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Tailgunner – Midnight Blitz Review By Steel DruhmAfter staggering off four crazy days at sea for the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise, my ears and brain are fried unto merciless death. Luckily, I anticipated this contingency and left myself a fairly easy bounce-back to reality with the sophomore album from England’s classic metal rockers, Tailgunner. I was a fan of their 2023 Guns for Hire debut and found their modernized take on NWoBHM antics to be an entertaining ride. They slot into the same category as acts like Enforcer, Wolf, and Skullfist, and they have enough talent to sell traditional metal thrills like they’re something new. On Midnight Blitz, they rock a slightly more polished variant of what we heard last time with less of an obvious NWoBHM core, but their basic attack plan is still there. It’s all high-flying dual-guitar assaults, soaring vocals, and thundering drums, forced through an anthemic stadium-metal filter to create catchy, crunchy little metal nuggets ready to dip in shitty beer. It’s as cutting-edge and innovative as a stick, but sometimes brainless is better anyway. Now shut up and get in the gun seat!
Things open up effectively with the exuberant title track, which delivers all the classic metal goods and recalls Iron Maiden’s “Aces High” in subtle and unsubtle ways, especially in the lusty guitar noodling. The chorus is immediate and hooky and works as intended, and you will suffer involuntary fist-banging disorder as you prepare to strike at something at midnight. They manage to keep things in this winning window for much of the runtime with catchy tidbits like “Tears in the Rain,” which pays homage to the coolest lines from Blade Runner in appropriately big ways with a huge chorus, and the stupidly infectious “Dead Until Dark,” which rocks hard and rides free with a big Euro-power chorus that sticks like peanut butter mixed with Gorilla Glue. Some of the tracks punch above their weight and really win you over, like “Barren Lands and Seas of Red” and “Blood Sacrifice,” which thread that tiny needle between 80s metal and Euro-power to deliver hot guitar work and larger-than-life choruses.
Elsewhere, “Night Raids” reminds me of something off Human Fortress’s immortal Defenders of the Crown album, so that’s a win. Even the big, overwrought power ballad “War in Heaven” hits harder than you’d expect, sounding a bit like Primal Fear, though it does blunt the album’s momentum somewhat. Not every song is as clutch as the top dogs, and there is a minor bloat factor on a few songs, but no track feels like filler or an afterthought, and at 44 minutes, Midnight Blitz flies by like a gloaming onslaught. The production is a bit too clean, and I’d prefer more bite on the guitars, but you can hear everything the band does clearly.
Craig Cairns leads the air attack for Tailgunner, and he sounds more polished and professional here than he did on Guns for Hire. He no longer reminds me of Blaze Baley or Brian Ross of Satan, and his clear, commanding vocals skew more to a Euro-power style now, but there’s still enough grit to get the job done well. Much of the impact comes from guitarists Zach Salvini and Rhea Thompson. They rob the vaults of 80s metal wantonly while dabbling in various levels of Euro-cheese making, but never go too far down that rabbit hole to find the pirate shirts. There are ripping riffs, melodic harmonies, and overblown solos aplenty, and they keep the energy levels sky high for much of the runtime.
Midnight Blitz is a successful evolution of the Tailgunner sound. I might prefer the slightly more raucous sound of their debut, but what these cats do is still in the wheelhouse of Steel, and I eat it up like fruit leather and old Twinkies. If you like high-energy 80s metal designed to get the head nodding, Tailgunner is the caliber of act you should load up and blast. Fun will be had, and planes will be felled. It’s it’s a Midnight Blitz!
Rating: 3.0/5.0
#2026 #30 #Enforcer #EnglishMetal #Feb26 #GunsForHire #HeavyMetal #MidnightBlitz #NapalmRecords #PrimalFear #Review #Reviews #Tailgunner #Wolf
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking Stream
Label: Napalm
Websites: tailgunner.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/tailgunnerhq | instagram.com/tailgunnerhq
Releases Worldwide: February 6th, 2026 -
Tailgunner – Midnight Blitz Review By Steel DruhmAfter staggering off four crazy days at sea for the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise, my ears and brain are fried unto merciless death. Luckily, I anticipated this contingency and left myself a fairly easy bounce-back to reality with the sophomore album from England’s classic metal rockers, Tailgunner. I was a fan of their 2023 Guns for Hire debut and found their modernized take on NWoBHM antics to be an entertaining ride. They slot into the same category as acts like Enforcer, Wolf, and Skullfist, and they have enough talent to sell traditional metal thrills like they’re something new. On Midnight Blitz, they rock a slightly more polished variant of what we heard last time with less of an obvious NWoBHM core, but their basic attack plan is still there. It’s all high-flying dual-guitar assaults, soaring vocals, and thundering drums, forced through an anthemic stadium-metal filter to create catchy, crunchy little metal nuggets ready to dip in shitty beer. It’s as cutting-edge and innovative as a stick, but sometimes brainless is better anyway. Now shut up and get in the gun seat!
Things open up effectively with the exuberant title track, which delivers all the classic metal goods and recalls Iron Maiden’s “Aces High” in subtle and unsubtle ways, especially in the lusty guitar noodling. The chorus is immediate and hooky and works as intended, and you will suffer involuntary fist-banging disorder as you prepare to strike at something at midnight. They manage to keep things in this winning window for much of the runtime with catchy tidbits like “Tears in the Rain,” which pays homage to the coolest lines from Blade Runner in appropriately big ways with a huge chorus, and the stupidly infectious “Dead Until Dark,” which rocks hard and rides free with a big Euro-power chorus that sticks like peanut butter mixed with Gorilla Glue. Some of the tracks punch above their weight and really win you over, like “Barren Lands and Seas of Red” and “Blood Sacrifice,” which thread that tiny needle between 80s metal and Euro-power to deliver hot guitar work and larger-than-life choruses.
Elsewhere, “Night Raids” reminds me of something off Human Fortress’s immortal Defenders of the Crown album, so that’s a win. Even the big, overwrought power ballad “War in Heaven” hits harder than you’d expect, sounding a bit like Primal Fear, though it does blunt the album’s momentum somewhat. Not every song is as clutch as the top dogs, and there is a minor bloat factor on a few songs, but no track feels like filler or an afterthought, and at 44 minutes, Midnight Blitz flies by like a gloaming onslaught. The production is a bit too clean, and I’d prefer more bite on the guitars, but you can hear everything the band does clearly.
Craig Cairns leads the air attack for Tailgunner, and he sounds more polished and professional here than he did on Guns for Hire. He no longer reminds me of Blaze Baley or Brian Ross of Satan, and his clear, commanding vocals skew more to a Euro-power style now, but there’s still enough grit to get the job done well. Much of the impact comes from guitarists Zach Salvini and Rhea Thompson. They rob the vaults of 80s metal wantonly while dabbling in various levels of Euro-cheese making, but never go too far down that rabbit hole to find the pirate shirts. There are ripping riffs, melodic harmonies, and overblown solos aplenty, and they keep the energy levels sky high for much of the runtime.
Midnight Blitz is a successful evolution of the Tailgunner sound. I might prefer the slightly more raucous sound of their debut, but what these cats do is still in the wheelhouse of Steel, and I eat it up like fruit leather and old Twinkies. If you like high-energy 80s metal designed to get the head nodding, Tailgunner is the caliber of act you should load up and blast. Fun will be had, and planes will be felled. It’s it’s a Midnight Blitz!
Rating: 3.0/5.0
#2026 #30 #Enforcer #EnglishMetal #Feb26 #GunsForHire #HeavyMetal #MidnightBlitz #NapalmRecords #PrimalFear #Review #Reviews #Tailgunner #Wolf
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking Stream
Label: Napalm
Websites: tailgunner.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/tailgunnerhq | instagram.com/tailgunnerhq
Releases Worldwide: February 6th, 2026 -
Tailgunner – Midnight Blitz Review By Steel DruhmAfter staggering off four crazy days at sea for the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise, my ears and brain are fried unto merciless death. Luckily, I anticipated this contingency and left myself a fairly easy bounce-back to reality with the sophomore album from England’s classic metal rockers, Tailgunner. I was a fan of their 2023 Guns for Hire debut and found their modernized take on NWoBHM antics to be an entertaining ride. They slot into the same category as acts like Enforcer, Wolf, and Skullfist, and they have enough talent to sell traditional metal thrills like they’re something new. On Midnight Blitz, they rock a slightly more polished variant of what we heard last time with less of an obvious NWoBHM core, but their basic attack plan is still there. It’s all high-flying dual-guitar assaults, soaring vocals, and thundering drums, forced through an anthemic stadium-metal filter to create catchy, crunchy little metal nuggets ready to dip in shitty beer. It’s as cutting-edge and innovative as a stick, but sometimes brainless is better anyway. Now shut up and get in the gun seat!
Things open up effectively with the exuberant title track, which delivers all the classic metal goods and recalls Iron Maiden’s “Aces High” in subtle and unsubtle ways, especially in the lusty guitar noodling. The chorus is immediate and hooky and works as intended, and you will suffer involuntary fist-banging disorder as you prepare to strike at something at midnight. They manage to keep things in this winning window for much of the runtime with catchy tidbits like “Tears in the Rain,” which pays homage to the coolest lines from Blade Runner in appropriately big ways with a huge chorus, and the stupidly infectious “Dead Until Dark,” which rocks hard and rides free with a big Euro-power chorus that sticks like peanut butter mixed with Gorilla Glue. Some of the tracks punch above their weight and really win you over, like “Barren Lands and Seas of Red” and “Blood Sacrifice,” which thread that tiny needle between 80s metal and Euro-power to deliver hot guitar work and larger-than-life choruses.
Elsewhere, “Night Raids” reminds me of something off Human Fortress’s immortal Defenders of the Crown album, so that’s a win. Even the big, overwrought power ballad “War in Heaven” hits harder than you’d expect, sounding a bit like Primal Fear, though it does blunt the album’s momentum somewhat. Not every song is as clutch as the top dogs, and there is a minor bloat factor on a few songs, but no track feels like filler or an afterthought, and at 44 minutes, Midnight Blitz flies by like a gloaming onslaught. The production is a bit too clean, and I’d prefer more bite on the guitars, but you can hear everything the band does clearly.
