Monthly Archives: July 2023

Jane N’ The Jungle – Bed Of Roses

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Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Jane N The Jungle is an alternative / hard rock band fronted by singer Jordan White, and Bed Of Roses is their latest single, released on 21/07/2023, and is a track that will feature on their upcoming EP.

With a foundation in alternative and hard rock, this track once again spreads out to cover a multitude of genres blurring the lines between them and creating a sound unique to the band.

Having reviewed tracks by Jane N’ The Jungle before, this one is slightly different to the others in that it is more melodic and not quite so “in your face”, but this doesn’t take away from it still being a great track.

The guitars are heavy when they need to be, mainly during the choruses, which have extremely catchy lyrics and melodies, but at other times they are a bit more laid back, and this makes for a great contrast throughout the track. The solos are clean and have a very alternative rock vibe to them.

The drums are once again energetic with lots of crashing cymbals, and this keeps the song tight and on track.

Distortion is used on Jordan’s vocals during the verses, giving them a very 90’s feel, and the backup vocals really complement the leads, giving the track a great depth that really keeps the listener engaged.

This is a really great nostalgic track that maintains a fresh vibe by including a modern twist. Awesome stuff!

If you have not checked out this great band before now, why not? Head on over to Spotify and do it now! Go on! You won’t be disappointed!

This review is the property of The Metal Asylum

The Metal Asylum Radio Show – 30/07/2023 – Podcast and Playlist

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Three hours of the best in rock and metal from across the genres and across the decades. Join your host The Metal Priestess \m/

Here is the podcast:

And here is the playlist:

  • Seven Witches – Metal Asylum
  • Metal Church – No Tomorrow – for singer Mike Howe who passed away on 26/07/2021
  • Slipknot – My Plague – for drummer Joey Jordison who also passed away on 26/07/2021
  • ZZ Top – Viva Las Vegas – for bassist Dusty Hill who passed away on 28/07/2021
  • Queen – I’m In Love With My Car – for Roger Taylor who was 74 on 26th July
  • Alice Cooper – This Maniac’s In Love With You – from the album Trash which was released 34 years ago on 25/07/1989
  • Pile Of Priests – Death Of The Paragon (Pile Of Priests – 2020)
  • Moonspell – Funeral Bloom (Extinct – 2015)
  • Black Star Riders – Soldierstown (The Killer Instinct – 2015)
  • Nuclear – Full Hatred Response (Ten Broken Codes – 2009)
  • Betraying The Martyrs – Black Hole (Silver Lining – 2022)
  • Bulletproof – I Was Wrong (Forsaken One – 2017)
  • Riot – Swords And Tequila (Fire Down Under – 1981)
  • W.A.S.P – My Tortured Eyes (K.F.D – 1997)
  • Black Spiders – Medusa’s Eyes (Sons Of The North – 2011)
  • The Offspring – Kick Him When He’s Down (Ignition – 1992)
  • Reverend – Remission (World Won’t Miss You – 1990)
  • Blue Oyster Cult – Harvest Moon (Heaven Forbid – 1998)
  • Steelwings – Back On The Road (Back – 2019)
  • Fallen Sanctuary – Broken Dreams (Terranova – 2022)
  • Seven Witches – Cries of The Living (Year Of The Witch – 2004)
  • Abysmal Grief – Raise The Dead (We Lead The Procession – 2014)
  • Connecting Pieces – Army Of Viruses (A Tale Of Steam & Light – 2022)
  • Destructor – Restore Chaos (Decibel Casualties – 2017)
  • Beartooth – The Past Is Dead (Below – 2021)
  • Split Heaven – Awaken The Tyrant (Death Rider – 2016)
  • Chad Bailey – Hymn Of The Wandering Soul (Hymns Of The Wandering Soul – 14/07/2023)
  • Hydra – The Key (Unknown Gods – 2022)
  • Mammoth WVH – Distance (Mammoth WVH – 2021)
  • Medusa’s Ex – Sweet Jesus (Medusa’s Ex – 2022)
  • Damn The Wolves – Dying To Come Back To Life (single released 2023)
  • Maximilian Wentz – I Never Thought (Memories 1 – The Storm EP – 2023)
  • Hammerfall – Secrets (Chapter V – Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken – 2005)
  • Amoth – Wounded Faith (The Hour Of The Wolf – 2022)
  • Motorhead – The Wolf (Rock N Roll – 1987)
  • The Sisters Of Mercy – Doctor Jeep (Vision Thing – 1990)
  • Faith No More – Falling To Pieces (The Real Thing – 1989)
  • Deep Purple – Speed King (Deep Purple In Rock – 1970)

PolSky – Executive Functions

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PolSky is Kris Warren, Alex Robertson, Ben Warn and Chris Norman and together they make up the alternative rock / post-punk band hailing from London in the United Kingdom. After a string of well-received singles, Executive Functions is the band’s debut album and was released on 13/07/2023.

