks to their inclusion on the 2022 bill I ended up picking up the band's 2019 album Deserted - their second full-length release. It is not an album which I have listened to all that much, as I put it to one side once it became clear that I was not going to be seeing them, but the doomy, mid-paced death metal sound did appeal to me somewhat. I tend to like death metal which sounds like traditional metal just much heavier - and parts of Deserted somewhat sounded like such, whilst other parts of the album reminded me of a slower version of the thrash band Power Trip (Gatecreeper look somewhat similar to Power Trip aesthetically, too, in my opinion). Whilst I am no expert in Gatecreeper's catalogue, though, I do think that they are perhaps a bit more varied than most of the new breed of old-school death metal bands. Prior to the subject of this review, the band released the EP An Unexpected Reality in 2021 which seems to consist of a number of extremely short crust/grind tracks which build towards an 11-minute doom epic. I think it is fair to say that not many bands release collections of songs like that - but it is now time to turn to Dark Superstition, the band's third full-length album and their first since Deserted. An Unexpected Reality was recorded by the band as a three-piece, during a period of transition, so Dark Superstition is their first album with guitarist Israel Garza (Terror Chamber) and bassist Alex Brown (Skullcrush; Savage Necromancy; Rahmer; Moribund Dawn). These new faces join frontman Chase Mason, guitarist Eric Wagner, and drummer Matt Arrebollo - all of whom have been in the band since the beginning. It is hard to compare Dark Superstition to the band's previous work, but compared to my limited exposure to Deserted this album feels a lot more guitar-heavy - in the sense that lead guitar moments are more prevalent. This is not a melodic death metal album with lots of hooks, despite the very occasional In Flames-esque harmony lick, but it is instead more mournful overall in the sense of Paradise Lost's approach to lead guitar, for example.

There is a strong doom vibe that permeates Dark Superstition, then, but the core sound is very much that of traditional death metal. Much of the material here is pretty mid-paced, with little of the thrashy side of the genre, but a few pacier moments supply some variety. The album kicks off with Dead Star which is pretty typical of what follows. The song's opening riff is a mid-paced groovy number, overlaid with a mournful guitar lead, a simpler version of which then forms the basis of the verses. There is no full-blown double bass assault here, with the track very much creeping out of the speakers - backed by a more classic rock-inspired groove whilst harmony guitar licks accent each of Mason's vocal lines. The verses are surprisingly hooky as a result, then, with the guitar melodies adding some additional interest, before a grittier chorus with hanging chords and a more subtle guitar lead kicks in. Mason bellows the song's title at the end of each chorus iteration with real power, morphing back into that opening guitar lead, and the song is a great mix of Floridian death metal with the atmosphere of the British death/doom scene - complete with a cutting, yet melodic, guitar solo. Oblivion feels a bit nastier overall, with an opening guitar pattern which features the occasional tremolo-picked line to create a creepy atmosphere - before the overall pace picks up and the band sound more urgent than previously. The song is still not overly thrashy, though, and the arrangement still feels pretty old-school, with Arrebollo's drums sounding raw and hollow and the bass from Brown really cutting through the mix. The production is suitably dirty for a band of Gatecreeper's aesthetic; but the album still sounds huge and the mix is clear. The definition between the instruments is well-balanced and I like how prominent the bass generally is - as that helps the band to sound heavier without constantly relying on endless double bass drum patterns. The pace is more apparent here, though, and the song is less groove-based - with less of a defined chorus and a more chaotic guitar solo to inject some further pace. The Black Curtain returns more to the sound of the album's opening cut, although there is more of a classic rock strut throughout thanks to Brown's pulsing and prominent bassline - whilst Arrebollo's ride-led drumming also feels suitably rooted in the past. The song is less riffy than is typical, too, with the grooves generally coming from a repetitive-but-hooky guitar melody which really defines the song's verses - before big power chords and a more atmospheric lead back Mason's growls during a pretty mournful chorus. Elsewhere, Arrebollo takes a more percussive approach - allowing the grooves to settle in further with some tom-led drum beats. This mix of drumming styles allows the song to have a kinetic energy throughout, along with the prominent bass, and it is a song which has grown on me quite a bit as a result.