Craig Cairns leads the air attack for Tailgunner, and he sounds more polished and professional here than he did on Guns for Hire. He no longer reminds me of Blaze Baley or Brian Ross of Satan, and his clear, commanding vocals skew more to a Euro-power style now, but there’s still enough grit to get the job done well. Much of the impact comes from guitarists Zach Salvini and Rhea Thompson. They rob the vaults of 80s metal wantonly while dabbling in various levels of Euro-cheese making, but never go too far down that rabbit hole to find the pirate shirts. There are ripping riffs, melodic harmonies, and overblown solos aplenty, and they keep the energy levels sky high for much of the runtime.
Midnight Blitz is a successful evolution of the Tailgunner sound. I might prefer the slightly more raucous sound of their debut, but what these cats do is still in the wheelhouse of Steel, and I eat it up like fruit leather and old Twinkies. If you like high-energy 80s metal designed to get the head nodding, Tailgunner is the caliber of act you should load up and blast. Fun will be had, and planes will be felled. It’s it’s a Midnight Blitz!
Rating: 3.0/5.0
#2026 #30 #Enforcer #EnglishMetal #Feb26 #GunsForHire #HeavyMetal #MidnightBlitz #NapalmRecords #PrimalFear #Review #Reviews #Tailgunner #Wolf
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking Stream
Label: Napalm
Websites: tailgunner.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/tailgunnerhq | instagram.com/tailgunnerhq
Releases Worldwide: February 6th, 2026 -
Tailgunner – Midnight Blitz Review By Steel DruhmAfter staggering off four crazy days at sea for the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise, my ears and brain are fried unto merciless death. Luckily, I anticipated this contingency and left myself a fairly easy bounce-back to reality with the sophomore album from England’s classic metal rockers, Tailgunner. I was a fan of their 2023 Guns for Hire debut and found their modernized take on NWoBHM antics to be an entertaining ride. They slot into the same category as acts like Enforcer, Wolf, and Skullfist, and they have enough talent to sell traditional metal thrills like they’re something new. On Midnight Blitz, they rock a slightly more polished variant of what we heard last time with less of an obvious NWoBHM core, but their basic attack plan is still there. It’s all high-flying dual-guitar assaults, soaring vocals, and thundering drums, forced through an anthemic stadium-metal filter to create catchy, crunchy little metal nuggets ready to dip in shitty beer. It’s as cutting-edge and innovative as a stick, but sometimes brainless is better anyway. Now shut up and get in the gun seat!
Things open up effectively with the exuberant title track, which delivers all the classic metal goods and recalls Iron Maiden’s “Aces High” in subtle and unsubtle ways, especially in the lusty guitar noodling. The chorus is immediate and hooky and works as intended, and you will suffer involuntary fist-banging disorder as you prepare to strike at something at midnight. They manage to keep things in this winning window for much of the runtime with catchy tidbits like “Tears in the Rain,” which pays homage to the coolest lines from Blade Runner in appropriately big ways with a huge chorus, and the stupidly infectious “Dead Until Dark,” which rocks hard and rides free with a big Euro-power chorus that sticks like peanut butter mixed with Gorilla Glue. Some of the tracks punch above their weight and really win you over, like “Barren Lands and Seas of Red” and “Blood Sacrifice,” which thread that tiny needle between 80s metal and Euro-power to deliver hot guitar work and larger-than-life choruses.
Elsewhere, “Night Raids” reminds me of something off Human Fortress’s immortal Defenders of the Crown album, so that’s a win. Even the big, overwrought power ballad “War in Heaven” hits harder than you’d expect, sounding a bit like Primal Fear, though it does blunt the album’s momentum somewhat. Not every song is as clutch as the top dogs, and there is a minor bloat factor on a few songs, but no track feels like filler or an afterthought, and at 44 minutes, Midnight Blitz flies by like a gloaming onslaught. The production is a bit too clean, and I’d prefer more bite on the guitars, but you can hear everything the band does clearly.
Craig Carns leads the air attack for Tailgunner, and he sounds more polished and professional here than he did on Guns for Hire. He no longer reminds me of Blaze Baley or Brian Ross of Satan, and his clear, commanding vocals skew more to a Euro-power style now, but there’s still enough grit to get the job done well. Much of the impact comes from guitarists Zach Salvini and Rhea Thompson. They rob the vaults of 80s metal wantonly while dabbling in various levels of Euro-cheese making, but never go too far down that rabbit hole to find the pirate shirts. There are ripping riffs, melodic harmonies, and overblown solos aplenty, and they keep the energy levels sky high for much of the runtime.
Midnight Blitz is a successful evolution of the Tailgunner sound. I might prefer the slightly more raucous sound of their debut, but what these cats do is still in the wheelhouse of Steel, and I eat it up like fruit leather and old Twinkies. If you like high-energy 80s metal designed to get the head nodding, Tailgunner is the caliber of act you should load up and blast. Fun will be had, and planes will be felled. It’s it’s a Midnight Blitz!
Rating: 3.0/5.0
#2026 #30 #Enforcer #EnglishMetal #Feb26 #GunsForHire #HeavyMetal #MidnightBlitz #NapalmRecords #PrimalFear #Review #Reviews #Tailgunner #Wolf
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking Stream
Label: Napalm
Websites: tailgunner.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/tailgunnerhq | instagram.com/tailgunnerhq
Releases Worldwide: February 6th, 2026 -
Ouch... " ...thou Englishman, who never was south the Tweed... " this must be the worst ever insult to a Scot from a fellow Scot... 😊
#robertBurns #Scotland #scottish -
Memories of Old – Never Stop Believing [Things You Might Have Missed 2025] By ClarkKent
Sneaking in at the end of a crowded 2025, Memories of Old released their sophomore record, Never Stop Believing, hoping to fill a Fellowship-sized hole in your heart. Last we saw them in 2020, Emya gave their debut a glowing review, praising vocalist Tommy Johansson and saying the band sounded as if they’d “been playing together for decades.” As you might say in the sports world, Emya may have jinxed them. Since releasing The Zeramin Game, three of the five band members have departed, including Johansson, and it’s taken five years to put together a follow-up. Such high turnover usually spells disaster, and it might also explain the quiet release and lack of a promo. However, both new and remaining members took Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” to heart and want to remind their fans to Never Stop Believing.
It’s clear this new iteration of Memories of Old takes their inspiration from the cheerful style of Fellowship. The record just oozes positivity, from the album title to the lyrical content to the uplifting guitars and synths. Further, new vocalist Noah Simmons sounds a lot like Matthew Corry, with a higher register than your typical power metal vocalist. He just sounds so cheerful every time he sings, and these good vibes are infectious. Songs thrum with energy thanks to the galloping blast beats and the frequent, and often dynamic, solos that invigorate each tune. It’s pure bliss from start to the final track, “Journey to the Stars,” where the band takes us to a place where “angels fly through the sky.” If you’re allergic to this level of optimism, steer clear of Never Stop Believing. For the rest of you, adventure on!
Never Stop Believing by Memories Of Old
Memories of Old excel at not just the good cheer, but also the songwriting and storytelling. Anchored by its catchy chorus “Guardians of the Kingdom” displays these strengths as it methodically builds up from a slower pace to something that has you primed and pumped for battle. There’s a variety on Never Stop Believing that keeps it fresh without sacrificing the character of the band. The muscular, heavy “Memories of Old” takes a page out of the Manowar playbook with an adrenaline-fueled bass drum beat and the second catchiest chorus on the record. Meanwhile, “After the Storm” has a synth that could fit right in with a Trans-Siberian Orchestra holiday hit, followed by a chorus that mixes disco with ABBA pop beats. “Life Begins Again,” the lone ballad, begins with an intro reminiscent of a Mötley Crüe ballad before diving into the tears-of-joy weepies. Memories of Old delivers 55 minutes of symphonic power metal that’s sure to bring out the innocent, joyful child in you.1
In a year that had mid to really good cheesy power metal, with few outstanding acts, Memories of Old stands apart. The vision of the remaining founding members, Billy Jeffs and Anthony Thompson, held together during a period of immense change for the band. I imagine that these guys can put out another set of bangers with some extra time together. Maybe next time they’ll send us the promo so I don’t have to wait to stumble upon this by mistake again.2
Tracks to Check Out: “Never Stop Believing,” “Guardians of the Kingdom,” “Fly Away Together,” “After the Storm”
#2025 #ABBA #EnglishMetal #Fellowship #Journey #LimbMusic #Manowar #MemoriesOfOld #MotleyCrue #NeverStopBelieving #PowerMetal #SymphonicMetal #SymphonicPowerMetal #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #TransSiberianOrchestra #TYMHM -
Memories of Old – Never Stop Believing [Things You Might Have Missed 2025] By ClarkKent
Sneaking in at the end of a crowded 2025, Memories of Old released their sophomore record, Never Stop Believing, hoping to fill a Fellowship-sized hole in your heart. Last we saw them in 2020, Emya gave their debut a glowing review, praising vocalist Tommy Johansson and saying the band sounded as if they’d “been playing together for decades.” As you might say in the sports world, Emya may have jinxed them. Since releasing The Zeramin Game, three of the five band members have departed, including Johansson, and it’s taken five years to put together a follow-up. Such high turnover usually spells disaster, and it might also explain the quiet release and lack of a promo. However, both new and remaining members took Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” to heart and want to remind their fans to Never Stop Believing.
It’s clear this new iteration of Memories of Old takes their inspiration from the cheerful style of Fellowship. The record just oozes positivity, from the album title to the lyrical content to the uplifting guitars and synths. Further, new vocalist Noah Simmons sounds a lot like Matthew Corry, with a higher register than your typical power metal vocalist. He just sounds so cheerful every time he sings, and these good vibes are infectious. Songs thrum with energy thanks to the galloping blast beats and the frequent, and often dynamic, solos that invigorate each tune. It’s pure bliss from start to the final track, “Journey to the Stars,” where the band takes us to a place where “angels fly through the sky.” If you’re allergic to this level of optimism, steer clear of Never Stop Believing. For the rest of you, adventure on!