Influenced by “corporate zombies, elderly love affairs, prefrontal cortex function, video game addiction and the human obsession with shouting louder than everyone else,” the album is a glimpse at the beauty, ugliness, thrills, and desperation of the modern world.

With twelve tracks lasting a total of just under forty-five minutes, the album is a beautiful mix of alternative rock and post-punk with a touch of new wave thrown in for good measure.

Funky basslines mix with guitar riffs and rhythmic drums to create a sound quite unique to this band and with the inclusion of some electronic beats and synths, there really is quite a sentimental feel to the album as the listener is transported back to the new wave era of the early 80’s.

Despite the nostalgic vibe the album has, there is also a modern twist to it that keeps the music bang up to date and rejuvenating a genre that will appeal to a whole new generation of new fans.

The vocals on the album are quite quirky, sometimes sounding like they are straight from the 80’s while at other times appearing to belong to an alternative 90’s band and this is the magic of this album. Noone is quite sure what kind of track is going to come next, as each song is totally different to the previous and this keeps the listener engaged with the music at all times.

This album really has something for everyone, ranging from indie to electronic pop, to pop and rock. The pace of the album is constantly changing, with some funky dance-floor fillers along with some more melancholic tracks that will have the ability to transport you away to other time and dimension.

This is a fantastic album that not only blurs the lines between genres, but totally obliterates them. If you are a fan of bands such as The Cure, Bloc Party, Roxy Music, LCD Soundsystem, Duran Duran, Joy Division, Talking Heads, Jamie T, The Cribs, White Lies, Everything Everything, then you are going to love this album.

Go check it out!

Track Listing:
1) Welcome To The PolSky Corp.
2) Switchboard Operator
3) Rounds
4) 100 Million Ways To Die
5) Culture
6) Song For The Silver Surfer
7) Apopalypse Now (Ode to Cracky)
8) Halcyon Daze
9) In Love At The Cinema
10) Cupboard Love
11) Nimbus Cumulus
12) Rainbow Road

This review is the property of The Metal Asylum

Maximilian Wentz – Memories 1 – The Storm

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I recently reviewed Maximilian Wentz’s last album, Mare, and being very impressed with it, I was eager to hear more from him. But first, let me recap on who Maximilian Wentz is.

A singer /songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Haverhill, Massachusetts, Maximilian Wentz combines elements of rock, metal and Latin music with elements found in acoustic pop. He has German roots on his father’s side and Latin roots on his mother’s and, in my opinion, this combination makes for some pretty great music production.

Memories 1 – The Storm is his latest EP and was released on 14/07/2023.

It seems Maximilian has picked up where he left out and produced yet another totally awesome EP. With four tracks totalling seventeen and a half minutes, this is an EP that has so many twists and turns that the listener has no chance of ever disengaging with the music. There is always something to listen to as Maximilian takes the listener on a journey through a multitude of genres, from hard rock to death metal, to metalcore and back again!

Musically this EP is top-notch. The guitars range from heavy and guttural, kicking you right in the stomach with riffs and hooks, to more melodic and the inclusion of acoustic guitars at various points throughout the EP really gives a great contrast in musical styles. The drumming is, once again, pounding with lots of crashing cymbals and booming bass drums and this shows the energy the EP has.

Once again, it is Maximilian’s vocals that really steal the show here. Changing from clean, melodic vocals, such as on the final track of the EP, Beyond Comprehension, the only ballad, to deep, throaty growls and black metal screams, and then to a more alternative rock style, there is such a variety of vocal styles that the listener would be forgiven for thinking there was more than one singer!

With three tracks of fast, in your face, melodic metal / metalcore, the final track, as mentioned above, is a ballad and this really finishes the EP off in a fantastic way. The sound this guy creates is simply stunning and even some full bands would struggle with the range and variety on display here, not only from one track to the next, but during each individual track too.

I loved this EP and have had it on rotation for quite some time now, and with each play through, the tracks just seem to get better and better.

If there is one artist you check out today, please let it be Maximilian Wentz! You really will not be disappointed!

Track Listing:
1 Devastation
2 I Never Thought
3 Fangs Of The Beast
4 Beyond Comprehension

This review is the property of The Metal Asylum

Unholy Communion – 27/07/2023 – Podcast and Playlist

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Two hours of gothic, black, dark, doom and industrial metal, all brought to you by The Gothic Priest \m/

Here is the podcast:

And here is the playlist:

