July Album Round-Up 2019

With August being perhaps the biggest month of 2019 for rock and metal releases (just looking at the schedule there has me breaking out in sweats), it seemed that July was going to be thin on the ground in comparison. Turns out that there was a few bigger releases though, and these very much sit on the heavier spectrum of music. If you're up for some extremity in the run up to the mahoosive Slipknot, Killswitch Engage and Tool releases in next month's round-up, then you're in luck here...

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1) Jamie Lenman- Shuffle (5th July: Big Scary Monsters)

WORDS: Joanne Gray

It is a good thing that the first album of note this month was one that doesn't stay in one particular musical environment for too long to spice up these offerings a bit though. The former Rueben frontman announced that he would be releasing a covers album earlier on this year. For most other people, the statement of wanting to “redefine the concept of a covers album” would probably come across as banal or untrue, for Jamie Lenman the release of the first single alone puts such claims to bed.  

Before his cover of the 'Popeye' theme song starts (yeah, you heard that right), you’re confronted with Jamie narrating himself ‘shuffling’ through songs on a music player before settling on the cartoon tune here. Lenman then takes the original and Rueben’s it up in a satisfyingly great post-hardcore take. Racing through the song in just over a minute, his throat shredding screams combine with rollicking riffing and frantic drumming which gives off the impression of the man having an utter meltdown. In the best possible way of course. Hearing Lenman scream ‘Sailor man!’ over and over again here is reminiscent of the reckless fun sense of abandon Morgol Horde convey in their songs. And that’s one hell of a good time. As with a couple of other songs on the album (a more angular version of The Beatles’ ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ and a fuzzed up rock n’ roll version of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘She Bop’), the inclusion of this sort of feature here really solidifies the unique theme Lenman has got going here to good effect. When considering these different songs and styles alongside one another though, it becomes clear that the scope of the material here is what really makes this album a fascinating one. 

Starting with what is perhaps the biggest song to be covered here then, we have Lenman's version of the Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’. Instead of doing the whole track in its entirety though, the song begins with the ‘nah nah nah’ section sung haphazardly by Lenman and others alongside clapping and background laughter. Then comes an insanely heavy and doomy long guitar chord to really wake you up. Some squealing higher guitar leads then pop in alongside increasingly violent sounding vocals from Lenman which are straight up metallic here and have the effect of sounding like hell on earth. This is a suitably mad take on the original which means it doesn’t come across as too pastiche or sappy. Thank God, cause The Beatles' version very much borders on those two things for me...

Moving down to some smaller tracks, we have the quirky cover of the 90s acid house tune ‘Killer’ (by Adamski and Seal). This cover takes the already interesting track and updates it with a bassy synth line and higher vocal line that is reminiscent of Raketkanon, with a similarly unsettling feel to match. This is an odd take on a song which completely changes the mood of the song in a cool way, even if the end result is perhaps not quite as memorable as the original track. On the other hand, his version of Annie Lennox’s 1992 Dracula track ‘Love Song For A Vampire’ is more successful here as it gives the original sedate ballad more jangly guitars, a dramatic slow bass drum and echoey low vocals which build to an insanely layered chorus. Things take an almost Devin Townsend turn here where everything sounds so huge and otherworldly. It definitely gives the whole song a life that isn’t so much evident in the original, and I probably prefer this version as a result.

Getting even more obscure but still within the realms of sanity (relatively speaking), we have a cover of ‘Coda’ by Caretaker, a band that Lenman actually used to be a member of himself. The cover is a different take on the original's early dark Biffy Clyro vibes with some more jangly and jagged clean tones, but with the vocals sounding considerably more restrained. Towards the end, a more conventional Lenman sort of melodic line comes in which builds things in a satisfying way. This is perhaps a track that is more for the hardcore Lenman fans, but it is another interesting one nonetheless. For me, it made me go back and look at the song which was being covered and discovered something new in the process as well. Always a plus in albums like these. This was also the case for the 2012 Foe cover ‘A Handsome Stranger Called Death’. The original has an artsy sort of indie feel that makes it a suitably underground fit for Lenman. It also has a chorus that reminds me of a Casualties of Cool project, which I really like even if it’s not something I would normally go for. Lenman stretches this sound by delivering the song with an acoustic guitar and backing percussion that gives the whole track an Americana, bluegrass sort of sound. The chorus lifts nicely with those higher backing vocals and the addition of a nice little muted trumpet solo to further give off these Western feels. This is a really nice little track that shows off a really small (now defunct) band. 