Never Stop Believing by Memories Of Old
Memories of Old excel at not just the good cheer, but also the songwriting and storytelling. Anchored by its catchy chorus “Guardians of the Kingdom” displays these strengths as it methodically builds up from a slower pace to something that has you primed and pumped for battle. There’s a variety on Never Stop Believing that keeps it fresh without sacrificing the character of the band. The muscular, heavy “Memories of Old” takes a page out of the Manowar playbook with an adrenaline-fueled bass drum beat and the second catchiest chorus on the record. Meanwhile, “After the Storm” has a synth that could fit right in with a Trans-Siberian Orchestra holiday hit, followed by a chorus that mixes disco with ABBA pop beats. “Life Begins Again,” the lone ballad, begins with an intro reminiscent of a Mötley Crüe ballad before diving into the tears-of-joy weepies. Memories of Old delivers 55 minutes of symphonic power metal that’s sure to bring out the innocent, joyful child in you.1
In a year that had mid to really good cheesy power metal, with few outstanding acts, Memories of Old stands apart. The vision of the remaining founding members, Billy Jeffs and Anthony Thompson, held together during a period of immense change for the band. I imagine that these guys can put out another set of bangers with some extra time together. Maybe next time they’ll send us the promo so I don’t have to wait to stumble upon this by mistake again.2
Tracks to Check Out: “Never Stop Believing,” “Guardians of the Kingdom,” “Fly Away Together,” “After the Storm”
#2025 #ABBA #EnglishMetal #Fellowship #Journey #LimbMusic #Manowar #MemoriesOfOld #MotleyCrue #NeverStopBelieving #PowerMetal #SymphonicMetal #SymphonicPowerMetal #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #TransSiberianOrchestra #TYMHM -
Memories of Old – Never Stop Believing [Things You Might Have Missed 2025] By ClarkKent
Sneaking in at the end of a crowded 2025, Memories of Old released their sophomore record, Never Stop Believing, hoping to fill a Fellowship-sized hole in your heart. Last we saw them in 2020, Emya gave their debut a glowing review, praising vocalist Tommy Johansson and saying the band sounded as if they’d “been playing together for decades.” As you might say in the sports world, Emya may have jinxed them. Since releasing The Zeramin Game, three of the five band members have departed, including Johansson, and it’s taken five years to put together a follow-up. Such high turnover usually spells disaster, and it might also explain the quiet release and lack of a promo. However, both new and remaining members took Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” to heart and want to remind their fans to Never Stop Believing.
It’s clear this new iteration of Memories of Old takes their inspiration from the cheerful style of Fellowship. The record just oozes positivity, from the album title to the lyrical content to the uplifting guitars and synths. Further, new vocalist Noah Simmons sounds a lot like Matthew Corry, with a higher register than your typical power metal vocalist. He just sounds so cheerful every time he sings, and these good vibes are infectious. Songs thrum with energy thanks to the galloping blast beats and the frequent, and often dynamic, solos that invigorate each tune. It’s pure bliss from start to the final track, “Journey to the Stars,” where the band takes us to a place where “angels fly through the sky.” If you’re allergic to this level of optimism, steer clear of Never Stop Believing. For the rest of you, adventure on!
Never Stop Believing by Memories Of Old
Memories of Old excel at not just the good cheer, but also the songwriting and storytelling. Anchored by its catchy chorus “Guardians of the Kingdom” displays these strengths as it methodically builds up from a slower pace to something that has you primed and pumped for battle. There’s a variety on Never Stop Believing that keeps it fresh without sacrificing the character of the band. The muscular, heavy “Memories of Old” takes a page out of the Manowar playbook with an adrenaline-fueled bass drum beat and the second catchiest chorus on the record. Meanwhile, “After the Storm” has a synth that could fit right in with a Trans-Siberian Orchestra holiday hit, followed by a chorus that mixes disco with ABBA pop beats. “Life Begins Again,” the lone ballad, begins with an intro reminiscent of a Mötley Crüe ballad before diving into the tears-of-joy weepies. Memories of Old delivers 55 minutes of symphonic power metal that’s sure to bring out the innocent, joyful child in you.1
In a year that had mid to really good cheesy power metal, with few outstanding acts, Memories of Old stands apart. The vision of the remaining founding members, Billy Jeffs and Anthony Thompson, held together during a period of immense change for the band. I imagine that these guys can put out another set of bangers with some extra time together. Maybe next time they’ll send us the promo so I don’t have to wait to stumble upon this by mistake again.2
Tracks to Check Out: “Never Stop Believing,” “Guardians of the Kingdom,” “Fly Away Together,” “After the Storm”
#2025 #ABBA #EnglishMetal #Fellowship #Journey #LimbMusic #Manowar #MemoriesOfOld #MotleyCrue #NeverStopBelieving #PowerMetal #SymphonicMetal #SymphonicPowerMetal #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #TransSiberianOrchestra #TYMHM -
Memories of Old – Never Stop Believing [Things You Might Have Missed 2025] By ClarkKent
Sneaking in at the end of a crowded 2025, Memories of Old released their sophomore record, Never Stop Believing, hoping to fill a Fellowship-sized hole in your heart. Last we saw them in 2020, Emya gave their debut a glowing review, praising vocalist Tommy Johansson and saying the band sounded as if they’d “been playing together for decades.” As you might say in the sports world, Emya may have jinxed them. Since releasing The Zeramin Game, three of the five band members have departed, including Johansson, and it’s taken five years to put together a follow-up. Such high turnover usually spells disaster, and it might also explain the quiet release and lack of a promo. However, both new and remaining members took Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” to heart and want to remind their fans to Never Stop Believing.
It’s clear this new iteration of Memories of Old takes their inspiration from the cheerful style of Fellowship. The record just oozes positivity, from the album title to the lyrical content to the uplifting guitars and synths. Further, new vocalist Noah Simmons sounds a lot like Matthew Corry, with a higher register than your typical power metal vocalist. He just sounds so cheerful every time he sings, and these good vibes are infectious. Songs thrum with energy thanks to the galloping blast beats and the frequent, and often dynamic, solos that invigorate each tune. It’s pure bliss from start to the final track, “Journey to the Stars,” where the band takes us to a place where “angels fly through the sky.” If you’re allergic to this level of optimism, steer clear of Never Stop Believing. For the rest of you, adventure on!
Never Stop Believing by Memories Of Old
Memories of Old excel at not just the good cheer, but also the songwriting and storytelling. Anchored by its catchy chorus “Guardians of the Kingdom” displays these strengths as it methodically builds up from a slower pace to something that has you primed and pumped for battle. There’s a variety on Never Stop Believing that keeps it fresh without sacrificing the character of the band. The muscular, heavy “Memories of Old” takes a page out of the Manowar playbook with an adrenaline-fueled bass drum beat and the second catchiest chorus on the record. Meanwhile, “After the Storm” has a synth that could fit right in with a Trans-Siberian Orchestra holiday hit, followed by a chorus that mixes disco with ABBA pop beats. “Life Begins Again,” the lone ballad, begins with an intro reminiscent of a Mötley Crüe ballad before diving into the tears-of-joy weepies. Memories of Old delivers 55 minutes of symphonic power metal that’s sure to bring out the innocent, joyful child in you.1
In a year that had mid to really good cheesy power metal, with few outstanding acts, Memories of Old stands apart. The vision of the remaining founding members, Billy Jeffs and Anthony Thompson, held together during a period of immense change for the band. I imagine that these guys can put out another set of bangers with some extra time together. Maybe next time they’ll send us the promo so I don’t have to wait to stumble upon this by mistake again.2
Tracks to Check Out: “Never Stop Believing,” “Guardians of the Kingdom,” “Fly Away Together,” “After the Storm”
#2025 #ABBA #EnglishMetal #Fellowship #Journey #LimbMusic #Manowar #MemoriesOfOld #MotleyCrue #NeverStopBelieving #PowerMetal #SymphonicMetal #SymphonicPowerMetal #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #TransSiberianOrchestra #TYMHM -
Opia – I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep [Things You Might Have Missed 2025] By ClarkKent
This stunning debut comes to us via members from across the globe—from England to Spain to Czechia to Brazil. Despite somewhat limited experience between them, the sextet plays like they’ve been jamming together for decades. They bring an eclectic range of styles from their previous and current bands, from black metal to scatological heavy metal to melodic doom to gothic metal, in order to craft a gentle yet brutal piece of gothic doom metal. I would like to give a warm welcome to Opia and their powerful debut album, I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep.
Opia deftly balances the gentle with the crushingly heavy, resulting in a record of beautiful melancholy that would make My Dying Bride and Swallow the Sun proud. They achieve this with a dichotomy of soft arpeggios and heavy riffs, of tender cleans and harsh growls. This dichotomy amplifies the melancholic power of the music, and there’s an undeniable satisfaction when a song suddenly grows loud and brutal following a softer stretch. We hear this on tracks like “Days Gone By,” which opens with some nifty fretwork before exploding into heavier riffs. Opia flexes their true muscle on masterpieces like “Man Proposes, God Disposes” and “Silence,” where Tereza Rohelova’s cleans croon a melancholic melody before delving into such despairing heaviness that it’ll have you aching from the hurt. The similarly astonishing “The Eye” flips the melodic element on its head with a chorus where Rohelova’s growls deliver the beauty over top a soaring keyboard part.
I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep by Opia
As great as the compositions are, the heartfelt performances by all musicians elevate the material. As frontwoman, Rohelova sets the tone with an electrifying performance on the level of My Dying Bride’s Aaron Stainthorpe. Her cleans take on a haunting quality that adds a touch of the gothic, and while her growls don’t reach the muscular tone of Stainthorpe, they are nonetheless effective in setting a tone of brutality. The dual guitar work from Phoenix Griffiths and Dan Tregenna also dazzle. Their fretwork is so effective and creative, whether it’s the mellower arpeggios or crushing riffs, that there’s never a dull moment or a lull. Marcelo Teixeira, behind the kit, is also solid. He swaps between gentle drum and cymbal taps to pummeling blast beats on a dime. He really goes all out on a climatic moment on the finale, “On Death’s Door Part II,” that’ll leave you breathless. Important to setting up the gothic tone is keyboardist Jorge Afonso Rodriguez, who adds melodic depth as well as atmosphere. There’s a depth to the songwriting that opens up rewarding new avenues every time I give the record another spin.
