Album Round-Up 2019: Part 2
WORDS: Joanne Gray
Another late round-up of a year's quarter here because apparently, bands have decided that the middle of the year is when they should start realising albums... Alongside having so much to do for uni, I've not been able to get round to as many albums here as I would like, but I've still got 16 below to discuss. No doubt I'll catch some of the ones I've missed throughout the rest of the year but as of this round-up, I have 7 longer reviews and 9 bite-size ones below. Not bad for a couple of weeks' work I'd say!
Anyway, enough of me rattling on about writing about albums. Onto me rattling on *about* albums, shall we?
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1) PUP- Morbid Stuff (5th April: Rise Records)
Toronto, Canada is not a place where high octane punk music is in shortage, but PUP have become one of the most exciting young bands to emerge from the city in the last few years. I absolutely loved their self-deprecating yet energetic 2016 album The Dream Is Over to the point where it got to my top 20 that year, so I was very much looking forward to its follow-up. Dropping four singles before the album’s release on the 5th April (‘Kids’, ‘Free At Last’, ‘Sibling Rivalry’ and ‘Scorpion Hill’), it became clear that the songs on offer here were going to be more diverse than anything they’ve released before. That’s something which is also a defining feature of the rest of the album here.
'Morbid Stuff’ kicks things off with that, now notorious, PUP jaunty guitar sound and slightly out of tune sounding vocals that combine so well. This song is the first indicator in the album that PUP’s sound has gotten more upbeat in places and there's a level of polish in the production here that hasn’t been seen from this band yet. As is customary for this band though, the lyrics always hint at something a little darker with a sense of snarky sarcasm and bitterness about what seems to be a relationship breaking down. Only one song in and the contrasting themes of colour and darkness shown in the album artwork make a lot of sense. This continues with ‘Kids’: a single that sounds utterly huge and has a exuberant sort of chorus guaranteed to get stuck in your head for days. This exuberance continues within the instruments here and there’s some nice interplay between the clean and staccato power chords from the guitars. Throw in rolling drums and bass beats and you've got a song that has a bit of an almost football chant sort of feel that is just great to listen to. If this song doesn’t stay in their live catalogue for the rest of their career, I’ll be very veeery surprised.
Another song with this chanted sort of feel is ‘See You At Your Funeral’ which is clearly about the aftermath of a breakup with all the bitterness which is to be expected. Alongside this though, there is a sense of humour about the patheticness of the situation which is evident in the self-aware lyrics and vocal delivery. This is another cleaner sounding song to begin with but builds to slight overdriven trebly guitars throughout, with some more poppy gang chanted vocals in the chorus to make the hook here really stand out. Although I could’ve done with a little more grit to the guitar tone throughout, the scathing vocals stop the song from ever getting too wet sounding, and the lyrics are pretty wicked as well. ‘Closure’ is a song here which balances up the sense of jauntiness with a more ramshackle feel that is prominent in their previous work. Particularly within the distorted guitar parts after the "I need closure" line. This one isn’t as huge sounding as previously mentioned songs, but it’s still got enough of a hook there to keep it being a memorable one.
Things get a bit heavier with songs like ‘Free at Last’, ‘Blood Mary, Kate and Ashley’ and ‘Full Blown Meltdown’ though which stop things getting a bit too chirpy. ‘Free At Last’ opens with a brief, almost comical three notes guitar lick before the song bursts into a more musically and vocally aggressive one. Add in a shredding guitar solo then some poppy woos and tinkling guitars to close things off and you’re onto a winner. ‘Bloody Mary, Kate and Ashley’ appears to be a song about getting high and attempting to undertake a Satanic ritual. And something about Ashley and Mary-Kate. Yeah... Definitely drugs involved here. The song starts off with some squealing guitars over a thunderous bass and guitar riff which drops off through the verses and leads to a jauntier chorus. There’s a sense that the upbeat and the metallic-hardcore sounds are trying to bounce off of one another quite considerably. I don’t think this quite works as I tend to love the sections that go hard but feel a bit disappointed when it calms down in the chorus. Still one of the more interesting listens on the album though for sure. The lack of cohesion is not a criticism that can be given to ‘Full Blown Meltdown’ though as it is by far the most constantly heavy and rollicking song on the album. Under three minutes long, the song thunders along with a fuzzed up vibe of Rage Against The Machine smushing up against the likes of Gallows with a bit of southern fried Every Time I Die for good measure. This is an absolute rager of a track and it’s appropriate that the lyrics are perhaps the most furious, fed up and self-defeated sounding within the full album. Try not to think of 'Toxicity' when that last circle pit inducing riff comes in. Excellent stuff.
The rest of the songs here further highlight the movement of this band into different musical directions. ‘Scorpion Hill’ starts off with entirely clean, almost acoustic guitar and vocals which are then subtly accompanied with drums and a choir of voices which give it a campfire singalong feel. After about a minute or so, the song quickly switches back to a more familiar format but still sounds a bit different for PUP. The verses are full of satisfyingly simple yet euphoric melodic lines that remind me a bit of The Wonder Years’ earlier pop punk material. More clean guitar tones come back over pulsing drums and distorted guitars during the upbeat chorus which talks about "some pretty dark thoughts" in a catchy manner. In the last third of the song, it all returns back to the campfire sound again for a bit before a simple Weezer-esque guitar solo kicks in. There’s a false ending after this where everything falls away again apart from some clean poignant sounding guitar arpeggios and another instrument that sounds a bit like a harmonica. This is a cool song, even if it took me a little while to get into cause of the change of direction.
'Bare Hands’ also opens in a more chilled out fashion with some mellow rhythm guitars which are accentuated with some more melodic lead lines. The verses then have a minimalistic vibe which only gets more animated during the chorus. Here, the gang vocal chants and woahs give it a bit of a punch that the verse (perhaps purposefully?) lacks a bit. The song then ends with a pretty pleasant and almost choral harmonisation from all of the band’s members that is nice to listen to. In contrast to the previous two songs, ‘Sibling Rivalry’ opens with a bit more of grit to its sound upon starting with some high pitched tremolo picking which then drops off pretty quickly. The verses then sound a little bit darker in nature due to the rolling drums and heavier bass tones. Other than the chorus build up which sees some woos which are mimicked within the guitar squeals, this darker vibe continues throughout the song and makes it reminiscent of some of the non-single material from PUP’s last album. Out of the four singles, I feel like this one has less to it, but it has grown on me a bit as time has went on.
'Bare Hands’ also opens in a more chilled out fashion with some mellow rhythm guitars which are accentuated with some more melodic lead lines. The verses then have a minimalistic vibe which only gets more animated during the chorus. Here, the gang vocal chants and woahs give it a bit of a punch that the verse (perhaps purposefully?) lacks a bit. The song then ends with a pretty pleasant and almost choral harmonisation from all of the band’s members that is nice to listen to. In contrast to the previous two songs, ‘Sibling Rivalry’ opens with a bit more of grit to its sound upon starting with some high pitched tremolo picking which then drops off pretty quickly. The verses then sound a little bit darker in nature due to the rolling drums and heavier bass tones. Other than the chorus build up which sees some woos which are mimicked within the guitar squeals, this darker vibe continues throughout the song and makes it reminiscent of some of the non-single material from PUP’s last album. Out of the four singles, I feel like this one has less to it, but it has grown on me a bit as time has went on.
This is something which is very much the case with the album closer ‘City’ as well as it evokes a more sombre, mature feel in the soft echoing guitar, muffled drums and bass lines from the start. Vocally this sounds a lot sadder and resigned than anything else on the album and really brings the reflective nature of the song to the fore. As with the rest of the album though, this one track doesn’t stay in one place for too long as about halfway through, some sharp feedback pops in alongside compressed drums. Bitter harsh vocals gradually drip in to form a more angry sound that is dripping with contempt. With the feel of the instruments around it, the song lacks any of the sense of humour found in previous songs, leaving behind a really hard hitting end to the album. Although 'Full Blown Meltdown' is more consistently heavy than this song, the low tones towards the end here make this song perhaps the heaviest thing on the entire album.
Looking at Morbid Stuff as a whole then, it seems that PUP have continued to grow and diversify their sound. The big songs here sound bigger than anything they’ve written, the bitter humour seems even more bitter and the heavy parts seem heavier than before as well. It’s strange then that this album took so long to get a hold on me then. I suppose it’s because I loved their last album so much and the more trebly production here has taken a bit of getting used to. Although this has improved with time, I’m not sure I’ll ever like this album as much as their previous one, as I prefer the angry, snarky pop tinged punk stuff better than the more indie-folk sound that is quite common within this album. But that’s just me. I know a lot of people will dig that more melodic sound. With choruses and anthemic moments littered all over the place, that’s hard to argue with as well.
