Metallica "S&M2" (2020)

 

Twenty years on from their now iconic S&M performance with The San Fransisco, the two reunite for an experience both recreating the original and throwing in some new elements with underwhelming takes on Classical Music and of course an inclusion of new material from Hardwired and Death Magnetic. Although it is impossible not to enjoy a Metallica set list, this project feels inferior, cast to the shadows of its former glory with some flaws present throughout that just let you know the original was a magnitude better. Ironically it is this release the press seemed to have gotten onboard with, heaping on praise where the first one was often misunderstood.

 

As the band age so do their performances and all too often can you hear Lars struggling to keep pace, Kirk's solo's become a little scattered and sloppy and James too struggles with his voice infrequently. At the live show, its hardly an issue given the immersion and event but taken to wax, its all too noticeable. What is also very apparent is the often meager and timid nature of the symphony. Its either the mixing or composition but these numbers feel far more like a Metal songs with some added sparkle. I wasn't keeping tabs on if the symphonies were identical for songs that were featured again but overall it just felt quiet and less involved than before.

That being said one delight to behind where the new songs. They sounded fantastic! After a couple of years its proven they fit in alongside Metallica's many hits and the symphonic gloss worked ever so well, even if just a complimentary element. S&M2 is hardly a bad experience but it really doesn't offer anything more bar the newer songs. There was also an opertunity to take the two Classical songs and spice them up with some Metal but the one track they did this on was simply a disappointment. Its hardly surprising that retreading old footsteps hasn't yielded anything special here.

 

Rating: 5/10

Bathory "Twilight Of The Gods" (1991)

Twilight Of The Gods represents some truly new territory as a part of my nostalgic journey. Bar a couple songs, most of the record was fresh and thus had a challenge in the face of all the praise I heaped on Hammerheart. Its temperament is similar, more of this heathen viking Metal but with a duller edge. Its title track and Song Of Blood have a gloomy tone. They make up twenty one minutes of the record as the pair steady the ship for slower tempos. It shifts focus from guitar to its choral voices that conjure rural life of this inspired era of history. In a few rare moments of gusto, the guitars feel held back by the production which doesn't give them enough punch. Its very much an atmospheric affair and that gloomy feel does subside in parts but mostly these two have a burdensome vibe that drags on.

That temperament is felt throughout, however the middle tracks get to embellish their themes and stories with rocking riffs and choruses that bring some much needed excitement. The tone is dominating though, even Quorthon's excited explosions of lead guitar seem dulled. If its composition or production, I can't get away from this moody tinge, its almost indulging but mostly for me lurches in the shadows of the mythic, heritage charged music that came before it. This time around the vision of culture lost to time is distinct but lacking an enticing energy.

Blood And Iron gets a nod for its stunning glossy acoustic guitars that ring out metallic chords. Its a gorgeous compliment to the driving song beneath, breathing much needed colour into the icy, cold and stiff production that I'll say again feels a fraction away from being an endearing quality. The album ends on a high though, the Hammerheart song an anthemic out poor of triumphant singing that works in some of Gustav Holst's timeless music from The Planets. Its an epic conclusion to an otherwise disappointing record that is a little to self indulged in its droning tone and off-key singing, which again feels a fraction away from something great in its pursuit of authenticity. The bellowing call of the hard life of vikings resonates with that same hardship. A flawed record which has Its moments, I am doubtful it will grow on me.

Rating: 6/10

Nas "King's Disease" (2020)

After a disappointing Kanye West collaboration, Nasir, it is great to hear the king of poetry on the mic get back on form with a fully self realized album. Kings Disease has its concept and theme running from front to back, tying the woes of fame and success back into his current adventures and frame of mind with thoughtful maturity. Its a collection of reflections and life lessons, Nas brings his wisdom and knowledge to us through his lyrical prowess, just as hes always done.

Hip Hop however is a game of two halves and initially a source of excitement, the instrumental aesthetic gleam of its opening track dulls swiftly. Heavily Kanye inspired, a voice oriented production of soulful sample stitched together in peaked, distortion embracing styling dominates the opening tone. Initially grabbing, it becomes somewhat of a drone when the colour fades. Being the statement affirming track, it ends up becoming a fumbling start to the record.

Past this moment its sharp percussive beats and blue pianos paint most these songs with a jazzy, soulful uplift reminiscent of the 70s with a shade of street smarts. Its rooted though, no nostalgia trip, firm urban vibes perfect to resonate with the songs various themes. Although they don't deliver diversity instrumentally, the consistency its helped along by the short nature of these songs. They house his verses with purpose, never stretching the material, keeping it all concise.

This is helped along by a fair number of features, including The Firm, bringing Dr. Dre out of the shadows for a brief but underwhelming appearance. AZ returns on the track too, great to hear his Mafioso style is still potent. Without diving into the topicality with any specificity, its mostly mature, level headed thought around the struggles of black life in America in this day and age. Not straying into any contentious or polarizing avenues, Nas paints a path forward, an air of uplift about where things could go. Its a natural current of positive he emanates, or possibly that I perceive.

Nas is still on point, his knack for swift poetic flows interwoven with street talk is firm and proud but without surprises or aces up the sleeve it leaves one wishing for a little more. Kings Disease ticks all the boxes but after a few spins sits a strange place where the excitement has dulled. Perhaps this is one to come back to after some absence has brewed and see how it sounds once again.

Rating: 7/10

Metallica "S&M" (1999)

 

With S&M2 out and on my playlist, I wanted to relive again this remarkable collaboration between Metallica and the San Fransisco Orchestra. My impression of it today comes with more appreciation than ever. How has this record not become a yearly ritual. Between the Metallica binges, it would bring a whole new dimension to their arsenal of classic songs. More so, I think its the newly found adoration of what the band attempted with Load and Reload that lifts a fair portion of the record from depths I once skimmed over.

Symphonic Metal and the like may have been in relative infancy but to this late 90s period its no stranger. However the collaboration doesn't even resemble how strings and orchestra instruments had been paired with Metal music to date. The San Fransisco group orchestrate on their own terms, acting as another layer of musical identity with in songs already brimming with stature. The music is embellished, a real treat for those who appreciate a union of style often perceived of opposite despite many emotional similarities.

The album's opening is brilliant, Ecstasy Of Gold followed by the instrumental Call Of Ktulu gives ample time to take in the added dimension before ripping pace with Master Of Puppets, possibly the best way for James to bring his iconic voice in. From there the record ebbs and flows with refreshing changes of pace and also involvement from the orchestra, not every song and moment requires a layering of symphony and it too breathes with the set list. One thing to say, there is no fear in getting right in the weeds of some of the bands most iconic music.

There are many favorites each listener will find, among them a couple originals, Human and the adored No Leaf Clover, two fantastic songs, the last before St. Anger. No foreshadowing there. S&M is not without its flaws though. The seventeen minute passageway of Wherever I May Roam and Outlaw Torn drags its feet a little with the plodding repetitive baseline reminding me of a festival jam session giving the crowd ample time to take a trip to the bar and refuel on booze before the closing hits.

Being one to continuously move forward with music, a few nostalgic trips to old records have had me worried of magics left behind. I knew S&M stood in great stature among fans and myself, not so much critics at the time. Listening to it again, its almost as if I forgot about the endearing sparkle the whole experience has, especially the goosebumps educing enthusiasm from the crowd who James lets sing on the record with him. Must of been one heck of an unforgettable experience to have been there!