Having been released in late April, I missed out on the opportunity to review I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep by just a few weeks. But when I first heard it, I knew it was special enough to save for a TYMHM. A debut this powerful should not be missed, and having spent this extra time with it late in the year, I believe I made a mistake by not including it in my end of year list. This is a promising start for a group who, I hope, continues to craft songs together for a long time to come.
Songs to Check Out: ”Man Proposes, God Disposes,” “The Fade,” “The Eye,” “Silence
#2025 #DoomMetal #EnglishMetal #GothicDoom #GothicMetal #HammerheartRecords #IWelcomeTheeEternalSleep #MyDyingBride #Opia #SwallowTheSun #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #TYMHM -
Opia – I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep [Things You Might Have Missed 2025] By ClarkKent
This stunning debut comes to us via members from across the globe—from England to Spain to Czechia to Brazil. Despite somewhat limited experience between them, the sextet plays like they’ve been jamming together for decades. They bring an eclectic range of styles from their previous and current bands, from black metal to scatological heavy metal to melodic doom to gothic metal, in order to craft a gentle yet brutal piece of gothic doom metal. I would like to give a warm welcome to Opia and their powerful debut album, I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep.
Opia deftly balances the gentle with the crushingly heavy, resulting in a record of beautiful melancholy that would make My Dying Bride and Swallow the Sun proud. They achieve this with a dichotomy of soft arpeggios and heavy riffs, of tender cleans and harsh growls. This dichotomy amplifies the melancholic power of the music, and there’s an undeniable satisfaction when a song suddenly grows loud and brutal following a softer stretch. We hear this on tracks like “Days Gone By,” which opens with some nifty fretwork before exploding into heavier riffs. Opia flexes their true muscle on masterpieces like “Man Proposes, God Disposes” and “Silence,” where Tereza Rohelova’s cleans croon a melancholic melody before delving into such despairing heaviness that it’ll have you aching from the hurt. The similarly astonishing “The Eye” flips the melodic element on its head with a chorus where Rohelova’s growls deliver the beauty over top a soaring keyboard part.
I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep by Opia
As great as the compositions are, the heartfelt performances by all musicians elevate the material. As frontwoman, Rohelova sets the tone with an electrifying performance on the level of My Dying Bride’s Aaron Stainthorpe. Her cleans take on a haunting quality that adds a touch of the gothic, and while her growls don’t reach the muscular tone of Stainthorpe, they are nonetheless effective in setting a tone of brutality. The dual guitar work from Phoenix Griffiths and Dan Tregenna also dazzle. Their fretwork is so effective and creative, whether it’s the mellower arpeggios or crushing riffs, that there’s never a dull moment or a lull. Marcelo Teixeira, behind the kit, is also solid. He swaps between gentle drum and cymbal taps to pummeling blast beats on a dime. He really goes all out on a climatic moment on the finale, “On Death’s Door Part II,” that’ll leave you breathless. Important to setting up the gothic tone is keyboardist Jorge Afonso Rodriguez, who adds melodic depth as well as atmosphere. There’s a depth to the songwriting that opens up rewarding new avenues every time I give the record another spin.
Having been released in late April, I missed out on the opportunity to review I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep by just a few weeks. But when I first heard it, I knew it was special enough to save for a TYMHM. A debut this powerful should not be missed, and having spent this extra time with it late in the year, I believe I made a mistake by not including it in my end of year list. This is a promising start for a group who, I hope, continues to craft songs together for a long time to come.
Songs to Check Out: ”Man Proposes, God Disposes,” “The Fade,” “The Eye,” “Silence
#2025 #DoomMetal #EnglishMetal #GothicDoom #GothicMetal #HammerheartRecords #IWelcomeTheeEternalSleep #MyDyingBride #Opia #SwallowTheSun #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #TYMHM -
Opia – I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep [Things You Might Have Missed 2025] By ClarkKent
This stunning debut comes to us via members from across the globe—from England to Spain to Czechia to Brazil. Despite somewhat limited experience between them, the sextet plays like they’ve been jamming together for decades. They bring an eclectic range of styles from their previous and current bands, from black metal to scatological heavy metal to melodic doom to gothic metal, in order to craft a gentle yet brutal piece of gothic doom metal. I would like to give a warm welcome to Opia and their powerful debut album, I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep.
Opia deftly balances the gentle with the crushingly heavy, resulting in a record of beautiful melancholy that would make My Dying Bride and Swallow the Sun proud. They achieve this with a dichotomy of soft arpeggios and heavy riffs, of tender cleans and harsh growls. This dichotomy amplifies the melancholic power of the music, and there’s an undeniable satisfaction when a song suddenly grows loud and brutal following a softer stretch. We hear this on tracks like “Days Gone By,” which opens with some nifty fretwork before exploding into heavier riffs. Opia flexes their true muscle on masterpieces like “Man Proposes, God Disposes” and “Silence,” where Tereza Rohelova’s cleans croon a melancholic melody before delving into such despairing heaviness that it’ll have you aching from the hurt. The similarly astonishing “The Eye” flips the melodic element on its head with a chorus where Rohelova’s growls deliver the beauty over top a soaring keyboard part.
I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep by Opia
As great as the compositions are, the heartfelt performances by all musicians elevate the material. As frontwoman, Rohelova sets the tone with an electrifying performance on the level of My Dying Bride’s Aaron Stainthorpe. Her cleans take on a haunting quality that adds a touch of the gothic, and while her growls don’t reach the muscular tone of Stainthorpe, they are nonetheless effective in setting a tone of brutality. The dual guitar work from Phoenix Griffiths and Dan Tregenna also dazzle. Their fretwork is so effective and creative, whether it’s the mellower arpeggios or crushing riffs, that there’s never a dull moment or a lull. Marcelo Teixeira, behind the kit, is also solid. He swaps between gentle drum and cymbal taps to pummeling blast beats on a dime. He really goes all out on a climatic moment on the finale, “On Death’s Door Part II,” that’ll leave you breathless. Important to setting up the gothic tone is keyboardist Jorge Afonso Rodriguez, who adds melodic depth as well as atmosphere. There’s a depth to the songwriting that opens up rewarding new avenues every time I give the record another spin.
Having been released in late April, I missed out on the opportunity to review I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep by just a few weeks. But when I first heard it, I knew it was special enough to save for a TYMHM. A debut this powerful should not be missed, and having spent this extra time with it late in the year, I believe I made a mistake by not including it in my end of year list. This is a promising start for a group who, I hope, continues to craft songs together for a long time to come.
Songs to Check Out: ”Man Proposes, God Disposes,” “The Fade,” “The Eye,” “Silence
#2025 #DoomMetal #EnglishMetal #GothicDoom #GothicMetal #HammerheartRecords #IWelcomeTheeEternalSleep #MyDyingBride #Opia #SwallowTheSun #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #TYMHM -
Opia – I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep [Things You Might Have Missed 2025] By ClarkKent
This stunning debut comes to us via members from across the globe—from England to Spain to Czechia to Brazil. Despite somewhat limited experience between them, the sextet plays like they’ve been jamming together for decades. They bring an eclectic range of styles from their previous and current bands, from black metal to scatological heavy metal to melodic doom to gothic metal, in order to craft a gentle yet brutal piece of gothic doom metal. I would like to give a warm welcome to Opia and their powerful debut album, I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep.
Opia deftly balances the gentle with the crushingly heavy, resulting in a record of beautiful melancholy that would make My Dying Bride and Swallow the Sun proud. They achieve this with a dichotomy of soft arpeggios and heavy riffs, of tender cleans and harsh growls. This dichotomy amplifies the melancholic power of the music, and there’s an undeniable satisfaction when a song suddenly grows loud and brutal following a softer stretch. We hear this on tracks like “Days Gone By,” which opens with some nifty fretwork before exploding into heavier riffs. Opia flexes their true muscle on masterpieces like “Man Proposes, God Disposes” and “Silence,” where Tereza Rohelova’s cleans croon a melancholic melody before delving into such despairing heaviness that it’ll have you aching from the hurt. The similarly astonishing “The Eye” flips the melodic element on its head with a chorus where Rohelova’s growls deliver the beauty over top a soaring keyboard part.
I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep by Opia
As great as the compositions are, the heartfelt performances by all musicians elevate the material. As frontwoman, Rohelova sets the tone with an electrifying performance on the level of My Dying Bride’s Aaron Stainthorpe. Her cleans take on a haunting quality that adds a touch of the gothic, and while her growls don’t reach the muscular tone of Stainthorpe, they are nonetheless effective in setting a tone of brutality. The dual guitar work from Phoenix Griffiths and Dan Tregenna also dazzle. Their fretwork is so effective and creative, whether it’s the mellower arpeggios or crushing riffs, that there’s never a dull moment or a lull. Marcelo Teixeira, behind the kit, is also solid. He swaps between gentle drum and cymbal taps to pummeling blast beats on a dime. He really goes all out on a climatic moment on the finale, “On Death’s Door Part II,” that’ll leave you breathless. Important to setting up the gothic tone is keyboardist Jorge Afonso Rodriguez, who adds melodic depth as well as atmosphere. There’s a depth to the songwriting that opens up rewarding new avenues every time I give the record another spin.
Having been released in late April, I missed out on the opportunity to review I Welcome Thee, Eternal Sleep by just a few weeks. But when I first heard it, I knew it was special enough to save for a TYMHM. A debut this powerful should not be missed, and having spent this extra time with it late in the year, I believe I made a mistake by not including it in my end of year list. This is a promising start for a group who, I hope, continues to craft songs together for a long time to come.
Songs to Check Out: ”Man Proposes, God Disposes,” “The Fade,” “The Eye,” “Silence
#2025 #DoomMetal #EnglishMetal #GothicDoom #GothicMetal #HammerheartRecords #IWelcomeTheeEternalSleep #MyDyingBride #Opia #SwallowTheSun #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #TYMHM -
Vandampire – Hope Scars Review
By Spicie Forrest
Post- historically implies an evolution of or successor to a previous idea (modernism, rock, structuralism, punk, hardcore, colonialism, etc.). While a little nebulous, post-metal more or less riffs on the post-rock blueprint. It utilizes metal’s intense, abrasive instrumentation to create an emotional vulnerability that even the best power ballads fail to capture. There is a tenderness in its crushing weight, a sense of freedom and catharsis in its restraint. It is this corner of the metalverse that South West England-based Vandampire inhabits. Founded in 2018 and with two EPs1 under their belt, Hope Scars not only marks Vandampire’s debut full-length, but the official debut of their second guitarist, as well. Post-metal is a saturated field, though, and it’ll take a lot for Hope Scars to stand out in the crowd.