This is an album that is guaranteed to garner the band more fans and get them playing more big shows. For a band who are as good at what they do, that can only be a good thing. There’s not many bands out there that can deliver a soaring chorus in the midst of such angry and snarky but still jaunty pop punk like PUP do. Listen to them.
Tracks to check out: ‘Morbid Stuff’, ‘Kids’, ‘Full Blown Meltdown’
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2) Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes- End of Suffering (3rd May: International Death Cult)
With this third album, Frank Carter now has more studio albums under his belt with The Rattlesnakes than he had with Gallows, cementing this work as his main project a decade on from the success of his former band. It makes sense then that Frank has poured his entire being into this band for the last few years. This is more evident than ever in this third album which is perhaps the most personal record he’s been involved with to date.
Opening track ‘Why a Butterfly Can’t Love A Spider’ is a slow mournful sounding bluesy track that has subtle desert rock vibes a la Queens Of The Stone Age. The more subtle nature of the track gives Frank’s vocals a lot more room to be soulful, and his ability to expressive himself really comes through here. Around the middle of the track, some fuzzier guitars and a heavy bassline comes in to give a Royal Blood-esque heft before dropping off again. The incredibly vulnerable and personal lyrics on show here are really great too. It is this combination of Queens of the Stone Age dirgy (and sometimes incredibly seductive) riffing, intimate lyrics and great vocal performance that really characterises this album throughout.
Tyrant Lizard King’ sees Frank accentuate the sultry stomp with an (almost) Idles-esque sense of swaggering attitude that really makes this one an irresistible listen. Throw in a guitar solo from none other than the legend that is Tom Morello that wails all over the shop and you have an awesome track here. ‘Kitter Sucker’ (perhaps the biggest sounding song on the album overall) is total QOSTA worship. So much so that its fast paced power chords, thudding drumming and vocal structure remind me a lot of ‘Feel Good Hit of the Summer’. All of this really comes together in the chorus which has an insanely huge vocal hook that’s guaranteed to lodge itself inside your brain. Really, this song takes what was so big about the best moments of the last Rattlesnakes album, Modern Ruin, but by placing the instruments further down in the mix, Frank’s voice is allowed to take more of a centre stage here. Extra points for the mid section that is reminiscent of the hard bit in ‘No One Knows’. This leads to a double time section where Frank screams about being a "punk rock renegade" in a way that is really satisfying to listen to and evokes a bit of the hardcore edge of his past material. Slowing things down a bit though,‘Latex Dreams’ sounds like QOSTA at their most seductive mid-period. This was always going to be a winner for me. Although I do think the chorus is considerably less impactful than I expected given the super sexy verses, this is another song that is oozing in personality and is a great mood piece of a song.
The most powerful (and one of the best in the entire album as a result) though, is the incredibly trippy, stoner dirge of ‘Angel Wings’ that sees Frank relay his experience with (what seems to be) prescription drugs. Here, he sees odd visual illusions of "dragons made of oxygen" and the like and this all gives off a very personal and claustrophobic sense of helplessness that bleeds through the track. The particular line of "20mg is all I need" and his manner of delivery really stuck with me and becomes one of the saddest points on the album as well. This is a song which sees Frank push his vocals to the limit, particularly towards the end where he questions when everything will all end. Here his vocal chords seem to rip in exasperation. I found this to be a stop-in-your-tracks sort of song musically and lyrically, and is one which will resonate with me for a long time.
Tyrant Lizard King’ sees Frank accentuate the sultry stomp with an (almost) Idles-esque sense of swaggering attitude that really makes this one an irresistible listen. Throw in a guitar solo from none other than the legend that is Tom Morello that wails all over the shop and you have an awesome track here. ‘Kitter Sucker’ (perhaps the biggest sounding song on the album overall) is total QOSTA worship. So much so that its fast paced power chords, thudding drumming and vocal structure remind me a lot of ‘Feel Good Hit of the Summer’. All of this really comes together in the chorus which has an insanely huge vocal hook that’s guaranteed to lodge itself inside your brain. Really, this song takes what was so big about the best moments of the last Rattlesnakes album, Modern Ruin, but by placing the instruments further down in the mix, Frank’s voice is allowed to take more of a centre stage here. Extra points for the mid section that is reminiscent of the hard bit in ‘No One Knows’. This leads to a double time section where Frank screams about being a "punk rock renegade" in a way that is really satisfying to listen to and evokes a bit of the hardcore edge of his past material. Slowing things down a bit though,‘Latex Dreams’ sounds like QOSTA at their most seductive mid-period. This was always going to be a winner for me. Although I do think the chorus is considerably less impactful than I expected given the super sexy verses, this is another song that is oozing in personality and is a great mood piece of a song.
The most powerful (and one of the best in the entire album as a result) though, is the incredibly trippy, stoner dirge of ‘Angel Wings’ that sees Frank relay his experience with (what seems to be) prescription drugs. Here, he sees odd visual illusions of "dragons made of oxygen" and the like and this all gives off a very personal and claustrophobic sense of helplessness that bleeds through the track. The particular line of "20mg is all I need" and his manner of delivery really stuck with me and becomes one of the saddest points on the album as well. This is a song which sees Frank push his vocals to the limit, particularly towards the end where he questions when everything will all end. Here his vocal chords seem to rip in exasperation. I found this to be a stop-in-your-tracks sort of song musically and lyrically, and is one which will resonate with me for a long time.
Although these tracks are all really good though, this album does even more sonically that makes this an interesting album for those not so keen on QOSTA. ‘Heartbreaker’ is another huge song which has a similar feel to the bigger more stripped back rock songs on Modern Ruin but this approach to songwriting really helps to really match the personal nature of the lyrics. ‘Crowbar’ starts with distant fuzzy low end bass and guitars while some weird electronic sounds bounce around in the background before the vocals and instruments come in full force. This is more like an Arctic Monkeys/Royal Blood take on blues infused garage rock that has a lot of attitude to match. Not one of my favourites here, but there’s no denying how big this one sounds when it reaches the chorus. ‘Love Games’ has a similar sort of Royal Blood-ish low end trudging single note feel which gives Frank’s vocals space to shine here as well. Staccato keys come in alongside the emotional vocals to give it a bit of a more down tempo Amy Winehouse feel to things. Musically, this is a more restrained track, but the soul of Frank’s singing really carries it through and gives it an authentic feel. Particular shout out to the chorus which sees his exertion in the higher register notes make his voice crack a bit in a way that exudes emotion.
‘Anxiety’ is another more mellow track that opens with odd noises and some clean guitars which give a slightly disorientating effect. The lyrics are pretty self-explanatory in that they're about mental health problems and these are some of the most personal lyrics Frank has written. Other than the more powerful instrumentals during the chorus, this is a pretty relaxed track throughout that doesn’t do as much for me, but again, it is another solid song and a pretty good moodpiece. ‘Supervillian’ has a similar lack of interest for me in parts, as although it starts off strongly, it doesn’t completely deliver as a whole. It opens with some gentle, slightly dissonant picked guitar chords where Frank’s soulful vocals are in full display here. I get the vibe throughout that the song may be about prostitution with the references throughout and this is accompanied by a slightly dark sounding vibe to the instruments underneath. This builds to a rather unnatural sounding chorus where things jump up a bit tonally and get a bit faster paced. Although I think there’s a bit of a clash between these two things here, this is another interesting song that again showcases Frank’s on the sleeve lyrics and sense of reflection. I could very much say the same about ‘Little Devil’ which sees high pitched effect laden guitars accompany with a simple drum beat reminiscent of some Royal Blood material. This has a bigger chorus but the rather plodding verses do very little for me. This is probably the weakest track here, but it’s another example of a song which would still sound good to have on in the background.
Ending things off on a note of high quality though is the final self-titled track ‘End of Suffering’. Opening with an eerie sounding acoustic opening and piano, the song really exudes a bittersweet feeling. And that’s all before you get to the vocals where Frank sings about his relationship with his daughter and how inadequate he feels being “the father of a girl so strong”. Both the lyrics and delivery make this a poignant song, rather than a cheesy one after all the darkness of the album. Ending with the lyric "your happiness will be the end of suffering" feels like a perfect end to the album and, even though it’s still a very sad sounding song, it signals a sense of closure and ability to make positive changes that hasn’t really been seen so far here. This is a really powerful song, and is far and away the most heart-on-sleeve Frank has been within any of his musical projects so far. A really special one to end this incredibly personal album then.
This sense of emotion and authenticity is something which is so admirable about End of Suffering as a whole, and Frank as a vocalist and a lyricist should really be applauded here. Musically, this is very much an album that takes cues from previous Rattlesnakes material but continues to see the band move in different directions to what people would expect. After Blossom, it would have been easy to continue making hard hitting punk songs and after Modern Ruin, it would have been even easier for them to capitalise on the huge choruses and stripped back sound. Many expected (including myself) that the Rattlesnakes would combine both of these elements in their next album, and they have continued to surprise here by not really doing that. Although I do think that some of the songs here are not as impactful or as memorable, the passion and integrity of Frank as a frontman makes these things a lot easier to overlook. If you were to take this album as a mood piece rather than one full of standalone rock songs, this is one of the best at conveying a sense of sad reflectiveness that I’ve heard in a long time. There’s also some killer songs here as well.
I’m looking forward to seeing the direction that Frank will go in his next album. From what is shown here, he is one of the most interesting people in rock music, and that doesn't look like it's about to change any time soon.
Tracks to download: ‘Tyrant Lizard King’, ‘Angel Wings’, ‘Kitty Sucker’ , ‘End of Suffering’
3) Idle Hands- Mana (10th May: Eisenwald Tonschmiede Records)
Formed after the dissolution of previous Portland heavy metal outfit, Spellcaster, Idle Hands have been quick out the gate to release an EP in 2018, and a full-length album in 2019. If you were to look at their band page before listening to this album, you would be forgiven for thinking that their influences of "Trad Metal, 80's, Goth, Classic Rock, NWOBHM and Post Punk" were far too diverse and mad to be true. Hearing this album however, would firmly shake such thoughts away from your stunned skull.
'NIghtfall' sees a shimmering reverb drenched clean guitar followed by Gabriel Franco’s gloomy vocals which exude post-punk/new wave low register moodiness (Tears For Fears, Echo and The Bunnymen and Joy Division come most to mind here) and gothic rock gritty stylings (think Bauhaus, Type O Negative and Sisters of Mercy). Sprinkle in an absolutely massive chorus, driving double bass drums and underlying NWOBHM guitar riffs and you have a song that will blow your mind at just how well all of these things work together. The next song ‘Jackie’ follows a similar template but begins to brings forth the prevailing sense of darkness that exists within this album with lyrics that seem to be about a lost love. This has another absolutely massive chorus and a Iron Maiden-esque dual guitar solo that is simply sublime. Such Maiden worship is also shown within songs like ‘Blade and the Will’ (the only song to be carried forward from the 2018 EP), ‘Give Me To The Night’ and ‘Cosmic Overdrive’ which all have exhilarating galloping sections and utterly soaring melodic lead lines that sound like they belong in arenas. The former of these in particular, is one that is insanely catchy.
There are a few ‘ballad’-esque tracks here which slow things down while still maintaining an embrace of dark and fantastical themes though. ‘Don’t Waste Your Time’ brings forth delay and reverb infused clean guitar lines in a restrained manner to accompany the mournful lyrics about the futility of life. Throughout the song, the gorgeous instrumentals lead to a brief heavier guitar solo which borrows directly from the Kirk Hammett playbook. The brief epic feels here are then very much evident within the latter third of the song where the dual lead lines accompany intuitive drum fills that ends things with a faster, mid 80s sounding thrashy section. 'Dragon, Why Do You Cry?’ has a similar restrained feel during the verses after a slightly quirky, almost syncopated bouncy feel is brought forward in the instruments. This doesn’t stay for long though when the now familiar gritty howl of the vocalist interjects with "Dragons" in an overblown fashion. If it wasn’t already clear that this vocalist will not be for everyone, it is certainly obvious in the in-your-face delivery here. This sense of cheesiness continues within the echoing, almost spoken word mid-section and an odd funky musical addition from the instruments. Out of the three more ballad-y songs in the album, this is certainly one of the more strange offerings. For me, it seems like one that only works for you if you can completely embrace the total 80s pomp. Not a hard thing for me, right enough...
For those wanting something a bit heavier though, there's a more aggressive style in the song 'Double Negative' which works well alongside the lyrics about depression an suicide. Somehow Idle Hands still manage to make things sound life affirming within that chorus though, which is pretty cool. Shout out to the brief section in the song where there is a groove laden breakdown before a majestic solo that is totally unexpected. Yas. ‘It’ll Be Over Before You Know It’ is even more obviously wonderful in its sad opening instruments that are reminiscent of some of Metallica’s most epic balladry from the 1980s (think ‘Fade To Black’ or ‘Welcome Home (Sanitarium’)). The space given to the gloomy vocals here really gives a similar sound to Type O Negative as well, which is always a plus for any big goths out there. This song really is wonderful, and it’s especially remarkable when the distorted guitars and thudding drums kick in a band on their first album could construct something of this scale. Beautiful track.
Ending the album then, are ‘A Single Solemn Rose’ and ‘Mana’. In my opinion these two songs would have made more sense if they were placed in a reverse order. The former, which begins with distinctive hand claps, has perhaps the most upbeat feel to any song in the album. Not because of the conventionally dark lyrics of course, but from the major-key guitar lines which give the whole song a lift in mood. Such a contrast between light and shade is a really interesting one which would have given the album a sense of finality had it been last in the running order.‘Mana’ however then moodies things up again with the typical shimmering clean guitars and soaring chorus. It feels like the first time that the chorus and verses here don’t quite fit together as cleanly as they should for me. Thankfully a rollicking solo brings things back to speed though before rolling drums and fast guitars then quickly drop away to nothing. It’s a suitably dramatic closer to an album full of such moments. I just think this would have been to be second last here.
It's a slight gripe though, as this is an album that I’ve found myself going back to many, many times since I first heard it. The combination of different aspects of rock music that I love is perfect for an 80s obsessive like myself. It's truly awesome that such ambition exists from a band on their debut album, and I’m glad that the combination of influences works far more often than it doesn’t. For any fans of alternative 80s music of any kind, this album is a must listen and I would be surprised if those ear worms don’t stay in your head for months and months. I can’t wait to see how Idle Hands continue to refine and grow their sound in the future after this awesome album.
Tracks to check out: ‘Nightfall’, ‘Give Me To The Night’, ‘It’ll Be Over Before You Know It’
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4) Rammstein- Rammstein (17th May: Universal Music)
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The seventh (officially untitled, but for the sake of this review, it's eponymous) album from the German industrial legends Rammstein sees the band come back with their first release since 2009’s Liebe ist für alle da. It’s safe to say that the hype levels for myself were pretty high, as although I’ve always really liked Rammstein’s singles, I had only really started to get into the band on the run up to this album and it would be the first proper release I would get to experience since being fully into rock music as well. This hype was exaggerated when the band dropped the music video for ‘DEUTSCHLAND’ back in March.
The song itself opens with some synths that have serious Kraftwerk vibes before power chords ring out to great effect. The guitars then mimic this synth line but in doing so, gives things a bit of an Iron Maiden feel before the drums kick in which really push things along in a satisfying way. This feels like it would be a great moment to experience live as well as there’s a bit a bounce that’s pretty infectious. Great riff too. Lyrically the song opens with the phrase “du hast”, somewhat cheekily referring back to previous material. You can almost imagine the knowingness of the band as they decided to open their first album in a decade with this line. Conventional Rammstein sounds follow this in the verses with Till’s notorious gritty low vocals, the echoeing backing vocals and a pounding bass drum that drives the whole song. This all builds up to the catchy shouted "Deutschland" chant during the chorus. Although one could say that ‘DEUTSCHLAND’ it is a bit Rammstein by numbers, it’s still a really great, fist pumping song by itself that makes you feel pumped for what is about to follow. As is always the case with Rammstein though, it is best to experience the song alongside its music video. This one in particularly is simply sublime in its scope and cinematography as it relays Germany’s dark history in a powerful and (as always) controversial way. Awesome.
Second single and track on the album ‘RADIO’ (yeah... every song here is upper case for some reason) is similar in the way that it is most powerful when the song and music video are considered in tandem. In a monochrome fashion, the video and song depicts the relationship between East Germany and the West during the Cold War, and the blissful escape of listening to western radio for two hours a week. The Kraftwerk vibes are completely ramped up in the song, opening and coming back to a 'Du Hast'-esque synth line several times in the song. The verses sees Till’s ominous vocals accompany darker sounding synths and a persistent drum beat that conveys the more haunting undercurrents of the song. The chorus then erupts with a simplistic hook of "raaaadio, mein radio" in a way that makes it sound a bit like a darker 80s pop tune. Now this is something that I should have immediately loved but for some reason Rammstein doing a song like this didn’t click with me initially. Getting used to the song and taking into account the lyrics and message of the tune has meant I’ve grown to like this a lot more with time though. By the time the orchestral sounds towards the end of the song builds to a huge chorus once again, it’s clear that this is a song which will sound huge in the live environment.
