Unfortunately No Gods was not what I was expecting at all.  The jangly guitar sound and vocalist James Mattock’s rather chirpy vocal style reminded me far more of the musical stylings of the UK Indie scene and possibly even some of the Britpop bands than it did the Springsteen, stadium rock infused sounds of the U.S. Orgcore bands.  I’m not saying No Gods was a bad album.  Far from it; the musicianship and songwriting is top notch.  It just wasn’t what I was expecting and it wasn’t really a sound that grabbed my attention to any great extent.

I do however still return to it on a fairly regular basis, searching for that elusive “Oh now I get It!” moment.  In all honesty I’m still waiting on that to happen.  Perhaps their sophomore release Selfhood (out now on Rise Records) will be the record to change that.

Well, I can tell you right now it’s not.

Selfhood is 11 tracks that should be instantly recognisable to anyone who has heard New Gods.  I’m not quite sure what I was expecting to be honest, but I guess I was looking for progression or a measure of growth to their sound, but it is uncannily similar to their last effort.

But you know what?  Maybe that isn’t the worst thing in the world.  Sharks have a huge following in this country who loved New Gods and who will no doubt be absolutely delighted when they hear this one.  I remember how disappointed I was when I heard The Gaslight Anthem’s American Slang as they had moved away from the formula that gave us the legendary ’59 Sound.  So who am I to criticize a band for sticking to what they know and giving their fans another slice of what they want?

Selfhood is not a long album, the 11 tracks clocking in at just over half an hour, and while it doesn’t really float my boat there are a few tracks worthy of note.  The first Single Portland is quite a catchy little number with an almost Smiths-like chorus that had me humming along quite happily.  I Won’t Taint manages to very cleverly work the rhythm from Lean On Me by the wonderful Bill Withers into the latter parts of the song.  I’m a total sucker for stuff like that and it works really well.  Cap duly doffed.

For me, the band saved the best for last on this record.  Wild One builds from a gentle acoustic start that conjures the ghost of Jeff Buckley, and then builds in layers until its full awakening on the 2 minute mark.  There is just a hint of the Pixies in the latter stages of this song and I was left very impressed by the way they closed off the album.

So there you have it, not an album that appealed to me in any great measure, but one that I’m sure will be absolutely loved by their legions of fans.  I have tried my best to remain objective in this review as I appreciate my dislike for it is purely a matter of personal taste and not down to any failings on the part of the band.  I refuse to give it a bad score as it cannot be considered a bad record in any shape or form, but I just can’t bring myself to give it more than a 3 in light of some of the other albums doing the rounds at the moment.

Don’t hate the player y’all.

The film prioritizes the main character story which, to be honest, surprised me a little. From the trailer I was expecting an all out post-apocalyptic war story full of violence and despair. This film is more of an emotional journey – little violence, a fair chunk of despair. It’s probably a good job they made Jack a likeable guy since we’re in his head for two hours. He’s a nice guy who enjoys the simple things. He collects relics on his deployments such as a cuddly King Kong and various salvageable books. Tom Cruise has been typecast for so long now and Jack Harper does resemble Ethan Hunt from the Mission Impossible franchise, but they haven’t made an all out action film here. Cruise has taken a softer approach to our lead, which allows us to better understand him.

The supporting cast are great with each of them having a good proportion of camera time. We have Andrea Riseborough’s ‘Victoria’ who wants to leave Earth as soon as possible. She wants to unite with the rest of humanity on one of Saturn’s moon, Titan. You see her struggle with her wayward partner to the point where she looses hope. Her performance is wonderful and I don’t think we’ve seen enough of her in recent years.

Olga Kurylenko and Morgan Freeman are equally as valuable. Morgan Freeman as a freedom fighter, smoking a huge cigar did make me think that Samuel L Jackson should have been in that role. You could have picked him right out of ‘Avengers Assemble’.

This is a big budget production and you can see this through the visual effects. It looks stunning. The drones are so perfect that it’s easy to forget they’re not real and they are actually fairly scary when you realise they’re mad killing machines. We are taken on various rides through the landscape which is arid and rocky with the occasional glimpse of something we should recognize, like the Empire State Building. Landmarks such as this are a constant reminder that we’re looking at a devastated Earth.