We then reach the really obscure covers which took me some research to find out anything about (you’ll need to forgive me for not being a film or retro game buff here). Lenman’s cover of Bernard Herrmann’s 'Taxi Driver' theme takes the original jazzy number which flits between chilled out vibes and dramatic orchestral flourishes; and adds a hint of distortion in the backing guitars and forceful drums to give a sense of unease until the middle of the track. A breezy guitar line that mimics the sax line then comes in, leading up to a wonderfully Brian May-esque short solo section. Everything drops off again to the section at the start which has a more upbeat feel and a nice little bass part near the start. Things change even more dramatically with Lenman’s cover of ‘Adamantium Rage’ though (the theme song of the 1994 NES game from the same name). This cover takes the typically frantic 8-bit original, and slows it down in severely doomy fashion. The huge guitar and hulking bass is accompanied with tight hard hitting drums and a lead synth line over the top of everything. I do wish that the drums here didn’t have so much of a processed sound, but I can understand this decision given the era of the original track. This one is still killer nonetheless and it's awesome to see Lenman reaching out beyond conventional norms for his covers.

And this is not the only example of this. Pop (or not so pop depending on your view here) culture references continue with two spoken word tracks here, ‘The Pequod Meets The Delight’ and ‘You’re The Boss’. The former sees Lenman reading out an extract from Moby Dick in an expressive manner alongside the sound of gentle waves. Out of all the tracks here, it is quite an achievement that this is the oddest one here, but there you go. Perhaps it’s somewhat the nature of the album, but this does feel like an example of a track that could be skipped after hearing it once. Unless you want a short section of Jamie Lenman reading out Moby Dick that is. He does have a great speaking voice, to be fair… The other spoken word track here very much conveys the same things. ‘You’re The Boss’ sees Lenman re-enacting the phone scene from the 2007 cult short film Always Crashing in the Same Car' in a similarly enthusiastic way. The fact that this is such an unknown film and reference (I had to go look it up and watch the film myself to understand what was happening here) is particularly fitting for Lenman and he actually does a real good job here. It seems that Lenman’s talents don’t just extend to music and illustration after all… You probably don’t need to here either of these tracks again, but like me, it may just leave you wondering what the hell you’re listening to. And in this period of time where it is so easy to check out whatever music, films and games you want at the drop of a hat, that is quite something in itself. 

And that point is firmly highlighted within two of the most noteworthy songs on the full album.  ‘Song of Seikilos’, also known as the world's oldest composition, was written over 2000 years ago in Hellenistic Turkey on the tombstone of Seikolos' late partner. Lenman takes this already beautiful track (seriously, look this one up afterwards) and utilises instrumental sounds that would have been used in the time period. There’s also some atmospheric drones in the background which really help to build up the sense of scale and antiquity. Lenman relays the lyrics in its original Greek form before doing the verse again in English, and this movement between the two languages somehow seems to make things even more beautiful. This is such a poignant track at the best of times and the fact that he’s chosen to do a cover of it here is even greater.  Ending the album on what is perhaps an even more poignant note however is the track ‘The Remembrance’, written by the folk/chansonnier singer Jake Thackary in the 1970s. This is a gorgeously simple but effective acoustic guitar track about war which Lenman translates to piano here. This, alongside the slight change in pace and simpler vocal delivery allows the lyrics and beautiful melodies to shine through and give things even more of a sense of grandeur than the original. This is the most serious track here and you can tell that it comes from a place of admiration from Lenman. As such, the style doesn’t change throughout. What another example of a niche song that Lenman does a great job on, and also happens to be a really nice end to this crazy little album.