‘ZEIG DICH’ is perhaps an even huger song though, as shown by the epic choral Latin hymn that opens things before the guitars, drums and bass build up pace. There’s a faster, almost thrashy section here before the vocals come in alongside some wobbly low synths. "Zeig dich” is then repeated over and over in the first chorus before a soaring vocal line from Till occurs in the second chorus which really lifts things to epic proportions. Towards the end, everything drops off to just a clean guitar but then the choral section comes in again, with a scream from Till that gets things bouncing again. The choir really adds a lot to this song here, and suggests that the song itself (in English it translates to ‘Show Yourself’) refers to something darker relating to the Catholic Church (I’ll leave that open for interpretation here). Another really good song.
None of the above songs compare to ‘AUSLÄNDER’ however. Immediately you’re greeted with the most ‘out-there’ thing Rammstein has done in a long time with that insanely Euro-poppy synth opening riff. This is one that you will either love or hate, but honestly, it’s on another level of catchy regardless. The verses consist mostly of Till’s gripping vocals, a compressed snare and an appropriate deep bass sound. It also sounds really dancey in the way that only the best (or worst) Euro-pop can, but it’s so damn good when the chorus of “Ausländer, mi amore” comes in along the pulsing guitars and pounding bass in the chorus. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed something that could sound like it’s being played in a club in Ibiza so much but I love this song so much. And it seems like the overly carefree, naff feel of the song is all very much deliberately at odds with the video. Contrasting with the very typical Rammstein lyrics about hooking up with women from all around the world, the video sees the band take on the roles of German colonists having a (totally innocent) giant beach party with women in an African country (wow…). As ever, it’s great to see Rammstein provide this darker side to such a catchy song in a way that very few other bands could pull off. And what a song to do it to as well. In my opinion, this is one of my favourite songs of the year so far and Rammstein need to keep this song in their live set up for the rest of their touring days. Just yes.
Things take a different approach with ‘SEX’; opening with floating keys before a slinky riff that sounds a bit like Manson when he’s feeling a bit sultry. The distortion then gives things a bit of a kick while still retaining the swing of the song. The slinky bass line then continues through the verse alongside Till’s almost spoken harsh vocals. Things build up to the bilingual chorus which talks about… well… sex. Don't really need to say much more about that there. The last third changes things up a little though as Till laughs a bit manically before some super fuzzed up guitars then a synth (or guitar, I can’t quite tell) solo kicks in; squawking Tom Morello style. This is a pretty simple song which is somewhat reminiscent of older material but it’s one that manages to get in your head regardless.
In ‘PUPPE’ however, there is an instant change in pace, as the clean guitar arpeggios give off a sinister but fragile vibe that shares a bit sonically in common with ‘Hypnotise’ by System of a Down. Some background electronic noises and Till’s gentle, almost whispered vocals give off more of this creepy vibe. The instruments build up in the background while he sings in an almost innocent way and the tension builds with this restrained approach until the two minute mark where only the drums and the vocals remain. Till then sounds utterly animalistic here in the intensity and manicness of his howled screams in a way I’ve never heard before. The heavier guitars here sound more doomy than anything else heard in the album so far and really emphasise this creepy sound which continues to build. This reaches a point where Till’s vocals sound like they’re about to shred then everything drops off again to the clean guitars and some tinkling keys. When I listened to this the first time, I knew there was bound to be a dark meaning to the song but ooft, this one may be one of their darkest songs, and that’s saying something (go look it up). This was a really nice (albeit sinister) surprise of a song and it is really cool to see Rammstein moving in different directions this far into their career as well.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album don’t live up to the first six songs here in terms of their catchiness or ingenuity, but there’s still some points to note here. ‘WAS ICH LIEBE’ (or ‘What I Love’) is a track which has been in Rammstein’s canon in the form of a demo, since 2012. The start of the song has a bit of a moody Nine Inch Nails feel which is quite restrained until the bigger chorus hits. This is one of the least evidently catchy choruses, but one that is still satisfying enough to listen to. The song itself never really goes anywhere but it’s still an enjoyable one for me just because of the moodiness conveyed throughout it. DIAMANT’ ('Diamond') is another restrained one, comprised mostly of clean guitars, a bit of piano and some subtle orchestration. This ballad track is a gentle one by most band’s standards, let alone Rammstein’s. Thankfully (to some at least), it never outstays its welcome as it’s less than three minutes long. I do find the change of pace quite pleasing to the ear, even if the song itself is not one of the best here. Additionally, I do like a good ballad or two, and it’s interesting to see Rammstein try their hand at it every once in a while.
‘WEIT WAG’ ('Far Away') then spoops things up with very 80s sounding sci-fi/organ-esque synths that sound a bit like those used by Ghost in their most recent album. Then the vocals, drums and bass come in. There’s no real guitar in the verses here and when they do come in intermittently through the track, they’re pretty low in the mix, giving the song an interesting (although slightly filler-ish) feel. This is a synth driven song for sure and it’s also one of the more forgettable songs here. Other than the synth line, there’s not much to grab onto here as the chorus underwhelms and again it never really builds to much. Meh.
Penultimate track ‘TATTOO’ sees the guitars come back into play with what actually sounds like a super slowed-down Metallica riff. A pretty cool drum intro leads into a pounding bass drum which drives the riff to make it sound more industrial. These drop off every time Till’s vocals come in, making it is reminiscent of older Rammstein material. It does feel like it takes a while to get to the chorus here though, and although it sounds big in its production, there’s not so much of a hook here again. The latter third drops off again to a weird, almost upbeat clean guitar section where the last chorus comes in and the song briefly ends. This is another bit of a meh one for me.
Finally though, ‘HALLOMANN’ displays a more prominent low end bass alongside some spooky synths while Till does his low gritty vocal thing. The pace and volume builds up throughout the verse here until the chorus hits. This is another odd one that doesn’t really resonate though at it’s neither soaring nor driving; it kind of just plods along. Things pick up a bit though thankfully in the middle of the track when some high pitched female vocals and a wah solo enter the equation. The riff comes in again at full pelt with what sounds like a voice box driven solo that gives the impression of pained screams alongside some uber heavy riffing underneath. It’s all great here but then everything drops off again expect for the eerie female vocals, unfortunately giving the end of the song a pretty anticlimactic feel. I wish this song stayed more in the heavy territory towards the end, as this is a really odd way to end the album with all things considered.
Overall then, this is an album which seriously rips for the first six songs but seems to lose its momentum and fire towards the end for me. Of course, the highs here are pretty damn high (these will probably all no doubt end up in the live set beyond their current tour), but I can’t help but feel a bit worn out by the time the album ends as the last four don’t do much for me at all. In saying that though, I reckon that if this was Rammstein’s last album, it would be a decent way to go out as it encapsulates pretty much every era of the band while throwing in some new things as well. Yeah, there’s some tropes here that some people will criticise as rehashing older material but there’s definitely enough experimentation here to provide enough to justify Rammstein being away from the studio for so long. Hell, ‘PUPPE’ and ‘AUSLÄNDER’ are pretty much enough on their own to make that assertion.
For sure, I don’t think this is their best album, but this far into their career, I’m not sure we could really ask for much more than what we have here. If other bands can get away with only having one or two massive songs on a new song (I’m looking at you, AC/DC et al.), then Rammstein can certainly get away with six. 'AUSLÄNDER' though...
Tracks to check out: ‘DEUTSCHLAND’, ‘RADIO’, ‘ZIEG DIECH’, ‘AUSLÄNDER’, 'PUPPE'
5) Biffy Clyro- Balance Not Symmetry (17th May: Warner Records)
Let’s get my bias out of the way first. Biffy Clyro are one of my favourite bands on the planet so I tend to be rather favourable of most things they put their name to. The last few years have seen me be more sceptical of them as a band following the release of the rather lacklustre and safe Ellipsis back in 2016. When I heard that they were doing a soundtrack album for a film they were playing a role in writing, my ears pricked up a bit, as it sounded just like the mad sort of thing that could allow for greater experimentation. Then the album dropped out of the blue with the announcement that the film would follow around a month later. I found myself in the position where I was able to see the premiere of the film in Edinburgh. I would say lucky but… well… this isn’t a film review so you’re best to go read The Skinny's review of that over here if you want a summary of the film, as it pretty much matches my views on it. If you don’t care about the film, read on here as I’ll just mention the music before linking them together at the end. Let's get on with these 17 track then *inhales*
Dropping the first single and self-titled track the day before the album release, there was a bit of hype before I even listened to ‘Balance, Not Symmetry’. Met with a jaunty opening guitar riff that has vibes of their older mathy material, I was immediately into it. Then the first scream of “I don’t want to talk about it, I just want to fuck, what?” really made me intrigued. The chorus here is big in the way that Biffy do best, all multi-layered and catchy in their weird, jaunty sort of way that’s most prominent in their (arguably better at times than their ‘proper’ releases) B-side albums. There’s a really cool middle-eight melodic section here that leads into totally discordant bends and a heavier break which sees the band sounding more energised than they have for a long time. This really got me pumped up for the rest of the album, and I’m so happy so say that everything that follows in its wake is of exceptional quality.
There’s so many absolutely *huge* songs on offer here, that it pretty much immediately seems to put to rest claims of being 'only' a soundtrack album. There’s songs on here that could more than easily sound right in a studio album and fill the arenas Biffy reside in now. ‘All Singing and All Dancing’ has a total pop melody that on paper should sound cheesy and naff but Simon Neil’s grasp of melody and the infectious symphony of joyful lush guitars and synths makes it sound like the poppier songs from Opposites. In the best possible way. The killer mid section sees a build up to punchy guitars and pacey drums that give it a bit of a punch and cement the utterly euphoric feel this song has. I really hope the band play this one live as it belongs in arenas. Unreal. The B-side Opposites feels are evident later on in ‘Tunnels And Trees’ as well where some tropical marimba sounds, which would maybe be cheesy if not for the fact that they don’t linger for very long before another mammoth chorus cuts in accompanied by soaring synths and guitars. The jagged discordant noises and robotic vocals at parts of the track give an extra level of weirdness that just works for a band like this as well.
‘The Naturals’ is another insane track in the middle of the album which opens with an acoustic guitar before bursting forward with an urgent feel to the vocals and instruments, leading things to a completely triumphant sounding chorus. This song sits somewhere between one of the latter songs on Only Revolutions and Opposites due to its strength of vocal delivery and all encompassing sense of scale. The guitars get a bit heavier towards the latter third and some pointed high-pitched guitars give the whole thing even more of a fist-pumping quality. It is almost criminal how the band are able to pull out songs like this on an album like this. ‘Touch’ could also slot so easily into their B-side material. The opening sweet, angelic guitars introduce a restrained vocal line from Neil before another big chorus emerges. This one has a more mellow feel overall though that sees the high of the chorus feel more like a B-side than a single, but this is obviously not a bad thing in my eyes. I particularly like the mid section where some picked strings support the choral “no one will ever compare with you, darling” line. This is just another one that feels great to listen to and would be another fun one to experience live. It is songs like these that highlight the ease of which Biffy meld the massive and the weird though, as the last twenty of so seconds get a bit jaunty with its almost western country vibes.
This is also seen in the following track ‘Jasabiab’; a fun little tune reminiscent of ‘Small Wishes’ from the last album with a jazzy infusion of ‘Trumpet or Tap’ from Opposites. ‘Following Master’ is another one that has such swung jazzy vibes but infuses it with another absolutely huge chorus accentuated with synths and horns. Neil’s punchy vocals in the middle song really give the song a level of urgency that only builds towards the latter third where everything drops off expect a minor key piano and violin which tinkles away for a minute or two. The full orchestra then comes together in a way that’s dramatic and reminiscent of some of the material on Puzzle. Neil screams the line “follow your master” in a really satisfying and heavy way before it all drops away again to give that opening piano line to end the thing. .
The weirdness is perhaps shown most in the heavier outings here though. ‘Sunrise’ has total Infinity Land vibes from the start (heart eye emoji there from me) with some dissonant guitar wails, some weird noises from Neil alongside some frantic drumming, bashed keys and a mad fuzzed up bass riff. Everything comes together giving a huge groovy vibe in the lines of Rage Against The Machine. This all drops off to clean guitars, but the weirdness continues with darting synths and a mathy lead line behind the vocals. The chorus kicks off with a huge B-side tone before the dissonant sounds come in again. This format continues until the mid point of the song where everything then has a bit of a funky, disco feel. Scratchy synth lines and a chirpy bass line then drop into a heavy guitar riff that sound like one from ‘Golden Rule’, chorus again with another big riff to end things. Totally mad song, but that’s Biffy at their best right there. ‘Plead’ starts in the opposite way where a subtle electronic organ sound pulses all the way through the track. This gentle sound is accompanied with a really nice melodic line that continues until the last third where things get really heavy. Accompanied by orchestral instruments, the heavy guitar sounds gets truly doomy in the last Black Sabbath-esque dirge. Right at the end, it changes tack for about five seconds where some multi-layered vocals rattle along a jaunty guitar line.
'Fever Dream’ takes a more electronic approach to this heaviness, as it opens a noise that sounds like a trimmer or something before some dark synths and drum beats come in. Multi-layered trippily echoed vocals give a weird feel to things in the way that 'Skylight' from Opposites did. I really loved that track so it's all good there. The "I had an interview with God" hook is another one which is surprisingly catchy too. The post-chorus section goes a bit more melodic in a way that I don’t really think works as well here but there’s a real tension which lingers throughout the track that helps to compensate this. Things build up with extra layers until the last third where the lush layers ebb and flow over the main melodic line, everything drops back, then a doomy, almighty riff comes in alongside some demented screams from Neil that I don’t think we’ve heard on a record since Infinity Land. What a moment. This continues for a bit before some huge choral "hallelujahs" come in which gives the whole song even more of a surreal feel. I love this song.
And that leaves us with the most gentle songs on the album. There’s three instrumental tracks here (‘Pink’, ‘Navy Blue’ and ‘Yellow’) which sound most like they belong on a soundtrack. They’re all piano tracks which take slightly different approaches to a similar sonic thread and they’re all nice enough, but out of all the songs here, they’re probably the ones that most people would choose to skip. The other four are ‘proper’ songs (‘Different Kind of Love’, ‘Colour Wheel’, ‘Gates of Heaven’ and ‘Adored’). The former is one which I swooned over in my review here, and I love the total Beach Boys feel to things here. Compared to the live version, the production job gives the vocals a nore echoed feel and the guitars sound a bit more jangly. Structurally though, the song is basically the same, other than two minor changes. Well, I don’t know if you can call the addition of some Buddhist monk chanting minor, but hey ho. This one caught a bit off guard the first time I heard the song and it still seems like a bit of an odd choice, but I can roll with it as it’s not too obtrusive. The guitar solo is more distorted in the middle which gives things a boost to keep things from getting too gentle otherwise. Although I do think I prefer the live version, this is still a great song that will get people singing along live in a similar way to their other acoustic material.
‘Colour Wheel’ relies on piano through the verses and there’s some synths that follow a melodic line that continues throughout the song to become the "colour me in" vocal hook later on. This track reminds me of some of the more expansive songs on Opposites, such as 'Skylight' in those more subdued verses which build to the chorus which sees some drastic static noise cut through out of the blue along some screams before it dramatically cuts off again. This is one of the more clashing moments on the album, but it still works somehow. Overall, it’s just a really nice song that’s really became one of the ones I go to when listening to this album. ‘Gates of Heaven’ follows on from this track and it has a similarly jazzy feel as some of the other tracks. This presents itself mostly in a subdued, dreamy form where the slightly echoey vocals float around a nice piano track. The song, unlike many of the others, doesn’t build into a huge chorus or have any sudden changes in style, but it’s less than 3 minutes long so it never feels like it outstays it welcome.
This consistency is particularly shown in the last track on the album as well. Even more so than 'Different Kind of Love’, ‘Adored’ is the most ballad-y song on the album, and perhaps of their entire career as well. Opening with a bittersweet piano and heartfelt lyrics, this one has a particularly personal feel to it and a gorgeous vocal melody. This results in a particularly wonderful vocal hook around the chorus that I can imagine would be great for a large crowd to singalong to. This is one that tends to stay in the same place for most of it, but again, this works here as the lack of distraction allows you to focus your attention entirely on the tender lyrics and feel of the song. This is a really nice bittersweet ballad that’s also a great end to a manic album. And what an album there is to look back on here.
If you can’t already tell by this review, I utterly adore this album. Unlike with the Rammstein release, my initial enthusiasm here has only increased with time as I’ve gotten my head around the sheer scope of what’s going on here. It’s this scope that seems to have made this both one of my favourite albums of the year so far, but also more sure that it fails at actually being a soundtrack album. Very few of these tracks were actually used in the film, and those that were used felt super out of place. I have since seen someone describe the film as a sketchbook of ideas, and this is very much the case for this album here as well. The major difference here though is that the album is able to convey this sketchbook in a way that has emotion, depth and character while allowing the listener to construct their own idea of a narrative. Instead of a soundtrack album then, Balance, Not Symmetry almost feels like an alternative version of the project, and it is far better than its accompanying film as a result. In saying all that, I can’t fault the film for existing though, as the push here for the band to write something outside of their normal remit has meant they can experiment in a way they haven’t done in years. Their unbridled creativity is so much on show here. When Biffy indulge in that side of things, they are seriously one of the most interesting (and best) bands on the planet. Sure, this is a long album, and there’s bits here that may not appeal to those who are more casual listeners but the sheer amount of huge songs littered all the way through this is stunning and should push anyone to listen to it in its entirety.
Typical of this band that an album that isn’t even a ‘proper’ album is the best thing they’ve done in years but my god, it really is. I would be over the moon if they decided to tour purely on this material as it is really that good. Please listen to this.
Tracks to check out: 'Balance, Not Symmetry’, ‘All Singing And All Dancing’, ‘Sunrise’, ‘Fever Dream’, ‘Adored’
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6) Motionless In White- Disguise (7th June: Roadrunner Records)
Yeah, I know Motionless in White have always been a bit cringe. Being a gothic/industrial metalcore band at the turn of the decade tends to do that to a band. Maybe it’s a sign of the times as well that teenage me adored their first two albums as well but my enthusiasm for Motionless in White has only seeped away with each passing release to the current point of ambivalence. As a result, 2017’s offering of ‘Graveyard Shift’ (and the first of two to be released on Roadrunner Records), left me feeling cold with its blatant reliance on their spooky gimmick that is never backed up with any real substance, alongside a complete dumbing down of their (already rather simplistic) lyrics. So I went into this fifth album with less than low expectations and a critical mind. And that was all before I saw the album artwork... Yeashht... Brace yourselves.
The album is opened with the toybox style chimes of self-titled track ‘Disguise’ before a basic riff comes in across some screams from frontman Chris Cerulli saying things like "get up, get. Fuck. Get out, get out" etc. Cringe. The verses see Cerulli doing the Manson-esque vocal delivery he’s become known for but the production is pretty synthetic so it doesn’t come across as menacing at all. This carries on to the chorus which sounds big in a radio friendly sort of way with some keys in the background. This sounds a bit like ‘Eternally Yours’ from the previous album but with even less edge than that song had. In the middle of the track, things drop back a bit so that Chris can do a very nu-metal-esque, almost spoke-word part before a breakdown comes in. It’s not a bad breakdown, but the attempts from Chris to sound like Jason Butler (of Letlive. and Fever 333 fame) overpower this decent part of the song and make the whole thing come across as forced. The chorus then returns to end things off with the stuttered stupid opening lyrics to close things off. And with that ends the best song in the album. Yeah... it only gets worse from here.
The band’s utterly clunky attempts to appropriate nu-metal are misguided at best and utterly embarrassing at worst throughout the rest of the album. And it really is in much of the album here. ‘Headache’ exudes nu-metal era Machine Head in the instruments and attempts to be like Cane Hill in the verses, but without little of the anger or conviction to support it. The chorus is also extremely underwhelming, the “shut up” and “I’m gonna be fine" middle eight sections sound painfully like Cerulli is trying to be Jonathan Davis but just comes across as painful and cringey instead. ‘<c/0de>’ is even worse as the initially promising industrial, Infamous-esque intro (albeit with incredibly pinky plonky keys) fades to let Cerulli sound like Chester Bennington but with the multi-layered whiney effect ramped up to 10. Weak as hell. The Linkin Park references continue with those out-dated electronics throughout and the painful almost rapped verses sound like Mike Shinoda and Jacoby Shaddix had a mutated lovechild. It’s all very sad to experience.
With ‘Thoughts & Prayers’, we can add another early 2000’s band to the list. The song opens with a really heavy riff and blast beats that sounds a bit like early Slipknot. This is only emphasised with the opening scream (which of course, is the word "fuck") and hip-hop infused bounce that their self-titled brought to the table in such a better, more aggressive way than this. Any power gained here is then removed with a synthetic and syrupy chorus that is accompanied by haywire, out of place electronic effects in a attempt to sound like a certain band with 9 members. Cue a generic breakdown which sees the whole sound become a muddy mess. Cringe. Previous Manson-isms are shown within ‘Brand New Numb’ which very much feels like a Poundshop ‘Fight Song’ in its weak vocals and production that makes the guitars almost non-existent. The actual “brand new numb" line itself then has a weirdly contemporary effect that is out of place and cringey in its attempt to make the line more memorable and ‘catchy’.
This attempt to bring in contemporary influences alongside such dated sounds also has the effect of making the out-dated parts sound even more ancient instead of any more interesting. ‘Holding On To Smoke’ is perhaps the best (worst) example of this, as the clean guitars and restrained verses with their odd trembly effects make the song sound like a parody of already laughable Soundcloud rappers. There’s another attempted big chorus here that is totally boring and unmemorable. Yet again, the Jason Butler-esque vocals come in to lead to a breakdown that’s pointless and doesn’t make the song any more exciting. ‘Another Life’ is another example of this, but with somehow even less personality or edge. Snoorefest material. I suppose ‘Legacy’ is trying to be like a darker version of contemporary Panic at the Disco! or something with the jazzy piano which drives the track. Not even sure what else I can say about this one as it’s that boring. I’m losing the will to live, clearly.
It’s not until track six (‘Undead Ahead 2: The Tale of the Midnight Ride’) that you see anything that bears any similarity to the heavily gothic and spooky overtones of the first album. The orchestral, Tim Burton-esque sound, intense piercing screams and heavy instruments evident at that start are a welcome change, and it all seems quite promising. Then the chorus murders any sort of hope in all its synthetic, forgettable glory. One of the best bits here is the breakdown section (with the recycled mosh call of "this place is haunted") which has more of a conventional and authentic sounding sense of spookiness than anything else on this album. All in all though, this is a confused track that tries to capture their earlier gothic days but kills any good aspects by tacking on a more modern radio friendly chorus that is utterly boring to listen to. Similarly, ‘Broadcasting From Beyond the Grave: Death Inc.’ opens with a B-movie radio style spoke word section that leads into a Rammstein-esque industrial riff and throbbing electronics. This isn’t bad at all, until the vocals come in. Taking a similarly stupid approach to spooky lyrics as shown in their last album, this really makes for cringey listening. That "digital Picasso line". Ugh.
In what feel like hours later, the last song ‘Catharsis’ ends the album in a way which perfectly sums all of its many, maaaany issues. It’s confused, it’s out-dated, it’s clunky, it’s disjointed, it’s childish and perhaps worse of all, it’s completely mind numbingly boring. This is a totally lacklustre album which attempts to retain the ‘spooky’ elements that brought them popularity back in the day but in a similar manner to the last album, Disguise ramps these elements up to stupidly childish level of ridiculousness. That, alongside a clear lack of understanding that appropriating the sounds of early 2000s nu-metal takes something special musically to make it sound good today makes this album sound utterly out of touch. That’s never a good sign and this band really ought to know that. I’m not even sure who this album is going to resonate with these days, as I can imagine there’s many like me who have been abandoned by this band’s retrogressive steps. American radio exists though, so there’s that I suppose.
For me, it’s taken a few years, but I am finally done with this band. Adios, Motionless. It’s been fun, but your time’s up now.
For me, it’s taken a few years, but I am finally done with this band. Adios, Motionless. It’s been fun, but your time’s up now.
Tracks to check out: ‘Disguise’, ‘Undead Ahead 2: The Tale of the Midnight Ride’ (if you really must...)
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7) Allusinlove- It's Okay To Talk (7th June: Starglobe Records)
Seven years on from first forming as a band, and two years after changing their name from Allusondrugs, the Yorkshire grungey psychedelic rockers (under the moniker Allusinlove) finally released their debut album It’s Okay To Talk on the 7th June. I’ve loved this band from around 2014/5 and it’s felt like a long time for them to get to the point of making a full-length album. Therefore it feels really satisfying to get to talk about this album, especially since I never got round to reviewing their self-titled EP last year. And it’s a good thing too, as all of the songs on that release are here as well. Alongside some older Allusondrugs cuts and some new songs, of course!. Let’s get into this one then, starting with the EP tracks.
‘Full Circle’ opens things off with a heavy, fuzzy guitar riff that gives off a slightly unsettling feeling that’s complimented with shimmering, shoegazey guitars, pacey drums, a prominent bass line and multi-layered echoey vocals that give a sinister dreamy vibe to proceedings. The chorus sees vocalist Jason pushing his voice with the catchy and angsty sounding “you’re wrong” repetition. There’s a really wicked grungey guitar solo in the middle here which is followed up with that opening chunky riff that sounds even heavier alongside the killer drum fills. This builds to the point where the feedback sounds like a wall of noise then it all cuts off. I can imagine this song making an impact to anyone who hasn’t heard the track before.
‘Bad Girls’ is another cut that has a similar feel here, as it immediately bounces into a dirgily fuzzy and groovy Queens of The Stone Age style stomp. As what becomes a common theme throughout the album, this song is riddled with sexual tension in the music and lyrics. All of this builds to a chorus that is another catchy one destined to hammer itself into your brain. This catchy, seductive sort of tension builds until the “so much faster” line where the riff comes back even heavier, the vocals shriek and the guitar solo squeals away manically before the song ends with some weird delayed guitar effect sounds. This is an utterly addictive track that I’ve found myself going back to a lot since it was released.
‘Bad Girls’ is another cut that has a similar feel here, as it immediately bounces into a dirgily fuzzy and groovy Queens of The Stone Age style stomp. As what becomes a common theme throughout the album, this song is riddled with sexual tension in the music and lyrics. All of this builds to a chorus that is another catchy one destined to hammer itself into your brain. This catchy, seductive sort of tension builds until the “so much faster” line where the riff comes back even heavier, the vocals shriek and the guitar solo squeals away manically before the song ends with some weird delayed guitar effect sounds. This is an utterly addictive track that I’ve found myself going back to a lot since it was released.
The sexy vibes continue in the next song and fellow EP track, ‘Lover I Need A Friend’ which starts with the same sort of delayed effect at the start, albeit with a heavy sounding electronic drum beat underneath. This builds until the wah drenched guitars give an utterly trippy sort of feel throughout the verses. The seductive vocal lines and lyrics underneath all this really complement this feel as well. Particular plaudits to Jason who really shows off the soulful, expressive qualities of his voice in this song. For those wanted a bit more bite though, there’s the more distorted "when we collide" section that gives the song a bit more power. Cue another effect laden guitar solo that drips with seductive rock n’roll sensibilities before some "oooohs" and that electronic drum beat end things off nicely.
Taking these rock n’ roll vibes to extremes though is the fourth EP track, ‘All Good People’ which is the biggest song the band have written yet. With that riff and chorus, it’s hard not to see why it’s so infectious. The hip shakingly joyful riff is reminiscent of bands like The Kinks and The Rolling Stones but with the sex ramped up to 10. The vocals hit a throat shredding peak during the chorus which sounds like Jason is screaming for his life. In a joyful way though. This is one of the rare moments that a song’s verse is about as catchy as its chorus though. So much so that you will probably know this song off by heart with one listen. Everything’s then all topped up with a killer 60’s garage rock sounding guitar solo where the guitar and bass play off one another wonderfully. The whole thing has such a loose, fun feel that I would feel stunned if most people didn’t get a kick out of this one. Good luck trying to get those earworms out of your head. You’re welcome.
Taking these rock n’ roll vibes to extremes though is the fourth EP track, ‘All Good People’ which is the biggest song the band have written yet. With that riff and chorus, it’s hard not to see why it’s so infectious. The hip shakingly joyful riff is reminiscent of bands like The Kinks and The Rolling Stones but with the sex ramped up to 10. The vocals hit a throat shredding peak during the chorus which sounds like Jason is screaming for his life. In a joyful way though. This is one of the rare moments that a song’s verse is about as catchy as its chorus though. So much so that you will probably know this song off by heart with one listen. Everything’s then all topped up with a killer 60’s garage rock sounding guitar solo where the guitar and bass play off one another wonderfully. The whole thing has such a loose, fun feel that I would feel stunned if most people didn’t get a kick out of this one. Good luck trying to get those earworms out of your head. You’re welcome.
Perhaps what is most interesting to me than the EP tracks however was the inclusion of two older Allusondrugs tracks. I was stoked to hear that the band’s unofficial Scottish national anthem ‘Sunset Yellow’ would be one of these tracks, alongside the heavier ‘I’m Your Man’. The former opens very much in the same way as the original with the same prominent bass line in the intro. The song has changed somewhat in this latest recording though in that the vocals are more echoey and bounce about within the space a bit more. There’s also a squealing guitar that preludes the chorus in a harsher way which gives the song a different vibe when its hits. The choruses also have a bit more of a harsh sound than the more ethereal shoegazy original version. There’s also a completely different guitar solo at the end which coincides with slight use of electronics. I can’t say I prefer this version to the older recording on the Allusondrugs EP, but I’m still happy to see it here and the value of 'Sunset Yellow' as a song realised. I would also say the same about ‘I’m Your Man’ even though the differences are even more pronounced here. There’s a higher register vocal than the more somber sounding original and more distortion of the guitars which adds to a wall of noise sound to things. Again the chorus feels sharper in its delivery, contrasting with the more swirling verses. There’s a different melody to the “I’m your man’ refrain throughout as well which sees the dynamic range of the vocal lines increased. Again, I definitely prefer the original, but it does work in this context.
Finally looking at the new songs here then, there are five tracks on offer. ‘All My Love’ is an upbeat sounding song with a similar groovy, more sensual, loose rock n roll feel to ‘All Good People’. This song builds up to a similarly catchy as hell chorus but is perhaps less of an instantly hooky one than the former song. The slightly heavier feel here is emphasised with squealing guitars which continue throughout though to keep energy levels high. A fun track all in all. ‘Lucky You’ is slightly different in its approach as it has a psychedelic, clean feel to the instruments that is reminiscent of the likes of Placebo and the band’s older shoegaze material. The bass is really prominent in the mix here and really helps to drive everything along in a nice way. The incredibly echoey vocals further give a dream-pop feel to things that makes the whole song sound utterly blissful in its lovey dovey feels. Things get a bit grungier in the chorus with a heavier guitar sound and more forceful vocals. This pull between quiet and loud continues throughout the song to great effect until the guitar solo near the end has a really cool 60s sort of trippy feel. This is a really nice song with a good sense of contrast that never seems too drastic for its own good. Dream pop is a term which could also be used to describe ‘Happy Eyes’, as it opens with a very distant distorted guitar sound that is reminiscent of bands like Adventures, accompanied bya nursery rhyme like verse chorus that gives things a major key feel. Listening to the vocal melodies on their own, this could almost be a heavier pop punk song; particularly with that huge chorus that sounds insanely joyful. This is without a doubt the happiest this album gets and the triumphant feelings are only emphasised by the end section which brings some latter day Marmozets-ish feminine "oooo's" to the table. Another really nice song that feels good to listen to. So much so that it could almost be soundtrack material. Fuzzy feels here.
Following this song, and leading to the end of the album is the title track ‘It’s Okay To Talk’ which sees the subject matter become more serious as it describes struggles with mental health in a bittersweet way. This is a more restrained track that blasts into epic soaring guitar lines as it goes. Alongside this, the melodic structure of the chord progressions and vocal lines are somewhat reminiscent of Oasis’ 'Don’t Look Back In Anger' but arguably better (don’t @ me, I’m not into Oasis). This builds into a really massive chorus that feels cathartic, powerful and huge. I can imagine this song will tug on the heartstrings in the live environment and the scale of the song totally suggests a band that is of a much larger size than they are. Wonderful scope of songwriting and a great message to boot.
This growth continues with the final song, ‘The Deepest’ which opens with dark throbbing synths and clean guitars that remind me of the atmospheric material on Deftones’ Koi No Yokan (immediately a winner in my eyes), alongside some eerie haunting feminine vocals which all combine to give a mournful feel to the track. Things then start to pick up pace towards the middle when the distorted heavy guitars come in and the bigger chorus hits. There’s some intense string bending and screamed vocals here which are unlike any of the earlier songs and that exude only sadness and resignation. There’s no joy to be had in this song at all, but it’s all the more powerful for it. And after all that, the album ends very suddenly out of the blue. Wow.
This growth continues with the final song, ‘The Deepest’ which opens with dark throbbing synths and clean guitars that remind me of the atmospheric material on Deftones’ Koi No Yokan (immediately a winner in my eyes), alongside some eerie haunting feminine vocals which all combine to give a mournful feel to the track. Things then start to pick up pace towards the middle when the distorted heavy guitars come in and the bigger chorus hits. There’s some intense string bending and screamed vocals here which are unlike any of the earlier songs and that exude only sadness and resignation. There’s no joy to be had in this song at all, but it’s all the more powerful for it. And after all that, the album ends very suddenly out of the blue. Wow.