Rating: 8/10

Haken "Virus" (2020)

 

Some albums demand attention. Occasionally that attentive listening seems inexhaustible. The more I spin Virus, the further I feel from writing my commentary. It takes this moment, currently immersed in its brilliance to spew a barrage of thoughts. Haken have several albums under their belt and either through maturity or deliberation they seem to have cultivated a level of excellence here. It cuts all the fat to deliver a fifty minute experience simply brimming with octane Progressive Metal. Perhaps it is the freshness of it all but so far Virus stands out as their to date.

Prosthetic opens the album with a pitch perfect snare sound to immediately illuminate the fine production as guitars come crashing in among the choppy pedal driven beats. Some of its riffs have an uncanny familiarity with the popular variety of Metal akin to Slipknot in their current more melodic era. Its a constant roll of excellent arrangements pulling no cheap tricks. Invasion bridges the mood with a gloomy darker tone and slower pace, brooding in anticipation of the coming ten minute epic Carousel.

Its around this point the lyrics distinguish an idiosyncratic quality. Phrases and sayings known culturally seem to frequent the tapestry of sentences, leaping from the stance as they peak attention with their linking themes. The albums lyrics mostly deals with themes of abuse, suffering and mental distress, a powerful weight not exaggerated through its crunching metallic template. The guitars instead craft meaty measured grooves, forging a matured atmosphere to house the lyrical vision at hand.

Even as it periodically dives into the "breakdown" realm of riffing, the compositions feel purposeful as the music sways in and out of varying temperaments often glistened by Jennings's beautiful clean vocals that soar with harmony. Being typically progressive the music ventures in all directions in a never ending liveliness that is simply put, just continuously exciting. It's typically Haken but with a keener metallic edge mixed stunningly into their colorful music this time around.

Messiah Complex stands as a seventeen minute epic split into five parts. It continues the theme on but often feels a shade behind the opening songs. That shade however is nothing to dwell on. The whole record is simply remarkable but so dense with riffs and details to engulf. I leave it for now knowing I'll be able to return over and over, discovering new intricacies and details, that is the mark of a great record! Time will tell but for now its been one of those I couldn't put down and for good reason.

Rating: 9/10

Alexander Brandon "Earthscape" (2010)

 

With a recent nostalgic dive into a game from my childhood, Tyrian 2000, I discovered composer the Alexander Brandon was behind the games wondrous and lively midi driven soundtrack. Stumbling onto his bandcamp, I was impressed by the moderate temperaments of music fusing bright virtual instruments with chunky 90s electronic percussion and shapely synthesizers. Its a typically hard to nail down sound, mild manured with a mature variety yet softly engrossing as it pulls inoffensive ideas together with a sensibility akin to video game soundtracks.

Earthscape chalks up a little variety along the way. His singing voice a sensitive one, utilised on two tracks with a worldly Art Pop track reminiscent of Peter Gabriel and on the albums closer he soars some keen words between synthesizer laden vocal effects that wobble with charm. Both endearing. Eagles March breaks for a marching band percussive segment with intriguing groove and patterns that fill the narrow reverb applied. Alba drops in a little metallic guitar distortion too, always welcome with me.

Between its surprises an array of welcome melodies play out across many instruments, occasionally steering into classic electronic tones that sparked similarities with the Tyrian soundtrack that brought me here! It was a nice experience to pick something up on a whim. Although I don't think there is anything deep or profound here, its a record with that typically soundtrack ability to give you the resonance for focus and musical enjoyment with little investment on your own behalf.

Rating: 6/10

Backxwash "Stigmata" (2020)

Fantastic timing! Having just digested the dizzying and grim God Has Nothing To Do With This, this new Stigmata EP drops another three tracks in the same vein, along with an instrumental piece to see it out. Backxwash has been one of the more remarkable discoveries this year and more of her darkly Hip Hop sound is very welcome. With these three tracks on continual rotation the hook on Stigma and the various evil incarnations of sound lurking in these instrumentals have drilled in like ear worms. Most noticeable are the voices, each number bringing on guests to flesh out the tone alongside Backxwash's potent flows and shadowy production. It comes with a similar flow and consistency to the album, as to be expected I guess.