  • Fields Of The Nephilim – Harmonica Man
  • Cattle Decapitation – Scourge Of The Offspring (2023)
  • Cradle Of Filth – Nymphetamine Fix (2004)
  • Ristridi – Genesis(2023)
  • Amon Amarth – Deceiver of The Gods (2013)
  • Satyricon – Repined Bastard Nation (2002)
  • Death Angel – The Dream Calls For Blood (2013)
  • Corrosion Of Conformity – Clean My Wounds (1994)
  • Draugrath – Dead Rising (2023)
  • Forgotten Tomb – Papercuts (2010)
  • Immortal – No Sun (2023)
  • Decapitated – Exiled In Flesh (2014)
  • Halberd – Parasitic Humanity (2022)
  • Type O Negative – Nettie (2003)
  • The Howling Void – Fenrir (2016)
  • Imperium Dekadenz – Forests In Gale (2023)
  • Momentum Damnati – Falling Snow (2020)
  • How Like A Winter – In Silence (2003)
  • Hanging Garden – The Four Winds (2023)
  • Paradise Lost – Tragic Idol (2012)
  • Crimson Altar – Somewhere In The Depths Of Hell (2019)
  • For My Pain – Broken Days (2003)
  • Fields Of The Nephilim – Requiem (2005)
  • October Noir – Cry Little Sister (2020)

The Metal Asylum Talks To………. We Do Not Belong Here

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Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

We Do Not Belong Here is made up of AJ Martinez (drums), Troy Bennett (guitar and vocals), and I, Nat Heck (bass and lead vocals). We formed the band in the summer of 2022. I had been trying to get a heavy band where I did lead vocals together for a couple of years, and Troy and I had tried a couple of times with a few false starts. This time, with AJ involved, the ball got rolling.

We did not have a clear idea of the sound of the band when we started, outside of the very broad descriptors of heavy and screamo, and I think that really worked to our benefit. We organically landed on, what I believe to be, a defined, yet chaotic, sound by pulling from our varied backgrounds. I have spent my entire musical life playing in emo and indie bands, AJ has been pounding the drums in death metal bands for decades, and Troy fronts both a folk band and a death metal band.

As for the name, we’re based out of Louisiana, a place that feels less hospitable by the day, courtesy of climate change and wannabe fascists.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

Yes, we’re all currently living in Hammond, Louisiana, a college town about an hour outside of New Orleans. The three of us have known each other years and are friends. AJ and Troy play together in Faustian, and Troy and I play together in Troy Bennett’s Graveyard Lips.

When I brought up starting this project to Troy, he suggested that AJ would be into it.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

If you asked all three of us, you would get drastically different answers. For this project, I’m pulling from a lot of my favorite screamo bands, such as Portrayal of Guilt, Respire, City of Caterpillar, Envy, Ostraca, etc. As a bass player, Portrayal of Guilt is certainly the biggest, as I’m always listening for ideas on how to be more impactful with my bass parts. Blake Given carries so much weight in that band.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

I’ve always wanted to be a musician, and I started playing in original bands when I was 14 or so. In my 20s, my entire professional life was based in the music industry, and I honestly burned out a bit. I transitioned to being a public librarian over the last half decade while still being in bands, and the balance has worked a lot better for me.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

I’m not a playlist person, but there’s a bunch of albums that have been in heavy rotation.

Here’s 10.
Burning Shadows in the Southern Night by Necrofier
Devil Music by Portrayal of Guilt
Repetition by Unwound
Heavy Heart by MOOR
Dance You Monster to My Soft Song! By Victory Over the Sun
Black Line by Respire
Disaster by Ostrace
Null by KEN Mode
All the Footprints… by Envy
Derramar / Querer / Borrar by Massa Nera

Do you sing in the shower?

Nope.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

Absolutely. Our debut EP, Strange to Cope in Today’s World, releases on September 8th. We’d love to hit the road to support it and play it for people between the end of this year and the middle of next year.

Beyond that, we’ve already finished nearly an album’s worth of material for the next release, so we plan to record the LP follow-up in the spring.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

Yep! The full EP releases on September 8th, but you can stream the single “A Life, Explained” right now on our bandcamp!

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

I’m probably the wrong person to ask because my favorite shows are packed house shows and DIY spaces. I honestly don’t know.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

Hm. All-time? Probably Relationship of Command by At the Drive-In or The Ugly Organ by Cursive. I grew up in post-hardcore and emo, and those two records changed how teenage me listened to and thought about music.

Christfucker by Portrayal of Guilt has been my favorite album of the past five years, for sure.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

Guilt implies I’m ashamed of my fandom, and I’m not. I love Celine Dion. Celine slaps, and I will not tolerate Celine Dion slander. Abba, too.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

This is tough, and I think my answer would change dramatically based on the vibe of the show. For the context of this band, I would love to see Ostraca, Respire, and Portrayal of Guilt on the same bill.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

Absolutely. I bought Gorillaz by Gorillaz at the Circuit City in New Orleans East in 2001. My book of CDs is one of the few things I still have from my childhood pre-Katrina.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

The world probably won’t get better anytime soon. Find catharsis where you can.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

We’re on Instagram @wedonotbelonghereband and on Bandcamp, wedonotbelonghere.bandcamp.com.

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

No, thank you for having me!

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum