Album Round-Up (February 2020)


As we get into February, the albums have began to pick up so we've had to be a bit picky. Be sure to check out the first album from the Scottish metal band The Massacre Cave, whose album came to our attention too late to make it onto this round-up. Ditto with releases from Five Finger Death Punch, Kvelertak, Loathe and Ihsahn among others. We'll maybe get round to reviewing some of these later in the year.

But for now, we have eight February albums to review!

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God Dethroned
Illuminati (7th February)

Metal Blade
WORDS: Ross Donald

FFO: Behemoth, At The Gates, Insomnium

God Dethroned are a Dutch blackened death metal band formed all the way back in 1990 and Illuminati is their 11th studio release. I think you can already tell with the name of the band that there’s gonna be some anti-religious commentary in this album (which is just fine by me). 

This release comes just after the band completed a trilogy of albums dedicated to the topic of World War 1; ending with 2017’s The World Ablaze. This is a band I hadn’t heard of before this album’s release, but judging by the quality of this record, I’ve been missing out big time. They start straight away with the title track which sets a rather slower pace in tone off quite nicely before picking up halfway through with that defining blackened death sound to get the circle pits going. First track in, and they’re already looking to get rid of religion... 

The next track ‘Broken Halo’ is almost a pure black metal track with its vicious guitar tones ringing throughout. Things do really pick up starting with the third track though, as every track has its own distinct sound. ‘Book of Lies’ injects the bleakness of black metal with a ton of melody, producing a gorgeous sound that is reminiscent of bands like Insomnium. ‘Gabriel’ has a bit of a gothic tinge to it, coming across like a heavier Idle Hands with harsher vocals. 

'Eye of Horus’ is a highlight for me as it has a fantastic opening riff that is thankfully used quite sparingly so that it’s a treat on the ears when it rears its head again. These guys have definitely been listening to some Rotting Christ... The final track ‘Blood Moon Eclipse’ isn’t quite as memorable as the previous tracks, but it still packs a punch. It also works well as an album closer as it’s pretty much just all out blackened death metal to end proceedings on a heavy note. 

Overall, I think this is easily one of the better albums I’ve heard so far this year. There are so many tracks that blend different styles, which leaves you with a memorable experience that you’ll want to go back to again and again. No track outstays its welcome and there are definitely no bad ones to be found here. Even if you’re not a big fan of this genre, this album is a good starting point if you're new to it, and it may even just change your mind. Definitely a high recommendation from me. 


Tracks to check out: 'Illuminati', 'Book of Lies', 'Gabriel', 'Eye of Horus'

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Green Day

Father of All... (7th February)


Reprise Records
WORDS: Joanne Gray

FFO: The Hives, Jet, Foxboro Hot Tubs

"The baddest rock band on the planet that gives a shit" was the statement coming from the Green Day camp before the release of their thirteenth album Father of All Motherfuckers. Brave words indeed for a band whose last album was the infuriatingly vacant and ageing Revolution Radio...

Thankfully then, Father of All... moves away from the saccharine dullness of that album and injects some sort of life. Unfortunately though, this form of life resembles a drunken uncle having a midlife crisis play out at a family party. Acting as an unwanted time capsule to the early 2000s, Father of All... actively scoffs at the generation-defining punk opera format of American Idiot before looking to garage-rock influenced indie rock for inspiration.

As seen by the 2012 release Dos and 2008 side project Foxboro Hot Tubs, these elements are not new to Green Day. But they really do sound more dated than ever in the context of this album. Combining horrendously strangulated falsetto vocals, obnoxious hand claps and a guitar tone that is almost entirely designed for American sports team to enter stadiums (see 'Father of All...' and 'Fire, Ready, Aim' for the worst offenders), this album is almost indistinguishable from the likes of The Hives and Jet. Can anybody let Green Day know that this type of music stopped being interesting or cool at least a decade ago please?

Sure, this album isn't the worst thing that Green Day have ever produced. Not even the questionable decision to sample a Gary Glitter song snippet on 'Oh Yeah!' (honestly, what were they thinking?) puts this album on the same league as the band's most cringey and/or boring material of the last decade. I can't say anyone other than those who adores the sound of early 2000's NME fodder will get much from this album however. For what it's worth though, it does at least sound like Green Day are having a bit of fun; even if this will be pretty disposable to most rock fans out there. 