It’s particularly this new material which indicates that Allusinlove have something special in their locker, as they continue to expand their sound and explore new thematic topics, but the shoegazey psychedelic-grunge material is really excellent as well. Even though this album as a whole does feel a bit like a compilation album rather than an cohesive thematic body of work due to the contrasting sounds coming from the band, the songs themselves are all really great here and the perfectionist nature of the band’s songwriting really shine through. This is only likely to further improve in the future now that they’ve managed to finally release an album as well. If you like the sound of heavy grungey, shoegazing, psychedelic rock n’ roll all blended together, please listen to this album. Even better yet, go out and see them at a gig because although this album is full of killer tracks, they don’t begin to reach how awesome they are live. One of my favourite bands continuing to make great music. Result.
Tracks to check out: 'All Good People', 'Bad Girls', 'It's Okay To Talk', 'The Deepest'
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Short but Sweet
8) Raketkanon- RKTKN #3 (5th April: Alcopop! Records)
The third album from the experimental Belgian rock outfit, Raketkanon sees them further expanding into even stranger territories. Their now conventional nonsensical lyrics (which sound more than a little bit like Simlish) that seem to transverse different dimensions add to the strange but totally intriguing nature of this album as it moves from electronically driven fuzzed up throbbing tunes to gentler unsettling clean ambient passages and back. One of the strangest albums I’ve listened to, but one I’ve found myself going back to quite a bit over this quarter. For fans of the weird. Or aliens. Maybe even both.
Tracks to check out: ‘Ricky’, ‘Mélody’
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9) Sunn O)))- Life Metal (26th April: Southern Lords Records)
The Seattle’s iconic drone metallers Sunn O)))’s eighth studio album Life Metal is notable in that it was recorded and mixed by the legendary Steve Albini using analogue tape. Jokes aside about how the title may or not be tongue-in-cheek, this does actually feel like a warmer album from the band here as the tones aren’t as low or as dark as their previous work and there’s a depth to the sounds that I’ve not quite heard before (the power of analogue). If Sunn O))) have never done anything for you, this may be the album that can help convince you, as this is maybe the most accessible thing this band has written yet. It’s still Sunn O))) though so, maybe don’t expect much other than droning. huh?
Tracks to check out: 'Troubled Air'
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10) Otoboke Beaver- ITEKOMA HITS (26th April: Damnably)
This bizarrely named all-female punk band from Kyoto, Japan live up to the achievement of being as suitably mad as their name would suggest. Thrashing through 14 songs in under 27 minutes in a frantic, lo fi and noise-punk n’roll manner, Otoboke Beaver tackle big societal topics such as the stress of the 6 day Japanese working week, misogyny and eating disorders with a sense of unadulterated joy that only Japan seems to be able to offer. With all 4 members contributing vocals, this album flits between furious screeching to teenage-cheerleader chants at the drop of a hat and it all just sounds like the best, utterly batshit fun time ever. Listen to this band.
Tracks to check out: ‘datsu – hikage no onna’ , ‘S’il vous plait’
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11) Amon Amarth- Berserker (3rd May: Metal Blade Records)
The eleventh album from the Swedish melodic death metal band whose lyrics and themes revolve around... well... vikings, doesn’t stray from the successful template they’ve created for themselves. When you have the ability to keep crafting heart racing, blood pumping and headbanging tracks like those found in songs in this album though, why would you need to change that formula? Not deviating too much from the 'if it's not broke, don't fix it' mantra, this is another album full of what makes this band so fun. If you like anything Amon Amarth have done so far, you’re bound to love this one as well. If not, well... what did you expect?
Tracks to check out: ‘Crack The Sky’, ‘Shield Wall’
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12) Employed To Serve- Eternal Forward Motion (10th May: Spinefarm Records)
Moving from their longterm home (and vocalist Justine Jones’ own record label) of Holy Roar appears to have allowed Woking’s Employed To Serve to make their sound bigger than ever. As big as nasty, technical, Converge inspired metallic hardcore can get anyway. The mad twists and turns found in their debut can still be found here, but there’s more bigger moments here, with the addition of larger but still utterly aggressive vocal hooks to proceedings. All the while retaining that sense of chaotic, frenetic energy that characterised their much loved debut. Employed To Serve are well on their way to becoming the biggest band within British hardcore at the moment, and there could barely be any more deserving band to do it. Check them out if you’re after something really heavy as this is one of the best of those so far this year.
Tracks to check out: ‘Eternal Forward Motion’, ‘Force Fed’
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13) Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties (10th May: Hopeless Records)
Routine Maintenance sees Soupy Campbell dip back into his Aaron West character and The Wonder Years side project for the second time. The follow up to the 2014 indie-folk debut 'We Don't Have Each Other' and 2016 EP Bittersweet builds upon the Americana Springsteen vibes established there and ramps it up to 10 throughout much of this album. Acoustic guitars, horns and saxophones feature on most of the tracks here, which obviously gives bonus points for me as always here. Throw in some bittersweet (and at times utterly joyous) lyrics and you have an album here that is full of emotion, in the best possible way. Much better than the last Wonder Years album for my money, and one of my favourite albums this year so far.
Tracks to check out: ‘Lead Paint & Salt Air’, ‘Just Sign The Papers’, ‘Runnin’ Towards The Light’
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14) Dinosaur Pile-Up- Celebrity Mansions (7th June: Parlophone Records)
Toiling for over a decade, the Leeds alt-rockers Dinosaur Pile-Up have delivered an album that sees them moving outside of the grungey niche they found themselves stuck in for many a year. Celebrity Mansions is an apt title for this album which takes so much of a tongue-in-cheek approach to songwriting in their songs about celebrity life that there’s practically a hole protruding from the side of their faces. There’s a summery, carefree nature about so much of this album that seeps all the way through it in a way that’s not prominent in their more serious previous releases. Sure, the very prominent ‘white-boy-rapping’ on songs like ‘Backfoot’ won’t appeal to everyone, but the level of self-awareness stops it from every sounding too galling here. Brit-Rock and grunge influences are still very much at the hard of this album, and if you like the sound of Foo Fighters, Weezer and The Wildhearts writing a collective joke album about fame, then this is an album for you. Good times and riffs aplenty. All the yes from me.
Tracks to check out: ‘Thrash Metal Cassette’, ‘Back Foot’
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15) Upon A Burning Body- Southern Hostility (7th June: Seek & Strike)
15) Upon A Burning Body- Southern Hostility (7th June: Seek & Strike)
After putting out a relatively lackluster Warped-core album back in 2016, I was pretty unexcited about the return of Texas-proud Upon A Burning Body this year. Thankfully, it seems that a change of record label and new bass player have moved the band into better territory in their fifth album here. This album is a lot heavier than the previous release, and although it doesn't quite have the diversity of The World Is My Enemy Now (my personal favourite of theirs), this is a really solid album filled to the brim with Pantera/Lamb of God levels of 4/4 stomp. There's also a bit of Parkway Drive's modern sound here in the lead parts of songs like 'Burn' and 'Soul Searcher' for good measure. Some will call this a meat and potatoes metal album, but if like me, you love songs with a good riff and groove, there's plenty here to have fun with here. I'm really glad to see Upon A Burning Body with a bit of grit again. Long may it continue.
Tracks to check out: 'All Pride No Pain', 'Burn'
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16) Bokassa- Crimson Riders (21st June: Kings of Stonerpunk Records)
Norway’s self professed ‘stoner-punk’ band Bokassa showcase their interesting meld of Ghost-esque stoner psychedelic stomping metal riffs in their second album here. This is all alongside a Turbonegro/Kvelertak sense of pace and fist pumping choruses which makes this is a far more accomplished album than their first. The sharper, more polished production job works in this band’s favour and really puts those killer riffs up in and around your face. Shout out to the squealing saxophone solo in the middle of 'Vultures' as well which caught me off caught but totally works (it's a sax as well, so yeah, I like it). Madness. You could do a lot worse than stick on this album as its 9 songs never outstay their welcome within its 29 minutes. Good times guaranteed for most fans of metal and punk out there.
Tracks to check out: 'Vultures' , 'Mouthbreathers Inc.'
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And that's this quarter's album round-up done *phew*. Thanks to you for reading, and be sure to comment below with any albums I've missed out and should go back to. If you want, you could help support RWEI by giving us a like/follow on the socials as well. Get in touch for any submissions/contributions as well. Cheers!
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