The title track grabs attention with a releaving tone as bright pianos bring a sense of uplift to rather dark and repressive slabs of guitar distortion weighing it down in tension. Its like a lone light escaping from the bleak abyss! The final instrumental too peaks my interest with samples from the classic Doom game distinguishing although its a rather uneventful stint in mild darkly noises. Reminded me of A Silhouette In Splinters by Leviathan. Great EP, just more from an exciting sound, possibly leftovers. Definitely an artist to keep a close eye on.

Rating: 5/10

City Morgue "Toxic Boogaloo" (2020)

 

The City Morgue duo are back with another barrage of obnoxious violent raps, spitting hate and threats in all directions. Following up on the first two style defining volumes, this twenty minute EP brings a firm, metallic tinted production to their typical arrangement of hook oriented outbursts of intense energy. Better enjoyed in brief stints, Toxic Boogaloo benefits from a swift lineup touting quality over quantity. As to be expected, vile raps, boastful aggression and abhorrent attitudes guide the lyrical assault on the listener as we are plunged into the fury of violent youthful rebellion.

Further developing their fusion of Trap Metal, the instrumentals toy with big dirty bass lines pushing deep into peak distortions. This noise foray paired with gritty FL Slayer distortion sounds pushes the chemistry further into dark urban avenues. Although a little groove a rhythm arrives through the guitars, its mainly an aesthetic compliment to tracks driven by pounding Trap percussion with darkly sounding samples and synths brooding moods. Its a clear step up from what they achieved beforehand.

Lyrically, its the same game again. For me that is mostly a novel gawking session at the level of ridiculousness on display. The two have an undeniable talent for style, delivery and catchy hooks but the slew of spiteful anger has little in the way of depth. Hurtworld '99 gets a shout for its running letters of hurt, which yield a personal angle with its timing of the world you. It feels like they reach in and grab way more from a single word with how its worked into the hook. Its a keen moment among a few others. If the duo keep moving in this direction it sounds like their is room for growth.

Rating: 5/10

Bathory "Hammerheart" (1990)

Ones body will be scared by age but so shall the mind! It seems almost criminal that the brilliance of Hammerheart has faded in reputation. Diving back into the Bathory records of youthful years I had somehow lost memory of this masterpiece. Thinking I was on the cusp of unearthing a new glory to enjoy, every track rang echos of a decade past by. Songs unearthed with their etchings still eternal under the dust.

This was the moment Quorthon embraced his heritage and forged a new, remarkable path. Somehow, I remembered this record as a drop off point but in fact these are all spirited songs keenly remembered, including the mighty One Rode To Asa Bay, the only Bathory song to ever be made into a music video if I recall correctly.

Leaving the ferocity of Blood Death Fire behind, slower tempos, brooding atmospheres and heathen choirs accompany a tamer Quorthon who channels his energy into roaring battle cries and off key singing. He conjures the viking spirit with this hard pressed voice that should turn the nose up in theory, yet the genuine passion in his voice pushes the Nordic spirit of the music into a vision coming to life.

Its the final piece solidifying this inspired music of mythic heritage fit to conjure candle lit halls and mighty landscapes of rural natural beauty. Although now a common thing to experience in Viking Metal, this must of been something special at the time of its release. The album opens up with two lengthy epics, Valhalla crashing with lightning strikes into a mountainous passage of drawn out power chords and thunderous drum pounding that sounds practically lifted from Call Of The Cthulhu.

Its a recurring section that elevates the music but also feeds into claims of plagiarism against the band. Something I had yet to touch on but much of the early material is akin to Venom yet Quorthon often claims to have not been influenced by them. It is however a moment of power from the percussive battery and throughout the album tumbling strikes of tom drums help propel these epic and heathen calls to the gods.