Opening with some discordant guitar harmonies, which recall some of Slayer's more lumbering pieces, Masterpiece of Chaos is a creepy, dynamic track which goes for an atmospheric approach in a big way whilst also upping the overall pace. Early on it seems as if the song is going to be another doomy piece, with the aforementioned guitar harmonies and some slow-burning riffs, but soon Arrebollo lays into his kick drums and the song speeds away - with a blast beat backing parts of the verse and more typical double bass drum rolls featured elsewhere. This is the first of the album's genuine fast moments, but the song is well-structured to mix these faster parts with occasional mid-paced sections to allow a groove to establish and to give Mason's vocals more room to breathe. The mix of styles works well, though, and it gives the album a bit of a kick as a result. Going for a more melodic approach overall, though, Superstitious Visions opens with a really hooky yet slow-burning guitar melody which would not have sounded out of place on an older Amorphis album. This song is probably the closest thing on the album to full-blown melodic death metal, thanks to this hooky guitar refrain being reused throughout, but the track is still suitably dirty to allow it to feel at home on the album. The mid-paced, chugging verses are some of the album's most in-your-face and uncompromising thanks to the simplicity of the arrangement - whilst the chorus feels like the album's biggest moment thanks to the aforementioned guitar lead. A later solo builds on some of the hooks from this lead and expands on them, whilst a breakdown section allows for some almost AC/DC-esque riffing to shake things up further. The song has been one of the album's standouts for me since the off and it remains a favourite thanks to the hooks throughout. Those wanting a bit more pace in their death metal will find plenty to enjoy in the vicious A Chilling Aura, which kicks off with some of the fastest drumming on the album. Arrebollo's double bass drumming is extremely all-encompassing here, despite the occasional groovier section, and there are a few more blast beats thrown in, too, although they are used sparingly. The pace, though, and the occasional use of harmony guitar licks does bring those first few In Flames albums to mind - so this is another track with a hint of melodic death metal. I would say that the song is not hooky enough to truly be such, though, and the track is instead a thrashy death metal track with the odd black metal influence thanks to some occasional tremolo picked guitar line and some higher screams from Mason. Like the previous faster song, though, A Chilling Aura is pretty dynamic and does not just rely on its pace. Caught in the Treads returns to the album's trademark mid-paced sound and actually sounds somewhat similar to Superstitious Visions overall with a few harmony guitar licks during the verses and a main riff which feels a bit more modern than some of the others here. That being said, though, this track also feels somewhat more dynamic overall - with a faster chorus which makes use of some double bass drums to inject some additional energy into the piece. Despite not being one of the fastest pieces here, the overall arrangement feels more upbeat - with less of a doom edge and not as much atmosphere. It feels like a song made for the stage and I can imagine it being popular with crowds live.

Flesh Habit continues on the mid-paced feel of the previous song, but the big grooves generally associated with the album's core sound return. Brown's bass is very prominent early on, his overdriven bass sound setting the tone as the song kicks off, whilst more Paradise Lost-esque guitar melodies are employed throughout - which helps to restore some of the creepy atmosphere missing from the previous track. Despite this, though, the song still feels more kinetic overall. It does not creep or lumber around like others here, with the overall energy being pretty strident - with more of the band's classic rock-esque strut on display thanks to the aforementioned driving bass and ever-present guitar melodies. The chorus is also something of a fist-pumper. Mason's sings the chorus in something of a deeper growl than is typical and the guitar pattern behind him feels very heroic and mighty - which helps the song to stand out from some of the others here. Mistaken for Dead ups the pace again and it is the last of the album's thrashy tracks - with a hard-driving rhythm from the off and a certain Motörhead feel in places thanks to the prominence of Brown's overdriven bass and the prominent drumming which is not as complex and relentless as death metal can often be. There is a strong rock 'n' roll feel to the piece, then, but it is still very much a death metal track - albeit without much of the doomy atmosphere that is present elsewhere. This is more of a song where the band can let their hair down somewhat and really rock out - with Mason's growls sounding as powerful as ever here and the guitar solo is a busy and shredded affair to suit the overall pace. It is a short number, too, and the song acts as a final burst of energy before the album comes to a close. That close, though, comes in the form of Tears Fall from the Sky - the album's longest song here at just under six minutes and also its most doomy. There have been lots of doom influences on show throughout this album, but Tears Fall from the Sky really leans into them in a big way - with slow, crushing guitar riffs and gothic guitar leads dominating throughout. Paradise Lost have been referenced a few times here, but there is a strong similarity here to the band's early work - with bands like My Dying Bride also referenced in the guitar department. There is little of that death/doom sound in Mason, though, as his vocals are very much traditional death metal in style - but he sounds ferocious over the slightly more melodic backing and the slower pace allows his voice plenty of space in the mix. The song feels like one which has taken some of ideas featured elsewhere on the album and really run with them - and its length and epic doom feel gives the track the feel of a true closer, with some excellent harmony guitar leads surfacing throughout. These leads are later repurposed at the end, too, as the song fades to the close. There is a lot to like about this album and as someone who has listened to quite bit of doom over the years it is one that I have become attached to quite quickly. There is a lot of melody and mournfulness here despite the heaviness and the songs are varied enough that the album never drags. Gatecreeper are surely one of the leading lights of this brand of death metal and I am sure that there is more greatness to come from the five-piece.

The album was released on 17th May 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for The Black Curtain.