With all of this then, Lenman delivers a truly innovative album where more conventionally large songs are placed alongside niche (and sometimes bizarre) tracks in a way which seems to truly capture the nature of shuffling an older device full of random media forms. The level of thought that has went into the whole concept here alongside the wide ranging cultural interests on show here, add up to suggest that this is more a labour of love than simply just a covers album. Although I don’t think all of these track are completely vital or fulfilling (the spoken word tracks in particular), it may just be that this is the point entirely. Perhaps I speak mostly for myself here but I would think we all know what it’s like to not be able to get rid of some utter dross on our libraries, so we end up just skipping them instead. I genuinely think this level of variety means there’s going to be something here for everyone though, and that Lenman really is probably the only person who could have pulled this concept off. 

Bizarre, creative, ambitious and obscure; this album very much sounds like the musical and cultural landscape behind one of the most fascinating musicians in contemporary rock music. And for that, you should all give this one a listen. You may even find a couple of standalone tracks you like here as well. 

Tracks to check out: ‘Popeye’, ‘Song of Seikolos’, ‘Hey Jude’

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2) Batushka- Hospodi (12th July: Metal Blade)

WORDS: Joanne Gray

I’m not exactly a black metal aficionado, but I do like atmospheric stuff in the vein of Alcest, Deafheaven and Winterfylleth and the like. Therefore, when I finally got round to listening to the Polish black metal outfit Batushka’s 2015 album Litourgiya this year (an album which merges Eastern Orthodox elements with technical and atmospheric black metal), I was really onboard and looking forward to the upcoming release from the band. And then I realised all the drama that existed around it… 

For those who are not in the loop, go check out the link and video here if you need to catch up with events. If you want to just get to the music though, here’s the short of it: there’s currently two versions of Batushka, and two different albums associated with the project have been released this year. Panihida, the album released by primary songwriter and creator of the project, Krzysztof Drabikowski, is over on bandcamp here and was released back in May 26th. The one I’ll mostly be looking at is Hospodi, the version released on Metal Blade on 12th July and written by the band's vocalist (and now owner of the Batushka name) Bartlomiej Krysiuk. As the music is very much influenced by the drama around it though, I’ll be making references to both albums here. Apologies for anyone who just wanted a straight up review but it’s impossible to separate the drama here as it has had a direct influence on the albums I’m going to talk about. Oh boy. Over to Hospodi then.

The album opens with ‘Wozglas’; a track that consists of thundery sounds and a church bell for a good 40-50 seconds before the now commonplace Orthodox choral singing kicks in. This acapella rendition gives a hint of how prominent this feature will be throughout the album. And that it really is (particularly in  the songs ‘Dziewiatyi Czas’, ‘Powieczerje’, ‘Polunosznica’, ‘Pierwyj Czas’ and ‘Liturgiya’). It is safe to say that these choral elements make up the biggest moments within such songs, and it has made sense for the band to include them here as they have became the defining feature for this band within black metal circles. It makes all the more sense when you consider that it was Bart who was behind the band’s move towards these more performative ritualistic elements as well. This is something which seems to have only been exaggerated in the wake of the band’s music split, as seen in the music here, but also within the live show. See my review of Bart's Batushka set over here for more on this.

Compared to Krzysztof's project, Hospodi features less black metal elements and it seems like this album moves towards a more grand and less evil sound as a project. ‘Dziewiatyi Czas’ is the primary example of this. The cleaner guitars come in at the start in a way which sounds a bit like Alcest when they're more restrained. This continues for a while before huge sounding drums and heavier guitars come in to give the song a huge, melodeath sort of feel, which also gives things a bit of a mainstream metal vibe. This is arguably the biggest track on the album and you could imagine the song being effective on larger stages in the live environment. At six minutes long though, these elements do drag on a bit as the Alcest-like sections come back in during the second third. This is still definitely one of the tracks to check out due to its size but it is a bit too long for its own good. Many of the other tracks subsequently follow similar patterns. Alcest comparisons continue in songs like ‘Wieczernia’ and ‘Liturgiya’ where there’s a healthy dosage of trebly cleaner guitars and minimalistic drumming. This never really feels like it is executed in as an engaging way here as the band it is clearly influenced by however, as the black metal elements often feel simplistic and drawn out over the relatively long song lengths for what they are.

The same can be said for some of the other tracks here. There’s clear (albeit less engaging) influences taken from latter day Behemoth, as shown particularly in tracks like ‘Powieczerje’ and ‘Ultrenia’. Here, they take the more gothic, ‘epic’ sounding sense of grandiosity that the band has had, particularly in the wake of 2014’s The Satanist, therefore, it strips back on the extremity or technicality of the black metal sections. Perhaps most interestingly in these songs (as well as much of the album in its entirety), the guitars and drums are often quite low in the mix, with the booming vocals from Bart and the choir placed right up front and centre. It seems here that the imagery and sound of the Orthodox influences here are the key part of this album, and this leaves much of the black metal sections to follow behind them a bit like a lost puppy. It doesn’t really help that much of these black metal sections lose momentum and become less interesting throughout the album. Songs like ‘Tretji Czas’ and ‘Szestoj Czas’ in particular feel plodding, simplistic and monotonous over the course of the record. By the time I got to the middle track ‘Ulternia’, I felt like I had heard everything that this album was going to offer, but there was still another four songs to go. It’s safe to say that I found these songs to be particularly difficult to get through, as they tend to stick within similar patterns seen within other tracks without much variety or change in pace. 

That’s not to say there weren’t some good parts to this album though. There are sections within songs like ‘Wieczernia’ and ‘Polunosznica’ where there is an increase in pace and an injection of ferocity with the shrill vocals and blast beats really move things along. The latter song in particular has an offkilter, frantic squealing guitar line throughout the track which gives the whole thing a bit of much needed energy and vitality. Both songs here are probably the most ‘evil’ sounding songs here as a result, as instead of the choral sections overpowering the rest of the tracks, they do work really well with the more extreme elements in a way that is more reminiscent of the first album. I’ve got to say though, although there are sections like these that lift the album at times, the record is still severely lacking within the black metal sections. Instead of the choral chanting elevating some cool little heavy sections, it often seems like they are merely a tool which is used to distract from the incredibly basic song structures. And these sections themselves often feel like they just repeat over and over again rather than flit around the music in interesting ways (seen particularly in ‘Liturgiya’). Getting to the end of this album, which I found to be a slow effort on the few times I’ve listened to it, I’ve came to the conclusion that this isn’t a bad album (there’s obviously much worse out there), but it does stretch any of the few good ideas it has over too large a musical canvas. What is left here therefore, is an album that feels like it’s missing something vital in its composition. 

And upon listening to the Krzysztof album alongside this, it becomes very quickly clear what this missing element is. In his take on the project, he continues in the vein of the first album and as a result, what you see here is brutality, fluidity and creativity for days. The album itself does sound a bit hastily put together and could have been doing with another few months to polish it off, but that’s not surprising considering the circumstances where he was rushing to get his album out before Bart’s version. Although the scale of Bart’s iconic vocals are missed within Krzysztof's release, his own vocals here provide a sense of rage and brutality that is palpable and further adds to the overall darkness of his release. Judging by the instrumental proficiency and flair here, it’s safe to say that Krzysztof was the true mastermind behind this creation and this idea continues in his album. Fluid drums fills, frantic tremolo picking and blood curdling screams throughout really make Bart’s project seem highly basic and pedestrian in comparison. 

It’s a real shame that this happened between these two members, as the first Batuskha album is so so good and they were one of the most interesting propositions in underground black metal for a long time. The split between the two members has resulted in two very different releases however, therefore it seems fair to make a choice between the two. For myself, I know I’ll find myself going back to Krystoff’s album rather than Bart’s for several reasons. Musically, Panihida sounds so much more complex and layered than Hospodi, which sort of just plods along with little pace or brutality. Ethically too, it is hard for me to support Bart's album if the allegations are to be believed. This whole scenario really just sucks, as the project had so much potential judging on that first album alone. In saying that though, at least we managed to get one really good album out of this, which has probably been a result of this competitive split (Krzysztof's Panihida). 