Yet again, Green Day fail to gain any credibility within the punk circles they made their name in. But it's been a long 14 years since American Idiot, and it would be foolish to assume the Green Day of old are ever coming back. Small blessings indeed, but at least this is the shortest album of their career, and it thankfully isn't another Revolution Radio. Billie Joe and company do need a bit of a reality check though. The "baddest rock band on the planet that gives a shit", they certainly are not...

Tracks to check out: 'Stab You in the Heart', 'Sugar Youth'

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Sepultura

Quadra (7th February)
Nuclear Blast
WORDS: Ross Donald

FFO: Testament, Soulfly, Machine Head

Quadra is the 15th studio album by legendary Brazilian thrash metallers Sepultura. For some reason I had never listened to Sepultura before this album, despite their status as one of the best thrash metal artists around. After hearing this album, I did go back to check out some of their older stuff and I’m glad I did, and I can see why albums like Arise and Roots are regarded so highly. This particular album is called "Quadra" as it is a concept album based on numerology, the number 4 and its significance as depicted on Quadrivium. This was also applied to the method of setting the songs on the album. It is split into four separate parts with four different sub-genres that feature three tracks each, creating quite a unique setup.

The first part features core thrash, the second is more groovy metal, influenced by their Roots sound, the third part is a bit proggier, while the last part sticks to slower paced and melodic tracks. While I’d say there are definitely no bad or weak tracks on here, it does kind of peak with the first three tracks as the thrash element is definitely the most memorable section of the album. Every song here is an absolute ripper; particularly the opener ‘Isolation’ which is easily the best track on the album and should be one to open future live sets in furious fashion. Follow ups ‘Means to an End’ and ‘Last Turn’ barely give us a chance to breathe before the next section comes along. 

There are other highlights to be found though, with ‘Capital Enslavement’ sounding like it could have come right off the Roots album, complete with a tribal intro. ‘Raging Void’ sounds like a big track Mastodon would have come up with, so I heartily approve. The proggier side of things are good too with the atmospheric ‘Guardians of Earth’ and the brilliant ‘The Pentagram’ instrumental proving to be particular highlights.

It is a bit strange ending the album with two more melodic tracks then. While they are genuinely good songs; it does slow things down a bit considering the metal madness we’ve heard so far. I do think they should have kept the thrash section until the end to close things with a bang, but sadly we didn’t get that. In saying that, I do enjoy the final track ‘Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering’ quite a bit as the gorgeous guest vocals of Emmily Baretto leave quite a memorable impression and it has a nice catchy chorus.

Overall, I did enjoy the hell out of this album and the highest endorsement I can give it is that it instantly made me want to go back and listen to the band’s classic work. It’s certainly not perfect and could do with a bit of a shortening, as 51 minutes was just a tad too long. But really there’s a lot to enjoy here and with a lot of different sub-genres on offer, there’s a bit of a something for everyone vibe with. Containing many memorable tracks to back it up, Sepultura are back and are not messing about. I may just have to catch them at Download this year….


Tracks to check out: 'Isolation', 'Means to an End', 'Last Turn', 'Capital Enslavement', 'The Pentagram'

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Spanish Love Songs
Brave Faces Everyone (7th February)

Pure Noise Records
WORDS: Joanne Gray

FFO: The Wonder Years, The Menzingers, Bruce Springsteen


Back in 2018, the LA emo-tinged pop punk band Spanish Love Songs released their second album Schmaltz to high critical acclaim. As can be seen in the review here, I was one of those people who was captivated by the band's infectious Wonder Years-meets-Menzingers blend of infectious pop punk hooks and emotive lyricism. Having surprisingly resonated with so many people, SLS had a high bar to reach within the album's follow-up. And they were seemingly well aware of this fact upon writing their third album. 

Themes of depression, self-doubt and grief are still very much the focus of Dylan Slocum's brutally honest and impactful lyrics here. But instead of looking inwards, Brave Faces Everyone (even from the title alone) directly addresses and includes the listener. It's a subtle difference, but the change to second person perspective sees the impact of this album's themes heighten significantly. 