Bryan Adams - Plymouth Review

It is rare that I get to two gigs in Plymouth in the same week, but this week has rather bucked the local trend musically. Following a few busy months which have involved a lot of travelling to concerts, June has been much quieter. The summer in general is going to be pretty quiet, before a busier autumn/winter, and having a bit of a rest is no bad thing - but it has also been great to get to a few local things. I am off to Tavistock again next week, which is always a treat, and earlier this week I caught Brazilian rising stars Crypta - whom laid waste to a midweek Junction crowd that was really up for a good night. Last night's trip out was rather different, though, as I ventured up to Plymouth's world-famous Hoe for larger spectacle. The Hoe has hosted live music events on and off for a number of years but nothing had ever really grabbed me before. The MTV Crashes event was held a few times throughout the 2010s, but this largely catered to the mainstream pop audience, and since the pandemic there has not been too much taking place on The Hoe. 2024 is different, though, thanks to Plymouth Summer Sessions - a four-night semi-festival of sorts which attracted some pretty big names, especially for Plymouth, with Tom Jones, Bryan Adams, Madness, and a co-headline bill of Sting and Blondie topping the bills. Most of these names do not appeal to me in a big way, but I have always been something of a casual Adams fan - and decided that he would be fun to see live. He is not someone I would travel to see, but as I could walk to the show it seemed like a no-brainer. I used to listen to him quite a bit when I started to get into rock music many years ago, but in more recent years I had not really listened to him at all - bar the occasional spin of his multi-platinum opus Reckless from 1984. It was a good opportunity to really delve into his lengthy back catalogue, then, and over the last couple of months I have picked up most of his albums and have grown to like a good number of them. There is some pretty vapid pop in his back catalogue, but there is also plenty of heartfelt and pretty rocking material to be found - and Adam's music in recent times has been a good contrast to the heavier stuff I have been playing. I still have a few albums to get, which I will no doubt pick up in time, but this reacquaintance with his catalogue has been fun. Being something of a mini-festival, the gates opened at 4pm, with the first of the three support acts going on at 4:30pm. Due to work commitments and needing to eat, plus the fact that the weather was threatening to be pretty nasty, I opted to head down to The Hoe quite a bit later. As such, I missed Sam Richardson and the Renegades and Vivas - but I got into the temporary arena in time to catch Cassyette's set. Based on the timings released earlier in the day I expected her to be part-way through her set by the time I got there - but she had not started and it was clear that things were running later than advertised. This did not seem to be due to any obvious issues, though, so perhaps the timings advertised were just wrong.

I am not sure what I really made of Cassyette's set. It is sometimes good to see acts that you would not ordinarily listen to and I was not really ever bored during her set - but I would not ever sit down and listen to her material. Her music is a mix of pop, punk, and harder rock - with strong vocal hooks and the occasional chunky riff - but overall her sound is too synth-driven for me. In some ways it is good that rockier music is more mainstream these days than it was at one point, but I find this modern alternative crossover with pretty mainstream pop a bit strange. There is nothing wrong with mixing genres and being creative, but personally I have always found rock and metal bands incorporating extreme levels of pop and hip-hop into their music a bit strange - with bands like Bring Me the Horizon essentially forming a whole new alternative metal-adjacent world which seems to occupy a weird middle ground between the mainstream and something genuinely alternative. Cassyette's music was poppy in that regard, then, but it was not overly lairy in a way that such music can often be - and her sound felt a bit more grounded as a result. The thing that disappointed me the most, though, was the amount that her set relied on backing tracks. She was joined by a guitarist, who sometimes did not play at all, and a drummer - with everything else being pre-recorded, including a large amount of harmony and counterpoint vocals. I know that this is normal in the pop world but I have always found it jarring when presented in more of a rock context. This is not a rant against backing tracks, as many bands use them to good effect, but I felt that I would have perhaps connected more with Cassyette's set if she had had a proper band behind her. It was perhaps telling that the moments where the guitar took the lead were some of the set's strongest moments in my opinion - and she can certainly write a hooky chorus, as there were a decent amount of them during her set. She just also seemed a strange choice as a support act for Adams - given that most of the people in attendance were middle-aged, and she is clearly aiming for a younger audience. Due to the undulating topography of the The Hoe, it was hard to see what the crowd was like nearer the front - but the reception Cassyette's set received around where I was standing, which at that time was near the sound desk, was quite muted. I did not think that she overstayed her welcome, though, and I am glad to have checked her out - but I cannot say that I am a convert.