Moving into Fire And Ice and Father To Son, sections of dense distortion guitar singularly erupt with a keen parallel to Groove Metal, a genre yet to unfold at this point in time. Its not often the riffs are thrusted forth to the light as they mostly meld with synths to conjure the distinct atmospheres. That measure of fretwork is often subtle but a keen feature throughout. The surprise is these eruptions of meaty groove.

This is a pivotal album for Bathory, being at the forefront of one movement and in one stride to the next, forging and mastering an entirely new sound for the Metal umbrella of sub-genres. Where his last two albums showed flashes of this genius and reveled in a little diversity, Hammerheart is a very unified sound from stand to end that is near impossible to deny as a classic. I am so glad to have found my way back to it!

Rating: 9/10

Ho99o9 "Blur" (2020)

 

  As one of the more exciting acts to follow, the regularity of new material is always welcome. Hot off the heals of Cyber Warfare, the duo offer up another keenly themed mini album to digest. Blur is intermittent with snippets and samples of what sounds like eighties and nineties media hysteria over the emergence of loud and aggressive music in the form of Hardcore and Heavy Metal. The fear and rhetoric feels relevant to their twisted hybrid of dark Hip Hop and Hardcore Punk, ironically the music these talking heads were commenting on is meager and tame in comparison.

These thirty four minutes split along ten tracks feel like a call back to Mutant Freakx and their earlier releases. The bulk of music focuses on slower tempos, twisted and sinister atmospheres built from unhinged beats. Vocally the raps and hooks revel in ambiguity and discernible performances, occasionally lashing out with mean tonged aggressive verse of the Trap Metal variety. Each track is like being dipped into a different dimension of eerie unease as its slowly burns away.

Drifting from that norm, Flesh And Blood has a burst of tempo and Punk energy for the albums shortest affair. With only three tracks led by distortion guitar, Dog Shit takes the cake for being a ferocious riot, unleashing ravenous energy through its dirty riffing. Its brief, housed by samples and the dingy atmosphere the album revels in. Hardcore makes a distinct break from all this with a style and format that ultimately seems like a piss take aimed at Tyler The Creator, ripping off the attributes of his fantastic music.

Compared to the last two stints, it hasn't pushed my buttons as Id like given I am more drawn to their metallic side. It has however been a enjoyable listen with a host of tracks to stuck into but my ultimate take away is the darkly atmospheres don't deliver quite the engagement after multiple spins, it becomes a slow burn as the mystique wares off having deciphered the somewhat cryptic musics facade.

Rating: 6/10

Mushroomhead "A Wonderful Life" (2020)

 

  What words to muster for this record? Its been tough to find them. Almost twenty years on from XX there is little stylistic evolution beyond the general trends of modern Metal. Keeping their unique balance between distorted guitars and Classical toned keyboards the band offer up a heaving bulk of mediocrity at seventy minutes. If you cut the runtime by over half you might have something reasonable but its biggest downfall is how interspersed the projects better material is.

A Wonderful Life sounds like it has an arching theme with some recurring lyrics of pain and struggle, so neatly packaged it feels hard to relate with. Its inline with the tone of "light" European Metal, often female fronted, that puts emphasis on clean singing and routine reductions of intensity. A couple tracks stray right into this territory and others linger nearby sticking to their distinct style. There is nothing wrong with that sound but its a temperament that fails to stir emotional resonance with me.

A couple of songs in the mid section play up big theatrical themes with slow unravellings and a sense of grandiose story telling with the music. Its reasonable but far from being remarkable. Again the lyrical themes seem to play up suffering with a lack of resonance. It ties in to the opening barrage of intense operatic singing which rears its ugly head again towards the end and on the closing track. Again, nothing wrong with this but it feels so out of place, a rigid attempt to compliment the theme.

Overall its been a few sluggish spins with some moments of intrigue but mostly dull and drawn out songwriting dressed up by the bands aesthetic and intensity which is enjoyable. Its a competent production so listenable but hardly a memorable one.

Rating: 4/10