No question about it, this is a bleaker album than its predecessor. 'Routine Pain' is a slow burn which sees Slocum questioning whether you've "ever felt lower than anyone else?", and this same vibe carries over throughout the rest of the album. The breezier pop punk guitar lines of Schmaltz are largely replaced here with mid-tempo multi-layered swells of Springsteen-esque poignancy. Here, Slocum reflects on how the young adult age bracket is crippled with financial uncertainty and mental instability in songs like 'Generation Loss' and 'Kick', while the two 'Losers' songs and 'Beach Front Property' puts these themes into their environmental contexts. Modern day society is the main issue, rather than an isolated sense of inadequacy.  

With a band like SLS, such distinctions are important in creating a more grown-up and reflective album. Indeed, the songwriting ability from Slocum (which was already very strong) is improved even further on this release, and I'm still finding clever lines to delve into upon each listen. The more down-trodden sound that accompanies these lyrical strands also really suits the subject matter to a tee too, and the songs sound purposefully big as a result. 

If 'Schmaltz' was like 'The Greatest Generation', 'Brave Faces Everyone' is like 'No Closer To Heaven'. Although I do find myself missing the more upbeat and catchy moments that are so prominent in 'Schmaltz' (and I would just about pick the former album over the latter in both instances), this is undoubtedly a fantastic album by all accounts. SLS continue to show just why they have resonated with so many out there, and you need to get in on this band if you're at all into well-written emotionally driven pop-punk music. One of the best releases this year so far for me.

Tracks to check out: 'Routine Pain', 'Kick', 'Losers', 'Losers 2'

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Necrowretch
The Ones From Hell (14th February)

Seasons of Mist
WORDS: Ross Donald

FFO: Death, Mayhem, Entombed

Necrowretch are an old school blackened death metal band from France, and I believe that this is their fourth full length release. If you’re looking for some black metal that almost purely praises the name of Satan, then you’ve come to the right place. For an idea of their sound, they have the mentality and tone of Mayhem whilst adding the heaviness of death metal and occasionally the odd strain of doom as well. 

The album starts off with ‘Pure Hellfire’, which has an acoustic beginning to lull you into a false sense of security before the band puts their boot down on the black metal pedal to pick up the pace. The first three tracks are pretty much your standard black metal affair, but once we hit the mostly instrumental ‘Absolute Evil’, they manage to keep a good pace but mix things up a bit. Starting with ‘Codex Obscuritas’ (which is definitely more influenced by the sounds of doom metal), we have a nice contrast with the constantly moving black metal. ‘Through the Black Abyss’ works as a nice atmospheric, satanic instrumental before the final self-titled track ‘Necrowretch’ sees the band go all out in blaze of glory in the name of their dark lord. 

Overall, this is a pretty damn good album. While I wish the band did add more elements alongside the doom metal to make for a more memorable experience, the album as a whole is still a pretty satisfying. It's also a really easy listen as it's only 37 minutes long, and there are no bad tracks to be found. 

If you don’t like black metal this probably won’t change your mind. But if you do enjoy it, then you’ll find a lot to like here. 


Tracks to check out: 'Pure Hellfire', 'The Ones From Hell', 'Codex Obscuritas'


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InTechnicolour
Big Sleeper (21st February)

Big Scary Monsters
WORDS: Joanne Gray

FFO: Queens of the Stone Age, Baroness, Mastodon

Looking at the album cover for InTechnicolour's debut album (as well as the name of the opening track 'Miami Funk'), you'd be forgiven for thinking this was an album of sun-drenched 80s synthwave covered in neon lights. You'd be entirely wrong here though. Well... almost. The debut album from the Brighton newcomers does indeed sound like a hot day. But it would be better suited as an accompaniment to a long desert drive than a beach side party. 

And it is with the stoner rock genre that this album takes a lot of its inspiration from. It goes without saying, but the Queens of the Stone Age influences loom large with the band's use of fuzzy and hazy riffage. 'Under the Sun's slightly off kilter stomp and 'Big Sleeper's hulking guitars provide some of the strongest comparison points to early QOSTA and Kyuss that any stoner rock fan will enjoy. Moving beyond this though, there are other influences which make Big Sleeper more than just a copy of Homme's iconic bands. 