Now onto my favourite topics – the soundtrack. M83 are the artists responsible for this absolute beauty of a soundtrack. I listened before I watched the film and I can’t stop listening to it. It fits perfectly with the film and if you do not come out of that auditorium wanted to listen to it again, there’s something wrong with you.

So everything I’ve said has been positive. Why only the two stars?

I think that perhaps I’m being a little unfair to Oblivion. I saw this film in an auditorium that was best suited for a screen full of seniors. The lights were not dimmed to a suitable level and I understand the need for emergency lighting, but this was ridiculous. The light reflected off the screen, which drained the contrast. The sound was far too quiet. A film such as this requires a fully operational sound system, cranked up to 11. That’s not what I got. I was struggling to hear some dialogue and the sound effects weren’t as prominent as they should have been. This was enough for me to not enjoy the film.

I also felt a little disappointed with the fact it wasn’t as ‘sci-fi’ as I’d been led to believe. I wanted more excitement and felt let down. The ending didn’t satisfy me at all and there were a few parts that made me think, ‘hold on a minute, that doesn’t seem quite right’.

I think I’d like to watch it again in a better auditorium. It’s not a film I’d watch in the home unless I had a good 5.1 surround system with a cracking sub to hand.

Anyway, for those not acquainted with Battle Beast, imagine combining  Sabaton’s head banging riffs, double kick and ballsy vocals with Lordi’s gruffness and slightly bouncy feel, along with some high pitched epic metal wailing screams thrown in occasionally for good measure.  The band have a huge sound and every element fits together perfectly.  The keyboard and guitar lead sections and solos are excellently played and the harmonies sound great.  The songs themselves are really well written, the riffs are interesting and with the exception of the final track, there is enough variation in the songs to not sound repetitive.  It’s ballsy, epic, catchy power metal at its best.

If you still don’t get what I’m talking about, the album artwork features 2 lion human hybrids with glowing yellow eyes fighting a horde of gun wielding robots using nothing but a sword, spear and relatively skimpy armour.  It’s also worth mentioning that the band have a new singer for this album, with a slightly different voice sound to the first album, it’s a less unique voice, but I think it actually works equally well, if not better.

Initial track Let It Roar starts with a keyboard lead line that immediately told me that I was in for exactly what I expected from this album.  The verse is stripped down, but still fast and a great contrast to the chorus.  In the second verse there is a single line of backing vocals which instantly demonstrates that this band don’t care about the douchey conventions of “serious” metal which is all too prominent in so many albums.  There are so many highlights to this album, but Out On The Streets deserves a mention for its classic metal riff and fantastic anthemic chorus.  Speaking of anthemic choruses though, the track Raven is in my opinion the best track on the album.  This song contains a frantic main riff for the intro and verses, but in the chorus it just goes to another level of epic-ness and had me wandering around the house singing “RAYYYYYYYVENNNNNN” for hours.

Into The Heart Of Danger is a more mid-paced track with a nice gallop feel to it.  This is the single release and it is a bit more mellow than the rest of the album.  It sounds a little like a certain training montage too.  The track Kingdom is power metal through and through, in-fact the double kick drum only stops in the breakdown for the solo.  This track follows on from Golden Age, an instrumental section that wouldn’t be amiss on any celtic metal intro tape.  It provides a nice break after the fury of the other tracks before everything kicks back in for the last third of the album.  Black Ninja is another highlight track for me with a slightly oriental feel to the main riff which is a nice touch on an album like this.

This is not a band for anyone who spends longer than 5 seconds deciding what t-shirt to wear to a gig, or cares about every strand of their hair being perfectly dyed black and straightened.  If you are bothered about using the word epic too much (I was once dumped for this exact reason) this album is not for you.  It’s not particularly serious in content, but the band are obviously serious enough about music and their skills and that’s why it’s so good.  Serious metal bands become tables anyway.

What happens when you take all the bullshit away from the metal scene?  Battle Beast happens.  I wish there were more bands like this.

It’s no secret that the band get compared to Black Sabbath and whilst many bands are so unfitting of the comparison, Orchid really are the real deal. This is proper 70′s sounding demonic doom with all the rock and bluesy tones you’d expect from the mighty Sabbath. The riffs are here, and here in force and the spooky reverby vocal that Theo Mindell deploys just add to the overall authenticity of the bands sound!! I said this release is important and the songs below will give you an insight why.