In conclusion then, I would advise to avoid listening to this project and instead listen to Krzysztof's version on Bandcamp. Or if you would rather just try and forget about the drama in its entirely, there’s always Litourgiya. What an album that was, and what a real shame this has all went down over the last year or so. Ah black metal and its drama. At least it's never boring, I guess...

Tracks to check out: 'Dziewiatyj Czas'

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3) Sabaton- The Great War (19th July: Nuclear Blast)

WORDS: Ross Donald

Sabaton are a band that don’t need much of an introduction. For those that don’t know though, they are one of the most popular power metal bands in the world that happen to be going onto their 20th year as a band in December as well. The Great War is their 9th studio album release and, as the title suggests, it focuses solely on events that took place during The First World War. This is also their first album with new guitarist Tommy Johansson.

Now while some may think it inappropriate that a band with such catchy music take on a topic as harrowing as the events of the First World War, the band have done their homework and handle these topics with dignity. As with their other material, there is even a motive to educate those that might not be familiar with some of these historic moments. I definitely learned a few new things listening to this. There have actually been three different versions of the album released. You have the standard album which is the one I’ll be reviewing, a history version with a female voiceover before every track to tell you about the historic event the band are singing about, and a soundtrack version which has no vocals and is more of an orchestral version of the songs. I haven’t heard all of the soundtrack version but what I did hear was pretty epic. Anyway, onto the album itself, the first song 'The Future of Warfare' gets the album off to a suitably epic start as the band details the days of the war when tanks were first introduced into the fighting. As always with Sabaton, the chorus is the real standout moment with a catchy hook and a choir backing up the vocals. Throw in a badass guitar solo and I’m already having a good time.

I won’t talk about every song as I’m pretty sure I’m gonna be repeating myself quite a lot as they are all similarly designed with big bouncy verses and even bigger choruses. That is not to say that all the songs sound the same however. Practically every single one has something memorable to enjoy. I have seen the song 'Attack of the Dead Men' receiving some flack from other reviewers, but for me this was easily an album highlight as it has a bit of eerie atmosphere due to the subject matter. It details a battalion of men poisoned with gas, but who still manage to defend their post while German soldiers advance. It almost sounds like a villain’s song from a classic Disney movie but in the best way possible. I have to talk about 'The Red Baron' though, as it’s easily my favourite track on offer. If you can find a song anywhere near as catchy as this one, then I need to hear it because this track is almost too toe-tappingly joyful. Combine that with another epic chorus and some more awesome guitar work and you’ve got a massive hit here. I’m going to see Sabaton at Bloodstock soon and if they play this one live then I’ll lose my freaking mind.

Right after that we have the title track which is here just to really detail the horrors of the war with some of the darkest and heaviest lyrics I’ve heard from the band:

“Where dead men lies, I'm paralyzed, my brother's eyes are gone

And he shall be buried here, nameless marks his grave.

Mother home, get a telegram and shed a tear of grief.

Mud and blood, in foreign land, trying to understand,

Where is this greatness I’ve been told?

This is the lies that we’ve been sold.

Is this a worthy sacrifice?”

Really makes you feel what the frightened soldiers were feeling at the time. You get the same feeling with the album’s first single 'Fields of Verdun' as they detail this long, violent battle which included many father and sons being killed in battle. The song also has what I’d say is the best guitar solo on the album. Things end in a similarly poignant and respectful way with 'In Flanders Fields'. This takes the poem written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a witness to the many deaths that occured in Flanders, Belgium and makes a song out of it. It’s a great way to make you think back on the horrific events. Although it’s performed by just a choir with no backing instruments rather than the full band, this has the result of making the song all the more powerful, as it makes you really feel the emotional weight of it all.

Overall I had a great time with this album and it’s one of the best I’ve heard from Sabaton’s back catalogue. They’re walking a fine line making fun, catchy music while detailing the horrors of the war but they manage it damn well. This is an album with many memorable tracks and it also manages to really make you think back and reflect about one of the worst times in human history. This easily gets a thumbs up from me and I’d recommend giving it a listen.

Tracks to check out: 'The Red Baron', 'Great War', 'Fields of Verdun'

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4) Sum 41- Order in Decline (19th July: Hopeless Records)

WORDS: Joanne Gray

Other than a few stand out songs, it’s safe to say that the comeback album (13 Voices) from Canada’s most famous pop punk band, Sum 41, failed to really make any lasting waves post its release in 2016. Going into the follow up here, and the seventh album from the now established band, I was unsure whether the band would be able to elevate themselves above making a few great songs per album anymore. 

Releasing the song ‘Out For Blood’ as the album’s first single did make me stop and reassess that opinion though. This is definitely a song that remains one of the standout tracks throughout this album. The song opens with quite dark sounding electronics before the bend laden guitars and thrashy drums come in to nice effect. During the verses, the instruments drop off to give a layered vocal section from Whibley that thankfully doesn’t remove the sense of energy here. There’s an incredibly catchy chorus here that sounds a bit like material from the heavier album Chuck. Everything then eases off towards the middle of track only for everything to come back in around a ripping solo from Dave Baksh. My god, it was good to really hear those metal influences shine through their work again to full effect here. And that heavy metal vibe is something which prevails throughout this album in a way that hasn’t been heard from the band in a long long time.

Perhaps the most prominent (and arguably the best) examples of this are in the songs which tend to stay in this more aggro metal territory throughout.‘A Death in the Family’ has a super doomy, almost Black Sabbath sound in those riffs and this is underpinned by a rolling bassline and uptempo drumming. This picks up the pace and leads up to the verses which have a dark vibe to them and sees Whibley alternating between singing and screaming. The hella chunky riffing here is very early Metallica in its thrashiness here, and it really helps keep things moving along nicely. The chorus is more restrained instrumentally as it opens with a cleaner guitar section but then when the rest comes back in, it ends up constructing one of the bigger choruses on the album. Perhaps the highlight here though is the middle eight which sees a change in key and a quickening of the pace alongside a short but effective squealing solo that really lifts things effectively. 

Far and away though, the best songs on this album for me are those outside of the main singles which really jump on the heavy metal train. 'Eat You Alive' bounds fully into hefty chunky metal riffing and powerful drumming during the opening section before picking up pace in a circle pit inducing way. This is maintained throughout the verses alongside Whibley’s more confrontational vocals that give this song a real punch.The chorus here is less melodic and more angry but the effect here feels more vital as a result. There's some Tom Morello-esque squeals in the short but sweet solo in the second third here that further contributes to this song being an absolute banger, and one which will be great to experience in the live environment. 'The People Vs...' follows up to this in similar fashion with some frantic drumming and dual leads in the guitarwork that really have things galloping along awesomely. Total NWOBHM vibes here and it gives the song a really fun 'Pain For Pleasure' feel. This is only exaggerated when the song kicks into double time in a hell of an enjoyable skate-punk fashion. The chorus here is also an incredibly catchy one, even if the ham-fisted lyrics of "he’s a bad man" (towards none other than current US president of course) and the like are pretty stupid. This isn’t exactly the most nuanced track but the level of enthusiasm and life the song has really makes it easy to overlook this feature. If you'd been missing the sound of Sum 41 playing Does This Look Infected-esque material (the best Sum 41 album for my money), this is definitely a winner for you. Another fun track that will be awesome to witness and mosh to in the live environment.

This sense of fun thrashiness can also be seen in ‘45 (A Matter of Time)’ where screeching noises morph into a bouncy (almost System of a Down sounding) low end guitar line that’s quite pacey and in your face. The verses have a palm muted chug and almost rapped Jason Butler-esque vocals that really moves things along nicely. Getting to the chorus here, you’re confronted with more on the nose finger pointing towards the good old Donald, which to some will sound a bit forced and trite. For me, I think I can forgive that when it’s such a catchy chorus though, and the whole track keeps up the pace enough to keep me engaged. What is less forgivable though is the frankly bizarre production choice on the track. This sees Whibley’s vocals sound unnatural, high pitched and nasally (well, more than usual), and altogether sounding not entirely like him. Thankfully there’s enough happening on this track to distract a bit from the disorienting effect this has here, but the same can’t be said for some of the other tracks on the album. ‘The New Sensation’ , which has a more restrained Holy Wood Manson era rock n roll sort of vibe really showcases the sound of the vocals a lot here. Musically as well, this level of restraint carries through to the chorus which, although it is decently executed, doesn’t feel like it really lifts things in the same way that some of the other melodies do in the album. Lyrically, the song is another one which is very clearly about the current US administration, and like the other more politically minded songs here, it never really builds much beyond cliched mantras (“building up your walls” etc). The substance of the backing instruments which give the track a metal edge really is the only thing that stops the song from becoming too saccharine for its own good (see the fuzzy bass section and brief metal section towards the end particularly for this). 

Unfortunately, 'saccharine' is a word which can very much be used to describe the two softer songs on this album though. ‘Never There’ in its gentler acoustic guitar and piano led Underclass Hero ballad vibes put Whibley’s vocals up front and centre. The song, which is about the relationship Whibley has with his father (a common Sum 41 theme there) has a nice melody and musical sound throughout, but the vocal production really distracts from these positive aspects. They are extremely over-saturated and nasally, leading to the (positive or negative depending on your viewpoint) result of Whibley sounding more like Billy Corgan in all his pomp than authentically himself. The song itself is decent but the unnaturalness of the vocals is too much for me personally and it does remove some of the sincerity of the track. Perhaps odder than this though, and producing the worst track on the album for me, is the choice of style of the album closer ‘Catching Fire’, which starts with pulsing low mix synths that bubble just beneath the surface of the bass, drums and echoey vocals. The very restrained verse showcases more of that weird high pitched production job and has the negative effect of strangling much of the power here. The whole song sounds incredibly distant and flat as a result. This vocal effect thankfully is removed a little during the chorus but it still sounds ultra layered and too polished for its own good. It doesn’t really help that the chorus itself comes across like a cheesy contemporary Simple Plan/All Time Low big ‘rock’ ballad. The ultra poppy ‘woahs’ which come in during the second third only emphasise this. They just feel overpowering, unnecessary and end up giving the whole song an "attempting to be contemporary" sound that already sounds like it's out of date in 2019. 

Songs like ‘Heads Will Roll’ (an almost bluesy, Nimrod era Green Day esque tune) and 'Turning Away' (a morose Screaming For Blood Murder/Underclass Hero like tune that picks up along the chorus and has a killer solo section), which are somewhat similar to the two songs listed above in their lack of pace thankfully never make the mistake of not inserting some heavier moments which provide some key focal points to what may otherwise be some less interesting songs. This could have really been undertaken within the above songs to greater effect. Instead we're left with two forgettable tracks and an underwhelming finish (in the case of the latter track) to an album that, as a whole, produces more interesting songs than these two suggest.

So yeah sure, this isn’t Sum 41’s best album. This far into their career, it is refreshing to hear a band still able to pull out some of the heaviest material they’ve written to date though. It seems that, although 2016’s 13 Voices was the first released after Baksh’s return, it has taken until this album for his influence to really spread its wings once more. And when it does, you get snippets of the past glory periods floating around you for brief moments throughout. 23 years and seven albums into their career, Sum 41 could just be doing what other pop punk bands they’ve came up alongside have been doing and make some entirely pedestrian albums to keep things going for another touring cycle (*cough* Green Day *cough*). But there’s still some signs of life here that suggest that isn’t the case for this band. Yeah, this album has some issues (predominantly Whibley’s vocal mixing, the basic 'Trump bad' lyrics and the more restrained moments that suck the life out of songs) but the injection of metal bite not seen in this band for a long time has done a great job at making this band an interesting recorded proposition again. Just keep this up in the next album and do away with the negative parts, yeah? I know I’d dig it. 