One thing I can say for certain is that Hope Scars stands head and shoulders above Vandampire’s previous EPs. Past releases certainly contained all the elements on display here, but Hope Scars sees Vandampire mixing those sounds in elegant fashion. Where once sludge and post-metal stood apart or minimally integrated, here they are inseparable, a cohesive whole. Crushing, abrasive guitars (Joseph Siddons, Matthew Billingham) dance and thrash over basslines (Michael Edmonds) three c’s thiccc. Drummer Mark Litchfield, rather than simply keeping time, enunciates and elevates his bandmates’ performances. The result is tonally sludgy, like Kowloon Walled City, but softened by the patient, thorough sensibilities of post-metal songcraft. In keeping with this description, Billingham utilizes hardcore shouts and screams, but is smartly pushed back in the mix, so his vocals feel more like an instrument than a focal point. His delivery occasionally fails to capitalize on Hope Scars’ more emotive landscape, but it’s generally well-suited to the style. The Vandampire of Hope Scars is unmistakably the Vandampire of early EPs, but the maturity and nuance on display here is astonishing by comparison.
As noted in their promo material, Vandampire’s core weapon is The Riff™, and Siddons and Billingham wield it well. They oscillate between stone and sludge with surprising dexterity, riffs effortlessly flowing from one to the next (“Ultralow,” “A Promise”). Vaunted lead guitars soar over a dense rhythm section (“Hope Scars,” “Let Ruin End Here”), reminding me of Explosions in the Sky and the erhu played on Deadly Carnage’s Endless Blue. Those leads are my favorite thing on the album, searingly bright amidst the sludge. Siddons and Billingham, in concert with Edmonds’ teeth-rattling bass and Litchfield’s lively and energetic drums, weave a spell both heavy and heartfelt, hopeful and tragic. Like a metal Mogwai, Vandampire ties your feet to a sinking anchor but always makes sure you can see light on the surface.
Vandampire’s evolved style on Hope Scars fails to avoid the bloated and poorly paced pitfalls of the genre. Hope Scars’ two interludes break the album into three digestible parts, but ultimately prove frustrating. “In Ascension” builds beautifully in the back half, but fades out and misses the opportunity to lead into “Eaves.” I enjoyed the Americana tone of “I Will Miss Everything I Forget,” but this is also a standalone, and at three minutes each, these interludes linger entirely too long for what they are. The biggest bloatual offenders, however, are “Eaves” and “Let Ruin End Here.” The former fades out halfway through its five-minute runtime, leaving me with ambient noises and muffled conversation that suggest they just…forgot to turn off the mic. The latter begins to wind down a full three minutes before the end of its 12-minute runtime and concludes with 80 seconds of bird sounds. All told, Hope Scars could stand to lose at least ten minutes.
Vandampire’s vast improvement over previous efforts and an instrumental section that’s absolutely locked in make for good, engaging music. There’s a lot of great playlist fodder on here, but playlist fodder doesn’t make a great album. Roughly a quarter of Hope Scars is fluff, and while some of it—the interludes—could have been better utilized, at least half of it just wastes time. Vandampire has come a long way since they started in 2018, and if Hope Scars proves anything, it’s that they have the chops to go much further. I’ll just have to wait until next time to see if they get there.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Ripcord Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025#25 #2025 #deadlyCarnage #englishMetal #explosionsInTheSky #hopeScars #kowloonWalledCity #mogwai #oct25 #postMetal #review #reviews #ripcordRecords #sludgeMetal #vandampire
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Vandampire – Hope Scars Review
By Spicie Forrest
Post- historically implies an evolution of or successor to a previous idea (modernism, rock, structuralism, punk, hardcore, colonialism, etc.). While a little nebulous, post-metal more or less riffs on the post-rock blueprint. It utilizes metal’s intense, abrasive instrumentation to create an emotional vulnerability that even the best power ballads fail to capture. There is a tenderness in its crushing weight, a sense of freedom and catharsis in its restraint. It is this corner of the metalverse that South West England-based Vandampire inhabits. Founded in 2018 and with two EPs1 under their belt, Hope Scars not only marks Vandampire’s debut full-length, but the official debut of their second guitarist, as well. Post-metal is a saturated field, though, and it’ll take a lot for Hope Scars to stand out in the crowd.
One thing I can say for certain is that Hope Scars stands head and shoulders above Vandampire’s previous EPs. Past releases certainly contained all the elements on display here, but Hope Scars sees Vandampire mixing those sounds in elegant fashion. Where once sludge and post-metal stood apart or minimally integrated, here they are inseparable, a cohesive whole. Crushing, abrasive guitars (Joseph Siddons, Matthew Billingham) dance and thrash over basslines (Michael Edmonds) three c’s thiccc. Drummer Mark Litchfield, rather than simply keeping time, enunciates and elevates his bandmates’ performances. The result is tonally sludgy, like Kowloon Walled City, but softened by the patient, thorough sensibilities of post-metal songcraft. In keeping with this description, Billingham utilizes hardcore shouts and screams, but is smartly pushed back in the mix, so his vocals feel more like an instrument than a focal point. His delivery occasionally fails to capitalize on Hope Scars’ more emotive landscape, but it’s generally well-suited to the style. The Vandampire of Hope Scars is unmistakably the Vandampire of early EPs, but the maturity and nuance on display here is astonishing by comparison.
As noted in their promo material, Vandampire’s core weapon is The Riff™, and Siddons and Billingham wield it well. They oscillate between stone and sludge with surprising dexterity, riffs effortlessly flowing from one to the next (“Ultralow,” “A Promise”). Vaunted lead guitars soar over a dense rhythm section (“Hope Scars,” “Let Ruin End Here”), reminding me of Explosions in the Sky and the erhu played on Deadly Carnage’s Endless Blue. Those leads are my favorite thing on the album, searingly bright amidst the sludge. Siddons and Billingham, in concert with Edmonds’ teeth-rattling bass and Litchfield’s lively and energetic drums, weave a spell both heavy and heartfelt, hopeful and tragic. Like a metal Mogwai, Vandampire ties your feet to a sinking anchor but always makes sure you can see light on the surface.
Vandampire’s evolved style on Hope Scars fails to avoid the bloated and poorly paced pitfalls of the genre. Hope Scars’ two interludes break the album into three digestible parts, but ultimately prove frustrating. “In Ascension” builds beautifully in the back half, but fades out and misses the opportunity to lead into “Eaves.” I enjoyed the Americana tone of “I Will Miss Everything I Forget,” but this is also a standalone, and at three minutes each, these interludes linger entirely too long for what they are. The biggest bloatual offenders, however, are “Eaves” and “Let Ruin End Here.” The former fades out halfway through its five-minute runtime, leaving me with ambient noises and muffled conversation that suggest they just…forgot to turn off the mic. The latter begins to wind down a full three minutes before the end of its 12-minute runtime and concludes with 80 seconds of bird sounds. All told, Hope Scars could stand to lose at least ten minutes.
Vandampire’s vast improvement over previous efforts and an instrumental section that’s absolutely locked in make for good, engaging music. There’s a lot of great playlist fodder on here, but playlist fodder doesn’t make a great album. Roughly a quarter of Hope Scars is fluff, and while some of it—the interludes—could have been better utilized, at least half of it just wastes time. Vandampire has come a long way since they started in 2018, and if Hope Scars proves anything, it’s that they have the chops to go much further. I’ll just have to wait until next time to see if they get there.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Ripcord Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025#25 #2025 #deadlyCarnage #englishMetal #explosionsInTheSky #hopeScars #kowloonWalledCity #mogwai #oct25 #postMetal #review #reviews #ripcordRecords #sludgeMetal #vandampire
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Vandampire – Hope Scars Review
By Spicie Forrest
Post- historically implies an evolution of or successor to a previous idea (modernism, rock, structuralism, punk, hardcore, colonialism, etc.). While a little nebulous, post-metal more or less riffs on the post-rock blueprint. It utilizes metal’s intense, abrasive instrumentation to create an emotional vulnerability that even the best power ballads fail to capture. There is a tenderness in its crushing weight, a sense of freedom and catharsis in its restraint. It is this corner of the metalverse that South West England-based Vandampire inhabits. Founded in 2018 and with two EPs1 under their belt, Hope Scars not only marks Vandampire’s debut full-length, but the official debut of their second guitarist, as well. Post-metal is a saturated field, though, and it’ll take a lot for Hope Scars to stand out in the crowd.
One thing I can say for certain is that Hope Scars stands head and shoulders above Vandampire’s previous EPs. Past releases certainly contained all the elements on display here, but Hope Scars sees Vandampire mixing those sounds in elegant fashion. Where once sludge and post-metal stood apart or minimally integrated, here they are inseparable, a cohesive whole. Crushing, abrasive guitars (Joseph Siddons, Matthew Billingham) dance and thrash over basslines (Michael Edmonds) three c’s thiccc. Drummer Mark Litchfield, rather than simply keeping time, enunciates and elevates his bandmates’ performances. The result is tonally sludgy, like Kowloon Walled City, but softened by the patient, thorough sensibilities of post-metal songcraft. In keeping with this description, Billingham utilizes hardcore shouts and screams, but is smartly pushed back in the mix, so his vocals feel more like an instrument than a focal point. His delivery occasionally fails to capitalize on Hope Scars’ more emotive landscape, but it’s generally well-suited to the style. The Vandampire of Hope Scars is unmistakably the Vandampire of early EPs, but the maturity and nuance on display here is astonishing by comparison.
As noted in their promo material, Vandampire’s core weapon is The Riff™, and Siddons and Billingham wield it well. They oscillate between stone and sludge with surprising dexterity, riffs effortlessly flowing from one to the next (“Ultralow,” “A Promise”). Vaunted lead guitars soar over a dense rhythm section (“Hope Scars,” “Let Ruin End Here”), reminding me of Explosions in the Sky and the erhu played on Deadly Carnage’s Endless Blue. Those leads are my favorite thing on the album, searingly bright amidst the sludge. Siddons and Billingham, in concert with Edmonds’ teeth-rattling bass and Litchfield’s lively and energetic drums, weave a spell both heavy and heartfelt, hopeful and tragic. Like a metal Mogwai, Vandampire ties your feet to a sinking anchor but always makes sure you can see light on the surface.