The title song for starters is fucking awesome! Driven by a huge bluesy rock riff of the highest majesty and the verse  – pre chorus sections deliver the right build up into the epicosity of the chorus. Sizzling lead work on the guitar ensure that this lives up to its status as the title track.

“Marching Dogs of War” is another pure belter!! This is like something right out your dad’s classic rock collection. Once again those smokey room riffs are spot on and the vocal work is fantastic. The tight rhythm section allows playful mini solos on the lead guitar.

The work on “Nomad” stretches the album right open and breathes in a different pace. Once again that 70’s production and feel add a genuine level of authenticity. The lyrics are pretty cool but the band are on a different level here, branching out into a trippy doom realm.

The shortest and most upfront track on the album comes second last. “Wizard of War” (fucking love this title) is less doom and definitely more classic rock. I really love this song and its no pretence vibe of “get in and get out” philosophy. And I could go on in much more detail about the rest of the songs but I really want you to check them out for yourself.

I was more than just a bit excited when I heard ‘Orchid’ last year on their EP “Heretic” and and I knew this band had the potential to deliver on this album. They didn’t let me down and if I hold any criticism at all on “The Mouths of Madness” it’s that maybe the production could be a bit clearer. It’s a minor gripe but its enough to stop this album grabbing 5 stars from this reviewer. Overall this album is stunning and if you like ‘Black Sabbath’ classic rock or a bit o tha Doom then you need to be listening to ‘Orchid’…now…go listen NOW!!

Whilst I was aware of Turner prior to England Keep My Bones, that was the album that really got me hooked.  The infectious fusion of punk swagger, stadium rock and English folk music, coupled with Turner’s preternatural gift for songwriting is difficult to ignore and nigh-on impossible to dislike.  Even my dear old Mum likes his stuff, although that recommendation comes with the caveat that she “just doesn’t understand why he has to swear so much”.  Thanks fuck she never reads any of my reviews.

So, having won the hearts and minds of the punks, the folkies and geriatric Scottish church-goers, you may be wondering where young Frank goes from here.  Well, it would appear that he has headed straight back into the studio and the result is Tape Deck Heart, his latest album released in April on the Xtra Mile label in the UK.

Being a huge fan of the man in question I was understandably apprehensive about reviewing Tape Deck Heart, particularly in light of the fact that I have just finished reviewing the latest album from my all-time musical hero, Steve Earle.  If you’ve read my review of The Low Highway you’ll have seen that I was left a little disappointed by Mr Earle’s latest effort.  Now whilst I wouldn’t say I am disappointed in Tape Deck Heart, I do feel a little non-plussed about it.  It certainly hasn’t had that “stop everything and just listen” type effect on me that England Keep My Bones did.

The first thing that hits you straight away is that TDH is far and away Turner’s most commercial sounding album to date.  The folk influences have been toned down to levels where at points they are barely perceptible.  There is no English Curse or Nights Become Day on this record.  What you do get is 12 tracks (18 on the deluxe version) of thoughtful, intelligent rock music with the subtle aftertaste of Turner’s punk rock heritage flavouring each track.

Opening Track Recovery starts off in subdued fashion with Frank singing over a basic repeating chord before the drums and piano herald the album’s arrival proper.  It’s an upbeat number that charts the road back from yet another failed relationship.  I don’t mean to pigeon-hole the boy, but if his subject matter is anything to go by he must be the most dumped person in the history of the world.  Recovery is a decent song, but it’s not a brilliant song.  I’m maybe being unduly harsh here, but Turner has set his own bar very high with previous releases and I was looking for things to shift up another gear with this one.

Losing Days and The Way I Tend To Be both continue in this vein.  They are decent songs that flow well together and create a consistent soundscape for the record, but I’ve just not been grabbed yet.  However this malaise comes to a crashing end with track 4, Plain Sailing Weather.  The minute Frank starts singing over the solitary electric guitar riff, you know this song is going to be special.  There is a great kind of Billy Bragg feel to the way the rhythm of the song comes from the vocals as opposed to the guitar, but it’s the chorus that seals the fucking deal for me.  The verse rises to a crescendo before crashing into a chorus that showcases Turner at his tortured, self-loathing best.  This is what I’m talking about; this is Frank Turner showing us that he still has something more to give us.  Praise be to the tiny baby Jesus!!!