Tracks to check out: ‘A Death In The Family', 'Eat You Alive', ‘The People Vs…’

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Honourable mentions

Darkthrone- Old Star (31st May: Peaceville Records)

WORDS: Ross Donald

The Norwegian black metallers are back to let the world know that they can do whatever they want and that metalheads will lap it up like a cat drinking milk. Amazingly, this is now their 17th studio album and the duo show absolutely no signs of slowing down in the future. 'I Muffle Your Inner Choir' is a non-stop riff fest which mixes more traditional black metal with gutteral doom metal. Even when it slows down to that doomier sound, the intensity remains intact before ramping the speed way back up again. And if that wasn’t enough, the main single from the 'The Hardship of the Scots' comes out of the gate with one of the best and chunkiest opening riffs I’ve ever heard in a song. It will easily keep your interest for the next seven and a half minutes. They almost go full Iron Maiden towards the end, complete with galloping drums and guitars. After 'Alp Man' and 'Duke of Gloat' hit us with a nice mix of doom and speed metal, 'The Key is Inside the Wall' starts off as another doomy track before veering into what sounds more like punk rock. Strange combo that shouldn’t work but totally does and provides an epic closing track. The whole album is short enough not to drag on at all and provides even more reason to play it back time and time again. The music styles on offer are as diverse as they come, with almost something for everyone to vibe with. Darkthrone do what they want and I’m all for it if we get fantastic albums like this. Two thumbs up. 

Tracks to check out: 'I Muffle Your Inner Choir', 'The Hardship of the Scots', 'The Key is Inside the Wall'

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Wear Your Wounds- Rust On The Gates Of Heaven (12th July: Deathwish)

WORDS: Joanne Gray

The second album from Wear Your Wounds sees Jacob Bannon’s second album in this project away from Converge become a more cohesive atmospheric post-metal outing here. There is a progressive sort of balancing act in this album which sees lush piano lines, gentle yet moody acoustic guitars and shimmering yet brooding melodic leads intertwine with heavier dirgy passages in a wonderfully effective way. This sense of progressive heaviness makes perfect sense when you consider that the current line-up here consists of members from Converge, Cave In, Trap Them, The Red Chord and Twitching Tongues. Bannon’s gentle, downtrodden approach to singing here allows all the aspects to really coalesce nicely as well, and his increased presence here is a welcome feature. This is a wonderful mood piece which is awesome to listen to on a calm, reflective night and is also very much an album well worth your time if you’re into atmospheric metal or any of Converge’s more subdued material. 

Tracks to check out: 'Rust on the Gates of Heaven', 'Tomorrow's Sorrow'

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Thy Art Is Murder- Human Target (26th July: Nuclear Blast)

WORDS: Joanne Gray

Coming to my attention around the time 2012’s album Hate was released, Thy Art is Murder have stuck in my mind as being one of the more noteworthy deathcore bands due to their technicality, thunderous low end and Black Dahlia Murder-esque sense of fun. Having not really payed much attention to the Sydney band for a few years, it was immediately clear upon starting their fifth album that there was a lot for me to enjoy here. Conventional yet satisfyingly manic thrashy death metal riffing and blast beats collide with ramped up groovy Lamb of God-esque moments, technically proficient Behemoth like parts and a metallic hardcore sense of punch that keeps things engaging throughout. Vocalist CJ McMahon skilfully moves from guttural death growls to throat shredding shouts and higher register squeals in a more ferocious yet accessibly punctuated manner than ever as well. Sure, this isn’t a drastically different sounding album from Thy Art is Murder but these subtle additions here are enough to keep this album interesting. Human Target is therefore another example which showcases the band being one of the more enjoyable and consistent bands within deathcore these day. And with that being a subgenre that takes a fair bit to be engaging these days, that's saying quite a bit there. 

Tracks to check out: 'Death Squad Anthem', 'Make America Hate Again'

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And that's the major releases from this month! Thanks to Ross for helping out with the reviews for July. Check back next month and we'll have reviews from Slipknot, Killswitch Engage, Volbeat and some other surprises (Tool may be up next month as well, but that one may need a few more days/weeks/months/years to fully digest, so no promises there!). 

Be sure to leave a comment below telling us which albums you've enjoyed this month and your thoughts on the reviews here. Help support RWEI too by giving us a like/follow on the socials if you want. We're also open for submissions and contributions over there too. Cheers!