Melodically, much of this album brings together the slightly throaty, anthemic vocal stylings of Baroness with the smooth, melodic hooks of Mastodon ('Miami Funk', 'Shaker', 'Lend Me a Crushed Ear' and 'Doomer' in particular). These help to give a different and rather more catchy slant to the usual alt-rock scuzzy sound you tend to hear from most stoner-rock bands these days. And the tracks are all the more fun for it.

'Gallon Man', 'Slow Moth',and 'Tortoise' on the other hand, are longer tunes which venture into more sprawling territories to give a bit more of a serious edge to their musical canvas. Slowing things down, the former song goes into a more dirgy Cult of Luna territory while retaining their killer sense of melody. 'Slow Moth' is a rare cleaner offering whose dreamy slow build is more akin to Team Sleep or Deftones than anything in stoner rock. The 10 minute finale of 'Tortoise' ends things off in similarly interesting fashion as its slow build to soaring leads very much reminds me of the euphoria Curse These Metal Hands brought with last year's amazing 'High Spirits'. 

In short, this is a really impressive debut which showcases InTechnicolour's ability to craft really enjoyable stoner rock tunes, while integrating sounds from outside of that world so that the sound never gets stale. I can guarantee that this will be on regular rotation for me throughout the year and it should be a go-too album for you too. Especially when the rain ever decides to stop falling...

Tracks to check out: 'Miami Funk', 'Under The Sun', 'Big Sleeper'

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Ozzy Osbourne
Ordinary Man (21st February)

Epic Records
WORDS: Ross Donald

FFO: Black Sabbath, Black Label Society, Black Star Riders

Ordinary Man is the 12th solo studio album by the legendary Prince of Darkness. This review is a little harder to write for me. While I do consider myself to have some sort of emotional connection with all the music I listen to, this one hits a little closer to home. 

Ozzy has been one of my all time favourite artists for years with his solo work and his time with Black Sabbath being very influential towards my music taste. It’s been no secret that Ozzy’s health has been in decline for a while now and he's at the point now where he’s cancelled many tour dates (including one I still have a ticket to). Everyone just seems to be fearing the worst for him and it’s all just pretty heartbreaking to see. I wasn’t too sure about this album release then given Ozzy’s health and didn’t even expect much in the way of quality. But this actually surprised the hell out of me. 

First and foremost, I don’t think this can necessarily be called a ‘metal’ album as it’s more akin to hard rock most of the time. This is a bit weird for Ozzy, but with him winding down over the last few years, it does make sense that he would slow things down a bit. The only real complaint I have is that it’s lacking that bit of metal edge of previous Ozzy releases and even the heavier tracks feel like they’re holding back from being too heavy. This is slightly disappointing as the songs never really reach that next level they should do. As a result, the softer, more melodic tracks end up being more memorable in the long run. 

Some people seem to think that there are too many ‘ballad’ style tracks on here, but as they are the best tracks, I can’t really complain. I’d have actually been fine with the addition of even more. There are some pretty good solos and riffs now and again, but I can’t help but wonder what these moments would have been like with Zakk Wylde contributing. Why he wasn’t included is a mystery to me. 

In regards to the themes here, a lot of the tracks seem to be Ozzy looking back at his life with a tinge of regret about how he has lead his life so far. Tracks like the gorgeous and solemn title track in particular says that he wasn’t prepared for a life of fame but got to a point where he just didn’t want to die an ordinary man. The addition of Elton John is pretty awesome as well, I won’t lie. ‘All My Life’ is another reflective track where Ozzy thinks back on his time as a constant alcoholic and contemplates how his child-self would react to him now. 

It’s a sad album for sure but there are definitely some fun moments to be had- especially with tracks like ‘Scary Little Green Men’. It sees Ozzy sing about little aliens trying to eat us and it also has a catchy as hell chorus to boot. What’s not to love? The album closer ‘It’s a Raid’, which has the odd feature of Post Malone, is a lot of fun as well and is probably the closest thing we have to a metal track on here. Ozzy suitably goes crazy to end the album in appropriate fashion. Weirdly, this is the first time I’ve ever actually heard anything by Post Malone as I tend not to pay attention to the charts at all, but he seemed alright here and didn’t take over the track. 