This dichotomy in the quality of the tracks seems to be the recipe for the rest of Tape Deck Heart.  The weaker tracks are still very good and most songwriters would no doubt give their right nut (or ovary) for them, but the good ones are truly great.  The tempo does slow down somewhat towards the second half of the album, but there are still some outstanding numbers in there like Polaroid Picture, Oh Brother and the wonderful Broken Piano which closes the standard version of the album.  This last one is very reminiscent of R.E.M. at their minimalist best on New Adventures In Hi-Fi, and with a vocal display that is unnervingly close to (can’t believe I’ve going to say this) Chris Martin of Coldplay (forgive me Frank).

In recent years I have become very disillusioned with the whole deluxe/bonus/special edition marketing ploy that seems to blight every new release these days.  I like to view an album as single entity; it should be much more than just a collection of individual tracks.  It should have a flow to it, and a beginning and an end.  So tacking another 4 or 5 tracks on after the record should have finished makes absolutely no sense to me.  Also these much-vaunted extra tracks are invariably a collection of novelties and assorted dross that was deemed unfit for the original release.  That however can’t be said of those on Tape Deck Heart.  In fact some of the best tracks on the album are only available on the deluxe version and for the additional couple of quid or so that you’ll be asked to pay, it’s well worth it.  We Shall Not Overcome, Time Machine and the wonderfully named Wherefore Are Thou Gene Simmons? are all outstanding songs in their own right and far better than some of the tracks on the standard release, which beggars the question why didn’t they make the original cut?

So there you have it, an album of mixed emotions for yours truly it has to be said.  Tape Deck Heart will most definitely appeal to many of Turner’s younger fans and will no doubt bring an influx of new ones, but for me it just failed to deliver on my ridiculously high expectations.  I have struggled with what score to give this record from the minute I first heard it and I’m still none the wiser now after repeated listenings over the last couple of weeks.  It wasn’t as epic as I hoped it was going to be, but then again it is still miles ahead of 90% of everything else that’s out there today.  In light of that, and the fact that the additional tracks were so good, I’m going to give the deluxe version Tape Deck Heart a 4, but that score would probably drop to a 3 and a half for the standard edition.

Well I feel I’ve probably bored the arse off you for long enough, so I’ll leave you with a small piece of Frank’s searing social commentary from Good And Gone.

Fuck You Motley Crüe

TesseracT are one of said bands. Their combination of palm muted riffage and complex time signatures was one not to be missed and alongside their buddies in Periphery (and others), they helped modernise an intricate yet approachable style. Having numerous demos, E.P’s and an album under their belt, TesseracT weren’t short of experience and, to be honest, I think that’s what this new albums brilliance comes down to. I’ve nothing against any of the newcomers to the scene, because they all have their talents, but the one thing they don’t have makes the difference between a good album and a masterful one.

Now, I am a fan of progressive metal but I wouldn’t say I was a huge djent lover. Over the last couple of years I’ve become more and more detached from it and would much rather sit and listen to a doom or death metal album. But in all honesty this album just struck a chord with me; it had everything I wanted in abundance. The musicianship is stellar, the balance of heaviness and melody is perfect, the production is spot on and…well…..the songs are just so god damn addictive!

Opener ‘Of Matter – Proxy’ slowly builds around the peaceful tones of Ashe O’Hara before the rest of the bands bending rhythms kick in. There are some really nice changes of rhythm on this track and a cracking production to boot. I wasn’t a huge supporter of previous TesseracT productions, it was always a little to thin for me, but this album sounds warm and the riffs sound solid with plenty of girth. That’s right, the new TesseracT album has girth. The track is also completely void of screaming vocals; in fact, vocally, the whole album is completely melodic! I found this a little weird at first, I kept expecting to hear a scream, but there were none. BUT the more listens I gave to ‘Altered State’ I realised that the harsh vocals aren’t actually necessary, in fact the melodious tones of Ashe really accentuate the heavier guitar parts and when you hear the bottom-end riffage on tracks like ‘Nocturne’ you’ll see what I mean. I was also really impressed with how tight the band sounded, the bass and drums especially. I can really appreciate how much work has gone into getting each track sounding as intricate as they do. Those little synchronised accents between the bass and bass drum make all the difference. Well they do to me anyway.

I could go into major detail on why every track on this album is so amazing, but it would just make this already long review even longer! So instead I’ll give you my highlights. The vocal phrasing and choice of notes on ‘Of Reality – Eclipse’ are just sublime, full of emotion and a cracking range on display from Ashe. The off-kilter prog riffing at the 3 minute mark of this track also had me smiling from ear-to-ear. ‘Of Reality – Palingenesis’ combines a great mix of jaunty rhythms and grooves, before soaring into a catchy-as-hell chorus. ‘Of Energy – Singularity’ has slap bass! Enough said. The addition of the saxophone on ‘Of Energy – Embers’ was a fantastic choice, apart from the fact it has been captured wonderfully, it adds a great moody end to the track and the album.

So in conclusion, ‘Altered State’ is melodic, it’s groovin’, it’s colourful, it’s textured, the musicianship is marvellous and above all it’s so easy to listen to! Even the longer tracks on the album weren’t a chore to hear. I wasn’t that big of a TesseracT fan before this, but ‘Altered State’ has blown me away and completely changed my opinion of them. Go and buy this on the 27th!

In those days you were lucky if there was half an hour a week of rock music on British T.V.  The majority of music shows were chock full of Stock, Aitken & Waterman homogenised pop shite, mostly preformed by Australian soap opera stars.  One show that did dabble in the marginally heavier side of the music scene was BBC2′s No Limits, presented by the delectable Jenny Powell.  At the time I was pretty much obsessed with the whole Thrash Metal thing and was starting to branch out into Hardcore Punk so Country music was pretty much the furthest thing from my mind the night I heard Steve Earle’s Copperhead Road for the very first.

I was 15 and I was utterly mesmerised by the fact that a Country song could … well … rock!  Before the video was played Earle was introduced as one of the artists tipped to explode over the next 12 months.  I rushed straight out and bought the album and so began a lifelong obsession with one of the most enigmatic figures in American music.

Earle’s career never exploded in the way that was predicted by the youthful Miss Powell.  Instead it disintegrated in an apocalypse of drugs and prison time, but what emerged at the other side was a songwriter who had paid his dues, had stories to tell and was now free of the narcotic monkey on his back.  His subsequent records never reached the commercial heights of Copperhead Road but each one was a sold-gold fucking masterpiece in it’s own right and saw Earle draw on different influences each time, from World Music, to Bluegrass, to Electronica.

2013 sees the release of The Low Highway, Earle’s 14th (kind of) studio album and the follow-up to 2011′s I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive.  It is also the first album to feature the name of The Dukes (Earle’s 80s band) since his incarceration in 1994.  Granted the band is now called Steve Earle & The Dukes (& Duchesses) but this news excited me all the same. Would this herald a return to his Country Rock heyday of the late 80s?  Weight appeared to be added to that argument when I saw that the new incarnation of the Dukes featured the talents of Kelley Looney, Earle’s long-time bass-collaborator who was a ubiquitous feature of the 80s era Dukes, but who has not been seen since 2004′s The Revolution Starts Now.  The Duchesses come in the form of the wonderful Alison Moorer, Earle’s wife who has featured on his last 3 studio albums, and newcomer Eleanor Whitmore who brings her sizable talent on the fiddle to the party.

Any hopes of a return to the MTV friendly Country Rock of Copperhead Road are dashed as soon as the stripped back guitar licks of the title track open the album.  Earle’s unmistakable Texan drawl slithers across the minimalist folksy score as he sings about the wanderlust that has plagued him through his entire life.  A good, if slightly unexpected opening track that is probably most reminiscent of his post-prison lo-fi masterpiece Train a Comin’.

Calico County puts to bed the notion that this is going to be an acoustic album with its groove-laden riff delivered by a muted electric guitar that has an almost garage band feel to it.  It’s kinda like what I Feel Alright would have sounded like if Josh Homme had written it.  Earle’s trademark  righteous indignation comes to the fore for the first time on Burnin’ It Down as he rails against the multinational conglomerates that are sucking the life out of small-town America, but even this has a slightly muted, restrained feel to it.