There ended up being quite a long gap between Cassyette and Adams' sets, which would suggest that something strange had happened with the overall timings, but once Adams hit the stage this was all forgotten and for the next 90 or so minutes Plymouth was treated a collection of many of his classic tracks - alongside a few newer cuts to keep things relevant. It would be easy for Adams to play the same set night after night given his glut of hits, but the inclusion of some new material showed that he is very much still a creative artist - and it was the hard rocking Kick Ass from his latest album which got things underway. Backed by a four-piece band, I think it is fair to say that Adams' set was understated and one that just focused on a strong performance. He interacted with the crowd well but kept it to a relative minimum - instead focusing on delivering an 18-song set with all the professionalism that his long career as afforded him. There was little fanfare, then, and the songs sounded rawer without all the polish of his studio sound - but this is how a live rock show should sound, and his band were tight from the word go. The hits came thick and fast throughout the show, which was expected given the festival-esque setting, with the anthemic Can't Stop This Thing We Started and the rollocking 18 til I Die being some of the early highlights. Everyone around me was having a great time singing along and there was a great atmosphere throughout despite the odd rain shower making an appearance and the strange disconnect which there can sometimes be at bigger outdoor shows. It is hard to know how many people were in attendance but there were certainly a few thousand gathered and there was plenty of singing during the quieter moments - such as the ballad Please Forgive Me and a slightly re-arranged version of Heaven which felt more upbeat than the original album version.

Some of the overall highlights for me personally, though, were the heavier tracks. Take Me Back felt nice and crunchy early on in the set but I really enjoyed the elongated version of Go Down Rockin', with Adams adding some harmonica and Keith Scott (guitar/vocals) using a slide. The song also included a bluesy ending to stretch it out somewhat and it showed that Adams can really rock when he wants to - whilst the country rock of You Belong to Me later kept the up-tempo vibes going with bassist Solomon Walker wielding a double bass. The middle part of the set had included a handful of lesser-known pieces, then, but what was to follow was back to wall-to-wall hits. When Gary Breit (keyboards/percussion/vocals) launched into the opening piano melodies of (Everything I Do) I Do It For You the place went wild and Adams sung the legendary song with real passion - whilst Scott added a couple of emotional solos. The acoustic rock of Back to You and the newer pop drive of So Happy It Hurts gave the set a bit of a kick following the big ballad - but it was Run to You and the anthemic Summer of '69 which really got everyone going. The latter saw plenty of singing from the crowd, and it was dragged out a bit by the band to allow for a bit of interaction. This was also the case with Cuts Like a Knife, which was the final full band song of the night. There was a lot of audience participation here, with Adams encouraging quite a bit of singing - and there was plenty of last minute band jamming moments before the musicians were introduced and departed the stage. Adams then closed the night out with an acoustic version of When You're Gone, which also saw plenty of singing, and the slimmed down version of the 1990s hit was a fun way to end what had been a pretty upbeat set - and the crowd were certainly left wanting more. The setlist was:

Kick Ass

Can't Stop This Thing We Started

Somebody

18 til I Die

Please Forgive Me

Take Me Back

Heaven

Go Down Rockin'

It's Only Love/The Best [Bonnie Tyler cover]/What's Love Got to Do with It [Tina Turner cover]

You Belong to Me

The Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You

(Everything I Do) I Do It For You

Back to You

So Happy It Hurts

Run to You

Summer of '69

Cuts Like a Knife

When You're Gone

It is always good to see an artist for the first time and I really enjoyed finally seeing Adams live last night. The weather largely held, despite the forecast and a couple of showers, and the setlist was a good mix of classic tracks and a few newer tunes to provide some variety. Adams may not be the sort of act which I listen to that often these days but he has written a lot of excellent songs over the years and it was great to hear so many of them live - and he still sounded great vocally.

Crypta - Plymouth Review

Whilst I am not one for New Year's resolutions, throughout 2024 I have been making much of an effort with death metal. I have been doing so on and off for a few years, but I feel that I have made something of a proper breakthrough with the genre this year - and I have been listening to a lot more heavy music than ever since the turn of the year. Reviews of the latest albums by Gatecreeper and Nile will follow over the next few months, but I have also been doing what I can when it comes to catching death metal bands live. My first gig of the year, in fact, was a Plymouth headline show from Denmark's Baest, whom I caught again after enjoying them at Bloodstock Open Air in 2022, and my most recent show, which took place last night, was also of the more extreme variety. Plymouth has often had a bit of relationship with extreme metal. I remember bands like Dying Fetus, Carnifex, Vader, and Nile (among others) all playing either at White Rabbit or at The Hub many years ago - and there was a somewhat thriving grind scene here in the mid/late 2000s. I cannot say that I have really been keeping up with the local extreme metal scene, much to my shame really, but it is good to see that the occasional 'named' extreme metal band still make it down this way - and last night it was the turn of Brazil's Crypta to head down the M5/A38 and sample what Plymouth has to offer. The four-piece may not be a band of long-standing history, although two of its members were formally part of Nervosa who have been around since 2010, but they have already started making waves since forming in 2019 - releasing two studio albums and playing countless shows. Despite how busy the band have been, though, they had not visited the UK prior to this current lengthy European tour - and it was good to see them including a healthy number of UK shows in both obvious and less obvious places, with most of the shows taking place in June alongside a handful of others in August to coincide with the band's appearance at this year's Bloodstock. Crypta are clearly really pushing themselves, then, but they deserve the success and plaudits that they are getting. They are certainly rising stars in the death metal world and their two albums: 2021's Echoes of the Soul and 2023's Shades of Sorrow; have both received excellent reviews. The venue for the band's evening in Plymouth was The Junction - which is likely the best small venue in the city these days. Baest played at the Underground instead, which is not as good in my opinion, but The Junction always delivers in terms of atmosphere. Nights out there are always worth undertaking, then, and it was clear that quite a few others thought so, too - as Crypta attracted a pretty healthy crowd, especially for a Wednesday night in a city which many consider to be off the beaten path.