Overall, I’d say that this is a good album musically. With the context of what’s currently happening with Ozzy and his health though, this fact alone almost converts it to an essential album. Ozzy fans should at least have a listen as it pretty much seems like a goodbye from the legendary Prince of Darkness himself. Plus, it does help that there are surprisingly no bad tracks and quite a few tracks that’ll get stuck in your head for a while. I’m sure you’ll go back to a few of the songs here again and again if you check the album out. Thank you Ozzy.

Tracks to check out: 'All My Life', 'Ordinary Man', 'Today Is The End', 'It’s a Raid'

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Four Year Strong
Brain Pain (28th February)

Pure Noise Records
WORDS: Joanne Gray

FFO: A Day To Remember, Protest The Hero, Set Your Goals

Five years on from their self-titled album, Four Year Strong find themselves in a world where pop punk has changed so dramatically that the style is hardly recognisable from what it was in the early 2010's. I strongly believe that Four Year Strong's last album is one of the strongest of their career. But I can't argue that the album has been left to stand as a last relic of the long dead 'easycore' genre in 2020. Although it was to be expected that FYS would seek to move out beyond this dated trope after a five year absence though, I had no idea they would come out with an album like this.

Starting with the oddly dreamy 'It's Cool' (which bares some resemblance to bands like Astronoid), the influences which present themselves on this album stretch out far beyond the usual 2000's pop punk parameters. By re-enlisting Fit For An Autopsy's Will Putney as producer here, it maybe shouldn't be too surprising that there is a greater sense of heaviness to this record that the band hasn't had since Enemy of the World. But it is surprising just how heavy it actually is. Songs like 'Brain Pain', 'Get Out of My Head', 'Seventeen' and 'The Worst Part About Me' all present more hefty guitar tones which puts the band more in line with metallic hardcore and tech-metal bands than anything else. I don't think I'd have ever imagined I'd be using bands like Periphery, Protest The Hero, Knocked Loose and Stray From The Path to describe a FYS album, but there you go...

Of course, this change in pace and added punch is exciting, but what has always made this band so great to me was their ability to craft massive vocal hooks which are ingrained in the heaviness of the instrumentals around them. There are some examples of that here ('Get Out Of My Head', 'Crazy Pills' and 'Talking Myself in Circles' for example) but as a whole, I do find that many of the other songs lack the memorability of previous songs. Sure, there is some fantastic riffing and heavy moments throughout this album, but it does seem that the band have sacrificed some of their integral hookiness to achieve these tones. 

Even in the more typically bouncy pop-punk tinges of 'Learn To Love The Lie' and 'Usefully Useless', and the more gentle early A Day To Remember-esque acoustic hum of 'Be Good When I'm Gone', the melodies surprisingly don't really shine through. The contrast between the latter song and the follow-up heavy blast of 'Seventeen' also shows the sometimes disjointed nature of this album at its most prominent. With the slow final offering of the Wonder Years-esque 'Young At Heart' ending things off in a rather forgettable and bland fashion, I've been left wondering when the album will ever stick in my brain. 

And I've given this album many listens in the hope that it will eventually do that. But it just hasn't... Compared to all of their other albums (barring In Some Way Shape Or Form), I'm struggling to see why there has been such hype for this one when I can barely remember much of the album once it's finished. There are definitely heavy parts which will appeal to fans of decent guitarwork and riffs; and there is a clear sense of maturity in this album thematically which shows the band have moved nicely outside of the easycore genre. But I'll take those earlier albums over the majority of this one, I'm afraid...

Tracks to check out: 'Get Out Of My Head', 'Talking Myself In Circles', 'Brain Pain'

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Thanks to Ross for his contributions to this round-up of February's albums and thanks to you for reading! Feel free to check out our playlist of our favourite songs this month below or leave a comment below to tell us which albums you have liked over the month. Be sure to give us a like/follow on the socials if you like our content. As always, we're open to contributions/submissions so you can always get in touch as well. 

Cheers!

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