So we’re 3 tracks in and each one has been completely different from the others.  Got to say I’m left feeling slightly bewildered and a little bit out of my comfort zone at this point, and That All You Got? does nothing to ease the sensation.  It’s more up-tempo than any of the previous tracks but it’s a jazzed up folk song with a voodoo inspired harmonica riff that has the spirit of New Orleans oozing out of every orifice.  No doubt inspired by Earle’s recent acting forays in Treme, It also sees him singing all the lines in Tandem with a female vocalist.  I’m not sure if its Moorer or Siobhan Kennedy (whose name appears in the album notes as an extra vocalist) but it sure as shit works.

Love’s Gonna Blow My Way has an almost 1920s ragtime kind of feel to it.  It’s not my favourite track I have to say and by this point I am actually beginning to tire of all of the experimentation going on.  There is none of the fluidity that characterised so many of Earle’s previous records and that prevents me from relaxing into the music and absorbing that atmosphere that is usually so prevalent.  We continue down this topsy-turvy path through the jazz-flavoured Pocket Full Of Rain to the old-time revival sounds of Warren Hellman’s Banjo and the indescribably catchy Down The Road Pt II.  First single Invisible is hugely reminiscent of the stuff he was doing on Washington Square Serenade, not a bad track but not the one I would have picked for the first single.

Now it wouldn’t be a Steve Earle album without a curveball thrown in just to knock you on your ass, and on The Low Highway he saves it until very nearly the end.  21st Century Blues is a ridiculously commercial Country rocker that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on The Hard Way, or at the very least Transcendental Blues and I flat out fucking love it.  And then, as soon as it arrived, its gone again and we end with Remember Me, a one man and his guitar type of heartbreaker that brings the album full-circle, right back to where it opened with The Low Highway.

I have to say that this is a real enigma of a record.  There are no out and out bad songs on here, but there is just no flow to it as a body of work and for me it fails to live up to the promise that the rebirth of the Dukes had hinted at.  It’s a kind of patchwork of all his influences and is definitely more salad-bowl than melting-pot.

Will I continue to listen to The Low Highway?  Without a doubt.  Will it receive the relentless continual playing that the likes of Guitar Town or Transcendental Blues did?  In all honesty I doubt it.  For me it’s very much an album that you have to be in the mood for, and I will probably return to it more out of a sense that I am missing something, rather than a burning desire to hear the songs again.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disappointed in this record, but hey, I love Steve Earle more than Steve loved his crack pipe, so I’ll be there at the gigs and I’ll patiently wait for the next album.  Maybe that’ll be the one that finally heals America and puts an end to war.  But even if it doesn’t we’ll still love him for trying.

God bless Steve Earle.

Musically, the band is very entertaining and heavy; loads of beat downs, heavy guitars, tight and rhythmical drums and topped off with a complimented style of vocals.  Production is very sweet indeed and their sound is indicative of the American wave of Hardcore/Metal-core evolution, but I shouldn’t mention evolution in this review……just in case.  I seem to be the reviewer of choice for all these bands that fall under the genre of the afore mentioned style, perhaps it’s because I tell it like it is, or perhaps it’s because the Master Chief at RNRR HQ likes my witticisms and heated expose’s that I produce, or perhaps it’s because no one else will do them and I penalised for being so remote in my own living, here in the West Highlands.  No matter, for I will tell it like it is and if you have any sort of affiliation, belief or strong views on Jesus, Christianity or the two mixed with metal, then stop reading now; the album is good; listen to it, end of story.

I fucking hate the use of any sort of religion in music, it ruins it and nobody likes it; well anyone with an iota of sense, who can widen their eyes to the mass of interesting and non-destructive things that are freely available in the world, that you could possibly make your songs about.  You could, indeed, make music about the world of make believe and have dragons fight with pink flavoured, haribo, ninjas, which would be wildly entertaining and if their religion is based on the understanding that it’s a lot of bollocks, so be it.  I doubt it though and there is an acoustic song at the end of the EP that reinforced the fact, they are on step away from baptising people at their gigs.  But that’s just my opinion and I am Atheist at heart and mind and as a song writer have always written about experience, sights and all the things that life involves you in, which can be backed up, proven and shared.  No fucking preaching for me and I couldn’t a flying fuck about the bible, the new or old testament, Jesus and anything vaguely associated to a biased and misguided organisation that has been killing millions like every other religion, for thousands of years.  People write shite songs all the time and are about real things, like One Direction or that cock stroking Justin Beiber, but this band are good at what they do and I wish they would convey a message of current life enjoyment or at least something good that was made up; invisible, Starbar Fairies of Pluto…or something like that.