Before Crypta's set, though, the growing crowd were treated to sets from two support bands - both of whom were from the South West. Up first were the technical death metal four-piece Unburier from Yeovil - and the band impressed during their half an hour or so on stage with a machine-drilled performance and songs which featured some of the evening's most complex arrangements. The band were not as knotty as some technical death metal bands, but there was certainly a strong progressive flavour to their songwriting - with each track taking plenty of twists and turns via many, many different riffs. The band never really stayed in one place for too long, which kept things interesting, and there was also a lot of time turned over to guitar soloing - with Blake Hibberd (vocals/guitar) dominating on that front, although Ben Champion (vocals/guitar) also chipped in some with excellent shredded passages. Champion dominated vocally instead, and his harsh vocals were on point throughout the set, although Hibberd also took the lead occasionally with some deeper growls - and the two also teamed up for some powerful dual vocal moments. Much of the band's set seem to be taken up by a full run-through of this year's EP Nebulous with a couple of older tracks coming later in the set - and I have to say that Unburier's set really flew by. I found all of the songs to be captivating whilst the band were on stage and the guitar playing of both Champion and Hibberd really held my interest. There was a particularly memorable moment during one of the songs which saw the two start playing a solo together before Hibberd launched into a crazy shredded run of notes whilst Champion played a more melodic and controlled lead line underneath. This combination worked so well and it was clear that the band certainly have plenty of chops - and seemingly the songwriting to back it up. Unburier are a band I need to check out a bit more I think based on their showing yesterday - and they got the evening off to a strong start.

Plymouth's own War Shepherd were up next. I had heard of them previously but had not ever really listened to their music. I have to say that I did not find their set as enjoyable as Unburier's, but they still had plenty of character and a bit of a different sound which merged pretty folky guitar leads alongside a pretty fast-paced and punky death metal sound. The band were more of a melodic death metal band, then, but they lacked the anthemic qualities of many of the best melodic death metal bands. The omni-present deeper growls and screams of frontwoman Jamie Burton and the straight-ahead arrangements reminded me somewhat of The Black Dahlia Murder - albeit with much more of a focus on guitar leads than riffs, with the aforementioned folky melodies a big part of the band's sound. War Shepherd are one of those bands which have a lot of good ingredients but I am not sure that everything quite comes together - at least in a way which gels with me. I think the reason why melodic death metal works as a genre is that the best bands that create such music tend to be very hooky - both in the guitar and vocal departments. I thought that Burton had a great voice, but the vocal melodies were not all that hooky - and the songs could have done with some shout-along choruses given the folky side and the fact that such tends to be a genre trope. I have not managed to gel with the aforementioned The Black Dahlia Murder for the same reasons - and I also found much of the guitar playing to be lead-based with the rhythm guitar parts often not pushing things riff-wise. I liked a lot about the band's make-up - but the final product just was not really for me. Despite this, though, I did not find the band's set to drag. Like Unburier, they only had around half an hour to play with and the band ripped through their set in pretty furious fashion - whilst eliciting a pretty strong reaction from the crowd (who had also warmed to Unburier quite a bit, too).