Vandampire’s evolved style on Hope Scars fails to avoid the bloated and poorly paced pitfalls of the genre. Hope Scars’ two interludes break the album into three digestible parts, but ultimately prove frustrating. “In Ascension” builds beautifully in the back half, but fades out and misses the opportunity to lead into “Eaves.” I enjoyed the Americana tone of “I Will Miss Everything I Forget,” but this is also a standalone, and at three minutes each, these interludes linger entirely too long for what they are. The biggest bloatual offenders, however, are “Eaves” and “Let Ruin End Here.” The former fades out halfway through its five-minute runtime, leaving me with ambient noises and muffled conversation that suggest they just…forgot to turn off the mic. The latter begins to wind down a full three minutes before the end of its 12-minute runtime and concludes with 80 seconds of bird sounds. All told, Hope Scars could stand to lose at least ten minutes.
Vandampire’s vast improvement over previous efforts and an instrumental section that’s absolutely locked in make for good, engaging music. There’s a lot of great playlist fodder on here, but playlist fodder doesn’t make a great album. Roughly a quarter of Hope Scars is fluff, and while some of it—the interludes—could have been better utilized, at least half of it just wastes time. Vandampire has come a long way since they started in 2018, and if Hope Scars proves anything, it’s that they have the chops to go much further. I’ll just have to wait until next time to see if they get there.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Ripcord Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025#25 #2025 #deadlyCarnage #englishMetal #explosionsInTheSky #hopeScars #kowloonWalledCity #mogwai #oct25 #postMetal #review #reviews #ripcordRecords #sludgeMetal #vandampire
-
Vandampire – Hope Scars Review
By Spicie Forrest
Post- historically implies an evolution of or successor to a previous idea (modernism, rock, structuralism, punk, hardcore, colonialism, etc.). While a little nebulous, post-metal more or less riffs on the post-rock blueprint. It utilizes metal’s intense, abrasive instrumentation to create an emotional vulnerability that even the best power ballads fail to capture. There is a tenderness in its crushing weight, a sense of freedom and catharsis in its restraint. It is this corner of the metalverse that South West England-based Vandampire inhabits. Founded in 2018 and with two EPs1 under their belt, Hope Scars not only marks Vandampire’s debut full-length, but the official debut of their second guitarist, as well. Post-metal is a saturated field, though, and it’ll take a lot for Hope Scars to stand out in the crowd.
One thing I can say for certain is that Hope Scars stands head and shoulders above Vandampire’s previous EPs. Past releases certainly contained all the elements on display here, but Hope Scars sees Vandampire mixing those sounds in elegant fashion. Where once sludge and post-metal stood apart or minimally integrated, here they are inseparable, a cohesive whole. Crushing, abrasive guitars (Joseph Siddons, Matthew Billingham) dance and thrash over basslines (Michael Edmonds) three c’s thiccc. Drummer Mark Litchfield, rather than simply keeping time, enunciates and elevates his bandmates’ performances. The result is tonally sludgy, like Kowloon Walled City, but softened by the patient, thorough sensibilities of post-metal songcraft. In keeping with this description, Billingham utilizes hardcore shouts and screams, but is smartly pushed back in the mix, so his vocals feel more like an instrument than a focal point. His delivery occasionally fails to capitalize on Hope Scars’ more emotive landscape, but it’s generally well-suited to the style. The Vandampire of Hope Scars is unmistakably the Vandampire of early EPs, but the maturity and nuance on display here is astonishing by comparison.
As noted in their promo material, Vandampire’s core weapon is The Riff™, and Siddons and Billingham wield it well. They oscillate between stone and sludge with surprising dexterity, riffs effortlessly flowing from one to the next (“Ultralow,” “A Promise”). Vaunted lead guitars soar over a dense rhythm section (“Hope Scars,” “Let Ruin End Here”), reminding me of Explosions in the Sky and the erhu played on Deadly Carnage’s Endless Blue. Those leads are my favorite thing on the album, searingly bright amidst the sludge. Siddons and Billingham, in concert with Edmonds’ teeth-rattling bass and Litchfield’s lively and energetic drums, weave a spell both heavy and heartfelt, hopeful and tragic. Like a metal Mogwai, Vandampire ties your feet to a sinking anchor but always makes sure you can see light on the surface.
Vandampire’s evolved style on Hope Scars fails to avoid the bloated and poorly paced pitfalls of the genre. Hope Scars’ two interludes break the album into three digestible parts, but ultimately prove frustrating. “In Ascension” builds beautifully in the back half, but fades out and misses the opportunity to lead into “Eaves.” I enjoyed the Americana tone of “I Will Miss Everything I Forget,” but this is also a standalone, and at three minutes each, these interludes linger entirely too long for what they are. The biggest bloatual offenders, however, are “Eaves” and “Let Ruin End Here.” The former fades out halfway through its five-minute runtime, leaving me with ambient noises and muffled conversation that suggest they just…forgot to turn off the mic. The latter begins to wind down a full three minutes before the end of its 12-minute runtime and concludes with 80 seconds of bird sounds. All told, Hope Scars could stand to lose at least ten minutes.
Vandampire’s vast improvement over previous efforts and an instrumental section that’s absolutely locked in make for good, engaging music. There’s a lot of great playlist fodder on here, but playlist fodder doesn’t make a great album. Roughly a quarter of Hope Scars is fluff, and while some of it—the interludes—could have been better utilized, at least half of it just wastes time. Vandampire has come a long way since they started in 2018, and if Hope Scars proves anything, it’s that they have the chops to go much further. I’ll just have to wait until next time to see if they get there.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Ripcord Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025#25 #2025 #deadlyCarnage #englishMetal #explosionsInTheSky #hopeScars #kowloonWalledCity #mogwai #oct25 #postMetal #review #reviews #ripcordRecords #sludgeMetal #vandampire
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https://bianet.org/yazi/the-body-in-the-bushes-the-englishman-309420
There has been a murder !! I will solve it ( Who ? What ? Me ?) follow the trail here .
Your summer read has started
#Ayvalik #shortstories #crime #DetectiveDrama -
https://bianet.org/yazi/the-body-in-the-bushes-the-englishman-309420
There has been a murder !! I will solve it ( Who ? What ? Me ?) follow the trail here .
Your summer read has started
#Ayvalik #shortstories #crime #DetectiveDrama -
John Wheeldon (also known as John Gaunt) was an Englishman who lived in #Derbyshire during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and worked as a #ratcatcher for the #Midland Railway company (these rodents could cause a lot of trouble on the railway network).
He hunted the #rodents alongside a multi species team of #dogs , #foxes and a #cat !
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Captain Christopher Billopp, an Englishman, was the first to settle in Tottenville. He came to New York harbor with Major Edmund Andros in 1674.
It was he who built Bentley Manor around 1680, the building now called the Conference House after an 18th Century attempted peace conference held there that could have changed the course of the American Revolutionary War. #Tottenville #History #Billopp
https://www.angiemangino.com/tottenville-history-blog -
Opeth – The Last Will and Testament Review
By El Cuervo
Little introduction is required for the progressive metal institution that is Sweden’s Opeth. In a career running over 30 years in length and spanning 13 previous studio albums, they have demonstrated an unending pursuit of progression by drawing in more influences as they’ve changed. From death metal to progressive rock to European folk to whimsical jazz, they have tracked a course that has always been fascinating, even if the quality has varied a little more than that. Reaching 2024, The Last Will and Testament is a remarkable record in a career full of remarkable records. It represents all of the following: the most overdue studio album, being released five years after its predecessor; the first release with the young but experienced Waltteri Väyrynen on drums; the return of harsh vocals for the first time in 16 years; and the first concept record since 1999’s Still Life.
Despite these remarkable qualities, The Last Will and Testament offers a smooth and natural progression from 2019’s In Cauda Venenum, but with discernible nods to other records in the Opeth discography. The first and most obvious reference is the progressive melodrama levered on Ghost Reveries and Watershed. The swinging passage from 1:30 on “§2”1 is effortlessly cool, layering groovy guitars and dramatic keyboards with spoken-word narration and a wild vibrato buried in the background. It recalls that specific era of death-influenced progressive metal, dripping with keyboard-generated atmosphere. The second core component of The Last Will and Testament’s sound is the heady compositions favored on In Cauda Venenum. That record featured varied, complex compositions but they’re too disparate. Those here are simultaneously sharper but also freer. “§4” bridges a soft flute interlude with a heavy guitar passage via a subtle drum crescendo, and despite the contrasting instrumentation, it’s smooth and cohesive in a way that few other bands can match. The musical continuity builds a sense of completeness, which is no doubt aided by the final influence in The Last Will and Testament’s sound: Still Life’s rich storytelling.
The album’s concept drives both the music and structure. The Last Will and Testament spins a yarn based around the administration of the estate of a wealthy man, replete with a seedy lawyer (entertainingly performed by Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull) and an imposing patriarch (given a voice through Mikael Åkerfeldt’s wrathful roar). The twisting tale of family intrigue and deception—including soap opera grudges and illicit children—is narrated across the first six tracks, before culminating in “§7” where Anderson delivers a deliciously-evil reading of the will to the unsuspecting beneficiaries. While this feels appropriately climactic, the final track “A Story Never Told” succeeds this chicanery with jarring clarity. It’s an excellent tonal shift, with Åkerfeldt’s clean singing layered over a simple piano melody that’s as simple as it is beautiful. While The Last Will and Testament twists and turns throughout, the opening to this track lifts the listener out of the mire of family drama2 and closes affairs with peacefulness.