Drums, including liberal use of cymbals, welcomes you into the album. ‘Storm Break’ is the title of the album and it features a rather meaty riff alongside the excellent vocals of Steve Murphy. ‘The Toe’  follows with a truly excellent, scene setting opening riff. The track has a feeling where the riffs are telling you a story. ‘Lay down and die’ croons Murphy and you feel every epic word!  It is a fantastic slab of pure doom!

However, you have yet to recover from the unadulterated awesomeness of ‘The Toe’ when you are hit with a truly, truly stunning track! ‘Casse – Tete’  is apparently (according to Google anyway) French for ‘Brain Teaser’ and this track is my favourite on the album.  Full of groove, it is a slow paced behemoth of a track. This time, Murphy sings in an almost Ozzy-esque style.

It is fair to say that the star of this album is the vocalist. His ability to have hints of other singers in there, the aforementioned Ozzy is one, as is Keith Caputo in his Life of Agony phase, prior to his, erm, lifestyle change!  Murphy sets this album apart, and he is ably supported by his band mates, Carl Porcaro and Chris Skowronski on the guitars (especially good on ‘Decrepit’, Rob Sefcik beating on the drums and the awesomely named Aaron Bumpus on bass!

Each and every one of the 8 tracks hits a home run.  The heavy metal ball is battered straight out of the park!  ‘A Time of Hunting’ is a stoner/doom album for purists.  For an album in this genre, it is short and pithy.  The longest track is a mere 7 minutes 12 seconds long.  This the doom equivalent of Napalm Death’s ‘You Suffer’.

I never had the pleasure of hearing the debut album.  Needless to say, it is now on my ‘must have’ list.  If it is anywhere near as good as the sophomore effort, it will be a cracker!

This time, the Germans four-piece’s tendency to experiment comes over largely through the incorporation of an overriding orchestral sound. Along with horror-style sound effects, all is combined into a demonic and atmospheric piece of death metal. I am able to verify that these parts were achieved by recording the Lingua Mortis Orchestra, under the command of Victor Smolski (of German band Rage).  Some digging also revealed that Canadian sound designer Katie Halliday was appointed to assist in putting together something truly scary-sounding, having worked on films like Saw V, Saw VI and Saw 3D. Nice!

Don’t go into Okkult expecting just straight-up, so-serious death metal. With bursts of operatic backing singing, sound effects and lyrics that conjure Satanic themes, there is an undeniable feel for theatrics on this record.

Opener ‘Pandaemonium’ is where the awesomeness begins. Atmospheric intros are always a winner in my book and this one draws you in immediately. Eerie melodies gradually build until the hammer of brutality strikes at about two minutes in. This album is engaging from the get-go. Follower ‘Death By Metal’, as the name suggests, keeps the old-school feel going. By song number three the gothic influences begin to filter through and make this opus into something remarkable. For a large portion, it’s almost as much of a soundtrack to an epic horror/fantasy flick as it is a metal album.

The track ‘Satan’s Braut’ is the most obvious example of industrial, another nod there to another great German influence. It stands out for that reason and is fairly catchy. However it isn’t particularly the most impressive on the album. The song marches on to a simple beat, with vocalist (and producer of the record) Alexander Krull barking in his native tongue for this one.

The lyrical themes are brought to life with the haunting, multi-dimensional power of the album’s sound. Atrocity has a history of creating concept albums, and it seems that with this one they’re transfixed with dark, occult themes; perfectly fitting. Such topics include:  black magic, opening the gates of Hell and a Scottish haunted castle.

This is definitely one of the most interesting albums of the year, so far. It’s quite incredible how so much soul has been sealed into the recording. These gothic metal pioneers certainly deserve praise for their bold experimentation at the very least. Although those who prefer to keep their death metal, industrial and gothic metal well separated best avoid.