The main event was certainly the Plymouth debut of the four ladies from Brazil, though, and when 9:30pm rolled around the band took to the stage with The Aftermath (Intro) playing over the PA before launching into The Other Side of Anger. Given that the band are currently promoting Shades of Sorrow, every song from the album was played over the next hour or so, with even the intro, outro, and interlude getting an airing. Three songs from Echoes of the Soul also made the cut, but the setlist was very much a forward-looking one - with the more involved and longer newer songs winning out over the band's punchier earlier material. Despite a slightly muddy sound at times, which was strange considering that both of the support acts had sounded very clear, meaning that Fernanda Lira (vocals/bass guitar) was sometimes buried in the mix vocally, the band sounded powerful and whipped up a great atmosphere from the word go. The crowd did not take much persuading to get on side - and there was plenty of moshing from the off, with the pit action down near the front only getting more intense as the night went on. Lira sounded great vocally when she was not buried in the mix, but for me the real standout performers were the guitar duo of Jéssica di Falchi and Tainá Bergamaschi. The two traded riffs and solos all night, with each song a real feast of guitar firepower. Some of the best guitar moments for me came outside of the main solos, with lots of tapping licks thrown in throughout the night - although both soloed with real venom, too. The two had a great chemistry and the powerful drumming of Luana Dametto really held everything together - her footwork fast and precise. Early highlights for me were the raspy Lift the Blindfold and the somewhat more atypical Lullaby for the Forsaken - the latter of which starts slowly before morphing into something much longer and progressive which felt like the centrepiece of the set's first half. Another strong moment of this early part of the night was the doomier Stronghold, which showcased the band's slower, more old-school death metal side - which differs from their more usual thrashier approach. The first half featured some longer pieces, then, but the latter half felt a bit more direct. The handful of older cuts were included here, such as the more anthemic Under the Black Wings, whilst the thrashy Dark Clouds proved that the latest album could still go for the throat in a more direct manner - leaving behind some of the more progressive flourishes from earlier. Perhaps the best couple of numbers were left for the end, though, with two anthemic pieces left to bring the band's ferocious set to a close. First the newer Lord of Ruins saw plenty of singing from the crowd, particularly those in the pit, before the older From the Ashes felt like the band's real anthem - with Lira really belting out the lyrics, aided by the crowd, whilst the guitar duo of di Falchi and Bergamaschi soloed one last time. It was a great end to a heavy evening - and the ladies took their bows to huge cheers from a crowd which seemed more invested than many bigger audiences I have been a part of. The setlist was:

The Aftermath (Intro)

The Other Side of Anger

Poisonous Apathy

Lift the Blindfold

The Outsider

Lullaby for the Forsaken

Stronghold

The Limbo (Interlude)

Trial of Traitors

Under the Black Wings

Dark Clouds

Shadow Within

Agents of Chaos

Lord of Ruins

From the Ashes

The Closure (Outro)

Due to a great performance from Crypta and the crowd whipping up a strong atmosphere, last night's show at The Junction was an excellent one. Crypta's set really flew by and it is clear why they are considered such rising stars in the death metal world. I really hope that they can climb the ranks going forward and achieve even more success - and they seem to be going about it the right way thanks to Napalm Records' pushing of the band and their busy touring schedule. I hope I get to catch the band live again in the future and I imagine that next time it will be in somewhere bigger than The Junction.

Kerry King's 'From Hell I Rise' - Album Review

I get the impression that Slayer's legendary guitarist Kerry King was not ready for the band to end when they called it a day in 2019 following a lengthy farewell tour. Despite a handful of large festival reunion shows scheduled for later this year, which will be Slayer's first gigs in five years, the reunion will not be a permanent one. I am sure that the metal world will enjoy the band's brief reunion, but following the death of guitarist Jeff Hanneman in 2013 and the fact that frontman Tom Araya wants to retire it is probably no bad thing that the iconic thrash band were laid to rest after such a successful final tour. I did not catch them on the tour, but I saw them in both 2015 in Plymouth and 2016 headlining Bloodstock Open Air and they impressed both times - with both shows coming in support of what turned out to be the final Slayer album: 2015's Repentless (which I reviewed here). I listened to Repentless a lot around that time and I think that it was a pretty decent release for the band to bow out on in retrospect. It essentially just sounded like classic Slayer, even without Hanneman's influence, and there are plenty of bands out there who would give a lot to sound as furious and vital at half of Slayer's age. I think that it is fair to say, though, that the album received mixed reviews. Slayer have one of those fanbases who often seem to hate the band more than they actually like them - and most of what has been put out since 1990's Seasons in the Abyss has generally been treated with suspicion. Given that Slayer have easily been one of the most consistent thrash bands sound-wise over the years I am not sure what the fanbase expected from Repentless, or any of the band's other releases outside of their first five for that matter, but, in my opinion, it was just Slayer doing what they do best. Production-wise, their latter albums were not always stellar - but style-wise I never found that much to complain about. It is a shame that the band never followed Repentless up, but a decade on we now have its spiritual successor: From Hell I Rise, the first album from King's new solo band. King has been pained to say that his new band is just that and not a solo project, despite the band being self-titled and the fact that he wrote all of the material on From Hell I Rise, but I think that it is fair to say that he has put together a great group of musicians for this latest venture - his first ever outside of Slayer. Carrying over from Slayer is drummer Paul Bostaph (Forbidden; Testament; Slayer; Exodus; From Hell), who arranged the material here with King, and joining the long-standing duo are frontman Mark Osegueda (Death Angel; Swarm), guitarist Phil Demmel (Vio-lence; Torque; Machine Head), and bassist Kyle Sanders (Piece Dogs; Hellyeah). Demmel also played live with Slayer in 2018 whilst Gary Holt had to take a leave of absence, so King has very much called on a mixture of friends and established thrash actors for From Hell I Rise - and the results are very solid indeed. With the exception of Osegueda's vocals, which differ from Araya's despite him sounding deeper than usual overall, this album sounds very much like Slayer. Given that King was one of Slayer's main songwriters, especially later in the band's career, these similarities should not come as a surprise.

As is to be expected, then, this album mixes fast-paced thrash anthems with more mid-paced tracks - and things kick off with the instrumental Diablo, which opens with a strident riff that is soon backed by some percussive drumming and some pounding bass from Sanders. It is perhaps less furious than might be expected, and it builds naturally around Bostaph's drums - before King launches into some wah-drenched guitar leads. Aside from some double bass drumming at times, Diablo is actually more classic rock-inspired than is typical of King - but it allows him to lay down some tasty guitar leads early on, before Where I Reign crashes in and the classic Slayer sound is very much re-established. The song's main riff could have easily sat on any of the most recent Slayer albums - but the overall difference is the clearer production. Bostaph's drums have a good amount of punch without sounding overly artificial, whilst Sanders' bass is very prominent in the mix. This gives the album plenty of depth and Josh Wilbur has done a great job here production-wise. Thankfully, then, the songwriting is also strong - with King's driving riff immediately upping the tempo of the album and Osegueda delivering from the off. He is likely one of the strongest voices left from the classic thrash era these days so his choice here was inspired. He definitely channels Araya's deeper style throughout, but he still sounds like himself - and he powers through the verses here, as well as unleashing some throat-shredding screams during a simple chorus. Whilst I imagine that King was responsible for all the riffing here, plenty of time is given to Demmel on the solo front. He takes the first solo here and his style is much more lyrical and melodic than King's - with the first solo here being more controlled, contrasting with King's later chaotic lead break. Residue slows the pace somewhat and goes for a much more mid-paced sound overall. This album is generally quite well-paced, mixing faster and slower songs nicely, and it is good to hear something more crushing early on - with a stuttering King riff feeling roomy initially before it is joined by the pulsing bass for a snaking verse which has more than a hint of Pantera about it. There are some faster moments, but generally these serve to accent the main portions of the song. The chorus does feel a little more intense, but again it is generally pretty reined in compared to the previous track - and there are some more groove metal-esque moments following Demmel's solo which have Lamb of God-esque string slides. Even when Bostaph lays into his double bass drums the song never really races away and the deliberateness of the arrangement is maintained throughout - which allows King to shake things up somewhat riff-wise.

Idle Hands ups the pace somewhat, and it does morph into a break-neck thrash anthem, but the first riff feels like a bit of a throwback to the NWOBHM style of Slayer's debut album Show No Mercy from 1983. This riff resurfaces throughout to inject a moment of relative groove and something of a classic rock strut, but generally this song speeds off with plenty of busy drumming from Bostaph and some classic buzzsaw guitar riffing from King. One of my favourite riffs kicks in just before Demmel's solo, which is much more shredding than his more controlled effort in the previous song, whilst a final reprise of the song's shouted chorus heralds some trademark tortured leads from King to close things out. Trophies of the Tyrant is more of a mid-paced headbanger overall - faster than Residue but certainly not as fast as the previous track. Songs like this showcase King's love of classic heavy metal, with the main riff chug and some of the harmony guitar licks channelling Judas Priest in a big way. Osegueda's performance is suitably aggressive, though, and there is no danger of mistaking him for a classic heavy metal singer. He very much barks his way through the song despite the more old-school crunch on display - but this helps the song to fit in with the album's core sound. The drumming is less busy overall, too, despite a few chaotic fills, and this is a track which very much relies on its grooves and headbanging rhythms to get by. It was not a song which stood out to me early on, but repeated listens to the album have made it feel stronger - and it contains two pretty lengthy and powerful solos from King, too. Crucifixation is the album's longest song and one of only two here to be longer than five minutes. Generally King keeps his songwriting on the tight side, so this is a relative epic for him - and it is a more dynamic piece overall which largely focuses on classic thrash speeds but also slows things down somewhat to allow for a groovier approach. For the most part, though, this song really puts its foot down. King's classic buzzing guitar tone sounds as good as ever here and the verses feel suitably nasty as a result - with Osegueda's voice perfectly sitting above this cacophony of riffing. It is also great that Sanders' bass is generally audible in the mix on this album. All to often the bass is lost when it comes to thrash but this album feels fat as a result of Wilbur's production and mix - and there is plenty of depth thanks to Sanders. Given the length of the piece, too, there is a bit more space for instrumental workouts and the pace slows down part way through to allow for some dual guitar leads and riffs which evolve slightly over time - before both King and Demmel get to solo.