But The Last Will and Testament’s most important quality is its sheer mastery. There’s no one else that writes music like this, and rarely so successfully. Every element of its core fusion of death metal and progressive rock is highly accomplished, from the knotty compositions to the polished performances to the immaculate production. As referenced earlier, In Cauda Venenum has a similar scope of instrumentation and intricate compositions. But they’re elevated here; more harmonious, more sophisticated, more artful. “§5” is a prime example. There’s a high degree of intricacy as it folds crisp drums, dancing bass lines, beautiful strings, darting vocals, and bluesy guitars into something that oscillates between subtle jazz and crunchy death metal. I love the natural lilt and the unexpected transitions.3 It’s busy and dense with textures, but the bold melodies and crystalline production prevent the material from sinking into murkiness. I’ll also commend “A Story Never Told” as one of the best songs of the year. Its organic swell from delicate piano melodies to the grand guitar solo concludes the album on an endlessly moreish note.
The Last Will and Testament doesn’t yield any weaknesses. On their fourteenth go-round, Opeth has once more delivered something exemplary in conception, performance, and production. The songs are varied but focused, feeling shorter and tighter than prior work. And while its story may not be as tragic as prior Opeth concepts, I admire the willingness to have some fun with it.4 Existing fans will no doubt gain much from this experience, and anyone with their interest limited to O(ld)peth may just find something here too. 2024 sees these Swedes finding a new harmony in their sound, and connoisseurs of progressive music mustn’t miss this.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Websites: opeth.com | facebook.com/opeth
Releases Worldwide: November 22nd, 2024Show 4 footnotes
- All tracks except the finale are titled as paragraphs within a will, hence the “§”. ↩
- Above the mire, if you will. ↩
- But while unexpected, the transitions are not jarring as was the case on Watershed or Heritage, where there was a sense that they were just linking things together at random in the studio and telling Per to play one note on the keyboard as an ‘excuse’ to justify a key change. Instead, The Last Will and Testament is crafted with the deliberate, artisanal expertise that Åkerfeldt demonstrated in his composition and arrangements for his entire career before 2008. – AMG ↩
- And the growth that Åkerfeldt exemplified by accepting the lessons of In Cada Venenum; lyrics matter and they take real time and effort. The Last Will and Testament plays in genuine Concept Record territory in a way that makes it genuinely fun to listen to. It’s melodramatic and it’s sharp. – AMG ↩
#2024 #45 #DeathMetal #EnglishMetal #JethroTull #Nov24 #Opeth #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #TheLastWillAndTestament
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Opeth – The Last Will and Testament Review
By El Cuervo
Little introduction is required for the progressive metal institution that is Sweden’s Opeth. In a career running over 30 years in length and spanning 13 previous studio albums, they have demonstrated an unending pursuit of progression by drawing in more influences as they’ve changed. From death metal to progressive rock to European folk to whimsical jazz, they have tracked a course that has always been fascinating, even if the quality has varied a little more than that. Reaching 2024, The Last Will and Testament is a remarkable record in a career full of remarkable records. It represents all of the following: the most overdue studio album, being released five years after its predecessor; the first release with the young but experienced Waltteri Väyrynen on drums; the return of harsh vocals for the first time in 16 years; and the first concept record since 1999’s Still Life.
Despite these remarkable qualities, The Last Will and Testament offers a smooth and natural progression from 2019’s In Cauda Venenum, but with discernible nods to other records in the Opeth discography. The first and most obvious reference is the progressive melodrama levered on Ghost Reveries and Watershed. The swinging passage from 1:30 on “§2”1 is effortlessly cool, layering groovy guitars and dramatic keyboards with spoken-word narration and a wild vibrato buried in the background. It recalls that specific era of death-influenced progressive metal, dripping with keyboard-generated atmosphere. The second core component of The Last Will and Testament’s sound is the heady compositions favored on In Cauda Venenum. That record featured varied, complex compositions but they’re too disparate. Those here are simultaneously sharper but also freer. “§4” bridges a soft flute interlude with a heavy guitar passage via a subtle drum crescendo, and despite the contrasting instrumentation, it’s smooth and cohesive in a way that few other bands can match. The musical continuity builds a sense of completeness, which is no doubt aided by the final influence in The Last Will and Testament’s sound: Still Life’s rich storytelling.
The album’s concept drives both the music and structure. The Last Will and Testament spins a yarn based around the administration of the estate of a wealthy man, replete with a seedy lawyer (entertainingly performed by Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull) and an imposing patriarch (given a voice through Mikael Åkerfeldt’s wrathful roar). The twisting tale of family intrigue and deception—including soap opera grudges and illicit children—is narrated across the first six tracks, before culminating in “§7” where Anderson delivers a deliciously-evil reading of the will to the unsuspecting beneficiaries. While this feels appropriately climactic, the final track “A Story Never Told” succeeds this chicanery with jarring clarity. It’s an excellent tonal shift, with Åkerfeldt’s clean singing layered over a simple piano melody that’s as simple as it is beautiful. While The Last Will and Testament twists and turns throughout, the opening to this track lifts the listener out of the mire of family drama2 and closes affairs with peacefulness.
But The Last Will and Testament’s most important quality is its sheer mastery. There’s no one else that writes music like this, and rarely so successfully. Every element of its core fusion of death metal and progressive rock is highly accomplished, from the knotty compositions to the polished performances to the immaculate production. As referenced earlier, In Cauda Venenum has a similar scope of instrumentation and intricate compositions. But they’re elevated here; more harmonious, more sophisticated, more artful. “§5” is a prime example. There’s a high degree of intricacy as it folds crisp drums, dancing bass lines, beautiful strings, darting vocals, and bluesy guitars into something that oscillates between subtle jazz and crunchy death metal. I love the natural lilt and the unexpected transitions.3 It’s busy and dense with textures, but the bold melodies and crystalline production prevent the material from sinking into murkiness. I’ll also commend “A Story Never Told” as one of the best songs of the year. Its organic swell from delicate piano melodies to the grand guitar solo concludes the album on an endlessly moreish note.
The Last Will and Testament doesn’t yield any weaknesses. On their fourteenth go-round, Opeth has once more delivered something exemplary in conception, performance, and production. The songs are varied but focused, feeling shorter and tighter than prior work. And while its story may not be as tragic as prior Opeth concepts, I admire the willingness to have some fun with it.4 Existing fans will no doubt gain much from this experience, and anyone with their interest limited to O(ld)peth may just find something here too. 2024 sees these Swedes finding a new harmony in their sound, and connoisseurs of progressive music mustn’t miss this.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Websites: opeth.com | facebook.com/opeth
Releases Worldwide: November 22nd, 2024#2024 #45 #DeathMetal #EnglishMetal #JethroTull #Nov24 #Opeth #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #TheLastWillAndTestament
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Opeth – The Last Will and Testament Review
By El Cuervo
Little introduction is required for the progressive metal institution that is Sweden’s Opeth. In a career running over 30 years in length and spanning 13 previous studio albums, they have demonstrated an unending pursuit of progression by drawing in more influences as they’ve changed. From death metal to progressive rock to European folk to whimsical jazz, they have tracked a course that has always been fascinating, even if the quality has varied a little more than that. Reaching 2024, The Last Will and Testament is a remarkable record in a career full of remarkable records. It represents all of the following: the most overdue studio album, being released five years after its predecessor; the first release with the young but experienced Waltteri Väyrynen on drums; the return of harsh vocals for the first time in 16 years; and the first concept record since 1999’s Still Life.
Despite these remarkable qualities, The Last Will and Testament offers a smooth and natural progression from 2019’s In Cauda Venenum, but with discernible nods to other records in the Opeth discography. The first and most obvious reference is the progressive melodrama levered on Ghost Reveries and Watershed. The swinging passage from 1:30 on “§2”1 is effortlessly cool, layering groovy guitars and dramatic keyboards with spoken-word narration and a wild vibrato buried in the background. It recalls that specific era of death-influenced progressive metal, dripping with keyboard-generated atmosphere. The second core component of The Last Will and Testament’s sound is the heady compositions favored on In Cauda Venenum. That record featured varied, complex compositions but they’re too disparate. Those here are simultaneously sharper but also freer. “§4” bridges a soft flute interlude with a heavy guitar passage via a subtle drum crescendo, and despite the contrasting instrumentation, it’s smooth and cohesive in a way that few other bands can match. The musical continuity builds a sense of completeness, which is no doubt aided by the final influence in The Last Will and Testament’s sound: Still Life’s rich storytelling.
The album’s concept drives both the music and structure. The Last Will and Testament spins a yarn based around the administration of the estate of a wealthy man, replete with a seedy lawyer (entertainingly performed by Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull) and an imposing patriarch (given a voice through Mikael Åkerfeldt’s wrathful roar). The twisting tale of family intrigue and deception—including soap opera grudges and illicit children—is narrated across the first six tracks, before culminating in “§7” where Anderson delivers a deliciously-evil reading of the will to the unsuspecting beneficiaries. While this feels appropriately climactic, the final track “A Story Never Told” succeeds this chicanery with jarring clarity. It’s an excellent tonal shift, with Åkerfeldt’s clean singing layered over a simple piano melody that’s as simple as it is beautiful. While The Last Will and Testament twists and turns throughout, the opening to this track lifts the listener out of the mire of family drama2 and closes affairs with peacefulness.
But The Last Will and Testament’s most important quality is its sheer mastery. There’s no one else that writes music like this, and rarely so successfully. Every element of its core fusion of death metal and progressive rock is highly accomplished, from the knotty compositions to the polished performances to the immaculate production. As referenced earlier, In Cauda Venenum has a similar scope of instrumentation and intricate compositions. But they’re elevated here; more harmonious, more sophisticated, more artful. “§5” is a prime example. There’s a high degree of intricacy as it folds crisp drums, dancing bass lines, beautiful strings, darting vocals, and bluesy guitars into something that oscillates between subtle jazz and crunchy death metal. I love the natural lilt and the unexpected transitions.3 It’s busy and dense with textures, but the bold melodies and crystalline production prevent the material from sinking into murkiness. I’ll also commend “A Story Never Told” as one of the best songs of the year. Its organic swell from delicate piano melodies to the grand guitar solo concludes the album on an endlessly moreish note.