The band follow the album's longest song up with its two shortest, not counting the instrumental intro, with Tension up first at just under three minutes. Given its short length the fact it opens slowly is a surprise. Something punky would generally be expected I think, but instead the song is much more murky than anything else on the album up to this point - with some harrowing vocals from Osegueda set against some creepy guitar melodies and percussive drumming from Bostaph. Mercyful Fate's influence on King's songwriting can certainly be heard here and the song never really launches, either, despite a King solo coming later on. The punk song which may have been expected before comes next, though, in the form of Everything I Hate About You - which is just over a minute long and extremely furious. There is no time for soloing or standing on any sort of ceremony here and the song is a hark back to some of the balls to the wall pieces found on Slayer's Reign in Blood from 1986. Punk was always a big influence on Slayer, as can be seen via their covers album Undisputed Attitude from 1996, and that has carried over into King's new band. This is not an overly punky album, but Everything I Hate About You allows everyone a chance to let their hair down for a minute or so - and it provides something of a mid-album burst of energy. Returning to something more typical, Toxic is very reminiscent of the album's core sound and how it opened with Where I Reign. There are moments of fast-paced thrash here but there are also some crunchy, headbanging riffs throughout - with a few more groovy moments during the early riff-bonanza which open things up. Despite the crunch found during parts of the song, the overall feel of the song is one of a faster pace. There is a real kinetic energy throughout the song and it feels really upbeat despite there being faster songs here. The riffing here is a bit more varied, too, compared to other songs of a similar lengthy in any case. There are a couple of memorable riffs which resurface a few of times throughout and they help the song to stand out - and I really like how Osegueda sounds here. He perhaps sounds at his strongest on this album during the more mid-paced and slightly faster pieces, rather than during the much more intense songs. He sounds great in all contexts, but Toxic really sees him shining in my opinion - and he was certainly the right singer for this material. Two Fists is somewhat similar overall and it is another song which mixes faster sections and more of a mid-paced crunch - with the latter perhaps dominating this time. It is hard to describe it, but the main verse riff here is quite different from anything else which King has written before. It feels perhaps a bit more heroic than is typical for him - and there, again, is something of a classic rock strut during the song thanks to this less intense and more overt riff. There are busier moments, too, of course, and the song does feel heavier and more technical as it moves along. There are no solos here, so the song is very much a riff-focused piece - with Osegueda also getting plenty of time in the spotlight. His barks here sit nicely over King's varied riffing - and the song ends up being something a bit different for the album as a result.

Rage is much more typical, though, and it returns to a full-on thrash sound which never really lets up throughout. The main riffing here is busy and in-your-face, and it is telling that King handles all of the song's solos. Generally Demmel adds a more melodic edge with his soloing, but this intense song clearly needed King's energy throughout. He has never been considered one of the genre's best soloists, despite his riff and songwriting prowess, but his style always suited Slayer nicely and his solos throughout this album are also very much in-keeping. His cutting tone has not changed that much throughout the years and he adds a big edge to this song with his main solo part way through - with the song also closing out on a flurry of notes from him. This is King's writing at his most typical and it is a song which is sure to please any long-time Slayer fan with its energy. The album's penultimate piece Shrapnel is the other relatively lengthy song at just over five minutes - and it builds slowly from a hooky opening guitar line and drum pattern. A semi-whispered initial vocal-led section adds a creepy vibe, but once the verse gets underway proper the song settles into a more typical sound - with Bostaph's double bass drumming keeping the pace going alongside some raspy vocals from Osegueda. The chorus slows the pace down a bit, and again goes for something of a Pantera-esque sound, with the song chopping back and forth between this groovy sound and something more intense. Perhaps given the song's somewhat more dynamic arrangement, King revisits the wah-drenched guitar sound from the album's intro for his solo here. This means his solo feels more controlled and melodic than usual - but given the more mid-paced vibe overall this sound works well. It is a strong solo within a creeping and varied song - and it is another which stretches out somewhat instrumentally, too, with a lengthy closing guitar riff which gradually slows down to a crawl and an atmospheric fade out. Closing the album is its title track and, unsurprisingly, the song is a fast-paced thrasher which feels like a real bookend to the meat of the album alongside Where I Reign. The opening riff is classic King and it could have easily sat on any Slayer album whilst the rest of the track is a pretty intense and snarling piece. The aforementioned riff forms the basis of the chorus, whilst the verses are a bit more snaking despite a faster pace being maintained. The energy never lets up here and Demmel launches into an early solo after the first chorus to remind everyone how up-tempo this piece is. King shreds following the second chorus - whilst a bridge section later gives way to another solo section which sees both King and Demmel soloing together to give the track a brief moment of discordant creepiness. This plethora of soloing really suits the song's overall pace and it helps it to be a standout closing piece - even if the song overall is essentially another fast-paced thrash track, which there have been plenty of examples of here. The album ends strongly, then, and given that it has been nine years since we have heard anything new from King I think it is fair to say that From Hell I Rise is a really enjoyable piece of work. It does not break any new ground for the veteran guitarist but the songwriting is tight and the big production allows the songs to sound fresh and exciting. Assembling a strong band of known faces helped, too, and if this is to be the first of a series of albums from this line-up then I am looking forward to what is to follow.

The album was released on 17th May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music. Below is the band's promotional video for Residue.