The Last Will and Testament doesn’t yield any weaknesses. On their fourteenth go-round, Opeth has once more delivered something exemplary in conception, performance, and production. The songs are varied but focused, feeling shorter and tighter than prior work. And while its story may not be as tragic as prior Opeth concepts, I admire the willingness to have some fun with it.4 Existing fans will no doubt gain much from this experience, and anyone with their interest limited to O(ld)peth may just find something here too. 2024 sees these Swedes finding a new harmony in their sound, and connoisseurs of progressive music mustn’t miss this.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Websites: opeth.com | facebook.com/opeth
Releases Worldwide: November 22nd, 2024#2024 #45 #DeathMetal #EnglishMetal #JethroTull #Nov24 #Opeth #ProgressiveDeathMetal #ProgressiveMetal #Review #Reviews #TheLastWillAndTestament
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Joe Cocker, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, 1970 on A&M
Technically the soundtrack to the live movie of the same name, a sprawling live set with a tremendous band including (led by?) Leon Russell, across rock, soul and R&B. If you can only have one Joe Cocker album this probably ought to be it.
Great renditions of “Cry Me A River,” “Bird on a Wire,” “Feelin’ Alright,” and “Delta Lady.”
My copy via (the now defunct) Vinyl Destination in Lowell […]
#1970 #1970s #AM #JoeCocker #LeonRussell #LowellMA #vinyl #VinylDestination #vinylcollection #vinylfinds
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The King's Singers (live) - A sequence of early English music
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0DfHEXFNh38&si=8KtNAjkFj3AEPYBh
#ClassicalMusic
#EnglishMusic
#KingsSingers -
"As it is from suffering, and not from inflicting torment, that the true idea of them is gained."
A real find (for me), thank you for the recommendation! Jane lived not far from where I live now.
I too like to dip into the 18th century, occasionally,
--- my soul however lives somewhere in continental 19th century ... :-).#JaneCollier #literature #EnglishMoralists #EighteenthCentury
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Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats – Nell’ Ora Blu Review
By Iceberg
Nell’ Ora Blu, or “the blue hour,” is a love letter to Italian cinema, particularly the Poliziotteschi (crime) and Giallo (horror) styles. While Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats are famously a four-piece fuzzy psych-rock band, the vast majority of this record was conceived, written, and performed by main brain Kevin Starrs. This is by and large an instrumental, soundtrack-adjacent album, though there are tracks on here that will remind fans it’s still Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats (“La vipera,” “Solo la morte ti ammanetta”). Starrs’ story centers on corruption and revenge; a morally bankrupt businessman entangled in a plot of deception and murder by the very townsfolk he’s been abusing. The concept is solid enough, and the music and voice talent resembles an authentic ’70s soundtrack. But the proof is in the pudding, can the whopping 78 minutes of Nell’ Ora Blu deliver a rewarding listening experience as well as an ambitious artistic statement?
Nell’ Ora Blu’s tracks can be divided into three categories: voice-overs that propel the plot, instrumentals that set the scene, and more standard psych-rock tracks that emphasize a certain mood or motivation. The music itself evokes throwback Italian cinema without directly sounding like its major contributors, although I hear echoes of Ennio Morricone and Angelo Badalamenti throughout. Warbly, creeping synths form the backbone of many pieces, with simplistic half-ballroom, half-stoner drum patterns thumping over a pleasantly perceptible grooving bassline. I give a lot of credit to Starrs for incorporating as many different timbres and instruments as he did into this record; Nell’ Ora Blu is a labor of love and well outside the wheelhouse for the songwriter. But writing an album masquerading as a film soundtrack—or as Starrs says a radio play—brings with it its own challenges.
The voice-over tracks of Nell’ Ora Blu—all in Italian, much like their titles—shine brightest, hewing closest to the pulpy narrative and providing much-needed context to the shifting tones of the music (speaking Italian would help a lot here). Securing top voice-over talent—industry titans Franco Nero and Edwige Fenech—was a priority for Starrs, and I’ll admit tracks like “Giustizia di strada – Lavora fino alla morte” and “La bara resterà chiusa” pair their dialogue and foreboding atmosphere masterfully. The big plot beats work best; the genesis of the murder plot (“Giustizia di strada – Lavora fino alla morte), the heavy breathing phone call (“Tortura al telefona”) and the violent climactic act itself (“L’omicidio”). Starrs’ music naturally merges with the plot in these tracks, and the listener is swept up in the drama of the pulsing synths and slippery grooves. Taken on their own these exposition-heavy tracks could make a solid, smaller collection, but they co-exist along with other songs that threaten to drag the album past its natural lifespan.
As the beginning of Nell’ Ora Blu passes and the album settles in it becomes apparent this is ideal mood or background music, but poses a challenge for focused listening. The opening third of the album moves quickly with plenty of voice-over, but the one-two punch of “Il tesoro di Sardegna” and “Nell’ora blu,” with their combined 11 minutes of downtempo musings, disperses the suspense of the previous tracks. The lengthy, meandering center of the record doesn’t really pick up again until the end of “Il gatto morto,” where the events of the premeditated murder begin and the music—and story—regains prior energy. The other glaring—and potentially deal-breaking—issue here is the language barrier. I was lucky enough to have a story summary provided to me by the band, but I don’t know if this will be made available to the public. YMMV on this point, but knowing the outline of the story pulls the listener in and orients them with the music as it unfolds. Just as a film would feel half-full without its music, the score here feels less than without the illustration of the story to aid the listener (I envy my Italian-speaking readers, this album should come much easier for you).This was a difficult album to review and score, if only because Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats presented me with such an outside-the-box album. Ultimately I feel Nell’ Ora Blu is a successful—if overextended—excursion into a sound world not often heard in these halls. Fans of the band and of throwback film music should set aside some time to check this out, and hopefully be able to secure a synopsis. As for me I can see myself, some six months down the line, dealing with an inconsolable newborn and turning to the smoky, slinky sounds of Nell’ Ora Blu to find some measure of respite and release.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: Stream | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Rise Above Records
Websites: facebook.com | uncleacidband.com
Releases Worldwide: May 10, 2024#2024 #30 #AngeloBadalamenti #EnglishMetal #EnnioMorricone #FilmScore #May24 #NellOraBlu #PsychedlicRock #Review #Reviews #RiseAboveRecords #StonerMetal #StonerRock #UncleAcidAndTheDeadbeats
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Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats – Nell’ Ora Blu Review
By Iceberg
Nell’ Ora Blu, or “the blue hour,” is a love letter to Italian cinema, particularly the Poliziotteschi (crime) and Giallo (horror) styles. While Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats are famously a four-piece fuzzy psych-rock band, the vast majority of this record was conceived, written, and performed by main brain Kevin Starrs. This is by and large an instrumental, soundtrack-adjacent album, though there are tracks on here that will remind fans it’s still Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats (“La vipera,” “Solo la morte ti ammanetta”). Starrs’ story centers on corruption and revenge; a morally bankrupt businessman entangled in a plot of deception and murder by the very townsfolk he’s been abusing. The concept is solid enough, and the music and voice talent resembles an authentic ’70s soundtrack. But the proof is in the pudding, can the whopping 78 minutes of Nell’ Ora Blu deliver a rewarding listening experience as well as an ambitious artistic statement?
Nell’ Ora Blu’s tracks can be divided into three categories: voice-overs that propel the plot, instrumentals that set the scene, and more standard psych-rock tracks that emphasize a certain mood or motivation. The music itself evokes throwback Italian cinema without directly sounding like its major contributors, although I hear echoes of Ennio Morricone and Angelo Badalamenti throughout. Warbly, creeping synths form the backbone of many pieces, with simplistic half-ballroom, half-stoner drum patterns thumping over a pleasantly perceptible grooving bassline. I give a lot of credit to Starrs for incorporating as many different timbres and instruments as he did into this record; Nell’ Ora Blu is a labor of love and well outside the wheelhouse for the songwriter. But writing an album masquerading as a film soundtrack—or as Starrs says a radio play—brings with it its own challenges.
The voice-over tracks of Nell’ Ora Blu—all in Italian, much like their titles—shine brightest, hewing closest to the pulpy narrative and providing much-needed context to the shifting tones of the music (speaking Italian would help a lot here). Securing top voice-over talent—industry titans Franco Nero and Edwige Fenech—was a priority for Starrs, and I’ll admit tracks like “Giustizia di strada – Lavora fino alla morte” and “La bara resterà chiusa” pair their dialogue and foreboding atmosphere masterfully. The big plot beats work best; the genesis of the murder plot (“Giustizia di strada – Lavora fino alla morte), the heavy breathing phone call (“Tortura al telefona”) and the violent climactic act itself (“L’omicidio”). Starrs’ music naturally merges with the plot in these tracks, and the listener is swept up in the drama of the pulsing synths and slippery grooves. Taken on their own these exposition-heavy tracks could make a solid, smaller collection, but they co-exist along with other songs that threaten to drag the album past its natural lifespan.
As the beginning of Nell’ Ora Blu passes and the album settles in it becomes apparent this is ideal mood or background music, but poses a challenge for focused listening. The opening third of the album moves quickly with plenty of voice-over, but the one-two punch of “Il tesoro di Sardegna” and “Nell’ora blu,” with their combined 11 minutes of downtempo musings, disperses the suspense of the previous tracks. The lengthy, meandering center of the record doesn’t really pick up again until the end of “Il gatto morto,” where the events of the premeditated murder begin and the music—and story—regains prior energy. The other glaring—and potentially deal-breaking—issue here is the language barrier. I was lucky enough to have a story summary provided to me by the band, but I don’t know if this will be made available to the public. YMMV on this point, but knowing the outline of the story pulls the listener in and orients them with the music as it unfolds. Just as a film would feel half-full without its music, the score here feels less than without the illustration of the story to aid the listener (I envy my Italian-speaking readers, this album should come much easier for you).This was a difficult album to review and score, if only because Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats presented me with such an outside-the-box album. Ultimately I feel Nell’ Ora Blu is a successful—if overextended—excursion into a sound world not often heard in these halls. Fans of the band and of throwback film music should set aside some time to check this out, and hopefully be able to secure a synopsis. As for me I can see myself, some six months down the line, dealing with an inconsolable newborn and turning to the smoky, slinky sounds of Nell’ Ora Blu to find some measure of respite and release.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: Stream | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Rise Above Records
Websites: facebook.com | uncleacidband.com
Releases Worldwide: May 10, 2024#2024 #30 #AngeloBadalamenti #EnglishMetal #EnnioMorricone #FilmScore #May24 #NellOraBlu #PsychedlicRock #Review #Reviews #RiseAboveRecords #StonerMetal #StonerRock #UncleAcidAndTheDeadbeats
